Death Weavers (19 page)

“I work with Princess Miracle,” Cole said. “We know Destiny is in trouble. We think she came here.”

“Where is Miracle?” Elana asked. “Is she well?”

“We ran into trouble,” Cole said. “Her echo was captured.”

Elana closed her eyes briefly and gripped the arms of her chair. “Dire tidings. Where will it end? Her body?”

“Other friends were stabilizing her when I left,” Cole said.

“Good news has become a rarity. I take it you want my help?”

“My mission is to find Destiny.”

Elana shook her head. “These are grim times in Necronum. Even grimmer in the echolands. You are not a weaver.”

“My shaping power is weird,” Cole said. “And damaged. But I have to help Destiny.”

“You're so young, dear.”

“I already helped Mira get her shaping power back, and Honor, and Constance.”

“All three?” Elana asked, impressed. “And here you stand. Constance is well?”

“Last I saw,” Cole said. “Not too long ago.”

“I can see that you believe your words,” Elana said. “I also see your horrendously mangled shaping power. What happened to you?” Her concern seemed genuine.

“An evil shapecrafter attacked me. We defeated her, but my power doesn't work anymore.”

“What a world. So harsh. So violent. You are weary. Can I offer you a refreshment?”

“I'd rather find out about Destiny. Did she come here?”

Elana gave a small nod and stood. “Follow me.”

She led him to a different room. Cole noticed a large balcony outside the room, offering a magnificent view. He wanted to go take a good look, but she turned away from the balcony, pulled back a tapestry, inserted a key, and opened a hidden door.

Cole followed Elana down a steep, winding stairwell with bright lanterns on the walls. “We're dropping deep into the ridge to my most private chamber,” she explained. “My quarters are protected against eavesdropping, but our destination is even more secure.”

“I noticed you don't have guards,” Cole said.

“Not all guards are visible, dearheart,” Elana replied. “Especially in Necronum.”

The observation left Cole pensive. And a little creeped out. He peered ahead and behind with greater attention. How many unseen echoes were watching him right now?

“Careful, these steps get steeper and narrower and are not entirely even,” Elana said. “They may one day be the death of me.”

Cole took her advice and stepped cautiously as the curving stairs became more precarious. By the time they reached the bottom, the temperature was much cooler. A short hall gave access to an iron door recessed in thick stone.

“Open for the prelate and her guest,” Elana demanded, and the door swung inward without her touching it.

They passed into a hall, through another door, down another long stairway, and stopped before a heavy door of dark red wood, expertly carved with a host of human faces the size of golf balls. Muttering words that Cole didn't catch, Elana pressed two of the faces, one high on the right, the other low on the left, and twisted them in opposite directions.

The door swung open.

“After you,” Elana invited, taking a lantern from a hook on the wall.

Cole entered but stayed ready to dive backward in case she tried to slam the door behind him and lock him inside. Recent events had taught him to be a little paranoid. Instead of springing a trap, Elana followed him in and closed the door.

The same dark red wood as the door paneled the fairly large room. The lantern's light revealed a table and chairs, a writing desk, and four cots against the far wall. Three of the cots were occupied.

“Tessa!” Cole cried in surprise, dashing forward. Tessa lay on one cot, Honor on another, Desmond on the third. Cole had recently spoken with the imprints of Honor and Tessa, but he hadn't seen the former knight of Blackmont Castle since they had parted ways after fighting Morgassa. Their eyes were closed. They didn't appear to breathe.

Cole turned to Elana. “Are they . . . ?”

“In longsleep,” Elana said. “Destiny came here alone, and I helped her cross over at her insistence. Imagine my surprise! I had no idea the daughters of Stafford Pemberton had survived. I assumed the rumors were idle speculation. Some days later, Honor arrived with Desmond. I helped them cross to the echolands in search of Destiny.”

Cole buried his face in his hands. Why couldn't he get a break? They had all gone to the echolands. If he was going to go after them, he would have to become a ghost too. The prospect made him queasy. He had secretly hoped that maybe he would find Destiny in hiding. But she and Honor were both in the same realm as Mira.

“You can't wake them up?” Cole asked.

“Not unless their echoes return to the temple,” Elana said.

“Would you know if they returned?” Cole asked.

“That's my job, dear,” Elana said. “I supervise the affairs of the temple on both sides.”

“Oh,” Cole said. “Any news about them?” He gestured at the bodies on the cots.

“Not since they left,” Elana replied. “I'm sorry. I know it's distressing. I've been worried myself.”

Cole gazed at the still forms of Honor, Tessa, and Desmond. Was Mira resting on a similar cot somewhere? Jace? Joe? Did they look this peaceful? The daydream of them in repose on cots was much preferable to his memories of them discarded in the weeds.

“Can you send me?” Cole asked.

“Yes,” Elana said hesitantly. “But
can
and
should
might be separate matters.”

“Not today,” Cole said. “I have to go after them.”

“You've never been to the echolands?” Elana asked.

“Never.”

“And I gather you're new to Necronum?”

“A couple of weeks,” Cole said.

