Lore of Sanctum Omnibus

by Elaina J Davidson

  ~ Codicil to Steps of the Magical Condition

  Torrke

  THE TEMPERATURE WAS bearable in Torrke, the ground without snow.

  The valley was generally milder than the rest of the continent, but it was not exactly warm, and both shivered.

  “It was the solstice yesterday,” Tianoman remarked.

  “I know. And tomorrow is solstice on Sanctuary.” He chuckled. “It means now it really gets cold.”

  “We haven’t had much snow.”

  “It’s coming.”

  “Did my father like the cold?” Tianoman asked.

  “Do you?” Torrullin countered.

  “No.”

  “Neither did Tymall.”

  “And you?”

  “I prefer colder weather.”

  “Samuel did, too. And Tristamil?”

  “Tian, you cannot prove genetics with climactic preferences.”

  “Did Tristamil prefer the cold?” Tianoman asked.

  “No, he enjoyed sunshine. In that my sons were very alike.”

  Tianoman seemed relieved. He nodded and wandered over to the nearest crypt. It was the one Torrullin opened for his mother Millanu’s remains, and there his father Taranis joined her. His mother and father, together in death. Tristamil’s urn, too, rested within.

  Torrullin always gravitated towards it when transporting to the sacred Graveyard and this time was no different. Now he watched Tianoman halt before the stone door, watched him run seeking fingers over the inscription as he had himself done many a time.

  “You knew your father,” Tianoman whispered.

  No, I did not, Torrullin thought, and said aloud, “I had the privilege of a few years with him.

  “Did you love him?”

  “I hated him …”

  Tianoman was astonished.

  “… once, and then loved him dearly.”

  “How do you change how you feel?”

  Torrullin put his hand to the names there. “You try to understand their choices. Taranis did not abandon me, yet I blamed him for it, and for most other ills, until I began to understand the fates of his life. In the end I loved my father very much.” He took Tianoman’s shoulders and held him at arm’s length. “Do you hate your father?”

  Tianoman pulled away. “How can I hate someone I have never met?”

  A sigh sounded. “I did.”

  Tianoman stared at him. “Yes, I hate him.”

  “Good.”

  “Good?” Tianoman blurted.

  “It is easier to hear the truth about someone you hate, than of someone you love. If I were to begin expounding now about Samuel’s complicated life, you would deny what you hear, but I am able to say anything about Tymall and you will listen.”

  Tianoman pounced on one thing. “Samuel, complicated?”

  “Very, but we are not here to speak of him.”

  Tianoman bit his lip and nodded. He changed direction. “How come I can see you in darkness?”

  “A trick of mine.”

  “Are you all they say you are?”

  “We are not here to discuss me.”

  Tianoman squeezed his eyes shut and then sat, head on knees, arms loosely clasped. “You must think I am a coward.”

  Torrullin sat with his back to the crypt, legs stretched out. For a moment he was reminded of another time, sitting back to stone with Cat. Pregnant Cat, but she had not known. He pushed the memory away; when he thought of it, he also thought of hurting Saska.

  “You are not a coward, Tian.”

  “I am. Tell me about my father.” He did not lift his head.

  “I will put it into perspective for you. Tymall was unrecognised in the womb. I discovered the error too late and my hope was love would change the fates. I loved him and there was no distinction in my heart between him and his twin. Love was not enough. Tymall came to his Coming-of-Age and was unmasked. Today I understand love would have been enough …”

  Tianoman’s head lifted.

  “… had he not been inhabited by the Darak Or before he was born. Another mistake on my part. I should have searched for Margus’ essence longer and with greater insight.”

  “You were new to being Enchanter.”

  “That is an excuse. I should have done more and paid more attention to the twins’ mother. Unfortunately that time came and went a long time ago and the tale has unfolded. Tymall, as host to Margus, could not be swayed and Tymall, separate from Margus, chose the one who had recognised him and became a Darak Or in training. He denied me, admitted what he did to Saska, and I could not forgive, and thus Tristamil became the son I always wanted. Tymall hated me for that and hated his brother. He tried to rape Saska and he murdered Taranis, which I cannot forgive. I had him incarcerated and he chose suicide as his revenge on us.”

