The Balance of Power (Godsland Series: Books Four, Five, and Six)

by Rathbone, Brian

  Kyrien would have launched into immediate pursuit if not for Catrin's mental request to see her cousin. The more she communicated with Kyrien, the more she realized she didn't have to shout; so connected were their minds that a firm thought was all it took. She didn't see all that was in his mind, and he didn't see all of what was in hers, but when she wanted him to know something, he knew it. The better she got at it, the easier it was to fly since she also now knew how to receive his thoughts without his having to shout, which allowed him to give her fair warning before his more violent moves.

  Kyrien landed on the partly ruined balcony, and Catrin waited in the saddle. Moments later, Lady Lissa of Ravenhold emerged from the doorway, looking every inch a queen, save the bruise on her cheek. In her eyes burned a raging fire, but she could not seem to leave that heated gaze on Catrin for long.

  "I just wanted to know that you were well, Lady Lissa."

  "I am, Lady Catrin. Thank you," the words were said somewhat grudgingly, but Catrin didn't care. It was the most acknowledgment she'd ever received from her cousin, and it was, at least, a sign of progress.

  "Does your son live?" Lady Lissa asked, and her concern appeared genuine, which also surprised Catrin.

  "Yes," Catrin said with a catch in her voice. "I believe he does."

  "Then go to him," Lissa said. "Ravenhold will stand." There were no more words to be spoken between them, and Kyrien waited until only an instant after Lissa disappeared back within the hold before launching into the air. With mighty wing strokes, the last of the regent dragons sent them soaring away, heading in the direction which she now knew would lead her to her son.

  Chapter 18

  Sometimes, in order to find the light, we must walk through the darkness.

  --Gemino, sorcerer and artist

  * * *

  Wolfhold was surprisingly silent given the size of the army that surrounded it. There were no cries of alarm and no sounds of ballistae or catapults. It was as if the attackers had no intention of taking the keep but would simply wait until the inhabitants all starved to death. The silence drove Sinjin to distraction, and Kendra paced the apartments like a caged beast.

  Sometimes she'd disappear into her sleeping chamber, and Sinjin suspected she was pacing in there as well, but most of the time, she walked around the common room and cast dark looks at Sinjin. He wasn't certain what it was that he'd done this time to deserve her ire, but he was pretty sure she'd think of something. It was something of a trend in their relationship. In spite of that, her company was better than being alone. At least her footsteps broke the awful silence.

  An unrelenting line of questions competed for his attention and his worry, for that was the only thing he could seem to do: worry. His parents had always been the ones making things happen; Sinjin had spent most of his life trying to stay out of the way. Now, though, he wished he had his parents' ability to actually affect the future. Thinking of them made his chest hurt, and he tried to push them from his thoughts. A dark and foreboding feeling crept over him whenever he thought of them, and he didn't want to look that fear in its ugly face.

  Soon his thoughts turned to other worries, such as wondering what would happen if Thorakis suddenly decided to attack Wolfhold. The force gathered could potentially take the keep on their own, but it would be a bloody thing, Sinjin knew. But Thorakis had dragons, and that changed everything.

  After a firm knock, Munson entered the apartments.

  "Lord Kyte requests your presence, my lord, my lady."

  Neither Sinjin nor Kendra made any response beyond a nod. Munson nodded in return and led them through a series of blandly constructed but ornately decorated halls. It was, in some sense, an embarrassment of riches, but it did add an air of age and tradition to the place. Sinjin supposed that Dragonhold was not very well decorated, but the place possessed majesty that overshadowed even the greatest works of art in Lord Kyte's collection.

  Thinking of home made Sinjin long for days past, but at least he'd gotten to hear Durin's voice and he knew his friend was all right. That counted for something and boosted his spirits, even as the notion that he might never get to see Durin again threatened to send his mood in the other direction.

