Voice of the Gods

the color of the road.

Mirar, Danjin thought. He drew up memories of the man he had spoken to the previous night and felt a mingled sympathy and annoyance.

I wish Auraya had killed him. I understand why she didn’t, but if she’d been a little tougher the odds today wouldn’t be balanced against us.

Soon Danjin could make out which of the Voices was male and which female. He recognized four of them, but he was more interested in the one he didn’t know. Nekaun, the new First Voice, was handsome in an exotic way. His bearing was arrogant. He was smiling as he strode toward the White.

When Danjin looked beyond at the small crowd of people that followed behind the Voices he felt a slight shock. A large, bald black-skinned man strode among them. He looked too much like the sea people who had attacked Danjin to not be of the same race. Gold jewellery glittered in the light. As Danjin watched the man dipped a cloth into a large bowl carried by a servant walking beside him then splashed and wiped himself with it.

This must be the Elai king, Danjin thought. The White hadn’t brought the leaders of Somrey, Toren, Genria, Sennon or Si in case a magical fight began and they were unable to protect them. The Voices must be confident of their superior strength. But they have Mirar, so they do have an advantage.

Several strides from each other, the Voices and White slowed to a stop and regarded each other warily. From behind, Danjin heard a Dreamweaver speak quietly.

“Mirar is with the Voices. We can’t hang behind like this and combat the advantage he gives them.”

“We will join them if they begin fighting,” Arleej replied.

“It may be too late by then,” the woman insisted.

He turned to see who was speaking, but stopped as he realized Lanren was staring up at the sky.

“Is that what I think it is?” the man said.

Danjin turned back just in time to see something blue flash across the sky. It came toward them. It took on form. Female form. As he realized who this was he felt himself go weak as relief and joy swept through him.

Auraya.

She was free at last. She had come to help them. No longer did the Pentadrians have the advantage. Now the Circlians did, if Mirar hadn’t lied about not intending to fight and kill. Auraya would fight for the Circlians, and the gods.

The White had seen her now. The Voices followed their gaze and their leader’s smile vanished. Auraya swooped downward, the blue cloth of her dress rippling. As she drew closer he saw how thin and pale she was. Her clothing was not a dress, but a length of cloth wound about her wasted body.

He smiled to himself. From the looks on the faces of the Voices, her arrival wasn’t part of their plan.

Auraya stopped abruptly, hovering above the White and the Voices. She wore an expression he had never seen before.

One of fury and hatred.

Watching from far above, the knots in Auraya’s stomach tightened as the White and Voices moved closer together. She could see Mirar walking with the Voices. She could see Companions and Servants following a hundred paces behind their leaders. She could see advisers, priests, priestesses and Dreamweavers following.

Can I do what the other immortals want me to do? If they wanted to kill Huan, I would give them all the help they asked for. But Chaia...

What of Chaia? He had tried to kill her.

Yet he had been so good to her in the past.

I suppose that makes his betrayal all the worse. If I had taken his bait, I would have died not knowing that he had turned on me.

And the other gods? They had done nothing to her.

And nothing to help me, either. I’ve seen them shift their alliance from Chaia to Huan to suit their whims.

And the Pentadrian gods? She knew nothing of them. But they had sent their people to invade Northern Ithania. They had ordered Nekaun to break his vow and chain her up under the Sanctuary.

Then something occurred to her.

They must die too. If the Circlian gods die, Northern Ithania will be vulnerable. The Pentadrians will invade again. There will be so much bloodshed.

If all the gods were killed this day... there would be no reason for a battle. She could prevent many, many deaths.

Except the gods’, of course. But that seems just. For so long they led us to believe they could provide life after death when in truth they just told us lies so we would obey them. Maybe it’s time they faced the same fate.

But what would the world be like without gods? Would mortals descend into chaos and barbarism without their guidance? Without a priesthood to nurture and guide the Gifted, would sorcerers abuse their power?

And this war isn’t barbaric? This isn’t the gods abusing power?

Ahead, the White slowed. They were within a hundred paces of the Voices now. The two groups finally stopped a dozen paces away from each other.

Where are the gods? She felt a jolt as she realized she couldn’t sense them, and stretched her senses out. Suddenly she did detect something - the Circle. They were flashing between the White and Voices so fast she would not have noticed unless she was watching for it. Puzzled by this behavior, she descended to be closer, and concentrated harder. Though she could not read the minds of the White or the Voices, she could still hear the gods’ voices.

Snatches of conversation reached her.

:... we never agreed to this.

She recognized Huan.

:But we did. We knew there would be elements we could not control, Chaia replied.

:Small things. Weather or disease. Not these cursed interfering immortals. You’ve encouraged them—

:I have never encouraged any of them.

:You didn’t get rid of him! You told Auraya we don’t take souls!

:I did not.

:Will you stop arguing. This was Lore. The best part of the game is about to begin.

A game? Auraya shook her head. What game? And why are they in the minds of both sides? How can the gods even enter the minds of the Voices? Surely the Pentadrian gods would stop that. And where are the Pentadrian gods?

The answer dawned on her then. It was so obvious she felt like a fool for not seeing it before.

The Circlian gods are the Pentadrian gods.

The truth set her body trembling with rage. They had all been duped. The White, the Voices, all mortals, everywhere. Chaia wasn’t pretending to be Sheyr when he appeared in the hall. He is Sheyr.

The gods were still arguing. Still stunned by the revelation, Auraya had to drag her mind back to the gods’ conversation.

:... not interesting! Huan spat. It’s not a fair match.

:The Wilds are a random element. That is exciting, Lore disagreed.

:I’m with Huan, Yranna interjected. We agreed on certain rules from the beginning. If one side wins because of the Wilds it won’t be a proper contest.

A suspicion was dawning on Auraya. She resisted it. The possibility was too appalling.

:We can’t do anything about it now, Chaia said. Let’s just enjoy the