Chapter 20

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Marc felt himself shaking, trying to figure out how Maralt had done it, how he had stayed alive inside Arlon. He should have known. He should have been able to tell. Now, he had to stop him from getting to Logue, where another malicious part resided. Marc didn’t understand how it was possible.

He felt Maralt as he raced through one place after the other in quick succession. Images flashed in Marc’s mind as he followed, racing after him one thought, one place to the next. Maralt knew where Logue was, and could maybe reach him before Marc could find him. He stopped abruptly.

Maralt knew where Logue was, but now, he was leading Marc on a chase, leading him away. He stood for a moment, afraid he’d be too late if he didn’t follow. He turned then, making what he hoped was the right choice, and willed himself back to the Palace. With communications down, it seemed possible that Logue was somewhere inside, though Marc had to wonder how he could have gotten past Palace security.

Using the minds of numerous people scattered throughout the main hall, Marc made his way through the building. He found Logue on the grand stair while he paused at the ballroom. As an apparition, Marc moved toward him, intent on killing him. He was jerked back suddenly. Maralt dove past him.

Logue was suddenly aware of him. Marc spun around, wrapped his arms around Maralt, who was also a shade, and pulled, wrenching him away before he could join with a living host.

They landed on the ground at Beren. Maralt twisted around on top of him. The next instant, his hand plunged inside. “I’ll have you before the end. No more games, Marc. You had your chance once before.”

Marc grabbed his hand with both of his, squeezing as hard as he could, fighting through pain and growing weakness to force Maralt away. Marc realized as he pushed Maralt back that he was stronger.

“You’ve grown,” Maralt said, half smiling as Marc turned on him. “For someone who always professed such pure intentions, you must have been practicing to get this way. Let me guess ... you’ve been learning from Dain. Of course.”

As Maralt spoke, Marc reached inside him. He was consumed with desire to take the source of energy that radiated power into him, and this time, Marc couldn’t resist. Dain was there, making the lure impossible to resist. Maralt didn’t fight him, his eyes rolling in apparent pleasure.

“Take what is given. You can’t stop it. Your fate is mine. Didn’t they tell you?”

His laughter echoed and faded as Marc took him. Part of his mind screamed at him to stop. The other part that craved what he held drowned out that voice of reason. Maralt was right. There was an inherent force inside himself that had to have more. It was insatiable and never ending. He didn’t want to stop, pulling energy and power inside, accepting it, reveling in the intensity of strength that filled him, corrupting thought as it consumed him.

“I am the source of your life. On your knees before me. Worship me and your reward will be everlasting life.”

Matt stepped into the room where Carryn was patiently trying to re-teach Dain how to build a shield. It wasn’t working too well. The memory block made it painful, so it was a slow process. “We have to go.”

Carryn looked over at Matt. “Go where?”

“Beren. My brother is about to make a really big mistake. Now, Carryn.”

“All right. Stay here, Dain.”

“No way.”

Matt held up his hand. “You can’t come with us this time. You have to stay here and protect the temple. Marc may come here if we fail and you’ll have to stop him.”

“What’s happened?”

“We didn’t get all of Maralt. Go to the High Bishop and stay with him.” He turned to Carryn. “Now.”

Carryn nodded, and took his hand.

Beren appeared before them, and Marc knelt on the ground near the stone path, his face a mixture of horror and triumph. “We’re too late,” Carryn said, reaching for Matt. “We can’t stay here. It’s too late.”

“I won’t let him go.” Matt moved slowly, unsure of what he could do to save his brother from the evil will that already sought to corrupt him. Matt had to reach him before the last part of Marc was gone, and somehow rid him of the evil he’d willingly taken. He didn’t know how, and the risk existed that Marc might try to take him as well. Since he was already nothing more than a spirit, it wouldn’t be difficult.

“Marc.” He knelt down in front of him, waiting for him to look up. He smiled at his brother’s sudden amazement and confusion. “Hi.”

“Matt?”

“We don’t have much time. You have to give him back. Will you trust me?”

“Matt. How? I don’t—”

“Marc, listen to me.” He moved closer, preparing himself. “You have to trust me.”

