The Echolone Mine (53 page)

“… to upset in
Reaume. I see.”

“Do you? Have
you any idea where it could lead?”

“I have a fair
picture.”

Torrullin
leaned forward. “The grotto is sealed even to Elixir; Elianas and I
must enter by another door.”

“And that can
put you on a path through, across and over infinite realms before
you reach the grotto from the other side - ages, maybe. I hear you,
and now you hear me. We are talking here about interfering in a war
literally between titans. I have not your affinity with the
Syllvan, but I know you would agree they are god-like in who and
what they are; the Dryads are likely the same. You may stand
alongside such august personages, even above them, but you are one,
where they are many …”

“Elianas will
be there.”

“And Elianas
is likely to stand alongside them also, yet you would be
outnumbered. Further, are we thinking swordfights and sorcery
pulses in a war between their kind? I doubt it, and I doubt either
of you can match what they fight with. Castrating a man across a
vast distance, and branding him, is not quite the same as
attempting to fell a vine likely older even than you are.”

“You heard
about that.”

“The men who
burned those women? I did, and knew it was you, but, my friend,
that kind of power is insufficient for Reaume.”

“Or in Ariann,
agreed.”

“If you are
not going to fight, why do you need to enter?”

“To know what
the result is likely to be. We require awareness, if only to
prevent ships falling from the sky.”

“You aim to
merely look?” Quilla was disbelieving.

“I am not
completely insane, Q’li’qa’mz. I do not what to touch this, but it
needs doing.”

“I have
worried over this, and Tristan is like a creature with glass in his
arse, and Caballa pests both of us. And, gods help us, never mind
bloody Teighlar. The dumb Senlu has even suggested entering the
Void.”

“Hell, he must
not
…” Torrullin paused. “Would that work?”

“No!”

Torrullin
raised a hand. “Fine.”

Quilla pointed
a finger. “This time I go with, hear?”

“I will not be
responsible for another death.”

Quilla licked
his lips.

“I trust only
Elianas to survive.”

“Fine, fine,
fine
, but then you will hear every word of advice I give
you.”

Torrullin
inclined his head. “And it will be appreciated.”

“Summon
Tristan and Caballa - both have been doing research - and Elianas
must be present.”

“Very well,
but we do this in Grinwallin, where I get Teighlar back in
line.”

“Agreed.”

“I will
collect Elianas. We meet in Grinwallin.”

Quilla
frowned. “Call him.”

“I cannot. You
will send for Tristan and Caballa?”

Quilla was on
his feet. “What is he doing, Torrullin?”

“My prudish
friend, Elianas is currently engaged in a sexual act.”

Quilla cleared
his throat, embarrassed. “Oh. All right, we will, um, meet you
there.”

Galilan

He looked up at
the upper floor of the three-storey building.

That was where
Elianas had found a willing body and was taking his bloody
time.

Torrullin
found a bench on the riverbank and sat to wait.

Half an hour
later Elianas sat beside him, wordless.

“We are to go
to Grinwallin.”

“You could
have called,” Elianas said.

“And feel what
you were feeling? No.”

Elianas
lurched to his feet and stared over the fast flowing water. “I felt
nothing. Let us go.”

Torrullin sat
on, watching him with hooded eyes.

Elianas ran
both hands through his hair in fury, but did not show his face.

Torrullin
waited.

“It was
mechanical. It seems I need my mind engaged first.”

“I do not
require details.”

“Then what are
you waiting for?” Elianas snapped.

“For you to
calm yourself.”

A heaved
breath. “I am calm.”

Torrullin
rose. “Then we can go.”

“Wait. Give me
something, for god’s sake.”

“Why? Because
you took away from yourself?”

A glimmer of
relief in dark eyes. “That is better.”

“Fuck you,
Elianas. I am not your nursemaid.”

“Better and
better.”

“Excellent. If
you are happy, can we go?”

“Certainly.”
Elianas combed his hands through his hair and squared his
shoulders.

Grinwallin

Quilla shivered
in the Great Hall with Tristan, Caballa and Teighlar.

Winter had
come to northern Luvanor and snow lay in drifts in the city of
Grinwallin, bringing on the coldest season in living memory.

