They hurried from the alcove and Rial picked Valry up from the altar. "One of the prayer rooms back down the hall," he said. "The doors locked from the inside."
Inacia nodded and opened the door slowly, checking the hall, then leading Rial from the room.
In the prayer room, Rial laid Valry on the floor while Inacia locked the door.
"We'll want to lay down," Inacia said. She crouched by Hun-Ki. "Guard this room with your life," she told the big dog. He wagged his tail, licking her chin, then turned and laid down, facing the door. Inacia came to sit beside Valry, taking the top from the decanter while Rial sat on Valry's other side. "You might not see me when we first get there," Inacia said. "But I'll find you. Then we'll find Valry."
Rial nodded at her. Inacia took a drink from the wine and handed it to him as she laid back. Rial took a drink, the sweetness cloying and almost nauseating. He set it aside and laid down, feeling himself almost immediately pulled down into a blackness.
His vision cleared and he was in an open area, a fine white mist covering the ground. He could hear running water somewhere off in the distance, but couldn't be sure which direction it came from. Ravens flew overhead, a near continuous line of them flying by in groups of three or four at a time.
"Lord Valin?"
He turned, hearing Inacia's voice, but unable to tell where it came from.
"Here," he said. He heard footsteps, like walking over wet gravel, then she appeared.
"What do you see?" she asked, coming over to him.
"Just an open space," he shook his head. "I can hear water and there are ravens overhead."
"I see a meadow," she said. "Everyone sees something different." She sighed and he could tell she was afraid. She looked around them. "Do you hear anything besides the water?"
"No."
"We'll have to do this the hard way then," she said. Turning away from him, she began calling Valry's name.
**********
Tion stood up, dusting himself off. Rial d'Valin had reached Valry d'Herridon, and that was all he had been waiting for. Now he could go into the temple and wait for them. He turned and pulled himself onto Ayita's back, then reached over and took the leads for the other two horses. He'd gone ahead and retrieved Rial's and Inacia's horses, not wanting to waste any time when they left the temple.
He rode down the hill and followed the path up to the temple's door. Leaving the horses tied outside, he paused, his thoughts touching each of their minds and willing them to stay.
He took his small pack from Ayita's saddle, swinging it onto his back as he walked up to the doors. He reached up and opened one of them, the lock giving way instantly. The priests inside seemed startled, but a touch to their minds and they quickly forgot they'd seen him. He continued walking through the temple, working his way up to where Valry d'Herridon was. He didn't want to cause any chaos in the temple until they were leaving, so for now, he'd simply walk in and go where he needed to, erasing all memory of his presence from each priest he passed.
For not the first time in his existence, he enjoyed the benefits of being the first servant.
**********
Valry opened another door, still seeing nothing.
"Valry, you aren't looking in the right place," the voice scolded her.
"I'm trying to find you," she said. The hallway continued on for what seemed like forever, an endless row of doors left to open.
"Try harder," the voice said gently, encouraging her to continue on.
"Valry!" A woman's voice called to her.
She stopped, the new voice familiar somehow. She wondered if it was her mother, but wasn't sure.
"Who is that?" she asked.
"No one," the voice replied. "Only someone who would lead you far from home. You want to go home, don't you?"
"Yes," she said, opening another door. More emptiness. "I miss papa."
"I can take you home. But you need to find me."
"Why can't you find me?"
"Because that's how the rules work," the voice explained. "You have to find me the first time, and say you will let me take you home. Then after that, I can find you whenever."
"Valry!"
She turned, another new voice, this one male and demanding her attention. Something about that voice caught her attention. Then she heard the tapping, like rocks being thrown against the ground.
One, two, one, two, one, two, three. She repeated the numbers in her mind. One, two, one, two, one, two, three.
One. Two. Three.
She turned away from the next door. One. Two. Three. She was one. Lord Valin was two. Inacia was three. Two taps meant Lord Valin was there. Three taps meant Inacia was there. One, two, three meant they were all there.