  Still, he almost managed to smile when entering Lord Kyte's chambers. What lay before him was truly something magnificent. Behind Lord Kyte stood an open-air terrace, and the view beyond would have been breathtaking if not for the dark forces that marred the landscape; even with the army, he could see all the way to the Inland Sea. Within, the walls followed the natural contour of the stone, which ran with rich veins of yellow and brown, and were polished to a liquid sheen. Set into that stone were shelves and nooks filled with books, parchments, and scroll tubes. It was the table at the center of the room that drew Sinjin's attention, though. Hewn from the mountain itself, it was irregular yet orderly and somehow carved into a near exact replica of Wolfhold and the lands surrounding it.

  Laid out like pieces of some game of gods and kings were carved wood representations of their enemies. Looking like scars on the land, it was obvious that the representations of the aqueducts were new additions and were clearly meant to be temporary. The quality of the original work was in every way a marvel, and Sinjin felt the irresistible urge to run his hands over the carved, polished, and painted stone. At least, he thought it was painted; when he looked more closely, the color seemed to come from within the stone itself, but he could think of no way that could be possible. It was unlikely he'd ever know for certain, and he let his attention drift to the many wonders adorning the shelves and work surfaces in Lord Kyte's chambers.

  "Thank you for coming," Lord Kyte said. Sinjin did what he could not to smirk; it wasn't as if he'd had much choice. "I brought you to Wolfhold because I wanted to be able to protect you, but now I wonder if I made a mistake. If the dragons come, Wolfhold may fall. This place was designed to repel armies, not flying devils. The problem is that I can think of nowhere safer for you to be. Unless you go back under the lodestone blanket, there is really no hold that can protect you."

  Sinjin listened with his head bowed.

  "I don't mean to frighten you, Nephew," Jharmin said when he recognized Sinjin's discomfit. "But I want you to understand the true magnitude of this situation. You're the best collateral anyone can have when negotiating with your mother. She's the most powerful person in the world, and that makes you the most valuable person in the world."

  Kendra snorted and Sinjin squirmed.

  "You're not a prisoner here, Nephew. You're free to go any time you choose, and I wanted you to know that."

  It seemed a silly thing to say since there was an army surrounding the keep. It wasn't as if he could somehow walk out of Wolfhold and avoid the demons and dragons, but he tried to take it as he assumed it was meant: his uncle was not holding him prisoner. It didn't make him feel any better.

  "If I knew a safer place for you, I could get you out of here with no worries from the scum on the plains, but I truly can't think of a safer place. Now that you understand the danger and the situation, do you wish to remain here and have it be known to Thorakis? Or will you go back under the blanket and perhaps try to sneak south?

  Sinjin didn't answer.

  "I don't envy you the decision, my boy," Jharmin said with a knowing nod. "I made the decision partly for you when I said you could come out from under the blanket. I'm sorry about that. I knew the dragons would take Ravenhold first, and though my wife is difficult at times, I truly love her. I wanted to draw the dragons away from her. I wanted to draw them here, and you were the best way to do that."

  "I knew what I was doing when I came out from under the blanket," Sinjin said. "I can't hide for the rest of my life, and I didn't want my mother to believe me dead. There are some things more important than safety."

  "Wisely spoken, Nephew."

  "What defenses do you have against the dragons?" Sinjin asked.

  "That's probably the smartest question you could've asked," Lord Kyte s
aid. "We've pikemen along the parapets, ballistae in concealment within many of the balconies, archers spread throughout, and hot pitch for any who fly in low."

  Precious little defense.

  Kendra snorted. "We won't last a day."

  "I have other methods at my disposal, but they'll only be used as a last resort. I'm not inclined to discuss that at this time, so please do not ask. Just know that Wolfhold is not without teeth."

  The way he said it made Sinjin shiver, but all he could do was hope that those teeth were enough to defeat an army of demons, giants, and dragons. It seemed unlikely. Though Sinjin didn't know much about Jharmin, he liked the man. From what he could tell, Jharmin had done things in Sinjin's best interest, and he had no reason to doubt what his uncle said. Thinking of his uncle made him think of Uncle Chase, and he had to wipe away a tear as he pushed the thoughts aside.

  In that moment, Sinjin noticed a bit of green flame escaping from Jharmin's clenched fists. Sinjin was just wondering if Jharmin was aware of the flames when the explosions started.

