The Eyes Of A God - The Eyes of a God Part 66
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The Eyes of a God Part 66

'I'd like to know," said Lukien. He smiled at her, trying to coax her to speak.

'Very well," she sighed. "The Akari died off a long time ago, when he finally told me about the Akari I realized why he had become such a good man. But I made him take me to their land in the mountains. That's where I found Grimhold... and the spirits."

Fascinated, Lukien said, "You mean the spirits of the Akari spoke to you?"

'Like a bell! They screamed at me from across the years. I was the first person to encounter them in many decades, and they could never have trusted Kadar or one of his people." Minikin gave a humble shrug. "So they chose me."

'To tell their story?"

'Yes, I think so. And to live on through me, and the people I brought to them. Not all of the Akari were willing to cross into the next life. Most of them, of course, but the strongest ones wanted to live on."

'So you bring people for them to attach themselves to," said Lukien, suddenly understanding.

'That's right. As I told Gilwyn, they are like what you of the north might call angels. The Akari spirits get to live on through my Inhumans, and the Inhumans are helped by them to overcome their problems. If they're blind then they can see. And if they're deaf like Trog, they can hear."

'Amazing." Lukien took a deep breath and glanced at Trog. The big giant was oblivious to their conversation, still eating the provisions they had brought, though more slowly now. "What about Gilwyn's Akari?" he asked suddenly. "What good will that spirit do him?"

'I don't know yet," Minikin confessed. "When I marked the boy it was simply to make sure he'd know of Grimhold. If he'd ever needed us, his Akari would have spoken to him, guiding him to us." She gave a wide smile. "But Gilwyn doesn't seem to need help."

Lukien glanced down at the amulet around her neck. "You still haven't told me about the Eyes," he said. "Did you find them in Grimhold?"

'I did," said Minikin, "along with other things, like this coat."

'Yes," said Lukien, "what about your coat? It changes colors." decades ago, really. They lived beyond the mountains, where Grimhold lies now. Grimhold was their stronghold. It was where they performed their summonings, and it was how they protected themselves from the outside world. But they could not protect themselves from everyone. Kadar's people-the Jadori-feared the Akari. They feared their might and powers." The little woman's face grew grave. "Eventually, Kadar's people slaughtered the Akari. They killed them all." 'The Jadori? But they're so peaceful."

'As I said, it was a long time ago, long before Kadar was even born. Back then the Jadori were different. They were far more aggressive and fearful." Suddenly Minikin's face brightened. "Oh, but Kadar changed them. He made them beautiful people."

'How'd he do that?"

Minikin's eyes seemed to fill with good memories. "I met Kadar years ago, when he was a young man and I was... well, far younger than I am now. I came here looking to flee the normal world, because of what I was."

'You mean... small?" Lukien ventured.

Minikin smiled. "It wasn't always easy for me, Sir Lukien. The world beyond Jador is cruel."

'How well I know that," said Lukien with a sigh. "So when you came to Jador you met Kadar?"

'That's right. He'd only been ruler of Jador a few years, but he knew the history of his people, the horrible thing they'd done to the Akari. Kadar is a good man, Sir Lukien. You need to believe that."

'I do," said Lukien. In the distance Gilwyn was still working with Emerald. He remembered the kindness Kadar had shown the boy.

Minikin continued, "Kadar welcomed me, just as he welcomed you when you came with your companions all that time ago. He was determined to change his people, to make them less warlike and fearful of outsiders. He and I quickly became friends. And I loved living in his palace. I was free for the first time in my life, surrounded by people that didn't judge or ridicule me."

'And it didn't bother you what the Jadori did to the Akari?"

'No," said Minikin. "I knew Kadar's heart was good, and 'It helps me to blind the minds of those who see me," Minikin explained. "Like the amulets, it too is possessed by spirits of the Akari. They control what people see. They work on the minds of men. That's one of the things the Akari summoners did best."

The explanation frightened Lukien. "So there are spirits in the amulets? They're the ones that make the magic?"

Minikin nodded. "Some of the Akari were more powerful at the summoning than others. The amulets were made years ago to contain the essences of two great summoners, a brother and sister. It is they that hold the power, and keep people from aging."

