Stardust (35 page)

Benkyar set the crystal down, his countenance once again smooth and calm. With awkward movements he folded his feet beneath him, reaching for Bartok
’
s shaking figure.
“
I am sorry, my child,
”
he soothed.
“
But you had to remember.
”

Bartok tried to move away from the creature
’
s hold but his movements were in vain. He could not make his body obey the urgings of his mind. Terror gripped him.

“
You must not be afraid.
”
Benkyar
’
s voice came from far off to whisper across his mind.
“
No harm will come to you.
”

Bartok trembled and his heart pounded so that he thought it would surely escape from his breast.
“
I cannot make my own limbs move. I am at your mercy. Yet you tell me I should not be afraid. How am I to believe your words?
”

Benkyar closed his eyes, releasing his powerful hold upon the weakened mortal.
“
Bartok, we are a more advanced race than you have ever known. We seek only to live in harmony and peace. You have nothing to fear as long as you are within our realm.
”

Suddenly Bartok felt an overwhelming sense of peace. He inclined his head in brief salute of the prince
’
s speech.
“
Your words are truth, Benkyar. This I can feel.
”

“
Good, my friend.
”
Benkyar indicated Bartok should take a seat upon the silken mat.
“
Let us partake of this refreshment.
”

Bartok eased his legs out before him. For several minutes, they ate in companionable silence.

Benkyar poured a small amount of another dark liquid into another goblet and sat it by Bartok
’
s plate. Bartok felt none of his earlier fear. When Benkyar again urged him to drink, Bartok did so without hesitation. There was nothing to be afraid of.

Within minutes, his eyelids began to droop, his breathing becoming deep and even.

“
That is right, my friend,
”
Benkyar urged softly.
“
Give yourself over to the dream world and rest. You have a very long and trying journey ahead of you.
”

Bartok felt himself being lifted and carried through the air once again. He knew he was safe within the arms of the gromes, so he closed his eyes and let his weariness overtake him.

“
What?
”
Darton was so surprised by the turin
’
s words of Aurora
’
s upcoming nuptials
he could hardly speak.
“
When is the ceremony supposed to take place?
”

“
Oh, in about twenty or thirty clotras I would say.
”
Talena was enjoying herself immensely.

With mounting anger, he advanced upon the small creature.
“
Do you mean to tell me
you have wasted valuable time arguing with me instead of allowing me to use what precious time we have to find Aurora?
”

His tone was soft and even, yet each word fell like shards of ice onto Talena
’
s ears. Now she was truly frightened.

Again Darton spoke.
“
When we get out of his mess, fur ball, I am going to skin your hide and leave your puny body for the cave dweller.
”
Swift strides carried him from the cell, both animals following meekly behind.

For long moments, Darton was unaware of his surroundings. His thoughts were focused on the image the turin
’
s words had produced. Aurora being wed to another. And a snake creature at that. But it would not matter if she were to be joined with the prince of light himself, he would still feel this overwhelming anger.

Aurora was his, damn it.

He eased into the shadows as he neared a passage way. He could hear the slither of scales as the guards brushed against the rock walls. They marched by hurriedly, never looking in his direction. Siara growled low in her throat.

“
You are right, my friend. That is most odd.
”

“
What is odd?
”
Talena asked impatiently.
“
What c
ould that overgrown cat possibly
know?
”

Darton turned cold eyes to the turin.
“
You would do well to open your eyes and close your mouth, as Siara has,
”
he commented frostily.
“
There were no guards posted at my door and now they pass by as if we are invisible.
”

“
Perhaps they journey to the festivities,
”
Talena said.

Darton ignored her comment and headed toward a dimly lit passageway. He drew in large gulps of air as the walls seemed to close upon him. He could not allow his fears to interfere with his mission. He must rescue Aurora.

As if the turin had read his thoughts, Talena, said,
“
This is not the way to Aurora
’
s chambers.
”

“
I am well aware of that,
”
Darton hissed, almost glad for the distracting presence of the wrenched creature.
“
There is something I must do first.
”

“
What could be important than rescuing my mistress?
”
Talena wailed and jumped upon Siara
’
s back in her agitation. The jaguar arched her spine, sending the turin flying through the air. Talena landed with a thud at Darton
’
s feet.

He resisted the urge to laugh at its astonished expression. Instead he picked up the shaken creature and placed it on his shoulder as he headed down the long twisting tunnel.

After several hundred maglies, Darton entered a crystal chamber. He placed his hands on the large white stone in the middle of the room and grew still.

“
Why have you come here, you incompetent male? I told you Aurora
’
s chamber was not this way.
”
Talena had once again been relegated to the hard floor.

