The Path of the Storm (29 page)

Ella realised these people were her friends; they had a right to know. She wondered where to begin. "One of the Evermen is in Merralya. He has essence, and he's out there somewhere, building an army."

"Lord of the Sky," Bartolo breathed.

"Do you know this for a fact?" Jehral said. "The Kalif must know."

"Challenging him will require the united strength of all the houses, and the Empire is in chaos, with the shortage of essence crushing our economy and fragmenting the new order, just when we need it to be strong. Challenging his army will be difficult. Challenging one of the Evermen may be beyond us. There is only one who could face him."

Jehral looked out from the dock at the Sentinel, now lit by the glow of dawn.

"Killian," Shani said. She and Bartolo exchanged glances.

"That's right," said Ella. She lifted her chin. "You're going to help me bring him back."

"Ella, how much are your feelings dictating your actions?" Shani said. "Are you sure you're acting rationally?"

"Whatever my feelings are, I know this is right. He crossed over because he was the only one able to do so, and because Evrin told him it was the only way to prevent the return of the Evermen. He's been trapped there for over two years. Worst of all, his sacrifice was for nothing. One of them crossed over. We don't know how, but he did. We need Killian, and I believe I've found a way to bring him back."

"Ella, you need to face the fact he may be dead," Bartolo said.

"I have to try."

"And what if going through the portal enables more of them to cross over?"

"It won't. I won't let that happen," Ella said. She looked at her three friends, people who she'd shared hardship and the horrors of war with. "You will leave me there, if need be."

Shani, Jehral and Bartolo looked at each other for a moment.

Finally Shani sighed. "All right. We'll help you. I've learned to trust in you, Ella, and I'll trust you now."

Jehral clasped Ella's shoulder, a rare gesture of affection.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Bartolo repeated.

"Thank you," Ella said. "I'll feel better, knowing you're on the other side."

She looked at the three bundles held in her three friends' hands. Ella had studied the part-destroyed book of the Evermen endlessly. She'd performed the equations, and calculated the requirements. The portal's requirements for energy were huge, but Ella had found a source of power that would enable her to open the portal, albeit for the briefest moments at a time.

In their hands, her friends held their houses' Lexicons. Bartolo must have fought like a demon to convince High Enchanter Merlon to relinquish the Alturan Lexicon. Jehral would have begged Ilathor, now Kalif, to lend Ella the Lore of Illusion. Shani's possessive grip on her bundle said enough.

"Now, what's in the coffin?" Bartolo said.

"The Emperor's brother-in-law, Lord Aidan," said Ella. "Killian's father. Here, help me with him."

~

T
HE SUN
shot above the horizon as the group of four travelled across the harbour on a stout galley, their destination: the Sentinel.

Eight men rowed the galley while another piloted the vessel. The stone coffin lay in the centre of the boat. The rowers hadn't asked, and the four passengers hadn't been forthcoming with information.

Ella's mind swirled with symbols and properties, activation sequences and lore drain. She'd had little sleep and her eyes were heavy, but excitement and fear worked through her blood in equal parts.

If she succeeded in opening the portal, she would be crossing over to another world. She had no idea what to expect.

With each stroke of the oars the looming statue grew bigger, until it dominated their vision, massive and unearthly, a relic from another time. He stood tall and bold on the wide pedestal, with one arm raised and pointing upwards at the sky. A strange headpiece decorated the statue's head, a crown, with a rune decorating its front.

Ella could now see the low wall being built around the base of the statue. She saw soldiers in Alturan green and Tingaran legionnaires, as well as builders from Torakon in sand-coloured robes. Even at this early hour, the island was a hive of activity.

The galley tied up at a small pier where two other boats were tied up. Ella wondered if the rowers would help them with the coffin but they looked away, and the four friends struggled with it until they were on solid land. The galley departed without another word.

"Friendly bunch," said Bartolo.

"Let's see," Shani said. "We've got a coffin, and we're taking it to the one place they're forbidden to set foot on by imperial decree. Oh, and it's the place where rumours say the Primate died at the end of the war. Would you be nervous?"

