The Shadow Of What Was Lost

Chapter 28

Davian frowned.

He was atop a low hill, which afforded a good view over the entire moonlit valley below. All around him were tents, some with lights still burning inside, but most dark. The moon was at its zenith and almost full; the night was clear, allowing the silvery light to illuminate his surroundings almost as if it were daytime. The air was cold and crisp, and he shivered, rubbing his hands together for warmth - even though he suspected he was not truly there. Just like before.

At the edges of the camp, quite some distance away, he could see sentries patrolling. In other areas campfires burned, and a few men still gathered around them, laughing bawdily at jokes or stories being told by their comrades. Davian spotted the banner of King Andras flying at the camp’s centre. This was the king’s army, then - perhaps sent out to meet the invading force he had foreseen last time? Why was he here, Seeing this? All seemed well.

Then he saw it. A shadow, silent, flitting from one tent to another. He stared, squinting, wondering for a second if he were imagining the whole thing. Then it came again, the slightest of movements, black against black. It moved into the next tent, noiseless, unnoticed by any of the men still awake.

Davian walked over to the tent, hesitant despite knowing that nothing here could see or harm him. He slipped inside, restraining a gasp as his eyes adjusted to the gloom.

The tent housed ten men, all lying motionless on their camp beds. Even in the dim light he could see the dark gashes running along each of their throats, and the slow, muted sound of dripping echoed dully around the tent. Blood onto the dirt, Davian realised sickly. He stumbled outside again, straining for another glimpse of the shadow. He had a suspicion, but he needed to find out exactly what it was before the vision ended.

Another flicker of movement caught his eye, and he dashed over to where he’d seen it. This time, as he entered the tent, he knew it was still there. The sounds of men breathing as they slept indicated it had not yet finished its grisly work.

He took an involuntary step back as he finally saw what was responsible for the killings. A figure stood above one of the beds, swathed in black, a dagger in its hand. Yet the dagger seemed not to be made of metal, but rather shifted and swirled, forged from shadow itself. The blade caressed another man’s neck, and blood fountained forth. The creature silently moved onto the next camp bed, its unsettling, flowing gait all too familiar.

A sha’teth.

Then it froze. It turned slowly until it was facing Davian.

Davian stood stock-still. It could not see him; it must have been startled by something else. These were events yet to come. He was not actually here.

A wet, snuffling sound came from beneath the creature’s hood; it bowed its head and began moving towards him, not directly, but testing the air like a dog closing in on a scent. Much like the Orkoth had.

“I can smell you, Shalician,” it whispered. The voice was harsh and low, rasping.

Davian clenched his fists, terrified. It couldn’t know he was there. The creature crept closer and closer, Davian still too afraid to move, until it stopped in front of him.

It looked up, into his eyes, and Davian saw the hideous face beneath its hood. Pale skin was crisscrossed with unmentionable scars; its eyes were disturbingly human, its gaze unseeing and yet focused. Its ruined lips curled in contempt.

“You should not be here,” it hissed into his face.

Davian awoke with a shout.

He thrashed on his bed for a few seconds, pain arcing through his head. Malshash was above him, wide-eyed, holding him down by the shoulders. Davian forced a hand up to his face; when he took it away again it was covered with blood.

He tried to speak, but no words came out. The pain roaring in his ears suddenly began to subside, and his vision blurred.

He slipped into unconsciousness.

Davian awoke.

He sat up sharply as he remembered where he was, what had happened. To his surprise he was lying in a large, comfortable bed. He leapt up and crossed to the window to discover he was on the second floor of a house - presumably the same one that Malshash had taken him to earlier. The dull grey mists made the passing of time difficult to calculate in Deilannis, but his instincts said he had been asleep for several hours at least.

He was still dressed, but his clothes showed no trace of blood. He examined where he’d been sleeping, but there were no bloodstains there either. Had he been dreaming? The army, the sha’teth, and then waking… it had all seemed so real.

