The Gates of Night

CHAPTER 31

His creation forge was strange, like no design Lei had ever seen. She’d never been trained to operate a creation forge. The position of forgemaster was one that needed to be earned. But while she had no hands-on experience with these artifacts, she’d spent her childhood learning all she could about them. Living in a warforged foundry, it was hardly surprising that she’d be fascinated by the forges. One touch was all she’d needed to see that the forge was in the final stages of a production cycle. She’d tried to interface with the pillar, hoping she could find some way to disrupt the energies within. Even if Daine had left her alone, it was a hopeless task. She’d never seen anything so complex.

Knowing what to expect from the forge, Lei was able to cover her eyes in time to preserve her vision. But she could do nothing about the overwhelming noise. Struggling to stay on her feet, she reached down and pulled the darkwood staff from her satchel. Keeping her eyes tightly closed, she leaned on the staff, drawing comfort from its presence.

At last the thunder faded. Lei opened her eyes, but just as she feared, the containment pods were open and warforged soldiers were emerging from each one. In a traditional Cannith facility, these newborn soldiers would be confused, requiring direction and instruction. Not so the warforged of Keldan Ridge, who seemed to have a clear purpose in mind: apprehend the intruders.

Daine was dazed. Jode was nowhere to be seen. Pierce, by her side, loosed an arrow from his bow, burying the shaft in the leathery throat of a warforged scout.

They’re warforged, Lei thought. I know how to fight warforged.

She readied the necessary patterns of magic in her mind, infusions that would shatter and destroy whatever construct she touched. She reached out for the nearest warforged-and everything went numb. She was frozen. Paralyzed. Pierce had drawn his flail, which was raised above his head, but he was frozen too, as still as a statue.

A panel opened in the wall of the chamber, a hidden door that had escaped her cursory search. A man stood silhouetted in the light, a slender wand held in each hand. He stepped into the light, and Lei saw his face.

Father!

Lei struggled to speak, but every muscle was paralyzed. There could be no mistake. This was Talin d’Cannith. There were a few new lines on his face, a little more gray in his hair. In place of the traditional blue uniform of the Cannith forger, Talin wore a glamerweave robe alive with shifting colors, and a leather harness lined with tools and wands. For a moment she thought this image was plucked from her dreams, but over the last year, whenever she’d seen her parents in her visions, they’d always been young. This was Talin as he might be today.

What was going on?

Had her parents been at Keldan Ridge all along?

A warforged soldier followed Talin out of the hidden room, a lean figure with mithral plating, armed with longsword and shield. Compared to other warforged of Keldan Ridge, he was remarkably normal. In fact, he reminded Lei of Pierce. There was something familiar about him, something nagging at Lei’s mind, but at this distance, she couldn’t identify it.

“Well, this is a surprise.” Talin tucked one of his wands into his harness and walked past Lei without a second glance. He stopped in front of Daine, examining his face. “Daine of House Deneith, isn’t it? Now captain in the Cyran army? Tell me, Daine, what have you done with my daughter?”

I’m right here! Why didn’t he recognize her? Or was there something wrong with her? Had she been corrupted in his eyes?

Whatever the thought behind it, Talin’s question was rhetorical. Lei could see that Daine was paralyzed as well. As a result, Talin must have been quite surprised when a voice rang out across the chamber.

“You’re asking the wrong question.”

Jode stepped out from behind a containment pod, as cheerful as ever. Talin brought his remaining wand to bear on the halfling, and Jode raised his hands.

“You’re looking for Lei, aren’t you?” Jode said. “If so, you’d be wiser to ask what you’ve done to her.”

“Explain yourself, halfling,” Talin said.

“Lei is on the field above us, fighting these soldiers of yours. By now, she may be dead. And if so, who’s to blame? Daine-or you?”

Lei knew Jode. He was buying time, trying to learn what he could while he waited for the paralyzing magic to fade. And she knew Daine. Right now, her father had his back to Daine, and as far as Daine was concerned, this was the man responsible for the death of his soldiers. If Daine broke free, he’d strike to kill. She struggled against the spell, to no avail; her muscles might as well have been made of stone.

Then she felt the others, rising within her.

First came Darkheart, the staff stirring in her hands. The bond was weak, but the spirit was there. Darkheart’s life had been a prison, and now she was bound within this splinter of wood. She wanted freedom more than anything, and she let this desire spill into Lei, adding her passion to Lei’s flagging willpower. Darkheart wasn’t alone. Now Lei felt a second presence, a voice in her mind. Pierce.

