Death Weavers (54 page)

The vision ended, and Cole once again stared at his companions. He realized that for them no time had passed.

“Nazeem is actually Ramarro the torivor,” Cole said. “I connected to the Founding Stone using Ramarro's piece of it. Dandalus left an imprint of himself in the stone. When I energized the imprint, he was able to send Ramarro to a prison made long ago in Creon. It should hold him for a while.”

“Well done, Cole,” Honor said.

“Dandalus wants us to find your sisters,” Cole said. “I think he has news.”

“At least we can see the temple now,” Honor said.

“Many of the defenses went down when Ramarro escaped,” Prescia said. “I can feel Miracle and Destiny now, and should be able to lead us right to them.”

Harvan approached Cole and clapped him on the back. “We weren't much of an army for you.”

“Don't underestimate your contribution,” Prescia said. “Every person here pitted their will against Ramarro. It was a distraction for him, and provided support for Cole.”

“Especially you, Prescia,” Cole said. “Thanks for your encouragement in my head.”

“I helped as I could,” she said with a small bow.

“We saw it all,” Jace said. “Except when you were trying to burn our eyes out with that lantern.”

“Whoops,” Cole said. “You couldn't close your eyes!”

“A little blindness is better than losing the fight,” Jace said.

“Is Thunder all right?” Ferrin asked.

Cole turned and saw the horse roaming near the altar.

“She no longer is hosting Destiny's power,” Prescia said. “Otherwise, she appears unharmed.”

“Is that Destiny's power in the air?” Cole asked, pointing at the sparkling whirlwind not far from the horse.

“Yes, holding to the pattern Ramarro established,” Prescia said. “I expect if we bring Destiny here, she can reclaim it easily.”

“What are we waiting for?” Jace asked. “Let's find the princesses.”

38

T
hey found Mira in a cell deep beneath the temple. Cole dissolved an iron door and then discovered he couldn't move or speak when he saw Mira inside. Jace ran to her and hugged her. They grinned and laughed.

Cole watched.

He felt too overwhelmed to speak. Until that moment he hadn't realized how much he had given up on rescuing Mira. His bargain with Sando had gotten her captured, and, at some level, he had believed there would be no way to set things right.

Not that things were totally right.

Ramarro was now in a temporary prison. Once he was free, Cole had a feeling that nobody on either side of the revolution would be celebrating.

But that problem would come later. For now, against all odds, here was Mira, alive and well. She approached him.

“I'm so sorry,” Cole said.

“It's not your fault,” Mira said. “You came all this way to help me?”

“He saved the day this time,” Jace said. “Cole has his power now, and it was enough to send Ramarro into a new prison instead of letting him get away.”

“Ramarro?” Mira asked.

“Nazeem's real name,” Cole said. “He's a torivor like Trillian.”

“Will the prison hold him?” Mira asked.

“For a bit,” Cole said. “We're not sure how long.”

Mira searched Cole's face. “What about Tessa?”

“Huh? You don't know?” Cole said.

“No,” Mira said, looking more vulnerable than Cole had ever seen her.

“She's here,” Cole said. “I found her, but Sando stole her from me. Ramarro never told you?”

Mira shook her head.

“What a jerk,” Cole said.

“She's all right?” Mira asked, as if not daring to hope yet.

“Come see,” Prescia said from down the hall, standing before another iron door. “She's in here.”

Mira's expression lit up. “Really?”

Cole, Jace, and Mira hurried down the hall to Prescia. Cole pulverized the door. Mira glanced at him, eyebrows raised. “Not bad.”

“I'm good at breaking stuff here,” Cole said.

“Mira?” The hesitant voice came from the cell.

Mira turned, tears springing to her eyes, trembling hands covering her mouth. “Hi, Tessa.”

Tessa walked out and stood before her sister. “I hoped I would see you here. Hi, Cole. Did you get caught too?”

Cole laughed. “We came to bust you out. But we accidentally freed Ramarro.”

She gave a solemn nod. “I had a feeling he would escape.”

“At least an imprint of Dandalus in the Founding Stone helped me send him to another prison.”

“Was he the same as our Dandalus?” Tessa asked.

“Pretty close,” Cole said.

Mira stepped forward and hugged her sister. Tessa hugged her back, but her body stayed rigid, her eyes wide.

“I missed you,” Tessa said in a small voice.

“I missed you, too,” Mira said. “More than I can say.”

“Is this ever going to end?” Tessa whispered.

“Aren't you the one who is supposed to know stuff like that?” Mira asked.

Tessa shook her head. “The things I most want to know never come to me.”

They ended the embrace.

“Dandalus wants to tell us something,” Cole said.

“I should get my power first,” Tessa said. “That much I can feel. And there is somebody in that cell.” She pointed.

Cole unshaped the door.

An older man exited through the empty doorway.

“Durny?” Mira asked in disbelief.

“Hello, Miracle,” he said, swinging his arms uncomfortably. “I came here to help but only managed to join the prisoners.”

Mira went to him and they hugged. “Thank you for saving me back at the proving grounds,” she said.

“It was my duty and privilege,” Durny replied. He studied Cole. “Looks like you saved the day again, my young friend. I'm beginning to think you were the best purchase I ever made.”

Cole grinned. “That's right. You used to own me.”

