Eddings, David – Tamuli – 02 – The Shining Ones

Ghwerig in the carving of the Sapphire Rose. Man is capricious

and inconstant, and covetousness doth ever lurk in his heart,

and Trolls are but reflections of the worst in men. Thus did the

Troll-Gods make the rings the key to Bhelliom, lest any or all

have power to command it. Thus did Aphrael disarm Ghwerig

by stealing the rings, and thus did she scatter the power of the

jewel that no mortal might command it. Thinking that their own

power was absolute, the Troll-Gods had no interest in the

flower-gem, and distrustful each of the others, they laid enchantments

upon the stone to ensure that no one of them might take

up Bhelliom unless all did. Only in concert might they command

it, and they contrived it so that they, as Gods acting’ in concert,

could command Bhelliom without the rings.’ She paused,

reflecting, Sparhawk thought, on the peculiarities of the

Troll-Gods.

‘Now truly,’ she went on, ‘the Troll-Gods are ellementals, each

so limited that his mind may in no wise be considered whole

and complete. Only when united, which doth rarely happen,

can they, by combinatiun, achieve that wholeness we see

in the meerest human child. For the other Gods, however, it is

not so. The mind of Azash was whole and compl(ete, despite

his maiming, and in his wholeness had he the power to command

Bhelliom without the rings. This then was the peril

which did confront thee, Anakha, when thou didst journey

to Zemoch to meet with him. Had Azash wrested Bhelliom from

thee, he could have compelled it to join its will and its power

with his.’

‘That might have been a bit inconvenient,’ Kalten noted.

‘I don’t quite understand,’ Talen said. ‘The last few times he’

used it, Sparhawk’s been able to get Bhelliom to do what he

wants it to do without using the rings. Does that mean that

Sparhawk’s a God?’

‘Nay, young sir,’ Xanetia smiled. ‘Anakha is of Bhelliom’s

devising and is therefore in some measure a part of Bhelliom even

as are the rings. For him, the rings are not needful. Zalasta

did perceive this. When Anakha slew Ghwerig and took up the

Bhelliom, did Zalasta intensify his surveillance, ever using the

rings as beacons to guide him. Thus did he observe Anakha’s

progress, and thus did he watch Anakha’s mate as well.’

‘All right, Sparhawk,’ Ehlana said in a dangerous tone. ‘How

did you get my ring? And what’s this?’ She extended her hand

to show him the ruby adorning her finger. ‘is it some cheap

piece of glass?’

he sighed. ‘Aphrael stole your ring for me,’ he replied. ‘She’s

the one who provided the substitute. I doubt that she’d have

used glass.’

She pulled the ring off her finger and hurled it across the

room. ‘Give it back! Give me back my ring, you thief.’

‘I didn’t steal it, Ehlana,’ he protested. ‘Aphrael did.’

‘You took it when she gave it to you, didn’t you? That makes

you an accessory. Give me back my ring.’

‘Yes, dear,’ he replied meekly. ‘I meant to do that, but it

slipped my mind.’ He took out the box. ‘Open,’ he told it. He

did not touch his ring to the lid. he wanted to find out if the

box would open at his command alone.

It did. He took out his wife’s ring and held it out to her.

‘Put it back where it belongs,’ she commanded.

‘All right. here, hold this.’ He gave her the box, took her

hand, and slipped the ring onto her finger. Then he reached for

the box again.

‘Not just yet,’ she said, holding it out of his reach. She looked

at the Sapphire Rose. ‘Does it know who I am?’

‘I think so. Why don’t you ask it? Call it “Blue Rose”. That’s

what Ghwerig called it, so it’s familiar with the name.’

‘Blue Rose,’ she said, ‘do you know me?’

There was a momentary silence as Bhelliom pulsed, its azure

glow dimming and then brightening.

‘Anakha,’ Talen said in a slightly wooden voice, ‘is it thy

desire that I respond to the questions of thy mate?’

“it was well that thou didst, Blue rose,’ Sparhawk replied.

‘She and I are so intertwined that her thoughts are mine and

mine hers. Whether we will or no, we are three. Ye two should

know one another.’

‘This was not my design, Anakha.’ Talen’s voice had an

accusing note in it.

