Maker's Curse

by Trudi Canavan

  Then everything went black to Rielle’s senses. After a few heartbeats, her mind adjusted to the lack of magic. Tyen let out a long breath.

  “It is done.”

  The Queen straightened. “Thank you.”

  Tyen nodded to acknowledge the thanks, then took Rielle’s hand. The world and its Queen quickly faded from sight.

  Several worlds later they reached one they recognised. They stopped to rest and eat, buying food in one of the many huge inter-world trading markets and skimming to the outskirts to get away from the bustle of traders and buyers. At first, they ate in appreciative silence, as the food was good and, at least to Rielle, a bittersweet pleasure after all the death and ruin they had seen. But Tyen did not seem to be enjoying his. A haunted look had crept into his eyes.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  He blinked and looked up. “Nothing.”

  She raised her eyebrows in disbelief, and he winced.

  “Nothing more than the usual shock at what people are willing to do to each other.” He sighed. “When you asked if we should try to save those people… I looked into their minds, then wished I hadn’t done so.” He frowned, and shook his head. “There is always that question: do you look or not? It is wrong to ignore the suffering of others, but what we see may be so… so awful that it changes us. Perhaps for the worse.”

  “What did you see?”

  He glanced at her, then away. “I will spare you the details… but they had turned on each other. For distraction, and a savage kind of pleasure. The certainty of their death was the excuse they gave themselves, as well as the knowledge that nobody would be left to punish them, and they wouldn’t survive to feel guilt.”

  She reached out to take his hand and squeezed it. “And yet in some of the conquered worlds we saw it was clear the people behaved bravely and honourably to the end, some sacrificing themselves to protect others, despite the hopelessness of their situation.”

  He nodded. Swallowed. Drew in a deep breath and let it out. “What is it, I wonder, that makes some groups of people behave better than others?”

  “I don’t know.” Rielle shrugged. “But perhaps what is valued and what is discouraged in that society has a part in it. In my world, everyone’s sense of value relied upon feeling superior to others in some way. They would not think twice to harm another for their own benefit, or that of their family. I would not be surprised if they turned on each other if faced with a threat such as Kettin’s armies. I’ve seen worlds where every person is seen to have a value, even if it is not obvious, or there is a philosophy that if the weak are made stronger then all are stronger. I think those people would protect each other to the end.”

  Tyen nodded. “Leratia is a strange combination of both. The empire is seen to be benefiting all, so most would fight to defend it, but it is also a society divided by class, in which the powerful have used the idea of improving and modernising the world to excuse doing terrible things to those they’ve conquered – as well as the weak and poor, who they believe have squandered their chances even while they exploit them.” He let out a soft, bitter laugh. “Machines were supposed to benefit all, partly by taking over simple, low-paid jobs, partly by enabling an accuracy that humans can’t provide. It will come as a shock to those who believe such things to learn what the worlds have done with mechanical magic.”

  A chill ran down Rielle’s spine as she remembered the machine Zeke had been working on. Tyen was not going to be happy to know what that invention was being moulded into.

  “What is it?” Tyen asked.

  She looked up to find him watching her intently. The word “nothing” came to her lips, but he was as likely to believe that as she had been when Tyen had said it. Instead, she sighed.

  “Bad news. Kettin is developing a humanoid like the one you made and I destroyed. Zeke was working on it. She had him experimenting with melding machines and people, and from what I saw of Zeke’s memories, the results haven’t been pleasant.”

  Tyen’s expression flattened, and his gaze fixed on the ground. “I made another, but it disappeared. Did she take it, I wonder? Or did one of Liftre’s inventors take it, and she discovered it among them later?”

  These were not questions for her, so Rielle remained silent.

  “I doubt it’s possible,” he added, his voice low. He said no more, brooding as he finished his meal, eating with no sign of awareness that he was. When he was done, Rielle rose and extended a hand.

  “Dahli said they would wait a while in Orgajika.”

  Tyen nodded and climbed to his feet. “Let’s go then.”

