Drenai 11 - The Swords Of Night and Day by David Gemmell

Author:David Gemmell
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2010-11-25T19:26:12+00:00

‘I take it that he is dead.’

‘Yes, Decado killed him. Despite his centuries of life Landis was a romantic. He believed in Ustarte’s prophecy.’

‘And you do not?’ said Skilgannon.

‘The simple answer is that I do not know. I cannot see how one warrior - even one such as you - can end the reign of the Eternal. Even if you did, what would it matter? The artefacts exist. They will always exist. They survived for thousands of years, their powers almost dormant. Nadir shamans found a way to harness the energies radiating from these sleeping machines below the ground. They did not know the artefacts were there, but, like Memnon, they were attuned to the energies pulsing from them. They acted as conduits for that power. All the physical magic in this blighted world emanates from these artefacts.’

‘So what changed?’ asked Skilgannon.

‘The Temple of the Resurrection. An abbot found a way to awaken them. The power in the artefacts swelled. All over this continent and beyond. So you see, Skilgannon, the physical death of the Eternal will do nothing to change the unhappy state of the world.’

‘What did he do, this abbot?’

The young Gamal shrugged. ‘Much is lost in myth now, but he found a passageway inside the holy mountain, and then there was light. I cannot say. I was not there.’

‘Then the answer lies at the temple.’

Gamal smiled. ‘Perhaps it would - if it was still there. Almost five hundred years ago the temple vanished.’

‘It was inside a mountain,’ said Skilgannon. ‘It could not vanish. There must have been a more powerful ward spell placed on it.’

‘No, Skilgannon. I have walked on the open land where the temple mountain once was. There is nothing there. It is an odd place now. Nothing grows there. The land twists and changes. Metal reacts in a bizarre way. I had copper coins in my pouch. They began to jingle together. I remember feeling nauseous, and not being able to maintain my balance. My companion and I left the area as soon as we could. Once clear I looked in my pouch. Five coins had somehow welded themselves together. I had to cut my belt loose, for the brass buckle was mangled and bent. Believe me, Skilgannon. The temple is gone. The mountain is gone.’

‘But the power remains,’ said Skilgannon softly.

‘Yes.’

For a while they sat in silence, Skilgannon thinking through what Gamal had said. Gamal suddenly sighed. ‘It is beginning,’ he said. ‘I can feel the pull of the Void.’

‘Are you frightened?’

‘A little. My life has not been one spent in philanthropic pursuits. I have been selfish, and my actions have resulted in the deaths of innocent people. Yet the Void is not unknown to me. I have travelled there often. It is where you and I met.’

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