Death Weavers (46 page)

C
ole erupted from the slipstream, soaring up over the field beside the channel. The Jumping Sword always knew where he was pointing, but in his excitement, Cole had aimed too high. He rose about thirty feet over the field, then slowed at the apex of his flight before plummeting down.

Fortunately, Cole was no rookie with the Jumping Sword. As he landed, he pointed to a spot up ahead, shouted the command word, and greatly reduced the impact by taking a second smaller jump.

After coming to a stop, Cole looked around, his sword ready. He could still distinctly feel his power, and he knew that with the Jumping Sword he could give Sando a much better fight.

But Cole saw no sign of Sando, Tessa, or the other shapecrafters, not even as specks in the sky. How long had he been stuck in the slipstream?

Cole sheathed the Jumping Sword. At least he was alive. He had never been so relieved to feel the ground beneath his feet or to see the sky overhead. He had almost left this world behind.

While Cole had chased Tessa inside the channel, the ether had carried him almost back to the wooded sanctuary where Dandalus lived. Though he felt embarrassed about losing Tessa so quickly, Cole figured he should check with Dandalus before going after her.

After his first step back toward Dandalus, Cole heard a distant whinny, accompanied by faint, thrilling music. He stopped, then turned.

In the distance, Thunder raced toward him from the direction of the cliffs. Cole gritted his teeth. Why couldn't the Mare have appeared earlier? He and Tessa might have outrun Sando.

Of course, he could still use a ride.

“Cole!” called a voice from behind.

Cole turned to find Dandalus approaching through the trees. A radiant cloud swirled inside the Warden of the Light, somehow perceivable through his clothes and skin. Cole knew from his experience at the Founding Stone that the glimmer was Dandalus's power. Cole scrunched his brow. Why hadn't he noticed it before? The luminous power was plain enough now to be distracting. Hoping Dandalus might have some advice for him, Cole trotted over and met him at the edge of the grove.

“I see you have a visitor,” Dandalus said, glancing beyond Cole at the oncoming horse.

“Better late than never,” Cole replied.

Dandalus raised his eyebrows. “I don't imagine Destiny's power typically arrives late.”

“But I lost Tessa,” Cole said. “I feel so stupid.”

“Are you serious?” Dandalus asked.

“I was in charge of her for less than an hour and she got taken,” Cole said.

“You were unbelievably heroic, Cole,” Dandalus said. “You saved her life.”

“And brought her a message that let Sando follow me,” Cole said.

“A devious ploy,” Dandalus said. “I noticed the message but thought nothing of it. I assumed you would give it to her later.”

“You couldn't sense Sando tracking it?” Cole asked.

“He must have used shapecraft. That can be hard for me to detect. Or he might have just used the obligation of delivery to follow you, which is basically impossible to discern from outside the agreement.”

The hoofbeats drew nearer. Thunder neighed.

“Come fully into my sanctuary,” Dandalus said, backing up. “We don't want to risk being overheard.”

Cole stepped from the turf of the field onto the clover of the grove. The outside music instantly stopped, but he could still hear the approaching hoofbeats.

“Take heart,” Dandalus said. “The Mare brought you here and has now come for you. You may not have strayed far from whatever scheme Destiny's power intended.”

Cole frowned. Could that be true?

“You have your power back,” Dandalus pointed out. “And by very unusual means.”

Cole thought about that. “I wouldn't have gone in except to rescue Tessa.”

Dandalus grinned. “Who would attempt such a feat? The choice to enter a slipstream is sacred in the echolands. Once a person goes in, they do not come out.”

“People don't often survive?” Cole asked.

“To my knowledge, it has never happened,” Dandalus said. “If you weren't both living echoes, I doubt it could have happened. Even so, it was only made possible by your very strong will to live and your formidable power. Your will and your power helped ground you against the pull of the ether. As you held your ground, the slipstream pulled the impure shaping away. In miraculous fashion. Your power was hideously mangled. It is now completely, impossibly healed. I can no longer tell it was ever damaged.”

