The Lodestone Trilogy (Limited Edition) (The Lodestone Series) (159 page)

The streets below were unnaturally quiet, as if the town were holding its breath. Inside dozens of shacks, hovels, and run-down residences, fires were being lit, despite the ambient warmth of late spring. The larval Chandara handed their essence to their Kelanni hosts and then went to sleep. As the heat intensified, their bodies were transformed into a growing mass of white fibres.

Kelanni set soups, stews, or whatever meagre fare they had to boil, just as they had been instructed, placing the pots, kettles, and urns before the cocoons like offerings.

Farilla, the girl with long, straight, dark hair, held little Massie in her arms. The toddler rubbed her eyes, determined to stay awake so as not to miss anything.

Then they saw the first one.

White wings rose above the rooftops, beating soundlessly. They quickened, as if newly discovering the thrill of flight, before powering away.

“What is it?” Massie asked.

Farilla whispered in her ear. “You remembered the plant you found—the one that grew into Boxx here? That is another one.”

“Did Plantey have a baby?”

Farilla gave her an awkward smile. “More like... a cousin, maybe.”

“There goes another,” Corin pointed.

Massie’s eyes widened again as another vision in white lifted into the air.

“Incredible,” Miron breathed.

“Yes, it is,” Keris agreed.

“And in return for our help, the Chandara have agreed to fly your people to the keep.”

She glanced at Boxx, but the creature’s soft, glittering eyes were giving nothing away.

Would the Chandara be motivated to help the Kelanni because the Kelanni had saved them? When it came to returning a favour, she had no idea whether they even understood the concept. Besides, it was Kelanni who destroyed their beloved Great Tree in the first place. In truth, they did not have much to be grateful for.

Yet strangely, the Chandara here seemed more concerned about the disaster that had taken place more than thirty turns ago in the Forest of Atarah, beyond the Great Barrier. It was the presence of McCann within the party that disturbed them the most.
The Destroyer Walks Among You.
She might be forced to remedy that situation, with or without Shann’s approval.

“Is there anything more you need of us, my Lady?” Miron asked.

“Yes. First thing tomorrow morning I will set off for Chalimar to meet the others. I want you to gather as many of the Fourth Circle as are willing and able and make your way to the city centre to begin evacuating those within the vicinity of the keep. You will have to do it quietly, so as not to arouse the suspicion of soldiers or Keltar. Do you have access to any refined lodestone?”

“Unauthorised transport or sale of the holy metal is strictly forbidden by order of the Prophet,” he recited.

Her patience stretched. “That’s not what I asked.”

He smiled the smile of one who had been saving the best till last. “Well, I might know some people who know some other people. How much do you need?”

“Not me. You. I need you to use it to detect and then discreetly mark out the areas of transformed lodestone beneath the keep. A dozen small pieces should suffice. But make sure no one sees what you are doing.”

“It will be done.” Miron gazed upward, as if addressing the heavens. “It is said that you intend to bring down the keep itself.”

“That’s the general idea, yes.”

“None but the Heroine could accomplish such a feat.”

Was he serious? She decided to let it ride. “The truth is I am going to need a fair amount of help. A lot of people are going to have to play their parts.”

More and more of the Chandara were transforming. They spread their wings and took to the air, wheeling together in the skies above the town.

Her eyes were drawn to Boxx. The Chandara’s beak was a subtle shade of pink; her eyes, multifaceted gems set amid pure-white down; her wings tipped with iridescent flames.

As the creature turned towards her, Keris saw in her mind’s eye the grey unmoving shells, the round bodies half covered with leafy shrouds.

Forgive us.

Boxx’s voice carried a note of sadness. “Farewell.”

Before Keris could answer, the Chandara spread her wings and lifted into the air. The children gasped. Peira and Miron held one another.

Slowly, Boxx pulled away, rising higher and higher to join her transformed kin as they circled far above. Songs of joy resonated amid the heavens. Finally, the adult Chandara began striking west towards Illaryon, their forest home.

“Is Plantey coming back?” little Massie asked.

Keris wished she had an answer for her.

~

The three suns blazed high in the sky when Keris arrived at the rebel camp near Chalimar. She alighted near the perimeter, the flying cloak settling about her shoulders. Disguised as a trader caravan to allay suspicion, it consisted of a ragtag collection of carts and wagons arranged in a rough circle. A tethered graylesh raised its pointed head and sniffed the air as she strode past a dray and entered the central area.

Off to one side, next to a blazing fire, a makeshift forge had been set up. The air rang with hammer blows as a gang of smiths beat the slag into flat sheets. She spotted Alondo talking to Rael, Grackas shouting something to a couple of his troops now dressed as ordinary folk, and Patris standing off to one side, observing the proceedings, but there was no sign of the people she needed to see. She selected Alondo and Rael and headed straight for them.

Alondo broke off and smiled as she approached. “Hey, Keris. You made it.” The smile faded. “Where’s Boxx?”

Keris brushed off the question. “Shann and McCann. Where are they?”

He flicked his head.

