“Yes, until we retrieve Lowen Dalrish.”
Dead silence.
“Torrullin, you heard the prophecy. You need me.”
“You sent her into Time,” Torrullin growled.
“It was not me. You have my word.”
Quilla, somewhere, gave a surprised whistle.
“Who?” Torrullin demanded.
“I do not know. The someone preparing an army? The same one laying on thick rumours of three kingdoms? Come, you sent Declan to find me, and I came. True, I would have preferred to remain unmasked until I was in control of the situation, could use it to my advantage, but I came because I saw as you did. I also read the prophecy.”
“Why does he keep harping on that bloody telling?” Declan demanded.
Torrullin paced away and then flung into an armchair. “The Four of the Suns must solve. We are dealing with times long past, perhaps as far back as the Epoch of Dancing Suns. Yes, Nemisin’s time, Agnimus’ period of creation, rock strata in dreams; they fit into each other like a puzzle.”
“I read about the Dancing Suns on Nemisin’s bier,” Declan said.
Torrullin stared at the Siric. “His bier?”
“Saska showed me.”
“His bier is still there?”
“Untouched.”
Torrullin closed his eyes. “Well, well, another piece of the puzzle.”
“None of this explains why we need Agnimus.”
“Sabian,” Sabian corrected.
“Whatever,” Declan muttered. “Torrullin, how does he fit in?”
“I told you we need an Ancient to speak to us of Time and sent you to find Agnimus. However, we need four.”
“Four, Suns, solve,” Declan whispered.
“Quilla is of the Dancing Suns,” Torrullin pointed out, “and Sabian. Teighlar is of the Dancing Suns also.”
Declan burst out, “Impossible. Even if we follow the threads, the Luvans only began six billion years ago, and the Senlu came after that. Teighlar wandered ethereal for ninety million years. It makes him old; it does not make him an Ancient.”
“Two niggling factors change it,” Torrullin said. “One, the Luvans reincarnated and, two, Teighlar is not Senlu. He is Luvan.”
Declan sighed.
“High King … always.”
“Emperor,” Declan understood, and sat.
Quilla sighed then.
“Birdman, you better talk soon,” Torrullin frowned.
“Once you have heard the rest. In the Dome.”
“Wait, wait,” Declan said. “That’s three Ancients. Who else? The Siric may be regarded as Ancients, but we are of an epoch after the Dancing Suns - which leaves me out. Who else is there?”
Sabian smiled.
Quilla stilled.
Torrullin stared up. “Me.”
Dead silence.
Torrullin sat up and then stood. “The Animated Spirit. Elixir of Life. Me. The Curve is round, Declan.” He sighed as well. “I wish memory kept apace of time.”
“I do not understand,” Declan said.
“Neither do I … yet.” Torrullin drew breath. Released. “It is time to hear the rest. Sabian, another choice is before you.”
“There is only one choice.”
Torrullin nodded. “Come, then.” He walked out and Sabian followed.
Declan snapped his gaze over at Quilla. “High King is the One … does that not put Teighlar in opposition with Torrullin?”
“They already are. Come, let us get to the Dome.”
The Dome
AT THE CONSOLE TORRULLIN said, “Meet Sabian, a master historian. He will sit in on the balance of this meeting.”
The Kaval studied the fair man with interest and most offered a nod by way of greeting. Sabian, to them, was what they expected to see - a man of learning, contained and in control.
He bowed in their direction.
“Prima, make space for our guest,” and Prima shifted, spoke a command and an additional seat rose from the floor.
Declan and Quilla entered to retake their seats.
“Back to order. Galarth, if you will?” Torrullin leaned onto the console, by all appearances listening, but Quilla soon realised his mind was elsewhere.
Galarth began to speak. “Inundation. As mentioned, Sanctuary has a long history of those.”
“Why?” Prima interrupted. “This world seems stable enough.”
