OrbSoul (Book 6)

by Martin Ash

  'No-o!'

  Issul's life returned. She writhed with every fibre of strength in her body, but she was held fast and helpless by immensely muscled grullag arms. Grey Venger drew back his lips, his wet tongue flickering along their length, showing stained teeth. He thrust down his trousers and inclined himself over her.

  'No.'

  It was Moscul who spoke. The Legendary Child. His voice was that of a four-year-old boy, yet it was clear, calm and resonant with authority. 'Not now. Uncle Leth may return to look for her, and we don't know what he might bring with him.'

  Issul glared up at Grey Venger, sick with her hatred. It seemed that his lust had the better of him, that he was prepared to ignore the Legendary Child. His face was contorted in some dreadful transport. He squeezed shut his eyes and threw back his head, twisting and arching his neck, shuddering, froth bubbling at his mouth. Between his teeth he let out a long, rasping breath. Then his eyes opened, glazed and unfocused, and rolled upwards into his skull. His jaw had gone slack. He curled his lip and drew back, quivering.

  Abruptly Issul was yanked to her feet. Her wrists were bound behind her. She was lifted and slung across a grullag's shoulder. With Moscul skipping close beneath her she was borne off with jolting, loping strides into the forest.

  ii

  Urch-Malmain stood hunched before the living artefact, observing its intricate array with a glassy, glittering gaze. He was garbed in a long purple robe, a short, slender rapier buckled at his waist. With his good hand he kneaded his bony chin pensively.

  From within the artefact the entity, Aztin, spoke. 'A visitor comes!'

  Urch-Malmain glanced up in surprise. 'Who?'

  Before Aztin could reply a figure materialized suddenly within the Portal. Urch-Malmain jerked back in startlement. 'Swordbearer!'

  Leth took two swift paces forward and slammed his fist into the Noeticist's face, sending him sprawling onto his back to the floor.

  'Try nothing!' he warned as Urch-Malmain scrambled away in shock.

  'I am a cripple! I am a cripple! How dare you!' bawled Urch-Malmain.

  'Be silent! Try nothing. Your powers are worthless. Hear me. I am sent by both Orbelon and Triune. Harm me and you are lost.'

  At these names Urch-Malmain grew quiet and still.

  Shenwolf had appeared in Leth's wake. He slipped past and wrenched open the door of the chamber. An Abyss warrior was stationed outside. He turned. Shenwolf's dagger slid cleanly between his ribs. The warrior uttered a soft surprised gasp; his life departed him and his corpse crumpled to the flagstones.

  Shenwolf dragged the body into the chamber and pushed the door almost shut, leaving just a narrow gap. He positioned himself so that he might peer through and view the stairs outside.

  'If any others come, you will order them to throw down their weapons,' Leth commanded Urch-Malmain.

  'What do you want?'

  'For now, to talk without interruption, chicanery or bewitchment.'

  'May I stand?'

  Leth nodded. Urch-Malmain clambered to his feet, rubbing one shoulder and touching the back of a hand tenderly to his cheek where it had met Leth's fist. His eyes were moist and offended. 'How valorous, Swordbearer, to charge in here like a berserk blue armour-clad ape and bully an invalid!'

  Leth ignored him. Urch-Malmain squinted at his helm and the reflective visor. He mouthed something beneath his breath, then looked at Galry and Jace. His eyes lit up. 'Ah, are these your lovely children again? Have they have come back to see me also? I am honoured and charmed. Except . . . there are too many of you. You crowd this space. It is uncomfortable. Would you be so kind as to leave now, please'

  Leth leaned forward and drew free Urch-Malmain's rapier from its scabbard. Urch-Malmain's manner disconcerted him. While the Noeticist had plainly been taken unawares, his self-recovery was remarkable. His attitude now was slyly jovial and knowing. He seemed suddenly to be almost relishing the situation.

  From within the living artefact murmurs and whispers began to issue.

  'Swordbearer! It is the Swordbearer!'

  'The Swordbearer, yes. What does he want? What does he want?'

  'Iss, bring Galry and Jace away from the Portal,' said Leth. There was no response. '. . . Iss? Issul?'

  He stepped back from Urch-Malmain, his sword levelled at the Noeticist's throat, and quickly flicked a glance over his shoulder. Instantly he knew alarm.

