Wirr stared at his father in shock. “But you’ll die!” he protested. He furiously wiped away tears that he hadn’t even realised he’d begun to shed. “I can save you!”
Elocien gave him a sad, affectionate smile, clasping Wirr's hand in his own. “But you must not,” he murmured. “We’ve been tricked, Torin. They’ll be coming through Fedris Idri. We need the Gifted to fight, else we all die, not just me.”
“But -”
“Promise me, Torin.” Elocien's grip began to weaken, but his tone was edged with urgency. “I'm starting to lose focus; if I get confused, I need you to know that this is what I want. Changing the Tenets is all that matters now. I need you to swear to me that you will let me go.”
Wirr stared at him for a long moment, then sat back, letting his shoulders slump. The tears ran freely down his face now. “I promise.”
The duke sighed in satisfaction. His eyes glazed for just a second and he coughed, then moaned in pain. When he looked up at Wirr again, his gaze seemed… different. Panicked.
“Torin?” he whispered. “What is happening?”
Wirr paused uncertainly, then swallowed a lump in his throat. The loss of blood was starting to disorient his father. “You were stabbed,” said Wirr, keeping his tone as gentle as he could. “You saved me.”
Elocien groaned. “You’re older. I don’t understand.”
Wirr held his father’s hand tight. Elocien was fading fast. “Everything’s alright. I’ll be here until the end.”
Elocien shook his head in desperation. “No. I don’t want to die. Help me.” He grabbed Wirr by the shirt, pulling him close so that all Wirr could see was the fear in his eyes. “Help me, son! I beg of you. I know you can heal me. Do not let me die.”
Wirr looked away. “I’m so sorry,” he said, barely choking out the words. “You told me not to.” He swallowed. “I love you, father.”
“No,” whispered Elocien. “No.”
His hand went limp, and his eyes stared sightlessly into the night sky.
Wirr just knelt there, wracked by sobs as he bent over his father’s body. He stayed like that for several seconds; then he took a deep, shuddering breath, forcing down his emotions and wiping his face, doing his best to regain a semblance of composure. There would be a time for grieving, but for now, he needed to make sure his father's sacrifice had not been in vain.
"Oh, no."
Wirr's head snapped up at the horror in Asha's voice. She was staring at Elocien's motionless form as if she had just understood something terrible.
"I'm so sorry, Wirr," she said softly, dazedly. She shook her head, looking at both him and Davian. "There's something I have to do. I... I have to go."
She hurried off before either of them could respond.
Wirr watched her go, too numb to wonder at her reaction. “Raise the alarm,” he said dully to the soldiers nearby, who were looking on in mute dismay. “The Blind have tricked us. We need everyone back to the Shields.”
He watched the men leave, then turned to Davian. "And we need to go to Tol Athian."
Davian was still staring at the three bodies on the road, bloodied sword hanging limp in his hand. "Why?"
"Because it's time to end this," said Wirr heavily. He got to his feet. "It's time to change the Tenets."
- Chapter 51 -
Asha darted through the eerily deserted palace hallways.
Most able-bodied people willing to fight had left for Fedris Idri hours ago; only the city's governing structure remained here now, along with those too young or too old to wield a sword. Asha's footsteps echoed as she hurried along, doing her best not to panic whenever she thought of what was happening at the Shields, trying instead to focus on locating the next Lockroom.
And trying to decide whether she was hoping to find Erran there, or was worried that she would.
Erran had been in a Lockroom in his vision - Asha had even stopped back at her room to read his description again, to make sure there weren't any further clues in it as to his location. There hadn't been, unfortunately - nor had there been any indication of exactly what was going on.
No hint as to why he had Seen Elocien's death as if it had been his own.
She was fairly certain that was what had happened; the description fit, and Hael's death meant that the man wouldn't be stabbing Erran anytime soon. As to what that implied... a theory had begun to form as she'd made her way back to the palace, and it was one that made an increasing amount of sense the more she thought about it.
She just desperately hoped it was wrong.
"Asha!"
