Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 06_ Vortex - Denning Troy [164]
“I didn’t ask you to kill anyone this time,” Luke said, stopping beside her, on the side opposite Taalon.
“No, but it is the Jedi who make it necessary. Because of your nephew, the Current has changed.” Out of the corner of her eye, Abeloth caught Taalon’s gaze—and held it. “Because of what Jacen Solo did, the Throne of Balance will be claimed by a usurper.”
“A usurper?” Taalon asked.
Luke uttered a silent curse. It was difficult to guess how much Abeloth knew about his visions of the throne—but however much that was, even mentioning it in Taalon’s presence posed a danger to Allana.
When Abeloth did not respond to his question, Taalon asked another. “Are you speaking of the Jedi queen?”
Abeloth pretended not to hear, returning her gaze to Luke. “Because of Jacen Solo, the Fallanassi must do whatever is necessary to restore the Current to the proper flow,” she said. “Wherever Jedi tread, Master Skywalker, mayhem follows. If the Fallanassi must set right your mistakes, the burden for our actions does not fall on us.”
“Only the killer is a criminal, not his executioner,” Taalon agreed. “Tell me about this usurper.”
Abeloth finally acknowledged his question, lifting one brow in his direction. “Is that a request, or an order?”
“An offer,” Taalon said smoothly. “Name this Jedi queen, and you shall have whatever the Sith can offer.”
“She’s toying with you. This queen and her Throne of Balance are just another illusion,” Luke said quickly. Abeloth’s effort to set them against each other was a good sign, suggesting she lacked the strength to battle them outright. Unfortunately, it was also a good tactic, as Luke could not permit any Sith to know Allana’s true identity and leave the hall alive. “Akanah told you herself that Abeloth was a Fallanassi. You can’t believe in her trickery.”
Abeloth smirked at Luke, then turned back to Taalon. “You have bathed in the Pool of Knowledge,” she said to the Sith. “Trust what you see.”
“Good advice, if you’re a master of illusions,” Luke said sarcastically. He looked past Abeloth to Taalon. “She’s trying to play us against each other. You do see that?”
“Do you think a High Lord would be unaware of that, Master Skywalker?” Taalon kept his gaze fixed on Abeloth. “Whether it works will depend on what she is offering.”
Abeloth circled around to Taalon’s far side, placing the High Lord between herself and Luke. “Sarasu Taalon, I will teach you what you are becoming.” She was purring these words into his ear, just loud enough for Luke to hear, even over the bubbling of the magma. “And when you understand that, you will not need me to learn the identity of the Jedi queen. You will know it.”
Taalon fixed his gaze on Luke and said nothing, and a cold shudder raced up Luke’s spine. The High Lord had made his choice, leaving the Skywalkers outnumbered and outpowered against him and Abeloth. And there was no way to save Ben except win.
Luke used the Force to touch Ben with a sense of danger, then put on an innocent act and began to peer into the corners of the hall.
“All right, Abeloth. What did you do with Akanah?” Luke asked. He stepped away from the speaking pit on the pretext of going to look for her. “Did you trade bodies with her, like you did with Dyon Stadd?”
But Taalon knew the true reason Luke was moving, and the High Lord was not about to let himself be pinned against the pit. In the blink of an eye he had his lightsaber in hand and was moving to cut off his Jedi foe … which was exactly what Luke expected.
Luke grabbed Taalon in the Force and sent him sailing toward the door in a high arc. The snap-hiss of an igniting lightsaber confirmed that Ben understood what Luke intended. By the time Luke had his own weapon in hand, his son was Force-leaping into combat, his blue blade tracing an arc that an exhausted and weakened Taalon would be hard-pressed to avoid.
Thinking they might win this battle after all, Luke thumbed his own blade to life and spun to