Maker's Curse

by Trudi Canavan

  “The Restorer base,” Qall said.

  Rielle caught her breath. “Baluka!”

  Hapre’s eyes widened. “Of course. Affen. It’s what I’d do…”

  Qall bent and scooped up the humanoid head, then straightened and pointed to one of the nearby fallen machines. “Grab one of those,” he told Hapre, then he took Rielle’s arm and lifted them into the air, hurrying back towards the Restorers.

  “Link!” he shouted as he reached them. Hapre appeared at his side, holding the broken machine.

  “You should smash that,” she said, looking at the head.

  “It’s nothing. A decoy,” Qall replied. “It was never Kettin. She knew we were coming. She’s planned this all along. But Tyen may learn something useful from it, which might make this whole battle worthwhile.” He looked around. “Anyone not ready?”

  No reply came. The army was barely visible in the shadow of the attacking machines. Rielle took a deep breath.

  And then everyone was drawn into whiteness.

  CHAPTER 20

  Once all the Restorer fighters knew the reason for their hasty flight, few had spoken. Not even when they stopped to wait for Rielle and the other mortal sorcerers to catch their breath. Rielle knew she was slowing them down and tried to convince Qall to leave her behind. While she wanted to help, if the base was, indeed, under attack, she did not want to be the reason they didn’t arrive on time. Qall replied with a flat “no”. They would not last long against another machine army if she did not generate magic for them.

  They paused a world before Affen so she could do just that. The idea of making pretty light patterns in the middle of a tense, impatient army felt strange and inappropriate, so she drew out some paper and drawing sticks and sketched a few faces instead. Qall moved about answering questions and reassuring everyone that people would be sent back to gather the bodies of the fallen. Those with family or friends awaiting their return in the Restorers’ base were anxious to move on, but all were afraid they would not survive another battle with the machines.

  They’d lost a quarter of their number.

  The faces she drew were lined with worry. As she finished a sketch and put it aside, a hand touched her arm. Qall’s.

  “That will do, I think,” he said. “We could always be stronger, but I don’t want to wait any longer.”

  “Are you sure? I thought nobody would die as long as I created enough magic, but we’ve lost so many.”

  He met her gaze, his own steady and serious. “Their deaths are not your fault, Rielle. We had all the magic we needed.”

  “But—”

  “Mistakes and surprises,” he said. “If we’d had a chance to refine our strategy further, more might have lived, but we didn’t have time.”

  He sounded older. Worried. Her heart clenched. This would all be affecting him too. He was so young, had taken on a huge responsibility, and this was his first battle. He was doing well, but at what cost? She sighed and began packing away her drawings and implements. Qall straightened, and his voice rose over the murmurs of the waiting sorcerers.

  “It is time,” he told them. “We don’t know what we’ll find. It may be death and devastation. It may be a battle. It may be a trap. Kettin may have some dreadful new weapon awaiting us.” He paused. “We are not as numerous as we were, but we are still strong and the Maker is with us. Kettin is far from her home world and many of her supporters have died. Our chances are good. Even so, if anyone does not wish to go you may leave us now, with our thanks for your help.”

  Not one sorcerer stirred, though Rielle could not know if anyone outside of her view had faded out of sight.

  Qall nodded. “Thank you. We go in. Be prepared for nasty surprises. Link.”

  Connections were remade. Rielle slung her pack onto her back and took Qall’s hand.

  “Anyone not ready?” he asked.

  Silence. Rielle took a deep breath.

  The world faded from sight.

  The place between was empty of other presences. When details of the Restorers’ world began to emerge, she thought, for a moment, that all was well. Then shadows on the ground gained detail, and she recognised the all-too-familiar sight of corpses. Among them were many, many objects moving with the precise and relentless ease of mechanisation.

  As air surrounded her, her stomach sank and twisted with nausea. She drew in a deep breath, watching as the nearest machines stopped moving and turned to face the arrivals.

  “Levitate,” Qall ordered. “In formation.”

