Trinity (33 page)

Skaric’s smile became
mischievous. “You cut it a bit fine with the wall didn’t you,
Nidan?”

“
It was harder
to collapse than I thought it would be.” Nidan’s scowl became even
deeper. “You’re alive, aren’t you?”

Skaric’s smile became roguish.
“No thanks to you!”

Kiana began to
laugh. After everything that had happened, she had begun to fear
that Skaric wouldn’t smile again.
You must
be relieved now that Berend is gone
. She
glanced over to the rubble and saw Berend’s limp hand.

“
So much for
cleaning up earlier,” Skaric said as he flicked some of the dust
off his shoulder.

Kiana laughed even harder. Her
sides began to ache as she sank to her knees. She wanted to hug
him. Instead, she wrapped her arms around herself.

“
Just cuts and
bruises,” Nidan rocked back onto his heels. “What’s so
funny?”

Kiana took a few deep breaths
and managed to smother her laughter but not her smile. “Nothing.
It’s just… this is almost over. We made it and we’re all fine.” She
looked away from them at the castle that loomed over them. “And
somewhere in there is the answer to saving Miale.”

“
You hope,”
Nidan said.

It was Kiana’s
turn to scowl; yet, she had to admit that there was a chance Nidan
was right.
Not just a chance. No one has
been here in a thousand years. Why would anything be
left?

Skaric stood and made a vague
attempt at brushing the dust from his clothes. “There’s only one
way to find out.” He held out his hand to Kiana.

She paused before accepting it,
allowing him to pull her to her feet. She enjoyed the roughness of
his hand during the brief moment of contact.

“
I doubt we’ll
be able to search the whole castle before it gets dark,” Nidan said
as he stood. He shaded his eyes from the sun’s fierce glare as he
stared at the castle.

Kiana looked at the castle
thoughtfully, pursing her lips. “I don’t think we have to search
the whole thing.” She looked at Skaric. “Can’t we follow the souls
of the dead?”

They were still at the edge of
her vision, shambling into the castle; the souls had no paths to
follow or doors to bar them. They were so elusive that she couldn’t
track them at all. But Skaric could. He parted his lips to
speak.

Kiana pre-empted his possible
objection. “It’s the best lead we have. The dead are drawn to the
castle Miale died in. That can’t be a coincidence, can it?”

Skaric shook his head and half
closing his eyes, led the way inside. He paused in the doorway and
peered back at the rubble tomb.

“
Shut the
door,” Nidan said.

Kiana frowned. “Why? Berend was
alone and he’s dead now.” Her frown deepened as Nidan smiled and
shook his head.

“
That’s not
the point, Kiana,” he said in a gentle tone. “Shut the door,
Skaric.”

Skaric nodded and firmly
slammed it shut, dislodging some loose mortar. Briefly, he leant
his head against the dark wood and smiled slightly. Without a word,
Skaric pushed away from the door and strode across the entrance
vestibule. Still not understanding, Kiana hurried to catch up.

The inside of the castle was
dingy. There were no windows only narrow slits that the sunlight
fought to squeeze through. A thick musty smell hung in the air,
making Kiana’s nose wrinkle. She guessed that at one point there
had been mats on the floors but over time they had disintegrated
into a collection of dull fibres and dust that billowed into the
air and choked her throat as they walked. Their footsteps echoed
through the narrow hallways as Skaric led them unwaveringly into
the heart of the castle.

None of the doors were locked
and several stood open. They turned into a corridor that was three
times wider than the others. Skaric stopped. Kiana followed his
wide-eyed stare down the corridor. Tapestries still hung on the
walls, but they were tattered, fraying and so faded that it was
impossible to see the once proud images. What Kiana could see was
the remnants of the colours. The tapestries facing each other
across the corridor looked to have been identical to one another.
The closest pair to her had been embroidered with shades of silver
and black. The next pair had been embroidered in green and brown,
whilst the last pair had been embroidered in tones of gold and red.
Ysia. Pios. Miale.

