He was about to burst that bubble down there, and reluctantly he called out.
Teroux looked up and gave a smile of welcome. Rose’s was less so; she saw something was wrong.
They met in the thawing garden. Teroux gripped Tristan in a hug and Tristan kissed Rose’s cheek. He still felt uncomfortable around her, recalling his previous attraction.
“How is Caballa?” Rose asked, wiping fair hair from her face. Her cheeks glowed with health.
Tristan smiled. “Fine. She will be here shortly.”
Rose’s smile was genuine. “Oh, good. Caballa has a good eye for colour. Teroux, she can settle the dispute over the drapes for the dining room.”
Teroux rolled his eyes. “What brings you, Tris?”
“Torrullin. We need to talk.”
ROSE’S FACE WAS tight. “Spaceships could fall out of the skies! Do you know how many would die?”
“And force fields could fail around prisoners, releasing inmates to cause untold havoc. It is dangerous, I agree, yet I believe we must do this.”
Teroux drummed the kitchen table with tense fingers. “You say Torrullin and Elianas will get out.”
“Eventually,” Tristan admitted.
“I saw we allow them to do so.”
“Forgive me, cousin, but I am not here to ask your blessing for this endeavour; it’s happening, no matter what. I am here to tell you about this and request the use of your home for this meeting.”
Rose said, “Teroux, we must think of Saska and Declan.”
“I am, but neither Saska nor Declan would want death and destruction to herald an escape. They would be horrified.”
“Torrullin would be horrified if he knew we could save them, and did nothing,” Tristan said.
“This is about Torrullin’s well-being, then.”
Tristan glared at him. “I hope you never have to eat those words.”
Teroux folded his arms on the table. “Tristan, you can’t understand, can you? Torrullin entered my life - and yours - when I was young, like a god. The all-powerful. My father died, my mother, my grandmother, Caltian and many others. He upset everything and I lost everything. I love him, but I won’t sit here and allow you to kill more people for his sake.”
“Tymall killed your family, Teroux, not Torrullin.”
“Because Tymall sought to hurt his father. Torrullin has much to atone for.”
“Atone, Teroux? Why should a man atone for loving his son? Good god, don’t blame Torrullin for his son’s twisted ways!”
“Say that in front of Tian.”
“Tian knows what his father is, he wouldn’t be insulted. And, by the way, I know what Torrullin is, and what happened because of him and by his hand. It will be a microsecond only, perhaps not long enough to cause damage, and I am going to do it, whatever you say. He would for me - he would for you, Teroux.”
“I know.”
“Where is your problem, then?”
Teroux sighed. “Did you see how he was over Kalgaia? Do you know he refuses to speak of the Valleur deaths in Torrke even now? Would he thank you for saving Saska at the expense of others? I have no doubt Saska’s death will hit him hard, but how much guilt will we pile on him anew?”
“It is about Torrullin’s well-being,” Tristan said. “No matter how you look at it.”
Teroux gave a smile. “Touché, cousin.”
Rose said, “You are welcome to use our home for the meeting, Tristan.” She glanced at Teroux. “His mind is set; we may as well help.”
“And thus share the blame. Fine.” Teroux scraped his chair back and left the kitchen.
“Thank you, Rose.”
She shrugged. “It’s for Teroux. He’ll be worse off if he does nothing.”
She followed Teroux from the warm space.
The Path of Shades
TORRULLIN WANDERED over to Saska and Declan.
Both slept soundly - Saska had her head on the Siric’s thigh - and both were stronger than earlier. Whatever he and Elianas revealed in the sharing of energy was worth this.
He moved away, glancing at the sleeping Elianas, and faced the water.
It was no longer water; it was a grey mirror. Solid. Any idiot could walk across it now. The terrible contrariness of this place made no sense whatsoever.
The answer beyond the veil, and in the answer the labyrinth where shadows were in the corners of curves. What the fuck did that really mean?
