“Why out here?”
“I enjoy the view.”
“And the cold?”
Ryn wrapped her cloak around her shoulders, cinching it tight. The cold didn’t bother her much, though for as long as she had spent in Vuahlu, she had grown accustomed to the heat, and there was something comforting about it.
“Do you mind the cold?”
“This isn’t all that cold,” Lorren said.
She smiled to herself. It was another piece of information about the man she needed. “I understand you are one of the priests who found Dillon.”
Lorren nodded. “There was a time when the Great One sent me to explore. I followed his direction, as you, as emissary, do.”
“I don’t wander as much as it sounds like you do.”
“Did.” When she glanced over at him, he shook his head. “I don’t wander like that any longer. My task is to remain in the city and work with as many as we can here.”
“Do you know why the Great One asked me to remain here?”
“You are his emissary. I wouldn’t think to question.”
“And yet, I suspect you have.”
“It is only natural for one to have questions about the nature of service.”
“I suppose that is true.”
“Have you discovered something?”
“Are you concerned I might have?”
“I understand that the Great One has wanted information about the attack. If you have uncovered something, I would be pleased if you would share it with me.”
Ryn turned her attention back to the city. Standing next to Lorren, she could feel his presence. She wasn’t quite sure what that meant, only that she had been much more aware of those she had spent any time around. It was almost as if she were connected to him. In the case of Lorren, she wasn’t sure that she wanted such a bond. In the case of others, like Dillon and the blacksmith, it was more intriguing than anything. Standing here as she was, she could still pick up on the distant sense of the blacksmith, although he was deep beneath the ground. More than that, now that she understood what it was, she could hear the hammering. It was a constant sound, and she could ignore it for long stretches of time, but when she began to think about the blacksmith, she became far more aware of the hammering.
“I have wondered why the Great One didn’t share with me that your temple manufactures the sacred metal.”
“Does the Great One share all things with you?”
“No. Often, he wants me to discover them on my own.”
“Why?”
“It’s in his nature to question, but also to observe. He wants that for others as well. He is an observer of many things, and through that, he has an understanding of the way the world works.”
“And what has he asked you to observe?”
“Everything.” She turned toward him. “The attack on the temple occurred because of experiments with the sacred metal.”
“There were no experiments—”
Ryn raised her hand, cutting him off. “I saw the metal in the room where the attack took place. Such a thing would be unusual. Either the Great One knew that you were using the metal in such a way, or he did not, and you were hoping to conceal it. Given that the Great One would’ve mentioned to me if such use of the metal was allowed, I suspect the rest was something you were hoping to keep from him.”
She watched Lorren and saw no expression on his face, nothing to reveal what she suspected. The more she had learned in the city, and the more she had begun to understand about both the blacksmith and Dillon, along with Lorren, the better understanding she had of what they were attempting here.
It was secretive, and it was their intent to defy the Great One by maintaining those secrets. It was the kind of thing the Great One would be disturbed by. Then again, she suspected that they wanted to keep it from the Great One.
“As his emissary, I will be reporting what I have observed.”
Lorren stared at her for a moment. “No.”
She cocked her head to the side. “No?”
Lorren glanced behind him, and Ryn turned. The door opened, and there were two priests standing there. She didn’t recognize either of them, not having met them in her time here. One was tall and slender, his dark hair cropped close, thick eyebrows on a sloping forehead, and a wide nose. Bluish metal pierced either side of his temple.
The sacred metal.
The other person was shorter, her long hair swept over one shoulder, and yet she appeared muscular in a surprising way. Ryn searched for any evidence that the woman had the sacred metal on her but didn’t come up with anything.
It was possible she had an implant much like Ryn did.
“What is this?” Ryn asked.
“This is me intending to have words with you.”
“Were we not having them already?” Ryn tried to steady the hammering in her chest. Her heart seemed to be fluttering, pounding loudly. Lorren had to know how anxious she was, and yet she was forced to try to keep her face as serene as possible. She didn’t want him to know what she was feeling.
“You were accusing me of behavior that would force the Great One to take action.”
“I think you are forcing the Great One to take action through what you are doing now.”
“Only if he finds out.”
“You don’t think he will?”
“I think that by the time we are done working with you, it won’t matter.”
Lorren nodded, and the man and woman hurried forward, grabbing for her. Ryn tried to fight but couldn’t.
“You’re making a mistake.”
“The mistake was not acting sooner.”
They dragged her away, and she craned her neck, trying to watch for Lorren as she disappeared back into the temple, but he stayed out on the tower. Ryn didn’t bother shouting or crying out. Neither of the two holding her made any attempt to speak to her. She wasn’t surprised, as it seemed as if they were deeply involved with whatever Lorren had planned.