'But you gave one to Kadar," Lukien said. "Why?"

'To forge the bond between us," said Minikin. "That was why the amulets were forged, to be a great gift, something worthy of the task set upon the wearer. Kadar feared death, like any man. When I told him of the amulets he was more than pleased to wear one and I the other. He agreed to protect Grimhold and I agreed to bring people there for the Akari. And after all, our bargain worked out well for many, many years."

'Yet now he won't wear the amulet," said Lukien with a frown. "I brought it back for him, but he refuses it."

'Kadar has changed, Sir Lukien. He no longer wants to live forever, not without his wife."

Lukien shook his head regretfully. "I understand that. I wish there was something I could do, but she's dead."

'You are doing your part," said Minikin. "You've agreed to protect his daughter."

'Yes," nodded Lukien. "Tell me, what's she like?"

The enigmatic smile returned to Minikin's face. "You will see when you meet her."

'Why won't you tell me?" said Lukien. "Why the great secret?"

Minikin got to her feet and brushed the crumbs from her lap. She said, "Grimhold has many secrets, Sir Lukien. When we get there, you'll see what I mean."

Then she walked off, leaving Lukien alone on the rocks. He watched her go to Trog and wipe a stain from his shirt, like a mother caring for a child. And though she had told him a great deal about herself, she was as inscrutable as ever to Lukien, a great puzzle yet to be solved.

J5y dusk they had reached the base of the red mountains. An hour later, they saw Grimhold.

Lukien reined in the drowa, and his and Gilwyn's eyes drifted up toward the strange fortress. Theywere in a flat clearing of hard earth, with the sheer walls of the mountains rising up on all sides. The giant face of Grimhold stared down at them with a menacing leer. At ground level, a huge gate of black iron bars formed the giant's mouth, a black maw guarded by a single armored sentry, a huge man whose bulk rivaled Trog's. Above the gate, staggered on both sides, rose high-columned turrets sculpted into the blood-red rock, with glassless windows that gazed down on them like a hundred unblinking eyes. The ancient ramparts at the tops of the turrets had been worn smooth by countless sandstorms so that the fortress seemed invisible, hidden by the shadows and twists of the mountains. Lukien had never seen a more impressive sight. For all its dismal beauty, Lionkeep paled in comparison to the marvel of Grimhold, and Jazana Carr's Hanging Man seemed a trifle. Grimhold was unimaginably tall, taller than Koth's highest spire, and the effort to mold so much rock boggled Lukien. He knew when he saw it that Minikin had not lied to him-the Akari had been powerful indeed.

'Great Fate..."

Lukien dismounted then helped Gilwyn down from the drowa, all the while keeping his gaze on Grimhold. A great wind bellowed through the canyon, yet all else was silent. In the distance the huge sentry shifted his massive sword from hand to hand. Minikin waved to him as she dismounted. The sentry nodded and folded his naked arms across his chest.

'This is amazing," said Gilwyn. His awestruck expression made Minikin smile. "It's even bigger than the library."

'There are many of us, Gilwyn," said Minikin. "Grimhold must be big to shelter us all."

The Jadori guards did not dismount from their kreels, but rather kept their distance. Lukien gave them a puzzled look.

the man called Greygor swept his huge sword aside and gave a fluid bow, so quietly he barely ruffled the air. He was covered in spiky black armor and wore a helmet that hid his face behind a tusked facade.

A long queue of black hair trailed down his back. The soundlessness of his greeting startled Lukien.

'Rise, Greygor," commanded Minikin. The guardian of the gate did so, fixing his gaze on his mistress.

Minikin smiled at him. "You're a welcome sight, my friend. Raise the gate and sound the horn."

Greygor did as commanded, turning toward the gate and using his sword to rattle the bars. It was odd hearing the soundless man make noise. Within moments came the din of chains being pulled, then the enormous creaking of the great gate lifting skyward. Inside the fortress, a horn released a bellowing note.

Lukien stepped back and watched the huge portal slowly rise. Minikin stood her ground, unmoved by the clamor. The giant Greygor stood aside to let them pass, as implacable as his mistress.

