The Dark Ascent

by Walter H Hunt

  "You have my word. You also have no choice. If you make any moves to arm, if you disobey these orders, if you divert at all, we're under orders to blow you apart so hard that you'll be nothing but background radiation."

  "I see."

  "Captain Abramowicz—" MacEwan bit her lip for a moment, looked off at her pilot's board and then back to him. "—I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure, but I promise you the hospitality of my ship and my mess if you're what you seem to be, with my deepest apologies. But we can't afford anything less draconic at the moment. I assure you that we will destroy Trebizond and everyone on it if you force the issue in any way. Is that clear enough?"

  "Yes, Captain, it is." He tossed the towel toward the recycler. "I'll pass the word."

  "See that you do. Duc d'Enghien out."

  Chapter 15

  WHEN ONE OF THE PEOPLE TRANSCENDS THE OUTER PEACE WHILE HOLDING THE INNER PEACE, THE HIS TRANSITS THE PLANE OF SLEEP AS IT TRAVELS TO REUNION WITH ESLI'S GOLDEN LIGHT. FOR A FEW MOMENTS THE HSI IS IN A STATE BETWEEN BEING AND NOT-BEING, NOT WITHIN THE OUTER PEACE BUT NOT BEYOND IT. IT IS THE MOMENT OF TRANSCENDENCE.

  —The Am'a'an Codex

  "No," Byar said. He held his wings in as polite a posture as he could. Saying no to the High Lord was unusual; and in the flight of the People in the past, it might have been fatal.

  But hi Sa'a had asked for honesty and he had felt obliged to reply.

  "It is about Sharia'a," the High Lord said. "Or Shr'e'a. If we journey to the Stone of Remembrance, we can find si S'reth. He did not explain everything he knew."

  "Clearly not, hi Sa'a," Byar replied. "But it does not justify the risk. And even if it did, has si S'reth not earned the peace of esLi's Golden Light? Like his father before him, he served the High Nest for all of his life."

  "The service we ask is not so great."

  "But it is one more service! . . . hi Sa'a, even if he were willing, we would have to locate his hsi on the Plane of Sleep."

  Byar took a deep breath and continued: "It is most dangerous, High Lord." Byar rearranged his wings in the Posture of Polite Concern. "I know that you have read The Am'a'an Codex concerning the hsi-journey, but it has been sixty-fours of turns since someone has attempted to find the hsi of one of the People that has already transcended the Outer Peace. The Codex is not even clear on this matter—whether it is a possibility or merely a speculation. What is more, without the Gyaryu'har to guard—"

  "The Gyaryu'har has gone to Sol System," the High Lord interjected. "By the time se Jackie returns to Zor'a, si S'reth's hsi will be beyond even the reach of the Stone of Remembrance. It must be done—and done quickly, se Byar. If you will not accompany me, I will do it myself—alone."

  It was a dismissive comment. Sa'a appeared ready to take off. Byar was alarmed—he knew she was serious: young and impetuous, she had already upset the Council of Eleven with her unwillingness to dip her wings into the endless, arduous rituals of the High Nest. In this time of shNa'es'ri, it seemed, hi Sa'a was what the High Nest—and, indeed, all of the People—needed.

  "Eight thousand pardons, High Lord," Byar answered, bowing low in apology. "I would sooner descend to Ur'ta leHssa than let you travel alone to the Plane of Sleep."

  "So you will accompany me."

  Byar's wings moved to reflect deep regret, but he bowed his head. "I will accompany you, hi Sa'a. I will make the preparations."

  "I am most obliged to you, se Byar," she answered, her wings elevating to the Stance of Affirmation.

  Byar spent the next hour meditating in quiet. When he came again to the Chamber of Meditation, he found the High Lord already perched in the esLiHeShuSa'a, with the hi'chya at her belt. Her wings betrayed determination, and some apprehension to go with it. High Chamberlain T'te'e was there as well, his chya drawn and ready. His stance indicated that he had voiced the same objections Byar had made and had met with virtually the same answers.

  Byar exchanged a wordless greeting with T'te'e and took up a position on a perch opposite the High Lord. Byar could sense the disquiet in his own chya, and he felt it himself.

  "ha T'te'e, will you be guarding our hyu and hsi while we journey to the Plane of Sleep?"

  "Yes," the High Chamberlain answered. "And you will guard the hsi of the High Lord." It was not a question or even a request.

