Diviner (34 page)

A human knelt between Taushin and his audience, shivering as he faced the watching dragons. Sores marked his forehead and both arms, some so close together they appeared to be one long abrasion. They oozed yellowish fluid, but the man didn’t bother to wipe it.

Jason nudged Elyssa. “That man looks like Yeager.”

“It is Yeager,” she whispered. “He doesn’t look so bold now, does he?”

Koren whipped her cloak around again. “Starlight, give us sound so we may hear their schemes.”

Taushin’s voice rode the air, warped at first, but the words and cadence soon matched his moving jaws. “Even now a host of humans from Darksphere approaches. They plan to invade and destroy us. Such is their passion for freeing their fellow humans.”

“Then let them go free,” one of the guardians said. “We have no need of them any longer.”

Taushin shook his head. “That will not stop the invasion. They believe we will return to steal them away again, so they want to get rid of us once and for all. Our only choice is to attack and kill them first.”

One of the drones raised a wing. “If their army is such as you described, then we will be slaughtered. We should fly to a refuge until they take their vermin home.”

Taushin began pacing again. “Oh, yes. We will fly to a refuge, but first we will attack them in a way they cannot withstand.” He waved a wing at Yeager. “That is why I brought this human here. He is infected with the disease that Exodus unleashed, and the virus spread quickly through his body. One of us will take him to a place where the advancing army can see him. Since he is extremely contagious, he will be their downfall.”

“But will he not simply shout for them to stay away?” the drone asked.

Taushin laughed. “We have already taken care of that problem. The pitiful man lost his tongue only a few moments ago. I do not think anyone else will mourn that loss. He used it too frequently.” He stopped his pacing again. “I need a volunteer to take him to the human army. It will be dangerous. You must get him as close to the marching front line as possible. When you return, I will make you my personal bodyguard, and you will enjoy the fruits of that position.”

The guardian again spoke up. “And what are those fruits?”

“There are two immune humans. When all the others die, these two will be easy to pluck from the ground when we return from our refuge. The volunteer is free to do whatever he wishes with them, and I am sure you know what I mean.”

Several of the older dragons looked at each other and laughed. “A Magnar-style banquet,” one of them said. “But what of Cassabrie? I saw her fly to the north in Exodus. She is dangerous, and I assume she will return.”

Taushin nodded. “She is dangerous, and she will return. I am preparing a surprise for her. When it is finished, I will let you all know what it is. Do not fear. She will not be a threat to us much longer.”

“I will take the human,” the guardian said. “The rewards outweigh the risks.”

“Good. Go quickly. Cassabrie’s greatest threat to us is in revealing our plans to Koren.” He turned toward Koren and cast his eyebeams on her face. “And if you are listening, Starlighter, remember that you are telling a tale from the past, so we have already undertaken this plan. It is too late to stop us, and you have very little time before you join Petra and Yeager.”

Koren swept the cloak over her face, blocking the eyebeams. Taushin disappeared first, then the other dragons, and finally Yeager.

She turned toward Elyssa and Jason and shuffled their way. Her shoulders low and her head drooping, she seemed to be exhausted.

“What’s wrong?” Elyssa asked. “Are you sick?”

Keeping her stare downturned, she nodded.

“The disease?”

Koren drew her cloak back from her arm, revealing a line of sores from her wrist to her elbow. “They popped up a short time ago. I’ve been feeling sick deep inside for a while, but these are the first sores.”

“Oh, Koren!” Elyssa embraced her and whispered into her ear. “Go to Deference. Maybe she knows of something that will slow it down.” As she drew back, she gave Koren an encouraging smile. “Maybe Uriel has already figured out something, and all he needs is the genetic material.”

“Yes.” Koren’s head drooped again. “Maybe.”

Elyssa hooked her arm around Jason’s. “Are you ready? Or am I skipping steps?”

“No need to explain.” He drew his sword from his hip scabbard and checked the blade. “There’s no time to lose.”

“Are you feeling well enough to march?”

“Even if I had to walk barefoot on broken glass.” After sliding his sword back in place, Jason lifted Koren’s wrist and kissed her hand. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Elyssa tightened her hold on his arm. “You mean
we’ll
be back.” “We?”

“Of course. Did you seriously think I was going to let you go without me?”

Smiling, he shook his head. “I guess that was pretty—”

“Chivalrous.” Elyssa pulled back and wagged a finger at him. “And you’d better stay chivalrous, or I’ll tell your father what you said to me at Miller’s Creek when we were six years old.”

“Six years old? I don’t remember that. What did I say?”

Half closing her eyes, Elyssa crossed her arms over her chest. “Just keep being a gentleman, and no one will ever know.”

Koren hooked Jason’s other elbow. “Will you take me, too?”

“But you’re sick,” he said. “You should—”

“Elyssa’s the healer, so I need to stay close to her.” Her bright smile lit up her face. “Besides, maybe I’ll be able to sneak a look into a certain event that happened at Miller’s Creek. I’m terrible at keeping secrets, you know.”

Jason tightened the elbow hold. “Okay, that settles it. Koren’s coming, too.”

Elyssa locked gazes with Koren. For a moment, it seemed that they probed each other, each gifted young woman searching for a light, a connection, a meeting of the minds.

Finally, Koren smiled. Elyssa smiled back and slid her hand into Jason’s. “That sounds good to me.” She nodded toward the north. “Lead the way, warrior.”

About the Author

 

BRYAN DAVIS
is the author of the bestselling fantasy series Dragons in Our Midst, Oracles of Fire, and Echoes from the Edge. He and his wife, Susie, have seven children and live in western Tennessee where he continues to cook up his imaginative blend of fantasy and inspiration.

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www.AuthorTracker.com
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Other books by Bryan Davis

 

Dragons of Starlight series:

Starlighter

Warrior

Echoes from the Edge series:

Beyond the Reflection’s Edge

Eternity’s Edge

Nightmare’s Edge

Dragons in Our Midst series:

Raising Dragons

The Candlestone

Circles of Seven

Tears of a Dragon

Oracles of Fire series:

Eye of the Oracle

Enoch’s Ghost

Last of the Nephilim

The Bones of Makaidos

About the Publisher

 

Founded in 1931, Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins
Publishers,
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www.zondervan.com
) holds exclusive publishing rights to the
New International Version of the Bible
and has distributed more than 150 million copies worldwide. It is also one of the top Christian publishers in the world, selling its award-winning books through Christian retailers, general market bookstores, mass merchandisers, specialty retailers, and the Internet. Zondervan has received a total of 68 Gold Medallion awards for its books, more than any other publisher.

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