“Count on it, my friend.”
Chapter 12
Drops of sunshine, drips of rain, droplets in mist, smears of a rainbow … all is possible …
~ Anonymous ~
Avaelyn
TEIGHLAR AWAKENED STIFF and sore.
While the bed Elianas prepared for him was comfortable, he was not unaccustomed to sleeping with temperamental elements in the chamber. Torrullin and Elianas’ home had no windows and no doors; everything was exposed to nature. It meant the storm plagued him throughout the night and he had lain listening to the rain dripping puddles too close to his bed. He cocooned himself in the bedclothes, but it did not keep the chill at bay.
He rose with a groan. He was exhausted, but the goddamned sun was now shining directly into his face. He blinked and stood - in a puddle. Swearing about the bloody-mindedness of Elixir and this silly dwelling, he found the bathroom.
Teighlar then followed his nose to the kitchen to find Elianas brewing coffee. The man leaned on the counter with both hands staring at dripping dark liquid. It was doubtful he saw anything and obviously he thought he was alone. Teighlar cleared his throat and Elianas blinked and straightened.
“You are up early.”
“I do not know how you two sleep with a storm swirling over you. Gods, I am tired, could really use a cup of that.” Teighlar wandered further into the kitchen.
Everything was practical and natural, although technological items stood around. He had himself never been into kitchens, thus was not sure what to do in this one.
Elianas grinned and pointed at the table and chairs set under a candelabra made of shells and seaweed.
“Yes, well,” Teighlar muttered, and flopped down. He continued to look around. Bunches of herbs hung along the far wall. Various small baskets. An ancient dresser sported plates, bowls and mugs. Homely.
“Who cooks?”
Elianas approached with a two steaming mugs, with milk and honey balanced in the crook of his arm. “We both do.” He set the mugs down and passed the rest to Teighlar. “Recently I have had to. Torrullin is uninterested in food right now.”
There was a message in there, but Teighlar was more astonished by the normality revealed. “You mean you actually cook meals in pots and pans and things? And it is edible?”
Elianas burst out laughing. “Which era do you live in? Men do cook.”
Teighlar muttered under his breath and got stuck into the excellent coffee.
Elianas watched him for some time before saying, “You could get caught in the middle.”
“I am beginning to understand that.”
“You do not have to do this.”
“No, I do not, but I am doing it and that is that.”
Elianas nodded. “We may require a referee.”
Teighlar set his mug down, curling his hands around the warmth. “I need to know what is going on.”
“Torrullin should be here first. Let it not be said …”
“I am here, so talk,” Torrullin said as he walked in. He headed to the coffee-machine and helped himself. “Morning, Emperor.”
Elianas’ lips tightened.
“Tell me, Elianas,” Teighlar prompted.
Out of the corner of his eye he noted Torrullin turn and lean against the counter. Those grey eyes raked Elianas and then Torrullin closed in. He sat to face both men at the table. Teighlar chose to ignore the simmering anger.
The dark man gazed only at the Senlu. “After the fiasco of Lethe we were forced to extremes to return Tymall to Digilan …”
“Wait. Tymall was in this universe?”
“Seconds only. We were lost in realms, planes and parallels without means to tell the difference.”
“A Walker should not have such a problem,” Teighlar pointed out, but did not look at Torrullin.
“The Walker was as lost.”
“Why?”
“Because Tymall inadvertently brought something of Digilan with him; it obscured all portals. Nemisin was behind it.”
Teighlar sipped at his coffee, frowning.
Elianas raised an eyebrow at Torrullin, who must have given a signal, for the dark man started talking again. “We realised we were lost and Tymall and I were swiftly at each other’s throats. Thereafter the situation took a turn for the worse.” Elianas drew breath. “That was when Tymall started playing Torrullin and me against each other. We had these dynamics on the go and yet had to work together to exit and we had to find the portal to send Tymall back to Digilan. Tymall did not want to leave, trust me. In that twisted mind of his …”
“Elianas, stick to the facts.”
