The Echolone Mine (30 page)

Elianas sat as
if his bones were liquid. “Dear god, what a fool I was. You played
me … and you have surprised me as I have not been surprised in a
long, long while.”

Torrullin sank
to his haunches. “You wanted to see me react, and I did. You aided
in my betrayal of you so I will know you will never apologise. I
cannot forgive if you cannot say you are sorry. A vicious circle,
Elianas, for you are not sorry, and never will be, and I cannot
speak forgiveness, because I am not, either. The first betrayal,
after all, was mine.”

“I did not see
it.”

“And you did
not feel it either and that is why I reacted as I did.”

“I thought
your fury was for what we discovered that night.”

“Indeed it
was,” Torrullin said. “I discovered I would willingly surrender to
you.”

Elianas paled.
“I got it wrong.”

“No, you got
it right. Did we not start playing this game that same night?”

“Do you mean
surrender power?”

“I mean
surrender my heart, Elianas.” Torrullin rose. “You still do not see
it. What did I do to you, that you are blind still?”

Elianas’ face
was stripped of all civilisation. “Torrullin?”

“Do you think
this is about pleasure? Do you think it is about power? Do you
really think it can be about brinkmanship?” Again Torrullin lowered
to his haunches. “Do you think it is about submission? Sex?
Competition? Domination? Those are the factors of this stupid
battle we began the night of betrayal, but it is not the real
truth.”

“What is the
real truth?” Elianas whispered.

Torrullin
blinked. “You are so good with words, my brother, but do you ever
listen to yourself?” He dropped to one knee and placed a hand over
Elianas’ heart. “Sacred space, listen to that, and when you know,
really know, then perhaps we can end our war.”

“You know I
love you.”

“Yes, but that
is not what I am talking about. Listen beyond all that.”

“I am
lost.”

“I think maybe you are, yes.” Torrullin rose. He slowly
walked on.
Which means I am lost,
too.

He was a fair
distance away by the time Elianas caught up. Long fingers reached
out to twist him around. Elianas stood heaving there and Torrullin
shifted his weight to invade Elianas’ space.

“Talk.”

“Matter cannot
be created or destroyed, merely changed in state. Energy is part of
matter; it is life and light. If we are energy, we are simply
changed state.”

“And you
manipulate energy.”

“Yes.”

“It is a power
that cannot be removed, because it is a part of everything. Thus, I
have space-time and you have energy. Together we have all.”

“A powerful
incentive to take control.”

Torrullin
leaned closer. “Really?”

“Are you
tempting me?”

“I am.”

“It’s
working.”

“I know.”

“The mind is
the seat of all feeling,” Elianas murmured.

“It is also
pure energy,” Torrullin responded.

“Oh, you are
good.”

“Do you want
to continue the war?” Torrullin asked, altering his stance. His
inner thigh brushed Elianas’ leg.

Elianas
flinched.

“Yes or no?”
Torrullin taunted.

“Yes.”

Torrullin
smiled and wrapped one arm around Elianas’ head, drawing the man
against him. He whispered in his ear, “Then you had better tell me
how this power works, so that I may know what it is I seek to strip
from you.”

Elianas, fluid
in the embrace, said, “You play with fire.”

“We shall see
who gets burnt soon enough,” Torrullin murmured. When Elianas’
hands ran down his back towards his rear he stepped closer rather
than moving away from those roving hands.

Elianas yanked
himself aside.

Torrullin
laughed, and began walking back to the faraway fire.

Elianas caught
up halfway back, his expression shuttered. “It isn’t a good thing
to tell them about this power.”

“They know of
Elixir’s.”

“Not how it
works.”

“Then simply
reveal what you can do,” Torrullin said. “My shoulder throbs and I
felt you wince. How does energy feel?”

“How many laws
apply here?” Another step, two. “It is like smoke, Torrullin. With
enough fuel a fire can smoke long, and that is subject to the whims
of the elements, ethereal tendrils able to seep in or diffuse as
directed. Or manipulated.”

“That is how
you entered realms.”

“Yes, without
form.”

Torrullin
glanced at him. “I wondered how you became a true Immortal.”

