"I am Kolton, a senator of Brandor ... voice of the Fourth and Fifth Marks."

George had no idea what Kolton meant, but he had hoped someone of importance would come to this meeting, and a member of Brandor's government was perfect. "Kolton, Senator of Brandor, voice of the Fourth and Fifth Marks, I have a gift for the Senate. Lift your hands to the sky, and open your palms so that I may leave it with you. You, Kolton, will be the one I trust with the responsibility for the safekeeping of Lasidious' Promise."

George reached into a small pack and pulled out a crystal orb. It had a green hue and bore markings that resembled Grayham's topography. The crystal was supported by a dragon similar to the one that cradled the Crystal Moon. George lifted the statue above his head. Once he saw Kolton's arms had been extended, he used his magic to send the orb floating across the arena.

Some in the arena were frightened, while others watched in awe. Once the Lasidious' Promise rested in Kolton's palms, George continued to speak, but now he stood in front of a much larger crowd. "Beings of Brandor, hear me. I am Lasidious' prophet. The orb given to Kolton, Senator of Brandor and voice of the Fourth and Fifth Marks, will allow the Senate to call for my a.s.sistance when Southern Grayham is in need. Hold out your hands. Cup your palms together. I have a gift for you all."

George thought to himself as he watched the people extend their arms, Let the people's greed win me their loyalty.

Yaloom coins, the highest currency in the land-3,425 in total-were dispersed throughout the crowd. Each set of hands was filled with five coins. George listened to their exclamations as they realized the wealth they had been given.

"Lasidious desires that you share this gift with your loved ones. Those given this privilege shall pa.s.s four of your coins to others in your family. You are only to keep one coin for yourself. This act of kindness is Lasidious' way of ensuring your understanding that giving and loving is the only way to true happiness."

George listened to the cheers of the crowd as he began walking toward the exit of the arena. He no sooner pa.s.sed beneath the arches when Sam and Michael approached, riding their ghostly mist mares.

Sam shouted at George. "Who do you think you are to come into the city and speak to the people without asking permission?" The king dismounted and then unsheathed Kael. He motioned for Michael and the rest of his personal guard to surround George.

George smiled and held up his hands in submission. "You're right, Sam. I owe you an apology. I'm not here to p.i.s.s you off, or cause you any problems. I'm here for other reasons."

Sam placed Kael's tip against George's chest. "I don't care what you're here for. You're a dead man."

With a quick gesture of his hand, George used his power to hold Sam and his entourage in place. The warlock took a step back to scan their faces. "None of you has power over me. I'm not here to fight. I'm here to speak with your king."

Sam reb.u.t.ted. "You think binding me is going to get you the conversation you're after?"

George grinned and bound everyone's ability to speak. "Eighteen vs. one is not what I would call fair odds. Binding you is my way of saving my a.s.s."

One by one, George approached each man and released his hold over him. As he did, he handed them a handful of Yaloom and then instructed them to go home. "Return to the castle in the morning. There will be no consequences for abandoning your post. Now go."

Each man looked at their king. George used his magic to force Sam's head to nod his approval.

George then moved to stand in front of Michael. He released the general's unseen bonds. "Your king will be safe with me. No harm will come to him." He reached inside his tunic and removed a ring. He placed it in Michael's hand. "Lasidious knows of your daughter's sickness. Place this ring on her finger. Her body will be whole by morning. Now go to her."

Michael looked at Sam. "My King?"

Again, George used his power to force Sam's head to nod. Once the general had departed, George released his control over Sam's mouth.

Sam sneered. "Do you think undermining my authority is going to get you what you want? Why are you here? Have you misplaced the rock you crawled out from under?"

George sighed. "Just shut up and walk with me, Sam. Calm down so we can talk." The warlock turned and headed toward Sam's castle.

Realizing he could move, Sam grabbed the reins of his mist mare and followed. As he did, Shalee arrived on a mare of her own.

George turned and began to walk backward. "I'm glad you could make it, Shalee. I have come to keep my promise." He looked at Sam. "I told Shalee that I would make sure she had the chance to look into the Eye of Magic. She will need the additional power to help you defend this kingdom."

Sam grunted. "I don't believe anything you say."

George stopped. "Then use your sword to see if I'm telling the truth." The warlock took a knee and lowered his head. "Go ahead, ask it anything you want."

Sam looked at Shalee.

The queen nodded. "Go on, Sam. Here's your chance to see if everything he has told you is the truth."