Marc shook his head, then looked down sharply as Matt reached inside him. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t fight me. Please. Look at me. Just look at me until I find...” Matt started shaking in sudden realization. “He’s got Dain. He’s got Dain too.”

He looked at Carryn at the same time Marc realized she was there.

“You.”

It was his voice that warned them, so filled with malice, and Matt knew that he’d found Maralt. He felt the difference of will that coursed through him. Carryn knelt down beside him quickly, holding him. Matt shook his head, gesturing her to take Marc instead. “Look at me, Marc. You have to help me. Let him go. Give him to me. Please.”

There was sudden understanding in Marc’s eyes, divided against a force of equal strength that sought to subvert him. “Hurry up.”

Matt smiled for a moment, and inserted his other hand. Marc reared back, but Carryn held him while Matt found what he needed. First, he pulled Dain out. Quickly, keeping the other hand firmly grasping Maralt, he handed the glowing light to Carryn. “You have to take him back before it’s too late. Marc, where?”

“The—” His voice cut short and his hand rose, plunging into Matt. “I’m not telling you anything.”

“The dungeons, Carryn. Go.”

Matt wrenched Maralt out of his brother.

It felt like death itself had come for his mind, to take the last of his soul. The connection remained to Marc while he held him. Maralt used him still, tempting him with power that Matt could only guess at. Being already dead had its advantages. Maralt couldn’t hurt him.

“Marc.”

“I can’t.”

“You can. I know you can do this. You’re going to be all right. Let go.”

“He can’t let me go, fool. I own him.”

“You own nothing. You exist in nothing. You’ll return to the void. You can’t make him hurt me. Look for yourself. All he has to do is pull, and I cease to exist. You have no power here, or over my brother.”

He breathed as Marc released him, smiling at his tears, then held him while in one hand he held the life essence of Maralt, already ebbing in strength. Still, it was difficult to resist the constant flow of temptation, and he understood what his brother had faced. Marc looked at him in sudden concern, holding him gently as he weakened.

“I’m sorry,” Matt said. “I can’t seem to stop it. He’s still strong enough. It doesn’t matter though. He must not realize he’ll only go to the temple. I’m sorry, Marc. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

“What? No, then give him to me. I can—”

“He has to go to the temple. They’ll keep him there.” Matt patted his arm. “When I’m gone, he won’t have any place else to go, but to the Hall. I’m sorry, Marc. I didn’t mean to come here only to die in your arms. Not very fair.”

“No, Matt. Let him go. Just let him go.”

“I can’t let him loose, and you can’t take him. He can’t hurt me, but you, he can overcome you.”

“I don’t want to lose you again. Please.”

“There’s so much at stake though. If you’re not there when it’s time, the evil will escape, and we won’t ever be able to contain it again. They’ll all get out. It’ll mean the end of everything and everyone. You can’t take him. You have to be ready.”

“Ready for what? I can’t let you do this. You’ll be lost.”

“Before you came here, you didn’t even know what that meant.”

“Matt, please.”

Carryn appeared at their side. “The High Bishop doesn’t have the strength to hold another in silence. Listen to me. You have to give him back. We can’t afford the weakening your loss would cause.”

“Marc can’t take him. You know what will happen.”

Marc shook his head. “I can do it. I’ll be all right. I swear it. I won’t let him win.”

“There, you see?” Carryn said. “You’ve given him strength. Now give Maralt to him before it’s too late. Now Matt.”

Matt looked up at his brother, afraid he wouldn’t be able to resist Maralt’s evil influence, terrified of what would happen to him. “You swear to me. If you just get your head straight, you could do this. Swear you’ll do it.”

Marc nodded without understanding. “I swear it.”

“You won’t be allowed to remember me, Marc. That’s important. You remember this. Believe that you can overcome what has been done to you. Believe it, and never doubt it.”

“All right, Matt. Please, hurry.”

Reluctantly he agreed, not from desire, but fear. He gave Marc the essence of life into his hand. The slow draining of his own strength stopped, but Marc gasped, shaking as he forced his hand down. Then he was looking down at him, and a knife appeared in his hand. Matt realized what he meant to do.

