Warrior (20 page)

He made an odd guttural noise that sounded like a call.

“Wallace,” Elyssa said. “Help me out. What did he say?”

“He said, ‘Are you awake?’”

Elyssa replayed the noise in her mind. It would be helpful to learn the dragon language, but this crash course might be too difficult.

Another dragon, more brown than red and also wearing a collar, appeared at the stall beyond the first one. As the two dragons spoke, Wallace interpreted, calling into the scene from his place at the tree.

“I am awake,” the second dragon said.

“What are you doing?”

“It is dawn. You know what I am doing.”

The first dragon snorted. “I have given up on prayers. We need to stop waiting for divine help and learn to help ourselves.”

“These are not contradictory. This morning I focused my prayer on ideas for our escape. If you have received one from the Creator, I am willing to listen.”

“Whether or not it is from the Creator, I do not know, but I do have a plan. I have learned to make a high-pitched noise that blocks the signal to my collar. I have practiced on our stalls’ signal throughout the night. I believe I can neutralize it long enough to break free.”

The second dragon’s voice grew excited. “Then fly. Escape to the Northlands where the king will take you in.”

“You can continue believing the myths, brother, but I will not leave without you. I swore to you long ago that nothing would separate us, and I will not break my vow.”

“I appreciate your devotion.” The second dragon thrust his neck out, as if to indicate his own collar. “Are you able to neutralize mine as well?”

“I will try, but if I cannot do both at the same time, I will teach you how to make the sound yourself. Once you learn, we will escape together.”

Elyssa looked back. The stable door opened to another world, a forest scene where Wallace sat next to a tree. That world seemed so strange, distant and warped, an inadequate reflection of reality.

She squeezed her eyes closed.
Think, Elyssa. Concentrate. That’s the real world out there. You’re standing in a story.

Opening her eyes again, she nodded at Wallace. “Keep turning the pages. I think we have a lot to learn.”

Using his clawed hand, Arxad placed the crystalline peg in the central hole in front of the portal. Three tunnels at the rear of the chamber faded away, replaced by a swiftly flowing river.

“Excellent!” Magnar said, his ears twitching wildly as he stood next to Arxad. “After all these years, we will finally go back.”

Arxad straightened and looked at Magnar. “Indeed, the door is open, but you must test your ability to return here before we both go in. Jason mentioned a genetic key, so I am concerned that the humans might have altered the return access.”

“Yes, of course.” Magnar stepped into the river chamber and turned back to Arxad. “Remove the peg. If all is well, it will take no more than a few seconds for me to open it. If I do not reappear, open the portal on your side.”

Arxad wrapped his claws around the peg but left it in place. “My counsel is still to stay here. We can take Cassabrie and the stardrops and hide in the wilderness until Taushin resurrects the Northlands star. Then we can use her to restore the kingdom to you.”

“Do you think Taushin will be so easily defeated?” Magnar raised a foreleg and pointed at Arxad. “You were the one who insisted on sparing Koren. If he captures her, and Zena trains her, her power will grow.”

“Not beyond Cassabrie’s.”

Magnar snorted. “Your dream of reuniting Cassabrie with her body is beyond reason. You have visited her too frequently, and her charms have muddled your thinking.”

“
My
thinking? If you think you will persuade the armies of Darksphere to come to our aid, then perhaps a muddled mind is a genetic predisposition.”

“Your memory of human courage is defective. Being around those who are emasculated by slavery has caused you to forget the passion of a father or husband who learns about enslaved women and children. Trust me. The men will come, especially if I persuade them with a few illustrations of cruelty upon their citizenry.”

Arxad flared his nostrils. “Do you intend to bully everyone into cooperation?”

“If necessary, but I do not know how powerful they have become, so I might have to return for Cassabrie. Her body, even without her spirit, will be sufficient to bring the humans to their knees.”

Arxad thumped his tail on the ground. “We vowed to use her only if the prince proved to be a force of destruction.”

“I made a vow not to use her unless necessary. I will be the judge of what constitutes
necessary.”

“And you complain about my vows, you hypocrite!”

Billows of smoke rose from Magnar’s nostrils. “Beware, Arxad. I will not tolerate insults.”

“How else can I dredge the truth from you? You hide your intent. You conceal prophecies. You share what you know only when you find it convenient.”

The smoke thinned, revealing sadness on Magnar’s face. “I have protected you from many truths, brother. Perhaps, however, I should tell you one that will confirm my plan to conquer Taushin with whatever force is necessary.”

Arxad released the peg. “Speak. I will not proceed until I hear it.”

“Very well.” Magnar took in a deep breath. “When Taushin resurrects Exodus, he plans not to seal the breach.”

“What? Then how will it rise?”

“How is not important. Just understand that he is capable. We must go to Darksphere and mount an army to stop him.”

“But he might accomplish this while we are gone. We must conquer him now. We will use Cassabrie and—”

“We cannot. He already has Koren. A dead Starlighter will not defeat a living one.”

“Another lie? You said—”

“I said, ‘If he captures her.’ It was a hypothetical, not a lie.”

Arxad blew out his own columns of smoke. “I am tired of your prevaricating. You have deceived me for the last time.”

“Is that so? What do you plan to do, O mighty Arxad? Fight Taushin and Koren yourself?”

“I will retrieve Cassabrie and reunite her spirit with her body. I must. There has to be a way.”

“Do not be a fool! You have tried for years. What will change now?”

“Perhaps you will not be here to stop me.” Arxad pulled the peg out and stepped back. Magnar swiped at him with a wing, curled the tip around the peg, and slung it into the Darksphere chamber. Both dragons lunged for it. Just before it could slide into the river, Magnar stopped the crystal with a wing and held it in place.

