by Brandon Mull
Still forcing his power into the Founding Stone through the rope, Cole focused on the intense white glare of the little fragment. For a moment whiteness saturated his vision, and then Cole stood before an elderly man in an elegant maroon robe trimmed with gold. It had not been long since Cole had last seen his friendly face.
“Hello,” Cole said. He could still feel the golden rope in his hand, although in this vision his hands were free.
Dandalus smiled. “We meet again. You have a definite knack for getting into predicaments.”
“Ramarro has a piece of the Founding Stone,” Cole said.
“I am aware of that much,” Dandalus replied. “Would you open your mind to me? It makes it easier for me to catch up.”
“Sure,” Cole said.
“Oh my,” Dandalus said. “This is worse than I thought. I see you met my living echo.”
“You were very helpful,” Cole said.
“So I gather,” Dandalus replied. “And you are very brave and resourceful. Thank you for your many efforts. I feared the day would come when one of the torivors would breach our defenses. And now it has.”
“Can you stop him?” Cole asked. “Can I? Can we?”
“It’s too late to prevent Ramarro’s escape from the Fallen Temple. He is already on his way to the physical world. Destiny’s power provided the bridge he needed. Once in the Outskirts, his chunk of the Founding Stone will enable him to travel elsewhere.”
“Last time I energized the Founding Stone, didn’t you banish him?” Cole asked.
“When we met previously, Ramarro was using the Founding Stone to communicate,” Dandalus said. “When you energized me, I was able to interrupt that communication. Ramarro could not bring his power to bear against me from his prison in the echolands. But once part of him crosses to the physical world, I will not be strong enough to stop him from using the stone to transport himself out of the Fallen Temple.”
“Can I get the stone from him?” Cole asked.
“Too late,” Dandalus said. “Ramarro is already more in the physical Outskirts than the echolands. When I return you to the timestream, Ramarro will be gone before you can act.”
Cole slumped. “Then we lost?”
Dandalus smiled. “Not yet. Though I can’t stop Ramarro from using the Founding Stone to exit the Fallen Temple, he is now in a somewhat precarious situation. Having brought that piece of the Founding Stone to the echolands, it cannot return. He must use it with one foot in the physical world, and one in the echolands. As soon as he uses the stone to exit the Fallen Temple, he will lose his hold of the fragment. If you keep the fragment energized, at that crucial instant, I should be able to alter his destination.”
Cole got excited. “Could you change his destination right back to the Fallen Temple?”
“Perhaps, but it would be the Fallen Temple in physical Necronum,” Dandalus said. “The connections of the Founding Stone do not extend into the afterlife. The temple was designed to hold Ramarro on the echolands side. If a disciple brought him another piece of the Founding Stone, he would be able to go anywhere. It would not take long to do so.”
“Isn’t trapping him for a little while better than nothing?” Cole asked.
“It would be,” Dandalus said. “But I have another destination in mind.”
“Oh!” Cole said. “The Lost Palace?”
“No,” Dandalus said. “We worked a lot of specific holdings and bindings to keep Trillian at the Lost Palace. If I just drop Ramarro in there, he would escape in no time.”
“Then where?”
“Back when we were dealing with the torivors, one of my fellow framers of the Outskirts was a man called Kendo Rattan. He was the first Grand Shaper of Creon, and he created a vault called the Void as a possible prison for one of the torivors. In the end, we went with the Lost Palace and the Fallen Temple.”
“Will the Void hold him?” Cole asked, his hopes resurging.
“It will for a time,” Dandalus said. “We never combined our efforts to perfect it, but it remains a unique and effective container. Ramarro will find himself floating at the center of an empty space, with no way to set himself in motion, reliving the same looping millisecond over and over again. If he gets himself moving, the space in that vacuum is designed to always return him to the center, no matter what direction he travels. And each millisecond, he would return to the center as well.”
“That sounds pretty good,” Cole said.
