Fuck.
Lissa
We have more coming to help, Charles sounded desperate after the first two attempts to pull me out of Liron's vortex failed.
I'd felt the power wielded to make those attempts; it was staggering and still couldn't drag me more than a few feet away from my previous position.
Liron was determined to have me, one way or another, and I worried that there wasn't enough strength left in the light universe to counteract the dark one, with which Liron had allied.
He isn't only allied with it, Zaria's voice entered my mind. He wants control of it. He's setting himself up as the General, times who knows how many. If he and all his duplicates think with a single mind, then the other rogues will never make another decision for themselves.
We have more—making another attempt, Charles sent. I may have screamed when I was jerked away from Zaria and into the empty, previous chamber we'd occupied.
How many more? Charles sounded weary.
We fell at least four times.
Three more? Fuck Liron from beginning to end, Charles cursed. We'll need more to pull you away. I'm calling for anyone who can to help.
Call Randl.
I can't say why that name popped into my head, but it did.
Sending a call now, Charles said. We're trying to renew our energy. Don't give up hope; we're working on this.
Charles
Randl must have emptied Sirena of anyone who held power. They'd come, following behind him as he appeared in the Archives.
Then, he said something all of us should have known. "We need to go to the pit Lissa fell through," Randl said. "With all of us working, and with Tamp here doing what only a Pod'l-morph can do, I think we can reach Lissa."
If I'd had more than a few seconds to consider what he said, I might have reasoned it out. I didn't bother. Instead, at a nod from Nefrigar and a multitude of other Larentii who'd arrived to help, I transported all of us to the gaping hole in Russia, which was still surrounded by the debris of the experimental facility, in addition to first responders and armed guards.
Nefrigar placed the area in stasis first, then moved all the people we found at the location far away. We didn't need the hole widening and swallowing more up while we attempted to get one person out.
"What are you going to do?" I asked Randl, as he stepped up beside me and gazed into the black pit.
"Tamp is going to get me to the first stopping point, where I'll split time," he said. "We'll attempt to do that twice more—or until we reach Lissa."
"How is Tamp going to get you anywhere in that mess?" Merrill demanded.
"Like this," Tamp walked up and changed, as only a Pod'l-morph could. He became a thick, twisted, steel-and-titanium vine of thorns. Pod'l-morphs could become anything—animal, vegetable or mineral—or in this case, metal.
Dangerous metal.
"Once we get to Lissa," Randl said, "I'll send a message," he tapped the medallion around his own neck. "Send your power down this vine and pull us all out, if you can."
Tamp's metal vine grew, reaching far into the sky before bending and diving into the pit before us. At one point, Randl leapt, grabbing onto a dangerous, gleaming spike and allowing himself to be propelled into the darkness.
"Is this going to work?" Merrill sounded too afraid to hope.
"I have no idea," I admitted. "We'll wait and find out."
Liron
I was once of the Al'Riyu—in the Hierarchy. I had my desires and ambitions, however, and they were my own—no other's. The General's desires were nothing to me. I knew he'd be defeated and hid myself to prevent him from commanding me. Even my maker couldn't find me, as hard as he tried, once I decided to conceal myself.
As for the General, who commanded the other rogues, he thought power would carry him through.
He was only half right.
Power and cunning had carried me through, and soon enough, I and my son would rule all universes. I was only a single step away from destroying enough of the gods of light to win the God Wars.
The timeline in which they won would disappear, in favor of another, solely of my making. All would bow before me and my son.
I imagined storming the Larentii homeworld after that, and forcing them to my will—as it should be.
They would pay for destroying Sirena long ago. The Sirenali were my people. I'd planned for them to create the drug, but when they were destroyed, I had the idea of introducing it to a world of light instead.
The Lyristolyi never knew I was behind all of it—that my virus had been introduced through them. By the time they determined how dangerous it was, it had already leaked into other parts of the universes, and did my work for me.
I would mark this day in the timeline, as the day in which I came to full power and the gods of light and darkness fell under my rule. Yes. I would think of a name for it, and command that all celebrate it from this moment on.
My goal had been to destroy the Queen of Le-Ath Veronis. The moment I learned that the bitch Zaria was also involved, I set my sights on her as well. Then, when even the Mighty became involved, it turned even sweeter, as I plotted their fall.
Now, to arrive in my power before the rogues waiting, and force them back while I bring their quarry the final distance to them.
Things had fallen into place so perfectly, I'd surprised even myself. A celebration was certainly in order afterward. I'd command it.
Randl
We'd dropped until we stopped, and Tamp pulled his metal vine up short while winds whirled around us.
Let's hope this works, I sent to Tamp, who also had mindspeech.
If it doesn't, I think it may be more than difficult to pull back from this—I feel the power dragging us farther in, he replied.
I don't think I've ever had a conversation with a piece of metal before, I told him. He'd sounded worried—I wanted to calm his fears until they were justified.
Hmmph, was his reply.
Reaching out, I attempted split-time, and everything stopped.
We have success at the first level, I sent back to Charles, before urging Tamp's vine farther into the pit.
