He had come so close.
His hand trembled and he had to stand, clenching his fists to stop himself shaking.
So close .
The One should have attacked them while he had them both in the Twisted Tower, but he had been too wary of their combined power, and he did not know if the Twisted Tower was capable of aiding them as Elcho Falling had.
Three hours later the four had reached land free of human flesh and bone, but they didn"t camp until they had put some distance between themselves and the last remains of horror.
Doyle set a fire and the four sat in silence cleaning themselves as best they could with cloth strips from a shirt out of the packs Serge and Doyle had retrieved before they"d begun their wade eastward through the tides of death.
On the walk out of the nightmare each pair had told the other what they"d seen and heard, sharing information. Now they were content to just sit, rest, and come to terms with what they"d all experienced.
"What now, boss?" Serge said after a time.
Maximilian didn"t know what to say. He was exhausted, almost too fatigued to think. He felt deep guilt at what had happened at Hairekeep . . . surely he could have foreseen that disaster?
Avaldamon had needed to die in order to save Maximilian and Ishbel from their pride and stupidity.
"I think we need sleep," Ishbel said, knowing how Maximilian felt. She, too, couldn"t believe they"d managed to be fooled so easily and that Avaldamon had given his life for them. "We"re all tired and overwrought."
"No," Maximilian said, "we need to think. We just can"t pick up our bags and continue on as if nothing has happened." He looked back to where he could just see, faintly, the end of the area covered in bones and flesh. Even at this distance, if the breeze gusted the right way, he could smell the stink of putrefaction.
"Josia," he continued. "Josia ."
"We couldn"t have known --" Ishbel began.
"I should have thought!" Maximilian snapped.
Ishbel wet her lips, not knowing quite what to say. "Maxel, we need to get to Elcho Falling and warn --"
"We can"t leave it that long!" Maximilian said, then apologised to Ishbel for his tone. "I"m sorry. I just ."
"I know," she said, as gently as she could.
Maximilian sighed, bringing his emotions under control. "We can"t leave it that long. The One is not going to rest in his Josia existence and just wait for us to arrive at Elcho Falling. I gave Axis and through him, Georgdi and Insharah, and G.o.ds alone know who else at Elcho Falling, the means to communicate with Josia. Except it isn"t Josia they are communicating with, is it? It is the One, and the possibilities for deception are boundless."
"He"s going to be even more p.i.s.sed now he failed to kill you and Ishbel in Hairekeep," Serge remarked.
"Thank you for that observation, Serge," Maximilian said. He rubbed his face with a hand, trying to dredge up the energy he needed to think.
"I have heard a little of Josia and the Twisted Tower," Doyle said. "Maximilian, he can"t leave the Twisted Tower, can he?"
"No," Maximilian said, "not if he has inhabited Josia"s fleshless existence. He is as trapped in the Twisted Tower as was Josia."
"He needs flesh?" Doyle said.
Maximilian nodded. "In order to leave the Twisted Tower, yes, although I have no idea where the One might find it. He had to wait until Kanubai took corporeal form before he could make the jump into it. Taking "flesh" is not an easy thing to accomplish if you are not born into it."
"What real damage can he do from the Twisted Tower, then?" Serge said.
Ishbel winced.
"That much f.u.c.king damage!" Maximilian hissed, waving a hand at the slaughter they"d just taken three hours to walk out of.
No one said anything for a long minute.
"Is it possible to block off the Twisted Tower?" Ishbel said eventually. "Block it off completely from the world of the living?"
"Yes," Maximilian said, "I"ve been sitting here thinking about it. It can be done, but ."
"It is dangerous," Ishbel said.
Maximilian gave her a small, bleak smile.
"What do you need to do?" Ishbel said.
"The actual process is simplicity itself," Maximilian said, "and it reflects somewhat the action Avaldamon took in order to save us."
"The path ." Ishbel said.
"Aye, the path that connects this world to that of the Twisted Tower. The path is important . . . it must be negotiated exactly each time -- which is the weakness Avaldamon exploited to save us. And if it is not whole, if it is not complete, then no one can enter or leave. The One"s connection to this world would be lost."
"He couldn"t use the window?" Ishbel said. "He, as Josia, used it to communicate with Elcho Falling."
"No," said Maximilian, "The important connection is that path. When that is disrupted, even the window will be useless."
"Are you certain?" Serge said.
"I am really reconsidering the wisdom of travelling with you," Maximilian said, but this time there was no rancour in his voice.
Serge gave a small tip of his head in apology.
"You said it was dangerous," Ishbel broke in, "and yet you also said it was simplicity itself."
"All I need do is lift the initial stepping stone on the path," Maximilian said. "Take away that first stone, that first step, and that will break the connection completely. But . . . while bending down and lifting a slab of stone is not too difficult, if the One knows I am there, and I can"t imagine he won"t feel it at all, then . . . all he need do is open the door to the Twisted Tower and, while he can"t actually walk out, he can unleash his power down the path. He could kill me right then and there. I don"t think he"d miss an opportunity like that, Ishbel."
"So ." Ishbel said. "He needs to be distracted. At the window."
"Yes," Maximilian said. "If he is distracted at the window, and if he is not made suspicious by that distraction, then I might have a chance."
"How can we distract him?" Ishbel said.
"We" can"t do it," Maximilian said. "It needs to be whoever he usually talks to within Elcho Falling. Hopefully, that will not arouse his suspicion."
"How do we contact Elcho Falling to arrange that?" Ishbel said.
