Legacy of the Darksword - Margaret Weis [143]
They are met in the forest by Father Saryon, who guides them to the cave of the Dragon of Night.
The dragon recognizes Saryon, who introduces Eliza. She goes forward to recover the sword. As she picks it up Duuk-tsarith appear in the cavern. They do not believe Radisovik’s vision of the angel, they think that the Hch’nyv are part of a plot designed by the Technomancers. The Duuk-tsarith have deposed King Garald and taken up rulership of the world. They demand the Darksword.
Eliza raises the sword to defend herself. The Darksword begins to draw Life from the Duuk-tsarith. The sword’s null-magic breaks the charmed hold Saryon has on the dragon.
The Dragon of Night kills Eliza and everyone in the cave. The dragon hurls the Darksword into the deepest part of the River Famirish.
The Hch’nyv destroy Earth and Thimhallan. The human race is extinct.
THE SECOND TIME LINE
Saryon and Reuven travel to Thimhallan from Earth to meet Joram. They warn him of the coming of the Hch’nyv. Saryon tries to persuade Joram to return to Earth with his family.
Fearing that this is a trick to steal the Darksword, Joram refuses.
His daughter, Eliza, steals the Darksword during the night. She leaves the house, intending to take the sword to the military outpost, hand it over to the people of Earth. Reuven sees her leave and, realizing her danger, goes after her.
The Technomancers arrive, confront Joram, and demand that he hand over the Darksword. Joram seeks the weapon in its hiding place, discovers that it is gone. Eliza is gone as well. Joram realizes what has happened. He battles the Technomancers and is joined in his fight by Mosiah, who has been keeping Joram and his family under guard.
The Technomancers capture Joram and Father Saryon. They are about to capture Gwen, but she is rescued by the dead, who take her away to their realm.
Scylla finds Reuven and Eliza. They return to the house, discover Mosiah, and hear that Joram has been captured by the Technomancers. Smythe appears and tells Eliza that he will exchange her father’s life for the sword. She is to meet him in Zith-el, where the Technomancers have their headquarters.
Scylla, Eliza, and Mosiah travel to Zith-el, accompanied by Simkin, in the form of a teddy bear.
Eliza and her escort reach the gate. An Interrogator, disguised as Gwen, tricks Eliza into giving up the Darksword.
Mosiah recognizes the Interrogator, seizes the Darksword, and hurls it into the gate. He, Reuven, and Eliza enter the gate and run straight into the arms of the waiting Technomancers.
In the ensuing battle, Eliza is killed. The Technomancers seize the Darksword. They transport it and their prisoners to Earth.
Despondent over the death of his beloved daughter, blaming himself, Joram dies of his wounds on the trip back.
The Hch’nyv attack Earth. Kevon Smythe hands over the Darksword, expects his life to be spared.
It isn’t.
The Hch’nyv destroy Earth and Thimhallan. The human race is wiped out.
THE THIRD TIME LINE
As you know, having read the book, Scylla managed, by jumping between time lines, to create a third time line, one in which we had a chance to survive. Simkin was the key and Scylla admitted that she herself didn’t know until the very end whether he would help us or blithely cast us all aside.
“We were fortunate that the Technomancers lost no opportunity to insult him. As he told Smythe, they didn’t believe in him,” Scylla said. “In the end, that’s why he decided to help.”
Not even she knew, or so she claims, that Simkin had taken the form of the Darksword. But thinking back, I realize now that was why the dragon complained so bitterly of the sword’s bright light, hurting its eyes. The dragon could see more than we could, apparently.
As for the Darksword itself, does it still lie in some cave back on flame-ravaged Thimhallan?
We will not discover the answer in our lifetime, but who knows? Perhaps, when thousands of