  "The High Lord will guard her own hsi," Sa'a interrupted. Both of the others turned to look at her.

  "High Lord, I—" T'te'e began.

  "I did not ask se Byar to accompany me to guard; merely to advise. By esLi, I appreciate your concern, se T'te'e. But I ask you: Please do not burden se Byar in a way that I would not choose to burden him."

  "As the High Lord wishes," T'te'e said, his voice a trifle annoyed, his wings absolutely neutral. But he caught Byar's eye and the meaning was clear: Return without the High Lord, and prepare to transcend the Outer Peace.

  Byar considered protesting, but discarded the idea. His young High Lord was determined, and the need to understand S'reth so great that it seemed worth the risk.

  "Let us begin," the High Lord said, and closed her eyes, enfolding herself in her wings and assuming a posture of obeisance to esLi.

  Byar let his eyes close as well, willing himself to submit to the hsi of his High Lord, allowing his mind to drift away . . .

  When he opened his eyes, all he could see was dim gray, like a vast, open L'le shrouded in fog; there was light but there did not seem to be a source. Half-hidden by swirling tendrils, he could make out what seemed to be broken pillars, reaching like frozen talons toward some unseeable sky.

  "Come," the High Lord said, and launched herself into the air, staying close to the ground. He followed, keeping within a few wingspans of her.

  The Plane of Sleep was a Sensitive construct, a pathway beyond the World That Is; it was only their hsi that traveled across it, while the High Chamberlain stood with a drawn chya protecting their bodies in the High Lord's esTle'e.

  The World That Is seemed far away as they flew.

  Byar knew of The Am'a'an Codex. He had been surprised that the High Lord knew of it as well; the last recorded attempt to travel the Plane of Sleep had been before si S'reth was born; indeed, before the wars with the naZora'i. Any Sensitive you chose to ask would say that it was too dangerous—it was a place to lose your hsi entirely, worse than the Valley of Lost Souls. But he could not let hi Sa'a go alone. It would be unthinkable; so here he was.

  As they passed over it, the grim tableau remained substantially unchanged. There were more structures, all unfinished, like dream-fragments. Occasionally there were other People here, their hsi wandering as they dreamed. They faded unseeing into and out of the mists like ghosts, the scenery passing by around them.

  The High Lord flew on with a grim determination, scarcely bothering to look back at Byar. It did not seem important which direction they flew nor how far: nothing really had a fixed location on the Plane of Sleep relative to anything else. Unlike the land of Despite, which had its rooted landmarks like the Perilous Stair and the Icewall, the Plane of Sleep was a vast, chaotic, unformed place, an ethereal shadow of reality.

  After what seemed like an eighth of a sun but might, perhaps, have been a tiny fraction of that, there was a clearing below. In the center of the clearing was a circular piece of gray stone, smooth from long exposure to weather, topped by an octagonal platform.

  "The Stone of Remembrance," Sa'a said, slowing to hover over it. "Or, rather, its afterecho. It is the analog to the one on E'rene'e." The actual Stone was a telesthetic artifact located on that outer world of the Core Stars of the People. It was where the le'chya of Nest HeU'ur was traditionally conferred on the new Lord of Nest. Few others ever came near it.

  Byar assumed the Stance of Reverence to Ancestors and landed well away from the edge of the platform. Sa'a let herself settle onto the platform, her wings held in the Posture of Reverence to esLi—

  Suddenly she was not alone on the platform. Another had abruptly appeared,
his chya drawn and at the ready. Sa'a had not been prepared for it and quickly stepped away, reaching for her hi'chya.

  "Who comes here?" the other asked, looking from Sa'a to Byar, whose chya was already in his hand. Byar did not step onto the Stone but was undecided how to help his High Lord.

  "We seek the hsi of a wise one," she said, assuming the Stance of Reverence to Ancestors. Her hi'chya was out now but held at the ready. The other did not advance on her, but his wings still betrayed hostility.

  "This place is sacred to esLi," the stranger answered. "It is under my protection and in my care, se'e Mar de'sen. Here I remain."

  Understanding seemed to dawn on Sa'a as she heard these words. "I am honored, si Kanu'u," she said. "I am Sa'a, High Lord of the People. esLiHeYar."

  "High Lord . . . ?"

