Consensus Breaking (The Auran Chronicles Book 2) (26 page)

The journey back to Sanctuary had been tricky at best. With nearly twenty magi in tow, all of them young and frightened, herding them through the world of the Unaware towards the nearest Way had been an exercise in frustration. Even Barach was a challenge. Covered in dried red blood, he drew several curious expressions as he walked through the streets of Manchester, slumped across Sylph for support. Sylph gave her best
don’t ask
look, just praying that passers-by would assume he was just a drunk who’d gotten into a bar fight, and not someone worthy of police attention.

Thankfully, they made it out of the city and arrived at the Way relatively unscathed. A handful of the magi simply fled into the woods at the sight of the portal, and Sylph had let them go willingly. She didn’t have the time nor the resources to catch them. She didn’t blame them, either. They’d seen enough. They hadn’t signed up for this, is what they’d said. And so they just ran, taking their chances on their own.

As they’d approached the vast cavern entrance, hidden in the side of a quarry near Masham Tarn, the shadows around the bushes had shimmered with movement. For a heart-stopping minute Sylph thought the sheol had found them. Then she’d seen the yellow eyes glinting in the gloom and breathed a massive sigh of relief.

‘Cade! Thank Balor!’

The warrior glided out of the dark, surrounded by ten of his warriors. He could barely hide the shock on his face when he saw the sea of magi, bloodied and battered, Sylph at the front. Barach stepped up beside Sylph, clutching his arm. Cade regarded him for an instant, but when the mage did not offer any words he settled back on Sylph.

‘What the hell happened?’

‘Let’s just get inside.’

Cade’s eyes widened.

‘What? These…
magi?’

‘Yes, Cade. All of them. This is all that’s left of Domus, perhaps all of the Families.’

That shut him up.

‘Let them in, Cade. I won’t leave them. Not now. We need them.’

Cade was looking amongst the magi, his eyes moving more furtively with every second.

‘Where is he?’

‘Seb?’

‘Yeah.’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Is he dead?’

‘No, I don’t know. At least, I don’t
think
so.’

‘What does that mean?’

This was starting to piss her off. ‘Cade, are you going to let us in or are we all going to stay out here and freeze to death?’

‘And you’re sure?’ Gough said, turning back from the fireplace. ‘Sedaris has been possessed?’

Sylph took another long drink of the healing draught Gough had given her, the tonic already working wonders on the various cuts that split her skin. She pulled the blanket tighter around her, and nodded. ‘I couldn’t tell at first, none of us could. But Seb saw through his disguise. For some reason he could see Sedaris for what he was. Some kind of sheol, apparently.’

‘Who helped him?’ There were no other sheol, you said, apart from the giant daemon,’ Gough said.

‘The Ninth.’

It wasn’t Sylph that had responded. All heads turned to the corner, where until that point Barach had sat in silence.

‘How do you know?’ Gough said.

‘They had the audacity to wear their own smocks. They obviously didn’t expect anyone to escape.’

‘It could’ve been another Family looking to frame the Ninth?’

‘It was them,’ Barach growled. ‘I confirmed it when I ripped the mind of one of their fallen.’

‘Do we know what he wants?’ Cade said.

Barach scowled across at the warrior. Cade raised an eyebrow.

‘Mage, you are here as our guest. Many did not want you here, and others wished for something more severe to be inflicted upon you,’ Gough said, his voice hardening. ‘However I do not believe you are evil to the core. Misguided, yes, but evil, I do not think so. However, as a guest you can choose to either engage with us, or move on. This does not have to be our battle.’

‘I’m afraid that’s not true, whether you want it to be or not,’ Barach replied.

‘How so?’ Cade said.

‘I saw their plan. I know what is it they intend to do.’

‘What is it?’

‘The sheol. Sedaris intends to bring them through to earth.
All
of them. He plans to open a portal to their world.’

Now it was Shimmer’s turn to show attention, who up until that point had been leaning against the door frame, feigning indifference.

‘How is that even possible?’

‘The Ninth have an ancient Way, deep underneath their fortress. It is sealed with magic modern magi have no knowledge of. This Way is what’s known as the Manyway. It has no fixed end, and is controlled by complex Runic Script. From what the soldier knew, Sedaris was able to activate the Manyway. Sedaris, or whatever he was, called to the sheol, and now they march. To this realm.’

‘I don’t understand,’ Gough said, ‘surely the Consensus will crush them? That many sheol coming through at once?’

