Starlighter

  As Allender climbed a ladder, Jason detached the sword and scabbard from his belt and looked at Elyssa. “Is this what you had in mind?”

  “No. It was what you had in mind. I just prompted you to act on what you believe in.”

  “Then you don’t have a problem with me sacrificing myself?”

  She kissed him tenderly on the cheek. “You’re a hero, Jason, and you have to do what heroes do. But I think you’ll figure out a way to survive. And we still have Randall and Tibalt, right? Maybe Randall will show up and—”

  “Tibalt’s in our world counting his heartbeats, Koren was here to try and stop the dragons, and Randall might have died trying to save her. I think we’re on our own.”

  Elyssa laid her hands on his cheeks and forced him to look at her again. “We’re never on our own.”

  Her words sounded so strong, so filled with conviction. “Okay,” he whispered. “I get your point.”

  When she lowered her hands, Jason looked down at the mine pit. The water was now less than a body length from the top. “It’s rising fast. Where are the children?”

  “Wallace is with them near the main entrance,” Elyssa said. “Allender didn’t want them to hear the debate.”

  “Good thing.” They walked to the ladder and waited next to Cowl while another man climbed.

  Elyssa set a hand on Cowl’s elbow. “Would you stay with me for a minute? I have a question for you.”

  Cowl glanced at Jason before answering. “Certainly, Miss.”

  “Elyssa, you need to get out of here,” Jason said. “This place will be flooded soon.”

  Elyssa gave him a gentle push. “Go ahead. Don’t worry about me.”

  “You’re plotting something, and, knowing you, it’s something dangerous.”

  “Go, Jason. You do your part, and I’ll do mine.”

  He met her eyes for a long moment, then turned, tucked his scabbard under his arm, and grasped a rung. Behind him, Elyssa and Cowl whispered, but he caught only one word: water. As he climbed, Elyssa’s words reverberated in his mind. Don’t worry about me. But how could he not worry about her? They were both risking their lives.

  When he reached the top, he stepped into a tunnel, well lit by sunlight pouring in from the exit to the outside, perhaps thirty paces away. In the low corridor, Wallace stood between Jason and the exit with six small children huddling around him in perfect silence, each one watching Jason’s every move with wide eyes. The other men lined up behind Allender, who was standing at the bottom of an upward-leading stairway, looking out into the daylight.

  Wallace soft-stepped toward Jason, his worn-out shoes crunching the pebbly soil. “I heard what you did,” he said. “But why don’t you just open that door to the other world again?”

  “I wish I could, but we have to wait for our friend on the other side to open it. I’m hoping to find a way to delay the sacrifice and make a break for the portal.”

  “Where is Elyssa?”

  “On the lower level with Cowl. I’m not sure why. It’s not unusual for her to stay a step ahead without telling me what she’s doing.”

  “I’m going to check.” Wallace scrambled down the top rungs of the ladder. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  Jason leaned to one side, trying to see around the men and through the exit. Why was Allender just standing there looking up the stairs? And where were Randall and Koren?

  Allender suddenly turned and waved with both hands. “Get back, everyone! Give them room!”

  As the men withdrew, Randall stomped down the steps carrying a girl in his arms, his scabbard clanking behind him as it dangled from his hip. His face bruised and bloodied, he stopped at the landing and wobbled.

  Mark took the girl from him and cradled her. She appeared to be breathing, but unconscious.

  Jason weaved through the crowd and grasped Randall’s arm, supporting him. “What happened?”

  He pointed back to the stairway with his thumb. “She happened.”

  Bare feet and ankles appeared on the stairs, then a flowing white dress and trailing cloak. As she descended, her entire form came into view, a petite girl with windblown red hair, a blood-smeared face, and raw wounds on her wrists. When she reached the bottom, she smiled and offered a curtsy. “Hello, Jason. I’m glad to finally meet you.”

  Elyssa knelt with Cowl at the edge of the mine pit and began reeling in one of the ropes. “I’m guessing this is an air tube.”

