“No,” I said firmly. “There’s no way I’d raise the bodies of innocent dead like this. Enemy soldiers are one thing, but women and children… no. There are some lines that I’m not prepared to cross.”
“Even if it would bring you great power and propel you from the rank of minor deity to major god?”
I let the thought simmer for a bit. Still, I had my morals, and they would guide me. I wasn’t beyond changing them if needed, but it wasn’t necessary just yet.
I hopped onto Fang’s shoulders, kicked my heels into his flanks, and took off without another word to Isu. I could feel those pupil-less eyes of hers burning into the back of my head, but I didn’t care. And, sure enough, I heard her spur her horse into a gallop behind me.
When we returned to the others, they were eager to question me about what I’d seen in the village. I spared them the depressing details about the dead women and children but told them about the information I’d extracted from the soldier.
“The ruins of Kroth, eh?” Grast said. “An ancient fortress stood there many centuries ago. It was supposed to be a thriving town, aye, a center of learning and commerce. Something destroyed it completely, though. Some say a dragon, others say a mysterious army of phantoms. Either way, there’s nothing there but ruins now. Hasn’t been anything but a ruin for at least a hundred years. Most of it’s been swallowed up by the forest around it.”
“I’ve heard stories about it,” I said. “But that’s all they were, stories, vague mumblings and mutterings of curses and dragons and dark magic. And, of course, the mysterious disappearance of everyone who lived there. No bodies were ever found, right?”
Grast shook his head, frowning. “No, Soultaker, that’s the one thing all the stories have in common: the townsfolk of Kroth simply vanished without a trace. Bloody uncanny is what it is, aye. Me, I wouldn’t go within 20 miles of the place. No, thank you!”
I turned to Cranton, who was staring blankly off into the distance. “You’re the historian. What do you know about Kroth?”
He continued to simply stare at nothing, as if he was in a trance. I snapped my fingers in front of his face.
“Hey, Cranton! Wake up! Get back to the present!”
He jumped and looked as if he was caught in the grip of extreme terror. Finally, though, the usual goofy expression returned to his face.
“Man,” he said, “have you ever thought about, like whether a dog knows it’s a dog, and if it thinks the same thing about us? Does a dog wonder if a man knows he’s a man, and—”
“Cranton,” I said with a sigh, “did you smoke any greenfoil while I was gone?”
“No, Vance, no!” he answered earnestly. “I promise. I just… I just think about peculiar stuff sometimes.”
“What can you tell me about Kroth? Specifically, whose temple was there?”
“Ah, Kroth, interesting place, man. Lots of mystery.”
“Enlighten me.”
“The temple was consecrated to the Tree God, with most of the town’s economy being based on logging and wood and such. The temple of the Tree God was really elaborate, with a labyrinth underground, the most complex in all of Prand. You could wander around it for days and get hopelessly lost. You’d starve to death, or go mad, whichever came first.”
“What’s the point of the labyrinth?” Elyse asked. “There must be something to be had at the end.”
“Too right,” Cranton replied. “Relics of great power. But nobody ever found them, so everyone simply thought they didn’t exist. Now, the temple is just an abandoned ruin in the middle of the forest. And, uh, obviously, with the disappearance of the entire population, most people give the place a wide berth anyway.”
“If Rollar’s there, then he’s hunting for relics. They could be pretty damn useful to me. Not to mention that map he supposedly has.”
“Do you want to make that much of a detour?” Rami asked. I knew how eager she was to get to Brakith in the hope of finding more of Xayon’s relics, and perhaps the goddess’ entire body. “It seems like a long way out of your way.”
I wanted to help her, of course, and I also wanted to kick my uncle’s ass, but this was important. I’d be doing the good people of Prand a service since his scumbag troops were pillaging and raiding wherever they went. And if they learned the God of Death had saved them, I’d gain a good number of new devotees. With so much to gain from pulverizing Rollar and his army, I could afford to delay my visit home by a few days.
“Considering what I’ll achieve by making this detour,” I answered, “yes, I am willing to take a few days to do this. If I can kick Rollar’s ass and take that map from him, it could open up a whole bunch of doors for me. And who knows what sort of awesome shit we might find in the temple there.”
Rami sighed, but nodded, her jaw set. “It’s in my interest for you to grow in power.”
“There are other benefits, too,” Elyse said. “Rollar’s army needs to be stopped.”
I smiled. “And smashing his army will give me more troops and more power.”
“Facing an entire army?” Isu asked. “Isn’t that a little bold?”
“Perhaps. But great risks come with even greater rewards.” I turned to Grast, a sore feeling in my stomach. “You won’t be able to come with us, though.”
“I assumed as much,” he said. “A bloody pity, but there’s no way this wagon would get you to Kroth. Not through a forest with no roads.” His red-blotted face became a frown, and even his eyes were downcast and his ears dropping.
He loved seeing me and my undead troops in action, but at the same time, he was no fighter.
“Er, if you think that’s best, Soultaker,” he said slowly. I think he was relieved that he was being
