Amber and Ashes - Margaret Weis [140]
The ruins of the Tower of Istar had long rested beneath the Blood Sea. Most of the gods had fondly supposed the Tower completely destroyed. The gods of magic knew better. Following the Cataclysm, they had acted swiftly to make certain that the holy artifacts and relics in the Tower were protected. In order to keep these safe and secret, they buried the ruins of the Tower beneath a mountain of sand and coral. Sometime, in the far, far distant future, when the tale of Istar was nothing more than a fable used to frighten children into eating their vegetables, the gods of magic would restore the Tower, recover the lost artifacts, and give them back to the gods who had forged and blessed them.
Takhisis shattered those plans. When the gods finally recovered the world, they became absorbed in the pressing need to reestablish magic and quash sorcery. Solinari and Lunitari were dedicated to this cause and oblivious to all others. Nuitari was there to lend his aid when called upon. When he wasn’t needed, he was beneath the Blood Sea, working for himself. He raised up the ruins of the Tower of Istar and rebuilt them to his own design. He recovered the stolen artifacts and relics. He brought these to a secret vault hidden beneath the Tower that he termed the Chamber of Relics. He sealed this chamber with powerful magical locks and posted a guardian—a sea dragon, a fierce, cunning creature known as Midori.
Thus far, none of the gods knew about his Tower. They were so busy building new temples and recruiting new followers that none thought of peering down beneath the ocean. He trusted their ignorance would continue for some time, long enough for him to firmly entrench himself and his followers. The only two who were a serious threat to him were his twin sister Zeboim and the god of sea life, Habakkuk.
Fortunately, Zeboim had gone off on one of her tangents—something to do with a death knight she’d cursed. As for Habakkuk, he was embroiled in a bitter battle with a Dragon Overlord who’d taken up residence in the seas on the opposite side of globe, a distraction brought about by Nuitari’s partner, the sea dragon Midori.
Nuitari had not thought he had anything to worry about from any other god and he’d been surprised and extremely displeased to find Chemosh coolly walking the halls of his Tower. The God’s Eye revealed Chemosh’s growing ambition.
The God’s Eye revealed Mina.
Like all the gods, Nuitari was an admirer. He toyed with the idea of seeking her out, making her one of his own followers. The fact that she was his mother’s creation put an end to that notion. Nuitari wanted nothing to do with anything his mother had touched, and so he had left her to Chemosh.
A good thing, too. Chemosh’s weakness for this particular mortal had been his undoing. Even though Nuitari had not expected Chemosh to actually let Mina die, the god of the Unseen Moon had been quick to see how this could work to his advantage.
Peering into the Dragon-sight bowl, Nuitari saw the Lord of Death prostrate on his bed, beaten down, defeated, alone, with only the ghost of Mina to offer help, support.
The ghost of Mina. Nuitari’s thick, full lips smacked.
“A remarkable illusion,” he said to his wizards. “You have fooled even a god. Admittedly, a god who was ready to be fooled, but still—good work.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“My lord, thank you.”
The two Black Robes bowed respectfully.
“Can you sustain this illusion for as long as I require it?” Nuitari asked.
“So long as we have the live model from which to work, my lord, yes, we can sustain it.”
The wizards and the god turned to look into the prison cell which they had conjured up on the spot. The cell’s walls were clear crystal and inside they could see Mina—wet and bedraggled and very much alive—pacing, back and forth.
“She can hear me?” Nuitari asked.
“Yes, my lord. She can hear and see us. We can see her, though we cannot hear her.”
“No one can