William mentions, “As soon as I realized what had happened, I cast a Life Force spell on the Magni Dominar, and I know he wasn’t dead by the time we left…”
“William, how did you come to have a Life Force spell?”
“Oh, ah, it's something Cailliach gave me before we left. I sort of expected to have to use it on you at some point, given your, you know, condition.”
Celeste adds, “I attempted a psychic attack on Nero as soon as he opened his escape portal, but I was struck back by something I did not understand.”
“It was Nero who attacked you?” Alma sounds scandalized.
“Yes. It is odd, though, that he would be able to attack so swiftly… something isn’t right. He is rather young after all, and not particularly skilled. I suppose he could have had a protective ward of some kind, but I never noticed him with such a thing in the past.” Celeste’s next words rock us all, “Perhaps the attacker wasn’t Nero at all.” William and I voice the same thought,
“Lucian?”
Celeste shakes her head, but says nothing. Casanova interjects, “I dislike that man just as much if not more than most of you, but I must be the voice of reason here. It is true Lucian hates those of Chaos, and he certainly doesn’t care about the welfare of any of us; but I can’t see him betraying Lumina so visibly. If he wanted to kill the Magni Dominar, he would do it stealthily, and make certain another of Chaos was blamed, not anyone of Lumina.”
I reply, “This person certainly meant to implicate Lumina, and he purposely tried to get me killed! No, don’t think I’m jumping to conclusions, I saw his cruel smile just before he stepped through his portal, he wanted me dead. If he hadn’t he would have gone to the back of our line instead of going ahead of me. He purposely separated me from the rest of you and his escape route.”
Celeste asks, “What was he doing back there anyway – he belonged just behind me.”
“He said that he had to… relieve himself, and that Alma was being… wouldn’t let him back in line ahead of her.”
Alma bursts out, “That isn’t true - he never returned. Of course I would have let him back in. He is Vespasian’s son, after all.”
Cas adds, “She’s right, he never came back. Why would he lie about that?”
“As an excuse to set me up as an easy target for retribution, that’s why!”
“But that would surely anger the Emperor, killing family members has never been acceptable. That is, by anyone but the Emperor himself.” Cas and Alma share a quick look of repressed anger, but offer no more.
“Even unproven family members that neither he nor the Emperor likes? And that wouldn’t have been direct murder, just placing me in harms way. Lucian has already proven himself willing to do that – perhaps it was really him in disguise.”
Cas speaks slowly and thoughtfully. “No, I’m certain Lucian wouldn’t do that, he… he and I share something in common – we are both drawn to beauty. He may be far more disillusioned with women, even bitter at times, but still he would not throw your life away. Beyond that, he is truly loyal to the Emperor; he doesn’t have a choice. He would not betray you unless it was a direct order from the Emperor… and Emperor Augustus would not have ordered the killing of the Magni Dominar; for this could endanger his reign.”
Alma jumps in, “It would, however, make sense for whoever it was to reposition himself so that he would have less scrutiny, and you and William are so new to Lumina that you have not caught on to the leeway we give Nero – no one else would have believed that I would not let him return to his rightful place in line.”
I just have to ask, “What did you mean, Cas, about Lucian not having a choice in his loyalties?”
Cas flicks his eyes covertly over to our Uisnach hosts before answering, “The Emperor has placed an unusually strong oath on him. He is rather a dangerous man, after all.”
His answer seems far from sufficient, but I’m pretty sure it is all I will get at this time. “All right, what about the others?”
At first no one responds, then Celeste speaks thoughtfully, “No, I just don’t see any others of Lumina doing such a shortsighted thing. I have observed each of them since their childhood, I know them fairly well. This act was inexcusable, and quite unfortunate. We will almost certainly be plunged into war over this, and if Shi'ahn had also been killed then it would have been even more difficult to avoid. I personally can’t think of any reason why one of us would try to start such a war. I’d say it was either someone from Chaos who has something against Uisnach and can withstand the presence of a Spire artifact, or it was someone really clueless, which would seemingly lead us right back to Nero. It can’t be him, though – he isn’t particularly capable, and he certainly was not responsible for whatever it was that struck back at me. Did anyone else do or notice anything significant?”
