The Light of All That Falls, page 48
“Because hurting someone is not teaching them a lesson, Davian. As you pointed out earlier—we can hate what they do, but we should never hate them.” He shifted. “And I’m not ‘better’ than you. That’s not how it works. Believing in El, trying to follow His rules, doesn’t make you in some way superior. If anything, it makes you more aware that none of us can claim to be truly good. That’s why forgiveness is so important.” He saw Davian’s dubious expression and shook his head. “I’m not suggesting that enemies should suddenly be friends, but I am choosing to forgive. Because if I don’t, I’m nothing more than empty words.”
“But how can you possibly just forgive someone who’s been so awful to so many…”
Davian trailed off.
“We’re not talking about Maresh anymore, are we,” he said with a small, rueful smile.
Raeleth exhaled, nodding. “I’ll come with you.”
“But you said—”
“I said that I don’t trust Aarkein Devaed. But I trust you.”
Davian felt a sudden weight lift off his shoulders. “Tonight?”
Raeleth glanced back the way they’d come.
“No point in delaying it,” he said, the words sounding forced. “If we hand in what we have in the stash, it probably gives us a week’s head start before Isstharis decides to come looking for us.”
Davian gave a tight smile in agreement.
“Tonight it is, then,” he said quietly.
Davian glanced across at Raeleth, feeling a flash of sympathy at the other man’s expression as they looked into the sea of al’goriat between them and the square steel tower.
The red moon hung dead at their backs as they sat deep in the shadow of the crater. Their journey had been typically nerve-racking—navigating pools of Dark, making the perilous trip across the Breach and then slinking down into the crater itself, Davian making certain to remove their rope this time—but otherwise uneventful. Safe, as far as these things went.
“You… want to go through there,” said Raeleth flatly.
“They see using strands of kan, and they’ll only attack if they spot an Essence source. I’m already basically invisible to them, so I’ll make a shield for you, and they won’t even know that we’re there.” He patted the dark-haired man on the back, as much to cover his own doubt as to reassure his friend. “Don’t worry. It’s why that al’goriat left us alone, the first night we met—it must have thought that you were dying from the Dark infection, and it didn’t see me.”
Raeleth tapped a finger into his palm nervously. “You’re forgetting the part where you say ‘in theory.’”
“Well I feel like it’s a fairly good guess.” Davian smiled as Raeleth gave him a dirty look. “Trust me. We’ll be fine.”
Raeleth’s expression remained dubious, but he gestured, indicating that he was ready.
Davian motioned Raeleth closer and then closed his eyes.
It took almost a minute of straining, and another of wrestling with the dark power, before Davian finally snared a proper hold on kan. Sweat slid down his skin as he carefully formed a messy but complete shield, completely encircling Raeleth. He would have liked to include himself within it, but he simply didn’t have that kind of focus.
“Stay close,” he said, opening his eyes and wiping his forehead. He eyed the sides of the shield nervously. “Really close.”
Raeleth was watching him concernedly. “Are you all right?”
“Just move,” said Davian through gritted teeth, noting that there were neither dar’gaithin nor prisoners in sight for the moment. “Slowly and quietly.”
They inched forward, out of the shadowy cover of the buildings.
Too soon they were stepping into the vast, open expanse of dusty ground that separated the tower and its surrounding structures from everywhere else. Davian didn’t have to look across at Raeleth to feel the sheer terror emanating off the man; if he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t feeling much more comfortable. Banes grunted and snuffled all around them, their eyeless gazes sweeping back and forth as they shambled along, teeth bared and dripping in the garish red of the moon.
They were about halfway toward the center when one of the creatures stopped in front of them.
Davian’s heart lurched as the al’goriat turned deliberately toward them. His focus wavered for just an instant; he desperately reached out, fumbling with kan and then snatching it back, keeping the shield up through sheer force of will. The al’goriat stared at them.