She spun around and saw Shann approaching with McCann some distance behind. The diminutive girl looked older, careworn—as if the weight of a world were on her shoulders. “Thank the Three you’ve come. Preparations are nearly complete. What about the Chandara? When are they getting here?”

“I don’t know,” Keris growled.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“I don’t know. They may not be coming at all.”

“Why?” Shann spluttered. “What happened?”

Keris stretched forth an arm and pointed firmly over Shann’s shoulder. “Ask him.”

McCann stopped in mid-stride as if he had been struck by a missile. “Why is everyone looking at me?”

Keris took a step forward. “This hu-man has been lying to us all along.”

“Excuse me?” McCann said.

“You were involved in the destruction of the Forest of Atarah,” Keris declared. “Don’t deny it. I saw you with my own eyes.”

“You saw him?” Shann queried. “How—”

“The Chandara gave me the memory.”

McCann’s fingers ploughed the furrow of deep ridges on his brow. “You must mean the forest on the other side of the planet?”

Shann faced McCann. “Do you deny this?”

“No... by no means.”

Keris spread her arms wide. “There. You see?”

McCann’s eyes refocused. “Look. I didn’t lie to you. But I didn’t give you my blinking life history either. There are a lot of things I did under the Captain’s orders that I’m not proud of.” He returned Keris’s accusing finger. “You were Keltar. You know what I’m talking about.”

The missile struck Keris. She felt suddenly impotent, angry with herself and with him.

Rael stepped in, the voice of reason. “Why did you do it?”

McCann’s shoulders stooped under the burden of the memory. “After we lost the war, the Captain decided that the only way to get control of the lodestone was to wipe out the Kelanni.

“His first idea was to use a bacterial toxin—one that could destroy all living things over a wide area. We chose a forested area to test it— one with some low-level life forms we figured no one would miss. We knew nothing about the Chandara, although if we had, I’m not sure it would have made any difference.

“Anyhow, the results were less than satisfactory. Dispersal was too random—too dependent on wind and other factors. And the survival rate was too high. Not long after that, it was discovered that lodestone in a gaseous state could be combined with ordinary matter to achieve a rise in temperature that was theoretically without bound, and the Accumulator Device was born. Work on the toxin was discontinued at that point.”

“Great,” Patris said. “So where does that leave us?”

Shann shook her head. “We have no way of reaching the keep without the help of the Chandara. It will give the Keltar a distinct advantage. We will have to fend them off from the ground.”

McCann spoke into the silence. “What if I give myself up?”

“What?” Keris exclaimed.

“What if I offer to give myself up? Submit to whatever judgment they have in mind, in return for their assistance?”

“You would do that?” Shann said.

“Sure. Why not? Anyway, it might not be death. They might just have me sewing mailbags for the next thirty years.”

“Sewing what?” Alondo quizzed.

“Mailbags... never mind. The point is, I did what I did under orders, but that doesn’t make it right. We destroyed intelligent life, not to mention their ecosystem. Someone should pay for that, and it might as well be me. I was as guilty as anyone.”

Contrition.
It was the last thing Keris had expected. She had been ready to drag him off by his heels if necessary. Now she felt as if the wind had been taken out of her sails.

“It would mean travelling back to Illaryon,” Alondo pointed out.

“Whilst we wait here?” Patris added. “That would be taking a huge risk. Evacuation of the area around the keep is already underway. The longer we sit around, the greater the likelihood that our cause will be discovered.”

Keris’s gaze fell on each of them in turn. Worry and determination fought for control of their little group. “Remain here, all of you. I must deliberate with Shann.”

She gestured towards the girl, turned on her heel, and stalked off. McCann started after them. “What can I do?”

Keris did not even bother to look back. “You’ve done enough already.
Hu-man
.”

<><><><><>

Chapter 46

Keris walked off a short distance and settled down on a tuft of yellow grass. She pulled a canteen from her belt, took a swig of water, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. The air was a thick blanket—still and heavy.

A shadow passed in front of the suns. Glancing up, she saw the outline of Shann. She picked up a pebble and tossed it away, idly. “It would have been better for all of us if he had died on that mountain.”

“He offered to make amends,” Shann reminded her. “With his life, if necessary. You were too hard on him.”

“You didn’t see what I saw... ”

“So. Will the Chandara help us or not?”

Keris sighed. “I wish I knew.”

Shann took a seat in front of her. “I don’t understand why they would care more about what happened years ago to the forest beyond the Great Barrier than they would about the destruction of their own Great Tree.”

“I don’t know, but I think it’s less about wanting vengeance and more about assessing our worthiness as a group.
A Destroyer Walks Among You.
That was what the chief said. Perhaps they simply don’t want to work alongside the slayers of their brethren.”

“You think I was wrong to invite him to join us, don’t you?”

They had no time for recriminations. “It’s not your fault, Shann. You couldn’t have known about his past crimes. However, we do face the question of what to do with him.”

“We could ask him to leave.”

Keris shook her head. “No, that would be a bad idea. Even if I thought it might win the Chandara’s cooperation, he already knows our entire plan and the precise disposition of our forces. If he were to go to the enemy with that information, we would be finished.”