  Cowl nodded. “Ventilation is poor down there. We made an air vent to the outside, but it wasn’t big enough to make much of a difference. Drilling such a long hole through solid rock takes a lot of time, and the dragons thought it was a waste to drill another. This mine has very low pheterone yield compared to the others, so they believe we will not suffocate down there.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. If it’s a waste of time to drill another air vent, isn’t it a bigger waste to drill in an unproductive mine?”

  “We have asked ourselves that question many times, but the dragons tell us to keep following the holes.”

  Elyssa wrinkled her brow. “Holes?”

  “A long time ago, someone drilled three small holes from the top of the mesa deep into the ground. The dragons have told us to dig until we reach the point the holes stop. One day, Allender dared ask Magnar himself why we’re doing this.”

  “And what did Magnar say?”

  “Did you see the burn on Allender’s face?”

  She pulled the end of the tube to the surface and held it. “Yes…I see what you mean.”

  “And another reason we’re not like the other mines.” He nodded toward the exit ladder. “A drone watches every rock and pebble that comes out of here.”

  “A drone?”

  “A male dragon without…well…”

  “Never mind. I understand.”

  “They are relatively weak, bad-tempered beasts,” Cowl said, “but they are meticulous. If a pail contained even the smallest crystal speck, he would find it.”

  “A crystal speck?”

  “Indeed. Anyone who brings something crystalline to the drone receives double rations.”

  Elyssa stared straight ahead. “So this mine is really here to find some kind of crystal for Magnar. He believes a crystal treasure exists at the bottom of the three holes.”

  “We all think so, yes.”

  She turned to Cowl. “Back to the air vent subject. How wide is it?”

  He set the fingers and thumbs of one hand against the others to form a circle. “About so wide.”

  Elyssa scanned the ledge. “I need a rock to plug it.”

  “But the hole is down near the bottom. It’s so dark, finding it will be impossible.”

  She set a hand on Cowl’s cheek—which was scruffy, warm, and sweat-dampened—and poured her heart in her words. “Trust me, Cowl. I’m trying to save your daughter’s life.”

  New tears welled in his eyes. He picked up a rock and set it next to her. “This is close, I think.”

  Water spilled over the pit’s edge and spread across the floor, wetting their knees. “Okay,” Elyssa said, “I’m no expert on fluid dynamics, but…” She set her hand on the surface and pushed down. “I know the water source is much higher than we are, but won’t the weight of the water eventually stop the flow way down there and make the feeding hole back up?”

  “Maybe, Miss. I have no knowledge of such things, but I can tell you that when we drilled to the surface to make the vent, we detected an air pocket in between. If the water pools there, my guess is the weight of water in that pool might overcome the weight in this one.”

  “Just thought I’d ask. Obviously the water’s still rising.” She set the end of the tube in her mouth and breathed in. It worked fine. She slid into the water, oily and warm compared to the river in her own world. “Make sure the other end stays clear. If I tug once on the tube, the rock you gave me is too small. Twice means it’s too big.”

  “Miss, the danger is great. Let me go dow
n there.”

  Elyssa shook her head. “No time to explain. I’m perfect for this job.” She held her thumb over the tube’s opening, grabbed the rock, and submerged. Releasing most of her breath, she surged toward the bottom, hoping the loss of air and the weight of the rock would help her dive. Darkness flooded her vision. Water pressure increased in her ears. This wouldn’t be easy.

  As she kicked and paddled the best she could with her burdened hands, she closed her eyes and probed with her mind. The bottom still lay well beyond her reach.

  A flow brushed her cheek. Ah! That was it! Just follow the current, and it would lead her to the hole.

  Soon a sense of fogginess numbed her brain, and the pressure grew too painful to go on. Tucking the stone, she pinched her nostrils closed and tried to blow through her nose. That helped a lot. She pushed the tube into her mouth and drew in a long breath. Good. Much better. After plugging the tube with her thumb again, she pressed on.