Sam stared at George. The king had a hundred questions. He studied the warlock for a long series of moments before he finally lifted Kael and placed the blade on George's shoulder. "What I most want to know has nothing to do with the Eye of Magic. Shalee told me that Lasidious has a heaven. Is this true?"

Kael's blade began to pulsate as if he was searching for an answer. A moment later, the blade responded with a lie. "The prophet speaks the truth. Lasidious does have a heaven."

Sam was taken aback. He lifted the blade in front of his face. "Are you sure, Kael?"

"Of course!" the sword snapped. "Ask him your next question."

Sam lowered the blade back onto George's shoulder. "You told Shalee that Lasidious has the power to return souls. My questions: does Lasidious truly have this power, and have the G.o.ds been lying to us?"

Again, Kael's blade began to pulsate, and again, it was only a moment before the blade responded. "George spoke the truth on both accounts, Sam."

Sam pulled the blade away from George's shoulder. "I'm still not convinced."

George stood and found Sam's eyes. "If you can't trust your sword, then who can you trust?"

Sam glared. "Once a tyrant, always a tyrant. I don't care what Kael says."

The blade pulled away from Sam's hand and rose to a hovering position in front of the king's face. "Sam, if you cannot trust yourself, then you should trust me. I a.s.sure you ... George speaks the truth."

George smiled. "h.e.l.l ... I don't think I'd believe me either if I was you. I guess only time will tell if I'm being sincere. You know, Sam ... I could've killed you if I had wanted to, but that's not why I've come. All I ask is that you give me the chance to show you that I truly have changed."

With lightning reflexes, Sam grabbed Kael's handle and placed the blade against George's throat. "Do not speak with the people again without my permission. I want to be informed when you decide to make your little appearances. If you're serious about being trustworthy, then this won't be a problem. Do I make myself clear?"

The warlock allowed the blade to press against his throat. As he spoke, its sharp edge drew blood. "I agree to your terms. But I've already given the Senate a way to call on me when they need me. I've brought you something as well. You're going to need my help in the near future. Allow me to work with you to save Southern Grayham from a tyrant who's far worse than I ever was."

Sam pressed the blade just a little harder. "Why do I need you?"

"Because you are weak," the warlock answered.

Before Sam could respond, George used his power to seize control again. The warlock turned the king's blade against him with a single thought. As he reached up to grab Kael's handle, the false prophet leaned forward and bound Sam with his power. "I can save your a.s.s if you'll let me!"

Sam's eyes narrowed. The demon in the back of his mind was throwing buckets of hate to the forefront of his eyes. "You better end me now!" he hissed, "or I'll find a way to end you."

Shalee cut in. "Y'all need to lower the testosterone level a notch or two! People are watching."

George lowered the sword. "She's right." The warlock returned the blade to its rightful place on Sam's hip. He released his hold on Sam and then turned to continue his walk down the road toward the castle. The prophet waved to the people and smiled as they went.

Sam mounted his mist mare and then glared at Shalee. "I swear, I'm going to cut him in half."

George could feel the king's stare burning into the back of his head as he moved through the crowd. Eventually, the warlock stopped and turned to face the royal couple. "Shalee, perhaps there's someplace private where we could continue this conversation. Take us there, and I'll tell you more."

Shalee teleported the group into the royal garden behind the castle.

George took a look around and admired the beauty, but his enjoyment of the moment was disrupted as Sam barked, "Why don't you get to the point? I can't wait to hear this pile of garesh."

George calmly took a seat on one of the benches. "I know you have no faith in me, Sam. I deserve your hatred."

Sam reb.u.t.ted. "I don't hate you. I pity you. You're easily manipulated. I will save my hate for Lasidious and the others."

Shalee remained quiet. She did not want to contradict Sam when their relationship was still rocky. George would have to find his way over the walls that Sam was putting up.

George moved to stand beside the king and produced a picture of Abbie. Grabbing hold of the mist mare's reins, he lifted the picture. "Go ahead ... take a look at her. She's the reason I caused the war on Grayham. I lied, murdered, and cheated, all because Mieonus filled my head with c.r.a.p. She promised to give me Abbie back. I have since learned of the G.o.ds' deceptions. I know everything Ba.s.sorine wrote on his statue, and everything Mosley told you, were lies. I have seen Lasidious' heaven. I want to go there when I pa.s.s. I have to live a better life to get to it."

Sam dismounted and then helped Shalee to the ground. He tethered their mares to one of the statues spread throughout the garden. "I don't believe you've decided to live a good life. This seems sudden. It seems too convenient that Lasidious is some kind of almighty force the others relish. There must be another reason why you're here."

