But some time passed, until all but one lamp in Garlund was extinguished. Hederick felt as though he were alone with the New Gods. The prairie still whispered, but no footfalls broke the night.
Then the last lamp-the one in Tarscenian's dwelling-
went out. A door creaked, and a tall figure staggered from the prayer house. Tarscenian paused and carefully sur shy;veyed the prairie in the direction of Ancilla's Copse, gazed upward briefly at the moon Lunitari, then headed north.
The boy watched him go, his heart numb with disillu shy;sionment. With the aid of magic, the witch had destroyed a devout priest in less than a week. Certainly the Seekers could not rise to any position of power in the world until they eradicated magic.
Perhaps Tarscenian's only purpose in life had been to bring Hederick to Seekerism. Now that purpose was ful shy;filled, and the Seeker gods had no more use for the priest. Perhaps he was like a dumb beast now, conscious only of hunger and thirst-and whatever base urge drove him toward the witch Ancilla in the dead of night.
Hederick marked the priest's passage across the prairie, and a voice within-straight from the pantheons, he knew-urged, Follow. There was no refusing. At times Hederick drew close to Tarscenian, but the once-alert swordsman suspected nothing. His hand never went to his blade. The tall, broad body moved like a dead man brought to life. Tarscenian's gaze had but one object now: the copse.
While they were still some distance from the trees, the inner voice advised Hederick, Pause. Keep back from the witch. She has set wards. Pray. Hederick sank to his knees.
Tarscenian went on alone.
"Omalthea," Hederick entreated, "send me a sign to tell me what you desire. In all of Garlund, I am the only one who is truly devout. Your priest has lost his faith. I know it is my destiny to continue without him. Please make me worthy, Divine One. Send me a sign."
Hederick's body ached down to his soul. He clenched his hands, pressed his teary eyelids shut, and bowed his head. He begged for Omalthea's grace and wisdom.
At that moment, the boy became aware of light. "By the New Gods!" he whispered.
This was more than mere illumination from Solinari and Lunitari: neither red nor silver-white moon was full enough to account for this growing brilliance. The lumi shy;nescence, diffuse at first, soon concentrated on a rise directly in front of him. The light became a glowing col shy;umn. Sparks of seafoam green, blue, and purple danced within. Roaring wind filled his ears. "Omalthea, be merci shy;ful!" he shrieked.
Was this a sign from the New Gods? Or had Ancilla detected him and brought down the force of her magic?
The smell of a forge assailed him. It brought more tears to his eyes, and Hederick fancied he could taste the tang of metal, heated nearly to liquid. His hair whipped in the gale. He could not see for sobbing. He threw himself face shy;down on the grass.
The wind changed to keening-banshees? The light, the sounds, the smell engulfed him, and Hederick could not stop shaking. "Ferae, daughter of the gods, come to my aid," Hederick begged. "Cadithal. Zeshun. Sauvay. Omal shy;thea, please! I desire only to serve you. Don't slay-"
Then the roaring, the keening, the cries in the wind-all stopped.
Hederick lay, muscles jerking, in a circle of brilliance, bathed in heatless fire. His heart quavered in his chest. All warmth had fled his hands and feet.
Heddderrrick.
He could not open his eyes.
Heddderrrick.
He whimpered, sure he would be struck blind or mad if he lifted his head. He prayed that this was proof that he'd been ordained to greatness. But fear so paralyzed him that he could not raise himself from the crushed grass-not even to accept the mantle of exaltation.
Heddderrrick. I orrrder you to rrrise.
"I will die," Hederick whispered.
I hhhave plans for you. Yyyou mmmust be my priessst, Hed-dderrrick. I hhhave need of you. Rrrise.
Hederick inhaled, then let out the breath slowly, trying to expel his fear. The gods were calling him, or were they? Was this what Venessi had felt when she experienced visions of Tiolanthe? It could not be the same; his mother was insane, prey to fertile imaginings.
This was certainly real.
He drew himself together, then stood in the circle of brightness.
Opennn your eyyyes.
Hederick obeyed.
At first the boy could make out only a rough shape before him. Then he saw a muscular torso that appeared to flow right from the prairie soil. Corded shoulders, draped with a gauze shirt, bore a proud head with flow shy;ing yellow hair. The jaw was broad, the mouth severe. A braided circlet of iridescent threads banded the god's fore shy;head. Tiny bolts of gold and purple lightning radiated from the crown. Sparks rained down on Hederick, but still he felt only coldness.
Below the glittering crown, the eyes beamed fire. They looked straight at him.
Heddderrrick.
"My lord?" Hederick forced his voice low and steady. This being would not tolerate weakness; Hederick must not show any.
Yyyou knnnow mmme, thennn? That is good. Sssay mmmy nnname, Heddderrrick ofGarlund. Greet me as I deservwe.
Warmth coursed through the boy. This magnificent being approved of him! "I honor and welcome you. You are Sauvay, supreme god of power and vengeance and Father-lord of all the Lesser Pantheons."
Annnd…?
"Once consort to Omalthea, Motherlord of the Pantheons.
And father of the goddess Ferae."
Annnd nnnow demmmoted beneath mmmy own daughterrr, Heddderrrick. The fire in the heartless eyes burned brighter.
Hederick measured his words. "That is so."
Yyyou wwwill be my chief mmminion, Heddderrrick. You will ssserve me. For I ammm Sauvay, God of Vwengeance, and yyyou have mmmuch to avenge, young Heddderrrick of Gar-lund.
"I?"
Mmmuch evvvil hhhas been done here in the nnname of fffalse rrrighteousness, Heddderrrick. Yyyou have begunnn to might those wrongs. I sssee and approve. You must continue. Escalate this hhholy wwwar. Dessstroy all sinners, if it takes until yyyour dying day.
"I will do as you order."
Yyyou mmmust destroy the witch in the treesss.
Hederick nodded readily. "And Tarscenian?"
The stench of molten metal thickened. Hederick's eyes watered. The wind sighed.
Hhhe wwwas a Seeker priessst, Heddderrrick. He hasss sinned the greatest sin. If Tarscenian were ssstrong in faith, Heddderrrick, magic wwxvould have no hold on himmm. He hasss made hhhis choice. Know, Heddderrrick, that if yyyou are faithful, I will be at yyyour side alwaysss.
Hederick bowed. "I will do what you ask, my lord."
The being vanished.
* * * * *
Hederick plunged through the grass like an antelope, and within moments he was crouched by the copse. Birds chirped sleepily, though sunrise was still hours away. The boy's clothes grew uncomfortably damp with dew as he waited.
Hederick knew Sauvay was watching. He knew that when the time came to annihilate his sister and her traitorous lover, Sauvay would show himself in all his brilliance, and for a few moments, Sauvay's power would be Heder-ick's power.
Ancilla and Tarscenian would die.
There was no need for stealth. Hederick had Sauvay's protection.
"Ancilla! Tarscenian!" Hederick shouted into the leafy blackness.
Silence swallowed his words. No magical carnivorous being, no emissary of the undead, reached for him. Had the witch and the blasphemer sense enough to be fright shy;ened? Were they hiding? Hederick longed to stalk them as the lynx had pursued him months before, when he was only a boy of twelve. Now he was thirteen, practically a man, and a servant of the Seeker god of vengeance.
Something sparked before his eyes. A globe, scarlet and silver, the size of a forest puffball, hovered and sputtered, moving away, then back. It repeated the motion, the mes shy;sage clear: Hederick was to follow.
Either Sauvay or Ancilla could have sent the globe, but to Hederick it didn't matter. One was on his side, the other helpless before him.