Warrior (17 page)

Wallace dropped to his belly and snake-crawled through a gap at the lower-left corner. After a few seconds, a whisper passed back through. “Your turn.”

Clutching the sphere in her fist, Elyssa copied Wallace’s method and slithered on her belly. After clearing the stone, she scrambled up and whispered, “Quietly now.”

Wallace kept his voice equally low. “There are two open doors. I heard a dragon talking in one direction, so we’d better go the other way.”

“You lead,” she said, again trying to cast off the fog. “I’ll follow.”

As Wallace skulked toward a tall, dark archway, Elyssa shadowed him. Odd guttural sounds drifted into the room from behind her, raising prickles on her neck. A woman laughed, then spoke in a mixture of unintelligible grunts and clicks, but the name Koren came through clearly.

Elyssa wanted to pause and listen, but they had to go on. Whoever was back there wouldn’t be friendly.

Wallace stopped. Elyssa joined him at the observation railing they had seen earlier. Below, in the auditorium-like chamber, a fire burned on the floor at the front of a stage near a lone pedestal, upon which an open book lay.

She looked at Wallace, hoping to avoid speaking the obvious question—how to get down. He responded with a head gesture and soft-stepped to a gap in the railing. Leaning out, he grasped a rope and brought it back with him as he straightened.

Elyssa scanned the rope, letting her gaze follow it upward. It hung from a large bell far above. She shook her head, signaling the danger.

Wallace whispered, “Don’t worry.” He took off his shirt, stuffed it behind his belt, and, gripping spaces between the stones in the wall, scrambled up. With the agility of a monkey, he grappled the bell and tied his shirt around the clapper, then shinnied down the rope. The bell lifted, but only a dull thud sounded.

As Wallace hung at a point just above Elyssa’s head, firelight from below flickered across his bare torso. His rippling muscles glistened with sweat as he extended an arm. “All I need is your wrist. I’ll carry you down, so you don’t lose that sphere.”

“You go ahead. I can manage.”

“I’ll see you there.” As he slid down the rope, Elyssa glanced between him and the bell above. It wavered just enough to let out a series of thuds, like gentle knocks on a metal plate.

Still, Elyssa cringed with each knock. She looked back into the dark room. The voices had ceased. Were the speakers listening and wondering what those odd noises might be?

Finally, Wallace touched the ground and released the rope. Elyssa grasped it with one hand and pulled slowly until the clapper touched the bell again. Then, easing her body forward, she swung out over the room below. Again the bell knocked. Again she looked back. The voices resumed, now more animated.

As she loosened her grip, the rope slid through her hand. Her skin burned, but that didn’t matter. Getting caught would bring far more pain.

When she reached the floor of a dim hallway, Wallace met her. She opened her hand and let the sphere’s radiance wash over his face, revealing a tense jaw and tight lines in his forehead.

“I see another door. Let’s go.” He hurried through the corridor and into the auditorium. As she followed, she looked up. At the railing above, a pair of blue eyes emanated beams of light, and two voices conversed in the strange language.

Elyssa lowered her head and closed her fist around the sphere. Maybe the shadows would cover her, but did Wallace notice the onlookers? Would he stay quiet?

As she tiptoed along, no one shouted. The two voices continued as if unalarmed. When she reached the pedestal and book, she paused and glanced at the text. It appeared to be gibberish, but as she let her gaze rest for a moment on the page, a whisper rose from the odd words.

“If humans do not survive the plague, only dragons will remain.”

Elyssa raised her brow. Now
that
was interesting. She glanced up at the blue eyes again, still in the same place. Maybe they couldn’t see this far in the dark after all. She closed the hefty book, tucked it under her arm, and hurried to catch up. Then she and Wallace skulked through a massive doorway and into another dark corridor, out of sight.

He stopped and, taking quick, shallow breaths, whispered. “Did you hear those two talking?”

“I heard, but I couldn’t understand.”

“The dragon language. A human woman was talking to a dragon. Apparently neither one of them could see us. It’s like they’re both blind, because the dragon said, ‘When Koren arrives, she will see for both of us.’”

Elyssa pondered his words for a moment. Was Koren really coming to this place? She pushed the book against Wallace’s side so he could feel it. “I picked this up back there. Can you
read
the dragon language?”