  As he took her hand, she pushed out of the world and sent them into the whiteness. Though they were still some distance from their destination, she found her way easily, as most of the route was familiar. When, at last, they approached the world of Orgajika, she skimmed a little way from the arrival place, taking them high above and to the wide horizontal bough of one of the jungle trees. Tyen regarded her knowingly.

  “Wary?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I want to find them first – if they’re even here. See what they’re planning.”

  “And be sure Dahli hasn’t set an ambush for us?”

  She frowned. “I don’t think he’d do that.”

  “No? What if it would save Zeke?” He held her gaze. “What was he like when he found Zeke?”

  “Relieved, mostly. I had to talk him out of killing a guard.”

  “Is he as obsessed with Zeke as he was with Valhan?”

  Rielle considered. “Not in the same way. Valhan never loved him in return.”

  “So he’s potentially even more ruthlessly devoted.”

  “Potentially. But… he does seem changed. I was able to talk him out of killing that guard. At least I hope I did.” She shook her head. “It’s more that he respects Zeke’s sense of right and wrong. As if he relies on Zeke to set the rules. I’d be more worried about him if Zeke died or left him.”

  Tyen nodded as he considered that. “I was worried he’d grab Zeke and abandon you.”

  “Me too. But instead he decided to deal with Zeke’s guard while I took Zeke away.”

  “He trusted you. Interesting.”

  She shrugged. “He knows I would not easily harm any person.”

  “Nor I.” Tyen frowned, then shook his head. “I don’t think we should trust him fully, though.”

  “No.”

  “But we need Zeke.” He looked down at the complex of interconnecting walkways below. Following the direction of his gaze, Rielle noted the high-water mark below the boards. This world was subject to great tides, but the life native to it was well adapted to the surges. She extended her senses towards the arrival place, then in a spiral outwards, searching for familiar minds among the locals.

  “Found them,” Tyen said, then directed her to Dahli and Zeke’s location. The pair were sitting together in a drinking establishment. Zeke’s mind swum with memories and emotions, both of which obviously pained him. Dahli watched him, tense with concern.

  “I can mute those memories,” Dahli offered.

  “No,” Zeke said firmly. “Not until I’m sure the Restorers know everything. We can’t risk that you erase an important detail.”

  Dahli nodded in acceptance, but the knots of worry in him did not loosen. “Then we should leave.”

  “It’s not that I doubt you.” Zeke looked up at his lover and sighed. “But I’d feel safer travelling with Tyen and Rielle. If Kettin’s spies saw us with those two, they wouldn’t dare to attack.”

  “I can defend you. You can defend me. Rielle made sure we carry plenty of magic. And if Kettin’s followers track us here before Tyen and Rielle arrive, we will face the same threat as if they encountered us travelling.”

  “But travelling means passing through arrival places, where the spies will be watching.” Zeke argued. “Kettin’s network of spies is more extensive than the Restorers know.”

  Dahli nodded in reluctant agreement. He placed
a hand on Zeke’s shoulder. “I did try to get you out of there, after they first took you.”

  “I believe you,” Zeke replied. “I’m glad that you tried, but I’m even gladder that you failed and lived than failed and died.”

  “I’d have tried again sooner, but I could not convince the Restorers to help.”

  Zeke shrugged, pretending not to care despite knowing Dahli could see how it hurt. “Why would they? We tried to bring Valhan back. We were their enemy. As far as they know, we still are.”

  “I was their enemy,” Dahli corrected. “Not you.”

  “I chose to be with you. That is the same.”

  Dahli winced at the guilt that rose in him. Guilt that had once been more powerful, until Zeke had asked if Dahli’s memories could be muted instead of erased. Dahli had tried, and found it was possible. “You chose not to be, before then, and you were right to. I was a monster. If it weren’t for you—”

  “Don’t.” Zeke scowled. “We’ve been down that path too often.”

  Dahli hung his head.

  “Everyone will need to put aside their old hatreds and arguments soon,” Zeke said, more as a statement to the worlds than to Dahli. “Something far worse is coming. The longer we wait, the stronger it gets.”

