Part 43 (2/2)

At the top of the hills that separated the Garden from the ocean, Chaneen turned and gazed westward, toward the mountains and the desert beyond, in the direction in which the Asurians had attacked. Much of that land was now ruined, scorched black from the fires Janier had unleashed, stained with the blood of many warriors. Chaneen knew that in time to come those lands would remain barren. Yet how small was the damage Janier had wrought, she thought, compared to what she would now do to Asure.

Close to sunrise found Chaneen on the sandy beach that lay between the hills and the ocean. There she walked with the memory of Rankar walking by her side, the waves splas.h.i.+ng her bare feet. Looking across the sea, she could see the great continents of land that would one day rise from the depths of the water, land her children would one day live upon. Even without the curse, she knew their trials would be great.

Chaneen sighed. The time had come.

As the sun peeked over the edge of her world, Chaneen closed her eyes and raised her arms out from her sides. She held her robe open, and like a net from the G.o.ds, it caught the radiance and channeled it into her body. Slowly her physical form began to dissolve, expanding over the gentle wave that was the sun's rays. Easily, she allowed herself to be blown into the void, through the vast dark s.p.a.ce where the stars shone forever, until at last she came to Asure. By this time her form was huge, dwarfing even that of the Fire Messenger. Indeed, she could blot out Kratine's entire kingdom merely by raising her arm. But for a long time she drifted above the world, feeling pain that she would be the cause of such great destruction. However, she remembered the G.o.d's command, and the anguish of her sister's torment. What she would do next was necessary.

It was during their last night together that Rankar had revealed the power she would now use. No longer was she simply going to invoke the Fire Messenger. Kratine had violated the natural order. His lands would burn. She was going to call upon the sun itself.

Chaneen raised her hand and set her intention in motion. The entire alliance of the G.o.ds stood nearby in support. A great and fearful flame leapt from the surface of the Sun. It stormed across the abyss, pa.s.sing through her nebulous body, and struck Asure. The destruction was accomplished in a moment, the planet was ruined. Now Asure was burned red, and its air was gone. The Asurians were all dead. She knew that nothing would ever grow there again, and it made her sad.

Yet there was one place that had escaped the wrath of the Sun, a place far underground, in the cavern where Janier had been raped. In that hideous place, she knew Kratine waited for her.

Chaneen allowed her etheric body to sink beneath the burning surface of Asure. It was only when she stood upon Kratine's black altar that she took up her physical form.

He sat alone on his black throne, his jeweled crown weighing heavily on his false human head. Over his shoulders he wore a purple cloak. A gold girdle covered his midsection. He smiled as she materialized beside the pit where her sister had been drowned. Then he stood and approached, bowing low at her feet.

I see you brought the fire,' he said reverently. 'The heart of the worlds. I am honored by your visit, Chaneen.'

She silently indicated he should stand. When their eyes met, he flinched, and spoke hastily, 'But you stand in my land now, Queen, where I cannot be threatened.'

'Have I ever threatened you, Kratine?' she asked.

'Yes. You have destroyed my world.'

'Your land is dead, 'she agreed. 'But that was your doing, not mine.'

Kratine did not understand. For all his cleverness, he was remarkably blind. 'I knew when I met you in your palace that you were a worthy adversary. But I am at a loss as to why you didn't invoke your full power earlier?'

'For what purpose?'

'To destroy us, of course.'

Chaneen turned away from him and stepped to the edge of the molten pool where even now she could feel how the spirit of her sister continued in torment.

''That was never my purpose, Kratine,' she said softly.

He smiled at her back, his arrogance returning. 'Your warriors are all dead.' He moved a step closer. He wanted to shove her in, but he knew she would strike him down first. 'You hesitated, Chaneen. You underestimated the boldness of my attack.'

Chaneen faced him. 'The boldness of your attack brought the fire down upon your world, where it otherwise would never have come. I am a guardian of the natural order. I did not want to ruin jour lands. This power that you admire in me was thrust upon me. I did not wish for it. But I did not come here to speak to you of powers and battles. They are done with. I have come to make you answer for Janier.'

He was wary. 'What do you want?'

'The truth. Why did you do all these things to us?'

He stood erect, proud. I will not tell you.'

Her eyes kindled. 'Speak!'

Kratine cowered. 'Very well. The truth will be of no help to you since the curse cannot be undone. Actually, I am happy to tell you about my wonderful designs.' His smile returned. 'You know of our first war, long ago. You understand why I started it. My land is old and dying, I wanted yours. I desired to replant my civilization and allow it to grow, until it matched our glorious past, a time I remember well. I sent my warriors against your warriors. I even went myself to lead my army. We won many glorious battles against your people. But on the verge of victory your king invoked the Fire Messenger and ruined my plans. I retreated to my world, and contemplated long and deep what this defeat meant.

