“Why? Have you any notion of the peril you face? Inside that room I cannot hold the torivors in check.”
“Do I look worried?” Rachel asked. “I have a lot in common with the torivors. We communicate with our minds. We’re here against our will. And none of us belong to this world. We’re all Beyonders.”
Maldor chuckled condescendingly. “You have very little in common with them, Rachel. If you have let them convince you otherwise, there may already be no rescuing you. These are no frightened prisoners. You are among caged predators who would tear this world to shreds if given the chance. If you come out of there immediately, I may still be able to save you.”
“They’re not harming me,” Rachel said.
“No matter what you imagine, Rachel, they are using you. Make no sudden movements. Walk to me slowly.”
“No. I trust you less than I trust them.”
“I’m sorry for the discomfort you suffered while trying to slay me,” Maldor said. “You wield surprising power for one so young. I defended myself as gently as the circumstances permitted.”
“You want to turn me into a freak, complete with displacer parts and a magic word that can destroy me.”
Maldor raised his palms. “You are loyal to the losing side. You have not disguised the fact that you are my enemy and that you would harm me if you could. As much as I admire your talent and wish to see it increase, I must take measures to protect myself. Considering the circumstances, I believe I have been both generous and understanding. That will cease if you do not come out of there.”
“What if I refuse?”
Maldor fingered his Myrkstone pendant. “I will order one of them to bring you to me. And then for the first time you will truly experience my displeasure.”
“I’d like to see you try,” Rachel said. “They don’t have to obey your commands. Zokar was a different story. You don’t have the same power over them. You can cause them suffering, and you can hold them bound until they fulfill their covenant, but the torivors are free to resist your demands. They can make you suffer too.”
Maldor was no longer trying to appear kindly. “How dare you defy me in my own castle? Do you know where your brave Galloran is at the moment? Running. Fleeing with his pathetic host. My forces are pouring into the valley. They are currently reclaiming the empty keeps and mustering around Felrook, awaiting my orders. Your comrades cannot run for long. At my leisure it will be a simple matter to cut off all escape and destroy them to the last man.”
“You think so?” Rachel asked.
“This is absurd. I have no need for a torivor to expel you. I need only deny you food and water and watch as you waste away. I will bring you the heads of the friends you might have saved had you been more cooperative.”
“Wait,” Rachel said. “Would you still spare ten of my friends?”
He gave her a flat stare. “I would if you provide the opportunity. Your comrades are running out of time. Even I cannot restore the dead to life.”
Rachel hung her head, hoping she looked defeated. “I’m afraid to come out. You humiliated me. You hurt my mind; you hurt my body; you crushed my hope. You wounded my faith in my magic. I wasn’t trying to anger you by coming to the lurkers. I just wanted to find a place where you couldn’t touch me. A place where I didn’t feel powerless. This was what I came up with.”
Maldor’s expression softened a degree. “An innovative option, but any kinship you have imagined between yourself and the torivors can only be based on a horrible misunderstanding of their natures. I mistrust this penitent charade, Rachel, but if you come out of there voluntarily, I pledge to forgive you. The cause you fought for is lost. Your people are on the run. The last rebellion has been crushed. It is time for you to choose a new cause. You fear what Lyrian will become under my rule? I offer you the position and power necessary to influence change. We need not be enemies. Come, Rachel, do not tarry in the shadows.”
“Will we be alone? I want to talk more.”
Maldor turned and made a gesture. “We will be alone.”
“You’ll still save ten of my friends?”
“If you emerge and provide the names, I will do everything in my considerable power to spare your favorites.”
I will go to him now, Rachel conveyed to the torivors.
The tenebrous figures stepped out of her way.
“Will you back away?” Rachel asked. “You frighten me.”
“Will you emerge if I depart?” Maldor asked.
“Don’t leave,” Rachel said, her voice quavering. “I want to talk. Just give me some space. I’m having a very hard day.”
“Understood,” Maldor said, backing down the hall.
Rachel walked forward to the threshold. She hesitated, waiting until he had retreated a good distance down the corridor. “Are you going to attack me with Edomic?”
