The Balance of Power (Godsland Series: Books Four, Five, and Six) (39 page)

"
Me?
Why would
I
help
him?
"

"You begged for his life."

The hall was silent for a few moments, and Sinjin wished he could see what was happening.

"Fine."

An instant later, the weight lessened, and Kendra was suddenly under the blanket with him. She was very close, and he could smell her heady scent. He didn't mind the pain as much when she brushed up against him. Then she put his arm over her shoulder and her arm around his waist and tried to lift him from the stone floor. It was awkward. His limbs did not want to obey, and the pain in his ribs was almost unbearable, but they eventually managed to stand. The weight of the blanket was a major hindrance, and Sinjin still felt smothered by it. His legs were unsteady, and he put his other arm around Kendra and grabbed on.

"Watch it, little man," Kendra said, and Sinjin moved his hand up. Despite everything else, he smiled and had to admit that having his arm around her felt good. Perhaps he held on at times a little tighter than needed.

* * *

Fluttering torchlight fell on a silent and unmoving forest, though when Durin shifted his viewpoint, the forest did seem to move. Even frozen in oddly weathered stone, this forest was alive. Durin could feel it, and it made the hair stand on his neck. Chase stood just in front of him, as he always seemed to, and the two of them remained silent, waiting for some sign of real movement within the magnificently carved trees. No sound came. Finding his courage, Durin followed Chase and tried to look wherever Chase wasn't looking, so nothing could sneak up on him. The feeling of some other presence in this place was so strong that Durin could not stop looking for whoever it was that dwelt here. Chase must have felt it as well, for he moved in silence and used hand signals to communicate with Durin.

A sound like the scuffling of boots echoed around them, and Chase turned to Durin with a question in his eyes. Durin just shook his head. He hadn't made the noise. This raised their concern to a new level, and while Chase stood, frozen, listening, Durin couldn't help but run his fingers along the bark of the nearest tree. It felt almost real, and that made the fact that it wasn't even more remarkable. He could almost pretend that he was outside, resting in the shade of an oak grove, and he guessed that was why it existed. The scale of the place spoke of people being trapped underground for untold ages, and memories of the outside world would become precious indeed. It looked to be almost as large as the chamber that contained the God's Eye. Though, in truth, the size was difficult to judge from below the canopy.

"Wait here," Chase said, and he started climbing a nearby tree.

Durin stayed where he was, having visions of branches of stone falling from the tree. Chase moved like the trained soldier he was, and though slow at times, he methodically climbed the stone oak. The branches did not move, and leaves did not stir. The entire experience was wholly unnatural. When Chase finally dropped back to the floor of the cavern, he grunted, and it took him a moment to stand. "There is a clearing ahead. It's a good walk, but I think that'll tell us a good bit more about this place."

"Maybe we should go back," Durin said. "Maybe we should get some reinforcements."

"I didn't see any signs of movement while I was up there, and I think perhaps we were just hearing things. Regardless, it's a long walk back, and I'd like to have a little more information than just the fact that we found a stone forest. Let's go."

Following reluctantly, Durin let Chase lead him into the heart of the forest. Here, the trees bore dark stains, and they were adorned with gray and black lichen.

"Do not touch these trees," Chase whispered.

Durin made no response. He had no desire to lay even a finger on them. Every instinct was telling him to run back the way they had come. He was about to suggest they do just that when the black trees thinned. Looking down, Durin saw that the floor of the chamber here was carved with a flowing pattern, like graceful branches but with no leaves. The pattern grew denser closer to the center of the clearing, where there stood a single massive tree that dwarfed all the rest. From here, Durin could see the vaulted ceiling of the chamber and marveled at the fact that it must have been man made; it was carved to look like wispy clouds, though now they, too, were covered in black and appeared threatening.

The branches of the mighty tree reached out over those that surrounded the clearing, and the air in the shade of this tree vibrated as if it were alive. This stone copse reminded Durin of Catrin's tales about the Grove of the Elders. That was a place that was said to have its own power, a site where the power of the land was closest to the surface. Perhaps this place, too, was similar. Durin had never been to the Grove of the Elders, but he had a picture of it in his mind, a picture that he knew was inaccurate, but he preferred to envision the ancient greatoaks as they were before Catrin destroyed them. Seeing this place somehow made his mental image of these trees even larger. It changed Durin's perception of what was possible. Never before had he realized that mankind could achieve such things. Indeed, he would bet that most of the people of the Godfist would feel the same way. The ancients had bested them in almost every way. Durin was humbled by the experience and wondered if his kind would ever ascend back to such heights.