Torrullin
entered and behind him Elianas.

Teighlar
detached from the group and met them halfway. The three men stared
at each other and then Teighlar grinned and enveloped both,
squashing them together.

“Torrullin, I
know you need no apology from me, yet I feel I gave up on Avaelyn
and for that I am sorry. You are by far a better Enchanter, my
friend.”

Torrullin
clasped his shoulder, at the same time moving away from Elianas.
“As you say, it is unnecessary.”

“Elianas, I am
happy to see you returned.”

The dark man
bowed his head. “As am I.”

Teighlar
grinned and gestured at the sword at Torrullin’s waist. “I see you
returned his catharsis also.”

Elianas
stilled. “He called.”

Teighlar
nodded. “I know.”

Torrullin
muttered, “You may think I am the better Enchanter, but you
certainly see more clearly, Emperor.”

Teighlar
shrugged, but was pleased. “I know the games words can play.”

Elianas gave a
wry smile. “The time for games will soon be over.”

Torrullin
glanced at him, frowned, and went to the others.

“Ah, brother,
must you taunt him?”

Elianas
snorted. “Stick around, Emperor, and you will soon see the whip has
changed hands.” The two sauntered nearer.

Torrullin,
meanwhile, had Caballa in his arms, embracing her. “Thank you for
all you did recently, from the bottom of my heart, and know I could
not say the words before.”

She swallowed
as he let go. “Thank you for everything you did, my Lord.”

Torrullin
faced Tristan. “I treated you poorly on Avaelyn. Forgive me, and
thank you.”

Tristan
smiled. “Family - we can get past anything.”

“How true.”
The two gave each other a backslapping embrace.

When they
parted, Tristan extended his arm to Elianas and when the man took
it, drew him into an embrace as well. In his ear he said, “Elianas,
you are welcome. Cease retreating and step forward.”

The dark man
drew a breath and they parted.

Caballa poking
him in the ribs solved his discomfort. Elianas looked down at her
and then smiled wide, which entirely transformed him, when he noted
her pointing significantly at her cheek.

Laughing, he
bent to place a kiss on that cheek and then for good measure placed
one on the other also.

She winked at
him.

Torrullin
stepped back to view them from a distance. As Elianas straightened,
he remarked, “I wonder what it is.”

Teighlar
frowned.

“
It
,”
Torrullin emphasized. “Something the Syllvan said opened the doors
to Elianas. Fantastic, but what is
it
?”

Elianas
snapped, “Stop thinking, damn it.”

“I am not
belittling anything. I am simply curious.”

Elianas was
about to say more, when he froze, his gaze on someone behind
Torrullin, who swiftly swung around.

Lowen, with a
diffident smile, approached from inside the Hall. “I thought I
heard you.”

Both men
stared at her.

Teighlar,
after looking from the two to the woman with high spots of colour
on her cheeks, herded everyone aside, including Quilla, who was
uncharacteristically inquisitive. Or maybe not so
uncharacteristically. Teighlar also waved nearby Senlu from hearing
range.

“I’m not here
to join this little tête-à-tête,” Lowen murmured. “I was in
Teighlar’s library doing research.” She fell silent as she came to
a halt, her eyes moving ceaselessly between the two.

Elianas
cleared his throat, remembering the last time he was in the same
space with this woman, about to betray Torrullin with her.

Torrullin was
paralysed. This woman surrendered immortality for him.

Lowen smiled.
“Speechless? How novel.” She took a step forward, then another,
which brought her close to Torrullin. “Don’t take on guilt,
please.”

“How can I
not?”

She cupped his
face with one hand. “When Vannis surrendered longevity for you, he
discovered something real to live for, and was never sorry. I have
found something real to live for again. How can I regret it? If you
stand there weighed down by guilt, how do I get to enjoy a future
knowing that? Please, I’m not asking you to let go, I am begging
you to do so. For me.”

“Lowen.”

She threw
herself into his arms. “Just tell me it’s all right, that’s
all.”

He held her.
“Then it’s all right.”

She gripped
him hard a moment longer and released. She stepped back, and her
gaze moved to Elianas.

