Karion passed giant figures carved from black ice. There was nothing special about that. Everything on the moon of Charon was made of ice, black and otherwise. But these statues were remarkable for their monstrous size and intricate detail. It was not difficult to believe that the sculptor had seen such terrible things--in some nightmare reality.
The creatures were ranked, ready for review, facing the center of the hall where a curtain of force shimmered, a swirling of pale gold and dusty blue. The figures were Karion's game pieces, collected from the shadow spaces where dimensions no longer touched each other. He'd heard the whispers, that these weird forms were the only friends he allowed himself. He shrugged. So what if it were true . He'd never had a friend that hadn't tried to stab him in the back, one time or another. Trust was a luxury he couldn't afford, staying one step ahead of all those who wanted the cosmic key.
Sheathed in black lace with deep violet roses in her hand, Circe joined him. A single tear spilled down her pale check, becoming a bead of ice she casually brushed away. She curtsied with feline grace, green eyes downcast.
Once I loved her, as she loves me. It's so funny; I tore out my heart and cast it away to possess near-infinite power; now, I'd give it all away if not for the bloody excesses my successor would unleash.
"Yes?" he asked sharply. "What is it? I'm preparing for a game."
"This won't take long, my lord. Grant me a moment in the name of all we once had."
"You are a wave--casting itself upon the reef, desperate, dying, and futile. Why do you seek me out when all I can do is injure you?"
"Don't begrudge me my pain. It's all that tells me I'm still alive."
"You almost make me feel the heart I no longer have. Is that your purpose, Circe?"
"I come to warn you of treason."
"Who plots against me this time?"
Circe cast her gaze fearfully about, drawing closer, trembling like a leaf in a phantom breeze. Brimming with secrets, her eyes reflected the cold light of the energy curtain, making her something other than natural for a moment. She offered him the roses. As he reached for them, one of her hands slipped out from under the bouquet, holding a crescent-shaped silver dagger.
Kerion caught the flowers, taking a small step and shifting his hips so that the knife sliced past him, barely missing. Circe stumbled by as well, taking one step more than she'd intended. She wheeled about, searching. He lifted the flowers to his face and smelled them. "Did you think I'd forget," he said, "that every rose has a thorn, and love is only a small step from hate?"
"You murdered the best part of yourself, the part I loved. It cries out to me for vengeance! What's left of you doesn't deserve to live!"
One of the great black-ice sculptors began to move. It flexed stiff wings as it's lidded eyes opened, revealing twin stars of blue fire. The creature's avian beak opened as it screamed a challenge. It's feline body crouched, gathering itself to spring, to rend, and feed.
Circe wisely dropped her blade. Karion gestured to the ice beast and it resumed its immobility. He swept forward, dragging Circe to the surface of the energy curtain.
"The curtain opens to any world, any reality I choose," Kerion said. "I am sending you through it into exile--along with my greatest secret. I did not kill my heart. I cast it to Earth to be reborn and live in safe obscurity, with no memory of the Metaverse.
"Go to Earth. Find my hidden heart. Guard and protect the man there that wears my face, and be happy."
He shoved her through the curtain. She didn't reach its other side. She went elsewhere, Earthward. Kerion turned his back on the curtain and returned to an inspection of his pieces, enduring the ache of emptiness that was his only companion.
A chime sounded. Karion nodded to himself, turning. It was time for the distraction of the Game.
Mad Kronos was his scheduled opponent. The ancient Titan was currently residing on Uranus, in a palace mounted on clouds. He'd be in his own game room with his own pieces, facing his own energy curtain--waiting for it to synchronize with Karion's.
Karion gestured and his curtain vanished. His hall and Kronos' linked in a mutual tesseract. Karion's part of the hall entertained no guests. He dueled alone. Kronos was different. He surrounded himself with other game players, trying to intimidate future opponents by flaunting his skill.
Karrion dismissed most of the audience from his mind, nodding respectfully to only a few, before chosing his first piece, a one-eyed giant of black ice. It shambled forward, club in hand.
Kronos laughed. "Your openings are predictable as always. A cyclops? Really." His pieces were white marble, veined with green. Kronos chose, and one of the statues came to life, a five-headed hydra slunk out on the field, hissing.
The battle was brief. The cyclops bashed in a couple heads but the others struck, pumping him full of venom. The giant turned purple and puffy, and died on his feet. The body fell and shattered into a thousand black-ice chunks, as Kronos laughed.
Waiting for the mad one to initiate the next play, Karion let his eyes roam over the opposing gallery. His eyes found a beautiful woman in black lace, holding violet roses. She met his gaze. Her face displayed puzzlement at the horror Karion showed. His thoughts went to her, seizing her mind, examining her identity to see if she was who she appeared.
His horror deepened as he realized she was genuine. His thoughts whirled wildly until a single question grew to dominance--who then did I send after my heart?
"Don't take it so hard," Kronos said. "The game's not over--yet."
Want to review or comment on this short story?
Need a FREE Reader Membership?
Reviewed by Eldavo
7/16/2002
This story carries enough with it that it should be developed into a full book. The ideas posed are very intriguing, and the characterizations do much to flesh themselves out in the reader's own mind with only the clues given. A very rewarding read.
Reviewed by Pam Crompton
7/14/2002
The "I" paragraph confused me. Is it meant to be Karion's thoughts. There is a mystery that I didn't feel part of, as though this is a chapter from the middle of a novel. I felt I needed more information.
Lord Belmundus – The Omnibus One is a compilation of Books 6 through 10 of The Adventures of Lord Belmundus, a remarkable tale of other worlds, strange customs, beauty and warfare; and, in its grips, lands a young celebrity, who has the chaps to play
The hoar witch and her forest full of malformed creatures await Vanx and his curious group of companions as they try to save the fairy folk and their magical Heart Tree from the powerful old crone and her evil.
