Reunion (17 page)

Ma'el's mocking expression grew serious. “I'm sorry, Nia, but that's your only other choice.”

What can I do, what can I do?
Corwin thought.
The only thing the kraken fears is the sun, and there is no sunlight here. If only I still had the burning glass . . . no, it wouldn't help. But would an illusion of the burning glass and its sunlight work?
Desperate for any solution, Corwin thought at Gobaith,
Give me what power you can.

Corwin raised his hand, forming a circle with his fingers. Closing his eyes tight, he imagined the light of the sun coursing through the circle, focused into a tight beam. He opened his eyes again and saw a bright ray streaming from his hand, spearing the kraken in the neck. The creature screamed, a shriek more horrible than any it had made before. Nia crouched and covered her ears, and Corwin wished he could do so as well.

But the spell worked. The kraken disintegrated and fell into the water as if melting.

“Well, that was rather imaginative,” Ma'el said, his eyes slightly widened in surprise, but obviously not very perturbed. “You realize that I could summon the creature again at will, and that you've already pushed your poor Farworlder king to his limits. But the kraken probably isn't even necessary. I have other, easier means.”

Joab surged forward to the steps and whipped his tentacles around Nia's ankles. As she shrieked, he dragged her toward the water.

“Nia!” Corwin cried.

“Run!” Nia called back. “They have tails, not legs like me. They can't chase you. Take Gobaith away. Run!”

But Ma'el swam up to the base of the stairs, a smug smile on his bearded face. He flopped up onto the lowermost dry steps, revealing from the waist down a powerful fishtail covered with black scales. Then, to Corwin's horror, the tail began to ripple and shudder. A split ran up from the end fin, dividing the tail in two, as Ma'el uttered a loud but triumphant cry of pain. The scales receded, and muscles differentiated. Instead of a tail, Ma'el was now forming two legs, as a land-dweller would have. Soon he was able to stand on his own new feet.

Corwin backed up a step, but how could he leave when Nia was being held captive?

Ma'el smiled. “Come here, Joab. You're distressing Nia's friend.”

Joab released Nia to Cephan's imprisoning embrace and surged toward the steps. But instead of stopping at the water's edge, the Farworlder slithered onto the steps. It was bigger than the leviathan Corwin had seen on the beach. And a bit older. And a mottled dark purple in color. To see such a large version of a Farworlder, with such malice in its eyes, crawling toward him made Corwin's blood run cold and his legs freeze in fear.
How fast can one of those move on land?
Corwin wondered.

But Joab did not come after Corwin. The Farworlder instead went to Ma'el. It reached up with its tentacles and wrapped them around Ma'el's waist. And then it slithered up Ma'el's legs and back. As Corwin watched in horror, Joab settled himself on Ma'el's shoulders, his great, bulbous head looming behind that of the merman. Joab wrapped a tentacle around each of Ma'el's thick, muscled arms, and two tentacles around his chest. This left six long, slimy tentacles to wave menacingly toward Corwin. Together, Ma'el and Joab formed a two-headed, twelve-armed monster. Corwin's mouth went dry as he stared at the terrifying new creature facing him, and his legs remained glued to the ground.

Ma'el/Joab began to walk up the steps toward Corwin. “Did you really think destroying my sea serpent would help you?”

“Corwin,
run!
” Nia cried again.

Finally Corwin regained control of his muscles. Cradling the shell tightly in his arms, he dashed up the stairs as fast as he could go.
Cephan won't kill her. They want our power. She'll be all right
, he kept telling himself, wishing he could believe it. It was just like Fenwyck all over again.
But Fenwyck gave his life to save mine. If Nia loses hers, I die, too
.

Corwin pounded through the door at the top of the stairs and slammed it shut behind him. He dashed down the hall past the kitchens and entered a large meeting hall filled with wooden benches. There were men here, dressed like well-to-do merchants, but as King Vortigern had said, they appeared to be sleeping, snoring loudly.
Aha,
Corwin realized, as it all fit together in his mind
. I'll bet the spell the wizards blamed on us was Ma'el's work.

Corwin slammed the door to this room shut and piled as many benches against it as he could in ten seconds. To his surprise and dismay, none of the men in the room awakened. Corwin shook the shoulder of one of them. But when the pounding began on the other side of the door, Corwin ran.

