The Inner Circle: The Knowing

‘This way.’ Ilgrin took Seteal’s hand and dragged her along at a run.

  ‘Wait,’ she said weakly, but continued along with him. ‘How do you know this is the right way?’

  ‘I came from the other direction.’ Ilgrin faced Seteal. ‘I took a risk stopping for you. Don’t make me regret it.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’ The young woman looked back down the icy corridor. A haunting rumbling sound told Ilgrin the reason why she’d ceased speaking. She’d finally noticed what he was running from to begin with.

  Lightning had struck some deep foundation and set off a chain reaction throughout the building. The seemingly endless corridor was progressively collapsing behind them.

  ‘Maker!’ Seteal exclaimed, snatching her hand from Ilgrin’s grasp to run with renewed vigour.

  Chunks of ice fell free from the ceiling and Ilgrin found himself having to duck and weave to avoid being struck. Green-flamed lanterns flickered and died. Up ahead, the corridor collapsed, a solid wall of ice filling their only means of escape. Ilgrin refused to stop running and hit it forcefully with his shoulder, but failed to make an impact.

  ‘Over there!’ Seteal shouted, pointing at a doorway to a small room. There was little hope the room would remain unscathed, but Ilgrin could see no other option. He hurried for the doorway, but the room collapsed in on itself before they could enter. With a deafening crack that shocked through the ice, the wall that’d previously blocked their route of escape crumbled.

  The corridor echoed with thunderous explosions as it collapsed around them. Ilgrin found himself standing on the edge of a great, cavernous abyss where rooms and corridors had stood not long prior.

  ‘Come on.’ He threw his arms around Seteal.

  ‘No, I can’t!’ she cried. ‘Just leave me.’

  ‘Sorry!’ Ilgrin shouted over the din. ‘Can’t do that.’

  He tightened his grip and leapt into the open air. Ilgrin searched for a safe place to land on the far side of the immense space, but could only see rooms and corridors crumbling to the screams of Elglair men and women meeting their deaths.

  Pillars and unrecognisable bits of the structure rained down in every direction. Ilgrin did his best to manoeuver around the worst of it, but occasionally clipped a wingtip or was struck on the leg.

  A thick white pillar tipped at such an angle that Ilgrin was certain he’d be unable to avoid it carrying the added burden of a second person. He beat his wings more furiously, but knew it was too late. He grabbed Seteal around the waist and threw her screaming into the dark. Ilgrin punched his wings and missed the pillar by a handswidth. He snapped shut his wings and dove sharply, arms outstretched. He grasped Seteal’s hands and spread his wings.

  ‘Do that again and I’ll kill you,’ the woman panted furiously.

  ‘At least wait until we find somewhere to land,’ Ilgrin called back over the wind.

  ‘There.’ Seteal pointed when a wall on the far side of the cavern loomed up ahead of them. ‘You see that? That’s a corridor.’

  ‘You’re right.’ Ilgrin adjusted the direction of his flight and a moment later the two landed safely. This part of the dome had even fewer lanterns remaining than the side they’d come from, but at least for now it seemed stable. As the two made their way through gloomy corridors, aside from an occasional shudder brought on by distant explosions, they soon found themselves accompanied by an eerie silence.

  ‘All right, that’s enough,’ Seteal said quietly, pulling at Ilgrin’s arm so that he came to a stop. ‘We’re safe here for a minute. I have to find a way out.’

  ‘You mean . . . ?’

  ‘Yes.’ Seteal nodded. ‘I’m going to leave my body, but I’m warning you--’ She waved a finger beneath Ilgrin’s nose. ‘--if you so much as touch me, I’ll know! And the last time someone tried that, this is what resulted.’ She indicated around herself at the crumbling dome.

  ‘You did this?’ Ilgrin said in disbelief.

  ‘Just don’t touch me,’ Seteal repeated her warning.

  ‘I hope someday you’ll know you can trust me,’ Ilgrin said sadly.

  ‘Don’t count on it.’ Seteal laid down on the floor. ‘But you’re okay.’ She gave him a half-smile before closing her eyes and pushing into eternity.

  Ilgrin paced nervously to the rise and fall of Seteal’s chest. The deep moaning sounds were getting closer and the woman looked too unconscious for his liking. Still, if he ever wanted her to trust him, he’d have to start trusting her. Maybe all was not lost for their two peoples, Ilgrin couldn’t help but muse. If El-i-miir’s feelings were sincere and Seteal felt that he was 'okay,' surely other humans and silts could get along as well.

  Ilgrin looked at Seteal’s face. It seemed like a lifetime since he’d wanted to go to Old World to see if there was any truth to what he’d been taught about silts. Now he realised he had to go there for an entirely different reason . . . that was, if he managed to survive the day. After all, the truth was, Ilgrin was neither human nor silt. Not really. And at the same time, he was both. Wasn’t he obligated to take this unique perspective and educate those who lived in ignorance?

  ‘Got it.’ Seteal opened her eyes and stood up. ‘We’re not too far from the exit, but we’re still too deep underground. There are stairs at the end of this corridor. Come on.’ She set off at a run.

  Ilgrin followed several strides behind, which was why he was in a perfect position to catch her when she stumbled. Seteal’s knees buckled as she misplaced her feet. Ilgrin swooped in to lessen the impact.

  ‘Seteal? Are you all right?’ But the woman’s face was vacant, her eyes glassy.

  ‘Ilgrin,’ Seteal whispered after a few drawn-out seconds. She stumbled back and hit the wall.

  ‘What’s happening?’ He asked worriedly. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘El-i-miir is here in the dome.’ Seteal covered her mouth. ‘She came for us, but she’s trapped back the way we came.’

  ‘I have to go.’ Ilgrin turned around, but Seteal stopped him.

  ‘I’m coming with you,’ she said determinedly. ‘El-i-miir came back for us. I’m not going to abandon her now.’

  The two stared at each other for a silent moment, each realising for the first time that they were on the same side, united in saving the life of someone they cared about. Ilgrin and Seteal raced back along the corridor and were plunged into total darkness, accompanied only by the deafening rumblings that surrounded them.