Prince of Lies - James Lowder [147]
Kel nodded grimly then faced the crowd once more. "You want justice for yourselves, but first you have to offer it to others. For each instant we waste in debate, men and women on Faerun are trapped between life and death. Their suffering is unjust, and our indecision is the cause."
"But what if the pantheon wants to punish us?" rumbled one of the False. "If we let them in they may hand the city back to Cyric!"
Gwydion stepped forward. His clothes were tattered, his face grimy with soot. And, though he no longer wore the god-forged armor of an inquisitor, the shades and denizens knew him well. Like Kelemvor, he'd become a legend of sorts in the city, a harbinger of hope in that hopeless place.
"Cyric will never reign over this realm again, but a new god must take his place," Gwydion shouted. "That's the way of things, and nothing we can do will change it. Still, that doesn't mean we can't make our voices heard." He pointed atBoneCastle, deserted now and crumbling swiftly to rubble without a god to maintain it. "The lord who rebuilds those walls will do so only with our permission. And we won't give that until we have a few promises."
"No more torture!" someone shouted.
"Fair trials!"
"Justice!"
The crowd took up the last as a chant. After a moment, the denizens added their inhuman voices to the clangor. The chant swelled, echoing over the Realm of the Dead until even the Faithless trapped in the wall ceased their wailing and took up the call. Kelemvor found himself caught up in the moment, screaming along with the rest until his jaw ached.
Finally Kel raised the jagged halves of Godsbane over his head. "Justice will be yours! Each of you will be given a new trial, a chance to lift the doom proclaimed upon you." A riotous cheer shook the diamond wall. "Those who once served Cyric, we give you a choice: join us in building a just kingdom atop the ruins of his mad empire or flee the city. Your master may yet be hiding in some darkened corner of the planes. Whichever you choose, you'll not be harmed." Another cheer rose, this one thick with the growls and monstrous whoops of the denizens.
Kelemvor tossed the broken halves of Godsbane into the Slith. A magnificent plume of darkness erupted from each piece as it hit the fetid water, but the billowing shadows faded when the river swallowed up the blade. "My prison is gone. Together we can shatter the chains Cyric forged for you, the links of suffering and tyranny that make this place a realm of strife. Strike the first blow for freedom! Open the gates!"
A sudden flood of energy washed over Kelemvor. He trembled for an instant as the cool, thrumming pulse filled his being, stretched his mind to its limits then pressed beyond.
The entire Realm of the Dead spread before his consciousness like a map upon a table. Each burning building, each shattered street, lay open to his gaze, cold details of a ravaged city. He sensed the fires and the destruction, tiny pinpricks of discomfort that nagged his thoughts. He felt the chill passing of the nightmares as they returned to Dendar's cave, the corrupt scrabbling of Kezef's paws as he climbed the Wall of the Faithless, seeking an escape from the city and from the gods that milled at the gates. The smell of the swamp, the whiff of brimstone in the air, the horrible stench of fear that permeated everything…
This was the nectar of godhood, he realized numbly. At least it was for the Lord of the Dead.
Eyes wide with wonder, Kel looked out at the sea of upturned faces. He saw the hope there, the terrible longing for salvation. The unspoken prayers of each shade and denizen filled his head, granting him the might of a million dreams.
Lead us, they pleaded. Give us justice! Jergal leaned close to Kelemvor once more and spoke for him alone to hear. This time, though, the ice had melted from the seneschal's voice, replaced by a cool deference. Shall I see to it, milord? "See to what?"
Your command, Jergal replied evenly. Do you wish me to open the gates to the other gods?
At a nod from Kelemvor, the unearthly seneschal vanished,