He found a door that led into a courtyard on the north side of the castle. He was shocked to discover that it was later in the day than he'd expected. The sun was setting. Corwin didn't have much time to decide where to run, and some instinct told him to run upward, that Ma'el/Joab might tire if they had many stairs to climb, if they weren't used to dry land.

Before him, beside the northwest wall of the castle, stood the unfinished tower that had given King Vortigern so many troubles. But it was somewhat higher than the castle wall itself, so Corwin headed for it. He slipped into a narrow rectangular entryway and dashed up the stairs within.

Around and around, in dizzying circles, up the cracked, broken, twisted stairs, Corwin ran. He finally emerged at the landing that was presently the top of the tower. Corwin leaned against the broken stone of the tower wall and gasped for breath. Looking out over the castle, he saw no sign of Ma'el/Joab.
Maybe I lost them,
he thought hopefully.
Or maybe they returned to deal with Nia.
He shuddered, trying not to think about that.

The tower loomed over the River Twy, far below to the west. The sun had sunk just below the trees beyond the river. To the north, a road wound away toward the eastern plains. Corwin spotted several horsemen riding away down the road, hellbent-for-leather. It was King Vortigern, his son, Prince Vortimer, and the three wizards.

“And good riddance to you,” Corwin muttered, watching them go. “If Ma'el does conquer your kingdom, it will be no less than you deserve.”

Corwin felt a chill slither down his spine, and he turned around, then gasped. Ma'el/Joab stood there right in front of him, the tentacles around Ma'el's chest writhing, reaching for Corwin. The oculae beneath the skin of Ma'el's arms pulsed like little hearts.

“What, did you think we weren't capable of stealth?” the creature mocked. “You are right, however. When we conquer the land kingdoms, it will be no less than you all deserve.”

Corwin tried to run to the archway above the stairs, but Ma'el/Joab blocked it.

“What will it take to convince you,” Ma'el/Joab went on, “that this entire exercise is futile? Other than impressing me with your skills, you have only drained yourself and your Farworlder of much-needed energy.”

“Nia has shown me what you did to her city,” Corwin retorted. “I had to do what I could to stop you.”

“But you see, that's the point,” said Ma'el/Joab, coming toward him. “You can't stop me. No one can. Just give me little Gobaith, and we will all return to the sea and be happy.” The great, dark, bulbous head of Joab throbbed and flowed over Ma'el's head to form a giant hood, the golden eyes to either side of Ma'el's ears. Corwin hadn't thought he would ever see anything more horrible than the kraken had been, but he was beginning to change his mind.

“I would drown in the sea,” Corwin said, backing up against the wall.

“Not necessarily. A curious thing happens to those who stop breathing in very cold water. Their revival becomes . . . more likely, if dealt with in time. And should you survive the journey, Atlantis has some air-filled dry rooms where we could sequester you . . . for a while.” Ma'el/Joab paused, then continued. “You might not enjoy it, but at least your life wouldn't end here and now. And you also might discover some interesting things about yourself. . . . Maybe it wouldn't be as difficult for you to survive in water as you think,” he added in the same cryptic tone he'd used earlier, when he'd mentioned Corwin's background.

Corwin opened his mouth to question him further, but then remembered what Nia had warned. “I won't listen to anything you say,” he said as defiantly as he could. “And I won't let you win,” he said, desperately trying to think of what to do. Gobaith was shivering in his shell, also attempting something, but Corwin couldn't tell what.

“As you wish,” said Ma'el/Joab. The purple tentacles lashed out toward Corwin as the merman/leviathan rushed at him, pressing him against the broken, crenellated wall. Corwin was able to hold the shell containing Gobaith just out of reach for a few moments. Then one of Joab's tentacles managed to wrap itself around his wrist.

Time seemed to slow down, seconds stretching long as Corwin considered what his last act might be. Looking over his shoulder, he could see the River Twy far below. “I wonder, Ma'el, with all your powers, can you fly?” he asked, tossing the silvery shell over the side of the tower.

Ma'el/Joab roared words Corwin couldn't comprehend and stretched out over the edge of the wall, reaching out arms and tentacles to catch the shell.

Corwin watched as the glimmering shell arced outward.
If it strikes the water, Gobaith might just live.

