Allan Cole - Timura Trilogy 03 - The Gods Awaken

THE GODS AWAKEN

The Timura Trilogy Volume 3

Allan Cole

For Cassie and Thomas Grubb

and

My friends in Washington State ...

especially

Judy, Jon, Stormy, and Brian

and

To all my faithful friends in New Mexico particularly Sal, who changed my altitude

O threats of Hell and hopes of Paradise;

One thing at least is certain: this life flies.

One thing at least is certain, the rest is lies.

The flower that once has blown forever dies.

I sent my soul through the Invisible,

Some letter of that afterlife to spell,

And by and by it returned to me

To answer: I myself am Heaven and Hell.

Heaven but the vision of fulfilled desire.

Hell but the shadow of a soul on fire.

Cast onto darkness into which we--

So late emerged--shall so soon expire!

From The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Edward Fitzgerald Translation

Part One

Syrapis

PROLOGUE

ESCAPE TO SYRAPIS

And so they flew away on bully winds blowing all the way from far Kyrania...

It may have been the strangest, the saddest voyage in history. The People of the Clouds mourned the loss

of their leader, Safar Timura, who had guided them over thousands of miles of mountains and deserts and

spell-blasted blacklands to the shores of the Great Sea of Esmir.

A paradise awaited them across that sea: the magic isle of Syrapis, where they would make their new

home far away from the evil beings who had driven them from their mountain village in Kyrania.

Safar Timura--the son of a potter who had risen to become a mighty wizard and Grand Wazier to a

king--had sacrificed his own life so that his people might escape.

And now a thousand villagers were packed aboard a ragtag fleet of privateers, sailing to Syrapis and

safety. High above them a marvelous airship flew over the silvery seas, pointing the way.

For many days and weeks the skies remained clear, the winds steady; and at any other time there would

have been cause for a grand celebration. A feast of all feasts, with roasted lamb and rare wine, playing

children and sighing lovers.

The world should have been a bright place, full of promise and joy. After months of terror, the Kyranians

were free of Iraj Protarus and his ravening shape-changers.

But hanging over them was the Demon Moon--an ever-present bloody shimmer in the heavens.

Reminding one and all of the doom Safar had predicted would befall the world. More haunting still was

the memory of Safar. The handsome young man with the dazzling blue eyes and sorrowful smile.

Everyone wept when they learned that he had been given up for dead. The mourning women scratched

their cheeks and tore their hair. The men drank and regaled one another with tales of Safar's many brave

deeds, shedding tears as the night grew late.

Lord Coralean, the great caravan master who had hired the ships so that they could all escape together,

spoke long and memorably about the man who had been his dearest friend.

Aboard the airship the circus performers--among them Biner, the mighty dwarf, and Arlain, the dragon

woman,--worked listlessly at their tasks. They did only what was absolutely necessary: feeding the magic

engines; adjusting the atmosphere in the twin balloons that held the ship aloft; manning the tiller to keep

them on course.

Meanwhile, the decks grew shabby, the material of the balloons drab, the galley fires cold. It seemed

impossible to them that Safar would no longer be at their side, amazing the circus crowds with his feats of

magic.

Sadder still were Safar's parents, Khadji and Myrna, who had never imagined, even in their deepest night

terrors, that they would outlive their only son. And his sisters mourned Safar so deeply they could not eat

or sleep and if their husbands hadn't begged them to desist for the sake of their children, they surely

would have died from sorrow.

Only four outsiders--a warrior woman, a boy and his two magical creatures--prevented the voyage from

becoming a disaster.

When the privateers, seeing the poor morale of the Kyranians, conspired to seize them and their

goods--planning to sell the people into slavery--the woman overpowered and slew the raidersâ€™

captain. While the boy--Safar's adopted son--combined his powers with those of the magical creatures

to cast a terrifying spell that paralyzed the pirates with fear. And forced them into obedience.