Elianas glanced at Torrullin. “He was twisted.”
Torrullin smacked the table.
“Fuck you, Torrullin. If you want to tell him the tale in your way, you are welcome to.”
“Do go on.”
Elianas shifted his gaze back to Teighlar. “Tymall reasoned out his father requires a witness and therefore sought to become the Eternal Companion …” He spat the latter out. “… and thus tried every trick.”
“He took you on?” Teighlar breathed. He would not want to mess with Elianas.
Elianas gave a mirthless grin. “He did, and the Warlock without Digilan is still a phenomenal force. Torrullin was caught in the middle.”
“Alhazen is a phenomenal force also,” Torrullin put in.
“But Alhazen had recently relinquished his Shadow Wings,” Elianas said. “Suffice to say, the moment came when Torrullin had to choose. His choice would make or break one of us.”
“He chose you,” Teighlar said.
Elianas inhaled. “And it shattered whatever peace of mind he had left. I killed Tymall.” He glanced at Torrullin, and then ignored him. “Digilan was sundered, and you know the battles that followed.” He drew another breath. “There was not much left of Torrullin that was not insane and filled with rage. He knew he was falling apart, and the confrontation on Echolone with Nemisin finished it off. I took Torrullin away and Rayne took his place.”
“Quilla did not at first understand why you did so,” Teighlar said.
“No one did and no one would.”
“And thus you kept him here until his mind could re-knit. And now you want to punish him for helping you?” Teighlar demanded of Torrullin.
“No.”
“He is punishing me for the choice he made,” Elianas said.
“The fault was not yours.”
Torrullin said, “The fault is very much his, Emperor. You see, Elianas is being coy. He played Tymall. On the day in question Elianas played devil’s advocate - bridges of truth, he calls it. Tymall believed he had to act. He took Elianas and had to be stopped. That is why I am angry, and had Elianas not …”
Elianas bore to his feet. The table shoved up against Teighlar, who gasped a breath. “You came after us!”
“I came after you! I chose you over my son!”
“For god’s sake, what would you have had me do?”
“You did the only thing you could.”
“And yet you want to punish me.”
“The truth? I am punishing myself, Elianas. You are the scapegoat for my guilt. I wanted to kill him for what he did to you, but you were not as weak as I thought.”
“I am not a fool in battle; your enemy makes mistakes when he thinks he has advantage, and Tymall was my enemy, Torrullin, whether you like it or not.”
“You forced me into a decision.”
“Tymall forced you, and you could have chosen your son.”
Torrullin surged to his feet. “There is my guilt! How could I choose anyone over you? You are the only one left!”
Elianas closed his eyes. “So I am, yes. And now you know it as well. Lorinin.” He opened his eyes … and waited.
Torrullin heaved a breath. “By god, you are punishing me, because I am Lorinin. Why the fuck, Danae?”
Elianas murmured, “I see now. There are still gaps in your memory.”
“There are not.”
>
“Ancient memory, Torrullin. We shall go round and around until you do remember and only then will we make peace.”
Torrullin sank into his chair. “What happened, what have I not remembered? And why can you not tell me?”
Elianas leaned across the table. “You are the sole trueblood Valleur left in this universe and I am the last of the oldest Valleur family. I am a word of power and you are the blood that enables it. We are bound in ways neither of us even comprehends, and it is those very questions we live with still that takes from me the right to reveal something you cannot remember. Telling you gives you nothing, it gives us nothing. I am not punishing you; I am praying daily you will remember.”
Torrullin stared at him. “You are nobler than I am, Elianas Danae. I am punishing you.”
Elianas nodded and drew back. “I know, Torrullin Lorinin Valla.” He glanced at Teighlar. “And now we have a referee. He is not Tymall, is he?”
“I am still here,” Teighlar muttered. “And you two confuse the hell out of me.” He shoved at the table until he had more space to move, and leaned on his elbows. “I choose now to change the subject. You are not the only people in the goddamn universe with problems.”
