by Ian Irvine
Wilm let out a howl of anguish. “You’re not touching her!” he cried. “You’re NOT!”
He managed to crab backwards and grab the black sword. Still lying on his back, he slashed the blade straight through Unick’s left wrist. His hand went in one direction and the Origin device in the other. Aviel reached up with both hands and caught the heavy device, dropped it but caught it again.
But the figures were thickening on the other side of the shadow gate, becoming more solid. Unick, his wrist spurting blood, kicked his severed hand at the summon stone like a sacrificial offering, and it flared.
The shadow gate hardened. The army started to firm and become real. Unick staggered towards Aviel, clearly intending to feed her to the stone.
Wilm forced himself to his feet and, as Unick reached for Aviel, coldly ran him through. “That’s for Dajaes too,” he said softly.
Unick grunted, dragged himself off the blade, lurched around in a spiral and crashed face first into the summon stone.
And as it took him, he let out a dreadful screech of horror and despair. “You can’t do this to me! I opened you. I’m special—”
First it took his face, then his head, neck and body, all gushing stinking brown smoke as he was drawn in and annihilated. His legs went, his hideous feet, then with a flash of crimson he was gone, leaving nothing behind but smoke and a lingering stench, and a pair of ragged big toenails pinging off the walls.
The shadow gate became a real gate, the Merdrun real soldiers. They were about to come through. Aviel reacted without thinking, just knowing that the summon stone was like a live thing now, and live things could be poisoned. She twisted the tubes of the Origin device apart, took the heavy glass container of quicksilver from inside and hurled it at the stone. It smashed, and deadly quicksilver drenched the summon stone.
It flashed crimson, black, crimson, then a deeper, impenetrable black. The Merdrun cried out in terror. The uprights of the summon stone ground together, separated, crashed together again and the shadow gate split into two separate gates. The one with the Merdrun in it, which was a brilliant throbbing crimson now, began to spin, faster and faster until it was a red blur, then shot upwards and vanished.
The other gate, which had an azure hue, enveloped Aviel and Wilm, spun like a top, appeared to drill down through the solid rock below the cavern, and took them with it.
93
AND WIPE THEM OUT
At the far western tip of frigid Shazabba, in an abandoned village built on stilts at the centre of a partly frozen lake, Sulien watched the Whelm gather on the grey pine boards.
Every day on the long journey west, then the wild boat trip south down the west coast of Meldorin to Shazabba, and every day since their arrival here, they had formed their sensing and scrying circle.
It was the only time she ever had to herself. The only time she was free of the endless work, the harsh, cold treatment and her daily punishment. She sat on the edge of the deck, shivering and gazing north towards home. Would she ever see Gothryme again, and Mummy and Daddy and dear old Rachis? Sulien did not think so. Karan had not answered her last, despairing call.
Had she forgotten her? Or were she and Llian dead? Was Sulien condemned to spend the rest of her life with the hideous Whelm, trapped at the bitter end of Santhenar? She was one of them now. They had initiated her and she did not think they would ever let her go.
Their chanting grew louder. It was horrible, like everything about them. They sounded like a flock of evil crows. The Whelm were searching for the one thing that could complete them – a master they could serve and obey without question. They had sought in vain since the death of Rulke, their perfect master, ten years back.
But when Sulien had made that desperate link to blind the magiz and save Karan’s life, it had revealed Gergrig to the Whelm, and this had changed everything. They were desperate to see him again; they no longer scried in despair, but in a fervid ecstasy.
Only Idlis, who had sworn to protect Sulien with his life, abstained from the circle, though she could see the yearning in his black eyes too. How long could he hold out?
Karan had told her to run but Sulien had no money, she did not know the land, and the long southern winter had already begun. She had nowhere to go.
Suddenly, in her inner eye, something flashed crimson, black, crimson, then black again – a seeing. Karan’s seeing?
“Mummy!” she cried. “Where are you? What’s happening?”
