Though he would never get the chance. For what he had done, he expected nothing less than execution.
And yet why would Qall ask if he’d accepted that Valhan was gone if he didn’t mean to give Dahli another chance? Qall wasn’t the type to force an enemy to acknowledge his defeat, and the hope of redemption, just so he could kill him at his lowest.
Unless he has become Valhan …
“No,” Qall said. “I haven’t. But I won’t let you go without extracting a promise.”
Dahli nodded. “What is my punishment?”
“Oh, I think your conscience will provide enough punishment in the centuries to come. No, what I want from you is the promise that you will roam the worlds, redressing some of the wrongs you have done.”
“But people might recognise … oh. I will have to change my appearance.”
“Yes, and be very careful of stronger sorcerers, who can read your true identity from your mind. It will improve your chances if they can see that you truly mean to hold to your promise.”
Dahli considered Qall, then slowly straightened. “I vow to dedicate my remaining life undoing as much of the damage I have done in the service of the Raen as I can.”
Rielle shivered. She could see that Dahli did intend to honour his vow. She could also see something stir within him. His capacity for unflagging loyalty and attributing blame and responsibility to a master could easily shift to Qall. Who at least looked like Valhan …
“I do not want you as my follower,” Qall snapped. “And know that if you use this vow to shift blame for your actions to me I will use everything I’ve learned from Valhan to find you and ensure you pay for it.” His voice softened. “Be responsible for your own choices, Dahli.”
Dahli nodded quickly, the desire for a new master shrivelling away. In its place came belated amazement and relief. Qall was letting him go.
“I understand. Thank you, Qall. And … I apologise for everything I did to you.”
Qall acknowledged this with a nod. “Go,” he said. “And give Zeke my best wishes when you find him. He can’t have got far. Not with so many worlds around the base depleted of magic.”
“I will.” Dahli frowned. “I think … it might be better if I don’t return to the base. Will you make sure the fighters there aren’t trapped? They were near the end of their strength.”
Qall inclined his head. “If anyone is still alive, I’ll make sure they are freed.”
Dahli paused, then bowed to Qall again. “Goodbye,” he murmured. “And thank you.” His gaze became wistful as he began to fade. Qall, Rielle, Tyen and Ankari watched until he had disappeared completely.
“Tyen,” Qall said.
Tyen jumped and turned to face the young man. “Qall,” he replied. His eyes narrowed. “You are still Qall, aren’t you?”
Qall smiled. “Yes. Mostly.”
“You absorbed Valhan’s memories,” Tyen guessed.
“Not all.” Qall shrugged. “There wasn’t time. Just enough to learn pattern shifting and a few other things. Vella was right: it has changed me. That is why I am here. I need time alone to be sure I am in charge. But I am glad you came here. I want to thank you for all your help.”
“I don’t know that I was of much use,” Tyen admitted.
“Of course you were,” Qall disagreed. He walked to Tyen and placed a hand on his right shoulder. “Your advice, the visit you made to the Travellers, all the information I read from your mind, questioning Vella for me,” he listed. He smiled and shook his head. “You always believe the worst of yourself, Tyen. You are immensely powerful, but you let others manipulate you into doing things you wouldn’t choose to. Keep going that way and you’ll end up like Dahli.
“You’ve had good reasons for some of your actions, but you keep them secret from those who are most likely to understand and forgive.” Qall glanced at Rielle pointedly. “You blame yourself for the war machines while not taking credit for all the good that mechanical magic has brought to the worlds. You can’t have it both ways. Not when people will always try to turn new ideas to their advantage, especially in war.” He placed his other hand on Tyen’s left shoulder and shook him gently. “It’s not your fault.”
Tyen’s expression was a mix of surprise and humility. His mouth opened but no words emerged. Rielle could not resist a wry smile. He was no doubt marvelling at this remarkably outspoken and insightful Qall. She certainly was, especially compared to the old sulky and reticent one.
