Chapter 40. The Meeting of Many
Amndo had made the connection, the now familiar sight of a portal materialised before them. They passed through, following Amndo. Once the odd feeling of the transition had receded Nar’Allia opened her eyes, she felt the ground once more firm beneath her feet. They had alighted upon a firm metal deck. At first Nar’Allia thought Amndo had returned them to the Landtrain, but as she looked around it became abundantly clear that this deck was not the same as in JDC’s machine. There was far more room here, it was definitely not the cramped confines of the Land Train cluttered with all manner of stuff that JDC had accumulated over the years. She was smiling for she knew exactly where they were. She laughed out loud, she laughed and laughed, nothing could stop her for she recognised immediately where they were. She turned to Amndo and said, “master keeper I might have guessed you would have a back entrance into here.”
Amndo smiled at her, “but of course my lady.”
They stood in a large room, desks, many desks were laid out before them, coloured lights shone and blinked everywhere, but the rest of the room was in low light, a red light like blood. But the one thing that Nar’Allia searched for she found at last. There across one of the desks stood a figure, a small figure looking down at the control desk.
To Nar’Allia’s amusement, Solvienne had stridden over to the figure and was addressing him, “come master Pnook, we have work to do, we demand urgent passage on the Leviathan.”
JDC turned with a start, he rubbed his eyes and after jumping off the stool on which he sat and backing away to the far wall, he suddenly recognised who had interrupted him. “Solvienne? Is that you?” He rubbed at his eyes, “by the maker my girl, you have a habit of turning up in the most surprising ways. But tell me, where is that wayward sister of yours? The one that gives me all the trouble?”
Nar’Allia laughed.
Solvienne smiled and gestured across the where the others stood. “Look I have brought friends with me.” She watched JDC as he peered around her. His eyes moved from one to the next and eventually a broad smile crossed his features as he ran forward and quite uncharacteristically hugged Minervar and then Serinae as they bent down. Then he turned to Nar’Allia and as she kneeled he hugged her to. “You found her Narny, you actually found both of them.”
Nar’Allia laughed, “well, not exactly, at least I was not the first. Solvienne must take the credit for that.”
JDC wiped his eyes, she looked at him, by the Maker he was actually crying, tears of joy ran down his face as if the emotions of many years had suddenly bubbled to the surface and boiled over. Wetness drenched his cheeks and dripped to the floor. Serinae and Minervar approached him and held a hand each trying to console him, but they knew these tears were of joyous origin and they smiled at him until he managed to regain his composure.
He sighted Solvienne; she had her arms crossed viewing the strange scene before her. He stood as tall as he could, wiped the remaining tears upon the sleeve of his jacket and said, “Oh, of course,” he said in a faltering voice, “wherever you wish to go milady, I am ready to your every command.” But before any of them could say anything JDC placed a finger in front of his mouth as if to quieten them. “But there is a slight but rather annoying little problem we must address before we can go anywhere.”
A few minutes later Serinae stood to one side of the entrance door to the control room of the Leviathan, Nar’Allia stood on the other. Both held a short sword, one each of Serinae’s. Everyone else stood over by the main control desk on the side away from the door, all except JDC who was standing by the door opening mechanism waiting for Serinae’s nod. When she made the gesture JDC touched the control and the door opened allowing access to the hall beyond. There was a couple of seconds delay and then through the door from the hallway, in strode two T’Iea soldiers in full armour and regalia of the Legion of the Wind. They walked though regarding JDC with fire in their eyes.
“You are forbidden to leave this place,” one said. But before he could say anything else he was turning on his heel, his sword raised high. Some sixth sense had told him of danger behind and he had turned to face that danger. He managed to ward of a blow from a short sword, he noticed that the flat of the blade was being used not the sharp edge of the blade itself. But he had no such misgivings, he swung his sword around and the blade was stopped in mid-air by the same sword he had deflected moments earlier. He snarled as he saw his attacker was a female T’Iea ranger wielding a single short sword. He smiled and laughed; this was going to be easy.
