The Shadow Of What Was Lost (65 page)

Wirr grimaced. "We need to
lie, you mean."

Elocien sighed.

"Yes. We need to lie,"
he agreed.

Wirr just nodded, and they walked
back towards the ballroom in heavy silence.

It was the very early hours of
the morning, the moon still high, when Davian caught his first glimpse of the
palace.

He exhaled as he took in the
grand structure, the knot of worry that had been sitting at the base of his
skull loosening a little. After all that had happened it was a relief, almost
surreal to finally be here.

He rubbed his neck tiredly as he
approached the gate, which was an ethereal silver in the moonlight. Aside from
the guards there was no-one on the street; as with the rest of the city he'd
seen, everything was impressive, and yet it felt... empty. Deserted. His
footsteps crunched in the post-midnight hush, and all four men at the gate were
watching him with narrowed eyes before he got within fifty feet.

"No entry to the
palace," said one of them, stepping forward. His tone brooked no argument.

Davian held up his hands to show
he meant no harm. "I need to see Aelric or Dezia Shainwiere," he
said, his tone polite. "It's urgent."

The guard shook his head.
"Sorry, lad, but no visitors. And if the Shainwieres are even awake,
they'll be helping prepare the city defences - I can't disturb them."

"I have information about
the invasion."

The guard raised an eyebrow,
looking skeptical. "Do you, now. That's convenient. Perhaps you can tell
me, and I'll relay it to those who need to know."

"I need to give it to them
directly." Davian rubbed his forehead. This was not going well.
"Could you please just tell them that Davian is here to see them?"

The guard scowled. "Fates,
lad, what part of 'no entry' don't you understand? Even if they knew you, I
couldn't let you through at this time of night."

Davian sighed. He hadn't wanted
to do this, but the man was clearly not going to be swayed.

He concentrated, reaching out
with kan.

He almost lost his grip on the
connection, so surprised was he by how easy it was to slip inside the guard's
mind. Once through, though, it wasn't like Malshash's thoughts - cold, ordered
and distinct. Everything here was... a mess. Emotions tangled with sensations
tangled with memories, each colouring the other until none were entirely
recognisable.

Davian focused on the present,
trying to block out everything else as Malshash had taught him. There was
nervousness about what was coming, a sense of dread. And suspiciousness of
Davian, certainly no inclination to let him through the gate.

He looked deeper, trying to find
what would change the man's mind. The guard knew who Aelric and Dezia were,
though only from afar; they registered as two faces, little more.

He turned his thoughts to Wirr -
to Prince Torin.
That
was a different story. A powerful figure, an
intimidating one in this man's life. One word from the prince and his life
could be changed, for better or for worse.

Davian barely stopped himself
from shaking his head in disbelief at the thought.

He withdrew the sliver of kan,
sighing. "If you're comfortable with the consequences once Torin discovers
his friend has been turned away...." He trailed off, turning as if to
leave.

"Wait. What?" The
guard's voice had taken on a nervous note. "The prince? You never
mentioned -"

"I shouldn't have had
to." Davian shook his head, doing his best to look irritated. "I
asked for the Shainwieres because I knew Tor would be busy. But I'm an old
friend of his. From Calandra," he added, remembering where Wirr was supposed
to have been for the past few years. He stepped forward, looking the man in the
eye. "Davian. And it's urgent."

The guard hesitated, and Davian
pressed home his point. "Just tell him I'm here. If he doesn't know who I
am, or doesn't want to let me in, you can lock me up." He gave his most
confident smile. "But he'll want to see me."

The man hesitated a moment
longer, then nodded briefly and disappeared through the gate.

A few minutes later someone else
appeared from within the grounds, a harried look on his face. He was older,
finely dressed.

"Davian?"

Davian nodded.

"My name is Laiman Kardai.
Come with me. Quickly, please." He turned to one of the guards.
"Trevin. You trust me?"

"Of course, Master
Kardai," said the man.

