by Kim Falconer
She swept away her books and papers before dropping the gear on the table. She pulled supplies out of the cupboards and filled the packs. While reaching for her short knife, she noticed the chart Teg had been working on. It had stuck to a damp spot on the tablecloth. She snapped it up before it was soaked. She looked at the symbols on the ascendant. Pisces—a mystery, an intriguing set of circumstances. Nothing as it seems. She closed her eyes, aware that Rowan hadn’t budged. Teg. Where are you now?
Stables.
Are the borders still clear?
As far as I can sense. What’s going on, Mistress? I heard Scylla yowling.
Come to my rooms, quickly. Bring your blade.
Danger?
She could feel him running as he spoke. Possibly. We’ve got to take a little trip and find out.
Where to?
I’m not sure yet. Hurry. She brought her attention back to An’ Lawrence, slumped in his chair. ‘We need more supplies,’ she said.
He lifted his head, nodding slowly. ‘Scylla keeps talking about ice.’
‘We’ll need warmer clothes, then. Winter cloaks. We don’t know what we’ll meet…and we need to be fast.’ She returned to the kitchen. ‘Demons, I wish Jarrod were here. Where am I going to find him?’
An’ Lawrence planted both hands on the table, about to push out of his seat. He eased back down instead. ‘Kali, I know this is a shock, but we can’t dash off into the corridors without a destination and Scylla doesn’t have one.’
‘Drayco can guide us. She’ll be able to communicate clearly with him once inside,’ she said, moving around him.
He reached out, catching her arm as she whisked by. ‘Kali, stop. This doesn’t make sense.’
‘It doesn’t have to,’ she said, pulling out of his grasp. ‘We need to find Drayco and Jarrod and get to Rosette. What’s the problem?’
‘In all the worlds? In all the times? How are we going to find her? Think about it…’
‘Better still, you think about what’s going to happen to the many-worlds if we don’t find her!’ she said, turning on him. ‘We can’t lose track of the key-codes. We can’t lose Rosette.’
He buried his face in his hands again. ‘We already have.’
‘Stop it! You’re falling into a Scorpion hole, Rowan, and I need you to climb out. We’ve got things to do.’
He lifted his head, his eyes streaming tears. ‘Kali, you don’t send an army to a graveyard.’
She stopped. The silence of the room was broken only by a trio of caws outside. ‘You’re right,’ she said, raising her voice. ‘But you would send one to look for a lost child.’
‘We have no idea where we need to go. No heading, no coordinates,’ he shouted back at her, his fists hitting the table hard, making the crockery jump.
Kreshkali drew in a long breath and tossed him a smile. ‘Good thinking.’ She headed for her desk. She pulled out the ephemeris and glanced at the timepiece ticking on her mantle. ‘I’ll do a horary chart now. Can you finish the packing? We’ll all meet by the stables in ten minutes.’
‘All?’
‘It’s going to take more than just us.’ She waved towards Scylla, who continued to pace. ‘Send her to Grayson, will you? He’s got to come too.’
The feline bolted down the path before her sentence was out.
‘Grayson?’
‘Yes, thanks.’
‘That wasn’t me,’ he mumbled. ‘No one’s listening to me.’ An’ Lawrence rose, gripping the back of his chair.
‘Rowan, are you going to stand there in a daze or are you going to help?’ she asked without looking his way. Her head was bent over a list of logarithms, scratching calculations in her notebook. ‘This would be faster on the computer—but by the time we got to the library and fired up the generator, I’d be done.’ She looked at the table still cluttered with supplies. ‘How’s the packing going, Rowan?’
An’ Lawrence pushed back his chair, its legs scraping over the tiles. He strapped on his sword and tucked a short knife into one of the packs. Kreshkali put down her notebook and came up behind him, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. ‘Are you breathing?’ she asked.
He exhaled. ‘A bit. Kali, tell me, what are you planning?’
‘A rescue,’ she said, looking past him to the door. Teg wasn’t far off.
‘Scylla says Rosette’s dead,’ An’ Lawrence repeated.
‘I heard what your familiar said.’ She cut him off. ‘That’s why we have to move. You are swamped with negative thoughts!’
