Read Online Elves: Beyond the Mists of Katura by James Barclay - Free Book Online
Authors: James Barclay
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it is! In case you didn’t learn this in your
history lessons, we had a hundred and seventy years to understand the tenacity of that utter, utter bastard Ystormun. And now all six of them are chasing the damned thing. It doesn’t matter
if your precious colleges can’t find it,
they will
. They will never give up and they will never, ever stop. Not unless you stop them.’
Auum half sat, half fell back into his chair, his energy and his ire well and truly spent.
‘Unless we stop them,’ he muttered. ‘Yniss save us all, but this is a nightmare.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Stein. ‘I wish it could have been any other message I carried.’
Drech was frowning. ‘If Auum is right –’ Auum growled, Drech smiled briefly ‘– and we must assume he is, why are the Wytch Lords fired up about invading Calaius?
They should be focusing all their efforts on finding Dawnthief.’
‘It’s not that simple,’ said Stein. ‘The Wytch Lords, even backed by Wesmen muscle, are by no means certain to gain the victories that would leave them free to search for
the spell. And now they see an alliance between Julatsa and Calaius, they see you as a threat. They want to snuff out that threat.’
‘You’re saying that us sending Il-Aryn to Julatsa has led directly to the Wytch Lords planning another invasion?’ asked Drech.
Auum shook his head.
‘Actually, I think it’s far simpler,’ he said. ‘We remain the resource-rich land the Wytch Lords need to fund their war effort. And Ystormun hates us with a passion
I’m sure has remained undimmed across the centuries. It’s the simplest of equations. He’s been waiting for his chance and now you idiots and your precious Dawnthief have presented
it to him.’
Auum grabbed his mug, tossed out the few dregs remaining after the spill and refilled it at the cauldron.
‘Well, thanks for placing everything I’ve striven to achieve over the last seven hundred years at mortal risk. And on behalf of every innocent elf and human, thanks for creating the
means to kill us all on a whim. Now I need time to think. Alone. One last thing: how long have we got?’
‘Until what?’ asked Stein.
Auum blinked. ‘You really need me to clarify that?’
Stein blushed. ‘No, sorry. They could be at sea now. We were attacked on our way to warn you they were preparing ships, ready for their strike. I’ve been here for three days, plus
four on the wing. I think it’s safe to assume they’re either on their way or leaving imminently.’
Auum nodded. ‘Go,’ he said.
Stein was out of his chair with the speed of a panther. Drech stood too, but a little more slowly.
‘While you’re thinking, there’s something else you should add to the mix,’ he said.
‘Oh yes?’ said Auum. ‘Please heap on more reasons to hate you.’
‘It’s obvious we’ll have to travel to Balaia with Il-Aryn and the TaiGethen.’
‘Very obvious.’
‘We have to take Takaar with us.’
Auum’s heart was stone. ‘Absolutely not. If I have to kill him myself to stop him boarding a ship, I will.’
‘I know how you feel about him, Auum, but without him, you will not bring half the adepts with you. You’ll be ignoring the extraordinary talent he possesses.’
‘He will undermine everything we try to do. He’ll undermine you, Drech, you know he will. And sometimes he won’t even mean to. He isn’t strong enough to fight in Balaia.
Yniss knows I’m not sure I am. I don’t care that he’s the most talented, or that he’s your spiritual leader, we’re going to be sailing into the teeth of a massive
conflict, and if he freezes or disappears inside his head at the wrong moment it could be catastrophic.’
‘And if he doesn’t come, every adept who still agrees to travel will sail with little or no confidence.’
Auum sucked his top lip. All those centuries of bizarre behaviour, and there must have been many more episodes than Auum was aware of, and still they held him in mythical,
history lessons, we had a hundred and seventy years to understand the tenacity of that utter, utter bastard Ystormun. And now all six of them are chasing the damned thing. It doesn’t matter
if your precious colleges can’t find it,
they will
. They will never give up and they will never, ever stop. Not unless you stop them.’
Auum half sat, half fell back into his chair, his energy and his ire well and truly spent.
‘Unless we stop them,’ he muttered. ‘Yniss save us all, but this is a nightmare.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Stein. ‘I wish it could have been any other message I carried.’
Drech was frowning. ‘If Auum is right –’ Auum growled, Drech smiled briefly ‘– and we must assume he is, why are the Wytch Lords fired up about invading Calaius?
They should be focusing all their efforts on finding Dawnthief.’
‘It’s not that simple,’ said Stein. ‘The Wytch Lords, even backed by Wesmen muscle, are by no means certain to gain the victories that would leave them free to search for
the spell. And now they see an alliance between Julatsa and Calaius, they see you as a threat. They want to snuff out that threat.’
‘You’re saying that us sending Il-Aryn to Julatsa has led directly to the Wytch Lords planning another invasion?’ asked Drech.
Auum shook his head.
‘Actually, I think it’s far simpler,’ he said. ‘We remain the resource-rich land the Wytch Lords need to fund their war effort. And Ystormun hates us with a passion
I’m sure has remained undimmed across the centuries. It’s the simplest of equations. He’s been waiting for his chance and now you idiots and your precious Dawnthief have presented
it to him.’
Auum grabbed his mug, tossed out the few dregs remaining after the spill and refilled it at the cauldron.
‘Well, thanks for placing everything I’ve striven to achieve over the last seven hundred years at mortal risk. And on behalf of every innocent elf and human, thanks for creating the
means to kill us all on a whim. Now I need time to think. Alone. One last thing: how long have we got?’
‘Until what?’ asked Stein.
Auum blinked. ‘You really need me to clarify that?’
Stein blushed. ‘No, sorry. They could be at sea now. We were attacked on our way to warn you they were preparing ships, ready for their strike. I’ve been here for three days, plus
four on the wing. I think it’s safe to assume they’re either on their way or leaving imminently.’
Auum nodded. ‘Go,’ he said.
Stein was out of his chair with the speed of a panther. Drech stood too, but a little more slowly.
‘While you’re thinking, there’s something else you should add to the mix,’ he said.
‘Oh yes?’ said Auum. ‘Please heap on more reasons to hate you.’
‘It’s obvious we’ll have to travel to Balaia with Il-Aryn and the TaiGethen.’
‘Very obvious.’
‘We have to take Takaar with us.’
Auum’s heart was stone. ‘Absolutely not. If I have to kill him myself to stop him boarding a ship, I will.’
‘I know how you feel about him, Auum, but without him, you will not bring half the adepts with you. You’ll be ignoring the extraordinary talent he possesses.’
‘He will undermine everything we try to do. He’ll undermine you, Drech, you know he will. And sometimes he won’t even mean to. He isn’t strong enough to fight in Balaia.
Yniss knows I’m not sure I am. I don’t care that he’s the most talented, or that he’s your spiritual leader, we’re going to be sailing into the teeth of a massive
conflict, and if he freezes or disappears inside his head at the wrong moment it could be catastrophic.’
‘And if he doesn’t come, every adept who still agrees to travel will sail with little or no confidence.’
Auum sucked his top lip. All those centuries of bizarre behaviour, and there must have been many more episodes than Auum was aware of, and still they held him in mythical,
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