The Tessellation Saga. Book Two. 'The One' (32 page)

Suddenly the
singing stopped, a complete silence filled him. Emotion for the
moment suspended, he could still see the mouths of the battle
hardened mages opening and closing, he could see the crystal
ceiling above him vibrating and the enormous hanging crystal
spinning, he felt nothing, could hear nothing, he had become one
with the still, velvet darkness. He watched the scenes unfolding
before him in the Chamber of Justice ardently, he could see scores
of people gathering, pouring out of doors and corridors all leading
to the chamber.
Where have they come from?
He thought
dispassionately as the lines of people, all carrying boxes and
crates, old, young, mage and novice alike gathered before Théoden.
Théoden smiled fondly at the people before looking lovingly again
at his wife. His voice, still held in thrall by the song faltered
slightly before strengthening once more. From all societies and all
lifestyles, Théoden had gathered these refugees, the last hope of a
dying planet.

Thaddrick,
Themos’s twin and Valeria, Théoden’s wife led the procession, his
hand lightly on her elbow, her arms holding her small son tightly,
as if she would never let go. Absently he watched Themos as he ran
from the crowd and thrust something into Valeria’s hand; it
sparkled as brightly as the tears coursing down her silent face.
She walked past her singing husband with dignity and sorrow in
every movement. Turning to look at him one last time she mounted
the dais, and glanced toward her eldest child still standing on the
walkway near his father. She smiled sadly and turned as she stepped
toward what he, the Gatherer had become. Toward him, into him,
through him…and disappeared!’

‘No...,’ Mayan
whispered, as she watched the pair separate. She could feel the
despair of the woman and the hopelessness of the man, Théoden as
they realised they would never see each other again. With silent
tears coursing down her face she felt Gideon squeeze her hand and
she gathered the strength to remain within Thaddrick’s story.

‘In his altered
form the Gatherer realised the people were not reappearing on the
other side of him.

‘Where are you
going, what’s happening?’ He tried to ask as the cortege passed
through. There was no answer but suddenly wave after wave of strong
emotion assaulted his peace, both hope and sadness, fear and joy.
Fury overcame him once more, a new awareness of his situation.

‘I can still
feel their souls Théoden Mage,’ he shouted noiselessly and
fervently began again to work on the cracked glass he knew was
there but could not see. He could feel the people’s pain of
leaving; their terror of him, and their fear at going to an unknown
place and their intense fear gave him strength. He became aware he
had transformed, changed somehow into a gateway, a door,
to
where?
He thought, knowing the mages were using his own powers
against him. Inwardly he seethed; how he hated them, the mages for
their deception and the people of Arotia for their rejection of
him.

The long
procession of people continued to pass through him, their emotions
sickening and cloying. A tingle of recognition slid down the spine
he knew was there somewhere within the great doorway that he had
become.
Astin, a worthy and willing soul, a traitor to me it
seems,
his brain whirled at a fervid pitch as an idea crept in
amidst the chaos that had become his mind.
Can I do this?
Dangerous I know but I will die anyway
he thought, smiling with
lips that could not be seen, he continued to mumble with the mouth
he no longer had. Time seemed to stand still as he pondered the
ramifications of transferring his own condemned soul into another
body at the same time as installing the stolen soul into his own.
Never before had this been attempted, the old body previously had
just become an empty shell and died, the soul itself lost forever
to a prepared crystal to be used for magic until it too exhausted
of power or was shattered.
A complete swap!
he knew it
should work, prayed to all the Demons of the void it would work.
My Journey will not, cannot begin now
, he thought.

Within him, the
people continued their passage to the unknown. He doubled his
efforts at the now small hole in the cell’s warding and finally
rewarded, he began to draw power from the dead souls still
lingering in the great chamber but it was not enough, he needed
more. He screamed in frustration and as if in answer to his silent
scream, another furious rumble and shaking of the earth began. In
his soundless state, he watched as cracking stone and rending glass
flew about the hall as the earth moved. The air shimmered with dust
from the disturbed mortar and shards of glass sliced through
unprotected skin adding drops of glistening red blood to the
thickening air.

