Eurue- The Forgotten World

by Elaina J Davidson

  Instantly five pairs of eyes fixated upon it and all sound ceased; hands gripped spears and clutched at sword hilts.

  “Inform Krestin,” one snapped out, and the soldiers nearest the stairs sent up the communication.

  And then, before Command Krestin even heard about the disturbance and could make a move, the sarcophagus exploded.

  Five Valleur were dead.

  Gabryl’s Sarcophagus

  THERE WERE NO witnesses to the simultaneous shattering in the burial mound in the north, but it too rent the air and rained dust upon the packed earth below.

  Kemirin

  SAVIER SAT BOLT upright.

  An instant later he gargled agony and gripped at his waist as if in terrible fever.

  The key, the goddamn key was red hot and burned through fabric to his very skin.

  Swiping at it, shrieking for aid, he attempted to lift it free, only to suffer more burning as it cleaved to fingers and palms.

  Swiftly others crashed in and severed the key from his body.

  Terrified, the Keeper watched as the device became a glowing ember, and then was no more than ash.

  Cathian’s Turret

  SHE LAUGHED UNTIL her sides hurt. That would show them!

  Gabryl, my brother, now they can never put us in a box ever again. I am waiting for you.

  Luvanor

  Grinwallin

  GABRYL DOUBLED OVER, retching.

  When Teighlar moved to his side, he waved a hand to fend him off, and emptied his stomach upon the stone of the portico.

  Eventually, he stilled. Rising then, swiping at his mouth, he stared at the Senlu Emperor.

  “Cathian,” he croaked. “She did something.”

  Teighlar gripped his shoulder. “Son, tell me true; is she benevolent?”

  “Where I am concerned, she is.”

  Lips thinning, Teighlar said, “That kind of select behaviour usually …”

  “I know what it means. I have to believe she is still the sister I once knew.”

  Squeezing his eyes shut, Teighlar muttered, “That is my wish also, and we will give her every opportunity to prove it.”

  Gabryl stared at him. “I have not been a good man either.”

  “Neither have I. It is what you do next that counts, as it can be for her.”

  “What changed for you?”

  “I met Torrullin Valla; that is what happened to me. He bloody changed everything.”

  Gabryl offered a wry smile. “As I met Tristan Skyler Valla. Funny thing about him - he is all suspicious and yet his first instinct is to see the good in souls. I am astounded by that. My experience tells me suspicion is generally more effective.”

  Teighlar’s eyes crinkled at the corners, but it was difficult to tell whether that was amusement … or sadness. “He grew up knowing both his father and his mother. Tristan had excellent grounding. Few of us are able to claim the same.”

  Gabryl cocked his head. “Torrullin?”

  “Orphaned young, no matter which cycle you ask him about it. Elianas had his father in his life longer, but even he lost those foundations too soon. Tristan was an adult before his parents died; he knew only love. Lucky man.”

  Teighlar headed on through the arches into the Great Hall, his brow furrowed, leaving Gabryl to trail him in.

  Eurue

  The Fortress

  COMMANDER KRESTIN was about to send a call through the spaces, when two events happened almost concurrently.

  One, Keeper Savier appeared beside him.

  They stared at each other.

  “I thought you were on the palace grounds,” Savier snapped.

  “As I thought you were.” Krestin crossed his arms.

  And two, before either could launch into explanations, a knock sounded at the bolted front doors.

  Krestin immediately gestured, and Valleur soldiers converged. With his sword at the ready, Krestin unbolted and drew one leaf open to a mere sliver.

  “Who are you?” he demanded.

  A tall man eyed him, his eyes an odd amber hue. Clothed in leathers much like the Valleur, he was unarmed. Ostensibly.

  “I am Vian of the Wulvyn. I seek Alusin, Savier or Gabryl.”

  “Open the door, Commander,” Savier said in a quiet tone.

  Gritting his teeth, for how was he to protect a man who let strangers in, Krestin did as commanded.

  The man entered and fixed his gaze on Savier. “I have Cathian Lowry.”

  He lifted his hands as spears and swords crowded him.