‘Kali.’ He turned around and clasped both of her hands, running his thumb over her long tattooed fingers. ‘Denial is a natural first response.’
‘And despair is yours?’ She pulled her hands out of his grip and grabbed her notes. As she slipped on her pack, there was a knock at the door. ‘It’s Teg. Let’s go,’ she said.
‘He’s coming?’ An’ Lawrence scowled, staring at her as if she’d invited a Corsanon warlord to accompany them.
‘Behave. I need a team, not a battlefield.’
‘I get that, but why do you need him? He’s only…’
‘My apprentice! And if you’d open your eyes, you’d see how brilliant he is.’
‘My eyes are open wide enough, thanks.’
She turned away. ‘Enter, Teg,’ she said. ‘We’re almost ready.’ She grabbed her winter cloak from the rack and let the young Lupin in. He was packed, armed and alert. He caught her eye and acknowledged An’ Lawrence.
Where are we going, my queen?
On a hunt.
Rosette?
Indeed. She handed him both charts and spoke aloud as they left her rooms. ‘We need to find Drayco, and we’ve got to send a call to Jarrod as well. Where’s Grayson?’ She spiked her hair off her forehead and flipped up her cowl.
‘Kali, what if Scylla’s right. What if Rosette’s dead?’ An’ Lawrence asked.
Dead? Teg asked.
‘She’s not. And if she is, she won’t be for long.’ She strode down the hall, boots clicking on the floor. Teg, do you remember the north portal?
Of course, Mistress.
Get Grayson from the stables and meet us there. We’ll be along shortly.
Horses?
Not where we’re going.
They trotted down the entrance steps and the Lupin darted off without a sound.
‘We can’t let any other world get hold of her DNA, Rowan.’ She leaned towards his ear. ‘Alive or dead, her body has the key-codes. It has the spell.’
‘If we don’t find her, we’re lost anyway, Kali.’ His voice sounded empty. ‘She’s childless. The Richter line is finished.’
Kreshkali clapped her hands together, jolting him with the sound. ‘Nothing’s finished,’ she said. ‘Not if I can help it.’
The woman emerged from a tangle of blackberry vines, a sudden gust blowing strands of amber hair across her face. She walked unhurriedly, a graceful gait. The temple cat beside her was equally composed, his black coat rust-red in the sunlight. They stopped a few feet in front of Jarrod. She released a smile that made his breath catch. Selene and Shane drew their swords.
‘Disarming,’ Jarrod said, though the words barely escaped his lips. He waved the others back without taking his eyes off her. The breeze lifted the delicate material around her neck, a gentle sea rolling against the shoreline. Another gust pushed the mantle further aside, revealing a striking tattoo. He heard Selene gasp, though he made no sound himself. The image was Ishtar’s sacred lion, done in mosaic tiles of lapis, vermilion and gold. It covered her heart and its wings spread up to her collarbones, the very tips of the feathers appearing to ruffle in the wind.
‘Impressive,’ Jarrod said, returning her smile. He leaned forward, allowing his eyes to wash over the image, taking in the more subtle tones—yellow, mocha and moss edged with crimson—a fierce and compelling landscape between her breasts.
‘Thank you. You’re one of the first to see it.’
He straightened, push
ing hair off his forehead. ‘It looks like one of Grayson’s.’
‘You know his work?’
‘He has a distinct style.’ Jarrod tilted his head slightly. ‘What brings you here?’ he asked. ‘Or is this a chance meeting?’
She didn’t answer, but Jarrod felt the gathering of a spell. She was shielding her mind, hiding something that had suddenly risen to the surface of her thoughts. He couldn’t grasp it quick enough before the block was in place.
Selene and Shane stepped up, their swords now level with the woman’s throat. They obviously felt the spell too.
Jarrod turned to them, shaking his head. ‘She’s unarmed.’
‘Perhaps she has no sword, but I sense other weapons,’ Selene said.
‘And that one is definitely well equipped.’ Shane pointed to the temple cat, who stared back at him, unblinking.
‘If the feline was going to attack,’ Jarrod said, ‘you’d already be on the ground.’
‘But not you, right, Jarrod?’ the woman said.
‘You’re right, Nell. Not me.’