Darton allowed the turin to go on, ignoring her ceaseless chatter. As he continued to stand there, the blue in the stone became liquid, spinning downward to fill the center of the crystal. The liquid churned, becoming hotter and hotter. Soon vapors swirled into a mist above the large crystal. The mist grew denser and denser, impenetrable to the eye. A bright blue light shown from the center, growing brighter and brighter until Darton was forced to raise one hand to shield his eyes.

In a sudden burst of brilliant light, the blue vapor vanished.

Suspended above the stone was a sword made of the most beautiful and rarest of all Palermonian metal, Crolkaxian, an ore mined from the Mountain of Life during the Rule of Centel over a centrium ago.

Darton
’
s hand was shaking as he reached out to touch the hilt. It was hot to the touch as if it had been forged right before his very eyes. He took it within his fist, its weight light but strong. Curling both hands around the jewel encrusted hilt, he lifted the sword high above his head. With a mighty yell he brought down his hands. The metal crashed into the crystal, shattering it into a million pieces. The ground beneath them swayed and the walls shook. An ear-splitting alarm sounded in the caverns behind them.

“
What have you done?
”
Talena shrieked, shaking the rock fragments from her fur.
“
You have caused a land shake with your overblown theatrics.
”

Darton laid the sword aside and knelt on the heaving ground. The center of the crystal remained, a giant orb of the same white crystal unshattered by the force of his hand.
“
I did not cause the movement of the land, blasted turin,
”
he said.

He pushed against the rock with all his might, but it refused to move.
“
Come Siara, I have need of your strength. The time in this dampness has weakened me.
”

The jaguar come forward and placed her mighty body against the cold stone. The man and beast worked together in unison, slowly pushing the boulder away. Below it lay an opening and Darton reached below the ground, his arm disappearing into the dark crevice. Even Talena was forced into stunned silence when he brought forth a female with snow white hair. Her arms and legs were covered in a soft mesh-like material, colored the same brilliant blue of the sword.

Siara lowered her head to her paws as if bowing before the woman.

“
We have not much time, my friend Darton,
”
the woman spoke softly.
“
The time of the ending is nearing rapidly.
”

Darton rose swiftly to his feet, motioning Siara behind him.

“
Who is this woman?
”
Talena hissed as the female passed through the entrance of the cave.

“
That is Nalene, divine keeper of the Krossos life stone.
”

“
How did you know she was encased in the bottom of the crystal? Aurora and I have both been in the room and did not know of her presence,
”
Talena said, her tone telling of her indignation at being uninformed of such an obviously important piece of information.

As they moved down the hall, Nalene stopped at the chamber that had been Aurora
’
s. She touched the door with her hand, and a soft blue light spread across the metal frame.
“
Aurora has not been gone long.
”

“
I could have told you that,
”
Talena said.

“
Be silent, turin,
”
Darton commanded,
“
Nalene is here to help us.
”

“
The only way she could possibly help is to hand me Slamock
’
s head on a Palermonian ceremonial platter.
”

Darton could not prevent the small smile that curved his lips.
“
I do not think she would wish such a fate to befall her intended mate.
”

“
Her mate? You mean this female would actually agree to marry such a revolting male?
”
Talena hurried to keep pace as they moved
through one cavern afte
r another with Nalene leading the
way.

“
Before the curse was placed upon the planet, Nalene and
Slamock were to be joined. W
hen Saatan came, the citizens believed their keeper to be terminated and all hope of removing the spell lost. But the wizard had only encased Nalene within the crystal. However, her imprisonment allowed Saatan to abscond with the life stone. That is why the land shakes beneath our feet. If the stone is not replaced soon, the planet will die, killing all those who inhabit it,
”
Darton finished abruptly. Nalene had set a wicked pace through the caverns and he was hard pressed to keep up. He looked at Siara and noted even the large, quick-footed animal was winded. Poor Talena
’
s tongue hung from
her mouth as she panted loudly.

He picked up the turin and placed her upon Siara
’
s back, receiving only a small nod in acknowledgment of his thoughtful gesture. Damn, but the black-furred creature reminded him of Aurora in its stubbornness. Aurora. How he missed the warmth of her body and the beauty of her soul.

As another shake rocked the caverns he tried not to let his mind think of what could be happening at this very moment on Palermos. His mind whirled at the implications of the blue sword and the twisted path his life way had taken. Aurora was his. His alone.

“
And how do you know of such thin
gs? I did not hear Nalene speak.
”
Talena
’
s insistent voice broke into his thoughts.

B
oth the turin and
his lover were stubborn females, indeed.

“
Nalene came to me within a dream image and told me of her capture. I knew our best chance of rescuing Aurora was to free her first.
”

“
You humans and your dreams,
”
Talena muttered.
“
How can you set store by the image produced by your less than perfect intellect?
”