The Echolone Mine (66 page)

Quilla
surveyed the arrogant entry sadly. Nothing would stop them.

Teroux’s gaze
flicked over Elianas.

Teighlar
swore.

Belun felt a
chill, and wished Declan was with them.

The three men
came to a halt.

Caballa was
first. “Tristan? Look how armed you are! Damn it, you dare not do
this!”

Tristan broke
formation. He extended his hand to her. “We must talk.”

She went
meekly along when he drew her away.

Tianoman
shouted, “You place everything in danger, Torrullin! Will you
listen to reason?”

“We are beyond
that point.”

Tianoman paced
forward. “By all accounts Lethe is …” He paused, becoming aware of
something entirely different.

Elianas stared
with one eyebrow lifted at … Tianoman swung around … Teroux. Teroux
stared back at him in disgust.

Torrullin
studied the confrontation. “Elianas can hold his own.”

“Teroux
cannot.”

Torrullin
blinked and nodded imperceptibly. He moved closer to Elianas. “Let
it go, please.”

“Step from the
shadows, Torrullin,” Elianas said. “I refuse to hide for
prejudice’s sake.” He did not remove his gaze from Teroux.

“We do not
need this.”

Elianas smiled
oddly and then, without looking away from Teroux, lifted his hand
to clasp Torrullin’s neck.

Teroux
exploded.

Torrullin
snarled, “Did you have to?”

Elianas
flicked him a glance and then glared at Teroux. He took his hand
away, having achieved what he intended.

“You prick!”
Teroux shouted, hurtling up, his face blotchy with righteous fury.
“How dare you? You are not fit to kiss his feet!”

He rounded the
table, Teighlar made an ineffectual grab, and then Teroux slammed
into Elianas, pushing the dark man back with a wordless snarl.
Elianas stumbled and righted to stand firm, his face a mask.

Tristan
approached swiftly and Tianoman gripped Teroux, while Torrullin
stalked Elianas. Caballa, standing with a hand over her mouth, knew
she dare not interfere. Quilla, likewise, sat sadly watching.

Belun, on his
feet, did not understand and thus did not know what to do. His
hands clenched and unclenched in indecision.

Teighlar stood
beside him. “A family thing, Belun. We are better served to stay
out of this one.”

Relieved, the
decision made for him, Belun nodded. He sank down and watched.
Teighlar, sighing, remained on his feet.

Tianoman
pulled Teroux away and received a hard punch to the face for his
efforts. He fell back, swearing, and Teroux launched anew at
Elianas. He floundered against Torrullin, who was like rock.

“Control
yourself, Teroux.”

Elianas said,
“I do not require protection.”

“I am not
protecting you. Teroux, this is unseemly.”

“Unseemly?
Unseemly
? The man is a fucking faggot, and you …”

Torrullin hit
him flat-handed.

Teroux gasped
and stumbled back.

Tristan,
arriving then, froze.

“That was
stupid,” Elianas said.

“Shut up!”
Teroux screamed. “Don’t you talk! How dare you waltz into his life
and take him over!”

Elianas hissed
a breath.

Torrullin, his
face tight, said, “I do not stand in your way.”

Elianas
stalked forward and gripped Teroux by the throat. “You little
child,” he whispered, “how dare you stand in judgment over
something you know bugger all about?”

“Leave him!”
Tristan shouted.

Caballa was at
his side. “Tris, stay out of it. You, too, Tian.”

Tianoman,
pale, nodded.

“You know
about buggery, don’t you?” Teroux hissed. He gripped Elianas’ wrist
as he tried to pull that suffocating grip away.

Elianas
head-butted him and Teroux’s nose exploded in blood. He screamed
and Elianas pushed him aside. “Little twit.” He turned away. “This
is not worth the effort.”

Tianoman
moved, but Tristan stopped him. “Stay out of it, cousin.”

Torrullin
approached Teroux. “Let me see that nose.”

“Stay away
from me. And you know what, go and fuck it up for us in Lethe!
Bring it all tumbling down, you arrogant bastard!”

Tristan
cursed.

Torrullin
stared at his grandson, eyes glittering. “Teroux, the only reason I
do not take this further is because I know you are lashing out at
anything. But, young man, I suggest you keep a civil tongue or I
shall throw you out, understood?”

“Try it, I
dare you.”