Alma mentions, “I tried to open a Crystal contact to Lumina, but we were very far away… I was attacked before I could complete the connection.” Her tone then turns scathing, “What about you, Shi'ahn, did you try to do anything useful?”
“Like you, I attempted a Crystal contact, but I failed. I didn't know what else to do. By the nine moons I swear I have never been so frightened before in my life! Darius beckoned to me and I ran toward him for all I was worth. I almost didn't make it. I was careful, though, not to truly harm anyone. Their attacks weren't really their fault, after all, they couldn't have known we were innocent of… the crime.”
Cas smiles warmly, “The important thing is that you did make it.” Then he turns toward the others, “So essentially, we know nothing helpful… perhaps we should begin to work on finding a way out of this strange place.”
Several, including William, try their transport crystals. I decide not to try mine yet, instead waiting to see if theirs work, and furtively checking on the progress of my power connection tendril. No one succeeds; even Dominar Ultor looks quite discomforted after making his best effort to transport away through his own rather disconcerting method.
William says, “It seems as though something begins to happen… but that there is some kind of barrier.”
Alma responds, “Yes, that is what I sense. It is a very powerful barrier, I have never encountered anything quite like it before.”
I reach for William’s arm. ‘Show me what you found.’
‘Sure Sis.’ He lets my mind join lightly with his and he returns his concentration to his crystal and the barrier. ‘Now that’s odd… It does sound powerful, but not impenetrable.’ Then we both feel something amazing… my ring has finally made contact with the black sun, and intense power floods into it.
‘Wow, that’s quite some power source, I wonder…’
As often happens, with power comes confidence. We simultaneously decide it’s time to try the transport crystal Cailli gave me. William says, “Each of you, please, join hands with us. I think we may have found a way out.” Cas takes my hand, reaching for Alma with his other. Celeste picks up Gwenllian’s unconscious body, then reaches for William. Darius and his father decline. I concentrate on my crystal, then reach out with my mind, attempting to return to Lumina. There is the barrier… I draw upon the power of this world’s black sun and try to force my way through. Still I can’t quite make it. William’s mind joins in the effort and it seems like it begins to work, I can hear something beyond the barrier… music. I can hear it, but nothing more. I wonder, and call out.
“Cailli, help me! Grandmother – Hear Me!” I hear her harmonies then, and am engulfed in crystal sparkles. I don’t appear where I expect, though. Instead of the outer gates of the Citadel, or even Calli’s study, I see the Emperor and his court. My hands feel cold.
“William? William! Where are you? Cas? Celeste, Alma? Where are you?” I bring my hands nearer my eyes, willing myself to see theirs joined with mine… but they are not. “Grandmother?! What have you done?”
Guards appear next to me; they escort me up to the Emperor. “Shi'ahn, explain your unannounced and disruptive presence
in this court.”
“We were holding hands, all of us! I don’t understand.”
“The rest should follow momentarily, then, should they not?”
“Well, that’s just it, we were trapped on a strange world.”
“You were imprisoned by your hosts?”
“No, not at all! You see… after Nero stabbed the Magni Dominar,”
“WHAT? Explain yourself, Shi'ahn – that is in intolerable accusation.”
“I’m sorry, but that is what appeared to happen. After the trial we were all to go greet him, and when… he whom we had all presumed was Nero stepped up he said, ‘In the name of Lumina, I strike this blow.’ He became a blur of motion at the word “strike”, and plunged a dagger brilliant with Spire Light into the Magni Dominar's heart. It was terrible! Flames shot out of his body; he emaciated before our eyes!”
Vespasian nearly explodes, “How dare you accuse my son of such an act!”