  When she reached the source, the current poured out of the side wall at eye level. She braced her feet against some protruding rocks at the bottom to keep from rising.

  Again probing with her mind, she sized up the hole and slid the rock inside. A rush of water pushed back, but not too forcefully. At first, the rock seemed too small to close the gap, but as she shoved it in farther, it lodged in place and slowed the flow to an almost imperceptible trickle.

  Had she pushed it far enough? She tried to move the blocking stone, but it wouldn’t budge. There seemed to be no choice now but to leave it and trust that it would work.

  After taking another breath, she let go of the tube and pushed with her legs to zoom to the top, but one foot wouldn’t move. She probed through the inky blackness and assessed the situation. Her foot was caught in two rocky knobs she had used to brace herself at the bottom. She jerked her leg to pull free. No luck. Trying not to panic, she searched her senses for the air tube. Something slender floated nearby in the darkness. That had to be it.

  She swiped at it. Missed. It drifted farther away. Stretching her body, she swiped again. Snagged it! She pulled the tube into her mouth and sucked in. One gulp of air came through, then a stream of water.

  Nineteen

  Koren’s voice sounded smooth and sweet, yet tinged with pain. After helping Randall sit, Jason walked over to her. “How is Natalla?”

  Koren smiled weakly. “I think she’ll be okay. She’s more exhausted than injured.”

  Randall, leaning his back and head against the wall, spoke up. “I was fighting the dragons, and…” He winced briefly before continuing. “And I was losing. Then Koren started telling a story. I thought she was mad, but it seemed to work. Two of the dragons turned and listened, like a pair of moths drawn to the light. The third one, a dragon she called Magnar, kept fighting. He seemed slower, kind of confused, but if not for Koren keeping up her story, he’d have killed me for sure. Those dragons are just too tough.”

  Randall pointed at various wounds. “I took a claw slap to my cheek, a blast of fire to my foot, and a jab from a tail spine to my thigh. That last blow sent me flying, and I slammed into Natalla. When I picked her up and ran, Koren stopped her story and followed.”

  A loud growl sounded from outside. “Allender! Come out! The conditions have changed!”

  Allender’s shoulders sagged. He looked back at his men for a moment before tromping up the stairs in silence.

  Koren stooped at Randall’s side and dabbed his bloody cheek with the hem of her dress. “You were so brave!”

  “It was the least I could do.” He winced again and turned to Jason. “Where’s Elyssa?”

  “Down below.” Jason gave Randall and Koren a quick summary of what happened, including the bargain Allender made with the dragons, as well as the rising water in the mine pit. He added some details about the portal room, so Koren would understand the situation.

  “I guess Elyssa thought she could help from down there.” Jason pointed at the ladder leading to the lower level. “She can’t stay for long.”

  “I saw the redirected stream,” Randall said. With a quiet oof, he tried to rise. “I could go out there and sneak past—”

  Jason pushed him back. “You’re too weak. I’ll have to do it. Maybe if I could stop the flow, it would buy us enough time to get the portal open.”

  “Before I came in,” Koren said, “I heard Magnar order the patrol dragon to go down to the other entrance. The gateway to your world will be guarded again.”

  “And if Tibalt sees a dragon, he won’t wait for us. He’ll close the gateway in less than a heartbeat.”

  Allender descended the stairs with heavy footfalls, his shoulders sagging more than ever. Everyone turned toward him, each face reflecting his anxiety.

  “Magnar knows we have two more young men among us,” Allender said, forking his fingers at Randall and Jason, “so he wants both to be included in the sacrifice.”

  Micah combed his fingers through a little girl’s tangled hair. “Will they allow the children to be reassigned?”

  Allender nodded. “No cattle camp. But…” He shifted his fingers to Koren and Natalla. “Those two have to stay in the mine.”

  “And drown?” Jason asked.

  “Magnar fears the redhead, so he wants her to stay here, and the other girl is already under a death sentence for escaping.”

  Randall climbed to his feet and grasped the hilt of his sword. “Well, if I’m scheduled to be on a dragon’s dinner menu, I’m going down his throat scratching and clawing all the way.”

