Warrior

  The raft floated between them and the wolves approaching from the east, bouncing over rocks in the shallower areas. A voice shouted from it. “Get on! Now!”

  As the raft stayed in place, defying the current, the wolves leaped past it and attacked. Jason yelled, “Uriel, bring Koren!” He marched into the wolves, slashing with his sword. Standing in knee-deep water, he sliced through the lead wolf’s throat. With a backswing, he whacked off another wolf’s head. Finally, he plunged his sword into a third wolf’s chest, but the fourth jumped and clamped its jaws over his arm.

  Something jerked Jason’s sword away, and the blade swung at the wolf. Its body fell into the stream, though its head stayed latched to Jason’s sleeve, its teeth embedded in the cloth.

  Uriel stood in the water, panting, Jason’s sword in hand. “We must hurry,” he said as he sloshed toward the waiting raft.

  Dozens of wolves charged into the stream from the forest side, each one dragging a passive Koren replica through the current. Breathless, Jason looked at the raft. Koren stood upon it watching her copies being hauled away. Uriel hacked at two other wolves before hoisting himself aboard.

  Jason trudged toward them, knocked one of the wolves away with a forearm, and leaped onto the raft. A surge of water swept them northward. Two more wolves lunged for them. Uriel swung the sword at one and sliced into its snout, knocking it back. Jason punched the other across the side of its face. It, too, fell.

  The raft glided along, too swiftly for the remaining wolves to follow. The rough water forced all three humans to sit on the wet, splintered wood, Jason and Uriel at the raft’s two back corners and Koren near the front.

  Jason glared at the wolf’s head, still dangling from his sleeve. Its beady, malice-filled eyes stared back at him. With a quick swipe, he slapped it off into the river.

  Behind them, the retreating wolves continued dragging Koren replicas southward. As before, the cloaked girls didn’t struggle. Being mindless clones, they felt no pain or fear. Even as they shrank in the distance, some of the copies began to vanish like evaporating fog.

  “Is the bite severe?” Uriel asked.

  Jason poked a finger through a rip in the sleeve. “It broke the skin, but it’s not bleeding much. I think I’ll be all right.”

  Uriel turned the sword around and extended the hilt with his shaking hands. “Take it. I’m too jittery to hold it any longer.”

  “I know what you mean,” Jason said, taking the sword. “That was a close one.”

  “That, too, but I meant the voice. Remember what I said about ghosts?”

  Jason nodded. “Did you see one?”

  “Heard one. Didn’t you?”

  “I heard someone say, ‘Get on.’ For a minute it sounded like it came from the raft, but I guessed it was Koren, and the water made her voice bounce somehow.”

  “It wasn’t Koren.” Uriel pointed at the logs, bound together by vines. “The voice definitely came from the raft.”

  “A talking raft?” Jason asked. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Who said anything about the raft talking? I meant the ghost. But either explanation is no more ridiculous than water flowing upstream or a raft rescuing us from sorcery-crazed wolves in the nick of time.”

  Jason ran a finger along a knot in one of the vines. It seemed similar to the knots he and Adrian used when they made a raft only a few months ago. “I get your point. So many strange things have been happening lately, this just seemed like another one.”

  “Which leads me to a crucial question,” Uriel said. “If there really is a ghost, then where is it?”

  “I am here, Uriel Blackstone.”

  Jason turned toward the voice. It seemed to come from the gap between himself and Koren, too small of a space for anyone to sit. “Who’s there?”

  A wisp of light sparkled, and the outline of a girl dipping into a curtsy flashed in his sight and instantly vanished. “My name is Cassabrie.”

  “Cassabrie the Starlighter?” Jason asked.

  “The same.”

  Uriel trembled, a hesitant smile growing on his face. “Are you a ghost?”

  “In a manner of speaking. A spirit would be a better term. Yet I am more real than the other female apparition on this raft.”

  Jason looked at Koren. She stared back at him, her expression forlorn. As her body faded, she said, “Trust me, Jason.” Then she disappeared.