'The guardian," whispered Lukien. "Why doesn't he talk?"

Minikin replied simply, "He chooses not to."

The answer puzzled Lukien. "How's that?"

'Greygor is from Ganjor, Lukien," Minikin explained, "and the Ganjeese are desert people, very quiet.

Before coming here he guarded a harem for a Ganjeese prince." She kept her voice low, and if Greygor heard her he didn't seem to care. "Greygor loved a woman in that harem. When he was discovered, he was banished. But not before his bones were broken. In his arms and legs, even in his hands."

Lukien studied the man in amazement. "His bones? How can that be? He moves like no one I've ever seen."

'The Akari, Lukien. I told you-they help us overcome our maladies. Just as they kept your Cassandra alive, they hold together Greygor's bones. They give him the grace you seem to marvel at.

You will never find a more skilled warrior than Greygor, Lukien. That, too, the Akari have gifted him. He is as silent as a breeze now, and quicker than a cobra."

'But he never speaks?"

'Greygor does his work here and speaks to no one unless he 'They will not come any further," Minikin explained. "They'll rest for the night here, then return to Jador in the morning."

'Why? Are they afraid?" Lukien asked.

'Grimhold is a sacred place," Minikin explained. "And they are still mindful of the spirits within it, and what their people did to them." The little woman walked toward Gilwyn and took his hand. She said, "This is your home now, Gilwyn, for as long as you wish it to be. You will always have a place here." 'Like the library," said Gilwyn sadly, and Lukien could tell he was thinking again of Figgis. The boy shrugged. "I don't know what to say. It's overwhelming."

'Grimhold has that effect on people," said Minikin. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

'Who's that?" asked Lukien, pointing toward the lone guardian.

'That is Greygor," replied Minikin. "Guardian of the gate."

'He's big, like Trog."

'Almost as big; not quite." Minikin winked at her bodyguard. "Come now, Trog. We're going."

'What about Emerald?" asked Gilwyn. "Can we take her inside with us?"

'Not yet. We have to make a place for her." Minikin turned to the Jadori men and said a few words.

The men nodded. Minikin turned back to Gilwyn, saying, "They will look after the kreel for the night. In the morning, we will find a place for her in Grimhold."

'What place?" asked Lukien. He studied the fortress. "Have you got some sort of stable in there?"

'You are full of questions, Sir Lukien. But your answers are at hand. Come..."

With Trog at her side, Minikin made her way toward the gate. Lukien glanced at Gilwyn. The boy's expression was elated. Together they followed the little woman until they stood just before the gigantic gate. Torchlight gleamed beyond the thick iron bars. Figures moved within the fortress' dim recesses. But blinded as he was by the hot sun, it was hard for Lukien to make out much beyond the bars. The only detail he could see was a flickering flame, glowing, it seemed, in someone's palm. As they neared, face obscured behind folds of fabric, the little flicker of light still dancing in its open palm. Perhaps he was a leper; Lukien couldn't guess. The sight of so much odd humanity made his head swim, for though they were strange and difficult to comprehend, they were not the beasts the stories had claimed. No matter their maladies, they smiled at Minikin and the strangers she had brought, and Lukien could feel the warmth from them, stronger even than the desert sun.

Grimhold is a place of monsters.

The old words from the fairy tale pushed their way into Lu-kien's mind. Instantly he pushed them out again.

'Not so," he whispered.

At his side, Gilwyn was too awestruck to speak. The boy's gaze darted over the odd procession, taking in its strangeness. There were dozens of Inhumans; at least two hundred had turned out to greet them. To Lukien's surprise, Gilwyn seemed to be trembling. He put his hand on his shoulder, steadying him.

'Do not be afraid," Minikin told them both. "You're welcome guests here, and my children won't hurt you."

She turned and raised her hands and face to the Inhumans, beaming a smile into the highest balconies.

Those who could clap did so. And those who could speak raised their voices in a call of praise, though the cowled figure remained silent.

'Thank you, friends," said Minikin, clasping her hands before her as if in prayer. "You honor me. And you honor our guests, too. But we have work now. There's danger ahead."

The Inhumans nodded and became grave. Minikin's smile faded a little.