He wandered downstairs, listening for any sign of movement and finding his way to the kitchen once he was satisfied he was alone. It was, indeed, Malshash’s house; the fire still burned in the hearth, and a meal of porridge and bacon had been laid out on the table. The smell made his stomach growl, despite having eaten just before he slept.

He stared at the food suspiciously for a few seconds, but eventually hunger overcame his caution and he sat, wolfing down the meal.

“I see I should have prepared for two,” an unfamiliar voice observed dryly from behind him.

Davian leapt to his feet, knocking over his chair in his haste. He spun to see an elderly man, perhaps in his late sixties, though apparently still hale and spry enough to move around without making a sound. His hair was shoulder-length, grey but with streaks of the black it must once have been. His hazel eyes twinkled in amusement as he watched Davian.

“Who are you?” said Davian, caught between fear and irritation.

The man blinked, then laughed. “Ah, of course. How foolish of me.” He stepped forward. “I am Malshash.”

Davian shook his head. “I met Malshash yesterday. You are not him.”

“And yet I am.” The man claiming to be Malshash took another step forward. “As I told you yesterday, we are the only two people in Deilannis. I would know immediately if it were otherwise.”

Davian allowed his tensed muscles to relax a little, though he remained cautious. “I don’t understand,” he admitted.

“I am what you would call a shapeshifter,” said Malshash, busying himself serving another plate of porridge. He paused. “Actually, that isn’t entirely true. I have… borrowed… a shapeshifter’s ability. Temporarily.” He shrugged. “As a result, I must use it at least once each day. If I do not, the ability reverts to its previous owner. Which – and you will need to trust me on this – would not end well for either of us.” He smiled to himself, as if he had just said something amusing. “Needless to say, if you see someone in this city, it will be me.”

Davian shook his head. “I’ve never heard of someone who can change their appearance.”

Malshash snorted. “Of course you have. You must have heard of Nethgalla? The Ath?”

Davian screwed up his face. “Well, of course I’ve heard of her, but that’s just….” He blinked, stopping short. “You stole the Ath’s ability?”

Malshash grinned. “Don’t worry. She’s not coming for it anytime soon.” He gestured to the half-eaten meal in front of Davian. “Eat. It will help restore your strength.”

Davian scowled. “And why am I weak to begin with?” he asked irritably, though he didn’t need a second invitation to continue the meal.

“Two reasons,” said Malshash. “The first being that you lost plenty of blood last night. I assume it wasn’t a deliberate act on your part, using your Foresight in the middle of Deilannis? For a while there, I wasn’t entirely sure you were going to live, even with all logic to the contrary.”

Davian paused. “So I didn’t imagine that?”

Malshash gave him a wry smile. “I’m afraid not. I took the liberty of suppressing your ability before you had another episode, though. You’re no longer in danger.”

Davian shook his head in confusion, then decided to let the matter slide until he had his bearings a little better. “You mentioned there were two reasons?”

Malshash nodded. “You stepped through time to get here,” he explained in a calm, matter-of-fact tone. “Or more to the point, you stepped outside of time. For a moment – a millionth of a millionth of a moment, and an eternity – you existed elsewhere.”

Davian gave a humourless laugh. “I don’t understand a word of what you just said.”

Malshash sighed. “You will. Or at least you’ll need to, if you ever hope to return to your own time.”

Davian paused mid-bite. “What do you mean?”

Malshash looked at him, expression serious. “This moment here, now? It is about seventy or so years before you were born.”

Davian stared at the plain wall of what was now, apparently, his room.

He had not reacted well to Malshash’s revelation. He had laughed at first, thinking it a joke; when Malshash had insisted it was true he had flatly refused to believe it, calling the man a liar and a fool.

And yet deep down, he’d known. Perhaps had known before Malshash had even told him. The sick feeling in his stomach was fear, and he was afraid because there was so much he didn’t understand.

