Song of the Saurials - Kate Novak [150]
The bard hadn't flown far when, from the corner of his eye, he thought he spied a huge gem, but when he landed and bent over to pick it up, it proved to be a piece of rotten fruit. Likewise, his eyes were deceived into seeing a silvered sword, which turned out to be the slime-encrusted bone of some great beast. When he tried to salvage a gilded, leather-bound tome and found himself holding a rotted log alive with larvae, the bard realized that all these illusions were calculated to keep him from his quest. He flew on, ignoring all the other riches he imagined he saw, no matter how enticing they looked.
As he continued on, following the light of the broken finder's stone, Finder passed several of Moander's minions. Although most of the minions looked like humans or elves, some appeared to be beasts-elephants, horses, cats, rats, hounds, deer, hawks, sparrows-or magical creatures like dragons and treants. A few must have once been creatures from other worlds, for Finder didn't recognize their kind. Yet every minion had in common the tendril vines growing from its body, controlling its actions and making it subject to the Darkbringer. Finder realized that if it hadn't been for his possession by the vines, he wouldn't be passing through this realm without being challenged.
The light of the finder's stone led the bard to a great hill, as large as the mound on which the city of Yulash stood. At first Finder thought the hill might be Moander's stronghold. As he drew closer, however. Finder realized that the hill was in fact Moander's true body, the one that held the very essence of the god's being. Unlike all the other shells it possessed in all the worlds of the prime material plane, if this body were destroyed, the Darkbringer would cease to exist completely and forever.
Moander's Abyssal form was another pile of rotting vegetation, but it was easily five times the size of the body the god had possessed in the Realms. Thousands of tendrils ending in eyes and mouths waved from the pile, and orange rivers of poisoned water flowed down its slopes. Yet for all its vast size, the true body of Moander seemed to tremble from the cold coming from the dagger Finder carried.
At the foot of the hill that was Moander stood Akabar Bel Akash. He was tethered about his ankles with slimy tendrils, and his wrists were likewise bound. His eyes were closed, and he did not speak.
"Hold, Nameless Bard!" a chorus of voices cried from the mouths of Moander.
Finder halted.
"You were a fool to come here," the mouths of Moander declared. "For destroying my body in the Realms, you have earned my everlasting enmity. Yet despite your crimes against me, I must admire your resourcefulness. I think that I will let you live on as my servant. Now, hand over the seed of power that you stole from my Realmsian body."
Finder slipped the broken half of the finder's stone into his boot and drew out the tiny blood-red gem he'd discovered lying before the magical gate inside Moander's Realmsian body. Apparently, by stepping through the gate and separating the gem from the Realms, he had indeed robbed the god of its power to exist in that world. The gem, Finder suspected, held not just power but some attribute that made it possible for Moander to return to the Realms.
If he smashed the gem, Moander might never regain that power, and the Realms would be safe from the Darkbringer forever. Yet if he gave the gem to Moander, it might take years for the god to find a way to build yet another body in the Realms, and the people of the Realms would have all that time to prepare some other defense against the Darkbringer.
"I'll give you the seed, Moander" Finder said, "in exchange for Akabar Bel Akash and safe passage from your realm. I'll even let you keep your everlasting enmity." He grinned maliciously.
"Arrogant fool! I could slay you where you stand," Moander's mouths snarled.
"I suspect not," the bard said. "If you could, you would have killed me the moment I stepped into your realm,