The Gods Awaken

had once encountered the dreaded Goddess of the Hells.

He called Jooli to show her. She smiled when she saw the poem. And with much feeling, she read Asper's words aloud:

'Deep in the Hell Fires I spied

Rybian's false-hearted bride.

Six heads and arms had she,

And beauty enough to bedazzle me.

Through the Sixth Gate I fled,

Soul quaking in fear and dread.

Up, up through the world's core,

At my heels that Hellish whore.

To the unfeeling Heavens I cried,

'Where's the lamp, where's my guide?'

Of all, only Felakia deigned to speak.

And those holy words I now repeat:

'If it's my sister, Lottyr, you wish to smite,

In the lion's eye, seek the light.a€™'

When she was done, Safar shook his head. 'I never knew what Asper was getting at before,' he said.

Then, grinning, he pointed at Felino. 'But there's our lion,' he continued. 'And what we need to do couldn't be plainer.'

The lionman roared in fury, twisting futilely at his strong bonds. 'You fools!' he cried. 'You poor, weak fools! You'll never defeat the goddess!'

Jooli only laughed. 'I'll fetch a torch,' she told Safar. 'That ought to be light enough.'

But as she turned, Felino suddenly howled in agony.

'What in the Hells?' Safar exclaimed.

As Jooli turned back she saw the veins in the lionman's body swelling as if they would burst. His eyes were bulging from their sockets.

Then his jaws fell open and the strange, melodious voice of a woman issued forth. Although it was strong, it had a distant, echoing quality to it-as if it were coming from the bottom of a deep cavern. Neither Safar nor Jooli had any doubt who the speaker was.

'How dare you defy me, Safar Timura?' said the voice of Lottyr. 'You have bedeviled me from the start of your puny, mortal life. Asper defied me and in the end I made him suffer for it most grievously. And now you make bold to follow in his doomed footsteps? Beware what you wish for, Safar Timura. For some day I may grant it, just as I granted Asper his wishes.'

The voice stopped and Felino slumped against his bonds, dead.

Safar suddenly felt exhausted-as lifeless as those lion's eyes radiating nothingness from Felino's head.

He heard Jooli wail, 'What do we do now, Safar?'

But he just shook his head. He was out of answers.

At that moment, Palimak burst into the cabin. 'Father!' he cried. 'Come and see! It's Coralean! With the whole damned fleet!'

Renewed hope leaped into Safar's breast. He and Jooli rushed out of the cabin to see what Palimak was talking about.

And when they got to the rail overlooking the battle scene it was like a vision granted from the heavens.

Nine ships were converging on Rhodesa€™ little fleet of three. Safar immediately recognized the center ship, the Tegula, which flew Coralean's coat of arms.

Safar didn't know where his old friend had come from, or how he'd guessed Safar was in trouble. All he cared about was that the tide of battle had been transformed. Rhodesa€™ longboats full of soldiers were rowing as fast as they could back to their mother ships.

And it was going to be a long pull for them, for even now the enemy ships were turning tail and fleeing, with four of Coralean's vessels in hard pursuit.

Directly beneath the airship, the Nepenthe was sinking. But he could see one of Coralean's shipsconverging on it to take off the survivors. Many of whom wore the uniforms of the youngKyranian soldiers Safar had left behind.

Already Biner was shouting gleeful orders to his crew to lower the airship so they could assist in the rescue effort.

Leiria fell into Safar's arms, laughing with joy. Everyone else whooped in glee, hugging or slapping each other's backs.

Just then, a strange feeling came over Safar. It seemed as if he'd suddenly become another person-standing slightly away-observing the scene. All the happy people, with his other self, his Safar self, at their center. Leiria clasping him tight.

And he thought, in an inner voice that was not his own: Well done, brother. Well done.

Then he was back in his own body again, trembling with alarm. He pushed a bewildered Leiria away and ran to the place where he thought his other self had been standing.

There was no one there, only a stack of empty ballast sacks. He looked about, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Leiria came up to him, concern in her eyes. 'What's wrong, Safar?' she asked.

Still dazed, Safar nearly blurted something about Iraj. But he recovered just time.

'Nothing,' he replied. 'I'm just a little tired from the excitement, I guess.'

She started to embrace him again, but Safar held her off as gently as he could. For some reason he felt that if touched her it would be a violation of her flesh. That if she knew him for what he was, she'd feel sullied. But that, like his bitten off response, also seemed insane.

Safar stood quite still for a moment, the world spinning around him. Finally, the mad whirling stopped and he felt whole again.

What now he wondered. What now?

And then the ghost voice intruded once again to answer: We go to Hadin, brother. Just as we plannedall along.

At that moment Safar knew the answer to a much deeper question. Now he knew where Iraj Protarus had gone.

The deck of the airship rushed up to smite him. And then all he knew was darkness.

Part Four

Goddess of the Hells

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

THE TWO KINGS

Safar was trapped in the prelude to the end of the world.

And oh, how he danced.

Danced, danced, danced.

Danced to the beat of the harvest drums.

All around him a thousand others danced in joyous abandon. They were a handsome people, a glorious people, led by their beautiful young Queen who cried out in ecstasy.