“Not unless you attack me,” Maldor said.
“I don’t want to ever attack you again,” Rachel said, stepping across the threshold. “But I do want to show you a command somebody taught me.”
“Who?”
“Orruck.”
His eyes widened.
Her mind felt clear. She had prepared for this moment for hours. Really, she had prepared for this moment ever since arriving in Lyrian. She had prepared by discovering her talent for Edomic. She had prepared with long hours of practice at Mianamon and elsewhere. Her will had been strengthened by those she had loved and lost. Her will had been reinforced through the stalwart examples of heroes like Galloran and those who served him. Her resolve had increased as she beheld the evil that Maldor represented. Her faith had been armored by the prophecy Jason had retrieved. Even her recent failure to defeat Maldor had helped her prepare.
Without pause Rachel put everything into the command. Her life depended on this moment. It was not hard to muster genuine emotion. All her fear, anger, and grief. All her hope, faith, and love. Her desire to live. All the strength of will that she could summon.
She focused on Maldor’s pendant and uttered the command that would change stone to glass.
She felt the command succeed.
Maldor stared down in bewildered surprise.
The altered Myrkstone had a slightly different sparkle, but she could still sense power in it. Rachel had known the transformation alone might not be enough. She was ready.
Issuing suggestions in rapid succession, Rachel urged Maldor to lie down, to sleep, to run, to jump, to turn around, and to be silent. After he had almost obeyed her during their duel, Maldor had used that tactic on her, confusing her with multiple instructions. She knew that she was sharing the suggestions with greater subtlety and expertise than ever before.
Rachel saw Maldor struggling to resist her suggestions, but she did not pause to relish his temporary indecision. Raising her voice, using commands taught to her by Chandra, commands Orruck had forced her to practice in his presence, Rachel lifted the pendant off Maldor, slipping the chain over his head and into the air, then smashed it down to the floor.
The Myrkstone shattered.
Its quiet aura of power dissipated.
Recovering from the brief befuddlement of her suggestions, Maldor gaped at the particles and slivers of broken glass on the floor. Furious eyes found Rachel.
He barked a vicious command, drawing massive amounts of heat to her clothes.
Calmly, certainly, Rachel uttered the command he had used to disperse her fire attack. She had only heard the words once, but she had always been a quick study. Maldor crumpled as his command failed, clutching his stomach as he gagged and retched.
From his hands and knees, he glared at Rachel with enraged, bloodshot eyes. Then his expression changed, the fury melting into a terrified realization. Maldor was no longer staring at Rachel. He was looking over her shoulder.
She turned and saw a lurker emerging from the dark chamber, as agreed, a sleek sword held in each hand. The lurker silently walked past her and tossed one of the weapons to Maldor. The emperor
dodged aside, letting the sword ring against the stone floor. The lurker continued toward him unhurried.
Paying no heed to Rachel, Maldor looked from the lurker to the sword on the floor. Extending a hand, Maldor issued an Edomic suggestion, telling the lurker to impale itself. Rachel could sense that in his desperation he was pushing much too hard. When the command failed, the emperor dropped to the floor and vomited.
The lurker kept approaching with measured, fluid strides. Wiping his lips, Maldor looked up, crazed eyes full of terror. The lurker had almost reached him. The emperor raised both hands, palms outward, his lips moving hastily.
The blade sliced down on a trajectory to divide Maldor’s head from his shoulders, but glanced away before reaching him. The torivor kept swinging. A barrage of potentially lethal strokes bounced aside as the sword struck a thin dome of energy that only flashed into view on impact. Each time the blade connected with the barrier, the dome gleamed blue white before fading from view.
The lurker kept swinging without hesitation. Maldor kept his palms raised, his expression concerned but determined, his gaze fixed on the lurker.
Rachel had expected the torivor to slay Maldor. But at least for the moment he was trapped. A brief, hysterical laugh escaped before her hands covered her mouth, tears warping her vision. Had she really done it? Would this hold him? Was she really going to live?
Maldor showed no sign of escaping. Blows rained down without interruption. The emperor didn’t even glance her way.
