Down a Lost Road (34 page)

I tapped a couple of foreign words, both
connected by arrows to ‘The West.’

“
Arah Byen. And
n’Talanthis.”

“
Oh, Yatol! Elekeo
mentioned that name, n’Talanthis. He said they assaulted
it.”

“
Hm,” Yatol said. “Andor
sounds remarkably like a name I recall from the lore masters’ books
– Andenor. Not our ancient home, but the land of a rival king. We
know nothing much besides the name, and that it was drowned. Where,
when and why had all been lost. But the other name, n’Talanthis,
was there in our books too. Your father believed it referred to the
land we had left.”

“
So, my father is saying
that Andenor is the same as Atlantis? But why does Atlantis sound
so similar to n’Talanthis, if Andenor was your enemy?”

The similarity had just occurred to me, but
now that I thought of it, it seemed obvious. Yatol leafed through
the papers, scanning the notes my father had scrawled.

“
Well, your father writes
here that there was some kind of confusion in your world’s myths.
He says that Andenor was a neighboring island.” He made a noise of
surprise. “And n’Talanthis was apparently an island, too. I never
knew. The doubters always claimed it was a region in the
Perstaun
that got ‘drowned’ by the sands…as if it hadn’t
always been a desert. But your father believed it belonged to
another world, and that the drowning wasn’t just an
allegory.”

“
Wait, wait. Let me get
this straight. We’ve got two islands, Andenor and n’Talanthis,
apparently at war. Then, you said that Andenor was drowned? And
n’Talanthis seems to be the same as Arah Byen, or Tolkien’s West,
which got torn away from Earth. And then people got confused and
forgot about n’Talanthis – the real one – and called Andenor
Atlantis by mistake?”

“
That sounds
reasonable.”

“
But what was the war
about? And what does Andenor have to do with us now, if it got
drowned? Oh,” I gasped in realization. “The Ungulion? If they
assaulted n’Talanthis, you don’t think they’re…”

“
That’s what your father
writes here,” Yatol said, drawing up one knee and leaning on it.
“He says that the Andenori thought the n’Talanthi had some kind of
immortality.”

“
The life-gift! Elekeo
mentioned that too.”

His eyes flickered at me briefly, then he
went on, “He writes that the n’Talanthi were renowned throughout
the world for virtue and excellence. Arts, sciences, military
prowess. There’s mention of the Brethren walking openly among them.
Apparently the Andenori got jealous, maybe thinking they could win
immortality through combat. But the n’Talanthi king disregarded all
the warnings as the Andenori fitted a fleet of ships and set sail
to seize the island. But then the…”

His voice died, and for a while he read
quietly. I watched him surreptitiously, noticing that his face
paled two or three shades as his gaze flitted over the pages. But
his expression never changed. He glanced at me and saw me studying
him, so he jabbed a finger against the paper.

“
Your father says here that
a great flood rose up, swallowing the fleet and the whole island of
Andenor. But n’Talanthis was preserved, and somehow was removed
from your world and reestablished here. But the Andenori had made a
vow to an evil being – what is this, some god or spirit, maybe? –
that they would never stop until they had destroyed every last
n’Talanthi. And that spirit held them to their oath, giving them a
mockery of immortality so that they could continue their
hunt.”

“
Ungulion.”

He nodded. “What’s this say here? Looks like
a drawing of Pyelthan. It has the rune verse written out that
Enhyla mentioned, ‘
The Circle of Judgment / in the Judgment
Seat.’
And here’s a name, King Silon, and I believe that’s an
angelic symbol. Nothing else but some isolated words. Here’s
Mekaema
. Then, let’s see,
death
,
judgment
,
hell
.”

“
That’s helpful,” I
commented dryly. “So Pyelthan is the Circle of Judgment, whatever
that means. And the Ungulion are trying to finish what they
started, long ago.”

For some reason, my words fell like a dead
weight on the air. Then Yatol laughed, pressing the heels of his
hands against his eyes.

“
The foolishness of it all
is that they drew this punishment on themselves seeking something
they could never have. And they still seek it! And would destroy us
all for the sake of it.” He sighed, folding up the papers and
handing them back to me. “Well, did you learn anything else from
the book?”

I shrugged. “Just something about a road
that still goes into the West, that the elves could travel, only
nobody could make the voyage alone. Yatol, it’s the portal, isn’t
it? And that’s why the Brethren have to bear us over it. But how
exactly does it work?”

“
How does it work?” Yatol
echoed blankly. “What do you mean?”

“
I mean, why is it only
sometimes open? And how do the Ungulion cross it if the Brethren
have to carry us? Is it because they’re not…alive?”

“
No,” he said, grim. “When
your father discovered the portal, they sensed its presence. I
don’t believe any of them can actually call it open, but they can
force passage on it if one of us does. Which is why…”

“…
there’s a portal
guardian,” I finished. “To make sure none get through.”

“
Right. We aren’t always
able to prevent them, if there are too many or we are too
weak.”

“
But how do they travel
it?”

“
The Forsworn of the
Brethren could bear the Ungulion over that path, if they could be
persuaded to.”

“
You mean demons?” I
shuddered with horror. “Kurtis told me there was a professor who
wanted to steal Pyelthan from my father. Dr. Balson. I met him
before we left. Somehow he reminded me of an Ungulion, but he
looked like a normal person. Do you think he might be one of
them?”