Elianas
shrugged. “Enter and exit enough realms, and it is the result.”

“Was that the
reason?”

“You were the
reason.”

“We walked
away when we chose to separate after Nemisin. Can we do that
again?”

Elianas met
his gaze. “We delayed, Torrullin, and only in this cycle.”

“There are no
more cycles now. The way is changed; surely we can also?”

“We have
changed.”

“Yet some
things stay the same. You refuse to answer.”

Elianas
shrugged. “Because I don’t know.”

“Then I await
you.”

“What does
that mean?”

Torrullin
lifted a shoulder. “Betrayal begat betrayal begat betrayal … begets
betrayal. If I started it, you must end it.”

“Yes, your
confession has somewhat changed perception.”

Torrullin
flicked him another glance. “Good.”

“You play with
fire, my brother. Remember I am the fire. Why do you taunt this
time? You retreated before.”

“I gave you
space before. It was never retreat. This time I refuse to grant
those opportunities. You will come to know with me crowding
you.”

“Know what?”
Elianas asked.

“Ah, let us
not make it easy. A war requires danger … and a hand not
played.”

Elianas gave a
snort of laughter. “You make a mockery of old age, brother. Under
that civilised veneer of yours, you are as impetuous as a
youth.”

Torrullin sent
him an amused look. “I keep you on your toes.”

“Ah, yes, this
time you have astonished me.”

They came upon
their boots and sat on the sand to dry feet and don them.

“Can a
manipulation of energy get us out of here?”

“If it is the
answer, yes.”

Torrullin
frowned as he laced. “I wonder if the veil referred to on that door
is the membrane between this within and a more general inside?”

“Perhaps the
veil is the remains of ignorance.”

Torrullin
finished with his boots. “Ignorance?”

Elianas
glanced up, a smile on his lips. “Ours.”

“We could read
it a thousand ways. A sword can slay a dragon, after all.”

“A dragon’s
fire can melt a sword.”

“But you are
the fire,” Torrullin said.

“You are the
fuel.”

“A
dilemma.”

Elianas rose
without a word, and extended his hand. Torrullin took it and was on
his feet. He made a move towards the fire … and was held back.

“Please crowd
me, brother,” the dark man whispered. “Give me all the fuel I
need.”

Torrullin
stilled. “Oh, you are good.”

Together they
returned to Saska and Declan.

The time away,
brief as it was, gave new insight.

As Torrullin
and Elianas neared their companions, they saw something unnoticed
before.

Elianas
frowned first, his gaze on Saska.

Torrullin
strode over. He knelt before her and took her hands in his own.
Cold hands. “Are you all right?”

“I’m tired,”
she murmured, looking at him in surprise.

Perhaps that
was it. He chafed her hands between his to warm them. “Maybe it
won’t be so bad to make another round of coffee.”

She smiled.
“Let me at it.”

“No, I will do
it,” Elianas offered, and set to.

Torrullin
released Saska and glanced at Declan. The Siric did not fare well
either. Torrullin sat with him, slightly back to view the wing
nubs. There was no new growth.

“Does it
hurt?”

“What … oh, my
wings. No, they are numb.”

“It’s not
usual, is it?”

“No.”

“Can you
manage?”

“I will until
we get out of here,” Declan muttered. “That dunking took many
reserves, I think.”

Energy released, yes
. He glanced at
Elianas, who gazed back with concern.
He
sees it, too.

Elianas’ long
fingers worked with inherent grace as he toiled over the fire. Once
the pot was set to boiling, he looked up. “I can build
bridges.”

Torrullin was
entranced by those hands. “Explain.”

Elianas went
on with the coffee process. “Energy has flow, direction, even when
it appears random.” He glanced at the bizarre sky. “Here there is
no direction, which is why we seem to go nowhere. I am able to
bridge the flows, create direction.”

“Actual
bridges?” Saska asked, similarly entranced by his deft hands.

“That is
Enchanter magic. That kind of magic has endurance; this has not. It
works as long as it is viewed.”

Declan said,
“In other words, there will be a bridge as long as we look at
it.”