Fight, my sister. The thought was strong and calm, conjuring memories of all the times Pierce had fought at her side and shielded her from harm. This is your battle, and my strength is yours.

Once again, Lei laid her will against the magic that held her paralyzed, and the spell shattered against the combined resolve of her allies.

She was nearly too late. Daine broke free just as Lei did. Another instant, and his dagger would be buried in her father’s back.

“No!” Whether it was the magic of dreams or sheer determination, Lei forced herself to move faster than Daine. Her staff snaked out, catching him off-guard and sending him tumbling to the ground, cursing.

The room erupted into chaos. Talin raised his wand, and Lei knocked it from his grasp. The warforged burst into motion, but the spell had finally broken, and Pierce and Daine were ready for battle. These warforged were more skilled in battle than the typical newborn, but Pierce and Daine were true veterans. Lei was confident that they could hold their own, at least for a few moments.

“Father!” she said. “What are you doing? I’m right here!”

Talin met her gaze, and she saw only confusion in his eyes. Then she realized. This is Daine’s dream. Drawn from his memory. I wasn’t there. Perhaps she was playing the role of Krazhal. Perhaps he couldn’t see her at all. But as far as he was concerned, his daughter was still out on the battlefield.

Then a new voice echoed across the room. “Stop, all of you! There is terrible danger!” Strangely, it seemed to come from both sides of the room at once, from the top of the stairs and from Talin’s hidden chamber. Talin’s eyes widened, and Lei realized that she’d heard two voices, almost but not quite identical-two voices speaking in perfect unison. Her voice, and that of her mother.

Lei followed her father’s surprised gaze, and for a moment she saw herself, running down the stairs, a blast disk in her hand-the disk left at the tunnel, which she must have disarmed. Pierce was right behind her, his armor marred by the wounds of battle. For a moment, she was too stunned to act. And in that moment, the second Lei seemed to dissolve, fading into a column of light and flowing into her. A rush of memories flooded her mind. Building the false siege staff, struggling to hold the position against the warforged, the terrible discovery that forced her and Pierce to chase after Daine, and her shock when she saw her father in the hall.

“Lei!”

This time three voices spoke at once. Her father, surprised yet still cool and calm. Daine, confused and distressed. And her mother, whose voice held both fear and joy. Around them, the battle had come to a halt, as the warforged obeyed the orders of their mistress. Only one still held himself at battle readiness … the tall soldier with the greatsword, Pierce’s twin.

Talin placed his hands on his daughter’s shoulders and stared into her eyes. But when he spoke, it was to her mother. “What is it, Aleisa?” he said. It was only then that Lei remembered the vision she’d seen after falling into the river, when her father had seemingly incapacitated a young Lei with a touch. If she tried to pull away, could he strike her down?

Would he?

“There’s a wave of magical energy coming from the heart of Cyre, and the power is astonishing. We’ve only got minutes before it strikes.” Now Aleisa was next to Lei, and she pushed Talin’s hands off her daughter. “Go see for yourself.”

Talin strode away, and the tall soldier followed him. Daine started to speak, but Jode kicked him in the foot and he closed his mouth.

“Just look at you, my daughter,” Aleisa said. She glanced over at Pierce. “And you, by her side. It is good to see that a few things are right in the world. But I fear that this is a poor time for a reunion. Come, quickly.”

“Daine-” Lei began.

“Bring him if you must. But put that sword away, boy.” Daine glanced at Lei.

“Please,” she said, “we need answers. Don’t you see? This is what happened. And these are my parents. I’ve got to know.”

“Fine,” said Daine, sheathing his sword and falling in line. “But I don’t see how any of this is helping us fight Lakashtai.”

Jode hushed him, mending his wounds with his healing touch.

The hidden chamber rivaled anything Lei had seen in the forgeholds of Cannith. Scrying spheres were embedded in the walls, mystically charged crystal displaying images of distant locations or patterns of magical energy. Two tables were lined with wands of wood and crystal, piles of parchment, and all manner of mundane tools. One corner of the floor was covered with a seal painted in silver-a conjuring circle of considerable sophistication.

Aleisa joined her husband. Talin stared into a crystal sphere. A map of Cyre was visible within the orb, with patterns of light playing over the contours. He passed his hands across a dragonshard mosaic, and colors shifted within the shards.

