Kenward had come up behind them, and he took Allette by the arm. To Chase's surprise, she let him lead her back to the viewing chamber. Walking sideways, Chase retreated. Worry for Catrin was foremost on his mind; his own safety and that of the rest, not far behind. The guards were nearing the cave-in mechanism, and Chase muttered under his breath, "If you're going to do something, you'd better go ahead and do it."
Catrin may or may not have heard, but it appeared she agreed. Holding up Koe, she pointed him at the release mechanism. Tinged with fire and lightning, a blackness leaped from the cat's open jaws like a bolt of night. Roaring like an angry dragon, the intentionally weakened stone shuddered and cracked upon impact. While it had appeared to be solid and permanent as the surrounding stone, the ancients had done their jobs well. Despite being triggered in far from the expected manner, the defense mechanism did what it had been designed to do. Before approaching guards' eyes, the ceiling collapsed, blocking the hall with granite chunks larger than yearling horses. Like the ancient barriers originally barring their entrance into the hold, this obstruction was considerable but could be removed in time. The sand clock had been turned, and Chase knew the last grain would eventually slip away.
Retreating from the dust and debris accompanying the cave-in, Catrin came with a grim expression. This was not at all how either of them had expected this day to go. When she shifted Koe in her hand, Chase saw chalky swirls left in the cat where Catrin's fingertips had been. That single burst of energy had already visibly drained the stone, and Chase's confidence waned. There would be no way to recharge the cat once it was drained, Chase knew, and if it could be drained so quickly, then it would soon cease to be useful. He would have to trust his cousin to be judicious in its use.
"Arm yourselves and gather 'round!" Chase shouted as they neared the halls where most of their people waited. Afterward, he looked back to Catrin. She had stopped walking, her eyes glazed and distant.
"The God's Eye is well defended," Catrin said. "Post guards but Kyrien says he'll keep any real danger from getting too close." Again she shifted Koe, and the cat's back was now cloudy.
"Now what do we do?" Chase asked no one in particular. Catrin shrugged. Both turned their eyes on Sevellon, who had the good sense to keep his eyes down.
Under the weight of their gazes, he said, "I just wanted to help."
* * *
Along the shoreline of the God's Eye, Catrin and Allette stood, unworried over demon attacks since Kyrien had briefly shown himself before disappearing in deep, dark water. The barge carrying Trinda approached slowly. Only the child queen and a single guard were aboard. Chase knew it was possible to conceal more soldiers under and around the barge since he'd trained his soldiers in the tactics, but Kyrien's presence made that less worrisome. The two overcharged herald globes Trinda carried, whose light was nearly blinding, were far more worrisome. Even as an effort of last hope, two herald globes could produce a devastating attack.
No one on shore spoke as the barge glided to a stop before them. Chase wasn't certain what he'd been expecting, but it certainly hadn't been seeing tears dripping from Trinda's chin. Never had he seen such a mournful look on her face, and his emotions churned.
"My sisters," Trinda began, her voice quavering. "I come in search of forgiveness. I have wronged us all in my ignorance, and I am sorry. I've also come because I need your help."
Her words were met with silence. Trinda possessed a knack for being unreadable and impossible to predict. Chase couldn't imagine a more terrifying thing than someone as flighty as Trinda with the powers she possessed. Perhaps from that aspect, what Trinda had done had been a good thing. If only she hadn't trapped the rest of them in Dragonhold with her. She claimed to have acted in Catrin's and Allette's best interests by protecting them from the ever-growing amounts of Istra's power flooding their world. What other escape could there be? Chase had wondered more than once. Catrin refused to talk about what had happened to her after her disappearance, and Chase was left to speculate. It was a cruel thing to do to a person, and he really didn't appreciate it, even if he knew she had her reasons. Sometimes being angry at Catrin was a never-ending effort. Add Trinda to the recipe, and Chase thought he might scream.
"What is it you've done this time, sister?" Allette asked.
