‘It begins and ends with this,’ he gestured to the pendant, ‘the symbol of the House of the Vanquishing Trinity.’ He rose up in his seat, clearing his throat as he did so. ‘Eras untold ago-’
‘Wait!’ Denaos held up a hand suddenly. ‘If you’re going to begin with that particular phrase, would now be a good time to take a piss?’
‘Shut up,’ Asper growled, jabbing the rogue in his ribs.
‘It’s a valid question,’ Denaos protested, swatting her arm away. ‘I know enough about the clergy to be aware that they’re prone to long, dramatic speeches and, frankly, I’m not sure my bladder is up to the challenge.’
‘Then invest in some new pants later,’ Lenk spat. He turned back to the priest. ‘Go on.’
‘As you like,’ Miron said with a gracious nod to the young man. ‘It may shock some of you to know that once, this land was purer than its current incarnation. Ages ago, before any peoples thought to scribe their histories, the Gods were closer to us than we would ever realise.
‘Though no text grants us the privilege to know whether they actually set heavenly foot upon mortal soil, our prayers were heard and answered with great frequency. Though heaven and earth were divided by sky and storm, the Gods bade their servants descend from on high and turn sympathetic ears to the plights of mortals below.
‘Not quite deific themselves, but leagues beyond mortal, these servants were charged with providing the link between God and man. They heard the woes and prayers of the people and returned them to their heavenly masters. In those ages, the earliest days of creation, miseries were minimal and prosperity of that magnitude would never be known again.’
The priest paused to sip his tea. Eyes held to his gaze by invisible chains went wider. Lenk cleared his throat impatiently, folding his arms over his chest.
‘But-’ he said.
‘Of course,’ Miron replied, ‘there is always a “but”. Being not quite Gods, their servants were not quite perfect. They were the combination of divine power and mortal feeling, and as such, they were susceptible to envy, desire, hatred,’ he paused, staring into the steaming cup, ‘corruption.
‘They saw their duties as beneath them, observing praises heaped upon the names of Gods while they served as mere messengers and errand runners. Within their heavenly bodies, their contempt festered, twisted, grew. The day came when they finally cast off the yoke of duty and rebelled against heaven.
‘Unable to touch their godly masters, though, they turned their contempt on the mortal creations below. They scarred the land beneath them and wrought misery and suffering upon the mortal races. Slaves, chattel, sustenance: such were mortals to these servants of the divine. They carved vast empires of death and decay, their own bodies twisting to reflect their hatreds. In the wake of their carnage, they left creations, beasts as vicious and decrepit as themselves.
‘The Abysmyth you saw today was one such creation, a twisted mockery of the ability privileged only to the Gods. The Abysmyth is but the servant of another servant.’ He let out a breathless whisper. ‘And those first servants were the Aeons.’
‘Aeons,’ Asper whispered breathlessly, her eyes brimming with a realisation she could not bring herself to voice.
‘The very same whose gate we seek,’ Miron said with a nod.
‘You son of a whore,’ Lenk growled. ‘You’ve had us seeking a gate that will let more of those things out?’
‘Please, allow me to finish-’
‘Why?’ Gariath rumbled from the corner. He approached the table, the furniture trembling with each thunderous step. ‘I smelled that thing. I know that it is nothing good. And you’re looking for the gate to let whatever created it out.’ He levelled a clawed finger at Miron. ‘We’d be better off crushing his head right now.’ He turned to Lenk and snorted. ‘Say the word and I’ll paint the wood with his face.’
‘How dare you!’ Asper roared, pushing her chair back as she leapt to her feet. ‘Even to utter such a threat is-’
‘And I’ll use your scalp to paint it!’ Gariath’s roar silenced hers as he unfurled his wings. ‘Stupid humans,’ he growled. ‘Only you would defend a man who seeks such a-’
‘There is no evidence that he seeks such a creature,’ Dreadaeleon protested, rising up to stand beside Asper. ‘He’s simply informing us of past events and, were you not so allergic to knowledge, you would know that-’
‘That what?’ Denaos interjected. ‘That he’s the one who brought it onto the ship in the first place? Don’t be stupid. If that thing serves other things called Aeons, then it only stands to reason that-’
‘To hear you calling for an end to stupidity is nearly hysterical.’ Kataria forced a laugh to emphasise the point. ‘I say “nearly” because it’s far more annoying than funny. Now, why don’t you just shut up and let him finish and we’ll-’
The sound of wood cracking interrupted her as Gariath brought his fists down hard upon the table.
‘I will not sit here and let another creature like that come and do what it did again!’
‘So that’s it?’ Asper snapped. ‘You’re just upset that you couldn’t kill that thing?’
‘Anything that Gariath can’t kill is reason enough to worry,’ Lenk countered hotly. ‘Need I add that neither he nor I nor a spear to its gut was enough to kill it? So why don’t you just-’
‘STOP!’
A voice not his own burst from a mouth that seemed to stretch too widely. The howl was heard throughout the ship and the waters beyond. The fish swarming the floating dead departed, all thoughts of food forgotten at the sound. Men fell to the deck in fear and even the moon seemed to grow a little dimmer.
Below, Miron regained his composure with a deep inhalation, as all eyes widened and all mouths shut.
‘I shall hear no accusations,’ he said calmly. ‘Not until I have said my piece.’ He took a sip of tea, looking over the edge of his cup. ‘Any further objections?’
No one dared offer any.
‘Delightful.’ He smiled. ‘As I said, by the time the Aeons had wrought the height of their woe upon mortalkind, they could no longer be called servants of the Gods. As such, a new name was crafted for them.
‘Demons,’ he said quietly. Slowly, he swept his gaze about the table, challenging anyone to enquire.
Lenk answered it.
‘I find myself wondering whether you’re madder than I thought you were, Evenhands,’ he said coldly. ‘Demons. . do not exist.’
‘There’s no evidence for it,’ Dreadaeleon agreed.
‘Mossud might beg to differ,’ Argaol muttered.
‘There’s no reason for it,’ the wizard countered. ‘Demons are, theoretically, creatures of distilled evil.’
‘And?’ the captain pressed.
‘And evil as we know it,’ the boy replied with condescending smugness, ‘or rather, as we like to think we know it, doesn’t exist. There is instinct, there is law, there is religion. These define action and the intent behind them cannot be classified by subjective definitions. And, above all, things cannot be made out of evil.’
‘Moral objections aside,’ Asper said, casting the boy a sideways glare, ‘even the high priests deny the existence of demons, Lord Evenhands.’
‘As well they should,’ Miron said, nodding. ‘It has been ages since anyone has even thought the name, much less seen one. They are too horrible to contemplate and too long forgotten to mention. I assure you, though, they do exist and you have seen one.’
‘I believe it.’
Eyes turned towards Kataria with a mixture of horror and suspicion.
‘We have legends about them,’ she continued. ‘Some of the oldest of my tribe claim that their greater ancestors were still alive when demons roamed the world.’
‘So you knew about this?’ Lenk asked accusingly. ‘Why the hell didn’t you say anything?’