She should have known better than to linger there. Then again, she had thought herself safe, thought that her role as the Great One’s emissary had granted her protection, instead of recognizing the danger that her position placed her in.
“What do you intend to do with me?” she asked.
Neither of them answered.
Ryn found herself carried into a side room. In her time in the temple, she had investigated all of the rooms, stopping in them, sweeping her gaze around, looking for anything that might help her understand what had taken place here, but there had been nothing.
This room reminded her of the one she occupied. The walls were paneled, but it was small and windowless.
The woman forced her into a chair, and when she was done, she pulled one of Ryn’s arms out, binding it to the armrest. It took Ryn a moment to realize she was using the sacred metal in order to do so. They shouldn’t have this much here. When she was done, she did the same thing with her other arm, wrapping a band of the sacred metal around it, strapping it to the armrest.
Pain coursed through her, starting at her arms, rolling along her and reaching her shoulders. When they strapped her legs in, the pain increased, and she cried out.
Tears streamed down her face, and when they cleared, she realized she was alone. They had her bound, strapped into the chair, and there was nothing she could do to escape it.
She forced herself to think, to try to clear her mind and come up with an understanding of what was taking place here. Observe and detect. The Great One’s words came to her even now. What else could she detect?
The room was small. She was alone, as far as she could tell. Her arms and legs throbbed, the sacred metal causing pain to work its way along the surface of her skin, a reminder of the experience she’d had when they had placed the implant the first time. That had been powerfully painful, overwhelmingly so, and yet this was similar.
She couldn’t think about anything else. The pain made it difficult to focus.
Lorren had be
en the one involved all along. And here she had questioned his role with Dillon, when instead she should have been questioning the role of the sacred metal and why they had it here. She had wondered about it but had never thought they were manufacturing it. Having a blacksmith—two, actually—should have raised her suspicions long ago, and yet she hadn’t questioned the way that she should have.
The Great One would be disappointed that it took her so long to learn this lesson.
Ever since coming to serve the Great One, Ryn had known no danger. He had protected her, welcoming her, and when he had made her his emissary, she had been granted a place that she otherwise would not have. Now she was suddenly thrust into danger again.
Everything throbbed within her. It seemed to be beating in time with her heart, pulsing, and she focused on the bands around her wrist.
Observe and detect.
With her heightened senses, she suspected everything the sacred metal did to her was more intense than it would otherwise be. If only she could reach with one hand, she might be able to move the metal. She wouldn’t be strong enough to unwind the bands and was surprised they had managed to wrap them around her arms and legs as if they were no more than leather strips.
The strips of metal prevented her from moving her hands much, starting around her wrists and working their way up her forearms. Each place the metal pressed into her skin seemed to burn, though she knew that had to be her imagination. Even if it wasn’t, it was likely nothing more than her heightened senses from the implant placed in the back of her head.
Why use the sacred metal for this?
Did they think she could travel? If they did, metal like this might have the potential to restrain someone from traveling the way the Great One did. And yet, she had shown no sign of being able to travel, so unless Lorren was being overly cautious, there had to be another reason.
Ryn lost track of how long she was here, losing herself to the pain, trying to force her mind to focus, but failing.
“You hurt.”
Ryn blinked her eyes, looking up and trying to see who was standing across from her. Could it be Lorren?
Rather than Lorren, it was the blacksmith.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to check on you.”
“Release me and I will ensure the Great One knows you helped free me.”
“Release you? I don’t think so.”
“You would oppose the Great One?”
“Why would I oppose him? He has given me access to what I could not get on my own.”
Ryn tried to look up, but the pain picked up in intensity, making it difficult for her to focus. “You’re responsible for this?”
“I’ve been here for many years.”
“I knew you did not view the Great One the same as others, but I thought…”
Ryn wasn’t entirely sure what she had thought. Only that he was different than what she had expected. She certainly didn’t expect the blacksmith to be responsible for what was happening to her, not having seen any sign of that from him. It surprised her that he would be so blatant about opposing the Great One.
“When he suppressed the temple, I acquiesced. What choice did I have? I fell into line, allowing myself to serve.”
“The Great One will find out what you’ve done.”
“Perhaps, but I think that he will not. In time, it won’t matter. We will use his knowledge and his control against him.”
“Why?”
“Because I serve another.” Ryn started to shake her head, and a blacksmith approached, resting his hands on her forearms. “I find it interesting that you suffer so much from the effect of this. You shouldn’t feel it like this, but then again, everyone has a different reaction when they are touched by it.”
“Let me go, and I will not share with the Great One what you’ve done.”
“I think it’s too late for that. There was a mistake here, and now he’s aware of us. Leaving you here was another sign. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can continue to make that mistake.”