Nar’Allia had stood behind the other elf, after his compatriot had turned he also turned in defensive mode, training had kicked in automatically and now the two T’Iea soldiers stood back-to-back defending themselves form these two T’Iea women. They parried and toyed with their adversaries. Perhaps today would not be just the same boring duty as sentries outside the door of the control room of their general’s latest fearsome acquisition after all. They both smiled enjoying the sparring. One though was not smiling quite so much; the ranger was good, very good in fact. He had to adjust his fighting, step up his concentration. She was unhindered by armour, she fought swapping the sword from one hand to the other, feigning, striking, parrying. He was thankful she did not dual wield two of these swords for already she had nicked his armour twice after getting in behind his defences. The other disconcerting thing was that the nicks went right through his armour as if it wasn’t there. He began to breath heavier feeling the warm trickle of blood upon his skin below the places where the sword had penetrated. His partner detected this and pressed home his assault upon the other female, he no longer wanted to risk having this one alive for too long in case his partner needed help. So he pressed forth his attack with renewed strength. Nar’Allia was forced to step backwards as blow after blow from the T’Iea warrior’s sword fell down aimed upon her unprotected form. It was all she could do to deflect the blows. Let alone press forward with any attack of her own.
Minervar had her hands up to her mouth, she was afraid for both her daughter and for Serinae. But whereas Serinae seemed to be equal if not slightly better than the soldier she fought, Nar’Allia was in some difficulty that was apparent. A sudden feint and stab caught Nar’Allia unawares and the tip of the soldier’s sword pierced through the leather at her shoulder, the leather hung down sliced through, blood flowed and dripped to the floor. Nar’Allia shouted in pain as she dropped the sword from her hand and clutched at her wounded shoulder. The soldier hesitated relishing the victory and that was his mistake for as he smiled and raised his sword for the killing blow. Something small hit the wall behind Nar’Allia and mad a whining noise as it bounced off the metal plate and shot across the other side of the room where it bounced off the far wall and with most of its energy spent fell to the floor.
Amndo touched a spot on his cheek whatever had shot past him had grazed him and he felt warm blood seeping from the wound.
Nar’Allia she was watching the eyes of the soldier about to deal her a mortal blow. But he stopped dead and clutched at his chest, a small round hole appeared through his chest plate just under the arm, the hole was surrounded by a ring of shredded metal, it looked just like the exit hole of an arrow head, but no point could be seen. Blood seeped though and then poured forth through the hole in spurts as his pumping heart worked to supply his body. The soldier stopped in shock, he dropped his sword hand and then looked down, he seemed surprised to see the wound there. He actually tried to put a finger in the hole. He turned and looked up and around at each person trying to fathom out whom it was that had pierced him. Nar’Allia’s eyes rested upon JDC, a projectile weapon held in his hands, the barrel of which still smoked. He still had the weapon levelled for a second shot if necessary as the soldier collapsed to his knees and then fell head long onto the deck of the Leviathan.
Serinae still kept the other soldier busy; she detected the look of worry upon his face for he knew that his comrade had fallen. She manoeuvred across the floo
r and flicked the short sword that Nar’Allia had dropped with her toe and caught it. She now fought with both swords, renewed fire shone in her eyes. The warrior looked shocked, even slightly terrified. A few repeated blows and expertly executed lunges and he was disarmed, he yielded lifting his arms high in submission, the tip of one of Serine’s swords caressing his throat, the other held like a dagger at his heart. The expression upon the soldiers face was one of horror as Serinae’s green eyes flared and bored into his. She gestured with the tip of her sword that he should make his way over to the wall of the room and sit on the floor. His gaze held Serinae’s all the way across the deck. There was something else in that gaze. Serinae had seen the shock of defeat many times before, but this was accompanied by another expression, recognition accompanied by much fear. Serinae cocked her head to one side and asked, “Have we met?”
The soldier did not seem to hear, but then he suddenly seemed to come to his senses and he said, “no milady, but I know your face, I have a seen a depiction of your features upon a statue, perhaps carved in your honour.”
Serinae seemed puzzled, the soldier stooped to one knee and bowed low. He remained in this posture until Serinae bid him look at her once more by moving his chin up with the tip of her sword. “A statue? Where?”
The soldier smiled, but his expression changed suddenly to one of deep calculation. Serinae frowned recognising that the soldier was thinking of a way out of this, she turned her head slightly trying to guess what his next action would be, the soldier was planning something she knew, she could see it in his eyes. She watched his muscle tones carefully trying to predict any sudden movement. But what he did next she least expected. Suddenly he pitched forward, before she could do anything her blade slid neatly and effortlessly into his neck and the tip showed through the other side. The soldier gurgled, blood spattered as air from his lungs expelled through the wound to his severed windpipe it ran down the front of his chest armour and pooled at his knees on the floor. Serinae felt his body relax through her blade as life left him and a dead weight suddenly manifest itself upon her sword. She stared into the soldier’s eyes as they darkened and died, she made a sharp movement with her blade that withdrew it from his body and he fell forward. Blood splashed over her feet.
