Dreams of Kell: An Epic Fantasy Adventure (The Magelands Eternal Siege Book 13) by Christopher Mitchell

Author:Christopher Mitchell [Mitchell, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781912879809
Publisher: Brigdomin Books Ltd
Published: 2022-08-25T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

ABANDONED

Arakhanah City, Republic of Rakana – 28th Day, First Third Summer 534

‘Let me see,’ said Daphne, a cigarette poised between her fingers. ‘There was Gorman, and then Asher, and then Racine; so, three.’

‘Not bad,’ said Caelius. ‘I wish I had three gods to my name. I have only dispatched one of the beasts, but my one was an Ancient, so I gain extra points for that.’

Daphne raised an eyebrow in the dim light of the abandoned house. ‘An Ancient? What’s that? I’ve heard of Ascendants, but not Ancients.’

‘Ancient is the name given to any god who has lived for over ten thousand years. There are hundreds of them on Implacatus; it’s what most ordinary gods aspire to.’

‘I see. And what was the name of the Ancient you slew?’

‘He was a despicable creature by the name of Lord Sabat; a nasty piece of work if ever there was one. He was responsible for a tremendous amount of death and suffering on Dragon Eyre, stemming from his time there as governor.’

‘Is that why you killed him?’

‘I’d like to say yes, but as you can read my mind, lying to you would seem to be pointless, my lady. No, I had a grudge against him because he had the effrontery to disband the Banner of the Golden Fist. That Banner was my entire life, especially after my wife died.’

Daphne nodded from the shadows of the bare room. They were on the fifth floor of the derelict building, and she and Caelius were keeping half an eye on the streets below.

‘I had assumed that you were married,’ she said, ‘what with you being the father of Kelsey’s partner. If it’s not too painful, could you tell me how she died?’

Caelius nodded. ‘She was murdered by a terrorist organisation on Dragon Eyre. They put a bomb inside a tavern, and killed dozens.’

‘A bomb?’

‘Yes, ma’am. An explosive device. The knowledge of how to make them is kept strictly secret, but they’re used in large numbers on Dragon Eyre, by both sides. My wife was also in the Banner of the Golden Fist, so the terrorists saw her and the others as legitimate military targets. Bastards. I’d love to kill every one of them.’

‘I’m not surprised,’ said Daphne. ‘They slaughtered people who were drinking in a tavern? How disgusting. When was the last time you were on Dragon Eyre?’

‘Oh, it’s been quite a few years now. To be honest, I have very little idea of what’s been happening there recently; the authorities on Implacatus were being curiously tight-lipped about events on that world when I left. That’s often a sign that things aren’t going too well for the gods. They’re happy to trumpet their victories, but grow noticeably reticent if things are going wrong. Take Lostwell, for instance – when Lord Renko left to go there, along with my son Van, I might add, the propaganda machine was in full swing. Then, it all went quiet. I later learned from Kelsey that it was because of your son, Corthie.

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