The Echolone Mine (84 page)

What? Rat,
beaver and wolf, did I not tell you the time has come to stand as
one?

Tattle

Avaelyn

T
he first indication that Digilan was unleashed came
when a thunderous sound rocked the horizon.

It was not
natural.

Ten minutes
later hordes fell upon the gathered army of many nations waiting on
Avaelyn.

It was brutal
and without mercy.

Grinwallin

The first
indication that Digilan was unleashed came when the great gates of
Grinwallin exploded.

Minutes later
nightmarish creatures entered the stone city.

The Senlu
attacked.

Xen III

The first
indication that Digilan was unleashed came when the city lights
went out.

There was no
power failure; it was engineered.

Minutes after
screams sounded in the cities.

Xen’s
Peacekeeper army, long maintained and trained in urban warfare,
took to the streets.

Akhavar

The first
indication that Digilan was unleashed came when the hallways of
Akhavar’s mountain city darkened in the press of an attacking
horde.

Minutes later
Valleur hurtled into battle.

Valaris

The first
indication that Digilan was unleashed came when a mighty wail
filled the air over Torrke.

The valley
repelled intruders.

A minute after
Menllik was attacked.

The Valleur
took up arms and sorcery and battle was enjoined.

The
unassailable command was to attack Avaelyn, Grinwallin, Xen III,
Akhavar and Valaris.

This would
earn Digilan’s hordes the right to freedom. Cut the head off the
snake first, and then move onto the rest.

But
concentrate on Avaelyn, the fangs.

Avaelyn

Elianas
dispatched the bridge as they set foot to the stone path into their
home.

The place
awakened to welcome them, but both were oblivious.

“Elianas, get
dressed. War has come to Avaelyn.”

“Torrullin.”

“Not now. Let
us spill blood to still the anger.”

Elianas
inclined his head and moved through to his bedchamber. As he walked
he healed the wounds inflicted by Tymall, and wished he could bathe
to wash the filth of the Warlock off him. That was not to be - he
could hear the ringing of swords in his mind - and thus he hastily
donned fresh clothes. Black.

He heard
Torrullin next door and wandered through to note the man healing
the wound between his eyes. Torrullin stripped his burnt tunic off,
replacing it with another.

“He took my
sword,” Elianas said.

Torrullin
paused in the act of pulling the tunic down, and then finished. He
unbuckled his and tossed it over. “I will not need it this
day.”

Elianas
secured it to his waist. “Beware Elixir in full strength.”

“I do not give
a fuck.”

“Where is your
anger directed?”

“At anyone in
opposition.”

“Torrullin, is
some of it reserved for me?”

A glance that
tore through Elianas’ soul. “No.”

Elianas
approached. “I am unharmed. Take it out on Digilan’s creatures, if
you must, but focus on tomorrow.”

Torrullin drew
Elianas’ face close. “Tomorrow is very far away, Elianas. Too far.
I will not get there whole.”

“For god’s
sake, then let it go.”

“Elixir has to
be released to counter Digilan.” He stepped back. “I am counting on
you to pick up the pieces.”

Elianas strode
closer. “You focus on us, and you keep it together.”

A beat, two,
and then, “Kiss me.”

A shudder
passed through the dark man. “Why?”

“Wish and
will, combined in this one instant, because there is no
tomorrow.”

“What is wish
and will?”

“Wish is you
and will is eternity. There is no line, Elianas, which matters now.
I finally and unequivocally admit I wish for you with every fibre
of my being, with or without the kinfire raging through your blood.
Do you hear me? I want you and I have had my fill of madness. This
is the last day.”

Elianas went
cold. “Come away with me before it is too late.”

“There is
nowhere to hide, and nowhere to run to. Everything is now exposed.
In shattered pieces, admittedly, but entirely exposed
nonetheless.”

“You are not
making sense.”

“They are
fighting on the plain. Let us enter the field.”

