TORRULLIN DISCOVERED LOWEN and Elianas sitting on the lowest of Grinwallin’s steps, feet resting on the grass before them. They were unspeaking, merely staring over night-time Tunin. Their stillness arrested him.
Sitting behind them, he said, “It appears to be night everywhere.”
They were unsurprised by his presence. Clearly, then, they had been waiting for him.
“Wings,” Lowen said.
“Tannil’s temporary incarceration,” Elianas added.
“Morning will come, though, but the days of our current journeys will have the same timing,” Lowen murmured.
“One day has passed,” Elianas said, shifting slightly on the stone step. “Perhaps Tarlinn has added this feature for us to keep to the ten day clock.”
Unseen, Torrullin nodded. Yes, it made sense, all of it. It would, however, wreak havoc with nature’s cycles on some worlds. Especially Akhavar’s. That world remained sensitive in its renewal. Silence ensued and he too looked out over Tunin in darkness. Here and there lights winked below the cliff. The adjacent area - Senlu territory - was sparsely populated. Most of the land was for farming. Further out - Valleur land - there were lights, but not significantly more. The cities on the eastern coast were too far for their glows to reach to here. All was breathlessly still. A low sliver moon hung low in the east, shedding little light.
“Perhaps it is best you three are together here where it is quiet,” Teighlar said from behind them. Groaning, he sat beside Torrullin. “Maybe talking to three is talking to one, not so?”
No one answered him.
“Your home?” Teighlar asked.
“Restored,” Torrullin murmured.
“Glad to hear it. Did you know we share a genesis, Torrullin?” The Emperor waded into the quagmire.
“It occurred to me after your Danaan story, yes.”
“Is this why we connected?”
Torrullin shifted his head to look at his friend. “Emperor, our connection had everything to do with what we are, not who we are, you know that.”
Lowen murmured, “I saw you two together with the eyes of a child, if you recall. Two enchanters. Even then I saw that was what drew you together. After, I understood Grinwallin did as well.”
“Good,” Teighlar said. “My sense of perception was not all skewed then.”
Elianas slapped hands on thighs and rose. When he turned he was a silhouette darker than the night. “Besides finding people with your history tattooed on their faces, what did you discover, Emperor?”
Lowen’s head swivelled up to him, her eyes glints in the darkness.
“So formal, the two of you. The man from Balconaru told us of the time of the Lorin,” Teighlar said.
Torrullin, watching carefully, noticed how the dark man’s chest swelled briefly with a swift intake of breath, although it was inaudible.
Teighlar laughed under his breath. “You know about it. How enlightening.”
“I have suspected, that is all,” Elianas snapped.
Lowen’s head swung away and dark hair curtained her profile.
“Did you, Torrullin?” Teighlar prompted.
“There is a period of ages I am ignorant of,” Torrullin murmured. “I am only aware of my ignorance.” Still watching Elianas, he asked, “Does it affect what happens next?”
He noticed how the man’s fingers clenched. It did affect their future. On his feet, he muscled into Elianas, driving him back onto the plain to invade his space.
“Tell me.”
“If he does not know …” Teighlar growled.
“He knows the pertinent fact,” Torrullin snapped out. “So tell me, Elianas.”
“The royal bloodline was female,” Elianas stated.
“Yes, and the so-called stagnation you experienced when you were born was actually known as peace,” Lowen muttered. “Because women ruled, there was no need for showmanship and bloody war, but you, with your arrogance, you went back to change it, because it was, what, boring? Not the kind of future a man could function in, Torrullin? Please. You fucked it up for all of us.”
“Lowen, that cannot now help,” Teighlar murmured.
Elianas shoved Torrullin back to reclaim his space. “I do not know the how, but it occurs to me this Immirin is from then. Somehow the message bounced through time until relevant.”
“A woman with the royal mark before the Dragon symbiosis?” Torrullin said, backing away to sit beside Teighlar. “Something is off kilter with that timeline, however you look at it.”
“Who?” Lowen demanded.
