Elves: Beyond the Mists of Katura (52 page)

‘And you need to calm down too. And translate for me. Try not to get upset by what he says.’

‘Yes, I’ll translate, and no, I won’t get any angrier than I already am.’

‘Bynaar,’ said Auum. He swung back to look at the mage, who was flushed and flustered. ‘You dishonour our dead. Wesman, elf and Julatsan have fought here for the lives of
everyone, and your posturing sullies the passing of their souls.’

‘The dishonour is all his. Consorting with our enemies, standing arm in arm like brothers in battle,’ said Bynaar, pointing to Stein, whose translation was spoken very carefully in a
monotone.

‘And so they were,’ snapped Auum, stepping very close. ‘Stein risked his life to come here and make our case, and the Lord Sentaya trusted him and us enough to do what had to
be done. We drew Ystormun out and we held him so that you could capture him. And now it is done, and we will never forget what your people did to us at Triverne Lake. For that you have my abiding
hate.’

‘We did what had to be done,’ said Bynaar.

Auum grabbed his chin. The Xeteskian guards tried to force him away, but Bynaar waved them back. Auum stared into Bynaar’s eyes and studied him while his anger settled.

‘You really don’t understand, do you? I should hate you. But instead I pity you.’

He let Bynaar go, and the master mage backed off a pace, unable to stop himself rubbing his chin, where Auum’s fingermarks were coming up red on his skin.

‘I do not care for your pity,’ said Bynaar.

He made to turn away, but Auum’s next words stopped him even before Stein translated them, their tone cold, quiet and steeped in the authority of great age.

‘You will listen to me.’ Auum waited for Bynaar’s eyes to meet his. ‘We have never sought conflict with others, yet it has been visited upon us, first by the Garonin and
then, for the last thousand years, by humans. You risk our lives by your carelessness and your ignorance.’

Bynaar’s eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth to speak. Auum shook his head, a minute gesture.

‘Your desire for dominance over your enemies has consequences for us all, and you are either oblivious to them or you choose to ignore them. For three thousand years I have walked the
rainforest with my people. Three thousand years of love and care and knowledge, and most of it before your college was even dreamed of, before Ystormun and his bastards. Before human magic.

‘But your unquenchable desire for power means so many have died. Elves with wisdom none of us could afford to lose. Takaar has died. Ulysan has died.’

Auum’s voice threatened to break and he saw Bynaar’s eyes twitch.

‘You sought a spell you could never find to grant yourselves power you could never own, and now you are left with nothing but hate.’

‘Who are you to lecture me?’ said Bynaar, his voice teetering on bluster. ‘I am of the Circle Seven.’

‘That office has not conferred any wisdom on you, has it?’ Auum regarded him for a moment. ‘I am Auum. I am Arch of the TaiGethen. I have seen more sorrow than I should have
even in my long life, and these last days have been the worst of all. Dread powers clashing and tossing life aside. So many men leave their families without fathers. So many brothers and sons dead
here and across the mountains, testament to a battle that should never have been fought because no one had the wit to wonder whether the victor could enjoy his spoils.

‘You assumed your power allowed you to grasp whatever you wanted. You were wrong and those I loved above all are dead as a result.’ Auum stared into Bynaar’s eyes. ‘There
is only one reason you are still alive and that is to finish what Takaar started. You have five more Wytch Lords to catch. This land must have peace so my people can have peace too.’

‘And supposing we do not do as you demand, Auum of the TaiGethen?’

‘I had sworn never to come back here,’ said Auum. ‘I swore it to Ulysan, but now he is dead and his death will not be in vain. So if I must return to deal with you I will bring
power with me such that you will wish you had never crossed paths with me, my TaiGethen or the Il-Aryn.

‘My warriors are faster than your eye can track. They can kill you before you know you are attacked, and the Il-Aryn can reduce the walls of your precious college to dust before your eyes
and then do the same to your skull.’

Bynaar made a contemptuous noise. ‘A ridiculous assertion.’

