Chapter 14

Leptep's eyes snapped open as Avan Nerovast returned to the realm. “What happened?” He immediately asked, taking in the scene. “It smells like Torion. I thought he was dead.”

The lizard nodded languidly in agreement. It uncurled from the sink and padded over to Avan. They couldn't follow that pair – with how unstable things were right now they would most likely be damaged beyond repair if they went anywhere near Tera as he was freed, which was almost certainly where Rain and Torion were right now. When Garon's life was in danger, he didn't delegate to servants like Avan Nerovast; he interceded directly, even if it would cost him something else, such as his sanity.

Avan walked over to Leptep, who jumped towards him, leaving a dark violet echo of itself behind. Leptep melded with Avan, sinking into both skin and clothing. A second later the shadow copy followed.

Avan did not think Garon would have done something to harm himself, but he could never be sure. Either a terrible accident had just occurred or some plan he could not decipher was opening. Perhaps he should talk to the rest of the Nul. No, that wasn't necessary yet.

Avan felt the Shar field ripple. It was weak, but still strong enough for him to sense changes. Someone was approaching. Curious, he stood in a corner and drew some haze into the room, fashioning a set of minuscule mirrors around him, reflecting and bending the light so nothing was visible but the walls , floor and skirting board. He maintained the connection; he wanted to be able to get rid of his concealment if necessary.

He assembled a mirror outside the cloak so he could look back in and see his handiwork. He always did that to make sure there were no mistakes. Satisfied, he allowed it to collapse and waited for the guests to arrive.

***

Hammer had had a hard time convincing the complex attendant to allow him in. Hammer was a little surprised that he was an attendant and not a security guard as he had earlier supposed. The white-haired, balding man was escorting him to Rain's rooms, chest heaving with exertion, tight black Silver Sun uniform bulging in places that made Hammer wish he was walking in front of, not behind, this man. He wasn't the fittest of people himself, but this rather gentle walk in air-conditioned, monitored hallways should pose no trouble for anyone used to even the smallest amount of regular exercise. There was a reason attendants were disliked all over the world. Theirs was a job suited only to the lazy, it generally involved standing or sitting all day (or even lying down), playing games on a notepad, and answering infrequent requests. Oh, students would occasionally take a job as an attendant as it allowed them to study whilst earning an income, but the general monotony of the job usually drove them out after a while. Hence, it was a lazy job for lazy people. And this attendant was obviously one of the laziest.

He buzzed with his notepad while Hammer waited impatiently behind.

“She won't answer, something bad has happened.”

“That may be, but I have to follow standard procedure.”

What a tosser. “Can you call someone from security?”

“Nope, first I am required to investigate the place. S.O.P.” He buzzed again.

“S.O.P?” Hammer mentally kicked himself, he knew what those initials stood for.

“Standard. Operating. Procedure.” Each word was punctuated with fat finger pushing the buzz button on his notepad. His day had clearly been ruined by having been asked to do some real work.

Hammer was becoming increasingly anxious. Something was definitely wrong – Rain was sick, he had seen her through that quivering hole, and she hadn't responded to his messages.

“Alright,” drawled the attendant, “I'll take a look. You stay put.” He poked his finger into Hammer's chest then turned and keyed something into his notepad. Rain's door swung open.

Although he was itching to do something, he waited outside. Then he heard a siren somewhere in the complex. The attendant had called for security after all! Hammer rushed into Rains rooms to be greeted by a mess. A vase lay shattered on the ground. Polysilicate chairs and tables had been warped and twisted as if with a great heat. A gigantic circle on the wall was blackened and rough. Holes an inch in diameter punched through the floor, leaving stab wounds in the carpeted floor. All in all, it was not complete chaos, but something had happened here, and Rain was missing. The attendant had pulled up the video of the nearby halls and was running a program to look for inconsistencies in the activity outside.

After a few seconds, he had a result.

“Rain came in here a few hours ago, and hasn't left. No-one else has entered, so I'll go and have a look while we're waiting for security. Exciting hey?” The attendant hurried off. He didn't seem as annoyed about being pulled away from his games any longer.