Trinda bowed her head, accepting the reprimand. "I've made a terrible mistake." This admission was met with silence charged with resentment. "I learned long ago of the Fifth Magic. I was told it was a sanctuary shielded from Istra's power."
Thus far, Chase felt her argument was plausible, but he feared whatever this mistake was. To have reduced Trinda to what were to Chase convincing tears and emotion, his fears conjured terrible visions.
"You've said as much," Allette interjected.
Catrin remained silent and Chase marveled at her control. Somehow saying nothing delivered a more scathing reproach than any words could convey.
"After the Fifth Magic was triggered, I knew something was wrong. It felt as if I was being sapped of life."
"It's an unpleasant sensation, isn't it?" Allette remarked.
Catrin's gaze was unyielding and was starting to intimidate Chase as well. She projected the energy of an angry mother so strongly, everyone present was cowed, with the notable exception of Allette, who looked ready to pull Trinda's head from her neck.
"I retreated to the archives and scoured the oldest sections with my most trusted assistants. This is what I found." In her hand was little more than a roll of aged vellum. The image it bore was faded and stained but contained an unmistakable signature Chase had seen before on equally ancient documents. Most concerned abominations such as the Statues of Terhilian and dark tomes of compulsion and greed. This image was different than the others, though. It showed Dragonhold as it was now, the stone claws enclosing the keep, though the drawing looked far simpler and cleaner than the real thing. On the vellum, trees grew around the energy field, and Chase had seen the devastation around the keep, even if tinted by translucent blue flame.
What lay beneath was the last thing to draw Chase's eye. Seeing it first, Catrin drew a sharp breath, and Chase rushed to understand. There, at the bottom of the vellum, partly obscured by dark stains, were words Chase could mostly translate and understand, having studied alongside Catrin for years.
Here waits my final revenge on those who embrace Istra's abominable light.
Just below was the signature of Von of the Elsics, a madman if ever there was one. The name made Chase's blood run cold. Already thousands had died as a result of Von's weapons, and knowing he designed this keep to target those with Istra's power drove Chase to his knees. It occurred to him then that Koe might contain the only usable energy in the entire hold, save the explosive force of the herald globes. The energy Catrin had expended in collapsing the hall and communicating with Kyrien had essentially been wasted. When he considered how much work it was going to take to clear the obstructed hall, Chase wanted to slam his head against the cold stone.
"I bring these as gifts and tokens of my sincerity," Trinda said, handing Catrin and Allette each one of the herald globes. You now have the power to kill me if you so choose."
Allette appeared to be giving this option serious consideration. Chase was ready to run. He'd seen what overcharged globes did on impact, and he wanted to be well clear of the area if one was going to go off. He was no coward. A wise person knows when they are overmatched.
Again tense silence hung in the air, and no one knew what to do next. Chase feared Allette would kill Trinda out of frustration if nothing else, but all of them turned and looked as ripples of water moved toward them, growing larger by the instant. Glistening in the light of the herald globes, Kyrien raised his head and nudged Catrin. In doing so, he also nudged Allette, who laughed. It was the first sign of happiness Chase had ever seen from the girl.
Catrin, though, closed her eyes and laid her hands on Kyrien, communing with him. When she pulled her hands away, there were tears in her eye
s. With a firm nod she said, "I know what must be done, and I like it not."
* * *
Chase didn't like any of what was happening. Events moved too fast, and so much was based on the word of the least reliable person he knew. If not for the communication from Kyrien, Chase would have demanded they stop. He didn't completely trust the regent dragon either, but Catrin did, and he would have to accept that. Looking forlorn, Trinda gave the strong impression of a child made to wait her turn to play with a toy. Allette refused to leave Catrin's side and occupied the other stone chair. Finally, the viewing chamber was ready for what they believed to be proper use. Brother Vaughn and Chase had trained groups on the chant, and there was melodious power in the vibrations, even just as a bystander. Watching from the corner of the room and feeling sick, Chase prayed to any god who'd listen to keep anything from going wrong. No one knew if astral travel was possible from within the hold, and none could say if Catrin would even survive. Allette was bound to the same fate since she insisted on doing as Catrin did.