  Tianoman whispered, “They were symbiotic twins. Both live or both die.”

  “And he knew. It hurt more than anything has ever hurt. It still hurts.”

  “I am sorry.”

  “Do not take on that of your father, Tian. The blame isn’t yours.”

  Tianoman swallowed. His eyes were glued to Torrullin’s face, seeing emotions he had not yet seen in his short life.

  “I thought I lost them. I knew of other realms, but did not have the greater knowledge to realise death is not final. It changed when I journeyed beyond, and now we come to the time you were conceived.”

  Torrullin leaned back and closed his eyes.

  “I was absent for two thousand years, but my actual time on the Plane was ten days. I returned with every memory fresh. Tymall, on the other hand, was drawn to the realm of Digilan and spent four thousand years away. One can learn a lot in that kind of time, especially if one seeks revenge. Tymall became Warlock in Digilan and his one driving force was the vengeance he would visit upon me and mine. He returned to Valaris through a doorway and his first act was murder and rape. When I returned he was waiting and the hell began. He captured Saska, took Margus and humiliated him, and commenced the extermination of every Valla, and laid the blame at my feet.”

  Torrullin sighed and opened his eyes to find Tianoman still fixated on him.

  “But he did not figure he would fall in love, and it changed everything. He met Fay, was attracted to her, and Fay and I decided to use it against him. It worked long enough for me to rescue Saska and Margus, and then Fay fell in love with Tymall. The two of them were alike, both with issues they could not resolve, but while Tymall was darak, Fay was lumin. What she was rubbed off on him, and vice versa. They became one, in a sense, and in that oneness you were conceived.”

  Torrullin straightened to look directly into Tianoman’s eyes.

  “Your mother loved you, never doubt it. Your father was faced with a choice. One, kill your mother and his unborn baby and thus claim rights to Valaris, Luvanor and Digilan, and, two, choose life for you and return to Digilan. There were nuances, but those were the choices. He chose life for you, Tian, and why? Because he was there when you were born, he recognised you, and he loved you, he loved your mother. No father who holds his son in his arms can hate that son; this you must trust.”

  Tianoman was paralysed. His eyes were huge in his face.

  “That alone was sufficient to place Tymall of the Path of Shades, but there was more. We made our peace, for I too held my son in my arms and I loved him, I still love him, and Tymall was instrumental in saving Valaris from the Mor Feru of Digilan. The evil Warlock no longer saw in black and white, no longer walked the darak road. The Path of Shades holds all nuances between and your father acts in those shadows as I do. Those shadows prompted him to exact a promise, two in fact. One, I present to my heirs an equal opportunity at the Throne and, two, I bring you to him once you came of Age. He was willing to relinquish this reality for one chance of seeing you as an adult. He loves you.”

  “It doesn’t mean I must love him,” Tianoman whispered.

  “No, but perhaps you may eventually understand him, and in that lays a measure of peac
e.”

  Tianoman looked away. “I once overheard Yiddin telling Sirlasin my father left traps for me, particularly in Grinwallin.”

  “They were not traps for you; they were there for me and Tristan and Teroux. He hoped to bring you onto the darak road.”

  “He did that, and you say he loved me?”

  “They were set before his change of heart, and could not be undone before Digilan exerted influence over him.”

  “Yiddin also said it never came to pass, those traps.”

  Torrullin drew breath, and chose the truth. “They were there throughout your life, largely in Grinwallin. I have negated them over the years without anyone knowing.”

  “Oh, god.”

  “I promised to give you an equal chance, and that is what I have done.”

  “And I thought you didn’t care,” Tianoman whispered.