The room’s light faded. The river’s rush grew louder as it bounced from wall to wall. Dim radiance from an unseen source provided enough light to see that the portal was now solid rock.

“You fool!” Magnar bellowed as he rose to his haunches. “Look what you have done!”

“What
I
have done?” Arxad righted himself. A rocky ceiling kept him from rising to his full height. A few stalactites hung at eye level, dripping water. “You caused this, with your rash actions and your plots. But, by all means, if you wish to deliver your usual harsh discipline, then so be it.”

“Your dramatic posturing nauseates me. We have a crucial duty to fulfill. When that is complete, then I will decide what to do with you.”

Arxad took several deep breaths, and with each exhale a plume of smoke rose from his nostrils to the ceiling. “Very well, but how did you leave this place when you last came? I see no exit.”

“Strange,” Magnar said as he looked up. “This chamber was not enclosed before. There was a hole big enough to fly through.”

“We had better go back.” Arxad swung around and blew a thin stream of fire to the side, illuminating the portal wall. While he kept the fire going, sporadically at times as he inhaled between bursts, Magnar scraped a claw along the wall. Soon the scratch of rock turned to the squeal of glass as he rubbed across something smooth.

“It is a window that allows a view to our world,” Magnar said as he splayed his claws over it. “It will soon light up and open the portal.”

Arxad continued breathing fire. The river roared on, but not loud enough to drown out his brother’s growls.

“It is not responding,” Magnar said. “It should have brightened long before now.”

Arxad stopped his fiery jet. “Is there nothing the crystal can do from this side?” he asked, breathing heavily.

“Without holes, of course not.” Magnar displayed the peg. “The treasure I have searched for all these years is now useless.”

“Then our only escape is the river. Do you know where it leads?”

“I never bothered with learning the river’s course. There was no need.”

“Then that is not a solution. We could drown before we find an exit.” Arxad scanned the room. “The light here is odd. Have you detected a source?”

“I believe the stones themselves contain a glowing agent. I don’t see a path to daylight.”

Arxad blew another jet of flames upward, giving light to the ceiling just inches above their heads. “If this barrier is new, then perhaps it is not thick.”

“The dripping stalactites indicate otherwise.”

“Only in our region. Consistent rain through limestone can create these formations quickly. We had such formations in tunnels before the rains departed.”

“I remember,” Magnar said, nodding. “How do you suggest that we punch a hole?”

“A combination of fire blasting and ramming, unless you have another plan.”

“I do not.” Magnar shot a torrent of flames at the ceiling. As the jets continued, the rocks glowed red, and the dripping water sizzled. A few pebbles broke away, but the barrier stayed intact.

After the fire eased, Magnar lowered his head, beat his wings, and leaped. His back struck the ceiling, shaking the chamber. When he landed again, causing another shake, a stalactite fell, and pebbles rained down.

Both dragons looked up. A slight dent marred the ceiling. “Progress,” Arxad said, “but who can tell how far we have to go?”

“Does it matter?”

“No. I suppose it does not.” Arxad lowered his head and spread out his wings. “I will try now. If it takes a hundred blows, at least we have water to quench our thirst.”

“When we leave this chamber,” Magnar said with a probing tone, “we will eventually have to return to Starlight. There is the Northlands portal.”

Arxad glared at him. “You cannot use that portal. You would come out beyond the barrier wall and break the curse. Need I remind you—”

“No, you do not. Your fear of the Bloodless is a phobia that defies reason. We defeated them before; we can defeat them again.”

Arxad returned his gaze to the ceiling. It made no sense to argue a point they had already debated a hundred times before. “We will discuss this later. For now, we should focus our energy on this physical prison and revisit your invisible barrier when we have to face it.”

K
oren stood in front of the firewood remains. The flames of the Basilica’s legendary fire had dwindled to sparks, making it seem as though all of Starlight had lost its heart. Dark prophecies rushed to fulfillment, bringing an end to light and life. These were the blackest of days.

She touched the pedestal where the book had lain. For hours she had struggled to find some element of the mysterious history Taushin sought. Yet she had succeeded only in resurrecting mundane Assignment meetings, one slave after another parading in and out of the theater, each one staggering under the influence of the stupor-inducing drug. Again and again she had wept with the forlorn slaves and winced with each crack of the whip as it slapped across their backs.

The emotional turmoil had worn her out, but she forced herself on. One more time. One more trial before Taushin returned might provide the clue she could use. Raising her hands, she called out, “Come to me, voices of the past, words recorded in the book. Show me the secrets I long for.” A new thought spilled out of her lips even as it came to mind. “This time I ask the Creator of All to guide the secrets my way, perhaps even mysteries no one dared to record.”

Arxad and Magnar appeared in front of her, nearly as solid and lifelike as their real forms. Holding an open metal box, Arxad spoke in a whisper. “These are stardrops. The energy they release gives a Starlighter her power.”

Her legs trembling as she kept her hands lifted, Koren drew close and looked into the box. At least ten radiant white spheres sat within.

“Cassabrie collected these from Exodus,” Arxad continued, “hoping to discover a way to resurrect it. Speaking tales from the outside did not work, but now it is too late to try my theory. Still, I was surprised to learn that material could be gathered from the star’s outer membrane. It might be possible to use this information for other purposes.”

Just as Magnar opened his mouth to reply, a familiar set of blue eyes appeared at the doorway. Koren waved her hand out of range of her vision, just in case he could see through her eyes, and sent the image into oblivion. “Taushin,” she said as warmly as she could. “I have made a lot of progress.”

Flapping his wings, he scooted toward her, apparently following her voice. “Yes, I know. I heard Magnar and Arxad from the doorway. Why did you not allow them to continue?”