“Nobody will own anybody before long,” Mira said. “We'll stop my father.”

“Father isn't the problem anymore,” Tessa said. “If we can't stop Nazeem, he'll enslave us all.”

“We'll find a way,” Honor said firmly.

“Let's get Destiny's power,” Jace said.

Cole walked beside Harvan as they backtracked out of the temple dungeon. The princesses walked with Prescia, Callista, and Jace. Harvan nudged Cole. “If the purpose of life is amassing stories, you have been a most profitable acquaintance.”

“There may be more to all of it than stories,” Winston inserted.

“And there may not be,” Harvan said. “This is already one of the best. Harvan Kane and the Dauntless Outsider. Something like that.”

“Now I just have to finish it,” Cole said.

Harvan waved away the comment. “You're just saying that so there will be a world to tell it in.”

“It's no joking matter,” Winston said.

“Which lends the humor added importance,” Harvan maintained. “Sadly, the story is moving on to a place I can't follow.”

“Drake and I were having the same concerns,” Ferrin said, falling in beside them.

“Ramarro will only return here after he has wiped the Outskirts clean,” Harvan said. “We'll watch and wait.”

“We could move on,” Drake said. “If our chance to influence the outcome is done, the timing may be right.”

“I've been having some of the same thoughts,” Winston said.

“You don't count,” Harvan said. “You're already dead.”

“I can still end my lingering,” Winston said.

“Who will be around to foil me?” Harvan asked. “Who will question my tales and call my bluffs?”

“I don't believe drawing critics will ever be a problem for you,” Winston said.

“Am I that abrasive?” Harvan asked.

“You're not shy,” Winston replied diplomatically.

“You'll also attract admirers,” Ferrin said. “You're not afraid to be yourself, Harvan, and who you are demands attention.”

“I knew I liked this one,” Harvan said, putting an arm around the displacer. “If Winston rides the slipstream, I may be in the market for a partner in crime.”

“I could be convinced to linger for a season,” Ferrin said. “I've seen plenty of hardship and adventure, but friendship remains a novelty worth exploring.”

When they exited the building, Destiny went directly to her swirling power, entering the sparkling whirlwind without hesitation. Her hair whipped around as the vortex shrank into her. She staggered when it was gone, but she was smiling.

Her eyes shone as she looked toward her sisters. “It feels like it never left. I didn't know how much I had missed it.”

“I know what you mean,” Honor said kindly.

Destiny looked to Cole. Her intonation became graver. “It is time we spoke to Dandalus.” The words sounded like more than the whim of a young girl.

Cole got out his captured piece of the Founding Stone. “Whoever can get a hand on the stone can visit with me,” Cole said. “The princesses should for sure.”

Mira, Tessa, and Honor all touched the stone. Jace got his hand in there as well. Cole forced his power into the stone, and a moment later they all stood in the presence of Dandalus, surrounded by featureless whiteness.

“Greetings, Destiny, Miracle, and Honor,” Dandalus said. “Congratulations on surviving your trials so far. I'm sorry for your tribulations.”

“We all have our hardships,” Honor said. “Cole informed us that you have news?”

“Cole allowed me access to his mind,” Dandalus said. “I saw how he left the bodies of Jace, Joe, and Miracle with Hunter and Dalton. I also saw where he left his body when he came across at the Temple of the Robust Sky, in a chamber beside Honor, Destiny, and Desmond. The Founding Stone connects everywhere in the physical Outskirts, so out of curiosity I searched for your bodies. It took a little time to locate Miracle, Jace, and Joe. They are in the care of members of the Unseen. But I was disturbed when I checked on the bodies in the Temple of the Robust Sky.”

“Why?” Cole asked.

“They were gone,” Dandalus said.

“Did you find them?” Honor asked.

“After some searching, yes,” Dandalus said. “And now that Cole has recharged me I have found them again. They remain in motion.”

“What's going on with them?” Jace wondered.

“They were taken by Enforcers,” Dandalus said. “Your physical bodies are rapidly moving toward Junction in a pair of prison wagons.”

“Oh no,” Cole said.

“I suggest you hasten back to your bodies and deal with the problem,” Dandalus said.

“Don't we have to get near them to get back?” Cole asked.

“Not with the Founding Stone,” Dandalus replied. “Ramarro was specifically imprisoned at the Fallen Temple. He needed to at least partly return to physical Necronum to use the Founding Stone. But you suffer from no such bindings. Your contact with the Founding Stone should let me return you to your bodies anywhere in physical Necronum.”

“Then we should do it,” Honor said.

“All except Cole,” Dandalus said. “I take it you want Joe and Desmond restored to their bodies as well. Cole must be the last to go. Once he no longer energizes the Founding Stone, I will be rendered powerless.”

“And I can't bring the piece of the Founding Stone with me,” Cole said.

“It must remain in the echolands now,” Dandalus said. “Like your Jumping Sword, and the golden strand crafted by my living echo, it cannot return from the afterlife. Only your echoes can make that journey.”

“What about our clothes?” Mira asked uncomfortably.

“Unlike Cole's Jumping Sword, your actual clothes did not cross over with you,” Dandalus said. “The clothes you have on are duplicates more akin to illusions.”

“We should go,” Honor said.