“And is, for long periods,” Galarth agreed. “However, Sanctuary has heavy ice caps, one far larger than the other, and so it always is here. She’s top heavy, so to speak, and the caps encroach century by century until Sanctuary tumbles off her axis. The oceans move, bringing waters onto the land, and the caps melt swiftly, lifting the level. New caps form as swiftly and the cycle begins anew. We are at the start of new stability, yet the day comes when we must act in the interest of survival.”
Erin murmured, “I guess, then, the landmasses today aren’t quite what they were.”
“Actually, they’re not that changed. They are, however, situated in different climes.”
“What of Luvanor?” Declan asked.
“Luvanor has experienced rising sea levels, but nothing on the scale here. Flooded coastlines, but no radical annihilation. The Luvans were safe anyway - they chose high ground to settle on.”
“Grinwallin,” Jonas murmured.
Torrullin’s head lifted and he focused.
Declan frowned. “Gal, wait a while, will you? Shedo, what of the Senlu? They are part of Luvanor’s history.”
“Admittedly, and play a huge role. Unfortunately Luvan history is all I uncovered.”
“Titania has nothing on the Senlu?”
“Nothing.”
“Why is that?”
Shenendo shrugged.
“Because the Senlu are Luvan,” Sabian spoke up.
“Impossible.” The remark came from Jonas.
Torrullin said, “True. We forget how much time passed. The last of the Diluvans made it to a new world, where they called themselves the Luvans. They settled across five continents. A time came when there was great upheaval, volcanic disturbances and massive earthquakes, and for thousands of years one continent was forcibly separated from the others by impassable fires and deep trenches in the oceans. Time moved on and volatility collapsed, and in the ensuing settling of nature, those who were on the fifth continent not only regarded themselves as separate, but were also regarded as another race by the Luvans of Tunin, Atrin, Kantar and Limir. The people of Senluar became known as the Senlu.”
“Gods,” Declan muttered.
“Is Teighlar aware of this?” Erin asked.
Torrullin leaned long over the console. “Teighlar may be in denial.”
“Why would you think that?” Ignatius frowned.
Quilla tapped the marble slab. “We are off track now. Leave Teighlar, the Senlu and the Luvans. Galarth, please continue.”
Galarth rubbed at his cheek. “There are undercurrents here in this Dome, and it’s not right.”
Torrullin straightened. “At this time, Galarth, they will remain, for your protection.”
Galarth swallowed. “Yes, my lord.”
“Continue your report.”
“Yes. Inundation. There are many such events, encompassing many worlds. Most every world has a tale of the waters rising and receding. Sanctuary holds the record for frequency, but doesn’t hold the record for the largest total annihilation of a people. The Diluvans were made extinct, yes, yet the loss of life was small compared to another event.”
Galarth paused to add drama. He had everyone’s attention, including Sabian’s.
“Gods,” Torrullin ground out. “Will you say?”
“Akhavar, my Lord.”
“Never heard of it,” Declan said.
Sabian smiled. “There is a legend of Akhavar …”
“Sabian!” Torrullin’s voice was a whiplash. “You speak when you are asked to offer an opinion.”
“Torrullin?” Belun mu
rmured. “Man, are you all right?”
Torrullin drew breath. He was ashen, the golden tint in his skin missing. He glared at Quilla. “Which stones, Q’li’qa’mz?”
Quilla dipped his head, acknowledging Torrullin’s intuition. “Akhavar’s stones, Enchanter.”
Torrullin gripped at the console. “Total annihilation, Galarth?”
“Thus the legend states.”
Sabian cleared his throat.
“Some survived?” Torrullin demanded of him.
“Those in the mountain halls survived,” Sabian murmured, “and thus a new time began.”
“It begins to fit.”
Sabian nodded. “Indeed.”
“Nothing fits!” Jonas burst out. “We talk of Sanctuary and Luvanor as if they’re connected, and maybe they are, but Akhavar? And where does Nemisin’s world fit into all this?”
“Nemisin’s world?” Torrullin repeated.
“Yes!” Jonas blurted. “The geological date points to Nemisin’s world! Which has bugger all to do with Sanctuary, Luvanor or bloody … what was it? Akhavar.”
“Your brother says Nemisin’s world?”
