The Kivattar Bridge

The Kivattar Bridge

Book Four of The Kivattar Bridge

a fantasy in four parts by Peter Hutchinson

Published by Peter Hutchinson at Smashwords

Copyright  2015 by Peter Hutchinson

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook should not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

The Story So Far

Main Characters

Part One The Threshold

Deadline

Departures

Part Two The Guardians

The Red Sword

Choms and Kings

The True Sword

The Quezma Army

Summons

Part Three The Perram

North

Nowhere

Part Four Aftermath

Ripples

Return

Part Five Kivattar

The Bridge

The Kivattar Way

Maps

Author’s Postscript

About the author

The story so far

This is the fourth and final book of the Kivattar Bridge. The first three books told the story of four young people who were plucked out of their quiet lives in rural Esparan to undertake an extraordinary challenge set to them by the mysterious Kivattar, to find the legendary Talismans of the Gods.

Guided by their Kivattar mentors, they travelled to the distant Empire in Book One surviving many dangers along the way. Already they were coming to the attention of powerful enemies, the Terrechar assassins, the Shadowmasters and the Spinners. At last against all odds they found the Talisman and escaped. Rasscu stayed behind as Guardian of the First Talisman and leader of the fierce Sarai people, while the others went home to Esparan, aware that their lives had been changed, but knowing nothing yet of the Kivattar path they will follow.

In Book Two Berin and Caldar plunged into the vast Quezma Republic to claim the next Talisman, guided by the Kivattar Jedorje and Meruvai. They snatched their prize from right under the noses of the deadly Spinners, who rule the Republic. Their long flight took them back through the Camarth, the land of the ferocious Borogoi horsemen, where they were only saved by the self-sacrifice of Herao, Berin’s lover.

In the Empire Rasscu defended the Sarai plateau from new attacks with the help of the First Talisman. He then set about uniting the lowland Sarai tribes and giving the Fenkur horse herds a safe haven from the civil war which was tearing the Empire apart. With help from his spirit bird and Pepper, his new Kivattar mentor, he also began the long process of learning the inner world of the Talisman.

Meanwhile Tariska was lured away from the safety of Esparan by a false story that Caldar was in trouble far away. The Kivattar managed to trace her to Shardd, the most dangerous of the Fisher Kingdoms far to the south, but too late! She had fallen into the power of a Shadowmaster, who used her dreams to reach out to Caldar and to set him racing south to rescue her.

At the start of Book Three the group had found two Talismans, but they were scatttered across the world, Tariska and Caldar lost where not even the Kivattar could find them.

Tariska was in Shardd, deceived by a Shadowmaster into believing that Caldar was a slave somewhere in this deadly Kingdom. She learned sorcery in the hope of using it to divine where he was.

In fact Caldar had been waylaid and sold off as a slave before he even reached Shardd. Drugs blanked off his memories, but he came to the notice of the Shabbatsa who took him into the Rhudila, the deep desert, to cure him. Later Jedorje, one of his teachers, arrived to complete the process and guide him further on the Kivattar path.

Far away in the Borogoi grasslands Berin traced Herao to the sacred Hub and rescued her from a renegade shaman. They travelled on together to QuinQuiya, where Meruvai, Berin’s mentor, set them to find the original Quezma people, who were the only hope of salvaging something from the coming civil war in the Republic.

In the Empire Rasscu countered an attack from the Terrechar assassins. But soon afterwards they took over the Empire in a sudden coup. They tortured Princess Shkosta to make her side with them, but she escaped into the mountains with a few loyal soldiers. Rasscu met them and took Shkosta onto the Harb. Together they organised the defence of Tarkus which was under attack from a Quezma army, the start of the long-threatened invasion.

The Kivattar warned the other three that Tariska was approaching a crisis in Shardd which would involve them all. Her sudden final showdown with the Shadowmaster was so powerful that it endangered the whole group: but they survived and the release of power transported them to Hyalante, home world of the Saeng, the makers of the Talismans.

Finally the young four were called together to Esparan to meet all the Kivattar. They have come a very long way since they started. They have found all three legendary Talismans of the Gods and become the new Guardians. They have even crossed the boundary of the world to Hyalante. Now they are poised to find out more about the Kivattar path and what they must do next.

Names of main characters in The Kivattar Bridge

Kivattar

The Young Group

Berin. ~ Guardian of the Third Talisman. The Voyager of the group

Caldar ~ The Perram of the group

Rasscu ~ Guardian of the First Talisman. Sarai Leader. The Heart of the group

Tariska ~ Guardian of the Second Talisman. The Warrior of the group

Herao ~ Woman from Rittabye. Berin’s lover. Rasscu’s sister Shawif

Older Kivattar

Jedorje ~ The Teller. The Warrior of her group

Idressin ~ The Perram of his group

Meruvai ~ The Voyager of her group

Pepper ~ The Heart of his group

The Tinker ~ The Perram of previous group

Sisme ~ Legendary Witch. Past Kivattar. Past Guardian of the Second Talisman.