  “No!” Jason pivoted and searched the field to the south. The wolves and their prey were nowhere in sight. He climbed to his feet and balanced on the rollicking raft. “Cassabrie! Let me off! I have to save Koren!”

  Uriel snatched Jason’s pant leg and yanked him down. “The wolves would just kill you. Then where would we be?”

  “I can’t stay here!” Jason clenched his fist so hard it shook. “I can’t let those wolves drag her back there!”

  Uriel reached around Jason’s head and pulled him close, almost nose to nose. “Listen, son! Think about it! Koren intentionally let the wolves take her away. She knew we were no match for them, and she knew you would fight to the death to rescue her. The only way to save everyone was for her to sacrifice her freedom.”

  Jason pulled back and slammed his fist on the raft. “How can I sit here and ride to the Northlands knowing she’s in their clutches?”

  “It’s the only way, Jason,” Cassabrie said. “When we arrive, we will get the help we need. Until then, any effort would result in failure and death.”

  Jason looked at the source of the calm voice, a sparkle in the midst of empty air. Here was the spirit of a dead Starlighter speaking without a body, guiding a raft after reversing the stream’s direction. And all of this was taking place on a world ruled by dragons.

  As he unclenched his fist, he slowed his breathing. He had to calm himself and gain control. Cassabrie knew so much more than he did, dead or alive, and if going to the Northlands was the only way to save Koren, he would have to allow Cassabrie to lead the way.

  “Okay, Cassabrie. You’re right.” After taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly. “Tell me what we’ll find in the Northlands.”

  eight

  Elyssa sat on a cold stone floor, her back against a wall, her legs extended straight in front of her, and her wrists and ankles bound by sticky black rope. With the mysterious energy source only a few steps away, the mesmerizing influence had again drawn her into a clouded reality. Was it really a human body? It certainly appeared to be.

  Suspended about a foot off the floor and dressed in a white gown and blue hooded cape, the red-haired, green-eyed girl stared straight at them. With the exception of a missing finger on each hand, she appeared to be a normal human, perhaps in her mid-teens.

  A circular, transparent plate had been embedded in the ceiling above her as well as in the floor below. If not for the angle creating a glare on the surfaces, the plates might not be visible at all.

  Elyssa studied one circle, then the other, forcing herself to focus. About twice the size of dinner plates, they emanated a soft humming sound, as if energized by an unseen source. Could they be nonmetallic magnets that held the girl in place? At home, magnets were little more than toys for children or a means to attach notes, and none seemed capable of attracting or repelling human flesh.

  A bright aura surrounded the girl’s body, like a fine mist of electromagnetic particles that streamed away in all directions. As the particles passed across Elyssa’s skin, the foggy sensation heightened. She felt somewhat lucid, but judging one’s own mental state wasn’t always a good idea. She could be completely daft and unable to recognize it.

  Fighting against the influence helped, but weariness dragged her down. The few hours of sleep she and Wallace had stolen before entering the dragon’s village seemed very long ago, especially with the strange energy sapping her resistance. Yet every rest brought another wave of hypnotic euphoria and with it a sensation of danger. Letting herself go might send her into an ecstatic ride of bliss from which she would never want to retu
rn.

  As the shadow of Thortune, their dragon guardian, passed across her body, Elyssa shook away another cloud. She had to keep battling. Clear thinking was her only hope.

  Next to her, Wallace sat in the same pose, his limbs also bound. At times, his eye seemed glazed. Poking him with an elbow usually shocked him out of his slumber, but how long would that work? He needed mental stimulus.

  “Wallace,” Elyssa whispered. “Stay with me. Fight it.”

  Wallace blinked several times. “I’m fighting, but it’s like swimming in mud.”

  “I know. Concentrate. Think about something else.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like how to escape. I’m thinking about biting through this rope.”

  “Better not,” he said. “It’s coated with laxie syrup.”

  “Laxie syrup? What will that do?”

