Mythborn: Rise of the Adepts (78 page)

"Did I? I recall healing you and urging you to escape. You read my mind, my most inner thoughts. What is my life’s purpose?" Duncan took a deep breath. He could not act without Silbane’s release of the oath. Silbane broke eye contact with a sigh, looking at his companions, but Duncan demanded his attention by asking again, "What is my
purpose?"

Silbane looked back at Duncan, his body reflecting the tiredness he felt. There was almost no point in answering, but the man’s lifelong compulsion was too much to bear.

"Sonya," he said with resignation, for Silbane knew this was all Duncan thought about. Being reunited with his wife consumed him completely. He had obsessed about it for so long, it was unlikely there was anything left, except his hatred of the Galadine kings. If not for the Oath, it was doubtful Bernal would have survived his encounter with this particular archmage. Silbane wondered, what had Duncan done to the king’s weapons?

"But she is dead!" exclaimed Kisan. "Two hundred years dead."

Duncan ignored the outburst, instead looking up at the pyramid and the shining Gate. "She is there, waiting for me." He turned his attention back to the group and said, "They all are... anyone you lost."

Stunned silence followed the archmage’s statement. Questioning eyes darted to Silbane.

"Is that true?" blurted Yetteje. "My family... my father is alive?"

Ash hobbled forward. "The king?"

Even Kisan looked at Silbane, and though she never uttered a word, he knew her thoughts could only be for her dead apprentice.

Duncan looked at them all, finally coming to rest on Silbane. "I can bring them
back.
Release me."

Silbane didn’t move, his form absolutely still. So much had happened to them. Now Arek was lost on the other side of this Gate. Would keeping this insane mage help or hinder them? Furthermore, their presence in Lilyth’s world would be noted. Would having a beacon of power as bright as Duncan’s, separate from them, allow a measure of anonymity?

"I have done all you asked, there is nothing more!" Duncan’s face crumpled and he fell to one knee. He looked up and whispered, "You know she carried my unborn child. I cannot leave them on the other side!" A small sob escaped, and his back shook as if the very ground of his composure crumbled under him. He raised a fist illumed in power and slammed it into the granite floor, which buckled and cracked under the blow. "Release me!"

Silbane caught himself and took a deep breath. He was surprised Duncan had lasted this long, for the man’s mind was fractured. Every step closer must have been agonizing for him, knowing he could not leave without breaking the Oath, thereby jeopardizing his very existence.

Each choice had its dangers, but one afforded them the most safety. His mind made, Silbane blew out the breath he held and said, "You stand released of your oath." As he uttered those words, a flash of yellow surrounded them both.

"Are you mad?" cried Kisan. She looked around the seething mass, then at Duncan, expecting an attack at any moment, but the man didn’t move. He just knelt on one knee, his face resting in the crook of his arm, as if asleep.

He slowly stirred, as if hearing Silbane for the first time, and looked up in disbelief. Tears rolled down his face as he drew in a shuddering breath. His eyes locked again with the master who had just released him and he nodded once in gratitude. He rose slowly, facing the group. "I thank you and offer you this in repayment. What is my true name?"

Silbane stared at Duncan but felt his concentration narrow like it had once before, presaging the advent of Sight. The air darkened and time slowed to a heartbeat. Duncan still stood before him, but surrounding him was a conflagration of yellow light, as if the air itself had ignited into a sunburst. It was the Way, and so potent! He had had no idea the man held so much power, but there was more.

Superimposed around him was another figure. It stood towering over them, terrible in aspect. Red eyes that spoke of death glared from beneath a helm of burnt cinder. Dark wings of ash and smoke wrapped protectively around the Old Lord, making him seem somehow small and insignificant, despite his incandescent aura. It was a creature that filled Silbane with dread, and yet there was nothing he could do to escape it.

Another heartbeat and the creature inclined its massive head to the master, acknowledging they could see each other. Its eyes flared crimson and in a voice with the rasp of a dead snake’s skin, a sound recalling rot and decay, it said, "I am Scythe, my lord. We thank you for our release."

Time snapped back and the vision was gone. Silbane staggered into Kisan, drained again as before. This time, however, he felt himself recovering more quickly. He pushed himself erect and looked at Duncan, already knowing what the other would say, and offered simply, "Scythe."

"My memories begin to open to you and in time you will understand more."

Silbane knew Duncan meant the mindread they shared, but he had just seen something vastly different. Clearly it had been the Sight, the gift of Rai’stahn and the Conclave, yet he did not correct the archmage. No one else had seen the creature and while this made sense, it brought into question everything he knew about himself and the Way.

Duncan focused on the two masters and continued, "The name I heard when I Ascended was Scythe, but it is not
my
name."

Though both Kisan and Silbane knew what
Ascension
meant, only Silbane understood the literal truth of what Duncan had just said. Did every adept have a companion such as Scythe? And what of the vision of Valarius and the Conclave? What was the connection to Azrael? He felt the underpinnings of all he believed tilt and could not find his intrinsic equilibrium.

It was Yetteje who finally said, "Who is Scythe?"

Duncan smiled. "An Aeris lord." He turned back to Silbane. "You must understand this if you are to survive in their realm." He gave them a small, crooked smile and added, "That Ascension is both a lie and the truth is my parting gift to you. Use it well." He backed up a step and gave the group a small bow, then he turned and faced the pyramid.

* * * * *

The archmage ran up the face of the pyramid without looking back. He ascended with a single-minded purpose, gaining speed as he neared the blue-white, scintillating portal. In a few moments he was in front of it, his face lit by its unearthly glow.

I brought them, thousands for your army.
Duncan’s pale eyes narrowed when there was no answer.
The other gates are sealed, forcing Sovereign’s hand here, as you commanded.