“Some. But won’t it slow us down?”

She studied the worn cover. Should she tell Wallace about the whisper? Maybe not yet. “It might be worth it.”

“If you say so.” Wallace pulled the book from her. “Come on. I think I know where we are.” He strode toward a dim light in the distance.

Elyssa followed once again. After turning into a lantern-lit hallway, Wallace stopped and backed against a wall. “I was right. The Basilica’s main entrance.”

The corridor opened into a courtyard bordered at the far end by a tall fence of iron bars and a sturdy gate. “Locked?” she asked.

“Probably. Guarded, too. I see a dragon.”

As she stood close to Wallace, the sphere’s light particles seeped between her fingers and flowed across her skin, again fogging her brain. “Are you able to think clearly?”

“As clear as muddy water,” he said. “Do you have a plan?”

“Working on one. I saw how well you climb. Can you get over that fence while carrying the book?”

“Easy, but only if that dragon isn’t scorching my backside while I’m climbing.”

“Okay. Get going. I’ll make sure he’s distracted.”

“What are you going to do?” he asked.

“Trust me. Get over the top and then help me if I need it.”

“Help you? How?”

“I don’t know yet. Just stop stalling. My brain’s already fuzzy enough.”

Wallace tucked the book under his arm and marched ahead. Elyssa followed, staying back several steps. When he reached the sunlit courtyard, he dashed toward the bars and scrambled up.

“Stop!” the dragon shouted. “Stop or die!”

“Wait!” Elyssa jogged into the courtyard and headed straight toward the dragon, the morning sunrays making her squint. “Someone is trying to take Starlight!”

The dragon swung toward her, now only a wing’s length separating them. “Take Starlight? What are you talking about?”

Elyssa displayed the sphere in her palm and allowed the energy to stream over the dragon. “Look. I found this. Haven’t you heard about Cassabrie and these little balls that hold her in place?”

Wallace vaulted over the pointed tops of the iron bars and dropped to a gravel path on the other side.

“Halt!” The dragon shot a bolt of fire at Wallace, but he leaped out of the way and rolled on the path.

“No!” Elyssa cried. “What harm can that boy do out there? He doesn’t have the Starlighter’s energy. I do.”

The dragon looked at her, blinking. “Are you a Starlighter?”

“Of course not. Hurry and open the gate. I’m not allowed in here.”

“You must be reported …” The dragon’s speech slowed, taking on a slur. “Reported to Magnar.”

“Magnar?” Wallace said as he climbed to his feet. “Are you serious? If you don’t want to get in trouble for letting a human in there, you’d better let her out. Hurry!”

The dragon shook his head hard. “No! You will both stay with me, and I will investigate this matter.”

“But how?” Elyssa asked. “Every human is locked down, and every available dragon is searching for the escaped assassin. We can’t allow a human to remain here. You know what might happen.”

“I do?” As the dragon stared at her, his eyes turned glassy.

Elyssa narrowed the gap between them and held the sphere closer to the dragon’s face. The energy flowed over him, making him blink rapidly.

She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Open the gate. We have very little time.”

The dragon continued staring for a moment, his head wavering at the end of his long neck. Finally, he staggered to the gate and blew a thin stream of fire at the lock. When it began to glow, a click sounded, and the gate swung ajar.

After shifting out of the way, the dragon sat on his haunches, like a silent sentry awaiting his next orders. Taking long, quiet steps, Elyssa glided past, hoping to avoid any sudden move that might jolt the dragon out of his daze.

Wallace took the hint and stayed silent. He pulled the gate fully open, giving Elyssa room to step through. As she passed by, she whispered through clenched teeth, “If you have a place to hide, lead the way … right now!”

Still walking with furtive steps and carrying the book, Wallace navigated the path toward a downward slope. The gravel crunched under their shoes, making Elyssa cringe. This had to be the slowest escape in history. At any moment the dragon might snap out of his stupor and fry them, but they couldn’t break into a run. Not yet.

Soon they reached the bottom of the slope, out of the dragon’s sight. Elyssa exhaled, maybe for the first time since they passed through the gate. It seemed possible that this crazy plan might actually work, but what would they do next? She had always been one to plan far ahead, so plodding forward without an idea was unnerving. The only thought that came to mind was simple:
Find Jason.
But how? Which direction? Was he even still alive?

