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Part IX

Afternoon of Terminus, Fourth Day of Duskmoon

Samuel's eyes shot open.

For a brief moment, he was in a panic. He was seated in a dark room with no visibility. Disoriented, heart racing, he spoke a few words to summon a ball of light. But all it revealed was an empty scrying room, free of any threats. He cursed out loud, figuring he must have fallen asleep. It was a mistake only an amateur would make … not a veteran soldier.

He looked down to see his fingers clenched around the Sagittarius Stone. He had been using it to summon Belial's All-Seeing Eye, a wondrous ability that displayed the recent past or present of any place on Gaia, as long as he knew where to look. Ever since his spies in Kish verified that his brother had left the woodland city, Samuel had been using the Eye to sweep the Vinetan skies, hoping to stumble upon his brother's airship. He had hoped the reconnaissance would reveal key insights into how Abraham planned to stage his assault. Samuel assumed that—like himself—his brother would forego any honest trade in order to get the upper hand. Unfortunately, Samuel was unable to get any new information due to recent storms that obstructed his view.

It was not a huge setback. Samuel's new airbase had incredible weaponry, and Abraham was still blind to so much of his plans. Even so, he had underestimated his brother twice already, and he did not want to leave anything else to chance. Abraham now had two sunstones, and the stakes had never been higher. Samuel had to ensure that his brother would not escape again.

He let out a deep breath, still vexed with having dozed off at such a critical moment. Then again, he had been missing a lot of sleep in the last week. Not just the time he spent looking for his brother, but also his search for the so-called moonstones.

Samuel chuckled at the fanciful term. Humans had coined both the moonstones and the sunstones, but had the ancient name-makers ever truly grasped the artifacts' true powers, they would have surely chosen something more appropriate.

For Samuel's plans, it did not matter what he called them. All eight relics were needed before his objectives could come to fruition. In less than two weeks, the planet Gaia would be in the middle of a Celestial Convergence, an alignment of stars that allowed for the casting of certain Arcane magics. The event occurred only once in a thousand years, but it granted the power to open a portal to the very Heavens themselves. Through this portal, Samuel and his Master would have access to almost godlike powers. But if he was too late, the path would close until the next thousand-year cycle.

For everything to come together, a complex set of conditions needed to be met. Besides collecting all four sunstones and moonstones, Samuel needed to find an ancient structure known as Axismundi. It was deep inside this tower's innermost cloister that the path to the Heavens would be found. Fortunately, Virgil claimed to have found some leads, which he went to explore while Samuel remained on Zounds to gather the remaining sunstones and moonstones.

Samuel's new airbase was more than just a collection of Angkor's newest destructive weaponry. It also contained a series of sophisticated scanners, which Samuel had developed over the years along with Virgil Garvey. The machines were designed specifically to detect the resonance energy of moonstones, which had been lost to the world since the last time the Ahrimen reigned.

Of course, there were limitations. The scanners could locate objects through walls and barriers, which allowed detection inside mountain caverns or deep under the ocean. However, even with many tireless days and nights circling the planet, the data from the scanners came back inconclusive. The only explanation was that the moonstones were hidden deeper than the equipment's range. Samuel knew of a few regions deep beneath the planet's surface that would qualify, but he had hoped to avoid venturing so far. Unfortunately, the evidence was incontrovertible. As soon as Samuel defeated his brother, he knew where to go next.

Of course, there was a second reason why the moonstones were critically important. Beyond their ability to activate Axismundi, they also contained the power to neutralize the Ahrimen's corruption. This was a protection that Samuel desperately needed, since he too was at risk of being corrupted by the Ahrimen. It was a curse he carried the moment he touched the Sagittarius Stone in the temple at Koba.

It was known as a Mark, and it occurred whenever a mortal came in contact with more than one sunstone at a time. Samuel had been carrying the Gemini Stone when he stormed the Koban capital, which he had recently taken from Kitezh. He had used Libicocco's power to make his fleet of Angkorian airships disappear and also to bolster his strength in magic. Unfortunately, Abraham had thwarted his siege by plunging a sword through his shoulder. And in a moment of panic, Samuel had grabbed the Sagittarius Stone and fled.