Still, there was no sound, no voice to answer his claim.

Even the dragon was freed, a useful harbinger to your coming. The Conclave will act hastily now, out of fear, as you wished.

When still nothing happened, Duncan said one last thing, out loud. "Release them to me."

At first, silence reigned. Then with a sigh, barely a whisper in his mind, a melodious voice said,
Peace for our people is at hand. Be welcome, Scythe. She awaits you, though all may not be as you wish.

Duncan nodded and simply said, "It is enough."

* * * * *

The party watched Duncan facing the gate with mixed expressions of anger and disbelief. They could not see what he saw from their position, but watched as he seemed to gather himself, then take a step through. He vanished in a flash. His departure was so sudden and immediate, it caught most of them by surprise.

"Inane, useless chatter. He couldn’t be more confusing on purpose," Kisan huffed, clearly exasperated. Then her eyes narrowed and she turned to Silbane, "You captured him because of his knowledge of gates."

Silbane nodded, still silent, what Duncan had revealed echoing in his mind. The creature known as Scythe was an Aeris lord? His thoughts centered on what the dragons said during his vision, that Azrael would be freed if Valarius was killed. Did this mean Azrael had once bonded to Valarius, just as Scythe had to Duncan? His head swam with the implications, both for Valarius and more acutely, for himself. He turned to Kisan, wonder in his eyes, and said, "There is much more going on here than we know."

"Such as?" Kisan, it was clear, questioned the release of an asset, and in this case releasing Duncan only added to the variability of outcomes. Kisan couldn’t hide her belief that letting Duncan go was foolhardy.

For his part, Silbane’s expression grew both more thoughtful and tired. Kisan’s stance didn’t surprise him, it made him weary, and for the first time in his life he hesitated to share everything he knew. The revelations and visions combined to make him doubt his own role.

Furthermore, if Duncan were to be believed, his true name was not his own. The repercussions of this one small fact was significant, and he did not want to sit here idly speculating while the boys headed into Lilyth’s world alone. More delay put Arek farther from him and potentially in more danger.

Instead, he offered, "You know I read him. He is consumed with finding his wife and child, though they are centuries dead." He turned and faced Kisan. "He is of more use stirring his havoc away from us, as you know he will." He thought then of the winged creature of smoke and ash he’d seen standing over Duncan and added, "Trust me."

"Was he lying?" Yetteje interjected herself between the two masters, not moving an inch, her stance both accusing and demanding an answer. "He said they can be saved."

At first Silbane was confused by the question, his mind still on the vision of Scythe, its crimson eyes radiant below a cinder crown. It was burned into his memory.

Yetteje clarified, "My father, the others who have died..."

Comprehension dawned and he nodded to where Duncan had disappeared and answered, "He thinks so, but he is insane."

"You didn’t answer me. Is
my
father still alive?" She looked up the pyramid steps now with an intensity that was almost palpable.

"And the king," added Ash. "Is there a chance we may yet save him?"

"Piter might be there," Kisan said, but to no one in particular. When no one answered, she walked toward the pyramid steps, never looking back. Kisan had no faith in Duncan, yet Silbane sensed that the seed of saving Piter had been planted and had already begun to take root. Perhaps this was her chance to set all things right, rebalancing the wrongs she perceived done to her apprentice.

Silbane shifted his gaze from Kisan’s retreating back. He looked at everyone and said, "I am going to save Arek before it’s too late. None of you have to join us." He turned and started walking up the pyramid steps, following the younger master. Any answers he wanted lay beyond the blue sun.

Ash and Yetteje hurried to follow, the latter supporting the firstmark as he gingerly made his way, trying not to jostle his crushed shoulder and arm. They climbed in silence and before long, all had reached the apex.

The blue fire of the sun shone more intensely here, the light permeating them utterly. The circle of the Gate also stood open, through which they could see green fields and sunlit waters. The air was crystal clear, with a hint of a gentle spring wind and the smell of green grass and wildflowers.

"Arek’s touch did not close this." He looked at Kisan and then admitted, "We were wrong."

Kisan buried her face in her hands and rubbed until the skin was red. When she looked up, it was with determination. She looked at Silbane and her voice took on the keen edge of steel when she answered, "I’ve gotten used to you being wrong."

Just then a sigh of relief escaped from Ash’s lips. He looked at his shoulder, then rotated his arm, smiling. When he noticed the group looking at him, his expression became more thoughtful.

Silbane saw the swarm of yellow particles, coalescing like mist, adhering and permeating the armsmark’s shoulder. He knew if he concentrated, he could see the muscle and bone reknit itself under the ministrations of Tempest. The gift of Sight it seemed, had not fled him. Knowing the answer, he still asked, "Healed?"

Ash nodded, "And not at the expense of anyone else."

"Useful where we’re going," muttered Kisan.

Yetteje glanced at Silbane, then quietly asked, "Can you find Arek?"

Silbane kept his eyes fixed on the Gate and the world behind it. "I think so, and something seems to be driving us forward."

The princess didn’t hesitate, replying, "Then we’ll rescue them... all of them." She readjusted the runebow and took a step forward.

Silbane looked back at the group and said, "Let’s pay the Lady a visit."

With that, the group of four stepped into Lilyth’s Gate and disappeared in a flash of blue and white.

Journal Entry 26

Over these past months (years?) you may know me already, but I give you my name, nonetheless.

You may judge me as you will, for I no longer care what the world or you thinks, for I have found my soul here. When we started this journey together, I pleaded for your understanding and hoped you would judge me less harshly, or laud my efforts. It was a fool’s dream, and I now dream of greater things.

Today I began a new ritual, a cleansing of myself. It will be an arduous process, a remaking of who I am, through discipline and dedication.