Exodus of the Xandim (GOLLANCZ S.F.) (55 page)

‘You go,’ Taine said harshly. ‘I’m not leaving her.’

Hunched over in his saddle from the pain in his ribs he urged his horse aloft, and Aelwen followed him, cursing under her breath. When they cleared the treetops a horrific sight met their eyes.
Hellorin’s gigantic storm wolf snarled and raged against an immense eagle, formed of shifting, many-hued radiance, that tore at the wolf’s lightning-laced hide with cruel beak and
talons.

They saw Iriana, her jaw clenched with pain and effort, consumed by the blazing green energy of the Fialan, and saw Dael reach across and take her hand. They saw her master the power as Dael
drained part of it into his body, taking on that same searing emerald glow, then a gigantic serpent of ice joined the eagle in combat, throwing its coils around the storm wolf’s body.

Any thoughts of helping Iriana fled from Taine’s mind. There was just no way to interfere with powers of this magnitude. He and Aelwen could only watch as the titanic struggle was played
out, and the blind young Wizard faced the terrifying might of the ruler of a puissant, ancient race. Taine felt sick with fear for her. How could she possibly prevail? She looked far too vulnerable
and fragile to face such might – not to mention handling the extraordinary forces of the Fialan, which blazed out of her so brightly that the shadows of her bones could be seen within her
glowing skin.

In that moment, Taine’s heart went out to her – then Aelwen tugged firmly at his sleeve. ‘By all Creation, look at that!’ With a wave of her arm she indicated the
spreading wave of instability that was still expanding, and very close to the battleground in the centre of the city now. ‘Don’t you think we should move back—’

‘I said no.’ Taine gave her a savage look. ‘I may not be able to help her, but I’m damned if I’m going to leave her. You go if you want.’

‘If you’re not retreating, then I won’t,’ Aelwen replied through clenched teeth. So she was forced to watch, in an agony of conflicting loyalties, as the battle
unfolded.

Hellorin had always been good to her, yet she had betrayed him. She looked down at the bloodstained body of Tiolani, lying covered with dust in the rubble of the courtyard, and her heart bled
for all the potential that had been lost. Yet Taine was her lover and Iriana her companion and friend, and she had no intentions of changing sides now. She understood that Hellorin’s
ambitions had grown out of control, that there was a dark and ruthless side to his character, that he was dangerous in his grief, and that it had been imperative to free the slave races of Xandim
and Dwelven – but oh, whoever won or lost, this night would cost her dearly in anguish!

Then the edge of the spreading area of instability finally reached the combatants, and the entire world seemed to go mad. Aelwen heard Taine’s cry of horror as the green nimbus around
Iriana flared to blinding brilliance, and expanded until it had obscured all trace of Dael and the Wizard. Then, after what seemed an eternity, the light of the Fialan died – and when the
dazzling patches of glare cleared from her eyes, Eliorand, the Forest Lord and all his subjects were gone. Only Iriana and Dael, slumped over the necks of their horses, hovered over what was now an
ordinary, forested hill.

The sense of loss was like a knife twisting in Aelwen’s heart. She gave a wrenching cry, but before Taine could react, Dael suddenly collapsed and slid limply from the back of his mount,
and Iriana’s cry of grief was an echo of her own.

But I can’t leave Iriana now!

Dael was stricken with horror to find himself standing once again by the great old door that guarded the entrance to the realm of Death. His memories of the moments leading up to his demise were
vague, distorted flashes – the fearsome battle with the Forest Lord; taking the Wizard’s hand and feeling the searing power of the Fialan flood through him; the vanishing of Eliorand .
. . He was tortured by a feeling of things left undone, help left ungiven, words left unsaid.

Not now – I can’t go now. I’m not ready!

Yet he found that, while all these thoughts had been racing through his mind, he had somehow passed through the door and the mysterious tunnel that lay beyond, emerging in the strange landscape
with its dim, sourceless light. And there, waiting for him, was the cowled and shrouded figure of Death, whom he had now come to know, following his last visit to this place, as Athina’s
brother Creator Siris.

‘They all say just what you are saying, those who pass this way – or almost all of them. Any life that has ended is like a piece of torn linen, with so many loose threads left
hanging.’ He shrugged. ‘It is the way of things. Your path lies in a different direction now.’

