“Why?” asked Ashhur. Even in his weakened state, his voice still boomed. He reached beneath his armor and pulled out his pendant, the bas-relief of the lion standing atop the mountain. With a single, sharp motion he snapped the chain and tossed the pendant across the span between them. “Does this mean nothing to you now?”
Karak scowled at him, picking up the pendant. “It does, but its meaning has changed. Do you remember why we came here? Why we came to Dezrel, why we created humanity on this planet?”
“We were to find a better way-one that would not destroy each another. Violence is not the better way.”
“Life is destruction, dear brother, it always has been. You should know that better than anyone.” Karak smiled then, perhaps the most hideous and malignant smile Roland had ever seen. “But you are right; we wanted to find a better way. A way for humanity to fully realize its potential, without the destruction and war that has always befallen it. And I have, brother. I spent many years in the mountains, contemplating this very subject, and do you know what I realized? In every world we have visited where humans existed, they were locked in a never-ending chain of unnecessary death. What did all of these places have in common? In each world, every single one, the humans fought over the dominance of one god over another. Do you not realize what that means, brother? We are the cause of this violence! We will never be able to leave them. Never be able to step aside and watch our creations flourish to their greatest heights. No matter how long our pact remained strong, one day our people would clash, and they would clash over us.” Karak’s expression became passionate. “Look how little time it took for a blasphemous temple to be built. Look at the soldiers who clashed in this place, even as you preached against violence and I remained distant in the mountains. There is a better way. Let there be one truth, one god, one faith. Imagine it, brother-all of humanity, united! An end to violence, an end to warfare, an end to chaos. What would follow would be a rise of order! Would that not be wonderful? All I need…is for you to step aside.”
Ashhur stared at him, wide eyed and appalled.
“This has been your plan? You are mad,” he said.
Karak offered him a sad shake of his head.
“Not mad, brother, nor did I plan this. I stood back and watched as the events unfolded. Despite our teachings, our wisdom, our First Families, humankind sank to the same conflicts as always. This cycle must be stopped, and I will put a stop to it, no matter what the cost. My way is the only way, and I promise you now that if you stand aside, if you relinquish your Paradise to me, it will remain unscathed.”
“And if I do not?”
“I will march west and burn all that you have created. Either way, there will only be one truth. My truth.”
Ashhur stared him down, then placed his hand on the ground and used it as leverage, shoving his body upright until he stood at his full height. He looked his brother dead in the eye and gave his answer.
“No.”
Karak sighed.
“Very well. Then let it be war.” His next words were spoken louder; he was clearly addressing all who remained in the flickering light of the burning, corpse-riddled temple. “Consider this a warning to you all. The men who came here in my name are but a fraction of the warriors Neldar will soon have at its disposal. We will march again, with far greater numbers, and all who stand before us shall either pledge obedience or perish. Citizens of Haven, consider this my gift to you. If any wish to join me now, you may do so. All sins will be forgiven. This is your chance to serve a true deity.”
Roland felt the sensation of falling backward. No, that wasn’t it; he wasn’t moving back, it was Jacob who was moving forward. It was a nightmare coming true, a sight that Roland could not comprehend. The First Man took great, prideful strides, crossing the empty space that separated him from the eastern deity. Roland ran after his master, frantic, but then realized that it might look as if he too were betraying his beloved god. Horrified, he fell to his knees, close enough to hear Jacob’s stunning words.
“Karak, my Lord, my Creator, I am your humble servant,” he said.
Roland’s heart almost stopped beating.
Ashhur’s eyes shimmered and his lips parted ever so slightly.
“Jacob,” he asked. “What are you doing?”
“I am a child of two gods, not one,” Jacob said. “I have always chosen whom to serve, and I have come to realize that I believe in Karak’s vision.”
Ashhur shook his head in disbelief. He showed more pain than he had from any of the blows his brother god had unleashed on him. “I do not understand. You said you loved me. You said you believed in my teachings…and I sensed no lie.…”
“That’s because I never lied, your Grace. You are my father, one of two. I do love you and always will. And I truly do believe that your teachings are righteous and well intentioned…but unfortunately, I believe in Karak’s more. You would never lead humankind to true greatness. You would only coddle us like children, denying us wisdom, denying us knowledge, until some greater threat came along and destroyed everything we held dear.”
Having said his piece, Jacob took his place by the eastern god’s side. He looked at Roland, eyes full of hope, and beckoned him to follow. Roland almost did. His master was all he had ever known, his hero since the first day he could remember, his cool breeze on a warm day, his burning light in the darkest night. If it had not been for Azariah, who clamped down on his shoulder and locked him in place, he might have run across that field and embraced Jacob once more, allowed him to drag him down into the underworld by his side.
“Don’t,” said Azariah, tears cascading down his cheeks. “You know what is right.”
He did. He cast his eyes to the floor, sensing his master’s frown without having to see it. Only Jacob wasn’t his master anymore. Betrayal, Roland thought, felt. Nothing but betrayal.
Karak turned away, Jacob alongside him, heading for the other side of the field, where a white-haired man on horseback awaited them. With a wave of the deity’s hand, the soldiers who still drew breath, were rounded up by the horsemen, forming lines and marching wearily back toward Karak’s Bridge. They disappeared into Neldar, the sound of their clanking armor a ghostly echo. The few remaining defenders of Haven-those who had not fled to join the invading force, as a few had done-stood there silently, staring at Ashhur, who seemed frozen in place. The light in his eyes had nearly extinguished, and the aura of kindness and invincibility he normally displayed had all but been shattered. His silver armor receded, becoming a simple robe once more, the torn and burnt sections slowly fading away. He looked not like a divine being, but like a simple farmer after a day spent tending his fields: exhausted, beleaguered, vulnerable. At that moment, Roland realized that all innocence was lost, for everyone, everywhere, and it would never return.
And the Temple of the Flesh, along with the bodies of more than a thousand old men and women, mothers and children, continued to burn.
CHAPTER 37
The First Man, Jacob Eveningstar, was a betrayer against his own god. It was a sin that made Patrick’s jaw hang ajar. He never would have expected such an outcome, not given how much effort Jacob had expended over the years in Ashhur’s name. It was like a son attempting to debase his father, which, judging from Jacob’s parting words, had been the exact point. Patrick wanted to hate him for it, but he still felt a reluctant appreciation for the man. If Jacob had not sent him to Haven, he would never have found his purpose or a sense of belonging; he would never have fathered a child. It was surreal.