  * * *

  As soon as Wolfhold came into view, Catrin knew Sinjin was there. She could sense the vibrancy of him, and she knew he was not seriously injured, though it was clear he'd been through an ordeal. The dark forces she'd seen before remained around Wolfhold. The camps were quiet and orderly when Seethe crested the rise and came into view. Once he'd been spotted by the sentries, though, the alarm was raised and the dark forces writhed over the landscape like swarming ants. Giants fanned the flames of oversized bonfires, and firebrands were now making their way to all corners of the encampment.

  Before the black smoke even began rising up to meet them, Catrin knew that Thorakis had no intention of mounting a lengthy siege. He would burn them out. Both fates disgusted Catrin, and she did what she could to prepare for the coming fight. In truth, she'd had precious little time to recover from the previous battle, and a voice in her head screamed for retreat.

  She needed time to heal, but that would also give Seethe time to heal, and Catrin knew his current wounds were worse than Kyrien's. At great cost, she'd forged an advantage over Thorakis, and she decided nothing would deter her from finishing what she'd started. Kyrien heartily expressed his agreement, and as soon as the torches lit pots of steaming pitch within the demons' camp, Catrin attacked the pots. Bright flashes rose from the shattered pots, and the flames spread outward, engulfing many catapults.

  There were too many, though, and the sound of catapult fire was followed by a hissing, whistling sound. Then came the screams. The dark forces attacked with their full might, and more dragons were arriving. Too many, Catrin thought. Kyrien agreed. Not for the first time or the last, Catrin mourned the loss of her lance and sword; it was something that would haunt her.

  A single dragon and rider flew toward the Inland Sea, its flight erratic. Catrin watched Thorakis and Seethe go, and she tried to find a way to justify staying, to justify saving Sinjin. The primal need was even more poignant with only the recent knowledge that he was still alive. Every part of her wanted to hold him, to comfort him. But she also knew this could be her last chance to defeat Thorakis. While the advantage was hers, she had to strike. Only when Thorakis was dead could Sinjin ever truly be safe, and that made the decision.

  Flying in low, Catrin saw three figures watching from a terrace high above the attacking army, high enough that the entire keep would have to be aflame for the fires to get there. Instantly Catrin knew it was Sinjin, and she could sense Jharmin there as well. As she drew closer, she saw Kendra, and a mixed bag of feelings rushed through her. In the end, though, all that mattered was seeing Sinjin alive and safe--or at least relatively safe.

  "Be strong, my son!" Catrin shouted as they flew past, and she could see the look of disappointment and fear on his face. "I cannot let him escape!"

  There was no more time to be spared. Already Seethe had put distance between them, and though Kyrien was in better shape than Seethe, it wasn't by much. He would have to give everything he had to catch Seethe, but Catrin knew he would. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Catrin set her sights on Thorakis and exacting the price for all those who'd been lost.

  * * *

  "No!" Sinjin shouted, and he ran to the edge of the balcony, nearly tumbling over the ledge in his need to stop his mother. Somehow he knew that if he let her leave, it would be the last time he ever saw her, and those words would be the last thing she would ever say to him. The certainty of it felt like an ax in his chest, and he reached his hands out to the retreating forms of Kyrien and his mother. Because of the view, Seethe and Kyrien remained visible for some time, and Sinjin could not pull his gaze away.

  "Get back from there!" Lord Kyte scolded, and he pulled Sinjin away from the carved stone railing despite its sturdiness. "You can see just as well from here." Jharmin spoke with a mixture of compassion and firm-handed reprimand.

  Flames raced through the air and spread along the outskirts of town and finally to the lower keep itself.

  "Lord Kyte," said a hard-looking man in uniform who burst onto the jutting stone balcony, showing none of the awe over the view that Sinjin had experienced. Sinjin pulled his attention away from the shrinking form of Kyrien on the horizon. "We've deployed bucket brigades, and the gray water cisterns are being emptied first."

  Jharmin nodded. "Keep the archers and guards pulled back and have them assist with fire control, but the instant those devils come within bow range, I want to rain death on them. Do you understand?"

