Crystal Throne (Book 1) (14 page)

“I know,” she said with an apologetic smile. “I wished to hurt her when she sent you away, but there was little I could do about your fate. I had to work with subtly so that the usurpers wouldn’t notice my actions.”

“Was that all you wanted mother?” Thad asked, now slightly confused.

“I just wished to spend a few moments with you alone,” she said, smiling again. “The ether gave me what it thought I needed to accomplish its tasks, but at the same time I was left…open. I have memories of being a mother in my past life though I cannot tell what memories are mine and what the ether had sought to give to me. I look at you now and I wish to hold you, but at the same time I do not know what to think of such things.”

Thad laughed. “I think I can understand you mother. I watched my son grow without every touching him, then once I was brought back to his side I was lost at what I should do.”

“I watched you,” mother replied. “It was hard to see you in such pain, but it was necessary to bring you to me though I wish it had not been your son that had to be the catalyst.”

“I am sure that we will have plenty of time to talk over the next few days,” Thad said stifling a yawn.

“That is true,” mother said with what Thad thought to be a touch of sadness in her voice. “Heratio will show you to your quarters.”

“Please to meet you Thaddeus,” the scion said with a slight bow. “Mother has told us much about you and I am pleased to finally get to meet you.”

Heratio showed Thad to a small section of the tunnel that had been converted into rooms like one would find at an inn. Thad was surprised to find that some of the scions had rooms as well. Shortly after entering the room, Thad found the bed and was happy to find that it was not made of hard crystal, but was made of some soft material that he didn’t recognize. Within moments of his head resting on the soft pillow, Thad was fast asleep.

CHAPTER XIV

Thad was woken early the next morning by Heratio. The scion knocked lightly on the door and Thad was more than a little surprised to find the scion smiling as he opened the door to let the scion in.

“Heratio, I didn’t expect you,” Thad said stuttering as he pulled on his gloves.

“Master Thaddeus, I can see that you are changing,” the scion said as Thad quickly pulled on his gloves. “I remember my change, it was not pleasant though it was very slow.”

Thad looked at the scion and looked at him again. While he could see no outward difference with the other scions, he had seen the way he moved and talked seemed more human. “You remember the change?” Thad asked, hoping to learn a bit more.

“Yes, though it happened more years ago than I can count. I was once one of the leaders of this land. Like the ones you travel with, though I didn’t agree with Costigain. That is the reason I am here now fighting for balance with mother.”

“Then you can use magic still?” Thad asked.

“Yes, I and the others will be going with you, though we don’t have the same level of power as the others guarding the veils, we can help in many ways.”

“Why are you not as strong?” Thad asked, still more than a little confused.

“That is hard to answer but I will try,” Heratio replied. “Costigain and the others tap into the very ether and force it to their will. They corrupt the ether with their touch, but gain power from it. I and the others refuse to use the ether. Even though our motives would be pure, our touch would still corrupt it.”

Thad reached in his robe and clutched the ring that was linked to the mass of crystal that the world had become and after a few moments of thought brought it out. “I am afraid to use this, but it might be useful to you,” Thad said holding out the ring.

“This is,” the scion said haltingly, as he looked down on the ring with awe. “Powerful. Where did you get such a thing?”

“I created it,” Thad said, as he held the ring out to Heratio again. It holds so much power I am afraid it would speed up my…Crystallization.”

“I think it would do that indeed,” Heratio agreed. “That is, if it didn’t kill you. Do you think you could make more?”

“No,” Thad said. “I thought about it, but this ring is connected to the world itself that; is why it has so much power. I can’t link two rings to the same source of power…There would be feedback and they might explode, or the gem powering them could, and that would be tragic.”

Heratio looked at the ring and Thad could have sworn that fear passed across his face. “That is disconcerting. We only had a few enchanters surface in our world and most of those were looked down upon because they could never obtain our level of power. We never knew that it could be used for such means.”

“If there were few enchanters then how did they close the first rip in the veil?” Thad asked, his curiosity piqued.

“I do not know the answer to that question,” Heratio said with a shrug of his crystal shoulders. “It happened long before I was born and in a time of science. I do know that science and the ether did not mix. The more magic that entered our world the more science failed us. I do not know the reason for such a failure or the marvels that the world once held, but only know what has been passed down through the ages, but the doorway between the worlds was not a story I know.”

