Chapter 54

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Ralion pounded his fist into the invisible barrier that blocked the doorways and the entire apse of the temple, cursing it and his inability to get through it. He could see Dynan and two versions of Dain Telaerin disappearing around the far corner and knew that they were heading into danger. Ralion pressed against the wall again, feeling its smooth surface beneath his hands without being able to see it. Beside him, Trevan ran his fingers across it, stooping down to the floor, methodically searching for a crack, or weakness. He shook his head.

“I don’t know what it is, or how it’s possible.”

Ralion looked over at Carryn while she tended the High Bishop. The old man’s eyes were open, but he was still ashen. He hadn’t died this time, but Ralion thought it wouldn’t be long before Cobalt raised a different High Bishop and a new King. Or an old one.

Ralion glanced at Ambrose as he spoke to the Governors. It was so obvious in their expressions, their relief and happiness that he was alive. They wanted him reinstated. Ralion thought it entirely likely that Ambrose would be crowned instead of Dynan, especially if Dynan didn’t survive. Ralion punched the barrier again.

Carryn turned to him then, and left the High Bishop to the other gathered monks. “You can’t break it by force,” she said as she approached. “So you should stop trying before you hurt yourself.”

“Why is it here?”

“It’s here because the Gods will it.”

“The Gods? Or someone else, Carryn? To keep us from Dynan? Why?

“You may presume to ask such a question if you like, but I won’t.”

“Did they keep Marc from coming in here too?”

“I believe it was the intention to stop his entry into the building. Not to keep him from aiding us, but to prevent what has now happened. They knew, unlike you or I, that if he came in, he would be lured to the room of the Orbs and the Gateway opened. This has happened.”

“What do you mean it’s happened?”

“The Gates are open, and if Marc succumbs and the Demon released, you’ll have your wish, Ralion, for this barrier will surely fail. You and I, my friend will face this thing here. You might want to think about preparing for that, instead of cursing the Gods who now protect you.”

“I don’t want to be protected, Carryn. I want to help them.”

“It’s not your time. You’ve heard the words of truth, yet you don’t heed them. Lest heart be broken or strength fail, he—meaning Marc—will be succored by the anointed and the divided. Dynan and Dain. Accept in your heart what is, then have the wisdom to see it when it’s happening before you.” Ralion opened his mouth to object when he felt a tremor shake through the floor, followed quickly by another. “Or you may find that time for acceptance is no longer given you.” The entire room shook beneath pounding footfalls. “He comes.”

Trevan turned to him, his face pale. “The barrier is gone.”

Ralion looked at her and yanked his sword free of its scabbard. “Good.”

He turned when Carryn shook her head. With Trevan following more hesitantly, they moved into the hall, holding on through violent shudders. They turned at the far wall. Trevan gasped at the sight of the worm. Its severed head lay in a doorway, mouth agape. Ralion felt their time running out, but found it hard to stay on his feet. They struggled over the body of the worm, choking on the foul smell that rose from it and joined with the dust in the air.

At the next junction, the worm’s tail ended at the mouth of a short, narrow hallway. Trevan stumbled and Ralion pulled him up and over to the wall. Carefully they edged to the corner, each step taking them closer to horror. A blasting noise came at them, wave on wave to a level that was almost intolerable. They endured it anyway, and Ralion eased up to look around the corner.

He couldn’t tell who was lying on either side of the hall, but thought they were both of them Dain. Dynan wasn’t there. Then Ralion saw him emerging from a wall of darkness, dragging Marc behind him. He struggled a step farther and fell, scrambling backward. He pushed Marc along and dragged one of his brothers behind. Ralion moved a step down the hall. There was something coming, and his heart froze. Trevan started to follow, but Ralion pushed him back. Neither of them could move then, hardly able to breathe from fear.

Ralion didn’t want to watch, but couldn’t turn away, and then Dynan stood up in front of the thing, defying the will of terror that beat down on him. He looked so small and alone against the massive size of the beast that hunched overhead. Ralion saw death in its eyes, and somehow forced his legs to move.