Elianas briefly explained about Immirin, her dragon tattoo and Lorin claim.
“And out of the ether we hear of Lorin ages,” Lowen said. “It is too conveniently connected.”
“Agreed,” Torrullin muttered. Then, because he was feeling beyond contrary, he added, “You know, Lowen, if you were part of the female cadre, you would be a warmonger ruler. Where then would be your touted peace?”
Gasping, she was on her feet. “How dare you?”
“For fuck sake, Torrullin,” Elianas muttered.
Teighlar snorted. “Sounds like you are ready for a war, my friend.”
Lowen leaned in and smacked Torrullin. “You arrogant prick!”
Laughing, he goaded, “Test me, Lowen, come on.”
Elianas gripped her to halt her and stepped between them. “Your fight is with me, Torrullin.”
Lowen swore and shoved Elianas out the way, standing toe to toe with Torrullin, looking up in blatant challenge. “No, it is with me. You want some, too, is that it?”
“We are off track …” Teighlar attempted, but they ignored him. Throwing his hands into the air, he stood. “There will be a meal waiting when you have sorted yourselves out.” Muttering darkly about jealousy, he went up Grinwallin’s mighty stairway.
They were barely aware of his leaving.
“MORE, LOWEN,” TORRULLIN whispered. “Where are you in all this? What do you … no, who do you want to emerge as victor?”
Breathing harshly, Elianas held his peace, although he stood at Lowen’s shoulder, his gaze fixed upon Torrullin.
It was too dark to discern features and it certainly hid emotions, but all they were went beyond sight.
She lifted onto her toes and whispered, “Have I created this battle?”
One hand delved into her hair to pull her closer, while the other gripped Elianas’ shoulder. “You are in the middle of one, my immortal seer.”
Her breath whistled out. “I am not yours.”
“You are not his either.” Elianas twitched under his fingers.
Lowen’s hands lifted to bring Torrullin’s head to hers. “Do you want, Torrullin?”
“All the time.”
She claimed his lips and he felt Elianas jerk. His fingers sank in deeper to hold on, while sinking into the kiss with every desire present, clasping her head to hold her there.
When he lifted his head, she held onto him, fingers twisted into his tunic, to prevent collapse. “I hate you,” she whispered, her voice almost inaudible.
Torrullin locked gazes with Elianas.
The dark man remained expressionless, but stepped closer to bolster Lowen. She sagged against him, still holding on to the man before her. Then, over Lowen’s crown of hair, he head-butted Torrullin with intent. One nose crunched audibly.
“Lowen belongs to Lowen,” Elianas said.
Grimacing as he lifted a finger to his soft and painful nose, Torrullin murmured, “And who do you belong to?” He healed the flaring agony away, watching the dark man’s eyes.
Lowen rediscovered her fire. “He belongs to himself. What is the matter with you?”
She shoved at him, but Torrullin was unmoving. Her actions rebounded to Elianas, who flinched again, the effect clear to read under Torrullin’s fingers. He still held on, and it was telling the man had not yet denied the connection.
Scooting to the side, she vacated the space between them. “I am off to eat. Stuff you both.”
She flounced away.
ELIANAS LIFTED A HAND to Torrullin’s cheek, his touch gentle, tender. “I belong to you and you belong to me.” Fingers trailed with feathery strokes into Torrullin’s neck, over his shoulder, down his back.
His grip on the dark man intensified. “Stop it.”
Elianas cocked his head. “Why do you ever deny tenderness? Why is it always smoke and mirrors with you?”
Fingers rested in the small of his back, a gentle pressure.
“Why do you hurt me?” Elianas whispered, moving his shoulder significantly.
Torrullin closed his eyes and released, and then the dark man’s lips were on his, imparting the kind of kiss he used on Lowen just now to draw her truth from her. He felt how his response told Elianas everything he needed to know. The kiss on Avaelyn had been about affirmation; this was something more.
