Dissolution

by Kyle West

  At last, all were done and quietly stood. I noticed some younger faces, new recruits who would have no idea who Elder Isandru was except through the stories. There was even a girl, perhaps Isa’s age, who reminded me of myself when I’d first joined.

  I stepped forward and steeled my voice for what I was about to say. “Elder Isandru was one of the brightest lights in our fight against the darkness. He sacrificed himself to give the rest of us a chance to survive. Because of him . . . our eternal war against the Radaskim, the war we have often forgotten, is now possible to win.”

  People seemed to be shocked that I would say this. The Radaskim were not often mentioned, and if they were mentioned, it was never done lightly.

  “Make no mistake. The Radaskim are here, and we’re at war with them. Isandru fought against them, and it’s also what we are fighting against. You were called Seekers by Anna in the past age because it was your job to seek after her will.” I paused here to make sure all were listening, and listening well. “Her will is this: to follow her into the final battle against the Radaskim. The battle for Earth.”

  Elder Haris stepped forward. “That’s quite enough, Initiate Roshar. Making this . . . scene . . . is a disrespect to Elder Isandru’s memory.”

  “And what do you know about Elder Isandru’s memory, Elder Haris?” I challenged. “How would you know what he wanted? Elder Isandru was a Seeker. He was a Seeker who found the truth.” I glared at Elder Haris, to let him know that I knew exactly who he was, and who he stood for, and that he wasn’t going to fool me or anyone else here. “Elder Isandru, as esteemed as he was, chose to follow me, because he recognized who I am. You would keep that truth hidden.” Before Elder Haris could speak, I continued speaking. “Let’s put Elder Isandru to rest and bless the ground he’s buried in. After that . . . we fight. We stop our world from being swallowed by the darkness.”

  “Why should we follow you?” a voice called from the crowd.

  “There’s one simple reason for that. I’m Anna. I’ve returned to this dark time to lead everyone against the Radaskim. The war for our world has started, and people have already died. Some of my friends have died, and likely some of your friends have died as well. If we stand back and do nothing, our world will be washed over in a wave of death. If anyone doubts me, then challenge me. I’ve been given the authority by Elekim himself to lead the Seekers toward their true purpose. Anyone who does not follow me has not answered the call.”

  No one spoke or challenged me . . . at least, not at first.

  “This is nonsense,” Haris said, “and you are a liar. Since no one else is brave enough to say it . . . you commit a heresy, and if you were our holy goddess Annara, you would give better signs to prove it than just demanding our unquestioning loyalty.”

  “I know who you are, Elder Haris. Is that you challenging me?”

  All eyes went to Haris to see how he would react to this insult.

  His first instinct was to give a superior smirk. “Humble yourself, Initiate Roshar, and return to the ranks of the Sanctum. You will not receive this offer again. The alternative is trial and condemnation.”

  “No,” I said. “As Anna, I created this order, and I lead this order. Do you challenge me, Elder Haris? Do you forsake your vows to Annara that you swore when you were raised to the Seekerhood?”

  “You are not Annara!”

  “I am. If I’m a liar, then you should easily kill me, and I’ll receive my just condemnation. But if I defeat you, then it proves that I’m not lying. You’re the best fighter the Elekai have known in a generation.”

  His face reddened in anger. “Yes. I challenge you.”

  As Elekim, I didn’t have to let Haris draw any power from the Xenofold. And I wouldn’t. But if he fought with an ability that showed that he was fighting with a power beyond himself, it would prove my suspicion that he had given himself over to Odium, and that he was using the power of the Hyperfold, and not the Xenofold.

  If he was confident enough to challenge me, then he was confident in the power of the Hyperfold to defeat me.

  “Let us bury the Elder Prophet first,” Elder Arminius said. “The trial by combat will commence following laying Elder Isandru to rest.”

  The gathering proceeded toward the trees, more joining all the time. Despite the over one hundred people surrounding us, I noticed the numbers were fewer than when I had attended the Sanctum as an initiate. Perhaps more than I’d thought had escaped to go join us in Kalear, or had gone their own way, not liking what the Sanctum had become.

  As we buried the Elder, there was a tension in the air, and the Seekers murmured and cast glances my way. It was wrong to have that outburst and take the attention away from Elder Isandru, but I needed everyone to know the manner of this great man’s death.

  I couldn’t let anyone challenge that.

  As I watched the grave dug, the casket placed, and then filled again with earth after Elder Arminius had spoken a few words, I realized that I was through hiding. I was through pretending that I wasn’t Anna. I was her. And ever since my most recent return to the Xenofold, I was also Elekim.

  If Haris wished to challenge the full power of the Xenofold, then I wouldn’t stop him.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  ELDER HARIS FACED ACROSS FROM me as everyone in the Sanctum watched to see who would be proven right; the esteemed Elder Scholar, or the girl who claimed to be the returned goddess.

  But under the surface, known only to me and Haris, there was a different battle. Elekim against Odium, light versus dark, freedom versus slavery.

  While we waited, I heard Haris’s voice enter my mind. You cannot defeat me, Shanti. Lay down your sword now, and I’ll have mercy.

