Infinity Blade 01- Awakening Read Online Free PDF Page B

faced them in person. Why?”
    “What do you know of the Deathless?”
    “Not much,” Siris said. “Seven lords, ruling together, with the God King above them all.”
    “Yes, though that is mostly just the illusion they give to others in the land nearby. The God King was but one of many who name themselves Deathless. They are immortal—truly immortal. They need neither food nor water to live. They do not age, and their bodies heal if wounded. Chop them to pieces, and their soul will seek out a new receptacle to be reborn. Often they are reborn into what the God King called a ‘bud,’ a replica of themselves, prepared ahead of time.”
    “I saw some of those,” Siris said. “Below.”
    “Yes,” Kuuth said. “But even without a bud, the soul of a true Deathless will find a new home. Unless . . .”
    “Unless.”
    “The God King’s sword. You mentioned its magic before. You have the weapon?”
    Siris reached to the side, fingers resting on the blade.
    “The Infinity Blade,” Kuuth whispered. “Crafted by the Worker of Secrets himself.”
    “But he’s just a myth, isn’t he?”
    “What better creator of a sword that should not be, a sword to kill the unkillable? Great master, that weapon is designed to slay the Deathless. Permanently. It is a terrible and wondrous thing. The Deathless have lived for thousands of years, and have come to see themselves as eternal. But if one of them were to gain access to a weapon which could finally threaten them . . .”
    “He’d be a God,” Siris whispered.
    “God among gods,” Kuuth said. “King among kings. First of immortals.”
    Siris ran his fingers along the blade. “They will chase me. They’ll hunt me, for this.” He gripped the sword by the hilt. “I should throw it away.”
    “And they would still hunt you,” Kuuth said. “Because you know the secret. Because you’ve done the unthinkable.”
    “You’re dead too,” Siris whispered, realizing the truth. “Everyone in this castle. Each Aegis or daeril who knows that a mortal slew one of the Deathless.”
    “You see why I needed to whisper this to you,” Kuuth said. “No need to inspire a panic. Many of the Aegis in this castle are golems with deadminds controlling them, but many are not. All will likely be destroyed. Just in case.”
    “You don’t seem afraid.”
    “I’ve lived many years beyond my lifespan,” Kuuth said. “I believe my death will be a nice rest. The others . . . well, they’ll probably be allowed to fight one another until one champion remains to fall upon his sword. It is the method commonly granted to skilled Aegis who have acquitted themselves well. They will consider it an honor.”
    “Hell take me,” Siris said, looking at the creature’s bandaged eyes, then at the gathered daerils at the back of the room. “You’re all insane.”
    “We are what we were created to be, great master,” Kuuth said. “Though, the rebel inside of me tells you all of this to perhaps . . . repay the God King and his ilk. My kind were created to die and to kill.” He raised his head, blind eyes looking toward the ceiling. “But they are the ones who created us this way.”
    Siris nodded, though the beast couldn’t see him.
    “Great master,” Kuuth said hesitantly. “If I may ask a question. Why do you say that phrase that you did?”
    “Hell take me?”
    “Yes,” Kuuth said.
    “It is a saying from my village and the region about,” Siris said, standing up, taking the Infinity Blade. “These Deathless are the gods; they claim to rule the earth and the heavens. And so, when we die, we wish for a place where they are not. Better the pains of hell than living in heaven beneath the Deathless.”
    Kuuth smiled. “And so, we are not so different, are we?”
    “No,” Siris said, surprised at the answer. “No, I suppose we are not.”
    “Then I must ask you,” Kuuth said, “as one warrior to another. Will you stay? Rule here, make your stand here. Together, the