CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

The fogs of Between surrounded Jez in a white void that seemed to go on forever. He realized he could see, though he hadnt opened his eyes. That made sense. He didnt really have eyes here. He didnt have a body. It was all thought and perception, and unless he did something about it, he would remain a shapeless cloud of pure consciousness.

He shaped himself into something resembling a human form, but the constant concentration that required was a strain on his mind. He felt stretched out as if he would fly apart at any moment. He looked down at his hand and realized he could see through it. He tried to focus on his self-image and give that idea weight. His body solidified a little, but he was still ethereal. He could feel Besiss ward around him, helping to give him form. It wouldnt last, though. Nothing of the mortal world could last here.

He focused his mind on the idea of the Library of Zandra. Enki had showed it to him, and that image should be all he needed to get there, but as he called up the picture in his mind, nothing happened. For a moment, he was surprised. He knew that if he wanted to, he could travel to anywhere in the world from here, but then, the library wasnt in the world. It wasnt in a place at all, so in a way, it made sense that he couldnt just go there. When Sariel had brought him and Osmund here, the pharim lord had shaped the area according to his will. Maybe that was the secret. Maybe instead of going to the library, he needed to make it so the library was here.

He focused on the idea of the library again, of its great stone walls and the fire burning atop it, and he thought about the nearly infinite books, their texture, and the musty smell. He called up the images Enki had given him and thrust them into the surrounding fog. It was surprisingly easy, as if he were tapping into a well of strength he didnt know he had.

The fog quivered and began to take shape according to the image in his mind. Walls appeared around him, and his feet echoed as they came down on a smooth stone floor. Books filled shelves that went from floor to ceiling and stretched as far as he could see. Jez allowed himself to smile as he walked toward one of the shelves and pulled out a volume. It had to be at least three inches thick. The writing on the spine had faded, and its cover was unadorned. He opened it, and his heart fell. Every page was completely blank. He tried another but found it blank as well. He sighed. This wasnt the actual library. This was just a semblance hed recreated using what Enki had shown him, though one a lot more complete than he wouldve thought himself capable of.

This is pointless, he said.

His voice echoed through the stacks and seemed to get louder as it pa.s.sed through the chamber. On the far side, dust shook free of the shelves. It began to swirl and settled on the floor in a perfect circle. Jezs breath caught in his throat as thunder rumbled from an outside that wasnt there. Flames spurted from the circle of dust, and a hand covered in yellow scales reached up from it. Jez summoned his crystal sword, and it appeared in his hand, feeling heavier than it normally did. Flames from the hole brushed the nearby books and people who hadnt been there a second ago screamed and fled in all directions. Only a solitary figure remained.

She was tall with hair the color of storm clouds. She wore brown robes, but as she walked toward the fire, they shifted to a golden yellow. As the scaled demon crawled out of the hole, its slitted eyes focused on her. It spoke with the same sort of gravelly voice that Enki had.

Pharim, you must help me.

Im no pharim. Her shoulders slumped, but she didnt turn away from the chanori. Not anymore, but I will not allow you to destroy this place.

She held out her hand, and a blade of sunlight materialized, but before she could take a step, a dozen other demons poured from the hole. Most were the horned chezamuts that formed the vast majority of the armies of the abyss, but a few wore other forms, and they were only the beginning. In a matter of seconds, that end of the library was filled with demon fighting demon.

The afur, for she could be nothing else, reached out her hand, and with a gesture, she snuffed out the fire in a desperate effort to protect the knowledge in this place. It wasnt enough. They were too many, and her power was too limited. Thick smoke filled the area, and Jez knew that the only reason he wasnt suffocating was that he didnt need to breathe in this place. In spite of that, he still smelled the smoke, and it was so strong it made him gag.

The back wall of the library collapsed into a pile of burning rubble. Beyond, Jez saw only the fogs of Between, but everyone else obviously saw something very different. The demons poured into what Jez guessed was the city of Zandra. Then, everything began to glow.

The afurs eyes went wide, and she shook her head. No, do not do this. This place can still be saved!

There was a rush of air and she, along with those few demons still in the library, was flung out. Jez could still hear her cries as the wall rea.s.sembled itself. Then, everything vanished, and he found himself back in the empty fog. Besiss ward was gone, and the full weight of Between fell upon his mind. His sword vanished as he called up the image of his room at the Academy. As he felt himself falling apart, he screamed.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

Jez slammed into the stone floor of his sitting room. Instantly, strong hands picked him up and deposited him in a chair. There was talking, but he couldnt make out the words. He blinked several times to clear his vision. Osmund and Lina stood a few feet away, and Masters Besis and Linala stood over him. Linala had her arms raised, and sweat gleamed on her forehead. There was still a faint yellow glow on her hands. She let out a heavy breath.

