The Finisher

TRIGINTA SEX: Hall of Truth

THE NEXT LIGHT at Stacks began with Newton Tilt, a tall, muscled eighteen-session-old Cutter coming over to me to congratulate me on my victory. He was nice, very good-looking and I had always considered him quite slithy. In fact, I would sometimes snatch a glance while he worked away.

“I’m glad you beat that git Loon,” he said, dazzling me with a wide smile. He lowered his voice. “You have a friend in the Tilt family, Vega, never fear. Done me heart good to see you tell Krone off like that.”

I smiled and thanked him and watched him walk off, my heart growing warm.

The next round of competitors would be posted at the first section of night. I was both anxious and leery to know. If I had drawn Delph, I didn’t know what I would do. I thought about us making a run for the Quag now. That would prevent them from taking my punishment out on Delph. Yet something held me back. Well, it was quite clear what was holding me back. I had given my word that I would fight my hardest in the Duelum. That had been my deal with Morrigone. She was not my favorite Wug. But a promise was a promise. I didn’t mind lying occasionally, particularly when it helped me survive. To go back on my word, though, that was something my grandfather never would have done. And neither would I. It would be a taint on the Jane name.

I usually couldn’t care less what other Wugs thought. But this was different. I would never forget the look Thansius had given me when the marks were revealed on my skin. I just wanted to show him that, well, that I was an honorable, if not overly clean, Wug.

I looked up quickly when I spotted his shadow across my workstation.

Domitar was staring at me. I glanced up at him expectantly.

“You did well last light, Vega, very well indeed.”

“Thank you, Domitar.”

“I won twenty coins on you, in fact,” he added in a giddy tone, rubbing his fat hands together.

I was very surprised by this, and my features must have revealed that.

He waved this look off. “I knew you would win. Cletus Loon is an even bigger idiot than his father.” He toddled off, chuckling to himself.

I went outside at the mid-light meal to bring water and some food to Harry Two. As I sat in the high grass, I stared up at Stacks. I had been to the top floor twice now. Once I had found Destin and the other time my past.

But was it the top floor?

I continued to gaze upward as Stacks soared on and on. It had to be taller than two floors. Which meant I had more of the place to discover. This was a ridiculously dangerous thought, I knew. I was one slip at the Duelum from going to Valhall for the rest of my sessions. But the sword hanging over my head had also given me true clarity of mind, perhaps for the first time in my life.

I was tired of so many questions on my part and no answers in return. Could I perhaps find some answers in Stacks, which seemed to have more secrets than any other place in Wormwood? Every time I had gone in there, I had come away with something of value. Could I try my luck once more?

When the bell rang for the end of work, I changed my clothes and waited outside for the other Wugs to leave. I was surprised to see Delph run up, his shirt soaked with sweat from his Wall work.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Duelum practice,” he answered.

“It’ll have to wait.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m sneaking back in Stacks after everyone has gone. I’ve been to the second floor. Now I want to go higher.”

“Are you nutters, Vega Jane?” sputtered Delph.

“Probably,” I answered.

“Krone’ll be looking for any chance to throw you back in Valhall. What if his blokes are watching us right now?”

“I thought of that,” I said. “I’m going to come back here a little later and sneak in the side. It would be pretty much impossible for anyone to spot me then.”

“Why go in a’tall?”

“I’ve been in there twice now and I’ve gotten out okay each time. And every time I have, I’ve learned something important. That’s where I got Destin,” I added, pointing at the chain, which sat around my waist. “And the Elemental and the Adder Stone.”

“But you said that was from the little room on the second floor. Now ya want to find a way to go higher, you said.”

“Right.”

“And I can’t talk you out of doing this?”

“No.”

He gazed up at Stacks. “So how do we do this?”

“We aren’t doing anything. I’m going in. You can take Harry Two to your digs and wait for me there. I’ll come by after I’m done here.”

“Either I go in with you, or I go and tell bloody Domitar what you’re planning to do. Bet he nips off to tell Krone.”

“Delph, you wouldn’t!” I said in a shocked tone.

“The Hel I wouldn’t.”

We stared at each other for about a sliver. He said, “I’m not letting you go into that place alone.”

“Delph, you don’t know what I’ve faced in there. It’s very dangerous and —”

“There’s Domitar leaving now. Shall I go have a chat with him?”

I looked over and saw Domitar and Dis Fidus leaving. I turned back and glared at Delph, whipping my hair out of my face.

“All right, but if you get killed, don’t come complaining to me.”

“Har,” he shot back.

Then a thought struck me. No, it was more a truth. I had given my word to fight in the Duelum, as hard as I could. If I did that, Morrigone said everything would return to normal. I would owe Council nothing. But I had no intention of staying in Wormwood after that. My parents were gone. My brother was lost to me. Morrigone had said that if I tried to leave, they would punish Delph. Well, our original plan of fleeing together solved that dilemma. And if Delph was going with me into the Quag, he had to learn, firsthand, how to handle himself in the face of things that a Wug was not used to confronting. Perhaps this night would be a good opportunity for Delph to be initiated into what lurked inside Stacks.

I looked up at him. “Delph?”

“What?” he barked, obviously ready for another argument.

“After the Duelum is done and you’ve won the thing, I’m leaving Wormwood. I’m going through the Quag. My mind is made up.”

“Okay,” he said, his features calming, but there was a heightened anxiety in his eyes, which I did not like.

“Are you still coming with me?”

He didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Are you a nutter? Course I am.”

Before I knew it, I had reached up on tiptoes and kissed him.

