Yet I have seen war and chaos in the worlds, Tyen thought. Worlds Dahli had shown him. Worlds he’d passed through on the way to find volunteers for resurrection, or to attempt a resurrection. Worlds like the ones poisoned by the machines he’d just destroyed. He’d seen Dahli’s mind, and knew the man believed the worlds were descending into chaos as much as Baluka was sure they were not. But perhaps he sees what he expects.
Perhaps Baluka saw what he expected too.
“The war machines are a small problem compared to the cost in human lives if you bring back the Raen, Tyen. Is freeing Vella worth that? One human life in exchange for countless others?”
“Rielle thought the same when she saved Qall,” Tyen pointed out.
“Yet she asked me to stop you resurrecting the Raen. She understands he is the greater danger.” Baluka frowned. “She said you knew that the Raen intended to kill her. Do you want her dead?”
“No, of course not. But she was far away, and I assumed she would be as safe there from Valhan as from Dahli.” Tyen frowned. “Why did she return?”
“That is not for me to say,” Baluka replied, though the truth was clear in his mind—she had tried to get a message to Qall’s adoptive family, and in doing so had stumbled upon Dahli and the news Tyen was trying to resurrect the Raen. She had told Baluka what she’d learned, then returned to her place of hiding.
Tyen paused. How much of his plans could he trust to Baluka, and the many sorcerers who could read the man’s mind? Did he have any choice? “Dahli would much prefer to use Qall than another vessel. I am giving him an alternative. As long as Rielle and Qall stay in hiding, they are safe. It’s likely to take me some time to work out how to resurrect someone, which should give her time to get as far away as possible.”
Baluka’s lips parted, but he did not speak. So if I eliminate Tyen, I give Dahli a greater incentive to search for her. Is Tyen hinting that he is doing this to help Rielle? He said he didn’t want to resurrect the Raen. Is he being forced to, or is he intending to fail? Should the Restorers try harder to find and eliminate Dahli instead? Rielle said we had to find the hand, not kill Tyen. Letting Tyen go would weaken him in the eyes of the Restorers … or would it? His closest followers trusted his instincts, sometimes more than he did.
As the other man considered these questions, Tyen’s hopes grew. Baluka was realising that, if Tyen was telling the truth, he had to let him go. If he killed Tyen, Dahli would redouble his efforts to find Qall and Rielle. If he found them, it would be partly Baluka’s fault.
Tyen looked down at the corpse. The longer he waited to shift the body to the volunteer’s pattern, the less chance he would be able to repair the deterioration. If Baluka let him go, he’d be a fool to go straight back to the workshop. He’d have to take a longer way home, using all the methods of concealing his path that he could.
“You have two options,” Tyen said. “Kill me and put Rielle and Qall in greater danger—and lose a chance of ridding the worlds of war machines, or let me continue with all my experiments while you prepare the worlds to face the Raen again.” He lifted his eyebrows in a challenge. “How sure are you that the rebels would have defeated him if he hadn’t killed himself, Baluka?”
“Sure enough,” Baluka murmured, holding back the doubts that threatened the certainty he’d held on to since the battle.
Tyen nodded. “As am I.” He managed a wan smile. “I can’t tell you how long you have to prepare. Killing me will give you more time only if Dahli doesn’t find Qall. Letting me live at least has the added possible consequence of ridding the worlds of the war machines.”
Baluka’s mind swirled with choices and imagined consequences. His instincts told him to trust Tyen, but then they had been wrong before. Or had they been right all along?
“Very well.” The whistling wind split the air again as Baluka let the noise shield go. “Go.” But if you do care about Rielle, Qall and the worlds, he thought at Tyen, don’t resurrect the Raen. Destroy the hand.
Tyen did not wait for the surprise and disbelief on the other sorcerers’ faces to turn to anger and rebellion. Leaving the corpse, he pushed out of the world and fled.
CHAPTER 18
Destroy the hand.
Tyen paced the workroom. He’d taken a long, circuitous route back, using as many precautions as he could incorporate into the journey. Baluka had let him go, intending to order the Restorers to leave Tyen alone, but it was always possible that he would change his mind, or that his followers might rebel against the order. As far as Tyen could tell, nobody had tracked him to here. Several days had passed and no pack of vengeful sorcerers had appeared.