Lissa
Zaria? I sent. I didn't think she could hear me, but I had to try.
I can hear you, she returned.
How?
I left a marker behind us at every level, she replied. I hear you through that marker.
Thank God, I mumbled back. I imagined she hadn't been doing anything, and she had all along. Are you still at the last level? Charles is sending Randl in to try to help me get out.
Good. If anybody can do anything in this mess, it will be him. Is Tamp or any of the others with him?
No idea. Why?
It would be better if those two came in together.
I'll trust you on that. What is Liron waiting for? I went on. I worried that he'd have her and the others by now.
If I know him at all, he's gloating somewhere and planning a parade to celebrate his victory.
Lissa? Randl's voice reached me.
Randl? I wanted to ask if he were real and not just my imagination.
We're past the second level and heading into the third. Each one is getting worse, he said. But you already knew that.
Yeah.
Can you communicate with Zaria, still?
Yes. She left markers on each level.
We found them. Tell her Tamp is determined to reach her, even if it destroys him.
Honey, I'm not sure that's a good idea. The rogue gods are practically next to her where she is. I didn't add that nobody might survive that final meeting. Not whole, anyway.
He understands the risk. I've already explained it to him—in detail. He loves her. She knows that. We've reached the third level, he announced. This is worse than I thought. Hold on; attempting to split time.
One more level and they'd find me. Please, I begged the universe itself. Help him reach me.
Charles
The last mindspeech we heard from
Randl was that he and Tamp had reached the third level. The next was where Lissa was trapped.
I hadn't heard him say that split time was successful past that point. I couldn't imagine how volatile those winds could be that they foiled even Lissa's attempts to escape.
All of Lissa's mates except Erland and her Falchani twins were now here with me, waiting to lend their power to pull her out.
Erland, Drake and Drew—they'd gone to help Breanne, and were now trapped in a separate vortex with her and Ashe—along with the High Demon army, Reah, Lexsi, Hank and too many others. If Randl were successful here, would we have enough time to make another attempt at the second pit? Many of them wore medallions, too.
Pull! Randl's mindspeech snapped into my mind.
Now, I shouted to all who stood about the pit. I guided the energy through Tamp's metal vine as it traveled far into the pit itself, until I felt the connection between it and Randl.
Through him, I felt Lissa—weak and vulnerable. Heave upward, I shouted to everyone around me. Heave!
Lissa
The moment I was flung out of the pit, followed quickly by Randl, Tamp removed the base of his vine from its clinging place in Russian soil and disappeared down the hole while Kalenegar shouted after it.
I was lifted into Merrill's arms and found myself weeping against his collar; "It's too late," I wailed. "I felt her fall the last time when Randl pulled me away. Zaria is in the hands of the rogues, now."
Charles
"If Zaria fell, then Bree and the others likely preceded her—that's what Lissa says happened—that Breanne and her group would fall first, and then Lissa and Zaria shortly after. I've attempted mindspeech through my medallion—they can't hear me. Too, the only one I've seen who could butt two universes together is Breanne, and we have no idea whether she'll be able to do anything of the sort," I explained to a small, tired corps of the powerful.
Nefrigar had transported us back to the Larentii homeworld; Karzac was tending Lissa and a few others and the rest of us were discussing the current predicament. Randl was a part of that group, although he'd remained silent so far.
The Larentii had gone to find sunlight to feed themselves after expending so much energy to get just one person back from the pit.
"I find it interesting that Lissa says the more she spent power, the weaker she felt—like the power was being sucked away by the vortex," Trajan said. This was Trajan the Ko'Ahmari speaking, not Winkler's second.
Winkler himself was nearby—Lissa was his mate and he was ready to take worlds apart because she'd suffered.
"That's right," Gavin agreed. "She said that her suggestion of going to mist and trying to blow the vortex apart was met by fear from Zaria. What do you suppose that meant?"
"I imagine," I began slowly, piecing it together as I spoke, "that the vortex was so strong that Lissa's mist particles would have been flung outward and she wouldn't be able to pull them together again."
"That's terrifying," Rigo growled. "No wonder it frightened Zaria."
"How many, Wisdom," Kalenegar appeared after replenishing his energy in sunlight, somewhere, "how many copies of Liron would it take to create two of these vortexes and defeat the amount of power held within them? He managed to take down the Mighty Hand and the Mighty Heart, in addition to the others."
"I have been working on that since we discovered how Liron recreated himself," I said. "It would take more than a thousand of him to do what he has done."
"You have answered my question as well," Nefrigar appeared beside Kalenegar. "And if we survive these events, how can we prevent it from happening again?"
"I think that should be determined by the Council," I said.
"What Council?"
"The one I intend to create if we manage to survive the next few days. If those who have fallen into the hands of the rogues are destroyed in their corporeality, then the God Wars are over and Liron has won the final round."
Breanne
Ashe's shield was holding—for now. What stood outside it, however, pounding giant fists against its surface—how had we not known?
Liron, his wings spread and shining in such a formidable, enormous form, was determined to reach us and destroy corporeal bodies. Nearby, Hank and his High Demons, all weary but still in Full Thifilathi, stood ready to do battle with what Liron had become.
