Vrin: Ten Mortal Gods (17 page)

I threw caution to the wind and made my way down into the cellar, and was greeted with the tips of swords. “Perhaps I can be of service,” I said, removing the hood and blindfold.

A voice spoke from behind the small group. “Ahh, Mr. Tardin, the god of enigma.” The group parted to reveal another man whose face I recognized from the event cell.

“I hope you have a point,” I said sharply.

“Oh, I do, Mr. Tardin. If any other god had dropped into our midst, I would have been suspicious, but you, I welcome. See, we have had enough of
gods
. But you, you are not a god at all.” He stepped towards me. “You are just a man caught in very unusual circumstances.” The light flickered in his eyebrows, causing shadows to dance on his face. “Those are your words, are they not?”

It took me a second, but then I remembered. I had said those words to Thana. “Yes,” I said, feeling exposed, “those are my words.” Where was he going with this?

“Your words have traveled far and you do not understand the impact they have had on my people. In your ignorance you brought first confusion and then enlightenment. You see, when the gods came, they brought with them the promise of peace and prosperity, but promise after promise was broken, and my people were left to consider the implications of the inconsistency. We hoped for a divine plan, but there wasn't one. We did not know that men, not gods, had brought the promises. We didn’t want to believe it, but then in the midst of our greatest confusion, there appeared a ray of hope, a spark of truth. ‘I am not a god!’” He turned to the others in proclamation. “‘I am but a man caught in very unusual circumstances.’ That statement, along with Humphrey’s death, provided our people with the hope we needed to stand up against our aggressors. The gods we feared, were not gods at all. They were mortal, and they
could
die.

“And now we are graced with the presence of the god who would be a man. If there is one among you who speaks the truth, it is you. If there is one we can trust, that would also be you. We are no longer bitter at The Ten, since the war has clarified matters. As the sides are drawn, it is becoming clearer that the Marathil was correct about one thing; in the end, it is a matter of light versus darkness. We thought the gods had turned on us but we were wrong. Evil has a way with confusion, with hiding the truth. But we have seen the seed of its way and have chosen to align ourselves with Armadon and the forces of Ethral. It is not clear to us yet who The Ten really are. But one thing is certain, gods or no gods, we need your help in fighting the darkness threatening to take our world.” He turned toward me and stretched out his hand. “So, Mr. Tardin, I welcome you, to the resistance.”

PUPPETS OF THE VOID

001001011001110

What could I possibly say to follow
that
? I was thoroughly impressed with the man. He was old, but his charisma and intellect gave him a youthful quality which enhanced his powerful appearance.

I took his hand, and said nothing.

He continued. “SCAR was created to stop the influence of your kind on our world, but as you know, things have changed. The picture has become broader and we now consider your arrival here a blessing. We would like to offer our support to your cause, if you will have us.”

“We can use all the help we can get,” I said. “Your words are true, I am no god, and as far as I’ve seen, none of The Ten are. Our powers are limited. Your support will be a tremendous help, but I should caution you, many of our men still believe in the message of your holy Marathil. Their belief in us has carried them this far. Although you are closer to the truth than they are, I would appreciate it if you would exercise a bit of restraint. The fact we are vulnerable could be a motivator, but if they find out our cause is a lie, it would be detrimental.”

Crates and barrels littered the moist stone floor of the dank, musty cellar. In the far corner, barrels had been chopped in half to make seats and crates were set as tables. He led me through the murky, half-lit room to several maps scattered about on various surfaces. I had to strain my eyes in the dim candlelight to see the map of Pagnia on the crate between us. “Are you opposed to my using my magic?” I asked.

“No. Since the death of Humphrey and the reappearance of Kric’ tu, Thana now understands the need for the gods to use their power. It is no longer a simple matter of interference. Force must be fought with equal force, and I of all people would not be opposed to magic, for you see, I am a wizard.”

“Then I will shed some light on this little meeting,” I said, trying to appear unaffected by his statement. A
wizard?
I looked at the old man with his ruby red robe and thick white beard. He did indeed look like a wizard. But again I was at a loss. How did
magic
fit into the scenario of this world? Apparently my perception of Vrin would have to continue to fluctuate as new facts became available. These thoughts filtered through my mind as I worked to create a simple wooden table and several large candles. The room lit up and I had my first clear look at the faces gathered around. “There that’s better,” I said, looking across at my new acquaintance. “I’m sorry,” I said, realizing he had not told me his name, “what do I call you?”

“There are some in Rath's attack force. They have been ordered to fight defensively only. Then there is Kaprisha’s group. She has them concealed in this patch of woods off to the left of the battle area. And Fyousa has some men in the castle, maybe a few in town as well. Right now we have a messenger on his way to inform Armadon of our intentions.

“You’ve been doing your homework. Are your people ready to fight?”

“Some have been shaken by Kric’ tu’s arrival; they fear him more than The Ten.” He shook his head slowly. “If there is a genuine deity in Vrin, it is Kric’ tu. I curse the day my family released him from the pit.”

“
Your
family?”

“Yes, I am a direct descendant of Alganah.”

“
Fascinating.
I have many questions I’d like to ask you. But I will wait until the troops are deployed.”

“I will trade you, answer for answer,” he said with a smirk.

“Agreed.”

