“This is why you wanted the Dome,” Tristan muttered. “Also impervious to magic, their kind anyway, and able to withstand siege. Ha.”
Again Teighlar sucked at his teeth. “We need discuss merits.”
Sabian stood. “None of you are getting this right.” He moved around the slab to Torrullin. “You need to get your wings away from Tymall’s influence. With them in hand you alone can saunter up to the citadel and, poof! It is all over. We go home. They do not.”
“And how exactly do I wrest them from him?” Torrullin demanded.
Sabian muttered as if frustrated with ignorance. He swung around waving his arms to encompass everyone. “Speak all truths.”
Elianas’ gaze dropped to the slab.
Torrullin did not react.
Sabian noted the quality of the silence and swung back to Torrullin. “Nuances, you said. You must use it. Every time someone reveals something hidden something here will change. And every change can be employed to get closer to Tymall.”
“You do not know what you ask.”
“My Lord!” Belun called out. “Soldiers on the common. Shoulder to shoulder.”
Silence ensued, laden with tension, and everyone gazed at Torrullin to gauge his reaction. Torrullin murmured, “They know we are in one place and seek to contain us.” He gave a wry grin. “So much for Horatio’s universal day.”
Elianas clambered to his feet, heading to the monitors. Braced there, he studied the situation, with the Centuar watching him in curiosity, before he faced the gathering.
“Whatever they believe as to strength and weakness, with all of us here, the Palisade is open to attack. Its destruction will remove from us choices. Do we want to surrender it so soon? It gifts them psychological advantage early in this game of brinkmanship.” Dark eyes flicked to Torrullin and fixated there.
Belun, too, shifted his gaze to that quarter.
Rose paled and gripped Teroux’s hand.
Watching her, Torrullin murmured, “We need to maintain the upper hand. I am not about to relinquish the Palisade.”
Rose’s chest rose and fell.
“There is more value to it than mere strategy,” Elianas murmured, also marking Rose’s reactions. He was about to say more, and then he was in swift motion for the ogive.
The ogive chimed and he was gone.
Bloody, brave and stupid man. Cursing under his breath, Torrullin ran after him. “Stay here!” A chime sounded, and he was gone as well.
Belun, ashen, gazed at the others.
They crowded behind him to stare at the monitor.
Palisade
THEY POUNDED DOWN the Dome’s path, smacked into soldiers at the end of it, roughly shoved men and boys out of their way and threaded desperately through the host to the Palisade entrance.
Hands grabbed at them, waylaid them, but could not hold them. As Torrullin said, no battle could be fought on the common.
They came upon a unit kneeling in moist earth, sighting a rocket launcher. Horatio was being imprudent. It would pay the man to herd the lot of them here first before attempting to destroy this seemingly indefensible place.
There was no time to unravel it.
Elianas gripped the nearest soldier by his hair and yanked him back to kick him in the face. The man slumped unconscious. Torrullin meanwhile shoved the launcher over and then gripped the closest soldier, punching him in the side of his head.
Pounding feet on the path told them more soldiers approached, many more.
They hurtled over the mess of men and the gun and put their backs to the wooden fence, lifting hands to defend her.
“Does that weapon work here?” Elianas heaved, gesturing at the rocket launcher.
“It shouldn’t,” Torrullin muttered, but approached it and manhandled the device to face back along the path. Elianas jumped in to help. As soldiers ran into the arena of this tiny battle’s space, Torrullin depressed the trigger without bothering to sight for a target.
Nothing happened.
He straightened and swiped the object with a booted foot, causing it to fall over. “Tell your general technology and mechanics will not work.” He leered challenge. “Who is ready to face us?”
Elianas laughed, and somewhere in there was relief.
The soldiers milled in confusion. General Horatio had explained and explained again that they were immune to magic, had forced them to eat genetically engineered meals to that end, but as yet not one among them had faced a situation where it could be put to the test. Would it work? Or was it simply a ploy to throw them into the path of sorcerers? Were they cannon fodder?