  “First, it will burn your tongue off. Then it will spread into your throat and down into your stomach. Before you know it, it’ll eat holes in your gut and make you bleed to death.”

  “Lovely.” Elyssa looked at the black gunk smearing her wrists. “Why doesn’t it burn my skin now?”

  “It’s moisture activated, but it takes quite a bit to set it off. Try not to sweat.”

  “Thanks. I’ll remember that.”

  Thortune growled. “No talking between yourselves. Magnar’s orders.”

  “If we can’t talk to each other,” Elyssa said, “can we talk to you?”

  “Perhaps I will allow it, if you do not become impertinent.”

  Elyssa nodded at the girl. “Is that Cassabrie the Starlighter?”

  Thortune chuckled. “Even if I had knowledge of that creature, why would I give away such information? I am a guard, not a fool.”

  “I heard one of the dragons call her that. I am merely verifying it. At my young age, would I be familiar with that name and suspect who it is unless I had already heard it?”

  “A good point. I will grant you that.”

  “Then maybe you can tell me how you avoid being affected by her influence. I can feel her dulling my senses.”

  “Other dragons are affected by this Starlighter, so I was selected for this duty because of my impenetrable mind.”

  Elyssa pressed her lips together. Probably stupid dragons were too dense to be penetrated by the particles’ energy. If he really was lacking intelligence, maybe prying for more information would bear fruit. “How does a girl’s dead body emanate these energy particles?”

  “You have proven how little you know. She was a Starlighter. If you had any knowledge, that would be all the explanation you need.”

  “I realize that a Starlighter is very powerful when she is alive. But dead?” Elyssa laughed under her breath. “Come, Thortune. Either you don’t really know, or you must think I’m pretty stupid.”

  “The second option suits me. I can see that you are trying to lure me into providing you with information. If you believe that I will comply, then you have proven your stupidity.”

  Elyssa forced herself to keep a straight face. Maybe this dragon was smarter than he appeared. Maybe he really had an immunity for a reason other than a dense skull.

  She gazed at the girl, still lovely in spite of her ashen skin and gaunt face. How long had she been there? Months? Years? Somehow the dragons had figured out a way to preserve her body, or perhaps her Starlighter powers preserved it for her. The pulsing energy probably had something to do with it. Yet, without sustenance or a beating heart, how could her body radiate unceasing light? It seemed impossible.

  “I will be back in a moment,” Thortune said. “Have no thoughts of escaping. I am not leaving the tunnel.” He shuffled toward the exit and spoke a strange word in the dragon language. The wall slid to the side, and after he passed through the opening, it slid closed again.

  Elyssa tried to copy the word. She had heard it earlier when the dragons brought them to this place, but, as Wallace had warned, humans were incapable of creating exactly the same sound.

  She leaned close to him. “Are you still with me?”

  “Sort of. I can’t tell if I’m dreaming or not. For a minute I thought I was floating over a river watching Jason being attacked by wolves. It seemed so real. But a second later I was back here.” He opened his eyes wide. “Am I dreaming now?”

  “No. You’re fine. But if you really were dreaming, then you couldn’t trust me when I’m saying that you’re not dreaming. Right?”

  “I suppose so. But if this isn’t a dream, then you’re thinking clearly. How do you fight it so well?”

  “Practice. I was chained in a dungeon for several weeks, and suffice it to say my captors weren’t the best housekeepers. So I trained myself to shut out certain input. I suppose it was a blessing that they fed me barely enough to survive.” She gave him a quizzical look. “You saw Jason?”

  Wallace nodded. “He was with Koren and a man I’ve never seen before. I think Jason said his name was Uriel.”

  “Uriel? Uriel Blackstone? Have you ever heard that name before?”

  “No. Why?”

  “I have a hunch.” Elyssa focused again on Cassabrie. Could Jason be with the real Uriel Blackstone? How could that be? Uriel Blackstone would have to be well over a hundred years old. Yet the vision had to come from a source other than Wallace’s mind. Had the energy particles provided Wallace with a view of something real? Could the Starlighter’s body be a gateway of some kind? Maybe the particles were pieces of visual reality, and her own probing abilities could search through them to see what was going on.

