The Sleeper Sword (27 page)

“It was a time
before I entered, but it’s told Enforcers sundered this tract of
land, now known as the Falcon Isles, from the limitless plains.
Why? Your guess is as good as mine.” Tial ended his tale and turned
eyes on his listener.

“Privacy,”
Torrullin murmured, although he thought there had to be more to it.
“A tyrant force requires the blanket of secrecy.”

“No doubt,”
Tial muttered, looking ahead.

Behind them
Margus swayed on a horse between Brenn and Zual, Tial’s trusted
lieutenants.

“Why do we
understand each other, Tial? I’m speaking no language I knew
of.”

“None of us
speak our own language; that’s just the way it is.”

“Did the
Enforcers try and rid the Isles of others besides the Deorc?”

“Initially,
until they saw the need for farms and labour gangs. Many died
erecting those tech corridors - Deorc and white men.”

“We were
mistaken for brigands.”

“And you’re
white, is that it?” Tial grinned. “It’s your clothes, Torrullin.
You dress like one of us. One look, and you suggest danger.”

Torrullin
laughed. “Come, clothes do not the man make. Our fair heads are
unmistakable.”

“Some suspect
the brigands are Enforcers, my friend. The lines, thank god, blur.
It’s better to make a snap judgement and be proven mistaken, but
alive.”

“Time being of
the essence.”

“You’ll hear that often if you stick around long enough. It’s
akin to saying
touch wood
or
for the gods’
sakes
, if you know what I
mean.”

“A mantra, a
taliesman.”

Tial said
nothing, but his gaze sharpened.

“Why do the
Deorc not rise against the Enforcers?”

“They
outnumber us. If we could convince the flower counties to stand
with us we’d have the advantage, but they are too afraid of us now
to hear the logic. No doubt part of the plot. And then there’s the
technology and sorcery of the Enforcers. We do what we can, but in
the end defence is the most we can sustain.”

“You entered
the doom yesterday.”

“Chasing
rogues. The rareness of that saved your arse.”

Torrullin
grinned. “And again I thank you.”

“Soon we’ll
leave the Isles altogether,” Tial expounded. “To the folk of
Bluebell, Primrose, Petunia … and the devils.”

Torrullin drew
a breath, hearing despair inside confidence and the man’s sense of
self-worth. It was not fair and he hated blatant inequality.
Rashly, he spoke before he thought.

“I can change
…” and he shook his head as his mind caught up with his tongue.

Tial was
quick. “What?”

“Nothing. An
impulsive thought.”

“Those are the
kind that reveals the man. Please tell me what it is you can
do.”

Why not? He
suspected he would put into action what he thought anyway; if Tial
was aboard it may prove simpler to do.

“I can fight
them for you.”

Tial started
laughing and then noticed his companion’s expression. Mirth was
swallowed. “Dear god, you’re serious.”

“It will
probably come to that.”

Tial was
silent a long while and then, “Who are you?”

Torrullin
inclined his head, acknowledging the man’s reasoning. “That doesn’t
matter here. What does matter is this flatland purgatory was once a
haven for many and should be again. Creatures like Enforcers should
never be given the upper hand, and where they have it, it should be
removed. I shall fight them, not only for you, but for others,
myself included, but before we get to that stage, I need
answers.”

“In the event
return to your world requires group psyche?”

“Or some such
intricacy.”

“You’re now
making snap decisions.”

“Time, my
friend.”

“You’re to be
our liberator?”

“We shall be
liberators together. If you’re willing.”

“I’m willing,
but how?” Tial’s hands clenched on his reins.

“I ask that
you trust me.”

“Aid is one
thing, but trust is another. Don’t be offended; it isn’t
personal.”

Torrullin
studied the Deorc leader. It was not that Tial could not trust him;
it was that he could not believe his white skin did not harbour a
hidden agenda, treachery somewhere down the line.

“I
understand,” he said, and left it there.

They halted to
water the horses and Margus used the opportunity to barrel into
Torrullin.

“I want
answers!” he shouted as momentum bore Torrullin to the ground.
Margus sat on his victim, hands clamped at his adversary’s throat
with murderous intent.

