Richard Knaak - Scales of the Serpent

The rider fidgeted throughout his speech. Finally, the moment that Uldyssian stopped, he blurted, “But that is why we have come to you, Master Uldyssian! There is no need to enter Instani! The Triune…they have fled!”

As Uldyssian stared at the man in disbelief, excited voices broke out among the edyrem.

“What do you mean by that?” he demanded. “When?”

There was that in Uldyssian’s tone that evidently cowed the official further. He bent low in the saddle, hastily explaining, “It was but two days ago, Master Uldyssian! Without word, the priests, the guards—all within the temple—they did vanish during the night! It was noticed by the sentries and the people the next day, and when we went inside to seek the high priest, we found his chamber empty, too!”

“Do you think they’re lying?” murmured Serenthia, a step behind him.

Uldyssian did not answer, for he had already begun finding out on his own the answer to that question. He sensed no guile on the part of the Istanians—in fact, they were afraid of angering him with this news. Satisfied as to them, Uldyssian then reached out to the city itself, seeking the taint of the Triune.

He found traces, but nothing more. The temple was, as the official had insisted, entirely abandoned. Uldyssian’s mind swept over the three-towered edifice, searching for any clue, but the priests had been very thorough in clearing out their rooms.

Seeking their trail, he located, as in Hashir, a secondary city gate near the temple. There were only a few guards manning it and it did not take the son of Diomedes much guesswork to assume that those sentries had been mystically blinded to the departure.

Once into the jungle, the trail quickly faded, the priests having strived hard to avoid detection. However, what little was evident indicated a route heading directly toward the supreme temple.

While Uldyssian had been doing all this, the Istanians had grown more and more anxious. They could not know what the foreigner was doing standing there as if asleep. The lead official kept glancing back at his counterparts, likely begging for some advice. However, they remained silent, none wishing to be drawn into the talks. Clearly, if there proved to be any violence, the blame would all fall upon the spokesman, who likely had been chosen for this task against his liking.

Withdrawing from his search, Uldyssian exhaled, then met the first rider’s wide-eyed gaze. “You speak the truth.”

This brought renewed excitement from the edyrem. Their master’s enemies were running scared. Victory was surely at hand…

Uldyssian dared not get his own hopes up. Still, this reprieve meant that less time would be lost in this area. If they left in the morning, they could reach the supreme temple two days earlier than planned.

“You speak the truth,” he repeated, “and so there remains only one thing for us before we leave your domain.”

The Istani leaders all looked sick. They no doubt expected either some reprisal or some great demand for riches.

“We’ve need of some food and fresh water. In addition, we must make camp nearby. Any of your people are welcome to trade with us, to learn about us.” Because of the shortness of time, Uldyssian could not enter Istani and preach to the locals. That would come later, supposing that he survived his confrontation with Lilith.

A hint of relief spread through the locals. The lead official nodded several times. “Food and water can be provided, yes, Master Uldyssian! There are those who will trade with you also, yes!” He leaned back. “Barenji! See to it, yes?”

One of the other officials nodded once, then turned his horse around and rode off as if on fire.

Uldyssian indicated his gratitude. “That’s all, then. If any of you have other questions, I’ll answer them; if not, then I wish the wise people of Instani good health and thank them for their efforts.”

It was not exactly the formal greeting that he had learned for Hashir, but it was satisfactory. With many bows, the contingent turned and rode back to the city.

“Can they be trusted with the food and water?” asked Timeon. “They may seek to poison it…”

That was highly doubtful to Uldyssian, but he had already considered what to do. “Nothing’ll be distributed until I’ve looked it over.”

His answer was, of course, enough to satisfy the others. They had full trust in him, which Uldyssian appreciated. He prayed that he would not let them down.

With the guidance of those among the edyrem who understood the territory best, Uldyssian chose a place to camp for the night. Even before his followers had settled down, the Istani began to bring foodstuff for them. The articles came in wagons drawn by both oxen and more of the huge beasts used in the lowlands. Saron called them pachyshon , which meant “long-nosed brothers.” The pachyshon made delivering the food a quicker operation, for they used their flexible snouts to reach baskets down to where Uldyssian awaited. Once he made certain that there was no poison or other threat, Saron, Timeon, and others began passing the supplies around.

The Istanians treated them with the utmost regard, almost falling over themselves to please. Uldyssian did not expect any of the locals to come to hear about the edyrem, but a large handful did.

He welcomed them and spoke to all as he had times previous. Some of the Istani departed after his speech, but more stayed. To the latter, Uldyssian offered to reveal their own gifts.

This time, he did one other thing as he stirred the latent powers to life. Within each, Uldyssian sought out as best he could any kernel of darkness that he could find and crushed it utterly. There would be no repeat of Lilith’s foul work with Romus and the other unfortunates.

And then, before he knew it, the sun had risen again. There was indeed no more reason for staying. From the officials, who obviously wanted to do their best to see the intruders depart as quickly and peacefully as possible, he received updated information on the path leading to the Triune’s supreme temple. A couple of the newest converts verified the charts and directions. Uldyssian thanked his reluctant hosts, then led his army on again.

And now…there were no more distractions. Only their goal lay ahead.

Rashim and the other scouts were closer than before, but, as Uldyssian had realized, the swift departure from Istani meant that they were now a day or two again from reuniting with the rest. With Lilith just ahead, Uldyssian could not focus on the small band constantly; instead, he sought out the scouts during each pause. Satisfied that they were still all right, he then returned to constantly attempting to analyze just what the demoness might have in store. But although he thought of a thousand nightmares, Uldyssian doubted that any of them would match her true plan.

The edyrem moved on through the jungle, becoming quieter as they ate away at the miles. It was as if a shroud had fallen over them; for the first time, they became aware of the monumental task quickly approaching.

And then…and then something touched Uldyssian’s very soul. A gnawing darkness that grew with each step.

“We’re close,” he finally muttered to Serenthia. “We’re so close…”

She only nodded. Uldyssian doubled his precautions. For him, the Triune was no longer hiding what it was. They—under Lilith’s guidance—were trying to undermine the edyrem’s confidence.

Uldyssian’s mind swept over his followers, reassuring them of their intentions. This new and subtle ploy would fail his enemies, of that he swore.

He wished that Mendeln and Achilios were with him. That he had seen nothing of either bothered Uldyssian, for surely at least his brother would have tried to be there. As for the archer, it was possible that Achilios was nearby, but if so, why had he not at least given some sign?