They were all there. Lord Valin and Inacia had come for her. She blinked, the fog clearing from her mind. She hadn't known where they were for so long, she'd wondered if they'd followed her when they took her into the temple.
But they were all here.
"Lord Valin!" she called. "Inacia!"
"No, Valry," the other voice said, suddenly urgent. "You have to find me."
"No, I don't," she said, realizing who the voice belonged to now. "You're Zared, and you don't want to take me home." She turned and started running back down the hall. "Lord Valin! Inacia! I'm here!"
She ran, continuing to call to them. After a minute, she heard the rocks again.
"I'm here!"
"Valry!"
She saw Lord Valin come around a corner in the hall, running towards her voice, Inacia right behind him.
"Here!" She ran up to him, jumping into his arms. "How did you get here?" she asked.
"Inacia knew how to get here," he told her. "She knew how to find you here."
"Did you find Zared?" Inacia asked, catching up to them.
Valry shook her head. She paused then, turning her head to look back down the hall. "But I think he's coming," she said after a minute, suddenly afraid. "He said he couldn't find me, but I think he did." She dropped from Lord Valin's arms, hiding behind him. "He's coming," she said, searching all around.
That was when she felt it, buried deep inside her, growing and blossoming like one of the bell-shaped flowers she and her father would pick to take to Jensina's altar for her mother. Growing in brightness, a bright vibrant green that changed to gold. So much brighter and stronger than anything it had been in her dreams.
The Well had found her, here, where her spirit was locked in Zared's spirit realm from Aduran's wine. She felt the link pulling on her, like it did in her dreams, but stronger, pulling her very spirit to it. She realized she was powerless to stop it as it tried to protect her from Zared.
Then the music, just on the edge of her hearing. Crossing from Halona's spirit realm to Zared's. He could hold the door open. The Well could open the door, but the musician could hold it for just a second. If they hurried, they would be able to follow her. She didn't know how she knew, but she did.
"Follow the music," she told Lord Valin. "Listen to it, and follow the music!" She tried to repeat it one last time before the Well pulled her through, but wasn't sure if they heard her.
She blinked, finding herself standing at the edge of the chasm, the Well churning and cresting before her. She crouched down, letting the tendrils lap at her fingers, bright green turning to gold, just like the link inside her. She wasn't here in a dream now, though, she was here as a spirit, like the Wellmage.
The Wellmage. She closed her eyes, reaching out for his link. They were all brighter now, even her father's. She hesitated, realizing he was drawing power from the Well, building it up inside himself. She found the Wellmage's link, pulling on it, letting him know she was there.
Rial grabbed Inacia's hand, concentrating on the music that was barely on the edge of his hearing. They ran toward it, trying to find where it was coming from.
Valry had said to follow the music, then had disappeared completely.
The music slowly grew in volume, never quite gettin
g loud enough to hear the entire melody. Rial was about to give up when their surroundings shifted, followed by a loud bang.
Dark, rocky ground appeared underfoot, the sky overhead looked overcast, but there were no clouds. Likewise, there was no sun that he could see either. The ground sloped upwards and ahead of them, he could see Valry crouched down.
"What is this place?" Inacia said, hesitating.
"The place from the vision," Rial said, recognizing it. "Where I saw Valry." He let go of Inacia's hand, turning and walking up the slope toward where she crouched down.
"You found it!" Valry turned and smiled at him. "I'm safe here. The Well won't let anything hurt me here."
"What is this place?" he asked her.
"This is where papa's from," she said, standing up. "This is why he wanted to come to Zakris' world, he didn't want to be here anymore."
"I can't say as I blame him," Rial said, looking around. Inacia came up beside them, and he could see the apprehension in her. Movement to their right caught their attention and they all turned. The figure that approached was certainly different from them. He was young, with very light hair, slanted eyes and fair skin. His ears tapered to points, rising well above his hair. There was something very familiar about him, though.
