The Eighth Chronicle of the

Guardians of the Word

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KING

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Cold dread seeped into thought. Liquid red eyes bore into him, feeding off being and will. The demon stood over him. A deformed, grotesquely twisted hand reached to take him. Its touch was death. Escape became his sole purpose. He turned to run and couldn’t move.

A hand gripped his shoulder and held him in place. Through the fog of returning to the world, he realized it was a normal hand. He felt another against the side of his face. The biting cold left him. The terrible nightmare faded, its grip easing.

Dynan Telaerin woke with a start, thinking that he must have screamed. His throat hurt. Maybe there’d been a lot of screaming.

His vision cleared, the demon’s image replaced by Marc Talryn, who leaned over him. Cobalt’s Lord Chancellor seemed none the worse for wear, except for exhaustion around the white eyes that looked out from a face pinched from worry and fear. He was a few years younger, though he’d aged since Dynan met him. The black hair that framed his face had a few strands of grey here and there. The cause of that accelerated pace of life still hung from the chain around his neck. The orb was still real. Still in the world. Occasional flashes of light burst through the roiling black. Marc put a hand over it when that activity flared.

Dynan eased back into the pillows at his head as pain swept up to replace relief. Daylight streamed in, expanding as someone drew the curtains open. He recognized his bedroom at the Palace. Rich honey-colored wood paneling softened the glare of light that now filled the air. A fire burned from the hearth on the left side of the room, adding an orange and red tinge to yellow white as the flames licked upward, and was necessary to combat the pervading chill. Winter should have been over by now, but the cold lingered.

He didn’t remember being put in bed, or the trip from the temple. He wanted to forget other things flashing through his mind. For an instant, he saw his father, standing before the Sacred Seal, publicly refusing to take back the crown.

Through a haze, Dynan realized that Marc was speaking, but he couldn’t hear a word of it. He remembered the piercing shriek that had deafened him in the Room of Orbs. He saw himself stabbing the demon with the talon, and before that, severing the writhing black bands that held Marc in the Demon’s Gate.

Dynan looked down at his hands, but found them bandaged from fingertip to elbow. There were other wounds that he became aware of. Bite marks ran from his shoulder, down his chest and along his side. Other places were scraped raw from being dragged. That was as far as he could see. Those aches were drowned out by an overall weariness that touched every muscle. Even his face hurt, but he was so happy to see Marc that he ignored it all.

“How do you feel?” Marc asked, startling him, his voice was so loud in his head. It was completely silent; the question seemed a shout. “Sorry.”

Geneal Elger stood over by the door, looking into her medic kit that she’d set up on a nearby table, and his twin brother, Dain was with her, standing close. Dynan frowned briefly as he watched them. He couldn’t tell the difference between one Dain and the other, both having the exact same vivid blue eyes and the same blond hair that was the same length, worn the same way, curling down to his shoulders. He was a little more muscular and didn’t seem injured at all, which could end up being the only difference between them. The half smile was the same, along with the general swagger that Dain moved with, from one end of the room to the other. Dynan smiled over the existence of two of them, before he thought to consider Marc’s question.

“All right ... I think,” he said, and put his wrapped hand to his throat to make sure he was talking. Only his fingertips showed through. “I can’t hear at all.”

“And you won’t for a while,” Marc said, speaking out loud at the same time, evidenced by his lips moving. “Geneal is working on it. I’m working on it. There may be some nerve damage that’s permanent. I’ve tried three times over the last two days to fix you, but it isn’t working.”

“Two days?” He groaned, wondering what other catastrophes had befallen them while he slept.

“Typical,” his brother said, sitting on the bed across from Marc. He hopped up, stretched out his legs, crossed them at the ankles and leaned back against the post. “About time you woke up.”

“Which one are you?”

“You can’t tell?” He smiled easily. “Dain Ardin, since that’s what you insist on calling me. My other half is down the hall.”

Dain Ardin glanced at Marc and Dynan could tell they were communicating. He wanted to know what about, but changed his mind. If it was bad news, he didn’t want to hear it.

“Geneal wants to know if you’re in pain,” Marc said, nodding to her before Dynan could answer. “She also wants to know if you want something for it.”

“Yes and yes, unless it’s going to make me go to sleep.” He glanced at her and got a dark frown in response.

“She says she might as well not give you anything at all. What do you mean don’t tell him that? Don’t say it then. I’m not going to filter what he’s told, Geneal.”