Asha looked over her shoulder to see Kol and Fessi hurrying towards her, and stopped just long enough for them to catch up.
"Have you seen Erran?" she asked them.
Fessi shook her head. "Elocien told us all to stay here until he sent for us," she said in a worried tone. "But Erran disappeared a couple of hours ago. We were just looking for him."
"I think he's in a Lockroom," said Asha.
Kol frowned. "Why do you say that?"
"He foresaw it." Asha hesitated. "He needs our help."
Fessi and Kol glanced at each other. "There's a Lockroom a few corridors over. It's Erran's favourite. He goes there to be alone, sometimes," said Fessi.
Asha nodded. "Lead the way."
When they arrived the door was locked, but it took only one solid blow from Kol to open it. Asha's heart sank as she took in Erran's prone form in the middle of the room, a pool of blood around his head.
The three of them rushed in, kneeling beside the young Augur's prostrate body. Blood seeped from his eyes, his ears, his mouth – but, Asha realised with a relieved sigh, he was still breathing. She checked his pulse. It was faster than it should have been, but regular.
Fessi gently cleaned away the worst of the blood with a handkerchief, then grabbed a pillow from one of the couches and laid it under Erran's head. As she did so, his eyes fluttered and he gave a wracking cough, sending flecks of blood onto his shirt.
“Just breathe, Erran,” said Asha. “You’re alive. You’re going to be okay.”
Erran groaned. "I'm going to have to take your word on that."
"What happened?" asked Kol.
Erran hesitated, then glanced up at Asha. As soon as she saw the guilt in his expression, she knew her suspicions had been right. Her heart sank.
"Tell us," she said softly. "Everything."
Erran gave a slow nod, then winced at the motion. He levered himself up onto one elbow, his gaze encompassing all three of them.
“I’ve been... keeping something from you. From all of you,” he said, his voice small. “Do you remember what I told you about how Elocien and I met?”
"Of course," said Fessi.
"It's only partly true." Erran swallowed. “The Administrators did find me, and they did bring me to Elocien. He came into the cell where I'd been tied up, and...." He grimaced, squeezing his eyes shut against the memory.
"It's okay, Erran," said Asha, her tone gentle.
Erran took a deep breath, giving her an appreciative nod. "He started beating me. He didn't ask me any questions, but whenever he was taking a rest, he'd tell me a story. Each time it was about one of the previous Augurs he'd captured. The ones... the ones he'd already killed."
Fessi took a step back, paling. “That’s not true. Elocien wouldn't have done that.”
“Not the Elocien you know,” agreed Erran quietly. “He was about to kill me, and something just... snapped. I was inside his mind, somehow. I made him stop, made him take me down. I was just going to get him to let me go, maybe try and make him forget all about me, and then I thought….” He gave a slight shrug. “There were going to be others.”
Kol sat heavily as what Erran was saying sunk in. “You’ve been controlling Elocien?”
“Not always directly, but... yes. For the past three years.” Erran stared at the floor, unwilling to meet anyone's gaze. "To start with, I just sat in this room most of the day and made sure
that he didn't try to kill anyone. I don’t know why, but after a while the link became… more permanent. Easier to sustain, to control. And then my feelings, my ideas, began replacing his. Bleeding into him, I suppose. He started to think like me. Started doing what I would have done in a situation, but of his own volition." He grimaced, looking awkward. "After that, I just made sure that when I felt the old Elocien starting to take over again, I suppressed him."
There was silence for a long few moments as they all tried to process what Erran had told them.
"He really murdered the other Augurs he found?" asked Fessi, distress evident in her tone.
Erran gave her a sad nod. "Four of them. One was eight years old."
The blood drained from Fessi's face, and she looked away. "Then... you did the right thing, Erran. I wish you'd told us, but... you did the right thing," she said softly.
Kol hesitated, then put a muscular arm around Fessi, nodding his silent agreement.
"So why tell us now?" the big man asked.
Erran bit his lip, glancing at Asha.
"Elocien was killed, Kol. About an hour or so ago," said Asha gently.