Empire

Dettekar ~ General of Imperial Guard. Shkosta’s general

Master Dzar ~ Head of Kramenti Monastery

Shkosta ~ Princess. Ex-Terrechar. Hostage to Baron Hexper as a child (Vellan)

The Dagun ~ Leaders of the Terrechar

Faseki ~ Terrechar. Head of the Dagun

Baron Hexper ~ Leader of the Barons of the Cold Coast

Sarai

Barrada ~ Past Sarai leader. Past Guardian of First Talisman. Caldar has his amulet. (also known as Barda Repo)

Piddur ~ Sarai fighter. Friend to Rasscu & Remakkib

Remakkib ~ Sarai War leader

Samd D’Eher ~ Sarai Religious leader. Blinded by Barrada

Sherhar ~ Woman of the Faheldim. Samd D’Eher’s daughter

Quezma Republic

Spinners

~ Overil ~ Spinner controlling Republic

~ Chachi ~ Ex-Priest of Black Stone. Spinner

~ Olnur ~ Spinner dedicated to catching Rakthir (Berin)

~ Watchmen ~ The 6 senior Spinners

Fnap ~ Hermit at Rapittanam

Hyeng ~ Fleeg boatman

Liffen ~ Hyeng’s daughter

Mlzan ~ Mute goatherd (gypsy)

Pass Iwan ~ Mlzan’s grandfather (gypsy)

S’Bissi ~ Trinta trader

Borogoi

Red Horn ~ Leader of skewgant (outlawed Borogoi)

Shushugo ~ Skewgant rider

Wedayo ~ Borogoi Shaman. Now Blood Shaman at The Hub

Fisher Kingdoms

Shadowmasters

~ Billebos in Tungu

~ Huypus in Kohal

~ The Minatou in Shardd

Pirippi ~ Acolyte from Tocal Hold

He Kekmut ~ Man of the Wapoto

Rhudila

Tsibban ~ Man of the Ahim

Gepaal ~ Youth of the Sand Shabbatsa

Maheris ~ Man of the Ahim at Mahk Jemen

Hopett

Kirikapoo ~ Hopett shaman

Inkeskar ~ Hopett hunter

Piminiak ~ Legendary Hopett. Called The Wanderer

Part 1. The Threshold

There never was such a complicated place, the unicorn said.

As what? the mermaid asked.

As the world.

Nonsense, the world’s no more complicated today than it was

yesterday.

Really? I’m so stupid, mermaid. I don’t know what the world was

yesterday. In fact I don’t really know what it is at all.

The Unicorn & the Mermaid: Trinta Story

Deadline

Esparan: Suntoren

This is a battle you will not win.

In the total silence which followed the Tinker’s words Herao glanced at Berin’s face. It was controlled as always, but she knew him too well. His stillness shouted at her: he was shocked, and dispirited as well. For herself she was too tired to feel anything much except the hope that this interminable meeting would end soon. In the two days and nights since they had all gathered in this house to talk about the future she had only managed to snatch a few hours sleep, while the others, as far as she could tell, had carried right on.

She had been fascinated at the start. With encouragement from the Tinker, first Rasscu and then Berin had recounted their experiences of Hyalante and the Saeng. The older Kivattar would answer none of their questions, merely saying there would be time for that later; the account of what had happened when the young group had crossed the boundary between worlds must come first.

Herao had not heard the story of Rasscu’s journey through the waste and his encounter with ‘the lady of the garden’, as he called her. Every word rang true and even as her mind said to her ‘pure dreamland’ she found herself believing it completely. The Tesserit still scared her, but he was straight as a blade. He would not lie or invent anything…… She caught herself with a little shock. Rasscu had named her as his sister. True or false? She cut off the question and turned her attention back to the meeting.

Rasscu had been more and more hesitant towards the end, apologetic for the haziness of his memory and puzzled by it. The older Kivattar plied him with endless questions, but even under this stimulus he eventually dried up. What was lost was lost and no amount of digging was going to unearth anything more.

It was already evening before Berin began. Herao had squeezed much of the story out of him on the long journey up the Goronga. It had seemed like a game on the boat, teasing him about things she didn’t understand and didn’t want to. Here in the vibrant silence of this room, full of people who were attentive to every word, she heard it anew. It was different hearing it all at once, but it was the Tinker’s declaration the day before that she herself was Kivattar, one of this extraordinary group, which transformed the experience. There was much of it she still did not understand, but it was no longer a game. The realisation that what she was hearing really mattered almost crushed her.

To her surprise Berin had also been struggling towards the end of his account, unable to recall much of what he had seen and heard. When he had nearly finished and was describing how he had been the only moving thing in Yimling on his return from Hyalante, Pepper, who was sitting next to her, leaned over and said out of the corner of his mouth, You need to take this lad in hand, Herao. Not a practical thought in his head. Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rob every money-vault in Yimling and he just rides off.

Herao glanced at him gratefully. The little man could put her at ease with a few words, banishing for a moment the vast gulf which existed between her and the intimidating older Kivattar. As for the young group, the initial alienation she had felt, even with Berin, had gradually weakened and as she heard them speak of their recent experiences the last traces of it evaporated. The inner confusion and doubts, which she thought of as her own special burden, were mirrored in each story. And on the second day when Tariska had told of her final battle in Zibsi Mapetc, Herao had felt literally pierced by her pain.

At one point Tariska had stopped, unable to continue. She had told her listeners how she had captured the unknown intruder in the agonising prison of the Sulpec Domh, and then discovered to her horror that she had been deceived. The intruder had been Caldar.

When you imprison what you love the most, remember that this cage can only be opened from the inside. The words were a whisper. Then Tariska raised her tear-streaked face and looked at Jedorje.

