"This will take us to the Grand Parade," said Ebbitt. "From there we can get to the Audience Chamber and Milla can open the doors for us."
Milla nodded. She didn't ask Ebbitt why she would have to open the doors. It was better not to ask. He would probably want her to sweep the floor next.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
"A blue monster," added Adras.
Tal and Crow huddled down behind the bodies and Adras slid to the wall, as they watched a huge, manlike creature come cautiously around the bend in the Grand Parade. He was bright blue and had shimmering, metallic legs. He carried what looked like a chain in his hand.
"What is it?" asked Tal.
Crow stood up. He seemed nervous, but in a strange way.
"Jarek!" he called. "We're friends."
"What are you doing?" hissed Tal. He felt a momentary panic. This was where Crow betrayed him. He had to do something before
Someone else came around the bend, following the blue man. Tal started in recognition, forgetting all thoughts of Crow and his possible treachery. He'd know that white-blond hair anywhere, even if it was topped by something that looked like a crown. That was part of being War-Chief of the Icecarls, he supposed.
He was about to stand up and shout "Milla!" when a shadow flashed past him, bellowing like thunder, his arms spread wide.
"Odris!"
This shout was met with the cry of "Adras!" and an answering shadow leaped into the air from behind Milla. The two of them met halfway, with a clap of thunder that shook the mirror on the floor again and made both Tal and Milla wince as they shared the shock of the Storm Shepherds' meeting.
Shouting "Milla!" after that seemed a bit pointless. Instead Tal got up slowly and walked forward. He felt strangely nervous. He hadn't seen Milla since they'd parted company down in the Underfolk levels, he to climb the Red Tower again and she to go to the Ice. An awful lot had happened since then. To both of them, it seemed.
To make matters worse, Tal realized he had never really been sure whether they were friends or not. They had been comrades in adversity, but had also fought and troubled each other a lot. What was going to happen now? Maybe Milla still wanted to kill him, as she had when they'd first met…
Milla was thinking similar thoughts as she watched Tal approach. She wasn't certain of her own feelings. There was a familiar irritation at the sight of him, but that was coupled with a relief that he was still alive and looked unscathed from the Hall of Nightmares.
They met in the middle of the corridor, ignoring their two Spiritshadows, who were still spinning around and chasing each other up and down the corridor in sheer joy.
"Milla," said Tal, and stopped.
"Tal," replied Milla.
A heavy silence fell between them, then both spoke at once.
"I'm glad you're alive," said Tal.
"I met your mother," said Milla.
"My mother! Is she all right? I wasn't sure if the antidote--"
"She is weak, but well, and under our protection down in the conquered levels. She sends you her love and knows you will do what must be done."
"Sushin has the Violet Keystone--my half, I
mean," said Tal hurriedly. It seemed easier to talk about that than anything personal. "He will use it to destroy the Veil. We have to stop him."
"We know," said Milla, with that calm, confident tone that always annoyed him. "That's why we're here. Where is Sushin?"
"Um, I don't know," replied Tal awkwardly. "We only just got here. But he's opened up the Audience Chamber and probably got into the Violet Tower already, so we have to hurry."
"Then why are we standing and talking?" snapped Milla. She turned back and shouted, "Hurry up!"
She pushed past Tal and strode down toward the open doors.
The enormous blue man who had stood behind her looked at Tal, a look that scared and shook him. There was madness deep in his eyes, and Tal knew it could erupt into full force at any time.
"You must be Jarek," he said weakly and clapped his fists together. "I'm Tal. I'm a… sort of honorary Far-Raider…"
Jarek did not return the greeting, but continued after Milla.
Tal was just about to follow him in turn when he saw Ebbitt and another Icecarl, a young woman who must have been some sort of apprentice Crone or something. She had Crone robes on, anyway, though her eyes were a remarkably bright blue.
"Great-uncle Ebbitt!" Tal called and ran over to him, embracing the old man with sudden fervor. "I am so glad I didn't kill you!"
"Then let go," replied Ebbitt. "Before you strangle me to make sure of your botched job."
Tal laughed and let go. He suddenly felt so much better. Having Milla and Ebbitt with him made the odds so much better for facing Sushin.
"This is the Crone Malen," said Ebbitt. "Very interesting person. Could teach you a thing or two."
"Uh, I'm s-sure," stammered Tal. He clapped his fists to her, too, and unlike Jarek, she answered, though it was more automatic than heartfelt.
"I know much about you," said Malen coolly.
"From Milla?" asked Tal.
"No," said Malen. "The War-Chief has not the time for speaking tales. I have walked through her mind, with the other Crones. I have seen her memories, seen Aenir through her eyes, and you."
"Oh, good," said Tal weakly as he tried to remember how he would have showed up in Milla's memories. Not too well, he suspected.
"Ebbitt, Sushin has the Violet Sunstone," he said as they hurried after Milla. "And the Empress and the Light Vizier are dead, and they told me that Sushin is the shadow-pawn of Sharrakor--"
"Shadow-pawn? Shadow-pawn?" exploded Ebbitt. "They said that?"
"Yes," replied Tal, surprised by th
e violence ofthe old man's reaction. "What does it mean?" "No idea," said Ebbitt. "But it sounds bad." "Hello, Tal."
"Oh, hello, Odris," replied Tal, waving at the Spiritshadow above him.
"Adras says you went back to Aenir and you stuck him in a funny suit and he got eaten by a thing and then when you returned here he got put in a box and after that he had to climb up a really smelly pipe," said Odris sternly. "You should be more careful with him. He has a weak constitution."
"I will be more careful," said Tal mechanically. Somehow this reunion wasn't going as well as might be expected. "Ebbitt, do you know how to get into the Violet Tower?"
"I have an inkling or two," said Ebbitt. He looked down and tugged his crystal breastplate away from his chest, a strange gesture that Tal supposed was meant to be an indication of modesty--or maybe was just a new kind of twitch.
"Lokar is free, by the way," continued Tal earnestly. "She's going to try and replace the Red Keystone. She said that it might be able to keep the Veil going for a little while even if the Violet Keystone is unsealed."
"Lokar is the Guardian of the Red Keystone?" asked Ebbitt, raising one frosty eyebrow. "Lokar! Whoever will they think of next?"
"But you knew that," said Tal. "She's Lector Jarnil's cousin. .--"
His voice trailed off as they reached the doors and he stepped inside for the first time.
Into the Audience Chamber. Into a vast hall, as large or larger than the Assembly of the Chosen he knew down in the colorless midsection of the Castle between Yellow and Green.
The Audience Chamber had a domed ceiling that was bright with thousands of Sunstones around the rim but stretched into darkness at its apex. The floor was tiled in all seven colors of the spectrum, but every eighth tile was a mirror, reflecting the light from the Sunstones that rimmed the dome, so that light flowed and shimmered everywhere, making it very difficult to see anything in the huge room.
Tal shielded his eyes with his arm. He could make out Milla, Jarek, and Crow ahead of him, and there was some sort of construction right in the middle of the chamber, but that was all. He could not see Sushin, or any other doors, stairs, or other exits or entrances. There was no clear way from here to the Seventh Tower.