At the other end of the
corridor there was a large set of double doors, curved at the top
and intricately decorated with the images of the trinity. Although
dust had settled in the ridges, the carvings were still clear.
Ysia’s image had not been defaced. She was beautiful, depicted
young yet with sad eyes. Kiana glanced up at Skaric. Tears were
tracing their way down his cheeks. They curved around his jaw and
then splashed soundlessly to the floor. Then he looked up above the
images of the gods. His eyebrows raised as his lips parted
slightly.

Kiana tore her gaze away from
him. At the top of the door there was a single symbol. At first she
thought that it was Miale’s cup of knowledge set into a circle.
Then she saw the cupped hands of Pios cradling Miale’s chalice. In
the same heartbeat she realised that the circle was Ysia’s eternal
ring.

Tears stung Kiana’s eyes. “All
three of the gods together.” Her voice was quiet, soft and almost
breathless.

Skaric breathed in deeply and
then looked at her, nodding. “That’s how it was before the
war.”

“
And
hopefully, how it will be again. I take it we need to go in there.”
Nidan nodded towards the door.

“
That’s where
all the souls are going to,” Skaric said.

Nidan led the way. It was
obvious from the determined look on his face that he was expecting
the doors to be difficult to open. Nidan’s mouth curled into a
half-moon of surprise when they didn’t resist or complain. They
swung open easily as though time hadn’t affected them at all.
Inside they could see a vast hall with lofty windows and at the far
end a wooden dais.

Kiana’s mouth dropped open in a
silent gasp. Within the chamber she could see the silver pathways
clearly. She could see the black wispy souls of the dead trudging
along them. All of the pathways converged at the dais vanishing
into a mesmerising whirlpool of silver light that reached out to
her and coaxed her into its embrace. Kiana felt the pressure of
Skaric’s hand on her shoulder grounding her and holding her back.
Beside the silver whirlpool was an identical golden one. It was
equally beautiful. Equally compelling.

Nidan moved to stand alongside
Kiana. “What are they?”

“
The gateway
to death.” Skaric’s voice was a quiet whisper. “You… you can both
see them?”

Kiana nodded. “They’re
beautiful.” She watched as souls approached the vortexes, expecting
them to get sucked inside; instead, they paused and fluttered
apart. The now less-than-human remnant vanished into the silver
vortex. The rest of the shadowy form took on the shape of an
ethereal bird that flew towards the embrace of the golden
vortex.

“
Are we safe?”
Nidan said, his voice cracking slightly. “Could we get sucked
inside?”

“
The gateways
aren’t really here, nor are the pathways.” The doubt was clear in
Skaric’s quiet voice. “Our bodies should anchor us.”

Nidan coughed.
“
Should
. I’m not
sure I like the sound of that!”

Kiana narrowed her eyes,
peering at the darkness that seemed to pool at the edge of the
vortexes. “There’s something else.” She shrugged away from Skaric
and took a step forward, trying to see the two objects that hung in
the darkness more clearly.

The first was an intricate
birdcage made of silver light. Kiana took another step forward and
felt sadness swamp her. It radiated out from within the birdcage.
At the same time Kiana felt sorrow rising up from within her,
threatening to drown her. Inside the cage she could see a golden
bird. Over the sadness she felt a deep sense of longing that pushed
her forward. She raised her quivering hands to cover her mouth.

“
Miale.” Kiana
stared at Skaric and Nidan in turn and pointed towards the cage.
“Can you see it? I think… I think it’s Miale’s mind.” She hadn’t
realised that she was crying again but suddenly the tears on her
cheeks froze and tightened against her skin. Her breath
crystallised on the air before her. “How is that
possible?”

“
If it is… it
explains why you couldn’t answer any of my questions,” Skaric
said.

It explained so much. At the
same time, a multitude of questions sprang into Kiana’s mind. She
dropped her hands to her sides, digging her nails into her palms to
calm herself. Her nails had grown far too long and sharp whilst
they had been travelling. Almost immediately Kiana felt her palms
stinging and the warmth of thin trickles of blood on her skin.