Thad let out a heavy sigh. It didn’t look as if the information would just fall in his lap. He knew of how to close them, but there had to be more than one way and Thad always like to have options. “Shall we go meet the others,” Thad said, moving toward the door. “I am sure they are waiting for us.”

“Yes you are right, but what of the ring?” Heratio asked as he moved to let Thad pass.

“Keep it,” Thad said as he moved to the hall. “As you said, I can’t use it and it would be a waste to just let it gather dust.”

“As you wish, master Thaddeus,” Heratio said as they headed toward the main hall of the cave.

Within the main hall, Thad found the other members of his group; each one of them had been paired with one of the scions that had been gathered around the mother the night before, leaving only one scion standing alone.

“I hope that you each had a good night’s rest,” the mother said once Thad had entered the room and took his place among the others.

“That we did,” Humanius said with a bow to the mother. “I am surprised to find a place the crystal had not touched and I must admit I found it more relaxing than I could have imagined.”

“Yes, many of my children feel the same way. It is part of their lingering affection for their past life,” the mother said with a warm smile. “Now that everyone is here, I think it would be best that we plan for what comes next.”

“Yes…We heard a little of what you meant for Thad and the rest of us to do, but there was little substance in what you said,” Humanius said.

The mother never looked at Humanius or the others, her eyes remained fixed on Thad. “As I told you there are five gateways that must be closed before you attempt to close the one to the center. The closest of these gateways in located near the city to the north that used to sit on the water.”

“Before we decide on a path do you mind if I ask how you were able to find us?” Thad asked the question having lingered in the back of his mind most of the night. “It wouldn’t do for the usurpers, as you call them, to know of our coming.”

“I didn’t know the locations of the others, but I followed you,” she said looking at Thad. “I told you that you were mine and no matter how you tried to hide yourself I would find you. You can sit your worries aside, the usurpers are now blind to your movements.”

“What do you know of the leader in Coren?” Humanius asked.

“I know little of him other than that he holds open the hole in the veil. My children know more and I believe they will be of great help to you in completing your task.”

“Yes I am sure they will be,” Humanius said dismissively. “But what if they are discovered and taken control of. Is that not why you have not tried to do so yourself.”

“Their mind cannot be taken as mine can be,” the mother said with what Thad could have sword was annoyance in her voice. “They are not of the ether as many of my other children are and the usurpers can make no claim on them. Humanius, I know you have many questions. I can see them burning in your eyes, but they hold little sway over the future and, unless time permits, should be held in silence. Each day that passes, the more is lost and the harder your task will become. I will keep Prudence with me so that she can talk with the ones that travel with you and we may talk when you have time. But I would suggest that you make due haste and close the first of the doorways before the king of the usurpers understand why you are here.”

“King…What King?” Thad asked, not having heard they followed a unified ruler.

“Costigain,” Humanius and Belaroan said almost in harmony. “We can talk about that another time. One thing that is the truth is that we better get on the road as soon as possible.”

“I am surprised that your sister hasn’t complained about any of this yet,” Thad said, watching Belaroan closely. He don’t know why he had brought it up, but he had expected someone to complain about their decided course and she seemed the most obvious.

“She was livid about it at first until she heard the name of Costigain,” Humanius explained. “Having been the one who betrayed our father and caused his death, she is for anything that would cause that man…Or scion, as it is, pain.”

I still think you are all fools if that makes you feel better. It would be best if you left this all behind. I told you women were nothing but trouble. This mother of yours has been the one controlling you since before your birth.

“I see Thuraman does not approve of me,” mother said, looking at the staff in Thad’s hand.

“You can hear him?” Thad asked, more than a little surprised.

“Of course,” mother said. “His voice must travel though the ether to reach you.”
I could do the same thing, but I thought you might not enjoy the invasion.

“You are right about that,” Thad said rubbing the side of his head. While Thuraman’s words seemed to slip into his mind, mother’s felt more forced and left his head throbbing. “If you could talk to me like that then why didn’t you do it earlier?”