The woman's name was Leiria. The boy, half human and half demon, was Palimak. And the creatures,

twin Favorites who had lived in a stone turtle for a thousand years, were called Gundara and Gundaree.

Leiria and Palimak had made a promise to Safar Timura--a promise that they were determined to keep.

And they would allow no one to stand in their way.

Then one day the lookout in the airship shouted the joyful news that land was in sight. And the little fleet

finally came to the shores of fair Syrapis: the promised land.

Except, instead of milk and honey, they found an army waiting on those shores.

An army intent on killing them all.

But Palimak and Leiria remembered well their promise. So they roused the people and routed the army.

For three long years they fought the ferocious people who inhabited Syrapis.

And for three long years they searched for the grail Safar had urged them to seek.

They had many adventures, many setbacks, and many victories.

During that time Palimak strove mightily to educate himself. He scoured ancient tomes, quizzed witches

and wizards. And he seized every spare moment to study the Book of Asper that his father had

bequeathed to him.

For in those pages, his father had said, was the answer to the terrible disaster on the other side of the

world--in far Hadinland--that was slowly poisoning all the land and the seas.

It was a race against extinction for humans and demons alike.

And in that race Palimak lost his childhood.

CHAPTER ONE

THE DANCE OF HADIN

Oh, how he danced.

Danced, danced, danced.

Danced to the beat of the harvest drums.

All around him a thousand others sang in joyous abandon. They were a handsome people, a glorious

people; naked skin painted in fantastic, swirling colors.

And they danced--danced, danced, danced--singing praises to the Gods as shell horns blew, drums

throbbed and their beautiful young Queen cried out in ecstasy. She led them, tawny breasts jouncing,

smooth thighs thrusting in the ancient mating ritual of the harvest festival.

Safar danced with her, pounding his bare feet against the sand, rhythmically slapping his chest with open

palms. While above him the tall trees--all heavily laden with ripe fruit--rippled in a salty breeze blowing

off the sparkling sea.

But while the motions of his fellow dancers were graceful, Safar's were forced and jerky--as if he were a

marionette manipulated by a cosmic puppeteer.

Madness! was his mind's silent scream. I must stop, but I cannot stop, please, pleaseplease, end this

madness! Yet no matter how hard he battled the spell's grip his body jerked wildly on--and on and

on--in the Dance of Hadin.

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

Beyond the grove, a dramatic backdrop for the beautiful Queen, was the great conical peak of a

volcano. A thick black column of smoke streamed up from the cone. It was the same volcano that Safar

had seen in a vision many years before. And Safar knew from his vision that at any moment the volcano

would explode and he, along with the joyous dancers, would die.

Was this real? Was he truly on the shores of Hadinland, destined to be swallowed in a river of molten

rock? Or was it just a night terror that would end if only he could open his eyes?

He'd had such dreams before. Once he'd dreamed of wolves and Iraj Protarus had risen from the dead

to confront Safar with murder in his heart and a horde of shape changers at his back.

And, with a jolt, he thought: Iraj! Where is Iraj?

He tried to force his head around to see if Protarus was among the dancers. But his body wasn't his own

and all he could do was prance with the others, slapping his chest like a fool.

He had no idea how long this had gone on. It seemed as if he'd been a barely conscious participant in a

dance that went on endlessly. Yet there were moments of chilling clarity, such as now, when he would

regain use of his mind enough to struggle against the mysterious force that held him.

It was a cruel clarity, because each time he knew the fight was hopeless. He'd struggle fruitlessly, then

lapse into semi-consciousness.

Safar thought he heard Iraj's voice among the others and once again tried--and failed--to look.

Then he felt his senses weaken as if a drug were creeping through his veins to cloud his mind. He bit

down on his lip, grabbing at the pain to keep his wits.

With the pain came a sudden memory of Iraj standing before him. Half giant wolf, half all-too-human

king. Flanking him were Safar's deadliest enemies: the demons, Prince Luka and Lord Fari; and the

spymaster, Lord Kalasariz. All bound to Iraj by the Spell of Four.