  "Yes, sir. Should we consider more drastic measures, sir? Surely the moors will burn."

  "No," Jharmin said, and it was clear that he would speak no more of the matter.

  Sinjin wondered what kind of measures the man had been talking about, and he guessed they had something to do with the teeth Jharmin had said Wolfhold possessed.

  It seemed only a few breaths between volleys, and Sinjin didn't think the people of Wolfhold would be able to extinguish all the fires that bloomed from the raining hellfire. He felt guilty then for standing so high above it all, watching dark forces set fire to the place while its defenders gave their lives to spare those within. There were men sacrificing themselves for the sakes of their wives, sons, and daughters, for fathers and mothers, for friends, for kin.

  A pain swelled in Sinjin's chest, and he found no relief when he looked back to where his mother and Kyrien could still be seen, though they had grown much smaller now, and he knew that if they flew too much farther, they would disappear from view, and perhaps from his life, forever. Nothing could have been more agonizing than knowing his mother was gone, except the feeling of his father's absence. Like a nagging itch, the feeling had grown over time, and now he was almost certain his father was gone. Having just seen his mother and not having seen his father with her only served to solidify what he already felt, though he chided himself that he had an awful lot of premonitions for a man without access to Istra's power. It was a frightening reminder of just how powerless he was. The feelings intensified when he saw the two distant dragons collide.

  * * *

  Seethe flew in the way a wounded fish swims, and Kyrien's instincts latched on to that. Deep within him, he invoked primal and ancient skills to make speed and close on the wounded beast. Thorakis also did not look well, which led Catrin to believe that she'd made the correct decision, no matter how painful it may have been. She had done the right thing. But still it hurt, and she wanted to inflict that same emotional pain on Thorakis and Seethe. She knew it was impossible; she would have to settle for physical damage.

  Like cold air bursting downward from a thunderstorm, Kyrien descended on Seethe. Thorakis was not caught unaware, and with a wild look in his eyes, he held Koe and the Staff of Life above him. Again Catrin felt the guilt that Nat Dersinger had laid upon her soul. She'd allowed one of the most powerful forces in the world to become a tool for the darkness. It was unforgivable.

  Returning the staff to the hands of those who would serve the light was a
task for Catrin alone, and she would die for that cause, though she wanted desperately to survive and once again hold her son. For too many years, she'd let the power of her position keep her from him, too many herald globes and not enough time playing fitch or strawman as the other boys had with their parents. So many times he had wanted her to play, and so many times she'd allowed the world to take her away. Though she knew she'd been driven by the need to save all those she cared about, that did little to lessen the guilt. Too many of the current circumstances working against her were the result of her own mistakes. That thought was burned into her mind when Thorakis's fire struck.

  The pain was worse than what Catrin had felt before, and she did what she could to snuff the flames as quickly as possible. Even with a quick response, the pain and lingering effects were devastating. Now it was Kyrien’s flight path that wobbled and strayed, and the two dragons looked as if they might both crash into the waves of the Inland Sea. Catrin could figure no reason for Seethe to come here, and she knew that flying out into the storm-plagued Inland Sea was suicide in their current condition. Even if Kyrien could rest and fly at the same time, Catrin knew storms on the Inland Sea were unpredictable and often formed rapidly.

  Unwilling to relent, Kyrien pursued Seethe, and Catrin could feel Thorakis preparing for another attack. It would be the last attack, she knew. There was a certainty that drove her to reckless action. Instead of erecting defenses she knew would not hold, Catrin did something she'd never attempted before.

  Reaching out to the staff and Koe, Catrin tried to align herself with their energy, as she'd done so many times before. Even as she did, she found a harmonic resonance in their connection that allowed her to feel the power that coursed through them along with the brute force Thorakis used to control them. He didn't connect with them and draw from them as Catrin did; Thorakis wrung them like a wet towel. She could feel the stress it put on the very structure of these objects that were so sacred to her. The pain of it made her think she might faint, or perhaps it was the thin air around her since she was no longer maintaining the pressure. So much of her energy had been expended that even simple things such as breathing became much more difficult, and her head swam with the slow realization of a fogged mind.