His gaze met Xephan's and something passed between them, the knowledge of shared sins. In some ways, for Rik, it was like looking in a mirror. The Terrarch’s ecstatic face spoke of unspeakable appetites and strange sorcery. Rik knew without having to be told that he was in the presence of someone who practised thanatomancy.
Lord Xephan gestured for the soldiers to step back and they did so, only too gladly, obviously wanting to put as much distance between them as possible. Tamara stepped forward into the corridor as soon as she was certain that she was not going to be shot. Xephan sketched a bow. His movements were obscenely delicate given the enormous bulk and power the armour lent him.
"Tamara," he said. "I confess that you're the last person I expected to see here. When the alarm was given I thought it was one of my comrades making a bid for power. Oh well, perhaps I was right anyway even though I thought that you had defected to the other side."
"What are you going to do about your soldiers now that they've seen you in your fine new raiment? You surely can't let them live. Or are they all sworn to the Shadow as well?"
Rik knew that she was speaking for the benefit of the soldiers, letting them know what was going on here, hoping that they would rebel if he knew exactly who it was they were serving. He doubted that it would work but it was worth a try. Anything that bought time to let Asea close the Gate was.
"It's nice to see that you still have your wits about you, Tamara, but your sharp words will have no affect on the loyalty of these brave warriors. They can see through your tricks. They know that my magic is used only for the benefit of the Empire."
Rik could hear the subtle sorcery in his words. It was the same sort of magic that he had suspected Joran of and which he knew that Lord Azaar practised. It was magic intended to sway the hearer and make them believe in the speaker’s words. Such casual use of magic made him envious.
"By that I take it that you mean the men will be dead by the end of the day. Thus you will repay their loyalty."
"You are a persistent, lovely Tamara, but come — you have not introduced me to your friend. I do not recognise him as one of our Brotherhood although I can see that he shares some of our favoured practices."
"Why don't you ask him? He can speak for himself."
"No need. I can guess who he is. There's only one person he really could be, isn't there? I believe that this is the famous half-breed Rik. Am I right?"
"What if he is?"
"Then you are, as I suspect, a traitor and you've brought an enemy into the very heart of our realm. The question is why? Why have you brought Asea's puppet here?" Lord Xephan smiled. The expression was eerie, written as it was on that beautiful face floating above the magical armour of fused bone and animated rotting flesh. "Of course, you've come to either close the Gate or destroy it. That’s it, isn't it?"
"We've come to destroy you," said Rik.
"It speaks. I am honoured. I had thought I knew everyone who practised our ancient art. I am astonished to learn that this was not the case. You will tell me how you mastered our secrets, won't you? I don't suppose you'll have any choice once you're strapped to the dissection table."
"I learned thanatomancy from the same man who taught you," Rik lied, just to see what the response would be.
"Ah, my dear old master has been busy. I don't suppose I should be surprised that there were things he did not tell me. Are there any more like you?"
"Dozens," said Rik.
"You interest me. We shall discuss this further, under circumstances that I fear will not be much to your liking."
Rik wondered how Asea was doing. There was something about Lord Xephan that made him deeply uneasy. He doubted whether he and Tamara would be able to stop the Terrarch when and if he decided to enter the chamber.
"I will give you this one chance to surrender," Xephan said. "If you do not, you will suffer the consequences of disobedience."
"Your offer might have seemed more generous if you had not explained what was going to happen to us once we were in your power," said Tamara.
"I suppose that was rather thoughtless of me," said Xephan. "In all the excitement, one rather tends to lose sight of these things."
"I don't suppose you would consider surrendering to us?" said Rik. "I may be inclined to spare your life."
"As you spared the life of Tamara's father?" Rik wondered whether Xephan was waiting for reinforcements or whether something else was happening elsewhere in the Palace.
It did not matter, just as long as Xephan was prepared to keep talking, he was prepared to participate in the conversation. Suddenly, the bony wings on Xephan's back flexed and opened. An aura of power surrounded him, crackling with strange energy, and Rik understood why the dark lord had delayed. A terrible smirk transformed Xephan's face. He looked positively demonic.
"Rik, beware," shouted Tamara. Even as she spoke, Xephan sprang forward. To any other eye than Rik's, his moments would have been so fast as to be invisible. Even Rik was taken by surprise by his speed and barely managed to throw himself to one side. A fist, enclosed in armour of flesh and bone, smashed into the wall beside him, sending chips of solid rock flying through the air. Rik shuddered. If that blow had connected, he would have been dead. Its sheer power would have knocked his head from his shoulders.
Tamara leapt forward. Her blade smashed into the undead armour but did not break it. Xephan laughed and struck out at her, sending her flying down the corridor, to smash into the wall and lie still. Rik found himself standing face to face with the monster. Xephan's smile was creamy, as if he had enjoyed hurting Tamara enormously.
His hand stabbed out and connected with Rik's shoulder. Bony claws extended from each finger and bit into Rik's flesh. A moment later agony followed as poison was injected. Desperately, Rik invoked the spells to neutralise it, praying he was not too late. Even as he did so, Xephan's fist smashed into his chest, breaking ribs.
"I can see I'm dealing with a master sorcerer," said Xephan conversationally. "You know how to neutralise venom and very quickly."
Rik switched his attention and try to heal the broken bones, fusing them back together. As he did so, he saw Xephan draw back his fist for the killing blow. There was nothing he could do to avoid it. Something flew over his shoulder and embedded itself in the Terrarch's eye. It was a small dagger and Rik realised that Tamara must have thrown it. At least she was still alive and Xephan was momentarily distracted.
Rik continued to draw on his magical power, healing himself and enhancing his physical strength and speed. He tried to twist himself from Xephan's grip but the armour granted him too much strength. Xephan's hand came forward, much more slowly than Rik had expected, and he allowed himself to hope that Xephan was crippled. When the Terrarch's fingers closed on his flesh he realised he had made a terrible mistake.
Xephan's touch was cold and leeched the strength from Rik. Now he knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of thanatomancy from something closer to a human being than a Quan. It felt as if his soul was being sucked from his body and devoured. Unlike most people however, he had an advantage in this situation. He had been here before and he had survived.
Rik reached out with his own right-hand and placed it on the rotting flesh of Xephan's chest armour. He invoked his own powers of thanatomancy and felt Xephan's shock as he made contact. The situation was different from his encounter with the Quan. For one thing it was far easier to make contact with Xephan and understand his thoughts. There was an odd moment of blurred vision when he seemed to be looking out of the Terrarch's eyes at his own face and seeing the odd, ecstatic, horrified expression there.
He sensed the strength within Xephan and knew that any advantage he had gained from surprise was momentary. He needed to strike now to take advantage of it. He invoked the Quan's spell and began to imbibe Xephan's strength. He felt the strength draining from himself reverse its flow. The feeling of weakness left him and he felt the Terrarch begin to squirm with panic.