Healed by Hope by Jim Melvin Read Free Book Online Page B

seated, was taller than a Tugar.
    Deva scratched the stub of his left forearm absentmindedly as he spoke, his voice eerily bland. “Any fiends that remain in Avici must be eliminated, but I will play no role in this. A different task awaits me. A bane even more dangerous than the fiends still exists in the world. Kilesa must not be ignored.”
    Podhana arched an eyebrow. “What threat does Avici’s sister city present?”
    “We bred the newborns there, Invictus, and then I,” Deva said. “By the tens of thousands, the Daasa were slaughtered so that the golden soldiers could be born. They were tamed by the Mahanta pEpa (the Great Evil). Those that still live are now free—though only a fraction of those brought across the sea survived the wars.”
    “You’re saying that there are still Daasa in Kilesa?” Rati asked.
    “If so, only a very few. When the Mahanta pEpa was destroyed, the Daasa that were still trapped in the Sister City transformed and revolted. It took several days to hunt them down, and they killed a dozen of us for every one of them that fell. But the Daasa are not the reason I am concerned about Kilesa. Rather, it is the sorcerer’s scientists who remain a bane upon the world. Most of them preferred Kilesa over Avici. For one thing, it was safer there. Invictus . . . and I  . . . were prone to temper tantrums.” Deva sighed.
    “The catacombs that run beneath Kilesa are even larger and deeper than those beneath Uccheda—for they were etched naturally into the bedrock over the eons. In those catacombs, all manner of tests and experiments were conducted. Slaves were tortured, twisted, and mutilated. And weapons capable of killing thousands in an instant were in the works, as well. Invictus never had much interest in these weapons; he could kill thousands without any assistance. But now that he’s dead, perhaps the scientists will return to their research.”
    “Should we wait until the darkness passes?” Bruugash said.
    “The catacombs beneath the city are well-lighted,” Deva said.
    “Besides,” Podhana said, “who knows if the darkness will ever pass?”
    “The Pabbajja have already sensed a weakening,” the overlord said.
    “As have I,” Deva said. “Even so, I have no desire to wait any longer. I will begin the journey now. I could be there in a day, but I will go more slowly, if the rest of you wish to join me on this quest. I have come to enjoy the company of friends again. My mind harbors too many foul memories to walk alone in such darkness.”
    “The Pabbajja will go with you, Himamahaakaayo ,” Bruugash said.
    “As will the Tugars,” Podhana said, “but not all. I will leave a force here to complete the business of destroying the fiends.”
    Podhana ordered three thousand desert warriors to remain in Avici, and he placed Dalhapa in charge. The assignment seemed to perturb the young Asēkha, but she avoided an open challenge. Podhana bowed slightly and then turned to leave. He, Rati, the remaining Asēkhas, three thousand Tugars, and one thousand Pabbajja joined Deva on the eastward march, carrying makeshift torches to light their way.
    The large company was capable of traversing the distance in little more than two days. But in the intense darkness, they found that their pace was much slower than it otherwise would have been. Though the air contained the sweet smell of Death Energy, the utter blackness still had a suffocating feel that caused hearts to race and limbs to weaken. Even Podhana—as sturdy a Tugar as there had ever been—felt himself struggling to move forward respectably.
    “This darkness reminds me of Kauha,” Rati said.
    “I do not find that surprising,” Deva said. “Kauha is the largest doorway from the Realm of Undeath to the Realm of the Living. It is not just Death Energy that weighs heavy in the air. Essence from Vedana’s kingdom permeates the dark cloud that enshrouds Triken.”
    Podhana dared a potentially dangerous question. “You