‘The world is ever-changing, Blue Rose,’ Ehlana said, ‘and

there is no design so perfect that it cannot be improved.’ Her

speech, like Sparhawk’s, was profoundly formal. ‘Some there

are who have feared that I might imperil my life should I touch

thee. Is there in truth such peril?’

The wooden expression slid off Talen’s face to be replaced

with a look of bleak determination. ‘There is, mate of Anakha.’

The note in Talen’s voice was as hard and cold as steel. ‘Once

did I relent and once only, when, after ages uncounted of lying

imprisoned in the earth, did I permit Ghwerig to lift me from

the place where I had lain. This shape, which is so pleasing unto

thee, was the result. With cruel implements of diamond and

accursed red iron did Ghwerig carve and contort me, living, into

this grotesque form. I must submit to the touch of a God; I

willingly submit to the touch of Anakha in the sure and certain

hope that he will liberate me from this shape which hath become

my prison. It is death for any other.’

‘Couldn’t you… ?’ She left it hanging.

‘No.’ There was an icy finality in it. ‘I have no reason to trust

the creatures of this world. The death that lieth in my touch

shall remain, and there also will remain the lure which doth

incline all who see me to touch me. They who see me will yearn

to touch me, and will they eagerly reach forth their hands – and

die. The dead have no desire to enslave me, the living are not

to be trusted.’

She sighed. ‘Thou art hard, Blue Rose,’ she said.

‘I have reason, mate of Anakha.’

‘Someday, mayhap, we will learn trust.’

“it is not needful. The achievement of our goal doth not hinge

upon it.’

She sighed again and handed the box back to her husband.

‘Please go on, Xanetia. That shadow that was pestering Sparhawk

and me was Zalasta, then? At first we thought it was

Azash – and then, later on, the Troll-Gods.’

‘The shadow was Zalasta’s mind, Queen of Elenia,’ Xanetia

replied. ‘A Styric ‘spell known to very few doth make it possible

for him thus to observe and listen unseen.’

‘i’d hardly call it unseen. I saw the edges of him every single

time. It’s a very clumsy spell.’

‘That was Bhelliom’s doing. It sought to warn Anakha of Zalasta’s

presence by making him partially visible. Since one of the

rings was on thy hand, the shadow of Zalasta’s mind was also

visible to thee.’ She paused. ‘Zalasta was afeared,’ she went on.

“it was the design of the minions of Azash to lure Anakha with

Bhelliom in his grip – to go even unto Zemoch where Azash

might take the jewel from him. Should that have come to pass,

Zalasta’s one hope of defeating Aphrael and possessing

Sephrenia would have been forever dashed. In truth, Anakha,

were all the impediments heaped in thy path to Zemoch of

Zalasta’s devising.’

‘I sort of wondered about that,’ Sparhawk mused. ‘Martel was

being inconsistent, and that wasn’t at all like him. My brother

was usually as single-minded as an avalanche. We thought it

was the Troll-Gods, though. They had plenty of reason not to

want Bhelliom to fall into the hands of Azash.’

‘Zalasta wished thee to believe so, Anakha. It was yet another

means whereby he could conceal his own duplicity from

Sephrenia, and her good opinion of him was most important.

In short, thou didst win thy way through to Zemoch and didst

destroy Azash there – along with diverse others.’

‘We did that, all right,’ Ulath murmured. ‘Whole lots Of

diverses.’

‘Then was Zalasta sore troubled,’ Xanetia continued, ‘for

Anakha had come to full realization of his power to control

Bhelliom, and with that realization had he become as dangerous

as any God. Zalasta could no more confront him than he could

confront Aphrael. And so it was that he went apart from all

other men to consider his best course of action, and to consult

with certain outcasts of his acquaintance. The destruction of

Azash had confirmed their surmise, Bhelliom could, in fact, confront

and destroy the Gods. The means of the death of Aphrael

was at hand, could Zalasta but obtain it. That means, however,

was in the hands of the most dangerous man on life. Clearly, if

Zalasta wished to achieve his goal, he must needs ally himself

with a God.’

‘Cyrgon,’ Kalten guessed.

‘Even so, my protector. The Elder Gods of Styricum, as ye

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