“Kendo was extremely talented,” Dandalus said. “There would be no material within reach for Ramarro to shape, and all his efforts would be undone each millisecond. But he would be in the physical Outskirts, with access to the fullness of his powers. If he can learn to reshape time or space fast enough, he could theoretically work his way free. He would have as long as he needed to practice.”
“How long will the Void hold him?” Cole asked.
“I can’t say,” Dandalus said. “Unless I’m a fool, days certainly. Weeks probably. Months possibly. Years if we’re lucky. Almost anyone else would have no chance of ever escaping unless they had outside assistance.”
“Will his followers break him out?” Cole asked.
“We’ll have a couple of advantages,” Dandalus said. “The first is his followers won’t know where he is. The second is the Void is deliberately located in the farthest reaches of Creon, in a location both secret and difficult to access. I have all the physical Outskirts at my disposal. If I could move Ramarro anywhere, I would put him in the Void.”
“Sounds good to me,” Cole said.
“There is a chance I will fail,” Dandalus said. “But I believe I can do it. After I return you to the timestream, use the piece of the Founding Stone to converse with me again. I can tell you whether I succeeded, and we can form plans together.”
“Okay,” Cole said. “To make sure I have it all clear, you’ll send me back to the timestream, and I’ll try to keep the piece of the Founding Stone energized.”
“Yes,” Dandalus said. “Without your power, I will be unable to interfere. Are you ready?”
“No pressure,” Cole muttered. “Yeah, we better do it.”
“I’m counting on you,” Dandalus said. “Keep the rope in contact with the stone and keep the power flowing.”
“You got it,” Cole said.
Dandalus winked. “See you soon.”
Cole was back. Ramarro vanished almost instantly. Cole wasn’t sure if he actually saw him for a split second, or just remembered seeing him before taking his break with Dandalus. The flames snuffed out, but the sparkling wind of Destiny’s power kept twirling. The golden rope still clung to the piece of the Founding Stone. Still pushing his power into the fragment, Cole willed the rope to retract, bringing the stone to him.
“What happened?” Jace cried out. “Is he gone?”
Looking over his shoulder, Cole found that all his friends were unfrozen. He supposed that made sense. Ramarro was no longer there to bind them.
“He escaped,” Cole said. “But we may have sent him to a new prison. Let me check.”
Cole focused on the stone fragment and returned to the white vision where Dandalus awaited.
“Well done,” Dandalus said. “Ramarro is in the Void. He will be baffled for the first while. I wish I could see his face, but after placing him inside, I severed all contact between the Founding Stone and the interior of the Void. It should help ensure he has no foothold to the outside world.”
“Great,” Cole said. “What now?”
“Find the princesses and any friends you wish to rescue and then return to me,” Dandalus said. “If they touch the fragment of the Founding Stone while you energize it, we should all be able to converse. I have urgent news that involves you, Honor, Desmond, and Destiny.”
“You can’t tell me now?” Cole asked.
“Enjoy this moment,” Dandalus said. “You earned it. Release the prisoners. Then we’ll talk.”
The vision ended, and Cole once again stared a
t his companions. He realized that for them no time had passed.
“Nazeem is actually Ramarro the torivor,” Cole said. “I connected to the Founding Stone using Ramarro’s piece of it. Dandalus left an imprint of himself in the stone. When I energized the imprint, he was able to send Ramarro to a prison made long ago in Creon. It should hold him for a while.”
“Well done, Cole,” Honor said.
“Dandalus wants us to find your sisters,” Cole said. “I think he has news.”
“At least we can see the temple now,” Honor said.
“Many of the defenses went down when Ramarro escaped,” Prescia said. “I can feel Miracle and Destiny now, and should be able to lead us right to them.”
Harvan approached Cole and clapped him on the back. “We weren’t much of an army for you.”
“Don’t underestimate your contribution,” Prescia said. “Every person here pitted their will against Ramarro. It was a distraction for him, and provided support for Cole.”
“Especially you, Prescia,” Cole said. “Thanks for your encouragement in my head.”
“I helped as I could,” she said with a small bow.