Lurkers flooded from the chamber. Three stopped beside Rachel.
Well done, one of them conveyed.
Likewise, Rachel answered, struggling to regain her composure. What will happen to Maldor?
The attacker will not relent, the lurker pledged. The defensive effort is taxing Maldor. He cannot hold out indefinitely. Escape is unlikely.
You’ll fulfill the rest of our agreement? Rachel checked.
We cannot lie, the lurker responded.
Then take me to Galloran.
CHAPTER 35
SACRIFICE
Tark surfaced inside the mine, gasping desperately. Luminous seaweed in hand, he crawled out of the water, his hair and pants dripping. He wore no shirt or shoes. He lay on his back, drinking in the earthy air. The swim had tested him to his limits.
Thanks to Ferrin, Tark had known exactly where to find the entrance to the mine and how far he would need to swim in order to reach the ancient air trapped inside. The entrance had been a long way down. Even with weights to aid his dive, the descent had consumed an alarming amount of time, the pressure building as he sank. Rocks clogged the entrance, but he had stroked through the gap Ferrin had made. For twenty feet it had been tight. Afterward, his lungs complaining, he had advanced along the underwater excavation until the tunnel finally elbowed upward and he had emerged here.
Not many men could have survived that swim. Ferrin had warned that it would be challenging, and the displacer had not been wrong. Tark sat up. His task was far from complete. All of Lyrian was counting on him.
By the light of his seaweed Tark saw the tools Ferrin had left. Multiple pickaxes, pry bars of varying length, rope, spare seaweed, and half a dozen orantium spheres, including one of the large gatecrashers. Ferrin had rehearsed the route that would take him to where the mine had been sealed off. The information had been shared not long before Ferrin was taken into custody.
Tark had informed Galloran how Naman had arrested Ferrin, but by the time Galloran confronted the commander of the seedfolk, the displacer had already quietly escaped. Ferrin had not been spotted since.
But Tark could not afford to dwell on that now. Led by Galloran, the retreat was already underway. Tark had to keep moving. The timing was crucial. According to Ferrin, the extensive tunnels should hold plenty of breathable air. The timing concerns involved the placement of Maldor’s forces. Trying to warm himself, Tark briskly rubbed his arms. If he could hurry and detonate the vein of orantium while the vast host was massing around Felrook, the war might realistically end with a single blow.
Tark began gathering supplies.
Farther along the tunnel, a glow appeared beyond the reach of Tark’s light. Ferrin held a newly lit length of seaweed in one hand and a large crossbow in the other. The crossbow was casually aimed at Tark.
“Ferrin?” Tark asked.
“Hello.” He was frowning, his voice neutral. He looked weary and disheveled.
Tark had never seen Ferrin disheveled.
Tark’s hand slid toward his knife.
“Don’t touch that knife,” Ferrin warned. “My finger is quicker than your arm.” The displacer was missing his nose.
“What is this?” Tark asked, slowly raising both hands.
“What does it look like?” Ferrin asked. “After all I did, Naman arrested me.”
Tark winced. “I know. Galloran was upset. He tried to intervene, but you were already gone.”
“I believe he would have tried. But the time had come to take matters into my own hands. My captors left me a small opportunity to escape, and I took it. The experience served as a sobering reminder. If you detonate that vein of orantium, the Amar Kabal win. And the displacers lose. Forever.”
Tark nodded. “You knew that from the start.”
“But what were the chances we would actually succeed? Did you expect it?”
“I don’t know.”
“I didn’t. Not really. But here you are, about to spill your blood down in the bowels of the earth to create a flash of orantium like the world has never known. I failed to give Esmira the proper credit.”
“Seems she had a gift,” Tark agreed. He glanced from the crossbow to Ferrin’s eye. “Have you been toying with us all along?”
“I’m not sure what I’ve been doing,” Ferrin replied. “I’ve been open about that with those who have bothered to ask. I’m not sure how I expected this to end. I certainly never thought I would find myself in a position to receive an imperial pardon.”
“You really think Maldor would pardon you?”