The Gatherer
smiled sensing the fresh blood and added power and began again to
attempt the transfer; Themos mumbling behind the pillar opened his
eyes in horror. The massive earthquake convulsed the planet, at its
height, the mages lost their concentration as the solid stone floor
heaved like an angry sea and the great magical doorway snapped shut
trapping people on both sides. Thus, the Councils arrogance had
allowed the beginning of the mage wars and the Gatherer’s
arrogance, allowed its end, and our escape.’

A loud sob
emanated from the back of the room as Thaddrick spoke of arrogance
and the sob rebounded among the people like an echo, he looked at
his audience, his face grey and tired and he finally stopped
speaking.

‘What
happened?’

‘Why have you
stopped?’

‘Where did the
people go?’ Questions came at him from all sides of the table and
Thaddrick sighed deeply.

‘We came to
Earth, to this planet; to the part of it now known as the Bleak...’
Thaddrick answered looking intently at Sonal and Varan and catching
their own inquiring glances to each other. Gideon’s father pushed
back his chair and walked to Thaddrick who seemed to have shrunken
into his body, his pallor pale and wan, he smiled at Roidan as she
moved aside.

‘Ole friend,’
he said as if he were talking to Blue, ‘ole friend, go rest, we’ll
talk some more when yer rested,’ he said, holding the old man’s
shoulder. Thaddrick placed his hand over Jed’s and smiled at the
group.

‘I agree I am
just a little tired, it’s hard to relive it all in such detail.’ He
said.

‘Yer be the
Thaddrick from yer tale then, yer went inter the gateway,’ stated
Gideon, ‘jus ‘ow ol…,’ a questioned formed on Gideon’s lips and
quickly changed as he corrected his own speech fully aware that
Thaddrick’s appraising stare had reverted to him once more. ‘
How
old
are you?’ He asked slowly, the unfamiliar sounds of the
words on Gideon’s lips made Mayan smile despite her sadness and
pique at the unfinished story.

‘Very, very
old, Thaddrick replied with a smile, ‘remember, I told you while we
were on the hill that here in this place, time itself stands still,
or it seems to, Jonus for example, the child we met as we walked
here, was but an infant when we crossed through the portal. As I
said before I will explain it all, but please just have a little
more patience.’ He stifled a yawn.

‘… but
I
still want ter,
to
know who I am?’ Said Gideon angrily as
his father spoke, looking around the table attempting to forestall
any more questions.

‘Rest now then,
Blue, iffen yer well enough, tell us the rest termorra, we can
wait, after all we’ve waited this long, ain’t we Gideon!’ He gave
Gideon a stern look and nodded toward the old man, Gideon seeing
the tired and worn look on Thaddrick’s face suddenly felt ashamed
of his behaviour. Like Gideon, Varan too still had something to
say.

‘You are an
ancient, I should have guessed,’ said Varan as he looked
meaningfully at his brother, ‘he is like us.’

‘Actually,’ the
old man said, smiling slowly, taking in both men with his smile,
‘
you
are like me.’ Gideon looked across at his father again
before turning his thoughts back toward the old man, he began to
mull over in his mind everything he had heard and trying
desperately to work out how this affected him and who he was.

‘What happened
to those left on Arotia?’ Mayan asked adding, ‘did Valeria ever see
Théoden again?’

‘My own tale of
Arotia ends there,’ Thaddrick continued, ‘what I know of Themos and
his part of the story is only what I have pieced together from his
healing of me, and our mind link.’

‘Blue, eh…
Thaddrick, sorry, what d’yer mean ‘ealing, yer never said yer got
‘urt…,’ Gideon’s father said, his concern for the older man
obvious, Thaddrick smiled at him warmly and spoke again to the
group.

‘My friends,
that is truly another part of a long story and with your permission
will wait for tomorrow, I will, as Jed has suggested, resume the
tale then. For now the others will show you to your rooms.’
Thaddrick pushed back his chair, stood and turning back to Gideon’s
father smiled again warmly and hugged him tightly.

‘Jed, it really
is so good to finally meet you, as I am meant to be,’ he said,
releasing him from the embrace and walking slowly away, his form
suddenly looking frail and weary as he crossed the room.