How much of this is due to him absorbing Valhan’s memories? How much of it comes from the ordeal he suffered at Dahli’s hands?
The young man released Tyen and turned to her, his expression suddenly sober.
“It is both,” he told her. “It is you and Tyen and even Zeke and Dahli.” He hesitated, then walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder, as he had done to Tyen.
“Thank you for protecting and teaching me,” he said. “But now you must accept that I am no longer the child you rescued. The worlds need you more than I do. You are a Maker of extraordinary power. You can restore the worlds that have been stripped of magic since the Raen died.”
The factory she had been stranded in sprang to mind. “I don’t know. Maybe some worlds are better off without magic.”
“You can’t decide what people do with magic any more than Tyen can control what they do with insectoids and machines,” Qall told her. “It seems to me that, when as much benefit as harm can come of something, you have to give people the chance to do good with it.”
“And what of this world?” she asked. “Would you have me save others but not give mine that chance?”
He shook his head. “No, but this one has been weak for a long time. There are no civilisations built on plentiful magic, doomed to collapse when it is gone. Likewise, this world will not benefit from a sudden restoration. It needs a gradual healing. That is why I want you to return from time to time and seek me out. If all goes well, perhaps I can leave it in a better state. Unlike the last angel to visit it.”
She frowned. “Is it right to lie to my people as Valhan did?”
“No. It is not entirely fair, and I will not pretend it is anything otherwise. But they will not believe the truth about magic and the worlds and angels from anything less than an angel.”
“If the priests discover you’re lying to them, they’ll kill you!” she exclaimed.
“I still hold some magic,” he told her. “And they have none. I will be fine. You, on the other hand, are an exile. You cannot return.” He let go of her shoulder and glanced at Tyen. “We three are exiles and immigrants. Wherever we settle, there is an expectation we offer something beneficial in exchange for sanctuary. As I said before, I want to try to help the worlds. If there’s a chance I can begin by nudging this one towards prosperity and truth again, it is worth the attempt.”
She grabbed his arm. “Let me come with you.”
“No, Rielle.”
The voice was not Qall’s, but Ankari’s. A hand touched Rielle’s back.
“Let him go, Rielle,” Ankari said quietly. “All mothers must set their children free.”
“He’s not my son,” Rielle told her, irritated by the woman’s interference. Then she realised what she had said and grimaced in apology. “But he is my responsibility.”
“Your responsibility is over,” Ankari told her. “He no longer needs protection from Dahli.”
“But he is still in danger of becoming Valhan.”
“No, he isn’t,” Ankari told her. “He is only at risk of becoming like Valhan. You’ve done your duty, Rielle. You can’t do the rest of his growing up for him. You have to leave it to him.”
“Others need you more,” Qall said. “Baluka and the Restorers’ army need you to free them from Dahli’s world. Timane needs you. All of the worlds depleted since Valhan’s death need you. All I need is that you return after a cycle. Then we can argue about this again. Now go.”
“Do as he asks,” Ankari urged, squeezing Rielle’s arm.<
br />
Rielle looked at the Traveller, then back at Qall, and nodded reluctantly. At his mention of Baluka, her heart had jumped in alarm. Were he and Lejihk still alive? Was Ulma? She could feel Ankari’s need to return.
Qall stepped back. “We’ll see each other again.”
“Be careful,” she told him.
He nodded. “Always.”
Ankari’s grip tightened. The desert, now bathed in early morning light, brightened further, then faded out of sight. Soon, all Rielle could see was the Traveller, who smiled as Rielle met her eyes.
“He’ll be fine,” Ankari said, her mental voice ringing in Rielle’s mind.
“How can you be sure?”
“Because we raised him. You, me, the Travellers and even that young sorcerer back there. Between all of us, how can he not grow into a good, smart and resilient man?”
Rielle could not help smiling. “Well, since you and Lejihk did the bulk of the raising, if this all goes wrong, can I blame it on you?”