The others frowned, lowering their swords and slowly sheathing them. Shane kept his hand on his hilt. Selene’s were planted firmly on her hips.
‘I wondered when we would meet,’ Nell said as she stroked the top of her familiar’s head. ‘This is Torgan, a Dumarkian temple cat. I don’t think you’re familiar with him.’ Nell’s voice was smooth, like water from a silver tap. The feline sat down and yawned, flashing white fangs and a red tongue for an instant before they disappeared, hidden behind a quiet face.
‘Can I ask again what you’re doing here, Nell?’ Jarrod emphasised the location, letting a smile escape with the question.
‘Do you mean here or now?’ She touched her lips with her fingers for a moment before adding, ‘Either way, I’ve been waiting for you.’
‘I was also hoping you’d turn up soon.’
Selene stared at them both, following the conversation from the sidelines. ‘I don’t get it. How do you two know each other?’
‘We go way back,’ Jarrod said. ‘Isn’t that right, Nell?’
The woman winked. ‘Apparently, though I was told of you just recently. Seems we’re quite close…in some worlds.’
‘I’m lost,’ Shane said.
‘Me too.’ Selene pushed back her hair when the wind flattened it against her brow. ‘Do you know each other or not?’
‘We do now,’ Nell answered, ‘and we’ve business to attend to.’
Jarrod stepped closer. ‘And what business would that be, Nell?’
‘It’s simple, really. I have information you need—something that’s going to solve problems on many levels—and there’s a minor task you can perform for me in return. I thought we could help each other out. Make an exchange.’
‘Bargaining, Nell?’ Jarrod asked. ‘That’s not like you.’
‘Just what she said too.’ Nell clasped her hands together, squaring her shoulders. ‘Get this straight up and clear. I’m not the mother and mentor of your travel companion. Not on my world and not in this one. I’ve only just met her, by chance as it were. There’s no parallel in my time—no Jarrod or Rosette.’
‘Nor is there a Torgan in mine,’ Jarrod interrupted.
‘But you have met Rosette, and me, for that matter,’ Shane said.
Selene and Jarrod both stared at Shane.
‘Indeed I have, bard.’
‘You followed them through the portal. Into the corridors?’ Jarrod asked.
‘Bingo.’
‘How did you manage that?’
‘Easy, really. The Entity recognised me, though no one else did. It was quite pleased, I think, to have me about, so I decided to do some scouting.’
‘What sort of scouting?’
‘Here and there, back and forth,’ she said, her lips parting in a smile. ‘I’ve been to quite a few of the many-worlds now—I’ve seen things first-hand even you may not be aware of.’
Jarrod hooded his eyes, calculating the myriad possibilities that would allow for a time and place where Nell knew neither him nor Rosette. He didn’t like any of them. ‘Get to the point, Nell. What do you want?’
‘I’ve got a major twist going on in my world…’
‘A twist?’
‘It’s more than inconvenient and I think it might be contagious. It might even be linked to the demise of your Earth.’
‘Demise?’ Selene said.
Nell gave a brief nod, returning her focus to Jarrod.
‘How so?’ he asked.
‘There’s a tyrant on the Dragon Bone Chair and he’s got control of all the temples across the known lands of Gaela.’
‘He?’ Jarrod interrupted. ‘Rosette said there was a High Priest in Gaela.’
‘That’s part of the problem.’
‘How’d it happen?’
‘Long story.’
‘We’ve got time.’
Selene stepped forward. ‘Hate to contradict you, but we don’t!’ She put her hand firmly on Jarrod’s shoulder, drawing him back. ‘There’s no knowing how long we’ve been away from Tensar,’ she said. ‘And we’re no closer to a solution to the…situation there. We’ve lost track of Rosette, and her familiar, and we don’t know where we are or how to get back—to my time or yours. The corridors are running like a back-alley crap shoot, and anything could happen. I’d say it’s not really the right time for long stories, wouldn’t you agree?’
‘That’s where I come in,’ Nell said, leaning forward.
‘Really? How’s that?’ Selene’s voice rang out a challenge.
The two women faced each other.
‘You’ll need to listen if you want to find out,’ Nell said. Her voice was light, as if she was talking to a small child who didn’t quite understand.
