Keith Baker - The Gates of Night

“Keldan Ridge,” Daine said. “And this time, we finish the battle.”

They walked across the desert, and the world slowly changed around them, becoming more like Cyre with every minute that passed. Perhaps this was normal for the others; perhaps reality always shifted in dreams. But Pierce had never had a dream, and it was disconcerting to see trees sprout from barren earth and day turn into night. Pierce had his greatbow in his hands, an arrow nocked to the string, and he did his best to maintain awareness of the surroundings, searching for any sign of enemy motion, as he had done on countless patrols since the time of his forging. But how could he be expected to prepare against an enemy when the land itself refused to hold one shape?

Pierce was still coming to terms with the flail he’d drawn from within, and the newfound capabilities of his quiver. Like Lei’s satchel, the space inside was larger than it appeared. In fact, there were two pockets, a narrow space filled with arrows, and the larger area that held the flail-and, as it turned out, could hold his bow. It was strange to think that he’d had this capability all along and never known it. He wondered if other secrets lay hidden within his frame.

“Sovereign lords,” whispered Lei.

Pierce had little use for wonder. He tried to analyze every situation, evaluating it from a tactical standpoint, searching for the threats hidden within. Yet the sight before him was enough to give him pause.

They stood on the edge of Keldan Ridge. Fires burned in the valley below, smoke rising from the shattered airship and torn tents. Corpses littered the field, Cyran soldiers intertwined with the warforged they’d fought that night. Pierce had no memory of how this battle had ended, but the beginning was fixed in his mind. The cries of the wounded. His comrades in arms-his friends-being butchered by these bizarre constructs. He remembered how those who survived the initial assault had looked at him, the fear in their eyes, as if they blamed him for the actions of the strange soldiers. The memory was strong, but Pierce had never dreamed, and he’d never thought to see this place again.

“There,” Daine said, pointing. A small group of soldiers made their way down the distant hill where the Cyrans had built their redoubt. It was hard to see much detail at such a distance, but Pierce could see the long wooden poles they carried-small trees, stripped of their limbs.

“It’s just as I dreamed it,” Daine said. “Lei, you set up a siege staff in the center of the valley-”

“I can’t build a siege staff,” Lei said, her gaze on the descending soldiers.

“I know. But the enemy didn’t. They sent out their soldiers to engage you. Jode, Krazhal, Kesht, and I used the confusion to enter the base. The tunnel should be … there . It’s concealed behind an illusion, but the earth is worn down around the entrance.”

“And what is inside this base?” Pierce said.

“I don’t know,” Daine replied. “In my other dreams, I never made it very far. All we know is that we somehow ended up on the Dorn Plateau by morning. Perhaps tonight we’ll find the answer.”

“Look, that’s me,” Lei said, pointing at the soldiers setting up the weapon in the center of the field. “You can see the green.”

“I told you,” Daine said. “Now we wait for the soldiers to emerge, and then we make our way into the base.”

Pierce studied the soldiers. He couldn’t see himself among them, but that was hardly surprising. Surely he was in hiding, and at this distance, Pierce’s talent for stealth was enough to conceal him from his own keen eyes. He felt the faint tug of curiosity-What had happened that night? — but concern for his friends was by far the stronger emotion. What dangers lay within the hidden complex?

Pierce .

It was Shira’s thought. It was unusual for her to address him by name. Typically her thoughts simply flowed into his mind as if they were his own.

I have withheld tactical data from you, and for that I apologize .

A few warforged scouts emerged from the tunnel. Each one was slightly different; some were lopsided, some covered with spikes. One seemed terribly familiar-it was one of the bodies of Hydra, the warforged he’d met in the service of Harmattan!

Pierce raised his bow, but Daine held him back with a gesture and snapped, “No! This is is just the beginning. We’ve got to wait for the rest to emerge. Don’t do anything without my orders.”

Pierce reluctantly lowered his bow. What have you concealed? he thought.

My ability to maintain the link to this world is of limited duration. In time, you and Lei will be forced back to Eberron .

What are the parameters? Pierce thought. When will we be able to return to this place?

You will not. When this is over, I will no longer exist .

“What?” Pierce said. Surprise and concern caused him to speak aloud, and the others turned to look at him.

“Pierce?” Lei said.

The fey spirit you dealt with told you the truth. My people learned that our world was going to change into something unknown-and, we feared, something horrible. We could find no way to stop this turning of the age, and we acted with desperation. The sphere you found was built to be an anchor for my spirit, a shield from whatever changes occurred on Dal Quor. We made the first of your kind to serve as our soldiers, and in time, our bodies. But our knowledge came too late, and the balance of the planes was broken before more of my kind could make the transition. And I was locked away .

“But what does this have to do with your death?”

You do not understand. I exist only because I severed all ties with Dal Quor. To bring you here, I had to reestablish that connection. I am a spirit of Dal Quor, bound to the plane, but I do not belong in this age. I can feel the power at the heart-this Dreaming Dark you have spoken of-pulling at me, changing what I am. I can resist, but not forever. Soon it will pull me away, and recreate me in its own image .

Pierce was at a loss for words. He’d only possessed Shira for a few days, and she had always been a passive presence in his mind. Only now did he realize just how comforting that presence was, how much he enjoyed the companionship, and the knowledge she shared with him.

What if you leave now?

No. It is too late. It was too late the moment I touched this world again. I knew what would happen, Pierce. And more than any other creature, I can assure you that this fight is worthwhile. I can feel what my beautiful world has become, and it is a horror. Hold this line. Keep this Dreaming Dark from breaking its chains. And in time, the age of light will return again .

“Now!” Daine said. A squad of motley warforged soldiers was making its way across the valley, toward the Cyran camp. Daine started down the hill, Lei and Jode behind him.

Pierce was not made for tears. His eyes were solid crystal. As he raised his bow and followed his comrades, his sorrow seemed to be trapped within him, like steam seeking release.

Feel no pain , Shira thought, for I do not. I fought this fate for thirty thousand years, and now it is time to accept it. I am blessed, for you have given me one final chance to see the light before my journey into darkness. Cherish your companions and the time you have, and I thank you for what you have given me .

Pierce had no response. He fought back the sorrow as they approached the tunnel entrance. Battle lay ahead, and he needed to be calm and detached.

And he wanted to hit something.

A smile lit Daine’s face. He was about to challenge an army of demons to determine the fate of the world, and he was grinning from ear to ear. Despite the madness of their quest, he felt better than he had in years. He’d spent the last year as a haunted man. Jode’s death, the mystery of Keldan Ridge, the horror of the Mourning-all of these weighed heavily on his soul. Now Jode was at his side, the answers to Keldan Ridge lay ahead, and if he couldn’t save Cyre … well, he had a chance to save Eberron itself. A fool’s quest? Perhaps. But this time, he’d succeed or die in the effort.