  As one, the army began to rise, fighters taking positions above, below and around Rielle. Several machines rose up to follow and attack. Qall stopped not far above the city. He turned to Rielle.

  “Help me gather information,” he murmured. “I want to know if anyone is alive before we waste too much of our energy fighting machines.”

  Rielle grimaced in agreement. Looking in the direction of the Restorers’ base, she immediately found several minds in the area.

  “The base has been levelled,” she said.

  “Yes. There are people hiding underground.”

  She looked below ground and found the minds of the building’s occupants immediately. A few were freshly buried, in pain and terror and with not enough magic to push out of the world and skim to safety. Hold on, she thought at them. Rescue will come. Other sorcerers were uninjured and hiding in the levels below. Looking deeper, she found the minds of two sorcerers that did not belong there. Kettin’s followers, their thoughts revealed. They were hunting for more of the Restorer leadership to kill, confident that as the strongest of Kettin’s followers they’d succeed. Rielle’s heart lodged in her throat. She skipped from mind to mind, then let out a gasp of relief when she found a familiar one, sitting in the meeting room.

  “I’ve found Baluka.”

  “As have I,” Qall replied darkly. “He has company.”

  Looking through Baluka’s eyes, Rielle saw a woman’s face. Something was oddly familiar about it, and when she read the woman’s identity from Baluka she realised why. The humanoid had been modelled on it. It had the same inhuman beauty.

  “Kettin,” she hissed.

  “They won’t try to save me,” Baluka was saying. “I’m not their leader any more.”

  “Oh, but they value you greatly,” Kettin replied. “They won’t want to abandon someone so famous. It would be demoralising. And the Maker is your friend. What sort of friend would she be if she lets you die?”

  Baluka shook his head. Kettin had told him that if anyone but Rielle approached them she would kill him. He could see no good end to this situation. He could not hope that rescuers would read his mind and learn of the danger, because then Rielle would fall into whatever trap Kettin was laying. Yet he could not wish that rescuers wouldn’t read his mind because not only would he die, but they would too.

  He didn’t know what Kettin intended to do if Rielle arrived. Rielle looked into the woman’s mind… and found no answer. If Kettin had a plan she must have found a way to prevent herself thinking about it. She truly believed that all she wanted to do was talk to Rielle.

  “What are you going to do to her?” Baluka asked.

  “I told you,” Kettin replied. “I just want to have a chat.”

  Rielle looked at Qall. He frowned as he met her eyes. “She must be able to hide her memories as Dahli can, and trigger their return at the right moment.”

  It’s going to be so interesting to see her thoughts, Kettin was thinking. It’s possible she doesn’t know why she’s such a strong Maker, or else she does and it’s impossible to replicate. Otherwise the worlds would be full of Makers of her strength.

  “She thinks she is stronger than me,” Rielle observed. “She has underestimated me.” She met Qall’s eyes again. “I think I can rescue Baluka.”

  His frown deepened. “It is a risk. And we need you here.”

  “The magic I generated before we arrived will last a while, and it will not take long for me to dash in th
ere, grab Baluka and leave.”

  Qall shook his head. “She’ll say something that will force you to stay and listen to her.”

  “If I don’t stop long enough for her to, she won’t get the chance.”

  “We can’t risk losing you—”

  “And we can risk losing Baluka?” she snapped. He winced and she regretted her tone, but this was no time to be gentle. “The moment I start making magic here she’ll sense it. If any of her followers have spotted us, they will be rushing to tell her. Once she knows I’m here she’ll torture Baluka in order to force me to go to her. Our only chance to save Baluka is to surprise her, right now.”

  Qall stared back at her. His lips pressed together. His eyes reflected doubt.

  Then he nodded once. “Just… be careful. I’ll be watching. If she tries to blackmail you, I’ll come fetch you myself.”

  Rielle squeezed his hand. “Thanks.”