  'Galry, Jace, where is your mother?'

  The children turned to the Portal. 'She was with us,' Prince Galry said, and his voice quavered. 'She said she was coming.'

  Neither child's face was visible, but their voices tore at Leth's heart; they were distressed and struggling to hold back their fear.

  'Perhaps she had another, unmissable appointment,' quipped Urch-Malmain. 'It happens. Sometimes one forgets these things.'

  Leth shouted to the entity, Aztin, 'Aztin, have you blocked the way and prevented her passage?'

  'I have done nothing,' replied Aztin in a peeved voice.

  Leth issued a curt command. 'Shenwolf, go back. Find out what has happened to Issul.'

  Shenwolf strode without hesitation across the chamber to the Portal.

  'No!' declared Urch-Malmain. 'Aztin, allow no one through!'

  Shenwolf stepped beneath the silver arch. Nothing happened.

  'Urch-Malmain, I will slay you here where you stand,' seethed Leth.

  'Then do so,' replied the Noeticist. 'And you will be trapped here forever, never finding what you need. And please step back a little, Swordbearer. Your proximity is truly an offence against my person.'

  Leth's breath shuddered. All advantage was lost, all surprise gone. Roles were reversed. Urch-Malmain smiled a crooked smile. 'Well, I think we are in a better position to engage in a little haggling now, aren't we.'

  The voices of the Portal entities grew more dominant.

  'The Swordbearer has returned!'

  'The Swordbearer! The Swordbearer! What is his purpose?'

  'Does he commit crimes?'

  'Does he wish to slay Master Urch?'

  'Why does he bring such violence?'

  Urch-Malmain grew impatient and ordered them to shut up. Shenwolf stepped angrily from the Portal and returned to his station at the door.

  'So what is it you want, Swordbearer?' enquired Urch-Malmain. 'And put away your sword, you impetuous king. It is no longer relevant.'

  Leth fought with the urge to drive the blade through Urch-Malmain's heart.

  'It would avail you nothing,' said Urch-Malmain, and Leth had the discomfiting feeling - as he had had before - that his enemy had read his mind. Urch-Malmain continued. 'I admit, I am surprised to see you. I sent servants to find you and just three returned, all bedraggled with self-pitying tales of capture and escape. I thought you were lost to me. And now you come rudely bursting in, committing injury upon my person and murdering a guard without provocation when I thought you desired nothing more than to be wholly free of me. You are an enigmatic fellow.'

  Leth was in turmoil. Issul's failure to appear had utterly shaken him. He glanced back again and again at the Portal, praying to see her standing there. But she did not come. What could have happened?

  He was seized by indecision. What now? I cannot abandon it all. But Iss . . . Issul. . .

  Urch-Malmain was peering at the visor again. 'Intriguing. A pathetically simple device, yet should I try to meet your gaze I see only my own reflection. Hmm. An old trick. Should I try to alter the minds of any one of you, would I succeed only in mesmerizing myself? Plainly, that is your belief. Or your hope, at least. Well, we shall see. But you name my two dear and ancient friends, Orbelon and Triune. What of them? Are they well? They have sent you here? Do they extend fond greetings? What do they wish of me?'

  Quite suddenly Leth became aware of the tone of his voice: a silky monotone delivered with quiet and sure calculation.

  'Cease!' Leth ordered loudly. He felt his mind was swimming, and recognized that Urch-Malmain ha
d taken the moment, was directing his voice in such a manner as to lull him into reverie. He blinked several times, clearing his thoughts, ever more conscious of the power and guile of the foe he faced.

  'Leth, what is troubling you?' enquired Urch-Malmain, then uttered a squawk as Shenwolf stepped up from behind him and slipped a blindfold over his eyes. 'What is this! How dare you! This is an outrage!'

  'Beware his voice, also,' warned Leth.

  Shenwolf was tying Urch-Malmain's arms. 'Shall I gag him too?'

  'No, we must talk. But be alert to his wiles.' He addressed Urch-Malmain again. 'You surely know the answer to your question. They seek their Souls.'

  Urch-Malmain's fleshy lips curled. 'Their Souls? And they believe I have them?'

