by Dawn Cook
Talon caught up and passed them. Straight as an arrow, the bird dropped to the center of the long-abandoned city, down to the bare glade of mirth trees, Useless and Alissa in tow. Gliding under the trees, Talon disappeared. Alissa heard Strell’s surprised grunt followed by Bailic’s displeased snarl.
“Remember,” Useless directed as they circled above the trees. “You’re here on sufferance, to observe and hopefully learn something. And please, no matter how tempting it is, don’t antagonize him.”
“Strell?” Alissa blinked in surprise, and Useless frowned.
“No. Bailic,” he growled, then dropped. Slowing to almost a stall, he slipped expertly under the bare branches to the high, open, roomlike area she remembered. Gulping, Alissa followed, hoping she would be a help rather than a hindrance in what was to come.
37
Alissa alighted next to her teacher’s comforting bulk. Much to her dismay, he shifted to his smaller form and stood with his arms crossed, silently taking in the situation. A sharp, almost metallic smell hung in the air, and she kept her breathing shallow to avoid it. The sun hung between the horizon and the lowest limbs of the mirth trees, lighting everything with an uncomfortable, reddish glow.
Bailic stood within shouting distance. He looked at her without recognition, his astonishment at seeing another raku almost overpowering his rage. Alissa could feel him watching her, not knowing who she was and what her presence might mean. Her open book was in his arms.
Strell shifted to stand beside her, vainly trying to soothe Talon. He barely seemed to notice the bird’s claws piercing his hand. Next to him was Lodesh. With his feet firmly planted upon the moss, he appeared surprisingly severe and determined, but upon catching Alissa’s eye, his manner shifted like a fickle spring wind. Much to her embarrassment, he performed an extravagant, graceful bow, completely turning his back upon Bailic.
“Oh, milady,” he said formally, his eyes dancing in amusement. “I can’t begin to say how pleased I am that you were so disposed to honor my fair city with your presence this evening.”
“Good evening, Lodesh,” she murmured into his thoughts alone, and her eyes dropped. Having heard only Lodesh, Useless gave a rude snort, Bailic stared, and Strell began to glower.
“May I take this opportunity,” Lodesh continued, clearly relishing the reaction of all present, “to tell you your flight today was the most breathtaking display of raku expertise I can recall seeing in my entire lifetime. As I have told your most worthy companion, you’re simply the most stupendous rendition of raku flesh to grace these mountain skies in nearly a generation, and assuredly,” he arched his eyebrows, “a credit to your new standing.”
Nearly crimson, she stammered, “Thank you.” Her eyes flicked to Strell. He was smoothing Talon’s feathers, his eyes shifting uneasily between her and Lodesh.
“Yes, Lodesh,” Useless said. “We’re all present now, all who would witness the end, or mayhap it’s a beginning.” He slowly backed up, undoubtedly putting a raku length between himself and Bailic to keep his wards a secret for as long as possible. With a tug upon her awareness so rapid she barely recognized it, Useless drew a sphere of raw energy from his source and physically flung it at Bailic. It sped across the twenty-five paces to slam into him. Bailic brought up his own field and ward to intersect it.
There was a thunderous boom as Bailic turned the energy into sound. The backwash smashed into them, nearly knocking Strell, Lodesh, and even Useless down. Talon darted away to be lost in the deepening gloom. Alissa watched her go, thankful she was out of harm’s way.
“Hm-m-m,” Useless mused as Bailic rose from his instinctive crouch. The rumble of the blast’s echo returned from the surrounding buildings with the sound of distant thunder.
“I tried that already,” Lodesh said. “He seems to be able to counter everything.”
“Is anyone tied to him?” Useless asked, his long fingers drumming together.
Lodesh glanced sidelong at Strell. “No. I removed it.”
“Good,” Useless said with a frown. Turning, he called, “Bailic? Leave now, and I promise—”
“Promise me what, insufferable lizard?” Bailic haughtily adjusted his coat. “I thought you wouldn’t bargain with me anymore.”
“I set no bargain before you—student.” His voice smooth and confident, Useless’s words slipped easily across the small space. “I promise if you cease now, I will make your end quick. “But not,” he added, tilting his head to view the empty branches, “necessarily painless.”