Auum put an arm around Bynaar’s shoulders and held him very tight. Sentaya growled at Bynaar’s guards and they fell back.

‘Then I will demonstrate.’ Auum raised his voice. ‘Ephemere! Ephemere!’

Of the elves gathered in front of the last of the village buildings, one stepped forward.

‘Yes, Auum.’

‘This man doesn’t believe you can make dust from that broken barn.’

‘Doesn’t he? Well I’ll see what I can do.’

Ephemere gathered four Il-Aryn to her including her sister. Bynaar cleared his throat noisily, and Auum held him a little tighter, tight enough to make him wince. The five elves stepped towards
the barn on which Rith had died and prepared. It was a relatively quick casting in the making. The barn was in ruins, its roof burned away and its timbers so much ash, but its stone walls still
stood. Ephemere’s team teased out the energies, grabbed them with their minds and pulled. The stone vanished, replaced by a dust cloud that settled slowly, revealing the extent of their
skill. Bynaar had tensed in Auum’s grip, and when he was released regarded the Arch with a deal more wariness and a modicum of respect.

‘Impressive,’ he conceded.

Stein was looking as if he had won the war on his own. Auum turned to him.

‘None have come out of this with any honour except Lord Sentaya, who risked everything on the say-so of an elf. This is not your victory.’ Auum swung back to face the Xeteskian mage.
‘You will incarcerate the Wytch Lords?’

Bynaar nodded. ‘We have never wanted anything else. It is for that we demand safe passage. Ridding the Wesmen of the Wytch Lords will free them, and only we can do it.’

‘For that and that alone I will organise safe passage,’ said Sentaya. ‘Word of Ystormun’s capture will spread like a wildfire through the tribes. The tribal lords will
rise and the shamen will be cast down. I, Sentaya, Lord of the Paleon, promise this. You will ever be my enemy but I will not strike at you while you complete this task.’

Bynaar studied him and inclined his head.

‘How quickly can you organise this?’

‘A few days,’ said Sentaya.

‘I must bring reinforcements,’ said Bynaar. ‘The Wytch Lords remain strong.’

Sentaya hesitated a few moments. ‘So be it, but your actions will unite the tribes. We will be watching and our blades will yearn for the taste of Xeteskian blood.’

Bynaar shrugged. ‘It is not in our plans to attack your country – nothing else of value lies here – but you should be warned that enough strength remains in the east to destroy
any who seek to take advantage of our absence.’

Stein exploded, trying to get past Auum, but was held back by Sentaya.

‘What is wrong with you?’ hissed Auum.

‘He’s lying. He means Xetesk to be master of this whole country, the east and the west. You cannot trust him!’

‘Of course I don’t trust him.’ Auum turned back to Bynaar, feeling tired and desperate to breathe rainforest air. ‘Stein is a brother of the elves. Julatsa is an ally of
the elves. They have our ear and they enjoy our protection. Do not make me come back here because you will be the first I seek out. As Yniss is my witness, this is my pledge.’

‘You don’t believe I will keep my word?’ said Bynaar.

‘I believe you will do whatever is in the best interests of Xetesk. Ensure none of my friends is damaged by those interests.’ Auum turned to go and then had a last thought. He swung
back and tapped a finger on Bynaar’s chest. ‘You might want to pass that on to your sons, their sons and the sons of the next hundred generations.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I am immortal, and I have a very, very long memory.’

Bynaar opened his mouth to speak, but a strange look came into his eyes and he seemed to relax, holding up his hands.

‘The threat eternal,’ he said. ‘It is well made. Now, unless there is anything else, I must leave to set about ridding the world of Wytch Lords and saving us all in the
process.’

‘How dare you cast yourself as the world’s saviour,’ snapped Stein. ‘You are a butcher and your college wallows in deceit. We will never trust you.’

‘Then at last perhaps we understand each other, Stein of Julatsa. Give my regards to Kerela.’

Bynaar turned and walked away, his guards with him.

‘He will betray us,’ said Stein.

