Molad jerked and shoved her away. “What did you do?” he demanded. “What did you—”
And then, with the tranquility of a man falling quietly to sleep, Molad’s body went limp.
At the same instant, the portion of Brinley’s heart that belonged to the Mage of Light and Darkness erupted with new life.
Chapter Twenty-Three
In which there is a crossroads
Without warning, the light in Hugo’s awareness began to expand. It doubled, then tripled in size, until it completely enveloped him. When it did, he began to think again. He began to remember things—himself, his past, feelings of love, of peace, of friendship. In a moment, he was restored to himself again, the same as he was before, and yet not the same. There was something much more solid about him now—a feeling of strength, an assurance in his core that he couldn’t quite explain. He felt as if he could do anything. Be anything.
And then he remembered Molad. The darkness had taken him over. It had tried to erase him, to consume him, but somehow he had survived. Now it was in Hugo’s power to take control again.
Just then, Hugo realized that he didn’t really want to. He was tired of the endless battle, the back and forth of darkness and light. He was weary at the thought of living at the center of such conflict for the rest of his life; he just wanted it to be over.
At that thought, he felt the power go out of his body. The world went dark, and in the next instant, suddenly bright again.
He was standing in a small, circular chamber ringed by a wall of falling light. To his left stood a dark reflection of himself—a three-dimensional shadow of his own body. It was Molad, he realized. To his right, there was a similar apparition, this one light instead of dark.
“Hello,” Hugo said, unsure of what else to do.
Hello, the light and darkness echoed together.
“Do either of you know what we’re doing here?”
They were silent.
“So,” he went on. “I take it I am in charge for once?”
The light nodded patiently, the darkness impatiently, and Hugo grinned. “Good,” he said. “Well, we seem to be inside the lightfall in the Magemother’s throne room on Calypsis. But I don’t know what to do next. I’ve never been in here without her before.”
At his words, Brinley materialized beside him. She was hugging herself tightly and looked shaken.
“Hugo,” she whispered. “You’re okay.”
“For the moment,” he agreed. She was looking back and forth between the light and darkness that flanked him. “Oh,” he said. “These are my, uh…”
“Yes, I know.”
“So…why did you bring me here?”
“I didn’t,” Brinley said. “You brought me.”
Hugo was shocked. “I didn’t mean to. What are we supposed to do here?”
“Well,” Brinley said, rubbing her arms, “there are only two ways out. One leads back into the throne room, and the other leads on.”
“On?” Hugo said. “On where?”
Brinley shrugged. “It’s different every time.”
Hugo nodded. “I’ll follow you.”
“I think I should follow you,” Brinley said. She pointed at the light across from them, and they all stepped through it together.
When they arrived on the other side, Hugo recognized the place at once from Shael’s description.
It was a crossroads.
Several yards ahead of him, the gray road beneath his feet split off in three directions, three roads. One was black, one was white. The third was paved with golden light.
At the center of the crossroads, two people, a man and a woman, were standing with open arms, waiting for them.
Hugo hurried forward.
They were the most beautiful people Hugo had ever seen, and though he didn’t know who they were, he was not surprised when Brinley bowed to them.
“I am Sevain,” the woman said, and the man said, “I am Elyus. We are the gods of your world, Hugo, and we have come to watch you make your choice. Do you know what this place is?”
Hugo nodded. “I think so. I have to choose which path to take.”
“And do you know where they lead?” Elyus asked.
“I think so,” Hugo repeated. “Could you tell me again, though? I would rather have your explanation than Shael’s.”
Sevain smiled. “That is wise,” she said. “We can tell you where the paths lead, but we cannot tell you which one to take.”
“Nor can we tell you the full extent of what your choice will mean,” Elyus said. “You cannot completely understand what your life will be on any given path until after you take it.”
“I understand,” Hugo said.
Elyus turned and indicated the path on the left. The black path.
“That way is the Path of Renunciation. It symbolizes the choice to surrender your free will. On that path, you do not act. Instead, you are acted upon by the forces that seek to gain power through you. Whichever force is stronger in the given moment gains control of your life. Do you understand?”
Hugo felt ashamed. “I think I almost took that path just now.”
Sevain nodded kindly. “It was a close thing,” she said, “but the choice was not made knowingly, as yours must be, so the Magemother was able to save you.”
Hugo glanced sideways at Brinley and was surprised to see that she too was blushing now.
“That path,” Sevain continued, indicating the white road directly in front of them, “is the Path of Power. On that road you choose to exert power over the duality that seeks to rule you. You attempt to act on them, instead of being acted upon. You embrace your role as champion in the battle between light and darkness, and you fight for whichever side you deem to be right in a given situation.”
“Isn’t the light always right?” Brinley interrupted.
Sevain smiled again. “Yes and no,” she said. “There is a place for darkness in this world. If there was not, we would not allow its existence. Do not fear, Brinley. Hugo understands this, though you may not. Your role here is as an observer.”
Brinley’s mouth snapped shut, and Hugo suddenly felt horrified. Did they really think that he understood all of this?