“Under God’s wing I will trust. Their truth is my shield. They keep the paths of light. They hold the way of the Faithful. I will not fear the terror of night. Under God’s wing I will trust...”

Dain Ardin opened his eyes. A fear unlike any he’d ever experienced locked his limbs. He couldn’t move. He could hardly see, but hearing remained. All he could do was wait for death, but he would get to listen while his brother was taken first. As the demon rose, Dynan’s voice sank to a whisper, stammering to a halt. Fear won. The demon laughed; a barking roar that froze hope and filled the mind with darkness. It was loose upon the world. Nothing could stop it, and when it spoke, madness followed.

“The Gods’ will is broken. And you stand between me and my servant. His strength will build the foundation of a new, everlasting reign. And then your blood will slake that foundation, anointing my rule of the world.”

A great cloven foot rose and crushed the stone as it stepped forward. The thing was almost beside Dain Ardin, just another pace away. Dynan cringed, cowering away, but he didn’t step back from it. He couldn’t speak any more, but his lips moved, whispering the same prayer over and over. The demon reached for Marc.

Dynan reached for his sword that he didn’t have anymore, stumbling a step. His hand rose to his jacket pocket, pressing against it as though feeling something inside. He reached for it, his fingers drawing out the talon he’d picked up so many years ago. The demon’s gnarled hand curled around Marc, dragging him down the hall toward the darkness. Dynan took the talon, and charged after him.

He dodged under the striking arm of the demon, who saw him coming. Using two hands, he jammed the tip of the talon into its abdomen, slamming the end of it as hard as he could. The demon reared back, the talon embedded in its side.

Dynan cringed away as it roared. He fell again, at its feet. He rolled, but a clawed foot came down on top of him, pinning him to the floor. The demon leaned down, a twisted hand taking Dynan by the throat.

“The time of your end is now.”

A light solidified and took shape. Dain Ardin blinked and saw Matt standing before them, translucent. Empty. He held one hand up to the demon, reaching back with the other to Marc and a strand of light energy leapt to his fingertips. A blasting crack of light exploded around them right in the face of the demon. It dropped Dynan and fell back a step.

“Be gone, beast. Return to your abyss. The time of your coming is not yet, now or ever, while Faith guards your Gate. Return to the Void and feast not on the light of this world. By the power of the true God, I cast you from the Sacred Hall. Leave us and trouble the living no more. The Gate is closed!”

Black swirled toward him and Dain Ardin jerked away, crawling backward to escape being swallowed. The Demon bellowed, reaching for him. Dain Ardin felt himself drawn toward it and the consuming night. A gale wind rose, tearing across them. Dynan would have been sucked in, but Dain Ardin reached for him and hauled him close. Across from them, Dain clawed the floor as he was pulled away. Dynan lunged after him, drew him back, and the three of them cowered on the floor, holding onto each other and the merest cracks in the floor.

Dust filled the air, and bits of particles stung their faces. Dain Ardin looked up and saw Ralion, clutching the nearest doorframe, and behind him, Trevan, holding the far corner to keep from being drawn in. The body of the worm rose from the floor and hurtled toward them. Ralion saw it, stretching out his hand to Dain Ardin, just able to reach his grasp as the worm barreled by. But for the strength of his old guard, they all would have followed it.

Only Marc didn’t move, protected by some unseen force from the hurricane winds, and Matt couldn’t feel them. Ralion’s hand slipped and all of them slid together. He didn’t let go, massive shoulders bunching as he dug in. Dain Ardin felt like his arm socket would let go first. Just when he thought it might, it stopped. The winds died, subsiding as quickly as they rose, and left them all shaking. The sound of their voices cut off as the need to scream stopped. The black wall ended a pace from where Matt stood. The demon was gone.

Light faded back to normal and Matt turned to Dain Ardin. “Looks like you get your wish,” he said, and looked down at Marc. “Take care of him for me.”

Dain Ardin nodded, aware that Ralion wasn’t able to hear Matt, but Dynan and Dain could.