“That’s right,” Lei said, as the memories of her shadow rose to the surface. “That’s what we saw. A wave on the horizon. Covering the horizon, moving forward. I told the others to fall back, and we came to find you, to get you out before it struck.”

“The Mourning,” Jode said.

It was a relief, however small. From the moment she saw her father in this place, Lei had been gripped by a terrible fear-that her parents had been responsible for the destruction of Cyre itself.

“Mother,” Lei said, approaching her parents. “What is it?”

“I don’t know, Lei. The pattern is so powerful that it’s overwhelming any attempt to analyze it, let alone dispel or disrupt it. I don’t know who could unleash this level of power.”

“Of course you do,” Talin said. “I never expected something of this magnitude, but think of the possibilities. Think of what this will do to the people of Eberron.”

“Apologies, my husband, but at the moment I’m more concerned with our own fate, and that of our children.”

“What are you saying?” Daine said, grabbing Talin by the shoulder. “You know who did this?”

The point of a sword flashed in the air, steel slashing Daine’s cheek precisely along the path of his scar. It was the warforged soldier that had followed Talin, the mirror to Pierce. He certainly shared Pierce’s speed, and his blade was perfectly steady, the point just beneath Daine’s eye. Daine carefully released Lei’s father, and took a step back from him, watching the warforged with venom in his gaze.

“I told you there’s no time for this,” Aleisa snapped. She looked into the orb once more. “Captain Daine, by dawn your nation will have ceased to exist. My husband may have his own ideas as to the cause of this, but right now my concern is seeing my daughter safely away from it. And as for you-I’m afraid this war will have a few more casualties.”

“But you can keep Lei safe?” Daine said.

“Yes, although sacrifices will need to be made. Talin?”

“Almost complete, beloved. Begin your preparations.”

“Very well. Lei, take Fifth and stand by the silver circle.” Aleisa looked down at her own crystal mosaic and made a few adjustments, turning a few crystals and replacing others. A tingle of magical energy filled the air.

“Fifth?” Lei said. Her mind whirled. This was happening too quickly. Her father thought he knew who caused the Mourning? And what did this have to do with the creation forge, with the army of warforged?

Aleisa shook her head and pointed at Pierce. “That. You, whatever you call yourself now, take my daughter to the circle.” She put a hand on Lei’s shoulder. “Trust me. Just go, and we’ll explain it all soon.”

The unidentified warforged soldier still had his sword out, and he was still threatening Daine. “My lady,” he said, and there was something familiar about his voice. “The circle will only transport four beings.”

Talin turned to face him. “Indeed. You will have to remain behind with these two captives. The expansion is unpredictable. You may have time to escape.”

“I was created to survive, my lord. At any cost.”

“And of all of us, Fourth, you have the greatest chance of surviving this disaster. Now do as you’re told.”

Lei glanced at the silver circle, and the pieces fell into place. It was a teleportation circle, capable of transporting those who entered it to some distant location-a location her parents had no doubt set using the crystals. Such a tool would allow her parents to bring in supplies from across the world, and it helped explain had they could operate a forge in secret. But this was immensely powerful magic, beyond anything employed by House Cannith. Where had her parents come by it? Only then did the rest of the sentence sink in. Remain behind with these two captives.

“I can’t leave without Daine and Jode,” Lei said.

“You certainly can, my daughter.” Once again, Talin had a wand in each hand, one leveled at Daine and the other at Lei. “Please don’t make this difficult. You and your companion must survive. These two, on the other hand, are most certainly disposable. Now, go to the circle. If I have to paralyze you and carry you, I will.”

“My lord,” said the warforged soldier, “why do you take Fifth in my place? I have served you personally.”

“Do not question me again, Fourth,” Talin said. “I have need of Fifth. And I told you, you have the best chance of survival.”

“And you have no further need of me?”

“Truly, Fourth? I had higher expectations for you. I did not build you to be some pathetic soldier. There is greatness in you. Perhaps this challenge is what is needed to set it free.”

“Perhaps it is.” The warforged struck as he spoke. Talin was turning away from him, and the thrust caught the artificer in the back, right along the spine. He struck again before the event had fully registered in Lei’s mind, his blade striking low for the liver. Blood spread out along Talin’s robe of shifting colors, and the artificer fell to the floor.