‘There is more,’ Barach continued, ‘there was a reason Sedaris massacred the magi like he did, rather than just securing access to the Manyway.’ Barach leant forwards, his eyes suddenly showing fear for the first time. ‘It’s the Consensus. The force that controls reality. Imagine it as a dam, holding together the collective will of the Unaware. Imagine how much power that has.’

‘I don’t understand,’ Gough said, looking to each person in the room for guidance but only getting equally blank responses in return.

‘What controls the Consensus?’ Barach said.

‘The Spoke Stones,’ Cade replied.

‘And who protects each of the Spoke Stones?’

Gough gasped. Cade cursed.

‘The Families,’ Sylph said.

‘The very Families that Sedaris has just annihilated.’

‘He’s after them. After the Spoke Stones,’ Gough said.

‘And without the magi to protect them, he’ll be able to get them all,’ Barach said.

Cade shot off his feet. ‘It can’t be that simple. He gets them, and then what? What will he do? What can he do?’

‘He effectively controls the Consensus. He brings the sheol through, and instead of them being crushed he uses his new found powers to allow them to enter without restriction.’

‘With the Consensus gone, the sheol would roam free in a world with seven billion bodies ripe for possession.’ Gough slumped into his chair.

The room fell into silence, only the crackle of the fire making any kind of sound. Eventually Barach stood and made for the door. Shimmer barred his way.

‘Are you going to let me leave, white eyes, or am I going to make you move?’ Barach growled.

‘I’d very much like you to try,’ the giant warrior said with a smile that looked like it belonged in a shark’s mouth.

‘Shimmer, stand down, this isn’t getting us anywhere. Barach, where are you going?’

‘To find Sedaris. This is a problem created by the magi. I must deal with it.’

‘Barach, wait!’

The mage stopped, Gough’s voice demanding attention.

‘Is this a problem created by the magi? Yes, it is. Is it something you need to solve on your own? No, most definitely not. If what we think Sedaris intends to do is true, then it affects all of us, all the Aware.’

Barach looked at Cade, as if seeking assurance.

‘Gough speaks sense,’ Cade said. ‘This is an attack on all of us. Mage, Brother, all of the Aware. Hell, even the Unaware. It would be pointless for us to let someone of your talents go out there on your own. Especially since it would only end up with you ending up dead.’

‘Thanks for the sentiment.’

‘Look, let us not lie to each other,’ Cade said. ‘I didn’t like you. I didn’t like pretty much any of you. I felt you were arrogant, blind and elitist. It was the easiest decision in the world to leave your kind behind.’

‘Stop it, you’ll make me cry.’

‘But I don’t hate you. Our views may differ, but we want the same thing. We want this reality safe. Safe from the sheol. Safe from corruption by the Weave. Plus, Sylph has told how you helped rescue many of the acolytes. Without that then I doubt we would see so many here today.’

Barach sighed. His shoulders dropped. He slumped back into his chair. ‘So what do you propose?’

Everyone looked at Cade, who jerked back, startled. ‘What?’

‘Come on, Cade,’ Sylph said, smiling, you always have a plan.’

‘You want to hear what I think?’

Gough tipped his head. ‘I bow to your knowledge on this, I’m learning as we go.’

‘Then it is simple. Sedaris is a threat to us. To all of us. If he’s allied with the Ninth, then they are our enemies too. If he intends to gather the Spoke Stones and bring the sheol through the Manyway, then we have only one option. We strike before he can do so.’

Sylph’s face dropped. ‘Why did I know you were going to say that?’

***

Sylph found Cade on a boulder near the centre of Sanctuary. It had been carved into a bench, and the warrior sat watching a group of children chasing a phantom horse and carriage that an old woman had conjured. They squealed as they ran, screaming in pretend fear when the woman sent the horse chasing after them.

‘You mind if I sit?’ she said.

Cade shuffled up. Sylph sat beside him.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Sure, why wouldn’t I be?’

‘You left straight after the meeting. You seemed…distracted.’

Cade sighed. He leant forwards, his head resting in his hands.

‘I should’ve been there,’ he said. ‘I should’ve been there, at Domus.’

‘Why? It was a bloodbath. You probably wouldn’t have been here today if you had been.’

‘I might’ve been able to do something, perhaps stop it.’

‘It’s Seb, isn’t it?’

The silence answered that question.

‘You couldn’t have done anything for him.’