Serinae’s hand dropped and her sword swung by her side before her grasp failed and she the blade clattered onto the metal deck. She looked sorrowful. “I came here to save not to slay. But it seems my old life is not going to leave me easily.”
It was Minervar who walked across to comfort her. She had a sorrowful look upon her face. “These were not T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran Seri. These were T’Iea soldiers from somewhere else.”
JDC stepped forward, “they are of the legion milady. They hail from Ter’Hadsnefel, originally.”
“How do you know this master Pnook? What were they doing here? What intent do they have?”
JDC spoke, “I am sorry milady. They are commanded by one Te’Onolan’u’De’Hu’uinned. As far as I can gather they came here under orders from the generals in the west to seek out and to contain the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran. But my suspicions lead me to believe that somehow they have been affected by the Rift and have been taken in a similar manner to the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran but not in the same way. Te’Onolan’u’De’Hu’uinned’s dark ambition is to wipe out the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran and then take over whatever they have as his own. Te’Onolan’u’De’Hu’uinned desires the Rift Seri, I have seen that madness in the eyes of T’Iea before. He has been taken by the Rift. There is dark work here Serinae. It is not only the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran that have to be feared.”
Serinae sighed; it was as if an extra burden had been placed upon her. She sat in silence contemplating what she had just heard. “So the Rift entity is not destroyed then. The Rift entity still controls the minds and actions of our brethren.” She looked at Amndo the question flashing in her eyes.
“I do not know my lady, I do not understand. The Rift must be gone, the entity needed the power of the Rift to survive, I do not know why it still exerts such influences over the T’Iea in the area. But then something dawned on his face, a sudden realisation. Of course! What a fool I’ve been. I was too busy with the thought of the Rift and the energy within, I failed to remember the great key stone above the Rift, it would store arcane energy, probably a lot of arcane energy. I must get there, get to the vast Key Stone above the Rift.” He looked pleading with the T’Iea.
“That is not all I’m afraid.” Everyone looked at JDC.
“Not more woe master Pnook, surely?”
JDC looked timidly at Serinae, “I’m afraid I have added to this woe considerably. But first let me show you something. He walked back towards the control desk he had left and gestured for them all to come over.
Nar’Allia immediately recognised the controls for the Startmektoken army; she also recognised that the bays that held the soldiers in the belly of the Leviathan indicated that they were empty.
JDC looked guiltily at Nar’Allia. “Despite my promise to you Narny they are released, they do battle with their T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran counterparts, see here.” JDC pointed to a screen that showed much movement and other information in a language she did not understand. Lines of many bright dots moved to and fro upon the screen, every now and again a light would wink out.
“Te’Onolan’u’De’Hu’uinned captured me, for I in my misguided belief thought the T’Iea soldiers of Te’Onolan’u’De’Hu’uinned to be true still to Ter’Hadsnefel. He made me relinquish control of the Startmektoken that the Leviathan carries over to his control. They now fight for him. A while ago I dropped them off to aid his army, the two guards we have just slain were set upon the vessel to ensure that I did not take it away, or try to recover the Startmektoken, for Te’Onolan’u’De’Hu’uinned wishes to also use its fire power in the battle he plans against the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran.”
Serinae spoke, “it matters not, we need to get to the battle front, we have no way of knowing from here if the destruction of the machine has had any effect. We had better get started.”
Nar’Allia addressed her companions, especially JDC. “But JDC you can stop the Startmektoken. You said yourself that they are controlled from here, from the Leviathan machine. We could thwart Te’Onolan’u’De’Hu’uinned’s plans by removing them from the battlefield. He would be forced to face the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran Startmektoken warriors using his own men. That may make him decide against an all-out attack.”
JDC responded, “of course Narny, if that is what you want I will do it immediately.” He looked down at the control desk once more.