Why didn’t you name Caldar in the Telling? I would have died for him rather than….

You nearly did, Jedorje said gently, but you saved him instead. I don’t choose what I see in the Telling, Tikka. Be glad it was enough.

Tariska stared at the Teller for a long moment, then raised a damp smile. If you ever do a Telling for me again, Jedorje, please spell it out. I’m not good with riddles. And Sisme’s just as bad as you are.

Then she had gone on to tell of the intervention of Sisme, a sorceress who had apparently been dead for thousands of years, and of the tides of light in Hyalante, the quiet story taking Herao further and further out of her depth every minute.

Caldar had lightened the mood with his account of his time trailing around the desert in Jedorje’s wake, misunderstanding virtually everything she said to him. His account of Hyalante was much briefer than the others: unlike them he had been there before.

By the time Caldar had finished the sun was setting for the second time and they had all gone into the garden to catch the last of the light while they ate. The clouds had cleared and it promised to be a cold night, the stars already pricking clear and sharp through the dark eastern sky.

Why did you want to hear all that? Berin asked as he chewed on a final apple. You seem to know what’s happening to us most of the time.

Not enough, Berin, Idressin replied. When these two ran off to Shardd one after the other, he waved at Tariska and Caldar who were sitting close together,we would have reacted a lot quicker if we’d known about it. And as for Hyalante, you heard for yourself, every experience of it is different. We needed to hear it from you, to know where you are.

Where are we? Berin asked lightly.

At the threshold of the Kivattar path.

It was the Tinker who spoke. His deep voice was quiet, but Herao felt a shiver of both excitement and foreboding at the words.

You took your first step when you agreed to set off from Suntoren to find the First Talisman. You took your second when you found all the Talismans and crossed to Hyalante.

Now we have to use the Talismans, Berin plunged in confidently, to help other people feel the influence of the Saeng, hopefully to reach Hyalante and experience what we did. We know that’s what the Kivattar have to do, Tinker. We just don’t know how to start.

You may know what the Kivattar’s job is, but I don’t, Tariska said firmly. No, hold on, Berin, you told us what the Saeng said to you, but I’d rather hear it from the Tinker. Hyalante was ….. not normal. She raised an eyebrow at Berin, who nodded his understanding. I’d rather get a clear explanation from someone human, well, sort of human.

She flashed a grin at the Tinker and got a slow smile in return.

Sort of human’s good enough for you now is it, Tikka? That’s an advance on the last time we met here in Suntoren. ‘Completely crazy’ were the words as I remember. Alright, I’ll give you my version of what the Saeng said …. and some of what they didn’t.

Herao had a strange sensation as if all the older Kivattar had suddenly come alert. Even though none of them so much as blinked, there was a momentary sense of danger in the peaceful garden.

But let’s go inside, the Tinker went on. It’ll get cold soon and this could take some time.

Once the fire was alight he resumed. Let’s go back to that first talk Idressin and I had with you in Suntoren all those years ago. The legend of the Talismans. You remember? How humans were given responsibility for the earth and threw it away? Well, now you’ve met the Saeng, you should have some idea what the legend was about. As the earth developed, so in a natural process did the forms of life on earth. That’s not to differentiate the earth from the life forms: everything is part of the earth. They form a single whole, including our own human life, and everything has its own place in that whole. Our particular place, our role, is linked to the Saeng.

So they’re the gods in the legend?, Berin queried. The ones who created the earth? I never thought to ask about that.

The legend cuts a few corners there. No, they didn’t create the earth. They’re upstream from us, if you like, in the flow of creation and they feed the earth with certain things it needs, just like the sun does. What the Saeng provide is subtle and only human consciousness can receive and transmit it. All humans, not just the Kivattar, have been given the potential to be necessary links in this chain. It’s a natural part of human life and fulfilling this potential should be as basic as an apple tree producing apples.

You make it sound so simple, Caldar put in. The Ahim can spend twenty years just trying to get a glimpse of Hyalante and …

Just a minute, Caldar, you’re getting too far ahead. I said should be. You’re forgetting the rest of the legend. The human race messed up the plan. Who knows how or why …. it was all a very long time ago, but it’s not difficult to see how it would have happened. An animal like all the rest, but with an extra faculty the others didn’t have. Consciousness is about the nearest we can get to giving it a name. A potential waiting to be developed and containing its own pattern to guide humans in the right direction. But when this faculty interacted with the rest of our nature, it led to all sorts of distractions, to what appeared to be a wonderland of new experiences. Irresistible, and we didn’t resist it. Looking back it seems inevitable that the rest of our nature would pile in and appropriate these new possibilities. An awful disappointment for the Saeng, I’m sure, but in hindsight, no surprise.

And it just gets worse, Berin said, the memory clear in his mind again of the dark wall the Saeng had shown him at the boundary between the worlds. The less we use the potential, the more it’s going to shrivel away.

So they sent the Talismans. To us, here in this room. Rasscu’s voice was soft.It feels like a bad joke.

Not a joke for the Saeng, more like a last desperate throw of the dice, the Tinker resumed. For all their vast knowledge they find humans very hard to understand. We ought to fulfil our part in the cosmic scheme naturally, but we don’t. And having gone so far astray, we shouldn’t be able to drag ourselves back to take our proper role, but we do. They don’t understand us, but they’ve seen the Talismans work their improbable magic before, so they send them again.