When Chase finally stepped from the trees and into the open, Durin felt as if there were squirrels in his guts, and his knees trembled. Nothing happened. No attacks came and no sounds broke the silence. Instead, Chase just walked into the clearing and raised his eyes to gaze at the mastery of the ancients. Here their kind had reached some kind of pinnacle, while at the same time, presumably being at an all-time low, since they had been trapped under ground. Durin finally followed when it seemed as if the shadows behind him were moving, and he thought he heard that scuffling sound again.

What amazed him the most about the trees were the details and the durability of what looked delicate and fragile. Leaves with narrow stems hung from slender branches, and it seemed inconceivable that such slight structures could have survived the ages. As they moved closer to the tree, Durin saw that there was more wear on the floor here. The design was still clearly visible, but many of the edges were rounded and worn. And there was a place on the trunk of the tree, at about arm height, where the bark was worn smooth. Durin had visions of people congregating here, and each one stroking the tree in that same place. It came and went in a flash, but he felt a nearly overwhelming urge to place his own hand on that worn spot, to join the exclusive group of people who had done so, to connect with those who had come before, and he was there before he knew it. Without thinking, he placed his hand on the tree. Nearby, he heard Chase hiss.

Durin nearly fainted when the tree spoke.

"Is that you? Are you there?"

Durin slowly took his hand away from the tree and turned with wide eyes to Chase, who looked almost as startled as he. Chase held a finger to his lips and remained still and silent. Durin did his best to follow Chase's example. While it had seemed the tree spoke, it spoke with what sounded like a very human voice, yet no one could be seen.

"Yes. I am here," came another voice, calm and smooth, the sound of nobility.

"I've secured the package and the accessories," came the original voice, which sounded a great deal more stressed.

"Excellent. Bring them to me with the greatest haste."

"I want to know why." This new voice actually sounded familiar and Durin gaped. Again, Chase held his finger to his lips. No answer came.

"Answer me," Kendra said, and Durin had no doubt it was she. She sounded meaner than usual, though, and that was saying something. "If you don't tell me who you are and what you want with Sinjin, your man Hand's name is gonna become an irony. You understand me?"

Durin nearly shouted for joy when he heard Sinjin's name. Still, it didn't sound as if his friend was safe, and Durin did his best to remain quiet. It was difficult considering how many of his questions demanded answers. Where was his friend? And how could they hear those who were presumably so far away? Even the slightest possibility that Sinjin was on the Godfist gave Durin hope.

"With whom do I have the pleasure of negotiating?" the noble voice responded, seemingly unperturbed.

"My name is Kendra Ironfist, and I'm about to start cutting."

"I mean you no harm, Lady Ironfist, and I mean my nephew no harm. I suppose our relationship is a bit more tenuous than that, but with his leave, I would call him nephew. My name is Jharmin Olif Kyte, and I wish to bring you to Wolfhold, so that I can keep you safe until Lady Catrin can come for you."

Nephew?
Durin asked himself, but then he remembered the tales of Lady Lissa and Lord Kyte. This was the man who had formed a truce with Catrin that ended an ages-old feud.

"Why should I believe you?"

"I don't see that you have all that much choice," Lord Kyte said. "There's a keep full of people ready to prevent you from escaping the way you came in. Hand knows other ways out of the keep, and provided you don't hurt him, he will show you the way. After that, he'll be able to use my gold to arrange for suitable transportation."

"The blanket is hurting him," Kendra said. "I'm going to take it off of him."

Durin couldn't imagine what she was talking about, but he didn't like the sound of it one bit.

"As soon as you do," Lord Kyte said, "they'll come looking for you, and you can bet they'll find you. The dragons have your scent, boy. I know you can hear me, and I know that if you want to live, you must remain hidden. If not for Thorakis wanting your mother to think you dead, you very well might be."