Hammer cast his gaze around the room, bereft of any idea about what he should do. His notepad emitted a tone. He took a look at it – the analyses he was looking at for Rain had found something unexpected. If she was here, they could look at it now. She was sick, but she loved her work and would want to see the results as soon as they were available. He hooked his notepad up to the server at the laboratory to take a look at the data.

“There's no-one here!” That damned attendant was interrupting his conversation. “This is confusing. There's no way she could have left the room without it being caught on the videos. We have over nine thousand cameras in this complex! I'll have to talk to security about this.” He waddled off, enthusiasm shining in his eyes. Perhaps he wasn't one of the lazy ones after all.

Hammer didn't know where to go from here. Perhaps Rain would just show up again. The attendant had clearly forgotten about him, so he had a quick poke around the rooms. Checked a few hiding places – closets, mainly – it was unlikely that the attendant had given more than a cursory look to each room, but found nothing.

Rain's front door opened directly onto a combined kitchen and living room. Hammer wandered over to the twisted chairs and sat in one which seemed likely to still have enough stability to support his weight. He contemplated calling some government officials, but they had the tendency to get in the way more than anything else. He would wait for the security guards to arrive.

He browsed through the data of the star he and Rain had discovered the previous day. The anomaly occurred near the end of the period over which the data was collected. He pulled up a composite light video – a way of viewing the star which compressed the spectrum of light from a star into the visible spectrum – and scrubbed through to just before the anomaly. The star followed the expected signature that stars of its category on this side of the Llul line faced. He watched the video to completion. There was nothing special about it. He watched it again but could see nothing. Frustrated, he told the software to highlight the anomaly and watched it again. The star continued to flicker dimly, blanketed by the effects of the line. Two red boxes appeared in the background for a split second, highlighting whatever inconsistency the program had detected, then disappeared. Another one flashed elsewhere. He rewound the video. Yes. Within the boxes were stars that waxed and waned like a flame, ever so slightly, but enough to rule out the possibility of a chance mistake. What could have caused this? Rain would want to see this as soon as she reappeared. Engrossed, he left her apartment, closing the door behind him. He would have to change his 'scope programs tonight. This was big news! He would let the security guards deal with Rain. It wasn't really his business. Why did he always stick his nose in where it didn't belong? If she hadn't returned any of his messages by nightfall, he would do something. He did not yet know what that something would be, but he would do it!

***

Avan Nerovast considered for a few seconds. This man clearly had some interest in Rain, to come to her home to look for her. Would he help protect her? Avan needed an agent at the unchaining, otherwise, who knew what could go wrong?

He opened a passageway, but did not point this one at Neron Alarast. This was a relatively difficult shaping. It was easy enough to touch a nearby plane at an unknown location, but it was far more difficult to force a tunnel back upon itself, to come out at a certain location in the same place. He did not have a problem with it, of course, but Rain would. He felt a little sorry for her; he had dropped her into a school of minaret fish without teaching her to swing or giving her a chance to build up the muscles necessary to do so. She seemed to be getting along fine so far, but he wasn't certain how long that would last. Getting this blue-skinned fellow to help was the right thing to do, he was sure.

He stepped through the portal and out near the ferry station, keeping his woven mirrors held firmly about him. People might see what appeared to be rising heat waves as he walked. They might, but they probably wouldn't; people were generally unobservant. When he sensed Hammer coming down the boardwalk, he released his hold, allowing the mirrors to fade.

“Hey!” Avan Nerovast called out. Not to get the man's attention – he was sure he had been seen, he had the feeling little escaped this man's notice – just to be polite.

“Hello!” He replied back, closer now. He rubbed his knuckle on his sternum in introduction, “Hammer.”

“Evan.” That was close enough. He knuckled his chest.

“It is a pleasure to meet you.” His gigantic smile was betrayed by his eyes which, although full of spirit, showed he was distracted. This was as it should be, with Rain missing.

He cut straight to the chase. “I want you to look after Rain for me.”

Hammer was silent for a full second. “Excuse me?”

“Rain could be in trouble and I can't help her. I want you to.”