Elyus raised a hand as if to calm his fears. He held Hugo’s eyes for a moment, then turned to point to the golden road that stretched away to their right. “This is the Path of Promise, which Shael called the ‘Path of Annihilation.’ On this path, you retain your free will, your ability to choose between light and dark, but you promise us that you will always choose in a specific way.”
“That I’ll always choose the light?” Hugo guessed.
Sevain cocked her head thoughtfully. “That you will always choose what we would choose.”
Hugo frowned. “But how will I know what you would choose in any given situation?”
Elyus nodded. “That is the blessing of this path. In return for your promise to do our will, we promise that you will always know what our will is.”
“But will Molad still be in my mind?” Hugo said. “I mean, will I still be all messed up inside, like I have been?”
Sevain gave him a knowing look. “At first,” she said. “In order to choose between them, you must still be subject to the pull of light and dark. But your situation will improve over time. The more you keep your promise and choose as we would choose, the less power Molad will exert over you. One day, you may live quite comfortably with him. In the meantime, as long as you obey our will we can promise that we will not lead you down a path in which you will be overcome.”
Hugo rubbed his hands together thoughtfully. “No offense, but how do I know that you will always know the right thing for me to choose? The right way for me to act?”
Elyus pointed at Brinley. “The Magemother knows the thoughts, the wishes, the needs of her mages. She knows this because she is joined to them. The Mage of Wood knows the thoughts and dreams and needs of every tree. The Mage of Earth knows the needs of every creature—no matter how sm
all—that bustles around the forest floor. He knows because in the center of his soul, he is one with them. We created this world, and everything in it. We are at one with all things, though you often do not feel our presence. We see their past, their present, and their future. And so it is that we can know what is needed for every individual, as well as for the world as a whole. Our choice, then, is that thing which most serves all of you in bringing about the twofold purpose of life: first, for you to have joy, and second, for you to become like us, which is the only way that you can experience true joy to the fullest. To accomplish this, the light and darkness in the world must remain in balance, which is why we are here.”
Hugo’s head was spinning. “But which road leads to balance?”
“Hugo,” Brinley said, but a look from Elyus cut her off.
“Now he must choose,” Elyus said. “He has had help enough.”
It didn’t matter. The sound of Brinley saying his name had been enough. As soon as he heard it, something stirred within him, a recognition. Everything that had happened in the last three days fell into place. Shael’s web of truth and lies unraveled. Even the gods’ complicated advice made sense now.
He turned to the right and took one step onto the golden road, then another. He wanted to look back, but he resisted the urge. This was his road. Whatever needed to happen would happen as long as he stayed on it.
After a few steps, Elyus and Sevain were walking beside him. Elyus took Hugo’s right hand and Sevain took his left, and he felt the promise pass between them. He would surrender his free will. It wasn’t that he would lose it, but that he would always choose what they wanted, instead of what he wanted. He could see now, how this was a kind of annihilation. The part of him that made decisions based on his own will and pleasure would, in a sense, die for this arrangement to work. No doubt Shael, who defined himself through rebellion, would see this as catastrophic. And yet, Hugo found that this was not the case. The moment the promise was made, his mind was infused with light. His thoughts were swept away in an awareness of the world that he had never experienced. He knew everything in that moment. Every person, every plant, every insect, every living creature down to the smallest particle, and their thoughts. He understood their wants and needs. He saw their path through this life and beyond from the perspective of the gods. Every question that he ever had—and many that had not yet occurred to him—were answered in that one overwhelming rush of truth.
And then, as quickly as it had come, it was gone. It did not leave him entirely, but it slipped into the background of his mind like a sweet, soft music that he could ignore if he wanted to, or focus on in moments of need. The vision around him disappeared and he floated in a void, listening to the music until he heard it calling him back to his body.
***
Hugo felt grass on his face and pressed himself into a kneeling position. Brinley was doing the same beside him. They exchanged a wordless glance, and then Hugo felt Shael’s hand on his shoulder.
“Molad?” Shael said. “What happened?”
Hugo rose and turned to face him. He felt the darkness surge within him, willing him to join with Shael, to help him win the battle. He felt the light within him urge him toward a different path, and he was aware of himself as neither light nor darkness, but the one that stood between them. His choice was clear.
“It is over,” Hugo said.
“No,” Shael whispered. “What have you done? You have taken it! You have taken the path of annihilation!” He backed away. “You have given up everything that matters. Your very will!”
“It is over,” Hugo repeated. He remembered the swirling wall of darkness and reached for it, only slightly surprised to find that now, at the calm center of light and dark, both forces were easily within his reach. He waved a hand and the darkness fell; the sights and noise and smells of battle made a violent assault on his senses.
Hugo sprinted across the grass. He reached for Brinley, and for Cassis, took them both by the hand, and twisted into light, leaving everyone else behind. The battle could rage for another moment. Shael could attempt to run; it didn’t matter. His path was clear, as he knew it would be forevermore.
He stepped out of the light at the top of the Bridge to Nowhere, with the Magemother on one hand and the Mage of Stone on the other.