Neither had Dahli nor Zeke. Tyen dared not attempt finding another corpse. Unable to continue with resurrection experiments and having had no new ideas for how to deal with memory storage in the humanoid, he’d turned his mind to the war machine problem instead, taking over Zeke’s work.
But it was hard to concentrate. His mind kept returning to the bodies on the field of smashed war machines. I didn’t kill them deliberately or directly, yet if it wasn’t for me they’d be alive. Whether they deserved to die or not doesn’t matter. They were people, with lives and loved ones. Fathers and mothers, maybe wives and children. For all I know, they were servants, or did not want to kill but were forced to fight in that war.
It sickened him, and hardened his resolve to avoid killing. That only made him more nervous about working with Dahli. The man had been pushing at Tyen’s discomfort and scruples, forcing him to concede a little here and a little there. One day, the man was going to bring the corpse of someone he’d killed, and argue that the situation of the murder made it acceptable. Perhaps the victim had attacked him. Perhaps they had attacked someone else. Perhaps they had made war machines and used them on innocent, defenceless people.
The prospect of that filled him with horror and dread, so he fixed his mind instead on Baluka’s request. Destroying Valhan’s hand was the only sure way to prevent the Raen’s return. Another vessel could always be found—or at least Tyen believed so—but lose the store of memories and you lose the person.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of it before, but Dahli had gone to extreme efforts to keep the hand safe. He would not produce it until Tyen had proven he could resurrect someone, and had a vessel ready for Valhan. Even then, Dahli would not simply trust Tyen with the hand without ensuring his cooperation. Most likely he’d demand Tyen give him something he valued, that he’d threaten to destroy if Tyen betrayed him.
Probably Vella.
A chill ran down Tyen’s spine. He was not willing to sacrifice Vella in order to get hold of the hand. She was a person, albeit not a complete one. If he went ahead and resurrected the Raen, there was a chance he’d not get Vella back anyway. Valhan might not approve of Tyen’s intention to work slowly, to give Rielle time to get to safety. Tyen had made up his mind to send Vella somewhere safe, before he resurrected Valhan, in case the ruler punished him. At least she would get away safely.
I have to give Dahli something else to hold on to as a guarantee of my cooperation. Something I appear to value more. He considered what he owned. Beetle? He shook his head. I don’t think Dahli would believe that it was as valuable to me as Vella is. Besides, I could easily have made and given him an identical insectoid—or make a new Beetle if the old one is destroyed.
Another obstacle lay in the way of getting hold of Valhan’s hand. Tyen would have to succeed in his experiments. Instead of delaying, he’d need to speed up his efforts. A part of him had begun to worry that Dahli was right: Valhan had ensured somehow that only Qall could be the vessel of his memories. If he had, his memory of doing so would be in the hand. Though surely Dahli would have looked for that information in the hand, and not recruited Tyen if he knew there was no alternative to using Qall.
Was there another way to persuade Dahli to produce the hand? Perhaps by convincing him that I need more information. It would still require Tyen to produce something he va
lued for Dahli to hold as insurance.
What else did he value? He owned no other objects of value. That only left people.
Tarran. Baluka. Or Rielle.
Tyen’s chest tightened as he remembered what he had seen in Baluka’s mind. Rielle’s fury. Her belief that Tyen had deceived her. I don’t want her hurt, and I certainly don’t want her to die. He wished he could explain to her why he had chosen to help Dahli. And tell her to stay away. He sighed. How did I get to the point where I want the woman I desire as far away from me as possible?
He’d wondered many times how events could have worked out differently. It had occurred to him a few days ago that, if Rielle hadn’t left to protect Qall, they might have joined together to tackle Dahli. He wasn’t sure what they could have done once they discovered Dahli had blocked his memory of the hand’s location though. He doubted killing Dahli would have solved the problem. The man was too smart to not have left instructions in place to protect the hand and put it in the hands of people who could continue his quest to resurrect the Raen.
Besides, Tyen wasn’t sure he could bring himself to kill him. Perhaps Rielle would. She had Qall to protect.
