“A fair question. The truth is, for ages, the possibility of entering the Otherverse was the wizards’ great quest. So many failed, however, that all but the most dedicated lost the desire. And those who learned things guarded their secrets jealously. There was no sharing. No pooling of information. But most of the wizards wrote down their mysteries and all it took was a few years of study at the Yu’Tar Library to piece everything together. Distance gives perspective. I had plenty of the former so I gained the latter. Since I found out about the Otherverse, it’s been the great purpose of my life. First, learning about it. Now, entering it. I know how to accomplish that - or at least I believe I do. I’ve known since before we met. What happens after that is anyone’s guess. Perhaps the end of the world. Perhaps my transformation into a god-like being. Perhaps nothing. Part of the thrill is finding out. And if I die, well, my time is almost up anyway. I want to end my life accomplishing something not waiting for the withering sickness of wizards to consume what’s left of me.”
“So all this…” She gestured vaguely toward the army outside. “…is a diversion? A feint?”
“Oh no! Not at all. It’s all very necessary. A bit ostentatious, perhaps, but better to be safe than sorry. There are two things I need before I can try. One will be fostered by this war. The other hopefully will be furthered, if not entirely accomplished, by victory. Kosterbus figured it out - or at least most of it - but he wasn’t a man to try unproven magic. They called him the ‘spellmaker’ in his day. Conservative scholar that he was, he preferred to make proposals and let others do the experimentation. He was long dead by the time Malbranche and Altemiak gathered his notes - the same ones I used - and made the attempt.”
“And?” Ariel was relatively ignorant of the history of wizards. Unlike Justin, who had spent endless hours in the library, Ariel’s understanding of letters was rudimentary. During her time in Sussaman, Lamanar had taught her the basics of reading and writing but she lacked Justin’s aptitude with languages. Everything she knew had been learned by doing or by observing Justin and adapting his techniques to her element.
“And they vanished from the records of men. For many years, they were the two most feared and powerful wizards… then nothing. Most people assume they burned themselves out but the reality is that no one knows for certain. It’s difficult to make assertions about things that happened so long ago but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that they tried Kosterbus’ theorem. That was their stated intention. But did their disappearance mean success or failure? They didn’t destroy the world but that says nothing about their fates. From my perspective, that’s the great unresolved question, and I intend to discover its answer.”
“What do you have planned for me?”
“I haven’t been dishonest with you. You can have whatever city you want to rule over or a new one can be built. And, once I’m no longer available, you’ll act as either my replacement or my go-between, depending on what happens to me.”
“I assume accompanying you isn’t possible.”
“Not possible is the right way to phrase it. In order for me to enter, I need you here. For you to follow at a later time, there might be logistical issues, although nothing you couldn’t overcome. If I make the attempt and there’s no further contact from me, you’re free to do as you prefer. In that case, you’ll inherit everything including my empire and all those within it. If I fail, maybe you’ll be able to figure out what I did wrong.”
“But first you have to win the war.”
Justin nodded. “The next step is Earlford, then removing the meddlesome Lady of Water, then moving into the North. One step at a time. I’ve been planning this for a long time and I don’t intend to rush things no matter how appealing a quick resolution might be. The Otherverse isn’t going anywhere. It will still be waiting when I’m ready.”
* * *
“What can you tell me about Kosterbus?” Alicia asked this of Aybear - or at least the man she thought was Aybear - at an evening meal several days after first encountering the name in the library. Since then, her research had turned up little about the man but she supposed that was because she wasn’t looking in the right places. Cataloging was not one of the Library’s strengths. There was no system by which books and scrolls were organized. Cross-referencing was virtually impossible. Even with the aid of one of the elves, it could take days to find a particular volume and sometimes the discovery was a matter of luck.
“Kosterbus was one of the great unsung wizards of old. He is ill remembered because he focused his efforts on writing and study rather than spectacle, battle, and conquest. He is the founder of we now call the Yu’Tar Library. In the early years, it was referred to as the Kosterbus Collection. Once, we had copies of everything he wrote, although many of the more obscure documents have been lost over the centuries. Still, much has been preserved.”
“Did he write about the Otherverse?” Alicia couldn’t contain the excitement in her voice. Finally, finally, it seemed she might be making progress.
If the elf was curious why she wanted to know, he didn’t show it. “No one was more knowledgeable. In fact, he coined the term ‘Otherverse’ to refer to the other universe in which energy, not matter, has exclusive domain. He postulated that what we call ‘energy’ in this universe is not true energy, just another form of matter. Likewise, matter would not exist in its familiar form in the Otherverse.”
“And magic is the Otherverse’s energy in our universe?” Alicia felt as if she was reciting a catechism - one first taught to her by Ferguson and reinforced by writings she had explored first in Vantok then here.
“That is a gross simplification but essentially accurate. There is a filter on the conduit between the Otherverse and our reality. It does not allow anything to pass in its pure form. But magic is the closest mortals can get to touching true energy and, of course, only a select few can do so.”
“Kosterbus divined all this?”
