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“Was that your plan all along?” Kaeritha asked. “To sow dissension and hatred and distrust?”
“Well, that and to enjoy the pretty fires and all the lovely killing, of course,” the false Voice agreed, pouting as she studied her polished fingernails.
“I see.” Kaeritha considered that for a moment, then cocked an eyebrow at the other woman. “I imagine it wasn’t too difficult to assassinate the old Voice once Major Kharlan became the commander of her bodyguards. I don’t know whether you used poison or a spell, and I don’t suppose it matters much, either way. But I would like to know what you did with the Voice who was supposed to replace her.”
The false Voice froze, staring at her for just a moment. It was only an instant, almost too brief to be noticed, and then she smiled.
“What makes you think anyone did anything ’with’ me? There was no need. It’s not as if I were the first oh-so-perfect, straight and narrow priest or priestess to realize the truth, you know. Or would you pretend that no others have ever joined me in transferring my allegiance to a goddess more worthy of my worship?”
“No,” Kaeritha acknowledged. “But it’s not as if it happens very often, either. And it’s never happened at all in the case of a true Voice. Nor has it in your case. You were never a priestess of the Mother—or did you truly think you could fool a champion of Tomanak about that?” She grimaced. “I knew the moment I Saw you that you were no priestess of Lillinara. In fact, I’m not entirely certain you were ever even human in the first place. But the one thing I’m positive of is that whoever—or whatever—you may be or look like, you are not the Voice the Church assigned here.”
“Very clever,” the false Voice hissed. She glared at Kaeritha for several seconds, then shook herself. “I’m afraid that sweet little girl suffered a mischief before she could take up her duties here,” she said with pious sorrow. “I know how dreadfully it disappointed her—in fact, she told me so herself, just before I cut her heart out and Paratha and I ate it in front of her.” She smiled viciously. “And since it bothered her so, and since I was in some small way responsible for her failure, I thought it incumbent upon me to come and discharge those responsibilities for her. A duty which I am now about to complete.”
“Ah.” Kaeritha nodded. “And just where do I fit into these plans of yours?” she inquired.
“Why, you die, of course,” the false Voice told her. “Oh, not immediately—not physically, that is. I’m afraid we’ll have to settle for just destroying your soul, for the moment. Then I’ll replace it with a little demon whose essence I happen to have handy. He’ll keep the flesh alive until ’Trisu’ gets around to attacking. Who knows?” She smiled terribly. “Perhaps he’ll enjoy experimenting with some of my guards. I’m afraid you won’t be around anymore to observe the way he broadens your sexual horizons, but no doubt he’ll be amused. And then, when Trisu attacks, you’ll die gallantly, fighting to defend the temple against its desecrators. I think that will add a certain artistic finish to the entire affair, don’t you? With a little luck, it will bring your entire church into the fray against Trisu. Won’t that be lovely? The church of the god of justice helping to destroy the i
“I see,” Kaeritha repeated. “And you believe you can do all of this to me because —?”
“I don’t believe anything,” the false Voice told her flatly. “You’ve been mine to do with as I chose from the instant you stepped into this chamber, you stupid bitch. Why do you think you haven’t been able to so much as move your head, or shift your feet?”
“A good question,” Kaeritha conceded. “But there’s a better one.”
“What ’better one’?” the false Voice sneered disdainfully.
“Why do you think I haven’t been able to?” Kaeritha asked calmly, and both swords hissed from their sheaths as she catapulted towards the other woman.
The sudden eruption of movement took the false Voice completely by surprise. She’d never even suspected that Kaeritha had simply chosen not to move or speak when she became aware of the power crushing down upon her. Whoever—or whatever—the “Voice” might be, she’d never before tried to control a champion of Tomanak. If she had, she would have realized that no coercion, no spell of control or compulsion, even backed by the power of another god’s avatar, could hold the will or mind of one who had sworn herself to the War God’s service and touched His soul as He had touched hers. And because the false Voice hadn’t realized that, she was still staring at Kaeritha—gawking in disbelief—as two matched short swords wrapped in coronas of brilliant blue fire drove through her heart and lungs.
A scream of agony cored with fury ripped through the audience chamber as the creature masquerading as a Voice of Lillinara fell back in a scalding gush of blood. Kaeritha twisted her wrists before the swords slid free, and even as she did, she went forward on the ball of her left foot while her right foot flashed up behind her. The heel of her heavy riding boot smashed into the person she’d sensed charging up behind her. It wasn’t the clean, central strike she’d hoped for, but it was enough to deflect the attack and send the attacker crashing to the floor with a whooping cry of anguish.
Kaeritha let the force of her kick pivot her on her left foot so that she faced Major Kharlan and the Voice’s other servitors. The crackling blue aura of a champion of a God of Light roared up like a volcano of light, blasting through the audience chamber like a silent hurricane. It clung to her, flickering between her and the rest of the world like a thin canopy of lightning. But she could see through it clearly, and her eyes found Paratha with unerring speed. The major’s sabre was still coming out of its scabbard, and at least half of the others seemed stu
Every champion of Tomanak had his or her own preferred combat style. Kaeritha’s was totally unlike Bahzell’s, except for one thing; neither of them was ever prepared to stand on the defensive if they had any choice. And since there was no one to watch her back or coordinate with, Kaeritha Seldansdaughter decided to make a virtue of the fact that there was only one of her.
She charged.
There was no doubt in her mind that Paratha was the most dangerous of her remaining opponents. Unfortunately, Paratha seemed disinclined to face her in personal combat. The major dodged swiftly, darting behind one of the corrupted priestesses, who shook herself and then charged to meet Kaeritha with no weapon besides a dagger and the naked fury blazing in her eyes.
Kaeritha’s right blade came down with lightning speed and all the elegance of a cleaver. It lopped off her opponent’s right hand like a pruning hook removing a branch. The woman shrieked as blood spouted from the stump of her wrist, and then Kaeritha’s left blade went through the front of her throat from right to left in a backhanded fan of blood. Some of the blood splashed across Kaeritha’s face, painting it like a barbarian Wakuo raider’s.
“Tomanak! Tomanak!“
Kaeritha’s war cry echoed in the chamber as another dagger grated on her breastplate, and a short, vicious thrust put one of her swords through her attacker’s belly. The mortally wounded priestess fell back, writhing and screaming, and Kaeritha’s champion’s healing sense cringed as she realized all of the daggers coming at her were coated in deadly poison.