Jarrod put his hand out as Selene reached for her sword. ‘Wait,’ Jarrod said. ‘Let’s hear Nell’s story. We need to make some choices and if she has a piece to this puzzle, I’d like to see the shape of it.’
Selene let out a huff. ‘I’ve no doubt she has something to offer, but I think the puzzle she’s working on is not the same as ours.’
‘That’s where you’re wrong, border marshal. There is ultimately only one puzzle, though we like to see it as many.’
Selene scoffed. ‘Witches’ riddles.’ She kept her hand on her sword hilt.
‘Come, Nell, let’s hear it,’ Jarrod said. ‘We’re listening.’
Nell stared at Selene, continuing her story only after the other woman took a small step backward. Jarrod exhaled. It was unnerving, conversing with this exotic woman, so strange and yet so familiar. She was like his Nell in some ways—her serenity and grace, her confidence—and she was like Kreshkali in others. Her voice had an edge, a quick-trigger survival instinct that made her unpredictable, ruthless and dangerous. She also had a quality about her that was wholly foreign. He couldn’t identify it, but it was there just the same. She brewed a potent spell that put him on tenuous ground. He’d need to watch out. There was more going on than she was telling him.
‘It started, long ago in my time, with a priest named Braxton Corvey. He was consort to the High Priestess Le Saint before she fell ill and passed over.’
‘No successor named?’ Jarrod asked.
‘That was the problem. It happened unexpectedly, after a riding accident. She broke her leg and infection set in.’ Nell’s tone changed when she said the word ‘accident’. ‘Corvey took her place, a temporary measure that became permanent.’
‘It wasn’t contested?’
‘At first, no one seemed to mind—he was doing a great job and it gave everyone freedom to mourn Le Saint while he ran things. She was well loved, and honestly, I don’t think anyone wanted her replaced, at least, not immediately. Corvey worked hard and, as it turns out, deviously. He extended his influence, first at Treeon and then across the temple lands from Bangeesh to Corsanon, even Timbali. His charisma united the people in a way that had never been seen. We all got swept up
in it. There was no evidence of his treachery until he’d gained the highest power.’
‘He became regent over all the temples?’
‘Exactly. By then it was too late to contain him. He’d spotted his threats early and had taken measures.’
‘Put limitations on females, did he?’
She nodded. ‘It started out slowly, almost imperceptibly. He replaced all key mentors with his own clan, loyal to his ideals.’
‘Patriarchal, I gather?’
‘Somewhat.’ Her lip curled. ‘First, certain weapons were discouraged for the female initiates, and before long they were banned altogether. He’s got quite a spell cooking. It’s blinding everyone to the truth.’
‘No one challenged him?’
‘I wouldn’t say that.’
‘What would you say, then?’ Selene asked.
Nell let her eyes rest on the other woman. ‘No one challenged him and lived.’
‘More accidents?’
She nodded.
‘But not you.’
‘He’s tried a few times…’
‘You stay one step ahead?’
‘One or two.’ She smiled fully. ‘Comes easier now with a foot in the many-worlds.’
‘But you need some help waking up your Gaela? Breaking the spell?’
‘If you’d be so kind.’
‘I think that can be arranged, though first I have to…’
‘Find Rosette?’
He looked startled. ‘You know where she is? She’s in trouble? Why didn’t you tell me straight up?’
‘And toss away my bargaining chip?’
The trees darkened as the sun went behind a cloud. The wind dropped and only a single whistle from a distant hawk could be heard. Jarrod felt goosebumps rising on his arms.
‘Tell me what you know,’ he said. This time it was his voice that carried an edge.
Nell cleared her throat. ‘In the beginning, when I first stepped through the corridors, I followed her around—it was like an uncharted maze. It took time to get used to the twists and turns. She’s trodden some strange paths, some illusive, and some she would have been better off leaving be, perhaps.’
‘She’s taken a bad turn?’
Nell didn’t reply.
Jarrod rubbed his jaw. ‘Please go on.’
‘I’m not sure we would call it a “bad” turn. If it is, it’s the kind you can do nothing about.’ Nell wrinkled her nose. ‘Fine line, really, don’t you think?’