No answer, but the Whelm’s cawing cries swelled to a roar, and she saw, projected on the icy lake, the red-tinged shadow of two standing stones with a third across their tops. The shadow looked like a gate, and through it she saw the waiting Merdrun army. Their leader raised his sword.
A handsome woman with glowing eyes said, Gergrig, is it time?
This is the hour! he roared. He thrust the sword forward and the army charged the gate.
The cries of the Whelm cut off, then into the silence soared a single high voice, Yetchah’s voice.
“Our perfect master! Yes, yes, yes!”
Karan did not know what to do. Join Malien in a desperate attempt to locate the invading Merdrun, though she had no idea where to begin?
Give the war up as lost and try to find Llian, who was probably dead?
Or race all the way to Shazabba – a month’s hard riding – and try to hide Sulien from the most vicious warmongers the void had ever spawned?
Mummy, the Whelm have gone crazy.
Karan’s skin crawled at the image Sulien had sent her. Yetchah’s thin arms were outstretched towards Gergrig and her eyes were alight with longing. Our perfect master! she cried. Yes, yes, yes!
She turned to the other Whelm. Gergrig wants the child. If we give her to him, he will surely agree to be our master. Take her!
That was all Karan saw. “Sulien, run!” she screamed. “Anywhere! I’m coming, I’m coming!”
But then the adverse consequences Malien had warned her about, the consequences of Karan getting back her gift for the Secret Art, became horribly apparent. She could no longer send to Sulien, nor could she link to her.
Karan could not warn her in any way.
There was only one thing to do and she did it without a second’s thought. She bolted down through the forest to the little glade where Malien’s sky ship was moored. Karan cast off all but one of the ropes and, as the craft lifted, ran up the ladder. She was about to cut the last rope when Yggur appeared below her.
“You’re not stopping me,” said Karan.
“You don’t have the power to fly it.”
She slumped. He was right, of course. How could any novice operate such a craft, which was driven by subtle aspects of the Secret Art?
“Then Sulien will die and the Merdrun will win,” she wailed.
“But I can fly it.” Yggur sprang up the ladder, took the control levers and said, “Which way?”
She had never liked Yggur, and he frightened her. How could she possibly trust him?
Half a dozen Aachim raced into the glade, led by a red-faced, furious Malien. “How dare you! Get out!”
“To Shazabba,” said Karan, and slashed the last rope.
By Ian Irvine
THE THREE WORLDS SERIES
The View from the Mirror quartet
A Shadow on the Glass
The Tower on the Rift
Dark Is the Moon
The Way Between the Worlds
THE WELL OF ECHOES QUARTET
Geomancer
Tetrarch
Alchymist
Chimaera
SONG OF THE TEARS TRILOGY
The Fate of the Fallen
The Curse on the Chosen
The Destiny of the Dead
THE GATE OF GOOD AND EVIL
The Summon Stone
The Fatal Gate
THE TAINTED REALM
Vengeance
Rebellion
Justice
The story continues in
BOOK TWO:<
br />
THE FATAL GATE
Coming Spring 2017
GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS, NAMES AND PLACES
Aachan: One of the Three Worlds, the realm of the Aachim and, after its conquest, the Charon.
Aachim: The human species native to Aachan, who were conquered by the Charon. The Aachim are a clever people, great artisans and engineers, but melancholy and prone to both hubris and indecision.
Aftersickness: Illness that people suffer after using the Secret Art or using a native talent or gift. Sensitives are very prone to it.
Alcifer: The greatest of Rulke’s cities, designed by Pitlis the Aachim.
Aviel: A crippled girl, fifteen, who lives in Shand’s workshop and is training herself to become a perfumer.
Bannador: A narrow, poor, hilly land on the western side of Iagador.
Basunez: A distant, mad ancestor of Karan. He built Carcharon and carried out forbidden sorcery there.
bel Soon, Tallia: Formerly Mendark’s chief lieutenant, and now Magister of the High Council, she is a mancer and a master of combat with and without weapons. Tallia comes from Crandor.
Benie: A former cook’s boy at Gothryme Manor, now apprenticed to the chef.
