Spires of Infinity (7 page)

Shock bolted through Kari at hearing the name of her father’s oldest and most

dangerous enemy, imprisoned in the furthest reaches of time and space. Overcome, she nearly fell over, clinging to her unstrung bowstave to keep upright. The name could, of course, be a coincidence. She supposed that other people were allowed to bear the name of the enemy of all creation. But what parent would curse their child with the name of the man that had once tried and almost succeeded in destroying all of existence?

“I can’t say as we have,” Michael replied.

“Say, old man,” Jonathan said, pointing to the tower. “Could you tell us what
that
is?”

Looking toward the massive pillar that reached for the heavens, the old man

smiled warmly.

“The World Tower? Why, who hasn’t never heard of the World Tower? Where

you three from?”

Examining them a bit closer, the old farmer took in the long, thick bowstave,

hefty belt knife, and quiver full of thumb thick arrows that Kari wore. His eyes wandered to the two swords Michael had, one on each hip, and the large broadsword strapped across Jonathan’s back.

“We’re from very far away,” Kari explained. “You mentioned the words of

Cain?”

“You haven’t heard of the Apostle,” the man cried in incredulity.

“Should we have,” the twins asked.

“Hop on up into the back of the cart there,” the old man jerked a thumb to the back of his empty wagon. “I’ll tell you all about the Apostle and the words of Cain that were brought to us from another world. Name’s Max.”

“I’m Kari. That’s Jonathan and Michael.”

Climbing up first the twins each offered her a hand. She handed her stave to one and allowed the other to pull her up. They sat down and looked expectantly to the old man as he flapped the reins to get the ancient donkey moving again.

“Why did you jump when he mentioned Cain,” Michael asked privately.

“Didn’t you pay any attention at all during your lessons,” Kari stared at him.

“Wait. Don’t answer that. Cain is our father’s oldest and most dangerous enemy. He’s the one that trapped dad between worlds forever.”

“Oh, really,” Jonathan asked. “Sounds like a wonderful story, wonder why he

never told us.”

“He
did
,” Kari rolled her eyes, “you just never pay attention! How could you forget
Cain
? He only tried to destroy the entire universe! Father imprisoned him for the rest of eternity, but was caught in the trap Cain left for him. Let’s see what this guy has to say about it.”

“If we have to,” the twins said.

“So,” Kari leaned toward Max conversationally, “you say this Apostle person

came from another world to preach about Cain?”

Max nodded emphatically, obviously very devoted.

“Oh, the Apostle is the most holy of Cain’s servants. The Apostle came to teach us the way of the one true god and to destroy our false goddess.”

“Really,” Kari asked.

Slightly worried, she cursed herself for giving up the right to ever return home. If this was the same Cain, then their father had to be warned somehow.

“Cain will destroy all false gods,” Max continued with religious fervor. “He will bring all peoples and all worlds together under him, and we will live forever in peace and harmony, without hunger, sickness or poverty. He created worlds without end, but when the people began to worship false gods he turned his back on us and left. Once his name is spread back to all worlds, and all false gods forsaken, Cain will then return to us and we will bask in his everlasting glory for all eternity.”

“This Apostle,” Kari asked. “You’ve heard him say these things?”

“Of course not. The Apostle is far too important to visit poor old Max on his farm. From the original congregation, the Apostle chose twelve preachers, and each of them chose seventy others. Those missionaries spread through the world two by two, bringing the Gospel of Cain to us all.”

“I would very much like to meet this Apostle,” Kari said.

“Oh, to bask in the glory of the Apostle in person. Poor old Max here can’t leave his farm even to see the Apostle speak. That’s why I asked you if you’d heard the good word. The Apostle is at the World Tower now, asking all those able to bear arms to come and help to destroy our false goddess.”

Sitting forward with interest, Michael’s wolflike ears would have been pricked up to points if they were not hidden by Kari’s illusion.

“A goddess you say? In dire need of rescuing by a handsome hero? At the

tower?”

“Was you raised in a cave your whole life, boy? She’s called the Empress Oracle.

