Realm of Light - Deborah Chester [67]
Hecati stepped forward, and it was all Elandra could do not to flinch back.
“I have brought you here to strike a bargain.”
Elandra frowned, suspecting a trick. “What kind of bargain? I have nothing you could want.”
“Are you interested in survival?” Hecati asked. “Are you interested in being cured of the poison in you?”
Elandra drew in a startled breath and turned her back on the witch. Inside, she was a seething mass of horror and temptation. How did Hecati know so much? Terrified, Elandra clapped her hand over her mouth, afraid of what she might say.
“What do you know of the living dead?” Hecati asked in a quiet, almost conversational voice. “Most people cannot detect them, except by their yellow eyes. They act much the same as when they were alive, but their souls belong to Beloth—”
“No!”
“Yes, Beloth,” Hecati said, her sugary voice in horrible contrast to the nightmare of her words. “And they must obey the commands of the dark god. Even if it is to tear out the beating heart of their own child, they have to obey. Their blood turns black, and eventually they are eaten from within by the demons they carry. It is a terrible fate. What a pity. You are doomed, unless I help you.”
Elandra closed her eyes, trying to shut out Hecati’s voice. But her words echoed and reechoed in Elandra’s mind. No matter how much she distrusted the woman, Elandra knew this time Hecati was telling the truth.
“What do you want?” she asked a third time.
Hecati chuckled triumphantly. “Your allegiance to Mael.”
Elandra blinked and turned around, staring. This was insane. “You would save me from becoming Beloth’s minion, but in exchange I must belong to—to Mael instead?”
She could barely say their dire names. To speak them at all was to utter blasphemy. She half expected to be incinerated on the spot.
Hecati looked impatient. “Yes.”
“But there is no difference!”
“There is a great deal of difference.” Hecati stepped forward, but this time Elandra backed away.
“Listen to me,” Hecati said. “You would not be mindless, soulless. You would be an ally, not a puppet.”
Elandra released her breath, trying to keep her wits about her. “I don’t—”
“Hear me. You are empress sovereign. Your position is second only to Kostimon’s, but in reality you have no power at all.”
“The warlords gave me their oaths of fealty.”
“That means nothing, girl! Nothing! If you do not realize that, then you are naive as well as a fool.”
Elandra tightened her lips and said nothing.
“The warlords will turn to anyone but you. Do you expect them to take up arms in support of a woman?”
“They vowed they would.”
Hecati snarled an oath. “Why can you not understand—”
“I understand perfectly,” Elandra broke in coolly. “You need not explain politics to me.”
“Mael will give you an army—”
“I thought the goddess of shadows intended only to release me from the effects of the poison.”
“Your rewards can be multiplied. You are more useful to us in a position of power.”
“What kind of allegiance would I be expected to give?”
Elandra asked. Her hands were shaking at her sides, and she thrust them behind her to hide them.
“Building temples to the goddess for a start. Allowing her to be worshiped without hindrance. Showing public example.”
This time Elandra couldn’t conceal her horrified revulsion. “Such actions would help release the goddess from bondage.”
“Of course! You will weaken her chains, just as Kostimon has done much over the centuries to free Beloth.”
“No.”
“Don’t be stupid. You have no choice in the matter. Don’t worry, girl. It is not too difficult to learn the proper rituals. I shall give you guidance, help you reach decisions, and make policy. I was prepared to do this for Bixia. Now I shall assist you.”
“I refuse.”
Hecati looked at her in astonishment. “Nonsense! You cannot.”
“I can, and I will. My answer is no.”
“Fool!” Again Hecati hurled something at her, and again Elandra raised the topaz in time to deflect it. No serpent this time, but a spear with a wickedly barbed point. It landed harmlessly at Elandra’s feet, and Hecati swore words that