Bailic grew livid. “You can’t stop me, Talo,” he raged. “I’ll admit I don’t know what the book is for yet, but I’ve already woken the city, and—”
“No, wait!” Lodesh shouted as Useless savagely threw a second ward after his first. This time the powerful forces met with a crackle of black and gold sparks that burst into existence to light the grove for several heartbeats. Everyone, Useless included, cowered as the pinpoints died to leave the tangy taste of spent energy. It was the same smell as when she first entered the glade.
“I tried that, too,” Lodesh said, eyeing the falling sun. “I think it’s Alissa’s book.”
Useless went still. A long-fingered hand crept up to touch his chin. “Oh,” he murmured. “I was afraid of that.”
Slowly, they all turned to him. Strell’s face was laden with a questioning accusation, but it was Lodesh who found his voice first. “You—er—knew this might happen?”
Wincing, Useless nodded. “The book is vulnerable when open and will unwittingly protect anyone who’s touching it.”
Strell scrubbed his forehead and turned away.
“Then why didn’t you kill him when he was in the tower?” Lodesh accused.
Useless shrank into himself. “I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t want to risk soiling my room.”
There was a small bark of hopeless laughter from Strell.
“You saw my room,” Useless shouted. “It’s a big enough mess as it is!”
“Oh!” Lodesh said, his hands pinned to his hips. “I see. But it’s all right to sully my grove with his foul remains, eh?”
“Are you finished yet?” Bailic shouted from across the clearing.
Scowling in annoyance, Useless flung another ball of energy. Alissa thought it was just to get Bailic to shut up. The resulting boom shivered the trees and made the ground tremble. But Bailic’s protection was absolute, and he straightened with a defiant smile. Useless glanced at him and then away. “As long as he has possession of that book, he can turn anything we throw at him to his advantage. Our very actions make his protection stronger.”
As he spoke, an odd feeling of detachment slipped over Alissa, and she shook her head, trying to rid herself of it.
“He may not be able to do much against us . . .” Useless paused to give her a sharp look. She was unable to speak; her thoughts had grown quite foggy. In fact, she couldn’t recall what was bothering her in the first place, so she contentedly stared at him. “But neither can we overpower him,” Useless finished. He frowned, deep in thought, and Alissa turned to Bailic, unable to take her gaze from his bitter smile. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember how to catch her balance. She watched, fascinated, as the trees began to lean.
“Talo-Toecan?” Strell said, sounding worried.
“Just a moment, Piper,” came his terse reply.
“Talo-Toecan . . .” he tried again as she began to stiffen.
“What is it?” Useless turned, his face creased with irritation.
“Look out! She’s going down!” Lodesh cried as he leapt back.
Alissa’s jaw hit the dirt with a sharp crack. The metallic tang of blood ran under her tongue, but she couldn’t swallow or cry out at the sudden pain.
“Wolves!” swore Lodesh. “What did you do to her?”
Dazed, but not unconscious, Alissa watched Bailic take a confident step closer. She could sense Strell’s helpless anger building, and she wondered at his courage. He hadn’t the barest of s
kills to protect himself, yet there he stood. Concentrating intently, she remembered how to roll her head until she had a view of him, then lost all desire to move at all.
Lodesh knelt on the other side of her head with Useless, desperately trying to break the ward she was under. Bailic must have made it earlier and held it in readiness, thereby avoiding the telltale resonance that accompanied its creation. Recalling the skill he had shown at holding multiple fields when sculpting dust, Alissa realized there was a practical use to his art. But why waste that much effort on a ward that only befuddled?
Bailic chuckled. “Your new companion, Talo-Toecan?” he drawled into the frantic quiet. “She is very young— even for you.”
Lodesh looked toward Bailic, his eyes smoldering. “Release her.”
“I don’t recognize her,” Bailic continued. “Perhaps you have had her secreted away all this time—keeping her for yourself as it were?”
Ignoring his insinuations, Useless continued to search for the way to free her. Lodesh got to his feet. “I said, ‘Release her,’ ” he said, anger beginning to show in his ever-calm demeanor.