"Well, when you put it that way," Bartolo mused.

An officer came forward, his men behind him, and Ella hoped for someone she knew, but this man wore Tingaran purple, and was a captain by his
raj hada
.

"Just what's going on here," he demanded.

"Captain, we're here on the Lord Regent's orders."

"I haven't been given any orders."

"Here," Ella said, holding out the pass Rogan had given her.

The captain quickly scrutinised it. "I'll need to have this checked."

Ella knew that with the coffin out of the cold ground, it would warm up, making her task much more difficult, if not impossible. The Lexicons had been renewed, but her three friends had each made a long journey, and with every moment the Lexicons' power would be draining away.

"I'm sorry, Captain," Ella said, "but I'm afraid we don't have time. My name is Ella Torresante. My brother is the Lord Marshal of Altura. This is Shani, an elementalist and adviser to the Petryan High Lord. This is Bartolo, a bladesinger, and this is Jehral, adviser to the Hazaran Kalif. You have our pass. We need to enter the statue."

"Two Alturans, a Petryan, and a Hazaran. Need I remind you you're on Tingaran soil?"

Ella was growing frustrated. "Captain, this isn't about house rivalries. This is important."

"What's in those packages?" the captain asked, pointing at the bundles Ella's friends held in their hands. "Give them to me."

"No," Bartolo said. "Ella, I'm not giving this to them. I swore an oath I wouldn't let it out of my control."

"Nor am I," said Shani.

"I will not hand this over," said Jehral.

Ella looked at the captain. He was inexperienced and jittery. Ella guessed this wasn't considered a rewarding assignment, watching men build a wall, and had been perhaps been given low importance. Yet the captain seemed like the type to take his role seriously, perhaps suffering from an excess of pride. Normally Ella would have applauded the man's duty to his orders, but now she cursed the stubborn captain.

The soldiers stood around their commanding officer, and Ella now realised he was trying to save face in front of his men.

"If you allow me to inspect your belongings, you may pass," he said.

"No," Bartolo said. He placed a hand on the hilt of his zenblade.

"Captain," one of the soldiers said, "he's a bladesinger."

"Men, at arms!" the captain called.

Swords were drawn. Ella wondered how they'd managed to get into this mess. She didn't want to fight the people she was trying to help!

"Stop!" Ella cried.

She had their attention, but she knew she had moments to calm the situation. "Captain, you're doing an excellent job. You're under orders from the Lord Regent and you're following them. No one is to go near the statue, is that correct?"

"That's correct." The captain scowled.

"We're here as part of those defences. I'm an enchantress and I am going inside the statue to add wards to supplement the work you are doing here. That makes sense, doesn't it?"

Ella saw the thoughts crossing the dim-witted captain's face. She'd offered him an opportunity to save face.

"The things we carry with us are dangerous — they must be, to protect this area as effectively as a Torak-built wall and all your men. That's why we can't let you have them."

"I see," said the captain. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

Ella smiled. "We weren't sure if you'd understand, but I can see now that I was wrong."

"Can I see that pass again?"

"Here."

The captain pretended to inspect the pass once more. "Ah, I see now."

"My apologies for any confusion," Ella said.

"Quite all right. Umm… What's in the coffin, then?"

"The Emperor's brother-in-law," Shani said.

The Tingaran captain screwed up his face.

Ella frowned at Shani. "It's not a coffin, it's an energy sink."

"An… energy sink… Of course," the captain said. "Can my men be of assistance?"

"If you could lend us four of your men to help with this, we'd greatly appreciate it," Ella said. "Thank you, Captain."

~

E
LLA
felt her pulse race as she stood on the pedestal at the base of the statue and saw the circle of runes at her feet.

Shani, Bartolo and Jehral clustered nervously behind her, while four strong soldiers held the coffin between them.

Ella spoke in a loud voice. "
Mulara-latahn. Sunara-latahn. Sumayara-sulamara-latanara
."