“What do you know about Rain's disappearance?”

“She was in some sort of fight, which I assumed she survived as there was no body. I suspect she has been taken to the temple of the Panen. The Panen are not known for their kindly ways, not even to each other, let alone those they consider infidels. I can get you there, but there's not much more I can do to help.”

Incredulous, Hammer stared. What was he supposed to make of this? “What, am I just supposed to waltz in there amongst a horde of insane, violent priests and find her? Without a weapon? Why do you think she is even in there? And how did she get there when it's half the globe away?” He was furious. He didn't like being surprised and he didn't like this Evan bloke. If it wasn't that he seemed to know something about Rain, Hammer would have punched him by now, purely for his rudeness.

“Yes, but only if you care about her and I can take care of a weapon. She is there because that is necessary, otherwise Garon will die, which is not... desirable.”

“For some reason I believe you,” and he did. He would do what this stranger said, and he didn't know why. “But how did she get there? And who is Garon?”

“She arrived easily enough. It's better if I just show you, explaining won't have the same effect. Let's get you a weapon. You don't look like the type to have been in many fights.” Avan ignored the question about Garon. There was no need to know anything about the true nature of Garon except that its life was in danger.

“No.”

“Right,”Avan scraped his mind for something suitable that he might have lying around. Something invested with haze, something to fight for Hammer if something happened. He could think of nothing off hand. He grabbed a mangrove branch and twisted it off the tree, pushing a little haze onto it to help it break. “Hold this”, he directed Hammer, who complied. Avan pushed haze into it, sculpting the branch. The wood straightened, became denser. Edges sharpened and a makeshift hilt sprouted just above Hammer's hand. The newly created wooden sword had a blade about two feet long, but, being wood, would not be very useful. He picked up a couple of handfuls of muddy and salty sand, rubbing it onto the blade. The sand liquefied, seeping into the wood, hardening it. He pulled even more haze through, piecing together the packet of desires and values to forge a new soul. Protection, reparation, survival. Life, hope, loyalty. That should be enough. Built souls could have dreams, emotions, habits, and all manner of things, but that required effort and time, and he would need to do a lot of thinking for that – three of anything qualities he added would be required, and the rounder the soul, the more difficult it would make the sword to handle. He forced the soul into the sword, stitching it into the now glassy grain of the wood. The soul objected, of course – they didn't like being forced to do anything – but it needed a body or it would fade, and he wasn't about to let that happen. It settled down, growing use to its new body, blending with the minute sparks of Shar emitted by the microscopic creatures in the sand as they died. Avan hadn't considered that; until now, he had only ever instilled freshly forged weapons with a soul. It would be interesting to see where this led.

Avan smiled at Hammer, who was staring wide eyed at the sword in his hand. It had moulded itself there and was, consequently, a perfect fit. He would need some kind of protection too; the shirts these people wore might protect them from the heat and the sun but wouldn't do much against a priest's dagger. He had a solution to that problem.

“This might feel a little strange.”

Sandy water flowed up Hammer's legs, settling into his skin, fine threads of polysilicate formed. Avan was cautious to filter out the bacteria and other microbes as he didn't want to sicken Hammer. He wove the threads into the skin. Their thinness made them flexible but they were very strong. Hammer's skin was now slightly more reflective, slightly bluer. He probably hadn't even felt anything but the water. Avan released the liquid, allowing it to fall back to the boardwalk, dripping between the planks.

“My skin tingles.”

He had felt something after all. Never mind. Avan shrugged. “Ready?” He asked, raising an eyebrow, which Hammer realised was a pretty common characteristic of his.

“No. Why a sword? Why not a lightning lance like the authorities use?”

Avan waved a slender hand dismissively. “Energy weapons like that won't be useful for much longer. They'll still do something, but I'm not sure what, and it probably won't be what they were intended for. Within a year, I expect swords like yours will be some of the most dangerous and sought after items.”

“Why?”

“Things are about to change. Now, are you ready?”