“Naman seemed to think so,” Ferrin said wryly. “The prospect once seemed impossible. I had crossed too many lines, burned too many bridges. But what if I were able to warn the emperor that Felrook had unwittingly been constructed on top of a mountain full of explosives? What if I could singlehandedly save his armies and his life? That would probably do the job.”
“I can’t believe this,” Tark sighed. Everyone was counting on him. He could not fail! His mind frantically searched for a workable strategy. Ferrin would not miss with the crossbow. Even without it, Tark knew how well the displacer could fight.
Ferrin smirked. “It’s amazing that this fortress didn’t explode long ago. They could have tunneled into the orantium when digging the dungeons. The dungeons of Felrook are deep. A little deeper, and they might have had quite a surprise.”
“You swore to uphold our cause,” Tark said. “You swore to Galloran and Jason and Rachel.”
“I did,” Ferrin admitted. “Naturally, they all expected me to lie. It’s what displacers do. Thanks to Naman, I’ve enjoyed some time alone to consider a new plan. Want the essentials? First, I shoot you. Then I inform Maldor that his fortress is built atop a mother lode of orantium. He wipes out the forces fleeing into the mountains, then chooses a new stronghold from which to rule for a thousand years. The smug seedmen fall. And I get pardoned. Nothing short of service this crucial would earn Maldor’s forgiveness, but I expect this would prove more than sufficient.”
“Maybe,” Tark said, hoping to plant doubt.
“When I spoke with the oracle, she told me that before the end I would have the chance to decide the outcome. I didn’t expect the opportunity to be so blatant. Perhaps neither did she.”
“Don’t do it,” Tark said. “Galloran still has part of your neck.”
“I appreciate the concern,” Ferrin laughed. “I’m resourceful. I could get to Maldor before Galloran had any inkling of my betrayal. Some quick emergency
graftings, and I would be fine.”
“Why am I still alive?” Tark asked, aware that the quarrel could be loosed at any moment. “I can’t stop you.”
“Nobody can stop me. Today, right now, the future of Lyrian teeters on a knife-edge, and I get to determine which way it will fall. To side with Maldor will preserve my people and provide me with a long life as a noble lord. They might even grant me one of the few remaining displacer women as a companion.” He paused, his eyes momentarily distant. “To side with Galloran would buy me death and grant victory to my ancestral enemies.”
“You don’t have to die,” Tark said. “You could still try to flee.”
“I will not flee. I’ve fled enough. If I kill you, I will have no reason to flee. If I let you destroy Felrook, I will remain at your side and see it done. If my people must fall, I will be man enough to fall with them. There would be no place for me in the world after that.”
Tark felt a glimmer of hope. “Are you still undecided?”
“Not anymore. Funny. I came down here still uncertain, angry, all the possibilities dancing in my mind. I doubt anyone could have guessed what would sway my final verdict. Displacers have a reputation as selfish schemers, and my personal reputation is among the worst. But in the end I’ll make this choice based on friendship. It’s even surprising to me. I’ve never had friends before. Not real ones. Now I have three friends in the world, Tark. Three people who I truly love and respect. None are displacers. None serve Maldor. My friends are Jason, Rachel, and Galloran. In the end, with the fate of Lyrian in my hands, I’m not willing to let them down. I couldn’t harm them and live with myself. They’ll never know about this decision. They’ll never know how much their friendship meant to me. But I’ll know, and that’s enough.”
Ferrin lowered the crossbow.
“Really?” Tark asked. He had turned, offering his arm as a target rather than his chest. He had been braced to attack Ferrin after the quarrel hit. He had been braced to drag himself, bleeding, toward the orantium vein.
Ferrin gave a nod. “Naman made me angry. But I don’t care about him any more than I care about Maldor. Why should either of them influence me? You treated me well when the seedmen came for me. Galloran, Jason, and Rachel have consistently treated me well. They wanted this, so they’re going to get it. Besides, I gave Jason my word. Nobody has ever asked that of me. Not directly. Not knowing who I was. It pleases me to reward him for it.” The displacer seemed to relax, as if uttering his intentions had made the decision real.