The Echolone Mine (9 page)

Torrullin
weaved a different chant around the one in progress, his tones
complementing and jarring at the same time. Three voices. Somewhere
in there was a parallel. Death and death, with Three Voices.

Nine skeletons
fell to the floor.

Torrullin
lifted a hand to send twelve sets of bones skittering into the
corner with the others.

Saska fell
silent, breathing hard, and Elianas bent to draw in air.

The bier
bucked.

Elianas jumped
off.

One end of the
lid lifted and dust streamed out.

He and Saska
retreated.

Torrullin
climbed off and drew his sword. He heard Elianas’ slide out as
well.

The lid
exploded outward to fall with dull thunder. The floor cracked.

A man sat up,
hand at his throat, taking great gulps of air.

Nemisin. Fair
of face, golden hair, yellow eyes.

Torrullin
gestured and Saska commenced the chanting. Elianas joined his voice
to hers.

Nemisin’s head
swivelled. Not for him the skeletal exit, a stumbling gait until
flesh found bone. He was perfect. He could have been sleeping in
that perfection for all the years passed.

Yellow eyes
bored into Saska, and she gargled and fell to her knees. “That will
not work on me.” He lifted his gaze to Elianas. “Please stop,
beautiful boy, before I have to silence you also.”

Elianas
ceased, glared his hatred across the space and bent to Saska. He
lifted her, helped her away, but neither left.

Nemisin faced
Torrullin. He laughed. “Try anything, Lord Sorcerer, and we shall
both be swerving through the realms of eternity.”

Torrullin’s
hand was bloodless on the hilt of his sword. Out manoeuvred. “Why
do you not get to your feet, my Lord Vallorin?”

“Ah, yes.
Thank you.” Nemisin rose, splendid in his nakedness and stretched
out. Then he gracefully left the bier. “So confining.” He looked
around. “You have sent the others away - better, I think. A new
time requires new blood. Not so?” He glanced at Elianas. “Dear boy,
will you not come here and clothe me as you have in the past?”

Elianas stared
back and did not move.

Nemisin
laughed and returned his gaze to Torrullin. “I am unarmed. Are you
to raise your blade to an unarmed man? Come, clothe me.”

Torrullin
sheathed his sword. “Clothe yourself.”

Nemisin
shrugged, murmured and was dressed in flowing blue robes. “Now we
can dance, you and I.”

Torrullin
sauntered nearer. “I wanted to simply send you on your way, then I
meant to ask the why of this farce, but I am no longer interested.”
He commenced a chant …

… and Nemisin
burst into great peals of laughter. “Please, Torrullin, you know me
better! Two ways of getting out of the bier, many ways of
protecting myself once out. Chant all you like, use any spell you
desire, and know only failure. The worst that will happen is you
and I shall dance elsewhere, never quite done with the choices
between us.”

Elianas left
Saska’s side and strolled nearer. “Can you hold against two?”

Nemisin threw
arms theatrically into the air. “A host, dear boy!”

“Is he telling
the truth?” Elianas asked of Torrullin.

“I am afraid
so,” Torrullin muttered.

Nemisin
swirled around. He wandered the chamber and stood before Saska.
“My, you are lovely. What race claims you?”

She had
courage. “I am Sylmer, my Lord.”

“And how many
races are there, lovely Sylmer?”

“Countless, my
Lord.”

“Ah, I was
right.” He swung back to Torrullin and Elianas. “What happened to
my Valleur?”

Torrullin
pinched the bridge of his nose. “Guilt has no place here for you,
Nemisin. You did right by your people. The Throne continues in
splendour and the Dragon symbiosis ensured the hereditary longevity
you desired. A Valla sits on the seat of power as we speak, and the
Valleur flourish. We have three worlds, we have power, we have
respect and we live among others in peace and harmony. You did not
fail your people. You succeeded beyond your wildest dreams. This is
the absolute truth.”

Nemisin stared
at him. “What of Orb?”

“Orb is a
world that is sanctuary to many and the Diluvans continue under a
new name on a new world. The ancient crime has been forgiven.”

“How?” Nemisin
whispered.