She sees the future and leads the Ten Nations from that tower. How can you not know about the false goddess!”

“How do you know she’s a false goddess,” Jonathan asked.

Max rolled his eyes as if he’d just been asked why water was wet.

“Well of
course
she’s a false goddess. There can be only one true god, the Apostle says so, and that god is Cain. The Empress Oracle may be a thousand years old like the stories say, and see the future, and perform miracles, but they’re just stories. It’s all lies! She’s deceived us all this time. She selfishly seeks to steal all the glory from Cain.”

“I see,” Kari said. “And you say that this Apostle is at the World Tower now, gathering an army to storm in and kill your Empress Oracle? The woman that has led you, guided you, performed miracles for you, and foretold your future for a thousand years?”

“All false gods must be destroyed before Cain can return to us,” Max did not

appear to have caught the sarcasm in Kari’s voice.

“How far is it to the World Tower from here,” Michael asked.

“Days by foot. Can’t leave my farm for that long, though it’ll be all over before poor Max could even get there. Least I can do is help you on your way a bit. That’s how I’ll help pull down the false goddess. I’ll take anyone that goes to fight against her on my cart as far as I’m able.”

“So,” Michael said, scratching behind where one of his invisible wolflike ears would be, “let me get this straight. Your Goddess has ruled over you for a thousand years?”

“
False
goddess,” Max corrected.

“Naturally,” Jonathan nodded.

“Has she oppressed you,” Michael asked. “Demanded human sacrifices,

excessive taxes, killed people for no reason, anything like that?”

“Why no,” Max sounded horrified at the very suggestion. “It’s because of her

blessings that the fields are always fertile. Her visions make for a better tomorrow. She is a gentle and beautiful ruler.”

Michael blinked in confusion.

“So you have a paradise ruled over by a caring goddess—
false
goddess—for a thousand years, and you turn against her just because someone says she’s false? How do you know that Cain is the true god? Why not the one that you can see, and whose works you know are true? Can’t there be two gods? Does she have to be destroyed just because she’s not Cain? Can’t she keep her life and continue to bless you as she has? I’m sorry, this just doesn’t make any sense to me.”

“When you put it like that we sound like ungrateful bastards, but it’s not like that.”

“Then tell us so we can understand,” Kari suggested.

“I was skeptical at first. I saw the good deeds of the goddess, and knew she could not be false. Then I heard the words of Cain. And they made so much sense to me. I prayed to Cain, as they teach, and asked him if it was true. And then I felt the Rapture,”

Max shuddered with remembered ecstasy. “I could feel him in my heart. I knew him, and he knew me. I knew that he cared about me, and wanted nothing more than to be able to return, just for me. As clear as day I could see that he was the true god and the Empress Oracle was false. And as the Apostle teaches, all false gods must be destroyed or Cain can never return.”

Sharing uneasy looks with the twins, Kari had never heard of any power like that, and by their confused expressions, neither had they. Free will was god’s greatest gift, and not even his infinite power could take it away again. She didn’t know if this Cain was the same one that their father defeated long before they were born. Either way, something very out of the ordinary was happening on this world. Whoever this Cain was, she was reasonably sure that he was not as benevolent as Max seemed to believe.

“We can find this Apostle at the World Tower,” Kari asked.

“Oh yes indeed,” Max said. “As soon as enough disciples have gathered they will storm the tower and the Empress Oracle will fall.”

“Well then,” Michael said. “Let’s go have us a chat with this Apostle person.”

“And the Empress Oracle too,” Jonathan added.

Nodding, Kari wanted to get to the bottom of things as soon as possible. If this was the same Cain that her father had sealed away, then more than this one world was in danger.

Chapter 7: The World Tower

“Our first adventure,” Michael said, “only seventeen seconds after setting foot on our first world.”

“Max said the tower was days away by foot,” Jonathan said, looking at the pillar of gleaming metal in the distance.

“For a human maybe,” Kari grinned.

“It doesn’t look that far away,” Jonathan muttered. “Must be
massive
up close.”

“There’s something very disturbing about the story Max told us,” Kari said.

