The Hollow

Darkseer

They walked into the middle, and through the haze, the wall overlooking the rim came into view. She was there, under the roiling smoke, gazing out at the Cradle. From behind she looked the same as she always had, except her hair was grayer. It blew lightly in the wind, and he could tell she had brushed it recently. He took another step toward her and Omega screamed.

He quickly turned back, and saw the glyphs and carvings on her body blazing a bloody red. Ahden grabbed her waist to support her, while Dev and Omuti stood on guard. Beyond his companions stood a line of seers, and amongst them advanced half a dozen voids in the smoke. Riders and footmen of the None walked toward the Gate, and where they stepped, the seers fled but stopped when they reached a safe distance.

Omega stood again and raised both her arms, spreading her fingers as far as she could. She yelled as her arms blazed, and then came silence and clarity, surrounded by a blur. Nom looked around, and the air of the entire Gate was clear, up to the blue sky, but it was ringed by a murky wall of motionless smoke, in which the voids of the None were clearly outlined. But they too, were motionless, as were his companions. Ahden, Dev, and Omuti stood in a ring around Omega with her upraised hands, near the edge of the ring, all frozen, partially hazy with smoke.

---

Nom approached the rim wall, while Saqu turned and came toward him. They stood in the midst of the pyres, now burning calm and hot with fire.

"Dkheym," she said, "why are you here?"

This was already uncomfortable. Nom had imagined any number of things he would say to her, and nothing ever sat well in his mind. "You weren't at home, Saqu, so I knew I'd find you here."

Saqu looked confused, "I said I would be there once you find her." Then melancholia crept into her demeanor. "But I'm not there, am I?" she mumbled.

Nom stepped toward her. He thought back to a recent conversation. "I did find her, Saqu—" she looked hopeful again, so it pained him to add, "—but I cannot bring her back."

She flashed through confusion again, then grew angry. "All this time, you were lying to me? Lying about wanting to be a father?"

"What? No!" Nom protested.

"Then you're blaming me for this? For all our loss?" Her indignation quickly faded into nothingness. "You're probably right."

"No, Saqu, that wasn't your fault either. But you have to stop living in the past. We have to let Qarittu go. I know what you've done to keep her memory alive, and it's twisted, destructive. We can't wish her into something she is not."

"Haven't you wished to know what she would look like? I did what is my right," she said with cold fury, pointing a finger at Nom. "I had to find a way when you could not, and I did." She threw her arm back, pointing off to the side. Nom looked into the smokey ring where she pointed. A horrible shadow loomed in the haze, like a burning coldness within the flames. It looked indistinct, and trapped, frozen like his companions, but aware and waiting.

Before he could overcome his fear to voice a question, Saqu said, "The Word of Omnos—"

"That's not Omnos," Nom whispered.

"—gives me strength," Saqu continued, "shows me how to survive, promises that we can see her again, Dkheym, a family, always," she moved closer to the shadow, and it slowly became more distinct, "we can regain what was lost to us if only we accept it."

Nom shook his head. He took a step away from her, away from the shadow. "Family is what you make of it," he said, "what you build together, how you change together. I thought maybe that would be the answer for us. I have to accept that you found something different. But I could only accept that path for myself as long as no one is hurt, not you, not me, not innocent people caught up in the wake of what we do. I fear that's not the case, so I cannot be a part of it." He turned and said over his shoulder, "Goodbye Saqu," then walked away. He was filled with fear and horror at everything around him, and the prospect of leaving behind everything they had journeyed to find. He looked back and saw Saqu once again quietly staring out at the Cradle, her gray hair softly blowing in the updrafts. He ached to go back, but knew now that if he did, the same events would play out over and over.

---

As he stared wistfully, he noticed with alarm the shadow was moving, straining to reach Saqu. The walls around it destabilized and started to collapse inward on the Gate. The funeral pyres plumed with smoke again instead of fire, the sound of Rabidi's crackling firestorm returned, and the None started to stir. Whether the shadow was a manifestation of their would-be adversary or not, Nom was convinced the Mage had arranged for this clearing, but had now released it. Omega was the only thing holding it all back, and she was failing. He saw now that his frozen companions were all still aware, straining, and hurting. Blood ran from Omega's glowing brands, staining her clothing in red and white patterns. Nom reached out and took her hand. Her stiff outspread fingers trembled, and tears ran from her eyes.

Nom looked her in the face and wiped her cheek. "It's ok," Nom told her. "You helped me find my own worth, my own strength, now I can give it to you." She closed her eyes and slowly closed her fingers around his. He accepted all the darkness in his life, saw it in himself, accepted himself and the world as the same, and that gave him power over the darkness. He grasped Omega's other hand, closed his eyes, and willed all that power to her.

He saw a light behind his closed eyes, and opened them. Omega was bright as the sunshine, calm, and concentrating. Her scars no longer burned or bled, were no longer in control, were just a part of her. She released one hand and held it out to the maelstrom around them, swept it over the None, and one by one the voids filled with deep claps of smoke. As her reach encircled the Gate, the shadow retreated. Omega opened her eyes, and with the thunderous whump of a million flames burning their fuel in an instant, the fires disappeared, the smoke dissipated, and the ruins of Rabidi lay in peace. Even Saqummatu was gone.

His companions shook out their limbs and gazed around at the clear sky, the crumbling city, and the vast view of the Cradle. Nom loosened his grip on Omega, but she tightened hers, and pulled him close to hug him. "Thank you," she said. "for finding the darkseer."