Auraya’s skin crawled. It would, at least, be satisfying to deliver the bad news to this one.
“The Circlian and Pentadrian gods are the same,” she told him. “They’ve been playing dual parts.” She looked at Chaia, then at each of the White and the Voices in turn. “You see, this is all a game to them. And you are the pieces. The deaths in this war and the one before were nothing more than points scored, one side against the other. Points, not real people, with families and friends. Not—”
“They are not the same,” Nekaun snarled, his face dark with anger. “My gods do not look the same. They do not even sound the same.”
:What Auraya says is true, Chaia said. His form shifted and suddenly he was Sheyr. The Voices stared at him in shock.
“Trickery!” Nekaun exclaimed.
Auraya turned to face him. “You will know the truth soon enough. Without them to supplement your magical Gifts, you will be weaker. You can no longer read minds. You certainly aren’t immortal.”
Nekaun’s glare changed to a stare of uncertainty. Turning away, Auraya saw the same expression on the faces of the White.
“I’m... sorry,” she found herself saying. “But with the gods constantly playing you and the Voices against each other, you weren’t going to survive long anyway. Of course, if you continue with this war there’s a good chance you still won’t.” She grimaced. “That’s your choice. I will not help or hinder you.”
Juran looked from Auraya to Chaia. “Is this true?”
:It is.
A wordless cry of rage broke from one of the White. All turned to look at the new White, Ellareen, who was staring at Auraya, her face white with fury.
“You,” she snarled. “You traitor! You don’t deserve to live!”
She made an abrupt gesture and a white pulse of light shot forward, scattering against Auraya’s barrier.
:NO! STOP! the gods cried, their voices united. Yranna moved to stand in front of Ella.
:We need the magic you use to attack her to survive, Ellareen. Would you kill us in order to avenge us?
Ellareen stared at the goddess wildly, then shook her head. She took a step away, then looked up at Auraya, her eyes narrowed in hate.
Then another attack battered Auraya’s barrier, followed by manic laughter. Shocked gasps and protests broke from both people and gods as they turned toward the source. Nekaun laughed again, then sent another blast at Juran.
“You fools,” he said. “You just told me how to kill your own gods!”
Chaia shifted into Sheyr’s form.
:STOP! he commanded. Nekaun laughed again.
“I’m not falling for that one again. I suppose it was you who stopped me having a bit of fun with Auraya. Well, I—”
Abruptly he staggered backward, his eyes wide with surprise. The chill that had begun to crawl down Auraya’s back at his words faded as she saw that the other Voices were dragging him away with their magic. He was resisting them, she saw, but with little effect. Then suddenly he jerked as if struck in the face, and dropped to the ground, unconscious.
As one, the Voices turned back to face the gods, all smiling with satisfaction. A short silence followed, then Juran turned to Chaia.
“If we are without your guidance, what will become of mortals? How are we to stop ourselves descending into lawless chaos?”
Auraya felt a pang of affection for him. “So long as there are good leaders like you, Juran, mortals will do well enough.”
Chaia smiled.
:She is right.
“And when I die?” Juran asked, his voice tight.
:The worthy replacement you choose will take your place.
:We choose, Huan corrected, coming forward to stare at Chaia. She turned to regard the White and the Voices. Your gods are not dead. We are alive! You will build a Temple here. You will come here to consult us on the governance of your lands.
Chaia shook his head.
:The trouble with war is that the most powerful, ruthless and least scrupulous survive. They don’t make for pleasant company.
Huan turned to sneer at him.
:You survived, too, she pointed out. She turned back to the White and the Voices. A new era of cooperation must begin. You will build a Temple here and appoint priests to serve us. You will leave your strongest sorcerers here as guards while...
Auraya stopped listening as Chaia turned to regard her.
:She is a fool, he said. If one of your friends doesn’t come back and finish us off, we will perish eventually anyway. It doesn’t take much magic to maintain our existence. We might even live long enough to escape this place, but we would not be sane. Most of the gods we isolated within voids went mad, Auraya. We need mortals to provide a link to the physical world.
She felt a pang of guilt. “I’m sorry I distrusted you. I should have realized it wasn’t you. But don’t give up hope. Mortals will come here. They will build this Temple Huan demands. They will keep you from going insane.”
He nodded.
:Yes. They will. Will you?
She hesitated, then nodded. “For you, I will.”
Chaia smiled.
:It is good to know that. If it weren’t for Huan, I’d make you promise me that. But we both know Huan will continue to seek your death, even from within the void. As for me, being a god with no physical body grew tiresome a thousand years ago. I would rather not exist at all than spend a thousand years trapped here in her company.
Auraya’s heart skipped. A terrible suspicion was growing. “Don’t talk as though you’re dying, Chaia. I’ll find a way to heal the void. There must be a way.”
Chaia reached out and touched her cheek, his touch strange and familiar.
:Do that, Auraya. It would be a good thing. And don’t ever use the knowledge Huan gave you. Being a god is not as glorious as we like mortals to think it is. I’ve done some terrible things, but I don’t regret protecting and nurturing you. Goodbye, Auraya.
He stepped back from her. Confused, she focused on the magic around them, expecting to find it was dwindling to nothing. But what remained was plentiful enough to sustain Chaia, and the others.
Then she felt it all rush toward Chaia.
And finally she comprehended what he was doing.
“Chaia! Don’t!”
Bright light blinded her. Though unable to see, she could still sense the gods. She sensed them vanish one after another, Huan in mid-sentence. Chaia vanished last, but not before she heard three final words.
:Don’t forget me.
51
Reivan had felt awe and then fear when the glowing figures appeared among the White, the Voices and Auraya. That they were gods she had no doubt, but which gods were they?
Mirar had moved to the edge of the road as if preparing to throw himself off it into the sea, but then he paused, listening. Reivan could not hear the conversation. Curious, she had edged forward, but before she could draw close enough Auraya shouted and there was a second flash of light.
Dazzled, it took a long moment before Reivan could see again. The White and the Voices were all looking at Auraya. The gods had vanished.
“They’re gone!” Auraya exclaimed. “Chaia killed them and himself!”
Though Reivan could not hear what was said, it was clear the White and the Voices were protesting and questioning what she claimed. Auraya’s expression was terrible. Horror and grief twisted her features. She pressed her hands to her face, then shook her head and turned away.