Torrullin
closed his eyes. He sensed Elianas behind him and drew strength
from the implicit support. “Control yourself, Teroux.”

“Look at him,
sneaking up behind you! Tell me, do you enjoy it?” Teroux’s face
was a mask of fury.

Elianas caught
Torrullin as he moved. “No, leave him. As you say, he is lashing
out.”

Teroux
laughed. “Such a pretty sight!”

“For god’s
sake, Teroux, will you shut up?” Tianoman snarled.

“You’re as bad
as them if you countenance this!” Teroux hurled back.

Tristan
stalked in, pushed his cousin, and then pushed him again. “Stop it.
You have no idea.”

“And why not?
Because you tell me nothing!”

“Because this
is how you react!”

“Oh, fuck off.
This is not about me. Look at them, so cosy, so together …” He
glared unaccountable hatred at Elianas and then stared fixedly at
Torrullin. “Or is all show, my Lord? Either you allow him near you
or you give us an act to protect the pretty boy. Which is it?”

Tianoman
muttered, “How stupid can he be?”

Torrullin
dragged his gaze from Teroux … and turned to Elianas.

“Torrullin,
no,” Elianas said, reading the intent.

Teroux
shouted, “Fucking actors! I don’t know which is worse!”

“Teroux!”
Caballa shouted.

Elianas
smiled. “Fine. I am with you.”

Everything
stilled, and then Torrullin and Elianas kissed.

Belun hurtled
to his feet.

Teroux fell to
his knees. “I knew it.”

Torrullin and
Elianas parted and shrugged at each other. It had been too staged
to mean anything.

Torrullin
walked back to Teroux and dragged him up. Holding him, he placed a
hand over his face, healed the shattered nose and then held him by
the shoulders. He stared into the golden eyes before him, seeing
only misery. The anger had gone.

“Teroux, do
not ever dare me again, and do not accuse Elianas. What you think
is between us, has not come to pass, nor ever will.”

“You kissed
him,” Teroux whispered.

“You dared
me.”

“So, so …
there is nothing?”

“On the
contrary, but that does not mean I fall into bed with him. And if I
did, Teroux, it should not matter.” He squeezed his grandson’s
shoulders and let go. “I am sorry I hit you.”

Teroux drew
himself up. “Yet you did, because he means so much to you. You once
told me, to imagine something is to make it real. You have done all
I suspect … in your mind.”

Torrullin
inclined his head.

“I cannot
accept it. I will not accept him. Go do your worst, my Lord, and
stay out of my life.” Teroux retreated, and then swung around to
encompass everyone. “All of you stay out of my life. I want nothing
to do with any of this, nor do I want to hear about the Lord
Torrullin Valla and his fucking lover ever again. I cut myself
away.” He swung back to Torrullin. “If that excludes me from
Sanctuary I shall willingly get the hell off.”

Torrullin,
cold, replied, “Sanctuary is your responsibility.”

Teroux bowed.
A moment later he was gone.

Torrullin
rounded on Elianas. “You could not leave it alone.”

“I am not to
blame.”

Tristan flung
into a chair. “Gods above.”

“Torrullin,
Teroux has aimed at this a while,” Tianoman said. “I don’t know
exactly what is under his skin, but blaming Elianas is misplacing
blame.”

Torrullin
approached the table. Belun’s expression halted him. “Gods, Belun,
not you, too.”

The Centuar
had understood something else in the revelation brought on by
Teroux. “This is why you take power into Lethe. You two have seen
the line and you are not unified in choice.” Belun had been doing
clandestine research. The Centuar had contacts.

Torrullin
clasped his shoulder. “Thank god you know where to look. No
judgment?”

“For what?”
Belun appeared confused. “Oh, that. Come, Torrullin, me,
judge?”

“Belun, you
gladden my heart.”

“You embarrass
me. Give Teroux time. He is young and his childhood was
damaging.”

“I am not
judging him, but the first move is now his. He must find his way on
his own.”

“Yes,”
Tianoman sighed. “We came to blows recently over something else. We
fixed it, but the fixing is mine, not his.” He glanced at Tristan.
“I know how close you are, but it’s time to allow him his space. He
needs to soar or tumble without our protection.”

“He is like a
little boy sometimes,” Tristan said. “I cannot just leave him.”