A fair number backtracked back along the path and turned and ran from confrontation; let someone else prove veracity.
A fair number remained. These were seasoned soldiers and had fought under General Horatio’s command before; the man would not lie, particularly not about this.
Torrullin sent a blast of magic across the intervening space.
Nothing happened.
Clearly Horatio had not lied.
Elianas hissed and drew his sword of light. “Hand-to-hand, Torrullin.” The Lumin Sword remained inanimate. Here it was simply a length of metal to employ as a standard weapon.
Torrullin pulled his blade free as soldiers hurtled at them. “There are too many.” He grinned at his companion, and the two of them met their opponents.
It was quickly evident the soldiers relied on guns, guns that were worthless adornments in this place, and not one possessed a sword, and had they, no one knew how to wield one. Relying on technology had its drawbacks. A few hastily drew knives, but these were no match for two master swordsmen.
The ensuing battle, despite initial doubt, was short. Only one escaped and Torrullin and Elianas stood with bloodied blades over the fallen.
“That was not so bad,” Elianas muttered.
Torrullin was grim. “We have not enough swords between us to stop a host. All they have to do is keep coming.”
Elianas was sanguine as he wiped his sword clean on a soldier’s tunic. “Then we must employ something unexpected.”
“I am all ears.”
The dark man offered a smile. “We shall figure it out.”
“It seems normal,” Torrullin murmured, gesturing at the golden sword in Elianas’ grip.
“I aim to keep it unlit. It is an ace we may need later.”
Torrullin agreed, and studied the structure behind them. “Will the shield hold here, do you think?”
“It will now. They cannot bomb it.”
They stood a while longer to restore even breathing before heading back to the Dome. “Any thoughts on wresting Shadow Wings back?” Torrullin murmured.
No soldiers were on the path, and no one attempted to waylay them when they weaved through the host.
Elianas shrugged. “He has not assimilated them; he uses them to maintain his fort. They are still yours.”
“What are you implying?”
“Torrullin, how did we get wings in the first instance?”
Silence, and they swerved onto the Dome’s path.
“I cannot. Not again.”
“I am glad to hear it, but it is the only way. That choice is yours alone.” Elianas murmured.
“And what happens if I decide to do so?”
“I assume you mean to us.” Elianas was silent a few paces. “I do not know. It would not change how I feel, but I would certainly be wary of you after.”
They did not speak again, and soon stepped through the dragon’s ogive.
Citadel
HORATIO WAS IN A FURY.
He suggested deploying a nuclear device, but Bannerman flatly refused.
“It is anti-matter!” Horatio shouted, livid. “Strike first and we have psychological and practical defeat!”
“And it could take us all to kingdom come,” Bannerman responded, “if it even works.”
Horatio paced like a madman. “We have few options, Bannerman. How do you expect success without risk?
”
“I have risked everything, you prick. But I love my skin still. You are not under any circumstance to arm a nuke while we are caught in this trap. Am I clear?”
Horatio stalked to the huge table and thumped both fists hard upon it. His face was mottled with rage and papers shuddered upon the surface. Further down a mug fell over and spilled cold coffee over sensitive documents, and he roared in further fury.
Cranckshaw, the architect, about to enter, retreated. His arms were over full with rolled blueprints. The man stood in the shadows for long minutes before coming to a life-altering decision.
“Calm the hell down,” Bannerman snapped. “We have the numbers. All they have now are a few men able to wield swords. It is only a matter of time and patience.”
Horatio marched to a halt before Bannerman. “And then? The only fuck who can get us out of here again is Elixir himself.”
Silence, and then, “Shit.”
Horatio threw his hands in the air. “So what do we use to coerce him?”
Bannerman was thoughtful. “Tianoman Valla.”
The general paced a little more and then sat, lacing his hands on the table. “How?”
