“I don’t see any doors,” said Teldra.
“Of course not,” I told her. “That would make everything too easy.”
I stretched a bit—pleased to be up and around and walking. Teldra walked next to me, Loiosh on my shoulder, a rapier at my hip, a very strong Morganti dagger in a sheath next to it, Spellbreaker around my wrist, and my remaining couple of daggers concealed about my person. I felt ready for anything, as long as it wasn’t too threatening.
We walked around the big, almost empty room, looking at walls, floor, and ceiling. It took a fair bit of time, but I didn’t mind; I was pretty much recovered—though I felt generally sore and rather tired, and Loiosh had to keep reminding me to take shallow breaths. Except for the empty shelves placed here and there, seemingly at random, there wasn’t much to see. Everything was very plain, flat, featureless—depressing.
Eventually we made it back to the place where we had been shackled. I said, “There’s no way out.”
Teldra nodded.
“Which answers the question about whether the Jenoine have sorcery, I imagine.”
“Sorcery,” agreed Teldra, “or, at any rate, something very much like it. But I thought that had been answered when they first appeared.”
“Yeah. Or when they knocked me out. Okay. So, now what?”
“I don’t know.”
She didn’t say, “Coming up with plans is your job,” but I had the feeling she was thinking it. I didn’t scowl, but she probably had the feeling I wanted to.
I said, “If I felt able to perform a spell, I might test the solidity of the wall.” I pushed against the nearest wall, demonstrating, then said, “Hmmmm.”
“What?” She pushed against it too. “What is it, Vlad? It feels like a wall.”
“Yes, but what if it isn’t everywhere?”
“Illusory walls?”
“Maybe,” I said. “But I was thinking real walls, but a doorway made to look like a section of wall.”
“Oh. Yes, that would be possible.”
“You go that way, I’ll go this way.”
She nodded agreement, and we went around the room, pushing at the walls everywhere. If they were illusion, the illusion included the tactile, and didn’t give when pushed.
“So much for that,” I said, when we were back to where we had started.
She nodded. “Next idea?”
“You sure it isn’t your turn?”
Her smile flicked on and off.
“You know, Boss, they don’t actually have to have a doorway at all.”
“I know, I know. But that’s what they say about the keep of an Athyra wizard. And we know better.”
“Just because it wasn’t true—”
“I know, Loiosh. Now shut up and let me think.”
He refrained from any cracks about that. I have come to appreciate the small blessings in life.
I considered matters for a bit, then said, “All right—if we’re going to test it, we’re going to test it.”
Teldra gave me a look of inquiry. I let Spellbreaker fall into my hand. I could see Teldra wanting to ask what I was up to, but she didn’t, and I didn’t volunteer the information—if I was going to look ridiculous, at least I didn’t have to explain why.
I struck Spellbreaker against the wall above where we had been chained up. It gave off a dull ringing sound.
“Vlad?”
“Get used to that sound, Teldra.”
“Very well,” she said.
I took a step to the right, and struck the wall again, it sounded just the same. I took another step, and another, and so on.
It was a big room, and it took a while, but I just told myself I was killing time until either the Jenoine reappeared, or Morrolan and Aliera showed up to rescue us, or something else happened.
Move a step—whap. Move a step—whap. Move a step and then, when I found it, I almost missed it anyway. I was about a third of the way from where I started when I struck the wall, and started to move past it, but noticed that Spellbreaker had changed again. It was shorter, the links smaller. I stopped, looked at it, then at the spot of blank wall I was facing.
I struck the wall again, and a light tingle went up my arm, and I was looking at a doorway. Not even a door: rather a large stonework arch, maybe twelve feet high at its top, and big enough for four of me to walk past arm in arm. It was just there, as if to say, “What took you so long?”
I glanced back at Lady Teldra, who had been walking beside me to keep me company.
“Yes,” she said. “I see it, too.”
I not only saw it, but I felt the wind through it. Through mostly what we could see was darkness, except for the points of light in the sky.
“Stars,” said Lady Teldra.
“I know them,” I said. “They have them in the East, too.”
“I know,” she said. “I remember.”
“I don’t know exactly what they are; some say the homes of gods.”
“Some say each is a world,” said Teldra. “That when we go through a necromantic gate, we are stepping onto one of those points of light, from which we could look back and see our own world as a point of light. I like that notion.”
“I’m not entirely certain that I do,” I said. “I’ve never liked stepping into the unknown.”
She refrained from any of the obvious observations she could have made to that, merely falling silent and waiting with me. Even as I watched, I realized that it was becoming brighter; it was dawn wherever we were, and I started to be able to make out features of the landscape.
It took several long moments before I was able to bring myself to step through the archway, toward the strange world, the emptiness, and the stars of the heavens. 8. Fishing Etiquette
Here’s a quick story for you, before we go any further:
In the earliest days of the World, Darkness mated with Chaos and produced three daughters. The first was Night, the second was Pain, and the third was Magic. Now Chaos went on and mated with the Sky, producing a son who was Evil. One day, Evil, being jealous of his stepsisters, captured Magic and took her away to his secret fortress beyond the World. But Magic called upon her Mother, Darkness, who heard her cries, and, seeing everything, saw what Evil had done.
Darkness then summoned Chaos and said, “Look what your son has done! He has taken Magic from the World.”
Chaos then turned on his son, Evil, and cast him out, and rescued Magic, restoring her to the World. Then Evil cried out, saying that he repented his act, and praying that his father not abandon him. Chaos could not turn his heart from his only son, so he relented and permitted Evil into the world as well, but from that moment on, Magic has mistrusted Evil, though Evil still pursues Magic; and Darkness watches over them both, so that wherever you find Evil, you will find Darkness there, watching; and Chaos will sometimes be found in the aid of Magic, and sometimes in the aid of Evil.
Do you like it? It is an old story of my people, and there are some who believe it literally. I myself think there are elements of truth in it, because another name for Magic is Verra, the Demon Goddess, and, who knows, perhaps the Jenoine really are Evil. Beyond that, I don’t care to venture; if there is a personification of Darkness, not to mention Chaos, then I don’t want to know about it.
So here we were, maybe in the power of Evil; at least on their world, and maybe Magic would help us, and I was very much afraid that, if the Jenoine didn’t get me, I’d trip over my own metaphors and break my neck.
These were my thoughts, then, as we stepped out of the door, and I don’t know how it was for Teldra, but for me then was a shock: the sudden realization that the entire world was not that one room of that one building.