The trouble is, there is no right side or wrong side in this. No unquestionable good and pure evil. The Raen helped the worlds as much as he harmed them. Dahli believes the worlds need Valhan. He wants to keep the promise he made to the man he loves and is loyal to. He has lived longer than Baluka and can see the chaos in the worlds is worse than it has ever been in his lifetimes. Rielle and Baluka believe as strongly that the worlds will settle down given the chance—are already settling down—and have a right to live free from the control of an all-powerful ruler. Which is something Dahli cannot prove wrong since he has never seen the worlds not controlled by the—
A throat cleared behind him.
He jumped and spun around. Zeke stood in the centre of the room, one eyebrow rising.
“Heh,” he said. “I managed to spook you for once.”
“Zeke,” Tyen said. “Where have you been? Is Dahli …?”
The answer was clear in Zeke’s mind, and the young man knew it, but he explained anyway.
“Qall has joined us. Willingly. He wants to meet you. I’m to take you there.”
Tyen realised his mouth was hanging open, and closed it quickly. Mind spinning with the news, he stood, donned his jacket, walked over to the young inventor and held out his hand.
As soon as Tyen took it, the room began to fade. The journey was slow, as they had to stop in each world for Zeke to catch his breath and gather more magic, but Tyen held back from offering to transport them. He needed time to absorb what he’d just learned.
Qall had joined Dahli. Sought him out, if Zeke was right. If Qall was as powerful as Valhan, he must have seen into Dahli’s mind and learned what the man wanted to do to him. Why would he submit to that?
The answer was obvious, especially when Tyen had seen the plan in Dahli’s mind, and glimpsed the efforts he’d been going to in order to keep track of the Traveller family that had protected Qall. Dahli must be threatening to harm the family if Qall didn’t do as he ordered.
Zeke doesn’t know about it, Tyen guessed. Zeke did not know why Qall wanted to meet Tyen, and believed Dahli didn’t either. If he’s right, that proves Qall is stronger than Dahli.
Sooner than Tyen expected, Zeke stopped. “We’re nearly there. The next world is a dead one. The one after contains the base.” He paused, wondering if Dahli expected him to accompany Tyen from here, or flee.
To Tyen’s surprise, the young inventor knew the true purpose of Tyen’s experiments. Dahli had given in to Zeke’s demands to explain, warning him that if he did, Zeke couldn’t roam the worlds alone in case anyone read his mind. Zeke was neither aghast at nor gladdened by the prospect of the Raen’s return, but when Qall appeared he’d realised Dahli’s plan had changed, and he suspected he wouldn’t like it.
When Qall had explained what Dahli meant to do to him, Zeke had been appalled. He had argued with Dahli, who had reminded him of his warning. I knew I couldn’t leave, Zeke thought. I didn’t want to leave. So if Dahli was worried someone would read of his plan from my mind, why did he trust me to fetch Tyen? Was he giving me a chance to leave?
Zeke looked at Tyen and, knowing that his thoughts would have been read, he spoke his question aloud. “Do you think it’s a test of my loyalty?”
Tyen shrugged. “I have no idea.” Yet.
The young inventor looked at Tyen’s face closely, trying to read his expression. He was telling himself that Tyen had no reason to dump him in one of the dead worlds that surrounded Dahli’s location, or abandon him here now, but the possibility still lurked at the edge of his mind.
“What’s the base world like?” Tyen asked.
“A world rich in power,” Zeke replied.
“A fortification,” Tyen guessed. Like Valhan’s palace had been, it was surrounded by dead worlds. If attacked, Dahli and his allies could strip the base world so that invaders must hold back enough magic to retreat through several dead worlds, or risk being stranded. No sorcerer was likely to stumble upon Dahli’s hideout either. They’d retreat from the dead worlds, not daring to go further in case the next one was dead as well, and they didn’t have enough magic to return.
“We’re to arrive within the lamps,” Zeke added, an image of a hall appearing in his mind. “I don’t know why.”
A trap? “Tell me what the dead world between here and the base is like.”
Zeke shrugged. “Nothing exciting. Rural. Peaceful.”