Once Marked, a person cannot part with their sunstone, no matter how hard they try. Meanwhile, the Ahriman is given access to the person's mind, which allows for a rapid period of corruption. By contrast, King Richard, who did not carry a Mark, used the Pisces Stone for nearly a month before succumbing to Abaddon's temptations. However, with a Mark, even the most righteous souls last little more than a few days.

Samuel might have already ended up such a victim, but he was saved thanks to a pact that he and Virgil had made before the Mark occurred. According to the pact, he and Virgil would assist the Ahrimen in both reaching and activating Axismundi. For the Ahrimen, the tower was the only thing standing between them and their dominion of the planet. But for Samuel, it was his gateway to absolute power. As long as he survived his mission, nothing else mattered. He would gladly hand the world of Gaia over to the Ahrimen, once it was all over. As long as it led him to victory.

Ironically enough, Abraham had also been meant to share in this dream. It was the Master's will that Abraham be one of the Chosen. Had he accepted the Sagittarius Stone and agreed be its bearer, he would have shared in unimaginable rewards. Instead, Abraham refused his destiny for the sake of that cursed child! If only Samuel had not lost focus, he might have triumphed in his mission and brought both the sunstone and his brother back to the Master. He might have also had his hands on the relic around the child's neck, which he was certain was a moonstone. He still had no idea how the child happened upon it, but he wished he had not been so hasty that day.

Unfortunately, his mission was a disgrace, and he ended it with a Mark. His only hope at that point was to depend on his pact with the Ahrimen. Although, at least it came with upsides. While under the curse, Samuel gained unfettered access to Belial's powers, including the All-Seeing Eye. The only condition was that he showed no weakness or indication of faltering from his task. After all, the Ahrimen were not known to be patient creatures. The closer Samuel neared to the Celestial Convergence, the more likely Belial might change its mind. At any time, the Ahriman could turn on him and devour his mind, body, and soul.

This was one of the reasons why Samuel worried about his sudden lapse of consciousness. It was unlike him to succumb to fatigue. Instead, if Belial were testing his limits … if the Ahriman somehow calculated that Samuel's failure was in its best interests ….

Another shiver ran up the Knight's spine. Indeed, the Ahrimen were unpredictable. He had no reason to suspect that Belial would sabotage his plans, but the timing was just unsettlingly suspicious. That he would fall asleep only hours before Abraham's arrival … Samuel had learned not to pass off coincidences like these. His instincts detected something insidious, and for a brief moment, an image of Virgil crossed his mind. His cohort was supposedly investigating the new leads on Axismundi … but was he really? Could Virgil have been responsible?

A little more than a week earlier, Samuel had cooked a vengeful plot against his cohort. Though he and Virgil shared a long history, the pompous halfwit had finally crossed a line. He dared to hoist Samuel's place at his Master's right hand, an unforgivable transgression. Virgil had somehow learned about Belial's Mark, and he must have tattled to the Master.

The result was a demotion for Samuel, which threatened his most precious of dreams. Everything in the Knight's life had been in preparation for reaching Axismundi, and only he was to be at the Master's side. There was no way he would ever allow a fop like Virgil to take his place. His only option was to retaliate and attempt to regain the Master's trust.

He planned to embarrass Virgil by using his own ideas against him. It was a fairly simple ruse, since the impulsive fool was oft known to fire before waiting for his chance to aim. So when Virgil suggested using Libicocco to go after the final sunstone in Vineta, Samuel seized the opportunity.

He knew that Virgil's idea was terrible. Pact or no pact, there was no way to keep tabs on an Ahriman from thousands of leagues away. The demons were unpredictable, as evidenced time and again. But since Virgil had suggested it, Samuel used his clever tongue to trick his colleague into committing to the idea. And once it failed, his colleague would also experience a fall from grace.

