Maker's Curse

by Trudi Canavan

  His gaze slid away as he recalled what he’d learned. “I heard rumours of a world where machines outnumbered people, and where new kinds were being invented. If Zeke was alive, then the most likely reason was so that his captors could use his mind to refine their weapons, so this machine world sounded like the place they would have taken him. I sought out sellers of war machines and through them found a world where whole cities were dedicated to making them. Zeke wasn’t there, but I learned of more worlds like it. In these worlds people still outnumbered machines, so I figured the description of the place I’d been told of was exaggerated. That was, until I tracked one of the men in charge of these factory cities to a world that did match the description I’d been given.”

  Dahli shook his head slowly, his eyes wide and fixed on nothing but his memories. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I doubt Valhan did, or any of his Predecessors. It was entirely filled with machines, the former human occupants long gone or dead. I suspect it was a huge store of weapons waiting to be used. Most of it was as still and silent as death. When I did finally see movement, it was other kinds of machines working on these machines. Some were pulling apart machines and carrying away the pieces. I followed those to huge scrapyards. There I found a small group of humans overseeing the recycling of parts. I hoped to learn something from them, so I arrived and tried to get near them without being seen, but the closest of the machines came to life and attacked me…” He looked up and met Rielle’s eyes again. “They attacked with magic. Not much individually, but in such numbers that they forced me to leave the world, or be trapped there.”

  Rielle frowned. “Trapped? So this world is a dead one?”

  Dahli nodded. “No magic. Except where the people were, and then not very much. There must be a great deal of magic held in all those machines, though.” He grimaced. “Perhaps that is why it is dead. All the magic has been taken by them. I tried several times to return to the world and search for Zeke, but on each visit I was detected sooner, until on the last I was attacked immediately. I did not detect the minds of any people again. Those I’d read on the first visit were subordinates, but from them I learned a little about the group in charge of the whole enterprise. They are former students of Liftre.”

  “Liftre,” Rielle growled, then looked at Baluka. “I told you when they attacked Tarren that you needed to do something about the school.”

  Baluka spread his hands. “I sent them a warning, and they replied with an apology and a promise to keep the inventors in check.”

  “Which they’ve broken many times since.”

  “I know, but I cannot shut down the entire school. I am not Valhan.”

  Dahli winced. “As I said, these were former students. Ones who had been expelled. Shutting down the school would not have prevented this situation, but instead given more students reason to join these war-machine makers.”

  “And it wouldn’t be fair on students studying other subjects,” Rielle agreed. “I do not mean to suggest shutting down the school, but that the Restorers should be doing something to combat the corruption within it. Many of the students Tyen has taken on were driven out of Liftre because they did not agree with making war machines, or were from races the teachers did not like, or were treated as lesser people because they are women.”

  Baluka shook his head. “The machine makers are now the most powerful teachers in the school. They’ve bullied and bribed their way into the top positions. I’m afraid they’re the ones in control.”

  “Even if you could fix or shut down the school, it would make no difference to the danger these machines pose.” Dahli turned to Rielle. “Do you know where Tyen is, Rielle?”

  She glanced at Qall. “Yes.”

  “He would want to know about this. He will understand the dangers and limitations of these machines better than any of us.”

  “Tyen is in hiding,” Qall told Dahli. “Liftre’s sorcerers attempted to kill him, and when they failed they killed one of his students instead. Now that he has found a place of safety, I will not risk revealing his location just to get his advice on this.”

  Dahli frowned and opened his hands in appeal. “But he may be the only one who can do something about—”

  “He may turn out to be, but there are other inventors who will help us. Until we’ve explored the alternatives, I won’t risk making an enemy of Tyen by putting him and his people in danger.” Qall looked at Rielle.

  She nodded. “Give him time to gather his strength and he will return to the worlds far better prepared to help us.”

  “I agree,” Baluka said. He turned to Rielle. “Are you able to help us, Rielle?”

  “Of course.”

  He frowned. “You seemed to want more independence lately and—”

  “This is different,” she interrupted. “Clearly.” The surge of desperation she picked up from Dahli made her look closer. I am no closer to saving Zeke, he was thinking. She softened her voice. “Are you sure Zeke is alive?”

  A tormented look entered his eyes. “No, but I doubt they would kill him if they knew of his talents. Even if he refuses to help them, they have only to read his mind to learn what he knows, and if they present him with mechanical problems he will find it hard not to think of solutions.”

  She nodded to show she understood. Poor Zeke. She could feel how badly Dahli feared for his lover and his guilt for not taking better care of him. But feeling sympathetic also sparked a warning. This is how it is with Dahli, she reminded herself. I see his pain and feel for him, and next thing he’s at war with and killing those I love. He could have other plans, hidden behind memory blocks. He might not even know he’d buried them until some pre-arranged reminder told him, and then he would release the memories and suddenly they’d be at war again.

  Qall glanced at her, frowning, then he turned back to Dahli. “Do you have anything else to tell us, Dahli?”

  The man paused, then shook his head.

  “I’d like to discuss this with Rielle and Baluka alone now,” Qall told him. “Thank you for retelling your story.”

