Part 14 (2/2)

”Indeed,” remarked the Theomach casually.

”But your kid has his own magic now,” Covenant continued. ”I told you that.” Think of it like blood from a wound. ”When we work together, we can do some pretty amazing things. Like slip through cracks in time. Or make doors from one place to another.”

I can build all kinds of doors. And walls. In the Land, Jeremiah's talent for constructs had taken an entirely new form.

”All right.” Linden shook her head in astonishment at what her son had become. ”All right. I'll a.s.sume that that makes sense.” What choice did she have? ”I'll try, anyway. So where are we? And when?”

And why? What could Covenant-or Jeremiah-possibly do here that would save the Land?

Scowling, Covenant looked around. Then he said, ”Let's go up there.” He nodded toward one of the hills bordering the valley on the south. ”Right now, we're in the middle of nowhere. If we want to accomplish anything, we have a lot of ground to cover.” He glared at the Theomach. ”We might as well get started. You'll understand better when you can see farther.”

Before Linden could ask about Jeremiah, the Theomach put in, ”Your son will appear at the Halfhand's side. No movement in this time will delay him.”

Swearing to himself again, Covenant began to pound through the ice and snow. The Theomach followed without waiting for Linden to make up her mind. As the stranger stepped lightly over the crust, he said to Covenant, ”If you will but consider the path which I have opened to you, you will recognize that you have no cause for anger. True, I have presented new obstacles. But others I have removed. And my path is indeed less perilous.”

When Covenant did not respond, the Theomach said sharply. ”I do not speak of her peril, Halfhand. I speak of yours.”

-the perils which have been prepared for you.

Behind them, Linden straggled into motion. She did not intend to be left behind when Jeremiah might rejoin Covenant at any moment. Bracing herself on the Staff, she fought the crust and the cloying snow in an effort to keep pace.

”f.u.c.k that,” Covenant rasped. ”f.u.c.k you and your fake concern. I can handle my perils. But it galls the h.e.l.l out of me that you think you have the right to interfere.”

”Now you are dishonest,” replied the Theomach with a mocking laugh. ”It is not my interference that 'galls' you. It is your powerlessness to prevent me.”

Again his movements conveyed an eerie sense of slippage. He seemed to accompany himself across the dazzling field as if the theurgy which kept him from breaking through the ice caused him to s.h.i.+ft subtly between different places in time and s.p.a.ce.

”Believe that if you can,” Covenant retorted. ”What I have in mind for you is going to be worse than 'the destruction of the Earth.' I'm going to make you and all your people and even the d.a.m.n Elohim irrelevant.”

Lightly the Theomach answered. ”You are welcome to the attempt.”

”What, you think I can't do it? h.e.l.lfire. You aren't paying attention. I know more about what's going to happen to you than you do. And I guarantee you won't like it.”

For some reason, the Theomach did not respond. Covenant may have surprised or shaken him.

Linden floundered after them. The soles of her boots gripped the buried snow well enough; but each step was an awkward hesitation-and-plunge as the ice held her weight for an instant and then broke. Soon she had to pant for air, and each breath drew scalding cold deeper into her lungs. Only the warmth of Covenant's magic and her desire for Jeremiah kept her going.

If her son appeared, as she had been promised- The first slopes of the hills seemed far away. And they would not be easy to climb. The pale uninterrupted blue of the sky felt as wide as her incomprehension, and as empty. The white glitter of the field was empty as well, undefined by any trees or shrubs. Even aliantha did not grow in this place. She saw no birds anywhere. If animals had ever crossed this valley, the crust retained no sign of their pa.s.sage.

There should have been aliantha. Those life-giving shrubs had survived the Sunbane. Surely they could endure this winter? But Linden thought that she knew why the valley was so lifeless. Her health-sense grew steadily stronger in the absence of Kevin's Dirt; and as she trudged across the iced expanse, she began to feel that she trod on graves. The whole valley held a m.u.f.fled sensation of death, as if the snow cloaked shed blood and slaughter. The ground had absorbed too much violence to nurture treasure-berries.