“Seriously,” Michael agreed. “How can they just turn on someone that has

treated them so well like that.”

“That isn’t the disturbing part,” Jonathan said sorrowfully. “How could they be planning to deprive the world of a beautiful goddess before I ever had a chance to rescue her from her accursed virginity.”

Kari rolled her eyes in disgust.

“No, weren’t you listening when he talked about praying. Somethin
g
got inside his head and influenced his thoughts and emotions. What kind of being could influence someone like that? If this is a different Cain he must be just as powerful as the original, and if he’s set on killing the Empress Oracle, who has done no wrong, he can’t be up to any good. We need to find some way to get a message back to father about this.”

“Or,” Michael said, raising a finger, “we just kill this Apostle. Problem solved.”

“Bad idea,” Jonathan warned.

“Nuh-uh!”

“It really is,” Kari sighed. “If everyone in this world is as passionate about the Apostle as Max was, killing him in the middle of his army would be as good as killing ourselves. The people would turn on us, and when we’re dead they’ll turn on their goddess just the same. It won’t do any good to just kill the Apostle.”

“Oh, right,” Michael nodded. “I knew that.”

“Do you really think this is the same Cain that dad fought,” Jonathan asked.

“That was like ten
billion
years ago, wasn’t it? How could he still be alive?”

“Father is,” Kari pointed out. “Cain is immortal. There is no way for him to die.

He thinks the only way to end his existence is to destroy the entire universe so that
nothing
exists anymore. Imagine if every world was converted to the Gospel of Cain.

Then the people on every world rose up and killed anyone with power enough to do anything to stop him. And then Cain somehow breaks free of his prison. There would be no one willing or able to raise a hand against him in the entire universe.”

“We don’t even know if it’s the same Cain,” Jonathan said. “It’s only been ten billion years, people are bound to have forgotten anything bad attached to that name.”

“Right you are,” Michael agreed. “Let’s have a chat with this Apostle and find out what’s he’s not telling these people. And I’d really like to meet the goddess too.

Poor beautiful goddess, in dire need of being rescued from her accursed virginity.”

Kari shook her head. “Is that
all
you two
ever
think about!”

As they looked at each other, telepathic communication seemed to pass between

the twins before they turned back to her.

“Of course,” they answered in unison. “We’re young men. What else would we

be thinking about?”

“Young men, my tails,” Kari snapped. “You’re nearly two hundred years old!”

“We’re young at heart,” Michael said.

“We need to get going,” Kari cut off any further comment from the twins on the matter. “We’ll need every shred of speed to get there before the Apostle attacks.”

“We could get there a lot faster if we transform,” Jonathan suggested.

“I think a giant fox and two giant wolves running down the road would cause just a little too much commotion,” Kari rolled her eyes, “don’t you? Most worlds call us Werewolves and try to kill us on sight in case you weren’t aware of the fact!”

“I’ll have you know that we’re dogs,” Michael sniffed in indignation.

“Loyal companions, dogs,” Jonathan agreed.

“Oh shut up already,” Kari hissed. Someday she was going slam their hollow

heads together until she beat all of the stupid out of them.

*****

Up close, the World Tower was more than massive. It had to be the largest

manmade structure in the entire universe. Kari estimated that they’d traveled nearly two hundred miles over two days, the metallic gray shaft growing on the horizon with every step until it dominated the sky. The shadow moved with the sun like the entire landscape was part of a gigantic sundial.

“It sure is big,” Kari muttered.

“The tower or the army,” Michael asked.

“Both, I guess,” Kari admitted, looking to the large mass of people milling about the bottom of the tower.

“How are we going to do this,” Michael asked. “There have to be at least a

thousand people over there.”

Kari shrugged.

“Who will notice a few extras in a group that big?”

“I told you she was smart,” Jonathan grinned.

“Never any doubt here,” Michael replied. “Call me crazy, but I don’t think

there’s quite enough of them to break into that tower.”

“Not, yet anyway,” Kari nodded. “How are
we
going to get in? There’s a whole army down there that’d be inside already if they could.”