In the end he’d stormed off back to this room; Malshash had let him go, evidently deciding it was best to leave him to his own devices for the time being. Davian knew he would have to go and apologise soon. He needed Malshash; the mysterious man seemed to know everything important about what was happening, including how to get him home.

Davian had been working up the courage, and the energy, to go back downstairs for the last hour now. There had just been so much happening – not only today, but over the past few weeks. He’d always thought of himself as mentally strong, able to adapt no matter what was thrown at him. But this, on top of everything else… whenever he tried to think about it, it felt as though his head was burning up.

He eventually rose and, steeling himself, headed back downstairs. Malshash was still sitting at the table, sipping a warm drink. The shapeshifter glanced up at Davian as he entered, but said nothing.

Davian sat himself opposite Malshash. “I am sorry,” he said quietly. “I said things -”

“Not your fault,” interrupted Malshash. “I wish there had been a better way to tell you, but it’s not something that’s easy to digest, no matter how you’re informed.”

Davian snorted. “There’s truth to that.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Let us say, for the time being, that I believe you. That I have somehow travelled eighty, ninety years into the past.”

Malshash inclined his head. “I’ll explain as best I can.” He paused, thinking. “You remember the room where we met?”

Davian nodded. “The one with the columns, and the altar in the middle.”

Malshash chuckled. “’Altar’. Yes, I suppose that’s about right,” he mused. “It’s called the Jha’vett. It is set in the very centre of the city. The exact midpoint.” He looked up expectantly, but Davian just gave him a blank stare back, not understanding the significance of what Malshash was saying.

Malshash sighed. “Three thousand years ago, a race called the Darecians came to Andarra as refugees, fleeing the destruction of their homeland. They conquered this continent and immediately began building Deilannis - a city that no native Andarran was allowed to enter, in which only High Darecians could live. They did all this because the city was, in fact, a weapon.”

“The entire city?”

Malshash nodded. “Possibly the greatest weapon ever made, though in some ways even the Darecians didn’t understand that at the time. Every building here, every street, every stone, is made to capture Essence – and it all leads to the Jha’vett. That ‘altar’, as you called it, is the focus of immense energies. The High Darecians, at the height of their knowledge and power, spent a hundred and fifty years making it.”

Davian felt his eyebrows raise. Every story of the Darecians spoke at length of their powers, their abilities with Essence. “What does it do?”

“It tears a rift,” replied Malshash seriously. “It allows someone to leave time itself, to step outside the stream of time and shift themselves elsewhere along it. Forwards. Backwards. Whenever they wish.” He shook his head. “They built it so that they could go back, to before the Shining Lands were destroyed. They wanted to warn their people of what was coming. To perhaps kill the man who destroyed them, before he could do it.”

Davian gaped. “Is that possible?”

“No-one really knows, but… I am beginning to think not.” Malshash sighed, deeply and with regret.

“So they failed?"

“Not exactly,” said Malshash. “The Jha’vett works, as you can tell. But if any of the Darecians went back, they weren’t able to change anything.” He jumped up, grabbed a handful of flour from a bag on the shelf, then came back and dumped it on the table. He drew a line through it. “Imagine this is time. The Darecians believed that going back to a point in time will create this.” He drew a branching line from the original. “An alternate timeline, where things are different depending on what has been changed. Where you could go back in time, kill your parents before they ever meet, and still live out the rest of your days in a reality where you are never born.” He drew more lines. “They believed that there are infinite realities, where each choice of each person creates a new world. So possibly, they went back in time, succeeded, and are now living out a different reality to this one.”

He erased the extra lines. “However, there may be only one timeline. One set of possible events. The Augurs have been reinforcing that theory for years, but it’s not something anyone wants to believe. We like the idea of infinite possibility. That nothing is inevitable.” He sounded frustrated. “Yet the more I see, the more inevitability seems to be the way of it. One timeline. No second chances.”

Davian frowned. “I was nowhere near the Jha’vett when all this happened. So how did I get here?”