Brenn moved to
haul him off, but Tial waylaid him. A man who claimed the ability
to fight the Enforcers should find one puny man an easy task.

“You cannot
hurt me, Margus,” Torrullin croaked, lying relaxed with his arms at
his sides. “You cannot kill me, not ever, not even with all your
power to hand.”

“You have no
idea what I’m capable of!” Margus snarled, leaning into his hands
to lend them greater strength. Spittle touched Torrullin’s face.
“You said you would return my memory!”

“Perhaps I
lied.”

“Then I shall
kill you!”

“You can do
nothing.”

Margus leaned
in, his face inches away from his tormentor, and squeezed.

Again Brenn
moved and again Tial stopped him.

Zual looked
from one to the other, his expression anxious. A look of deep
disquiet crossed his face when Torrullin gargled and was still,
yellow eyes staring fixedly upward. Margus crowed in triumph,
removing clawed hands from the unmoving man. Before rising he laid
seeking fingers along Torrullin’s skin - no pulse.

With a feral
grin, he stood. Brenn gripped him from behind, pinning his arms,
while Zual reached down.

“Tial?” he
muttered, straightening. “He’s dead!”

Tial pursed
his lips, an unfathomable look about him. “I don’t think so.”

“Of course
he’s dead!” Margus shouted and his eyes glittered with
excitement.

Remember,
Darak Or.

Margus jerked
so violently he yanked from Brenn’s bruising grip. He stared at the
inert form, horror forming in his eyes.

He fled Brenn to fall to his knees at Torrullin’s side.
“Enchanter? Goddess, Torrullin, don’t do this to me …
wake up
!”

Tial nodded.
Enchanter. Well, that answered that.

Torrullin sat
up to Brenn and Zual’s everlasting astonishment, rubbing ruefully
at his throat. “Gods, you have a strong grip.”

“Invisible
realms or not, you should’ve died a few minutes ago. Do you have
your power, is that it?”

Torrullin
laughed and rose. He held his hand down to Margus, who took it to
rise also, a symbiosis not lost on Tial. “No, Darak Or, no
power.”

Darak Or. Dear
god. Tial could not drag his gaze away.

“Immortality
doesn’t exclude death, particularly where intent lies behind the
act.” Margus was irritable.

“No sword, no
gun, no power pulse, no strangling, no poison, no weapon can kill
me.”

“You died at
your Throne! I saw you!”

Throne, Tial
echoed silently. Well, well, well.

“I chose to
leave, idiot. It was the only way to force you into confrontation
in a place you could do no harm.”

“And my memory
restored?” Margus demanded, still suspicious. “That took
power.”

“Hypnosis. A
layman can do that.” Torrullin turned from his arch enemy and
looked to Tial. “What say you, Tial?”

The Deorc
smiled. “Liberators? I say I’ll stand behind you.”

The two men
clasped hands.

Chapter
30

Day Five:
Confrontation

1200 - 1000
years ago

They rode
through the night and came to a ruined village around
midmorning.

Smoke rose
from blackened cottages and the air was permeated with the distinct
smells of death and destruction. The Enforcers came and left
nothing behind. According to Zual they were a mile from the
border.

“It was an
Enforcer village,” Tial murmured, “but the villagers were suspected
of sympathising with the Deorc. Not true, for we spread the rumour.
We seek to create a buffer zone along the border. If they gain a
foothold here, Enforcer territory spreads to encompass the
gains.”

Tial looked
about him with sad guilt and Torrullin sympathised.

“They turn on
their own too easily,” Brenn added without qualm. “It’s
useful.”

“Their sorcery
is limited,” Torrullin deduced. “They should be capable of
separating truth from lie.” He glanced at Tial. “This is where you
saw the Numer?”

“Yes. We hoped
to smoke him out, which we did, but they came with too large a unit
- there’s an outpost not far into gloom land. We hid in the hills
yonder and waited until nightfall to leave.”

“The Numer did
our job for us,” Zual said.

“Surely he
returned to the enclave?” Torrullin frowned.