‘Of course,’ said Auum. ‘And so you and Lystern and Dordover must be ready, mustn’t you?’

‘Neat idea getting Ephemere to demonstrate, by the way, though I thought you hated magic and never wanted to see another elf cast a spell,’ said Stein.

‘Don’t you start. I get enough of that from—’ Auum gestured over his left shoulder, which was cold because Ulysan was not there. ‘Anyway, even I have to admit it
has its uses. Come on, let’s get back to the others.’

‘I can’t imagine life without him,’ said Auum.

The elves were gathered to eat breakfast. The mood was sombre and quiet.

‘The rainforest will certainly be quieter,’ said Grafyrre.

Auum chuckled in spite of himself.

‘You know he always said that I should let him do the jokes. Who’s going to do them now?’

No one had an answer. No elf, anyway.

‘I will,’ said Tilman.

Auum smiled at him. ‘Your place is here with Stein. But you are always welcome in the rainforest. I’ll even stop it killing you.’

‘Is that a joke?’ asked Tilman.

‘Not entirely,’ said Grafyrre.

Auum sighed. ‘I lost my cell here.’

‘Anyone would be proud to run with you,’ said Faleen.

‘I have my eye on one or two,’ said Auum, ‘but I think I’ll walk the path of the Silent until I can face it all without Ulysan.’

Faleen and Grafyrre were staring at him, Merke and Marack too.

‘What?’ he asked.

‘You’re seriously not going to tell us who you have your eye on?’ said Marack.

‘All right then. Duele is good, but he might make a more useful cell leader. Evunn too. Fast, accurate. Ulysan liked them both.’

‘Then that’s enough, isn’t it?’ said Grafyrre.

‘When the time is right,’ said Auum. There were fresh tears threatening, and Auum shook his head, not wanting to wallow any more. Ulysan would have chided him for it, after all.

Auum heard a brief exchange of words in tribal Wes, and two more figures moved into the circle. Auum stood and Sentaya enveloped him in a huge bear hug. When the Wesman let go there were tears
in his eyes and he wiped them away angrily. Though surprised at the embrace from a man normally so in control of himself, Auum’s heart beat for the feelings they both shared so keenly.

‘Tell Sentaya that to cry is to let the essence of your soul comfort those of the departed. There is no shame in it, only love of the most precious kind. Tell him his son will be the
greater for it where he has travelled.’

Stein translated and Sentaya smiled, letting fresh tears drip down his cheeks.

‘I have brought you three boxes full of the ashes of the fallen. Part of my son is in there along with your Ulysan.’

Auum nodded, the reason for the sudden tears now plain.

‘Is there anything else you want to say to Sentaya?’ asked Stein.

‘Tell him that, with his blessing, we will rest here today, but as dawn breaks tomorrow we will be leaving him to rebuild his life as we go to rebuild ours.’ Auum smiled and felt
hope as well as a yearning to feel the canopy above his head. ‘Tell him we want to go home.’

To Gillian Redfearn, Robert Kirby, Jon Weir, Charlie Panayiotou, Steve Diamond and Marc Aplin – thank you for all that you do. To Clare, Oscar and Oliver thank you for
putting up with my occasional grumpiness and being a wonderful family. And to Sarah Pinborough, if it hadn’t been for your friendship and many authorly lunches, I’d probably have gone
quietly insane.

Also by James Barclay from Gollancz:

Chronicles of the Raven

DAWNTHIEF

NOONSHADE

NIGHTCHILD

Legends of the Raven

ELFSORROW

SHADOWHEART

DEMONSTORM

RAVENSOUL

The Ascendants of Estorea

CRY OF THE  NEWBORN

SHOUT  FOR  THE  DEAD

Elves

ELVES: ONCE  WALKED WITH  GODS

ELVES: RISE OF THE  TAIGETHEN

A Gollancz eBook

Copyright © James Barclay 2013
All rights reserved

The right of James Barclay to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in Great Britain in 2013 by
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This eBook first published in 2013 by Gollancz.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 0 575 08686 9

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