"Tell anyone who asks that
he left," Laiman said, jerking his head towards Davian. "Walked off,
didn't say where he was going."

Trevin bit his lip, then nodded.
"We can do that." The other two men with him nodded their silent
agreement.

Davian frowned but hurried after
the older man, through the gates and magnificent grounds and into the main
building. Once inside, Laiman took a couple of sharp turns, then ushered Davian
into an unoccupied room.

He shut the door and leaned
against it, exhaling in what appeared to be relief.

"What's going on?"
asked Davian in confusion.

"You've... caused a bit of a
commotion, I'm afraid," said Laiman, gesturing for Davian to have a seat.
"Not through any fault of your own. Prince Torin will be along to see you
shortly, I'm sure."

"What happened?"

Laiman sighed. "There was
feast earlier tonight, and several lords stayed around afterward to discuss the
defence of the city. The prince was part of that meeting, along with his
father, uncle, and a couple of Administrators. We were just finishing up when
word came that one of Torin's friends from Calandra was at the gate." He
shook his head, a weary motion. "We both know where Torin's actually been
these last few years, but until now, few others did."

Davian hesitated, for a moment
unsure how much he could admit to this stranger. Then he frowned, picking up on
the last part of Laiman's statement. "Until now?"

"King Andras... lost control
when he heard." Laiman looked dazed at the memory. "I don't know how
else to describe it. He stood up and in front of everybody, revealed where
Torin has been. The fact he's Gifted. Claimed that this was Torin's way of
letting his 'Bleeder' friends into the palace so that they could kill him,
overthrow him." He shrugged. "The duke did his best to calm him,
while I slipped away. I don't think anyone else saw us coming inside, so if
Trevin keeps his word - which he will - you should be safe in here for a
while."

Davian gave him a stunned nod.
"Thank-you."

"Don't mention it. I've
heard Torin's entire story, and I know who you are.
What
you are. We can
use all the help we can get against what's coming." Laiman looked grim.
"I should get back before I'm missed though... or shut out
altogether," he added, sounding bitter. "Stay here. I'll make sure
Torin knows where you are."

He slipped outside and shut the
door behind him, leaving Davian alone and shaken.

Perhaps thirty minutes passed
before the door opened again. Davian rose in anticipation, his smile broad as
he took in the first of the two figures in the doorway. Wirr was almost
unrecognisable with his fine clothing and neatly trimmed hair.

Davian's attention shifted to the
girl next to him; they locked eyes, and for several moments neither of them
moved. She was a Shadow, but Davian recognised her immediately... and yet it
couldn't be.

Then she was rushing into the
room, and they were embracing.

"Asha?" Davian could
barely choke out the name, overcome with a flood of emotion. He held her away
from him for a moment, peering into her black-scarred face, scarcely daring to
believe it. He swallowed hard as unexpected tears threatened to form in his
eyes. Even as a Shadow, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
"How...?"

Asha grinned in delight at the
look on his face. "It's a long story, Dav."

Wirr gave a cough as he entered
the room. "Good to see you too, Dav. Glad you're not dead and
everything."

Davian laughed dazedly, elatedly,
grabbing Wirr and pulling him into the embrace. "Fates, Wirr, you have no
idea how good it is to see you again. After Deilannis...." He shook his
head, smile finally slipping a little. "Laiman said I've caused trouble
for you. I'm sorry."

"Not your fault." Wirr
stared at the floor, his brow furrowed as he said the words. "My uncle is
very sick; I'm sure it would have come out eventually." He rubbed his face.
"Word's already spreading, though, and I have no idea what the
consequences are going to be. I can't stay around here for long."

"Neither can I, Dav."
Asha looked torn as she said the words. "You have no idea how much I want
to sit down with you, tell you everything that's been happening... but Wirr
caught me just as I was leaving. There are things I need to do before the Blind
get here. Important things. I've only got a few minutes." She gave him a
rueful smile.