“Oh?” Torrullin frowned.
Teighlar licked his lips.
Elianas sat. “Grinwallin?”
“I wish it was as simple as Grinwallin and her moods. I believe I can deal with her dangerous temperament better than with this.” Teighlar sighed long before going on. “I would say nothing, but the truth is, there are now too many events occurring in the same time frame. Something masterful is in planning stage. Tian and Aislinn’s kidnap is one factor, Teroux nearly drowned … and I am accused of vile murder.”
HER NAME WAS ALLISIN, a beautiful Senlu woman Teighlar had many years ago enjoyed a lengthy liaison with.
They parted amicably and later Teighlar heard she had a daughter and named her Alik. He thought no more on it, because, as an immortal, he knew he could not father a child. In his heart he wished her all the best for the future, until the day Allisin came to him with a request.
Alik had shown remarkable talent for healing, but found the Herbmasters of Grinwallin too limited in their knowledge. There was not much a healer could achieve with only herbs and lore.
She desired to study to become a doctor such as the universe trained at specialised medical campuses, in particular the expensive facility located on Thisseldrum.
Alik was his daughter, Allisin claimed.
Teighlar denied her, explaining about the limitations of immortality, but she did not alter her claim. She told him to look at Alik - he would see it himself - and she told him to have her tested, and he refused. To ease his conscience, however, he set up a trust fund to pay for Alik’s training.
The period of study amounted to ten years, years he could avoid meeting her.
“THEY FOUND ALLISIN STABBED and beaten on the horse midden,” Teighlar said, staring at his hands after telling them about his liaison. “Dead beyond hope. The weapon used transpires as one of mine. And someone pulled up our past. Dechend says it is because there is a pretender to the Senlu Throne, someone who understands that, as an enchanter, there is a chance the rules of immortality bent for me as they did for you. Someone who wants to send a message.”
He glanced at Torrullin, and lowered his gaze to his hands once more. “Or it could be dissatisfaction with the Luvan connection. I have not claimed my ancestry, but folk are not deaf even in silence. Whatever it is, I am the murderer. Apparently my jealousy over her new lover led to confrontation.”
Silence marked his narrative.
Teighlar filled it.
“I had not spoken to Allisin in five years and certainly was unaware of a lover. Her daughter Alik left ten years ago for Thisseldrum and, while she must have returned to Grinwallin during semester breaks, I have not seen her.” He lifted his hands to his face. “By now someone has told her of her mother’s death and probably told her who they believe killed her.”
“Where is she?” Elianas asked.
“I told Dechend to recall her if …”
“Recall her. Her life is in danger,” Torrullin interrupted.
Teighlar’s hands dropped.
Torrullin glanced at Elianas. “Can you reach Dechend from here?”
A beat and then a nod. “Consider it done.”
“You came here partly to escape the situation in Grinwallin,” Torrullin said.
“No, although I admit it occurred to me after I arrived here,” Teighlar said.
“Is she your daughter, Emperor?”
Silence. A shrug.
Torrullin sighed. “She is. Man, it is a blunder of epic scale to have denied her this long.”
Teighlar groaned and lowered his head to his arms on the table.
Elianas said, “Dechend will go to Thisseldrum right away.”
No response came from Teighlar, but Torrullin jerked a nod. He then glanced at Elianas. “It is time Teighlar admits the rest. He is being held back by denial.”
Elianas nodded. “He must call himself by his true name, yes. It will free him of the restrictions he places upon himself.”
Teighlar snapped his head up. “What are you on about?”
“You have heard us name each other and it releases us to be and do and feel in this reality. If you truly want to help us, and receive help in turn, then you must do likewise. After what you told us, it has absolute relevance. You need to be free if you desire to know your daughter.”
Teighlar surged to his feet, “Meaning? My name is my name!”
“It is a name, Emperor,” Torrullin said. “It is not the whole of you.”
