status of a god and they caused havoc until, for some reason we cannot understand, he left this world. They thought they would be wellrewarded for their service, but Lin left them behind, as powerless as mortals. When the Demon King is about to return, the Ancients return to their true selves, to act as his servants. The rest of the time, they are ignorant of their true origins.’
‘The Emperor is an Ancient, too?’ Eric asked.
‘Yes,’ Samuel said. ‘But he turned his back on the others. He said he refuses to serve the Demon King any further.’
‘Ah, interesting,’ said Cang. ‘It astounds me that he made such a decision. Still, it will not last long. As Lin approaches, his hold on his servants will grow stronger. The Emperor will have no choice but to bend to his master’s will eventually.’
Eric looked deep in thought. ‘Then,if the Emperor was already immortal, Master Celios was not responsible for saving him at all.’
‘Correct you are, Master Pot, but good Master Celios here did ensure the Emperor’s spirit went into the vessel of our choosing.’ Hearing his voice, Celios seemed startled, but he had obviously not been following the conversation. After barely a moment, his attention drifted away and he was again staring off into space. ‘Otherwise, it could have gone anywhere, into any random host across the world and we would have lost track of him. I wanted him here, to die along with his master.’
‘So why did you let him go?’
‘He cannot run far enough in one night to escape what will come.’
Samuel became angered by the admission. ‘So it is you who has engineered this entire scheme. Why would you do this to us? What were you hoping to achieve? The relics were false and had no part in the return of the Demon King-the Emperor told me that. Everything we’ve done has been for naught. So what did you have to gain by sending us to Hol? Why put us through all this?’
Cang slowly drew back his lips. ‘My goal has never been to stop the return of Lin, young Samuel, but to ensure it. You and your party were sent to Hol for a few simple reasons, all of which were achieved. We now have everything we need to killtheKing ofDemons.’
Samuel looked around the vastandempty chamber. There was nothing to which the old devil could have been referring. ‘Where are they? What are these things?’
‘Time was the most important. We needed to ensure he arrived at the time of our choosing…or at least thereabouts. That is why we did not come blazing to your rescue during these past nine months that you were imprisoned, for it was better for everyone that you just stayed put. The other thing we needed to prepare was the method of his destruction. It is no simple matter to destroy a god. It takes more power than all the relics and magicians on earth. Indeed, no power on earth
‘The Star of Osirah?’ Samuel asked.
‘That is what the Paatin call it, but I have no interest in naming such a thing. It is only what it can achieve that concerns me. I am no trivial magician, Samuel, as I am sure you have come to learn. I have powers beyond almost every other magician in this world, and still I am not foolish enough to think I can face Lin directly. I have put all my energies into finding and directing this heavenly body, a frozen block of stone the size of a mountain. Inch by inch, I have nudged it towards us, pushing it from its natural course and ensuring it will strike exactly as required. In less than an hour, it will be here. A humble stone to kill a demon. I think it is fitting-like the fables of old.’
‘You will pull a star down upon us?’ Eric said. ‘This is madness. Surely it will kill us all.’
‘Not allof us, but most of us, yes. In truth,it is not a star, but such details matter little. I have scried the heavens all my life and the inner bodies offer little mystery to me. Occasionally, such wanderers come skimming past our world, but this one proved special. It seemed to beinjust the right place at just the right time, almost as if it weresent to me for this very purpose. All I needed was time to get the players into their position. That has now been achieved. When it strikes, half the world will be destroyed,engulfed in hellfire and destruction-even Lin cannot survive this. His first few breaths upon our world will be his last!’
‘You are mad!’ Eric said. ‘You will kill everyone!’
‘So would Lin, but this way the demon is destroyed also and he will never return to blight us. Man will survive and claw his way back, as he does after every new Age, but this time, once we recover from the ashes, we will be free forever more.’
‘I won’t allow it,’ Samuel declared, but Cang only scoffed.
‘You have no choice, boy. Look up! Starfall is here. Not even I could prevent it now. This mountain of rock will strike us with such tenacity that the sun will turn black for decades to come. Lin’s fate is sealed. We have won.’
‘But what about us?’ Eric asked, fearful.
‘That is where you come in, my dear boy. Do you think we brought you here for your good looks? Your role is to save us. I am not so valiant as to be a martyr for the sake of a humanity I now no longer understand. I had to remain here to oversee my plan, but now,all the pieces are in place, it is time for us to depart.’
‘My Journey spell,’ Eric whispered with sudden realisation.
‘Of course. Again, opportunity and chance have blessed us with the knowledge of a spell lost for Ages. Our only chance of surviving lies in you transporting us away from here.’
‘But I can’t.’
‘Of course you can!’
‘Not so many of us. I can only take one or two with me at the most.’
‘We can take as many trips as you wish, boy. Everything is ready, so we can now leave at your leisure. The only trick will be focussing on our destination, as we will need to Journey somewhere far away, where you have never been.’
‘That’s not how it works. The spell will only take me to places I am familiar with. We could return to Cintar. That would be simple.’
‘Cintar will be destroyed, dolt, or haven’t you been listening? This valley will be struck directly and the eastern side of Amandia will be turned to molten rock and ashes. TheWest will be blasted with hellish winds and buried in poisonous soot for a thousand years. Nothing will survive. I will help you visualise where we need to go, far across the world. I have constructed a chamber just like this, in the land of Euda. I had it constructed for just this purpose. There, protected, we will weather the storm and emerge to rebuild civilisation from scratch. We will lay the foundations of a better society, free from the evils that haunt us now.’
‘Is that why you have done all this?’ Samuel asked. ‘To make yourself a king?’
‘Of course not. I have no need for power or riches. I barely understand what such things are about any more. This wretched quest of mine has consumed my very being and all I seek is an end to it all. Then, I shall pass the responsibilities of overseeing mankind to any who are suitable to take them.’
Eric nodded dumbly, as if accepting their fates. ‘Very well. If we have nothing else to do, let us go. If time is as short as you say, we should be away from here while we can.’
‘But wait,’ Samuel said. ‘My son is about to be born. I will goandsee how much longer it will take.’
‘I’m afraid that’s not possible, Samuel,’ Cang said. ‘We are not taking your woman or the child in her belly.’
‘What is that?’ Samuel stated, in disbelief. ‘I am not leaving them behind.’
‘Then feel free to stay, Samuel. You have served us well, but we need you no more. In fact, you ceased being useful some time ago and have only complicated matters by returning here. By killing the Paatin Queen,you may have allowed her to escape her destruction, but it matters not. We will find her in the end. You have served your purpose and can come with us if you choose, but you must leave the woman and child behind. That is the reward for your service,’ Cang said.
‘What manner of nonsense is this?’ Samuel said angrily. ‘I will not leave them here to die. They are coming with us.’
‘I’m afraid not,’ Balten said, stepping in.
There was an awful silence.