  Of course, Byar said to himself, a half-thought behind his High Lord in realizing the identity of the defender of the Stone. This must be ha'i Kanu'u HeU'ur—the Nest-lord of HeU'ur—who had spoken those words thousands of turns ago when he came to the hostile world of E'rene'e. It made sense for him to be guarding the Stone here. The actual Stone on E'rene'e marked the spot where he had originally spoken the words se'e Mar de'sen: the motto of Nest HeU'ur.

  Sa'a recited her recent ancestry, along with some ritual phrases that Byar, who thought himself a well-versed scholar, had never heard. It was clear that Sa'a had prepared herself well for this encounter: not just The Am'a'an Codex, but also even more obscure texts.

  Kanu'u seemed to accept this at last and lowered his chya.

  "Karai'i esShaLie'e," he said: Be welcome, Great Lord. It was his ritual acceptance of Sa'a as High Lord of the People.

  "Allow me to introduce the Master of Sanctuary," she said, nodding toward Byar. "se Byar HeShri."

  "Be welcome, Younger Brother," Kanu'u said, choosing the Posture of Polite Approach. Byar bowed to one who had died many eights of generations before he was born, wondering to himself where in esLi's name this was leading.

  "hi Sa'a," Kanu'u said. "You say that you seek the hsi of a wise one. Has this one gone to esLi, or is he merely lost in dreams?"

  "He has gone to esLi, si Kanu'u, but only recently. It is an evil time—a time of shNa'es'ri—and he transcended the Outer Peace before he could communicate all of his wisdom to us."

  "There is some risk," Kanu'u answered, looking from the High Lord to Byar. "Many . . . things walk the Plane of Sleep—servants of the Deceiver . . . and others."

  "How could this happen? The Am'a'an Guardians—" Sa'a began, but Kanu'u made a gesture and the High Lord looked away.

  "The Plane is a bigger place than it was. It is different, and different beings travel across it. That which was, may no longer be; that which is, may not continue much longer."

  "si Kanu'u speaks wisely," a voice said.

  Byar whirled to face someone who had just materialized from the shrouds of fog. The other, holding his wings in a mocking posture, rested his right hand with talons partially extended on a sword that Byar instantly recognized as an e'chya. His own chya snarled in response; he felt an urge to draw it.

  "How dare you approach this place?" Byar said softly, encircling himself with his wings. "I will cut your heart from your chest for coming here, Servant of esGa'u."

  "Brave words for a servant of the Crawler," the esGa'uYe responded, stepping forward another few wingspans but staying out of chya-range for the moment "You have not the protection of Sanctuary about you now, Master. Were I you, I might guard my speech more carefully."

  "I am not afraid of speaking the truth," Byar answered. He felt, rather than heard, the hi'chya of the High Lord come to guard position. He felt a chill descend from his neck to between his wings.

  "State your purpose, Servant," Kanu'u said.

  "As you wish," the esGa'uYe answered. "As a courtesy to the High Lord, who has flown so far from her safe High Nest, I seek only to provide you with information.

  "The Plane of Sleep is no longer the barren province of the dull-witted servants of the Crawler. Even the Hssa-struck mad predecessor of hi Sa'a knew that: You could ask him, if you could find any remnant of his hsi—it certainly has not gone to the Crawler's Golden Circle." He paused, as if for dramatic effect. "After all, it is his doing: He invited Elder Brother Shrnu'u to return from his long exile and thus made it possible for us to walk here.

  "As always, you foolishly do not see the end of the flight you choose. How utterly appropriate that you choose ra Shrnu'u for the Dsen'yen'ch'a rather than leave him in bitter exile beneath the Plain of Despite: It will be the new Gyaryu'har's undoing. Thus have we gained access to the Plane of Sleep and many other places as well."

  "We have heard enough," Byar interrupted, and stepped forward, angered by the insulting tone of the esGa'uYe.

  "I am not afraid of speaking the truth," taunted the Servant of esGa'u. "Perhaps it is offensive to your iconoclastic ears, le Byar—hai!" He swept his e'chya upward as Byar attacked; foul-smelling sparks spilled from the contact between it and the Master's chya.

  The Master of Sanctuary pressed his attack forward. Part of his mind told him that he had allowed himself to be goaded, to be drawn away from the Stone, but the affectionate "le" prenomen had offended him a wingspan further than his rational mind could suffer.

  "My chya will taste your foul blood, Deceiver's kin," Byar said.