  Have you given yourself to Odium, Seeker Haris? Why do you keep this place from realizing the truth of who I am?

  There was a moment’s pause from Haris. Now he knew that I knew, if he didn’t already.

  It’s useless to resist him, Shanti, Haris said. The Xenofold is dying. Weak. You would be surprised at the power of the Hyperfold. You will not leave this place alive. That much I promise you.

  Haris didn’t know, then, how the Hyperfold had weakened due to Isandru’s influence. Would Odium abandon him the same way he abandoned Rakhim?

  Only time would tell.

  And then, Haris’ eyes glowed white, and I could feel the power emanating from him. I had felt that kind of power before, but not from a Seeker. It was like Mithras in the Ruins, like Isaru when we fought inside the Thought Dome, like Rakhim Shal at the height of his abilities. A dark aura encompassed him, a darkness that only I seemed to see.

  He drew his katana and ran forward with terrifying speed. I raised my sword just in time to deflect a low slash, jumping neatly out of the way.

  Haris rounded on me and unleashed a fury of attacks, moving faster than I would have believed possible. He was trying to kill me quickly, before I could make use of my newfound strength.

  But after the initial shock, I felt calm overwhelm me. Haris wouldn’t be getting his chance. I had assumed Treeform, a stalwart defense that would give me time to open myself to the Xenofold. Its full power entered me readily, unabated. My focus heightened to inhuman levels, to the point where time itself seemed to slow. Life and strength surged through my limbs.

  Haris’s face was red, contorted in a rage that belied the Silence a Seeker was supposed to hold above all. But for all his rage and darkness, it was obvious that he couldn’t match the power of the Xenofold. I parried and deflected his every attack with hardly any effort. From the strain on his face, I knew he was giving everything that he had, everything that the Hyperfold had given him for selling his soul.

  It wasn’t enough.

  Lay down your sword and surrender, I thought.

  Never!

  The fury of his attacks only increased, but I knew exactly where each strike would fall. I didn’t even have to move my blade; I could step aside long before the weapon got anywhere near me.

  Giv
e up, I thought. I won’t ask again.

  Stubbornly, Haris continued to fight. I felt him weakening, slowing. His connection with the Hyperfold was thinning.

  It kept on like this until Haris reached the point of exhaustion. I weaved in and out of his strikes, his pummels, his attempts to trip me up, matched every form switch perfectly, until my hands had maneuvered themselves to be on the hilt of his very own blade. I yanked the blade free as his eyes widened with shock. I stepped back with two swords in hand, both mine and his.

  He went down to his knees, his chest heaving and his whitened eyes glaring. His face was a mask of disbelief as I held the blades, one on either side of his neck.

  If Haris was in disbelief, then so was everyone else.

  “It’s her,” Haris said, finally admitting it. “She’s Anna.”

  From the shocked way everyone was looking at me, I knew they believed it, too.

  * * *

  There was still the matter of deciding what to do with Haris. My friends and I were the only ones who knew the truth of where he had gotten his power, and we were the only ones who knew that Haris was instrumental in keeping the Seekers from acknowledging me much earlier.

  The fact of the matter was that he had given himself over to Odium and I wanted to get to the bottom of it.

  I pulled the blades away and stepped back. All was quiet as Elder Arminius approached.

  “What is to be done with him, Anna?”

  I felt a moment of vertigo as I realized that even he had acknowledged me.

  “Have the Champions escort him to a cell and keep him under vigilant guard. I want to question him.”

  “It will be done.”

  Haris cursed as two muscled Champions pulled him up. In the space of minutes, he had gone from Elder to suspect. The crowd parted as the Champions led him inside the Sanctum, with Arminius and I following behind.

  “Stay here,” I called back to my friends. “Answer any questions they have. I have to see to this first.”

  I followed the Champions into the Sanctum and down a flight of stairs, where Haris was deposited in a little-used cell with no windows, a thick door, and stone walls on all sides. The Champions stood outside the door, nodding for me to enter.

  When I went inside, Haris was sitting in a chair facing the doorway. His face was still flushed and sweaty from the duel. He had the audacity to give a small, dark smile.

  “Haris,” I said.

  “Anna. How nice of you to spare me when I wanted nothing more than to sever that pretty head from your neck.”

  I didn’t acknowledge the threat, or his general creepiness. “You gave yourself to the Radaskim. Admit it. None of that power you drew was from the Xenofold. I would have felt that.”

  He chuckled. “What of it?”

  “You realize that your master, Rakhim Shal, is a prisoner in his own creation at this moment?”

  Judging from Haris’s worried expression, this was news to him.

  “Before he died,” I continued, “Elder Isandru dealt him a devastating blow. It won’t be long until we catch up to Isaru and drive your master, Odium, from him as well. Your days of maneuvering the Sanctum against opposing Isaru are now over.”

  “You will find it very difficult to defeat Isaru, I think,” Haris said.

  “Why do you say that?” I said.

  “My master is powerful,” Haris said. “He has promised me great reward to remain loyal to him.”

  “You wouldn’t be the only one,” I said. “Odium will use you until there is no use left. Why should he give you anything? What good is a tool that doesn’t serve its purpose?”

