The Path of the Storm (40 page)

Ella nodded.

"I only survived that night by running. I found the deepest hole I could and hid. I survived night after night in this way. In my explorations I found peculiar buildings left behind by those who dwelled in the cities, and other structures built by the Evermen, places stranger than this chamber by far.

"There is plenty of water in the cities, so thirst wasn't a problem, but food is another story. The wrains — that's what the original inhabitants called themselves — ate food quite different to us. So I concentrated on the places where the Evermen met and slept, ate and studied. I eventually found food they left behind, in a place far from here. I found these clothes."

Killian indicated the fitted garments he wore: black boots, soft black trousers, silver belt and collared black shirt. Ella stroked the material of his sleeve between her fingertips; it was incredibly soft.

"I found chambers the shadows were unwilling to enter. I wanted to return to the portal and examine it, to continue my explorations, but with the shadows now tuned to my presence and somehow resenting it, I had to stay there. That's when I found the library."

Killian spread his hands. "I had little else to do, and I was forced to fight the shadows. I found books the Evermen left behind, and I found essence. I learned to develop my powers."

The last time Ella and Killian met, he'd said Ella had changed. Now it was Ella who felt awestruck at Killian's new powers.

"The first time I left the library the shadows came at me again and again. I was filled with fear, but I threw fire at them, and where my physical blows had done nothing, the fire made them scream. From then on I learned from the books and tested what I'd learned on the shadows. I've fought them too many times to count, day after day. Having a daily struggle for my life made me strong. In a way, I'm now like one of them."

Ella thought he meant like one of the shadows, and then she realised.

"You'll never be like one of the Evermen," Ella whispered.

"I continued to explore and I examined the portal, but if the Evermen couldn't open it, neither could I. I know the words that must be said to cross from this side, but the portal can only be opened from Merralya. In my explorations I did, however, learn what befell the denizens of Shar."

"Is that what they called this world?"

Killian nodded. "At first I couldn't read their writing, so I learned what I could from the records left by the Evermen. Much later, I taught myself to read their pictographic symbols, and then I had both sides of the story.

"The Evermen came here long ago. They knew nothing of the world they'd opened a path to, other than that it was hospitable to life. When the humans exiled them from Merralya, they were pleased to discover this world already occupied. They were pleased because here were more creatures for them to enslave. Here was another species they could murder, converting the life energy of those they killed into essence.

"Those who lived here called themselves wrains, much as we would call ourselves human. They were winged creatures, and could fly like birds. The wrains lived in hive-like pyramids, each level of the pyramid indicating a higher social status. They made their homes at the level they had achieved, flying up and down with no need for ladders or stairs."

Ella thought of the structures she'd seen in the ruined city. The bizarre architecture made more sense now. "What happened to them?"

"Their numbers were beyond counting. You probably saw the cities near the road. There are more cities like that, more than you could ever know. All of the cities are in ruins. The wrains are long gone."

Killian looked out at the sky, and Ella saw with a jolt that the twilight had faded to black, the deepest, darkest night imaginable. Remembering Killian's earlier words, Ella realised they would need to wait now. She didn't want to be caught outside with whatever dangers were out there. Ella moved closer to him, until their knees were touching, and felt him squeeze her hand.

"Where did they go?"

"The wrains were peaceful creatures: artists and builders, not fighters. Aggression was unknown to them, and the Evermen easily took control. The Evermen revelled in their power over those they saw as too cowardly to defend themselves, and they killed them in their hundreds, their thousands, and their tens of thousands."

Ella looked at the tomb-like shells. The occupants had much to answer for.

"The Evermen enslaved the wrains of Shar. They slaughtered them in great numbers to get essence, which they planned to use to open the way to yet another world. The wrains didn't stand a chance, and their great civilisation was ruined. Their cities were beautiful and their culture thrived. Ella, this is what will happen to Merralya if the Evermen gain power."

"Why are the Evermen here, then? Did they get the essence they needed?"

