Treasures of Fantasy - Margaret Weis [74]
Xydis looked from one to the other and he frowned. “What does that mean?”
Treia marveled at the beautiful object. Golden bands twined around the bone like the tail of a dragon. Golden wings spread from the bone with a golden chain attached to the tips of each of the wings. The head of the dragon reared up from the bone. The largest emeralds Treia had ever seen adorned the spiritbone, placed above the head. Two smaller emeralds were embedded in the wings.
“How did you come by this, Worshipful Sir?” she asked again.
“The bone was a gift from one of your gods,” Xydis replied.
Treia nodded. She was not surprised.
“Was it Hevis?” Treia asked, naming a god known to be rebellious, one who chafed under Torval’s rule. One who had, long ago, seduced a Kai Priestess into summoning one of the Vektan Five—with disastrous results.
“I believe the name of the god was Sund,” said Xydis, off handed. The names of gods slated for destruction didn’t much matter to him. “It seems this god, Sund, looked into the future and saw that Aelon would be victorious. Sund feared his own destruction and he traded the spiritbone for survival.”
Sund, the God of Logic, of rational thought, of far-sight. If Sund had switched sides, he must have seen the old gods were doomed. Treia was not surprised at Sund’s betrayal. The gods of the Vindrasi were known to be self-serving, caring only for their own pleasures and concerns, little for the mortals they ruled.
“Tell me what is so extraordinary about this dragon,” Xydis said.
Raegar hastened to answer. He was excited, beaming and rubbing his hands. “The Vektia dragon is an immensely powerful dragon, Priest-General. Such a dragon can set entire cities aflame with a single breath.”
Xydis looked at Treia, leaned toward her, drew nearer, talking to her as if this was confidential between the two of them.
“Does Raegar speak the truth, Sister?”
“Yes,” said Treia.
“But there is more to this dragon than the ability to burn cities, isn’t there? You are a Bone Priestess. You tell me about this dragon.”
Treia hesitated. Not because she was wondering which side to take. She was as coldly calculating as Sund, and though her vision might be blurred, she could see the battle was going poorly for the old gods. Like Sund, she planned to be on the winning side. Treia hesitated because she was trying to figure out how much to reveal.
Treia had been expecting Xydis to ask her to summon an ordinary dragon, such as the Dragon Kahg. Instead, Xydis was going to want her to summon one of the Vektan Five! This was the reason Aelon needed her. Treia had to figure out how to take advantage of this unbelievable opportunity to further her own ambition. And Raegar’s, of course.
“The Vektan Five are not ordinary dragons. They are made of the crest of the dragon, Ilyrion, the Creator of the World. Her essence is embodied in these five dragons.”
Treia paused, waiting for Xydis’s reaction to her words. He gave a perceptible start. His brows raised. His eyes widened.
“You are saying that these dragons are made of the essence of the Creator. These dragons are . . .” He stopped, thunderstruck, and stared at Treia.
“The Vektan dragons are not true dragons. They merely take the form of dragons. They were born of creation,” said Treia. “They are the embodiment of creation. Whoever controls the Five gains the power to create whatever he wants—life, moons, stars, suns . . .”
Raegar was not impressed. “What does Aelon need with a dragon for that? He is all powerful.”
“No,” said Treia, “he is not.”
“You speak heresy—” Raegar began, his face red.
“Oh, shut up, Raegar,” said Xydis impatiently. “Proceed, Bone Priestess.”
“One day Aelon will be worshipped by every person on this world,” Treia said. “But even then, Aelon will never be the true ruler of this world. The old gods, the Gods of Vindrasi, will always rule.”
“These old gods are too weak to rule a dunghill!” said Xydis, scoffing.
Treia shook her head. “You may weaken them. You might even manage to slay them, as you did the Goddess Desiria. But the old gods