Suddenly Serinae’s eyes shone. “No. JDC do not withdraw the Startmektoken. Leave them to battle their brethren, if that is the plan. They are well-balanced forces with any luck they will utterly destroy themselves against one another and remove the threat they pose. It will take time to do so and time is exactly what we need at the moment. We must go and see what the situation holds; at least the battle between the iron monsters will delay any further action by the two T’Iea armies, at least for a while.”
After a short flight the company disembarked the craft down the spiral steps that wound down from the underside of the machine. Once they were all off the Leviathan JDC flew the craft out of reach once more for they couldn’t risk it falling under the control of any who would use the machines offensive capabilities to further their own end.
Nar’Allia looked around her, as did the rest of the company. She had been here before. There in front of her stood a black stone, an enormous black stone at the pinnacle of a stone bridge over a chasm. They stood upon the bridge; yes she knew exactly where she was. She looked across to Minervar, she seemed a little confused. The large black stone stood upon the pinnacle of the single span. But where before it had stood above a deep fathomless chasm where the Rift substance boiled and swirled; now it stood upon a slight depression in the ground where rocks and soil and other matter had appeared to fill in
the Rift chasm.
Amndo was wondering at this, he was right, the Rift energies were gone, whatever forces held the chasm open, held the rock in place had now disappeared allowing the chasm to be reclaimed by that same rock. T’Iea buildings stood around the edge of the chasm. The streets lay all but empty, only a few people could be seen. Amndo expected to see faces in pain, individuals in turmoil, yet they seemed to be going about their everyday business as normal. But surely by now with the Rift itself gone the evil entity that it harboured should also be gone. They population of this city should be in a terrible state, similar to the reaction that Shak’Ee’Roe experienced, but then Shak’Ee’Roe had been much farther away from here. He felt a tug on his arm; Minervar was pulling him closer to Serinae. They had begun to attract attention. People now looked towards them, Amndo did not see a friendly attitude in their eyes, rather they burned with the fire of hatred. A young boy dropped the package he was carrying and ran off.
A larger crowd had formed; they murmured to each other and pointed towards the companions standing on the bridge. The young boy returned, he had three well-armed soldiers dressed in the black armour of the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran with him. As the three guards approached the bridge they drew arms. Serinae snarled, she offered Nar’Allia one of her short swords once again and together the two T’Iea women strode down the bridge to meet the threat.
Amndo wanted to hold them back, but somehow he knew it would be no good. His heart sank. He looked towards the great black portal stone. He was obviously right, it would act like a massive storage jar for the Rift’s arcane energy. Not only that but it may contain enough energy to maintain a semblance of the Rift and certain things within it. He frowned, the T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran within close proximity to the keystone were not free of the Rift entity after all, the entity still lived and Amndo knew exactly where, it lived within the stored energy of the stone. He scolded himself once more why hadn’t he anticipated this? He said nothing to the others, he needed to move quickly without any long drawn out explanations. He started off up the bridge towards the portal stone. Everyone else did not see him go, their attention was focussed upon the three soldiers.
Serinae said, “Deanola, quickly you must do what you have to. Try and make contact with your master, we will hold off any interruption.” With this she gave a cry and started off down the ramp of the bridge towards the three T’Iea’Neat’Thegoran soldiers.
Deanola closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt deep within herself, she probed for a long unused, almost forgotten link in her mind. A link placed there long ago by a T’Iea mage, her teacher. The one who had rescued her from her curse, saved her from what she may have become if she didn’t have the knowledge given freely to her by this teacher, this saviour. He had turned her curse into a gift. She was unpractised but she found the link, made the connection, she gasped in mental pain as the other grabbed her probing mind with uncharacteristic violence. For a brief moment she felt great anger, felt the pain of death and battle. She felt the mental surge of the mage rush into her mind, nothing she could do would stop this onslaught from the powerful mage. She felt the mage grasp those parts of her brain that sustained life and then start to squeeze. She felt herself cry out in pain but the foreign mind had already cut off her ability to make sound. She fell to her knees, both Solvienne and Minervar rushed forward to support her. She recoiled and said a name in her mind. To her great relief the anger calmed and another emotional presence filled the gap, one she knew well, she waited, like a child at school waits with hand raised to answer a question from the teacher, hoping against hope that it is they the teacher chooses.
At last she heard a strong but kind voice from the past in her head, one she knew oh so well said from within her mind, “Deanola? My student. My love?”
Solvienne looked at Deanola, tears were streaming down her face. But these were no longer tears of sorrow and of pain. These were tears of absolute joy.