Legacy of the Darksword - Margaret Weis [83]
“But there is about the Kij vine,” Mosiah replied. “It was created at the end of the Iron Wars, when some of the D’karn-duuk—the warlocks and war masters—saw the battle ending with themselves on the losing side. They had already used their magic to turn humans into giants, or twist humans into a combination of beast and man, which became the centaur. The warlocks perverted plant life, developing the Kij vine and other deadly vegetation, used them to ambush the unwary.
“When the wars ended, the ranks of the D’karn-duuk were depleted. They could no longer control their own creations, and so the giants and the centaur and the Kij vines were left on their own, to do what they could to survive.”
“I heard stories about the centaur,” Eliza said. “They captured my father once and nearly killed him. He said they were cruel and loved to inflict pain, but that this came out of their own great anger and suffering.”
“I have to work very hard to feel sympathy for the centaur,” Mosiah said dryly, “but I suppose this is true. Or should I say it was true, for they must have died when the magic died.”
“Like the Kij vines,” said Scylla, her pierced eyebrow arching. “And certain bears of my acquaintance.” She glanced back at Teddy, who smirked at her and winked.
“Here’s a thought,” she said. “What if the first Darksword did not destroy the Well of Life, as everyone has always supposed. What if, instead, the Darksword capped it?”
“Impossible. The magic was released into the universe,” Mosiah stated.
“The magic of Thimhallan was released, and perhaps a gush of magic from the Well. Then the Well was sealed. And ever since, the magic has been building beneath the surface. . . .”
“Well, really!” Simkin cried suddenly. “I won’t stay to be insulted.”
With that and a flash of orange scarf, Teddy vanished.
“What was all that about?” Eliza asked, bewildered. “Where did he go?”
“I wonder.” Mosiah glanced sidelong at Scylla. “I wonder about a lot of things.”
So did I. If Scylla’s theory was right and the magic had been building beneath Thimhallan all these years . . . what would happen? One effect was most obvious. Magic—strong and powerful—was available to whoever might be able to use it.
But surely, I argued with myself, if that were true, then certainly the Duuk-tsarith would have discovered it long ago.
Perhaps they had. Perhaps that is why they are so desperate to attain the Darksword. Not only could it destroy the Life that might be building beneath the Well, but if the new Darksword were to be given this powerful Life, its own power might be increased.
I turned the question upside down and inside out in my mind and never came to a satisfactory answer. It didn’t seem to me that there could ever be an answer. Within forty-eight hours, we would flee this place, most likely never to return.
Mosiah said nothing more. Scylla appeared lost in thought. The two lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. I continued my lesson with Eliza.
I was relieved that Teddy was gone, until I remembered my master’s warning—that it was always better to know where Simkin was than where he wasn’t.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“It takes nerves of stone to enter Zith-el in this manner.”
DARKSWORD ADVENTURES
We reached Zith-el not long after sunset. The afterglow— bright beneath gray storm clouds—tinged the sky with a lurid red that tipped the snow-covered mountains of the Ekard range with blood. It was an ominous sign and one that was not lost on my companions.
“Of all the cities on Thimhallan, Zith-el was the one that suffered the most damage when the Well of Life was destroyed,” Mosiah told us. “The buildings of Zith-el soared countless stories into the air. The people also tunneled deep into the ground in search of living space. When the magic was withdrawn and the fearsome quakes shook the land, the buildings fell, the tunnels collapsed. Thousands died, crushed to death, trapped in the rubble, or buried alive beneath the ground.”
The air car slowed. Zith-el’s Outer Wall, which had