Dael’s feet seemed to move of their own volition, following Death across the eerie, unchanging hillside that was crowned by the grove of trees that held the Well of Souls, but his mind was
screaming in protest, not just for the loss of his companions and the life he had left behind, but for the severing of his final tie with Athina. If he was reborn he wouldn’t remember her,
and she would never find him again. She had promised him that she would do everything in her power to reunite them, but how could she, once he had passed through the Well?

He was already mourning his loss so bitterly that when he stepped into the clearing in the centre of the grove he was stunned to see the familiar, beloved figure of the Cailleach, moving with
swift footsteps round the Well to embrace him.

‘I thought I’d never see you again,’ Dael murmured. ‘I’m glad they let you come to say goodbye.’

‘Goodbye? What goodbye?’ Athina held him away from her at arm’s length, with her hands on his shoulders, and he realised that her face was glowing with happiness. She looked
from Dael to the anonymous, dark figure of Death, and her smile was as dazzling as the rising sun. ‘Thank you, Siris, my dear brother, for giving me this one chance to slip past the other
Creators.’

There was no sign of a face within the shadowy cowl, but as Death replied, it sounded as if he was smiling. ‘The other Creators were quite happy to abandon me to this thankless task down
all the endless aeons since we formed this world. Only you still cared about me, and visited me from time to time in my lonely exile. Moreover, now you have given me hope that one day I might be
free to move on, to Create again, to bestow life and leave the lonely role of Keeper of the Well to someone else.’

‘As I told you, you have something that the Magefolk desperately need,’ the Cailleach said. ‘I believe an accommodation might be reached to bring your exile to an
end.’

Athina turned back to Dael. ‘And now a choice lies before you, my dear. You may pass through the Well and return—’

‘No!’ Dael protested. ‘If I go through there I’ll lose you for ever.’

The Cailleach smiled. ‘There is an alternative.’

Dael’s heart leapt. ‘Can I come with you? Truly? Have you found a way?’

‘Thanks to Siris, yes.’ Athina turned back towards the grove and beckoned, and Avithan, healed of all his dreadful wounds, stepped out from between the trees. ‘Is everything
ready?’ he asked eagerly. ‘Can I go back now?’

‘You should not be going back at all,’ Siris said sternly. ‘You should be going on – but since you did not actually die, thanks to my meddling sister here, I can stretch
the ancient laws and send you back to your old life, in Dael’s place – if he consents.’

The shadowy cowl swung round to face Dael. ‘It all depends on you, human. You must be very sure that this is what you want. An eternity in one place with one person: are you sure your mind
can encompass that? Are you certain you could bear it?’

‘An eternity . . . ” Dael was staggered. ‘But how – I mean, I’m a mortal with no magic. I thought I couldn’t . . .’

‘Twice now you have acted as a vessel for the Fialan’s power,’ Siris told him. ‘The first time it killed you, and you were permitted to return to your mortal life. But
when you took on the burden of all that power a second time, it changed you – permanently.’

Smiling, Athina added, ‘The Stone has a history of reacting in different ways to different people, and it seems to have been drawn to the sacrifice that you made for your friends –
first Corisand, then Iriana. You are no longer mortal, my dear, and who knows what other powers the Fialan might have left within you? You might have magic that none of us could even predict, and
what the Fialan has bestowed can never be taken away from you.’

‘Because of the Fialan I can send you back to your old life one last time,’ Siris continued. ‘If you decide to return you will take your powers with you, and who knows what you
might do, or become, or achieve. In the Cailleach’s realm by the Timeless Lake, however, things are static and unchanging. Would you really want to choose that over a lifetime with so many
possibilities?’

‘Think well, Dael,’ Athina said urgently. ‘Though it would break my heart to lose you, I would also love to see you reach your full potential.’

‘So you must decide, and decide now,’ Siris said. ‘And once made, your choice can never be unmade. Also, this is the last time I will be able to return you. There will be no
third chances, and should you return to the mundane realm, when you finally quit your life there you
must
go through the Well and be reborn. This is your last chance to be united with
Athina. So think well – but think quickly. These possibilities will only exist within a narrow window of time.’