'There are dark times coming for us. But this man is here to help us." She gestured to Lukien. "He and his friends know the ways of our enemies. Together we can turn the tide."

'Yes!" the crowd agreed, and there was a raucous chorus of chants and banging. Lukien looked at the faces of those on the floor and then up toward the balconies where more Inhumans cheered. In many ways they did seem like children, naively sure that Minikin would save them. Lukien wanted to speak suddenly, to tell them all that Akeela's army was far worse than must," said Minikin. She looked momentarily sad. "Perhaps he fears caring too much for us, I don't know."

Slowly the massive gate reached its apex. The hellish screeching stopped, but now there were other sounds, the muffled noise of voices and the scraping of feet. Lukien squinted in the bright light, trying to peer into the dimness of Grimhold. Amidst the oily torchlight he saw movement and figures. Again he caught the glimpse of flame, jumping in an open palm but barely lighting the cowled face of its bearer. The deepness of Grimhold seemed to go on forever, far, far into the belly of the mountain. A strange fearseized Lukien as he realized there were eyes in the darkness, watching.

'Fate above," he whispered. "Who are they?"

'They are my children," pronounced Minikin proudly. "My Inhumans."

Stepping over the threshold of Grimhold, the mistress of the place held out her hands and beckoned Lukien and Gilwyn forward. Lukien put his hand on Gilwyn as they walked forward together. Leaving the desert's blinding light, the great interior of Grimhold slowly revealed itself. Unfolding like a book, a huge, tiered palace with balconies and staircases appeared in the dark rocks, with layers of wooden beams supporting the expansive ceiling. The entire place glowed with a soft orange opalescence, lit by torches staggered along the walls. There were no windows, nor the smallest drop of sunlight. And unlike other castles, there were no statues or greenery or portraits or tapestries. Instead, the walls of Grimhold were smooth stone, dark and featureless but for the landings and balconies and beams.

Most astonishing of all, though, were the people lining the floor and staring down from the high balconies. They were an awesome lot, a cross-section of nature's strange diversity. There were stunted midgets like Minikin and freakish giants like Trog, milk-skinned albinos and dwarves with heads too large for their diminutive bodies. Clubfooted children like Gilwyn gave the strangers a welcoming smile, seeming to know instantly that one of their own had arrived. Even men like Baron Glass were in the crowd, who had lost limbs to battle or some defect of birth. And amid them all was the darkly cowled figure with the flame, its anything they'd imagined. In a week they might all be dead. But he could not say it. More than anything, he wanted to help them.

'There is work ahead of us, my children," cried Minikin, "and we will all need to do our best.

Grimhold is our homeland. We must do our best to defend it!"

More banging ensued, more cries of agreement. A man with one arm stamped his feet on the tiled floor, while a hunchback beside him dully clapped his palsied hands. Together the misfits of Grimhold let loose such an outcry that Lukien had to hold his ears against the echoing clamor. As he did, a single figure stepped out from the dimness, a slim and beautiful girl with a white dress and amber skin, the kind of skin that made the Ja-dori so beautiful. A waterfall of raven hair ran down her back, straight and shiny black. She smiled as she neared Minikin, her teeth dazzling. But as she neared Lukien saw the horrible flaw in her, for her eyes were bone white and blank. She moved slowly but surely, drifting over the tiles with her dress billowing out behind her, and when she reached Minikin she took the midget's hand and kissed it.

'Minikin, welcome home," she said in a musical voice. She was much taller than Minikin, so stooped a little to hug her. "I've missed you."

'And I you, child," replied Minikin.

'How is Father?"

The question struck Lukien like a hammer, and he knew in an instant that this was Kadar's daughter.

'Your father's well," said Minikin. "He's sent us ahead to prepare." Then she held out her hand, gesturing for Lukien to come closer. "And he's sent someone to look after you."

The girl turned her featureless eyes toward Lukien. Though she was surely blind, she looked directly at him. "Hello."

'This is Lukien, the Bronze Knight of Luria," said Minikin. "The one that killed your mother, White-Eye."

There was a pause in the girl's motion, but only for a moment. She let Minikin put her hand into Lukien's, then remarkably she smiled at him.