As predicted, the Ahriman severed all communication shortly after stealing the sunstone from the Clerics. Samuel did not know the details, but it played into his hand perfectly. He would use the betrayal to illustrate Virgil's incompetence, while also leaving room to execute his own contingency plan, which he had developed in parallel with his apprentice, Kane.

The scheme was beautiful. Even if Abraham failed, the only loss would have been that of a worthy adversary. Even the Pisces Stone would have still been up for grabs, since Libicocco had no use for other sunstones. The demon's only true motivation was to reach Axismundi, which required the spell that Samuel and Virgil had been preparing. Sooner or later, Libicocco would return, and by then Samuel expected to have found a moonstone. At that point, he would have the leverage he needed to renegotiate the pact.

Of course, his brother had actually succeeded in recovering the Capricorn Stone from Libicocco. That presented its own challenges, but also some new opportunities. Rather than worry about Libicocco, Samuel could use Miss Reynolds to lure his brother to his death. After all, it would be foolish to honor an exchange that would allow another enemy to escape and track him down later. Rather, Samuel would wait until Abraham handed over the sunstones, and then he would use the awesome firepower of Zounds to vaporize his brother's airship.

It was a fairly simple plan, but one that needed some preparation to ensure that Abraham would not escape. Fortunately, there was still plenty of time before his brother's arrival—even considering his recent nap. Samuel took one more deep breath. His coup de grace was at hand. All he needed was to close a few loose ends.

He rose from his chair to begin those preparations, but as soon as he was on his feet, a spine-tingling shiver ran across his body. It felt like something was watching him from inside the room. His instincts knew what it was, so he called out to the darkness.

"Libicocco, show yourself! I sense your presence."

Sure enough, a body that looked like the corpse of the Elfen king appeared out of the dark recesses of his scrying room. It was taller than Samuel remembered, with oddly feminine features: longer hair, a thinner jaw line, sharp fingernails, and the outline of a bosom. All signs that Libicocco was attempting to alter the body into a form that the demon saw more fit.

Regardless, its presence was an outrage, and Samuel would not stand for the insult. He stood tall and directed his ire. "You dare to show yourself upon my ship? After what you've done?"

"Silence, Vermin!" The Ahriman's voice had the sweet sound of a succubus, laced with the raspy tone of an old crone. "I'll not tolerate your insolence any longer. Pact or no pact, I'll reach inside that helm of yours and rip out your throat, so that the end of it dangles like a tongue outside your mouthpiece."

Samuel felt an emotion that had been absent for a long time … fear. This Ahriman was beyond his control, and he needed to choose his words carefully. But he would not back down. One way or another, he would assert his dominance. He kept his stare steady.

"That's better." The Ahriman must have mistook his hesitance for compliance, but it worked out just as well. Samuel held his tongue while the Ahriman spoke down to him. "I would have contacted you sooner, had I known where to find you."

Samuel's hatred gave him courage. He despised condescension, much less the wicked words of a traitor! Fortunately, he knew how to turn his rage into unwavering conviction. His voice was steady and perfect. "I don't make it my policy to broadcast my location to known defectors."

The creature resembling dead Arcesilaus bent over and cackled. "Is that what you think? And here I thought that you had played me as a fool."

Samuel did not understand what this creature implied, but it was clearly mocking him. He seethed inside his helm. "What's so funny?"

Libicocco snarled through a set of blackened teeth. "Did you actually think I betrayed you, just because I didn't return?"

Samuel clenched his fists so tight they could have turned stone into dust. The demon made no sense. His tone was decidedly harsh. "What of it?"

"Your attitude pushes my patience to the limit, Vermin, so let me be brief: I chose not to return because I discovered the cleric's sunstone to be a fake! I realized it shortly after leaving the city, so I assumed that you had betrayed me. But now, I realize that you were made into just as large a fool as I."

The claim hit him like a mortar shell, almost knocking him backward into his chair. The demon had no reason to lie … not this time. Samuel almost shook with rage and confusion.

"A fake? That's … not possible!"

"Believe it," Libicocco asserted. "Your partner did this to you. He must have expected you to turn on him, so he knowingly sent you after a fake. I'm impressed. The webs he weaves are almost as delicate as mine."

