Voice of the Gods

Mirar looked beyond the gate, then shrugged. “Maybe another time, then.” Turning away, he walked back up the corridor.

He had expected nothing different. The Voices must have a reason to keep her alive, so they wouldn’t want him killing her. Yet.

The Voices would hear of his visit to the gates. That was deliberate, too. He wanted them to know he was thinking about Auraya, and that she might feature in any deal he made with them.

Turning a corner, he stopped and blinked in surprise. Nekaun was strolling toward him.

News certainly travels fast in the Sanctuary. He must have concealed people watching all the corridors approaching the underground area.

“First Voice Nekaun,” Mirar said. “What a coincidence. I was just wondering who I should ask to take me to see Auraya.”

Nekaun’s eyebrows rose. “You would like to speak to her?”

Mirar grimaced. “No. I just want to see her. Our conversations were amusing when she was free, but now I fear there’d be no fun in crossing mental swords with her.”

Stepping past him, Nekaun looked back. “Come on then. Let’s enjoy the view instead.”

The two guards did not appear surprised when Mirar and Nekaun appeared. They held the gate open in readiness. Beyond, the walls were unplastered stone. Dust covered all surfaces.

“I get the feeling this place hasn’t been used in a long time.”

Nekaun smiled. “No. This is the old Shrine.”

“Shrine?”

“This hill has been a sacred place for thousands of years. The Sanctuary was built over the ruins of an ancient place of worship: the Shrine of Iedda.”

“Iedda? One of the dead gods?” Mirar asked in surprise. “I’d have thought your gods would choose a new site. Somewhere that wasn’t associated with old gods.”

“Why? The evil of the old gods died when they did.”

Mirar looked up at the ceiling and nodded. “I suppose building over the Shrine is like replacing the old ways. If it still existed, even in ruins, memories would last longer.”

“It still exists,” Nekaun assured him. “Come in here.”

They passed through another gate. The corridor descended further, then turned abruptly. Two Servants stood before the third gate. Beyond was a large hall. The first thing that attracted Mirar’s attention was an enormous, oversized throne.

Then he saw the figure chained to the throne. Naked, streaked with grime, and thinner than he remembered, Auraya sagged against the base. He could see her brow was shiny with sweat, and he could hear the faint sound of labored breathing.

She did not appear to be awake.

“What’s keeping her there?” he forced himself to ask.

“She is in a void. Do you know what a void is?”

Mirar nodded. “I’ve encountered them before.” He could not tear his eyes from Auraya, though he knew Nekaun was watching him closely.

“You pity her,” the Pentadrian leader said.

Mirar sighed and nodded. “I pity anyone the gods - the Circle - use and manipulate. I can’t help wondering what she might have become, if she hadn’t been raised by their priests and taught to hate. It is an unfortunate habit of mine to pity my enemy.”

“Do you think you could undo the damage?”

“No.” Mirar shook his head. “She would never give me the chance. At the first opportunity, she would kill me.”

Nekaun made a satisfied sound. “She won’t get that opportunity. But, of course, if the White are victorious it won’t be Auraya you have to fear.”

Mirar turned to meet Nekaun’s gaze. “I can’t fight for you,” he told the First Voice frankly. “Nor can my people. It would break a thousand-year-old law.” He looked down. “But I can use my powers in defense. I can protect you, your fellow Voices or your army. I have only one small favor to ask in return.”

Nekaun’s eyes narrowed. “And that is?”

Mirar turned to look at Auraya. “I want to be the one who tells Auraya that the White have been defeated.”

The corners of Nekaun’s mouth twitched upward. “Ah.”

When he said nothing more, Mirar turned to regard him.

“Will you accept my offer, and terms?” Mirar paused and frowned. “I guess you must consult the others.”

The First Voice glanced at Auraya, then shook his head. “No need. We have discussed all options and possibilities. This one is acceptable.”

He held out his hand, palm upward and fingers splayed. Mirar paused, then did the same. Nekaun grasped his hand.

“A deal, then.”

Mirar nodded. “A deal.”

Letting go of Mirar’s hand, Nekaun turned away and started back along the corridor. Mirar looked at Auraya one last time, then followed.

“I should also add that, in my expert opinion, your prisoner looks to have a fever,” he said quietly. “And I don’t much like the sound of her breathing. I’d rather she was alive and well enough to comprehend the news that her world has ended, when the time comes.”

Nekaun glanced at him and nodded. “It would be a shame if she missed the end of the story. I will get some of my healers to look her over.”

Mirar nodded. “If you need Dreamweaver advice, I’m sure one of my people would agree to help.”

“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind, if my Servants find it beyond their abilities.”

There was something about Chaia’s offer that didn’t make sense, but Auraya couldn’t gather the strength to think about it closely enough.

So much for taking time to consider. Why am I bothering anyway? I might not like the idea of having no physical body, of having to perceive the world through mortals, but that’s got to be better than being dead.

Especially if Mirar was right, and the gods had been lying about taking people’s souls. But Chaia had denied that, hadn’t he? He had said something about the souls of the dead not being able to interact with the world of the living. A god could, so wasn’t that the better choice?

She thought about that for a while, but her mind wandered. Then suddenly a shock of cold jolted her awake. Water. She began shivering again. A domestic moved close and lifted a bowl of slush to her mouth. She took a sip then began coughing and couldn’t stop...

Something slapped against her face. She realized she had fainted. She struggled to wake up. I must eat. Open my eyes...

The face before her was unfamiliar. A man. Frowning. There were others. Why are they here? Then she saw Nekaun standing at the edge of the dais and suddenly she was more alert than she had been in days.

From the minds of the Servants around her she read that they had been ordered to heal her. She read their assessment of her state: her lungs were clogged with infection, her body was dehydrated and weakened by lack of good food. She also read their distaste at having to treat her. They’d rather let her die.

The cures they rubbed her chest and arms with smelled painfully familiar. At least they were using the right ones. They produced a large shirt. One of the Servants approached Nekaun, who dropped a small object into the man’s hand. The Servant returned and moved to Auraya’s left arm. She felt her heart skip as she felt the chain loosen - Nekaun had given the man the key to the locks. She stared at it and could see nothing else. This one small object kept her immobile. Such a simple thing. Anyone could use it. No magic involved...