City of Towers_ The Dreaming Dark - Keith Baker [90]
“You may be able to hold me off, Monan, but you can’t beat me with my own memories,” Daine said.
He was growing suspicious. Monan seemed surprisingly eager to talk about the situation. The changeling might be telling the truth, but he could just as easily be lying, trying to demoralize his foe.
“Perhaps I don’t need to win,” Monan said. “Perhaps I just need to wait. Every minute you’re trapped, my power grows. Soon I’ll depart, and I’ll take your body with me. But don’t worry, you’ll have all of your memories to keep you company. Soon enough, you’ll be no more than a memory yourself.”
Perhaps Monan was telling the truth; perhaps not, but the taunts were taking a toll on Daine. With every passing moment, he felt more detached, distant. It was becoming difficult to think, but he had to try. He launched a series of lightning-swift blows at the changeling, but his foe didn’t parry. He simply avoided. Each warrior knew the other’s fighting style perfectly.
And then Daine had an idea.
He was facing a deadly, highly skilled opponent. He only had one weapon left, and it was both his last defense and his only chance against his enemy. Every lesson he’d been taught, every instinct he had, told him that the dagger was his last hope.
He threw it away.
Monan was preparing for another pass when Daine hurled the dagger. Daine’s real grandfather might have been able to block the blade, but Daine had never thrown a weapon in their practice sessions, and he never would have thrown the weapon in real life. In all of Daine’s memories—the memories Monan was using against him—there was no precedent for such an act. The blade caught Monan in the center of his throat. He sat down hard, and the mask of Daine’s grandfather slipped away, revealing the almost featureless face of the changeling. His sword fell to the floor and vanished as his hands rose up, trying to grab hold of the hilt of the adamantine blade. But he didn’t have the energy, and his hands fell back to the floor.
“Only … temporary …” he whispered, gazing into Daine’s eyes.
Monan faded away, and the world went with him.
Daine woke on one of the pallets in their room in the Manticore. Lei was sitting by his side, holding a glittering crystal in her hand.
“Lei?” he whispered.
She looked over at him, and a smile spread over her face. “Daine! Thank the Sovereigns!”
“They didn’t have anything to do with it,” he muttered. “What … happened?” His head was muzzy, and he was having to force thoughts through the haze.
Pierce’s voice came from above and behind him. “You collapsed, just outside the Manticore. We brought you inside.”
“I was searching for outside influences,” Lei explained, indicating the crystal in her hand. “But I can’t sense anything. Do you remember what happened?”
“It’s Monan. He’s inside my mind. I’ve got to find a way to drive him out and quickly. If what he said is true, it’s only a matter of time before he regains his strength and tries again.”
Lei frowned. “A priest, then? They say that the adepts of the Silver Flame are masters of exorcism.”
“No!” Daine shook his head. “No priests. Besides, this isn’t a demon or fiend. It’s … I don’t know. His memories … thoughts. But I’m not talking to a priest of the Flame.”
Lei shrugged. “Fine. So do you have an idea of your own?”
Daine pondered for a moment then rose to his feet and picked up his swordbelt. “Perhaps I do.” He buckled on the belt and grabbed his chain mail shirt. “Where’s Jode?”
“He still hasn’t arrived,” Pierce said.
That stopped him for a moment. “What time is it?”
“The seventh bell just rang,” Lei replied.
“I’ll be back by ten.”
“Where are you going?”
“Following a hunch.”
“And what happens if you faint in the middle of hunch-hunting?”
“Then I guess Jode won’t be the only one missing.”
Lei blocked his path. “Daine, you were the one demanding we stay together.”
“This is something I need to do alone. Trust me. I’ll be back soon.” He pushed her aside and