The Source: Book III of the Holding Kate Series (42 page)

The woman’s eyes lit up with longing and the intensity of a crusader. “You will take us there.”

“No, I have to travel quickly. I don’t have time to wait on you. I have to go now.”

“You will take us. We will leave before dawn.” She turned, barked orders to the Kiarnusk, and slipped back inside her hut.

The Kiarnusk approached Kate warily and prodded her down from her mount. They escorted her to one of the huts, tied her hands behind the center post, then left her alone.

“GAH!”

Kate squirmed and wrestled against the bonds until her wrists bled into the coarse rope. The tent flap rippled. A girl wrapped in a russet head cover set a tray in front of Kate. Taking a gray worn piece of shale, she dipped into a bowl of gruel and offered it to Kate. Kate recognized it as the same she had been fed when she was captured by The Mother and Kiarnusk before.

Kate opened her mouth, accepting the gruel. She swallowed quickly, trying not to taste the gritty paste. The recipe hadn’t improved with time. It still tasted like dirty feet. The young girl scooped up another spoonful.

“My name is Kate. What is your name?”

The little girl ducked her eyes and proffered the spoon with a nudge. Kate swallowed it, then closed her eyes and concentrated on not grimacing.

“Do you have a name?” Kate smiled sweetly. “My name is Kate. I would like to be your friend, but I would have to know your name if we were going to be friends.”

Brown eyes blinked between the russet folds of her head cover. A spark of playfulness flashed.

“I could guess your name. We could make it a game?”

She offered more gruel to Kate, but Kate shook her head. “Is your name Bugs Bunny?”

Eyes brightened and the girl giggled, shaking her head.

“Not Bugs Bunny…how about…um…Pippi Longstocking?”

The little girl repeated “Pippi,” then shook her head vigorously.

“No? Hm.” The girl didn’t know these characters but Kate tried to think of the funniest names she could. “I know. You must be Rooty Tooty.”

The little girl fell over onto the floor in hysterical giggles, clutching her stomach. “No. I am Keislan.”

“Keislan? That is beautiful, just like you.” Kate sighed. “I am so glad we can now be friends.”

Keislan leaned around to see Kate’s bonds. “You seem nice. Why have they tied you up?”

“I am going to lead your people to the dragons.”

“You are?” Keislan breathed reverently.

“But I would like to play a game first. Do you like games?”

Keislan nodded vigorously.

“I want to see who will be the smartest little girl in the village. The one who can figure out a way to untie me without anyone knowing will be the winner.”

“I can do that!” Keislan brightened.

“Can you?” Kate cast a skeptical eye over the little girl. “I don’t know. You seem pretty little to me. I don’t know if you are big enough to do that.”

“I am!” She crawled around behind Kate and sliced the ropes with the piece of shale. “See!”

“Yes, you are a big girl! But the hardest part is that you have to keep it a secret until morning. I don’t know if you are brave enough to keep a secret that big.”

“Oh I am very brave. I can do it.”

“Okay, don’t tell anyone. Not one single person all night long, got it? Then in the morning you will be declared the winner! Good job, Keislan!”

Kate held a finger up to her pursed lips and the little girl nodded. Someone called her name and she hopped to her feet.

“I have to go.”

“Okay, it’s our secret until morning, right?”

“Yes! Our secret!” She dashed out of the tent.

Kate peeked out of the flap and saw two Kiarnusk guarding the door. She decided it was time to teach these people the importance of having a back door. She cut away the leather and mud hide as quickly and quietly as she could and peeked out. They had not bothered to guard the back of the hut. She slipped out into the darkness, found her horse tethered and still laden with saddle and supplies. She led Awen far away from the campsite before mounting and riding as furiously as she could.

Great
! Now she had two parties after her. This was getting trickier by the moment.

“THAT IS THE
last of them.” Wallace grunted as he set the last crate in place. You have supplies to last you for a while.

“I’m hoping we won’t need them. Maybe they settled close to the landing.” Corey stuffed clean clothes into his backpack and zipped it up. “Well…”

He glanced to the corner of the room where Donnie and Mel stood head to head in a tender conversation. Donnie kissed Mel so passionately that Corey had to look away or his heart would explode with his own desire to hold Kate again.

He sighed. “You really don’t have to come, Donnie. I’ll be fine.”

Donnie and Mel broke apart and turned toward Corey before their passion drenched eyes could clear. “I’m coming,” Donnie insisted.

Mel walked to Corey and wrapped her arms around him. “I wouldn’t allow him to stay here when you’re going off alone. He won’t miss a thing. Wallace will bring him right back, won’t you, Wallace?”