Bufo: The captain of Wistan’s college guard.
Calendar: Santhenar’s year is roughly 395.7 days and contains 12 months, each of 33 days. The months are: spring – Thays, Criffin, Bunce; summer – Bolland, Guffins, Thisto; autumn – Mard, Pulin, Ballin; winter – Sord, Galend, Talmard.
Carcharon: A tower built on a rugged ridge high above Gothryme Forest by Karan’s mad ancestor Basunez at a node where the Secret Art was especially powerful.
Chacalot: A large water-dwelling reptile, somewhat resembling a crocodile.
Chanthed: A town in northern Meldorin, west of the mountains. The College of the Histories is situated there.
Chard: A kind of tea.
Charon: They fled out of the void to take Aachan from the Aachim long ago but were sterile there. Ten years ago the last of them went back to the void to die.
Chronicler: A graduate in the art and science of recording and maintaining the Histories.
Citadel: A fortified palace in Thurkad.
Clysm: A series of wars between the Charon and the Aachim between 1500 and 1000 years ago, resulting in the almost total devastation of Santhenar.
College of the Histories: The oldest of the colleges for the instruction of those who would be chroniclers, tellers and even lowly bards. It was set up at Chanthed soon after the time of the Forbidding.
Construct: A machine at least partly powered by the Secret Art.
Council, also Council of Santhenar, Great Council: An alliance of the most powerful mancers for the protection of Santhenar.
Crandor: A rich tropical land on the north-eastern side of Lauralin. Tallia’s homeland.
Duril, Anjo: A sly, corrupt master at the college.
Elienor: A great heroine and subsequently a clan leader of the Aachim from the time when the Charon invaded Aachan.
Esea: A beautiful, clever but troubled reshaper. Twin sister to Hingis.
Faelamor: Leader of the Faellem species, who came to Santhenar soon after Rulke to keep watch on the Charon and maintain the balance between the worlds. She led her followers back to Tallallame, and self-immolation, ten years ago.
Faellem: The human species native to the world of Tallallame. A small dour people who are forbidden to use machines and particularly magical devices but are masters of disguise and illusion. Some still dwell on Santhenar, in Mirrilladell.
Fiz Gorgo: A fortress city in Orist, flooded in ancient times, now restored; the stronghold of Yggur.
Flute; also Golden Flute: A device made in Aachan at the behest of Rulke, by the brilliant smith Shuthdar. He subsequently stole it and took it back to Santhenar. When played by one who is sensitive, it could be used to open the Way Between the Worlds. It was destroyed by Shuthdar, and this created the Forbidding.
Forbidding: See Tale of the Forbidding.
Galliad: Karan’s father, who was half-Aachim but exiled from them. He was killed at Carcharon when Karan was eight.
Gate: A structure controlled by the Secret Art which permits people to move instantly from one place to another. Also called a portal.
Gellon: A fruit tasting something between a mango and a peach. Shand makes an incomparable gellon liqueur.
Gergrig: Leader of the Merdrun.
Ghâshâd: The ancient mortal enemies of the Aachim. They were corrupted and swore allegiance to Rulke after the Zain rebelled 2000 years ago, but when Rulke was imprisoned in the Nightland 1000 years later they forgot their destiny and took a new name, Whelm. Since Rulke’s death they have been a lost people.
Gift of Rulke; also Curse of Rulke: Knowledge given by Rulke to the Zain, enhancing their resistance to the mind-breaking spells of the Aachim. It left a visible stigmata that identified them as Zain.
Gothryme: Karan’s impoverished estate near Tolryme in Bannador.
Great Library: Founded at Zile by the Zain in the time of the empire of Zur. The library was sacked when the Zain were exiled, but was subsequently re-established. Its current librarian is Nadiril the Sage.
Great Mountains: The largest and highest belt of mountains on Santhenar, enclosing the south-eastern part of the continent of Lauralin.