Whilst
Thaddrick had been talking, unnoticed by the small group around the
table, the room had filled with people, each listening to the tale
as they had done.

‘Goodnight
Thaddrick,’ was called repeatedly as he passed by, leaving the
people talking animatedly about what they had heard and seen, none
more so than the group from Green Home Forest.

As more people
began to filter out of the room an elderly man, one of the council
who had welcomed them so prettily walked up to the party, he
hobbled painfully.

‘Gideon,’ he
said, his voice full of cold menace, ‘Gideon, you bring danger here
with you, leave now before we all die,’ he spat acidly, as Roidan
came to usher him away and with an equally acid look to her, the
old man left the room. Roidan looked sadly after the departing bent
figure.

‘Forgive him;
he lost many friends and family when the gateway closed. His
constant pain could be easily treated but he will have none of it,’
she said as she too walked away with a sad ‘Good night.’

‘Whoa! ‘E don’t
care fer us too much, do ‘e,’ exclaimed Gideon’s father, staring
after the strange pair.’

‘Ner da, yer
mean ‘e don’t care fer me at all.’ Gideon corrected him.

Eventually
Jonus, the small boy Jed had met earlier in the day crossed the
hall to speak to them.

‘Would you like
to rest now?’ He asked, as an older woman joined them.

‘Yes, would you
come this way,’ she said, taking Gideon’s father by the arm. ‘I
will show you to your rooms, they’re all prepared.’

The small
company rose and crossed the hall, leaving the rest of the village
residents chatting amicably and as with Thaddrick leaving, calls of
Good night followed the tired group from the room.

The woman spoke
as they walked. ‘We are excited to finally meet you all and we’ve
waited such a long time. Thaddrick rarely tells the story of our
escape, you are lucky, he is such a wonderful orator and his words
make the story come alive for us too, they help us to remember who
we are,’ the woman said, smiling at the bemused expressions on the
faces of her charges.

She abruptly
pushed open a door entered and a large second wing of the
building.

‘There are
rooms and beds enough for all but if you need anything please just
call. Sleep well and we will see you and talk some more in the
morning,’ she added smiling again, ‘come on Jonas, leave our guests
to rest.’ She called to her son who was lingering behind and she
turned her back and walked away leaving the group to settle.

The group
looked at the corridor and the numerous closed doors.

‘They’re all
ready for you; please just go in ...goodnight.’ Jonas called as he
followed his mother down the hallway.

‘Well then,
let’s jus’ pick a room, Gideon’s father grinned sleepily as he
opened a door and walked through one of the doors. The other
members of the party soon followed suit.

‘Brother, we
must talk, we must talk of our pa...’ began Sonal, fully intending
to speak of their childhood and the legends they had grown up
alongside, he had been stunned as the songs of his youth had
bubbled up out of him to join in with the songs of Thaddrick’s
memory.

‘Sonal,’
whispered Varan interrupting his brother as he followed Sonal into
the room prepared for them. ‘Lemba has been made whole once more…,’
he said, clearly upset about something.

‘What is it,
what’s wrong?’ Sonal asked, concern filling him as Varan closed the
door behind him.

‘This,’ Varan
replied quietly and remaining with his back to his twin, he pulled
off his jerkin and lifted his shirt over his head.

‘By the
Journey...’ Sonal gasped and sat down heavily on the bed.

In the next
room, Gideon, tired and without a thought for Mayan who was
standing behind him, stripped off his clothes and threw them on a
nearby chair, finding a jug and bowl of cool wash water on a small
wooden stand he splashed his face and rubbed his tired eyes.

‘Gideon...’
Mayan said in a small voice.

‘Please let’s
not talk now May,’ he replied as he fell on to the large bed and
closed his eyes. A feeling of foreboding had slowly come upon him
from the moment he had recognised the pendant in the old man’s hand
as being like his and when it had vanished before his eyes the
feeling had begun to grow. So many strange things had happened
lately, he felt his life was no longer his own and he still did not
know who he was.

His eyes
remained closed as Mayan silently undressed and lay down on the bed
beside him.