“
Yes. Your father warned me
about him. He appeared in our lands before my time as portal
guardian.” He hesitated, plucking a leaf and smoothing its curling
edges with fierce attention. “A brave man guarded the portal then.
But this Ungulion was too powerful. No one expected it. We mourned
a great hero that day. Some of us still mourn him.”

I watched his face in the dim light for a
while, then lay down in silence.

Chapter 24 – Royin

Akhmar came hours later. I had been
sleeping, that horrible sort of sleep where you linger just at its
edge, not dreaming but not thinking anything coherent either. Just
a helpless paralysis that clings to your mind as well as your body,
so that even waking up seems beyond reach.

Slowly I sensed his warm, ethereal light
bathing me, then I became aware of the voices speaking nearby.

“
Bless the hour of your
coming,” Yatol was saying.

“
A dark hour,
nonetheless.”

“
Should I wake her? We have
no time.” An unsettling pause. “Akhmar. Do we have any time at all?
How far has the force gone?”

“
To the edge of the
Perstaun
, but no further.”

“
But how much time before
they come to Alcalon? A few weeks? Longer? But even if it were
months, how can we possible reach K’hama so soon?” Another pause.
“Even if you were to carry us to its borders…”

“
Even if I do, you must
still find your way to the Citadel, midway into the Void.” His
voice was calm, without any strain of anxiety or dismay.

“
It’s hopeless!” Yatol
cried. “What can we mean to do?”

It was the first time I’d sensed that
forsaken mood in him since the Brethren had come, and it shook me
to the core.

His voice dropped. “What did Davhur think he
could accomplish? Even if we find him, we will be half a world away
from the army that threatens us! Are we even right to try to track
him in K’hama? If Pyelthan does indeed have some purpose, and isn’t
just a symbol of office, then shouldn’t it go to Zhabyr? I want to
find Davhur, of course, but we cannot withstand a siege in Alcalon.
Not forever.”

I caught my breath. It had never occurred to
me that we might be defeating ourselves by taking Pyelthan into
K’hama. But the idea of forsaking the search for my dad made me
furious.

“
Do you trust me?” Akhmar
asked, and I wondered if he was speaking to me, reading my
thoughts.

“
Akhmar,” Yatol said, as
though in disbelief. “Yes. Of course. How could you
ask?”

“
Then trust me when I say
that you do not go into K’hama in vain.”

I forced my eyes open, just in time to see
Yatol nod resignedly. I struggled up and limped over to them, then
stayed standing because I was afraid to sit back down.

“
Yatol, listen! I asked you
once if Pyelthan was the way I could come to Arah Byen, and you
said, if only it were that simple. But it isn’t, and thank God for
that! Because whatever it is, and whatever it does, it will change
the fate of this world. And somehow I think my father did what he
did because he knew I would follow him. I may not know what I’m
supposed to do, but I think he did. I have to trust him. And so
should you.”

He gazed at me curiously, and I felt
Akhmar’s approval. I held out my hand to Yatol. After a moment his
face softened, and he took my hand and got to his feet.

I had forgotten how fast Akhmar could run. I
was clinging to Yatol before Akhmar had taken a full stride, and
didn’t dare open my eyes for a full minute. Finally I settled back
into the swinging rhythm of his pace, but I still had no
inclination to look around. I thought I would be able to hear
branches cracking and undergrowth rustling around us, but I only
heard the wind. Once I opened my eyes, saw the forest blurring past
under the enduring gloom, and closed them quickly again.

At some point Akhmar stopped, and we slid
off his back exhausted and numb. Vaguely I heard him tell us to
rest, but I didn’t need anyone to tell me. It seemed even darker
when I woke up, and it took me a moment to realize that it was
because Akhmar had gone. Wide-awake, I scrambled to my feet and ran
to Yatol, shaking him violently.

“
Where is
Akhmar?”

He woke slowly, shaking his head and staring
around as if not entirely sure what I was asking him. That was
weird. I couldn’t remember him ever being so deeply asleep that he
couldn’t be alert and aware in a moment. He sat up drowsily. The
weariness in his eyes was contagious, and my temporary burst of
energy faded in the space of a moment. I dropped onto the ground
beside him.

“
Yatol? Why is it so
hard?”

“
Tyhlaur said this region
was treacherous, but I didn’t know why.”

I knotted my fist and pounded it against the
loamy ground. “Because it makes us tired?”

“
It will only get harder,
the closer we come to the Void.”

“
It can’t be that bad,” I
gritted. “He made it through, didn’t he?”

“
Tyhlaur only went as far
as the outer border of the
Branhau
to scout.”

“
There’s no other way,
then?”

“
No.” He twirled a tough
leafy stalk in his fingers, then snapped it into bits. “If we had
more time, maybe. But this is the only way for us now.”

I grumbled.

“
Just rest now.”

“
Where is Akhmar?” He
started to lie back down, so I punched him in the arm. “Don’t lay
down. Where is Akhmar?”

“
Somewhere…”

He waved dismissively and reclined on the
ground.

“
Akhmar!” I shouted,
jumping to my feet. “
Akhmar
!”

That got him up. “Quiet!” he cried. “We
don’t know if there are any Ungulion still near us here.”

“
Yeah, well, don’t lay
down.”

He glowered at me.

I smiled smugly at my triumph. Presently I
glimpsed a faint light off in the distance, fluttering through the
stark silhouettes of the trees. As it drew nearer it split into
two. Akhmar’s familiar burnished radiance, and another, paler but
more intense. I let my breath out in relief and waved in their
direction.

“
There.”

Yatol turned to look, and a glimmer of joy
just touched his eyes.

“
Who is that with
him?”