"She never believed you were
gone." A guilty expression spread across Wirr's face. "I shouldn't
have, either... I never would have left you in Deilannis, but Taeris lost his
connection with your Shackle, and...."

"It's okay, Wirr,"
Davian reassured him. "There was nothing you could have done. Believe
me." His gaze returned to Asha, head spinning. "So if you're
alive.... is everyone else...?"

Asha's face twisted.
"No," she said gently. "Just me."

Davian nodded; there was the
momentary pain of having that flicker of hope crushed so quickly, but the joy
of seeing Asha again was stronger by far. "It's still a miracle," he
said, unable to wipe the smile from his face.

Wirr gripped him by the shoulder,
as if testing to see if he was truly there. "So what happened? Where have
you been?" He hesitated. "Is Nihim with you?"

"No." It was Davian's
turn to grimace. "He died in Deilannis. As to the rest, it's difficult to
explain quickly. If you really have to go..."

Wirr nodded, looking frustrated.
"I really do."

Davian sighed; he understood the
need, but this reunion with his friends was going to be all too brief.
"Any ideas as to what I should be doing next, then? This was as far ahead
as I'd thought," he admitted. "I have control of some of my Augur
powers, now. There must be some way I can help."

Wirr and Asha exchanged glances.
"You can Read people?" asked Asha.

"Yes. Why?" Davian
smiled slightly at the odd expression on his friends' faces. "Don't worry.
I'm not going to Read either of you."

Wirr shook his head, remaining
serious. "It's not that, Dav." He hesitated. "It's Ilseth
Tenvar."

Davian felt his expression twist
in sudden anger at the name. "Where is he?"

"Locked up in Tol
Athian," supplied Asha. "But he's not talking."

"Asha and I were discussing
this a few days ago," continued Wirr. "That box for Caeden, the
attacks to find me... we know it's all connected to this invasion."

"And if I Read Tenvar,
there's a chance we might find out something useful about the Blind,"
finished Davian, unable to keep the reluctance from his tone. He rubbed his
forehead, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He badly wanted Ilseth to
answer for what he'd done, but suddenly, the thought of facing him made Davian
queasy. "Caeden didn't get his memory back then, I take it?"

"The Council refused to help
him," said Wirr. "I don't know the details, but I think Taeris is
still trying to convince them."

Davian was silent for a moment as
he processed the information. "And Tenvar's said nothing?"

"So far as we've been
told," said Asha, a little bitterly.

Wirr grimaced, nodding.
"Things have been... strained between the palace and the Tol, as you can
probably imagine if you've heard anything about how my uncle's been acting. The
Council have all but cut off communications now; we asked to see Tenvar the
other day and they refused us entry. As is their right under the Treaty,
unfortunately."

Davian gave a thoughtful nod.
"So you can't get me in," he said. "If I want to see Tenvar,
I'll probably have to tell them that I'm an Augur." He rolled back his
sleeve, revealing the smooth skin where his Mark had once been. "They're
going to take some convincing if I don't."

Wirr and Asha both stared in
silence for a few seconds.

"Fates," murmured Wirr.
"How...." Then he shook his head, looking frustrated. "No time;
you'll just have to tell us everything when all this is over. But you're right
- you
are
going to have to tell them you're an Augur. That's one of the
reasons we haven't sent any of ours yet."

Davian gave him a puzzled look.
"Our what?"

"Augurs." Asha grinned
at Davian's expression, which he felt turn from bemusement to outright
disbelief as he stared at her. "A long story. Only one of them can really
Read people though, and he's too valuable at the palace at the moment. If we
expose him to Athian, it would be too risky for him to come back and assume
no-one from here will find out."

Davian was silent for a long few
moments as he digested what Asha had said. "Tenvar managed to lie to me.
He knows how to shield himself. I'm not sure there's any use sending anyone to
Read him, to be honest," he said eventually, a little dazed.