The symbols lit up with a steady green fire, the light travelling from one rune to the next until the circle blazoned with a fierce glow. A grinding sound came from below, and soon the stone disc slid downwards, twisting and folding, revealing the stairway underneath.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Bartolo muttered yet again, low enough so only Ella could hear it.

Ella was the first down, remembering the last time she'd come this way. The images came strong and fast, and her heart rate increased to a drum-like tattoo.

A soft yellow light with no obvious source lit the passageway below. Ella reached the floor and moved forward, once again feeling awe at being somewhere she knew she didn't belong. Behind Ella came Shani, and then Jehral with Bartolo close behind. The soldiers struggled with the coffin but managed to tilt it down the stairs until they were all standing in the wide corridor.

"Come on," Ella said.

She walked forward until she was at the end of the passageway, sensing the others behind her.

Ella looked up and gasped. Evrin's words came back to her as she looked at the remains of the spiralled stairs leading up. Whatever had happened to the essence in the pool, it had eaten through the stone until the stairway was gone. A ladder leaned against the wall in its stead, evidently placed there by Evrin when he'd last inspected the portal.

Ella turned to the soldiers. "You can put it down," she said.

With a groan, the soldiers set the coffin on the smooth floor with a clunk.

"Thank you," Ella said. "You can go now."

The four soldiers fled from the corridor, back the way they'd come.

"Ella," Bartolo said, "how do you plan on getting this up the ladder?"

"We can't," said Ella.

"Oh no," said Shani. "You're not seriously suggesting…"

"It's the only way. Come on, help me with the lid."

With one of them on each corner of the stone coffin, they removed the lid, coughing at the dust they raised when they removed it, setting it down near the bottom of the ladder.

Ella had prepared herself for a grisly sight, but instead saw a second man-sized box inside, this one made of hard wood, unadorned but polished.

"One more lid," Ella said.

They lifted the wooden lid, setting it down on top of the stone.

Taking a deep breath, Ella finally summoned the courage to step forward and look down.

The embalming fluid and sealed container had kept the body of Lord Aidan in surprisingly good condition. He wore faded grey clothing, simple but tailored, with a silver belt buckle and black leather boots.

But the evidence of more than twenty years in the ground was there to see. His skin was dry and white as parchment, the cheeks sunken into his face. Rot had taken hold of the soft skin around his mouth, and half his teeth were exposed, no longer protected by lips. Only the slightest flecks of red indicated the colour his hair had once been, the rest was grey and fine, combed against his head in wisps. His eyes were closed and peaceful, while the savage red marks on his neck told the story of his violent death.

Ella felt Shani take her hand as Ella felt tears sliding down her cheeks. This was Killian's father. Would he understand what they were doing?

"I'm sorry for this desecration, Lord Aidan," Ella said. "Please understand what we're doing, we're doing to help your son."

"I don't think he can hear you," Bartolo said.

Ella looked up, her eyes burning. "He soon will."

27

B
ARTOLO
and Jehral lifted the body carefully from its resting place, grimacing at the weight and the horror of their task.

It took some time to get the body up the ladder, but they made it in the end, and Lord Aidan was once again laid on the ground. The group stood in the strange chamber, staring in silence at the portal.

The essence had eaten away at the wall, in what must have started as a trickle and become a flood. The pool was now empty, the stone floor dry.

In the centre of the barren pool, a platform of steps rose from the floor. On the summit stood the portal itself, an oval mirror, twice the height of a man and hovering in empty space, held up by some mysterious force.

Where before the mirror had been shimmering gold, and become blazing red when the seals were knocked away, it was now dark and still.

Ella felt her heart quail at the enormity of what she was attempting.

"You can give me the Lexicons now," she said quietly, as if afraid to shatter the silence.

Wordlessly Bartolo handed Ella his bundle. As Ella unwrapped the oilskin and saw the first flash of green, she noticed her hands were trembling. Soon she held the book in her hands, once more seeing the rune on the book's green cover: the number one. The rune glowed softly. If ever that rune faded — if the Lexicon's power was allowed to drain from it — every enchantment in Merralya would cease to function.