She Who Has No Name tlt-2

by Michael Foster

  ‘I remember. I’ve been waiting a long time for those lessons to begin.’

  Balten managed a crystal smile. ‘They began from the first day that I met you, and now they are complete. I cannot be your teacher any more, for I have nothing left to teach. I hope you have learnt well.’

  ‘I always thought you were mocking me-even trying to kill me. But it is true. You have taught me much, without ever uttering a word of advice.’

  ‘I never lied to you, Samuel. If anything, I have only ever been brutally honest with you in hope that you would find your way. True wisdom cannot be grafted from one place to another, Samuel. Its seeds can only be thrown to the wind, and left to become what they may. I thought to pass you some of my knowledge, but I think I ended up learning more from you. I always thought I was doing the right thing by joining Cang-I suppose I still do. We only wanted to save the world, but perhaps we should have gone about it in a different way. Everything seems so clear now, here at the end of the world. If only it could have been like that at the beginning.’

  ‘The future is never clear,’ Samuel responded. ‘I once saw Cintar shrouded in ruin, with black-cowled things walking the streets and terrorising the people. I always assumed that some awful battle would eventually take place,as I had foreseen, and then the High Tower of the palace would fall, but,in my time beneath Mount Karthma,I figured the true meaning of this vision. It was meddling of the Order that I saw. They have filled the streets with fear and destroyed their own ambitions. In a way, we would truly be better off without magic, if those that choose how to use it cannot be trusted.’

  ‘All forms of power can and will be abused, Samuel, as long as man is driven by his greed. After all, power is only what you can frighten others into giving you. Perhaps that will change one day, but not any time soon from what I have seen. I would like to talk more of such things, but we have little time left. Samuel, I want to tell you one more thing before I go.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘I am sorry-for everything that has happened to you. You did not deserve to lose so many of your loved ones. It has never been your fault.’ Even with his crystal expression, the man looked sincere. ‘The Circle is broken and the fate of the world is now yours. Goodbye.’

  Samuel was about to respond when Balten vanished. Samuel could not see the after-effect, but he could feel magic energy tearing in after him, into the hole in the ether that Balten had made, until it sealed itself shut and the chamber was still again.

  There was nothing else to do and so Samuel prepared himself to leave. He wouldjourney away and hope that Balten’s plan to somehow disrupt Starfall was successful. If not, he would probably never feel the difference.

  He squatted once more by the body of the woman he had loved, and touched the side of her cheek with his finger. Everyone he knew had died and,for the second time, he had lost the one he had cherished most. This time, it was almost too much to bear, and he considered just sitting down and waiting for it all for end. Perhaps he could find peace in that endless quiet after death took him? But something stirring inside him would not let him. She had charged him with finding and saving their son, and so he could not give up. He never would, as long as there was some strength left in him.

  He left the underground chamber and found his way through the narrow passages of the temple and out into the rocky Valley of the Ancients. It was late morning now, but the Star of Osirah seemed to be larger than ever, directly above. Its tail had gone, leaving just a circle of silver fire in the sky, like a tiny angry moon. A tiny flicker appeared across it and then the white-hot circle separated and broke into a dozen smaller pieces that began to spread silently across the sky, surrounded by countless tiny specks that flashed and faded from view. Some of the remaining pieces tumbled about and disappeared altogether, but the others began to trail fire as they moved apart.

  ‘He’s done it!’ a voice said and Samuel turned to see Cang come struggling from the temple mouth. He reached the stairs, but came tumbling down them like a rag doll, rolling to a juddering halt at Samuel’s feet. He struggled several times to sit up, but Samuel would not help him. In the end, he seemed content to lie face down upon the sand.

  ‘Cang, you demon. I thought you were dead,’ Samuel told him.

  ‘Nearly. In truth, this body has not felt life for quite some time. Another few moments and we will die together. I could not bear to miss it.’

  The heavens crackled as the first tiny fragments broke the sky. In a few more heartbeats, the larger pieces would turn the Paatin Desertinto a sea of fire.

  ‘No,’ Samuel said. ‘I have much to do. You can die alone,’ and he opened up a Journey spell and surrounded himself with it.

  ‘Take me, too,’ Cang implored him. ‘I can help you to find your son. All is not lost.’

  ‘I have had as much help as I need from you.’

  ‘I know what can be done!’ he pleaded with Samuel, like a talking marionette with cut strings, from his place on the dirt. ‘What would you have me do? I think I know who would want your son more than me-Poltamir, the Third Ancient. For some reason I cannot fathom he has something in mind for his king. Perhaps he seeks to pervert the course of Lin’s upbringing, or somehow plans to siphon his power-I do not know. I will just tell you this — give up your foolish flirtation with the dark arts. You must become stronger if you are to defeat the Ancient Ones now that their power has returned, but black magic is not the way. I feel there is still potential in you, Samuel, but you need a worthy teacher. There is only one stronger than me. His name is Salu.’

  ‘The brother of Anthem,’ Samuel said.

  ‘Yes,he is the one. It will not be easy but,if he still exists, perhaps he will help. I’m sure he knows what to do.’

  ‘I will find him. Tell me, before you die-what was her name?’