  'Or have knowledge of where they were hidden by Strymnia.'

  'I see. The bargaining position becomes clear.'

  'Is it so?'

  Urch-Malmain did not answer directly. 'What do I stand to gain by giving you this information?'

  'Your freedom.'

  'Hah, Leth, to you take me for a cabbage-head? Do they? Orbelon and Triune will never permit me to return to Enchantment.'

  'You are wrong. They have no wish to destroy you, as you must surely know. The death of any one of you diminishes Enchantment. It is ironic, but they wish you back among them - so long as they are in possession of their Souls. They do not even seek to destroy your mentor, Strymnia, only to temper her strivings.'

  'She was never my mentor!' snapped Urch-Malmain with sudden pique.

  'It matters not. You are surely aware that Triune controls the tail of the Portal. She also observes us now. Without her assistance you will never be permitted to leave Orbelon's World.'

  Urch-Malmain cocked his head as if darting his gaze around the chamber from behind the blindfold, seeking evidence of Leth's statement. He grimaced irefully. 'Triune . . .'

  He let the words trail away.

  Leth saw no reason to inform him that Triune could not hear their conversation. Nor was he prepared to reveal that Triune's 'control' of the Portal's tail was limited indeed. He wondered, had Triune seen what had become of Issul?

  'We should discuss this Portal also,' Leth said. 'Are you aware of what you have done here?'

  'Quite aware.'

  'You are bringing about the death of Orbelon's World.'

  'What is that to me?'

  'If you are trapped here, it is everything, so I would have thought. But the process will wreak catastrophic effects upon our own world, too. You are undoing yourself.'

  Urch-Malmain shook his blind head. 'The process is reversible provided that action is taken soon. When I am free I will have the Portal dismantled. The energy accumulation will be redistributed and dispersed.'

  'Both Orbelon and Triune are interested only in their Souls,' said Leth. 'Without them they are finished. They cannot withstand Strymnia, nor you if they allow you to return. I think you know them and can recognize the truth of my words. They will not under any circumstances allow you liberty until they are in possession of their Souls.'

  'Then they are fools!' snarled Urch-Malmain, twisting against his bonds. 'Very soon the energy accumulation will be irreversible.'

  'So you will die here, with this world and everything within it. You will have achieved nothing. Or you must dismantle the Portal and wait further eons before you have the resources to construct another. Even then, they will be aware of you, and waiting.'

  'Bah! Pah!' Urch-Malmain jerked himself away, scowling. 'They dangle you well, marionette king!'

  'Where are the Souls, Urch-Malmain!' roared Leth with sudden wrath that seemed to startle the Noeticist. 'Tell me now, or you are lost!'

  Urch-Malmain stood still for a moment, then spoke in a more subdued voice. 'Unbind me, Leth. I will tell you what I know, and there will be no trickery. But these indignities are unnecessary.'

  Leth considered, then nodded to Shenwolf.

  'Are you sure, Sire?'

  'Aye. I think he toys with us. All is masque and affectation. I do not know the extent of his powers but I suspect that bindings like these, though they are infused with Enchantment's magic, will not hold him. But he knows Triune observes and has him entombed. He must tell what he knows or perish.'

  'Quite so!' declared Urch-Malmain, and as Shenwolf approached him to untie the blindfold and bindings, they fell away as if of their own bidding. Urch-Malmain grinned at Leth, then cast his gaze swiftly around the chamber again. He raised his withered arm and clawed at the air. 'Triune!'

  'She sees you, be assured of that,' said Leth. 'And has done for some time.'

  'And I have prepared for her. That is the point. Did you not think that I might have anticipated all this, that I might have foreseen my possible discovery by one or more of my enemies? Hence the urgency. The energy of the Portal accumulates. It is almost critical. Triune, wherever you may be skulking, you truly have very little time in which to act.'

  'Where are the Souls, Urch-Malmain?'

  'I cannot be wholly certain, and that is the truth. I can tell you only what I believe, and what I was told.'

  'Speak on.'

  'Strymnia betrayed me, as you know. But her plan - indeed our plan - was that the Souls of both Orbelon and Triune would be encased here.'

  Leth was incredulous. 'Here? In this tower?'