"As far as I can understand from the histories, both those of the Evermen and those of the wrains, a new religion, a kind of magic, was created in desperation by one of the wrains' leaders. He gathered his people, all of them, in a great field, and together they performed some kind of spell or religious rite. Every last one of them was there, Ella. When the spell was finished, the wrains were no longer. The field was littered with dead bodies. They killed themselves rather than give the Evermen the essence they needed, and allow another world to be shattered like Shar."

Ella had a sudden thought. "The shadows…"

"The wrains evolved into some new state of being. They left their bodies behind, and now they are no longer wrains. They freed themselves from their non-violent ways. They are now something else. Something altogether different."

"What are they now?"

"I call them wraiths."

Ella digested the information. "Then the Evermen…?"

"They were suddenly under attack wherever they went, and had no source of new essence. With Shar now inhospitable they were left with no choice but to place themselves in stasis, in hope that one day the portal to Merralya is reopened."

"They're desperate," Ella said in wonder.

Killian nodded. "This Sentar, he will do anything it takes to aid their return. There is nothing left in this world for the Evermen. They need to return. We need to do anything we can to stop them."

"What about you?"

"The wraiths sense something about me and attack me wherever I go. I searched the cities and found the places where the Evermen once distilled the life energy from the wrains into essence. Eventually I found some essence, Ella. Not much, but enough… enough to help me survive in this place. Without this power I would long be dead."

"Back in Merralya, Evrin is rebuilding the machines," Ella said. "Soon we'll have essence. We need you to help us fight Sentar Scythran and those who fight with him."

Killian nodded. "I've seen what happened to the wrains of Shar."

Ella looked out at the darkened mouth of the chamber. It was now so dark outside that nothing could be seen at all. She shivered.

Killian opened his mouth, and Ella wondered if he was going to ask her how she had managed to cross the portal. What would she say about his father, who must now be waiting at the stone archway?

Instead he said, "You're cold. I don't have any food or blankets with me, but here, come close. We're safe here, get what sleep you can."

Killian shuffled along the ground and stretched out to lie on his side. Ella moved forward and shifted her body so she was in his arms, her head under his chin.

Her mind whirled with everything he'd told her, but overriding it all, she was conscious of his lean body behind her, the strong muscles of his arms and his warm breath on the back of her neck.

Ella hadn't slept since before she'd gone to the cemetery to find Lord Aidan's grave.

She tried to stay awake, but sleep came instantly.

38

T
HE NIGHT
was interminably long, but the sombre sun came once more to the hazy sky, blurred and dulled into a featureless yellow orb. As Ella woke she looked once more at the sleeping Evermen in their strange shells and shuddered.

Ella wondered how much time had passed in Merralya. Where was Miro right now? Had he and Amber found the cure for the strange poison that inflicted their son?

"Are you cold?" Killian asked.

He pulled her closer to him, and Ella suddenly wanted him, more than she'd wanted any other man. But they were in a nightmare world, with the Lexicons' power steadily being drained, and they needed to move on or they would be stranded.

Ella sat up and looked at Killian.

His face was careworn but he was still the same Killian she remembered. His time in Shar had changed him, and he was now the man Ella had always known he could be.

She realised she was looking at Xenovere's heir. She was looking at one of the Evermen.

"We need to go," Ella said.

An expression of disappointment crossed Killian's face as Ella drew away, and on impulse she leaned down and brushed her lips against his. It was a chaste kiss, but he smiled and his arm went around her to pull her closer into his embrace.

"No." Ella smiled. "Come on, we don't want to be stranded here."

He stood first and held out a hand to help her up. Ella rose to her feet and looked around the chamber. She had her satchel, but little else to gather up. Killian had nothing with him.

As they exited the chamber at the top of the mountain Ella again marvelled that the Evermen had gone to such lengths to build this place in imitation of Stonewater. For a time they travelled down the steps in silence, and then Killian spoke.