Then another, a little farther away, stuttered to a halt and turned, too.
The one closer to them growled.
Davian felt a small squeeze on his arm; he glanced to the side to see Raeleth watching him, eyebrow quirked questioningly. Though his demeanor suggested that he wasn’t concerned, Davian could see the terror hiding just behind his eyes.
Davian forced out a breath and nodded slightly to Raeleth, starting out in a different direction, trying to skirt the al’goriat that had stopped.
More growls joined the first, a low, threatening chorus that deepened and got more aggressive by the moment. Davian felt his heart pounding.
“Keep moving,” he whispered.
The first Bane to have stopped suddenly blinked into the space where they had been only a few seconds earlier. It twisted around, snuffling as if testing the air.
Davian and Raeleth crept forward, moving as fast as Davian dared now. More and more al’goriat were being attracted to the scene; the ones that had seemingly detected their passing were growling more angrily now, vanishing and then appearing where Davian and Raeleth had just been, as if chasing their afterimage.
The journey to the tower seemed to take forever, Davian refusing to look back as snarls turned to a chorus, still relatively soft but spine-chillingly menacing. Step by painful step they moved forward.
Then finally, miraculously, they were stepping into the shadow of one of the tower’s ancillary buildings, and safety.
Davian let the kan shield drop—through inability to maintain it more than choice—and turned, flinching back in horror.
Perhaps fifty al’goriat stared at him, gathered along the invisible border of their area, hissing and with teeth bared in rictuses.
“Is that normal?” asked Raeleth shakily.
Davian barked an almost hysterical laugh, opening his mouth to reply, only to shut it again with a snap as he saw two figures hurrying toward them.
“I believe the idea was to not attract attention,” Niha called as she approached.
Raeleth’s eyes hardened as he recognized Tal walking behind her, and the al’goriat—terrifying though they were—seemed all but forgotten as he glared at the newcomers.
Davian put a hand gently on the man’s shoulder, feeling the rock-hard tension there. “This isn’t the place.”
Raeleth released a shaky breath, then nodded sharply.
Davian turned back to Niha as she arrived. She was studying Raeleth with open disapproval.
“This is who you wanted to save?” she said eventually to Davian.
Raeleth snorted before Davian could reply. “First impressions here aren’t exactly spectacular, either,” he told her, meeting her eyes calmly.
Niha said nothing, holding the gaze, then gave the slightest hint of a smile and just shook her head.
Tal jerked his head toward the tower. “We should get inside. If any dar’gaithin see the al’goriat acting like that, they’re going to come and find out why.”
Niha agreed, eyeing Raeleth again curiously before turning and joining Tal as he strode back the way he had come.
Davian exchanged a glance with Raeleth, and they trailed after the other two into the tower.
Davian sat with his back against the cool steel of the wall, tapping his fingers together in an absent, vaguely anxious motion as he watched Tal’s closed door.
From the corner of his eye, he could see Niha studying him intently. He sighed, turning to face her.
“Yes?” he asked irritably.
Niha continued to gaze at him, openly and unperturbed.
“Your friend,” she said. “You are concerned that Tal will do something to hurt him.”
Davian shook his head. “No. That’s already happened,” he said. “I’m concerned that Raeleth may not be able to look past it.” He grimaced. “I’m not sure that I could.”
Niha, to Davian’s surprise, nodded.
“Few who have been affected by his history can,” she admitted frankly.
“So you weren’t?” Davian asked. “From what I understand, this place is full of people just like Raeleth. Why are you so loyal to Tal?”
Niha said nothing for a few seconds; abruptly she held up her hand, a sliver of Essence springing to life at her fingertips. Davian watched admiringly as the hard sphere of Essence rolled smoothly between her fingers, pulsing and dancing. Her control was impressive.
“He saved me.” Niha continued playing absently with Essence, another ball joining the first, spinning and intertwining and then separating again.
“From what?” asked Davian, realizing that Niha was going to leave it there.