“At least I'll have my Jumping Sword again,” Cole said, patting the hilt.

Dandalus gave a soft laugh. “Yes, but Cole, your ability extends far beyond energizing objects. That is a novel side effect compared to your full potential.”

“Really?” Cole asked.

“Can't you feel it?” Dandalus asked. “Of course you can, but you've never really tested it, so you're unaware of the possibilities. Cole, were it not for the threat posed by Nazeem, I might be your biggest enemy in the echolands.”

“You?”

“You naturally have raw shaping ability,” Dandalus said. “Since we rearranged how shaping functions, only the torivors have wielded such power here. The shapecrafters fake it in a limited way by maiming their power and the power of others. But you have it, Cole, and you have it
here
, as a bright echo. This is the original home of raw shaping. Your power will be stronger here than anywhere. Once you master it, you could undo much of what we've done.”

Cole swallowed. “So why am I not your enemy?”

“Because of the threat we face,” Dandalus said. “And because I can see your mind. Unlike the torivors, you don't want to ruin the Outskirts or the echolands. You don't want to rule here. You want to help. And we need help.”

Thunder gave a soft whinny.

Cole turned to find the horse standing at the edge of the field. Lost in the conversation with Dandalus, he had almost forgotten about her arrival.

“Hi, Thunder,” Cole said.

“Thunder?” Dandalus asked. “Ah, you felt the name, and Tessa confirmed it.”

“Just a minute, okay?” Cole asked.

The horse lifted her head up and down once. Cole took it as a nod.

“What can I do?” Cole asked.

“Here you should be able to shape much as they do in Sambria,” Dandalus said. “It takes time to develop that skill, especially to learn to make semblances. We designed Sambria so it is easier to shape than to unshape. We made the echolands very difficult to alter. But you will find that here, with your raw power, unshaping might be the simplest skill to learn. The stabilizing measures we took did not anticipate power like yours.”

“Why do I have such a weird ability?” Cole asked.

“Your power is bound to your will,” Dandalus said. “Though we built a mortal realm here, living humans were never meant to come to the echolands. Those we brought arrived with especially potent abilities. It was how they destroyed the original versions of the Outskirts, and why I chose to place restraints on shaping itself. Furthermore, almost everyone who comes to the Outskirts is brought here by others or crosses over accidentally. But you came deliberately. Since power is connected to will, those who come deliberately tend to develop extra power.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“That isn't all. Under the tutelage of Nazeem, shapecrafters have blurred the limits, shaping outside the boundaries we framers established. This endangers the way we restructured the shaping power. Eventually, everything could collapse back into raw shaping. You are evidence that it is starting to happen.”

“Can you fix the damage?” Cole asked.

“Not from here,” Dandalus said. “If I abandon this sanctuary, I would barely have time to destroy all we made and sweep it away as the homesong claims me. Which is why I don't want to be discovered.”

“Did Sando see you?”

“He at least knew there was a powerful sanctuary here. I will depart before he can return.”

“If we stop Nazeem, won't I still be a threat?” Cole asked hesitantly.

“A major threat,” Dandalus said. “Which is why I ask this favor. If you can thwart Nazeem, promise me that afterward you will seek out Rinka Pryer, the Grand Shaper of Creon. With your current abilities, she should be able to teach you how to get home. You will get what you want and protect the Outskirts as well.”

“I can make that deal,” Cole said with a huge smile. “I've wanted to get home from the start. You really think I can do it?”

“Now that I see your power without the shapecrafted barriers in place, I am confident you can. Defeating Nazeem will be the bigger obstacle. If you trained for a hundred years, you could not face him in a fair fight. The objective must be to prevent his escape. This could be possible. Everything depends on it.”

Cole nodded. “If Nazeem gets free, he takes over this whole world.”

“And if it gets bad enough, I flush it all, so he doesn't trap a bunch of people, echoes, and lifeforces here with him.”

Cole shook his head. “Wow. No pressure.”

“Somebody believes in you,” Dandalus said, nodding toward Thunder. “Let's see what you can do. Try to break the ground.”