  “He gave me power,” Haris said, his eyes dark and greedy. “Such power.”

  “And what did that power do for you?” I asked.

  Haris scowled. “You know nothing! You may be Anna, but you are still just an ignorant girl.”

  “Then enlighten me on what I don’t know,” I said. “Why does Odium have the right of it? Why does this world belong to him?”

  “It was stolen from him by Elekim,” Haris said. “By you.”

  I realized that Haris was not his former self. He had never been a pleasant person, but the transformation in the months since I’d left the Sanctum had been absolute. There was nothing about him that was physically different, but there was an inexplicable darkness to his eyes that only made sense considering what I knew about him.

  “How long have you been working for Odium?”

  “A long time,” Haris said. “Long before even you were born. I was a prophet once, you know.” Haris chuckled. “I suppose the old man never told you that.”

  “Told me what?”

  “You know, not all of us are blessed to play the role of the hero. After all . . . what is the hero without a villain?”

  “What are you talking about? You had a choice, Haris, and you chose to follow Odium’s lies.”

  “I was young, Shanti,” he said quietly, almost solemnly. “If you lived a life such as I have, and you listened to dark whispers promising freedom . . . then you would have said yes, too.”

  “Freedom from what?”

  “From pain,” Haris asked. “From helplessness.”

  “Despite pain, you are still responsible for your decisions. You chose to follow Odium. You chose to heed those whispers, whatever they were.”

  “I know,” Haris said. “I make no excuses for that fifteen-year-old boy who just wanted to be stronger than his bullies, who would have given anything for strength. I make no excuses for the boy who cowered in terror from his father when he was in a drinking mood. I make no excuses for him. He deserves damnation. He deserves despair.”

  “He preyed on your weaknesses, Haris,” I said. “It’s not too late to renounce him and join the Elekai.”

  Haris shook his head. “It is too late for me.”

  “That, too, is a lie,” I said. “It’s always possible to turn back.”

  “When I joined him,” Haris said, “he took away my ability to connect to the Xenofold.” He smiled bitterly. “I do not think I would ever want that connection again. I wouldn’t profane what is good with what is evil. I would spoil it somehow. It is in my nature to destroy, Anna.” He looked at me balefully. “Just leave me to my suffering. There’s nothing you can do for me.”

  I shook my head at this stubborn man. “Think about it. Please.”

  I left him in his cell and walked back out into the hallway.

  Back in the courtyard, I got together with my friends and explained everything Haris had told me.

  “I didn’t know he was once a prophet,” Fiona said. “All of that is disturbing, to say the least.”

  “I’m not sure how far to trust him,” I said. “But for some reason, I believe everything he said. If it’s true, then I can see how he would have fallen into darkness. I want him to come back to the light.”

  “These things take time,” Fiona said. “Night does not shift into day in an instant. But be very careful in hoping for redemption, Shanti.”

  “Remember Isaru, how he fooled even the Elder Dragons,” Shara added.

  It was a good point, one which I took to heart.

  * * *

  Now back in the bright, cool sunshine of the Sanctum grounds, the darkness of the cells seemed far away. Here, the majority of Sanctum-dwellers were still present, conferring quietly in small groups. I found Elder Arminius and approached him.

  “He’s not saying much,” I said. “Though he told me he was once a prophet.”

  Arminius nodded, indicating that this was true. “He was a pupil of Isandru’s once, believe it or not. It didn’t last long. He switched paths to study with the Scholars quite suddenly, if I remember correctly. I had only recently attained the mantle of Seekerhood, and despite working closely with Haris for many years, I did not know much of his personal life. He often kept to himself, and kept things professional.”

  “I see,” I said. None of this was surprising to me. “I’m not sure what to do with
him. He admitted that his power came not from the Xenofold, but from the Hyperfold.” I realized then that Arminius didn’t even know what that meant. “It’s the source of the Radaskim’s power on Earth, but Isandru was able to weaken it greatly. That’s how Elder Isandru died.”

  “Wherever his power came from, it was clear that yours was greater,” Arminius said. “I believe you are who you say you are, as difficult as it is to fathom. We need guidance . . . and to know the truth of things.”

  “Then just gather the Elders,” I said. “The four that are left, at least.”

  “Elder Tellor is no longer with you?”

  “He’s in the east, working with Prince Nabea to unify the Eastern Kingdoms.”

  “A daunting task,” Arminius said. “Let us table this discussion until later, then. Whatever you share with us Elders, we can share with the rest of the Sanctum.”

  “Elder Arminius! Anna!” A female Seeker bowed hastily to us both, having run from the direction of the Sanctum. Her green sash with the growing tree indicated that she belonged to the Sages.

  “What is it, Seeker Lira?” Arminius asked.

  “It’s Elder Haris,” she said. “He’s dead.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  I RAN BACK TO THE cell where I’d left Haris. Several Seekers were crowded inside it, talking.

  “Let me through,” I said.

  Instantly, the Seekers stood back, revealing Haris’s body on the floor curled into the fetal position. His skin was withered, as if the very life had been sucked out of him.

  When I regained control of my shock, I asked, “What happened?”