Bannerman sighed. “As much as I hate this, it is time to confer with Tymall and he will not come here. Suit up, General; we are going for a walk.”
The Dome
“ROSE, PLEASE, COME WITH me,” Teroux begged in an undertone. He managed to draw her aside when everyone else crowded the monitors. “It is not safe here,” he insisted.
“And where would we go? As Torrullin says, this is the safest place for us. Teroux, you are not making sense.”
“I know of a hiding place in the fort. We could wait it out.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Are you insane? Torrullin and Elianas will target it soon.”
Teroux shook his head. “They cannot take it, I tell you. There are layers of secrets surrounding that place. I say now, we will all end up there eventually.”
Rose stared at him. “I prefer staying here. Lowen is here, and Caballa. I feel better knowing I have strong women guarding my back, as well as a team of powerful men. You know this is the best place …”
“It is not!” He gripped her arm and began hauling her to the ogive.
She pulled free. “Teroux, this is madness.”
“Hey, you two! They are coming back!” Belun called out.
Rose strode back to the slab, shrugged at Caballa when she looked her way, and sat.
Teroux, after a moment, sat beside her and would meet no one’s eyes.
TORRULLIN WAS AT THE helm expounding on the situation revealed by the skirmish. “Sorcery is thus void. Their disadvantage is lack of weaponry.”
“It’s a stalemate,” Tristan muttered.
Quilla stood. Until now he had been markedly silent. “How does truth alter nuances?”
“Birdman, that is a dangerous road,” Torrullin said.
“And I know how you like your secrets, but what are we to do otherwise?”
“Shadow Wings,” Sabian murmured.
“The Lumin Sword,” Lowen added.
“No to both,” Torrullin said.
Quilla folded his hands upon his breast and lifted one eyebrow.
Torrullin leaned over the console. “I have no idea how truth alters nuances here, only that it does.”
“Someone should attempt it,” the birdman said. “A small truth, perhaps, to determine likely results.”
Torrullin waved one hand expansively. “Go to it.”
“I have nothing to hide, my friend. The Time realm cured me of all secrets, you know that.”
Torrullin briefly closed his eyes. “I cannot, Quilla.” He inhaled deeply. “The Throne was instrumental in creating this place of confrontation and it, too, said we should speak the truth here; results could be contained and we can turn our backs on said results, if they are beyond normal acceptance, to return to reality denying all changes. I hear that, and in a sense it gives us a manner to escape what transpires, but, Quilla, look around you. Tristan, Teroux, Rose, Caballa. Family. How then?”
“Too long have you walked in the shadows, Torrullin, and too long has your family, and I include Vannis, Tristamil and Taranis in this, been kept in the dark about who you really are and where your soul resides. Perhaps it is time to confess.”
Elianas murmured, “Separate his secrets and he unmasks all of you.”
Quilla snapped, “And what exactly does that mean, Elianas?”
The dark man rose. “Nobody here can stand up to scrutiny, Quilla … except you, of course.”
Teighlar was next to his feet. “I agree with Torrullin and Elianas. Certain factors are best left buried.”
Sabian sighed, but did not say anything.
Silence ensued.
How to break it? How to move forward? Where lay the factor that heralded change and therefore an opening path? Torrullin glared at the console in quandary, thinking on options.
Change commenced in the next moment, and it began with Belun gasping in shock to escalate when an alarm rang out. When Belun swore to high Aaru and jerked around to stare at Torrullin in disbelief, hell commenced in all heat and fury.
The Dome shuddered.
Torrullin stared at the Centuar, his throat closing in dread. This kind of change he had not factored in, had not even remotely entertained it.
Elianas demanded, “Where, Centuar?”
“Outside. An explosion.” Belun’s voice was hoarse.
“Impossible,” Elianas snapped and strode to the monitor. In the silence from the others, the alarm beeped loud and strident to jolt already stretched nerves.
The Dome shuddered again. It also suddenly listed as if tumbling over.
Elianas hissed.