Elana wrung her hands. “I wasn't sure whether to obey Destiny and send her. She is so little! But she has lived more years than her appearance suggests, and she described dangers too profound to ignore. Now another child wants my help to start a perilous road. You can't possibly fathom the danger involved.”

“Story of my life since coming to the Outskirts,” Cole said. “I'm not excited to do this. I know it isn't safe. I know I may never return. But I have to try. I promised Mira. It's my duty.”

Placing her hands on her hips, Elana considered Cole thoughtfully. “A strong sense of purpose can go far on the other side. Still, you only get one echo, dearheart. If it perishes, you move on permanently. Worse, an echo can be captured and bound. Time works differently in the echolands. You could be imprisoned for a duration that we can't comprehend from a mortal perspective.”

Cole didn't like the implications. At least in a normal prison, you knew that one day death would free you. But Tessa was already facing the danger of being captured forever. So was Mira. “You have an empty cot.”

“It's no accident,” Elana replied. “Destiny told me that three others would come looking for her. She expressed that I needn't bother to send additional rescuers. Honor came here with a single companion. The other fell at Gamat Rue. I assumed that Destiny had failed to predict his demise and got two rescuers instead of three. But here you are. Alone.”

Her words gave Cole tingles along his spine. It also helped strengthen his resolve. Destiny had real power. If she had seen a third person coming after her, and he had found his way here, it meant this could be part of a grand design.

“What do I need to know?” Cole asked.

“Destiny went in search of her power,” Elana said. “Besides predicting that three others would come after her, she revealed no details. Honor was searching for her sister. She didn't disclose any specifics.”

“I think I know where Destiny was going,” Cole said.

“So did Honor,” Elana said sadly. “The echolands are in a state of turmoil not seen in many lifetimes. If not for Destiny's prediction, I would not send you.”

“I'd just find somebody who would,” Cole said.

Elana considered him with pity. “That won't be necessary. Are you ready to cross?”

“No point in losing more time. My brother might come along with a friend. If so, could you let them know where I went?”

“I'll watch for them,” Elana said. “Would you please recline on the empty cot?”

Cole got settled. After sleeping on the ground for the previous several days, the simple bed felt comfy. “Any tips?”

“I'll greet you on the other side and advise you there,” Elana said. “May I have permission to disconnect your lifespark from your corporeal body?”

Cole studied her warily. “Does that give you power to do what you want with my spark?”

“Only to send it to the echolands,” Elana said. “This being your first visit, an echo will form to house it.”

“Do I have to do anything?”

“Just grant me permission.”

Hunter had heard that Elena was one of the good guys. And she had greeted Cole harshly when she thought he represented Stafford Pemberton. That was a plus. Also, she had been watching over Destiny and Honor. He had to trust somebody and probably wouldn't find a better candidate. “Okay. Go for it.”

A wave of energy surged through Cole, saturating him with sensation. In a single burst he saw light, darkness, and every color of the spectrum. He smelled numerous fragrances—sharp, sweet, and foul. Diverse sounds assailed his ears—loud and quiet, jarring and melodic. He tasted sweetness, saltiness, sourness, and bitterness. Over his entire body he felt pain, pleasure, heat, cold, and a gut-clenching jolt of electricity.

The sensory overload left him shaken. He lay still, eyes closed, recovering, until a hand took his and helped him to his feet.

Elana looked the same, except her skin had a gentle glow, as if more light were striking her than anything else in the room. The chamber looked basically the same, except the stone of the walls and floor was now white, and all four cots were empty.

14

A
re we there?” Cole asked.

“Welcome to the echolands,” Elana said.

“You got here quickly.”

“I instructed a colleague to bring my echo to this room.”

“When?” Cole wondered.

“As we spoke.”

“With telepathy?”

“Mind to mind, yes.”

Cole shook out his arms and alternated kicking his legs. “I don't feel different.”

“You're still you,” Elana said. “The echolands have substance. The material here is just more refined than in the physical world you know.”

Cole nudged the cot with his toe. It felt normal. He pinched his wrist. That felt normal too. He noticed that his hands had an extra glow to them. “Am I shining?”

Elana smiled. “We're called bright echoes when we're still connected to a living body in the mortal world. The extra light makes us stand out a little, but also carries some advantages.” She gave a perplexed scowl. “You still have your sword.”

Cole drew his Jumping Sword. The blade had a faint gleam similar to the subtle shine of his skin. “Is that weird?”

“Duplicate versions of your clothes appear to cross over. But no other items. Not unless you've put some of yourself into them.”

“The sword came from Sambria,” Cole said, sheathing the blade. “I used my shaping power to make it work in Elloweer.”

“Interesting,” she said. “The action must have forged a personal bond with it. You'll notice that not many people carry weapons in the echolands. But considering your mission, you might be happy to have one.”

“Do people get killed here?” Cole asked.

“Come with me,” Elana said, leading him from the room. The stone in the hall had also brightened from gray to white. “We'll talk as we walk. Echoes can die. But not typically in combat. Death by physical trauma requires a lot of damage. Echoes don't bleed. They don't suffer from sickness or infection.”