'It was during this time I came to understand that it wasn't our world alone that was responsible for our decline. My race was too old. I could feel the age in my own blood, and it troubled me. I asked myself, how can the old regain their youth? At first it did not seem possible. I pondered long upon the dilemma, and called on the G.o.ds respectful to Asure for a.s.sistance. In time the answer came to me.

'I will not offend your delicate nature by going into all the details. Granted that the difference in our bodies - as Rankar mentioned- was the greatest obstacle. Yet I believed that if I could experiment with a male and female of your children, I could bring my seed to life in the female. I could weave a spell that would change the very nature of the female. She would be mine, and I would return her to your Garden, where she would feed upon the blood of the Sastra, even as they slept, and make more of her own kind. In this way my will would enter into your children. They would be mine, not yours. I would live through them. I would be young, while you were dead. And you would not be able to stop me once I got started, for you would have to kill too many of your children, and that was one thing I knew neither Rankar or you would ever do. Such was my plan, Chaneen. What do you think?' 'Need I remind you that it failed?'

Kratine gloated. 'Has it?'

'Rankar was suspicious of your offer.'

'Your King -1 slew him!'

'lam not Janier. You cannot lie to me without my knowing. If you'd had ten times your power, you could not have slain my husband.' She pointed to the pool of lava. 'You will continue your explanation and pay less heed to your false deeds.'

Kratine looked shocked. 'So you do threaten me?'

'Perhaps.'

Kratine spoke hastily. 'You know what happened. Rankar came instead of sending a male and female. He came to this very altar, and by a means I can only respect, figured out my plan. I have no idea how he did that.'

'I'm sure it was not difficult. You're careless with your mouth. Continue!'

I was surprised,' Kratine said. 'But my greatest shock was yet to come. He dropped his guard. He set aside all his powers, all his armor. The King of the Garden invited extinction! Of course, seeing the opportunity, I slew him.

I was overjoyed. My greatest enemy was gone. My plan could go forward without obstacle. Unknown to you I captured several Sastra, males and females both. Yet here I was met with another surprise. My plan would not work. My spirit refused to enter their blood. When I killed them, they remained dead.

I was dismayed. Yet I no longer had Rankar to worry about. I decided to take your Garden outright. I landed my warriors upon your deserts. If I could not have my youth back, I thought, I would enjoy my old age in fair lands. I was certain of victory.

'You know this part of the story. Your warriors were losing. I was winning. The Garden would have been mine but for your invocation of the Fire Messenger. Earlier I said that I recognized you from the beginning as a worthy adversary. If the truth be known, I only suspected your powers, and gave them little heed. Unlike Rankar's, I had never seen them used before. I underestimated your strength and that was a grave mistake. Through your sister you killed more of my people than I had lost in the previous year. Janier was merciless. Few escaped her wrath. Plus already Rankar had robbed me of my special plan. All appeared in ruins. Yet, strangely enough, it was Janier who saved the day.

'Eventually I figured out how Rankar had upset the spell I was trying to cast. I began to see the intimate relations.h.i.+p that exists between you two as guardians, and your children. The same bond does not exist between me and my people. Because he was the King of Sastra, Rankar's choice became your children's choice. He could have lived through the ages, with you by his side, and your children around you. But he died, he chose to die. It was no wonder when I began to experiment with your females that they just pa.s.sed away. Rankar had taken away their immortality.

'Understanding this, I devised a scheme to bypa.s.s his continuing influence. I decided to take one of your children and have her forsake Rankar's protection, and then have her stand so close to death that she could feel its real terror. With these conditions met, I believed I could cast my spell.

'At this time Janier was storming across your desert toward my bridge. I studied her from afar. She was filled with vengeance. She was not behaving the way you would. I noticed a rift between her actions and your support. I decided to use that rift and lure her into a trap where I could test my theories.

'My original plan had since undergone major changes. By the time Janier reached here, there were too few left on either side to carry it out. My hope was for the future. I knew the Garden's soil was rich, and that your children would survive, although they would be short-lived because of what Rankar had done. Still, I could see they would flourish across your lands. I knew that one day they would come here. They will have to - I will invite them here. And on that day the Asurian spirit will be reawakened, and I will be reborn in your world.

'I will have little to add. Your sister forsook her people. I imagine *you will remember her with contempt.'

When Kratine's explanation was finished, Chaneen stood silent for a long time and pondered his words. Much of what he had told her, she already knew. When Kratine had lectured Janier, she had heard him, for in the end Janier had remembered her Queen and replaced the ring on her finger. Janier had done so without Kratine's knowledge.

Chaneen believed that could be a weakness in his spell.

<script>