That made sense. According to the historical record, Alganah had exercised some form of magical talent when he opened the gateway to chaos, or whatever it was he had opened. If this man was truly a descendant of Alganah, he would most likely have inherited some sort of supernatural ability. If he were able to exercise that kind of influence on this world, his power could be comparable to ours.
Fascinating!
Before me stood a man who represented a link between these people and my own. --Yet, he was just a simulation. --Or was he? He had called
me
an enigma. But the term best suited him.

I brought myself back to the matter at hand. Lorna needed the support these people offered. “First things first,” I said. “Your messenger will not find Armadon at the outpost. Lorna, the tenth, is holding our position while we tend to other matters.”

“Other matters?”

“The battle is just a distraction, a distraction that must be held, but the real war is taking place elsewhere. I cannot tell you more in the face of so many unknowns. Let me contact Lorna.”

“Yes. Tell her my troops will respond to the password
faith
. They will change sides immediately upon hearing that word.”

I tipped my head to the side. “
Lorna? How goes the battle?”

“
It’s still quiet here. Too quiet. Have you reached your destination?
”

“
No, I’ve met with a pleasant snag. I’m here now with SCAR. Are you familiar with
them?”

“
Nope
.”

“
I won’t go into detail right now, but I’ll say this. You can trust them. A messenger is on his way now and he will tell you the password to use is ‘faith’. He will explain their position. Let him into the outpost
.”

“
Yessir
.”

“
They will provide extra troops
.”

“
Good, we can use them
.”

“
They may be able to help me gain access to Rath's castle
.”

“
Great
.”

“
All right, that’s it for now. Good luck, Lorna, and thanks again
.”

“
Sure. You take care of yourself.”

I pushed her energy from my mind and refocused on Arganis. “She will allow your messenger into the outpost.”

“Thank you.” He stood to address his group. “You know what you need to do, men. May the Maker of Light be with you.”

They filtered out of the room with hopeful enthusiasm. I rose to stand beside Arganis. His face was thoughtful. I could tell he cared deeply for his people. When the last person left, I turned to my silent host. “I will need entrance to the castle. If you are indeed a wizard, perhaps you can help.”

“I don't think so. Well-- only in storybooks. That’s what bothers me, you are an inconsistency in the scheme of this place. Vrin is based on scientific fact taken from my world, yet you defy the very principles that make up my universe. It would be very useful to know how, and why, you are able to possess magical abilities.”

“It's simple.” He chuckled. “I draw from a source outside the realm of the physical world.”

“Outside of
Vrin?”
I said, astonished.

“Beyond the cognosphere lies the void.”

“You mean-- space?”

He furrowed his brows.
“Space-?”

“Never mind, it would take too long to explain.”

He gave me an examining look, then continued. “Vrin floats in energy. There is a point on this planet where a channel exists, a pillar into the sky called The Circle of Ghosts. A vortex there leads into the energy pool.” He leveled his eyes at me. “All who have entered The Circle have died horrible deaths for the energy is unlike anything in Vrin. I call it energy, others call it magic. My ancestors learned to tap into this magic. Hundreds of years ago, Nor’ Trull built a cabin next to The Circle and each day he would go and sit at the edge. He found that the vibrations from his voice would cause things to happen, and that each vibration had a different effect. He cataloged the effects in a book that was passed down through the generations. His son learned from him, as I learned from my father.

“Interesting. Is there a reason it’s called The Circle of Ghosts?”

“Yes. It is a portal to a place called Dantra. It is believed a race of people live within the energy. Some say they are the ghosts of our ancestors waiting to be released to Ethral, but from what my family has gathered, they do not originate from our world. We think they are an ancient race of spiritual beings. In the many years of communicating with them, my ancestors have learned a great number of things. They used this information to attain their goals, but ultimately, it was our undoing. When Alganah called on Kric’ tu, the god of power, to save our royal family from being ousted, what he unleashed was not what anyone expected. And before he could send it back, it escaped into Vrin.”

“They were expecting a benevolent spirit?”

“Yes. They had no way of knowing that evil existed in the void. All the spirits that had come before were loving spirits of light.”

“Do you need to be at The Circle of Ghosts to use the magic?”

“No, but it is stronger there. Energy seeps from The Circle and filters into the air. It dissipates as it moves father away from its source, but it can still be very potent.”

He stood and walked to the center of the room, then repositioned toward me. With eyes shut, his hands began to caress the air methodically. They swayed about in gentle arching movements, punctuated by gestures resembling an exaggerated form of sign language. He began a deep resonating vocal hum.

A ghostly glowing fog began to materialize. His hands moved through it, forming wakes of white sparks. He spread his arms wide, leaving a swirling orb of iridescent gas, then sharply brought his hands together. A brilliant flash of light blinded me.

“Impressive,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “Is that the extent of your power’s usefulness?”

“It’s the most visual. I can lift things and move them around, basically doing things I would normally use my hands for.” He paused. “But enough about me. It is my turn.”

“Alright. Fair enough.”

He rubbed his hands together. “I’m almost giddy,” he said with an expression of childlike enthusiasm. “Let’s see. --If you are not a god, then what are you?”

Always the complicated question first!
I looked at him, and shook my head. “Well, it might be a little hard for you to understand, so if I cover anything you are not sure of, feel free to interrupt.”