  “How long do we have?”

  Zeke shook his head. “I don’t know. Kettin said she believed that machines will, one day, be able to do everything that sorcerers can do.”

  “Travel between worlds?”

  Zeke nodded. “Read minds. Pattern-shifting. Everything.” He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry as his memories took him back to the laboratory. “She wants to be part machine. She believes humans are too flawed. We are just animals, acting on instinct and emotion. She will become something better.”

  “She sounds quite mad.”

  Zeke let out a bitter laugh. “Yes. She has a cold, merciless kind of madness.” He shuddered, then shifted to look at Dahli. “Oh, I wish Tyen and Rielle would hurry up. There is so much to tell, and the sooner the better.”

  Rielle looked up at Tyen. He nodded. Taking her hand, he stepped forward off the limb, but did not fall. She joined him, and her stomach swooped as they dropped down towards the drinking establishment, landing in front of the entrance. A customer about to leave yelped in surprise, attracting the attention of those still inside, including Dahli and Zeke. The pair rose and strode over to meet Rielle and Tyen.

  Dahli smiled. “Perfect timing,” he said, holding out a hand and taking Zeke’s with the other. “Let’s not keep Qall waiting any longer.”

  “Qall?” Zeke echoed. “Qall is with the Restorers now?”

  Rielle smiled. “Qall is leader of the Restorers now.”

  Zeke’s mouth lifted in a lopsided smile. “Well, he must have grown up these last five and a half cycles.”

  Tyen chuckled. “He certainly has.” As he took Zeke’s other hand, Rielle felt the jungle world slip away, and all faded to white as they plunged into the place between worlds.

  CHAPTER 18

  None of the sulking boy Rielle had protected more than five cycles ago was evident in Qall as he greeted the men and women arriving for the Restorers’ war council. Rielle could not help looking for something of Valhan, but nothing in his manner reminded her of the dead ruler either. This was the man Qall had grown into in her world, adapting easily to yet another demanding situation.

  She felt pride and wondered if she would ever have children of her own and feel this way about them. Well, apart from occasionally fearing they’ll be taken over by a dead sorcerer’s mind.

  Looking around, she scanned the thoughts of the ambassadors, rulers, generals and military advisers, as Qall had suggested. It was not a pleasant experience. Several were representatives of worlds that had been destroyed by Kettin, and had seen mass slaughter. Memories of it weren’t far from their thoughts. The sorcerers from worlds under threat who were powerful enough to read their counterparts’ minds were growing ever more anxious and afraid.

  Drawn together by mutual interest and profession, the generals and martial experts of the Restorers and allies were sizing each other up, their conversation designed to reveal the limits of knowledge and influence of each other, and the potential hierarchy of the army they expected would form under Qall.

  A pitifully small group hovered nervously around Tyen. The few inventors who had avoided Kettin’s abductions and assassinations were all too aware that they would be dead without the Restorers’ protection. Some were a little in awe of the man who had brought mechanical magic into the worlds, though they knew he hadn’t invented it. They were all excited by the prospect of going to the world where it had originated, even if some were worried that if they found a way to destroy all machines, their main source of income in future would also be eliminated.

  Rielle could not help thinking there ought to be another group to examine. Baluka had left to meet with the Travellers and hadn’t returned in time for the meeting. Earlier appeals for their help had resulted in polite refusals. She couldn’t blame them. They had lost many powerful sorcerers in the fight with Dahli, including Ulma, their only ageless sorcerer. They did not fear the machines in the same way they had feared Valhan’s return, so they had returned to their former policy of avoiding involvement in the conflicts of the worlds.

  The door to the meeting room opened again, and as each pair of eyes fell upon the two men entering the room, a shocked silence spread.

  Dahli had changed his appearance back to what it had been when she had first met him. Rielle sought the reason in his mind and learned that Qall did not want to lie about him. Qall had suggested that, if Dahli did not hide his identity and took a major part in saving the worlds from Kettin, it was possible some would forgive him. Not all, and probably not enough that they would ever consider him trustworthy, but it was better that Dahli earn a little forgiveness than none at all.