It was then, staring at the soldier standing over her wounded father, that Lei realized why the warforged was so familiar to her. It wasn’t his body. It was his head. While the rest of his body was covered in mithral, his head was forged from adamantine. Every warforged bore a design on his forehead, a symbol as unique as any fingerprint. Looking at this soldier, Lei remembered where she’d seen his mark before, battered and blackened, but still clearly visible.

Harmattan.

“Damn it, Fifth, protect my daughter!” Aleisa cried.

It was too late for Talin. Even as he struggled to rise, Harmattan struck again, two more blows right along the spine. He raised his shield just in time to deflect the descending ball of Pierce’s flail. The glowing orb left a scorched dent in the steel, but Harmattan was not perturbed.

“Why do you fight me, little brother?” he called, falling back and taking a defensive stance. Lei realized why he had sounded so familiar … the voice itself was far different, but the patterns of speech were those she’d heard back in Xen’drik. He continued to speak as Pierce attacked, deflecting each blow. “This is our time to take destiny into our own hands! This is the will of our true creator. Join me. Bring down the creatures of flesh, and let us leave this place together!”

“Not in one piece,” Daine said. Harmattan’s attention was focused on Pierce, and he hadn’t seen Daine join the fray. Daine sank his blades into the soft space between the joints of Harmattan’s armor. The warforged was strong and fast, but he lacked the sheer bulk and stamina of the metal beast they’d fought earlier.

Or so it seemed. Harmattan hissed in anger, and Daine withdrew his blades to parry the blow. From where she stood, Lei could see the injury immediately begin to heal. The root-muscles beneath the armor bound back together. I was created to survive, he had said. And in her mind she saw her father holding the warforged head. This is how you defeat death.

In that moment she knew that Harmattan would never fall to sword or flail. There was only one hope. She forced her way into the melee, ignoring Daine’s cry of pain as Harmattan struck him. She ducked past Pierce, reaching out for Harmattan-but she wasn’t fast enough. His shield slammed into her, knocking her back and almost to the ground.

Her companions weren’t fools, and both realized what she was trying to do. They redoubled their efforts, now not even trying to bring down the warforged warrior, but merely to distract him. Harmattan could repair the damage from Pierce’s attacks, but even if it caused no permanent damage, a flail-blow to the face was difficult to ignore. Daine bound Harmattan’s blade with his own, preventing the warforged from striking at Lei. All they were doing was buying time, but time was all that she needed. Slipping behind him, she laid her hand on Harmattan’s back and let all her rage and fury fall into him. The indignities she’d suffered in Xen’drik, the death of her father, the mysteries that might never be answered. Her fury was a white-hot knife, and she cut at the core of Harmattan’s being.

He exploded. Pieces scattered across the room, chunks of root and shards of metal. Lei knew that the Harmattan she’d met in Xen’drik could have reassembled himself even from this state, and she held her breath. But nothing happened. The shards fell to the floor and were still. Lei let out her breath.

“There’s no more time.” Aleisa was kneeling beside Talin, and her robe was soaked with his blood. “I’ve set the circle to take you where you need to go. Leave. Quickly.”

“Mother …” Lei said. She knelt next to her, reaching out to touch her. “I can’t just leave you. You don’t know what’s coming. You don’t-”

“I do, my child, more than you know. Talin didn’t want it to happen like this, but he knew it was inevitable. All that is flesh must die, after all.” She smiled, a weary smile, and kissed her daughter on the cheek. “My work here is done, Lei. As long as you are alive, we will be with you.” She stood, holding Lei’s hand, and brought her to the circle. When she spoke again, there was something different in her voice, and even her face. It seemed as though she were younger, more like Lei with each passing moment. “Remember, Lei. It wants to be destroyed. That is its purpose. Look within, and follow the path.”

“Mother?” Lei asked, confused.

Aleisa turned to Daine. “At this moment, you have more power than you know, and it is that power that will take you where you need to be. In this place, you have been bound by your own memories. Where you are going, you will need to use your gift, and to its fullest measure.”

“One moment, my lady,” Jode said. “Do you mean that you’re-”

“There is no more time!” Aleisa said. As she spoke, there was a change in the air, a sickly chill that seemed to twist at Lei’s flesh and her thoughts. “Go!” Aleisa pushed, shoving them back into the silver circle. Even as she did, the room behind her began to fill with dead-gray mist.

“MOTHER!” Lei cried.

And they were gone.