This one changed, deepened, slewed to include hands and body. He delved into the man’s silky hair, pulled him ever closer, sensed him move with him. It changed from response to demand to response to asking more, until it was fire and nerves exploded in the heat.
Finally they needed to draw breath, not for air, but for balance of every kind. Mouths parted, but hands remained, and bodies were locked in.
“I believe you just seduced me,” Torrullin murmured.
Dark eyes crinkled at the corners. “Hmm.”
Reluctantly they parted to stare at each other as if seeing the other for the first time.
Elianas smiled then and held his hand out. “Shall we go eat?”
Fingers intertwined and they headed up. Torrullin frequently glanced at the quiet man at his side, to see only a serene expression. Somehow everything had shifted inside him, and Torrullin wondered if he could live with the changes.
He wondered how real they were.
Chapter 15
Choose what lasts longer than the other does
~ Kallanon Saying ~
Grinwallin
IN THE MORNING, Torrullin invited Freman and Urial into the Valla home for breakfast.
Aislinn was instantly in a flap, but Torrullin assured her the meal was organised, and not to worry. After Senlu had been in to deck and serve, Torrullin called them together, including Aislinn and Lunik, the latter sitting on Urial’s lap being cooed over.
“Without going into detail, we are moving to Akhavar for the foreseeable future to protect something of inestimable value, and protection must include the Throne, Tian,” Torrullin began before the first mouthful was even chewed. “We have nine days to come forth with a strategy, as you now know. The instant Tarlinn is back, you summon the seat and root it. I am releasing you three from this shielding, but head directly to Akhavar to prepare. An Elder conclave will soon be underway there as well, which I shall address with greater detail.”
He took up his coffee, waving at Elianas to take over.
Lifting an eyebrow in his direction, the dark man did so. “Mobilise the Valleur there to stand against Tannil when he comes. He will come, make no mistake. Conscript additional soldiers from Luvanor if you have need of them.”
Aislinn’s gaze moved from her expressionless husband to their guests. “Forgive me, but why are you here to hear this also?”
Freman fastidiously wiped his mouth with a napkin. “What you reveal now has come to light because of the past, and I am a Lore Master.”
“Master Freman will now tell us of the Lorin,” Torrullin said.
Aislinn blinked at her husband. When he did not react, she understood he already knew. “This is why you are not fighting us leaving the Keep,” she whispered.
Tianoman sighed, but was otherwise unmoving. He had not yet eaten anything. Elianas and Torrullin glanced at each other in foreboding.
Freman cleared his throat. “Before the birth of Torrullin Valla there were the ages before. In those ages the Valleur were alone in the universe as the stories tell and they were extraordinary in their magic and their minds. As the population grew, thus some saw the need for certain guidelines. Not laws and rules; simply guidelines to govern food and water supplies. This was when a council of Elders came into being, there to offer advice, not governance. Elders were elected by a show of hands at a gathering and many expressed relief there were wise ones to overlook their way of life. As today, the Elders were both male and female and it worked well. There was no strife.
“With time other sentient races developed and the Elders saw a need to prepare ambassadors to create benevolent connections with these others. It changed then, for the others were less certain of themselves and sought to show dominion via conquer. They possessed rulers and were commanded into certain actions. Thus the Valleur realised they too required rulers in order to stand on equal footing with the others.
“The Lorin line was born then, in expediency. It already existed, but then it took on royal status, because it was the oldest bloodline. If you seek the mantle of power, choose which already possesses an illustrious history. Lorin were not about power, however; merely the means to speak with the others from a position of some strength. In this there was some strife, for three other lines were near as old, among them the Vallas and the D– ”
“Do not say the word,” Torrullin interrupted.
“Yes, one must be wary of a word of power, even when it now contains more lumin.”
Elianas briefly chewed at his lip.
“To continue. The third line was the Aleru family, but they did not agitate for status. The Elders discussed long and heard many viewpoints, in the end choosing the Lorin to represent the Valleur to others. In those days the line descended via the mother, as many cultures still do to this day. The first Valleur ruler was thus a Lorin female, her name Millicint Lorin. She did so well with the others out there, the tradition of a female leader continued. It worked, and most wars were set aside to live in harmony, all races equal.