Malshash shifted, looking uncomfortable. “There was a man. Aarkein Devaed. He was amongst those responsible for the destruction of the Shining Lands; when he invaded Andarra, he went ahead of his army and tried to use the Jha’vett for himself.” He paused. “Instead of getting it to work, though, he just… damaged it. Now, sometimes the energies in the city become misdirected. Escape, flow outward. Ripples like that are rare, but if you weren’t at the Jha’vett, it’s the only explanation.”

“There were apparitions, just before the Orkoth attacked,” said Davian, remembering. “People appearing and disappearing right in front of us. Would that have been caused by one of these… ripples?”

Malshash gave a thoughtful nod. “I would think so. Different times bleeding into each other, most likely. I’ve seen it happen once before.” He hesitated as if reminded of something, then fished around in his pocket, producing a ring with a slightly guilty expression. It was silver, and had three plain bands that twisted together to form a distinctive pattern, irregular but flowing.

Malshash held it up. “Before we go any further, you should know: I used the Jha’vett to draw you here with this,” he admitted awkwardly. “I needed something of yours, something personal. Something that meant a great deal to you.”

Davian looked at him in puzzlement. “What is it?”

Malshash raised an eyebrow. “It’s your ring.”

Davian shook his head. “I’ve never seen it before. It’s not mine.” The ring was distinctive; he’d certainly know if he’d ever owned something so fine.

“Ah. Then it will be,” said Malshash with a slight shrug.

Davian scowled. “How is that possible? How can something be important to me if I’ve never even seen it before?”

Malshash shrugged again. “Remember, you were outside of time when it drew you. There was no future, no past. When it is important to you is not relevant. At some point, it will be.”

Davian stared at him for a few seconds. “I think I’m going to have to take your word on that.”

Malshash gave him an amused half-smile in response and then tossed the ring to Davian, who caught it, examining it closely. It was unadorned with jewels, but the pattern created by the bands melding together was intricately done.

“What am I to do with this?” asked Davian.

“Keep it on you,” said Malshash. “Wear it. Don’t stray too far from it, ever. It’s the anchor that is holding you here in this time. If you get too far away, the pull of your own time may become too strong, draw you back into the rift.”

Davian stared at the ring. “Surely that would be what I want? I could go back?”

“No." Malshash shook his head, expression serious. "It’s remarkable you survived the journey here, Davian. A miracle. Most people caught in a rift are ripped apart by the sheer force of the transition; if they aren’t, they go mad, their minds unable to process the absence of time.”

Davian frowned. “Most people?”

Malshash shifted. “Everyone who has ever entered a rift, to the best of my knowledge,” he admitted. He sighed. “You will go back, I promise. But you need to hone your Augur abilities, train using kan before you can continue your journey.”

Davian looked at Malshash in open surprise. “You can teach me?”

Malshash grinned. “Ah, did I forget to mention? I’m an Augur too.” His continued to smile as he watched Davian’s shocked expression, then stood. “Finish up your meal, then rest a little more. I will return in the afternoon and we can begin your training.”

Before Davian could recover enough to speak, Malshash had left the room. Davian stared after him, mouth still open, for several more seconds.

“Yes, you forgot to mention that,” he eventually muttered to himself.

He returned to his meal, not knowing whether to feel excited or afraid.

A few hours passed before there was a knock on Davian’s door.

He had been lying on the bed, tired but unable to sleep, still struggling with the concepts Malshash had tried to explain that morning. He leapt up and opened the door, relieved to find that Malshash’s appearance had not changed since breakfast.

“Come with me,” said Malshash.

Davian trailed after the shapeshifter. They walked out of the house and down a street, neither towards the centre of the city nor towards one of the bridges.

“Where are we going?” Davian asked.

“The Great Library. I can teach you some things, a few tricks here and there, but much would be better coming straight from the Darecians.”

Davian nodded, falling silent. They walked at a casual stroll; Davian constantly had to slow to match Malshash’s pace, his skin crawling as the mists caressed it. “Aren’t you afraid the Orkoth will attack?” he asked nervously.