And find us, Tariska said, feeling much as Rasscu did. Disappointment or surprise?

Surprise, the Tinker replied with a hint of a smile. You lot must have been quite an entertaining surprise for them. You no sooner latch on to the last Talisman than you pop up unexpectedly in Hyalante, full of questions like a bunch of children. Now, now ! He held up his hands in defence as they all began to protest. It’s not criticism. What you did was astonishing. What will you do next?

That’s what we….

Just a minute. Rasscu cut across Berin’s words. I feel like Tikka. We’re hurrying on towards what we’re going to do, and I still don’t understand where we’re starting from, where we are now.

You want to know about the earth itself.

Rasscu stared at the Tinker, then nodded slowly

When you were shown the Dance in Hyalante, you saw what was happening, the actual interplay of forces which create and maintain our universe. You remember?

Some, the Tesserit replied.

And through that you were able to experience the unity of being, all being. He sensed Rasscu’s hesitation and added, That’s what you said yesterday morning.

Yes. I know that’s how it was, but it’s just that I can’t bring it back. It’s ….. it’s out of reach now.

"It was a true experience , Rasscu. She showed you the reality of what the other Saeng told Berin in words. We’re all part of the Dance, carried on the Creative Flow, the earth itself just as much as we humans who live on it. And you’re right to want to be clear about this before we go any further.

We talk about the role of humans as if it was something by itself, something separate. It isn’t. The earth has its own position and its own role in the universe and we’re a part of that. It sounds very grand in the legends when they say that the human race has been given responsibility for the earth. The reality’s less imposing. For a period we’ve been given the potential to fulfil a small but vital role in the life and development of the earth……"

…and we’ve failed, Rasscu finished for him.

It would be more accurate to say we keep failing. Final failure? Not yet.

And what would be the result of final failure? Berin asked.

For the human race? We’d become parasites, worse in fact, parasites without anything to contribute, and as such I think the earth wouldn’t tolerate our presence for long. Consequences for the earth? I don’t know. Would our failure poison this branch of creation and cause it to fail also? The Saeng would probably say it was inevitable. By their very nature they lean towards certainty in everything and they know that the universe is governed by strict laws. There’s nothing haphazard about creation.

The old man stopped abruptly, lifting his head to gaze out over the lake which had turned a dull grey in the fading light. He can’t leave it there, Herao thought, totally involved despite her reservations. She saw Berin gather himself to speak, but it was Caldar’s voice that broke the silence.

And is it inevitable?

She felt another ripple pass through the older Kivattar. Jedorje was sitting almost opposite and Herao sensed rather than saw the Teller coming alert with the aware stillness of a cat on the hunt.

It’s a good question, Caldar. Worth a lot to you at this moment, so keep it.

The Tinker sounded pleased. Herao had no idea what was happening here, but at least Caldar looked as though he half understood.

Now, the old man said, looking round the young group, enough explanation. We could sit here for days and burden you with a whole lot of things you don’t need to know. Let’s get back to Berin’s original point. The human race needs to respond to the special influences the Saeng feed into our world. And before they can respond, they first have to become aware of them. You know the problem. What are you going to do about it?

There was a silence, while five young pairs of eyes looked hopefully at the Tinker waiting for him to supply the answer.

It’s your problem, he said at last. I’m not playing some kind of game with you. You truly are setting out on the Kivattar path now and since your group is that rare entity, a Talisman group, this responsibility is inescapably yours. The best we can do is to advise you what not to do, so use our help while you can.

The silence stretched on until Herao began to feel weariness suddenly envelope her like a blanket. She had had no sleep for two days now and it was becoming hard to keep her eyes open. She wasn’t fully a part of all this, she had no Talisman and no particular abilities. If she went quietly to sleep, maybe this unanswerable question would have been answered by the time she woke up -- then she could simply go along with it and help Berin as she always had.

She hitched herself closer to Berin, rested her head against his shoulder, and closed her eyes. She heard Caldar start to speak.

There are people who are already aware of the Saeng’s influence. The first time I crossed to Hyalante I was in the Mahk Azrel, the sacred place of the Ahim, who try to make that crossing themselves. When they open themselves to the filwar, surely that’s coming from the Saeng.

And Master Dzar? Rasscu said. What about Kramenti?

Herao sank like a stone and never heard the answer. She awoke to find herself cradled in Berin’s arms with a sky full of stars outside the window.

…. so you see, my young friends, even their best efforts won’t make the shift that’s required. The Tinker’s voice.

Herao shut her eyes again.

But you admitted they know more than we do. Berin. Good, he hadn’t noticed she was awake. She was warm and very content to lie still and listen.

About what they devote themselves to, yes, that’s true. And it’s also true that they absorb and transmit the influences from the Saeng in the way we humans are designed to do. But they’ve become islands of light in the darkness and they’re not strong enough to change that. In fact they’re probably not strong enough to survive by themselves with the enemies confronting them now. As Caldar said an hour ago, the filwar was no help at all in Shardd. There’s no profit in going over this any more. You must find another way.

In the silence which followed Herao drifted off to sleep again.

