Between Darkness and Light Trilogy (50 page)

I do not intend to miss any more threats; I
add my own shield around us – one sharing more in common with
Cailli's shields than Lucian's. I'm tempted to try to send him away
after that, but his determination changes my mind – the attempt
would be pointless.

Utilizing my ring-crystal I watch the
Emperor when I can; he is amazing. I do all I can to improve his
battle odds, assuring his troops have good solid ground beneath
their feet while his attackers do not. For them I project the
changing Harmony of the odd shifting toy Cailli had given me,
causing the ground beneath their feet to constantly shift between
unfavorable landscapes. Augustus is amazing, leading an assault
that drives a wedge deep into the enemy's ranks, cleaving man-thing
and fell-beast alike. But all I do, and all Augustus does
eventually comes to naught, for no one could withstand what is
eventually mounted against him. Things out of nightmare leap upon
him, and magic sears the air. I expect him to transport away, but
he does not. After he falls a great roaring and cheering goes up
from our foes, and doubt seems to spread in our center ranks. Then
clear trumpets sound loudly, and Llywelyn, in command of the
reserves and the left, slams into the enemy's flank and front. The
Emperor's remaining forces rally to Llywelyn and together they
drive relentlessly into the enemy. The attackers apparently
expected the battle to end with our Emperor; they are overextended,
and Llywelyn uses that to our advantage.

Vespasian does not fare so well. Though he
too rallies and presses his troops against the enemy left, they
hold fast against the attack. Many Luminarian soldiers fall under
the crush of forces or are driven mad from the ghastly
monstrosities they face.

I hear Lucian's voice, “Well, are you going
to help one of them?”

I've been thinking of it, but which one? I
hate Vespasian, but Llywelyn hates me and so would be unlikely to
appreciate my assistance.

“Think on all you know of each of them.
Which one do you want to be my next master? Personally, I would
rather die than serve Vespasian.”

Something in his voice catches me unawares;
I turn and look at him for the first time in hours. He spoke truth,
and I remember him mentioning that in the past. I must admit that
in this we are in agreement – I too would rather he die than become
the right hand of Vespasian. The thought is extremely
disharmonious; a shudder wracks my spine.

“Llywelyn it is.” I begin by giving him the
same kinds of assistance I had given the Emperor, but soon Lucian
offers strategic advice. I do all I can, both with Croi'Solas and
Harmony to make the battle more successful for him. Not long after
I begin giving strategic aid, I see Llywelyn pause and look up
toward us.

***

Llywelyn realizes almost immediately that he
is being assisted. At first he distrusts it, but in truth all
changes seem beneficial to him. After the assistance becomes far
more strategic he looks up toward the balcony. Using his ring to
help him focus, he sees Lucian at Shi'ahn's side, one arm
protectively behind her, the other pointing as he speaks into her
ear - he had wondered about that. Shi'ahn, completely caught up in
her task, appears oblivious to the near intimacy of their pose,
while Lucian appears… happy. Llywelyn also realizes that Lucian has
made his choice on which heir to support. He smiles and returns his
full attention to the battle.

***

Llywelyn is a magnificent warrior, he begins
to turn the enemy back. The Chaosian left flank that Vespasian
harries begins to retreat to their own lines of reserves in good
order, while many in the center and right are isolated and killed
by Llywelyn's forces. Then I notice a familiar
harmony
, it
reminds me of… Darius. He is no longer a handsome man, he is a very
large, menacing bear-like creature, somewhat like his father Ultor
had been for the trial, but much, much more dangerous. He is an
excellent warrior, all fall before him, and he is headed straight
for Llywelyn! I don't want either of them to die, I must do
something. I project my whispered voice to his ear as I once did
long ago.

“Darius.”

He glances toward the citadel, then returns
his concentration to the battle.

“Darius, Llywelyn has done you no harm, he
was imprisoned while the traitor murdered your Primus Dominar.
Vespasian, the father of the murderer, is beating back your left
flank. I understand your need for revenge, but wouldn't it be more
meaningful to chose the most appropriate target?”

He glances toward the citadel once more and
then changes direction, heading toward the left flank, rallying
forces to join him as he goes.