  Dahli nodded, then met Rielle’s gaze briefly before rising and leaving the room. Rielle considered his look and the thought behind it. He believed she cared enough about Zeke to try to save him. He’d only come here, knowing it meant breaking the condition Qall had made on him remaining alive, because he’d run out of options.

  Or so he wants us to believe. She looked from Qall to Baluka. “What have you done so far?”

  The current and former leaders of the Restorers exchanged glances. “Nothing,” Qall admitted.

  “We wanted Tyen’s advice first.”

  “You’re not going to get it,” she told them. “I suggest you investigate this world of machines Dahli found, as well as find experts in mechanical magic to help us – if any are still alive.” A memory of the burned houses in Telemna-vo and Woperi came to her. Had they been the hiding places of inventors, or of the expelled students? Or where Zeke and Dahli had worked? That gave her an idea. “Dahli said he and Zeke had found a way to combat the machines. See if he will tell us about it. We may need it.”

  Baluka’s eyebrows rose. “He said these machine armies were to be sold to worlds in conflict, not that they were designed to attack us.”

  “Do the Restorers have no enemies?”

  “Plenty.”

  “Then what is to stop them using machines against you?”

  Baluka shrugged. “Dahli said they do not use much magic, individually. That is as it has always been. They are more of a danger to non-sorcerers – though I am not dismissing that as a less important problem.”

  “Dahli said that they were a threat when in large numbers.”

  “To one sorcerer.” He shrugged. “We can call upon thousands. No, Dahli just wants to frighten us into investigating in the hope we’ll save his lover in the process.”

  Rielle looked at Qall. “What do you think? Could he be hiding memories to conceal a different motive and plan?”

 
Baluka turned to the young man. “You said he has no memory of blocking any.”

  “No, but as Rielle reminded me, he could have blocked his memory of blocking the memories, and arranged for something to remind him at the right moment.”

  “That would be a great risk. What if something upset that arrangement?”

  “Valhan took an even greater risk, relying on me to resurrect him,” Rielle pointed out.

  “Valhan knew he was flirting with oblivion,” Qall told her. “A part of him welcomed the idea.”

  She stared at him, first in surprise, then in amazement at the revelation – and then she looked away, disturbed by the reminder that he held so many of Valhan’s memories.

  Qall shrugged. “We shouldn’t ignore the possibility that Dahli is hiding something, but it would be foolish to ignore his warnings, too. Zeke is particularly clever, and if they are stealing ideas from his mind, we should be worried.” He spread his hands. “We know machines are growing more sophisticated. Waiting around to see if they become a threat does not seem wise. We should prepare ourselves, even if only with knowledge for the moment.”

  He turned to Baluka. “Organise a search for inventors we can seek advice from.”

  Baluka nodded. “I’ll begin straight away.”

  Qall looked at Rielle. “Seek out this machine world to learn if it is as dangerous as Dahli fears, and to see if Zeke is there and we can rescue him.”

  “No, no.” Baluka shook his head quickly. “Send someone else to the machine world. Rielle is unique, as the Maker, and much as I doubt Dahli is right about the severity of this threat, she is too valuable to risk losing.”

  Qall frowned. “Her ability to generate magic may be invaluable to an investigation, if the machines are drawing in all the magic.”

  “She can’t easily whip up a drawing when under attack.”

  “Oh, she has a new way of making magic that won’t be so inconvenient.”

  Rielle looked at Qall. “I do?”

  He waved his hands around in graceful curves, and like a bolt of light she recalled the dance of lights she’d made in her own world. Of course, it would be easier to do that than drawing if I was under attack. I could even make it part of my defence…

  Baluka’s eyes had lit with curiosity, but he did not ask what Qall meant, knowing that it would be all too easy for someone to read the answer from his mind. The sooner I leave here the sooner my average magical strength will stop being a vulnerability of the Restorers, he thought. But I must make sure Qall isn’t going to make any foolish decisions. He is so young and sometimes unwilling to listen… He paused, and cast a guilty glance at Qall.

  The young man smiled sympathetically. “I am young, Baluka, but I’m not your average youth. And I do value your advice and help.”

  Drawing in a deep breath, Baluka straightened his shoulders. “Then my advice is, don’t send Rielle. She is not ageless. She can’t heal herself. If war is coming, we need to ensure we have powerful allies. We need to ensure that those who would rather avoid assisting in battle will have no choice, if they’re indebted to us for strengthening their world.”

  “I was going to send ageless sorcerers with her, but…” Qall began. He grimaced apologetically at Rielle. “I know how you feel about restoring worlds purely for political reasons, and I had intended to find another way to satisfy these allies, but I am going to have to ask you to put aside your qualms for the sake of preparing for the worst.”

  Rielle quelled a sigh. So Baluka had made arrangements for her to strengthen worlds that weren’t dead. Annoyance and rebellion rose, but they both faded as she read a plea in Qall’s eyes. She was conscious of Baluka watching her. Turning to him, she narrowed her eyes to communicate her displeasure. He looked away, but his jaw tightened.

  “Will you do it?” Qall asked. “Strengthen worlds, that is.”

