Shadow of the Otherverse (The Last Whisper of the Gods Saga Book 3) (29 page)

“And if the queen refuses?”

Rathbone smiled. “Then I’ll form a coalition with one of the other candidates - Duke Otto, perhaps - and take the throne myself.”

“And what of your plan to consolidate the priesthood?”

“I’ll name myself king and prelate of Obis and dominate both secular and religious affairs in this city. With Vantok’s temple abandoned, it will be easy enough to reconfigure things so that Obis becomes the seat of the priesthood’s power. Another means to an end.”

“I’ll present this to Her Majesty. The final decision is hers, but I don’t see any reason why an… accommodation can’t be arranged. There may be some favors the queen will request,” said Sorial.

“Of course. I’ll await your response. Next time you come to the temple, there’s no need to sneak in. Just announce yourself at the front gate and tell them you’ve come to see me. ‘Brother Sorial’ will be welcomed at any time. With the enemy advancing, there’s some urgency, so don’t delay.”

As he departed the temple, Sorial reflected on his meeting with Rathbone. There was something about the man’s manner that didn’t seem right, although he couldn’t pinpoint the specifics. Perhaps Myselene, with her greater familiarity with politics, would be able to identify the incongruity. But first she would have to cope with learning of the loss of her mentor and confidante. Another ally gone. Another likely victim of Ferguson. Sometime soon, someone was going to have to deal with that snake of a man. Regardless of how much knowledge he had locked in his brain, Ferguson’s time as an “indispensable asset” was fast approaching its terminus.

* * *

That night, after a trying afternoon spent giving what comfort he could to a grieving Myselene, Sorial was greeted with a recognition that brightened an otherwise grim day. His rock wyrm was returning. As soon as he realized this, he left behind the fitfully dozing queen, hoping dreams would offer her respite from her troubles. Using his powers, he slipped out of the city to meet the creature at a remote locale.

Sorial wasted no time probing into the creature’s mind, hoping there might be something there to give him an indication of Alicia’s current predicament. However, the first thoughts Sorial encountered were of another rock wyrm - a female - that, during the latter portion of the journey, had apparently become this one’s mate. Sorial knew nothing of the reproductive habits of these mighty animals but this appeared to be a momentous event for the creature, offering it an opportunity to extend its line. It also helped explain why it had been gone for so long.

Then he saw a fleeting image of Alicia. It wasn’t his wife as he saw her; it was a portrait of her through the rock wyrm’s eyes - feeble, skinny, inept, and wholly unworthy of being its master’s mate.  “Tell him I’m all right,” she had said. “Tell him I love him, I’m making progress, and I’ll be back as soon as I can. Tell him to be careful.” It wasn’t much but it was all he needed. To see her and hear her, although those memories were several weeks old, allowed him to lay to rest the residual fear that had gnawed at him even after his conversation with Kara.

She was alive. Alive and well. It was as great a comfort as he could hope for at this juncture. He assumed she would be returning soon. She knew that for her findings to have value, she needed to deliver them before Obis was reduced to dust. Their tacit agreement had been the first of the year. He needed to get her here as quickly as possible. Obis wasn’t a coastal city; in fact, there was no direct access by above-ground waterways. The journey across country from her point of landing might take a week even if she obtained the services of a thoroughbred horse. Sorial had a better solution so, before returning to the quarters he shared with the queen in The Citadel, he sent the rock wyrm on another mission: head to the coast south of Andel and patrol it. When Alicia emerged, bear her to him.

The rock wyrm didn’t like the task. It suggested, as subtly as its concrete mind was capable of doing, that Sorial might want to consider abandoning his current mate and finding someone more…solid, someone capable of giving him strong sons and daughters, not weaklings like their mother. Sorial was more amused than insulted by the rock wyrm’s impressions of Alicia, although he doubted she would feel the same. He patted it almost affectionately and said aloud, “I’ve known her since long before you and I ever met. Besides, there is none other of my kind.”

It tried one last time to dissuade him, wanting to return to its new mate rather than go on what it viewed as a profitless journey, but Sorial was adamant and it had no choice but to obey. Then, with that task accomplished, the wizard could turn his full attention to the final steps of Myselene’s plan and the role Rathbone would play in it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: THE TRAP

Alicia no longer hated scholarly pursuits. Now, after repeated successes, she reveled in them. They imparted a joy and pleasure unlike that which few things not named “Sorial” had given her. She could understand why Kosterbus preferred studying to practicing magic. It satiated a hunger of the mind she hadn’t previously been aware of. Had she lived in an era when The Lord of Fire wasn’t preparing to lay waste to the bastions of humanity, she might have succumbed to the lure of spending decades in the Yu’Tar Library, exploring its mysteries and perhaps committing a few of her own to parchment. In this reality, however, that was a fantasy. She was here not to indulge herself but for a purpose.