“In a moment.
In one matter we have no disparity. Know this before we unleash
hell on the universe. Wish is you and will is eternity, and if it
takes that length of time to put you back together, I shall do so
gladly. There is no line that matters.”

Torrullin
reached out and dragged Elianas to him, and the kiss that followed
moved worlds.

Tristan and the
Kaval fought together.

Chaim fell
first and Jonas dragged him to the safety of the healing facility
where Caballa did what she could.

Many dead
littered the battlefield, fallen of both sides, and there was no
lull. Insectoid and nightmarish creatures fought alongside
draithen, Tracloc and humanoid in opposition to the combined forces
of nations. Sword and sorcery vied for supremacy.

Then Torrullin
and Elianas were there. Elianas used Trezond, but it was Trezond
with a difference. The sword was electrified, sparking blue, and a
simple touch was sufficient to kill an opponent. His hands flashed
and creatures fell from his path in terror. The power of
Alhazen.

Torrullin
dispatched whole swathes of the enemy by encompassing them in one
glance. The instant he created a space around them, he held a hand
aloft. All movement froze.

Elixir dealt
then with the evil of Digilan.

Grinwallin

Digilan’s
unleashed dematerialised without warning.

Senlu heaved
for breath and waited for the unexpected, but no one returned to
continue the fight.

The
netherworld filled with a few thousand new arrivals.

Xen III

Puffs of smoke
filled the air like popping airguns, and Xenians realised it was
the enemy vanishing one after the other.

As if someone
switched them off.

Max Dalrish,
on the palace balcony, understood who was responsible. He closed
his eyes and sent his appreciation to Elixir, and hoped the man
could hear through the spaces.

The city
lights came on, the soldiers warily retreated, and life
continued.

Akhavar

A thin wail
wrapped like a living thing sinuously through the mountain
city.

Moments later
only silence remained.

Valaris

Torrke, of
course, was untouched.

The evil of a
sundered realm had greater impact in Menllik, and when the host
abruptly vanished, Valleur glanced at each other. Torrullin,
Dragon, Destroyer and Elixir, had once again stood in the path of
ruin.

Revere his
name, Valleur.

Avaelyn

Only the horde
on Avaelyn remained.

Torrullin
said, “Tell the soldiers to get back.”

Elianas
retreated, issuing commands. As the soldiers drew back, Elianas
bore witness. Gripping Trezond in a bloodless grip, he watched and
did not interfere.

Torrullin
stood for long minutes eyeing the enemy, and soon they were
emboldened to rush forward in renewed attack. The moment they
moved, so did he.

He took to the
skies on mighty black wings.

Digilan
creatures fell back in terror.

The remnant of
Digilan, realm, quailed.

He flew over
and where he passed death followed. He did it again and again and
again to the horror of the watchers, and secret relief, and as he
did so he built the strength required for what had to come next. It
was the only way to end it with finality.

A mighty flap
dealt with the last of the enemy, and at the end of it his shadow
wings were massive and more tangible than they had ever been. Rage
and hatred and pain drove him and he passed over the dead and
shattered them as he was shattered, and in doing so expanded his
wings to mighty proportions.

The soldiers
retreated in fear.

Tristan,
Caballa, Quilla, Tianoman and the Kaval watched in awe.

Elianas closed
his eyes briefly, and held the sword ever tighter.

Then, as
Elianas did for Reaume and Ariann in Lethe, Torrullin relinquished
his wings to seal Digilan off. To create a barrier between it and
reality. His wings were so massive the sealing would last into
eternity.

He floated
down to earth, wingless.

And sealed
Tymall’s mortal remains away with the terrible evil of a sundered
realm.

Digilan would
never harm a soul again.

Tymall was
dead.

He was
dead.

Torrullin
waved a hand over the plain and the enemy remains vanished.

He stared over
the emptiness and did not move.

Elianas was at
his shoulder. “It is done.”