“This and much more. His theories about the Otherverse form our current understanding of it, primitive though it may be, and became the prime study material for many who came after him, including Altemiak of Fire and Malbranche of Earth, who sought to build upon Kosterbus’ philosophy with experimental results. Over the years, none has been as fascinated by Kosterbus’ work as them, until Justin of Fire and you, that is. It appears that the reawakening of wizards has reawakened awareness of and interest in the Otherverse. Not unexpected, though.”
“Did you know Altemiak and Malbranche?”
Aybear nodded. “They spent many seasons with us, although the world was a much different place then. They were serious men, devoted to a cause. There were driven by great ambition and spent long days for many years in the library. Things they learned transformed them and, when they departed, they did so under a dark influence. We know from others who visited after that those two became among the most feared and powerful of the old wizards, often cruel and capricious in their actions and judgments. They were not so when they came here but were on such a path when they left. It may be that the obsessive pursuit of the Otherverse blights the soul.”
The next morning, with a little help from Aybear, Alicia was able to locate what the elf called “one of the most basic of Kosterbus’ texts.” It was quite possibly the biggest and heaviest book Alicia had ever seen. At first she thought it was illustrated then she realized that the “pictures” were actually diagrams and mathematical formulas. She had little hope of deciphering them. In her youth, she had gleefully slept through every arithmetic lesson, convinced that there was no way anything to do with numbers could ever have meaning for her.
With a few profane utterings, Alicia lugged the tome over to the table where she had been doing most of her work, lit the two lanterns that provided her with reading light, and settled down for a long day of eye strain and back soreness. Although Kosterbus’ work wasn’t easily digestible, at least Alicia didn’t feel inundated by trivia as she made her way slowly through it. Two issues about the way
the book was written were difficult to overcome: the language, while recognizable, was archaic, and the technical terminology was overwhelming. However, after scrutinizing various passages multiple times, she began to understand some of what Kosterbus had theorized. And it was by turns fascinating and chilling.
Kosterbus had been a water-wizard like Alicia and that resulted in an instant sense of kinship. More than that, however, it enabled her to glean ideas for experimentation. Reading his writings opened her eyes to vistas not as yet considered and helped her realize how pathetically limited her view of magic was. Her thinking was one-dimensional; Kosterbus had illustrated how much more could be accomplished by a three-dimensional practitioner. Of course, it was one thing to imagine what might be possible and another altogether to implement it. She had no doubt, however, that Justin was fully three-dimensional in his thinking and that her “defeat” of him had been more lucky than skillful. She doubted their next encounter would have the same outcome. Running was still her best bet where he was concerned. Running and hiding.
She spent the next several days absorbing Kosterbus, rising earlier than usual to enter the library and coming out late at night. She often skipped meals. When, after missing several consecutive night’s dinners, she emerged to dine on a spicy dish of nuts, roots, and cheese, several of the caretakers remarked on her studiousness.
“What kind of man was Kosterbus?” she asked the group of elves when they were seated around the circular stone table where most meals were served.
“He was a man of great reason and rationale. He lived his life for the accumulation of knowledge and viewed his magical abilities as a way to accomplish it. For him, magic was a tool - nothing more, nothing less. He established the library here so it would be as far away from civilization as possible. He felt that having people around impinged on his ability to do meaningful scholarship. In the first days, before he became sedentary, he would travel back and forth between here and the cities, collecting books and scrolls and bringing them back. In a few cases, he paid for them but, most of the time, he simply took what he wanted.” Alicia didn’t know the name of the elf who spoke. Because they all looked alike, only their personality tics allowed her to tell them apart, and some evidenced little in the nature of differentiating characteristics. The exceptions were Aybear and Oromon, who was the most openly hostile toward her.
“He practiced asceticism,” said Oromon. “Something the rest of your kind could learn a thing or two about. By limiting his use of magic, he was able to live something approaching a normal lifespan. He died having seen sixty-two turnings of the seasons - long enough by human standards but ancient for a wizard. You will not get there, I wager. Not even close. I give you another fifteen years.”
I should be so lucky, mused Alicia.
“Was Kosterbus the one who taught you your brand of magic?” asked Alicia.
“He was. He said he had little use for it but we might find otherwise. I daresay if you study long enough in the library, you will uncover the secrets of our art,” said another of the nameless caretakers.
“Doubtful.” Oromon had been disdainful of Alicia from the beginning and his stance hadn’t softened over the passing days and weeks. “But I wish you luck. We are caretakers, not teachers. You are welcome to the knowledge if you divine it on your own but do not expect us to open the path to you.”
Alicia hadn’t anticipated anything different. One thing she had learned in her time here was how jealously the elves guarded their secrets, and none more rigorously than this one. If there was a way to pry it from them… but, even if they were willing, she might not be able to learn it. Yet to have the capability of negating Justin’s magic… that was worth any sacrifice.
The next morning, Alicia woke early with the intention of visiting a nearby stream and bathing. Even though the elves’ magic severed her intimate connection with her element, she still enjoyed the feel of water on her skin. It had always been that way; before passing through the portal, she had loved swimming in the river near her father’s mansion and playing in the rain - a tendency that had angered her mother, who believed that cleanliness and dryness were synonymous and a wet child was a dirty one.