“They mustn’t know about me,” Matt said. Dynan started up from the floor at that, but Matt was already touching his forehead. He reached for Dain next, but paused a moment. “Be well.”

He smiled slightly and disappeared.

Dynan sank back against the wall, leaning over his knees and he shook. His hands were cracked and bleeding. Blood ran down either side of his neck, pooling out of his ears, but he didn’t seem to notice. He stared down at Marc, then moved to him, half-falling down to the floor at his side. He reached for him, blackened fingers searching his neck for a pulse. His shaking grew more evident.

Ralion hauled himself to his knees and crawled over to them, checking Marc and his relief was evident when he found his heartbeat. “He’s alive,” he said, then rolled back down to the floor where he covered his face with his hands. Trevan was curled on the floor in a ball.

Dynan didn’t hear Ralion, and pulled open Marc’s torn shirt. There was blood on the cloth, but no evidence of any wound. Dynan kept looking, and his confusion grew. It wasn’t until Dynan saw the rise and fall of Marc’s chest that he knew he was alive. Dynan bowed over him, bent down until he rested on him. Dynan’s breath came in and out in stutters, his eyes vacant. He was whispering something, but Dain Ardin didn’t know what.

“Dynan,” he said very softly.

“No.”

Dain tried and got the same answer, and the whispers continued until Dynan looked back into the dark. He growled almost, under his breath, gritting his teeth together as he straightened. He leaned down and got his arms underneath Marc, staggering to his feet. He dragged Marc after him, away from the thing that sought them.

Dain Ardin pushed himself up, seeing the hideous face in his mind. They all did, and the more they did, the stronger it became. They were calling it back. “Get up! Ralion, get up! Don’t think about it. Dain, move! Now!” He leaned and pulled the guard to his feet, and kept him going. “Dain, I said move!”

He did finally and as they stumbled away, dread lessened, the vision’s sway weakening. Dain Ardin pulled Trevan up when they reached him, and Ralion moved to help Dain. They all stopped once they rounded the corner, leaning against any spare surface of wall that wasn’t already taken. Dain hit the floor again, and Ralion went down with him. Dain Ardin felt like it, but he knew if he let them stay down, they wouldn’t get up again at all. They were far enough away to lessen dread, but not safe yet.

“We have to get away from here. Get up.”

Dynan picked Marc up again, and started down the hall. He stopped at the next juncture, looking toward the door that would take them out of the building. He seemed to want to go that way. Dain Ardin understood that overwhelming desire to get out, but Dynan turned down the other way instead, taking them back to the temple.

Dain Ardin felt Carryn’s presence then, telling him to move and a barrier rose behind them, sealing them from the dark. It was of Carryn’s making, not the High Bishop’s. Dain got up and hauled Ralion to his feet. Dain got Trevan moving too, but then turned back, facing the approaching darkness. Dain Ardin turned with him. He closed his eyes, emptied his mind and concentrated on strengthening the shield. Smothering fear choked him as the first boiling waves of black came around the corner for him. He lowered his eyes to the floor and kept them there. The pressure of weight increased, wracking his body and the compulsion to look grew. Dain Ardin knew if he did, a demon would rise.

“Don’t look,” he said because he felt the same force striking Dain and he was shaking. “Just don’t look. No one look at it.”

The wall came right up, a crushing force that would sweep over him, over them all. Dain Ardin closed his eyes again, draining his strength to keep the shield. Then Dynan was there beside him and he walked up to the wall, looking right into it. He took a step beyond him. Dain Ardin thought he would be swallowed, but the darkness gave way before him, shrinking back for each step he took. The weight against Dain Ardin lessened, and left him shaking and weak.

“How is he doing that?” Dain whispered.

Dain Ardin shook his head, and finally felt he could move again. Dynan stood at the corner, facing the dark alone. He took a step and then another toward it, until finally the black wall receded.

When he came back, he was even paler than before. For a moment, he stood. He didn’t move. Dain Ardin reached for him, but he shook his head. He leaned down, picked Marc up again and turned for the temple.