“I think I
would have avoided you rather than face this,” Elianas said, his
voice neutral.

Lowen
murmured, “Elianas, it’s time to step out of those shadows you
surround yourself with, or you will never see anything
clearly.”

He moved and
came to a stop, close. Torrullin’s warmth was next to him, and
Lowen’s shared between them. “I like my shadows.”

Torrullin
closed his eyes. “I will leave you to sort …”

Elianas hauled
him back as he started to move away. He did not look at him; he
maintained the link with Lowen, who said, gazing exclusively at the
dark man, “Stay, Torrullin.”

“Why?”

“Because you
must know.”

“Rather than
wonder,” Elianas added. His fingers dug in.

Lowen said,
“I’m sorry, Elianas. I tried to use you to hurt him.”

“Likewise. And
I am as sorry.”

Torrullin was
livid, anger that rose from his bones. “Is there attraction
here?”

Lowen said,
“What are you talking about? We are putting aside a stupid mistake,
that is all.”

“That is not
what this is about,” Elianas said.

Torrullin
inhaled deeply to control his fury and then roughly undid Elianas’
hold on him. “So explain it to me.”

“Lowen saw my
shadows on Echolone,” Elianas added. “That is why I wanted to avoid
this meeting.”

Gradually
anger returned to the recesses. When it was entirely banished -
except for residual astonishment over the dangerous depths of his
jealousy - Torrullin said, “I have seen your shadows since you were
a child, Lowen, and I know you saw mine. Why is his different?”

“It’s
different because you cannot see them. You know they are there, but
you don’t see them, and I bet you don’t see mine either.”

“You have
grown and they have diminished.”

“It doesn’t
explain why you cannot see Elianas.”

Torrullin
transferred his gaze to the man and scrutinized the region
immediately surrounding him. He directed his attention back to
Lowen. Elianas, for some reason, made him extremely uncomfortable.
“Do you see mine?”

“Yes, and
Elianas sees them also.”

“What are
really telling us, Lowen?” he demanded.

“You begin to
move from the shadow realm, Torrullin, and the further out you go,
the less you are able to discern what surrounds others. I’m
gradually losing the ability to see also, for I have now exited the
shadow realm, and yet see Elianas clearly, and you. It will no
doubt pass soon, and I’ll be relieved.”

He latched
onto one thing. “I am not moving from the shadow realm.”

“Of course you
are, and have been for a long time.”

“You infer
Elianas is still in.”

“He is and
going deeper.” She stepped forward. “Torrullin, your shadows now
trail you in shattered patterns on the ground. Elianas’ are like
great wings in the air behind him. I saw them on Echolone and it
drew me to him.”

“Elianas?”
Torrullin snapped.

“I have not
the gift of seeing shadows, not like Lowen, but I know where mine
are and what it means, and I know where yours are and what it
means.”

“Torrullin,”
Lowen said, “when I was a child your wings were larger than
Elianas’ is now, but you also had an aura about you. Today your
wings are gone and you have no aura either. I don’t understand the
latter, I’m sorry to say. My debate to this point of meeting was
whether to tell you about the shadows, his, yours, mine, for it is
akin to tweaking with the future. Change mind-set, and you alter
how the way forward is perceived. No seer worth her salt should do
so.” She glanced at Elianas. “He knew I could alter how you see
things and hoped to avoid it.”

“Elianas knew
what he was doing. He knew when he saw you.”

Elianas lifted
a brow.

Lowen shrugged
and said, “I am not art of that game. Although I am aware there are
more questions now, it’s not for me to give answers. My time has
come to bow from the stage.” She touched Torrullin’s face. “I aim
to avoid you from now on, simply because I prefer you remember me
as I am now, and not the old woman I am to become.” She touched
Elianas’ arm. “I shall avoid you, because you remind me of
Torrullin. Allow me to speak greetings to Teighlar and then I’ll
leave, and you may get on with your meeting.”

She smiled and
kissed both men on their cheeks. “Oh, a parting shot, my
cliff-hanger exit; retrieve the package Krikian left at the
Academia of Truth and then wonder after how I knew you had need of
it.”