  “Tian, I did not see Tristan born, or Teroux, but I was there helping you draw your first breath. As your father loved you the moment he laid eyes on you, thus I loved you.” He took a huge breath and let it out on a laugh. “And in that moment my son and I finally understood each other, and I knew he loved me. That, Tian, is why I shall take you to Digilan. Love.”

  Tianoman hyperventilated and then came his tears.

  Torrullin allowed him to weep without interference, knowing the release would do good. He sat back, closed his eyes and waited.

  Minutes passed and then Tianoman was on his feet, walking into the night.

  Torrullin waited.

  HALF AN HOUR LATER Tianoman kneeled before Torrullin’s apparently sleeping form. “Torrullin?”

  Torrullin opened one eye. “Good, you have found my name.”

  Tianoman was diffident. “Tristan does it.”

  “With good reason.”

  “He said something about ‘grandfather’ being a pedestal.”

  “He’s right.”

  “Calling you by name makes you more real.”

  “It sets both of us free, yes.”

  “What would I call my father?”

  Torrullin opened the other eye as well. “You will know when the time comes.”

  “What did you call your father?”

  Torrullin’s lips quirked. “Taranis, and it sometimes rankled him. Other times I called him father, and that somehow pissed him off more.”

  Tianoman smiled. “There are no rules?”

  “No, son, there are no rules.”

  “Tristan was the lucky one, wasn’t he? Growing up with both parents, knowing his place always?”

  Torrullin nodded. “Yes, he was fortunate in that.”

  “Teroux had it harder, didn’t he, harder even than me - knowing his parents and then losing them both young?”

  “True,” Torrullin murmured.

  Tianoman sat. “So I am not so bad off. My father still lives.”

  “Tannil lives. Teroux cannot go to him, however. You will soon see your father.”

  “Why can you not take Teroux to his father?”

  “Why do I not take Tristan to say goodbye to Samuel and Curin? Who gets to go, who wants to be found - where are the lines?”

  “But I get to do this?”

  “Different. I know he wants to see you.”

  “By implication …”

  “Samuel and Curin would not place that kind of burden on Tristan. They are on a new journey; their son walks his own path now.”

  “What about Tannil?”

  “What about him?”

  “He was lost to Teroux at a young age. Surely Teroux deserves to know why, how - he loved his father!”

  Torrullin sighed. “Tannil cannot be found.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means his soul was shattered in the manner of his leaving. There is not enough of him in one place for Teroux to recognise.”

  Tianoman paled. “You call that living?”

  “Yes, out there.”

  “Does Teroux know?”

  “No.”

  “I would feel terrible if I get to see my father and Teroux cannot.”

  Torrullin leaned forward with a sigh. “I understand, but know this. If I do not take you to Digilan, Valaris could be invaded by Mor Feru. Tymall would send them, believing I reneged.”

  “No!”

  “Path of Shades, son.”

  “Then it isn’t for love!”

  “It is. I merely add the flipside; do not use Teroux’s pain as an excuse to continue bearing your own.”

  Tianoman blanched and hung his head. “I don’t know what I want.”

  “Choose with your head now; later allow your heart to speak for you.”

  A long silence followed. “We go to Digilan.”

  “Yes, and remember it is part of reaching for maturity. Trust in yourself, trust in a future, and do not allow your fears of this new unknown to cloud your choices at the Coming-of-Age. A successful ceremony is in your hands alone.”

  “I understand.”

  “Come and talk to me anytime you feel threatened by this.”

  Tianoman managed a smile. “I think I will be bending your ear often.”

  “Anytime.”

  Tianoman heaved a sigh and seemed to settle. “Tymall saved Valaris?”

  “He did.”

  “But he also brought the threat.”

  “Not exactly. He had nothing to do with the Mor Feru - those we call draithen here - for he came alone. Agnimus placed Valaris under siege and Tymall stopped him.”

  “You stopped the first draithen invasion.”

  A moment’s silence. “Yes, and in such a manner I tied my hands for the second wave. Had not Tymall sent the Tracloc from Digilan, Valaris would now be a different place.”