He understood they had to join balance and unbalance using the shadows, and he even understood the joining would come to pass when they left this place. They would drag the chaos factor into stasis simply because they were of the shadowy realms - those of the heart, soul and mind, and place. Yes, and doable … eventually. Yet, before eventually could come to pass, there was an answer to find, and a goddamn labyrinth.
Elianas was right. The answer was not an understanding of where they were or how to create the mixture anew, and it was not the revelation of his power either. Bridges were bridges, not goals. Not the answer.
Gods, what power, though. If he combined that to Elixir …
… it did not bear thinking about.
He viewed the island, checked on the others - asleep - and lifted his gaze to the forbidding presence of a dark forest. A dark island, yes, but in more than influence. Here dark reigned, of all kinds. The light they experienced thus far lingered on this sliver of beach only, and it faded. He looked around. No wood, therefore no fire, no light. Soon they would be blind.
Unless they ignored the dark forest. Unless they went around it.
He shifted swiftly over the sand and fell to his knees beside Elianas, put a hand on the man’s shoulder and shook him. Dark eyes opened, found him. About to share what he reasoned out, he was arrested by what was in those eyes. Elianas had been dreaming about him. He tore his gaze away and sat.
“Elianas, the light fades and complete darkness comes. Sit up, hear me.”
Elianas stretched and did so. “Gods, I need to brush my teeth.”
“Look at the light here, then look at those trees.”
Frowning, Elianas looked. He noticed the ‘water’. “How unfair.”
“I know, but forget that now. What happens if we walk around the island in this fading light, with darkness threatening from one side?”
Elianas sat in silence for a time. “Ah, I see,” he whispered eventually. “We walk in a shadow realm and as long as we stay in it we get to see. I would use it like a bridge.”
“So it’s possible.”
“Yes, but we would go exactly nowhere. We walk in circles.”
“Until something changes.”
“Torrullin, that’s cowardly.”
“Don’t I know it, but I cannot lose Saska in there.” He glanced at the forest.
Elianas looked away. “No.”
“You understand, right?”
“Of course I fucking understand,” Elianas said.
Torrullin said no more.
Elianas rose. “I shall wander around this island only as long as it takes to beat an answer out of this fiasco. Then I either sit and wait until doomsday or I walk into that forest, do you get me?”
Torrullin laughed.
Elianas swore again and wandered off to relieve himself.
Torrullin jerked when a hand descended onto his shoulder. Saska. She sat beside him and rested her head wearily.
“The light’s going.”
He nodded. “We must walk again or lose it entirely.”
“Leave me here, please. Leave Declan here. You can come back for us. I can’t face another walk. Torrullin, I didn’t know my stamina depended on my power, but it is so, and I know it now. I am done, just go.”
“I am not leaving you here. I am not coming back, Saska. Once I am out, that’s it.”
She turned his face to her. “Look at me. What do I have left? How far can I walk? Declan is worse off. Having lost more power, he is weaker.”
“Elianas and I will give what we have u
ntil we all get out.”
She smiled up at him. “That is like being caught in a hurricane, my love, and like to it, the energy is short-lived, for me, not for you. In the end it will do greater damage.”
“I love you and I am not leaving you here.”
“Then we go into the forest. That will bring change, I think.”
“We will be blind and I could lose you.”
“Stop making excuses. I understand your reluctance, but don’t use me to stretch this hell out more than you need to. I will hold onto you, I promise, and Elianas can help Declan, but we won’t walk in circles, hear?” She kissed his cheek. “I love you, too, and I know parts of you. This indecision isn’t part of that.”
“I agree with Saska,” Declan called out from behind them. “No more pointless walking.”
Elianas was back. He stood arms akimbo watching everyone. “The forest it is. And let us go now while we have light for the outer reaches.”
Saska pushed herself up. “Agreed.” She held her hand out to Torrullin, while Elianas, expressionless, lifted the Siric and put him on his back.
He set off immediately, and Torrullin and Saska followed.