“We saw it all,” Jace said. “Except when you were trying to burn our eyes out with that lantern.”
“Whoops,” Cole said. “You couldn’t close your eyes!”
“A little blindness is better than losing the fight,” Jace said.
“Is Thunder all right?” Ferrin asked.
Cole turned and saw the horse roaming near the altar.
“She no longer is hosting Destiny’s power,” Prescia said. “Otherwise, she appears unharmed.”
“Is that Destiny’s power in the air?” Cole asked, pointing at the sparkling whirlwind not far from the horse.
“Yes, holding to the pattern Ramarro established,” Prescia said. “I expect if we bring Destiny here, she can reclaim it easily.”
“What are we waiting for?” Jace asked. “Let’s find the princesses.”
CHAPTER
38
TAKEN
They found Mira in a cell deep beneath the temple. Cole dissolved an iron door and then discovered he couldn’t move or speak when he saw Mira inside. Jace ran to her and hugged her. They grinned and laughed.
Cole watched.
He felt too overwhelmed to speak. Until that moment he hadn’t realized how much he had given up on rescuing Mira. His bargain with Sando had gotten her captured, and, at some level, he had believed there would be no way to set things right.
Not that things were totally right.
Ramarro was now in a temporary prison. Once he was free, Cole had a feeling that nobody on either side of the revolution would be celebrating.
But that problem would come later. For now, against all odds, here was Mira, alive and well. She approached him.
“I’m so sorry,” Cole said.
“It’s not your fault,” Mira said. “You came all this way to help me?”
“He saved the day this time,” Jace said. “Cole has his power now, and it was enough to send Ramarro into a new prison instead of letting him get away.”
“Ramarro?” Mira asked.
“Nazeem’s real name,” Cole said. “He’s a torivor like Trillian.”
“Will the prison hold him?” Mira asked.
“For a bit,” Cole said. “We’re not sure how long.”
Mira searched Cole’s face. “What about Tessa?”
“Huh? You don’t know?” Cole said.
“No,” Mira said, looking more vulnerable than Cole had ever seen her.
“She’s here,” Cole said. “I found her, but Sando stole her from me. Ramarro never told you?”
Mira shook her head.
“What a jerk,” Cole said.
“She’s all right?” Mira asked, as if not daring to hope yet.
“Come see,” Prescia said from down the hall, standing before another iron door. “She’s in here.”
Mira’s expression lit up. “Really?”
Cole, Jace, and Mira hurried down the hall to Prescia. Cole pulverized the door. Mira glanced at him, eyebrows raised. “Not bad.”
“I’m good at breaking stuff here,” Cole said.
“Mira?” The hesitant voice came from the cell.
Mira turned, tears springing to her eyes, trembling hands covering her mouth. “Hi, Tessa.”
Tessa walked out and stood before her sister. “I hoped I would see you here. Hi, Cole. Did you get caught too?”
Cole laughed. “We came to bust you out. But we accidentally freed Ramarro.”
She gave a solemn nod. “I had a feeling he would escape.”
“At least an imprint of Dandalus in the Founding Stone helped me send him to another prison.”
“Was he the same as our Dandalus?” Tessa asked.
“Pretty close,” Cole said.
Mira stepped forward and hugged her sister. Tessa hugged her back, but her body stayed rigid, her eyes wide.
“I missed you,” Tessa said in a small voice.
“I missed you, too,” Mira said. “More than I can say.”
“Is this ever going to end?” Tessa whispered.
“Aren’t you the one who is supposed to know stuff like that?” Mira asked.
Tessa shook her head. “The things I most want to know never come to me.”
They ended the embrace.
“Dandalus wants to tell us something,” Cole said.
“I should get my power first,” Tessa said. “That much I can feel. And there is somebody in that cell.” She pointed.
Cole unshaped the door.
An older man exited through the empty doorway.
“Durny?” Mira asked in disbelief.
“Hello, Miracle,” he said, swinging his arms uncomfortably. “I came here to help but only managed to join the prisoners.”