  "Very sharp wit, beloved Master," the Servant said, meeting a blow and stepping out from in front of another. "Practicing with your students, I see. Perhaps if my e'chya consumes you, I will set you up as a statue in the Valley of Lost Souls. Facing the Icewall, perhaps?"

  "I do not fear Ur'ta leHssa," said Byar. "Tell the Deceiver he must send one trained with his weapon if he wishes to claim me."

  "You are no Qu'u, le Byar."

  "And you are no Shrnu'u," Byar answered.

  A quick glance told him that he had come some distance away from the High Lord and ha'i Kanu'u, and almost out of sight of the Stone. He knew that he did not have enough of a sense of the place to find it again.

  After thwarting another of the Servant's attacks, Byar took flight and reversed his direction, partially turning his back on his opponent. He flew eight wingspans closer to the Stone and then stopped without turning around.

  "A coward after all," the esGa'uYe said. "Perhaps ra Shrnu'u will come and take you himself."

  One, Byar thought to himself, tightening his grip upon his chya and willing himself not to turn.

  "The naZora'i aliens will enjoy consuming your hsi, le Byar," the Servant said. While his voice sounded as distant, Byar's Sensitive talent told him that the other had come a few wingspans closer. His chya seemed to wish to move of its own accord.

  Two, he said to himself, feeling his own hyu as it coursed from talon-tips to heart-chambers, skull to seat.

  "They will make a brood-queen of the young High Lord," the Servant added. Now Byar could feel the esGa'uYe, scarcely a wingspan behind.

  Three, Byar told himself.

  "You are too pathetic even for the Valley of Lost Souls," the Servant said. Byar could feel his enemy's hot breath, smell the char of the e'chya. "I will offer you as a sacrifice to—"

  Four.

  Byar whirled deftly, a master of the chya in fluid motion. Before the surprised Servant of esGa'u could bring his e'chya up to block the blow, Byar's weapon, crowing as it shrilly proclaimed itself, swept across the esGa'uYe's shoulders and neatly severed the head from the body. The wings elevated somewhat and the whole body stood for a moment before collapsing to the misty stone floor of the Plane in a crumpled heap.

  The head, freed from the body, flew several meters and then rolled in a long, elongated arc to land, bloody neck down, facing Byar.

  As Byar stood there, the ichor of the esGa'uYe dripping from the end of Byar's chya, the head began to speak in a chill whisper.

  "Relish your little victory, Servant of the Crawler," it said. "We will claim you in the end, le Byar."

  Then, as t
he three People stood and watched, the flesh decayed away from the head, leaving only a grinning skull, which in turn crumbled into dust. When Byar glanced away at where the body had lain, it, too, was gone.

  There was a long silence, as none of the three seemed inclined to speak. Reverentially, but with great care, Byar flew the perimeter of the Stone of Remembrance, extending his gyu'u as far into the mist as he dared, but there seemed to be no more scent of esGa'uYal. Still, he knew better than to believe that he had truly slain anything.

  He landed and placed his wings in the Configuration of Polite Expectation.

  "What did the Servant mean when he said that Shrnu'u had been 'called back from exile'?" Byar asked, directing his question at both of the others. "When was he exiled?"

  "Over a hundred turns ago," Kanu'u replied. "We believe that He of the Dancing Blade appeared in naZora'e form; he sought to deceive and then destroy esHu'ur. He was thwarted and the death of his physical host made it impossible for him to return from below the Plain of Despite."

  Byar sheathed his chya and folded his arms across his chest. "Shrnu'u HeGa'u appeared in the form of a naZora'e?"

  "That is correct," Kanu'u answered.

  "And by using him in the Dsen'yen'ch'a for the new bearer of the gyaryu, we returned him to the World That Is," said Byar.

  "I believe this to be so."

  "hi Sa'a," Byar responded, turning to face the High Lord, "I believe it is time for us to summon si S'reth. It appears that he has one other matter to answer for."

  "That decision was not his alone to make: The High Lord and Chamberlain T'te'e also concurred," said Sa'a. "I will not hold a warrior who has transcended the Outer Peace responsible for all of the ills that beset us at this time."

  "hi Sa'a—"

  "Enough, se Byar." She arranged her wings in the Stance of Rightful Assertion. "We will not speak further of this."

  Byar nodded and inclined his head. Sa'a moved to the center of the Stone, while ha'i Kanu'u, chya still drawn and in his hands, took up a position at the rim. Byar drew his weapon as well, and turned outward, ready for any intrusion.