Kol looked at her, shocked, and he took a moment to respond. "What happened?"
"The Blind fooled us into leaving the Shields, and...." Asha trailed off as she thought about that moment, remembered how Elocien had jumped in front of Wirr. How the duke had pleaded with his son not to save him, so that the Tenets could be changed.
Erran saw her expression, and gazed at the ground. "He was wounded," he finished. "The details don't matter."
Asha stared at Erran, uncertain how to feel. She'd put her trust in Elocien. She'd liked the man.
"You sent Torin to Caladel," she said suddenly, feeling sick.
Erran nodded. “It was right near the start, before I got full control. Elocien would have killed him, eventually. There was so much rage and fear when he looked at his son... sometimes I could barely manage it. So I had to send him away.”
Asha swallowed. Wirr had been so happy, so proud to discover how much his father had changed. "Torin must never know."
Erran opened his mouth to reply, but somebody else spoke first.
"Augurs," murmured a voice from the doorway. "So it's true, then."
Asha spun.
Scyner stood at the entrance to the Lockroom, his stance casual as he leaned against the doorframe. It was impossible to know how long he’d been there; the door had been broken by Kol's blow and none of them had thought to try and close off the room anyway, so concerned had they been for Erran's wellbeing.
“Scyner,” said Asha, confused. “What are you doing here?”
"Following you. Seeing if Teran's babbling held any truth," said the Shadow. He rubbed his forehead. "Honestly, the Shadraehin and I thought he was making it up, trying to find a reason for us to spare his life. I suppose we owe him an apology."
There was a shocked silence.
"What does the Shadraehin want now?" asked Asha, her voice flat and hard.
Scyner sighed, seating himself on the nearby couch. "So businesslike," he said sadly. "The Shadraehin was actually very happy with the Vessels, Ashalia. That was always her goal. But I knew there was something more to you. The fact you were left alive in Caladel, and then the way Aelrith reacted to you...." He shrugged. "I thought you might have something more to offer. And, it seems, you do." He indicated the Augurs with a lazy smile.
In the corner, Kol snorted. "You cannot think we are going to help you."
Scyner raised an eyebrow. "Then you don't mind if I let the king know what's been going on with his brother these past few years, then?"
"You're very confident we'll give you that opportunity," said Kol. "Or even let you leave this room."
Scyner leaned forward. "Try to stop me, and I will kill you."
Kol laughed humourlessly. "You think you can kill three Augurs?"
Scyner smiled at him.
"I killed twelve in one night, once," he said. "And they were far more accomplished than you."
There was dead silence as Asha and the others processed Scyner's words.
Suddenly Kol stiffened. He stared around the room, his eyes widening, face draining of blood as recognition spread across his features.
"Fates," he murmured to himself, a strangled sound. He turned to the others, gaze lingering on Fessi for a long moment.
"Run," he said, voice catching.
Asha realised what was happening a split second too late.
"Kol, no! Wait!" she screamed, moving to grab at him.
With a roar, Kol leapt at Scyner.
The next few seconds passed in slow motion. Scyner was on his feet before Kol had crossed half the distance between them, a blade in his hand. He stepped forward to meet Kol's charge, his arms blurring as he stabbed him once, twice, three times in the chest, the blows cold and clinical despite the incredible speed at which they were delivered.
Fessi vanished from beside Asha, only to reappear behind Scyner, evidently intent on subduing him. But Scyner twisted faster than Asha could follow; his hand lashed out and caught the black-haired girl squarely in the face. Her body spun around from the force of the blow, and she crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Erran struggled forward furiously but Asha grabbed him, able to restrain him in his weakened state. Then she shifted a little, stretching out her hand and letting what little Essence she had left in her Reserve flow into her ring.
Scyner made a casual gesture in her direction.
Asha slowly lowered her hand again, trying not to let it shake. The energy building up in the ring had just... vanished.
"Disappointing," growled Scyner as he surveyed the carnage in the room. "It did not have to be this way." He walked towards the door, then paused.
