The Gods Undoing by Mark Tufo

The Gods Undoing by Mark Tufo

Author:Mark Tufo [Tufo, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: DevilDog Press
Published: 2024-06-18T00:00:00+00:00


16

AZILE

Azile had spent the better part of a week traveling back to Hellsguard. She’d suspected all along that Michael yet lived, how that was remotely possible, she did not know, but that was unimportant. She’d told BT and Jed that he was gone, and that was true enough. She was happy when the large man turned back; if he’d continued there would have come a point where she would have had to kill him, though it would have been for the greater good, she would not have relished the act. She’d contemplated doubling back after she and BT had gone their separate ways to kill the older man, but she had taken a calculated risk that he would find some most unpleasant end all on his own. A lone traveler through the Rust Mountains was unlikely to enjoy too many more sunrises.

“Pity, I liked him. Now I must decide what to tell the coven,” she said as she saw the outline of the Citadel. She stopped to let her horse graze and rest, and also to collect her thoughts.

The Citadel, nearly to a witch, believed that the person tasked with the Great Quest must not succeed. Sharing power did not come naturally to those who enjoyed a view of the world from on high, and at whatever cost, they would retain that place at the top, overseeing the governance of all species. Magic must remain a dominant force within the world, and they must remain its predominant wielder. If that came with the diminishment of other magical beings, or even the downfall of humanity, then so be it. What they failed to grasp was that witches were a branch upon that family tree, and allowing the roots to wither would eventually destroy them as well. If any suspected as much, it was a passing worry; even with their longevity, none believed the world would end during their lifetime. What none of them knew, including Azile, was whether this was the true interpretation of the prophecy. The Old World tongue was notoriously difficult to translate, and she’d been to many different countries and received as many different versions. The stakes were entirely too high and no consensus could be reached. Each prophetic scholar had wholly believed in their summary, but clearly someone was wrong, someone had to be. That didn’t follow, unfortunately, that someone had to be right.

“The ignorance my own brothers and sisters labor under is staggering.” She shook her head. “So bewitched by the power they wield, they cannot see the inherent weakness in our position.”

The Order were human, enough so at least that they would not survive the success of Michael’s quest, whatever they thought. In truth, so Azile believed, neither path worked out well for witches and wizards. If he failed, very soon their greedy usurpation of the Source would drain it entirely, ending magic forever. Should he succeed, their unchallenged flow of power would be choked off. They would diminish, becoming mere human practitioners, lesser beings with no more access to the Wellspring than any creature not born rightfully into the magical realm.



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