Kiana looked away from Miale to
the second entity. A dark humanoid shape seemed to hang in mid-air,
surrounded by a brilliant white cage that hung tantalisingly close
to the gateway. Kiana watched as a procession of souls walked
beneath it. As each soul fluttered apart and passed into the
vortexes, she could feel a stab of bitter pain emanating from the
figure.

“
It’s
trapped.” Kiana couldn’t decide what made her unhappier: the
desperate longing of Miale’s soul for her mind or the prisoner
whose combined mind and soul were held captive.

“
Yes. He is.”
Skaric walked past her.

“
Who is he?”
Nidan said.

“
The man who
killed Miale.”

Chapter
Twenty-Two

Kiana gasped at Skaric’s words
but instantly knew he was right. “They’re both trapped. Miale and…”
Kiana wished she knew his name. “We have to free them!”

“
Them?” Skaric
was staring at her, his mouth twisted in a look of
disgust.

“
If Skaric’s
right, that man killed Miale. Why would we want to free him?” Nidan
said, his expression equally appalled.

Kiana glared
at them both, shaking her head as though she could deny their
words. “Can’t you feel his pain?” She paused expecting some kind of
reaction but their expressions did not soften. “I
can
. It’s unbearable.
Surely neither of you can believe that a thousand years of… of
being caught between life and death isn’t long enough? He’s been
punished for far too long!”

Nidan curled
his upper lip and looked pointedly away. Kiana looked at
Skaric.
You have to agree with me. You’ve
been held prisoner. You’ve been close to death!
Skaric’s expression was thoughtful, but he didn’t say or do
anything to give her hope.

Kiana turned away from them and
ran her hands over her face. “You believe souls are reincarnated,
don’t you?” She glanced at Skaric in time to see him nod. “I think
the dark birds are people’s minds. They have to be.”

Skaric chewed on his lower lip.
“The soul is reincarnated… but the mind isn’t?”

Kiana allowed herself to smile,
glad that Skaric was reaching the same conclusions that she was.
“The minds must go to…” She wanted to say Miale but that couldn’t
be right. She looked at the golden vortex radiating comfort and
peace. It was a place she knew she would be happy. “…To somewhere
they can rest forever.” Kiana tapped the tips of her forefingers to
her lips. “Miale’s soul has been connected to mine for a thousand
years but her mind has been here… waiting.”

“
For what?”
Nidan said.

Kiana’s hand
dropped to her side.
It doesn’t make
sense
.

“
Humans live
and die,” Skaric said. “Our minds and bodies are mortal. But our
souls are immortal.”

Kiana began to nod as her mind
finally began to feel a little clearer. “But the gods are immortal.
They were never meant to die. Why would their souls need to be
capable of being reborn?”

Nidan
scratched his head. “So… their souls
aren’t
immortal?” He frowned. “But
Miale’s soul has been reincarnated. Over and over
again.”

“
What if it
hasn’t?” Skaric said. “Kiana’s soul has been. Miale’s soul is
attached to hers. What if it’s just been dragged through the
process?”

Kiana’s heart
quivered in her chest. “Miale was killed. Look at what’s happening
to all the dead… their souls and minds are separating. The same
must have happened to Miale… except she
couldn’t
be reincarnated.” She looked
at the beautiful silver birdcage. “You were right, Nidan. All this
time, everyone thought Pios saved Miale, but that can’t be true.
Ysia must have trapped Miale’s mind so that it couldn’t be sucked
away. Then Ysia must have fused Miale’s soul to mine to protect it
through the reincarnation cycle.” She turned her hand in a circle
as she spoke. “Ysia
must
have wanted to make Miale whole again!”

Nidan’s frown became deeper.
“Why didn’t Ysia just do it then? We know she’s been alive this
whole time.”

Kiana stared at the floor. She
had no answer to that. “Maybe she couldn’t.” Kiana raised her gaze
and pointed at Miale’s killer. “Maybe he knows.” She breathed in
deeply. “And even if he doesn’t, he can tell us why he killed
Miale. Don’t you both want to know why the war was started?”

Nidan shrugged. “I’m not sure
that it matters anymore. What difference will knowing make? It
won’t change what happened. It won’t help us restore Miale.”