But the sun had dipped below the horizon. To Corwin's horror, the Twy ran red and suddenly a column of scarlet water shot out of the river. Ma'el had again summoned the kraken. The creature's mouth gaped wide to receive the falling shell. . . .

“Noooo!” cried Corwin.

“Skraaaaaw!” came a cry from the forest. Nag flew out of the trees beside the river. Diving between the kraken's jaws, the raven snatched Gobaith's shell out of the air. The kraken's fangs closed on nothing, and the creature screamed in frustration.

Corwin pounded the wall with his fist in astonished joy. “Good Nag! Good bird! I'll never call you useless again!”

Carrying the hope of Atlantis, the raven flew back among the treetops, disappearing into the shadowed canopy of the forest.

Chapter Eleven

Ma'el/Joab roared again, this time a great cry of frustration. Joab's tentacles slid around Corwin's neck and tightened. Corwin could smell the reek of dead fish from the Farworlder, as well as Ma'el's breath. “You idiot!” Ma'el cried. “Dry-lander kingdoms have never been able to crush Atlantis's power. Nor will you succeed this time! You will die, and the last king and Avatar will die with you. Only I will remain, and I
will
conquer all!”

Corwin knew his neck could be snapped at any second. Time slowed again, and Corwin could see in precise detail the veins on Ma'el's arms, and the strange oculae lumps throbbing beneath the merman's skin.
They look so delicate—I wonder if they can be harmed? Well, I don't have anything left to lose. Why not find out?

Corwin lashed out and struck one of the lumps with his fist.

Ma'el/Joab screamed. A bolt of pain, like lightning, speared through Corwin's mind. But Joab's stranglehold loosened for just a moment.

Corwin struck again, a different lump. Again Ma'el/Joab wailed, and Corwin's mind howled with pain. He used the pain to drive himself on, striking on lump after lump on Ma'el's arms.

How strange
, Corwin thought through his psychic agony,
that Ma'el's greatest strength can become his weakness. If it's this painful for me, how much worse it must be for him.

A blackness enveloped them that wasn't natural.
What is this
? Corwin wondered blindly.
Some new terror that Ma'el can summon at will?

Ghosts and demons danced in the shadows.
Can he drag the very shades out of Hades?
Not knowing what else to do, Corwin continued to seek each oculus under Ma'el's skin and strike it as hard as he could.

Another roar from Ma'el/Joab, and the heads of many kraken screamed around them—the tower roof was swarming with them.

Sharks and giant eels of the deep rushed at Corwin with fanged jaws wide, and he braced himself for the pain, but they didn't bite. With a shake, he continued to beat at the oculae, fighting through the fear. Then one shark actually swam right through him.
Why aren't I dead
? Corwin marveled.
Why aren't the kraken shredding me to pieces?
Then suddenly it all made sense. Corwin almost laughed as he realized that this was all an illusion created by Ma'el/Joab. He shut his eyes and continued punching.

Joab's tentacles slithered around him, pinning Corwin's arms to his side. Corwin opened his eyes. The illusions were gone. Ma'el, his face contorted in a mask of rage, tried to punch Corwin in the face, but Joab was holding him too close for the blow to have power. Corwin lunged to the side. Pressing his face against Ma'el's right upper arm, he fixed his teeth around an oculus lump and bit down as hard as he could. The taste of blood and bile and sea brine filled his mouth.

Ma'el roared again; then his grip slipped away and he fell to the flagstones. Joab's tentacles writhed in the air and Ma'el shuddered all over. The muscles in his legs rippled, and black scales flowed over the skin. A black pool of ink spread out from beneath them like blood.

He's no longer controlling his body
, Corwin realized. Seizing his chance, Corwin grabbed Ma'el's ankles and pulled him next to the wall. Ma'el and Joab tried to hit Corwin with fist and tentacle, but instead their limbs flailed helplessly. Gripping one of Ma'el's wrists, Corwin hauled him and Joab up and slung them onto the rim of the wall. With one mighty shove, Corwin lifted Ma'el by the legs and shoved both him and the leviathan Joab over the side of the tower.

Corwin watched as merman and leviathan fell down and down. They struck the rocks at the base of the castle with a loud
whump
and then rolled down the embankment, stopping at the river's edge.