“I am truly sorry to be the one to bring you this news, and in truth it may not have actually been Nero… but it did appear to be him.”
“So now you are saying it wasn’t Nero?”
“I don’t know! He looked, sounded and acted like Nero, up until that last moment, but then…”
“Out with it!” Vespasian clearly has little patience now, but who could blame him?
“His voice, it was stronger, more sonorous than I have ever heard him before, and his spells…” I pause for a moment, searching for better words than ‘they worked.’ “You know how he always speaks his spells in that odd dialect he prefers? He did not speak his spells at all during… the incident. He even conjured a transport portal without any sign of difficulty or method. It was perfect, it led to a world so fast he was long gone before Dominar Ultor ran through it to give chase.”
The Emperor again takes charge of my questioning, “And that world was a trap, you said?”
“Yes. The powers of Enlightenment did not work there, and our transport crystals always met a barrier of some kind. It seemed we would be trapped forever.”
“How is it that you managed to escape that world while the others apparently have not?”
“I’m not entirely sure. Others had tried their transport crystals, but they hadn’t worked. William and I had decided to make an attempt together while we all held hands.”
“You’re saying two crystals working together made the difference?”
“Ah… no – we used only my crystal.”
“Then that should not have worked, it is exactly the same as William’s.”
“Well… actually, it isn’t. After I initially lost the one you gave me, Grandmother gave me another.” His eyes fill with suspicion. “Your Grandmother? Oh yes, that’s what you claim the old hag told you to call her. Something about it sounding better, wasn’t it?”
“She said that ‘Greats’ don’t trip over the tongue well at all. The sound of a name is important, after all.”
His expression remains cold and he extends his hand toward me again. “I would examine it.” It feels strange, but I reach into my bodice and pull out the crystal. The moment I hand it to him he begins concentrating on it, and it disappears! “Shi'ahn?”
“I don’t understand!” His eyes glance down to my bodice, and I realize the crystal is once again in its pocket. “Honestly, I don’t know how that happened.” He holds his hand out expectantly, and I dutifully hand it over again. This time he does not attempt to initiate it, but inspects it by other means. When he looks back at me his eyes have lost none of their suspicion.
“Lucian, take this young woman to the tower and… assign her quarters.” Lucian begins to escort me away, then I hear almost a growl from the Emperor, and with a shock I realize that my crystal is once again against my breast. The Emperor’s displeased voice calls out, “Keep a close eye on her, and keep her away from the old hag!”
Chapter 18
Imprisoned Again
Once outside the throne room, Lucian takes a firm hold of my arm and concentrates. We appear in a small guarded room without windows, standing within what appears to be an inactivated restraining shield.
“Congratulations, young lady, you’re under house arrest.” I can’t help my look of confusion; Lucian smiles slightly and steps forward, still holding me by the arm. “Come, let us speak of this in slightly more comfortable surroundings.” He leads me down a long hallway past many rooms similar to what we just left, and we eventually come to a small sitting room with two chairs and a rather interesting desk between them, there are several things I can’t identify on it, and no guard. He closes the door and I get the feeling it is the room itself that guards us. He crosses his arms after sitting on the far side of the desk, and looks me over with an evaluating eye.
“Shi'ahn, I have a great deal of experience in judging dangerous individuals, and I must say that although you do seem to have a way of finding trouble, you don’t strike me as the kind to purposely cause it. In fact, I’ll even admit that you appear to be the least dangerous individual I have met in a very long time.” He raises an eyebrow as he speaks, I can’t help but wonder why he thinks that’s funny, but I can’t think of anything to say directly in response, my mind is flooded with other thoughts. A part of me wants to accept his change in attitude toward me, while a great deal more screams in warning.
“Lucian, I know you seem somewhat friendly at the moment – but I know you better than that. You think so little of me that you allowed… you let me be hurt after you promised you would protect me. I had trusted you, and you betrayed me! And now you expect me to trust you again? What kind of fool do you think I am? No matter what the others say, I personally wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it had been you who was truly responsible for the murder of the Magni Dominar.” I gaze defiantly into his dark eyes and wonder what blatant truthfulness will do to affect the future in store for me.