Perhaps Covenant or the Theomach would condescend to tell her what had happened here.

Before she could speak, however, a brief flare of energy like an afterflash of lightning shredded the air near IM Fatal Revenant File Edit Vie. Navigate Help Full Screen Two Pages Two Pages Preferences 4, Find i Preferences 4, Find i To Chapter To Page To Chapter To Page Bodge, Bodge, 6.: Interference Page 958p> Covenant; and Jeremiah staggered to his knees as though he had been created-or recreated-from the raw stuff of emptiness and cold.

He was gasping as if he had survived a fight for his life.

She forgot everything else in her rush to reach him. Instinctively she reached At once, however, the Theomach stepped or appeared in her way. She collided with him hard; stumbled backward.

”G.o.d d.a.m.n it!”

”Do not!” he commanded sharply. His cerement-clad figure confronted her across the trampled snow. ”Do not invoke the Staff. And do not attempt to place your hands upon them, neither the Halfhand nor your son. If you err in this, your losses will be greater than you are able to conceive. That I cannot prevent. My purpose lies elsewhere.”

At the same time, Covenant turned toward Jeremiah. ”There you are. I was beginning to wonder.”

Jeremiah lifted his face to the Unbeliever. The sweat of intense exertion streamed from his cheeks and forehead: his heated skin steamed in the cold. But he was grinning hugely.

”Jeez, that was hard,” he panted. ”I knew Esmer was tough, but I didn't realize-” In spite of his gasping, his voice seemed to throb with triumph. ”It's a good thing those ur-viles attacked when they did. I didn't want to have to call for help.”

Covenant nodded. ”I knew you could do it. I told you that, didn't I? He changes his mind too often. There's always a flaw somewhere.”

Biting her lip, Linden swallowed every natural impulse. ”All right,” she muttered to the Theomach. ”You've made your point. I need them as much as they need me. Now get out of my way.”

The Theomach gave her a shrouded nod and stepped aside.

With more caution, she approached her son and Covenant.

Jeremiah was gazing around; and as he did so, his manner changed. ”Jeez,” he panted again. ”What went wrong? We aren't supposed to be here.”

”I know,” replied Covenant sourly. ”Look behind you.”

With a boy's ungainly alacrity, Jeremiah lurched to his feet. His gaze touched Linden for only an instant. ”Oh, hi, Mom,” he said absently, as if he had already put her out of his mind.

His attention was focused on the Theomach.

”You,” he said in surprise. He was still trying to catch his breath. ”You're one of them. I never met you. But I heard them talk about you. You're the Theomach.”

The concealed figure sketched a mocking bow. ”a.s.suredly.” Then he added more sternly, ”Be guided by the Halfhand, youth. I have set you upon a path which will unmake all of your desires if you step aside from it.”

Jeremiah glanced at Covenant, then shrugged. ”It doesn't matter to me. As long as we're together, I don't care how we do this. Covenant knows I trust him.”

His tic was barely noticeable.

Linden took another step closer. ”Jeremiah, honey. Are you all right?

When I was suddenly here,” wherever here was. ”and you weren't, I thought that I'd lost you again.”

His muddy gaze avoided hers. ”I'm fine.” His respiration had almost returned to normal: he was too young-or too full of magic-to breathe hard for long. ”It's what I said, that's all. Esmer is tougher than he looks.” He flashed another grin at Covenant. ”But I beat him.”

Plainly reluctant to talk to Linden, the boy made a show of scanning the valley again. ”What do we do now?”

Her son had recovered his mind-and he did not want to talk to her. She bowed her head so that he would not see her face twist or her eyes burn.

”Your mother is being stubborn,” replied Covenant heavily. ”As usual. She wants an explanation. We'll go up there”-he pointed vaguely at the nearest hills-”and take a look around. Maybe then she'll feel less contentious. Or at least less disoriented.

”After that, well need to make some decisions. Or she will. Thanks to the Theomach, were in a h.e.l.l of a mess. And he thinks we should let her figure out how to cope with it.

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