  ‘Who? The woman? I don’t know. Why would I bother to learn such a thing when I can simply make it up?’ said Cang,and he bared his terrible teeth. ‘Now, will you take me with you?’

  ‘No,’ Samuel said assuredly, and he vanished.

  Cang strained to turn his head, for there was a flash of light directly above him and the wispy clouds seemed to shudder and part, blown to the horizons in the blink of an eye. His plan had been flawless,its execution perfect. Everything has gone exactly as he wished, until that blasted magician had double-crossed him. It seemed surreal that all his plans, drawn across centuries, had come to this abysmal failure. The master of deceit has been deceived by his apprentice.

  That was his last thought, for he and everything around him ceased to exist.

  The world simply shifted for Samuel. One moment, he was beside the temple;the next,he was standing on a great shattered stump, high on a hillside, with a beautiful valley vista spread out below him. He knew at once where he was, although it was certainly not Cintar,as he had intended. Perhaps his mind had grasped onto this place instead as he had willed himself away from the desert. It was, after all, the place that founded his childhood dreams-the source of his fondest memories, from a time when the world was perfect.

  Here, it was only early morning and the sun was still just making its presence known between the mountains. The ground was steep and it angled away directly beside him into a narrow gorge that he had once called Bear Valley. A tiny stream ran through that gorge and joined the river, glimmering silver and snaking away in the valley below him. The cascading hills in the distance looked like waves of green rising from an endless ocean of trees, with each successive swell fadingbehind an additional coat of pale mist, like layers of an illustration cut and slatted into place. The clouds and the earth seemed to meet so very far away in the gap between the hills, with the grey haze wedged between them indicating rain upon the lowlands.

  The smoking chimneys of Stable Waterford spotted the vale just below him, and tiny scratches of roads joined them together, peeking through the trees. A wild orchard lay closest at the bottom of the hill, but it seemed as if someone had taken to rebuilding it. The
re were already figures hard at work, hammering and sawing in a clearing amongst the apple trees, working on the beginnings of a new house. It seemed much larger than the house Samuel had been born in, burnt down long ago on that very same spot. He listened carefully, and he could hear children at play, running between the trees and laughing while the others worked.

  In the village, people were busypreparingfor the day’s market and there were several new buildings here and there that he did not remember. It seemed the little village was growing, perhaps from those hoping to escape the warring and worries of the lowlands. It was obvious that such troubles had not yet come to such a remote place. With Alahativa slain, perhaps the Paatin would recede and the village would remain untouched. It would only be a brief respite, however, for with Lin reborn into the world, it seemed there would be nowhere that was safe from harm.

  A sound that could have been distant thunder drummed from far away and,moments later,the birds and insects all hushed at once. Some of the trees began to hiss and sway, although there was no wind, and Samuel could feel a vibration at his feet. It lasted only the space of a few heartbeats and,as the trees settled to quiet once more, the natural noises began again and dogs in the village began barking.

  He turned and surveyed the solemn peaks above him. They had not changed in the slightest over the years, still frowning down at the village with frosty clouds crowning their heads. It was reassuring to see something unchanged, when so much else had changed in the world.

  Samuel, complicit in the destruction that was now unfolding around the world, who had sired a demon that would eventually devour humanity, took a moment to take in the sights all around him. For some reason, it helped to burn away some of the horror and the sorrow that had built up inside him. Not entirely, but still, it helped.

  Stepping down, he beganto walk alongthe overgrown path that led down Miller’s Hill. It had been many years since he had walked this way, yet he still knew each and every step by heart. He could have leapt to Cintar in the blink of an eye, but somehow it felt appropriate that his own two feet should lead the way. Here, his journey would begin.

  EPILOGUE

  The dark-skinned magician cradled the baby in his arms and made soothing noises towards it, but the child continued to wriggle and snuffle despite his efforts to calm it. It was dressed in a blue infant’s smock and appeared not too dissimilar to any other child born in Amandia,although its eyes may have been angled a tad more than was usual. There was quite a decent patch of shiny black hair on its head and its tiny fists remained balled up as it pumped its little arms up and down. It blinked as it scanned the chamber, but its eyes did not settle on anything for even a moment.

  ‘Do you think he understands us, Father?’ the magician asked, marvelling at the tiny pale creature that contorted in his dark hands.

  A rasping voice spoke from behind a thick,drawn curtain, but the voice wasdensewith magic. ‘No, my son, he does not. It will take him a long time to associate everything he senses with something meaningful. He must literally grow into this body and learn the implication of every stimulus he receives, not unlike a normal child. He must also learn the result of every motion and action that he attempts. Every kick of his leg reinforces itself, every wriggle enables him to do a little bit more. Moment by moment, he will discover his new body and learn its operation. It is only his thoughts that are fully developed, for Lin’s mind is housed within, if not actually in body, then at least in spirit.’

  ‘It would be like being trapped in a cavern of impenetrable darkness, ever searching for the way out.’

  ‘Something like that, yes, but it is a prison of his own design. He will find his way free soon enough.’

  ‘And he truly does not need any food or drink?’ the magician asked.