Jonas swiped a report from the slab and waved it. “In black and white, and after I told him you thought it might be Luvanor, and I collected samples from Luvanor and Sanctuary. They didn’t fit, he said, so he found some obscure sample - Nemisin’s world.”
“Which time does your brother assign?”
Jonas sighed, paged through his report and read from it, “Indications are of early sediment, such as would be found after …” He looked up and stared at Galarth. “… inundation. A new world arose from the receded flood, one a geologist must date at prehistory. Fossil records suggest the Epoch of Krombia.” Jonas threw the report down. “There’s more geological jargon, but that epoch is his best guess, given the little he had to work with and constraints of time.”
“All worlds older than ten billion years have an Epoch of Krombia,” Prima murmured. “How did he come to the conclusion?”
“Oh, for crying out loud, that’s what he does!” Jonas shouted. “He just knows.”
“The Epoch of Krombia is also known as the Dancing Suns,” Torrullin said. “And thus we are back to ancient time.”
Declan sat forward with his head in his hands. “Gods.”
“And Nemisin’s world was known as Akhavar,” Torrullin continued.
Declan groaned.
Sabian grinned.
Quilla rose then. “Allow me to make sense of this.”
“Please,” Ignatius muttered.
Quilla paced around the slab and came to stand next to Torrullin. The birdman was not much bigger than the console.
He pointed up at his companion.
“My Lord Elixir hears disturbing news this day, so we must forgive his … recalcitrance.”
He glanced up as Torrullin glared down at him, and then faced the Kaval.
“Let us put it together, shall we? Top of the list is the Three Kingdoms prophecy. In it we have the Three, which is a direct assumption of the time Orb was divided; it is also a warning of the three Valla heirs. Past and present melding. The prophecy further mentions the Vacuum of Time, which refers specifically to legendary time, and that would be the Dancing Suns … or Krombia. That past is connected to this present. How, you ask?
“And I answer by reminding you of a Kingdom that will arise Thrice. The first time was the maturing of a young race, the second was the new race after a severe inundation, and the third is due now. My friends, I speak of the Valleur. First there were the sentients who became the Ancients of the Dancing Suns, and they went on to become the Valleur of today. They began on Nemisin’s world - Akhavar - a world recently brought back to life … for the third time. The Valleur bridge Time, do they not? They were first, they settled on Luvanor and Valaris, they helped build this new Sanctuary and still they are with us.”
Torrullin touched Quilla on the shoulder. “I will take it from there.”
Quilla smiled, bowed and stepped away.
“The Force of Myth refers to rumour,” Torrullin said. “The army we are supposedly preparing here, but it also refers to the army that came sweeping into Orb at the time five hundred had already left for Luvanor. A Valleur army, Kaval, headed by Nemisin.”
“Uh-uh, the time frame is off,” Shenendo interrupted.
Torrullin gave a tight smile. “So it would seem, but Nemisin could manipulate time, a little trick the Dragon Neolone taught him. He was of Krombian time and he railed against the fates that gave him no one to war on, to prove mastery over, and thus he sought opponents in the future.”
“Dear god,” Jonas muttered.
“He thought he was a god,” Torrullin said, “and even his army did not realise it had crossed a barrier. They found the remnant Diluvans, they finished them off, and returned to Akhavar with the tale of Others. The Valleur Throne came into its own then, as did Nemisin and the Vallorinship; the Golden needed a strong arm to deal with intruders.”
“That is diabolical,” Prima whispered.
“Nemisin was not a saint,” Torrullin admitted. “Akhavar, Sanctuary and Luvanor are thus connected, and connected by an Ancient crime.”
“A puzzle,” Erin remarked, “and slowly the pieces fit. Someone else knows about this and is stirring, creating the Force Real.”
“Exactly,” Quilla said.
“Who?” Prima asked.
“Agnimus?” Jonas suggested.
“It isn’t Agnimus,” Torrullin said.
“How can you be sure?” Jonas demanded.
Declan stared at his hands as Torrullin replied, “I am sure.”
Jonas grimaced, but did not push.
