said, and heard the wonder in her voice, “although you have been gone a long time. Most believe that you died, along with so many others, on the Night of Death.”
“Died?”
mused the voice. It was warmth, light, heat, all shimmering together. “No,
we did not die, but we came very close when Xeriatherien broke the first law and called down our fire against the Derai. That dealt us a soul wound, striking at our very essence, and we fled from it and the horror of her deed. And then the Blood, who should have been most diligent in seeking us out and aiding our recovery, abandoned us instead. The Old Keep and I have become ghosts together, neglected and forgotten by all but a very few. You, child, were one of that handful, creeping through to play your games and breathe a little life back into the old halls. You were not aware of me, but I learned your voice and your heart, which is why I could reach out to you and warn you of your peril. I cannot rouse anyone else. I have tried, but though some few may have stirred in their sleep, none have woken. The House of Night, it seems, has grown both deaf and blind!”
The voice paused, as though recollecting itself.
“But you, child
—
it may be that you can reach them, for you know the New Keep as I do not, and they know you. You may even be in time to save many, for the enemy have delayed and dispersed in hunting you. Much of the keep still sleeps on, unaware of the attack.”
Malian stood straighter. “Tell me what I must do,” she said.
“First you must come into the heart of my power,”
the voice replied,
“so I have some hope of protecting you, while you may draw on my strength. It is imperative that we work together, for you are young and untrained and I am weaker than I used to be. But together, and with the boy’s help, we may do what needs to be done.”
Kalan was frowning. “Rouse the keep?” he asked. “Is that all you mean to do? Or is there something more?”
Fire crackled through the air, like the dry summer lightning that scoured the heights of the Wall. “
There is,”
said thevoice of fire.
“The Child of Night must mindspeak the New Keep, rousing the alarms that the invaders have silenced. The alarms are tuned to the Blood of Night, so she can override the Darkswarm binding. You must help by anchoring her to this physical place and adding your strength to hers. But as soon as she touches the alarms, the enemy will become aware of her presence and then she will be in deadly danger. For they have brought an ally with them, a Raptor of Darkness, and even now it hunts in the New Keep.”
Malian looked at Kalan. “A Raptor of Darkness?” she asked, and saw him shudder.
“It must be the darkspawn I sensed when they passed by me in the Temple quarter,” he replied, low voiced. “It was terrible, like an all-devouring darkness brushing against my mind.”
“You did more than well,”
said the fiery voice,
“if you felt its presence but it did not sense yours. It is an eater of souls and hungers most for those who are power wielders, which is why they loosed it in the Temple quarter. There is no one there now, alas, who is a match for it. But the Darkswarm minions have overreached themselves, for to get the Raptor through they had to bring down the psychic barrier that Night erected between the Old Keep and the New, in order to wall out the ghosts of their dead. Those same walls have kept me out as well
—
but now the wards are down.”
“Does this mean that you can fight the demon and defeat it?” Kalan asked, the eagerness clear in his voice.
“It means I will try, but I, too, am not what I was. And since I cannot be sure of success I will need an edge, something to distract the Raptor’s attention so I can take it by surprise.”
Malian swallowed. “You plan to use me as bait,” she said.
“No!” exclaimed Kalan. “You cannot risk the Heir of Night!”
The room was silent, and after a moment Malian nodded, understanding that
“Died?”
mused the voice. It was warmth, light, heat, all shimmering together. “No,
we did not die, but we came very close when Xeriatherien broke the first law and called down our fire against the Derai. That dealt us a soul wound, striking at our very essence, and we fled from it and the horror of her deed. And then the Blood, who should have been most diligent in seeking us out and aiding our recovery, abandoned us instead. The Old Keep and I have become ghosts together, neglected and forgotten by all but a very few. You, child, were one of that handful, creeping through to play your games and breathe a little life back into the old halls. You were not aware of me, but I learned your voice and your heart, which is why I could reach out to you and warn you of your peril. I cannot rouse anyone else. I have tried, but though some few may have stirred in their sleep, none have woken. The House of Night, it seems, has grown both deaf and blind!”
The voice paused, as though recollecting itself.
“But you, child
—
it may be that you can reach them, for you know the New Keep as I do not, and they know you. You may even be in time to save many, for the enemy have delayed and dispersed in hunting you. Much of the keep still sleeps on, unaware of the attack.”
Malian stood straighter. “Tell me what I must do,” she said.
“First you must come into the heart of my power,”
the voice replied,
“so I have some hope of protecting you, while you may draw on my strength. It is imperative that we work together, for you are young and untrained and I am weaker than I used to be. But together, and with the boy’s help, we may do what needs to be done.”
Kalan was frowning. “Rouse the keep?” he asked. “Is that all you mean to do? Or is there something more?”
Fire crackled through the air, like the dry summer lightning that scoured the heights of the Wall. “
There is,”
said thevoice of fire.
“The Child of Night must mindspeak the New Keep, rousing the alarms that the invaders have silenced. The alarms are tuned to the Blood of Night, so she can override the Darkswarm binding. You must help by anchoring her to this physical place and adding your strength to hers. But as soon as she touches the alarms, the enemy will become aware of her presence and then she will be in deadly danger. For they have brought an ally with them, a Raptor of Darkness, and even now it hunts in the New Keep.”
Malian looked at Kalan. “A Raptor of Darkness?” she asked, and saw him shudder.
“It must be the darkspawn I sensed when they passed by me in the Temple quarter,” he replied, low voiced. “It was terrible, like an all-devouring darkness brushing against my mind.”
“You did more than well,”
said the fiery voice,
“if you felt its presence but it did not sense yours. It is an eater of souls and hungers most for those who are power wielders, which is why they loosed it in the Temple quarter. There is no one there now, alas, who is a match for it. But the Darkswarm minions have overreached themselves, for to get the Raptor through they had to bring down the psychic barrier that Night erected between the Old Keep and the New, in order to wall out the ghosts of their dead. Those same walls have kept me out as well
—
but now the wards are down.”
“Does this mean that you can fight the demon and defeat it?” Kalan asked, the eagerness clear in his voice.
“It means I will try, but I, too, am not what I was. And since I cannot be sure of success I will need an edge, something to distract the Raptor’s attention so I can take it by surprise.”
Malian swallowed. “You plan to use me as bait,” she said.
“No!” exclaimed Kalan. “You cannot risk the Heir of Night!”
The room was silent, and after a moment Malian nodded, understanding that
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