Maximilian gave her a weak and melancholy smile. "That"s what I have been worrying about. It will take us weeks to reach Elcho Falling, at best. I can"t leave it that long."
"Maxel?" Ishbel said.
"I can"t leave it that long, Ishbel, it wouldn"t be --"
"Maxel, it is the rat."
Everyone turned and looked to where she pointed.
There, trundling along as if nothing worrisome had perturbed its day, was Ishbel"s rat. It wandered to and fro at the edge of the circle for a bit then, having accepted a scratch of his whiskers from Ishbel"s fingers, he settled down on the pack which contained the Book of the Soulenai.
"If it wasn"t for him," Doyle said, "we wouldn"t have found you."
"Then he is welcome enough to the warmth of the fire," said Maximilian.
Chapter 4.
Isembaard, and the Outlands.
Maximilian slept that night, so deeply he might almost have been dead, and while he slept, he visited with the dead. Once again he travelled into the Otherworld, feeling someone"s desperate need to meet with him.
This time, however, Maximilian met up with the person who had summoned him hither.
Josia.
Maximilian stopped dead, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
"It is I," Josia said.
Maximilian said nothing.
"Really" Josia said.
"I have come to vouch for him," said another voice, and Maxel looked.
There stood Boaz.
"Your father?" Maximilian said.
"He has moved further into the Otherworld to see his wife, my mother," Boaz said. "Do not fret for him, Maxel. He is content."
"This is Josia?" Maximilian said.
Boaz grinned. "Yes. This is Josia. Thank the G.o.ds you escaped, Maxel, although we had to cancel the welcome party we"d arranged for you and Ishbel."
Maximilian allowed himself to relax a little. "Josia, forgive me for --"
Josia raised his hands. "I cannot fault you for your doubt. I tried to warn you, Maxel, but I couldn"t get through. I am sorry about what has happened. I had no idea I was so vulnerable to the One. I feel ill at the thought of him within the Twisted Tower."
"Yes," said Maximilian, "I need to talk to you about this." He outlined to Josia and Boaz what he thought to do -- isolate the One within the Twisted Tower. "Is this possible? Can the One then reconstruct some connection to the mortal world from the window?"
"Taking that first stepping stone will cut him off effectively," said Josia. "Can he rebuild a connection from the window?" Josia blew out his cheeks, thinking. "I don"t know. Maybe. But for now . . . if you can take that stone and isolate him it would help. You need someone to distract him from the upper window, don"t you?"
"Indeed," said Maximilian. "Even if just for a moment. He will need to physically race down ninety levels to get to the front door and open it before he can do me any harm, and that should give me enough time to upend that stone."
"Ha!" Josia said. "Given that the Lords of Elcho Falling have been trampling on it for thousands of years, that may be harder than you think. But yes . . . you need someone to lure him to that window. Someone he won"t suspect. Someone from Elcho Falling. Georgdi is the one he currently speaks to from time to time, I believe."
"Georgdi. Yes. Can you reach him? Can you co-ordinate the timing?"
"No," said Josia, "I can"t reach Georgdi. He will not be receptive either to me or the Otherworld. It was hard enough to drag you here. The only person I can contact effectively will be someone who already has intimate knowledge of the Otherworld."
Maximilian grinned. "Axis."
Axis tossed, drifting in and out of sleep. Isaiah was pushing his army hard as they travelled north, and they no longer even took the time to establish their tents at night. Instead, everyone rolled up in blankets on the ground, and this night Axis seemed to have found himself a particularly stony patch.
It made sleeping uncomfortable, but that didn"t stop Axis, just before dawn, from drifting into a deep slumber.
In the morning, Axis sought out Isaiah and took him to one side so they could converse privately. In as few words as possible, Axis outlined what Josia had told him.
Isaiah stared at Axis, appalled. "Josia is the One?"
"Well, not the Josia now in the Otherworld, no, but the Josia in the Twisted Tower --"
"Yes, yes, I understand." Isaiah took a moment to rub his forehead, momentarily closing his eyes. "Thank the heavens Maxel and Ishbel survived. Now Maxel wants us . . . someone . . . to distract the One while Maximilian attempts to isolate him within the Tower. I don"t like that, Axis. It is hugely dangerous, both for whoever tries to distract the One, and for Maxel."
"It has to be done, Isaiah."
Isaiah sighed, and nodded. "When can you contact the Enchanters within Elcho Falling, Axis?"
"Not this far out. It is too risky. We need to be closer."
"And I actually want to be in Elcho Falling when this happens, Axis."
"No," Axis said. "That will be too risky as well. If the One knows you are in Elcho Falling he is unlikely to come to the window. He will fear that you will recognise him. Currently he doesn"t realise we -- you and I -- know who he is. He wouldn"t have been able to overhear the conversations that took place in the Otherworld. Besides, we"d have a better chance at achieving what we need at Elcho Falling if the One is confined useless within the Twisted Tower. It needs to happen before we enter, Isaiah."
"So you will need to converse with one of the Enchanters outside Elcho Falling. The One might not hear that?"
"He might," said Axis, "but, remember, he doesn"t know that I know who he is. All I need do is to ask StarHeaven -- I have an easy communication with her -- to ask Georgdi to speak to Josia at a specified time before we engage in battle with Eleanon and the Lealfast. He should ask Josia if he has any information . . . whether about Maxel or the Lealfast, I don"t care. It would be a natural thing for me to do. Georgdi won"t know the real reason I am asking him to call to Josia."
"It is risky. Georgdi might not do it -- it would be close to battle, he could be distracted ."
"Than I will need to impress on him the importance of asking and of asking at the precise time."