  ‘It has been a few days already, my son, and he has not suffered. Do not fret. He cannot be harmed. Would you like to throw him down and see the result? It would not bother him in the slightest.’

  ‘No, Father, I would not.’

  ‘You worry me sometimes, my boy. Do you have such little faith in me?’

  ‘Not at all, but it only feels wrong to commit such violence unto a child.’

  The unseen speaker laughed and the air seemed to tremble from the might contained in that voice. ‘My poor boy. If I did not know how heartless you truly are, I could almost believe you. Remember, that is not a child in your hands, but a beast waiting to mature.’

  ‘Yes, Father,’ the magician said, nodding obediently.

  ‘Soon, we will leave. Is everything ready?’

  ‘It is.’

  ‘Very good, but I would ask you something first.’ The pounding voice growled and boomed like the purr of some massive beast. ‘Your behaviour oflatehas been troubling me. I granted your request to return to your homeland and there you slew every man, woman and child you could find. Such violence is wasteful and unwarranted-but that is not what concerns me. You knew I would learn of this, but still you tried to keep the matter hidden. Tell me…why?’ The last word rumbled through the room and shook the very foundations.

  ‘I do not know, Father,’ the magician replied without emotion.

  The room was quiet while the hidden speaker considered the response. ‘Then I hope whatever possessed you is now behind you. We still have a long road ahead of us and I need you fully focussed upon the task. All who could have opposed us have been vanquished, but we have much yet to do.’

  ‘Before we go, can I ask you something in return, Father? There is something that has long bothered me.’

  ‘What is it?’ came the growling reply, tinged with a hint of curiosity.

  ‘It is about the father of Lin-the one called Samuel. It seemed a strange coincidence to me that in this incarnation he contained such potential as a magician. I felt he had the potential to best any of us, given the chance. Such a thing has never happened before, has it?’

  ‘That is merely circumstance, my son. Any human child could be born with such potential. Several such areinevery Age, and that is why I leave nothing to chance. As you said, it is only a simple coincidence.’

  ‘But very few of those rise to meet that potential. Samuel was on the verge of realising his limits. He had nearly harnessed his entire share of Lin’s legacy. A little longer and perhaps he could have managed it.’

  ‘Then it is fortunate he did not.’

  ‘That is why I took the chance to kill him. When the old Lion and he were wrestling, I tried to ensure that both would die. I was not to know the old man was about to do our work for us. In the end, I may actually have saved Samuel unwittingly.’

  ‘Then you should have taken more care, foolish boy. The art of manipulation is a slow and careful one. If you must make such rash actions, decided on the moment, youmust notfail to plan correctly. Still, it matters not. They are all dead, so do not dally upon it. Use that experience and learn from it.’

  ‘But who knows how much further he could have gone, Father? Lin himself was born just a man, so it seems logical that another man could be born to better him.’

  ‘Such talk will get us nowhere!’ the hidden speaker boomed and the magician almost dropped the child with fright. ‘Allay such thoughts, my boy. What you suggest is possible, but unlikely. Also, we will never know. The father of Lin is dead and all the magic of this world now belongs to this demon child. Soon, it will be mine. Come, you’ve seen it enough. Put the devil back in its box. We must quickly be away.’

  ‘Yes,my Father,’ the magician responded and he placed the wriggling baby back inside its little black casket, holding down its flailing arms as he carefully clamped shut the lid. With the task complete, he turned to gather his things.

  Cadin Waterhouse had long since given up thinking he could escape this life and,quite frankly, he no longer cared. He had spent these last years living from one day until the next. He would crawl out of his bug-infested bed and be drunk by mid-morning. He would gamble away any money he had and,if he had none to lose, he would find a
lock to pick or a window to break, and he would rummage through someone’s drawers for anything of value.

  Sometimes he wouldtiea handkerchief across his face and wait for some poor unsuspecting soul to come wandering along the dark streets late at night. Then, he would stick his knife into them as quietly as he could and make away with anything from their pockets. Occasionally, he would stumble upon a foolish drunk, just arrived from the docks with his month’s pay, and he would live like a king for a week. Other times, hiseffortwas wasted and he would leave the scene with nothing but blood on his blade for histrouble.

  As long as he picked his targets carefully and never killed anyone who was wellconnected, and as long as he kept out of sight of the town guards, he could almost do as he pleased. This place was a well-known haven for lowlifes and cut-throats such as he. It almost served them right for coming here in the first place if they went and got themselves killed by a man like him. It was not much of a life, but still, he made a living and men like him were only good at certain things.

  Nevertheless, he worried that the Circle had been shadowing him these past few months. They had left him wellenough alone for a long time, but mysteriously had started showing up again recently, crossing his path or watching him from across the street.

  He knew they wanted him to see them, otherwise he would never have known they were after him at all, and that worried him most of all. They were a mixed bunch-some were mages, others thieves or mercenaries-but they all had one thing in common: they could kill him in an instant if they so desired and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He was long past his prime and in no shape to defend himself from anything with the ability to fight back, let alone escape from Circle types. Instead, he ignored the Circle agents as best he could, and just accepted that one day, one of them would do what they had been sent to do, and his life would end. Hopefully, it would be quick.