“Actually, miss, they will be in charge of their return jump. But I’ll monitor the sphere closely.”

She giggled at Wallace’s discomfort and kissed Corey on the cheek. “Take care of my man, Corey!” Then she turned to Donnie. “Take care of my Corey. I want you both back here by suppertime, got it?”

“Yes ma’am.” Corey laughed and stepped up on the jump pad.

Donnie leaned down for another kiss, and then said, “I’ll be right back, wife.”

“Good.”

Corey and Donnie locked eyes, nodded, and then Corey cued the sphere.

Corey and Donnie gazed through the swirling sphere as it descended. The sun sank into the Westlands and pierced the sphere sending fractals of luminescent rainbow colors swirling around them. They gaped at the spectacular display of colors. The sphere dissipated in a starburst.

They landed on an elevated platform that straddled a large crevice of black rock. Far below a rushing current sped through a tunnel cut into the black stone. A dazzling city with spires and towers and golden light reflected the setting sun back to them. Dragons dotted the sky, and the faces of the townspeople turned up toward them.

The people cried out with loud acclaim as they gazed on Corey and Donnie. Shouts of joy and tears of release flowed from the townspeople. They began to throw things into the air, hats, flowers, streamers and spontaneous confetti rained down on the rejoicing onlookers. Children danced in the streets and adults ran to their windows and out of their doors to gaze in rapture up to the platform.

Corey scratched his forehead and threw a bewildered look at Donnie. Dragons circled them, trumpeting their acceptance and elation. Donnie pointed toward the tallest tower where an enormous golden dragon winged its way directly toward them. It carried two passengers on its back.

It landed on the railing, vibrating the whole platform. Extending its hind leg, it turned to its passengers. Carefully, they descended and stood in front of Corey and Donnie.

They were ancient, but Corey knew them immediately. “Tara! Trip!” He grabbed them in an embrace, and the crowd below went hysterical.

“You came! I knew you would!” Tara cried and clung to him with all of her frail strength. “Trip doubted and began planning our burial sites, but I never gave up hope!” Tears streamed down her face and she fell into Corey’s arms again.

Trip shrugged and laughed as he pounded Donnie on the back then embraced Corey again.

A band had started playing below and Corey turned a confused face to Trip. “What is all of this?”

“We landed at this site eleven-hundred years ago. We told them you would one day return for us and on that day we would celebrate a great victory. The land of Ampeliagia would be saved from a terrible fate,” Trip explained.

“They will celebrate for days! They’ve anticipated your arrival for generations,” Tara added.

“Come. Let’s get you settled into the palace and we will have our own celebration, Lumisfere style,” Trip yelled over the commotion.

“Volkomar, darling, can you carry four?” Tara called up to the dragon.

He snorted derisively and Tara chuckled. “He says as small as we are he could carry forty of us without strain.”

Donnie’s eyebrows jutted upward and Corey’s eyes widened.

“Come on, the dragon riders will see to your crates and supplies.”

They climbed onto the golden beast. Once airborne, they spiraled toward the balcony of the tallest tower. Volkomar landed with barely a bump, and the passengers slid down his leg onto the marble floor of Tara’s chambers.

“Stay here for your dinner. We will go to the larger banquet tonight. I just want you all to myself for a while.” Tara’s ancient voice scratched out.

She walked into another room and Trip waved them over to a sunken sitting area with comfortable cushions scattered about. He sank into a white fleece chair that cradled him in down and fur.

“You are so old.” Donnie shook his head in disbelief, following along and lowering onto a cushioned seat. “Eleven hundred years?”

“Yes, I was worried that your three days would find us in our graves.”

“Three days
would
have!” Corey exclaimed. “I came for you after thirty-six hours.”

“Thirty-six? A day and a half is all it has been?” Tara stood at the door in shock.

“Yes. After Stealthlin returned reporting four hundred years, I decided it was plenty of time and we started making plans to retrieve the teams that had not yet returned.”

“Who else?” Trip asked as Tara settled beside him. He wrapped his arms around her.

“Eunavae and Drayse hadn’t returned and Brashtor came back and told us that Dirk and Najwa decided to stay in Merta,” Donnie answered.

“Stealthlin, Candol, and Brashtor went to retrieve Eunavae and Drayse,” Corey added. “We need your help. We cannot find Kate, we have tried everything we could think of.” His voice trailed off and he put his head down and ran his hand through his hair.

Tara glanced at Trip and their faces became long with grief. Corey caught the silence and looked up.