Mageborn The Line of Illeniel, Michael Manning [best ebook reader for laptop txt] 📗

“The shiggreth are loose again, and they’ve begun taking people in Sileby,” he said. Sileby was a small town in the barony of Arundel, not far from the western border of my estates.

“Wait, what? Shiggreth?”

Rose spoke up, “Evil minions of the dark gods. Undead creatures that take the form of the men they slay. Before the sundering, Balinthor used them as his servants.” I gave her a long stare, lifting my eyebrows in surprise. She looked over her tea with an air of nonchalance, “I read a lot. I never thought the stories might actually be true.”

It had never occurred to me to tell Rose about our nighttime encounters. I resolved myself to asking for her advice more frequently. She was a wealth of information.

Marc went on, “Unfortunately what she says is true. The shiggreth are real and they are loose again. If they aren’t stopped soon they will overrun the land.”

“But what are they exactly?” Penny asked. I nodded as well, wanting to know more about their basic nature.

“I had never heard of them before either, but I have a greater source of information now,” Marc replied. “The goddess tells me that they are the shells of men who have had their spirits drawn out. Their bodies live on, in a sort of undying state, while a dark spirit of the void fills them. Their touch can draw the spirit from the living, and when they have done so another dark spirit fills the body left behind.”

“Shiggreth means ‘eaten ones’ in Lycian,” I put in.

“I didn’t know that,” Marc answered. “But it fits.”

“Where did they come from Marcus?” Rose asked, “According to the legends they were all destroyed after the Sundering.”

“My Lady is uncertain; she can’t see the workings of the other gods. Most likely these were created by one of the dark gods. The most obvious suspect being Mal’goroth since he currently holds sway in Gododdin, which borders Arundel, especially in light of my other news.”

“Are you sure they were created by one of the dark gods?” I wasn’t going to pull any punches even if my friend had become a host of one of the shining gods.

Marc sighed; he knew I didn’t trust his goddess. “There is no way for me to convince you of Millicenth’s good will, since you obviously don’t trust any of the gods, but think on this. The shiggreth are a plague, they will consume every living soul if they are not stopped. The shining gods represent what is best in humanity; they are a part of us. Only the dark gods would have a motive in destroying us.”

Penny was impatient, “What was your other news? Is it war? Is Gododdin moving against us?”

Marc’s face lit up with surprise, “How did you know that? I only just heard it from the Lady herself.”

“I saw it, two days ago, but I wasn’t sure who it was, or why,” she answered and a shadow crossed her face as she remembered what would happen. Her eyes darted to me for a second and I could see despair in them.

Rose looked on with interest, “My… the secrets that are unfolding at the breakfast table this morning! What truly intrigues me, are the secrets still left unsaid. I hope everyone is being forthcoming. The future of the kingdom may hang on the conversation at this table today.” Her face was lit with mirth but her voice carried serious undertones. She knew Penny hadn’t told her everything.

“Enough,” I said, “What did the goddess tell you Marc?”

“That Gododdin prepares for war against Lothion. As you know, simple geography means they’ll have to come through Arundel. Cameron and Lancaster will be crushed immediately after if they intend to strike at Albamarl.”

“Then the shiggreth are a ploy, to divert our attention from the borders,” I stated.

“They are far worse than a decoy. If even one of them escapes it could spell the end for mankind. They can multiply faster than rabbits. Their victims swell their ranks rapidly and they are difficult to fight,” Marc answered.

“It doesn’t make sense. Why does Gododdin want war? Lothion has done nothing to aggrieve them. Vendraccus has nothing to gain and everything to lose,” I said.

“You make the mistake of thinking like a human. Gododdin is not controlled by people, but rather by Mal’goroth. To him their nation is simply a tool to get him what he wants,” said Marc.

“What does he want?” I replied.

“The destruction of humankind… his people are long gone, only death and despair drive him now. You are his best hope of destroying humanity. The shiggreth are a secondary means to the same goal,” said Marc.

Rose interrupted, “More importantly you need to know ‘when’. The knowledge that they plan to attack doesn’t help much if we don’t know that.”

“We have the rest of the summer and the winter to prepare, they’ll be in Lothion in the early spring,” Penny put in. Marc and Rose both looked at her but no one questioned her information. We had all experienced enough of Penelope’s prophecies to know not to doubt her now.

“That doesn’t give you much time Mordecai,” Rose stated.

“Me? Shouldn’t the king be the one to deal with this? I’ll help of course, but this sounds like something a lot bigger than one small wizard and the County of Cameron.”

Penny gave me a funny look, “Small wizard? I would beg to differ. But you are right, the king will have to be informed, this is a matter for the entire kingdom.”

Rose laughed, “True Penelope, he’s anything but small.” Then she had the gall to wink at me. I turned several shades of red.

“I don’t care how big his wizard’s staff is. This is going to take a response from the entire kingdom if we’re to emerge victorious,” Marc added. Apparently being a saint didn’t preclude him from making dirty jokes at my expense. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Jokes aside, you underestimate your role in this Mordecai,” Rose told me.