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The Wraiths of
The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure: The First Book of the Wraeththu HistoriesBy Storm Constantine© 2002Smashwords edition 2009Smashwords Edition, License NotesThis ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.The right of Storm Constantine to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.http://www.stormconstantine.comCover Artist: RubyLayout: Andy LoweAn Immanion Press Edition published through Smashwordshttp://www.immanion-press.cominfo(at)immanion-press.comImmanion Press8 Rowley GroveStafford ST17 9BJUK
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C hapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty Five
Chapter Twenty Six
Chapter Twenty Seven
Chapter Twenty Eight
Chapter Twenty Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty One
Chapter Thirty Two
Chapter Thirty Three
Chapter Thirty Four
Chapter Thirty Five
Chapter Thirty Six
Chapter Thirty Seven
EpilogueThere was once a festival night that surpassed all others. It was the night when the world of Wraeththu changed, when hara, consciously or not, turned purposefully to approach their potential. Because of that night, Ulaume and Flick came together. Because of that night, Lileem had a childhood and youth spent with hara. It changed her, and made her the parage who could step out of reality to search for truth.Looking back over the years, Flick often thought about how so many events had been initiated by the night when Pellaz had left his first physical body: lives had been touched and turned, dehara had come down from the heavens. A harling had been born: a very special one. Flick could not mourn for Lileem again, because Opalexian had told him Lileem had made the choice to go back to the otherworld. Her own special festival night had changed her in such a way that she could no longer live happily in this reality. Flick did not want her to be unhappy.It occurred to him quite abruptly one afternoon as he worked in his garden, that when the shaman Itzama had spoken to him about gates between the worlds, so long ago, he had meant more than the otherlanes portals opened by sedim. Flick wished he could remember in detail the brief conversation they’d had about it. He was bothered enough about his recollection to speak to Opalexian on the matter. He’d never confided to her before about his strange time with Itzama. Telling the story aloud to her made it sound completely improbable, but she appeared to take him at his word.‘With the benefit of hindsight,’ she said, ‘it seems likely this spirit form you connected with was referring to rather more than an otherlane portal.’‘It’s all so dim,’ Flick said, ‘but I seem to recall I just knew it wasn’t my task to learn about the gate. I wish I’d paid more attention and hadn’t been so scared.’Opalexian smiled, gestured with both hands. ‘As I said, with the benefit of hindsight… Don’t punish yourself for it, Flick. You just weren’t ready for such knowledge. Perhaps none of are.’‘Perhaps you send a parage to that place,’ Flick said, ‘try to find it again.’ He frowned. ‘But then I couldn’t find the entrance again afterwards.’‘It won’t help Lileem, Flick,’ Opalexian said. ‘She walks her own path, and I am quite sure it is meant. Perhaps Itzama sensed something of what was to come, how you’d be her guardian. Maybe he felt the gate was relevant to you, in some way, without understanding the whole picture.’‘You knew she’d try to go back, didn’t you,’ Flick said. ‘You always knew.’Opalexian nodded. ‘Yes. I let her go, because she understands now. If she ever returns, it will be in a time when the world needs what she has learned for it.’‘Our purpose, all along,’ Flick said, ‘was to care for her.’‘Not just that,’ Opalexian told him. ‘Your search for knowledge, too, was of great importance.’Flick had tried hard to live a small life, but couldn’t really have it. Fate had given him certain things to keep him sweet, but it had tasks for him too. Pellaz had slowly, but firmly, guided him into the world of Wraeththu. Although Flick and Ulaume still lived in Shilalama, and the Kamagrian were still perhaps the world’s greatest secret, there were now temples to the dehara in the city of Immanion. Pressure for Flick to write down all that he had learned was overwhelming, but eventually he asked Exalan to do it. ‘Don’t give them a holy book,’ he said, ‘give them the encouragement to dream for themselves.’It amused Flick to think that his name and his work were taught to harlings in schools. No doubt they believe him to be some profound, sagacious individual, but he knew that essentially he hadn’t changed at all. Exalan, as his scribe and assistant, enjoyed the status more.Some years after Lileem’s second disappearance, it became common knowledge that Thiede was Wraeththu’s progenitor. Whether Thiede allowed this information to leak out himself or some other enterprising har put all the facts together and came up with the right conclusion, not even Pellaz ever discovered. Thiede remained inscrutable on the matter, although he did not appear to be that distressed the truth was out.Wraeththu was surging towards a dazzling future, changes occurring all the time. The western countries were mostly free of belligerent tribes and in other lands, new harish nations were forming all the time. Most remaining humans lived in autonomous reserves, while others were content