“Vega Jane,” he said, his face red with embarrassment over the unexpected snog. And in truth, I had surprised myself.

I hunched over defensively. “Just to seal the covenant, Delph,” I said quickly. “That’s all,” I added firmly.

LATER, WE SNUCK around the side of Stacks after leaving Harry Two at my digs. We had taken a meandering route here and even practiced some for the Duelum, which was perfectly legal if anyone was watching. Then I had led Delph down a forest path, which I knew was a shortcut to Stacks. I defeated the lock on the same door as before with my tools while Delph looked on admiringly.

“Right good touch, Vega Jane,” he said.

I opened the door and we stole into Stacks. I knew which way to go, which was fortunate. Even though it was still light outside, it was dark and shadowy in here.

I felt like I could hear Delph’s heart beating behind me as I gripped his hand and led him along. We reached the second floor with no problem. I was listening for the sounds of the jabbits coming, but the only things I heard were my breathing and Delph’s heart hammering. As I’d suspected, the jabbits didn’t seem to come out until dark.

We walked along the second floor and I reached the wooden door. On the other side was the little door with the crazy Wug doorknob. I didn’t want to go that way again.

I turned and led Delph in the other direction. I heard no slithers, no footfalls other than our own. I said, “There is at least one more floor up. The only way I can see it being is down here.”

Delph nodded, though I knew he was too nervous and fearful to be thinking clearly.

All we found was a solid wall with no evidence of stairs leading up. However, as I leaned out a window, I could see the floor above us. There had to be a way up.

I shut the window and turned back to Delph, who was standing in front of the blank wall probing every crevice with his strong fingers.

“Delph,” I began. And then I could no longer see Delph. My mind filled with vapor, as if a fog had rolled through my head. When it cleared, I still could not see Delph. What I saw was a staircase leading up. I shook my head clear and Delph reappeared in my sight line. I rubbed my eyes, but the image of the stairs did not come back.

“Delph,” I said. “Stand back.”

He turned to look at me. “There is nae stairs here, Vega Jane.”

“Step back.”

He moved away. I put on my glove, drew out the Elemental, thought it to full form, cranked my arm back and threw it as hard as I could at the wall.

“Vega Ja —” Delph began, but he never finished.

The wall had disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving a gaping hole. The Elemental returned to my hand like a trained prey bird.

Revealed in the hole was a set of black marble stairs, just like in the image in my head. I had no idea how I had seen it. But I was awfully glad I had.

I stepped through the hole, and Delph followed. We cautiously made our way up the steps. At the top of the stairs was a large room with words carved into the stone above the entrance.

HALL OF TRUTH.

I looked at Delph and he stared blankly back. We stepped into the room, stunned at both its size and beauty.

There were stone walls, marble floors, a wooden ceiling and not a single window. I marveled at the craftsmanship that had gone into the creation of this space. I had not seen stone carved so elegantly, and the pattern on the marble made it more resemble a work of art than a floor to walk upon. The beams overhead were darkened with age and were heavily carved with symbols I had never seen before and which, for some reason, gave me a moment of seized terror in my heart. And along each wall were enormous wooden bookcases filled with dusty, thick tomes.

I reached for Delph’s hand at the same moment his reached for mine. We walked to the middle of the room, stopped, and gazed around like two just-born Wugs first discovering what was outside the bellies of our mums.

“Lotta books,” noted Delph quite unnecessarily.

I had no idea there were these many books in existence. My first thought was that John would love this room, followed by a pang of depression. He was not the same John, was he?

“What do we do now?” asked Delph in a hushed voice.

That was a reasonable question. I supposed there was only one thing to do. I stepped toward the closest bookcase and slid out a book. I wish I hadn’t.

The instant I opened the book, the entire room transformed into something as unlike a room as it was possible to be. Gone were the books and the walls and the floor and the ceiling. Replacing them was a hurricane of images, voices, screams, slashes of light, vortexes of movement, Wugs, winged sleps, an army of flying jabbits and the vilest creatures dirt-bound. Garms and amarocs and freks hurtling over and through piles of bodies. And then there were non-Wugs, colossals, warriors in chain mail, things with peaked ears and red faces and blackened bodies, and shrouded shapes lurking in shadows from which streams of light burst forth. And then came explosions and kaleidoscopes of flames and towers of ice plummeting into abysses so deep they seemed to have no bottom.

My heart was in my throat. I felt Delph’s fingers fall away from mine. In this maelstrom of Hel, I turned and saw him running away. I wanted to flee too, but my feet seemed rooted where they were. I looked down at my hands. Still there was the open book. Out of the pages was pouring everything we were seeing.

I am not so brilliant as my brother, but simple problems sometimes have simple answers. I slammed shut the book. When the two halves smacked together, the room was once more just a room. I stood there out of breath, though I had not moved an inch.

I turned to see Delph bent over gasping for air, his face pale as goat’s milk.

“Bloody Hel,” he yelled.

“Bloody Hel,” I said more quietly, in agreement. I wanted to yell it too, actually, but my lungs lacked the capacity to do so.

“The Hall of Truth. All these books, Delph. Where did they come from? They can’t all be about Wormwood. It just isn’t that, well —”

“Important,” Delph finished for me. He shrugged. “Dunno, Vega Jane. Can’t make head nor tail of it. But let’s get outta this place.” He started for the stairs.

And that’s precisely when we heard it coming. Delph retreated to stand next to me. By the sound it was making, we were not about to be confronted by jabbits.

I thought this a good thing. Until I saw what came through the entrance.

Then all I could think to do was scream. And I did.

I would have preferred the jabbits.