"Little one," he smiled at Valry and she ran to him, jumping into his arms.
"Gaurel?!" Rial asked, recognizing his voice and mannerisms.
"Gaurel!" Valry squealed, hugging him.
He sighed, looking at Rial. "She didn't know who I was yet for her own safety," he pointed out. "Though my true name is Aiqho'il or you also know me as the Wardsman." He paused then, a look of concern suddenly coming over him as he looked back at Valry. "What's happened?" he asked her. "How are you here in spirit?" He looked at Rial and Inacia. "I know how you two can be here, but please tell me the little one isn't dead."
"It's a wine that brings the soul to Zared's spirit realm," Inacia said. Rial noticed she'd moved slightly behind him. "Then she just disappeared."
"The Well brought me when Zared tried to find me," Valry said. "It's really bright now." She closed her eyes for just a moment and Aiqho'il did the same.
"Yes it is," he smiled at her when they opened their eyes again.
"What do you mean you know how we can be here?" Rial demanded.
Aiqho'il turned to look at him as he put Valry down. "Let's just say the universe has made exceptions," he said, then looked back at Valry all of a sudden. She was standing with one hand over the chasm, a column of bright green power coursing up into her and her eyes closed. "Valry, what are you doing?"
"Papa's doing something," she said. "He's drawing power from the Well. I want to see where he is."
"Your father is heading into battle at Basiyr," Aiqho'il said. "Please don't."
"He's taking too much power," she said. "His link is open too far."
Nahtan swung for a large church guard's head. The guard blocked his attack, though the move earned him a broken arm for it. When the guard cried out and grabbed his arm, Nahtan kicked him, then swung his sword downward with a hard attack, the blade tearing through his shoulder armor. He kicked the guard back, pulling his sword free. He finished the guard with another downward cut that nearly took off half his head.
He continued to fight his way through the guards. When he could no longer be effective on horseback, he dropped to the round and ordered Renato from the field.
Once he could see they were making a solid advance, he released his hold on the burning in his chest where it had been building up inside himself again. It filled his chest first, then flooded out to his arms and hands, finally turning the edges of his vision a dark reddish black. He turned his attention to the nearest guard, beating the guard down with repeated blows from his sword. When the man fell backward, Nahtan grabbed him by the neck, pushing him onto the ground. He lifted him up again to a sitting position and pulled the man's helmet from his head, then ripped away the padded hood underneath it. Taking off his gauntlet, Nahtan grabbed the man once more by the throat.
"This ends now," he said, releasing the power from the Well into the man and sending it twisting out to find any other church guard or trace of Zared he could find. When he felt the power reach the wall, he pushed it up and over the top, leaving blackened streaks everywhere it touched.
As the power found new bodies, it consumed them, not caring if it was a church guard or citizen of Basiyr. Anyone who had been touched by Zared or his followers here was found by the power Nahtan was releasing. Ahead of him, he heard screams from inside the city and a thick black smoke began filling the air. Off to either side, church guards began falling, writhing on the ground, their skin turning black and burning into their armor.
"Papa?" Valry's voice called to him. "Papa, I'm here."
Nahtan hesitated, Valry's voice in his mind, calling to him. He wondered if it had been his imagination.
He clenched his teeth, tightening his grip on the guard's neck, sending more power from the Well into the body, more determined to destroy them all now so they could no longer threaten her.
"Yes, child, that's the power you'll bring me."
Valry hesitated, recognizing the voice. It pulled her away from her father and she struggled to keep her bridge to his link intact. She opened her eyes, gasping when she saw Zared walking up toward them.
Aiqho'il moved up to stand beside her. "You've no power here," he told Zared. "And I won't allow you to hurt the child just as I wouldn't allow you to kill my brother so long ago."
Zared turned to Aiqho'il. "You kept a shade of your world after my brother and I pulled it from oblivion?" he asked him. "How desperately pathetic."
Aiqho'il shook his head. "What remains is what could not be brought across by you," he said.