….. if we dealt with them? Rasscu was speaking now. No, wait a minute Caldar, I don’t mean each of us individually. I mean if we could learn to work together, to use the power of all three Talismans at once. Maybe we could eliminate some of these evil people, then the work of Kramenti and the others would flourish. Tikka said she felt powerful enough in Zibsi Mapetc to destroy the whole place and the Minatou along with it.

It seemed like that. Tikka’s voice: she sounded tired too. But I didn’t try, so I don’t really know what would have happened if I had. Anyway I don’t think the power of the Talismans is supposed to be used that way.

You mean we should oppose these people, but only up to a point? Rasscu sounded amused. Sounds like the problem I have with Remakkib and the Sarai. They’re always telling me there’s no sense in fighting enemies who are trying to kill you and then not killing them when you win. They won’t thank you for it, they’ll just come back and try again. We keep going round and round without …..

There was light in the sky when Herao opened her eyes again, only a couple of bright stars still showing low down in the west. The talking seemed to have stopped, but she felt Berin shift restlessly, so she sat up, stiff and aching, and glanced around, half expecting to see the others asleep. Every eye was open. The discussion wasn’t over, just at a pause.

Then the Tinker spoke. This is a battle you will not win.

She saw the shock in Berin’s face and felt angry at her own helplessness. She wanted to help him, but she was so tired she hadn’t even been able to stay awake. What was the Tinker talking about? What battle?

Eradicate what you see as evil and you’re sawing at the branch you’re sitting on. These people are the natural product of the Creative Flow which nurtures us all and you would be trying to stem the full flow of the universe. You can’t cut off the flow, you can only alter it.

Berin as usual was the first to break the long silence.

So all the ideas we’ve had up till now are useless? It’s not going to be enough if we try to help the Ahim or Master Dzar, the people who are the closest to fulfilling what the Saeng expect of us. And it’s pointless for us to set out to destroy the enemies who are working against them. That right?

The Tinker nodded gravely.

But we were given the Talismans to do something. What?

Berin looked round at his young companions, but it was Meruvai who spoke.

I think you’re being too hard on them, Tinker. They still have a huge amount to sort out in a very short time. We should at least point them down the right road.

Alright, you tell them.

Meruvai’s dark eyes rested on each of the Guardians in turn. Not on her, Herao noted, and not on Caldar either. This was strictly Guardian business.

The Talismans have given you the opportunity to shift the balance of life for everyone on earth, something the Ahim and Dzar could never do. Remember what the Tinker said years ago about changing the course of a river? It’s no use just trying to hold it back: you can’t, it’s too huge. You have to give it another way to flow. That’s exactly where you are now. You must waken the consciousness dormant in millions of people, the special consciousness which can recognise and respond to the influences from the Saeng, and then if possible create the conditions where it can grow. There’s only one place to achieve this on the scale that’s required and that’s in people’s ordinary everyday existence, not in a monastery or a desert retreat.

That’s… that’s impossible. The incredulity came through clearly in Berin’s voice. You mean something like start a religion?

That’s what Shuvaldam did. Meruvai smiled at Berin’s reaction. Yes, he was a Guardian too, faced with exactly the same question as you. He gave a teaching which turned into a religion.

But the Spinners. His followers turned into the Spinners.

Only a handful of them and only after a very long time. It’s as the Tinker told you, there’s no such thing as a permanent victory here. You can only restore the balance for a time. Shuvaldam’s work touched the lives of millions for thousands of years before the Spinners got to work.

We couldn’t do that, Rasscu said quietly. We don’t know enough, Meruvai, and I don’t see how we ever could. Maybe after a lifetime of your teaching……but we don’t have a lifetime, do we?

No, you don’t. You have …what, Tinker?

Three years, maybe less. He eyed the dismayed faces of the young Guardians. Meruvai didn’t say you had to start a religion, that was your idea. And none of us has ever said that you need to do this by yourselves. In fact you can’t.

You mean you’ll help us? Berin put in eagerly.

No, I mean you can’t do it, so you’ll have to find the ones who can. When you focus on the Ahim, you’re starting in the wrong place. You don’t need monks or hermits, you need people who can affect the lives of large numbers of others, people who have the abilities and the means to do what you don’t have time to do, people whose battles will be fought in this world. Then you must transmit to them as much as you can of your own knowledge.

That’ll take about ten minutes, Berin muttered.

Really? How long would it take you, Berin, to teach someone One Mind and above all how not to use it? And you, Rasscu, d’you also think you know nothing? How long to help someone experience the realities of being and time? As for you, Tikka…..

He stopped as she held up her hands in mock defeat.

I surrender, she said with a tired smile. Is he always this…crushing?

The question was addressed to Meruvai, but it was Pepper who answered.

This is his cheery and light-hearted mood. Wait till you catch him on a serious day.

Pepper’s quite right, it’s too nice a morning to be serious. They all looked at the Tinker in surprise. I think all you children should go off on the Lake and let Caldar show you his new skills, while we old folk sit around and rest. Go on, he said with a gentle smile. Don’t think about anything for a few hours. I’m sure the questions will still be there when you come back.

*

A strange meeting, Tinker, Jedorje said an hour later, as they watched the boat glide serenely out of the inlet below them. They’ve already run out of time and yet we’re feeding them so slowly with the knowledge of what they have to do.

And only part of it at that, Meruvai added.

