Awoken (23 page)

The elders looked to one another uncertainly, and then ancient Redflint stepped forward. “Rockspeak’s spears are the guardians of the gates,” Redflint rasped. “His spears will protect us as they always have. It is plain this child is Awoken, and will be mighty in his time. But it is foolish to trust our fates to one so unschooled in our ways. I am Redflint, and the twelfth clan stands with Rockspeak.”

Warmsoil’s eyes were sad as he moved forward. “You are old and wise, Redflint,” he said, “but in this you are wrong. Foolishness is to risk the lives of the People over a name. I am Warmsoil, and the seventh clan stands with the Awoken.”

One by one, the elders proclaimed their allegiance. Of seventeen clans, thirteen joined with Rockspeak. Besides Warmsoil and Greendown, Tallpath, leader of the falcryn riders, and Blacksong, elder of the earthbone workers, sided with Michael.

His followers in tow, Rockspeak headed for the chamber doors. “You will regret this, my brothers,” he offered in parting. “Together your clans number less than ten score. How many will die if you follow this child into the tunnels?”

“How many would live should you come with us?” Warmsoil countered.

Rockspeak’s lips tightened to a thin line, and he left without another word.

Greendown glared after him, tapping his club against his open palm. “Do not worry, Awoken. We are not spears, but our clans will not fail you.”

“I know that, Greendown,” Michael said. “Jericho is one of yours, and I’ve seen him fight.”

Greendown’s chest swelled. “Come, my brothers,” he said to Tallpath and Blacksong. “We must prepare our clans for war.”

Tallpath and Blacksong bowed to Michael and then followed Greendown from the room.

“The chisel has been set,” Warmsoil said sadly. He ran his hand along the smooth shaft of his staff, briefly touching the elderstone at its crest. “Rockspeak is not wrong, Awoken. The tunnels are dangerous.”

Michael sat down on the floor. “Do me a favor, Warmsoil. Call me Michael. All this ‘Awoken’ stuff gets old after a while.” He rubbed his face with his palms. He was so tired. “Equinox has the second waystone, doesn’t he?”

“Yes,” Warmsoil said. “The People gifted it to the Betrayer when he first awoke. Now he uses his power to draw the earthbone from our home. I do not think you can take it from the Betrayer, Awo…Michael. Even if you could, you have not the training to save your friend.” He sighed heavily. “Darkness is coming. We four will stand with you against it, but our clans are small. Perhaps Rockspeak is right after all. Perhaps it would be wisest to stay close to the gates.”

“I know most of the elders think I’m wrong, Warmsoil,” Michael said. “But we can’t let Equinox get inside the main cave. I mean, just look at all this.” He knocked on the floor with his knuckles. “There’s so much earthbone down here, I could bring this tower down without breaking a sweat. What do you think Equinox will do if he gets anywhere near this place? The People may be brave, but how long will they fight the Fallen while their city collapses around their women and children?”

Warmsoil tightened his fingers on his staff. “You believe the Betrayer would do such evil?”

“You should have heard him talk, Warmsoil. I know he would,” Michael said. “And don’t forget the earthbone. Equinox has pulled the stuff almost to the surface. If we don’t find a way to stop him soon, the whole dang world is going to start mutating.” He leaned his head back against the wall and sighed. “I thought getting here was going to be the hard part. That once I found your city, you guys would fix up Lina and seal away the earthbone, and everything would get back to normal. Now look at me. I’m nothing but an orphan, and I’m planning to save the world all by myself.”

Warmsoil’s eyes softened. “Be brave, Michael. The heaviest rocks often fall first, but the entire mountain never crumbles.”

Michael touched the elderstone at his throat and thought of Equinox’s burning, silver gaze. “You’re wrong, Warmsoil. This time, the mountain is crumbling. And it’s coming right at us.”

Warmsoil and Michael exited the tower together.

“I must gather my clan,” Warmsoil said. “The tower will be your dwelling for the time being. It has many rooms, and you may rest or explore the city if you wish. I shall send someone for you soon. We must meet the others at the gate from which you emerged on the second hour.”

Michael glanced up at the misty, sunless sky. “I left my watch at home, Warmsoil.”

“I don’t understand. What did you watch at home, Awoken?”

Michael rolled his eyes. “Never mind,” he said. “What I mean is that I have no idea what time it is right now. How will I know when it’s the second hour?”