Samuel felt the blood drain from his face, and he struggled to keep his wits. "Virgil? He did this?"

Libicocco's pasty face almost glowed with delight. The demon's voice was ear-piercing. "You haven't been paying attention, Vermin! While you overslept, this so-called colleague of yours … helped to lead … your enemies … right to your own front door …."

The corpse of Arcesilaus slowly descended into laughter, which continued even as Samuel banged his fist into the side of his iron chair. A series of solid but hollow thunks echoed throughout the chamber. But the demon happily persisted.

"How?" Samuel roared over the Ahriman's laughter. "Where is Virgil now? And where's my brother!"

Libicocco stopped laughing. "Your colleague is far, far away. Otherwise, I would have sought him out first. As for your brother, it's like I said: He approaches your ship as we speak."

The Ahriman's words took Samuel's breath away. Abraham was already on his way to confront him? But how could he be sure it was not all a trick?

"Prove it!" he demanded.

The rotting corpse waved its hands over Samuel's scrying pool. The Knight watched in horror at an image of Kane approaching Abraham's ship. Rather than adhere to his orders, Kane went far off script—something that should not have been possible, given his compromised state of mind. Unless … someone had given him new orders.

The recording showed Abraham pulling a sunstone out of his pocket, followed by another. There was no mistaking it: he carried two sunstones at the same time, impossible unless one of them were fake. Otherwise, the foolish Knight would have been demolished as two Ahriman battled for control of his body. There was no denying it. Virgil Garvey had indeed betrayed him.

Samuel shook his head in disbelief. Virgil had not just compromised his plans … the fool had also gone against the Master's wishes! Unless …. Samuel felt a sharp pain in his chest. Was it possible that the Master approved? Could the Master have sanctioned this betrayal …?

The Knight felt weak in the knees. Being at the Master's right hand should have been his privilege … his right! If Virgil had indeed taken it away from him ….

No! He would not show any weakness in front of the Ahriman. He would not fail. He would face his brother and defeat him. And he would make Virgil pay with more pain and suffering than any man had ever felt before!

"Libicocco!" His voice was stern and resolute. He would play the cards he had been dealt, and he would emerge victorious! "You must help me to right this wrong. Together, we can still reclaim the Pisces Stone from my brother. I am still the only one who can help you reach Axismundi."

Arcesilaus' rotted and pus-filled face took on a shade of skepticism. "You already have my brother Belial to help you. Are you so weak that you need two of us to defeat your brother and his ragtag group of humans?"

Samuel believed he could convince this demon to lend him its power, but he would need to do so delicately. He did not want to reveal the true reason behind his hesitance, which was his lack of trust in Belial to maintain his side of the pact. If his Ahriman sensed any weakness, the demon could easily seize his body and devour his soul. Not to mention that Abraham had been growing in strength.

He had to come up with a plausible excuse—and quickly!

"Do not underestimate my brother, Libicocco. He won't hesitate to use Abaddon's powers against me. On equal footing, I'll manage, but only by destroying my brother's body in the process. Instead, if we use our combined powers to weaken him, perhaps we can make it so that Abaddon is finally free from its sunstone prison. Isn't that what you wanted all along? Grant me your strength, and I shall lead you to Axismundi's inner cloister and uphold our original bargain!"

Samuel held his breath, waiting to see if the demon would be swayed. He kept his glare locked on Arcesilaus' bloodless face, never wavering for a moment. After a long pause, the Ahriman finally relented.

"Very well, Vermin. It seems you might still prove useful to me. I suppose I can extend my good will … for a time … and see if you end up proving yourself worthy."

Samuel smiled under his helm. "So be it. Now, time is short, and I must yet gather my troops. Therefore, I'll take my leave."

The Ahriman said nothing, instead disappearing in a wisp of smoke. Samuel breathed a sigh of relief before leaving the scrying room.

~...~

Kane returned to the Zounds airbase with an incredible feeling of emptiness. His insides churned, but not because of any physical or emotional pain. In fact, he felt absolutely nothing. The feeling was like circulating air … like the time he had come down with meningitis as a child.