We had to do it this way, the Tinker said firmly. We can’t wait for the Guardians to find the right way to start by themselves, but we have to let them worry their way through to it so they really see there’s no alternative. It seems slow and frustrating, endless talking, yet it’s whirlwind speed when you think of the shift they’re having to make. But you’re right, Jedorje, we’ll have to speed things up. This is the last day.

And that’s just the easy bit so far, Idressin put in quietly. Caldar’s said nothing.

Don’t worry, it’s there and he’s aware of it, Jedorje responded at once.

I agree, Meruvai added. It was showing way back in Rapittanam.

I hope you’re right. Idressin said slowly. This meeting’s for him more than anyone. I can hardly believe that we’re letting him go into this without any direct knowledge of the Qihal. I know, I know, Tinker, we’ve run out of time. He glanced across at the old man. Three years? Can you wait that long for us?

I must.

That’s not what I asked.

I must, the old man repeated grimly.

If this is going to turn into a serious session, Pepper said with a yawn, I’m in need of sustenance. You may not need food to keep up this pace, Tinker, but we do, assuming those young rats haven’t emptied the larder. You know they’ll come back with hundreds of new questions, don’t you?

*

And another thing. I’m still not clear about what you called ‘the Flow of Creation’. Is it the same as the Dance that Rass was shown in Hyalante? And it’s odd that it produces people like the Spinners, but doesn’t seem to help us. Why…

Hold on, Berin, that’s enough to start with.

Meruvai smiled. Pepper had been right. The outing on the Lake had brought the young group back relaxed and eager to start again. Berin had hardly sat down before his first question came out. This was his tenth and the others had contributed several of their own. Only Caldar had not spoken.

The Dance that Rasscu saw is a representation of part, our part, of the Flow of Creation in action. Alright? The second question’s a bit harder. Think of the Creative Flow as an outpouring of energy, which starts as a single gushing source, then spreads out, getting thinner and weaker the further it travels, until it eventually dissipates altogether.

Into nothing?

One question at a time, Meruvai said with mock severity. We humans are the product of the flow at this particular place and time. It made us what we are, beings with a dual nature, animals with a special consciousness. We’ve misused this special gift to the point where it no longer functions as it should, but the power of the Creative Flow doesn’t stop, it still runs through us…

.. and pushes us into using the energy the wrong way, like the Spinners? But..

.. why can’t you use it to help you now? Of course you can, there’s nothing else to use. The problem is you’re having to work against the tide. The faculty which should make it natural to develop our higher consciousness has been buried deep and all the energy is pouring into our animal nature.

Sorry, Berin muttered. You’ve told us all this before.

It’s actually a bit worse than that, Berin, Meruvai went on. When you alter the flow, which you’ll have to do to bring it back into balance, you’ll create a reaction. She nodded slowly at the doubt in his face. Yes, the efforts you make will create an equal reaction and actually feed strength to your enemies for a time.

And will their actions strengthen us?

Unfortunately not. Unfair isn’t it? Those going with the tide have all the advantages. We just have to accept we’re going the wrong way.

I don’t think I want to know any more. It gets worse every time I ask about anything.

Let’s see if I have any better luck, Rassu said with a smile. You’ve talked quite a bit about our successors, Tinker, the ones who are going to do our job for us. But there’s one problem we’ve only touched on and I’ll like some clear advice before this meeting’s over. Who are they? And how do we find these remarkable people? I mean we’re talking about someone who can pick up everything we’ve learned from you these last few years, do it without help from you or the Talismans, and then pass that on to everyone else. And of course fight off the enemies who are trying to stop them.

So it’s ‘everything we’ve learned’ now, is it? the Tinker queried. You’re finally admitting that you do have something to pass on then?

Berin and Rasscu squirmed. The Tinker smiled and went on before they could answer, Common sense should tell you where to start looking for the right people. What do you need? They’ll have to be able to absorb enough of what you teach them, then translate that into a form accessible to a large number of others. That means you’ll have to start with someone with the ability to absorb real knowledge, but someone who’s in a position to influence a wide circle of people around them.

It sounds sensible enough, Rasscu began slowly. But I’ve still no idea where to begin. The only people I know who fit the bill are the Terrechar. They have a sort of knowledge already and they certainly have influence. But that kind of power….

The Quezmas, Herao interrupted softly.

The Quezmas? Glancing at Meruvai, Berin made it a question. Of course. That helps. Not that we got very far down that line. They’re the original rulers of the Quezma kingdom, he explained to his friends. Meruvai already set us looking for them, saying they would be the best bet for the Republic after the civil war. They have some kind of natural resistance to the power of the Spinners. Why didn’t I think of that?

He frowned at Herao who gave him a sweet smile in return.

What’s right under your nose is often the last thing you notice, Meruvai said with a straight face. Herao tried not to giggle.

That doesn’t apply to Stoniths, of course, Pepper murmured, twirling his magnificent moustache. But a wise saying that the younger generation would do well to heed.

Alright, Pepper, I know when I’m being fingered, Rasscu said wearily. If it’s so blindingly obvious, why don’t you just tell me? I don’t mind being humiliated.

I have told you. Several times.

Rasscu stared at the little man.

Shkosta? You don’t mean it? I don’t trust her….

Yes, you do.

Not for this.

Pepper spread his hands. In the end it’s your call, Rass, not mine. You need to find the right person, whether it’s Shkosta or not. But don’t dismiss her out of prejudice.