“Of course the families intermarried, until a time when Valla and Lorin were almost indistinguishable. Then a majestic Lorin took up reign …”
“Immirin,” Torrullin breathed. Elianas’ eyelids flickered.
Freman bowed slightly. “Indeed, my Lord, Immirin. She was a glorious woman, outspoken and unafraid. She did not undermine the treaties in place deliberately, but she asked so many questions, others began doubting her sincerity. She was curious about everything, she desired to discover the secrets of life, realms, time …”
“Sounds like my grandfather,” Tianoman murmured, speaking for the first time.
Freman smiled. “Exactly, yes, and as your grandfather has, she caused ripples, big ones. The tales are unclear here, but Immirin met someone and he revealed to her a device to control time. Enamoured as she was with secrets, she immersed herself in the science and magic of this object. We believe Immirin discovered something unsavoury she sought then to bury. She wed a Valla soon after and within two generations the Vallas were in power. The time of the Lorin ended and an age later Torrullin Valla drew his first breath.”
“Who was the man she met?” Aislinn asked.
Urial looked up. “Some say it was Eurue.”
Torrullin closed his eyes.
Elianas scratched at his head, looking elsewhere.
“Who is Eurue?” Aislinn said.
“A fancy name for ‘Creator’,” Tianoman said, standing. “Never mind, it is pure supposition.” He gazed at his grandfather. “You have spoken to this Immirin in a time beyond ours?”
“She spoke to us just yesterday,” Torrullin responded.
Tianoman sat hard. “Therefore Akhavar.”
A nod answered.
“How?” Aislinn whispered.
“A message device, but how she knew to reach forward across cycles, I cannot say.”
“If her lover was Eurue,” Elianas drawled, “how not?”
Torrullin inhaled, and it was a sharp and shaky breath of horrified enlightenment. It scared everyone there, even Lunik, who started wailing.
Elianas reached across the breakfast dishes to tap th
e ashen man. “What, by god?”
“They had a child, Elianas.” Torrullin’s eyes silvered alarmingly. “She saw what would happen, she saw this, she saw us, both of us, she forced the change upon the Valleur, because her son, their son, he was and is …”
“… the original darak fallen.”
“Darak Or Number One.”
Freman rose slowly. “Until this moment I believed it was a legend, the tale of Immirin and Eurue’s love affair. Eurue, after all, is the one we name as our God, but the legend as we have heard it in Lore circles, states a boy came of their union.”
“Does he have a name?” Elianas demanded.
“I would not like to say it aloud,” Freman murmured.
“Wise,” Torrullin nodded, and sat on at the table deep in thought.
Aislinn took a screaming toddler from Urial and headed off.
“We leave here by midday, Ais!” Tianoman called after her. “The Timekeeper knew you were alive still in Balconaru, Lore Master,” he added. “You have his true name, after all, the one you have to share with Torrullin in order to set him free.”
“I see it, yes,” the man nodded.
Tianoman leaned on his hands to face Torrullin. “Four other cities were destroyed in like manner to Balconaru. I suggest there may be a pertinent survivor in each. Or something that will tell a tale you need to hear.”
Elianas swore. “Which cities?”
“Dechend knows,” Tianoman said without looking away from his grandfather. “We need to contain this, do we not?”
Torrullin focused. “Yes.”
“I am assuming Akhavar.”
“If you seek the mantle of power, choose which already possesses an illustrious history, as Master Freman said. Yes, Akhavar.”
Tianoman said something more. “Lorin and Lorinin, Torrullin. Does it make sense to you?”
Torrullin stared at his grandson, wordless.
Elianas strode out. “I am no longer hungry. I aim to find Dechend.” Only Torrullin heard him say, I hate Akhavar.
“Torrullin,” Tianoman murmured, “I begin to smell your noble purpose.”
Lore of Sanctum Omnibus Page 200