to live with hara who were disposed to permit it. Those who still dwelled beyond Wraeththu influence were of no threat.Pellaz and the Hegemony governed all co-operative tribes from Immanion, but nohar was under any illusion that they had supreme control. Thiede held the reins, as he always had. If, sometimes, decisions were made that were not wholly acceptable, most hara were content with the way things were. It appeared to the majority of hara that everything had slipped comfortably into place. They were free and they could explore their being without fear.One day, Opalexian summoned Flick to Kalalim alone. It was a glorious afternoon and the city dozed peacefully in the sunlight. Opalexian sat in her office, and the windows were closed, despite the heat. The atmosphere was somewhat stifling. Flick realised at once she had something important to say to him, and his first thought was of Lileem. He had never given up hope that she would return home again.He sat down before Opalexian’s desk, waiting to hear.‘Flick, I have a proposition for you,’ she said.‘Tell me.’She rose from her seat and padded, bare foot, around the desk to stand beside him. ‘You might remember that Pellaz and I once had an agreement.’‘Yes. He never told me what it was.’‘He asked me to heal Cal.’‘Cal.’ Even now, the name made Flick go cold. ‘Did you?’‘If Cal and Pellaz were ever to come together, it would change everything.’‘Which is why Thiede has never allowed it,’ Flick said. ‘But I’m curious: why and how could it change things? At the end of the day, they were just two hara in love.’‘Their union would make what Lileem and Terez did look like nothing,’ Opalexian said. ‘It would initiate many things, not least a change for Kamagrian.’‘Do you want that?’Opalexian sighed deeply. ‘Thiede would not want it.’‘Does he know about you?’‘Flick, I am his sister.’This did not come as a shock to Flick. If anything, the information put matters perfectly into perspective.‘Not in the normal way,’ she added hastily. ‘We were created by similar means, and neither of us really know what that was. We do know that someone, or something, created us for a purpose, and like Thiede did with his Tigron, it took a few attempts to get it right. I was an earlier attempt. If any others survived, it is not known to us. They certainly didn’t have the effect on the world that Thiede and I did. Thiede does not believe that Kamagrian should be encouraged or enlarged. He thinks it is a mistake and is happy for me to gather parazha here in Shilalama, to keep them out of the way. I do not think that parazha born to hara are freaks or throwbacks. That is a point that Thiede and I have never agreed on.’‘Do you have a lot of contact with him?’ Flick asked.‘Not now. We did not discover one another until long after Thiede had established the first Wraeththu tribes. We met, fought, met again, and have maintained an uneasy alliance ever since. It is a long story, and one day I will tell it to you. All I want you to know for now is that it is my wish for Cal to become Tigron.’‘What?’ Flick said. ‘You can’t mean that.’‘He and Pellaz should be one. Tigron is not one individual, but two. Thiede will never allow this, because he would be disempowered. His war with Cal has been long and bloody. It is a private war and an abomination. Terrible things have been done to Cal.’‘He probably deserved most of them. I know him. I know what he’s capable of and also what he isn’t. He is the most selfish har on earth, populating a universe of one. It would be insane to give him power. I shudder to think what he’d do. Most likely, he’d destroy the world and laugh as it burned.’‘And while hara think of him that way, it will never happen,’ Opalexian said. ‘Think about it.’‘I don’t want to!’ Flick shook his head in disbelief. ‘This can’t be so.’‘It is my belief that Thiede influenced Cal in such a way that he would do atrocious things. I’m surprised he didn’t have Cal killed at the same time as Pellaz, but maybe that is because he couldn’t. Perhaps Cal has higher powers protecting him in some way. Whatever the reason, it interfered with Thiede’s plan. He certainly didn’t intend to lose Orien. It must tear at his heart to this day that he was so immersed in recreating Pellaz, he was unable to save his dearest friend. He was, at that time, physically incapable of action. Still, his disability in that respect worked in my favour. I have been working some time towards a certain conclusion, even before Pellaz came to me and made his innocent request. For years before that, I had sought, painstakingly, to undo what Thiede had done to Cal.’‘You have known of him all along?’Opalexian nodded. ‘When Thiede made his Tigron, an operation I observed from afar with the greatest fascination, I saw what he let slip through his fingers. I saw Cal. Unfortunately, part of the redemption process has required Cal to descend deeper into madness and despair.’‘You mean you’ve tortured him as much as Thiede has?’‘Yes. There is no other way. You don’t understand these things, Flick. It is very complex. Because of the magnitude of what must happen, and its subtle effects, I couldn’t simply bring Cal here and heal him. He had to heal himself, and that was hard, because he lacked the will to do so. It has taken me many years to guide him along a better, stronger path. I have been groping in the dark, and sometimes the things I have laid my hands upon in that darkness were not what I desired.’