There was no guarantee Koe contained enough energy for her to complete the journey, and Catrin had tried to dissuade her. If anything complicated her travels, as had happened in the past, she might not make it back at all. Allette was beyond reasoning, though, and only when it looked as if she might throw down her herald globe in frustration had Catrin relented. What had Trinda been thinking giving the Black Queen a herald globe? Then he had to admit knowing what Trinda thought about anything was among his life's greatest mysteries.
There was no sound or anything other than the distant look in Catrin's eyes to indicate she was gone, and Chase's guts twisted. Allette, on the other hand, was frantic. She, too, knew Catrin was gone, but it was clear she'd been unable to follow.
"Catrin once told me that hitting her head on the rock while staring out into the sky was how she first learned to astral travel," Chase said, unsure why he felt compelled to offer this advice. In the next instant, he wished he'd been a bit more specific.
With desperation on her face, Allette gazed out the portal and slammed her head back against the stone chair--hard. Chase wasn't certain if she'd successfully left her body or knocked herself unconscious.
Chapter 19
Few things match the power of imagination.
--Enly Mandone, bard
* * *
Twin beams of consciousness burst from the viewing chamber in tandem, almost immediately piercing the blue fire encasing Dragonhold. There was no perceivable effect. Catrin soared free, her spirit rejoicing. Behind her extended gossamer thread leading back to her physical vessel, and she suspected a smile was forming on her now distant body. Mother Gwendolin had introduced her to astral travel long ago, even if somewhat accidentally. Catrin took a moment to thank her. Brother Vaughn had been instrumental in determining what kind of stone the chairs needed to be made of and where they could be sourced. Kenward had sacrificed two ships to transport these very stone chairs, and she would make certain it counted for something.
Without her body, Catrin could not feel the sun or the wind, nor could she feel Istra's energy. Her only source was Koe, and she had to be mindful of the limited supply. She didn't know what would happen if they depleted the energy Koe held before they returned to their bodies, and she had no desire to find out. Another thing that worried her was the possibility of draining Koe to the point of destroying her precious carving, just as she had destroyed Imeteri's fish so long ago. She had no way to know how much energy she was drawing or how much remained, thus all she could do was attempt to achieve what she must as quickly as possible.
Had Allette remained in her body within Dragonhold, it would have been better, Catrin thought, but she sensed the Black Queen's presence gaining on her. Consciously Catrin slowed to allow the girl to catch up. Catrin had no inkling how much energy Allette was drawing from Koe, but the thread leading back to her body burned brightly.
We must conserve.
Communicating with Allette in the way Prios had once done for her, Catrin experienced physical pain at the thought of her beloved. That pain was foremost in her mind when the chanting within Dragonhold found a new level of synchronicity unlike anything Catrin had experienced before. Always before, the two disparate melodies had merged into one, but never before had Catrin realized her spirit was bound to one side of the melody; Allette's spirit was bound to the other. Even when Pelivor had once traveled at the same time as her, he'd been trying to save her and they had never achieved synchronicity. Now, with Allette, it was unavoidable. Even the energy beams trailing behind them were now intertwined, braided and indistinguishable from each other.
Somehow the losses they had taken bonded them and brought them closer. Allette's pain was Catrin's pain. It suffocated her. Every moment that was seared into the Black Queen's psyche permeated Catrin's and overlayed her own experiences; she remembered being present and had memories of all the senses. Smells in particular triggered intense memory and emotion.
You were so afraid. Allette's disembodied words rang in Catrin's consciousness. You are so powerful, and yet you are so afraid.
Guilt washed over Catrin at hearing the words because they were true. Never would she have believed Trinda could trap her within Dragonhold. She'd been so foolish as to think she was going to scold the child queen for summoning Kyrien. If only she'd known, she would have done things differently. Now she had left the most dangerous things unguarded. She tried not to think about that since she knew Allette must be experiencing her memories as well. Both must have had the realization simultaneously, which wasn't by circumstance. Whatever one wanted to hide was foremost in the other's mind. The very act of trying to conceal something exposed it.
