Beyond it, the Master of Silence’s eyes opened wide. His court was silent. The song dropped to a whisper and the kalashtar shifted to gather around Medala, all of them staring defiance. Medala’s lips drew back from her teeth.
“Did we say that we learned much in Xoriat?” she said in a seething voice. “What happens when you shatter a dream? Does it become a nightmare? No. A nightmare is still a dream. But madness … madness is a dream brought into the waking world.” She raised her arms to encompass all those who stood around her. “Understand what you have created. We are no longer kalashtar, the wandering dreams. We are katalarash, the wandering shadows, freed by madness. And we are not servants of the lords of the Dragon Below. We are not servants of Xoriat.” Her arms dropped. “We are its masters!”
CHAPTER 24
The voice of the Master of Silence was like an iron hook scraping through Singe’s brain. He tried to shut it out-there were techniques of concentration he had learned, ways to focus on spellcasting in the middle of a battlefield-but no discipline that he could dredge up from within himself helped. Words that were larger than he was burst through his mind. A few of them he caught. My servants … My enemies … The rest tumbled past him.
There were other voices closer at hand, real voices that weren’t just in his head. Most of them seemed to be screaming. Dandra’s voice was one of the few that wasn’t. She was calling his name. He forced his eye open and met hers-briefly. He couldn’t stop shaking. His body just wanted to curl into a ball. Hands held him back. Dandra’s voice returned through the screams. “Batul, what’s wrong with them?”
Batul flashed in and out of his field of vision. The old orc’s face was amazed. “Dandra, you resist his power!”
“It must be the effects of Ashi’s dragonmark!”
“Word of Vvaraak! Can she use it again?”
Their words vanished as the daelkyr spoke again. You’re not what you were … New agony burst through Singe’s head. He jerked and spun away from the hands that held him, hitting another rolling body. His eye snapped open at the impact. He lay face to patterned face with Ashi. She looked as if she were the same agony as him. Her eyes were wild. Her mouth was stretched wide in a scream. Her hands were clenched over her ears, though that could have done no good at all. Nothing could have shut out that voice.
A word rolled into Singe’s ringing ears. “No.”
Who’d spoken it? He thought it was Medala, but it could have been Dandra, answering Batul. Whoever had spoken, he saw Ashi’s face twist in response, and a word broke into her scream.
“Yes!” Her eyes focused, and her head slammed up into his. Hard.
The impact brought bright sparks of pain, but it also slapped aside the agony of the Master of Silence’s voice and left Singe’s mind clear as cool water. Hands dragged him off Ashi’s body, but not before he’d felt the heat that radiated from her skin. From her dragonmark.
“Twelve moons!” he gasped through the shock. There was roaring in his ears-Dah’mir-and screaming-Ashi and Moon. His throat was sore and he realized that he had been screaming too.
“Singe?” The hands that held him flipped him over and he saw Dandra’s face. “Light of il-Yannah! What happened?”
“Ashi used her mark on me.”
Dandra’s eyebrows rose. “Twice in a day? She can’t!”
“She did.” He gripped her arm. “Bloody moons, Dandra, you don’t know what it’s like-”
He flinched as the Master of Silence spoke again, but this time it brought no pain, only a single word. Hush.
It couldn’t have been directed at Ashi and Moon, but somehow it must have pierced through their tortured minds. They fell silent and grew still, though agony continued to wrack their faces. Singe twisted away from Dandra. “We have to help them!”
Batul moved quicker than he did. With a nimbleness that defied his age, the old Gatekeeper grabbed Ashi’s left hand and Moon’s right. He thrust a chunky amulet between their palms, then quickly twisted the cord of the amulet around to bind them together. Singe caught only a glimpse of the amulet, but he recognized it as Batul’s ancient talisman of Vvaraak. Whatever power it had seemed to pass into Ashi and Moon-their faces eased immediately. Batul looked up at Singe and Dandra. His face was hard.
“It may protect two. It couldn’t have protected three. You have a choice to make-if you take them and leave now, all four of you may still survive.”
Singe glanced at Dandra. She lifted her chin in the gesture of determination he knew so well. He looked back at Batul. “We’re staying.”
The druid nodded and grabbed their arms, pulling them over to where Ekhaas already crouched, staring down from the ledge at the scene below. “We need a plan,” he whispered. “If we act quickly …”
He didn’t need to finish. If they acted quickly, maybe they could take their enemies by surprise. And maybe that would give them an edge, Singe thought. Maybe. He stared down at the cavern floor, at Medala and Dah’mir arguing over the captive kalashtar, at the terrifying form of the Master of Silence in his prison. It was almost as if they’d forgotten the Gatekeepers or dismissed them as inconsequential.
Maybe they had-Medala had already come close to disabling the orcs on her own. Singe tried to focus past what was being said below and come up with a strategy. He drew a deep breath and said quickly, “Batul, you Gatekeepers are vulnerable to Medala’s attacks, but Ashi’s dragonmark should protect Dandra and I, so we’ll go against her. You turn your magic against Dah’mir. Weaken him. Ekhaas, is Geth still down there?” The hobgoblin nodded. “Then find him-we may need his sword against Dah’mir too.”
Batul’s face paled. “What about the Master of Silence?”
“Pray that he can’t do anything more than shout at us.”
Dandra’s arm thrust out. “Singe, the kalashtar-!” she began, but Dah’mir’s roar completed her words.
“They awaken!”
Medala’s voice rose as well. “They are reborn!”
“Twelve moons!” Singe cursed. “Dandra, will they wake with their powers?”
She answered through clenched teeth. “I did!”
The Master of Silence’s voice rolled over them in excitement. More kalashtar were waking. Shelsatori shook her head and looked around. Dah’mir looked confused. Singe’s hand tightened on his rapier and he rose to his feet. “They’re still distracted,” he said. “We have a chance. Batul, wait until Dandra and I are close enough to attack Medala, then launch your attack on Dah’mir. Ekhaas, get down to Geth.”
Hobgoblin and orc nodded in grim silence and moved, Batul down to the lower ledge where the other druids clustered, Ekhaas heading for the cavern floor. Singe turned to offer Dandra a hand up, but she was already standing. A strange feeling tightened Singe’s shoulders as he looked at her, spear in her hand and fire in her eyes.
“We’re a long way from that path outside Bull Hollow,” he said.
She shook her head. “Not so far as that.” She pushed off from the ground and skimmed up to the next ledge.
Singe followed. They stayed high on the bowl of the cavern, moving as quickly as they dared without attracting attention. As long as Dah’mir and Medala argued, maybe they’d have a chance. The newly woken kalashtar didn’t move except to examine their surroundings. Nor did they speak. In fact, it seemed to Singe that they actually seemed somewhat disoriented, as if they still hadn’t recovered fully.
I see servants able to walk abroad with no fear of the Gatekeepers, the Master of Silence was raving. I see dreams and madness united. I see kalashtar who will serve the masters of Xoriat-
The combined voices of Medala and Virikhad cut him off like twin knives. “You see wrong, daelkyr!”