  'No. In this world; in the Orb. Though of course, it was neither Orb nor world at that time. Nor was it ever intended to be. She placed Orbelon's Soul within the same Encystment of Perpetual Banishment in which she placed him, but separately, where the two might never be joined. It is appropriate, don't you think, that the god and creator who is unable to enter his world should be separated from his own Soul which in fact lies dormant within it?'

  'And Triune? What of her Soul?'

  'The same, as far as I am aware. Though I did not witness it, for I myself was tricked and cast into the Encystment. Still, I have searched diligently since awakening here, and I believe I know now where both Souls may be found.'

  'And you will part with that information?'

  'I will, provided I am permitted to return to Enchantment unopposed, as you say. And I must add that I am not able to deliver the Souls in person.'

  'That is understood, though I will expect all possible assistance in retrieving them. Tell me, then, where are they?'

  'Triune's Soul, I am convinced, lies buried deep beneath the Fortress of the Far Flame. Certainly there is evidence of something lying there.'

  'Ascaria's fortress?'

  'Her role, I perceive, as well as destroyer of this world, was Keeper of the Lost Souls. She was placed within the Encystment by Strymnia as an added safeguard, though it was not intended that she, or we, would ever achieve consciousness.'

  'And the Soul of Orbelon?' enquired Leth.

  'Ah, that is perhaps more difficult. Orbelon's Soul, so I believe, is nowhere to be found.'

  Inside his helm Leth scowled. 'Is this a game you play?'

  'Not at all. Perhaps I can demonstrate. Will you follow me?'

  'Attempt no trickery.'

  'But of course.'

  Urch-Malmain led them out of the chamber of the Living Artefact and up the winding stairs of the Tower of Glancing Memory. They passed several Abyss warriors on the way, who regarded them with darkling looks. On the second level they met Count Harg, emerging from a sidechamber, a jet black lily blossom raised to his nostrils. He stared at Leth with blank surprise and seemed about to pass some comment, but at a glance from Urch-Malmain he held silence.

  Urch-Malmain hauled himself on upwards to the third level, breathing hard and muttering to himself. He opened a door letting them into a small, well-appointed chamber, and slumped down into a chair. He gestured towards a window. 'There, Swordbearer. Go look.'

  Through the lightly tinted glass Leth gazed out upon an uncomforting sight, and his heart fell. A distance away the Shore of Nothing shimmered hazily in the bright Orblight. Its enigmatic coloured sands stretched beneath glea
ming red cliffs, and facing the cliffs, beyond the strange sands, was the End of the World, the Nothing. Leth recalled his vision and experience when he had walked upon the Shore with Lakewander; he felt again his horror of the void that waited beyond, a nauseous swell rising in his gut, and he shuddered.

  I do not want to go there.

  And a voice within him whispered, 'You must.'

  Leth turned back from the window. 'Are you saying that it is there that the Soul of the Orb will be found?'

  Urch-Malmain flexed his twisted spine and smiled unpleasantly. 'All my researches indicate as much. It is within Nowhere.'

  'I understood that survival was impossible within the End of the World.'

  'Who knows what may or may not be?'

  Leth looked at his children, then at Shenwolf. Urch-Malmain roused himself from his seat. 'Well, Leth, Seeker of Souls, Slayer of Devils, King of Enchantment's Reach and Oppressor of Harmless Invalids, am I free to take my leave now?'

  'You will be free, by Triune's and Orbelon's will, when the Souls are recovered, but not before.'

  'Remember, there is little time. The energy grows.'

  'Then you must furnish us with every possible assistance. In addition there is other information I seek from you.'

  'You are adding new conditions?'

  'Only endeavouring to redress the wrongs you have committed and restore the balance of this world before you leave it. But that will wait. For now all effort will be directed to recovering the Souls. Can you return me quickly to the Fortress of the Dark Flame, or am I to travel the Death Abyss again?'

  'A small adjustment of the Portal will take you there instantly. Also, Rasgul, Harg and others are available to lend you assistance, if you so desire.'

  'I want nothing of servants of yours. What perils can I anticipate?'

  'I do not know. Perhaps many, perhaps none. Those that you have already defeated remain subdued. If others guard the Soul, they are unknown to me.'

  Leth strode forward. 'Let us wait no longer.'