Maks’ hand closed on his shoulder. “May I have it?”
It was the most difficult thing he’d done in his twenty some years of life. He turned slowly, held out the talisman. Maks took it, there was a sadness in his face that told Simms his lover understood the gift he’d just received, but at the moment that didn’t help lessen the ache from the loss. “Time to go,” Maks said. “We…”
Darkness swallowed them.
Simms heard Maks cursing, something was wrong, he didn’t understand…
THE REBIRTHING: END PHASE
SHADDALAKH
FRUNZACOACHE MASSULIT
HARRA’S EYE CHURRIKYOO
KLUKESHARNA
Roaring with rage, Settsimaksimin landed on one point of a Hexa star; Simms came down at his feet. Maks clutched at Shaddalakh and gathered himself to snap out of this place wherever it was.
He was frozen there, Shaddalakh vibrated in his grip, but something blocked his access to the talisman. He gathered the remnants of his strength-threw all he knew and all he was into a bind-shatter Chant. His Voice was there. It made the dust jump. Nothing changed. The confusion of hums and whistles and other small ugly noises went steadily on around him. He’d never seen anything like this place. He understood nothing he saw, even less what he heard.
The dull gray light shuddered. Sparks came pouring into that dusty gray hell, shrieking as he’d shrieked. Geniod. He remembered them from the cavern.
Something caught them, something prisoned them in a glitternet of force lines above the dusty gray throne chair beside the Hexa. They quieted, he thought they were doing what he’d done, looking around, weighing their chances, deciding how to attack and free themselves.
The light shuddered again.
Palami Kumindri, her Housemaster Callam Cammam, another female figure. Simms gasped. “Esmoon,” he whispered. Finally the simulacrum of Musteba Xa, holding Massulit clutched against his bony chest.
Something snatched Massulit away from him, brought it swooping around to hover over Maksim’s head. His souls spun from the stone and fled back into him, swirling round and round in him, turning him dizzy with the euphoria of the Return.
When he recovered, the four of them were gone and the sack above the throne was jerking and jolting and brighter than before.
The light in that decaying dreadful room shuddered.
Brann appeared on the Hexa-point at his right, Tak WakKerrcarr standing behind her, his staff in one hand, his other hand resting on her shoulder. Massulit swept away from Maksim and rushed to her. She looked startled, caught it, stood holding it. “Maksi,” she said, “so this is why you didn’t answer the call-me’s.”
“That’s it. Tak.”
“Maksim.”
“Surprised to see you here.”
“Not half so surprised as I am.” He touched Brann’s cheek, returned his hand to her shoulder. “Seems to be one of the drawbacks when you grow fond of a certain turbulent young, lass.”
“Fond, hah!” Brann said. “You’re just a horny old goat.”
“That too.”
Maksim started to speak, shut his mouth as the light shuddered again.
Yaril and Jaril appeared at the next Hexa-point. They stood side by side, each with one arm about the other’s waist. Jaril held his free hand chest-high ivith Churrikyoo sitting on it. Two pairs of crystal eyes turned to Maksim, turned away; they chose not to greet him.
The light shuddered.
Korimenei appeared at the Hexa-point at Maksim’s left, a long-tailed beast on her shoulder. She wore Frunzacoache around her neck, the leaf within shining a brilliant green. She glanced quickly around, nodded as if she recognized what she was seeing, then she smiled at Maksim. “I missed you,” she said, “I thought you’d lost interest in me.”
“No, daughter mine, never that. Just unavailable as you see.”
“Take me as an apprentice?”
He laughed, a shout that filled the room with life and vigor and made its deadness even deader. “Kori, you don’t waste your opportunities, do you?”
“Doesn’t Tungjii say take your Luck where you find it? Well?”
“Of course I will. As you propose, so I accept. If we manage to get clear of this.” He looked round. “What is this place, anyone know?”
Brann sighed. “I forgot you hadn’t seen it, Maksi. Chained God. We’re in his body.”
The light shuddered.
Trago appeared on the Hexa-point beside Korimenei, frightened and uncertain. He held Harra’s Eye clutched tight against his chest and looked wildly around, started to speak to Korimenei, but didn’t; instead he bowed his head and stood staring intently into the flawless crystal sphere.
The light shuddered.
Danny Blue appeared with Felsrawg crouching at his feet. He flung out a hand and Klukesharna slammed into it. He stared at the
Simms chuckled, he was amused but there was an edge to his enjoyment. “Sucked up there,” he said and pointed at the glittersack; he was content to sit where he was at Maksim’s feet and didn’t try to stand. “I don’t think she’s enjoying it either.”
“Should hope not.” He reached a hand down to Felsrawg. “You gonna sit there or what?”
She moved her shoulders, looked disgusted. “I can’t get up,” she said. “I’m stuck here. Let me alone, fool.”
“Your call. Hey, Garbage Guts,” he yelled, startling Maksim and drawing a grimace from Brann. He was scowling at the broad sheet of milky glass spread across the front of the room. “What the hell’s going on?”
For several breaths nothing happened. Lights flickered, threads of god-stuff danced and darted, minor lightnings struck and rebounded. The noises got louder; though they weren’t music in any other sense, none of the euphony Maksim expected, there was a rhythm in those noises, a pulse not quite a heartbeat but similar; as they got louder, more demanding, their effect on him and the others intensified. There was a sense of something ominous getting closer and closer.
Maksim set himself to resist. He fought to tie into
Shaddalakh, fought to resist unnamed, shapeless demands the noises made on him. He fought the god.
##
Korimenei saw Maks stiffen, begin to gesture and chant. She couldn’t hear him. As if she were sealed off from him, a wall between them. She dropped and sat cross-legged with Ailiki in her lap, closed one hand about Frunzacoache, rested the other on the curve of the mahsar’s back. Frunzacoache shook. She thought she could hear it screaming with rage as it tried to touch her. When reaching for the realities didn’t work, she flipped through her choices and began trying everything she could think of to attack the forces holding her. She fought the god with everything inside her.
Brann leaned against Tak WakKerrcarr and struggled to draw energy from Massulit. Nothing. She reached for Yaril and Jaril. They were sealed off from her. Tak said losing them would put her in danger; she understood that now. She was powerless against anything she couldn’t touch; whatever stayed beyond the reach of her arms was safe from her. She ignored the pressure from the Chained God and concentrated on reaching the Changers. If they could make that bridge again, the Chained God would find his metaphorical fingers singed. She denied the god, denied his hold on her, refused to let him shape her acts. She fought the god with everything in her.