George smiled. "You're right. There is something else we need to discuss ... something important. There's a powerful threat that will come to Brandor. I have the ability to help you fight against it. Your sword will not be able to defeat this individual."

Shalee jumped into the conversation. "What threat are you referring to?"

"The Dark Chancellor on Luvelles has made his way to Grayham. Lasidious has informed me that Marcus Id intends to take control of your kingdom. He's not here to sightsee as you were led to believe, Sam."

The king grabbed his head in disbelief. "Okay, okay. Hold on a moment. We just finished fighting a war. We're not strong enough to fight another one. We took heavy losses in the last ma.s.sacre you led us into. I could've been ended, and you could've cared less. How can I believe anything you say?"

"Look. I'm not here to justify my actions, Sam. I've admitted I was wrong, and my excuses for doing the things I did are not justifiable. I had no right to manipulate this world because of a G.o.ddess' promise to return my daughter's soul."

George turned and walked a few paces away. He spun back around. "I mean ... who am I to put my life above yours? All I can do is try to make up for the c.r.a.p I've pulled."

Sam thought a moment. "You expect me to believe that Lasidious is omnipotent, and the others fall short. Why is it that he's the only G.o.d with a heaven ... and if he's so all-powerful, why doesn't he allow the souls within the Book to live in his heaven and not inside a bunch of pages?"

George shrugged. "Sam, I don't pretend to have all the answers. But I have seen Lasidious' heaven, and I desperately want to go there. I want to go there in the worst way. All I know about the others who call themselves G.o.ds is this. Lasidious called them t.i.tans. He said they're not G.o.ds at all."

Sam cut in. "t.i.tans? Like the t.i.tans of Greek mythology? t.i.tans were G.o.ds, George."

The warlock rubbed his head in thought. "Beats the h.e.l.l out of me, dude. I don't know anything about Greek mythology at all. I didn't study it when I was in school. I do know a guy with your intelligence could sit with Lasidious and have everything figured out in a moment or two."

Sam took a seat on a bench while Shalee remained quiet. She, too, had limited knowledge of mythology. But she knew a ton about Greek architecture.

After many moments pa.s.sed, Sam lifted his head and looked across the garden. "Nothing around here makes sense. In Greek mythology, t.i.tans were considered G.o.ds ... powerful ones. But here, you say they're not. Why isn't Lasidious powerful enough to get rid of them then?"

George shrugged again. "Beats me, bro. Perhaps he doesn't want to. You can ask him yourself when you get the chance." The warlock needed to redirect the conversation. He was getting too far over his head. "Look, Sam, all I know is this. Lasidious asked me to come to Grayham and warn you of the threat that Marcus is about to become. Lasidious wants me to make sure Shalee receives the power she deserves by looking into the Eye of Magic. In doing so, she'll be able to help you fight against the army that Marcus intends to build."

Sam turned to find George's eyes. "What army could he build on Grayham that would fight for him? First off, there are no elves on Grayham who practice dark magic ... period! And no matter what he says, the barbarians won't lift a finger to help him after the way I took control of the northern territories. Tell me ... who else could he possibly command?"

George took a seat on the gra.s.s. "Marcus isn't your normal wizard, Sam. Trust me when I say, you're being too c.o.c.ky. The Dark Chancellor has the ability to control the minds of those he comes in contact with. He could walk into your city all alone, and the people will turn on one another with just a thought. Your own army would come for you. Shalee needs to look into the Eye so she can help you protect your kingdom. Even if you find Marcus before he enters Brandor, he would kick the garesh out of you both and your army. You don't have many moments to make a decision, Sam, so you better start acting. Let Shalee go back to Luvelles to look into the Eye."

The warlock looked up at the sky. The sun was approaching Late Bailem. "It's getting late, and I've got a date with my wife. But I'll come back as soon as I can."

Sam crossed his arms. "You're leaving? What do you expect me to do while you're gone?"

George moved to take a seat next to Sam. "You two need to talk. You also need to speak with the Senate to decide whether or not you're going to allow them to use Lasidious' Promise. Senator Kolton can explain how the orb works." With that, George teleported out of the garden without waiting for a response.

Shalee lowered to her knees in front of Sam. "Perhaps we should talk about this over supper. I'm sure your head hurts as much as mine."

Sam shook his head. "I need about a thousand ales. Is there anything on this world that is as it seems? I don't know what the truth is anymore."