Ryn thrashed, trying to break free of the metal. It didn’t budge. She wasn’t strong enough. She might have augmentations, she might have gifts that the Great One had given her, but she was now at the mercy of the blacksmith.
“You’re responsible for what happened here?”
“Not me. That was a mistake, and it’s one that should not have happened. The man responsible for it paid the price.”
“Then what?”
Her head felt like it was growing heavy, thoughts beginning to swim within her mind. She couldn’t concentrate on anything, and although she knew she needed to gain that focus, it didn’t come to her the way she needed it to.
“You will find that service here is easier if you relent.”
“What?”
“Relent.”
There was pressure, and as she felt it, Ryn became aware of where it was coming from.
The blacksmith.
Not only was there pressure there, but it seemed as if it were trying to force her thoughts. She had seen others within the Ai’thol do that. The Great One had trained her to fortify her mind to avoid the influence of others. She couldn’t be an effective emissary and his steward if she had no strength to withstand an internal attack like that.
As she struggled, she realized the sacred metal was pushing against her, making it more and more difficult for her to maintain her resistance.
That was the reason behind it. He was using it against her.
“When you begin to relent, you will find you can serve.”
She blinked away the tears, trying to fortify her mind. The blacksmith would use her?
No. She wasn’t about to be used. She had seen far too many others get used. It was the reason she served the Great One as willingly as she did. He wanted to free others from a similar fate. She wanted to ensure none suffered the way she had suffered. And the Great One would be the end of Lareth.
Somehow, she had to fight.
The blacksmith smiled at her. “Perhaps you need more time. I have no problem allowing you that time to consider. Eventually, you will find that the metal changes you. And whatever your Great One has given you to resist will fail.”
She didn’t see him leave. The only thing she was aware of was the door closing.
Pain pulsed through her, and somehow—some way—Ryn knew she was going to have to escape.
The only problem was she didn’t know if she could.
25
Ryn
Ryn lost track of time. She suspected that was intentional. Every time she started to drift off, someone would come in and jostle her, keeping her awake. Most of the time, it was little more than harassment, nothing more, and certainly she could handle a little pestering, but it prevented her from resting. Sleeplessness was its own sort of torture.
She welcomed the pain. She had no choice but to do so. It was a constant companion, the steady and persistent burning working through her arms and legs, a sense of torment that she couldn’t shake. Instead, she focused on what she could control. Her breathing. Her mind. Her response to the pain.
Through it all came the Great One’s reminder for her to observe.
There was nothing here for her to observe other than her own reaction to the events. As much as she wanted to ignore those pains, she decided to embrace them. How else would she be able to report to the Great One what she had experienced?
The question rolled through her mind: what did she detect?
It was a burning sensation, starting deep within her wrists, and it worked up her arms, ending in her shoulders.
It wasn’t just her arms that throbbed. Her legs did as well, a steady pulsating sense that she couldn’t shake. Agony rolled through her, and she tried to ignore it, but there was no ignoring. It was all she knew.
That was part of the intention. It was the way the blacksmith meant to disrupt her thinking, and yet if she could hold on to herself, she could continue to maintain her focus, to prevent
him from getting inside her mind and using her.
That was what he wanted.
The lesson the Great One had taught her about preventing that stayed with her. It was difficult, but she knew that she could withstand it. She had no choice but to do so.
Ever since her blessing, it had been easier for her to fortify her mind as the Great One instructed. What she needed now was to ensure that it was stout, that it remained a firm barrier, blocking anyone else from reaching into her mind. She would not allow that.
When the door opened again, Ryn looked over. She wasn’t surprised to see Lorren enter. He had been one of her frequent tormentors, and the joy he took in doing so surprised her.
“You still fight,” he said.
“And you still allow him to use you.”
“Do you think he uses me?”
Ryn grunted. “I know I can prevent access to my mind. The Great One himself taught me.”
“Did he? Or is the Great One himself the one who is controlling your mind?”
Ryn didn’t think that was the case. Why would he teach her how to protect herself if he intended to control her? No. This was another way they wanted to force her to ignore the teachings of the Great One. She wasn’t about to get caught up in that. She knew the Great One had taught her, that he had helped her, and she was not about to think otherwise.
“You fear him,” she said.
“The Great One? He’s powerful.”
“Not him. Him.” She nodded toward the door. She didn’t need the blacksmith to be inside for her to recognize that he was standing on the other side of the door. She could feel him. Regardless of what they did to her, the way they used these metal bars wrapped around her forearms, that awareness of him remained.
The only one she hadn’t sensed since her capture was Dillon. She supposed that should be a relief.
“You don’t understand.”
“What’s there not to understand? He controls you, and others within the temple.”
“Are you so sure? He has freed us. Because of him, we do not have to fear the influence of others like the Great One. We recognize that he has given us a gift.”
The Coming Chaos Page 24