“As long as I
look at it.”

“Kind of,
well, iffy,” Saska murmured.

“One cannot
hold energy, Saska,” Elianas replied. “It will work, I
promise.”

“You have used
it … right?”

He grinned at
her. “You don’t trust me?”

She opened her
mouth to deny and then frowned. A moment later she was ashamed of
herself. “I am sorry.”

Elianas
murmured, “You have seen Torrullin do his best and his worst and
thus you know his magic. Mine is unknown.”

“I do know you
won’t allow Torrullin come to harm.”

Torrullin
laughed, saying, “Do not be too sure. We have a history to refute
your statement.”

Elianas licked
his lips and looked up directly into Saska’s eyes. “I will not harm
you and I will not harm the Siric, I promise.”

Saska was
shocked. “Gods, man.”

Declan shook
his head. “What of direction, Elianas? A bridge is good, but where
to?”

Elianas took
the small pot off the fire as the water boiled, and poured.
Stirring, he murmured, “There is only one way to find out.”

“First we
sleep and then we load coconuts. We are not leaving here
unprepared,” Torrullin stated.

“This is
interlude,” Elianas nodded. He rose to hand out coffee, and sank
down beside Torrullin. “There is something I need to tell you.” He
lowered his voice further and leaned close to Torrullin’s ear.
“Energy is like electricity, right? Current, outflow, strength. I
feel it, all the time. Yours is ever in overdrive, even when you
sleep.”

“Get to the
point.”

“Saska is
fading.”

Torrullin
stilled. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. We
cannot linger here.”

Torrullin
lowered his mouth to his coffee … and scalded his tongue. He
glanced at Declan, including Saska in his next words. “Elianas
tells me he feels a directional indicator. We must follow it while
it exists.”

“Now?” Saska
questioned.

“Now,”
Torrullin said. He managed to swallow his coffee and clambered to
his feet. With Elianas’ help he stuffed as many coconuts as could
go into the pack and shouldered it.

Declan threw
handfuls of sand over the fire, finished his coffee and got to his
feet. He looked at Saska. “Can you manage without boots?”

“I’ll have
to.”

“We will carry
you, if necessary,” Torrullin said and faced Elianas. “Do your
thing, brother.”

Elianas gave a
quick smile and closed his eyes.

When he opened
them, he faced away and pointed with one sure hand. Over the water
a grey span appeared, and he headed to it immediately. “Stay
close,” he warned, and stepped onto something that should not
exist.

Declan
followed and then Saska, with Torrullin bringing up the rear.

Valaris

Menllik

Tristan stood
at the foot of the bed.

Caballa sat
up. “Tristan?”

“I said I am
not him, Caballa, and I meant it, but I have been trying to be him,
and that is wrong.”

Caballa,
wisely, did not say anything.

“Torrullin
said I wasn’t like him, I had not his capacity for … I don’t know,
some negative thing, but, funny thing is, I wanted to be. It did
not matter that he was trying to tell me to my own self. Taking
over his Kaval - do you know how hard that was, and is? He said the
fact I look like him will make it easier at first, but I took it to
mean I also had to act like him. Caballa, I have no idea how he
acts when he is somewhere else, and it frustrated me. Tonight I met
Tymall and in a few words understood I had to say no, not to
Torrullin, but to my idea of Torrullin as self.” He sat on the
bed.

“Good for
Tymall,” Caballa murmured.

“I thought I
had to be like Torrullin so you will love me.”

“Oh, Tristan,
that is far from the truth.”

“I am
sorry.”

She clambered
across to him and put her arms around him. “I love you because you
are Tristan.”

He buried his
face in her neck. “I know it now.”

“I am sorry,
too.”

“For
what?”

“I threw him
in your face today.”

He pulled her
close. “I have been doing it all along. Can we move on?”

She smiled. “I
think we can, yes.”

Chapter 24

Shadow and
shade, a mental representation of some haunting experience

Titania
Dictionary

Path of
Shades

“
A
mazing,”
Declan murmured. “It seems unreal, yet it is solid. Elianas, how
many times have you done this?”