“If you two are going to fight about it, I’d just as soon not know.”

He sat up and requested his robe, which was retrieved for him after a brief argument that Geneal didn’t win. She was still mad at him for threatening to have her replaced. With some effort, he got out of bed, groaning a little as he did. Once again, he didn’t feel like he was only twenty-four. More like eighty-eight. Dain Ardin moved to help him, but Dynan shook his head and limped over to her.

“I’ll never replace you as Chief Physician. That was a rotten thing to say and I’m sorry. I’ll try to do what you tell me to, but I can’t guarantee it’ll always be possible. All right?”

She picked up a comboard, pushing her light brown hair back from her face, her eyes scanning over the screen for a moment, and then she handed it to him so he could read it.

“I know you’re worried, Geneal. With good reason. I’ll do my best to follow your advice, but you have to work with me on this. If I say that I have to stay on my feet, then you have to help me do that.” He got all that out and had to sit.

She looked at him skeptically, but finally nodded, reaching for an injector that she showed him. He smiled at that and she started the process of numbing all his aches and pains. Lastly, she gave him an injection behind each ear that took away two very sharp pains and made him feel much better. There didn’t seem to be any cure for the pervading weariness that grew more acute the longer he stayed out of bed. His muscles ached. Since she hadn’t given him anything for it, he guessed he’d end up prone if she did. He was beginning to think that wasn’t such a bad idea.

Dynan forced himself to move and made it to the washroom. He groaned again when he looked in the mirror. Bruises darkened either side of his face. A long red line of a recently sealed cut ran from his jaw down his neck and stopped at his collarbone. He’d been clawed by something. “One of those lizard things,” he muttered and dropped his robe to check everywhere else. The rest of him was bruised and bitten and scraped, with more bandages than skin showing.

Unbidden visions of monsters best left to the imagination came and left him shaking. Dain Ardin came in, draping the robe around him again. “You need to get back in bed. You can argue with Geneal, but not me.”

“I need to find out what’s going on.”

“And we’ll tell you, but you’re going to lie down while we do. Come on, before you fall over.”

Dynan smiled a moment, but allowed his brother to help him. “Is it so bad that I can’t hear it standing up?”

“No. Actually, it’s mostly good.”

Dain Ardin explained as he all but carried Dynan back to bed, starting with the news that wasn’t exactly what Dynan wanted to hear about, that the Governors had turned in their financial reports and they weren’t as bad as expected. The guilds were doing well in just about every area except technologies. Trevan was working on that, having enough new inventions ready to hand over to them that would keep them busy for the next twenty years. Most of the levies were paid. “Which makes us solvent again.”

Dynan smiled, and nodded. He also decided not to think about how the levies didn’t really do much to fix the financial difficulties the system was facing. He’d explain all that later. When there wasn’t anyone else around to hear that, in fact, the legendary Telaerin wealth had vanished. The other Dain was the only one else knew it, and Dynan fully intended to keep it between the three of them.

“Speaking of, do you think you can tell Finance to start an account for me? They’re a little confused by it all.”

“They aren’t alone in that. What else?”

“Are you hungry?” Dain Ardin nodded hopefully. Geneal had gone. Marc, who sat comfortably leaned up against the footboard, shook his head.

“Again?” he asked. “He hasn’t stopped eating since he’s been back.”

“I haven’t eaten in months. Years even. I’m going to call up some lunch. Fill him in, Marc.”

“Yes, Your Highness. And I thought one of them was bad enough,” Marc said after Dain Ardin had gone. “Where do you want me to start?”

“I’d like you to tell me how this happened,” Dynan said, giving his voice a rest. It was strange to talk and not be able to hear. He didn’t want to think what it would be like if he never got his hearing back. The specter of not ever hearing Loren’s voice again went through him. He stopped himself from dwelling on it and looked to Marc. He bowed his head and seemed reluctant to explain.

“I made a really stupid mistake.” He shook his head. “I didn’t know that I couldn’t go into the room with the orbs until I have all of Maralt.”

“While we were in the carriage, you said that Maralt was trying to get out. Did he make you go in there?”

“No, not...well, I guess he did in a way, except it was just Logue. Maralt wasn’t with him. I’d been talking to Carryn and after she left me, I suddenly knew that you were in danger. I tried to get in, and couldn’t.”

“You weren’t in with the orbs by then? I thought that’s what let out the serpent. You were outside when it got loose?”