‘I should’ve been by his side, like he was with me at Skelwith.’

Sylph looked at the warrior. He simply stared forwards.

‘Seb made his own choice. We
all
made our own choices. He chose to stay. You chose to leave. You both had good reasons, even with the benefit of hindsight.’

Cade looked at her with an eyebrow raised. ‘You sound like Gough. Have you been taking his counselling lessons?’

‘No. Just common sense. You should try it some time.’

Cade grunted. ‘You didn’t see him die, did you?’

‘No. I couldn’t get close. That thing…’ she shuddered… ‘We just couldn’t get close. Barach though, he says he thinks Seb managed to teleport out.’ She looked down. ‘We didn’t see a body, anyway. Although it all happened so quickly.’

‘That’s something I suppose.’

Sylph pulled her coat tighter around her. ‘Is there no heating in this place?’

‘The orb warms up after a while.’

‘What next then? What do we do?’

‘I’m meeting with Barach, Gough and the others shortly. I just needed some time to think.’

‘Barach? You’re letting him come with us?’

‘We need him. He’s not a bad person. Just misguided.’

‘If you say so. Do we have a plan?’

‘I’ve got some ideas. Barach does too. We’ll figure something out.’

‘There’s not many of us that are able to fight. We’ll be going up against the Ninth with all their magi and soldiers. Then there’s Sedaris and that
thing
.’

‘From what Barach ripped he thinks that many of the Ninth will have been sent through Junction to the other Families. With most of their elites and adepts dead the resistance should be minimal. The last thing they’ll be expecting will be an attack on the Ninth directly.’

‘Still, there will be some protections. Sedaris will be there, as will that
thing
that could’ve wiped us all out on its own. With what we have…’ She let it hang in the air.

Cade looked at her. ‘Your point?’

‘It might be a one-way trip.’

Cade turned back, his gaze drawn to the children. They all groaned at once as the woman allowed the horse and carriage to vanish into thin air.

‘It’s better than the alternative.’

‘I know you’re pissed about the book, Seb, but is this really the answer?’

Caleb hurried after him as they trudged across the lawn. The sun was just cresting the trees, night receding into shadow, the sheol now hidden for the day.

Seb didn’t slow. He carried on marching towards the stone circle. The one where he’d seen Cian train on countless occasions in the past. ‘Someone took it, Caleb. Someone took the one book that could shed light on this. Why?’

‘Just luck? Someone probably had it out when the sheol attacked. It’s probably in there now, just rotten to a pulp.’

‘No. It’s gone. Someone took it. Someone who knew what it contained.’

‘There’s lot of things in the
Origins
books, they are old and popular tomes.’

‘No. I know it. This is different. Someone took it, and now I’m back to square one.’

They reached the circle. Seb bent down and picked up a loose rune-covered stone, one that had fallen out of the circle.  He stopped at the far side, where the only gap in the stones remained, and looked back at Caleb, who’d now sat on a stone bench, breathing heavily.

‘You ready?’ Seb asked.

‘Me?’ Caleb laughed. ‘I’m not the fool who’s trying to resurrect Cian’s old training partner.’

‘The book’s gone. There’s nothing I can do about that. So I need to get back. The others need me.’

‘And taking a beating from a simulacrum is the best way to do that?’

‘I feel better now. I just need to build my strength up.  If I’m to face that thing again, I need to know what I’m up against. At Domus they could modify the simulacrum’s shape to suit any particular training. I’m hoping this one has something for the balsheol whatever-it-is.’

Seb dropped the stone in the divot that had marked its former home. The air fizzed as the Weave honed in on the circle. The air inside the perimeter shimmered, and the simulacrum appeared before them, its head bowed, staff held in a gloved hand.

‘Stone me,’ Caleb said, ‘it actually worked.’

‘You seem surprised?’

‘Old habits.’

Seb took a deep breath. What was he thinking? Would this thing even know to respond? It was a training simulacrum, that’s what everyone knew it as. Cian had used it for his own training, and if it was good enough for Cian…

‘What’s your name?’ Seb said.

Nothing. The wind howled across the overgrown lawn, sending a swirl of brown leaves billowing between them.

‘Your name!’ Seb said, amplifying his voice with the Weave.

Still nothing.

‘Perhaps you need to go in?’ Caleb ventured.

Seb gave a sarcastic smile. ‘I figured that.’

‘Well, what are you waiting for?’ Caleb was smiling now, almost bubbling with anticipation.