Malshash shook his head. “We need not fear Orkoth.”

Davian was not going to be put off. “Why?”

Malshash stopped in exasperation. He closed his eyes, gesturing in the air.

The mists thickened and a cry came, ear-splitting and chilling to the bone. Davian made to flee but suddenly found his shoulder gripped by Malshash, whose eyes were open again.

The Orkoth formed in front of them, as nightmarish as Davian remembered it. Its eyeless gaze sent a shiver down his spine… however the creature did not seem aggressive. Instead it just stood there, motionless.

Awaiting orders, Davian realised with horror.

“Adruus il. Devidri si Davian,” said Malshash, gesturing towards Davian.

“Devidri si Davian,” repeated the Orkoth.

“Sha jannin di,” said Malshash. The creature bowed – bowed! – and seemed to disintegrate into black smoke. Within seconds the mists had faded again.

“You see,” said Malshash. “Nothing to fear. Orkoth knows you now. He will not attack you.”

Davian gaped for a few moments at Malshash’s back as the older man kept walking, then had to jog to catch up.

“Why can you control it?” he asked quietly.

Malshash waved the question away. “A use of kan. Simple enough when you know how.” He turned, raising an eyebrow at Davian. “I’m sure you have more important questions, though?”

Davian was tempted to pursue the matter, but some of the questions he had thought of in the past few hours came bubbling to the surface. “When I go back,” he said, “ will I go back to the same time as I left? Can I save Nihim?”

Malshash shook his head. “If what I suspect is true, then… no. A part of you – the shadow of a shadow of you – remains in your present. That is what will draw you back, when you’re ready. As much time as you spend here, the same amount of time will have passed when you return.” He shrugged. “The Jha’vett bends the rules, but it seems it cannot break them entirely.”

Davian nodded; he’d hoped it would be otherwise but somehow the answer didn’t surprise him. “Why did you bring me here?” he asked. “How did you get this ring?”

Malshash didn’t stop walking. “I did it to see if I could change things,” he said softly. “And I had the ring because you… left it. Left it for me, I suspect.”

“So we’ve met before?”

Malshash shook his head. “Not exactly. But our paths have crossed - in my past, your future. Briefly. I was trying to prevent you from going to that time," he admitted, looking uncomfortable. "But you must have dropped the ring knowing what I would do with it, I suppose. Knowing this younger version of yourself would end up here.” He laughed, a little bitterly. “Clever.”

Davian hesitated, trying to grasp what Malshash was telling him. "So… you know my future, then?"

"Not really." Malshash gave him an apologetic smile. "Before yesterday, all I knew was your name, and that you were able to travel through the Rift. I did see you at a distance, that one time… you had another scar, on the other side of your face. That was a long time ago for me, though." He shrugged. "That’s all I can offer, I’m afraid."

Davian sighed, massaging his temples. "Then why choose me?"

"You were the only person I knew of who had survived the Rift. This was… a first step. A relatively simple way to see if the past could be altered."

"So you wanted to use the Jha’vett to change something?"

Malshash stared straight ahead. "Yes. And the reasons behind that are my own." His tone indicated he would say no more about it.

They walked for a few more minutes in silence, until finally they came to a large building with white marble columns at the front and an enormous dome. They climbed the stairs and stopped in front of the massive double doors, which were closed. Malshash gestured at them, and they swung open without a sound.

“The Great Library of Deilannis,” he said, indicating Davian should enter.

Davian gaped openly once they were inside. A gentle yellow glow bathed everything, similar to the lighting used in the library back at the school at Caladel. They were in a large room – massive, really – and every wall, every inch of wall, was filled with books. They stretched away into each corner; further along Davian saw an open doorway, through which it looked like there was another room also full to the brim with tomes.

“How are we supposed to find anything in here?” he asked, both awed and a little dismayed.