“Yes.”

“Then how did it get out?”

“The High Bishop is dying.”

Dynan paused at that, frowning over implications that were only just coming clear. “The High Bishop is the one who has to take you.”

“Yes.”

“That’s why you’ve been so afraid of him.” Marc nodded. Dynan understood that well enough. The High Bishop had always frightened him too. “How does his weakening let loose a serpent?”

“He holds the gate closed. Dain Ardin was with him to give him strength. My presence with Maralt caused an imbalance too great for either of them to counter. That’s what Dain Ardin tells me anyway. There’s more to this than chance though. They, the other side, wanted me in with the Orbs. They killed Gemern Taldic at the Governor’s Ball to ensure that there would be a funeral, and they sent Logue as the bait.” Marc shook his head. “I never should have set foot in the compound.”

“How were you supposed to know that, Marc?”

“I knew it. I just didn’t listen.”

“And you’ve never done that before.” Dynan smiled when Marc looked up at him. “So, if Maralt wasn’t in Logue, where was he?”

“I don’t know,” Marc said, looking unhappy about that fact.

“There’s someone else helping him who’s conditioned to accept his presence,” Dynan said. “And it has to be someone who isn’t shielded. Aldridge maybe?”

“Could be. I’ve been trying to get more information on him, but we just don’t have it. All I know is that he has white hair and he’s lethal. Not much to go on. It’s also possible that the shield can be over-ridden. If someone wants to help him, they can.”

“What was it that Dain Ardin told us? About action and reaction?”

“Every time the Gods take direct action with us, it opens the way for the other side to do the same thing. Except the Gods represent order and they don’t want to interfere, but are forced to. Back and forth, and we’re caught in the middle. Chaos.”

“Story of my life,” Dynan grumbled and didn’t want to think about it any more.

Dain Ardin came back in with a huge tray loaded with food, which he set down in the middle of the bed. He brought breakfast and lunch, and a big pile of fruit. Dynan realized he was hungry, but looking at his hands wasn’t quite sure how he’d manage to eat. His brother solved that dilemma when he picked up a piece of fruit and all but stuffed it in his mouth.

“Thanks.”

“Sure. Dig in, Marc. Are you all caught up yet? Did he tell you about our hunting expedition last night?”

Dynan looked expectantly at Marc, who frowned at Dain Ardin. “Not yet, but he’s going to,” Dynan wondered how difficult it was to manage with two Dain Telaerins, and started laughing at the thought.

“You try it for a few days, see how you like it,” Marc said. “That serpent wasn’t the only thing that got out.”

“That’s putting it mildly.”

“So far we’ve tracked down two others.”

“And a mess of chompies,” Dain Ardin said, and gave Dynan another piece of food.

“What are those?” he asked.

“Little black lizards that have one unbelievable bite,” Dain Ardin said. “One of them got a hold of me and it was all I could do to get it off. Marc vaporized a swarm of them just outside the temple gate.”

“Vaporized?”

“Dragon form.” Dain Ardin smiled, while Marc shook his head. “Attracted quite a crowd too. They were all pretty damn relieved that he was there though. Ever since they heard about Father, they seem to accept this stuff well enough. Dragons and wraiths.”

“There’s a wraith?”

“Another serpent, we think, or some variant of one. Didn’t manage to catch it last night, but I expect to have better luck tonight. That’s the only time they come out. Father issued a warning to everyone to stay inside after dark. Alerted the city guard. That sort of thing.”

Dynan looked from Dain Ardin to Marc, then back again. “He did?”

Dain Ardin looked at Marc. “You haven’t told him about that either?”

“Shut up, Dain.”

“Told me what?”

“Father has been sort of managing the place while you slept,” Dain Ardin said between mouthfuls. Dynan got about every third helping that his brother shoveled in. “He didn’t want to, but he changed his mind.”

“You ordered him to,” Marc said.

Dain Ardin smiled. “I did. It’s stupid not to put him to good use, and I didn’t want to do it. Dain can’t do it. Pop knows how, and I don’t, so I made him.” His smile widened. “You should have seen the look on his face when he realized I was giving him an order.”

“So really that’s all I need to do then? Order him to be King?” Dynan shook his head at that thought.

“There’s a growing stack of reports on your desk when you feel up to it,” Marc said, grunting as he pushed to his feet. “About equal to what I have on mine. I should head down.”

“Did you tell him about Dain?”