‘You’re not too old for me to put you on your arse, you know.’

Caleb raised his hands in mock offence. ‘You’d strike an old man? The youth of today!’

Seb stepped in the ring. The simulacrum didn’t move, but he was sure he saw it tense, its shoulders rising slightly.

‘You are not Cian,’ it hissed, its voice hollow, like an echo inside an abandoned building.

‘No, although I trained with him. I seek your counsel.’

The simulacrum’s head rose. Seb felt a chill ripple down his back. Silver eyes stared at him.

‘I do not give counsel. I test the strength of those who are worthy.’

‘Am I not worthy?’

‘It must be decided.’

‘Seb, are you sure this is wise?’ Caleb said, a tone of unease in his voice.

‘It’s okay, Caleb, we need this, I just need t -’

The simulacrum
blurred
and it was in Seb’s face. He caught sight of the staff a split second before it cracked into the side of his head. For an instant the world went black, and then he was face down in the earth.

‘You are not worthy,’ the simulacrum whispered.

Seb’s head rang, and his ear throbbed. He let Avatari heal the wound and pushed himself off the ground.

‘Some would say that was cheating,’ he said, flexing the knots out of his neck.

‘You are not worthy,’ the simulacrum repeated.

Cian’s staff appeared in Seb’s hand. ‘No?’ he said. ‘Let’s see.’

This time it was Seb that
blurred
. He jabbed high and struck low, pivoting and spinning with each movement. The simulacrum responded in kind, their staffs cracking against each other in the morning sun, sending flocks of starlings fleeing from their nests in the surrounding trees.

The merry dance continued for several seconds. Seb on the offensive, throwing everything he had into the strikes, knowing his movements were preternaturally fast. Always the simulacrum was equal to him. It parried the final jab at the peak of Seb’s attack, deflecting a blow to one side. Seb
blurred
backwards and the simulacrum jabbed into thin air. Seb swung his weapon as he appeared. He didn’t make contact, but he caught the simulacrum’s hood as it leapt out of the way, drawing an admiring gasp from Caleb in the process.

‘Am I still not worthy?’ Seb said, drawing in long breaths whilst he leant on the staff for support.

Bad move.

The simulacrum didn’t tire. He should’ve remembered that. The next moment it was in his face again, the staff a twirling blur of unforgiving wood. Seb parried and ducked, backpedalling now. His
sense
seemed on fire, allowing him to predict the movement before it occurred. He was slower than the simulacrum, but he just
knew
where the strike would go, and it was with great relief when he finally stepped casually to one side as the simulacrum swung a vicious overhead strike that rattled the invisible field that kept it in place.

‘Am I still not worthy?’ Seb demanded, ready this time.

‘Seb, are you asking for a beating?’

And so the simulacrum came again. Its speed had increased this time, Seb’s precognition not sufficient enough to ward off the attacks. He parried a dazzling barrage of blows, the staffs cracking together so quickly it sounded like one continuous noise.

The simulacrum struck out with its free hand, sending a blast of
force
that sent Seb flying out of the ring.

‘Bravo!’ Caleb shouted, rising and clapping at the display.

Seb rose to one knee and spat out a mouth full of dirt. He raised a hand and Cian’s staff smacked into his palm. He stood up, his stomach burning from the impact.

Damned if he was going to show weakness now.

He took a step back into the ring.

The simulacrum didn’t move.

‘What’s the matter, you tired of giving me a kicking?’

The simulacrum looked at him. ‘You are powerful. Clumsy, but powerful.’

‘I’ll take that, I think.’

‘You wish my counsel?’

‘I do. There is a new threat. I need help in defeating it.’

‘You have battled a balsheol.’

‘How do you know?’

‘Your arm still glows with their taint.’ It tilted its head to one side. ‘I wonder how it is you still live?’

‘What can I say? I’ve not quite mastered this dying lark.’

‘You cannot defeat it. Not on your own.’

‘Reassuring, but I sort of expected that. I just need to know how to fight it. I don’t want to be that exposed again.’

‘You willingly seek to engage it again?’

Seb smiled and rubbed his aching stomach. ‘Willing’s a strong word. I think
resigned
is a more appropriate one.’

The simulacrum paused for a moment as if lost in thought. Just when the time dragged on into awkward silence and Seb was opening his mouth to break it, the creature spoke again.

‘Very well. I will teach you what I can.’