Read Online At the Gates of Darkness by Raymond E. Feist - Free Book Online

Father?”
    “Sister Makela, we have need of your knowledge.”
    “I am at your disposal,” she said as Jim rose to offer the older woman his chair. She smiled, nodded her thanks, and took the seat. She was as old as the High Priest, and frail in appearance. But she shared the same lively gaze as the Holy Father.
    The High Priest outlined what had already been discussed, finishing with a question: “Have there been any exhaustive studies on the exact nature of necromancy, specifically what use the life force robbed from Our Mistress might have to the necromancer?”
    Without a moment’s hesitation, the old woman said, “Exhaustive, no. Several volumes of opinion exist, and I can have them brought up from the archives if you wish, Holy Father. The evidence suggests that the necromancer usually has one of two goals. First, to control the dead, harboring enough life energy to animate corpses to do his bidding.”
    “Why?” asked Jim.
    “A dead servant can have several advantages,” suggested the librarian. “It is impervious to death, obviously, and can only be stopped by the utter destruction of the body.These so-called undead can be prodigious bodyguards or assassins. They can exist in places where the living cannot long survive, stay underwater for a few hours, or in a room cursed, protected by poisonous vapor, or some other passive defense harmful to the living. Moreover, they can kill with plague or infection as well as weapons.
    “The difficulty is they decay, as do all the dead, though life magic can be employed to slow it for quite some time.”
    “What’s the other reason to use life magic?” asked Pug.
    She sighed, as if this was distasteful for her to discuss. “To extend their own life, after death, to continue their consciousness in their mortal shell, rather than journey on to Our Mistress to be judged.”
    “A litch,” said Amirantha.
    “Yes,” agreed Makela. “It is the ultimate defiance of Our Mistress and the natural order of things. But the toll is great, for the mind of the magic user who extends his life this way is the first casualty of such evil; litches are universally mad, from all reports.”
    “Madness does not preclude cunning and purpose,” observed Pug.
    “True,” said the High Priest.
    Amirantha looked at the librarian and said, “Is there any mention in the annals of any ties between such magic and the summoning or controlling of demons?”
    The woman regarded the Warlock in silence for a moment, then said, “Demons are creatures of the other realms, beings not answerable to the laws and natures of our own world; we have almost no dealings with such practices. This is more the province of other orders, those who serve Sung the Pure or Dala, Shield of the Weak.
    “They may have heard of some such knowledge, but I have not.” She looked at the High Priest. “Is there anything else, Holy Father?”
    “I think not, Makela. I thank you for your knowledge.”
    She rose, bowed slightly before the High Priest thenmoved toward the doorway where her aide waited. As she reached the door, she paused, turned, and said, “I have thought of one thing, though.”
    “What?” asked the High Priest.
    “A passing reference, nothing more. In ancient times a war was fought with a cabal of necromancers, which was strange for that; they tend to be solitary types.
    “But it was their name that I recall now as being the thing most odd. They were the Demon Brothers.”
    Amirantha said, “Is there more?”
    “Only that they were called that.” She tilted her head slightly as she thought. “It was something I found odd, really.” She looked from face to face in the room as she said, “We always assumed it was simply a name, describing the cabal much as you might call them something evil. But the more I think on it, it may be more than this, for the accurate translation of that ancient name would be ‘Brothers to Demons.’ I hope this helps.” She nodded, as her assistant opened the