  She sighed. “Very well, but I want some say in which worlds I restore.”

  “That’s reasonable.” Qall nodded, then he grimaced in sympathy. “I’m afraid there are quite a few worlds, so you’re going to be occupied for some time. Maybe even a whole quarter.”

  Rielle sagged in resignation. “Where should I start?”

  CHAPTER 13

  The arrival place was unlike any Rielle had seen before. As the world grew visible she found herself standing on the ghostly palm of an enormous statue. Lying on its stomach, the androgynous figure held its arm outstretched, eyes fixed just above its hand, smiling in welcome.

  It was such a strange and disturbing sight, it was an effort to turn her attention away and take in the rest of the surroundings. The prone figure filled a large courtyard, much longer than it was wide. Two humans lingered nearby, wearing shaggy fur capes that reached the ground, watching her arriving. The stone of both walls and statue began to sparkle. The reason became apparent as cold, brittle air surrounded her. Light reflected off frost all around her. Her breath misted in the air as she exhaled.

  The two humans were men. They stepped forward to meet her, stopping before the giant stone palm and smiling up at her.

  “Welcome to Po-Gni,” they said in unison, their accent so guttural it took a moment for her to realise they’d spoken in Traveller tongue.

  “Thank you,” Rielle replied. “Is there a Restorer outpost nearby?”

  “Not in this world,” the pair replied together. “The next. Tiloppa – the grass world.” They both pointed at the statue’s other hand, behind her, also held out to receive visitors.

  She nodded. “Thank you again.”

  Pushing out of the world, she turned to gaze at the statue again. Was it simply a fancy place for visitors to arrive or was there a greater significance? She did not have the time to linger and find out. Skimming to the other hand, she sensed another path leading away and sent herself along it.

  The statue faded. Long vertical lines formed around her. Their smooth uniformity reminded her of the poles that had descended just as the Restorers and their allies had arrived at the beginning of the battle with Dahli, piercing their bodies. She slowed, examining them cautiously. As detail formed, she realised they were blades of grass about the width of her hand and at least twice her height.

  Another giant thing, she mused. Only this time something living.

  A stone circle about six paces wide lay beneath her feet, the edges worn smooth. No humans were visible. Air surrounded her as she arrived, and a sound both soft and loud. This was the shifting of the grass above her, stirred by a wind she was well sheltered from. She moved to the edge of the circle and looked down, but the grass was so dense she could not see the ground.

  Casting her senses out, she found a large world of average magical strength. Though her ability to sense thought did not reach nearly as far as that for magic, she encountered plenty of minds to read, particularly in one direction. Guessing this indicated a nearby city, she pushed out of the world a little and skimmed upwards. She burst from the grass into bright sunlight. The vegetation stretched to the horizon in all directions. No city broke through it. Puzzled, she started in the direction in which she’d sensed all the minds.

  She found it entirely by accident. One small stone tower poked out above the endless leaves. Arriving on its roof, she stretched out her senses and, finding minds, learned she was in the middle of a multitude of people. They were not far below her, in homes and walking along thoroughfares within the grass.

  A hatch in the tower roof beckoned, but she did not want to trespass. Instead she travelled slightly outside the world again, sinking down through the grass slowly. The leaves all curved away from her, bound in place by plaited foliage to make room for worn stone slabs, laid end to end to form a road.

  The people she’d sensed nearby saw her, and stopped to stare. They were pale and bald, and covered in tiny spots. She emerged in the world and bowed, as they expected a respectful visitor to do.

  “Which way to the Restorers?” she asked in the local language, which was as much whistles as words.


  The people approved of her speaking their tongue. One came forward and offered to guide her there. She accepted and was led along the path, passing gaps in the grass walls on either side. She saw no doors anywhere, so was able to glimpse all manner of groups of people in rooms beyond these gaps, from families and couples to larger gatherings. At one point they passed a market of sorts, and later an enclosure that appeared to be full of green elongated sacks, cinched at regular intervals to form ribs. At the last moment, she glimpsed the end of one and had to hide a shudder. A round mouth lined with teeth revealed that these were giant creatures of some kind.

  Not long after, her guide stopped at another wide opening, the space beyond occupied by humans whose difference to the locals was clear from their varied colouring and stature. Her guide bowed and left, not requiring more than a nod in thanks. The locals did not speak much, she had noted on the journey.

  Stepping through the door, Rielle met the gaze of the otherworlders. They rose to meet her.

  “Rielle Lazuli, the Maker?” one asked.

  “Yes,” Rielle replied.

  “We have two messages here for you.”

  “Two?” she repeated in surprise.

  The woman smiled. “I will fetch them.”

  The other three sorcerers moved forward, introducing themselves. One in particular was overcome with awe, and she could not help trying to reassure him that she was just an ordinary person. The others disagreed, one starting to list her deeds, so Rielle was relieved when the woman returned with her messages.

  The first was from Qall, as she’d expected. He’d chosen the next few worlds to be strengthened, and assured her that he’d checked to ensure no intention to conquer or oppress lay behind the requests. He had planned out a rough path for her to reduce the amount of backtracking, and so she would not have to keep returning to the Restorer base.