"My mother thinks I'm dead?" came Sinjin's voice; it sounded thick and heavy, as if he spoke without moving his jaw. The sound of that voice made Durin smile, and some of the guilt lifted from him. It was becoming increasingly difficult to remain silent, but Chase reminded him with a gesture to do just that.

"I regret that it is so," Lord Kyte said. "When you're here and surrounded by friendly stone, we'll remedy that, but it must remain so for now, or you'd be able to hide from no one."

"That figures," Kendra grumbled, and Durin was amazed he could hear her. Whatever magic this was, it was powerful indeed. "If I feel at any time that you've betrayed me, then Hand's life is forfeit. Am I perfectly clear?"

"Perfectly."

The silence grew longer after that, and Durin wondered if they had gone, if he'd lost his chance to talk with Sinjin, to find out where he was and how to help him, and he opened his mouth to speak.

Chase moved to his side, put a hand on his shoulder, and spoke loudly. "Wait. Don't go. You're not alone."

Durin wasn't certain Sinjin or the others could hear him, and he waited in intense anticipation.

Chapter 15

The oceans are the greatest mystery mankind will ever face; those lost may never be found.

--Aerestes, captain of the
Landfinder

* * *

Walking along the valley floor, Master Edling looked upon what would soon be his. All of it would be his. Everywhere he looked, people were working to clean up the devastation left by the war, and it appeared they were doing an admirable job of it. When he cast his gaze up the valley walls to where the entrance of Dragonhold waited, he saw new stairs leading down to a massive foundation. It appeared as though the girl had some good ideas, but such a massive construction was far beyond what was needed. It would take some time to get things moving in the right direction, but that was a small price to pay, he supposed.

Baker Hollis walked wordlessly beside Master Edling, who found the silence annoying.

"I would've thought you'd be happy," Master Edling said. "Your daughter finally found a way to make you important."

"I am happy," Baker Hollis said, not sounding it. "I'm just a little worried is all."

"Worried? About what?"

"I worry for my daughter," Baker Hollis said. "She's not had an easy life."

"Bah! You worry she'll have more power than you and take revenge for every time you ever disciplined her. But don't worry. I'll assign you as Chancellor of the North to assist with your daughter's rule. As long as you don't do anything stupid, you'll have real power," Master Edling said, wondering if Hollis knew just how lucky he was; after all, few had power handed to them.

When they reached the mighty foundation, Master Edling felt a momentary twinge of jealousy. This was the work of a shrewd and creative mind. Never would he have had the audacity to order something of such magnitude constructed. Master Edling remembered the girl. He'd always assumed she was daft. This and the capture of Dragonhold proved that there was more to Trinda than met the eye. No matter, he thought. There was no reason not to let the girl reinforce the hold's defenses; what Edling wanted was within the hold. He wasn't even certain what it was he sought, but he knew Dragonhold was where he would find it. He'd known it from the time Catrin had declared the place her own, and Master Edling cursed himself for a fool for not having attacked before the girl could establish her stronghold. It had been the fault of those around him--sniveling and weak, all of them. The sight of war had reduced them all to uselessness, and none was willing to risk the people who had survived.

Edling had always figured that fewer people on the Godfist would mean more food for those who remained; after all, they lived on little more than a rock sticking up from the sea. There was little enough to be had, and Master Edling had never been fond of sharing.

The climb up the winding wooden stair was long and arduous, and it left Master Edling wet with sweat. He looked forward to settling into his chambers and having a nice, cool bath. For the moment, he continued to be grudgingly impressed with what Trinda had accomplished. Even the temporary fortifications around the entrance to Dragonhold, which was far above the valley floor, were of higher quality than what had existed before Thorakis's army attacked. But he also knew that mentally challenged people sometimes had remarkable abilities, and he figured Trinda must be one of those cases.

Baker Hollis breathed heavily and constantly wiped the sweat from his brow and eyes.

"Perhaps you shouldn't be so sedentary," Master Edling admonished. "Now you're old and sloppy and weak. It's unbecoming a man of power. I suggest you remedy that situation. Perhaps you should climb these steps every day. Maybe that'll clean you up."

