Oberon's Dreams - By Aaron Pogue Page 0,29
would. But there will be little benefit for you in that exchange. They will all want to see you—a man outside time—but none of them can aid you.”
“Then what am I to do? How can I take a memory away if no one has the power to send me back?”
She smiled at him, showing strangely perfect teeth for a woman so old. “I never said there’s no one. Go to the one who brought you here. He can make it happen.”
“Ethan Blake? He’s still back there. Likely halfway to my ship by now, with…” The thought crept up on him, but now it laid him low. His throat constricted, and his stomach sank. “…with Iryana in his power.” Those words came out a whisper.
Delaen took two steps closer and rested a hand on Corin’s shoulder. “I do not mean Ethan Blake. I mean Oberon. He brought you here, whatever his reason, and if you will aid me in one simple task, he can send you home.”
“I have no part in your troubles here.” Corin’s voice sounded far away, even to his own ears.
“But you have troubles of your own. Who is this Ethan Blake?”
“A man I underestimated.”
She nodded. “A traitor?”
“Aye. After Ephitel’s own heart.”
“And who is Iryana?”
For a moment, Corin couldn’t answer. He cleared his throat and shook his head. “A girl. A slave I bought at market. I had a use for her.”
“And Blake stole her away? Blake put her life in danger?”
“Worse.”
“Then you are wrong in every way. This world—every leaf, every life, every last decision—this world is built from Oberon’s dreams. He made this place and brought us here, and his dreams are bright and good.”
“I have my daydreams, too, but the world I know—the world outside this city—I could not call it bright and good.”
Delaen stepped closer, eyes wide and flashing with passion. “And I would prefer not to see this world become the one you know. If Oberon loses his dominion, if Ephitel and his cronies seize control of this world, it will become a dark and wretched thing.”
Corin sighed. “I cannot fight Ephitel.”
“Of course,” she said. “No more than I could. But your needs and mine are in perfect alignment.”
“How so?”
“The only way you can get home is by the magic of the king.”
“Oberon?”
“Indeed. You must go to him and plead your case, and he will send you home.”
Corin nodded. “And your need?”
“I need you to tell the king what you have learned. Tell him Ephitel becomes a threat.”
“You can tell him that,” Corin said. “Aemilia has evidence—”
“Alas, we can’t. He will no longer listen to his druids, but you…you will capture his attention. Before you leave, do this one thing for me. Warn him that a dark rebellion’s brewing. Warn him that Ephitel is fielding an army.”
Corin licked his lips, searching for the catch. He couldn’t find one. “That’s all you ask? You want me to give him your report before I go?”
“That’s all. And pray he listens.”
Corin took her frail hand in both of his and looked into her eyes. “In that case, you have my word. Although I’m not very good at praying.”
She offered him a friendly smile. “Then go.”
“Go? Now? But isn’t there a council?”
She hesitated, then shook her head. “No. This is no time for council. Aemilia tells me that you drew Ephitel’s attention. Already rumors run thick in the streets that Aemilia has angered him, and he asks for information concerning you.”
“But if he’s moving now, there’s hardly time. Come with me—”
“He moves against the druids, not against the city. Everything we know is that he’s hoarded certificates for rations, but it will take him time to make use of such things, to build an army out of writs of provender. We still have weeks or months, but Oberon must act before that army’s raised.”
The thought of provender set Corin’s stomach growling. He stretched up on his toes, looking toward the smoky common room. “Must I go right now? Isn’t there some stew?”
Delaen laughed. “The king will see you fed, but tarry not before you reach his throne. There is no time left to waste.”
Corin frowned. “But Aemilia—”
“Is not cut out for grand adventure. It is her only flaw.”
The pirate licked his lips. “Can the druids give me nothing?”
The old woman arched an eyebrow. “I have given you direction, boy. What more could you ask?”
Before he could find a cutting answer, she nodded to the door. For a long moment he stood unmoving, defiant, but then he hung