  Chapter 46

  Time is a bitch

  ~ Tattle’s scribe ~

  Eurue

  The Fortress

  INTO THE BRISTLING of weapons, Tristan and Alusin arrived. Krestin had immediately dispatched a call. They appeared in leathers as well, combat ready.

  Krestin eyed Tristan, who nodded. “Stand down!” the commander barked.

  As Valleur retreated, sheathing swords, Alusin glanced at his brother, noting the burns on his clothes and hands. Savier waved it aside, mouthing not now.

  Lightning forked outside, briefly highlighting faces as ghostly apparitions.

  “Close the door,” Krestin said.

  While the interior plunged into darkness at first before the candle glows reassumed supremacy, the stranger made not the slightest move, other than for his eyes. He studied each in turn, and was similarly scrutinised.

  “At ease,” Tristan murmured.

  The Wulvyn lowered his hands, and bowed briefly. “Kaval leader.”

  “You have managed to utterly astonish.”

  The man’s eyes crinkled slightly. “As have you. You know who I am.”

  They were speaking the more descriptive common tongue the Guardians of the Dome pioneered in ages past, Tristan realised. Most believed humankind began the process; while they did ensure general spread, the Guardians set forth the idea. Much of the intonation was the same as that of general usage, but much spoke of antiquity also.

  Savier strode in, but Alusin held him back, shaking his head.

  “Why?” he hissed.

  “Because the Wulvyn were once Guardians,” Alusin murmured. “This is Tristan’s territory.”

  Amber orbs flicked to him and then returned to Tristan. “You have no hold over me.”

  “Nor do I seek to brandish an ancient oath.”

  Nodding, the man held his arm out. “I am Vian.”

  Tristan stepped into the ritual clasp. “Call me Tristan.”

  Fingers clamped to bare forearms, they read each other on a far deeper level. Breathless silence filled the hall, until Vian released and stepped away.

  “You have the Song,” he said, and bowed. “My lord.”

  Eyes silvering, Tristan murmured, “And you are Lord Sorcerer kind of powerful. You have no need of weapons; you are a weapon.”

  Valleur in the shadows became even more alert.

  Straightening, the man smiled. “Quicksilver,” he murmured. “Now I understand.”

  As Tristan twitched, hearing that, Savier demanded, “Why are you here? You have Cathian, you say. Is this a ransom?”

  Vian shifted and bowed his head. “Keeper, it is an honour. Cathian has spoken much of you and your brother before madness took her. I am not here to demand anything; I am here to ask for your help.”

  Moving to stand beside Tristan, Alusin said, “What has happened to Cathian?”

  The Wulvyn drew himself up and then released an explosive breath. “She will soon be too strong for me.” He lowered his gaze to Savier’s burnt hands. “Minutes before I decided to come here, she managed to summon her Aleru Orb to her and crushed it. Something must have changed here when that happened.”

  “My key was on fire,” Savier said, presenting his scorched palms. “I sensed Gabryl’s casket vanish into nothing.”

  “The sarcophagus below exploded,” Krestin put in, “and killed five of my men.”

  Tristan growled, “Do not summon Tian to this.”

  Krest
in grimaced. “I would not place my Vallorin in danger.”

  Gripping his shoulder, Tristan murmured, “We shall honour our dead, my friend.”

  Closing his eyes, Krestin nodded.

  “Her Aleru Orb?” Alusin frowned.

  Vian inclined his head. “Cathian and Gabryl both had one through the ages, since the time of the Oskil incarceration. It is how they communicated despite what appeared to others as death. I took it from her …”

  “Why?”

  “She would have infected him with her vitriol and Gabryl deserved it not. Thus I secured it within multiple enchantments …”

  “Why not destroy it?” Savier put in.

  “What happened today would have happened then, and Gabryl would now be eternally lost. By taking it from her, I protected both of them.” Vian paused. “By now you have realised the Lowry twins have different powers. They employ the nuances in the spaces, wield an external force as an internal state. We employ an internal force to create an external state. Today Cathian drew enough external power to bring the Orb to her.”

  “She wants Gabryl to come for her,” Tristan murmured. “What she doesn’t realise is that he is already at that point.”