That was more difficult than I antic.i.p.ated, she said.

What did you do? Jez asked. His throat felt raw.

I summoned you when I sensed Besiss ward fail.

You can do that?

She smiled. Not easily, and only because he formed a contingent with me. I almost lost you. What happened?

Jezs hands went to his forehead. His head was throbbing, and his memory of what happened had already started to fade.

I think I saw the Zandran fire. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. It was caused by demons. He could just barely remember the afur. You summoned me. Can you only summon beings that arent in this world?

No, not only beings. She looked around. Her eyes momentarily rested on Lina and Osmund, and Jez thought she wouldnt speak. I can summon forces and energy as well.

Besis raised an eyebrow. The fires of the abyss? I thought that was a legend.

She winced. Thats what we want people to think. Let the world believe the dominion of destruction is the most dangerous. It takes an extremely talented individual to manage it, and weve only had half a dozen mages capable of it graduate the Academy in the past half century.

Thats not what I meant, Jez said. Can you summon someone whos already in this world?

A person? She shook her head. Summoning magic doesnt work on humans. If you hadnt been surrounded by Besiss ward, I wouldnt even have been able to call you.

Not a person. An afur. I saw one in the fall of Zandra. I think she was a Lightgiver before she rebelled.

She raised an eyebrow. Jezreel, until your discovery of an afur in Rumar, no one had seen one in over a thousand years. People have tried summoning them. It doesnt work. She raised an eyebrow. Unless you know a name.

Jez shook his head, and the motion made the room spin. It was several seconds before he could speak. Ive seen her though. Can you make a circle for me? Maybe I can use a mental image of her instead of a name.

I can craft a circle, but you can barely stand. Even if you did have the strength, you cant use a mental picture to supplement a summoning.

The light made Jezs head hurt, and he closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them, everyone in the room was staring at him. He shrugged. Actually, I think I can.

You found something, Besis said.

Im not sure. Maybe it was just something Enki put in my mind that got shaken free. Whatever the reason, I know I can use my memory of her.

Besis raised an eyebrow at the knowledge master and grinned. Linala, Jez has done impossible things before.

I just wish I knew how, Linala said as she looked at the ground. A circle of blackened earth Jez hadnt noticed before had been laid around the spot he had appeared in. She looked up. Osmund, if you would? Most of the power in it has drained away, and I need to replace it.

Osmund nodded and called the wind to sweep away the dirt. Once the floor was clean, she reached into one of her belt pouches and drew out a handful of white sand. In a few seconds, shed made a circle of it and spent the next half hour drawing elaborate runes. Jez used the time to go back into his bedroom and change, which was far more difficult than normal. Then, he went back into his sitting room and looking over Linalas shoulder.

He only recognized a couple of the runes. This circle was much simpler than the previous one as they knew exactly what they were trying to summon. Finally, Linala nodded and looked up at him. He stepped up to the edge and glanced down. He knelt and, with his thumbnail, he added a simple rune shaped like an inverted heart in a s.p.a.ce between two others and connected it to several nearby runes. When he looked up, Linalas jaw had dropped, and he shrugged.

Sorry, it just seems right.

He got into the focal point and raised his hands. The short rest while Linala had drawn the circle had been enough for him to get over his dizziness, though his head was still pounding. Even so, his power flowed easily into the circle. He felt natural, like hed done it a thousand times before. He thought he couldve drawn the circle without Linalas help. In fact, he was relatively certain he could do it better. He could see how it should be in his mind. Still, what Linala had drawn, though crude, would be good enough for his purposes.

He started chanting, and the words flowed out of him. Halfway through the summoning, he realized he didnt know what language he was speaking. The image of the afur came to mind, and he surrounded it with his power and sent it into the circle. Though he had his eyes closed, he knew the circle was burning with yellow flame. His voice rose to a crescendo, and the image burned in his mind. He sent as much of his power as he could into the circle, and his body ached with the pain of it. The others cried out as the flames brightened, but after a second, the light faded. He opened his eyes. The white sand had been burned to ash, rendering the circle useless. He looked around, but there was no newcomer. Jez let out a long breath. He had failed.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

Though Linala didnt think it would work, Jez tried again using one of the partial circles in the summoning house, but that attempt failed even worse than the first. The circle had been so unable to hold his power that the energy in the sand hadnt even been burned away.

