The Crooked Letter: Books of the Cataclysm: One

by Sean Williams

  “You helped Yod engineer the Cataclysm in order to use magic against it?” said Agatha, her lips thin with anger. “Is that what you're telling us?”

  “Yes.”

  “That was your sole motivation?”

  “I'm not saying that. Not even remotely. I want the Cataclysm; I want the realms united. I just don't want Yod on the throne when it happens.”

  “You'd put yourself in charge instead, I suppose,” said Seth.

  “The Sisters, the Eight, the handsome king. Anyone but Yod would make me happy.” Her gaze swept over them all as though looking for support. “Don't you see? We should all work together in order to make that happen!”

  “Very inspiring,” said Agatha as Sheol shook around them again. “I'm sure the dead and devoured would thank you for your charity.”

  “It's not them I'm thinking of,” Kybele snapped. “They would have died anyway; Yod's plan was far too advanced to save them. Those who remain alive and free are the ones who matter; they have a chance of remaining that way, with our help. After the Cataclysm, we can fight back as we have never been able to before—Baal and all the deii of the First Realm alongside Barbelo and her allies in the Second. Together we can remove the shadow that has fallen across our worlds and be free again.”

  Synett looked up at the mention of his mistress. “Barbelo does not share your goal,” he said. “She wishes to rule again from Elvidner, as she did before Yod arrived. She is not interested in sharing power.”

  “Then she will die with the rest of us.”

  “You are not in a position to issue threats,” Agatha spat. “You have destroyed our world and forced us into a cage. Now you offer us a key and tell us to be grateful! I would undo your treachery, were it my choice to make. I would not hesitate for an instant.”

  “It's not your choice, Agatha,” said Meg sternly. “You aren't human; the Third Realm holds no promise for you. The same goes for you, Kybele, and the Holy Immortals, and the kaia.”

  Agatha shot Kybele a hate-filled stare, but backed down. “You are right. I'm sorry. The decision is Seth's.”

  “And ours,” said Ana.

  “What about me?” asked Ellis with a scowl. “Don't I get a chance to put in my two cents’ worth?”

  “Of course.” Meg smiled and held out her arms. “You will have much more than that.”

  Another strong jolt rocked Sheol. Seth staggered, and felt Xol's familiar hand steadying him.

  “Aren't there more immediate things to worry about?” he asked. “If whoever's out there gets in here, this entire discussion is moot.”

  “They will not enter,” said Ana, turning to him. “The boundary is closed while we decide on this matter. The outside holds no threat to us.”

  “It certainly feels like a threat.”

  “What you feel is not an attack,” said Meg. “It is the deformation of the realm as Yod makes its advance. Bardo has collapsed just enough for the Babel Towers to penetrate the First Realm. Yod has begun the crossing-over, the bridging of its will that will allow it to overtake its new domain. It has committed itself to the act and cannot turn back. Now is when it is most vulnerable.”

  “So we should do this quickly,” said Seth, “if we're going to do it at all.”

  “Yes,” said Xol, “I am tired of this world-line. The sooner it's closed, the better.”

  “No.” The flat pronouncement came from an unexpected quarter. “There will be no such choice.”

  Now what? thought Seth as he turned to face the sole remaining kaia.

  “Do you wish to take up Kybele's case, Spekoh?” asked Ana.

  “Your arguments are irrelevant to us.” The kaia spread its arms. Its slight body began to glow like coals, just as it had when Kybele attacked the one left behind by the Vaimnamne and when defending Seth from Quetzalcoatl. Seth felt its will sweep across him like the beam of a heat ray.

  “This world-line will remain open,” it declared as a sphere of crimson fire engulfed Ana and Meg. “We are here to make certain of that fact.”

  Seth reeled away from the sudden heat. The Sisters were visible only as frozen black silhouettes. Xol rushed forwards, but the power of the kaia was too intense. The dimane fell back, hands covering his face.