  “And so are you, I suspect,” Vian said, “and yet, mark this. She will take from him everything he is. Hell, none of us are innocent, but that boy has suffered enough.”

  Both Savier and Alusin blinked at him.

  Offering a wry smile, he said, “I am aware of his manipulations, but tell me, how many has he actually killed? Hmm? Through all the ages of shifting state, how many lost their lives because of him?”

  “None,” Tristan whispered.

  “He remains the sole unmarked soul among us. He deserves true freedom.”

  Silence reigned anew, and then Savier murmured, “How can we help you?”

  Luvanor

  Grinwallin Plateau

  SOLDIERS MILLED on the plain, preparing gear. For the most part, the Senlu possessed red hair in various shades, eyes were light green and blue, and all were pale of skin. They appeared almost ethereal. They did not seem capable of war.

  “And that is how we win,” Teighlar said, sitting beside Gabryl on Grinwallin’s mighty stairs, a step about mid-way up. “Others underestimate us.”

  Gabryl did not offer reply.

  Staring down, Teighlar said, “In the chaos of attempting to reach high ground as the water approached, I searched for you and Cathian. Weeks later, when it was safe to return, we found so many bodies and most were no longer recognisable.” He paused to clear his throat. “Forgive me; I should have searched more.”

  Gabryl turned his head. “There was no finding us. We became something different. There is nothing to forgive.”

  “How did Cathian escape notice?” Teighlar asked after a while.

  “We were drawn in as one entity. Later, where no one saw us, we separated. I could not escape the binding, and thus she swore to find a way.”

  “Were you aware of what happened to Orb?”

  “Not until my incarceration, and I lost sight of you when the liveship took to the skies as a last resort.”

  Nodding, Teighlar murmured, “A century ago, due to Rivalen’s brinkmanship, I had opportunity to again walk the halls of my palace on Orb. I heard you calling to me and my grief was new. That was when Alexander went to war with the Valleur.”

  “Why the Valleur? They did not cause the inundations.”

  “But they could have saved so many of us; instead they came to annihilate us. The present day Valleur stood as proxy, unfortunately.”

  “There was more to it,” Gabryl murmured.

  “Torrullin. He needed to know who I am. We alluded to our longer pasts so many times, but neither of us wished to claim it, and then we stood before my palace together. He was my witness. He needed to know my rage as well.”

  “Elianas was there also.”

  Teighlar snorted. “But the Golden came to Orb, not the Danae.” He sent Gabryl a sideways look. “You are an Ancient, are you aware of that? I thought myself the last in Reaume, and now here you are.”

  “I join the ranks that include Torrullin, Elianas, Quilla and Sabian?” Gabryl smiled.

  “That is the extent of the Ancient list, along with you and me.”

  “And hopefully Cathian.”

  Sagely, Teighlar nodded. “Hopefully, yes.”

  Eurue

  The Fortress

  HAVING SENT WORD to Belun to continue preparations in the Dome, with Jaken dispatched to Kemirin in Krestin’s stead, they gathered in the library.

  Savier and Alusin paced, while Vian and Tristan took seats opposite each other near the fire. Krestin remained near the entrance, on alert.

  “Do you wish for Gabryl to be here?” Tristan asked.

  “Where is he?” Vian murmured.

  “Elsewhere.”

  “Thus is he with his father. Does Grinwallin prepare to invade our stronghold?” He leaned forward, muscles as thick as ropes bunching in his forearms. “Our dome is no threat to you, Kaval leader.”

  Tristan pursed his lips, but did not otherwise offer anything.

  “Ah, you have discovered us. Again, allow me to state that we are no threat to you, or to any others in this realm.”

  “Tell us about your stronghold, as you call it.” Tristan leaned back, seemingly relaxed.

  The Wulvyn leaned back as well. “The Wulvyn were down to a mere sixteen … you have knowledge of our troubles? I see that you do. We needed a sanctuary where the virus could no longer live within us; yes, it appears we ourselves spread it to the creatures of our world. Exile from the Guardians probably saved their lives and thus, in the fullness of time, we set aside that particular slight. Rock and stone is lifeless, and we therefore built amid rock and stone. Five towers to keep the watch went up first, and then we raised our dome.”