“Oh dear,” Cassis said, steadying himself from the sudden rush of travel. “What are we—Hugo, are you doing what I think you are doing?”
Hugo opened his mind and Brinley joined them together, unifying their thoughts and their power. As one, they lifted their arms and the broken edge of the bridge began to glow. Other rocks flew up from the ground far beneath them, summoned out of the soil. They glowed yellow, then red, then white with heat and light. They joined themselves to the broken edge of the bridge, and Cassis lowered his arms.
Working alone now, Hugo raised his hands higher. His mind raced across time and space, searching the darkness of the night for the portal that had once connected Aberdeen to the home of the gods. He found it, finally, a memory of light amid the darkness, and wove it back into the fabric of the world.
A curtain of mist unfurled, falling from the sky to the edge of the bridge in front of him, and he lowered his hands.
Whereas the mist on the other bridges was gray, this one was a clear, pale gold. He recognized the two faces on the other side of it at once. He reached his arms through the mist, took their hands in his, and pulled the gods of Aberdeen back into the world of men.
***
Though she did not understand his words, Brinley would never forget the sound of Elyus’s voice as it rang out over the city of Ninebridge. It struck every ear as loud as thunder, even as Sevain’s touched every heart with the gentleness of a mother’s whisper. Ever after, it would echo in her ears, a pale shadow of glory that refused to fade.
At their words, the fighting stopped. Every man and beast that had come out of the Wizard’s Ire fled back up the bridge from whence they came. They screamed in terror as they ran, as if the very presence of the gods might kill them.
As the last lines of monsters retreated, two dragons landed on the bridge to either side of them. Tabitha fell out of her shape immediately, landing on the bridge with her right arm twitching from the effort of flight. Blood poured out from behind her shoulder and ran down her back and dripped on the ground.
“Tabitha!” Brinley exclaimed, rushing to her side.
“I’m fine. I’m fine,” Tabitha said. She stumbled away from Brinley and planted her feet in front of the gods, cradling her broken shoulder with her good hand. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. “Did we all just die? Because that’s not really fair. I mean, I really thought we had a chance, and we were all working very hard.”
Elyus gave a rich bark of laughter. It reminded Brinley suddenly of her father, and she wondered what had become of him in the battle.
“No, you did not die,” Sevain said. “You are all about to begin living again.” She raised her hand, and Tabitha’s shoulder knitted itself together. Even the blood that had fallen to the bridge disappeared.
“Oh,” Tabitha said, testing her shoulder thoughtfully. “Well, that’s okay, then.”
Before Tabitha could say anything else, Brinley pulled her away.
“They’re the gods, Brinley!” Tabitha said. “They say that—”
“I know,” Brinley said with a giggle, shoving the excited girl out of the way.
Elyus asked for the summoning bell then, and Brinley handed it to him. He rang it, and the city and plains of Ninebridge filled with people, all of which, when they heard his voice, knelt and listened.
He spoke of changes to come, and a balance between light and dark that had been reforged. He spoke of expectations, and of what lay beyond this life for them if they followed the voices of their own darkness or light.
***
Hugo vanished several more times, always appearing a moment later with another companion. Soon King Remy, Archibald, Habis, Maggie,
and Brinley’s father had all joined them on the top of the bridge. Thieutukar arrived, supported by two of his men. He looked as if he might have fallen from a great height, but when they tried to get something for him to sit on he waved them away. Cyus appeared as well, along with the Swelter Cat, though weather they came by their own power or were summoned by Elyus, it was impossible to tell.
When he had finished speaking to the people, Elyus turned to the group on the bridge.
“Before we go, there are several things that need attending to.” He addressed Shael. “You will decide your own fate. As the Magemother told you before, you may die, or you may return to the Panthion and live alone until the end of time. See now, what lies in wait for you in death.” He stepped aside so that Shael could walk up and look through the pale golden veil at the top of the bridge.
Whatever he saw made him shudder and turn his face away. “The Panthion,” he said.
Sevain took the prison box from Hugo and held it out, and Shael thrust a hand inside. With a final cry that was more rage than anguish, he was gone.
Sevain snapped the lid shut and the hinges fell away. The crack in the side sparked and then fused shut. A line of light glowed momentarily around the seam between the lid and the rest of the box, and then that too had disappeared.
“It will never open again,” she said, handing it back to Hugo.
“Ooh, I’ll take that,” Habis said, stepping forward to snatch the Panthion out of Hugo’s hands. “Here you go, Maggie. You can put it by the fireplace next to your other…treasures. It will be nice to have father around again now that he won’t be any trouble.”
Hugo grinned and let them take it. Then he moved to his father’s side. Remy, who was heavily bandaged, smiled proudly at his son, whispering something that only he could hear.
Sevain smiled, and Elyus motioned for Cyus to join them. “I think it’s been quite long enough, don’t you, brother?”
In that moment, Cyus seemed to grow a little taller. “Yes,” he said, and moved beside the other gods. Sevain gave him a welcoming pat on the shoulder.
Magemother: The Complete Series (A Fantasy Adventure Book Series for Kids of All Ages) Page 84