Theoretically, she could return at some point in the future to continue her studies which, of necessity, had been scattershot on this visit. As long as the library stood, it would be open and available. The elves would care for it until their wizened bodies ceased to function and then it would slowly decay. Sadly, she didn’t think she would ever again sit in this room. Some inner instinct told her that when she departed from the library in a few days’ time, it would be for
forever
. That dismayed her because she believed the true path to greatness as a wizard lay in the exploration of the accumulated knowledge here. She had been a visitor for about ten weeks and, during that time, she had learned more than she was likely to discover in years of experimentation. Some of the tricks were of the sort she would never have discerned without guidance. Men long dead had been her teachers and mentors, their voices speaking across the ages through words inscribed in faded ink on cracked, yellowed pages.

For the most part, her studies had concentrated on the writings of Kosterbus and his apprentices, although she had also read the diaries of Malbranche and his brother, Altemiak. The volumes of those two had been fascinating to decipher - it was hard to imagine two human beings more consumed with self-adulation. Their love for themselves and their ideas had been second to none. There was no doubting their capacity for innovation but, at least based on their journals, that quality had been a distant second to their narcissism.

Her early days in the library, marked by failure and frustration, were all but forgotten. Since her breakthrough of discovering Kosterbus, she had come to a deeper understanding of what it meant to be a wizard. The thing she had overlooked - an obvious observation now that she considered it - was that water was
everywhere
. Not only was her body comprised primarily of it, but it permeated the air, the ground, and the sky. She didn’t need a lake or ocean to work her magic. She could employ it in places that were seemingly arid. Water was hers to command and control in its many forms and quantities. It was a simple revelation but, once she considered it, she realized how profound it truly was: the key to unlock deep magic, the means by which all applications beyond the brute-force ones could be accomplished.

She had also discovered the method by which magic could be impeded, that great secret the elves guarded so jealously. They had been right to call it a “trick,” because the application was basic. Long ago, at the beginning of all things, the gods had devised a means by which the distribution of magical energy could be stabilized and controlled. Although the energy was bled from the Otherverse through the portals, it was not allowed to enter the world freely. Instead, wizards tapped into that energy via a large number of fixed conduits scattered throughout the fabric of reality. If one was blocked, the area fed by it would go “dark.” A void was created; the energy couldn’t be accessed unless the block was removed. It was like inserting a stopper into the neck of a bottle. A wizard trapped in such an area who wanted to use his powers would have to move to an area fed by another conduit.

If a wizard accomplished the blockage by means of magic, he would lose the ability to undo what he had done while within the area. However, Alicia was reasonably certain it could be redressed from without, but only by the one who had placed the block in the first place. It was a talent that needed practice. She hadn’t tried it; that would mean leaving the protected area surrounding the library. Still,
knowing
was something because it meant she had gained an understanding of a skill that could rob Justin of his magical ability. It wasn’t a perfect solution because the voids were fixed and they might not encompass the desired area.

After discerning this, she had approached Aybear with a question about how he could create a void without a magical connection to the Otherverse. His response provided her with new things to consider: “We elves are eldritch. Not all magic is of the Otherverse. There are other kinds as well. Ours is inbred. We can sense the weaves of energy that pulsate into this realm from the other one and, seeing them, it is a simple matter to stop them. The area around the library has been sealed off. If I knew where the energy stop-point was, I could release it but another did the work so it would be up to him to remove the barrier if he chooses.”

Unfortunately, not all of Alicia’s goals had been met and, with the hour of her departure fast approaching, she feared she would return to Sorial with her mission only partially completed. Much about the Otherverse remained a mystery, especially when it came to divining the specifics of how Justin intended to breech it. Kosterbus had been adamant that matter could not enter the Otherverse but Altemiak and Malbranche had disagreed. They had written extensively about why their predecessor had been wrong but had left no specifics about their stated objective to prove him thus. There was no documentation detailing the success or failure of any experimentation they may have tried - or at least nothing she was able to find. The only thing Alicia had been able to determine was that a portal, as the ultimate gateway between the material universe and the Otherverse, was necessary. It was said that for a wizard to re-enter a portal was fatal, but was it really? It had been tried more than once, usually by those with a penchant for recklessness and, on every occasion, those making the attempt had met the same fate as those who passed through when all four elemental positions were filled. There was one important difference. Their bodies had been ripped by all four elements instead of only the one to which they were wed. When Kara had attempted the portal, she had been destroyed by air - the element she had shared with her daughter. According to ancient accounts, when a wizard passed into a portal for the second time, he was victimized not only by his own element but by all of them. Alicia might have dismissed this as trivial if both Malbranche and Altemiak hadn’t dwelt on it in their writings.

Had Justin found something more definitive than Alicia or had he pieced together a recipe using the same information she had uncovered? It was a vexing question but answering it was crucial to understanding his intentions. The biggest mystery remained: why did Justin believe it was necessary to conquer human civilization in such a brutal, decisive way before assaulting the gates to the Otherverse? She was convinced there was a purpose to it, but she couldn’t divine what that might be. The truth probably lay within the library but it might take her years of committed study to uncover it. It was a depressing realization.

Assuming the return trip would take about a week longer than the outbound journey (once on the continent, she would have to cross 400 miles of land to reach Obis), she estimated she could devote no more than two additional days to study. She knew it wouldn’t nearly be enough but she was determined to plunder as many books as possible in her final hours. It was unlikely she would unlock any great secrets but perhaps she would identify clues that, when pieced together during times of future reflection, might open a door of insight.