“He must grow
up,” Tianoman said. “Even if it hurts us to let him hurt
himself.”

“Tian is
right,” Caballa said.

Elianas closed
in on Torrullin. “Are you all right?”

“The winds are
quite taken from my sails.” He sat, shaking his head.

Teighlar
released one of his voluble sighs. “It would be an anti-climax to
tackle you about Lethe now.”

“Yet we must,”
Quilla said.

Torrullin
leaned forward. “Don’t. Leave it. Go further with resistance now
and we all part in a bad way, and that isn’t a desirable state for
the crucible or Lethe. Please.”

“Fine.”
Teighlar rubbed at his face. “When do you want to go?”

“No, wait,”
Belun frowned.

“Belun, you
cannot change it,” Torrullin said.

“I had a
visitation from Declan! I must try.”

“Declan?”

“A dream, damn
it.”

“Belun, you
don’t trust dreams.”

“But it was
Declan
, and I trust him.”

Torrullin drew
in a breath. “What did he say?”

“He said not
all wings are white or filled with colour. He said there are wings
in another place waiting to trap you, it would not be good and that
you must avoid them. Torrullin, please, there is danger.”

Torrullin
stared at the Centuar, astonished.

Teighlar paled
considerably.

Elianas
straddled a chair. “He mentioned wings? Did he show you
anything?”

“No, he spoke,
and told me to stop this journey.” Belun studied Elianas.

The dark man
inclined his head. “Torrullin tells me you are very protective. Are
you sure you have not misheard?”

Belun flicked
a glance at Torrullin and then met that dark gaze head on. “No
doubt he also told you I would tear anyone apart who hurts him or
anyone I care about. Maybe my subconscious is prodding me, I admit,
but the reaction here tells me I am not far off the mark.”

“It is too
late,” Torrullin said, avoiding Teighlar’s gaze. “Reaume needs our
assistance.”

“Torrullin
…”

“Caballa, I
know you have a new vision - I can feel it radiating off you - and
I know it isn’t good, but I have had one also, and mine shows
Reaume sundering. Whatever the danger to us beyond, it is now less
than that to all here waiting. We cannot do nothing, not anymore.
There are five Syllvan left and the line between what we know and
chaos is about to be breeched. We
have
to go in.”

Silence, and
then, from Elianas, “When did you see this?”

“Last night
when you dreamed of danger to my person.”

Elianas
lowered his head to his arms on the backrest of the chair. “You
looked?”

“I did not
need to. You are different.”

“Dream or
vision?” Caballa frowned.

“Need you ask?
Five Syllvan now pit themselves against eleven Dryad, akin to
saying five thousand fight eleven thousand. For the Syllvan the
odds grow short.” Torrullin glanced around the table. “Yesterday I
would have said we go in to war on each other,” and his gaze rested
longer on Elianas, “but today I saw we go in to war together. It is
now unavoidable.”

“A noble
purpose,” Quilla whispered.

“Nothing noble
about it,” Torrullin snapped. “That requires sacrifice and I intend
sacrificing nothing.”

Caballa bit
her tongue to prevent a cry about dying being sacrifice. Tristan,
beside her, trembled as he forced himself to say nothing either.
Elianas did not lift his head.

Torrullin’s
gaze sharpened as he became aware of the quality of silence. There
was sacrifice due. Dear gods, what form? He did not ask.

“Do not
concern yourself with guarding the crucible after we leave,
Emperor. Without form there is no open portal and we probably will
not use it for exit. Once in Reaume we can leave from any point.”
He leaned forward. “If another ship falls inexplicably from the
sky, ground all ships. Use your Enchanter powers if necessary and,
Quilla, use the Kaval to enforce it.”

Tianoman said,
“The black box proved false reading, as you suspected.”

“The lines go
haywire and could worsen. Quilla, I loosed a dose of Elixir six
hours ago - it should hold another void for at least two years -
but this is what you must do if those two years go by without
return.” Torrullin placed his fingertips on the birdman’s tiny
wrist, finding the pulse, and pressed lightly. He closed his eyes.
“These are the words you must use. Gather fourteen and say it as a
chant for seventy-two hours.” He sent the words. It was a
complicated string of power, which was why he transferred them via
pulse touch.

“I have it,”
Quilla said.

Torrullin
released and opened his eyes. “Just being careful. It may take only
a day.”