  “Why a dome? And why a replica?”

  “We were Guardians, Tristan, and wished to remain Guardians. We built to emulate our mind-set and hoped one day to prove ourselves, to rejoin our brethren.”

  “Noble.” Tristan nodded. “That is a massive complex, however. How did you raise it?”

  “You said yourself I have the power of a Lord Sorcerer. We all did. The build was accomplished in record time. Lintusillem then underwent upheaval, and my Wulvyn brothers chose to stand forth as saviours. It meant revealing our sanctuary, and I thus stayed behind to maintain the cloaking. You are now aware I am the last; my brothers did not survive the long-term demands. The Kaval, after all, was gradually being prepared according to the needs of the future. When Elixir stepped into the arena, immortals everywhere started dying. Our dome became an even greater sanctuary then.”

  Tristan stared at him from under lowered lids. “How many immortals?”

  “We number near five hundred.” Vian’s amber eyes glowed in the firelight. “We will fight if Teighlar of Grinwallin sends soldiers, know that, but we wish for peace. It is the last haven for the long-lived. We will fight Valleur also, and any others who come at us.” His eyes narrowed. “We will win the fight, know that also.”

  Not for a moment did Tristan doubt the man’s claim. Five hundred immortal sorcerers? It would be bloodbath. Sighing, he moved his head until he had Alusin in sight.

  “Stand down?” the Kemir murmured.

  “Immediately.”

  Jerking a nod, Alusin strode towards Krestin. Before he reached the man, he vanished. He would go to the Dome first, Tristan understood, before heading to Grinwallin to convince Teighlar.

  “Thank you,” Vian murmured.

  “Don’t thank me yet. The Emperor may have different ideas.”

  The Wulvyn’s mouth curled at on end.

  Savier moved closer and took a seat. “Tell us about Cathian.”

  A spasm crossed the Wulvyn’s face, and he squared his shoulders. “Cathian found us in the time Torrullin Valla rediscovered his true self. I was the last of my kind, and two hundred others had joined us then. Many
, who stood at the edge of the caldera, with courage in hand, chose to enter our dome, for it is not hidden when you descend the slopes. Many chose to stay. Others were not allowed to leave. Cathian chose to stay, but she had ulterior motives, which came to light only later.”

  “Gabryl,” Tristan said.

  “No, she told me about Gabryl from the outset. She told me about her grandchildren, too.” Vian glanced at Savier. “I know it is difficult to see the older woman you knew as your grandmother as an immortal in the prime of life, and yet Cathian is just that. Vibrant, full of life, beautiful. Her noble intentions failed, however, when she …” Frowning, Vian pressed his lips together and lapsed into silence.

  Huffing a laugh, one filled with derision aimed at himself, Tristan muttered, “Torrullin Valla rediscovered his true self.”

  Amber eyes fixed on him. “Your grandfather is a force indeed. He is both Lifegiver and Destroyer as his name implies. Even in our dome, those of a multiple kind suddenly started dying. We scrambled to find out why and then we scrambled more to guard against it. Each death enraged Cathian. After a while it was hard to reason with her.”

  “It did not anger you?” Savier asked.

  “I have already lived too long. At a certain point even immortals wish for death.”

  Savier closed his eyes, understanding that.

  “That happened after, whatever it did to her noble intentions. You said she had an ulterior motive,” Tristan prompted.

  “Eurue’s destruction.”

  Savier paled.

  Tristan remained calm. “Gabryl too wishes for Eurue to know upheaval.”

  “He wishes for the Kemir to awaken, to change, to know. Cathian wishes every Kemir dead.” Swiping a hand over his face, he went on. “The Oskil as threat was her idea, a long time ago. Gabryl ended up using them as leverage; she intended for them to do as threatened.”

  “You imprisoned her.”

  “She siphoned power from every resident, growing her internal abilities as well as strengthening the external. The more power she had, the greater her rage was, but she loved me and most of the time she harked to my advice.”