“Oh?” Bailic’s voice oozed a mock surprise. “Really now, Warden. Surely you haven’t set your sights so high as to pursue raku flesh?”
Coloring, Lodesh’s face took on a shocking look of hatred. His next words went unvoiced as Useless gave a silent shout of success. But as Useless sundered the ward from her, she realized there wasn’t one, but two wards, the first overlaying and effectively hiding the second. It would burn both their neural nets to less than ash.
“Trap!” Alissa shrieked into his mind as soon as her thoughts responded. With a snap that shook her frame, Useless formed a field to envelop both their thoughts, cocooning their tracings in an insulating layer of soft gray. The grove of mirth trees was gone with a frightening suddenness; his field precluded all else. There was a sensation of warmth as Bailic’s second ward burned violently. Then the gray stuff broke away, its protective qualities spent, and the grove was back with all its unpleasantness.
Useless sent a whispered, “Thank you, Alissa,” which she returned wholeheartedly, as it had been his field that saved them both. The ward had been simple in its design. Burn until nothing was left. She was furious that Bailic would use her as part of his strategies.
Alissa picked herself up, briefly meeting Strell’s relieved eyes. They were both more of a liability than an asset, but she wouldn’t leave, and she knew Strell wouldn’t, either, if only to see for himself the end of Bailic. Lodesh took what was once her chin in his hand and turned her gaze from Strell’s to his. “Are you whole?” he asked, his brow pinched with worry. Alissa nodded, wondering how she could have two such men concerned for her.
“Curse you, Bailic,” Useless seethed. “You’ve been a tear in my wing long enough.”
Bailic returned his scowl, clearly disgusted for his snare having been discovered before it had a chance to melt her and Useless’s tracings to slag. Then he shrugged and began to chuckle as if privy to some private joke, all the while slowly putting space between them.
Lodesh and Useless exchanged an anxious look. “It goes too fast,” Lodesh muttered, glancing to the west. Alissa’s eyes followed his to where the sun was dipping closer to the horizon, glowing an almost unreal red.
A high-pitched laugh burst from Bailic. “That’s right. It goes too fast!” he cackled, filling the grove with his dementia. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him nearly dance in delight. The only thing that prevented his imminent demise was her book clutched to him. Hers, she thought fiercely. It had no idea what it was doing.
“Can’t stop me now!” Bailic boasted between half-crazed outbursts. “You’re too late. Too late! I’ve already won!”
That was Alissa’s limit, and she turned a contemptuous look upon him. “How?” she said so that everyone, Bailic included, could hear her in their minds.
Bailic’s laugh broke in a strangled gurgle. A profound silence fell as everyone turned. Although clearly startled she had broken her silence, Lodesh nodded. Apparently he knew where her thoughts lay and approved of her plan. Useless, though, frowned in consternation. Strell waited, showing no emotion as Bailic’s laughter turned to astonishment.
“How?” Bailic said with a gasp. “No raku, no Master of the Hold, can speak wordlessly to a Keeper.”
Alissa drew herself up to her full, imposing height, clenching her wings to herself to keep them from quivering. The setting sun struck her, turning her from gold to bloodred. “I,” she said, hoping her thoughts wouldn’t give away how scared she was, “am a Master of the Hold and a student of the same. I do as I wish.”
Beside her, her protectors silently waited.
Bailic’s eyes narrowed as he assessed the possibilities.
Her pulse raced as she moved from her sheltered position to sit before Bailic. The pale man watched in undisguised fascination as she curled her tail not once but twice about herself. “There was a time,” she murmured as she examined a wicked talon in an attempt to at least look confident, “when you asked me to join you, to act as your eyes. Is the offer still open?”
Comprehension filled Bailic, and he took a step back. “You are—Alissa,” he breathed. “That’s the book’s purpose. I can’t believe such a thing is possible!” He licked his lips eagerly. “Can—can anyone work this wisdom?”
Alissa could feel her teacher’s eyes bore into her. He didn’t want her to answer, but Bailic already knew most of it. “No,” she said, feeling ill. Her stomach hurt. If she vomited on his boots, Bailic would know she was only after her book.