Does this apply to me as well? Tariska asked. I’m looking for someone I’ve had pointed out to me before? If so, then I’m a complete blank.

I can’t answer that for you, I’m blank too, Jedorje said slowly. I don’t know if any of the people you met in Shardd will measure up to what you’ll need and the Ahim are just too damned holy. You’ve got a real problem there, Tikka. The only positive thing I can say to all of you at this moment is that the Talismans will help you in their own way. The Saeng provided you three with a pattern; that’s one way to describe the Talismans, patterns without power. Your efforts gave life and power to the patterns, so they’re stronger now and through you they can evoke a much wider response. You can be sure that influence will be touching the people around you, some of them deeply. You’ll just have to be ready to recognise the right ones when you come across them.

No one spoke for a couple of minutes. Then Caldar raised his head and looked straight at the Tinker.

There’s a couple of things I’d like to know.

Yet again Herao had the distinct sensation of the older Kivattar coming suddenly to full alert, but now it was even stronger.

Why do the Guardians only have three years to find their successors?

There are other levels on the Kivattar path, Caldar. The Tinker’s deep voice carried more than a hint of respect. By then your group will need to be ready to move on to the next stage.

Caldar waited, but nothing more was forthcoming.

Alright. Then what am I to do in the next three years while the Guardians are busy? How can I help?

You have your own task, you must find the way ahead for your group.

You mean ‘the road to nowhere’ Jedorje told me about? Caldar’s voice was even, but Herao could sense the sudden tensions which the meaningless words had aroused in him.

Some people call it that, the Tinker admitted. It’s hard to find any sort of name for something that defies description. Anyway it doesn’t matter what it’s called. This is your personal search that no one can help you with. You’re on your own.

I was about to ask who was going to help me, Caldar said with a strained smile. Nice to get it clear from the start.

Of all the people there only Idressin and the Tinker fully understood what Caldar was feeling at this moment. As Meruvai had told the young man on the beach in Rapittanam, for a long time the Perram’s role was to wait for the Guardians. That stage was over. From now on his role would be central to the future of the group. Everything they had achieved so far would be lost if he failed, and possibly the lives of his friends along with the hopes of a whole world. The weight of this sudden responsibility was numbing in its impact and yet he had no plan, no purpose with which to face it. Any advice would only distort the delicate razor’s edge of awareness he must find and follow by himself, and yet….

I can only tell you what was said to me at this moment. Idressin’s voice was gentle. Ask yourself what you want, certainty or truth. Certainty is the way of the Saeng, the Ahim, Master Dzar, whereas truth is the unique uncertainty.

*

I know we agreed to do it this way, Tinker, but ….. Jedorje ran out of words and shook her head in denial.

It was late and the older Kivattar were gathered in the kitchen. The meeting had continued for a while after Caldar’s intervention, until the accumulated weariness of the last three days suddenly seemed to catch up with the the young group and they had gone to bed.

It’s the only way. The old man’s voice was firm. If we told them any more at this stage, they would be totally confused at the very time when they’ll have to act without hesitation.

I feel as Jedorje does, Meruvai said. The Guardians are going away with one purpose in mind, the lesser one. When the second confronts them, it will be sudden and they’ll be totally unprepared. I know, I know, Tinker, we don’t have a fraction of the time it would take to prepare them……

…even if we could, Pepper put in.

….so a warning would be a waste of time, Meruvai concluded.

You don’t trust them enough, Pepper said quietly.

Pepper’s right. The Tinker nodded his agreement. It seems to me that this group is unique even among the Kivattar. Think of how it’s been from the start. They’ve never been prepared. Every real challenge they’ve faced, they’ve had to deal with it as it happened. In Zibsi Mapetc Tariska had never even heard of the inner fire before, yet she found it in the very moment it was needed.

True, but only because Sisme got through to advise her. Will we be able to do that this time?

I don’t know, Jedorje. You may think from my perspective I should know, but truly I don’t. I’m not even sure how Sisme made that contact; she’s moved on a very long way now. We’re all moving on and that, as you well know, is the reason we’re having to push the young group so fast. The task they face is familiar to us, but the scale and urgency of it are so great now that I’ve no idea how they’re going to carry it through.

There was a long silence.

You’ve never said this before, Idressin remarked.

Trust them, the Tinker replied. Trust them and help them if you can.

*

Tariska prowled the empty rooms, frustrated that she could find no release for her fear and anger. Caldar and the others were still asleep, but after lying awake for hours she had decided to get the answers she wanted straight away. It was not yet dawn, but the older Kivattar never seemed to rest anyway and if they were asleep, she would take pleasure in waking them up. If she could find them ! She went from room to room in the huge house, all three stories of it. No one, except her friends.

She was standing in the kitchen doorway peering doubtfully out into the murky garden, when a figure came striding out of the wet mist.

Good morning, Tikka. It was Idressin. Couldn’t sleep?

He went past her into the kitchen and immediately set about feeding wood into the large black stove which dominated one end of the room. It was hard to maintain her anger. After all she could hardly blame everything on Idressin, but her fears needed voicing.

Idressin.

He straightened from the stove and turned to face her.

Caldar?

She nodded. He asked if he could help the Guardians and the Tinker said no. He never actually said that we can’t help Caldar, but it’s what he meant, isn’t it? ‘You’re on your own’, he said.