“I was part of Diara’s personal guard from the moment I could hold a weapon—right up until they discovered that I could use Essence. That was six years ago. The other Venerate discovered it, I mean. Do you know what that means, in Ilshan Gathdel Teth?”
Davian shook his head silently.
“A trip to the Cyrarium.” She gestured vaguely at his blank expression. “It’s why there are so few Gifted here—they need them back at home. It means prison, though they don’t call it that. Death, eventually. They say that it is an honor to go into the machines, a noble sacrifice, but…” She shook her head, a haunted look in her eyes. “Tal’kamar sacrificed himself to get us out. I had two glorious years in the resistance before the other Venerate caught me again and threw me in here.”
Davian frowned. “What do you mean, ‘sacrificed himself’?”
“They knew it was him. They knew he was the one who’d let us go free. He was already in trouble for not leaving us in the machines for as long as he was supposed to, and they suspected his motives even before any of that—but as soon as he helped us to escape, they knew that he was truly against them.” She rolled her shoulders. “He was still in Tel’Tarthen when they caught me.”
Davian gazed at her. Something about the softness of her voice told him she was being genuine. “So there’s actually opposition to the Venerate in Ilshan Gathdel Teth?” he asked, somewhat dubiously.
“A much stronger one after Tal released everyone like me to join them,” Niha said with a proud smile.
Davian cocked his head to the side, trying to put together the pieces. “So he does that after he gets out of here,” he said, calculating. Shuffling people around in timelines still hurt his head, but he was getting better at it. “You’re… not from much before my time, then.”
“Word of the rebellion against the Augurs was just reaching Ilshan Gathdel Teth when Tal got me out,” clarified Niha.
Davian nodded slowly. Perhaps twenty years ago, for him. That fit.
“He didn’t happen to mention how he got out of here?” he asked drily.
Niha shook her head. “I never actually met him. He set everything up so that the resistance could set us free. He could have spoken to me, I think, if he had tried. But it must have been too risky.” There was a sliver of doubt in her tone at that, but the moment quickly passed.
Davian scratched his head, something suddenly occurring to him.
“So the Venerate only figured out he’d betrayed them then?” He rubbed his forehead in confusion. “But… I assumed that was why he was here.”
“None of the Venerate have any idea he’s here. He snuck in,” confirmed Niha. “Once he knew from talking to you in Deilannis that he would get out again, he thought it was worth the risk.”
“He knew I would be here?”
“That, you would have to ask him.” She glanced at him appraisingly. “He certainly had no idea that he would be trying to turn you into the most powerful Augur to ever live, that much is certain. Even knowing what you will sacrifice, I think he is hesitant to give any man that much power.” She waved her hand, suddenly looking irritated. “But we are straying far from the topic.”
Davian raised an eyebrow. “You want to know more about Raeleth?”
“Yes. What is his background? Can he fight?”
Davian hesitated. “I… don’t know. He was a jeweler,” he finished awkwardly.
Niha looked displeased.
“He is a good man,” said Davian firmly.
Niha sniffed. “I would prefer a useful man.”
Davian glared at her. “If you don’t think that there’s a need for good people here, then maybe you need to take a better look around.”
Niha rolled her eyes, though whether it was in amusement or derision, Davian wasn’t sure.
“Why were you so intent on saving him?” she asked.
“Because if there’s anyone worth saving in this place, it’s him,” Davian replied quietly. “Why do you want to know?”
“Because he is going to end up as my responsibility. I can already tell,” said Niha, sounding irked at the prospect.
Davian was about to say more when the door opened, and Davian tensed. From the corner of his eye he could see Niha bracing herself, too. No matter what she said, she had been concerned that Raeleth might try to cause trouble.
Raeleth emerged first, and Davian was relieved to see that while the tension still remained in his shoulders, his demeanor was considerably calmer than it had been going in. Tal followed, looking thoughtful but not especially worried. That was a good sign, too.
