‘What’s the problem?’ asked Ilkar, his ears pricking.
‘I know you saw a Dragon and you say it was in some other dimension, but now you’re saying there are other worlds littering the place, that’s what,’ said Talan. ‘Look, put it this way. We go outside, we see sky, ground and sea. Now you’re asking us to believe there are other dimensions there with us, we can’t see them and you gaily announce you even know what two of them are!’
‘Sorry, Ilkar,’ continued Richmond. ‘But this has all come as rather a surprise.’
‘Yeah.’ Talan again. ‘I mean, how the hell did anyone get the idea there could even be such things?’
‘Denser?’ prompted Ilkar. The cat reappeared from the undergrowth and curled up in Denser’s lap, eyes on his master’s face.
‘We think Septern always knew, though probably no one will ever know how. He was the mage who first postulated the existence of other dimensions in addition to the one we’d long known about through mana research. It seems obvious now; but at the time, Septern was shunned by the greater mage community, though he is now regarded as a genius. It was the reason he left Dordover and built his own house.’
‘I’m none the wiser,’ said Hirad, deadpan.
‘Our best guess is that something in Septern’s mind made him open to the nuances of mana flow and flux that signify activity beyond our dimension. He could see and sense things no other mage ever could. He was unique,’ said Denser. ‘Sorry to be vague, but much is missing from Septern’s early work. He understood the magic required, though, and developed lore that would base spells to create dimension portals of his own - or so we have to assume.’
‘All right,’ said The Unknown. ‘So we accept Dragons have a world separate to ours, that they link to us to escape, whether we like it and can get our heads round it or not. That leaves me with two questions. What’s stopping Dragons from any side of their war coming here to rule, and what’s in the other dimension?’ He rose and added a few branches to the fire.
‘Denser, still yours.’ Ilkar’s tone was less than friendly.
‘We know very little of the Dragon dimension. No one has ever travelled there, except perhaps Septern. The Dragon you met—’ he nodded at Hirad - ‘will, we think, have been one of a large Brood, or family, who have exclusive use of the corridor between our two dimensions. The corridor has many links to our world, one for each member of the Brood and their Dragonene mage. The Dragons defend the corridor against attack from other Broods - and what Sha-Kaan told you pretty much confirms that.’ He drank deeply and chewed his lip, considering his answer to the next question carefully.
‘No one,’ he said slowly, ‘has been able to replicate Septern’s work. So there is no travel between dimensions. Finding the key to his workshop may well lead to our making great strides to change all that. In Xetesk, we know a good deal about interdimensional space based on Septern’s writings, and it’s where we launched the Wytch Lords’ cage. We have also found evidence of other dimensions but we’ve only penetrated one.’
‘But it was the only one you really needed, wasn’t it, Denser?’ Ilkar’s face held an expression of deep distaste.
‘We certainly found it to be useful, yes,’ replied Denser testily.
‘Please share this knowledge.’ The Unknown’s voice suggested it was not a request.
‘In simple terms, it’s a dimension inhabited by what you’d call demons, but don’t get too excited,’ said Denser. ‘They can’t live in this dimension without extensive, umm, modification and continuous help from a mage.’ Denser’s hand reached out and stroked his cat absently. The animal purred and stretched.
‘Why not?’ asked Richmond.
‘Because they exist on mana. It is the air they breathe. And the concentration of mana here isn’t even close to being enough. Likewise, we could not live there. What Xetesk does, I will freely admit, is tap this demon dimension for mana.’
‘And that’s bad, is it, Ilkar?’ Richmond turned to the Julatsan.
‘It’s not so much the use of the mana, but the methods used to make the opening. There’s no point going into them now, it’s a moral thing.’
The group fell silent, each man taking in, or trying to, what he had heard so far. To Hirad, it was all so much bluster and babble. He’d asked the first question but he’d barely taken in that answer and he wasn’t sure he understood, or cared if he didn’t. He couldn’t concentrate, his mind continually wandering to dreams and images of Sirendor while his heart tolled death in his chest.
‘Have you heard enough?’ asked Denser.
‘One more question.’ Richmond was frowning. ‘Where are these other dimensions in relation to our own? I mean, I can see the stars, are those what you are talking about?’
‘No,’ said Denser, a half-smile touching his lips. ‘Although it’s not a bad analogy. Day to day, there is no hint or clue where other dimensions lie. The easiest way I can describe it is to ask you to consider a void more vast than you can possibly imagine and then populate it with bubbles, a possibly infinite number, each representing a single dimension.
‘Then, and here’s the tricky part, imagine the bubbles being everywhere and nowhere at the same time, so that no matter the number of bubbles, and the vastness of the void, there is no distance between each bubble, making travel between them theoretically instantaneous, subject to certain alignment criteria.’ He paused. ‘Does that sound right, Ilkar?’
‘It tallies with my understanding, such as it is,’ said Ilkar, though his face suggested he’d learned something new.
‘So how come the Dragon had the amulet?’ asked Talan.
‘Good question,’ said Denser. ‘Shortly after Septern announced the text for Dawnthief, he disappeared. We’re guessing he went through his Dragonene portal, or one of his own. We had to assume that Septern meant us to have his findings one day, and it made sense that, as a Dragonene, he would entrust the effective key to it all, this amulet, to the Dragons and let them decide when we were ready. We just got one step ahead, that’s all. Anything else?’ There was silence. ‘Good. We’ll set off at first light.’
Hirad glared at the Dark Mage, who was searching a pocket.
‘Let me make something very clear, Denser,’ said the barbarian evenly, fetching a dagger from his belt and testing its edge. He stared studiously at the short blade. ‘You are not in charge here. If the members of The Raven agree, we will travel to this mage workshop of yours when we are ready, and not before.’
Denser smiled. ‘If that’s the way you want to play it.’
‘No, Denser,’ said Hirad. ‘That’s the way it is. The moment you forget is the moment you’re on your own. Or dead.’
‘And Balaia would die with me,’ said Denser.
‘Yeah, well, we only have your word for that,’ said The Unknown.
Hirad nodded. Denser looked confused.
‘But I’m the only one who knows what we have to do,’ he said.
‘For now,’ said The Unknown. ‘But don’t worry, when we understand, we’ll have more to say about how we go about things. Be sure.’
There was quiet. Richmond’s fire crackled and a breeze rustled the upper branches. Night was all but on them. Denser knocked the bowl of his pipe against the roots of the tree.
‘If I might make a suggestion for discussion,’ he said slowly, ‘I think it’s time we got some sleep.’
Chapter 8
Segregation. Distrust. Suspicion. Mana. The air crackled with it all.
Triverne Lake lay at the base of the Blackthorne Mountains as the great range began its slow descent to the seas of Triverne Inlet over one hundred miles to the north. Touched by magic, the lake waters were sheltered, giving perfect conditions for the vibrant green trees that bordered it on three sides, leaving only the eastern shore open. Lush vegetation thrown with bright-coloured flowers provided a spectacular matting between the trunks and the rich life clung far up into the foothills before the cooler air running off the mountains let only hardier scrub, moss and heather grow plentiful. A multitude of species of birds flocked to the shores, their song and flight in every colour of the rainbow a sight to gladden the most barren heart.