Torrullin
paced forward and stood before him. “I am no longer Lord Sorcerer
and I am also not the Darak Or of your time. I am Elixir and I have
put to rights the wrongs.”

Nemisin
shouted, “How can you be the One? Gods, you were ever a thorn in my
side! You subverted my nobles, you threw your power around with
impunity, you took from my daughter her husband and you caused
scandal among the Valla ranks! You forced me into Neolone’s
embrace, you conceived of the Throne … for yourself! You murdered
twenty million Valleur; you betrayed Kalgaia and the empire! How
can you possibly be the One?”

“And how could
you desire to be the One?” Torrullin shouted back. “You massacred
the Diluvans, you created the darkling race that has plagued the
universe for ages, and you instilled in the Valleur such arrogance
we have suffered ages of war! We even left this universe in order
to survive! I was no saint,
I am no saint
, but,
by
god
, neither are you.”

They glared at
each other.

Nemisin
smiled. “Full circle, Torrullin. It seems we did our worst, and you
are the One, and I want to be. You made right, as I want to make
right.”

Torrullin
sighed. “This is not your time, Nemisin.”

“It is yours?”
Nemisin lifted a brow.

“Yes. Finally,
I am in the right time.”

“Fine, but I
am not leaving.”

“You are,”
another voice said.

Sabian, Master
Historian, entered, strolling casually as if to find a place to
picnic. His fair hair was scraped back to reveal his intent blue
gaze. “I felt you enter this time and thought I would pay my
respects.”

“Who are you?”
Nemisin demanded.

“I am Sabian,
and you created me. I am the ancient darkling from whom all
darklings and draithen were formed. You, my Lord Nemisin, showed me
the meaning of hell, agony, suffering and true evil. I have come to
exact my dues.”

“I do not know
you,” Nemisin said dismissively.

“But you will,
my Lord,” Sabian whispered. “You will know me well before
long.”

“Sabian,”
Torrullin snapped.

The fair man
glanced at him. “We had our fight, Elixir, and you won. It was a
fair encounter and I do not hold it against you.” He closed in.
“You treated me as sentience with soul, when no other saw it, not
even your son. You attempted to treat with me, when nobody else
would have, and you accepted my transformation without insult, and
granted my freedom when no one else trusted me.” Sabian bowed low.
“You have given me honour, my Lord, and I shall honour you until
the end of all things. My fight now is not with you, or the
Valleur, nobody. My fight is with Nemisin.”

Torrullin drew
breath. “Sabian, this is your time also, a new future. Will you
throw it away for a fight you cannot win?”

Sabian smiled.
“I do not need to fight him, Torrullin, merely take him to a place
he cannot escape.”

Torrullin was
silenced.

Elianas asked,
“How?”

Sabian smiled,
looking at Nemisin. “A little glitch in the net his daughter
created.”

Nemisin
paled.

“You see, I
have Heart of Darkness also.”

“No,” Nemisin
whispered and started backing away, looking around wildly.

Somewhere
Saska sighed in understanding.

“What does
that mean?” Torrullin asked.

“You and
Elianas have expended yours, Torrullin,” Sabian murmured. “It has
no power. However, if another enters with the Heart soon after the
Heart has raised, it cancels the raising. Nemisin can fight, rail,
and throw magic, but it will avail him nothing. He does not die;
no, he is bound for Reaume, never to leave, never. I am going with
him and I shall tell all truths, good and bad, and he will know
soon enough he was better served to die when his time claimed
him.”

Elianas sat on
the edge of the open bier. “Gods.”

Nemisin
retreated and Sabian tracked him with his gaze. “Flee if you must,
Nemisin, but the minutes tick by swiftly.”

“Sabian, he is
Vallorin,” Torrullin said. “He remains the historical figure the
Valleur revere, First Father, Enchanter, Valla. I may not like him,
but he is a king. We do not kill kings.”

“I am not
killing him. There is no place for him here. This time cannot cope
with two contrary Vallas; it will undo everything you have worked
towards.”

“How long has
he?”

“A few minutes
more.”

“Did you plan
this?”

“Opportunity
presented itself.”

“This is
revenge?”

“Revenge is
futile and the realm would be dark. Torrullin, this is
justice.”