“No wings. It
is definitely done.”

“What
now?”

A slight
movement. “I must speak to Tian about his father.”

“It can wait,
Torrullin.”

Torrullin
inhaled, exhaled, and finally animated. “It cannot. Elianas,
forgive me.”

A frown. “What
for?”

“I lose my
hold on recognition. I am afraid I might say something soon that
will create a rift.”

“You will
blame me for your son’s death. I can take it.”

“You did kill
him.”

An expression
of anger flitted into Elianas’ eyes. “I am fucking well aware of
that.”

“There you
are.”

Elianas stared
at him, and then that gaze dropped to the man’s mouth. “Do your
worst, brother. This is the last day, as you said.”

“Does that
include you?”

“Absolutely.”

“Beware …
brother.”

“Ah,
Torrullin, what is the worst you could do to me?”

A hooded stare
as Elianas’ gaze lifted. “Cross the line.”

“Promise?”

Torrullin
groaned. “For fuck’s sake, after what happened here, how can that
one word stir the fires?”

“Gods,
promise.”

Grey into
dark. “Promise.”

Elianas closed
his eyes. “Go.”

Torrullin
moved a beat later, and headed to the knot of witnesses.

The soldiers,
he noted, had already left.

Tristan was not
surprised by the wings, of course, but the others gabbled together
like old women.

Tristan lost
his patience with them and told the Kaval to return to the Dome to
check on the status of other battles attributed to Digilan. He told
them to take Cassy to a secure place.

Quilla refused
to go.

Torrullin and
Elianas were in conversation out there on the field, and it was
clear something had changed. They stood and interacted differently.
It could be what had happened in Digilan, but Tristan thought it
probably went deeper than that.

Caballa
confirmed it as Torrullin came towards them.

“He has lost
most of his grip, Tris. Something terrible happened in Digilan to
bring it on. He isn’t Torrullin now.”

“What is he,
Caballa?” Tristan asked, as Tianoman and Quilla listened in.

“What remains
after wings release - a shell, an angry shell. And what is able
function after Elixir metes out justice over vast distances. Flesh
on automatic, and still volatile in anger and disappointment. Watch
your words, all of you. We don’t want to set him off now.”

Then he was
there. “Digilan is sealed eternally.”

Tianoman
paled.

“Everyone who
escaped is sent to the netherworld. Tristan, there is damage in
Akhavar and on Xen.”

“I will get
the Kaval on it.”

“Good.”
Torrullin waited pointedly, until Tristan swore under his breath
and transported out, saying he would see Caballa back on
Valaris.

“Enchanter,”
Quilla began.

“Do not call
me that right now, Q’li’qa’mz. Today I was everything but.”

The birdman
inclined his head. “Did the wings seal Digilan?”

“Yes.”

“How? And
where …”

“I do not want
to talk about it. Ask Elianas sometime. He might be more
forthcoming. Quilla, it is time for you to go.”

“There are
questions …”

“Not today. I
need to speak to Tian.”

The birdman
bowed. “Of course. When you are ready, call.” He left a moment
later, returning to the Dome also.

Caballa
sighed. “I’ll go, too.”

“Stay. Your
Vallorin will need you in a moment.”

Tianoman paled
further.

Torrullin
braced his legs and looked Tianoman in the eye.

“Tristan no
doubt told you what happened on that plane. Good. I think, however,
he will have kept it simple, and that would not explain what your
father was about. Tymall listened to rumours about me and came to
the same prejudice Teroux now harbours. It meant he was ripe for
Nemisin to use. Before Tymall opened a portal with Nemisin’s help
into the plane, he put a plan into place. He desired to punish
Elianas and me for insulting him by our supposed actions. He needed
to do so to retain his authority as Warlock. Tian, what happened
next does not reflect on the love your father bore for you, and you
should remember him as the man you met after your
Coming-of-Age.”

“What
happened?” Tianoman whispered. “The truth.”