Bailic’s gaze flicked behind her, undoubtedly reading the truth of her words in Useless’s posture. “Pity. Still, given enough time, all things are possible. Perhaps with a little help I might be able to see the way?” He smiled invitingly.
In her thoughts, Useless whispered, “This is too dangerous,” then aloud he shouted, “No, Alissa!”
Bailic jumped as if struck. “Stay out of this,” he hissed, clutching her book to himself. “Your student and I have something to discuss.” Tugging his stolen Master’s vest straight, he dropped the book and put his foot on the open pages. “Do forgive me for that ward a moment ago. Had I known it was you—” He shrugged. “Well, you’re fine, and it’s in the past.”
She forced her eyes from her book, her heart pounding. “You haven’t changed at all, Bailic,” she said boldly.
Useless took a step forward. “Leave off, Bailic.”
“I think not.” Bailic beckoned her closer, willing to chance her nearness only because it bothered Useless. Her breath came shallow as she stepped over her tail and moved to within his arms’ reach, sitting so she could see Strell out of the corner of her eye. Lodesh was gripping his shoulder, holding him back from what would be a suicidal attack against Bailic.
“Easy, Piper,” Lodesh admonished so quietly as to go unheard but for her new hearing. “She must be free to choose, remember? Trust her. I do, with my and all my peoples’ souls.”
With a last pang for Strell’s frustration, Alissa focused on Bailic, hazarding a glance at the First Truth. His foot had slipped from it, and its pages fluttered in the harsh, red light. Her breath caught. No field protected it now. It knew she was close and had dropped it. Unfortunately, Useless couldn’t act, lest the book create a new field around her and Bailic, making her a hostage in the extreme.
“Stop,” Useless hissed into her thoughts. “He knows you’re only after the book.”
“I can get it, Useless. I know I can,” she pleaded, and then to everyone, “Tell me your plan before I choose sides.” She shifted herself a touch nearer to her book, sealing her fear away.
Bailic chuckled, elegant despite his mud-splattered hem and the stocking down about a pale ankle. “Really. I think I could get to like you after all.” Stomach churning, she smiled back with all her sharp, new teeth as Strell groaned and shook off Lodesh’s restraint. “Very well,” Bailic decided. “It matters little if you
know. This useless, empty relic we stand in was once the renowned city of Ese’ Nawoer.”
She felt Lodesh stiffen at Bailic’s tactless description. Insulted as well, her eyes narrowed, and she leaned close. “It still is Ese’Nawoer,” she grated, her teeth a breath from his face.
Bailic waved a careless hand, knowing he was safe. “The entire population that hid behind its walls wasted their lives trying to assuage their guilt for what they thought was a heinous crime. Pathetic, isn’t it?” he said with a sneer. “But it wasn’t enough, and so when they died, they remained. It’s only guilt that traps them. They could rest if they weren’t so—conscientious.” Bailic practically spat the last word.
“You say that like it’s an insult,” Useless interrupted.
Bailic glanced at him, and she shifted closer. Frowning, Bailic turned to the sun. The savage red glow imparted an almost healthy appearance to his otherwise pasty complexion. “I was attempting to wake them,” he said, “with some success, when I was interrupted.”
“I see no signs of your army,” she pointed out, and then to Useless, “Just a little more . . .”
Bailic gestured belligerently to the men behind her. “That vain peacock restraining your piper wears the city’s flower. He is the eminent Lodesh Stryska, the Warden of Ese’ Nawoer, the one whom all the blame and responsibility falls upon. He walks the earth. He’s awake. He appeared as I entered the city’s green field and demanded his presence.”
Alissa swiveled her head to gaze questioningly at Lodesh. She couldn’t believe he would appear at Bailic’s command. Ever so lightly she heard him chuckle into her thoughts, “A good bit of timing, milady. Rules are rules, but I’m not his yet.”
“True,” Bailic continued, clearly having not heard this, “the Warden has striven to keep me from waking the rest, but I will bring him to heel. Where he leads, the rest follow. The people of Ese’ Nawoer were said to have been loyal to a fault to their Wardens, especially the charismatic Lodesh.”
