Archon (24 page)

Amma took his right hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. They walked hand in hand through the growing darkness.

Two days later, the word came from the scouts Lervie had posted: the archons had been sighted, and they were on their way down the mountain.

From his vantage point on a small platform hidden in a tree near the tower, Taemon took stock. The boulders were in place. The ditches had been camouflaged well. The quadriders were covered up. And Yens was climbing the ladder to his tower. Everything looked ready.

But would it be enough?

“Are you absolutely sure about all this arm-waving stuff?” Yens asked Taemon from the tower. “It feels ridiculous.”

“That’s how they do things,” Taemon assured him. “They’ll think you’re the one using dominion if they see you doing what they do.”

“If this is some trick to make me look like a fool . . .” Yens began.

“When this is all over, you won’t look foolish,” Taemon said. “You’ll look like a hero.”

“You’d better be right,” Yens said. “All right, everyone!” he called out, with Taemon amplifying his voice. “Today Deliverance must earn its name once again. The Heart of the Earth will deliver her people from the hands of her enemies!”

A cheer rose from the people below, concealed throughout the battlefield. People from the city, from the colony, and from Da’s band of rebels had all taken their positions. Everyone had a role to play. They’d worked together to prepare the battlefield, and now they were ready to fight — and die if necessary. But Taemon prayed it wouldn’t come to that.

As the cheering died down, Taemon heard the sound of someone climbing the ladder to the platform. Amma appeared and scrambled up beside him.

“I came to keep an eye on the True Son,” she said. “The real one, I mean.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Taemon said. “I’ll be fine.” He’d been resting up for this. His limp had been much better recently, and his shoulder hadn’t felt this good since the arrow had done its damage.

Amma leveled him with a look. “Do you really expect me to just hide myself in the brush while you’re up here risking your life? The least I can do is be another pair of eyes for you.”

She made a good point. And while Taemon wouldn’t ever admit it, he felt better with Amma at his side.

“Look!” Amma said, pointing. Taemon squinted. The first archon was coming down the trail.

“Get ready!” he called up to Yens.

The archon drew closer. He appeared to be alone, though maybe he was just a scout sent to make sure the coast was clear.

Amma gasped. Taemon strained to get a better look at the archon. Suddenly, he recognized him.

It was Gevri.

Taemon watched as Gevri spotted Yens on the tower. He turned and shouted something. Even though he was using amplification, he was still too far away for Taemon to make out his words.

But soon the message became apparent. Dozens of archons appeared behind Gevri. Taemon tried to count them as they streamed down the hill. There had to be more than a hundred — not the full thousand that Gevri had described, but plenty daunting even so.

They must have thought Deliverance would be an easy target. Taemon hoped that the people of Deliverance would prove them wrong.

When the archons reached the spot that Taemon and Yens had agreed upon earlier, Yens began waving his arms as if directing traffic.

Now for some psi.

Taemon pictured the boulders they’d stacked on the hillside. Then he imagined them cascading toward the archons.
Be it so!

Taemon doubled over as a burning pain passed through his left side. But he had expected that. And there was more to come, so he steeled himself and locked away the pain.

Amma held his arm. “The boulders were perfect! The archons are headed right toward the quadriders.”

She was right. The boulders had forced the archons to veer off to the left — exactly where they wanted them.

Taemon glanced at Yens, who was now stretching his arms forward and shaking his hands, which was the signal for the next trick.

Taemon pictured in his mind the old quadriders that had been buried under the ground where the archons now stood. Using psi, he made the quadriders shake and bounce in place. The earth shifted and quivered under the archons’ feet — a fairly impressive replica of an earthquake.

The archons stopped in bewilderment.

Yens waved his hand madly, and Taemon obliged by sending even more psi at the quadriders, which now banged and knocked against one another under the ground. The muffled sound was truly terrifying — as if the Heart of the Earth herself were crying out in rage.

Taemon’s vision blurred, and his legs buckled. Amma helped him sit down.

“What’s happening?” Taemon said. “I can’t see.”

Amma’s answer was calm and steady. “The archons are scattering, looking for cover. They’re confused.”

Of course they were confused. They had been expecting to easily overtake the powerless people of Deliverance. Now they were seeing some frightening displays of power.

There’s more to come,
Taemon thought.
I know what you fear most.

“Keep going!” a familiar voice shouted. Gevri. “Don’t stop!”

Taemon heard the roar of the approaching archons. Then there was a splintering sound nearby. “Is that the tower?”

“Cha, they’ve stripped away the false front,” Amma said.

It had been Amma’s suggestion to build a false front on the tower to hide its true supporting framework. This would buy them a bit more time should the archons advance close enough to begin dismantling the tower.

They’d come closer much more quickly than Taemon had anticipated, but Amma claimed it was only a handful of archons who’d advanced this far.

“Gevri’s trying to coax the others away from the trees where they’ve hidden themselves,” Amma said.