Baker Hollis looked as if he might be ill, and the thought of climbing these steps even a single time clearly did not appeal to him. Not for the first time, Master Edling wished he'd brought along servants. At least then he could have ordered someone to mop the sweat from the baker before the man accidentally came into contact with him. The thought made his skin crawl.

Such was politics, though. Sometimes you had to be friends with those you'd rather see dead. As long as Master Edling got control over Dragonhold, it would all be worthwhile. He would then control every part of the Godfist except what was held by the savages, and Master Edling was pretty sure he didn't want their desert. There was nothing there for him but death, so they could have it until he decided otherwise. The rest would be his before the day was out.

Both men were soaked by the time they reached the top of the stair, and the breeze cooled them as they were escorted inside by a guardsman who didn't appear entirely comfortable with the task.

Master Edling had expected the girl to meet them at the entrance, and the guards looked less friendly than he would have imagined. With every step, he questioned his judgment until he stood before a massive throne. Baker Hollis had not uttered a word, and Master Edling could almost smell his fear. The men escorting them were armed and armored. He considered turning back then, but he chided himself for such cowardice in the face of a little girl sitting atop an oversized throne. Yet when he looked up to the eyes of that woman, still trapped in the body of a little girl, he saw his mistake, and he saw that it was too late. He should have run when he'd had the chance.

* * *

In the silence that hung over the forest of stone, Durin wondered if the others had already gone, but eventually Jharmin Kyte spoke, "Who are you and where are you?" he asked with no warmth in his voice.

"I am Chase Volker, and I am on the Godfist."

"Catrin's cousin?" Jharmin asked.

"The same," Chase said.

"I suppose you already know who I am."

"I do, Lord Kyte. You've been kind to my cousin, and I am grateful for that, but I fear for my nephew's safety."

"With good reason," Jharmin said. "But this conversation is only increasing the danger. My people will bring him to me, and then I'll be in a better position to ensure his safety. As you must have heard, my intention is to keep him safe until Catrin arrives."

"I did hear that. What's the boy's current condition? He didn't sound well when he spoke."

"I'll be all right," Sinjin's voice carried into the stillness, though still sounding as if he were speaking with his mouth full. "They beat me up and covered me in some kind of heavy blanket to make mom think I was dead."

"I'll kill them myself," Chase said, unable to hold back his anger.

"The boy's in good hands now," Jharmin said. "We must let my people do their work. This conversation must end. Come back to this place in one week, and I'll update you on the situation."

"Agreed," Chase said.

"Wait!" Durin said, unable to keep silent any longer. His friend was half a world away, and this might be his last chance to say good-bye.

Chase turned a hard eye on him, but then the look on his face softened.

"You'll come back home when all this is over, won't you, Sinjin?"

"Durin? Is that really you?"

"Idiot," came Kendra's voice.

"It's me, Sinjin," Durin said, ignoring Kendra's remark.

"We have to go. Now!" came Hand's voice.

"I'll come back!" was the last thing Sinjin said before the mighty stone forest fell silent again.

"Well," Chase said. "Now we know why Trinda wanted us to find this place. I'd love to know how she knew it was here, but I doubt she'll ever tell me. I guess we should head back."

Durin wanted to stay, even though Sinjin was gone; this place made him feel closer to his friend, and he wished he could somehow transport himself through the tree to where Sinjin was. The two of them had always been stronger together than apart, and it seemed Sinjin needed him now more than ever before.

It was with a hollow feeling in his gut that Durin finally let Chase lead him away from the stone forest and back toward the main keep.

* * *

A single thought consumed Catrin: No, this could not be happening. Her heart could not cope with such loss, and she thought it might burst. Kyrien, too, wobbled in flight, and the two were clearly in no condition to fly, let alone fight. When her vision refocused, Catrin could see the dragon ore in the saddle around her was now milky white, especially where Prios had been sitting before his . . .

Anguish washed over Catrin again, and she issued a wordless cry filled with vast melancholy. It was drowned out by the sound of Riverhold collapsing. Catrin could not believe her eyes. Kyrien had pulled them up higher, and as he swung back around to face the keep, the upper walls began to crumble. An instant later, one of the footings failed with a massive
thump,
which accelerated the chain reaction Prios's final attack had started.