  “Spekoh, no!” Agatha stepped forwards, reaching for the rings tucked into her clothing. “I won't let you do this!”

  “We will attain our former glory,” said the kaia, “when we stand again at Yod's side. So it has been promised to us. None shall get in our way!”

  At the heart of Sheol, the sphere of fire intensified, dimming even the bright mote of the Flame. The Sisters vanished into the fire. Seth couldn't understand why the kaia was so hard to resist; there was only one of them. But then he remembered that the kaia were linked everywhere across the Second Realm. The one before him was merely the tip of the iceberg.

  The betrayer will become known to you, he thought with despair. Tatenen had been right. The kaia hadn't at any point said anything that would constitute an outright lie; they had promised only to see them to the end of their quest. And it would end right now if the kaia had their way.

  The outside holds no threat to us, Ana had said. But she hadn't mentioned the inside.

  Silver sparked from the tips of Agatha's fingers as she gathered her will to strike.

  “Wait!” Kybele lunged forwards and took her arm. Fire painted their faces with fierce golden light. “Don't be so hasty. The kaia are doing exactly what we need.”

  “They're murdering the Sisters.”

  “They're giving us a shot at self-determination!”

  “Let go of me.” Agatha's voice was frosty. “I will not countenance this crime.”

  “More fool you, then.” Kybele did step back, but didn't capitulate. Her hands came up wielding magic of their own: a black curved blade like shadow forged into metal. “I've tried using reason, so now I'll argue from the heart. If the Sisters choose to trap Seth here, the Cataclysm will be permanent. What will happen to your precious realm then? To mine? They'll be destroyed!”

  “I'm prepared to take that chance.”

  “Well, I'm not. I intend to fight for my home even if you aren't.” Kybele looked over her shoulder at Xol. “And you! Break the Sisters’ hold on the Fire and you and your brother can go free. Do you intend to let your so-called friend ruin your best hope of salvation? Fight with me, and we'll all get what we want!”

  Agatha and Xol exchanged a glance. “We came here for a purpose,” she said, raising mirror-finished palms to ward off an attack. “We're not leaving until we've seen it through.”

  Xol nodded in agreement.

  Kybele shook her head. “Have it your way, then.” The shadowblade lashed so suddenly for Agatha's head that Seth almost didn't see it. Agatha defended herself with liquid ease, then counterattacked by scratching bright red lines in the air that whipped and cracked at Kybele's face. Raw will sparked like lightning between them. Seth reeled away as the two women fought over the kaia, while behind them the Sisters burned in the heart of the sphere.

  Kybele screeched in rage, bending all her power to knock Agatha back. Her human aspect dissolved in the process, unravelling like a knitted doll. Black tentacles coiled and uncoiled with malignant intent. Agatha vanished under them, then reappeared a moment later, barely human herself. Seth couldn't quite make out what was going on, but he caught glimpses of Agatha's determined face in the centre of ten lethal blades. Darkness threatened to engulf her. Smoke swirled as though flapped by mighty wings.

  For a moment, it looked as though Agatha's light might prevail.

  Then the heat ray swung away from the Sisters and focussed on both women. With horrifying suddenness, Kybele and Agatha burst into bright blue flames.

  “We will attain our former glory,” the kaia said again. “None shall stand in our way.”

  With a bright flash, both women disappeared into sparkling motes of light.

  “No!” Seth cried as Agatha's ten silver rings jingled
to the floor. The edge of the fiery beam splashed over Ellis, who recoiled as though physically struck. The Holy Immortals gathered around her protectively. Xol just stared at the place Agatha had stood with dismay etched deep in his inhuman features.

  Seth resolved to step in before someone else was killed. The kaia wouldn't want to kill him, for that would stop the Cataclysm in its tracks and ruin the plans of their master. He alone could act with impunity.