  Zeke didn’t like it, but he trusted Qall. He was impressed by the man Qall had become in the last five cycles.

  “Zeke. Dahli,” Qall said, striding forward to meet the pair. “Thank you for coming. Please join us.” He stepped between the pair, turned and placed a hand on each man’s shoulder, then raised his voice so all could hear. “I have called everybody here today to discuss the advance of Kettin’s army, and what we can do about it. Vital to this meeting will be the information provided by these two men. You all know of Dahli, formerly the Raen’s most loyal servant. Many of you do not know Zeke, former inventor of Liftre. They joined together more than five cycles ago to secretly search for a means to disable war machines, and came close to success. Their efforts were ruined when Kettin abducted Zeke and forced him to work in her machine-inventing laboratories. Dahli, Rielle and Tyen recently rescued him from Kettin’s base world. What he has to tell you of Kettin’s abilities and intentions will be invaluable to us all in the coming days.” Qall paused to look around the room, meeting all gazes, his expression serious. “The threat we face is immense and frightening. We will not survive it if we do not unite, even if that means joining with old enemies. Dahli once meant to do great harm to me. I have put aside all feelings against him. I trust that he will help us.” Qall’s mouth twitched up into a smile. “I know that he will. He doesn’t want the worlds ruled by machines any more than you do. So please, sit down and listen to what he and Zeke have to tell you.”

  The silence had turned tense and a little sullen. Now it was broken by the shuffle of feet as everyone moved to the tables, which had been set in a large square. Qall sat at the centre on one side, Zeke to his left and Dahli to his right. Tyen moved to the place beside Zeke and Rielle to Dahli’s right, as had been decided earlier. It was no surprise to Rielle that the inventors hurriedly took the places next to Tyen, but she was intrigued to find the generals and military strategists moving to her side. As Hapre took the seat beside Rielle, their eyes met, and the general inclined her head in respect. Rielle nodded in reply.

  The woman leaned forward. “How do yo
u stand working with him?” she murmured, her gaze flickering towards Dahli.

  Rielle shrugged. “I will not say it is easy, but it is necessary.”

  “You already know what they have to say,” Hapre stated.

  “Yes.”

  The woman straightened. “This had better be good information.”

  When all had settled, Qall turned to Zeke. “Tell us your story, Zeke.”

  The young inventor glanced around at the watching faces, then lowered his eyes. “Ah… as Qall said, Dahli and I had been working on a way to disable war machines, and we had finally come up with a viable method. Dahli had always warned me against travelling on my own to buy supplies, but I was excited by our new idea and too impatient to wait for him to join me. I was gathering parts when Kettin’s followers found me.

  “We knew that the inventors of the Liftre school of sorcery had formed an independent group dedicated to making machines for profit, including war machines, but we hadn’t heard that they had a new leader. I asked one of the inventors why they had chosen her to become their leader, and he said she had chosen them. They had banned women from their ranks, but she simply ignored that rule and started bossing them around, getting away with it through a mixture of charm and threat and grand ideas.

  “He couldn’t or wouldn’t tell me what her intentions were, but he believed she would make inventors the most powerful people in the worlds. They were superior to all existing rulers, she said, because they were more intelligent. Only their lesser magical ability stopped them from being in charge, but with machines they could weaken and control stronger sorcerers. They would have to do some terrible things for her, but it would bring about a new age where magical strength didn’t determine who was superior. They would rule the worlds.” Zeke shook his head. “Some of them believed in this; some didn’t, but after seeing her strategy in action they figured she would be unstoppable and they had better take the side that would win.”

  He sighed. “I wasn’t the only inventor who refused to be a part of what she was proposing. There were several. She didn’t kill us; she put us to work. Each unwilling inventor has a partner whose task it is to guard us and read our thoughts. They present us with problems and watch for any solutions we think of. I knew of a possible weakness in my machine-combatting devices, so it wasn’t long before I had unwillingly invented a way to exploit it. That got Kettin’s attention.