Lucian's voice tears my concentration from
the battle. “Shi'ahn, what have you just done?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don't play games with me. I am certain you
had something to do with Cas Darius' change in strategy.

I look into his eyes and see that I won't be
able to evade this. “Look, there is no reason for him to go against
Llywelyn, Llywelyn had nothing to do with the murder.”

“Llywelyn would not have been in much
danger.”

I try to turn away, but he takes me by the
shoulders and gazes penetratingly into my eyes. I simply must
elaborate, “I can't help it, I like Darius. He of all people has
far more reason to fight this battle than most, I don't want him to
throw his life away against the wrong target. Besides, this has
taken him out of the battle temporarily as he repositions himself.
Overall, lives may be saved.”

Lucian looks deeply concerned, “Shi'ahn, it
is one thing to aid one prince instead of the other, but it is
quite another to send troops against one of our own kind.”

“It was merely a redirection, and besides,
if Vespasian is a worthy Prince of Lumina, he should be fine.”

Lucian's expression becomes almost
understanding. “Perhaps, but I suspect the seed did not fall far
from the tree.” He releases me and we return our attention to the
battle.

Llywelyn does not appear to need further
assistance, the Chaosians still before him flee toward the safety
of their reserves, and no new forces arrive to bolster their lines.
(Varuna had surrounded the Passage entrance with exceedingly large
and hungry sea creatures and all new forces were devoured until
finally the Chaosians had quit sending troops through.) Darius and
his men are the only enemies to continue their attack – he seems to
be concentrating solely on reaching Vespasian, who, realizing his
plight, transports away. Recognizing that the only really
worthwhile target is beyond his reach, Darius and his men retreat
to where the rest of their army has formed close ranks, then cast
extremely strong shields around themselves just as the other
remaining Chaosians have. None of our efforts seem able to
penetrate them, which seems odd, so I listen to their shields. The
very outer shield, which I'm certain emanates from a magical item,
is based on Harmony! I
hear
another shield that keeps the
Chaosians from transporting away – they are trapped. Llywelyn pulls
his forces back and silently regards our attackers.

~~~

If this were the only sight of the war, we
would have won; but it isn't. Out in space we have lost countless
worlds, and while those forces are completely unable to aid these
in Lumina, they still hold worlds that we quite frankly need.

A horrific beast advances forward, leaving
behind a small group of creatures that, aside from Darius, seem
even more frightening than it is; it changes into a more humanoid
form with each step. His voice rings out strongly, “I am Dominar
Cas Ab Dietrich esse Spica, and I speak for those who survive. Your
Emperor is dead by our hands, though more nobly than our Magni
Dominar died at the hand of your Nero. There is nothing further to
be gained by our continued fighting. We offer a truce.”

Llywelyn steps forward, “I agree, there is
no reason for us to continue this battle. We will accept formal
peace negotiations beginning tomorrow.” I
hear
a shift in
the Lumina based shield around our attackers, it now encompasses
the entire battlefield, except those areas near those of Lumina
blood. “Collect your dead and do with them according to your
custom. You may move freely to collect them, but you cannot leave
Lumina until after we have negotiated certain terms. Any attack on
our peoples will be interpreted as an end to this truce.”

I sigh in relief; it is done. I expect
Cailli to collect me, but she does not. With the assistance of the
Emperor's servants, I secure the crown for the night and return to
my rooms for the first time in days. As soon as the door closes,
Lucian's food server opens, revealing a sumptuous meal fit for
five. I don't even pause to think, I attack it. I do realize, as I
near the end of my meal, that the server being in my rooms is proof
that Cailli expects me to spend the night here. Next a bath, and
then relaxation, I play my mother's flute. It has been a long day,
though, I actually feel tired!

Lying in my bed I can't help but think about
the day, the exhaustion, and the losses. I wonder… why didn't
Cailli break the Chaosian shields? She could have, I'm certain of
it. Does she want the enemy to hold some of our lands? And that
last conversation with Augustus… his look of peace. It was as if he
knew and accepted his fate. And why, after hating me so much, did
he entrust me with Croi'Solas?

I'll never get any rest like this! I decide