It was a long time ago, but he remembered being sick in bed, feeling lightheaded, dizzy, and confused. It was as if his head were detached and stuffed with cotton bolls. But unlike any childhood sickness, this affliction left him fully alert and aware of the world around him. His mind worked perfectly. The only difference was the lack of any emotion.

He stumbled back to his quarters, pushing his way past scores of soldiers and wizards running to their posts. The entire ship was under red alert, but he paid it no heed. Instead, he replayed a particular scene over and over in his head, searching for answers. Mister Garvey had given him a set of instructions. They were simple enough, and he had completed them successfully. The only question was … why?

After all, the orders had dire consequences. By obeying Virgil, he had essentially betrayed the trust and loyalty of his patron, Samuel. Not only that, but he also led his childhood friend into a trap that might very well get him killed. And yet, where was all the sorrow and regret? Sure, Bram had betrayed him first, but days ago, Kane remembered intense feelings of remorse. Where had these gone? Had they somehow morphed into desires for vengeance? Feelings of hatred or rage? Somewhere deep inside, Kane felt as if these emotions still existed, but they were buried underneath a layer of complete and utter indifference.

It was hard to rationalize why he would even listen to Virgil in the first place. He used to despise Samuel's diabolical sidekick, but now he felt … nothing. His mind and memories were intact, but he had no attachment to any consequences. Nothing had context or meaning. He could not differentiate between things that gave him joy and those things that made him angry or sad. All the things that had once defined him … were gone. It was as if his life and soul had been sucked out of his body, leaving him to roam the decks of Zounds as some kind of walking death.

Emotions were everything. Memories by themselves were meaningless, and decisions without context were irrelevant. If Kane could not describe what made him happy or regretful, then everything was subjective. There was no good or bad, no trust or skepticism, and no means to protect himself from another man's influence or ill-intent.

While puzzling through this conundrum, Kane had somehow made his way back to his quarters. Before he knew it, he was on his knees, rummaging through a chest of drawers. He had once considered the things inside to be among his most precious belongings. But now they were nothing to him. Cherished mementos of his past—keepsakes hoarded over so many years—now all worthless junk.

One drawer was full of items he had collected as a Templar. It included awards, plaques, and distinctions … but all were meaningless. He grabbed fistfuls of once-treasured tokens, stopping only briefly to evaluate their meaning before flinging them across the room. They were a lifetime of precious but useless objects. Sheets of parchment scrawled with poetry from when he was a young man, an antique broach that had once belonged to his mother, a pair of baby slippers that had covered the tiny feet of a long-lost baby brother … all rubbish!

He had all but emptied the drawer when his eye caught sight of one of the few remaining items. In between scraps of parchment and senseless bric-a-brac was a small vial filled with black liquid. It was just about the size of his thumb. It came with vivid memories of a time when he had intended to use it as a poison to take his own life. Shortly before he followed through, Samuel had confiscated it. Much later, Kane had rummaging through bins of trash, desperate to find it. Those were his darkest days … but he failed to recall the reasons behind his actions.

Perhaps he had wanted to remind himself of how close he had come to death. Or maybe he wanted to have it as a weapon to use against future enemies. Or, it could have just been a handy shortcut the next time he contemplated suicide. He decided it was the latter, most likely. And why stop now? Why not finish the job? His fear of dying had stopped him before, but it certainly would not stand in his way now. There was just one loose end … the matter of the witch who had poisoned his mind.

Indeed, she seemed relevant, now. Miss Reynolds had broken him by rummaging through his head, much like he was rummaging through old trash. She had taken his emotions … made him like this … this walking death. He should enact vengeance. It was there … buried deep inside of him. He just needed to let it out.

His eye caught something else lying upon the trash-strewn floor—the golden hilt of a ceremonial dagger, which had been proudly presented to him by a high ranking Angkorian officer. It must have been a tremendous honor at the time, but now it was just a tool of convenience.

Kane took it and left the room. He had one final mission to complete.