"This is Shar's equivalent of daylight, but that doesn't mean the wraiths won't attack. Night is worse, much worse."

When they reached the bottom of the mountain, Ella turned and looked at Killian. "Do you remember when we travelled through Petrya, and we were hunted by that strange creature?"

"I remember."

"You told me your story. About how you were a thief in Salvation until that man from the travelling troupe caught you stealing from him."

"Marney Beldara," Killian said. "That was his name. He was an incredible acrobat, and a wonderful man. He made me join his troupe. He said it was to repay my debts, but I realise now that he used the excuse to help an orphan of Salvation."

"Were you happy then?"

"I suppose I was as happy as I've been."

"Then in Seranthia…"

"In Seranthia, Marney said something to the crowd about helping the street children. Perhaps he said more, but it was nothing seditious. The Emperor's men came the next day. I was spending time with Marney's daughter Carla. We were lovers… It was the only reason we weren't there. They burnt the big tents to the ground and killed the animals in their cages. They rounded up the troupe, all of those I thought of as my family. We found their bodies at the bottom of the Wall. It took hours to bury them."

"Xenovere was an evil man," Ella said. "I'm sorry to bring up old wounds." She took a deep breath. "How do you feel about Tingara now?"

"It's a confused place. As bad as the Emperor was, his peace was better than the war the Primate brought to the world. Tell me, what's changed in the Tingaran Empire these past years?"

Ella thought about the things Rogan had told her. "They just call it the Empire now. Yet Tingara's the largest nation by far, and Seranthia is still the administrative capital as well as the heart of the economy. Rogan Jarvish is acting as Lord Regent, but he's having a difficult time. A Tingaran would be best placed to lead the new Empire."

"A Tingaran? I suppose that's true, if you want to have someone the people of Seranthia will follow, but I would have thought Altura and Halaran would never again call a Tingaran Emperor. Not when a man with the right connections to be Emperor would have undoubtedly been one of the Black Army commanders that devastated Halaran."

"The right person would be someone who stood up to the Emperor and the Primate, yet is a Tingaran by birth. Perhaps a relative of Xenovere…"

"If such a… Look out!" Killian cried.

A black shape with claws outstretched flew over Ella's head. Ducking, she felt the whistle of its passage a hair's breadth away. The shadow rose into the air again with an unearthly shriek, and Ella caught her first look at a wraith.

Where the winged beings in the pictures had been erect and somehow noble, this was a creature from nightmare. Its back was bent as if broken, while its wings were jagged and trailed lengths of black hair. It turned to look at them, and malevolent black eyes glared from a triangular head. There were claws on its bony legs as well as at the end of its wings. When it opened its mouth and shrieked again, Ella saw its jaw open impossibly wide, displaying rows of dagger-like back teeth and four huge incisors at the front.

The wraith was all claws and teeth, speed and hate. Its body was twice the size of a man, while its veined outstretched wings made it larger still.

"Look out. It's coming back!" Killian cried.

Ella reached for her wand, and then watched in awe as Killian pointed his fingers and muttered some words under his breath.

Twisted bolts of lightning shot from his fingers, cutting through the air as he brought the wild blue energy to where the wraith careened in the sky.

Killian hit the creature with twin blasts, outlining it in a wave of electrical discharge. It screamed with a sound of pure agony that sent chills down Ella's spine. The shadow shot up into the air, higher than Killian could follow, and sped away, receding into the distance.

Killian lowered his hands. "It will be back, and it will bring more of them. Come on."

They both started a wary jog, Ella looking ahead while Killian kept watch behind. Ella finally saw the fallen city, close to the path on the right-hand side. "If there are too many of them, can we shelter there?"

Killian smiled without humour. "They may not have sensed you, but they will sense me. That's one of the places they'll come from."

With a sinking feeling of dread, Ella saw a cloud of bird-like shapes rise into the air above the cluster of shattered buildings. "Here they come," she said, pointing.