Yes, yes! he thought. Iraj! Remember Iraj!

And what else?

There was something else. Something that had brought him here. If only he could recall, perhaps he could

escape.

The machine! That was it!

The image floated up: Iraj and the others bearing down at him; at Safar's back the great machine of

Caluz. A hunched turtle god with the fiery mark of Hadin on its shell. It was a machine whose magic was

out of control and if Safar didn't stop it his beloved land of Esmir would die an early death.

He fought hard to remember the spell he'd cast then to plug the sorcerous wound between Esmir and the

deathland that was Hadin.

The words kept slipping away. Think! he commanded himself. Think!

And it came to him that the words formed a poem. A poem from the Book of Asper.

Asper, yes, Asper. The ancient demon wizard whose strange book of verse had predicted the end of the

world a thousand years before. And who had speculated on the means to halt the destruction.

Safar felt sudden joy as the spellwords burst from nowhere:

"Hellsfire burns brightest

In Heaven's holy shadow.

What is near

Is soon forgotten;

What is far

Embraced as brother ... "

He groaned as the rest of the words fled. Safar bit his lip harder, blood trickling down his chin.

Remember, dammit! Remember!

But it was hopeless. The remainder of the spell remained agonizingly just out of reach in a thick mist.

Fine, then. Forget about the verse. Think of what happened when you faced Iraj. Remember that--and

perhaps the spellwords will come.

His mind threw him back to Valley of Caluz. His enemies before him, the sorcerous machine behind. He

was alone: Palimak and Leiria had fled on his orders, leading the people of Kyrania to Syrapis and

safety. Safar had remained to stop the machine and destroy Iraj so he couldn't pursue the villagers.

And then what?

His life, he realized instinctively, depended on recalling what had happened next. No. Not just his

life--the world depended on it.

Very well. He had cast that spell. He could remember that. But, wait. Something had interfered! What,

or who, had it been? Iraj? Had Iraj cast a spell of his own?

That was it! Iraj had attempted to break free from the Spell of Four, which bound him to Kalasariz and

the others. Iraj had surprised Safar with that powerful bit of magic.

A collision of spells.

An explosion.

A blinding white light.

And then what?

Safar dug deep for the memory. He could recall intense heat. Then blessed coolness. Followed by a long

time of floating on what seemed like billowing clouds--as if he were aboard Methydia's magic airship.

Time passed.

How much time, he couldn't say.

Then he'd heard--from far below--pipes and horns and throbbing drums. And voices--many

voices--chanting a haunting song. Safar didn't have to struggle to remember those words, for it was the

same song the beautiful Queen and her subjects were singing now:

"Her hair is night,

Her lips the moon;

Surrender. Oh, surrender.

Her eyes are stars,

Her heart the sun;

Surrender. Oh, surrender.

Her breasts are honey,

Her sex a rose;

Surrender. Oh, surrender.

Night and moon. Stars and Sun.

Honey and rose;

Lady, oh Lady, surrender.

Surrender. Surrender ... "

Safar recalled twisting around and finding himself floating above a green-jeweled isle set in a deep blue

sea.

Towering over the island was the volcano. He knew in an instant this was one of the islands that made up

Hadin. But how could that be? Hadin was on the other side of the world from Esmir--the continental

opposite of his homeland.

Had the violence of the spellcast hurled him so far?

Or was he only dreaming of his boyhood vision, when he'd foreseen the end of the world?

The song grew stronger, rising up to enfold him ... "Surrender. Oh, surrender ... " It drew him down

like a netted fish. "Surrender. Oh, surrender ... " Fear lanced his heart when he saw the dancing people

of his vision and their lusty young queen. "Surrender. Oh, surrender..."

Panicking, he tried to struggle free, but the song flowed through and around him until he became a part of

it. "Surrender. Oh, surrender..."

And he had no choice but let it take him. He fell into a stupor, floating downward.

