‘Where are the guards?’ Kaspar asked.
‘I ordered the two young magicians back to the island when I called for as much help as possible. By then I knew we didn’t need to guard these things any more.’
Kaspar shrugged. ‘If you say so.’
They entered the first tunnel and moved down to a gallery. Below, ten thousand armour-clad figures waited patiently. ‘What are they, Pug, really?’ asked Kaspar. He had been the one who had first found the Talnoy here in Novindus, and had lugged it back with him to the Conclave.
‘They are sleeping gods, Kaspar. They are the lost Dasati gods.’
‘How did they come here?’
‘That is a part of the story we may never know, but I believe some higher agency here conspired with them.’ Pug thought it best not to mention the role played by Ban-ath. ‘This was a refuge.’ He looked down at a box left near the door. ‘For a long time I thought the Dark One had somehow trapped these beings, but now I’m not so sure. I believe perhaps the gods of three worlds conspired to save this universe from the thing that is destroying Kelewan as we speak.’
Kaspar could only stand in mute appreciation. Pug picked up the box and opened it. Inside were a ring and a crystal. ‘Nakor fashioned this crystal as a means to control these… beings.’ He took out the ring.
Kaspar said, ‘Don’t! If you wear it too long, it makes you mad!’
Pug slipped the ring on. ‘Don’t worry. I won’t wear it long.’ Smiling, he added, ‘You might want to cover your ears for a moment, and perhaps close your eyes against the dust.’
‘What dust?’
Pug raised his hands above his head and a twisting spiral of light, white with brilliant hints of silver, shot to the ceiling of the cavern. It twisted and began to bore upward. Soon a hole appeared and from above came light. Pug increased the gap between his hands and the light began to spin faster until Kaspar saw that it was boring away the top of the mound under which the Talnoy had rested for centuries.
Dust flew and Kaspar squinted, but he couldn’t take his eyes from the sight. For nearly five minutes Pug used his magic thus and when he had finished, a hole broad enough for dozens of the creatures to exit hung over their heads.
‘What now?’ asked Kaspar, coughing from the dust.
‘Come outside a moment,’ Pug said.
Kaspar followed Pug out of the mouth of the cave and a short distance up a hillside until they could look down on the hole. In the sunlight from above the Talnoy armour glinted as if newly polished.
‘That’s a sight,’ said Kaspar of Olasko.
‘It is, indeed.’
Pug extended his hand and closed his eyes. For nearly five minutes nothing happened, but Kaspar had learned long before to be patient when it came to matters of magic. Suddenly a shining oval sparkling with silver sprang into existence in the air.
Pug pointed at the Talnoy, and said, ‘Go home.’
As one, the Talnoy turned towards the magician, and the first one lifted off its feet, floating upwards. As it came even with the lip of the cavern, it picked up speed and flew into the oval that was the newly-formed rift. Then came another, and the next, and as each one rose up it rose faster until the Talnoy were flying out of the cavern so fast they became a blur to the human eye.
‘Even that fast it’ll take a while for ten thousand of them to get through,’ said Pug.
‘Where are they going?’
‘To Kelewan, and into the Black Mount, then down to the second realm. The ancient gods of the Dasati are returning to claim their home.’
‘Amazing.’
Pug said, ‘What will you do now, Kaspar? You’ve earned your choice. Whatever crimes you were accused of, you have more than redeemed yourself in the eyes of the Conclave. If you’d stay, we would welcome you. You are a resourceful man of many talents.’
Kaspar shrugged. ‘I don’t think so, Pug, but thank you for the offer. I think I’ll follow Tal Hawkins’ example. Like Tal, if you have any need of me, I’ll try to help, but for the time being, I think I need to find a new life for myself.’
Pug smiled. ‘There’s a young king down in Muboya who needs a new general.’
Kaspar grinned. ‘You know, I had the same thought myself. Alenburga told me enough about the boy over chess for me to have a fair idea what needs to be done there.’
‘Conquest and war?’
‘No, that phase is over, at least until one of Muboya’s neighbours gets stupid. What they need now is peace and competent administration.’
‘Well, whatever they need, they’ll be lucky to take you into their service.’
‘Thank you, Pug.’
‘For what?’
Kaspar’s eyes were shining with emotion. ‘For letting me take my soul back. In your stead, I would have had me hanged the moment I’d taken the citadel in Olasko. Your son and Tal Hawkins were better men than I ever hope to be, but I will try to live up to your generosity.’