Hammer hesitated, then nodded. Avan grasped him by the shoulders and spun him. A second of darkness, and they were elsewhere.. Avan released him, doubling over. He was surprised by the progression of the wound caused by Tera's chaining. He could feel it clouding his thinking, scratching on his soul. He had not expected it to be so far progressed already – if the breach wasn't closed today, time would be up! Hammer said something to him, but he couldn't concentrate. He tried to jump back to the archipelago, but couldn't muster the energy. He pushed, trying to grab a hold of some haze. Anything that he could use. He pushed harder, straining with the effort, and touched the void. He slid through the hole. He would be safe here for a little while. He remained on what passed for a floor in the non-place that was the tunnel, recovering.

***

To Hammer's surprise, instead of mid afternoon, he was greeted by the dark of night. Avan was stumbling around behind him, bent over, clutching at his stomach.
“Hey, are you alright?” Hammer asked.
Avan had fallen over. Hammer's eyes had not yet adjusted, but it looked like he was stretching, becoming thin. He writhed around on the floor for a few seconds, teeth grinding audibly, locked in some struggle. Avan suddenly shrunk to a point and vanished.

Eyes beginning to adjust, Hammer took in his surroundings. He was between two buildings, ancient refuse lying on the sandy street. Empty packets and bottles made of decay-resistant plastic, which hadn't been manufactured in at least fifty years, not since the material to manufacture it became so expensive. Cold, dry air stung at his throat. Thick clouds covered the sky, blocking the moonlight and casting a shadow over the area. He was in some old forgotten city. Given the time, he must have been on the other side of the world, but how could that be? Confused, he walked out of the alley.

On the main street, he could see a little more clearly. The middling-sized city must have been abandoned over one hundred years ago. Most buildings had collapsed, but plant life seemed reluctant to take root. This place had become a desert. To his left was more wasteland, but to his right he thought he could make out the blue glow of an ion light. A relatively recent invention, these lights were technically as efficient as possible, though they were expensive to manufacture. They radiated a cold blue light, providing powerful illumination but very little heat, which was as it should be. If you wanted heat, you used a heat lamp. He wished he had paid more attention to history, then he would be able to figure out which desert city this was. As things were, he had no idea of his location.

Hammer didn't like being unable to see, so he began to make his way towards the faint luminescence, walking noisily down the street. By nature he was a fearless man, tall and well built, not particularly fit, but with the build produced by good genes. Movement was a little more difficult than he was used to; his skin felt a little stiff.

He arrived at the place where he saw the glow and turned a corner to see what was causing it. He had been right – a couple of stands stood by the entrance to what appeared to be a temple of sorts, each stand with an ion globe on top of it. Surprisingly, the globes were not plugged in to anything. As he walked towards the temple, his notepad vibrated and buzzed. He had received a notification. He pulled it out, but the screen was all garbled. It wouldn't turn off or on again. That was annoying; it meant he would have to take it back for repairs when he got home, a place he was not sure he would return to given that he didn't know where he was now.

“Excuse me,” a voice interrupted him, “you must be the one we've been waiting for.”

He looked up, slightly embarrassed. A pair of priests stood in the doorway of the temple. He must look like a damned fool standing here in the middle of the night, in a singlet and shorts, trying to get his notepad to work and holding a wooden sword. He felt his face redden. Taking a step forward, he stepped in a pothole, losing his balance slightly. Yep, a damned fool alright.

“I'm not sure if you've been waiting for me. I'm looking for someone.”

The two priests conversed quietly with each other for about thirty seconds. Hammer stood awkwardly, shivering a little.

The one who had called out did so again. “Were you sent by a god?”

“Um,” that thought had never occurred to him. It would explain the strange powers this Evan displayed. “I think he was a god.”

They whispered quietly again. “Yes, you are the one. You must come with us. You must free Tera.”

Hammer strode over to the temple doors, a strange crackling prickled his skin.

“Look! See how Tera embraces him with electricity! Dimit was right – the Reliever has arrived!” Then, speaking to Hammer, “are you ready?”

Hammer hesitated. This was a temple, and it was near where Evan had left him. Rain was probably inside. He didn't know what these people were going on about, but he wanted to find Rain and avoid conflict. “Yes. Let's go.”