She stopped. Idressin’s silence was answer enough.

I’ve got a very bad feeling about this. I mean what Caldar’s doing. We’ve all been pretty much on our own in the last few years. Now at last we’ve learned how to make contact, how to help each other, and we can’t use it. And to make it worse the enemies we’re facing seem to be more powerful at every step.

She hesitated and received a nod of confirmation.

It’s what Meruvai said, isn’t it? Everything we do is making them stronger. Like me in Zibsi Mapetc. I can’t believe it, I actually reactivated the accumulator for him.

And closed it off again, Idressin reminded her. That’s not really what Meruvai was talking about, but it comes to the same thing in the end. Yes, your efforts are making them stronger and it will be truer than ever when you seek out your successors.

Tariska sighed. Jedorje said I didn’t need to go back to Shardd. But it’s not over, is it?

You’re moving further into the open, into the world they control. They’re bound to react.

That’s… She stopped abruptly and frowned at Idressin. That’s what you want. You want us to provoke this reaction, want the Guardians as targets. She went slowly, working it out as she went along. It’s to help Caldar, take the attention off him?

That’s true, Tikka.

She smiled for the first time this dismal morning. For a moment Idressin considered telling her the other more vital reason why it was necessary for the group to rouse their enemies. No, the Tinker was right. It was going to be hard enough for them, for Tariska in particular, without knowing the final terror awaiting them.

So we can help him in a strange sort of way.

Yes, but nothing else. What the Tinker meant was no contact…… Idressin broke off at the anguish in her face, then resumed gently. It’s so difficult for a Perram, this stage, Tikka. Caldar has to follow the faintest of traces towards something that virtually doesn’t exist. By any normal measure it’s impossible and the least distraction may put him off course. For his sake you must make no contact with him, none of you, and that means no union as well.

Union?

What took you all to Hyalante. It was you who opened the gateway, but without the others nothing would have happened. It’s much more than contact; if you think back you’ll recognise the difference. Well, full union between the Guardians will affect Caldar also wherever he is, so avoid it, however tempting.

Tariska shivered and came over to stand by the stove as if she was suddenly cold. When they escaped from Shardd, it had seemed like moving from deep shadow out into the sunlight. They had won through and whatever they had to face after that could not be so bad; at least she and Caldar would be together. Then Jedorje had warned her a few days ago that they might be separated again. Now she knew the worst. Caldar was going into danger alone and she was to know nothing about it. He might die or simply not come back, and she would never be sure what had happened. Memories of the awful years in Shardd, searching hopelessly for Caldar, came back with searing intensity.

There is one other way you can help him.

At Idressin’s words the nightmare vanished like smoke in the wind.

Find your successors as fast as you can, Tikka, for Caldar’s sake. If his search is successful, he’ll need your help at the end, all the Guardians together. It’s going to be hard for each of you simply to do what’s in front of you, find the right people and start them on their way. It will go quicker if you work with each other as much as you can. Then you’ll be ready when the call from Caldar comes.

The call from Caldar is ‘breakfast’.

Tariska jumped as Caldar’s voice sounded just behind her.

Sorry, love, the Tinker said you’re on your own from now on. She reached up and pushed the hair out of his eyes. That means breakfast too.

I didn’t hear him say anything about breakfast. Where is he? We’ll soon get to the bottom of this.

He’s gone, Idressin answered. And don’t look at me, I’m not intervening in a domestic dispute.

I couldn’t find anyone else in the house, Idressin. Tariska knew what she was going to hear, but she had to ask. Where are they? Meruvai, Pepper, Jedorje?

They’ve all gone.

The young pair stared at Idressin. For three long days they had heard about the impossible tasks awaiting them, but they realised now how much they had been sheltered from the full impact by the reassuring presence of the older Kivattar.

But…

Caldar couldn’t find the words. Idressin waited, eyebrows raised.

There’s all sorts of things I need to know.

Two questions you said yesterday.

That was then. Where do I start? How do I start? I mean it’s …

The talking’s over, Caldar. Time to act.

Easy for you to say. Caldar glared at him in frustration. Sorry, that’s stupid of me. But I need a starting point, Idressin, just something. What you said about uncertainty yesterday may mean a lot to me later; right now it doesn’t help one little bit. You gave the Guardians a good few pointers; I’m not asking for anything like that, just a hint. Oh hell, I seem to have been saying the same thing all my life.

He stopped and walked out of the door into the misted garden. He could not help voicing his desperation. In the Rhudila Jedorje had told him of the ‘road to nowhere’, the special search all Perrams had to make. She had even given him the chance to make a start, a kind of trial run, in the Mahk Azrel, and he had got it all wrong. Now it was not a trial. This was the real thing and he was not ready. He felt like a blind man being asked to walk a tightrope without being told where it started. Idressin was not going to give him any clues, so from the first step it was up to him.

An hour later he walked back into the kitchen to find all the young group gathered at the kitchen table with Idressin.

I’m going to Mahk Azrel, he announced into the sudden silence, relieved that the decision was made, even more relieved that he had said it aloud. He did not dare look at Tariska’s face, not sure that he could deal with what he might see there.

Good, Idressin said at once. Now I can give you all some help and advice. You should go with him. Make it the starting point for all of you.

That’s the advice, Berin commented, when it was clear there was nothing more