The Thirteen Hallows
Page 30
“Yes.” Ahriman jerked him forward.
He was going to lose the sword, Sarah realized. And once the Dark Man had the sword, then the world would end….
And from the darkness, Sarah flung herself at Owen, hitting him high on the shoulders, pushing him forward, and driving him into Ahriman’s arms. Owen was still clutching the sword, and the sudden blow sent it slamming forward, the metal blade scoring down Ahriman’s hands, the broken point of the weapon plunging into his chest, sliding off his ribs as it simultaneously ruptured his lungs and heart.
Ahriman looked at the sword, and then his eyes widened as the sword began to glow and burn, and Owen stepped forward and turned the blade full circle before jerking it free. Cold white light blossomed in Ahriman’s eyes. His mouth widened and he tried to speak but could form no words. His chest heaved and then he vomited white fire.
The sudden explosion of light threw Owen and Sarah back into the hall, out of the circular room, which now throbbed with the fire lancing from Ahriman’s body. He stood, arms outstretched, crucified by the light. Cold fire washed over the lead boxes, melting them, exposing the artifacts within. Flames spat and hissed, and then one by one the Hallows came to brief, incandescent life, flooding the room with rainbow colors.
For a moment, the two magics—dark and light—warred.
It lasted less than a heartbeat, and then the room was plunged into total darkness.
In the long silence that followed, the crack and snap of the settling foundations was deafening. Stones grated, earth rumbled, and then a shaft of light appeared in the blackened room, a solid beam, circling slowly over the ancient well, the gateway to the Otherworld.
Owen and Sarah crawled to the doorway and peered inside, blinking in the light. The bodies of Ahriman Saurin and Vyvienne had vanished; nothing remained to mark their presence. The Broken Sword, its blade now shining silver and complete, lay on the floor atop the Mantle of Arthur.
The ancient door in the floor had been fused into the stone, the keyholes sealed with white glass.
103
It took them a moment to realize that the tiny wizened creature lying slumped in the stone chair was Ambrose.
Sarah and Owen knelt before him and spread the remaining Hallows next to the Horn of Bran: the Mantle of Arthur, the Chessboard of Gwenddolau, the Knife of the Horse man, the Crimson Cloak of Feathers, and Dyrnwyn, the Sword That Is Broken.
“These were all we could save.” Owen brushed strands of hair off the old man’s forehead. His skin was so fragile and translucent that the bones and ridges of wasted muscle could be seen clearly beneath it.
Ambrose straightened with effort and touched each in turn with trembling fingers, seeing them for what they were, remembering what they had once been. “It is enough,” he whispered.
“We’ve won,” Sarah said encouragingly.
“For now.”
“What about the Hallows?” Owen asked. “What do we do with them?”
“You must travel to the New World to find new Keepers.”
“The New World?” Owen questioned.
“America,” the old man answered.
“Me?” he asked.
“No…” Ambrose’s lips curled back from his yellowed teeth in a parody of a smile. “You,” he said, looking at Sarah. “You are of the line of Joseph of Arimathea.” Brittle, dry fingers touched her flesh. “You are my descendant, Sarah, and you will take up my mantle.”
“I cannot.”
“I uttered the same words. You have no choice. Take the remaining Hallows and return them to their rightful owners. You will know them when you find them.”
“But I don’t know what to do!” she protested.
“There is only one rule: The Hallows must never be brought together. Everything else will come in time.” With his last breath, he added, “Go to America. It is your responsibility now.”
It took them several moments before they realized that Ambrose was dead.
104
Freak Storm Kills Hundreds
The freak storm that struck the west coast yesterday has now claimed 622 lives. Most of the victims were visitors to The First International All Hallows’ Eve Celtic Festival of Arts and Culture, which was being held in Madoc, in Wales. Meteorologists are still puzzled why the massive depression didn’t appear on their radars. The 9,000 injured are being cared for in a number of hospitals, including…
Suspect Believed Killed
Police believe a woman they wanted to interview in connection with a series of brutal murders in the capital was one of the victims of the Madoc disaster. Although the body in question is too badly burned to make a proper identification, it is hoped that forensics will provide the answers.
Police Mourn Officer
One of the victims of the Madoc catastrophe, Detective Anthony Fowler, was laid to rest today. His partner, Sergeant Victoria Heath, is undergoing surgery at St. Francis Hospital, where she is expected to make a full recovery. No other details were immediately available.
Epilogue
The young couple with the oversize backpacks standing in the immigration line in LAX looked similar to most twenty-somethings coming home after a European tour. They could easily be mistaken for students returning, exhausted and grungy, from a European vacation.
Yet unlike the students from Stanford to their left whose suitcases were filled with first-edition poetry from the Cotswolds or the goth couple to their right whose bags were overloaded with tchotchkes like little black taxicabs and miniature statues of the Tower of London, this pair carried luggage that contained far more precious cargo. According to their passports they were recently married, Sarah and Owen Walker, returning from their honeymoon in England. The blue customs form listed the items they were bringing into the country: a horn, a red-feathered cloak, a dark leather cloak, a knife, a chessboard, and a sword.
All of the items were listed as “curios” and were “of no commercial value.”
In the Otherworld, behind a door of glass and wood and stone, the legion waited.
Patiently.
They had many allies in the New World, and the couple had none.
Acknowledgments
Colette would like to thank:
Deb Gallagher for building the foundation.
Marilee Zdenek for believing.
Jack Stehlin for encouraging.
Dippy, Hannah Hope, Moses, David, Zack, and Dylan for their constant support.
Michael and Colette would like to thank:
Tom Doherty, Bob Gleason, and Whitney Ross at Tor for their support and encouragement.
Steve Troha at Folio Literary Management for his enthusiasm.
Jill and Fred…for everything.
Barry Krost and Sarah Baczewski for everything else.
And, of course, Claudette Sutherland.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Most of the Hallows mentioned in this novel still exist, as do the group of people known as the Hallowed Keepers.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.
THE THIRTEEN HALLOWS
Copyright © 2011 by Michael Scott and Colette Freedman
All rights reserved.
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor-forge.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Scott, Michael, 1959–
The thirteen hallows / Michael Scott and Colette Freedman.—1st ed.
p. cm.
“A Tom Doherty Associates book.”
ISBN: 978-0-7653-2852-6
I. Freedman, Colette. II. Title.
PR6069.C5953T47 2011
823'.914—dc22
2011021618
0 9 8 7 6 5 4
3 2 1
Table of Contents
Sunday, October 25
Chapter 1
Tuesday, October 26
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Tuesday, October 27
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Wednesday, October 28
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Thursday, October 29
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Friday, October 30
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Saturday, October 31
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Author’s Note