She was several thousand feet from the elves’ camp when she came to a sudden stop, realizing all was not as it should be. She had been here several times before and something was different. Her heart started beating wildly when a large boulder blocking her path pivoted and two black, baleful eyes fixed on her. A momentary surge of fear gave way to relief when she realized what she was seeing: a rock wyrm. And not any rock wyrm: Sorial’s rock wyrm.
The creature, which was well camouflaged, regarded her with what might be curiosity. Only its head was visible. The rest of its body was submerged beneath the surface. She approached tentatively. For a moment, she wondered if Sorial might be here as well, but that seemed unlikely unless something had gone disastrously wrong. Had he sent the creature to her?
She knew of no way to communicate with it. She approached and placed a tentative hand on its snout. It felt strange standing so close to it without Sorial nearby. His absence made her cautious. Rock wyrms were greatly feared; some legends called them “earth dragons” and they had been known to devastate whole villages, devouring peasants and livestock alike. She remembered that when Sorial had first encountered it, it had tried to slay him and his party. It was a killer by nature, yet it sat here immobile, allowing her to place her hand on it. Its presence wasn’t a matter of chance. It had been sent here. Its reaction was one of recognition. It knew who she was. More than that, it had been sent to seek her out.
“He sent you here, didn’t he?” she said aloud. Not that she expected an answer. She wondered if it could understand her. Probably not. Sorial had said rock wyrms were difficult to communicate with. “Why are you here?”
Why indeed? Its presence was evidence that Justin’s narrative had been false. Had Sorial died, the rock wyrm would have returned to the deep rocks from whence it came; it wouldn’t have come searching for her. It was here because Sorial wanted it to be here. But why? Had he sent it to help her? Or was its purpose to determine if she was all right and report back to its master?
That made sense. She had been within the elves’ void for weeks and, while in here, she was invisible to Sorial. With the mirror somehow disabled or broken, he would have relied on sensing her magical signature for reassurance and when she had vanished, he would have been left uncertain of her fate. So he had sent a surrogate to seek her out.
“Tell him I’m all right,” she said. Perhaps Sorial would tap into its mind and read her words. “Tell him I love him, I’m making progress, and I’ll be back as soon as I can. Tell him to be careful.”
Almost as if it understood, the rock wyrm melted into the ground, leaving behind a large patch of churned-up dirt. How long would it take to reach Sorial, halfway around the world? How long ago had it left him?
Later that morning, she arrived at the library feeling refreshed and renewed. The sensation had nothing to do with her bath and everything to do with remembering why she was here and how important this mission was to those she cared about. Her stableboy had reached out to her from half a world away using a stallion like no other. She wouldn’t fail him.
CHAPTER NINETEEN: THE CANDIDATES
Skulking - that’s what it felt like to Sorial. Myselene used more appealing terms like “spying” and “intelligence gathering” but, no matter what she called it, it felt like skulking to him. Dressed all in black, burrowing into houses from beneath, and hiding in shadows… Sorial couldn’t think of a more appropriate description than skulking.
Of course, it was necessary. Myselene’s plan called for her to align with one of the contenders for the throne and it was critical that she choose the right one. Based on more than a week’s worth of time spent in taverns, Sorial had ascertained what they had suspected on their first day in Obis: the four men they needed to focus on were Duke Otto, General Greeg, Count Clairmont, and Bro
ther Rathbone.
Otto was the easiest of the four about whom to procure information. He was the peasants’ choice to take the crown but, of course, the peasants didn’t have a say in the matter. The process decreed that in the absence of a clear successor, the Council of Nobles would vote and their choice was final and binding. Of the candidates, Otto was the only one who traveled the city streets freely, although he was accompanied by a quartet of impressive-looking bodyguards - men who reminded Sorial of Vagrum. According to what he had learned, Otto had been elevated to the level of possible king-to-be as a result of a backing coalition comprised of a variety of Obis’ most influential interests, both legal and illegal. Many who couldn’t gain power on their own sought to gain it by having the king’s ear. The consensus opinion was that Otto would be the next king if he wasn’t assassinated before ascending to the throne. The odds of that happening were put at about 50/50.
It was difficult to gain much information about General Greeg, who lived and worked in The Citadel. It was obvious that he had the support of a large contingent of the army. Within the closed society of the military, he was widely respected, although not much loved. His leadership position meant that, if he elected not to make a try for the throne, he could be instrumental in determining which of the other candidates would emerge victorious. Greeg was said to be hard-working and humorless. Rumor whispered that he had beaten his first wife to death after suspecting her of “an inappropriate flirtation” with another man, although it was unclear whether that was a truth or an exaggeration embellished by one of Greeg’s enemies. The only ascertainable fact about the matter was that the general had once been married to a Syrene girl but no longer was, and no one had seen her in years.
Shadow of the Otherverse (The Last Whisper of the Gods Saga Book 3) Page 25