“I … no!”
“Torrullin could do it for you,” Elianas suggested.
“That could be construed as coercion,” Torrullin said.
“I hate riddles! Speak plain! I am Teighlar, but if you are suggesting that it is not my name - please, for god’s sake, tell me.”
Elianas arched an eyebrow.
Torrullin rose. “A first name is a true name in most instances, although there are spectacular exceptions to that. My friend, in your case, your first name is also your true name, but that does not subjugate Teighlar at all. What matters is that you know; no one else need ever be told. Silence can deafen also.”
Teighlar sank down. “I need a drink.” There was only silence. “Fine! Tell me.”
“You do not know?” Elianas said.
Again there was silence and then Teighlar muttered, “Maybe. I need to hear him say it.”
“Say it,” Elianas prompted.
Teighlar and Torrullin locked gazes. “Your name is Alexander Diluvan. You are High King of Orb and the Diluvan race was created from your blood. You are not merely the ruler of a people; you are the father of a race. And those reverberations cause others to malign you, because they cannot simply kill you.”
Teighlar was ashen.
He stumbled up and strode from the kitchen.
ELIANAS MURMURED, “Now his hell begins.”
“Elianas, could a Lorinin be called a father of a race?”
The dark man blanched. “Gods, no. Aaru, Torrullin, that would be terrible.”
Torrullin smiled and laid a hand on Elianas’ shoulder. “You have no idea how that eases me.”
Elianas briefly laid his hand over the one on his shoulder and then moved away. “Go to him.”
Torrullin’s eyes narrowed. Elianas had been skittish when it came to touch; he wondered what the real reason was. He nodded, however. “Someone needs to explain, yes.”
“He will be in a better position if he knows his past.”
“Pity someone cannot help me with my past,” Torrullin muttered, and left.
“Pity you do not realise you already know, foolish man,” Elianas mumbled, and set about making breakfast.
Chapter 13
I am the daughter of kings! Leave me to my fate!
~ Opening line of Royal Pilgrim, a Beaconite n
ovel ~
Thisseldrum
THE FIRST ATTEMPT ON Alik’s life arrived from an unexpected quarter.
It came from a fellow student and was not particularly subtle or successful. He dropped a tablet into her glass of water, doing so when she was at the counter ordering coffee to go with her meal, thinking she would not see him. Alert as she was, she caught him at it, dragged him by his hair to the dean, taking the offending glass with them.
It transpired he laced her water with a toxic substance used in the laboratory to clean bones and he was paid via envelope - drug funds, he said. He was expelled and Alik was left with a sour taste in her mouth.
The second attempt came barely an hour later and was more direct. A shadow in her doorway tossed a vicious blade, which missed her only because she bent to retrieve an item of clothing from the floor at the opportune moment. There was no trace of her assailant after.
Mikhail Bannerman, her best friend on campus, raised a huge stink and the dean set a contingent of guards on her, although he did not understand why she suddenly merited assassination attempts. No one, besides Mikhail, knew of her parentage.
The third attempt was a snake in her bed that night, but she had chosen to sleep in Mikhail’s chamber, feeling safer with a trusted friend. One of the guards saw something wriggling under the covers and discovered the reptile.
Then it got worse for her, although it had nothing to do with assassination.
She was summoned to the dean and found Elder Dechend waiting for her, concern etched into his wise face.
He had been informed of the three attempts on her life and insisted she return to Grinwallin. He explained the situation in broad terms to Dean Gladstone, who finally realised he had an august student in his care, and hasty arrangements were made to facilitate her departure. It was agreed she would return later to complete her finals.
Mikhail was stunned and heart-broken. She was aware he cared for her as more than a friend and it felt terrible to leave him without dealing with his feelings. She had no choice and she hated the lack of control. She hated leaving a task undone after all the years she put in to reach graduation, and she hated having to say goodbye to Mikhail.
Lore of Sanctum Omnibus Page 140