  “If you fight,” Allender said, “the children will go to the cattle camp, and you will die anyway. Keeping them out of there is the reason we are willing to die.”

  “What’s so bad about the cattle camp?”

  Allender glanced at the other men. Micah heaved a sigh, while two others just shook their heads sadly. “I cannot even begin to describe it,” Allender said, “but if a man were ever to see it for himself and still not risk his life to keep the children out, then I say he is not a real man.”

  The other men murmured “He’s right,” and “Ghastly place,” as well as a few indiscernible words salted with oaths.

  Randall echoed one of the oaths as he kicked the wall with his heel. “It’s against my training! I can’t go down without a fight.”

  “I have a suggestion.” Koren held out her arms, showing her injured wrists. “Bind me hand and foot and take me out to the dragons. Tell them that the great prince wants me back at the Basilica, and they dare not keep a Starlighter from his judgment and the cooking stake. I beg you not to ask what these things mean. Please just trust me and offer me in trade for everyone’s lives. They do not fear me as much as they fear my voice. Put a gag in my mouth, and their fears will vanish.”

  “Can you trust a dragon’s word?” Randall asked.

  Allender looked at Randall as if he had lost his senses. “Maybe you really are from another world.”

  “The dragons have a system of laws,” Koren explained, “but they are far more concerned about appearance than adherence, and that can work to our advantage. Whenever a dragon has gone against his word in a legal matter, we are allowed to appeal to the Zodiac. Most of the priests there are pleased to start a fight with the secular authorities, so the dragons usually just adhere to their bargains in order to avoid embarrassment.”

  Allender took one of Koren’s hands in both of his and kissed her thumb. “You are a brave lass, indeed, far wiser and more eloquent than I remembered. If we are all in agreement, I will make the entreaty.”

  With the exception of Micah, the other men nodded and said “Aye,” each one adding a word of compliment for the “courageous young lady.”

  “What do you say, Micah?” Allender asked.

  The gray-haired man reached toward Koren with a dirty, gnarled hand and slid it under her wrist. He looked at her wound, then at her face. “You are well-acquainted with grief, are you not?”

  Koren gazed at the group of children. “I have worke
d in a mine, so I know the grief these children have already suffered. I also spent time in the cattle camp, so I know what these children will face if we neglect to do all we can to keep them from that torture.” She turned back to Micah. “It is far better for me to suffer death than for one of these to live in unspeakable horror.”

  Micah gave her a solemn nod. “Well spoken.”

  “Then what say you?” Allender asked.

  “Aye, but I wish to accompany her. No girl should be given over to the dragons without a friend at her side—especially this one. Besides, it would be against our code of honor to allow her to face danger without an escort.”

  “So be it.” Allender walked up the stairs, calling back, “I assume Magnar will accept.”

  Jason’s stomach churned. What could he do to stop this from happening? Everyone here was so noble, so sacrificial. They didn’t deserve to die. And now Koren, one of the slaves he longed to rescue, was about to walk into the dragons’ jaws. And it was all his fault! If anyone should be offered, it was he, not this innocent girl.

  He looked down toward the lower level. Water had risen over the ledge, probably about waist high to anyone still down there. What was Elyssa doing? And with the portal guarded, did it even matter? Was there any safe path back to the portal?

  When Micah hooked his arm with Koren’s, Jason set his sword down and stepped forward. “Micah, I appreciate your courage and honor, but since I am the one who killed the dragon, Koren’s sacrifice is on my head. It is my right to be her escort.”

  “Ah! That is true,” Mark said. “Her blood is on his head.”

  Micah stepped away and allowed Jason to take his place. “If your story is true, how are we to go to our home world without you?”

  “Wait for Elyssa—she knows the way, as do Wallace and Randall.”

  Allender returned, this time trotting down the stairs with a lighter step. “Magnar has agreed. Bind the girl quickly. We have to hurry before the water drowns us all.”