“No, but I figured you’d do a better job of that too. I’ll see you later.”

“What’s wrong with Dain?” Dynan asked while Dain Ardin rolled his eyes as Marc left them.

“He’s not dealing well with just about everything, but especially me. He and Marc got into some sort of argument this morning about something that neither of them are talking about. He’s having a bad time of it. He doesn’t want to admit it. He thinks that would make him seem weak or something stupid like that. He feels that I’m here to take his place, which is impossible. One day we have to be joined again. He’s furious that I understand what has to happen with Marc. I don’t like it, but I understand it. He’s scared Bronwyn will like me more than him. Same goes for Garan. He doesn’t want me around. Not exactly the reception I thought I’d get from him. He’s been pushed once too often to manage anymore. He can’t deal with it alone, but he won’t let me help him. Maybe you’ll have better luck.”

“I don’t think any of us are dealing too well with any of it,” Dynan said. “It has to be strange for him to have you here like this. It’s pretty damn strange for me. How is it possible anyway?”

“Normally, it isn’t. What’s normal anymore? For the same reason our father is alive, my presence here has a purpose. The demon acted and the Gods countered with making me whole. I didn’t expect it. I wasn’t supposed to even talk to you, so I’m not sure why this has happened. I’m not sorry that I’m here, except for what it’s doing to Dain. Eventually what’s done to him will become part of us together. It’s not exactly a pleasant prospect, knowing how much he hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you.”

“He’s ready to pick up a sword and come after me, Dynan. He’s already threatened me once, and what ever happened with Marc just about put him over the edge.”

“You know what he’s going through, after what he did to me? Marc told you, didn’t he?”

“Didn’t have to.” He went on to explain how Marc had been watched. “I saw it all. A real pleasure there.”

“They usually go off somewhere and take care of this in the morning and if Marc isn’t letting Dain do that anymore, he could lose control. Why wouldn’t he anyway?”

“I don’t know if that’s what they’re fighting about.”

“They shouldn’t be fighting at all.”

“Fighting is a little strong. We were all down in the office with Pop yesterday just after luncheon. Dain came in behind us, and put his arm around Marc. I don’t know why, but Marc pushed him off, and Dain reacted kind of strangely to that. No one else noticed except me. Dain left as soon as he realized that I knew something was wrong. He’s been in that room down the hall ever since. He won’t talk to anyone. I’ve tried to get him out twice, but last time he threw a vase at me, so I quit.”

“He threw—I don’t believe this. Help me up. I have to go talk to him.”

“No, wait a minute. He was asleep when I looked in there just now, so save your strength. When he wakes up, yes, you should talk to him. You might want to talk to Marc first though. Really, I think Dain is so mixed up right now, he doesn’t know what to do. Marc isn’t talking much about what happened to him with the orbs, but there’s no doubt they were trying to take him, and under those circumstances, Dain just needs to back off a while.”

“That might not be so easy for him.”

“Not so easy for Marc either. He woke up screaming, just like you did.” Dynan nodded, instantly seeing the demon in his mind and a tremor shook through him. Dain Ardin patted his arm. “And I used to think I was so brave. I don’t know how you did it.”

“Mostly I was thinking that dying on my feet would be better than dying on the floor. That’s the last time I want to look death in the face and not have it get me. I don’t ever want to feel like this again.” He shook his head. “You know, I lost my sword in there. Isn’t that a stupid thing to think about? I’ve had it since I was sixteen. Well, you knew that.”

“We’ll get it back.”

Dynan leaned into his pillows, feeling like he could sleep a week. “Is Loren all right?”

“Yes. Shalis too. We snuck them in here a few times to see you.”

Dynan smiled at that. “Anything else I should know about?”

“Creal wanted to see you. Alexia too, but Pop had a long talk with her. She’s crawled back in her hole and has hardly come out since.” Dain Ardin stood, removing the tray. “Marella will be getting here in a few hours. We had to postpone her arrival until you woke up, and we’ve put the ball off to tomorrow. As far as I know, dinner is still on.”

“Maybe I’ll be able to walk more than two steps by then. Are you going to help me up or make me do this by myself?”

“I ought to.”

