The Hidden City Read Online Free Page B

dolt!
Who!
Azash and the other Elder Gods cast him out! Some idiot has returned him!’
    The enormity atop the escarpment continued to rise, revealing vast arms with many-fingered hands. The trunk was huge, and flashes of lightning seethed beneath its skin, illuminating ghastly details with their surging flickers.
    And then that monstrous presence rose to its full height, towering eighty, a hundred feet above the top of the escarpment.
    Sparhawk’s spirit shrivelled. How could they possibly – ? ‘Blue Rose!’ he said sharply. ‘Do something!’
    â€˜There is no need, Anakha.’ Vanion’s usurped voice was very calm as Bhelliom once again spoke through his lips. ‘Klæl hath but momentarily escaped Cyrgon’s grasp. Cyrgon will not risk his creature in a direct confrontation with me.’
    â€˜That thing belongs to Cyrgon?’
    â€˜For the moment. In time that will change, and Cyrgon will belong to Klæl.’
    â€˜What is it
doing?’
Betuana cried.
    The monstrosity atop the cliff had raised one huge fist and was striking at the ground with incandescent fire, hammering at the earth with lightning. The face of theescarpment shuddered and began to crack away, falling, tumbling, roaring down to smash into the forest at the foot of the cliff. More and more of the sheer face crumbled and sheared away and fell in a huge thundering landslide.
    â€˜Klæl was ever uncertain of the strength of his wings,’ Bhelliom observed calmly. ‘He would come to join battle with me, but he fears the height of the wall. Thus he prepares a stair for himself.’
    Then with a booming like that of the earthquake which had spawned it, a mile or more of the escarpment toppled ponderously outward and crashed into the forest, piling rubble higher and higher against the foot of the cliff.
    The enormous being continued to savage the top of the cliff, spilling more and more rubble down to form a steep causeway reaching up and up to the top of the wall.
    And then the thing called Klæl vanished, and a shrieking wind swept the face of the escarpment, whipping away the boiling clouds of dust the landslide had raised.
    There was another sound as well. Sparhawk turned quickly. The Trolls had fallen to their faces, moaning in terror.
    â€˜We’ve always known about him,’ Aphrael said pensively. ‘We used to frighten ourselves by telling stories about him. There’s a certain perverse pleasure in making one’s own flesh crawl. I don’t think I ever really admitted to myself that he actually existed.’
    â€˜Exactly what is he?’ Bevier asked her.
    â€˜Evil.’ She shrugged. ‘We’re supposed to be the essence of good – at least that’s what we tell ourselves. Klæl is the opposite. He’s our way of explaining the existence of evil. If we didn’t have Klæl, we’d have toaccept the responsibility for evil ourselves, and we’re a little too fond of ourselves to do that.’
    Then this Klæl is the King of Hell?’ Bevier asked.
    â€˜Well, sort of. Hell isn’t a place, though. It’s a state of mind. The story has it that when the Elder Gods – Azash and the others – emerged, they found Klæl already here. They wanted the world for themselves, and he was in their way. After several of them had tried individually to get rid of him and got themselves obliterated, they banded together and cast him out.’
    â€˜Where did he come from? Originally, I mean?’ Bevier pressed. Bevier was very much caught up in first causes.
    â€˜How in the world should I know? I wasn’t there. Ask Bhelliom.’
    â€˜I’m not so much interested in where this Klæl came from as I am in what kinds of things it can do,’ Sparhawk said. He took Bhelliom out of the pouch at his waist. ‘Blue Rose,’ he said, I do think we must talk concerning Klæl.’
    â€˜It might be well,