Too afraid to ask Ashe how long he could hold out against such anger and brute force, I turned to the others who cowered behind Liron—the rogues who hadn't realized what Liron was doing until it was far too late.
Much like we'd been unaware and unsuspecting.
Their lives—and their free will—had perished while they'd been focused elsewhere.
Just as we'd been focused elsewhere. They'd be under Liron's thumb from now on, because they didn't have the strength to stand against him.
When had I thought that an alliance between Xenides and Baikov was a terrible thing?
This was worse. Yes, we'd imagined that we were dealing with a past version of Liron—but only a single version. This one had to be a thousand Lirons, at the very least.
Reaching out with my mind for perhaps the tenth time, I couldn't locate Lissa or Zaria. Were my sister and my daughter gone already, and I hadn't realized it? I should have hugged Zaria when I had the chance, and told her what I knew.
While I stood there, watching as Ashe's shield weakened under the constant pounding of Liron's fists, a strange thing happened.
Beside me, in barren soil, a small, green vine began to grow. I stepped aside, wondering how a small plant could appear in such an inhospitable place. I felt no malice from it—in fact, I only had good feelings from it, as if it were sentient.
I stepped back again, while Hank and his High Demons roared a challenge at Liron—he was about to break through Ashe's shield.
The vine exploded into a huge plant, and in its midst, Zaria was held. The plant lifted her out of its thorny center and set her down, whole and alive, beside me.
"Hi, Mom," she told me as the vine became her mate, Phrinnis Tampirus. "We tried to get here sooner, but you have no idea what those idiots have done to the ground in this place."
Charles
"Do we fill in the pits? Are they a likely source of transport from the dark universe to this one?" Ildevar Wyyld asked. He and Kaldill Schaff had arrived together. It didn't surprise me; the friendship between the Founder of the Reth Alliance and the King of the Elves was a long one.
"Is there no one willing to travel through them to search for our missing?" Dragon sounded mournful. His youngest sons—both of them—had been with Breanne.
"I think that would be foolish, Warlord," Kalenegar said gently. "Unless you wish to meet the same fate."
"Even if we fill them in, we are still dealing with the one who created them to begin with," Nefrigar pointed out. "He can create more and will likely do so if we close these off."
"At least we know where these are," Aurelius sighed. "Any others he could hide, and we might have no idea where they were."
"How do we fight this threat?" Trajan asked. "We can throw everything we have against it, and it still won't be enough—unless I am very wrong."
"You're not wrong," I told him. Several quiet conversations that were taking place throughout the Archives suddenly stopped, leaving us in dead silence.
"Then we are truly lost," Rylend Morphis said, and in his voice were tears unshed for his father, Erland, and his mate, Reah.
"Do not be so swift to say those words," I held up a hand. "We do not know that they are true as yet. Liron is not here gloating, as you know, and if he had completely won, even the Larentii homeworld would not be a safe place of refuge from him."
"Then what do you suggest?" Ildevar asked.
"Here's my suggestion," I said, and laid out my plan.
Breanne
"I'm ready," Tamp kissed Zaria and grinned at her. On his chest shone a gold coin—his Arpex, Revalus.
On one of Zaria's shoulders l
ay three similar coins. I had no idea who they were, or from where. I had to trust that she knew what she was doing.
Tamp changed back to a vine, only this time, it was made of thick, clear crystal, with thorns longer than I was tall. He grew as Liron kept pounding against Ashe's shield. Ashe had gone to his knees, while Reah, Lexsi, Erland, Drake and Drew knelt beside him, their hands on his shoulders and arms, feeding him every drop of their energy.
"Fly, Tampirus," Zaria called out to him as Liron landed a shield-cracking blow.
Suddenly, the entire perimeter of Ashe's shield was filled with the crystal vine, all its massive, sharp thorns pointed outward.
The moment Ashe's shield failed, it dropped all at once, and Liron's next blows landed on Tamp's enormous thorns.
The scream Liron emitted was enough to deafen anyone, and we—and the rogue gods behind him, cowered for a moment.
Flee, I shouted at them in mindspeech. Save yourselves from this abomination.
Had I imagined they'd take my advice? They disappeared so quickly while Liron was distracted, I wondered if he'd ever find all of them again.
Liron, however, wasn't done with us.
Not by a long shot. After healing the wounds in his hands, he stalked toward us again, determined to eliminate the source of his troubles and pain.
"Go," Zaria lifted the gold coins from her shoulder and slapped them on the nearest of Tamp's vines. The vines turned to gold, and Tamp was removed in some way from the vines altogether.
He dropped next to Zaria, who clothed his nakedness with a thought.
"Who are they?" I whispered as Liron's arms raised and came down covered in metal, and clanged against the gold vines covering us.
"Three who came from this universe," Zaria replied. "They have to hold Liron off until I can search the Metal Library," she said. "Go see to Ashe and the others and hope these three have what it takes to keep Liron's fists away from us."
I ran, then, to Ashe, who was lying flat on the ground beside Erland. Lexsi and Reah wept as they tended to both.
Blood Recall Page 24
