The Path of the Storm (15 page)

"No, Ella." Evrin's reaction was instant. "It's a bad idea.

"He's your descendant!"

"No," Evrin repeated. "There's too much risk. And I told you, Ella. You can never cross."

Ella decided to leave it. "Then what do we do?"

"All we can do. Rogan Jarvish is having the builders of Torakon construct a wall around the Sentinel at my request. He's also guarding the Sentinel with as many men as will fit on that scratched island. I'm rebuilding the machines as fast as I can. There is something you can do, though."

"What is it?" Ella asked.

"We need to find the one who crossed. Where would you go, if you needed essence? The Empire's as dry as the Hazara Desert."

Ella started. "The Akari."

"They're the only ones with essence. Go to Ku Kara and speak with the Dain. See if they know anything."

"There's no use waiting," Ella said. She stood. "I'll leave tomorrow morning. Thank you for lunch."

"I'm sorry, Ella. About Killian."

Ella squeezed Evrin's shoulder and left him sitting, watching her go.

~

T
HAT
night, after the meal of thin soup served at her simple lodgings, Ella retired early to her bedchamber.

She sat on her bed and took something square and heavy out of her satchel.

It was a book, but unlike any other book, for its pages were made of a strange metallic material, and the edges were curled and withered as if from intense heat. The book was badly damaged, but some of the words and diagrams were still legible.

Ella had found it in the chamber inside the Sentinel. If Evrin knew she had it, he hadn't asked for it, and she had studied its contents endlessly.

The Primate had possessed this book, but Ella was sure he'd understood little of what it described. Even Ella, having worked with Evrin for two years, had difficulty comprehending its contents.

She thought about what she had learned.

Only one of the Evermen could cross the threshold of the portal and live, or someone with one of the Evermen by their side. Evrin's powers had been taken from him long ago; he could not cross.

This explained why Evrin had said Ella could never cross over to find Killian.

Also words needed to be spoken on crossing back from the other side, words Killian hadn't known when he'd gone over. It was a safety mechanism the Evermen had built in to prevent danger entering Merralya.

Even if she was able to open the portal, Ella couldn't cross to the other world unless she had one of the Evermen by her side. Yet without crossing over, it was highly unlikely Killian would be standing by, knowing the words, ready to pass through the shimmering curtain back to Merralya.

Additionally, the portal required power to open, even for a short time — a great deal of power.

Ella knew the Empire needed Killian's help. The only one who could challenge one of the Evermen would be someone with their powers.

It had been over two years since he'd crossed over to wherever that shining doorway led, but Ella knew in her heart he was still alive, trapped and unable to return home.

The thoughts and ideas whirled around in her head.

Ella only had the germ of an idea.

But visiting the Akari fit in with her plans neatly.

13

T
HE SUMMER
sun made the trek to the icy north infinitely easier, yet even so, Ella wasn't sure if she would have made it without her travelling companions. The journey through Tingara, Torakon, and Loua Louna took Ella through lands she knew nothing about, and then came the cold.

Initially the snow was wet and slushy, heated by the warmth of the sun's rays as soon as it fell. The going was tough and often Ella was wading through pools of snowmelt, freezing cold water that soaked her feet. When they reached colder foothills in the north and the snow hardened, Ella was initially thankful; finally, she was dry. But at night, even her thick clothing couldn't keep the cold at bay.

Ella's companions lit blazing fires while it was still light enough to see, allowing the flames to settle down to red coals. She slept huddled next to the heat, and thanked the stars she wasn't travelling alone.

She journeyed with three tall Akari, two men and a woman, who had travelled to Seranthia as emissaries of the Dain and were now returning home. All three wore skis and they'd given Ella a pair. After some practice on Ella's part, the party of four slid across the surface of the snow like ducks on water.

The two men were brothers, and so alike Ella had difficulty telling them apart. Doelan and Straun both had grey eyes and loose blond hair to their shoulders. Short-bladed swords were scabbarded at their waists, and the brothers wore the grey clothing and furs that were ubiquitous amongst the Akari.