  One of Agatha's rings had rolled to a halt close by his feet. Brimming over with rage, he bent down and picked it up. It shimmered like water, holding its shape but already beginning the disintegration wrought by the passage of Agatha's will. He gripped it tightly in his one remaining fist.

  They work like lenses, Agatha had told him. They focus my will.

  Gritting his teeth, he gathered all his pent-up resentment and frustration. The kaia had killed his friend and would betray everything she had striven to achieve, if given the chance. Emotions boiled within him, yearning for release. Sheol quaked around him. He opened his mouth to set free a scream that would shake the world.

  Before he could make a sound, the kaia shivered into dust. It expressed no surprise or fear. It simply collapsed in on itself then exploded into a cloud of ash. Stinging hot motes stuck to Seth's skin. His nostrils filled with smoke.

  The red sphere around the Sisters peeled back.

  “Thank you, Seth,” said Ana, brushing down her robe. “We are quite capable of defending ourselves when we need to.”

  “Eventually,” added Meg.

  “But—what happened?” He wiped ashen tears from his eyes, stunned. Ellis was blinking and shaking her head. Xol and Quetzalcoatl had backed away and stood together on the far side of the sphere. “Did you kill them?”

  “Yes, and all their kind. They saw Sheol, as was their desire, and now their lives are spent.”

  Seth imagined kaia all across the Second Realm disintegrating where they stood. The Sisters hadn't needed him at all.

  The ring in his hand crumbled and evaporated into nothing, leaving all the emotion he had summoned exactly where it was.

  He fell to his knees, choking on grief and a strong sense of futility. What did it matter what he did or tried to do? It never worked out the way he wanted it to. Agatha would be unavenged and he would remain trapped by the machinations of others for what little life remained to him. He wasn't the strong one at all any more!

  Does he know who he is?

  Wildly, despairing, he wondered what Hadrian would have done, had he been there in his place.

  “The gesture was well meant,” said Meg reassuringly, from her great height. “It has been noted.”

  “Yes, sister. It has been noted.”

  “And now I think we've heard enough.”

  “I agree.”

  Meg held up her arms. “Seth Castillo, have you made your choice? Do you request the assistance of the Sisters in this matter? Is it your wish to enter your life-tree at a time shortly prior to your death in order to pursue another ending? Will you abide by the decision of the Sisters to help or not to help you?”

  It had become very quiet in the wake of the kaia's attack, and the death of Agatha and Kybele. The shaking of Sheol had momentarily ceased. The Sisters’ domain was as silent as a tomb.

  Seth swallowed his self-pity and climbed wearily to his feet. If he was going to make good of the situation, this was his last chance.

  “Yes,” he said, trying to keep his voice even, “let's do it.”

  “Then it will be done,” Ana said. “Please come forwards and take our hands.”

  The Sisters moved so they stood on either side of the Flame. Its bright light cast deep shadows on their faces. He stepped closer, as instructed, and only as he held out his right arm did he realise that his hand had regenerated. He flexed it numbly, and placed it in Ana's left palm.

  Meg smiled at him. He didn't feel comforted. His flesh came and went with impunity, but he didn't think it would be so easy to bring Agatha back.

  “It's time,” said Ana.

  Meg's gaze slid over his shoulder to someone behind him.

  “Time for what?”

  “Some say that the goddess destroyed the old gods so we would be free. Some say the old gods put on new faces and walk among us still. Some say that the world has changed too much for them, and that they could not exist here any more, even if they wanted to.

  Some say the old gods killed each other. Some say that there were never any gods in the first place.

  Some say that change, not the goddess, was what destroyed them in the end.”

  THE BOOK OF TOWERS, EXEGESIS 12:29

  Hadrian came back to himself piece by piece, as though waking from a very deep sleep. The light came and went in waves, too. With each pulse, more of the world filtered through.

  A circle of men and women surrounded him, apparently made out of glowing green jade. There was a bald, black man with bandaged hands. There was a monster he had seen in a dream—solidly built with forwards-thrusting head, a snake's mouth and fangs, and a crest of not-quite-feathers down its skull and back—but there were two of them now, identical apart from a gleaming wound on one's temple. The air was full of smoke or very fine dust.

