“In the Mage Wars, the Verinai built four Titans,” Moren said. “They represent the crowning achievement of the guild of Verinai. They were devastating war machines, intended to wreck castles and uproot city walls.”
“You want to bring it to life,” Stella guessed.
Mind smiled at the touch of excitement to her tone. “Yes,” he said.
“How?” She hurried to catch up to him on the stairs. “It’s five thousand years old. Surely it cannot function.”
“This Titan was unlike the other four,” Mind said, recalling Elenyr’s tale. “This was the first, the largest and greatest. When it failed, the Verinai built four smaller Titans, their magics more fluid. This was left here, forgotten.”
“But if it didn’t work then, why would it work now?” Moren was breathing hard as they reached the floor of the cavern and crossed the bridge to the island.
“Because it did work,” Mind said.
“I don’t understand,” Stella said. “Why did the Verinai think it didn’t?”
Mind crossed the island and came to a halt at the edge of the statue’s enormous foot. “The Titans were so large, and possessed so much magic threaded into their makeup, that they could not operate without a cost. One soul, their mind imbued into the Titan, brought the war machine to life.”
Moren raised a hand and retreated a step. “You cannot mean for—”
“Of course not,” Mind said. “I’m not going to sacrifice either of you. That’s why there are three of us.”
“And you think we can shoulder the burden together?” Stella asked, her eyes wide and eager.
“You cannot be considering this,” Moren said. “This is madness. I know the war is grave, but this could destroy us all.”
“Your ancestor fought in the Mage Wars,” Mind said. “Did you know that?”
Moren blinked in surprise at the shift in conversation. “My ancestor disappeared during the war. How do you know her fate?”
Mind stabbed a finger at the Titan. “She was the one chosen to become this Titan.”
Moren’s eyes widened. “How can you know this?”
“Your ancestor was forced to become this Titan,” He said. “The Verinai believed that a mind mage was required. She did in fact empower the Titan, but she did not move or speak, and died to prevent the Verinai from knowing their success.”
“She fought?” Moren seemed stunned.
“And won,” Mind said. “Elenyr found her, and spoke to her in the final moments of her life. She brought her child so she could say goodbye. And that is why your bloodline is beholden to her.”
Moren’s entire ancestry had served Elenyr without understanding why. Mind was giving the man the reason. Mind chaffed at the man’s struggle to understand. Dawn was just moments away, and they still had to make the return journey. In the Titan, they could cross the distance in just a couple of hours, but every second counted.
“I never knew,” Moren breathed.
“This is your chance,” Mind urged. “If you do this, your family’s oath to Elenyr will be fulfilled.”
Moren stared at the Titan, the truth settling on him like a mantle. His jaw tightened and he looked to his daughter, who nodded her head, an unspoken accord. Then Moren straightened and turned to Mind.
“What do we do?”
Mind directed them to climb up the Titan, to the access panel in the chest. Using his magic, he unlocked the latch inside and it swung open with a creak. Inside, the space was hardly large enough for a single person, the walls of the space glowing faintly, pulsing with long buried power.
Mind reached into the threads of power. The musculature of the war machine had been patterned after a rock troll, and beneath the thick armor and great skeleton, the chest cavity contained a reservoir of power that still survived to this day. Mind used his gravity magic to compress the reservoir, shaping a new space inside, a place for two more occupants.
“Get inside,” Mind said.
The two mind mages clambered into the opening and squeezed into the recess Mind had created. Mind then claimed the center seat. He reached to the panel as he gave the final instructions.
“This Titan carries an enormous load,” he said. “If I were alone, it would probably kill me. But the three of us can share the burden if we blend our magics into a single focus.”
“A melding?” Stella abruptly appeared nervous. “Are you certain?”
“All will be well,” Moren said. “Do as he says.”
Sitting so close their shoulders touched, Mind met her gaze. “Anything I see in your mind, I will never reveal.”
She hesitated, and then nodded, and Mind shut the latch. Then he closed his eyes and reached to the other two mind mages. After a lifetime of holding strict mental barriers, Mind lowered his shields, allowing the three to meld.
As they merged, Mind caught glimpses of Stella’s life, events and places, joys and embarrassments. He saw Moren as well, his pride of his daughter, his fear of the battle they would face. They, in turn, saw him. Mind fought the urge to shield his vulnerability, but felt Stella smile when she saw his attraction for her.
He reached for the Titan, his magic empowered by the two mind mages. The energy coursed through the Titan’s flesh, flooding into limbs and extremities, filling the armor and sinews. The melding was only as strong as the mind mages that performed the joining, and all three were committed. Mind delved deeper into the magic, giving himself into the Titan’s enormous reservoir of power. A smile spread on his face and he opened his eyes—but his eyelids did not lift.
On the outside of the statue, the eyes of the Titan began to glow.
Chapter 35: Return to Xshaltheria