Ankari’s mouth widened and a moment later, as the next world surrounded them, the air rang with the sound of her laughter.
PART TWELVE
EPILOGUE
TYEN
“You’re back sooner than I expected,” Tarran observed.
Tyen sighed, shrugged out of his coat and tossed it over the back of a chair. A buzz of protest came from Beetle as it bumped against the wood.
“They want nothing to do with me.” He dropped into another chair.
Tarran’s eyebrows rose. “That’s … that’s not what my contacts at Liftre led me to believe.”
“Oh, they made a good show of looking as if they welcomed me, but it was clear that half of them still regard me as a traitor, and the other half don’t see any gain in hiring me as a teacher now.”
“But you invented mechanical magic!”
“Not exactly,” Tyen corrected. “I developed it to make insectoids. I brought what I knew out of my world and exchanged it for a place in the school.” He shrugged. “I’m not sure I would be happy teaching there anyway. Liftre has changed. Too many of those who use mechanical magic have no scruples about its applications.”
“Which is why I hoped you’d join them again.” Tarran rose. “You would be a good influence on them. They should respect you as someone with more experience in the consequences of using it.”
“They respect only my strength,” Tyen said. “And that is not of much use in a place like Liftre. It wasn’t before, and isn’t now.”
Tarran rested a hand on the back of the chair Tyen had left his coat on, his fingers drumming lightly on the wood. “Why don’t you start your own school?”
Tyen laughed drily. “Even if people forgave that I worked for the Raen and sided with Dahli, it sounds like a whole lot of work I’m not qualified for.”
“Oh, it’s not that hard. When we started Liftre, people came to us offering help.” He paused. “I’ll help. You have some powerful friends who’d endorse it too.”
“Who? Baluka? I don’t know if he’s even forgiven me.”
“The Restorers say that you saved them.”
“That doesn’t mean that Baluka has forgiven me.”
“Then you need to talk to him.”
Tyen shook his head. When he’d returned to the scene of the battle, he’d found that Rielle had already taken the surviving Restorers and Dahli’s fighters away. All that was left were the bodies of those killed. She’d reappeared to start the grim task of taking those bodies to the Restorers’ base so they could be sent to the victims’ families. He’d wanted badly to explain everything—why he’d joined Dahli and had spied for the Raen—but it was clearly a bad time. So he’d offered to help, and she had grudgingly accepted.
And he’d been present when she’d discovered the remains of a Traveller she had known. The Travellers’ only ageless sorcerer. Older than the Raen. He didn’t think he’d ever forget the expression of surprise on the dead woman’s face.
He’d said he was sorry. Rielle had grown angry and told him she didn’t need his help, and he should go. So he’d left. He’d returned to the workshop where he’d worked with Zeke, but the insectoids and humanoid were gone. So with nothing to do and nobody to meet, he’d returned to the only person he knew would still welcome him: Tarran.
Since the truth was out, he’d told the old man everything. Tarran accepted it all with a shrug. “You did what you did because you felt it was right, not because you would gain from it. Unfortunately, doing what we feel is right is no guarantee that everything will work out well.” Then he’d patted Tyen’s hand. “Stay here for a while. Help me teach if you need the distraction. Practise calligraphy—I find that calms most of my students.”
So Tyen had, and as a quarter cycle passed, then another, the past grew less sharp and the future started to show a hint of promise. He enjoyed teaching—he realised he had missed it, and the sense of being among the exchange of knowledge. Missed the Academy, and Liftre. Tarran had encouraged him to consider returning to the famed school of magic to restart life as a teacher there.
So much for that.
Tarran had moved to the door. “I have a visitor who might be interested in helping too. Follow me.”
The old man liked surprising people, so Tyen resisted reading his mind. Rising, he followed Tarran out of the room and through his sprawling mansion. As they left the building and started along the staircase that led to the circular cave, Tyen’s chest tightened painfully as memories rose of his time here with Rielle. The glass panels that formed one side of the cave reflected dazzling sunlight, making it impossible to see through them. It was a relief to follow Tarran inside.