  “It's time,” a woman said from behind him.

  “Time for what?” he asked.

  The world spun around him.

  “Who said that?”

  The panicky voice was his, and it came from his head. But he hadn't spoken.

  “Seth?”

  “Hadrian?”

  The world swung giddily. He had no control over it at all. Glimpses of a bright point of light and two older women came and went too quickly for him to focus on them. Everyone was staring at him, expressions of surprise and alarm on their faces.

  “Oh, my god.”

  Understanding came like a slap. The people were staring at Seth, too. He and his brother were in the same body, their faces pointing in opposite directions.

  The giddy motion ceased.

  “You're kidding,” he heard Seth say. Hands he had no control of patted at his face. Hadrian tried automatically to twist away, and the head they both inhabited did shift slightly.

  “It's better than being hollow,” said the bald man. “Now you're Janus, and no one will ever sneak up on you again.”

  Seth swung angrily on him. “Shut it.”

  With that movement, Hadrian's view settled on the older women. Two were close by, robed in blue, and appeared to be holding his hands. A third woman he hadn't seen before stood nearby, dressed and veiled in black. He recognised her from a dream.

  “Hello, Hade.”

  “Ellis?”

  “None other. Welcome to the madhouse.”

  Such was his surprise that he managed for a moment to wrest control of his head completely from his brother. “Oh, Jesus. I'm so sorry.”

  “You and me both. Believe me.”

  “I thought she—” Hadrian could feel Seth struggling to regain control. His field of view shook violently from side to side as they wrestled mentally with each other. “I didn't mean—”

  “Get out,” his brother hissed, “of my head!”

  There was a tearing sound.

  Hadrian staggered forwards, suddenly released. He had his own body now, not just eyes staring out the back of his brother's head. Momentarily off balance, he put out two perfectly ordinary-looking hands to steady himself. He appeared to be wearing the same bloodstained clothes he had left behind on the mountain. His fingernails were dirty and split. On the surface, very little had changed.

  Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he turned to confront his brother.

  Seth was as a mask, a waxwork dummy. On the outside, where he could see himself, he looked real and solid, but his inside was completely absent. He was hollow. Only his face remained permanently visible.

  “So that's what I look like,” his brother said, backing away from the two women guarding the bright light. His expression
mirrored the surprise Hadrian felt. “Jesus.”

  Hadrian didn't know who to stare at: monsters or glowing people or hollow reflections of himself. He wanted to run to Ellis, but her posture was defensive and her veil completely opaque.

  “What's wrong?” Hadrian asked Ellis, hearing his voice as though from a great distance. “What's happened to your face? What did Locyta do to you?”

  “Who?” she said to him. “I was like this when I woke up here, after Shathra found me.”

  One of the green people bowed. Hadrian was barely keeping up. He was lost among so many new faces, in the midst of so much unfamiliar context.

  “I am Meg,” said the taller of the two women by the light, with a pitying look on her face. Her hair looked like a helmet of ice, close about her head.

  “And I am Ana,” said the other, as sharp-eyed as a blackbird. “By your arrival here in Sheol, Hadrian, the Cataclysm is stalled. But this is only a temporary measure. It will commence again the moment you return to your body—as you must before long, or lose connection with it forever. Yod is stretched until then across Bardo, unable to complete its advance but unable also to retreat. We have a moment, now, in which to act.”

  Both women held open their hands, indicating that Seth and Hadrian should join them in a circle around the bright point of light. Seth seemed to know what was going on; he moved forwards and took Ana's hand without hesitation. Hadrian warily took Meg's.

  The two brothers looked at each other. There was a small black ankh tattooed on Seth's chest and another, stranger design near his left wrist. It flashed in and out of view, consisting of two squares spinning furiously around each other.