It was always a longshot, the knowledge master said. Ive never even heard of someone using a mental image to supplement a summoning, especially a summoning meant to call something no one has ever succeeded in calling.

It should have worked, Jez said, not knowing why he felt so sure.

Osmund slumped his shoulders. What about Enki?

What about him? Linala asked.

Its been four days. Do you think theres been enough time for him to recover? Can we try summoning him again?

She let out a long breath. Tradition says it takes a year and a day, but thats probably due to some poet or playwright taking artistic license. There have been records of demons being summoned soon after being destroyed. The method of destruction seems to have something to do with it. She eyed Osmund. A scions blade, I imagine, would take a long time to recover from.

I said I was sorry, Osmund said.

Linala waved off his apology. Im not about to blame you for banishing a demon. After all, we dont actually know you were wrong.

Yes we do, Jez said. Osmund looked away, but Jez kept speaking. I mean, its not your fault. I just wish it hadnt happened.

Jezreel, Linala said. Enki gave you knowledge that drove you into Between and very nearly left you trapped there. Have you considered that that was his intention?

Jez opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. He hadnt thought about it, but the idea sent chills down his spine. If that had been Enkis intention, it had almost worked. In fact, given how obsessed Jez had been with finding a way to stop Sharim, it would be a frighteningly effective tactic. Linala gave him a knowing smile.

You may be extremely good at fighting these creatures, but remember that they are nearly as old as the universe itself, and even some soldier demons have developed a terrible cunning in that time.

Jez nodded. Ill be careful, but unless we want to go back to the shadows, Enki is the only lead we have.

She nodded. Very well. I did some research on the chanori while you were unconscious. Knowing his name and type, I believe I can summon him, provided there is enough of him that has reconst.i.tuted itself.

Jez nodded, and she went about drawing a new circle in the unused sand around Jez. She had apparently been getting ready to try that exact thing because she drew the circle from memory, though when she was done she did check some of her books. Then, she stepped into the focal point. After a few minutes of chanting, however, she shook her head.

I cant find him. Not even a trace.

You mean he hasnt recovered yet?

She shook her head. No, you dont understand. This is a very specific working. Even if Enki had just been banished, I shouldve been able to find something, regardless of whether or not there was enough to summon.

What does that mean?

Linala frowned at Osmund. It probably means hes been destroyed.

I didnt do it, Osmund protested. Shamarion said Enki was just mostly here. His power should still be in the abyss. He couldnt have been destroyed.

Maybe the demons that were imprisoning him did it when he got back, Jez said. They couldve been afraid he would escape.

Linala pursed her lips. Its possible.

Jez suppressed a shudder. Do we need to go back to the memory shadows?

She shook her head. The memory shadows have always been a last resort, and after what happened last time, I would hesitate to use them again, but there are other options.

There are?

We know more than we did at the beginning of this.

We do?

We know there is a way for Sharim to get out. We know the answer was in the Library of Zandra, and we know there was an afur there. Its just pieces, but I might be able to use them as seeds. There are other beings I can summon that may have our answers. Come back in an hour.

But...

Besis put a hand on Jezs shoulder, and shook his head. Leave her be, Jez. Youve never seen what a master working in her own dominion can do. If the knowledge exists anywhere, she can find it.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

When Jez and his friends had come into the Quarter Horse with a master in tow, Lufka practically fell over himself bowing. The masters of the Academy were well thought of by many people in Tarcai, but unlike the behavior Jez had seen toward some of the members of the n.o.bility, they acted out of genuine respect instead of fear. In fact, Lufka paid more attention to the master than he did to Jez, a fact for which Jez was grateful.

Goodman Lufka, Im sure a master isnt such a rare sight in this inn.

The innkeepers head bobbed. Rael favors me with a visit from time to time, but she didnt sponsor my sons entry into the Academy, and she didnt train the one who saved his life.

Jez flushed, but Besis waved it off. Please treat me like any other customer. If youd please bring us each a bowl of soup as well as some of that roast Im smelling?

Oh, of course, Master Besis. I cant promise to treat you ordinary, but Ill see to your food.

Lufka practically ran to the kitchen. It wasnt long before theyd been served. Jez scooped a spoonful of the peppery soup into his mouth. They spoke of Linas studies and Osmunds training. Jez talked about forging the sword that he even now wore at his hip. Eventually, they ran out of things to talk about and ate in silence for several minutes.