Doelan and Straun had seemed brooding and sullen in Seranthia, yet as soon as their journey took them far enough north to see snow, their mood improved immeasurably. The trek from Seranthia to Ku Kara saw them transform from uncomfortable city folk to capable northerners, happy and resilient.

Ella's final companion was Ada, the eldest of Dain Barden's three daughters. Stern as a mountain, she'd taken a long time to warm to Ella, but gradually her attitude changed. Ella asked Ada countless questions about Ada's culture and Ku Kara, the fabled ice city. The Akari were used to foreigners being afraid of them, and people's fear often turned to hostility. When Ada saw Ella was genuinely curious she slowly began to answer, and Ella found the woman's answers fascinating, with each generally opening up further questions. Ella wouldn't say they were friends, but they made good travelling companions. Ada's hair was a shade lighter than even Ella's, so pale it was almost white, and she wore it in a thick braid. She was perhaps five years older than Ella.

The road ahead was now well-travelled, the snow packed hard. Each side of the snowy road was lined with markers of grey stone, and Ella realised she wasn't aware of where the markers had begun.

"Useful in a whiteout," Ada grunted, noticing Ella's attention.

Ella wasn't sure if she wanted to know what a whiteout was.

"We're here," one of the brothers said.

Ella squinted but the sun was shining on the ice, reflected into her eyes and dazzling her. She tried to look ahead but tears formed in her eyes.

Still ungainly on her skis, she stumbled and blushed when she heard one of the brothers snort.

"Leave her alone," Ada said.

Ella waited a few more minutes, and then she looked up again. She gasped.

Two fragile towers of ice stood on either side of the road, beautiful and imposing in a way no structure of stone could be. Each tower had a ring of points on top and was somehow designed so the weight above tapered to a slender base. On the left was the word "Ku", while the right-hand tower bore the second word, "Kara."

"Well done, Enchantress," Ada said. "You've made it when not many outsiders have."

"With your help," Ella said. She looked at the brothers. "All of you."

One of the brothers, Ella thought it was Doelan, laughed. "I hope you were paying attention."

"Why do you say that?" Ella asked.

"When you leave, it'll be on your own."

~

E
LLA
wondered if they would be met once inside the city, but it seemed the Akari weren't overly preoccupied with ceremony, treating each other more like a large family than anything else.

Ahead, Ella could see wide avenues filling the spaces between single-storied houses made of ice. Some were larger, others smaller, while some appeared more functional: perhaps storehouses or places where men worked at manual labour.

The brothers, Doelan and Straun, whooped and set off, bidding farewell to Ella with little more than a wave. Ella felt a little let down after their journey together, but she knew the two men were happy to be home.

"Come with me," Ada said. "We don't have inns like your people, but I know where you will be welcome."

Ada led Ella down one straight road and then another; unlike Seranthia, at least this city was laid to a grid. Ella was confident she'd soon be able to find her way around.

Tall Akari nodded to them as they walked past, some alone, others in groups of three or four. Ella saw men carrying children in their arms — rearing a child here obviously wasn't just a woman's responsibility — and women carrying fish in baskets, fresh from the catch.

Ada stopped them at a house with a door of dark wood, no different from many others they'd passed. She knocked.

"Yes?" an old woman's face poked around the door. "Ah, Ada! You're back, are you?"

"Only just now," Ada said, smiling. "It's good to see you, Oma Jen."

"And you're seeing me before paying respects to your father?" Oma Jen frowned, but Ella could see the woman's eyes sparkle. "Off with you, and not another word!"

"Oma Jen, this is Ella. She's a guest of my father's."

Ella opened her mouth to disagree, but closed it again. She'd come to Ku Kara uninvited, but Ada probably knew what she was doing.

"A foreigner, are you?" Oma Jen regarded Ella, her wrinkled features peering through thin white hair.

"From Altura," Ella said.

"I have absolutely no idea where that is," Oma Jen said. "Come in, I'll give you a room and you can refresh yourself after your journey. The hearth's warm and you look pale as a ghost. Then, once you're defrosted, you can tell me where Oltoorah is."