Great Tales: The greatest stories from the Histories of Santhenar, traditionally told at the Festival of Chanthed and on important ceremonial occasions throughout Santhenar. A tale can become a Great Tale only by the unanimous acclamation of the master chroniclers. In 4000 years only 23 Great Tales have ever been created, the most recent being Llian’s Tale of the Mirror.
Grint: A copper coin of small value.
Griveline: A fast-acting herbal extract than induces numbing and partial paralysis. Lethal in large doses.
Gyllias: See Shand.
Hingis: A clever but physically grotesque illusionist, maimed by a kick from a mule as a boy. Twin of Esea.
Histories, the: The collection of records which detail more than 4000 years of recorded history on Santhenar. The Histories consist of historical documents written or held by the chroniclers, as well as the tales, songs, legends and lore of the peoples of Santhenar and the invading peoples from the other worlds, told by the tellers. The culture of Santhenar is interwoven with and inseparable from the Histories and everyone longs to be mentioned in them.
Hrux: A dangerous pain-relieving drug produced by the Whelm. Addictive and can have strange side effects, especially to people with Charon blood.
Huling’s Tower: The place where Shuthdar destroyed the Golden Flute and Yalkara subsequently murdered the crippled girl.
Human species: There are four distinct human species: the Aachim of Aachan, the Faellem of Tallallame, the old humans of Santhenar, and the Charon, who came out of the void. All but the old humans can be very long-lived – Tensor, Rulke, Yalkara and Faelamor, for instance, all lived for thousands of years.
Hundred, the: The Charon who survived the taking of Aachan. Rulke was the greatest.
Hythe: midwinter’s day, the fourth day of Endre, midwinter week. Hythe is a day of particular ill-omen.
Iagador: The fertile and wealthy land that lies between the eastern mountains of Meldorin and the Sea of Thurkad.
Idlis: Formerly the least of the Whelm, also a healer and long-time hunter of Karan and the Mirror. Karan spared his life three times, a debt that he repaid by healing her bones after she was gravely injured in Shazmak, and once a year bringing her a small supply of the pain-relieving compound hrux.
Jepperand: A province on the western side of the mountains of Crandor. Home to the Zain; Llian’s birthplace.
Karan: A woman of the house of Fyrn, but with blood of the Aachim from her father, Galliad, and old human and Faellem blood from her mother. This makes her triune. She is also a sensitive. Llian’s partner; mother of Sulien.
Lauralin: The continent east of the Sea of Thurkad.
L
eague: About 5000 paces, three miles or five kilometres.
Librarian, the: Nadiril the Sage.
Lightglass: A device made of crystal and metal that emits light after being touched.
Lilis: Once a street urchin in Thurkad, rescued by Tallia at the age of twelve and apprenticed to Nadiril, now his anointed successor as Librarian.
Link, linking; also talent of linking: A joining of minds by which thoughts and feelings can be shared and support given. Sometimes used for domination.
Llian: A Zain from Jepperand, partner to Karan and father of Sulien. He is both a master chronicler and a teller, a rare combination. After his Tale of the Mirror was voted a Great Tale he was banned from practising for meddling in the Histories.
Magiz, the: the greatest sorcerer among the Merdrun. She gains power by drinking people’s lives.
Magister, the: Mendark, a great mancer, chief of the Council of Santhenar, and Magister for 1000 years, he renewed his body an unprecedented 13 times. He was killed in Shazmak at the end of the Time of the Mirror (see below).
Maigraith: An obsessive, cold, repressed triune. She is a master of the Secret Art. Mother of non-identical twins Julken and Illiel, nine, fathered by Rulke, though Illiel, who takes after the Faellem, lives far away with them, and Maigraith has nothing to do with him.
Malien: An Aachim of House Elienor, now leader of the Aachim.
Mancer: A wizard or sorcerer; someone who is a master of the Secret Art.
Master chronicler: One who has mastered the study of the Histories and graduated with the highest honours from the College of the Histories.
Master of Chanthed: Currently Wistan; the Master of the College of the Histories is also nominal leader of Chanthed.
Meldorin: The large island that lies to the immediate west of the Sea of Thurkad and the continent of Lauralin.