  She let go of him. Looking back in the direction of the Restorers’ building to orientate herself, she pushed out of the world and propelled herself towards it. Skimming to the top of the ruins, she paused to take a deep breath and get her bearings, then she left the world again and plunged downwards.

  She counted the floors, aiming to stop in the room above the meeting room. Several of the floors below were still illuminated by lamps, helping her find her way. She moved carefully, all too aware that Kettin would be alert to the thoughts of everyone in the building and would notice any shadows they saw. A stretch of rubble passed…

  … then she passed through the ceiling of a familiar room, one occupant facing away from her, the other sitting at a long table, his gaze lowered. The latter was Baluka, so the former must be Kettin.

  Silently cursing, Rielle dropped quickly down through the floor and was relieved to find the next room empty. The collapsed floors above had put out her count of floor by one, and she had nearly materialised in the same room as Kettin and Baluka. Arriving, she searched for the two minds above, found Baluka’s and confirmed he had not seen her. Neither had Kettin.

  Rielle let out a deep sigh of relief. Then, moving forward, she considered what to do next. She wanted to arrive out of sight but within reach of Baluka. She smiled briefly as she realised where the best place was.

  Positioning herself carefully, she pushed out of the world again. Skimming slowly upwards, she let her head pass though the ceiling and up through the floor of the room above until her eyes entered the room. As she hoped, she could see legs: the table’s, chairs’ – and those of two humans.

  Swivelling her body to a horizontal position, she rose upwards until she was fully within the room, lying on her side. Carefully checking and adjusting until none of the chair legs were within her body, she brought herself into the world.

  At once, gravity settled her onto the ground with a soft thud. Her heart lurched. Was it loud enough to alert Kettin? Reaching out, she grabbed Baluka’s ankle and quickly pushed out of the world again.

  And rapidly propelled them away.

  Upwards first. In moments, the ruined building was gone and they were shooting into the sky. A startled Baluka threw out his arms, then looked around and, as he saw her, blinked at her in surprise. She extended her other hand towards him and he reached down to grasp it. They pushed, pulled and adjusted their position so that they now faced each other.

  “Rielle Lazuli.”

  The voice was feminine. They looked down towards the base. A figure shot up from the Restorers’ building. It moved fast, and before Rielle could skim away, Kettin was beside her, grasping her arm. Rielle felt a light, ineffectual tugging.

  Kettin’s triumphant smile faded, and a crease appeared between her perfect eyebrows as the feminine voice spoke again. “You’re stronger than me!”

  Keeping a firm hold on Baluka, Rielle placed herself between him and the woman. She stared back at Kettin. The woman could not stop Rielle returning to Qall, but she might follow her back to the Restorer army. Still, that might be a good thing. Kettin on her own was not a great threat. Perhaps Rielle should try to lure her there. Would capturing Kettin bring about the end of the machine conquest or would she have made sure her followers would continue destroying worlds if she was killed or imprisoned? She doubted Kettin would be so easily caught, though. And rescuing Baluka was Rielle’s priority right now.

  “Let go of me,” Rielle ordered.

  Kettin blinked, then smiled. “But I want to talk to you.”

  Remembering Qall’s warning about blackmail, Rielle grabbed Kettin’s wrist and forced her hand off her arm. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

  “Wait!” Kettin protested. “Don’t you want to know what I have to say? Why I’m doing all this?”

  “No,” Rielle replied, pushing the woman away. “There is no excuse that could justify it.” She propelled herself and Baluka towards Qall.

  “You and I are the same,” Kettin said, following. “We both came from dead worlds. We were both raised to believe magic is evil. We are both criminals in the minds of our people.”

  Rielle risked a glance away, looking for Qall and the army. “You know nothing about me, if you believe that to be true.”

  Kettin smiled. “Ah, but I have been to your world. I know they think you are an Angel now, and that you gave them permission to use the magic you gave them.”

  Had she not been between worlds, Rielle might have felt a pang of worry or flare of anger. She was grateful for the detachment, as she was able to control her expression and not betray her feelings. Kettin might be lying. She might not. If the woman thought Rielle cared that much about her home world then she truly did not understand her.