And now they knew they had to kill each other. They now knew the other's most closely guarded secrets, things far too dangerous for anyone else to know. Any sane person would want to distance her thoughts from someone now committed to killing her, but their energies were now inseparable. If only Catrin had known this would happen.
Both resigned themselves to killing the other later.
* * *
This wasn't the first time Catrin had left Chase, Brother Vaughn, and others waiting during her astral travels, but this time was different. Chase watched Koe in despair as streaks and milky swirls appeared within the dragon ore carving. The cloud cat, Rastas, was curled up in Allette's lap but watched everything taking place. Chase could almost see the energy streaming over their hands and out of the carving. He knew they both could die if they ran out of energy, and he also knew they might never hear his warnings. Brother Vaughn and the others continued chanting while Chase yelled at his cousin to come back, shouting that they were draining Koe far too quickly. Catrin had been gone for days during previous astral travels, and by the looks of Koe, they had hours at most. She'd told him she experienced time differently when traveling, and he worried his warnings would go unheard and unheeded. Resting in Allette's lap, the cloud cat continued to watch.
Only the energy flow told Chase that Allette also traveled, which made him uncomfortable. Seeing and feeling things others couldn't had always been Catrin's expertise. His anxiety increased ten-fold when a voice spoke in his mind.
We're coming.
Chase looked up to see Kenward watching him. The good captain was among the few people on standby to continue the chant. He and Chase had known each other for a long time, and the man must have read his face because he also went pale.
"Get everyone out of the main hallway and into the side halls," Chase said. "Get those replacements reserved for the chant divided up and squeezed into the chant rooms."
Under almost any other circumstances, Kenward would have balked at being given orders, or at least made a sarcastic comment, but he simply did as he was told. This unnerved Chase as much as anything else, at least until the roaring and rending of stone began.
From the great hall came the sounds of an angry feral dragon, muffled by the very barrier Catrin had released. Chase didn't know how
long it would take a dragon to remove the stone obstruction, but he was betting it wouldn't be long enough. Trinda might not approve of this new alliance, and both Catrin and Allette were vulnerable.
When he turned back to the hall, a huge reptilian eye watched him from the doorway. Chase nearly fainted. When the eye moved away and a giant claw reached into the room, all Chase could do was back away from the opening. Never in his life had he felt so helpless and trapped. The claw landed gently on Catrin's chest, and Chase held his breath, having no idea what would happen next. In the hallway rang the echoes of a feral dragon trying to claw its way to them.
* * *
Finding consensus with someone who wants to kill you is a difficult thing, but it was something Catrin and Allette had to achieve if they were to survive. For some time, they had simply struggled against one another, neither willing to allow the other to have control, and thus they were no closer to Catrin's goal, no closer to achieving the mission Kyrien had sent them on. Catrin still had second thoughts about putting those she cared about in such danger, including her son's closest friend, but she had no other plan. At that moment, Allette was proving just how strong willed she was. Her father had raised a determined and capable soul. The thought came partly from Allette and partly from Catrin's shared memory of her upbringing. It was among the most bizarre experiences of Catrin's life.
Mired in stalemate, the two powerful entities struggled against one another to nullifying effect. They continued to go nowhere. Catrin tried everything she could to persuade Allette, but the girl knew as much about Catrin as she did of Allette. The Black Queen knew what Catrin wanted and, at the moment, was diametrically opposed to it. If they continued as they were, they would burn each other out, and the world would be left to fend for itself. Simultaneously both committed themselves to that act. At least then neither would return to the world armed with the most dangerous knowledge possible. Catrin knew this wasn't the right answer. The people would not be able to protect themselves from what had already been set into motion. The Godfist itself could be destroyed. And what of Kyrien? His presence flooded into Catrin's consciousness. She drew strength from her closest friend and companion. He was there with her then, and the tide turned.
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