Page 136 of Requiem of Silence

“This way.” Varten led them through the empty hallways, no other living being in sight, just spirits tracking them, waiting for a break in the chain of protection that Papa offered.

They were racing down a hallway in the newer part of the building when the electricity flickered and died, leaving them in darkness. One of the women gave a cry of surprise, and Varten was forced to stop. There were no windows in this corridor and it was impossible to see. But a flicker of fire rose in the air in front of them.

“How’s your Song?” Varten asked, as his father’s grip weakened slightly.

“All right for now.”

Varten quickened his pace, relying on the others to keep up. They wound through the passageways until they reached the obelisk room. The door was open, the rubescent glow of the monolith lit the small room. Zeli sat in front of the column but popped up at their arrival. Her jaw hung open in shock as she took them in.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, breathless.

In response, he just reached for her hand. She hesitated for a moment that seemed to last forever. In that brief time, his heart flooded with sorrow. But she stretched out her arm and took his hand. Varten released hold of his father.

“Go to the shelter in the Summer Ballroom,” he said to Papa. “See if there are others you can help or relieve.”

“Be careful, son,” Papa murmured. And then he and the women were gone.

Varten and Zeli stood in the doorway, fingers intertwined. “You came back,” she whispered, eyes wet with unshed tears.

“I’m sorry. I—” He shook his head. “I owe you an apology for a lot of things, but I had an idea.”

“An idea? About this?” Hope laced her voice.

“Do you think you can do that thing that Gilmer did to talk to his acolytes? Except for the whole city?”

Her brow furrowed as she thought. Then she nodded. “I think so. I should be able to do it with the obelisk, but why?”

“Because I think I know what the sacrifice needs to be.”

CHAPTER FIFTY

The Voice you hear inside

is mine

is ours.

It belongs to all and none at all.

It whispers louder than a scream and if

ignored it still continues

speaking.

—THE HARMONY OF BEING

Taking care not to touch it, Zeli unwrapped the king stone with her free hand. While all her old fears were excised when her Song had been restored, it was still possible for new ones to intrude. But after having felt the amazing freedom of fearlessness, she wasn’t eager to take on more anytime soon.

It had been difficult as the doubts intruded. Then the bittersense of abandonment when Varten had fled. She’d struggled not to let the panic into its former place. She was still struggling as she placed her hand around the caldera, holding the Songs of her people.

Nothing happened when she touched it—it had not been created to respond to touch the way the one Yllis had made was. It was just a heavy, warm presence in her grip.

“I need to touch the obelisk,” she told Varten. “Hold onto my shoulder.” He complied, his fingertips grazing her collarbone. She shivered at the touch. He squeezed her lightly and she took a deep breath before placing her other hand on the obelisk.

Oola and Darvyn, the most powerful Singers alive, had reawakened this ancient caldera, though she could sense it only held a tiny fraction of its potential. Still, this was ancient magic and should be enough to do what she needed.

She concentrated on the Song within her, eager and thirsty and ready to be used. Connecting to Earthsong was second nature, even after mere days since her Song’s restoration. And as it turned out, using the obelisk was not all that difficult. Normally, she would pour Earthsong into her own Song the way you’d pour water from a pitcher into a glass. The obelisk vastly expanded the size of her glass. She felt as though she was linking with both Oola and Darvyn, wrangling their massive power under her control. The obelisk filtered and refined the power until she could wield it with pinpoint accuracy.

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