‘Civil war?’
‘We know Maarg is dead, but someone is keeping alive the notion that he’s still around, still in command. But he’s not. Pug saw his corpse on the world of Shila, and the demon king we saw on Telesan was an illusion. Even if his essence returned to the demon realm, it will be some time before he could rise to power again, if ever.
‘That leaves us with two questions: who’s pretending to be Maarg, and why?’
‘Three,’ said Amirantha. ‘Who are they fighting?’
‘Four,’ amended Pug. ‘What has any of this to do with Midkemia?’
The three sat back, thoughtful as they realized that for every question they had answered since the Demon Legion started threatening Midkemia, they now had two new ones.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN - Slaughter
PUG SIGNALLED.
Magnus followed Gulamendis’s instructions and suddenly they found themselves standing in a vast chamber. The Oracle of Aal rose above them, her magnificent dragon form made all the more impressive by the multifaceted jewels adorning her body, the result of a magical fusion that took place during a battle with a Dreadlord over a century before.
‘You come uninvited, Pug,’ said the Oracle, though her tone was neutral; it was a statement, not an accusation.
‘I face the unknown, Lady,’ answered Pug. ‘A great danger approaches, and I would know what you can tell me.’
The Oracle was silent for a while, as if weighing the question, then spoke: ‘There are too many futures, most of them dire, some ending life as we know it. Too many nexuses of possibility.’
‘Is there anything you can tell me to enhance the possibility of avoiding the most dire of consequences?’
‘Two waves: the one you see and the one behind it. You remember, from your youth.’
Pug was startled. No one knew of that moment; he was almost certain he had never spoken of it. It had happened on the day he had first spoken with his old teacher, Kulgan. He had been knocked over by a wave on the beach and as he was attempting to rise, a second one had swept him under. ‘I remember,’ he said. ‘It was a lesson I’ve remembered all my life.’
‘You must seek out the hidden wave. The wave before you is designed to distract, to bleed your resources and scatter your focus.’
‘Can you tell me any more?’
‘Shadows hide deeper shadows. There is a void from which no light emerges, and into which none may see. Those who seek to destroy all you love lurk within.’ The massive figure then said, ‘Seek more knowledge before you act, for once begun, this conflict can only end in complete victory or utter defeat.’
Magnus said, ‘It’s not the first time we’ve been faced with that option.’
The Oracle said, ‘Wave after wave, young magician, that you must realize. This struggle started before you were born, before your father was born, before even I was born. It is not yet apparent, but all is connected. Be cautious, be wise, seek more intelligence is my counsel.’
The dragon’s massive head slowly lowered to the floor and the men and women who had been standing in the shadows—the Oracle’s companions—moved forward to meet any need she might have.
Pug nodded to his son and suddenly they were back in his study.
Magnus asked, ‘Father, did that help?’
‘Somewhat,’ answered Pug. ‘Before we run down to Kesh to look at Sandreena’s big hole in the ground, I think we need to retrace the elven brothers’s route, and find that lost castle.’
‘What do we seek there?’
‘Knowledge, as always. There are dwarven, human and elven prisoners there, so we should free them. And there’s also a room full of books I wish to bring here.’
‘Books?’ said Magnus. ‘What sort of books?’
‘We won’t know until we fetch them.’
‘Why are they important.’
With a wry grin, Pug said, ‘Because it appears that the fortress was another small den of your grandfather’s.’
Magnus visibly sagged. ‘Macros.’
Pug reached over and pulled a book off the shelf, handing it to his son. ‘Look at the mark on the first page.’
Magnus opened the volume. ‘It’s grandfather’s glyph.’ For a painful moment, Pug looked lost and he said, ‘I just wish I knew what your mother would say right now.’
‘Something scathing, no doubt,’ said Magnus and he laughed.
Suddenly Pug laughed too. ‘No doubt.’ It was the first time either of them had been able to laugh since Miranda’s death and they looked at one another. They needed to put the past behind, for the coming struggle was fast approaching, and they needed to be at their best. Pug pushed aside a rising fear: when will I lose my son? He had never resigned himself to the bitter price that gods were exacting for his return, but that didn’t mean it would happen now, or even soon.
‘I think we need to find Gulamendis and start back to that world with the volcanoes.’