once again to meditate on the strange, shifting toy Cailli gave me,
and fade into what passes for sleep these nights.

Chapter
27

First Day of Negotiations

Knocking on my door draws my mind up out of
near slumber. A servant, looking rather concerned, says that I have
a visitor – a Chaosian. “A moment, please.” It is past midnight… a
strange time to visit. I dress as fast as I can so that seemingly
without pause I continue. “Yes? Come in.” A man steps in, large
and… impressive, in a frightening way. I've seen him before. He
closes the door behind himself and immediately takes my hand,
kissing it slowly. “Greetings, Lady Shi'ahn.”

I try not to gape in surprise, I would
hardly have expected a Chaosian to kiss an Avatar of Order! “Good
evening…?”

“Ishme… et Akkad.”

The head of one of the Houses that holds
Shiral! “Ah yes, Dominar Akkad.”

“Ishme, please. There is no need for titles
between us – ever.”

“Of course, Ishme. To what do I owe this…
pleasure?”

“I wish to discuss Shiral, of course.”

“Ah, are you then willing to discuss your
withdrawal?”

“That, my dear, depends upon you.”

I don’t know exactly how to respond, “And
just what would you have of me?”

His smile is disconcerting, “May we sit and
discuss it?”

My music room, decorated with innumerable
plants, books and musical instruments, doubles as a sitting room,
and I realize belatedly that I have left my flute on the table next
to my favorite chair. Ishme takes another chair, moving it closer
to mine as he sits.

“What a pleasant space. I see that you like
musical instruments… do you play many or do you merely collect
them?”

“I play them all.” As I speak I attempt to
place my flute out of sight, but it has already caught his
attention.

“That one looks rather interesting, one
rarely sees opalescent blood-black wood… did you find it in some
distant galaxy?”

“It was Mathair’s.” For some reason he seems
very intrigued.

“Really. Would you do me the favor of
playing something on it? It looks as though it may sound rather…
exotic.”

I find myself growing agitated by his
constant ability to take me off guard, so I decide to surprise him.
Assuring through Harmony that the acoustics of my room resemble
that of a concert hall, I begin to play a piece that Mathair had
taught me – one in which I take full advantage of her Flute’s
ability to play more than one note at a time. It is both amazingly
beautiful and highly intricate, bringing to mind all that is good
and joyful in life. That should put him in his place. Instead of
eliciting surprise, he looks even more intrigued, then reaches up,
takes down my violin and begins accompanying me! I had been about
to stop, but now I find myself curious to see how well he can keep
up. His skill takes me by surprise, it is almost as though he knows
the piece, but of course he can't.

At first the music he plays is primarily
accompaniment, but then it changes… it becomes it’s own song,
complementary and yet very different. While mine is a song of
beauty and harmony, tranquility and love, his is of struggle, joy
and sorrow, ecstasy and pain. Conquest. It threatens to overwhelm
my song, making mine an accompaniment to his. I redouble my
efforts, drawing on all my love for Mathair, all my memories of her
and the beauty she represented. I project these feelings into my
flute as I play and can almost feel a response… feelings of joyful
love echo back into me and my song becomes the most beautiful I
have ever coaxed from an instrument. I regain control of our duet,
but only temporarily; Ishme’s song strengthens again, and like a
demon it tries to bring me over to his side, to join with him in
the exquisite ecstasy of adversity.

This is a competition I suddenly realize I
dare not lose. I must do more than play like never before, I must
be utterly sure of myself, in the absolute rightness of my song. Oh
Mathair, I wish you were here with me once again! Loving strength
flows into me from the flute, reminding me intensely of the feel of
Mathair’s arms around me. I feel almost as though she begins
playing along with me, and I know in my heart that it is right,
that my song is stronger than Ishme’s. But I sense not only
tremendous skill in him, but ages upon ages of experience; he has
done this to others before. Well, I am not simply a child trying to
play with the adults… I am Shi'ahn! I haven’t been using my natural
accompaniment, fearing it wouldn’t be fair, but that’s silly. I
bring it to bear, along with my Harmony, making my music perfect in
a way that mere notes cannot achieve. Truth be told, I have never
heard such beautiful music before, let alone performed it myself.
Ishme’s theme takes on a vanquished tone, and fades away, leaving
me to finish our duet alone.