  Glancing away again, feigning distain, Rielle finally spotted a ball of dark shapes – the Restorers obscured by the machines attacking them. A nagging feeling reminded her that she and Baluka could not remain in the place between worlds much longer. Yet she looked back at Kettin.

  “Call off your machines and I will listen.”

  Kettin glanced at the battle. Her shoulders rose and she grimaced. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. Once animated there is no way to recall them.”

  Rielle narrowed her eyes at the woman. She did not think this was a lie. Zeke had said as much.

  “Then there is no reason to stay.” Turning, she skimmed towards the army.

  “Listen to me!” Kettin called from not far behind.

  That the woman was still following surprised Rielle. She imagined Kettin chasing her all the way back to Qall. And then Qall killing Kettin. Could I live with knowing I led this woman to her death? Perhaps with this woman, she could. But if she could do that, why not kill Kettin herself?

  “Magic is evil.” Kettin’s voice remained close behind. “It is the manifestation of all the darkness within humans. It too easily allows us to subjugate and kill each other. Without magic, we would all be equal. I aim to reduce the magic in the worlds. To free them from the rule of sorcerers.”

  Baluka looked back. “If you are so against magic, why do you use it? And if you consider killing to be wrong, why do you slaughter everyone when you conquer a world, whether they have magical ability or not? Why do you kill the subjugated as well as the subjugator?”

  “For a big evil you need a big weapon, and a big weapon is bound to strike more than the target.” Kettin sounded sad, but determined. “To cleanse the worlds of magic there have to be sacrifices. It will be better afterwards. I will make sure of that.”

  Rielle could think of a hundred things to say to that, but the need to get herself and Baluka to air was more urgent. The woman was either mad or… What? I’m not sure. But definitely not worth suffocating within worlds for. The Restorers’ army floated before her now, beset by machines from above and below. She propelled herself towards it.

  Kettin’s voice grew more distant.

  “I was going to invite you to join me,” she called. “Then I could keep the worlds in check with rewards as well as control them with threats. I could offer magic to those
who are worthy.”

  Rielle reached the edge of machines attacking the Restorers. She paused and looked back.

  “I would never join you.”

  “I’m not inviting you.” Kettin’s smile was gone. “I said I was going to. Not now. You are stronger than me, and a Maker. That makes you more dangerous than any sorcerer that has lived. More dangerous than me, even. You could destroy all the worlds.”

  Rielle frowned. Was Kettin speaking of Maker’s Curse? If she was… how much more destruction would she wreak if she believed it was her duty to eliminate Rielle? Would she still do so, if she knew Rielle was not ageless? It would reveal a vulnerability, but it might be worth the risk…

  “Only if I become ageless again,” Rielle told her.

  “‘Again’,” Kettin repeated, unsurprised. “If you already know how to, you will do it again. You won’t be able to resist the temptation when you’re dying of old age. I’m not prepared to wait and see. I’m going to have to kill you, Rielle Lazuli.”

  “That doesn’t change much, from my perspective.”

  “It changes everything,” the woman said. “We will meet again.”

  And then she quickly faded out of sight.

  PART EIGHT

  TYEN

  CHAPTER 19

  “To be honest, I’m surprised at our progress. I thought it would all fall apart within a few days,” Tyen admitted.

  Halyn nodded. “Well, only a few days have passed since the vote.”

  Tyen glanced at his calendar. “Yes, it just seems far longer.” He nodded at the sorcerers practising beyond the window. “And too early to give Tarren the credit for providing my detractors reason to cooperate.”

  “His offer to train anyone in the fine arts of sorcerous warfare was no accident,” Halyn replied. “He knew it would have that effect. Who could resist the lure of learning from a famous teacher of the worlds?”

  “Yes, and he’s had plenty of practice at keeping sorcerers, be they students or teachers, in line. When I was at Liftre he was mostly retired, but everyone in charge admired and respected him, even if they didn’t always agree with him.”