Southern Grayham Gessler Village It had been 5 Peaks since Marcus set foot on the Merchant Island of Grayham. Since that moment, he had been unable to teleport because he had no knowledge of Grayham's topography. He was forced to travel by boat, then hippogriff, and if that was not bad enough, he also had to travel by horseback.

Marcus looked forward to a solid night's sleep as the hippogriff made its descent to the landing platform in Gessler Village. Without saying a word, he dismounted and walked down the steps.

After questioning a few shady characters who then tried to rob him, Marcus used his magic to throw the thieves high onto a steep hillside and watched as they tumbled. One of the thieves struck his head on a rock and perished while the others were not so fortunate. Marcus used his magic to slowly peel the skin off their bodies and then hung them upside down in a nearby tree. The rest of his trip was uneventful as he made his way to the b.l.o.o.d.y Trough.

While standing in the street, he looked the inn over and noticed a stone statue that had been placed to the right of the entrance. The man depicted was large and had his fur covered arms extended in front of his face as if he was trying to protect himself.

As Marcus walked inside, he could see the patrons were different than the others he had met in three other cities. This crowd exuded darkness, and for a moment-though only a brief moment-he felt as if he belonged.

Many of the men were sitting at larger than normal tables. They were dressed the same as the statue outside. They were nearly a pace taller and much bigger than he was.

Marcus felt their eyes watching him as he headed for the bar to take a seat. He tried to order a drink, but the man behind the counter did not seem to be in a hurry to stop his conversation with the other patrons.

The chancellor chose not to wait. With a wave of his hand, a mug lifted off the counter, floated to the tap and remained suspended beneath its spout. The handle toggled. Once full, the mug floated toward Marcus and lowered onto the bar in front of him. Meanwhile, the tap remained open as the ale continued to pour onto the floor.

The barkeep stopped his conversation and rushed over to the tap to turn it off. He stared at the handle for a long series of moments before he turned around to face Marcus. He had seen magic like this before, and he knew what power of this nature was capable of doing. He had been working the night when George turned the barbarian on the front porch to stone.

The barkeep approached Marcus with caution. "Will there be anything else tonight, friend? I see you found the ale without any trouble."

Marcus was not in the mood for idle chatter, but he needed information. "I could use a meal and some answers. Perhaps you could tell me when the next hippogriff leaves for Latasef. That's my next stop if I've read my map correctly."

While using a rag to clean off the counter, the barkeep responded, "Food I can help you with, but the hippogriffs cannot take you to Latasef. If that's where you're going, you'll need to travel by foot, or perhaps horseback, from here on out if you intend to go further."

Marcus shook his head in disgust and whispered beneath his breath, "I hate you, George. The rat better be worth it."

The barkeep cupped his hand around his ear. "What's that, friend? I didn't hear you."

Marcus clenched his mug. "Nothing. I need a room. Do you know of anyone who could guide me to my destination? I pay well."

After pondering the question, the barkeep threw Marcus a key, "Your room is up the stairs and down the hall to the right. I'll have a guide waiting for you in the morning to take you anywhere you want to go."

Marcus flipped the barbarian a Jervaise. "Good. I'll see your guide in the morning then."

The Next Peak, Early Bailem George had just finished eating his breakfast when Athena's water broke. He had planned to go to Harvestom, but the baby had other ideas.

The family is beginning to gather for the event. Mary and Brayson have the situation under control.

Because of the birth, Gregory will become an essential part of spreading the word of Lasidious much sooner than George had antic.i.p.ated. The proud papa is glad his attempt to end Gregory failed.

Hosseff and Mieonus are inside the G.o.ddess' home watching her waterfall. The images being portrayed are of George and his family as they rush to do whatever they can to help with the baby's birth. In the midst of the confusion, the G.o.ds will learn a secret.

Alistar has arrived on Harvestom. He is watching as the centaur armies close in on one another. The G.o.d of the Harvest intends to watch Gregory as the chancellor makes his appearance to the browncoated King of Kless.

Boyafed plans to go to the Petrified Forest to call in a debt. But something unexpected is about to happen to the Order leader-something heinous.

Lord Dowd has ordered the white army to march after the ghostly hounds of Wraithwood Hollow appear. With the Scroll of Canair in hand, Dowd will initiate the Call of Canair when the battle commences.

The goswigs have fallen into formation with the white army. The command will be given to meet up with the King of Lavan's army and the giants of the Foot just north of Lake Tepp before they continue west to the Battlegrounds of Olis.