Following suit, Tyen grasped the rebel leader’s hand and pushed them out of the world.
Contrary to expectations, the Raen’s world was not at the centre of the known worlds. It was, Tyen had been amused to discover, not far from the Worweau Market. The rebels’ first hideout had been under the Raen’s nose, and they’d never realised. He had probably known it was there all along.
It made sense that whoever was pretending to be Volk had sent rebels to the Market. The allies had not needed to travel far from the Raen’s world to deal with them. The true rebel meeting place was further away, more than thirty worlds from the Raen’s by the shortest, safest route.
Tyen quickened his pace until worlds were flashing by. He made no attempt to hide his trail. If they were to scout the way into the Raen’s world and be at the next meeting place before the generals and fighters, they had no time to spare.
They encountered no allies, or any other travellers. The not-so-secret path to the Raen’s world began in a world of ruined cities and fields long abandoned and turned to dust. He’d glimpsed a dry landscape in Javox’s and Resca’s mind, so he was surprised when they arrived in a lush jungle.
He brought them into the world atop the trunk of an enormous fallen tree. They both began gasping for air, at first sitting then lying on the smooth surface as they recovered. After a while, Baluka turned his head to look at Tyen.
“I don’t suppose that book of yours knows how to avoid suffocating between worlds?”
Tyen nodded. “Agelessness has something to do with it.”
Baluka blinked, then lifted his head. “It contains the secret to agelessness?”
Tyen hesitated, but then realised the mistake he’d made. He felt a cold, sinking feeling in his gut. It wouldn’t matter what Baluka knew soon. Most likely he’d be dead in a few hours.
Tyen sighed. “Yes, she does.”
He sat up. “Have you…?”
“No.”
“Why in all the worlds not?”
Tyen sighed and pushed up into a sitting position. “There is a cost–and it can take many cycles to learn. Even if I was ready to pay the price, I haven’t exactly had the opportunity to try it lately.”
The rebel leader grimaced. “No, I suppose you haven’t. And I can see why you cannot tell others of this book. Imagine if all those who joined our cause acquired this knowledge from you. They’d be too busy chasing agelessness to bother fighting the Raen.”
Tyen shook his head. “Most would not be able to achieve it. You have to be particularly strong.”
Baluka nodded. “So I was taught. That wouldn’t stop everyone attempting it, though.” He stood, then extended a hand. “Well, every moment we wait the risks multiply. Let’s see if the information we were given is correct. We’ll need plenty of magic so load up. It is likely these worlds between us and him are dead ones.”
Tyen took Baluka’s hand. The rebel hauled him to his feet. Tyen drew in a little more magic. “That’s enough, I hope. I don’t want to take so much the reduction is obvious to anyone who visits this world regularly.”
Baluka shook his head. “Every time I think I’ve grasped how strong you are, Tyen, you say something like that. It’s enough to make a rebel leader feel inadequate.”
“And yet, it’s not what counts.”
Baluka smiled. “I will begin the journey.”
They both sucked in a deep breath. The vegetation faded as Baluka propelled them away. Tyen recalled Resca’s instructions. “Water, fire, earth, air, light and darkness.” But first they needed to find the place in this world from which the path began.
They sped across the land, over countless broken walls and abandoned roads. Four times they stopped to breathe, each time finding the air drier and vegetation thinner. At last they reached a landscape as dry and dusty as Resca had pictured. A vertical line cut the horizon. Baluka shot towards it. Sure enough, it was the tower from Resca’s memory. They rose to the top, then Baluka brought them into the world.
They both sucked in deep breaths, first to fulfil the need for air, second to prepare for the journey to come. It was a tense moment, as they both knew the Raen’s allies passed this place on the way to and from his world. They could easily encounter one on the path, too. Tyen could see that Baluka was scared. His own heart pounded with fear and anticipation, but not with the sickening rush Baluka was experiencing. I have the hope, though shaky, that my pact with the Raen will protect me. Yet though the rebel knew he might easily die soon, his determination did not weaken. He nodded to Tyen.