Then he found himself among the dancers. Except, now he was one of them. Dumb and gaping at the

nubile Queen. Warm sun on his suddenly naked back. His bare feet beating against the sand. Open

palms slapping his chest in time to the music: " ... Night and Moon./Stars and Sun./Honey and

rose;/Lady, oh Lady, surrender..."

Yes, that was how he came to be here. Safar suddenly felt quite calm--reassured that his mental faculties

were returning. Only one small step was left. Once he retrieved the remaining words to the spell he'd cast

in Caluz he could free himself.

Then excitement blossomed as another piece came: "...Piercing our breast with poison,/Whispering

news of our deaths..."

Yes! That was it! Now, there were only two more lines. Two more and the spell could be broken.

Safar heard the Queen shout and he looked up at her--dismay poisoning his resolve--and his

concentration was broken.

The Queen was crying out to her subjects, pointing at the volcano. The column of smoke was thicker,

blacker and pouring out more furiously. Great sparks swirled in the smoke, showering upward like

blossoms from the Hells.

Any moment the volcano would explode. Just as it had in Safar's vision. Just as it had...

A great shock rocked Safar to the core. Not the shock of the volcano's eruption--that was still to come.

But a shock of realization that he'd lived and died in this very same scene hundreds of times before.

The volcano would erupt. A deadly shower of debris driven by typhoon winds. Followed by a river of

lava that would kill any who survived.

Even those who fled into the sea wouldn't be able to swim or canoe out far enough to escape. They'd be

boiled alive like shellfish in a roiling pot.

In the long ago vision Safar had only been a witness to these events. But now he was one of the dancers

doomed to die not once, but an endless number of deaths until the world itself was dead.

Only then would his soul be released.

Just then the last two lines came to him: "...For she is the Viper of the Rose/ Who dwells in far

Hadinland!"

But even as he reached for them, desperate to complete the spell, he knew he was nearly out of time.

Still, he rushed on--no time to hope, much less pray. He started reciting the spell: "Hellsfire burns

brightest/In Heaven's holy shadow..."

Then it was too late.

And the volcano erupted.

But just before it did, he thought he heard someone calling to him: "Father! Father!"

Desperate, he cried out: "Palimak! Help me, Palimak!"

And everything vanished--except pain.

CHAPTER TWO

OF SONS AND LOVERS

Palimak peered over the railing, clutching his cloak against the damp chill as the airship slowly descended

through the clouds.

Behind him he could hear Biner cautioning the crew in his rumbling baritone, "Steady, now ... Keep her

steady, lads..."

The clouds thinned and he could see the forbidding north coast of Syrapis: jagged reefs rising out of a

stone-gray sea; a narrow pebbled beach ending at black cliffs that ascended to forested mountain peaks.

There came a rattle of chain mail and a faint breath of perfume as the warrior woman moved up behind

him. "Over there," she indicated. "On the easternmost peak. Do you see it?"

The moment she spoke, Palimak spotted the castle. It was a black stone crown sitting atop the lowest

peak, with eight turrets strategically positioned around the thick walls.

Palimak grimaced. "I see it, Aunt Leiria," he said. "But it doesn't look like how I remember it."

Leiria patted his arm. "That was more than three years ago," she soothed. "And you were on horseback,

sitting behind your father."

Palimak shrugged. "I hope you're right," he said. Then he turned to the airship's bridge, where Biner held

forth, directing the crew.

"Can you maneuver around the castle, Uncle Biner?" he shouted.

"Sure thing, lad," Biner called back. He barked orders and the crewmen scrambled around the airship's

deck. Some tended the magical furnaces that pumped hot air into the huge twin balloons. Others checked

the lines that held the ship's body suspended beneath the balloons. Still others spilled ballast to help

stabilize the airship when Biner made the turn.

As they sailed around the peak, Leiria studied the fortress with a professional eye. On two sides the

castle was protected by steep, rock-littered slopes. Obviously the rocks had all been piled up by the

castle's human defenders.