Ada grinned at Ella. "My father will no doubt host a feast tonight, at the palace. Rest yourself, Ella. I'll send someone to come and get you."

"Thank you," Ella said.

She watched Ada go with a sense of loss. She was in a strange land far from home, and Ada was the closest thing to a friend she had here.

"Are you coming in?" Oma Jen said. "You're letting the cold air in."

"Of course. I'm sorry," Ella said.

"Call me Oma Jen," the old woman said.

"Thank you for having me, Oma Jen," Ella said.

"Now that's more like it. Are all Oltoorah girls so pretty?"

Ella smiled as Oma Jen fussed over her. Perhaps she would like Ku Kara after all.

~

A
T THIS
time of year and so far north, it stayed light late into the evening, and Ella had difficulty knowing what time it was. She made herself ready early, not wanting someone to show up and be waiting for her, and now she sat in the bedchamber Oma Jen had given her, staring into the mirror.

Ella was wearing a thick dress of dark silver; grey was the chosen colour of the Akari, and she wanted to make a good impression. Killian's pendant on its silver chain sparkled on her neck.

She regarded her green eyes seriously.

Ella was nervous.

This was a situation Miro was more experienced with. Ella had only met Dain Barden twice, once inside the chamber in the Sentinel's body and again at Miro's wedding, which obviously hadn't ended well.

There was a soft knock on the door and Ella stood up. She opened the door, expecting to see Oma Jen standing on the other side, and drew back in shock.

She faced the white-eyed stare of a revenant. He had died an old man, and most likely died recently, for his flesh hadn't yet begun the process of decay. His back was hunched and he had a small white beard. The revenant looked at Ella and spoke.

"Summons," he drawled.

Ella wondered what he would do if she said no. How much of the creature's thought process remained? Could it think independently? It must possess some of its old character. Perhaps he had been a servant in life.

Even as she was repulsed, Ella was fascinated by the lore of the Akari. She was here to ask Dain Barden about his essence; the Akari possessed the only replenishable supply, and if one of the Evermen crossed, he may have come this way. But she was also here on her own, private quest.

Ella's kernel of an idea involved learning the Akari's secrets, and discovering how the Akari managed to animate the dead.

It was her only chance of bringing Killian back home.

~

T
HE REVENANT
led Ella to the Dain's palace, a sprawling structure with a grand entrance of wide steps. The entry hall's roof was supported by hundreds of pillars of ice, a forest of crystalline trees each as thick as Ella's arm.

Ella was welcomed by a living seneschal, while thankfully the revenant disappeared. The seneschal was a thin man with a sepulchral voice.

"Welcome, Enchantress Ella," he said. "The Dain is celebrating the return of his daughter, and is pleased to invite you to feast, however unexpected."

It was a subtle way of reminding Ella she had come to Ku Kara uninvited.

"I'm not here in any formal capacity," Ella said. "I'm just an enchantress. My brother is the Alturan Lord Marshal but he never gets me to act on his behalf."

The seneschal smiled. "Please, let me lead you into the reception hall."

Revenants played music, served food, and poured drinks, while guests mingled as naturally as at any social gathering.

Ella saw a female revenant offer a tray of small glasses to a man, who took one without a word, his eyes saying enough. The serving women had obviously been chosen for their beauty, and wore diaphanous gowns with nothing underneath. Ella blushed. She knew the women were dead, but the men could see everything.

Ella's heart raced as her nervousness increased. Here she was, uninvited, at someone else's party. She wondered how she would last the night. Who would she talk to? She didn't know a single person here.

"I'll leave you here," the seneschal said.

Ella nodded and gulped, wondering what to do next. Should she take one of the small glasses? The liquid inside was clear. Was it water?

"Look who it is," a guttural voice said. "On a list of the last people I expected to see here, you're close to the top."

The voice took Ella back to a tent in the Hazara Desert, when she had first met the trader who could often be found with those the houses shunned.