It was hard to believe after the strange and dangerous worlds that had surrounded Valhan’s palace, but perhaps Dahli had not been able to find an arrangement of worlds as suitable for a hidden fortification. Tyen questioned Zeke about Dahli’s hideout, but the inventor hadn’t seen much. It was an abandoned palace, the arrival place in the hall with the lamps. Dahli had ordered Qall to stay there, and had beds and furniture brought in.
“That’s all I can tell you,” Zeke said.
Tyen nodded. “Do you want to return?”
Zeke sighed. Despite everything, he still wanted to be with Dahli. “Yes.”
Tyen took hold of Zeke’s arm, moved into the place between worlds and started following the path he found there. They passed through the benign but dead world Zeke had described and continued on. The huge, square hall built of black marble he’d seen in Zeke’s mind emerged from the paleness of the place between. It will not be easy to see the shadows of approaching sorcerers here, Tyen mused. Torches set in black iron stands no higher than his hip outlined a raised square in the centre of the room, and he moved to a position within them. Within the square of torches stood a low bed and several gold chairs with padded seats and backs. Two of the chairs were occupied.
The first occupant was Dahli, and Tyen felt a twinge of anticipation as he prepared to read the man’s thoughts, but the moment he saw the other, his mind froze.
The Raen! He’s already resurrected the Raen! As he arrived, his heart lurched and began racing, even as he told himself: No. This must be Qall.
At once he began searching for differences. Valhan had looked older, he decided, though he couldn’t pinpoint why. He detected no thoughts, and was immediately aware that his own were available to this man—who had risen and was now walking towards him, smiling in a way that made him no longer resemble Valhan at all.
Did I ever see Valhan smile? he wondered. Perhaps, but not like this.
Dahli followed a few steps behind. Tyen met the man’s eyes as he searched his mind. He saw that Dahli was watching his reaction closely, and had noted a flash of fear in Tyen’s face. He was pleased to have seen no dislike. He imagined Tyen was now a bit disorientated, and felt sympathy, though he doubted the resemblance affected Tyen as much as it did him. Every hint that an inexperienced young man lived within the familiar body brought Dahli pain and discomfort. Qall was not the man Dahli desired, so every flash of longing his appearance sparke
d brought embarrassment and guilt.
Disturbed by the glimpse of Dahli’s inner turmoil, Tyen shifted his attention to Zeke. Like Dahli, Zeke’s calm exterior hid roiling emotions. Jealousy, anger, admiration and hope seized him in turns. Until Qall had arrived, Zeke had seen his chances of gaining Dahli’s full attention growing more promising each day. He didn’t hate Qall for spoiling that, knowing enough of the situation to see the young man was blameless, but he was dismayed to learn Dahli was still pining for a dead man—who he intended to resurrect. While he sympathised, he didn’t think it was likely anyone could bring someone back from the dead, so he figured his prospects were good if he hung around long enough.
You have to admire his optimism, Tyen thought, turning his attention back to Qall.
Qall’s lips had curled up at the sides a little, but as he stopped and Dahli reached his side his expression smoothed.
“Tyen,” he said. “It is good to finally meet you. I have been looking forward to it.”
“And I you, Qall,” Tyen replied. “How is Rielle?”
“Alive and well last time I saw her.” Qall’s eyebrows rose. “Though very angry with you.”
Tyen winced. “I expect so. Where is she?”
“Don’t worry: she won’t be bothering you for some time.” The young man’s eyes gleamed with amusement.
Alarmed, Tyen looked at Dahli.
“Don’t look at me that way,” Dahli said, raising both hands. “I wasn’t even there.”
Nor did he know where Rielle was. Qall had said he’d trapped Rielle in a world by stripping it of power when he knew she had too few reserves of magic to leave it. Though it had been Inekera’s idea, the young man had done it willingly to stop Rielle following him.
“You left her in a world without magic?” Tyen hissed, turning back to Qall. “Don’t you realise what that means?” The young man’s eyes flickered and his face froze, and suddenly he looked like Valhan again. And yet … a hint of doubt and worry in his eyes betrayed him, and gave Tyen the courage to go on. “She will no longer be ageless. Or be able to protect herself.”