“Here?” Cole asked.

“Not under our feet,” Dandalus said. “But inside my sanctuary. This domain is heavily protected, but unless I'm mistaken, the defenses won't hold against your raw talent.”

Cole looked at the lush clover covering the ground about ten feet away. “How?”

“You feel your power,” Dandalus said.

“Yeah.”

“You remember how you pushed your power into the Jumping Sword.”

“Sure,” Cole said. “I get that much.”

“Try to feel that patch of ground like you feel the sword before pushing your power into it.”

“I'm always holding the sword,” Cole said.

“And that contact is helpful when you try to share energy. But you can also reach out and feel targets at a distance.”

Cole stared hard at the patch of clover. Could he sense the ground beneath? He tried to imagine the clover on fire. Or getting flattened. He tried to imagine the soil beneath splitting open.

Nothing happened.

“I don't get it,” Cole said.

“Take my hand,” Dandalus said.

Cole let the warden's hand close around his.

Suddenly, he didn't just see the clover. He could sense the texture and temperature, as well as the density of the earth underneath. Small rocks were buried here and there in the rich soil.

“Look harder,” Dandalus said.

Cole found his perception going beyond the senses. As he focused, he understood the substance of the clover and the material of the dirt. He didn't just see it or touch it or smell it or taste it or hear it—he
knew
it.

He felt connected to it.

The clover, the dirt, and the rocks were almost part of him. It seemed he might be able to wiggle them like fingers.

“Good,” Dandalus said. “Now draw on your power. Push power into your target and tell your target what you want it to become. See it another way.”

Cole could clearly sense his power. He had reached for it in vain so many times that he was still learning to trust that it was actually there. Was this how Dalton felt, able to create illusions in Elloweer whenever he wanted?

Cole focused on the largest rock within his target zone, mostly buried by soil and clover. He began to push some of his power toward the stone.

But how did he want to change it? What if he altered the substance of the rock into the same material as the soil? He could envision the necessary transformation.

He pushed harder and willed the change.

The rock dissolved into chalky brown matter.

Dandalus released Cole's hand.

Cole walked over, crouched, pushed aside some clover, scooped up some of the powdery remains of the rock, and let the fine brown dust sift through his fingers. “I did . . . something,” he said.

“An outstanding effort for a first try,” Dandalus said. “The echolands are designed to be unchangeable. You shaped that stone. Not into anything useful, but you transformed it.”

“I was trying to make it into dirt,” Cole said.

“Because you recognized and understood the dirt,” Dandalus said. “A valiant effort.”

“Were you letting me see things like you see them?” Cole asked.

“As best I could, yes,” Dandalus said. “To get you started. Try it on your own.”

Cole found that when he concentrated on another patch of ground, he could perceive the clover and the soil beneath almost as clearly as when Dandalus had held his hand. He shifted his attention to a large rock that protruded well above the clover. Should he try to make it into dirt as well?

“Don't change it,” Dandalus said. “Unshape it. Destroy it. Reach out with your power.”

Cole connected to the rock, pushed with his power, and tried to rip it apart. With a sound like a gunshot, the rock cracked in two.

“Not bad,” Dandalus said. “Now really punish it.”

Cole connected again, forcing more power at it than before. With a scowl, he tried to tear it to shreds, and the two halves shattered into fragments.

“You're getting it,” Dandalus said. “Again. Same idea, but more thorough. Imagine the rock is going to kill you and your friends. It wants to conquer the Outskirts.”

Cole felt his anger rise. Dandalus knew how to push his buttons. With a growl, he really released his power, and not only did the stone fragments get smashed to dust—the ground where they rested split open.

“Very good,” Dandalus said. “You know how to smash now. And you know how to energize people and objects. That's a great start.”

“People?” Cole asked.

“The same principle that enables you to energize the Jumping Sword should let you empower a person. You could enable a Sambrian shaper to practice her art in Elloweer, for example. Or awaken her slumbering powers here in the echolands.”