Torrullin watched him, seeking the answer in his reactions.
Tristan muted the strident alarm and moved to stare over Elianas’ shoulder at the monitor. Both men straightened simultaneously. Tristan glared at the screen as if demanding it to reveal it was mistaken. Elianas swivelled in seeming slow motion to Torrullin. There was no colour in his face.
Belun exhaled explosively, Centuar eyes going from Elianas to Torrullin as if hoping they would deny what had happened. No sound came forth from those at the slab.
Elianas said, his voice rasping, “The Dome is failing. The only way it could happen is via energy.” He cleared his throat, surprised he could still speak.
Torrullin, hands white in a grip upon the console, managed to say, “Elianas. Concentrate. You are the creator. Can you arrest it?”
The dark man’s eyes hooded. “Not without expending … much.”
It worsened then. Belun moaned and pointed a shaking finger at another monitor. Torrullin dragged his gaze from the fury building inside Elianas, and strode in to the gathering there.
Another explosion was visible in gigantic, licking orange flames. Giant cracks formed in the ancient crystal.
“An energy weapon,” Belun said as expressionlessly as was possible in the situation. “As Elianas said. Not magic, not technology, but a clever amalgam that allows it to function here.” He drew breath. “Torrullin, I doubt Bannerman or Horatio have such devices.” He swallowed as he gazed at Elixir.
“Elianas,” Torrullin prompted, damping his own wrath ruthlessly.
The dark man licked his lips. “I am on it. Leave me alone now.” He strode away to a shadowy space and sat there, head hanging.
Torrullin, after briefly marking the man’s commitment and also noticing how disappointed he was, no doubt over his lack of foresight in protection against a technological weapon, moved then across the circle with intent.
He reached out and hauled Teroux across the slab and threw him to the white floor. “What did you do?”
“No!” Rose screeched. She hurtled over the expanse and fetched up on her knees alongside her stricken husband. “Ask first, damn it! How do you know he did anything?”
“I had no choice,” Teroux said, sitting up and rubb
ing an elbow.
Rose stared at him and swallowed convulsively. “Teroux? Is this why you asked me to come away? It is! You placed our lives in danger! Teroux, you placed mine in the balance.”
“What did you do?” Torrullin repeated more quietly.
“Energy, as he said, created by Tymall. I was to place them in each circle, including the citadel.”
“Teroux, why?” Rose wailed.
He stared mutely at her. He had not been able to explain about Tymall’s promise, not to Rose. She would immediately see through the undertaking and he could not bear it. He needed to believe his father could be brought back.
Tristan hauled his cousin to his feet and threw him against the console. He was in control, but the line was thread thin. “How many did you place at the palisade before Torrullin ‘found’ you outside?”
A blink. “One.”
Rose moaned and covered her face. She was still on her knees.
“How much time do we have?” Torrullin demanded and, when Teroux shrugged, he wanted to kill him. Controlling a desire to slaughter the young man, for the fault really lay with Tymall, he said, “Sabian, check him for the other … whatever they are.”
Sabian did so.
Torrullin went to the man sitting unmoving in the shadows, and hunkered there. He did not speak. The Palisade needed him, but Elianas would need him more in a few moments. The dark man was ashen; the fingers resting on his knees visibly shook.
The Dome shuddered alarmingly, and thereafter straightened into its spherical state.
Elianas opened his eyes. “It is a repair only.” He drew breath, released, drew another. “I would suggest the Dome vacates this space to heal in benign vacuum.”
Torrullin took those trembling hands into his. “I need you strong. Use my fuel.”
Somewhere Teroux hissed.
Elianas’ lips quirked, but he gripped Torrullin’s hands with disturbing intensity. He had expended much. Hearts thudded in tandem, one beat, two … ten, before Elianas withdrew his hands. “I have sufficient to rebuild with.” He stood and flexed his fingers, stretched his neck. “The Palisade?”
Lore of Sanctum Omnibus Page 172