One small stone hurled into the right place would set off an avalanche that would pour down on any

ground troops foolish enough to climb the slopes.

The castle's front was just as steep and the road winding up to the gates was edged with low walls and a

series of stone guard shacks, with slits for arrow holes.

The rear of the castle came right up to the edge of a sheer cliff shooting down to the hissing seas that beat

against the little beach.

In the center--about twenty feet below the castle walls--a waterfall spilled out of a wide cave mouth. It

fell hundreds of feet before it thundered into waves that crashed over the beach and against the base of

the cliff.

"On the whole," Leiria said at last, "I'd rather defend it than attack it."

Palimak touched the hilt of his sheathed sword, eyes flickering demon-yellow. "I don't want a fight," he

said. "We have more important things to do. But if that's what King Rhodes wants..." he grinned,

displaying surprisingly sharp teeth ... "That's what he'll get."

Leiria nodded approval. "I'm sick and tired of all these little Syrapian despots and their game playing,"

she replied. "They think the only purpose of a truce is to give them time to get behind you and stab you in

the back."

Palimak shrugged--what would be, would be--and returned his attention to the castle.

The airship sank lower and he could make out the crowd waiting for them in the center courtyard. All

eyes were turned upward to see the airship's approach.

He could imagine the amazement on their faces. The airship was a wondrous sight to behold, with the

tattooed face of a beautiful woman on the front balloon. And the words "Methydia's Flying Circus"

emblazoned on the other.

Methydia, dead for many years now, had been his father's lover and mentor. She'd rescued Safar from

the desert and had let him join her troupe of circus performers while he had hidden from the Walarian

spymaster, Lord Kalasariz.

The circus lived on in Biner, the muscular dwarf; Arlain, half fire-breathing dragon, half fabulous woman;

Elgy and Rabix, the intelligent snake and the mindless flute player; and, finally, Kairo, the strange acrobat

who could detach his head from his shoulders, tossing it about on the tether of his ropy neck.

In normal times, Palimak thought, they'd be preparing for a royal performance at the castle. Biner

would've been stirring up excitement with his traditional bellow of: "Come one, come all! Lads and maids

of All ages! I now present to you--Methydia's Flying Circus of Miracles! The Greatest Show On

Syrapis!"

Palimak grimaced. The airship and circus troupe had spent more time than they liked acting as a military

force, rather than entertaining. He was as sorry about that as Biner and the others. But what could be

done about it?

From the moment Palimak and his fellow Kyranians had landed on Syrapis they'd been at constant odds

with the violence-loving inhabitants of the island. How so many warring factions could be packed onto an

island one hundred and twenty miles long and thirty miles across at its widest was a continuing and

unpleasant amazement to Palimak when he was at his most depressed.

As if reading his thoughts, Leiria said, "Honestly, sometimes I think the Syrapians have got some sort of

congenital war disease." She shook her head. "Remember how they greeted us at the beach that day?

Olive branch in one hand, dagger up the other sleeve!"

Palimak sighed. "Poor father thought Syrapis would be a paradise for us all," he said. "A new

home--maybe even a better home--than the one we left behind."

The yellow demon flecks faded from his eyes, leaving them sad and all too human. "Instead we landed

right in the middle of about twenty wars all going on at the same time. Everybody in Syrapis hates each

other. But now that we're here they finally have something in common--which is to hate us."

His eyes misted slightly. "I guess things don't always work out the way you want," he said. "Even if you're

someone as great as my father was."

Leiria wished she could give Palimak a comforting hug. But that would only make the boy feel awkward.

Actually, he was a "boy" only in human reckoning.

The product of a romance between a demon princess and a human soldier, Palimak's demon side made

him mature at a much faster rate than was normal for humans. At thirteen he was nearly six feet tall,

although he hadn't filled out yet and was quite slender. Still, his shoulders were wider than those of most

boys of his age and his broad-palmed hands had long, supple fingers. When he was angry or upset, sharp

talons lanced from his finger tips like a cat's claws: a phenomenon so disconcerting that even Leiria,

who'd known him since he was a babe, had never become used to it.