At once, the interior became visible, and its occupants. On the cushions strewn across the bench seat along the rear wall sat two women. The first was familiar, but he was not sure why. Pretty and poised, she gave him a frank and speculative look, but he forgot her immediately as he recognised the other.
“Rielle!”
A tangle of emotions rose. Delight to see her, worry that she still hated him, and guilt.
“Tyen.” She stood and approached. Her simple dress whispered softly as she moved. It was similar to the one she had worn when he’d first visited her in Murai, he noted. The same silver lozenge pendant hung below her neck, resting on her brown skin. She was beautiful and graceful and it hurt to look at her, so he dropped his eyes to the floor. “How did your meeting at Liftre go?” she asked.
“Not well,” he replied. “And you? Where …? What …?”
“I’ve just returned from rescuing Timane from the world I left her in when Qall slipped away to join Dahli.” She glanced back at the pretty woman and smiled fondly. “Though ‘rescue’ is not the right word. She was doing quite well there. However, she now wants to see if she can establish a theatre in Murai, her home world. Do you remember her?”
He shook his head. “I apologise,” he told Timane.
“No need,” Timane replied. “I have changed quite a bit.” She stood and walked over to Tyen. “I was Rielle’s servant,” she explained. “It is a pleasure to meet you again.”
He took her offered hand. “I am honoured.”
She squeezed his hand, then let it go and smiled at Rielle. “I will let you two catch up. I am tired after all that travelling between worlds. Tarran, will you lead me back to the palace?”
Tarran chuckled as she withdrew her hand from Tyen’s, then hooked an arm around his. “I told you before,” he said to her as they turned towards the door, “this is no palace. I am no emperor.”
Rielle beckoned to Tyen and led the way back to the bench seat. “Wine?”
“Yes, please.”
She leaned forward to fill a glass as he sat down. “Have you spoken to Baluka since the battle?”
“No. All I know is he’s still leader of the Restorers. Have you spoken to any Travellers?”
“A few. I know Lejihk and Ankari have returned to their family, as have all the others who survived the
battle.” She paused. “Have you heard from Dahli?”
“No. I’ve not seen him or Zeke, but I have heard rumours of a pair of sorcerers travelling to worlds in conflict, releasing tiny insectoids that disassemble anything that uses mechanical magic. Their descriptions don’t match Dahli’s or Zeke’s, but he would have changed their appearance to avoid being recognised.”
She handed him the glass of wine. “I hope it’s him.”
“Will you seek them out?”
She took a sip of her wine, then leaned back against the cushions and regarded him speculatively. “Why? Do you think I might seek revenge?”
He shrugged. “Perhaps.”
She shook her head. “I’m in no hurry to add a vengeful death to those already on my conscience. I can only hope Qall didn’t make a mistake letting him go.”
Tyen nodded. “So do I.”
“And that Qall will still be Qall when I go back to check on him.”
“I think he will.”
She looked at him. “You sound so sure. I wish I was as confident.”
He blinked in surprise. Confident was not how he’d describe himself right now.
“So what will you do now?” she asked.
He drew in a deep breath and let it out. “Tarran thinks I should start my own school of magic, but I don’t see why anyone would want to work with me after what I’ve done.”
“Does it appeal?”
He nodded. “Though it is a daunting task. He offered to help, but it would take more than Tarran to make it work. I think I’d like it to teach more than just magical subjects, too. As the Academy of my home world does.”
“Would they accept you back?”
He shuddered. “I doubt it. They probably still think I’m a thief.”
“A thief? Did you steal something?”
“In a manner of speaking. I prefer to think of it as saving something.” Or someone. Or at least part of someone, as Qall had pointed out that Vella was.
He looked at Rielle and saw both wariness and curiosity in her face. Qall’s words echoed in his mind. “You’ve had good reasons for some of your actions, but you keep them secret from those who are most likely to understand and forgive.”