##
Danny Blue’s half-sires forgot their differences and fought the god. They were shadows of what they were, but they had their skills and their stubbornness. They poured all that into Danny; he fought the god with Daniel Akamarino’s will to freedom and Ahzurdan’s learning and his own rage. Danny clutched at Klukesharna, felt her quiver as she tried to break through to him and help him. He fought to reach her, he fought the god.
Jaril and Yaril raged as one; they struggled to reach
Churrikyoo, but could not, together they punched at the force holding them on the Hexa-point, they struggled to reach out to Brann, they could see her, they knew she was trying to reach them. Wordlessly, they merged into a single glowsphere with Churrikyoo floating in their core. Wordlessly, furiously, they fought to break free and suck the life out of the god.
##
Trago clutched at Harra’s Eye. He fought against being swallowed, but he knew so little about what was going on, he was, after all, only a six-year-old boy, the ten years he’d passed in spell might have been ten minutes. All he could do was deny and deny and deny. He could not relate to the woman who said she was his sister, she was a stranger. He didn’t want any of this, he was terrified and angry, the god made him feel sick when he looked at it, it was ugly, rotten. No, he shouted into the crystal, no and no and no.
The noises changed, the noises were a chant.
The Chained God chanted, gathering his forces, thrusting his will at them, a wordless spell or if there were words, they were sunk so deep in computer symbology and machine noise they were wholly unintelligible to mortal ears, even Danny Blue’s.
BinYAHtii appeared, hovered over the Hexa-center.
The glittersack opened, poured out the geniod.
BinYAHtii quivered, hummed with power, put out a pulsing red aura, calling, calling the geniod to it: hungry hungry hungry: Hunger Incarnate. A HUNGER greater than even the geniod’s. Demanding. Compelling.
The geniod struggled, screamed-and streamed in a river of light into the heart of the talisman.
BinYAHtii ate and ate, ate them all, its power song sinking into subsonics.
The river vibrated, distorted, took on one shape, then another, then was Palami Kumindri half submerged in the liquid light. “The Promise,” she screamed. “We obeyed in all things. The Promise. Pay us what you promised.”
The God spoke, hits multiple voices like a swarm of locusts buzzing. “This is MY reality. What made you think I’d let you eat it bare? You’ve lived well enough. I owe you nothing. I used you and now I purge you. Consider it the price you pay for the worlds you have destroyed.” H/it sounded prim and complacent. Wit drove the geniod into the Hunger of BinYAHtii until every fleck of light had vanished and the talisman glowed like a small red sun.
H/its power enormously increased, the god reached out and PUT HATS HANDS on them: *Settsimaksimin/Simmss *Brann/WakKerrcarr* *Yaril/Jaril* *Danny Blue/Felsrawg* *Trago* *Korimenei* Wit seized hold of them, turned them to face BinYAHtii. H/it seized hold of the Great Talismans and pulled at them, drawing the stone bearers with them into the heart of the Hexa, drawing them closer and closer to BinYAHtii, chanting all the time in its harsh insectile voices, faster and faster, the force in the machine words (if they were words) increasing, the rhythm more and more compelling.
They fought.
They struggled to join against him.
They could not touch, physically or psychically. The god held them separate, held them that way until h/it managed to bring them to the Hexa-center.
Maksim’s grand basso broke free suddenly, battered at the humming clicking tweeting chant, joined a moment later by the grand baritone of Tak WakKerrcarr, the Voices of Sorceror Primes at their most powerful, most urgent. They slowed the inward creep, they couldn’t stop it.
Closer and closer to BinYAHtii h/it forced them. Maksim’s arm jerked out, out of his control, he held Shaddalakh before him like an offering.
Danny’s arm jerked out, out of his control, he held Kiukesharna before him like an offering.
Brann’s arm jerked out, out of her control, she held Massulit cupped in the palm of her hand, held it like an offering.
Trago’s arms jerked out, out of his control, he held. Harra’s Eye between his two hands, held it like an offering.
Frunzacoache flew out from Korimenei’s breast, dragging her with it as it sought the middle, offering itself.
Yaril and Jaril dissolved from their sphere into twin bipedal shapes, moved side by side, each with an arm about the other’s waist, moved with staggering, reluctant steps toward the middle. Jaril’s arm stretched straight before him, Churrikyoo cupped in the palm of his hand, held like an offering to that demanding red Hunger throbbing at the Hexa-center.
Slowly, inexorably, resisting h/it all the way anyway they could, the stone bearers and their companions drew closer and closer to the HUNGER.
They touched it.
At the same instant the six talismans touched the seventh.
reality dissolves
ego-centers hover in a blinding burning golden featureless nothingness
hang disembodied, self-aware in only the dimmest sense
wait
are aware of waiting without being aware of time
are aware of waiting without being aware of purpose
are finally aware of otherness otherwhereness
six point-nodes of power tremble in a burning featureless nothingness
they begin to move
they swim toward certain ego-centers
they touch certain ego-centers, merge, with them
ego-centers sense imminent change which is a change in itself
no time has passed
an eternity has passed
nothingness EXPLODES
2
Danny Blue finished the step he’d started ten subjective years before and nearly tripped over Felsrawg who was crouching on the roadway in front of him. He took her hand, pulled her to her feet.
“What happened?” Felsrawg turned her head from side to side, startled by the strangeness around her. “Where are we?”
“Skinker world, from the look of it.”
‘•What?”
“Another reality, Felsa, I doubt you’re going to like it. No gods here.”
“Hah, that so. I like it already.” She shied as a skip went groaning past overhead. “What…”
Danny looked from her to the skip vanishing in the distance. What am I going to do with you, he thought. You’re a survivor, but it’ll take some doing to catch up on a good ten millennia of technological development between one breath and the next. He started walking; Felsrawg was still lost in shock and let him get several steps ahead. She gave a sharp exclamation and trotted after him; when she caught up, she walked beside him staring round with interest and uneasiness at an array of vegetation odd enough to start her licking her lips and touching the knives hidden under her long loose sleeves.
She shied again as a ground vehicle clattered past, the Skinker in it turning to stare at them from bulging plum-colored eyes. “Demon!”
Danny scratched at his stubble, sighed. His immediate future looked a lot more interesting than comfortable. “No demon, Felsa. You start acting evil to these Skinkers and I’ll thump you good. This is their world. You hear?”
She scowled at him, shrugged. “Demon,” she said stubbornly, but relented enough to promise a minimal courtesy. “Just keep them away from me. “ -