She ached to see Sorial again. It had been too long; it was beginning to seem like their lot in life was to spend more time apart than together. Since the dreadful day of her Maturity nearly two years ago when she and Sorial had been forcefully separated by the requirements of her birth, they had spent less than two seasons in each other’s company. Although going back to human civilization meant a return to war and strife, she was enthused about the prospect of a reunion with her husband.  Whatever was to come, at least it would be with him.

* * *

She awakened with a start, jolted from sleep by what sounded like a crash of thunder. It was early morning with the first muddy rays of dawn filtering through the high canopy of trees and giving the forest world a gray, grimy appearance. She could see, but not very well. Although a noise had awakened her, the silence convinced Alicia something was wrong. There were no birds cawing or chirping, no monkeys chattering, no insects buzzing. The stillness, broken only by the forest’s constant dripping of water, was eerie and unsettling and presaged something ominous. By now fully awake, she rose from her sleeping pallet. She was surrounded by empty beds; not a single elf was still resting. Where they had gone, she could only imagine, but the library was as good a place to start as any. A threat to it was the only thing likely to arouse all of them this early.

She smelled the smoke before hearing the second thunderous peal. At first, it was a distant whiff, a scent that might be more imagination than reality. After only a few strides, however, it had grown too distinct to dismiss. Two score paces further and it was thick and strong, stinging her eyes as it wafted into her nostrils. A hellish glow emanated from ahead, deep in the underbrush. This was a wet jungle - fire should not have taken hold unless it had been carefully cultivated and fed. Yet there was no mistaking the situation: the Yu’Tar Library was aflame.

She came upon a first smoking corpse before she reached the building. Then a second. Then a third. Only after weeks spent in their company had Alicia begun to differentiate between the elves; in death, they were the same. She suspected that if she searched, she would find them all in the same state. She tested the void to see if it was still intact. It was. Whichever elf had created it hadn’t released it. If he was dead, the void would remain forever - a small, permanent haven safe from the energy of the Otherverse.
There are other kinds of magic as well
. This was fire, and fire was of Justin. It might have taken him many weeks but he had found a way. She should have known he wouldn’t give up. The elves, who had known him better than she did after spending so many years in his company, should have known as well.

A third thunderclap, louder and closer than the other two, shook the ground. Sparks exploded into the sky from a nearby source. Despite the persistent dripping water and general wetness, a tree caught fire. Alicia knew others would soon follow. It was too damp for even the hottest blaze to spread far but the immediate environs would be consumed. The library and the whole of its contents were already lost. That’s where the conflagration had started.

For a moment, Alicia was seized by a paroxysm of indecision. Given access to water, she might be able to do something. Should she even try or should she simply flee? It was clear that, even if she could douse the entire void in a downpour, the library was gone. It was the perfect fuel source for the hungry flames. But the idea of doing
nothing
, of not even making sure, was too great an injustice for her to bear, so she crept closer.

The glow of the fire turned the normally placid, restful forest into a ruddy parody of itself. Even hundreds of feet away, she could feel the heat; it increased steadily as she got closer. She caught sight of another body. By the time the furnace-like temperatures halted her forward movement, she was able to discern the scope of the disaster. As she had feared, there was nothing left of the library. Its contents were being consumed; by the time the fire burned itself out, all that would remain of this magnificent collection would be ashes. She was destined to be the last visitor ever to see the inside of the Yu’Tar Library. Justin must have been desperate indeed to resort to this atrocity. Tears mixed with the sweat on her face. The loss was incalculable. She felt exactly as she had after Vantok. Another cruel act by a wizard with a scorched-earth philosophy.

Then she caught a glimpse of the cause. Cavorting in the sky above the inferno were two djinn. Justin’s creatures doing his bidding. Pure elemental magic, not bound to the Otherverse. Creatures of the material universe. The void offered no protection against them; their powers were unfettered. Whether there were two or more was of little matter. The deed was done, but was the destruction of the library their sole reason for being here? Was it even their
primary
purpose?

At that moment, crouched in the underbrush, her body slick with sweat and her skin turning red from the heat, Alicia experienced an uncomfortable realization: the library and elves were collateral damage. Justin had known she had sought refuge here; the djinn had been sent into the void to kill her while she was vulnerable. Once again, she was the prey. Only this time, instead of the void being her salvation, it represented a trap. Within, she was just a tired, frightened girl matched up against beings of immense power. Intellectually, she knew how they could be brought down but she lacked the means to affect their destruction. Her only chance lay in escaping from the void before the djinn realized she hadn’t perished with the books and scrolls. They would hunt her. Her flight from the Yu’Tar Library was a weird mirror image of the one that had brought her here.

She had no way to know whether the djinn were following her. Her path led in a northerly direction, heading toward the cliff overlooking the sea. The edge of the void was close, perhaps no more than two miles away. If she ran, she could cover that in a half-hour. Nothing in the forest terrified her; even the most dangerous of predators would have been frightened away by the fire. Her danger came from the djinn and if they attacked, she might die so quickly she wouldn’t realize they had found her.