Keith Baker - The Gates of Night

L araek ixen korth,” the dwarf whispered, tracing his fingers along the edge of the metal disk. Runes etched into the steel burned with blue fire. The light faded, and as it did, the disk became blurry and indistinct, almost invisible against the stone floor. The dwarf took two careful steps back, slipping down the hall. He glanced up at Daine and gave a curt nod. If the disk were triggered, it would collapse the tunnel, which appeared to be the only entrance into this mysterious outpost.

Daine didn’t relish the thought of being trapped below, but the odds of surviving the night had never been good. Whatever this facility was, it posed a clear threat to the people of Cyre. Daine intended to cripple the base. If he and his soldiers could complete this mission and escape, all the better. If not, collapsing the entrance would have to do. At least it would buy Daine’s messenger time to warn the garrison at Casalon.

“It was a good plan, I’ll give you that.”

The sudden sound was a shock. No guards were in sight, but silence was clearly called for. Daine turned and glared at Jode.

“I ordered you to scout ahead,” Daine whispered.

Jode shook his head. “Daine, it’s time to wake up.”

And with those words, memory returned-visions of another battle.

A kalashtar woman wreathed in shadows …

Lei stretched across a stone dais, surrounded by pieces of glowing crystal …

Betrayal …

And a rushing, hissing voice, demanding a vial of blue liquid …

Daine lowered his sword until the point was level with the halfling’s heart. “Who are you? Lakashtai? Or Tashana?”

“You know who I am.”

Cold fury gripped Daine’s heart. “Enough! I’ve had enough of your games.”

“I know what you’ve been through,” Jode said. “I can imagine how hard this is for you. But it’s over now. Let me show you.”

Jode held out his hand, but Daine felt only anger. He was still piecing it together, but it was clear that Lakashtai had been manipulating him for weeks. Possibly months. She’d used his feelings for Lei against him, and now this. Daine slapped the halfling’s hand aside with the flat of his sword.

The little man winced but held his ground. “Not exactly the joyous reunion I had hoped for.” A drop of blood blossomed on one finger, and he sighed. “Daine, you know the truth, even if you don’t want to see it. I need you to trust me. One more time.”

Daine studied his old friend’s eyes, searching for any signs of deception. More memories flashed through his mind.

Jode on the streets of Metrol, surrounded by tattooed men …

The halfling’s body, lying in a charnel pit beneath Sharn …

Cursing himself, Daine reached out and took the halfling’s hand.

For a moment Daine was blinded, overwhelmed by sensations. The world seemed to collapse, his vision rising up from the base to look out over Keldan Ridge. He could see every detail with crystal clarity. He knew the position of every shattered warforged, of every Cyran corpse. And he knew it was a dream. He could sense the boundaries of the battlefield, how it faded away just beyond the range of sight, a silver bubble, floating in darkness.

The darkness was alive, and it saw him.

Terror flowed through Daine. He couldn’t even see the spirit that lurked in the shadows, but he could feel it-a cold giant reaching out to crush his tiny dreamscape. He felt icy tendrils clutch at his heart. But he could feel something else. A source of light and warmth. A force adding its strength to his.

Jode.

Daine felt his friend’s laughter flow through him, along with a flow of memories.

Flying through the air astride a huge, birdlike reptile, a barren plain stretched out beneath him …

Daine and Jode’s first meeting in Metrol, now seen from Jode’s eyes …

And a ghastly purple face, with a ring of writhing tentacles reaching toward him. The mind flayer beneath Sharn, the last thing Jode had seen while alive …

There was no longer any doubt in Daine’s mind. This was Jode, and the frigid darkness shattered against the two united minds.

Then he was back in the tunnel, staring at the face of his friend. Behind him, Krazhal and Kesht stood frozen. With his newfound senses, Daine could sense that they were empty, fragments drawn from his memory-as was the hall itself. But Jode …

Daine forgot about the darkness, about Lakashtai, about any of it. His sword slipped from his fingers as he moved forward and grabbed Jode around his shoulders, lifting him into the air.

“I know, I know,” Jode said with a grin. “It’s the miracle of me.”

“How is this possible?”

“You think I know? Out of the two of us, who’s been dead?”

“But you said you knew what I’d been through-”

Jode grinned. “And you’ve never known me to embellish the truth? After I was caught by Teral, everything sort of … fades. Every now and then I’d catch glimpses of the three of you or hear you talking to me. Occasionally your dreams-this place-would flash into view, and I could see the creature you were fighting, but I couldn’t reach you. Then everything changed. I was here, and I could feel your thoughts.”

Daine set the halfling down. “And how did you know what would happen when we touched?”

“It’s a dream. Sometimes you just know things in dreams.”

A chill ran down Daine’s spine, the force watching in the darkness. He could still feel it out there, watching, probing his defenses. But even though they were no longer touching, he could still feel Jode’s strength. He wasn’t alone anymore. And whatever force had been fighting him before, it couldn’t overcome them both.

“So tell me what I’ve missed!” Jode said. “I can see … an ocean voyage? A wall of fire? I want details. And how are Lei and Pierce?”

Lei! In the chaos of the dream, Daine had almost forgotten the battle he’d left behind. “There’s no time. They’re both in terrible danger. If this is a dream, we need to wake up. Now.”

Jode shrugged. “It’s your dream. That’s your job.”

Daine closed his eyes, then opened them quickly.

Nothing.

“Dorn’s teeth!” he swore, smashing his fist against the wall. Pain and numbness lanced across his nerves, but his surroundings never wavered. Helpless anger burned in Daine’s heart. He glanced back down the tunnel, searching for the concealed blast disk.

“I wouldn’t,” Jode said, responding to Daine’s unspoken thought. “I don’t know what death would do to us, but if Lei’s really in trouble, do you think that’s the first thing you should try?”

“What else can I do?”

“Be calm,” Jode said. “Remember this is a dream. Your dream. Close your eyes and take my hand.”

Fighting against his raging emotions, Daine blew out his breath and reached out for the halfling’s hand.

Wake up .

And he did.

Daine , Harmattan said, his voice a thunderous hiss, metal grinding in a great wind that seemed to come from all directions. It’s been a long time .

Harmattan stood in the room’s sole entrance. At first glance, he seemed a massive man in a flowing cloak-easily nine feet tall, with muscles to rival an ogre’s. Metal glittered across his body, as if he were covered in chainmail. Even his cloak seemed forged from metal links. Dark mist shrouded his head. Points of red light hinted at eyes within the shadow.

Pierce had seen Harmattan in action and knew that his appearance was deceiving. Harmattan was not wearing chainmail, and he was no man. As Pierce looked at Harmattan again, new thoughts flowed into his mind-