“It is harder the farther away you are,” mother replied. “There is also the chance that the usurpers would feel my call. They talk to each other much the same way and might hear my words as they floated through the ether to reach you. They cannot feel my children as they would see one of their own but I…Am different. They will feel my energy the moment I leave the safety of this cave. The ether calls to me, and the crystals shine brightly when I tread upon them and light a beacon to me.”

“That explains why she picked a place so far down,” Humanius replied and Thad could tell that one of the god’s questions were answered. Thad liked Humanius, but he liked to know every detail about what was happening around him before he acted, making him more than a little hard to deal with. Belaroan, on the other hand, was the opposite; she cared little for details and would shoot toward her goal like an arrow loosed from a bow.

“I know you are eager for us to be on our way mother, but I think it would be best if we left on first light tomorrow. That will give us a chance to talk and plan what the days ahead may bring,” Thad said, looking around to see both Humanius and Bren nodding along. When Thad’s eyes feel on Belaroan, he noticed a deep scowl set in her face but she held her words back.

“One day will matter little when we have waited countless others,” mother said. Her words were soft and elegant, but Thad could tell that she wasn’t completely pleased with the delay even a day would bring.

When the mother of the scions remained silent, Thad and the others took it as a hint that it was time to depart. “Heratio, do you know a place that we all can talk in peace.”

“You can talk anywhere in peace,” Heratio said, his face scrunched for a few moments. “There is another room, though not as large as this one, which can hold us all with comfort.”

Heratio led them to a room that was a few levels above and while most of it remained free of the crystals embrace, there were patches of crystal showing through the stone walls. “This was the mother’s home but we were forced to move further down as the ether began to take its hold.”

“Do we have to have them with us?” Belaroan asked, as she looked at the scions with more than a little contempt in her eyes.

“Yes we do,” Humanius replied, but Thad could hear a small amount in the god’s voice as well. “They will be helping us and I don’t think we will be able to get around without their help.”

“Why should we put any trust in betrayers?” Belaroan asked, not trying to hide her anger.

“We did not stand against your father,” one of the scions said. “We admit that we did not stand with him either, but we never betrayed him nor you majesty.”

“Doing nothing is the same,” Belaroan said, giving the scion a withering glare.

“I agree, but right now we have bigger trouble then these four,” Humanius said. “Costigain and his followers are the real problem and we will need the scions help if we have any hope of doing as the mother wished. The doorways have to be closed, otherwise there is no telling what damage will happen; not only our world, but countless others.”

“I could care little of the other worlds,” Belaroan said, though the fire in her voice had calmed, though not by much.

Humanius didn’t comment on Belaroan’s statement; wisely letting it slip by so that they could move on to more important topics.

The scions were a well of information about the world around them as well as the doorways. Not even Belaroan complained as they weaved the tale of what had happened to the world. So they began their story. 

“After Costigain had taken the throne he found the gateway below the palace. Years he spent trying to find a way to break though so he would have access to more power, but nothing worked, but he never gave up. As time passed, Costigain created more gods; ones that were raised to follow him. Though they still were strong in magic, Costigain made sure that none of the new gods were strong enough to ever challenge him. After a number of gods had been created, Costigain found cracks appearing on the gateway and he attacked it with vigor and after a time it broke. At first the flow of magic in the world was a boon, but soon the scions crossed over and Costigain brought his gods to bare and a large war spread across the land. The war raged for more than a thousand years and the world itself began to turn to crystal. Though the scions died by the score the ether seemed to just make more, but we were losing ground; not only were our own people either dying or turning into scions to fight against us. Everything seemed lost when we first noticed that our own bodies were turning to crystal as well. It was then that the few of us left began to hide and even Costigain sought refuge. I don’t know how much time passed, but I remember when I first heard the call of the mother and woke as if from a dream to find that I no longer hungered nor needed sleep. She called to us and we found a world completely changed and Costigain had risen to power again, this time turning the very ether to his desire. The mother had come to set the world right and while we had once been his people she showed us what would happen if he was left to his own devices. The Omniverse was built on balance and it was being destroyed and if left to continue the whole universe was in peril. Not all had heard the call; some had chosen to follow Costigain as they had before and another war spread across the land. We were many in number, but we dwindled fast and soon what you find here is all that is left of the people who once stood against his numbers.”