‘Hold on,’ Avithan interrupted, pushing forward. ‘What’s all this about decisions and choices? I thought everything was quite straightforward: Athina keeps the mortal, I
go back home, and since she still has someone with her in her realm, the other Creators won’t notice the difference. Scrying in Athina’s lake I just watched my father die.’ For a
moment the pain and anguish were naked on his face. ‘I need to be with my mother and my people now, and they need me. Why are you suddenly asking
him
to decide all our fates?
He’s only a mortal. Who cares what he thinks, or wants?’

Athina’s eyes flashed. ‘Dael was never
only
a mortal, and he is the son of my heart. His opinions and desires are every bit as relevant as yours – if not more
so.’

‘Have you not been listening, Wizard?’ Siris added. ‘Through the Stone of Fate, Dael is no longer a mortal – yet even if he were, he would have the same rights as you in
this place. In
my
realm, all are equal. Whether you like it or not, the decision is his to make.’

While they had been talking, Dael’s mind had been racing. All the dear, familiar faces flashed before his eyes: Iriana, Corisand, Taine and Aelwen, and the trusting blue-eyed gaze of
little Melik. They had all become his friends. It wrenched his heart to think of leaving them – yet when he looked back at the Cailleach, he suddenly knew he would never miss them half as
much as he would regret the loss of this all-powerful being who, astonishingly, had become the only mother he had ever known. In that instant his decision was crystal clear. Unhesitatingly, he
reached out and took hold of her hand. ‘I thought I had lost you for ever, Athina. I never want to be parted from you again.’

‘So be it,’ Siris pronounced. ‘Then you must return to the mundane realm very briefly, for it is only in your world that the exchange can be made.’

Dael nodded. ‘Let’s get on with it, then.’ He shot a cool look at Avithan. ‘I’m very sorry about your father. I was there when he fell, and he died bravely and
well, but that’s no consolation to you. Before we part, I want to give you some advice. Iriana told me how you always used to overprotect her. I wouldn’t advise that now; it won’t
be welcomed, believe me. You’ll find that she’s changed a great deal in your absence, and accomplished things you couldn’t even dream of. She defeated the Lord of the Phaerie not
once, but twice and—’

‘I’ve known Iriana since we were children,’ Avithan snapped. ‘I don’t need advice from an ex-slave who has known her for no time at all.’

Dael shrugged. ‘You can’t say I didn’t warn you.’ He turned his back on Avithan and spoke to Siris. ‘I’m ready.’

The Wizard’s horse didn’t like her using its sight, and fought her all the way, but Iriana simply overrode its will and took it down to the ground. She dismounted
by Dael’s body and tied the reins to a low bough, but the animal tossed its head, fighting both its tether and her control, and Iriana couldn’t see Dael except for brief, frustrating
glimpses as she knelt by his side. Frantically she groped to feel a pulse, but he lay limp and still, with no evidence of a heartbeat. ‘Dael,’ she sobbed. ‘Oh, Dael, I’m
sorry.’ She ran her fingers over his face, smoothing back his hair, her heart breaking. He had been so brave and loyal. She could never have defeated Hellorin without him – it was so
unfair that death should be his only reward.

Suddenly Taine was beside her and took her into his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder and wept. ‘Iriana, use my eyes,’ he said softly.

She pulled back from him, giving his hand a grateful squeeze, released the mind of the struggling horse with relief and found herself welcomed into the mind of Taine. His sight was blurred by
his own tears, but he wiped his eyes and her vision cleared to see Aelwen kneeling beside her, also weeping. Iriana tried to straighten Dael’s twisted, broken limbs. ‘Oh, Dael,’
she murmured brokenly, brushing her fingers across his face. ‘I’m so sorry. You were so brave and loyal – you didn’t deserve this.’

Then Aelwen suddenly cried out. ‘Look! Look, Taine and Iriana.’ Taine swung his head upwards and through his eyes, Iriana saw a hazy vision of Athina, with Dael at her side,
unscathed, unwounded, and looking much more solid, standing at her side. And with them – Iriana gasped. ‘Avithan?’

‘We cannot linger,’ the Cailleach said urgently. ‘My fellow Creators must not find out about this day’s work, but as long as I have one person with me in my realm, they
won’t be concerned with the identity, so Dael and Avithan are changing places.’

‘Goodbye, Iriana,’ Dael said. ‘I’m sorry to have to leave you like this – but it’s my only chance to be with Athina.’