Davian caught Raeleth’s gaze with a pointedly inquiring look. Raeleth glanced over his shoulder and then stepped closer, keeping his voice low so that only Davian could hear.
“We’ve reached an understanding.” He pulled in a breath. “I’m not at peace with any of this—not yet. But I’m closer to believing what you say about him than I was.” He chewed his lip. “It’s not easy.”
Davian nodded. “I can only ask that you try.”
“Niha.” It was Tal. “Raeleth has metalworking expertise; I think we can slip him in with the others in the forge without raising any alarms. We’ll just say that Athsissis brought him in for his expertise. Even if they realize the timing’s suspicious once they notice Athsissis is gone, not even the dar’gaithin would imagine that Raeleth had managed to get past the al’goriat otherwise.”
Niha eyed Raeleth. “Davian says you made jewelry.” Her tone dripped with disdain.
“I’m not going to make you any, no matter how much you beg.” Raeleth smiled cheerfully at her. “Now I believe you need to show me to my new accommodations?”
Niha stared with narrowed eyes, then snorted and shook her head, though a smile clearly played around her lips as she beckoned for Raeleth to follow her down the stairs. The other man dipped his head to Tal and Davian and then did so, looking pleased with himself.
Tal sidled over to Davian.
“You… saw that, right?” he whispered.
“I did,” Davian whispered back. “I definitely did.”
Tal and Davian shared a quick grin, then turned to watch until Raeleth and Niha’s footsteps had echoed away.
“He reminds me of you,” Tal said eventually, gaze still on the staircase.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You should.” Tal turned to him. “He is an intelligent man who is unafraid of being mocked or even harmed for his beliefs. He not only has morals, but he understands why he has morals—which is why even though being here with me is testing him, he is able to remain civil. He is the sort of man who got thrown in here too easily and without us listening to him,” he admitted.
Davian thought of Maresh. “I don’t know whether he’s right about everything, but… I admire him, admire his conviction. He’s no hypocrite, of that much I’m certain.”
Tal nodded thoughtfully. “As far as role models go, you could do far worse.”
Davian glanced across at him. “So was he the man you were thinking of, when I mentioned his name?”
Tal rubbed his chin.
“Yes,” he said slowly. “He says not, but he is also very open about not trusting me. He is from the right time, and the name was never that common. The chances of us having sent two Raeleths here from the same era are… slim.”
Davian cocked his head to the side. “So who do you think he is, then?”
Tal rolled his shoulders. “The man who started the rebellion in Talan Gol.”
“Raeleth?” Davian said skeptically before he could stop himself.
Tal raised an eyebrow. “Do not discount him. He is an eloquent man of clear ideas and strong conviction. The Raeleth who I am thinking of wrote a treatise against El—against Shammaeloth—just as we were finally bringing Ilshan Gathdel Teth into line. Some of what he put to paper has echoed across millennia.” He sighed. “Either way, I will make certain that he is protected, Davian—to the utmost extent of what I can do here. You have my word.” He frowned at Davian pointedly. “Even if he is infected by Dark.”
Davian flushed. “He told you?”
Tal nodded.
“I wasn’t certain you would have agreed to let him come if you’d known,” Davian confessed.
Tal grunted. “It would have changed the conversation,” he conceded, a touch irritably. “But he is here now. Your responsibility, though. I cannot ask the other Gifted to use Essence on him, when we need as much as we can spare for the tower itself.”
“Understood. And thank you,” said Davian, meaning it. He felt lighter and more hopeful than he had in days. “What now?”
“Now?” Tal stretched his arms out and cracked his knuckles, giving a sudden grin of anticipation. “Now, it’s time to get to work.” He clapped Davian on the shoulder.
“It’s time to finally finish what we started in Deilannis.”
Chapter 30
Wirr gritted his teeth as he watched the members of the Assembly process the news he’d just told them.