‘What has this to do with me?’‘The final stage is in preparation. Cal will be brought to Shilalama. I will tell him all that he needs to know and the last healing will take place. Then he will be sent to Immanion. At that point all hara and parazha had better flee to their storm cellars, because the hurricane will be devastating. Its mighty winds will fly to every corner of the earth.’Flick felt numb. He couldn’t take in what he’d heard. It couldn’t be true.‘Will you help me?’ Opalexian said softly.Flick stared at her for some moments. ‘What are you asking me to do?’‘Take him to the dehara in trance. Give him knowledge of them and their strength. Tel-an-Kaa can work with you on this, because she will be responsible for the final phase of Cal’s healing. She has been involved for some time in this process.’‘You want me to see Cal? Here?’‘Yes. I know how you must feel about this, but I hope you appreciate I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t important to me.’‘I can’t,’ Flick said. ‘I’ve done many things because others have wanted me to, but I can’t do this.’‘Will you not at least think about it?’‘About what? Destroying Thiede? That’s what this is really about, isn’t it?’Opalexian went back to her seat. ‘Cal knows you. He will trust you. It will help him become all he should be if you could be with him now.’‘No,’ Flick said. ‘The answer is no and it always will be. I’ve played my part in various political games, and it will never happen again.’‘I know what you’re thinking,’ Opalexian said. ‘You’re thinking about going home and sending a message to Pellaz to warn him. Remember that Pell wanted this. He asked me to help him.’‘He didn’t ask for this,’ Flick said. ‘What you’re offering him is a choice between Thiede and Cal, only he doesn’t know he has to make it. At the very least, he should be made aware of the consequences.’‘He doesn’t have a choice,’ Opalexian said. ‘I can be just as ruthless as Thiede has ever been. For this reason, as a precaution, I have had your communication equipment, and your sedu temporarily impounded. They will be returned to you in due course.’Flick stood up. ‘I suppose I should be angry, but I can’t be bothered. You think you know everything, but I guarantee there will be unexpected results from this. If Cal is involved, I doubt the outcome will be wholly to your liking.’‘It will happen,’ Opalexian said. ‘I’m saddened you won’t be part of it, but I won’t stoop to forcing you. I hope you realise that Thiede wanted to keep you from me. He understands your significance, which is why he attempted to intercept your journey here.’‘I won’t be part of your schemes – yours or Thiede’s.’‘Very soon, Flick, you’re going to have to accept Cal and let go of the past.’‘He’s no innocent,’ Flick said. ‘He has been abused and manipulated, but part of him has never been touched. In my opinion, the worst part. In some ways, I want him to enjoy power, because then you’re really going to have trouble on your hands, but in other ways I hope he doesn’t, because of what it could mean for hara and parazha everywhere.’‘It means he will be your Tigron,’ Opalexian said. ‘Go home and get used to the idea. I don’t want us to fight, Flick. You have done many good things, and I respect you greatly. Once this is over, I will send word. I will tell you the outcome myself.’‘You and Thiede are so alike. It’s obvious why you could never be friends. The world isn’t big enough for both of you, is it?’Opalexian laughed. ‘In some ways, you are right, but I won’t be like him. I won’t be holding the strings of power and tweaking them on a whim. If I wanted that, Thiede would have been dead years ago.’‘Will he die now?’‘Go home, Flick. You have made your feelings clear and I have nothing else to say to you.’Flick left Kalalim in a daze. He wanted to speak to Seel about this. He should speak to Seel, but Opalexian had made sure that was impossible. None of them had the power to make a difference. It was already done. ‘Aru help you, Pellaz,’ Flick murmured aloud. ‘Aru help us all.’When he reached the market quarter, he almost didn’t notice the two hara talking to a Roselane har at one of the stalls. But their unusual attire and the fact that they were obviously outsiders commanded his attention. He noticed first the bright gold hair and came to a standstill.Cal was already here.Flick felt faint and had to reach out for support to the wall beside him. There could be no mistake. He knew that face, that hair, that being. Flick ran into a side street. If he ran fast enough, he might escape the present and leap into the past, the day before yesterday, some time last year. Any time but this. No more, he prayed to whichever dehar might be listening, I beg you. No more.He kept on running all the way home.
Table of ContentsC hapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter SixChapter SevenChapter EightChapter NineChapter TenChapter ElevenChapter TwelveChapter ThirteenChapter FourteenChapter FifteenChapter SixteenChapter SeventeenChapter EighteenChapter NineteenChapter TwentyChapter Twenty OneChapter Twenty TwoChapter Twenty ThreeChapter Twenty FourChapter Twenty FiveChapter Twenty SixChapter Twenty SevenChapter Twenty EightChapter Twenty NineChapter ThirtyChapter Thirty OneChapter Thirty TwoChapter Thirty ThreeChapter Thirty FourChapter Thirty FiveChapter Thirty SixChapter Thirty Seven
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