He took her to the bedroom where they made love slowly and with great tenderness. Later, as she slept, Dace sat up and stared down at her as she lay with her golden hair spread out on the pillow, her slender left arm draped across the bed. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
‘And you wanted to kill her,’ said Tarantio.
‘I have wanted many things,’ Dace told him. ‘But mostly I wanted us to stay together.’
‘We are together.’
‘You don’t understand, Chio. We are not real, you and I; we are both creations of the child trapped in the mine. He created me to deal with his terrors, and in doing so gave birth to you. For only you could control me. Don’t you see? And the pull is getting stronger. One day he will draw us both to him, and we will cease to be.’
‘You cannot be sure of this,’ argued Tarantio.
‘Oh, I am sure. I can hear him calling me even now. And I can no longer resist.’
‘Why?’ Tarantio asked.
‘Because I have known love – and that is not what I was created for. Goodbye, brother,’ said Dace aloud, an infinite sadness in his voice.
Tarantio jerked back into awareness. ‘Dace!’ he called, but there was nothing.
Miriac stirred. ‘Did you call me?’ she whispered.
Tarantio sat very still, a yawning sense of emptiness sweeping through him.
Dace had gone …
The mood in the Meeting Hall was sombre as Vint gave his report. The Daroth had moved mountains of earth from their tunnel, and by morning would be close to the walls. By late tomorrow they would be under the city. Duke Albreck listened in silence, but cast a searching gaze around the room and its occupants. The little councillor, Pooris, looked glum and uncertain. Karis sat with eyes downcast, contributing nothing. The giant Forin was only half-listening to Vint; he was casting furtive glances towards Karis, and his look was one of concern. The dark-haired, skeletal cleric, Niro, sat forward attentively with his eyes fixed on the speaker. Neither Tarantio nor Ozhobar had so far arrived. ‘I cannot see,’ concluded Vint, ‘how we can combat this new initiative. If it was men we were facing, I would suggest digging down to intercept them. But Daroth? They would cut us to pieces in moments.’ He sat down, and the silence that followed his words was ominous.
Duke Albreck waited for a moment, then took a deep breath. ‘Our thanks to you, Vint. Your report was clear and concise. Any comments?’ The silence grew again. ‘General, do you have anything to add?’ Karis shook her head, but did not look up. The Duke
chose his words carefully, speaking without any hint of criticism. ‘My friends, we have worked hard and long to plan our defences, and to secure a future for the thousands of Corduin citizens who remain. It would be less than courageous to give in now, before the enemy has breached our walls. There must be something we can do.’ He glanced at Pooris. The little man wiped the sweat from his bald head.
‘I am not a warrior, my lord, as well you know. But I fail to see how we can combat these tactics. The Daroth could come up anywhere, and the only real weapons we have against them are too cumbersome to haul around the city. The way to the south is still open; the Daroth have not surrounded us. It seems to me that we should order a mass evacuation.’
‘How far would we get?’ asked Forin. ‘At best such a column could make eight miles in a day. The Daroth riders would be upon us within the hour.’
The door opened and Ozhobar strolled in, carrying a bundle of scrolls under his arm. He gave a cursory bow to the Duke, then pulled up a chair. ‘Have I missed anything?’ he asked.
‘You appear to have missed out your apology for lateness, sir,’ chided the Duke.
‘What? Ah, I see we are still observing the niceties. That’s rather good. We dangle from the crumbling lip of the precipice, but we retain our manners.’