“Ah,” Warmsoil said. “I must ask your forgiveness, Michael. The People are unaccustomed to visitors.” Turning, he lifted his staff to a starburst-shaped crystal above the tower entrance. The crystal had ten long points, one of which glowed with a faint blue aura. “These are what you must ‘watch’ in the city of the People. It’s an hourstar. When the bottom point glows, it is the first hour. The topmost is the second hour…”

Michael listened closely as the elder explained the workings of the strange clock until Lina and Jericho walked up the tower steps.

Jericho bowed low as he approached. “Greetings, Elder Warmsoil. Greetings, Awoken.”

“Greetings, Jericho,” Warmsoil replied.

Jericho’s eyes widened, and the elder laughed.

“Yes, little brother,” Warmsoil said. “Rockspeak worked his hammer and chisel against him, but this new Awoken is not easily broken. You keep your name.”

“My Michael is a great Awoken,” Jericho said proudly. “This one is pleased to be named by him.”

“I,” Warmsoil corrected. “
I
am pleased to be named by him. You must learn these things if you would honor your name.”

Jericho bobbed his head. “As you say, Elder. This one…I will learn.”

“I have no doubt, little brother.” Warmsoil smiled and turned to Lina. “Do you know the bond, little sister?”

“I’m not sure,” Lina said. “Jericho has been trying to explain it, but it’s very confusing.”

Warmsoil nodded. “The bond is upon you, little sister, but it is incomplete. Your flesh is not fully become.”

“What bond are you two talking about?” Michael asked. “Does it have something to do with the way Lina’s been talking lately?”

“It is difficult to explain the bond to one not of the People,” Warmsoil said. “It is what connects the People, that which binds us to one another.” He pointed his staff to a cluster of dollman children across the street, playing some game with a round stone ball. “They are many, yes? Yet, if I wanted to call over only the child who holds the rollstone…” He tapped loudly on the steps with his staff, and every child looked up. “Come to me, little brother,” he called.

The child with the rollstone picked it up and hurried toward them.

“You see?” Warmsoil said. “Only one child comes. The bond tells him it was to him alone that I spoke.”

Hugging the rollstone to his chest, the boy ran up the steps and stopped before Warmsoil. “This one has come, Elder.” He spoke in a small, piping voice.

“That is a fine rollstone, little brother,” Warmsoil said kindly. He motioned to Michael. “I wished the Awoken to see it.”

The boy’s eyes widened, and then he bowed and extended the round stone to Michael. “The Awoken may have the rollstone. It is old, carved by my father’s father’s father. This one begs forgiveness for the chips and cracks.”

Michael raised his hands. “That’s okay, kid. You can keep your ball.”

The boy’s face fell. “If the Awoken wishes, this one shall find him another rollstone. This one would be honored to serve the Awoken.”

The little dollman sounded so disappointed and eager, Michael didn’t know what to say. He turned to Warmsoil for help.

The elder rubbed his chin as if considering the problem, but his silver eyes glimmered with mischief. “You are correct, little brother. It would be a great honor to serve the Awoken.”

Jericho grinned from ear to ear. “You speak wisely, Elder,” he agreed. “A great honor indeed.”

Lina giggled.

“Please, Awoken,” the boy begged. “Take this rollstone until this one makes another for you. Do not shame this one before the People.”

Michael scowled.
Now what?
He didn’t want to hurt the kid’s feelings, but he wasn’t about to take away a family heirloom. Suddenly, he had an idea.

“Here, let me show you something.” Taking the rollstone from the boy, Michael let a whisper of stonesong merge in the ball. It was old granite, battered and cracked, with dozens of minute fractures both inside and out. Perfect. “Now, watch close, little brother.”

The stonesong surged, and the rollstone burst into silver flame.

The young dollman gasped, and Michael smiled. Sending the stonesong coursing through the stone, he sealed the cracks and smoothed out the dents and scuffs. The children across the street ran over, their faces alight with wonder and excitement. Passing dollmen and women stopped in their tracks, turning their mercury eyes to the stranger who held a ball of silver flame in his hand.

“It is the stonesong,” someone whispered. “The Awoken has returned.”

“The Awoken,” echoed others. “The Awoken.”

Dollmen emerged from doorways or peeked out oval windows as word of the Awoken spread down the street.

The silver fire suddenly died.

Face glistening with sweat, Michael offered the now-flawless rollstone to the young dollman. “Here you go, little brother, good as new.”

