Scales of the Serpent

23

There had been many losses, but many more lived who should not have. Mendeln and Serenthia saw to the comfort of all the edyrem, feeling that, in Uldyssian’s absence, they should do whatever they could.

Despite the blood, despite the losses, there was an aura of joy among those there. They had vanquished their enemies. The few Peace Warders and priests to survive had fled into the deep jungles, their wills broken. They had nowhere to go, for everyone had felt the sudden destruction of the great temple. Jonas, climbing up a tree, claimed to have seen a dark cloud obscuring part of the sky in that direction. Daylight was coming soon, but no one needed to verify his claim…for suddenly Uldyssian himself was back among them.

Although Uldyssian appeared alone, Mendeln knew that the dragon had lent his brother aid in the return, a second startling act by a being who insisted on complete secrecy when it came to his existence. Truly, Mendeln thought then, the Balance must have seen the good need for Uldyssian.

He and Serenthia came to Uldyssian’s side. The merchant’s daughter brought Mendeln’s brother something to drink. Uldyssian nodded his thanks, then, when he had taken as much as he could, he eyed the two and said, “You know?”

“Yes…” answered Mendeln. “You are free of her.”

But Uldyssian shook his head. “Never.” He suddenly looked around. “Achilios?”

It was Serenthia who responded to this. “He was here…and then he was gone. None of us saw when he left.”

Mendeln remained quiet.

Nodding, Uldyssian reached for a helping hand. With their assistance, he stood. Around the trio, the edyrem—summoned silently by Uldyssian—gathered.

“The Triune is crushed,” he stated bluntly. There still existed some minor temples, but the cult had depended upon the main temple for their influence. Well aware now how things worked, Uldyssian knew that what little remained would fade away.

“The Triune is crushed…and now the Cathedral awaits.”

No one cheered. No one lamented. They accepted both parts as fact, nothing more. Whatever Uldyssian wanted of them, they would do their best to achieve.

“Clear the dead away and send to me the wounded,” he next ordered. “Then, everyone sleeps.” As they left to obey, Uldyssian looked at his brother. His eyes went to the wounded arm.

An arm Mendeln again wore whole.

“It shall be explained,” replied the younger brother.

“The dragon?”

“Rathma.”

Nodding, Uldyssian asked, “Will they help us more? Or is it just us, again?”

Mendeln considered before answering. “I believe that they have seen that they must. I believe that the scales tip in favor of our needs. The Balance will demand it of them, just as it demands much of us.”

That satisfied Uldyssian, even if all his brother had said was not exactly clear to him. “Then, tomorrow we march.”

Both his brother and Serenthia bowed their heads in agreement.

“Tomorrow,” they repeated.

With that Uldyssian turned to help his people, but although his face showed only pride and concern for those who had followed him…it was the face of Lilith that would burn forevermore in his mind.

And in that, at least, the demoness had triumphed. Rathma materialized atop the rubble that had been the temple. He had come to determine the truth as to whether or not his mother was actually dead. More than most, Rathma knew Lilith to be a cunning vixen. She might fool Uldyssian into believing her no more, but he did not believe that she could do so with her own son.

Yet as he looked over the ruins, he found nothing more than the mortal had. Rathma located where Lilith should have been buried and when he probed, he found a still corpse. Not much was left of it and by the time this land was cleared—assuming that Sanctuary would still exist—there would be nothing recognizable as inhuman.

“So it is very much farewell this time,” he murmured. “I would say I am sorry, Mother…but we know the truth.”

With that, he disappeared. There was no time to mourn the dead, especially the dead who did not deserve it. Rathma had other concerns.

He still had a father, after all… He was gone. She had fooled even her ungrateful wretch of a child. Despite her horrific wounds, Lilith managed a smile.

The body that he and Uldyssian believed hers had been that of a minor priestess. Lilith had managed to save herself at the very last moment; then, with her will pushed to its limits to shield her, the demoness had managed to crawl free of the devastation. Still, even she was willing to admit to herself that it had been luck for her to survive, much less keep the two from noticing her.

But Lilith would turn that luck back in her favor. She would regain her strength and this time she would repay Uldyssian and his companions with the most insidious tortures. Even her son would learn what it was to earn her wrath—

A shadow fell across her…a shadow that made the demoness start, for she had sensed nothing. Yet, Lilith knew exactly to whom that shadow belonged.

She tried to move, tried to escape…but his power held her fast.

“Release me!” Lilith hissed. “Release me…Inarius!”

AFTER I HAVE DONE SO MUCH TO SAVE YOU?

“Save me? Ha!” But even as she sought to deny it, the demoness realized that he spoke the truth. All her good fortune made terrible sense. Lilith had believed herself responsible, but no…

The angel stood above her in all his glory. Lilith both hated and desired him. YES, SAVED YOU, MY ONCE LOVE! I DID PROMISE, THOSE MANY CENTURIES AGO, THAT I WOULD NEVER STRIKE YOU DOWN NOR LET ANOTHER DO SO!

Yet, he had done even worse, in her opinion. Lilith vividly recalled the emptiness, the void in which she had been sentenced until her fortunate escape.

Hissing, the demoness tried to attack, but it was like a fly seeking to batter a horse. Inarius dismissed her weakened assaults as less than nothing.

I WOULD NOT EVEN LET OUR OFFSPRING FIND YOU, FOR HE WOULD HAVE FELT OBLIGATED TO FINISH WHAT THE HUMAN THOUGHT DONE! The hood shook back and forth. NO CHILD SHOULD SLAY HIS MOTHER, NO MATTER HOW UNGRATEFUL THAT CHILD NOR HOW EVIL THAT MOTHER…NO, IT IS ONLY I, ALWAYS, WHO MUST METE OUT JUSTICE WHERE YOU ARE CONCERNED…JUSTICE WITHOUT DEATH, OF COURSE, AS I PROMISED!

“S-Spare me your sermons—”

AS YOU WISH. Inarius raised one palm. In it formed a gleaming sphere so transparent that it was almost invisible.

The demoness’s expression turned to horror. “No! Inarius! Don’t—”

But in the next second, Lilith floated inside the tiny sphere, her size reduced accordingly.

I HAVE REMEDIED WHAT WAS DONE INADEQUATELY BEFORE, the winged being said without emotion. THE MISTAKE SHALL NOT BE REPEATED. GOODBYE, MY ONCE LOVE.

She spat at him although the sphere prevented it from having any result. “You think Sanctuary yours? You see what this human has wrought! He’ll bring you down, too, Inarius!”

HE WILL NOT, FOR IT IS THROUGH MY EFFORTS THAT HE HAS DONE YOU IN. Before she could argue more, Inarius added, FAREWELL, MY ONCE LOVE…FAREWELL…

Lilith screamed and cursed, but her voice—as well as she—grew tinier and tinier. The sphere became a marble, then the size of a pea.

And then, for all mortal purposes, shrank so tiny as to become nothing.

CONSIDER YOUR FATE FORTUNATE, MY ONCE LOVE, Inarius said to the emptiness. CONSIDER IT FORTUNATE, COMPARED WITH THAT AWAITING THE MORTALS WHO WOULD DARE THINK THEMSELVES MORE THAN THEY ARE! He spread his astonishing wings wide and took to the air, staying above the wreckage of the temple only long enough to peer in the direction of the mortal, Uldyssian ul-Diomed, and his naive supporters.

THEY WILL FIND OUT THAT NOTHING HAS GONE ON THAT I HAVE NOT COMMANDED…BUT THEY, LIKE YOU, WILL FIND THAT OUT ALL TOO LATE…

And with that, he soared off, unseen, to his sanctum, to decide the fate of his world.