“Kaval, I am the Link spoken of in the prophecy. I do not claim to be a Creator, but that is one aspect of Elixir. I am the link because I am a Walker of Realms and I have spoken with Nemisin.”
They knew that about him.
“It has been revealed today Nemisin’s bier stands intact on Akhavar, and thus another connection is forged. Not only is Nemisin’s soul still restless, but also is his body preserved. I know him and thus am one of the Four who must solve the riddle.”
“Five, and I don’t care what the bloody prophecy says. I am in this until the very end,” Declan stated.
“Which four and what riddle?” Shenendo demanded.
“The last Ancient Four, of which I am one, being the link. The other three, and that stubborn Siric, are Quilla, Teighlar and … Sabian.”
“Sabian?” Prima exploded. “Thirty-eight year old Sabian?”
“Yes,” Torrullin said, “and that is all I have to say on the subject.”
Sabian was then regarded with suspicion, but he remained unfazed, merely watching and listening to Torrullin.
“Undercurrents,” Galarth muttered.
“The Curve creates the Three anew …” Erin quoted. “Orb and Valla heirs, is that what you’re saying? And if Orb is the victim of an ancient crime, and Orb is connected to Luvanor, my Lord Elixir, does it not fit logic that the source of these rumours is on Luvanor?”
Torrullin stared at her.
“Time for payback,” Jonas comprehended.
Torrullin rubbed at his face.
“We always say there’s no such thing as coincidence,” Galarth murmured. “And here, suddenly, we have a rumour, an ancient crime, Nemisin’s world returned to fertility and three Vallas. Coincidence? Or are the Fates seeking restitution?”
Torrullin hung his head.
“And Lowen discovered it,” Erin added.
He looked up.
She gazed back at him. “She was on Nemi … Akhavar … not long before she vanished. I tracked back to that point. She found something there, something she learned of here in the Dome, and then headed to Sanctuary. She was on Mariner Island for a time, then on this tiny island beside the Dome. After, she went to the Academia of Truth, Titania …”
“That’s right,” Shenendo interrupted. “There’s reco
rd of her requesting information on Luvan history.” He leaned forward. “You were after the same thing three weeks before her.”
Sabian nodded.
Prima glared. “You said you had not been back for months.”
Sabian shrugged. “A small mistruth, forgive me.”
“Forget that,” Torrullin frowned. “Erin, after Titania?”
“She went to Kora City, and then Grinwallin. And Teighlar was the last person to see her.”
“He would not harm her.” His tone was cold.
“Someone on Luvanor has, my Lord,” Erin said. “If it wasn’t Teighlar, then he may know who that person is.”
“He would tell me.”
Quilla said, “Torrullin, he may not know he knows. You said yourself he may be in denial.”
“Erin, what of a time shift?” Torrullin demanded. “Did you at least find something on that?”
“I did, and don’t get angry; I told you the focus of my mission changed.”
He thumped the console.
She rose, but looked at Amunti. “I went to Drinic and I spoke with your mother, Amunti; she dragged the truth about you from me.” Erin smiled. “She’s safe, and she understands why you did what you did. She says your paths will cross again and there will only be welcome, and love.” She pulled a parcel from her holdall on the floor. “This is for you.”
Amunti stared at the tea towel wrapped parcel and then made his way to her. He took it, unwrapped it and smiled. “My favourites.”
“She said that, yes.”
Amunti looked at her, tears brimming. “She’s all right, really?”
“Absolutely.”
“Thank you.”
She swallowed, and Amunti closed his hand over his precious parcel and returned to his seat, sitting with it on his lap and both hands folded protectively over it. Tears ran unheeded over his cheeks.
Erin cleared her throat and then had to do so again when her voice sounded suspiciously tearful.
“Amdel told me quite succinctly, my Lord, the doorway we seek will be there when we need to find it, and she said the best way to find it is to retrace Lowen’s footsteps.”
“Meaning?”
“The way I read her tracks, the doorway is in one of two places.”
Sabian leaned forward to look at her. Torrullin’s eyelids flickered at the movement and his own interest soared.
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