Chapter 27
The bigger something is, the more unwieldy. Careful planning is able to circumvent.
~ General Hamon, on campaign
Sanctuary
The Villa
THE UNIVERSE CHART lay spread on the huge oval table Torrullin found in a Xenian ruin.
Cassy bent over it, and with her Belun who knew his way around the present universe better than she did. Lowen watched with Tristan, while the other Kaval members milled. Rose and Teroux walked among them, talking, discussing, and frowning.
Caballa came with Tianoman.
The entire Kaval bowed to the Vallorin of the Valleur, and he thanked them, and joined Tristan. “Well?”
“Cassy’s plotting now.”
Tianoman rounded the table to her side, smiling a greeting at Rose and Teroux, and halted beside her. “Cassy, you need the central point first; one you know has the strength to hold a signal of this magnitude.”
“You are right, Lord Vallorin. What do you suggest?”
Everyone crowded closer as Tianoman leaned far over the chart. “Where is the highest concentration of sites?”
Cassy moved to her left. She waved a hand over a huge area. “Here.”
He moved with her, studied it, and then pointed.
She leaned in to look and then drew back. “Here? Sanctuary?”
“Averis Lake’s peculiar island, to be precise.”
Lowen groaned.
Teroux exploded. “How dare you come waltzing in here to enforce your will?”
Tianoman sent him a glance. “Sanctuary sits smack in the middle of the highest concentration of sites, and yet hasn’t one herself. That island spooked me every time I came here; it’s perfect.”
“Maybe, but you should ask first.”
Kaval melted away swiftly, seeing a family confrontation in the offing.
Tianoman was cold. “Cousin, watch your mouth.”
“Bugger you, Tian. This is my home now. You ask first.”
Tianoman was expressionless. “Of course. Forgive my presumption. May we use the island to the purpose stated?”
Teroux crossed his arms. “No.”
“Ah, so it’s like that.” Tianoman moved away from the table and traversed the intervening space. Tristan made to interfere, but Caballa caught his arm and shook her head. Rose retreated. Lowen and Cassy watched.
Teroux paced boldly forward. “That island is too close to this house. Rose could get hurt.”
“Then Rose can move away for a time.” Tianoman came to a halt. “Don’t use her like that. What is the real problem?”
“You. You are the youngest, yet you come in here throwing your weight around. I don’t like it.”
“I don’t like that you assume youth must make me humble.”
“Caballa, we don’t have time for this,” Tristan muttered.
“Make time, or those two won’t work together.”
Teroux gripped Tianoman’s arm and frogmarched him back to the table. “Look! Sites everywhere and you choose this place? Why?”
Tianoman shrugged him off, barely holding onto his temper. “To have impact, idiot.”
Teroux laughed. “The youngling thinks he knows so much!”
Tianoman drew himself up and his eyes flashed. “Do not push me anymore.”
Teroux smacked a hand on the table. “I’ll push!”
“Because Tristan has followers and you do not? Because I have three Elder councils and you do not? Do you feel left out?”
Tristan sighed. That was not the best move, gods.
Teroux snarled and pounced, but Tianoman raised a hand and sent him flying before he could come close. He bent over his fallen cousin. “Stop it, Teroux. This isn’t necessary.”
Teroux sat up. “I was happy until you two came with your big life-shattering project. You’re right, I do feel left out and it really peeves me.”
He was on his feet and attacking again. He went sprawling once more and Caballa snatched at Rose. At this point Rose’s involvement would only stoke the fires.
“Teroux, for pity’s sake,” Tianoman frowned, standing over him. He knelt. “Listen to me. You are lord of Sanctuary and that is an awesome …”
“Don’t patronise me.”
“Gods, I’m not.”
“I’ll beat you …”
Tianoman put a hand on his cousin’s chest and pressed down. “I didn’t want to say this, but you can’t. Beat me. The Throne is uncloaked; it won’t let you.” He took his hand away and rose. “Stop this. We are family, and we are also friends. I would rather work with you than against you.”