“No, not like that. Show him.” He looked to Carryn. “Show him. He deserves that much.”

Carryn nodded after a brief hesitation, and took Marc’s hand. “This is given,” she said and set both their hands on Matt.

He felt his strength returning, and saw the surprise in his brother’s face. Matt smiled as he sat up, and then stood. He held down a hand to his brother. “Thank you.”

“Please don’t leave me.”

“You’ve been doing fine without me. You won’t remember this, Marc, so there won’t be grief. Didn’t I tell you before? I’ll always be with you. Always. Now you see that it’s true. You hold on. You’ll understand what to do.”

Marc wouldn’t let him go though and as Matt held him, he wished he didn’t ever have to. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

“You have.” Matt shook his head. “It’ll be all right.”

“Will I see you again?”

Matt smiled. “I think so. Go on. They need you.”

It took him a long time to let go, and when he did, he became aware of the thing he held in his hand. He would struggle against it until it was taken from him, until it could be taken. He nodded once, closed his eyes, and disappeared.

“You better be right about this.”

“I hope I am,” Carryn said. “Come on. We’ve been gone too long.”

Marc heard a whisper in his mind, and when he realized what it said, he shut it out, looking down at the orb enclosed in his hand. That he wanted it, he couldn’t deny. That he couldn’t take it into himself again, he understood far better. Now that he knew how quickly he’d been subverted by it, he saw the peril more easily. That dreadful knowledge made the sickening allure easier to resist.

He stood outside the dungeon door just off the main hall of the Palace, wondering why he’d come here instead of to himself. He was sitting upstairs in his rooms. The door guard stood, unaware yet that anything was wrong. Without the key that Dain had carried in with him and with communications down, the guard wouldn’t be able to open the door. Marc didn’t stay, willing himself to Dynan’s side.

At first, he didn’t understand why he found him bent over Dain, expecting them both to be up and trying to get out. As he entered their minds to give them light, he saw that Dain still wasn’t breathing and his heart wouldn’t start. Geneal was nearly spent, no longer able to compress Dain’s chest effectively. Dynan was trying to catch his breath while Ralion took over for him.

Marc startled them all, coming in so suddenly. Dynan looked at him with a mixture of fear and hope as he moved out of the way. Marc shook his head to stop their questions and concentrated on finding Dain. It took some time, because he had fled so far inward. Marc took him without asking, forcing him to come back. He felt suddenly that he was running out of time. He gave Dain as much strength as he dared.

Dain gasped, eyes starting open and he backed away until Dynan stopped him, holding him tightly. Then they were all looking at Marc and what he held in his hand.

“What is that?” Dynan asked him, and without bothering to stand, backed away from him and pulled Dain with him.

“It’s Maralt, Dynan. I—”

“No.” He shook his head and kept moving. “That?”

Marc frowned, and then he felt it, a will of force that drew them inward, while hatred flowed outward, surrounding them all.

“We have to get out of here,” Dain said, watching him. Marc nodded.

“There’s the key,” Avry said, and picked it up.

The dungeon walls seemed to close in. Where they were added strength to what Marc held, while weakening his ability to withstand it. “Move.”

“How can you—” Dynan began.

“I said move.” He stood, backing away from them, suddenly aware of the cell behind him.

Dain swore, pushing and pulling himself to his feet. He and Dynan started to go. Marc felt it wasn’t fast enough and shut them out. He saw the mistake of doing so immediately, even as Dain froze where he was. No one could see without his help, but he couldn’t afford to hold them all in mind so they could see, and especially not Dynan and Dain.

Marc turned to their guards and Ralion, giving them sight by keeping them in his mind. “One of you up front. One behind. Go. Ralion, I need a really big favor.”

“Oh man. All right. As long as it isn’t Maralt. Is it?”

“No. Not yet anyway.” He reached for him, hating that he had to, but none of them would get out if he didn’t take back some strength. Ralion gasped, swore under his breath, and staggered against the wall. Just as he would have fallen, Marc released him, feeling only slightly better.

“That ... that wasn’t so ... bad. I just feel like I could sleep for a week.” He straightened after a moment, trying to catch his breath, and shake off his weariness.

“Let’s go.”