  “Why do you keep insisting Tymall saved us? It is as if you want him remembered for something good.”

  “He did good and that should not be forgotten.”

  “One more thing - I must ask, I’m sorry.”

  Torrullin knew what was coming, and knew also Tianoman needed to put it in words. “Ask.”

  “He killed your father, Tristamil, Vania, Caltian and Mitrill, and he caused Tannil’s insanity. He decimated the Vallas, leaving only you, Samuel and three young boys. All that, and he also killed the Guardians and many innocents. You say you understood him, but how can you understand that? How can you forgive it?”

  “Understanding is not forgiveness.”

  Tianoman pounced. “You have not forgiven him?”

  “I cannot forgive Taranis’ death, no, and Tymall knows it. I thought I would never overcome Tristamil’s and then I saw him again to know, without doubt, my beloved son is in the place his goodness is able to shine. Tristamil remains who he is because he died, and while I mourn his passing, I see now Tymall gifted him something greater than life on this plane. Tristamil forgave his brother; how can I not do the same?”

  Tianoman gave a mournful sigh, too young to grasp it.

  “As for the Guardians; it was written such an event had to happen. The Guardians needed to make way for the Kaval. It was a terrible thing and hard to overcome, but now it is, and we have moved forward.” Torrullin gave a shrug. “Were Declan or Belun to run into Tymall anywhere, they would tear him limb from limb, or die trying. They will never forgive. I accept that, even knowing he is my son.”

  “Doesn’t it make it hard in the Dome?”

  “Why should it? I understand them as they understand me.”

  “And the Vallas?”

  Torrullin lifted his shoulders and dropped them. “There is no easy answer. I guess I am able to live with those deaths because he is shut away in Digilan.”

  “And were he to come back?”

  “I would be forced to exact due punishment.”

  “Your own son?”

  “Yes.”

  “It cannot be easy for you.”

  “No.”

  “Torrullin, do people see me as a product of my father? Are they waiting for his nature to manifest?”

&nbs
p; Only truth would serve. “Many are as you describe, but more take you for yourself, gifting you a clear road.” He pointed a finger at the young man. “That stunt you pulled with the Three Gates did not help. Some said the sins of the father came through, but others called it a prank of necessity.”

  Tianoman dropped his gaze.

  “You have your father’s power, make no mistake. Here you are on the edge of maturity and already you have a toe in the shadows. It is up to you alone where you go from this point.”

  “What if I fail?”

  “It isn’t failing. It is choice.”

  “Would the Throne … well, you know.”

  “With your lineage and a toe in the wrong place, would it regard you as potential Vallorin?”

  Tianoman sighed the word. “Yes.”

  “Look at it this way. I am Vallorin and it chose me twice and everyone knows I am no saint. Tian, I don’t know how it will choose.”

  “Who do you think should be Vallorin?”

  “You do not want me to answer.”

  “So you do have a choice.”

  A bark of a laugh. “Actually, if I had my way, I would carve out three kingdoms, one for each of you, as folk whisper, as the prophecy speaks of.”

  Tianoman’s eyes rounded. “No!”

  Torrullin smiled. “That is my heart talking, son, for I cannot choose between you three.”

  Tianoman smiled, a rare gesture of complete happiness. “Thank you.”

  Torrullin gripped the young man at the neck and pulled him forward to lay a kiss on his head. “I love you, my boy.”

  Tianoman nearly choked on his emotions. “I love you also.”

  They grinned at each other and then Torrullin said, “I am starving. Let us eat, drink and talk of other things, what say you?”

  Tianoman nodded, once more secure in himself.

  Valla Island

  THE LAST ELDERS WERE gone, Teroux was in bed, and that left Tristan with the two women of Torrullin’s past and present.

  They were in the library having coffee and Saska and Caballa were filled with nervous energy. He watched and listened bemusedly.

  “Caballa, on the one hand he is distant, on the other full of concern. It is driving me mad.”