“Justice,
Sabian? Where, then, is my justice?”

“You earn it
every time you right a wrong. Cease questioning. We are all guilty
here.” Sabian smiled. “And we have all changed, except him.”

“Should he not
be given the chance?”

Nemisin
stalked closer. “Yes, should I not be given the chance?”

“Hearts have
collided,” Sabian said.

“It cannot be
stopped,” Saska said.

Nemisin glared
at Torrullin. “You can stop it.”

“I do not
think so.”

Elianas was
markedly silent. There was a way to stop it, yes, but he would cut
his tongue out before saying so. He glared daggers into Nemisin’s
back.

Sabian
shuddered. “It is time.”

“No!” Nemisin
screeched.

“My Lord
Vallorin,” Torrullin said, “go with dignity. Reaume has the space
you require to begin anew.”

Nemisin
shuddered as well. “Gods, this was not how it was meant to be.” He
straightened and calm overcame him. He bowed. “I submit to your
superiority, Torrullin. Do not fail our people.”

“I will
not.”

“One thing,
who is Vallorin?”

“Tianoman. My
grandson.”

“You were
Vallorin?”

“For a long
time, yes.”

Nemisin gave a
wry smile. “That was the one thing I hoped to deny you. Farewell,
my Lord Torrullin.”

Sabian bowed.
“My farewell also, Lord Elixir.”

They were
gone.

Torrullin
locked gazes with Elianas, who shrugged. “I was not about to tell
them how to reverse it.”

Torrullin
looked away. “Neither was I.”

“There was a
way?” Saska gasped.

Torrullin
said, “Let us be gone. Others can give those bones decent burial.”
He presented Saska with his arm, which she took, and waited until
Elianas fell in beside him.

They walked
out together.

Who lies on
the other side of a damaged mind? Or what?

Psychology
969

Akhavar

L
owen recovered from trauma and found in the caring
for Cassy the means to deal with her emotions.

Cassy, when
they saw her again, was clean, fed and properly dressed in one of
Saska’s gowns. She was also sweetly vacant.

By the next
day they had decided to take her to the Lifesource Temple on
Valaris.

Saska said she
would see to the clearing of the Chamber of Biers, the necessary
burials, the consecration, and then she would leave Akhavar. She
suggested, if a healing was not to be, Cassy be brought to her
wherever she was, and she would take care of the woman.

Elianas
embraced her in appreciation.

Thus it was
Torrullin, Elianas and Lowen ferried Cassiopin, Nemisin’s daughter,
to Valaris.

All gods take
note.

Valaris

The walk across
the narrow lightbridge suspended over churning ocean below was
harrowing, for Cassy wanted to lean over into the void at every
step.

Finally
Elianas carried her the distance.

Lowen could
not enter the Lifesource and retain what immortality she had left,
and remained on the land bridge. When they vanished beneath the
western arch, she transported to Farinwood and took a small,
comfortable room in one of the inns, flinging onto a soft bed to
fall into proper sleep for the first time in a long while.

Her dreams,
however, were a confusion of hands - hers, Torrullin’s and
Elianas’.

Lifesource
Temple

Once inside the
Temple, Torrullin sent the call,
Quilla, will you come?

There was
surprise on the other end.
On my way.

A moment later
the birdman joined them. He took one look, squashed questions, and
gently took Cassy’s arm to lead her away. “What is your name,
dear?”

“Cassy,” she
murmured. “Are you a friend?”

“I am a
friend,” Quilla replied.

Cassy pointed
over her shoulder without looking back. “One of them is my husband
and the other is my enemy.”

Quilla looked
over his shoulder, his eyes filled with those questions he ignored
and more after that statement, and then gave his attention to the
woman. Questions could wait.

“We shall sort
all that out. Let us take a walk, shall we? It is so beautiful
here, so peaceful. Do you hear the music?”

“Yes …” and
the two disappeared into the chambers within chambers able to heal
and soothe.

Quilla found
them outside the eastern arch, both men silent.

The Eastern
Ocean swirled below, crashing against the land bridge.

“She is
sleeping in vapour. It will be a few days before results
manifest.”

“Thank you,”
Elianas murmured.