Zual grinned.
“He despises his stygian horror. The Numer prefers green fertility
and although he travels and lives in disguise, we know him.”

“Still, he’s
hard to find,” Brenn muttered.

“We chased a
few rogues from this village,” Tial said, “in the event the Numer
was among them.”

“You should
have stayed to pick up fresh spoor,” Torrullin murmured.

“Idiots,”
Margus let it be known, and wandered off.

“I’ll see if I
can rustle up a survivor or two,” Zual muttered, winking at
Brenn.

The two
sauntered off leading their horses.

Torrullin
watched Margus find a perch on a broken chair in the shade of a
ruined canopy. The man seemed depressed. He was out of earshot as
well.

“Tial, where
exactly did you see the Numer? Is there one place he stood or sat
for an extended period?”

Tial realised
Margus was not to know of this. Casually, he waved at a tree on the
other side of the dusty road. “He sat there and issued orders most
of the day.”

“Excellent.
Walk with me.” Torrullin wandered over.

If the Numer
was a sorcerer, and he probably was, there would be a signature
trace. Torrullin stood under the branches and Tial leaned against
the trunk. Ostensibly, the two men sought shade while waiting for
Breen and Zual. They need not have bothered, Margus sat on staring
at the ground.

Tial reflected
that the man changed considerably since his memory was restored -
evil, but it was secondary to the bond he evidently shared with the
Enchanter. Privately Tial wondered how Margus viewed that bond, and
suspected the man of hero worship. The two were strange bedfellows,
to say the least.

He watched Torrullin squat, those different eyes narrowed and
alert.
These two have a tale beyond the
death of a son
. One an Enchanter, the
other a Darak Or, both Immortals? It smacked of legends and
prophecies.

Tial
straightened when Torrullin rose. He saw a spreading smile.

“The Numer
returned here during the dark hours last night, Tial. There are two
traces, one fresh, one stale. He was haphazard in his movements as
if searching for something, and has the signature of a fourth rank,
which is not great, and hasn’t bothered to hide it. And why should
he, given he thinks himself above the law?”

“And what are
you?”

“What do you
mean?” Torrullin said, penetrating gaze searching the area.

“What rank are
you?”

That caught Torrullin’s roving attention. He turned to the
Deorc leader. “Surely you mean
were
?”

Tial closed in, keeping his voice low and even. “No, I
mean
are
. Don’t
play games with me, Enchanter. You wanted to know where the Numer
sat and then tell me specifically of his signature, including rank,
like one who knows of these things still. You tell me you can fight
the entire Enforcer army and it’s more than immortality, which, I
admit, is your huge advantage. You, my friend, still have your
power, like them, right? I know of magic and ranks and would like
to know what
you
are.”

“You had
power?”

“Don’t change
the focus, Torrullin, and, no, I did not.”

Torrullin
squatted. “I am an enchanter, Tial; there is no rank, for it
supersedes rank.”

Tial nodded.
“I thought as much. And him?” He moved his head in Margus’s
direction.

“Technically
he is an enchanter also.”

“Yet you are
more than he is. You retained your abilities.”

“It’s a long
story, but the greatest distinction is that he follows one road
while I follow two. I am like he is, but I am also the person you
are talking to.”

“I don’t
understand.”

A wry grin.
“You don’t need to and you don’t want to. Now, as to the Numer - he
went that way and he went slowly.” He pointed in the direction
opposite the unseen border. “We should haul him in on
horseback.”

A smile lit
Tial’s stern features and he whistled. Moments later Brenn and Zual
galloped back. Tial looked down at Torrullin.

“Why do
persist in keeping Margus in the dark?”

“He is
resourceful and manipulative and he’d find advantage. The less he
knows the more leeway I have. He cannot harm me, Tial, but while he
believes us on equal footing, he remains at my side where I’m able
to anticipate him.”

“What is it
with you two?”

Torrullin’s
face shuttered. “He caused the deaths of three quarters of the folk
of my world a while ago and then he tried to do so again; he cannot
be allowed a third opportunity.”

“And your
son.”