Teroux stared up.
Tianoman returned again to the table. He gestured Cassy nearer.
“The Lord Vallorin,” Teroux said.
Tianoman’s hand froze in mid-air. “Yes, that is right. I am Vallorin and you swore an oath of loyalty. That makes you my subject, Teroux Valla, before it makes you my cousin. I am commandeering that island and if you do not like it, I suggest you present yourself for judgement to the Elders.”
Teroux was on his feet. Stiffly, he said, “My Lord refuses to judge me himself?”
“Yes, he does, for he would be too harsh.” Tianoman looked at Caballa.
She bowed and took Teroux’s arm to lead him out. Rose followed.
Tristan clucked his tongue. “Shit, man, have you any idea how long it’s going to take to fix that?”
Tianoman huffed. “I know. What’s biting him?”
“Fear. He fears we regard him as less.”
Tianoman stared at the table. “We don’t.”
“We do. We always seek to protect him.” Tristan paced closer to stand beside his younger cousin. “When you were younger, right up until the Time realm, Teroux and I thought we needed to protect you, largely from yourself.” Tristan smiled at him. “Only you soon proved pretty tough, right?” The smile vanished. “Teroux feels needed when he does the protecting. He will soon realise he can’t make everything right, and then he will be fine. We have to leave him to it.”
“Tannil?” Tianoman murmured.
“His father, yes. What happened to Tannil left deep scars.”
“I will go talk to him.”
“Leave him. Time is his real ally now.” Tristan paused there. “I never swore a formal oath of loyalty to you as Vallorin.”
Tianoman sighed. “You were in the Void when the ceremony was held.”
“I regard you as my Vallorin.”
“I know.”
A beat. “I am prepared to swear, Tian.”
A longer beat from the younger man. “You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“You are Kaval leader. As my father said at our meeting, there will be times when my ideals and yours will not be the same, and then an oath will stand between us. It is better for both of us
if we keep it simple.”
Tristan glanced at Cassy, the only other person in the room now. Lowen had followed Caballa and Rose out. He glanced at her because he wanted her to leave to say his piece, but she stared back at him, and nodded slightly.
He blinked. She was telling him to remain separate from the Valleur binding, formally anyway. In his heart every binding held.
Tianoman waited.
“I hope our ideals are never at odds, cousin,” he said.
Tianoman smiled, relieved. “Likewise.”
Tristan pointed down. “So, you think Sanctuary?”
A moment more of settling into what had been agreed, and then Tianoman nodded. As Lowen returned, he said, “My feeling is we need determine the central point first, or we find ourselves searching for one among the other fourteen choices. There are enough sites to surround this world, and that island is a node of power.”
Lowen murmured, “Torrullin always said there was something odd about that piece of land.”
Cassy nodded. “We determine the other points now and get moving. Call the Kaval back in.”
Tristan did so, and they trailed in from various directions, noting Teroux’s absence, and Caballa came in soon after, alone. Clearly Rose elected to remain with Teroux.
Cassy, with Belun’s help, drew in a mighty circle around the systems Sanctuary nestled within, and then the two determined which worlds on that circle possessed sacred sites. It transpired the majority had, and the calculations began to determine effective spacing. Jonas was soon involved, as well as Erin.
The others talked among themselves while they waited.
The Path of Shades
THE LIGHT WAS gone and had it not been for Torrullin holding tight to Saska’s hand, he would have lost her.
Ahead they heard Elianas crashing forward with Declan on his back, and understood he created noise deliberately. When Elianas set up a tuneless whistling only to pause soon after, Torrullin grinned in the dark. He whistled back, paused, and grinned again when Elianas started his tune up again. In that manner they forged on.
Unseen branches smacked at them and unknown things snagged at their feet. Saska’s bare feet soon slowed her and Torrullin, like to Elianas with Declan, took her on his back. They walked into trees, low-slung limbs, giant stumps, and swearing interspersed the whistling.
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