The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2 novel Chapter 144

Part 21

“Well, we’ve been considering who might’ve forced Yzell’s mind.” Six explained. “Only the gods could see through the time-bubble from the outside, and they led us to believe that they couldn’t act through it without taking it down. They’ve also said that it takes more than one of them to maintain a time-bubble that big, and I’m sure the gods who’re maintaining it could tell if another god was trying to see through it or act through it. So, for it to be done from outside, there has to be a conspiracy of the gods, they’d have to be doing what they told us they couldn’t do, and all of them are sworn on The Truthstone. Plus, unless they were watching us through the time-bubble, I can’t see what motivation they’d have had to do it.

“I think we can disregard the possibility that it was done from outside.

“When you consider the people with us inside the time-bubble, and ask who had the capability to do it, who could’ve had a motivation to do it, and who has a twisted enough sense of morality to do it even though they’re sworn to justice, there’s only one real candidate.

“Quewanak did it. He has the capability. He considers us his protégés and has always been quite impressed with us, and could certainly see what a benefit forty-four more of us will be to The Just Alliance. And he’s got a kind of inconsiderate sense of morality. Don’t forget that when me and Fire were barely toddlers and had no magic and almost no physical combat ability, Quewanak had us fight hundreds of adult Sylvan to the death, armed with nothing but our psionics. He could have stopped it at the beginning of their attack, but he let it go on until just before we were going to be overwhelmed and killed because he wanted to see what would happen, and he thought it would be good for us.

“I think of every other possible suspect that has the skill to do it and ask myself; are they the kind of people who could have done this? Yazadril? Dalia? Nek Sibook? Any of the Sylvan Elders? No. None of them would do something like this, not in a million years. But Quewanak? Sure, he’d do it on a whim.

“Quewanak had the ability, the opportunity, the motivation, the requisite personality, and in my mind he stands alone as the sole suspect by process of elimination.

“He did it.”

“Well done.” Quewanak chuckled, startling the rest as he appeared. Or rather his head appeared without the rest of him since he couldn’t fit in the house, which was a rather disconcerting solution to the problem for Mark and his children. “I hadn’t considered that you might identify me as the author of the work with absolutely no evidence against me.

“You are completely correct of course, I did do it, and I feel completely comfortable with having done so. It needed to be done; I could see no possibility that the fertility problem would be solved otherwise, and it was the right thing to do.”

“You think it was right to steal my freedom to decide whether I was going to have children?!!” Mark demanded in rage. “Was it right to make Yzell think that she’d committed this crime against me, or to inflict on my family the stresses and awkwardness that this situation has put on our relationships?!! To force me to raise forty-four more children at the same time?!!”

“These are extreme times, that sometimes require extreme measures.” Quewanak patiently explained. “You’ve solved the problem of how to raise the children well, and though I knew not how you’d do so, I was confidant that you would.

“I knew that Yzell would be exonerated, and in return for a few minutes of anguish, she was allowed to accomplish a great achievement that will greatly benefit many millions of people over millions of years.

“The stress and awkwardness suffered by your family have been minor.

“And as to my crime against you personally, I’ll make you a deal; After the time-bubble opens, after sixteen years of subjective time for you spent raising the children I’ve caused you to breed, if you still feel that I deserve punishment for my crime against you, I will submit to it. If you still feel that you should confine me or torture me or even kill me for what I’ve done, I will allow you to do so, even accepting the true death, if you truly feel it is my due. I swear it by the soul of Holy Amirgath himself.”

And with a final chuckle, the head of Quewanak disappeared.

“Damn it!” Mark cursed. “There’s not a damn thing to be done about it but accept it, or bring him up on charges for it before The Assembly and The Pantheon! And frankly, the entire situation seems a bit too ridiculous for that!”