The Final Redemption Michael Manning (best motivational books of all time .TXT) 📖

willaccomplish Lyra’s goal with the least delay. Today somethingdifferent happened.”

“Such as?”

I described my experience of a fewminutes past, when Penny had put herself in my way. “At the time Ijust wanted to get away. I didn’t want to hurt her, but the geastried to strike her. My fist moved to do just that, but thensomething stopped it.”

My companion looked incredulous, “Areyou suggesting that you were able to resist thebinding?”

“Not really. It didn’t feel like me. Iwas just an observer, while something else fought for control of mybody. Then I started talking, but it felt strange.”

“In what way?” he asked.

“The words sounded like something Imight say when my emotions are closer to normal, but I don’t thinkI was the one talking,” I admitted.

Karenth’s eyebrows wentup. “You’re suggesting that hissoul is somehow trying to control or communicatewith you? That shouldn’t be possible.”

“Why not?”

“The binding around him is similar tothe one you put around Celior. I don’t understand the specifics ofShe’Har spellweavings, but if the function is the same as theenchantment used to create me, then he should be unable tocommunicate or do anything else. It’s questionable whether he’seven aware at all. His soul is probably asleep, dormant within itscage,” postulated Karenth.

“But you’re an artificialconsciousness,” I countered.

“So are you,” he rebuttedme.

I nodded, “Right, but Mordecai wasn’t.Don’t you think it’s possible a living soul might be different,that he might find some way to reach out from the place where heis?”

“It’s more likely that your torturedpsyche is beginning to unravel under pressure,” he answereddryly.

Chapter 26

We flew for several miles without muchconversation. I was having difficulty regaining my inner composureafter seeing Penny and the twins. And that was with my capacity foremotion at a fairly low level. The special pain that had emergedwithin me when I encountered them had vanished, leaving me with adull ache that was entirely my own. I needed to feed, but I worriedthat doing so might unleash a storm of guilt and grief within. Itwas a moot point for now though; the geas wouldn’t let me stopuntil I had delivered Lyra to her lover.

“Where are you taking us?” askedKarenth, interrupting my thoughts.

My mind snapped back intofocus as I turned to face him. “Iam taking Lyralliantha to her kianthi.You will remain inLothion. I have several tasks for you.”

“Then why bring me this far? Couldn’tyou have given your instructions before leaving?”

Karenth was probably the sharpest mindamong the four beings we called the Shining Gods. Which is probablywhat annoyed me about him. “Take my hand,” I commanded, and when hedid so, I began channeling some of the power that I had absorbedfrom the Iron Heart Chamber and the God-Stone back intohim.

“Why?” he asked, his eyes growinglarge.

“Because a weak servant is less usefulthan a strong one,” I answered. “Once I’ve given you what I thinkis necessary, I want you to return and see if you can find yoursiblings. Tell them you escaped from me, that you know the locationof the God-Stone. Lure them to me, using whatever additional liesyou feel they will fall for.”

“My siblings…” he said, letting thewords trail off.

I sighed, “Millicenth andDoron.”

“We aren’t related you know… we werecre…”

I cut him off, “I know. From a humanstandpoint, we think of you as siblings, just acceptit.”

“What is your plan?”

I smiled, “You don’t need thatinformation. Just lure them to the place I tell you. Once I’vegotten within earshot, they’ll be mine.”

Karenth frowned. It was obvious hedisliked my plan.

Ignoring his expression I continued,“I also need more information. We didn’t have much time before. Howwell do you think Ariadne’s resistance is holding up? Will she beable to oust Tremont on her own?”

“If it were only Tremont, probably.The man’s a fool, but he’s got unusual allies,” replied the subduedgod of justice.

“You told me about the Churchsupporters and the Shaddoth Krys, are there more?”

“The supporters of the four churcheshave been misled. Without me or Celior they were easy to dupe. EvenMillicenth and Doron have been reluctant to show themselves forfear of being captured by Mal’goroth. The Shaddoth Krys however,obey only one master,” said Karenth.

“You’re saying that Tremont is inleague with Mal’goroth?”

“I’m saying that one hand guides themall, and whether he realizes it or not, that hand is notTremont’s,” answered Karenth.

“That’s possible,” I replied, “evenlikely, but I’ll need more information before we can assumeMal’goroth is behind it.”

“I haven’t finished,” said Karenth.“When they were escaping from the palace Dorian fought againstChel’terek. He was lucky to survive.”

“Chel’terek?” I wasconfused.

Karenth sighed, “That’s the name ofone of the others whom humans call the Dark Gods, though he is muchweaker now.”

“I thought Mal’goroth ate them. Isn’tthat what you told me once before?”

“He caught them and devoured theirpower. It was similar to what you did with me, though much moredirect. The spellweavings that created them are virtuallyindestructible. He left them nearly powerless, but he couldn’tunmake them. Instead they’ve become his servants,” explainedKarenth.

Well shit,I thought, there goes myone advantage. I had hoped that by takingcommand of the remaining Shining Gods, I would be able to counterMal’goroth at least in the numbers category. Now it appeared thathe would have far more helpers than the meager three I couldpotentially command. “How many of them are there?” Iasked.

“What a surprise,” he commentedraising his eyebrows, “a piece of history you don’t know. There areforty-one of them, if you don’t count Mal’goroth.”

I chided myself mentally.He was right, and as soon as he had said the number, I felt theknowledge rise from my hidden memories. Forty-two guardians of the other realm, keeping the gates andprotecting the groves from the outside. The memory led to other questions, such as what the ‘gates’represented, but I had more practical concerns for thepresent.

“How strong are they?”

“About as strong as I was before this‘gift’ of yours,” said Karenth looking down at our hands. I wasstill transferring power to him. He now held roughly an eighth ofthe power he had had originally.

An eighth of aCelior, I thought wryly, remembering mymeasurement system, by contrast I had roughly one and a halfCeliors still at my disposal. I had drained a substantial amountfrom the God-Stone in addition to the power from the