She took in another breath and pressed on. One step at a time.

J
ason set his bare feet into the shallows and helped Uriel push the raft toward the eastern riverbank. The water chilled his skin and plastered his trousers against his legs. As a cool breeze raised goose bumps on his arms, he steeled himself. He had to get used to it. The cold would only get worse as they pressed farther northward.

Although he had dressed reasonably well for a chilly climate, his two layers wouldn’t be enough for the conditions Cassabrie had described along the way—thick layers of snow and ice-covered streams.

He gave the raft a final shove. Whether or not his wardrobe was enough, whatever it took to save the Lost Ones, he would do it, no matter how cold the path.

“Well done,” Cassabrie said from the raft. “Are you ready to walk? You and Uriel seemed to sleep pretty well while we traveled.”

Jason strode out of the river and retrieved his boots from the raft. “I think so. If the wolves don’t track us, we should be fine.”

“I don’t see why they would,” Uriel said. “They got what they wanted, and tracking us at this point would be nearly impossible.”

After putting his boots on, Jason looked back at the river, now flowing gently southward again. Cassabrie warned that the water to the north had surely piled up, and she couldn’t push the river upstream any longer. Soon, the flow would burst into rollicking rapids and possibly flood past the banks. They would have to move well away and walk north from this point on.

After Jason and Uriel hid the raft in a patch of high grass, Jason surveyed the landscape. High ridges covered with lush trees and amber stone spilled blue waters into a valley of verdant grass. Flowers of gold, crimson, and sapphire decorated the greenery as if brushed out in curving swaths by a carefree painter. The path to the Northlands was everything Cassabrie had promised.

He checked his sword belt and nodded at Uriel. “Me in front and you in back?”

“A good plan. And what of Cassabrie? How will she travel?”

“I can walk,” she said, “but not as swiftly as you can.”

Jason spread out his arms. “Is it possible for me to carry you?”

“In a manner of speaking.” As Cassabrie walked toward Jason, her body reappeared. When she stopped, only her arm remained visible as she reached for his shirt. “I can dwell inside you.”

His top buttons began unfastening, apparently on their own, though a wispy outline of fingers flashed in front of them every few seconds.

Jason backed away. “What are you doing?”

The upper half of his chest now exposed, a blue light pulsed over his left pectoral muscle. “I need your permission of course, but—” Cassabrie gasped. “My finger!”

Jason looked down at his chest.
“Your
finger?”

A pair of hands appeared. As Cassabrie wiggled her fingers, a gap became evident where each ring finger should have been. “Two are missing. I never found out what happened to them, but I recognize the energy coming from your skin. It has to be my finger.”

Jason touched the glowing patch. “I suppose it can’t do you any good now.”

“No, but it makes me wonder if it can do
you
some good.”

“What do you mean?”

Her hand brushed against his chest. “It could make my presence within you easier to bear. Allow me in, and I can guide you silently. No one will know about your secret helper. After I have settled within, you will feel no pain. In fact, you will feel peace and comfort, and you won’t have to slow your progress to wait for a plodding disembodied girl.”

“Begging your pardon,” Uriel said. “How do you know this to be true?”

Cassabrie’s hand vanished. For a moment, she said nothing. Only a hint of a sparkle gave away her presence. Finally, her voice returned in a whisper. “Adrian told me.”

“Adrian!” Jason reached for her hand but swiped only air. “Were you with him? Where is he now?”

Her voice chirped like a songbird’s. “Fear not, Jason. I rescued him from death, and he is now searching for your brother Frederick. You have another purpose to fulfill, but I’m sure your paths will cross soon enough.”

Making a fist, Jason glared at her vaporous lips. Anger scorched his brain. This girl was hiding something, but it wouldn’t do any good to fly into a rage.

After taking a deep breath, he uncurled his fingers and spoke slowly. “Where did Adrian go?”

Cassabrie laughed merrily. “I cannot see anything beyond what you and Uriel see, so I have no way of knowing. I can only urge you to continue on your journey and do your part. If you allow me to reside within you, I can smooth the path, and I promise to do all I can to help you find Adrian when the king’s purpose for us is fulfilled.”