Mira went to him and they hugged. “Thank you for saving me back at the proving grounds,” she said.
“It was my duty and privilege,” Durny replied. He studied Cole. “Looks like you saved the day again, my young friend. I’m beginning to think you were the best purchase I ever made.”
Cole grinned. “That’s right. You used to own me.”
“Nobody will own anybody before long,” Mira said. “We’ll stop my father.”
“Father isn’t the problem anymore,” Tessa said. “If we can’t stop Nazeem, he’ll enslave us all.”
“We’ll find a way,” Honor said firmly.
“Let’s get Destiny’s power,” Jace said.
Cole walked beside Harvan as they backtracked out of the temple dungeon. The princesses walked with Prescia, Callista, and Jace. Harvan nudged Cole. “If the purpose of life is amassing stories, you have been a most profitable acquaintance.”
“There may be more to all of it than stories,” Winston inserted.
“And there may not be,” Harvan said. “This is already one of the best. Harvan Kane and the Dauntless Outsider. Something like that.”
“Now I just have to finish it,” Cole said.
Harvan waved away the comment. “You’re just saying that so there will be a world to tell it in.”
“It’s no joking matter,” Winston said.
“Which lends the humor added importance,” Harvan maintained. “Sadly, the story is moving on to a place I can’t follow.”
“Drake and I were having the same concerns,” Ferrin said, falling in beside them.
“Ramarro will only return here after he has wiped the Outskirts clean,” Harvan said. “We’ll watch and wait.”
“We could move on,” Drake said. “If our chance to influence the outcome is done, the timing may be right.”
“I’ve been having some of the same thoughts,” Winston said.
“You don’t count,” Harvan said. “You’re already dead.”
“I can still end my lingering,” Winston said.
“Who will be around to foil me?” Harvan asked. “Who will question my tales and call my bluffs?
”
“I don’t believe drawing critics will ever be a problem for you,” Winston said.
“Am I that abrasive?” Harvan asked.
“You’re not shy,” Winston replied diplomatically.
“You’ll also attract admirers,” Ferrin said. “You’re not afraid to be yourself, Harvan, and who you are demands attention.”
“I knew I liked this one,” Harvan said, putting an arm around the displacer. “If Winston rides the slipstream, I may be in the market for a partner in crime.”
“I could be convinced to linger for a season,” Ferrin said. “I’ve seen plenty of hardship and adventure, but friendship remains a novelty worth exploring.”
When they exited the building, Destiny went directly to her swirling power, entering the sparkling whirlwind without hesitation. Her hair whipped around as the vortex shrank into her. She staggered when it was gone, but she was smiling.
Her eyes shone as she looked toward her sisters. “It feels like it never left. I didn’t know how much I had missed it.”
“I know what you mean,” Honor said kindly.
Destiny looked to Cole. Her intonation became graver. “It is time we spoke to Dandalus.” The words sounded like more than the whim of a young girl.
Cole got out his captured piece of the Founding Stone. “Whoever can get a hand on the stone can visit with me,” Cole said. “The princesses should for sure.”
Mira, Tessa, and Honor all touched the stone. Jace got his hand in there as well. Cole forced his power into the stone, and a moment later they all stood in the presence of Dandalus, surrounded by featureless whiteness.
“Greetings, Destiny, Miracle, and Honor,” Dandalus said. “Congratulations on surviving your trials so far. I’m sorry for your tribulations.”
“We all have our hardships,” Honor said. “Cole informed us that you have news?”
“Cole allowed me access to his mind,” Dandalus said. “I saw how he left the bodies of Jace, Joe, and Miracle with Hunter and Dalton. I also saw where he left his body when he came across at the Temple of the Robust Sky, in a chamber beside Honor, Destiny, and Desmond. The Founding Stone connects everywhere in the physical Outskirts, so out of curiosity I searched for your bodies. It took a little time to locate Miracle, Jace, and Joe. They are in the care of members of the Unseen. But I was disturbed when I checked on the bodies in the Temple of the Robust Sky.”