The boy took a step back.

“Take it, little brother,” Warmsoil said gravely. “Do not dishonor the Awoken’s gift.”

Tentatively, the youngster reached up and took the stone from Michael. “It is wondrous, Awoken.” He ran his tiny hands over the ultra-smooth granite. “This one thanks you.”

Michael rubbed the boy’s bald head. “You’re welcome. And you don’t need to worry about chipping it anymore. It would take a stick of dynamite to crack that ball now.”

The boy smiled, and a gaggle of dollman children crowded forward to examine the new ball. Adults drifted closer as well, and soon the tower steps filled with pale spectators.

A silver-haired woman in a purple gown put her hand on Michael’s knee. “The Awoken,” she whispered reverently.

Lina lifted an eyebrow at the starry-eyed female. “You’re getting popular, Mike.”

Another dollwoman sporting a veil of gold mesh put her palm on his shin. “The Awoken.”

“Maybe too popular,” Michael said. More dollwomen pushed forward, placing their hands on his legs and thighs. “A little help, Warmsoil? I’m starting to get claustrophobic.”

Warmsoil’s staff tapped sharply on the steps. “Peace, my People,” he said loudly. “You have seen the Awoken. Please, return to your tasks. The Awoken has tasks of his own.”

The crowd bowed to Warmsoil obediently and began to disperse, the dollwomen herding the excited children ahead of them.

Warmsoil turned to Michael, an unreadable expression on his wrinkled face. “You bring new light to the People of the Mountain, Michael, but perhaps you shine the light a bit too brightly.”

“He means you’re a showoff,” Lina clarified. “What was with the light show?”

Michael flicked the elderstone at his neck. “I wanted to try this out before we met up with VEN. I didn’t realize I would attract so much attention.” He shook his head. “I see what you mean about the elderstone, Warmsoil. I can’t channel half the power I did before.”

“The elderstone is both curse and blessing,” Warmsoil said. “It offers control at the cost of strength. The Betrayer’s waystone will offer no such weakness.”

“We’ll deal with that when we come to it,” Michael said. “For now, let’s just try to stay alive.”

Warmsoil tapped his fingers against his staff. “Why carve the roof before the walls? Very wise, Michael. Now, I must gather my clan. I shall see you on the second hour. Farewell, my People.”

“Farwell, Elder Warmsoil,” Lina and Jericho said together.

With a parting bow, the elder took up his staff and headed down the street.

“So, we’re going to fight VEN.” Lina rubbed the waystone in her palm. “Before or after they take this out of my hand?”

“Hold that thought, Lina,” Michael said. “Jericho, can you do me a favor?”

“Of course, my Michael,” Jericho replied. “How can this one…how can I serve the Awoken?”

“Get some of your clan to scout the upper tunnels. Equinox is coming, I’m sure of it. I want to know how close he is and how many VEN he’s brought with him. Can your brothers find that out?”

“I will speak with Elder Greendown,” Jericho said, scampering down the tower steps. “Rest now, Awoken. I will return soon.”

Michael and Lina were alone now, and he glanced up at the glowing hourstar, avoiding her gaze. “I wish I
could
rest,” he said. “We’re supposed to be gathering the clans at the bridge. We are going to try to hold VEN there, but it might already be too late at that point.”

“They can’t do it, can they?” Lina said dully, staring down at her glittering palm. “The elders can’t fix me.”

Michael closed his fingers gently over her hand, hiding the waystone from her sight. “I’m sorry. They say I could do it if I had another waystone. But there are only two, and Equinox has the second one.”

“So, that’s it?” Lina’s eyes hardened and she yanked her hand away. “I’m supposed to just accept this, while you go back to your old life? I’d rather die, or better yet, join VEN. At least they look human.”

“Don’t say that,” Michael said. “I never said I’d leave you like this. I just need to get Equinox’s stone away from him. We can figure out the rest from there.”

“Yeah, right.” Lina turned her back on him and started down the steps.

Michael grabbed her arm. “Come on, Lina. You have to trust me.”

“How can I, Mike?” she demanded. “You said Equinox is stronger than you. Now, suddenly, you think you can beat him?”

“No,” Michael admitted. “Not in a fair fight, anyway. But I have a plan.”

“You have a plan?” she sneered.

“A plan that gives us an edge,” Michael said. “Please, Lina. Don’t give up on me now. I need you with me.”