“Watch Yens,” Taemon said. “Tell me when he gives the final signal.” They had one more big trick up their sleeve. If this didn’t turn the archons back, the people hidden in the brush would be forced into hand-to-hand combat. Taemon didn’t want to think of what would happen then.

“There!” Amma cried. “He’s given the signal. Be careful, Taemon.”

Time for the grand finale. He prayed it would actually work.

Using clairvoyance, he reached out with his awareness to locate the archons, relieved to find that he could manage it even though he couldn’t see. He sent his psi farther and connected to the plants near them. First, the grass. Taemon pictured it fading, withering, and crumbling into dust.
Be it so!

“Oh!” Amma gasped.

Taemon was on the edge of consciousness.

“The famine!” someone cried. “The Nathanites mean to cause another famine!”

“No!” It was Gevri now. “We are not turning back! Kanjai is safe! Let them poison their own fields for all we care! We will fight!”

“But you said they had no dominion! You said they were powerless!” another voice shouted.

An angry murmur came from below, and Taemon could easily envision the breakdown of the careful military formations.

“What does that matter?” Gevri cried back. “They lied to us, just as a Nathanite would. They have dominion, yes, but so do we! This fight is not over!”

A creaky groan came from the tower, and Taemon knew he would have to do more. He reached down, further down, and summoned all the strength he had.

A feeling stirred in his heart, a sense of rightness. He was doing what the Heart of the Earth wanted. He would give his life for his people, and it would be worth it. This was what the True Son was meant to do all along.

He pictured the evergreen trees that lined the valley. He saw them turning brown, withering, and dying.
Be it so!

When he heard the gasps, he knew it had worked. He opened his eyes and was surprised to find that he could see clearly. In fact, he felt stronger than he had in a long time. The pain in his left side was completely gone, as if it had never been there.

He stood up, and Amma, looking rather astonished, rose with him.

“You were wrong, Gevri!” Taemon heard from below. “The people of Nathan’s City are not weak. They are strong — stronger than we are!”

One by one the archons turned and ran back up the trail, the grass and trees dying as they passed them.

Deserted by his archon army, Gevri turned to face the tower. “Hear me! This nation of deceivers will not stand! The Republik will take its rightful place as rulers. And I will return to see every last Nathanite dead!”

With one last roar of frustration, he turned and headed for the tunnel.

Yens held both arms skyward. “The True Son has led his people to victory!”

The people came pouring out from behind rocks, brush, and trees, cheering and roaring and whooping. “Yens! Yens! Yens!”

Taemon was reminded of the psiball tournaments he used to attend, when the crowds would also chant his brother’s name. Only this time, he felt not even the slightest squinch of jealousy.

Let Yens have his spotlight. Taemon had ensured the safety of his people. That was all he needed to be content.

The True Son has led his people to victory.

Though the Heart of the Earth repeated Yens’s words, Taemon knew they were meant for him.

Thank you for healing me,
Taemon responded.

The injury was a manifestation of your divided heart. Once you held to one desire above all others, your psi and your body became reconciled.

Is it finished? Have I done what you wanted?
he asked her. But of course there was no answer.

“It worked,” Amma whispered, looking out over the little valley, shriveled and brown, a sacrifice from the Heart of the Earth for her people. “I honestly didn’t know if it would, but it did.”

She turned to him and touched his shoulder. “And look at you, standing there without even a slouch. I thought I’d have to peel you off the floor by now.”

Taemon could see the true concern behind her light words. He knew she’d feared it would be much worse than that.

He massaged his shoulder, then worked the fingers of his left hand. “It’s healed. Completely.”

“That’s . . . convenient,” Amma said.

He nodded. If he hadn’t gotten stronger right when he had . . . It didn’t bear thinking about. He didn’t know if the Heart of the Earth’s explanation would make sense to Amma. He had a feeling those words were meant for him alone.

She sighed. “Poor Gevri. He’s so angry. I wish there were a way to talk with him, to explain why we did the things we did. Even if he never forgave us, he might at least come to understand us.”

Taemon looked at Mount Deliverance, at the snowy ridges and evergreens dotting its side. He was glad he’d had to sacrifice only a few of those magnificent trees.

Suddenly, another sight filled his vision: the Republikite tanks, those monstrosities with mounted cannons, crashing through these same trees.

As quickly as it had come, though, the vision left.

Taemon shook his head. “I have a feeling the time for talking has passed,” he said grimly.

He’d tell her — and the others — what he’d seen later. For now, they had a victory to celebrate.

A zillion thank-yous to Kaylan Adair, Maryellen Hanley, and everyone at Candlewick Press for their wonderful work. I want to thank Molly Jaffa and the fantastic Folio team for all their support. I appreciate the help and encouragement of my fabulous family and friends.

I am lucky to live in a place where local writers are supported in many ways. Thank you to everyone at Richmond Children’s Writers, James River Writers, SCBWI Mid-Atlantic region, bbgb tales for kids, Fountain Bookstore, many librarians and teachers, and all the amazing young readers out there!