Pride swelled in Catrin's chest at what he had accomplished, all the while knowing it hadn't been worth it, and she would change it if she could. But she couldn't. It was a strange mixture of pain, regret, resignation, and commitment that rose up in Catrin when she saw a feral dragon perched atop one of the few towering parapets that remained standing while most of the southern face of Riverhold collapsed. The crushing weight destroyed the mountainlike foundations of the hold, and eventually even the parapet on which the dragon perched tumbled away into the rushing fall. Catrin watched, fascinated, as towering stone statues were exposed and went through their final motions before being destroyed by an avalanche of stone.

The feral dragon simply extended its wings and caught the wind, which was quickly filled with dust and debris. It was then that the man riding the dragon was brought into Catrin's view: Thorakis, a brilliant man who'd given himself to the darkness. Beneath him was the darkness itself. It oozed from the feral dragon like a living thing, coiled and ready to strike.

Catrin felt the threat deeply and knew that she and Kyrien were overmatched. Under other circumstances, perhaps they could have been on equal terms, but in their current condition, they would almost certainly perish. It was not only the threat of the dragon and Thorakis; she could sense the presence of potent weapons finely tuned to her that could cut her like no other.

Her connection with the Staff of Life had been forged over time, but the battle of Adderhold had forever linked the two; Catrin's fingers had bitten deeply into the living flesh of the staff. Her defenses against the staff were few and feeble. If Thorakis landed an attack with the staff, Catrin knew it could be deadly. Then there was Koe. Catrin didn't even want to think the name because it gave the carving even more power over her. She had created it, or at least she had released it from within its prison of stone. Koe had been her comfort and security for so long, and now she feared the cat's raw power would reduce them to dust. Though she knew Koe wasn't sentient, the carving had a life its own; if only it had the will to resist Thorakis, but Catrin knew it wasn't so.

She could fully avenge her son and husband only if she survived this encounter, and she tried desperately to arrange her muddled thoughts. Thorakis didn't give her the chance and attacked, even as his keep dropped away into the waters of the Yan River. Massive amounts of water flooded into the aqueducts, which were suddenly and violently relieved of the great stone valves that had previously moderated the flow. The structures that reached out from the keep like the legs of a giant spider swelled with the deluge, and it looked to Catrin as if they would soon fail altogether. She could only hope that the people of the Greatland who lived along those aqueducts were not harmed. Part of her knew that losing the aqueducts would wreak havoc on the farmers who had come to depend on them, but that was not a problem that Catrin could fix or even face at that moment.

It was everything she could do to face the coming onslaught of Thorakis's rage. Prios's attack had destroyed all that Thorakis had wrought, and Catrin knew the resulting rage would be directed at her. His energy radiated and polluted the air; she could taste the madness in it, and it made her want to vomit. In choking, cloying waves, it threatened to relieve her of her own sanity. Kyrien turned away from the crumbling remains of the keep and soared down low over the water of the Yan River, dodging the tips of trees and even shrubs, so low did he fly.

Perhaps he'd hoped to escape the wrath of Thorakis; Catrin didn't know since he hadn't communicated with her in some time. This gave her cause for concern, but she had no chance to ask him if he was all right. Seethe reminded them that he had power of his own, and a river of cold fear washed over them, accompanied by the sound of black wings cutting the air in fast pursuit.

Raw, untempered power radiated from Thorakis, and his first attack was almost the only attack. Red lightning and fire erupted around Catrin and Kyrien before she even knew what was happening. For a terrifying instant, she was afire, but then it was gone. Still, the damage was done. Her ears rang, her clothes smoked, and her exposed flesh stung and burned. She took solace in the fact that she hadn't breathed in while surrounded by flames and did her best to catch her breath.

Though she was weary and injured, she knew it was time to take defensive measures or Thorakis would be the end of them. He wielded her weapons with no restraint, and mixed with his madness, they targeted Catrin's spirit as easily as her physical form. Feeling as if she were slowly fading away, Catrin cast a shield about herself just before the next attack came. Looking strained and fractured, the shield heaved and bucked in the face of that force, and Catrin could feel the staff and Koe in that attack.