Valry trembled, still trying to hold her bridge to her father. She didn't know how Zared had found her here. She hadn't heard the banging like when the priest had chased her here before.
Zared glanced at Rial and Inacia. "And this is the best my brother could send against me here?" he asked. "A dead man and fallen priestess?"
"Why do you keep calling me that?" Rial asked.
"Because you are," Zared said.
"I'm not going with you," Valry said, her voice trembling.
"My wine is still in your body," he told her. "And will be for some time, child. You wore yourself to exhaustion trying to resist me and now the wine will only force you to spend hours in communion, if not days."
"She'll only spend days if Aduran keeps giving it to her," Inacia said. "And we've made sure he can't find her to do that."
"Then why have each of you been given a second drink?" Zared asked. "Obviously someone's found you and wants to keep you with me. Perhaps I discarded you too easily," he said to Inacia. "I did have high expectations for you once, Temah."
"He's just trying to frighten you," Rial told Inacia. He noticed her flinch at Zared's use of the other name.
Valry closed her eyes, drawing more power from the Well.
"Papa?" she called again. "I'm afraid."
Nahtan hesitated, Valry's voice in his mind again. The screams from inside the city were growing louder now.
"I'll be there soon," he told her. He could still hear the fighting going on around him, telling him the battle wasn't won yet. There were still priests there, he could feel their presence, trying to bring back as many fallen soldiers as they could. There were still church guards fighting as well, those who hadn't been found yet by the power he was unleashing.
"Papa, you're hurting people."
"It's a war, Valry. I have to stop them so they can't take you away again."
"Please don't hurt the people who don't deserve it," Valry's voice trembled. "Zared's here, papa, I'm scared."
"I'll be at the temple soon."
"He's at the Well."
Nahtan hesitated. The Well had brought Valry there and somehow Zared had followed her.
"Papa, I can feel the people you're hurting," Valry's voi
ce sounded on the verge of tears. "It's not soldiers. The Wellmage told me you hurt people before and didn't want to do that anymore so you came here. Remember? Mo'ani says we don't hurt people who are good. Please, papa. I can feel them. They're scared and hurt so much. Remember why you came, papa. I can feel you hurting them."
Nahtan stopped, the power from the Well continuing to flow from him. He realized then how she could feel him, feeling her presence within his link to the Well. Her empathy would then be picking up what was going on around him, the innocent he was killing as well as the guilty.
He remembered the cries and the pain. The overwhelming loss deep within the few of them who had been left. He remembered the hatred and the rage, the way he had betrayed even himself at the end. He remembered how it had burned, much like this burned now. He remembered he'd wanted nothing more than to make amends for what he'd done, to put right some small part of what he'd done wrong.
Mo'ani had taught him how to do that. Kile had shown him to the path, and Mo'ani had led him down it. He'd learned how to stand up against things that were wrong and protect those who couldn't protect themselves. He'd learned why even the simplest of lives had meaning to those who lived them. Mo'ani had shown him how even a simple belief in one thing bigger than yourself could build entire armies to stand against evil.
He'd let his anger and hatred return when Valry was taken from him. He'd forgotten everything he'd tried to change. Now he was hurting her because of it.
He released the body of the guard he was holding, trying to pull the power back into himself, but it refused to obey.
"I can't stop it now, Valry," he said, tears coursing down his cheeks. He could hear the screams from inside the city as more thick black smoke filled the sky. "It's too strong."
"I can help," she replied. "The Wellmage showed me how to pull his power away from him. I can pull it away from you."
"Do it," he said. "Take it all."
"You can't resist me forever, child," Zared said, his voice inviting. "You've been marked for my priesthood, you will not be able to escape from me. Even your own aunt has found welcoming arms within my temple. This power you touch will bring me my freedom and I will bring you to your mother. Would you like that?"
Basiyr: Chronicles of Nahtan: Book 6 (The Herridon Chronicles) Page 18