At first he smiles a little. “Really? Pity I have such an ironclad alibi, I was in the presence of the Emperor the entire time you were gone. All of what, an hour?” His smile fades as quickly as it had appeared, “I understand your distrust, we have not gotten off to a good start. This isn't about our past though, Shi'ahn, it is about your trip in Chaos. I have been instructed to question you, and my report will go directly to the Emperor. So tell me, did you truly have nothing to do with this alleged stabbing of the Magni Dominar?”
“Absolutely nothing! That bastard – whoever it really was – even set me up to be killed!”
“And how exactly did he or she do that?”
“He, well, he claimed to need to relieve himself while we awaited our turn to greet the Magni Dominar, then returned and claimed that Alma would not let him back into his appointed place – so he butted in ahead of me. Then after… afterwards, he opened a gateway into another place on the other side of the procession – I almost didn't make it. I was alone, standing directly in front of the horror and surrounded by creatures out of nightmare!”
“You did make it, though. You returned safely while no one else yet has.”
I bow my head. “Yes. I did try to stay behind, though, to attempt to explain to them that Lumina had nothing to do with that heinous crime… But William pulled me through the portal.”
His eyes flit between the various objects on his desk and me as I speak, and throughout he looks rather skeptical, “Why would you do such a foolish thing? They would almost certainly have killed you, and if not, they would have likely made you wish that they had.”
“Yes, you're probably right, but in retrospect, they may have been more able to accept the truth. Unnecessarily giving up one's fate in the face of almost certain death is a powerful gesture; in time it may have helped them understand the innocence of our realm.” He spends more of his time looking at the objects than directly at me, his face a mask of neutrality while his harmony resonates with dawning understanding?
“Why would you attempt such a sacrifice – you hardly know this place or its people.”
&nb
sp; “Don’t you see what this may cause? Inter-Realm war! As I understand it, countless billions of lives could be at stake. All life is sacred, Lucian – a war between our realms would be catastrophic. Certainly a single life, willingly given in an attempt to avert such a terrible future, would be a worthwhile forfeit.”
Behind his mask he sounds as though I have confirmed something significant to him, yet his words seem almost amused, “You are indeed unique, Shi'ahn. Well, I don’t think I need keep you in this interrogation chamber any longer, I can see that you are quite convinced that what you say is true.” He pauses, looking deeply into my eyes and… pondering? His pupils expand, turning his eyes from deep brown to bottomless black. His expression changes then, becomes almost pleased. “Since my father didn’t actually specify that you are to be locked away in the dungeons, how about I show you around your new home?”
It's strange, only minutes ago I would refuse such an offer from this monster, and yet, perhaps I should accept, I do need to learn as much as I can about, well, about everything here. I reply hesitantly, “My new home?”
“I do not know how long you are to be held here, Shi'ahn. The Emperor seems quite displeased with you, so it may be rather a long time. Come, don’t worry, this isn’t a bad place at all.” He offers me his arm; I hesitantly accept it. What choice do I have?
~~~
One of the early places we pass is a kitchen, and almost as if on queue my stomach growls. Lucian laughs,
“I take it it’s been a while since you have eaten?”
“Since before Cas Lydia's trial, actually.”
“Well, this is only the dungeon guards' kitchen, but it actually has some fairly good food stocked.” He has me sit at a table, then walks into an adjacent room and comes back almost immediately with a plate covered with food. We sit in silence as I devour what must be the best sandwich I have ever tasted and a very nice selection of vegetables, fruits and nuts, then he picks up our conversation, “Most of the kitchens here are held in stasis, just in case the place is needed… as it soon may well be, if your story of the Magni Dominar’s fate is indeed true.” His gaze becomes almost disturbingly intense, I feel compelled to answer.
Between Darkness and Light Trilogy Page 24