“Fine.” Dynan got out of bed again. Dain Ardin helped him anyway, and a few minutes later, he was dressed in casual, loose fitting clothes. Dynan insisted on checking in on Dain and they made their slow way down the hall. Dynan felt every step, leaning on Dain Ardin like an old man. His other brother was awake, and Dynan saw by the quickly submerged flash of anger that Dain wasn’t at all happy to see his other half. He stood up as Dain Ardin helped Dynan to a chair by the fire. After making some excuse about something he’d forgotten to do, he left them. Dain just stared after him, and sat back down on his bed, curling up with a pillow.

Dynan didn’t know what to say to him. He’d never seen him look so lost. It wasn’t like him to succumb to this kind of depression and looking at him, Dynan began to fear the damage was beyond repair. A chill ran through him, followed swiftly by exhaustion. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this bad, except once, and that was right after he’d thought his brother had died.

“I don’t want to lose you.”

“Just leave me alone, Dynan.”

“I don’t want to leave you alone. I want to do something to make you feel better. I want to-”

“Well, you can’t,” Dain said, and sat up, slamming the pillow into the headboard. “You can’t change what’s happened. You won’t bother trying to change what’s going to happen. Don’t talk to me about what you want. Just get out.”

“Dain, li—”

“Get out.”

“No, I won’t. This isn’t right. It isn’t like you...What...what are you doing?”

He’d stood and moved over to him so fast that Dynan didn’t have a chance to react. He knew what Dain intended even as his brother picked him up and pushed him for the door. The room swam around in dizzying speed until the opposite wall outside the door stopped it all. Dynan landed in a pile on the floor.

Then Dain Ardin was there. Before Dynan’s eyes cleared, they were fighting each other. He blinked at them a moment, a little amazed at how fast it had all happened. “Marc, can you come here a minute.”

“Sure.” He appeared beside him, starting when he saw what was happening. “What the...”

“Do you need help? I’ll call the guard.”

Marc shook his head as he went in. All he did was touch them, grabbing both by the arm, and they instantly fell to the floor unconscious. He looked at them a moment, sprawled on the floor, but turned back to Dynan. “Are you all right?”

“I think so.”

“Here, let me help you up. What happened?”

While Dynan explained, Marc picked him up off the floor, and mostly carried him back to his bed. “What’s wrong with him?”

“I’d say he wants to be left alone. I suppose the other half suggested you talk to him. He should know better.”

“What happened between you yesterday?”

“Nothing that I haven’t apologized for already. He snuck up on me. The worst of it is, he didn’t even know what he was doing.”

“Which was?”

“He’s learning how to draw energy in a more easily accepted way than what Maralt would have us do. Yesterday was the first time he managed it by just touching me. He put his hand on my back. I wasn’t ready for it, and after what had just happened to me, I didn’t react too well. I forced him off. With his state of mind the way it is, he’s not taking any kind of rejection too well. Now he doesn’t want me anywhere near him. All the problems are compounded by the fact that he’s gone two days without, and for Dain that’s a lot harder than it was for me.”

“Why?”

“It’s the way he is.” Marc shrugged. “That’s probably why he doesn’t want you with him. He’s afraid he’ll lose it with you and he’d never forgive himself if that happened. So next time he tells you to get out, do it. At least until he has this under control. Whether he gets any control after what’s happened is unknown. I think he can do it, but he has to let me help him. Right now, he won’t.”

“What happens if he doesn’t?”

“I have to be there when he goes over the edge. He did that for me often enough. I suspect that’s going to happen when he wakes up.”

“When will that be?”

“When I want him to.” Marc smiled for a second. “I’ll go in a minute. Don’t want to make him too mad. The rest of it; Dain Ardin’s existence, fighting serpents and giant worms, facing a demon...I don’t know if he’ll ever really recover. None of that even touches what Maralt did to him, to them both. The other one has found some sort of peace I think, coming from the temple. Maybe when they’re joined, he’ll get to keep that.”

“I don’t see how they can ever be joined as much as one despises the other.”

“Not a good time for Dain to be suffering from an inferiority complex.” He stood. “Why don’t you rest up while you can? Marella is due in a few hours. If you don’t feel up to the formal meet and greet, I’m sure she won’t mind coming to see you.”

As if by command, Dynan’s eyes dragged closed. “What did you do, put a spell on me?”

Marc laughed. “I think maybe Dain knocked you in the head harder than you realize.”

Dynan hardly heard him, a whispered thought that barely penetrated the sudden fog. His shoes were tugged off, and he mumbled when he meant to say thanks. A thick blanket took away the chill and he felt fingertips brush his forehead.

“No bad dreams.”