“That’s not the way Maralt always—”

“No. It isn’t.”

“I’d say that was a big improvement.”

Marc nodded and they started after the others who’d rounded the far corner. Marc kept the guards in his mind, in effect splitting himself to two different places. He swore suddenly.

“What’s wrong?” Ralion asked.

It was another mistake that he hadn’t even considered. Anytime he left himself, left his body in the strange inner portal that existed inside his mind, part remained intact, firmly attached to that existence. It was a small part, weakened, but there. Here in the dungeon, he wasn’t in a body, and in splitting himself yet again, he weakened again. Drawing strength from Ralion only helped part of him. The other part of himself, still weakened enough to be enticed, led Dynan and Dain through the dungeons. Marc tried to take himself to them and couldn’t. He started walking faster.

“Marc?”

“Not now, Ralion.”

“Just tell me what to do.”

“Keep up with me.”

The next thought made him start running. Marc couldn’t get back to his body, either, and he was suddenly very aware that his other self intended to get there first.

Ralion swore and raced after him.

They rounded the corner. Two cellblocks ahead, a door was closing even as the guards were pulled through, unwillingly taken from Dynan and Dain. The light cast by the orb was extinguished, leaving the rest in darkness. Marc cast himself forward to Drake, and left him immediately as he reached for the closing door. It clanged shut and locked. He tried to will himself through it and couldn’t.

“Damn it, Marc!” Ralion called after him, left behind in total darkness.

“You just came right through me,” Drake said. They were all looking at him, afraid of Maralt, afraid of who they’d just seen locking them in. Afraid of him. He couldn’t blame them for that. They had reason to be. “I thought that was supposed to hurt,” Drake said, still more confused than fearful.

Marc pressed himself back into the door, dreading what he had to do. He looked at Dain. “I have to get upstairs and back to myself before he does. I can’t go through the door either.”

“Why not?” Dynan asked, taking a step toward him. “You just traveled from one end of the hall to the other. Why not?”

“Because of this,” he said, and held out his hand. “You don’t want to find out what it will be like if he gets to me first.”

“Why again? You’re the same thing.”

“Not exactly. I made the mistake of splitting when I shouldn’t have and now, Maralt is dominant. Stronger. He took your brother, took his strength. Just because Dain is back here, doesn’t mean Maralt lost all that. Now he’s got part of me, and he’ll take the rest of me physically without any trouble at all. Dain, I need you to come with me.”

It took him a moment to fully understand, time Marc didn’t have to waste. Dynan realized it too, his eyes widening. Dain groaned, wincing at the prospect of more pain. “Doesn’t anyone have a medic kit or something?”

“I’m not going to let you do this,” Dynan said, shaking his head.

“How else do you think we’re going to get out of here? Avry has the damn key.”

“We don’t have time,” Marc interrupted. Dain nodded, and stepped by his brother. Marc had no choice but to stop Dynan when he tried to pull Dain away. No one else moved.

“I’m ready. Dynan, it’ll be all right.”

Marc heard Ralion swear, and Drake backed away a pace. The others stared at him, except Geneal. She turned away. Dynan couldn’t move because Marc held him frozen in place, which meant he had to watch while Marc took Dain’s soul and pulled him inside, receiving all that Dain could give him. It felt a little like being struck by lightning, the scouring light filling him, his mind, his whole being. Marc heard Dynan screaming after him as he vanished. It wasn’t fear or grief he heard, but rage.

His study appeared around him, and he was still sitting at his desk. Just as Marc would have willed himself back, Maralt appeared, standing by the chair.

“Not so clever after all,” he said, holding in his hand an orb of greater strength than the one Marc held that the other part of Maralt, split in half. “Are you so sure you want me back? You were having enough trouble before and, well now, everything you imparted into this self is mine. Of course, there’s everything I just took from Dain, and as you know, he’s always such a giving man.”

“Yes, he is,” Marc said, easing around his desk to stand across from him. “I brought him along for insurance.”

He concentrated on the orb in Maralt’s hand and it came to him instantly. He reached across and grabbed him, reducing him to an orb of light that he joined to the other one he already held. Strength washed through him.

“Clever enough.”