He also didn't act like a boy--except in rare moments when he allowed himself to relax enough to be

playful. Or, blushingly so, when he was in the presence of a flirtatious maiden. Thank the Gods, Leiria

thought, this part of his nature hasn't matured at the same rate as the rest of him. He had enough

problems without adding sex to the equation.

Despite his youth, Palimak was the undisputed leader of the more than one thousand Kyranian villagers

he and Leiria had led across the Great Sea to Syrapis and supposed safety. He had the strength of will

and the charisma of his adoptive father. Backed by demon magic nearly as powerful as Safar's--who'd

been the greatest wizard, demon or human, that Esmir had ever known.

During the three years since Safar's death and the Kyraniansâ€™ flight from Esmir in a fleet of hired

ships, Palimak had used all these attributes, plus a sometimes chilling ability for calculation, to keep the

Kyranians from being overwhelmed by the fierce natives of Syrapis.

Palimak suddenly shifted. "There's the king," he said. Then he grinned. "Maybe Rhodes is going to keep

his side of the bargain after all."

Leiria peered down at the courtyard. Though the airship still wasn't low enough for them to make out

individual faces, there was no way she could miss Rhodes, ruler of Hanadu, the northernmost kingdom in

Syrapis.

He was a giant of a man sitting on a huge, gaudy throne, placed on a platform in the center of the

courtyard. The only other people on the platform seemed to be two liveried attendants. Leiria spotted a

dozen or so uniformed soldiersâ€™ but they were scattered throughout the crowd, rather than being in

any sort of military formation.

"That's a scene with peace painted all over it," Leiria said dryly. "I wonder why I'm not impressed?"

Palimak curled a lip. "Maybe it's because Rhodes is the last and trickiest of the bunch," he said. "And

neither one of us thinks that after all this time he's finally going to roll over on command like a dog!"

Just then the crowd stirred and the sound of fierce martial music thundered upward. Banners waved,

flags were unfurled and a hundred or more colorful kites took flight.

"I think that's our official welcome," Leiria said. "Either that, or a declaration of war." She was only partly

joking, knowing from bitter experience how quickly the Syrapians could turn on the unwary.

Palimak patted the fat purse hanging from his belt. "I've got enough gold here to light up even King

Rhodesâ€™ scowling face," he said. "With promises of more to come for his cooperation."

He laughed. This time it wasn't forced. "My father used to always say that if you sue for peace you'd

better bring both swords and money. I didn't know what he meant then, but I sure do now!"

Rhodes was notorious for his greed: Palimak was counting on this in his bid for peace, as well as on the

bloody defeat the Kyranians had handed the king's forces not one month before.

"My best bet," Leiria said, "is that any treaty we work out with Rhodes will be violated by spring."

Palimak laughed. "That long, huh?" Then, more seriously: "If this is the right place--the castle I saw when

I was with my father that day--then all we need is a couple of weeks and a free hand. After that, King

Rhodes can do whatever he wants--up to and including going to the Hells."

The airship had made a full circle and they were once again hovering just off the rear of the castle--the

waterfall and the cave now in clear view. Palimak leaned far over the rail to get a closer look. The tide

was running out fast, water retreating from the bottom of the cliff face at an amazing rate.

Palimak probed the atmosphere with his magical senses. Instantly, he felt a powerful force dragging at

him, as if his spirit self was a bit of flotsam caught in that raging tide.

Instead of breaking away, he fought against the force, wave after wave of sorcery smashing over him.

Leiria was shocked at his sudden struggle, seeing the blood drain from his already pale features. Talons

emerging to cut into the rail as he gripped it. She had an urgent desire to grab him and rip him away from

whatever invisible enemy he was fighting.

But she steeled herself to remain a witness, knowing there was nothing she could do to help.

Allan Cole - Timura Trilogy 03 - The Gods Awaken

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