"Aelrith is dead, Ashalia. He knew that was going to happen as soon as he saw you," he said quietly. "But I spoke to him that day, before he left. He wanted to kill you, but couldn't. Do you know why?"
Asha shook her head mutely.
"He said it was because Aarkein Devaed wanted you alive," said Scyner. "You've been marked by him, and none of his creatures can touch you." He stared at her for a long moment. "I wonder why that is."
Asha felt the blood drain from her face. It couldn't be true, and yet... there was something about Scyner's tone. An arrogance that said he wouldn't be bothered telling her a lie.
Scyner glanced down to where Fessi lay as the girl began to stir, then turned to leave. "One more thing. The Shadraehin thinks your King Andras is being Controlled, much like the duke was." He nodded towards Erran. "I don't particularly like the idea of the Blind running the city, so please get him to figure out by whom. The last thing we want is for the king to suddenly announce we're surrendering." He tapped at his teeth with a fingernail, gazing at Erran thoughtfully. "You'll hear from me again soon. Hopefully under more civil circumstances, next time."
He disappeared out the doorway, his footsteps echoing down the hallway as Asha and Erran rushed to Kol's side. The big man was still breathing, but his breath bubbled whenever he exhaled, and the look of pain on his face told Asha he didn't have much time.
In the corner, Fessi was stirring. She raised her head groggily.
"What...." She saw Kol, and gave a cry of dismay. She was kneeling beside him in an instant.
Kol looked up at his friends, eyes tight with pain. "He was an Augur," he coughed, body spasming. "An El-cursed pre-war Augur."
"Be quiet, Kol. You need to rest," whispered Fessi. She looked around and Asha knew she was searching for a large enough source of Essence, but there were none. Fessi pressed her hands desperately against Kol’s chest, but he just shook his head, giving a rasping, hacking laugh. Blood seeped from wounds everywhere, and it began to dribble from the corners of his mouth too.
“I don’t think you have enough hands, Fess,” he said in amusement.
His eyes glazed over, and his enormous chest became still.
Fessi just knelt there,
head bowed over him, her long hair hanging onto his chest. Silent sobs wracked her body; dazed, Asha knelt by her side, putting an arm around her shoulder.
Then Asha, too, had tears trickling down her cheeks. It couldn’t be true. Kol was too big, too strong to die. He would wake up, and later they would all laugh at what a scare he had given them.
Erran carefully knelt opposite the girls, expression stunned, eyes glistening. Gently, he lifted Fessi’s hands from Kol’s bloodied chest, then drew the large man’s eyelids closed.
All three of them knelt there for several minutes in silence, in shock, grieving for the loss of their friend.
Eventually Fessi looked up, and when her eyes met Asha's, they were cold.
"You knew. You tried to stop him," she said. "You knew, and you let him come here."
"Fessi!" It was Erran. "This wasn't Asha's fault, and you know it." He took a deep breath. "I'd read his vision too, you know. There was no way of knowing this was...."
He trailed off, overcome with emotion. Fessi didn't respond, just bent her head over Kol's body again, not moving.
Asha finally sat back, her mind reeling. It had all happened so fast. And as little as she wanted to face the fact, there was still a battle going on - there was no time to grieve, no time to take stock. Especially not if what Scyner had told them was true.
"Erran," she said quietly. "What Scyner said...."
Erran took a deep breath, then straightened. "It's possible, I suppose," he admitted. "I've considered it before - a few times - but the physical symptoms just don't make sense. I tried to check a couple of times anyway, but...." He grimaced, giving a reluctant nod. "Being connected to Elocien all the time did make sensing kan harder. I might have missed something."
Asha bit her lip. "Then we need to speak to someone about this. Even if we do discover the king is being controlled, we can't exactly march in there and tell people to stop listening to him. We need someone who will know how best to handle a situation like that." She looked at Erran. "Can Master Kardai be trusted?"
Erran inclined his head. "Yes."
"Then let's find him." Asha gave Erran a doubtful glance as she registered just how unsteady he was on his feet. "Are you going to be able to do this?"
The Shadow Of What Was Lost (Book 1) Page 65