Malshash grinned. “Fortunately, the Darecians were a rather clever people.” He guided Davian over to a short, squat pillar in the centre of the room, atop which was a translucent blue stone. “Place your hand over this, and think of what you need to know.”

Davian touched the stone lightly. “But I don’t know what book I need.”

“You don’t need to know the name of the book. Just think of what you’re trying to find out.”

A little cynical, Davian took a deep breath and concentrated. He was there to learn to use his Augur abilities, so he could go home. That was what he needed.

The stone beneath his palm began to glow; Davian snatched his hand away as if burned, though there had been no physical sensation. A thread of blue light crept from the stone, slowly but surely stretching out, moving towards the wall until it came to rest touching the spine of a small red book. Another tendril appeared, this time in nearly the opposite direction, eventually attaching itself to a book on the other side of the room.

Three more tendrils appeared, Davian watching in stunned silence. When it became clear there were to be no more, he walked over to the first book, which seemed itself to be glowing with the gentle blue light.

He took it carefully off the shelf. It didn’t have a title, so he flipped it open to a random page.

His eyes widened as he read. It was a discourse, thorough and frank, on the best ways to practice reading another person’s thoughts. He flipped to a different section; this one talked about natural offshoots of being an Augur. Even his own ability – the ability to sense deception – was briefly discussed.

He read on in fascination. There were methods to subtly engage a person’s thoughts, in order to manipulate them. Implied rules, discussions of moral implications. Techniques of focus, ways to achieve clarity when two minds were linked.

It was all there, written plainly and simply, as if it were nothing at all remarkable.

He was lost for a while, flicking pages back and forth in complete fascination. After a time there came a polite cough, and he looked up to see Malshash watching him in amusement. Davian flushed, realising he had been caught up for several minutes now.

“Sorry,” he said, a little abashed. “It’s amazing.”

Malshash smiled. “You’d be wise to at least skim all of them,” he said, gesturing around. Davian glanced up to see that the other books touched by the tendrils of blue light were still glowing. “The Adviser is rarely wrong. It will have picked out only the very best books to satisfy your query.”

Davian looked at the blue stone. “It’s called an Adviser?” He gave a slight smirk.

Malshash rolled his eyes. “I call it that… you can call it what you want. Just use it. Learn the theory, and I’ll help you put it into practice.” He gestured around grandly. “All the knowledge of the Darecians is here, Davian. They weren’t perfect, but they were more advanced than any other civilization that has walked this earth. Believe me.” He turned, heading towards the doorway. “You know the way back? I will be gone for a few days.”

Davian froze. “You’re leaving?”

“Only for a short while.”

“But….” Davian floundered. “I thought you were going to train me?”

“I will,” Malshash reassured him.

“What if someone else comes?” pressed Davian. The thought of being left alone in the city frightened him. “Am I safe from the Orkoth?”

Malshash grunted. “I told you, Orkoth won’t harm you now. And there is no-one and nothing else here to fear.”

Davian gave an uncertain shrug. “So I’ll just… see what I can find?”

Malshash smiled. “Good. Study hard. The faster you understand the basics, the faster you will be able to return home.”

Without anything further, he turned and left.

Davian stared after him for a few moments, feeling cast adrift. He hadn’t known what to think of Malshash – still didn’t; the man clearly didn’t want to reveal much about himself – but the presence of another human being had been comforting. Left so completely alone now, Davian was struck by just how silent the building was, how empty the city felt.

Shaking off the sensation as best he could, he turned back to the book in his hand. Whatever else the events of the last few days had done, they had delivered him an amazing opportunity to learn about his powers – his hopes for which had been dashed since the moment he’d realised Ilseth Tenvar had lied to him.

His face hardened into a mask of determination as, for the first time in a while, he allowed himself to think about the man who had fooled him into this journey. Who had probably known in advance that Asha was going to die.

He would learn these abilities, and find a way back to his own time. Do his best to stop whatever was going on with the Boundary.

And after that, he would seek out Ilseth Tenvar.