  Elyssa blew out a sigh. There was only one way to find out. She nudged Wallace. “Stay alert. I’m going to let the influence take me. Snap me out of it in about three minutes.”

  “All right. I’ll try. Don’t punch me if I have to hurt you to wake you up.”

  Elyssa smiled. “I won’t. My hands are bound.”

  She stared at Cassabrie’s green eyes, glassy, yet penetrating. Closing her own eyes, she probed the floating body with her mind. As the energy particles bathed her face, they drew her toward the source. Like a kite being taken by the wind, Elyssa let her mind go, hoping Wallace could keep hold of her lifeline.

  She rushed to the pulsing light and splashed into its center. For a moment, brightness blinded her, but it soon cleared, giving way to a river. As if riding in a boat, she floated with the current. Trees rushed by on her left and a flower-filled meadow on her right, giving the impression of swift travel. No one spoke. Only the sound of tumbling water and rushing wind came through.

  As the view bobbed and shifted, more of the panorama came in sight. She seemed to be sitting on a raft made of logs bound by vines. Jason sat near the back edge to the left, and an elderly man balanced himself at the right. With every bump, water splashed, and the two riders gripped the sides more tightly. Although both looked dirty and weary, they seemed in relatively good health. A bit of blood stained the upper part of Jason’s right sleeve, torn at the bicep, maybe the result of a recent battle. His fist and teeth were clenched. He was clearly upset.

  Elyssa studied the scene. The elderly man was likely the same one Wallace had noticed. Was this Uriel Blackstone? And where was Koren?

  Jason looked directly at her and said, “Okay, Cassabrie. You’re right. Tell me what we’ll find in the Northlands.”

  “Elyssa!” someone hissed.

  Jason and the older man began drifting away, and the river scene blurred.

  “Elyssa!”

  The bright light again blinded her. As she rushed back from it, Cassabrie’s body came into view, floating between the magnetic plates.

  A sharp pain in her ribs snapped her to attention. Blinking, she turned to Wallace. “That was a pretty hefty jab.”

  “You weren’t waking up.”

  “Silence!” Thortune lumbered toward them and slapped Elyssa with a wing. The claw at the end caught her hair and jerked through it painfully. “I told you not to converse.”

  As Elyssa’s eyes locked
on the dragon’s, something odd happened. His countenance took on a relieved aspect, as if his brief journey to check the exit tunnel had confused him, and now he had returned to normal.

  As Thortune breathed the charged air deeply, she studied his heightening satisfaction. Maybe he was chosen for this task because exposure to Cassabrie sharpened his mind instead of the opposite effect. This dragon wasn’t immune to the energy source; he was addicted to it. If he was accustomed to being absorbed in her power, what would happen to his mind if he could be persuaded to leave for more than a few minutes?

  “In your great wisdom,” Elyssa said, “did you and your dragon cohorts discuss how to provide food for us or what to do about …” She searched for an impressive phrase. “About bodily waste elimination?”

  “You will likely both be executed. It is inefficient to feed condemned prisoners.”

  Elyssa felt Wallace flinch. The poor kid was trying to be brave, but such a menacing pronouncement would chill anyone. “Well,” she said, keeping her voice stern, “we still have bodily elimination systems to consider, and I, for one, have to use that system. I’m confident that you don’t want the odor to foul the air here. Am I correct?”

  “You are. We cannot allow such odors in the Starlighter’s presence. But we have no facilities for humans in the Zodiac.”

  “The tunnel to the Basilica,” Wallace said. “I saw alcoves there that will do. You can get a drone to clean it up later.”

  Thortune snorted, mumbling something about troublesome human habits. “Very well. I will follow you into the tunnel, so do not think you can use this as a ploy to escape.”

  Elyssa extended her hands. “Cut our bonds.”

  “What?” Thortune scowled at her. “Why?”

  She faked an impatient huff. “Dragons might have no problem going around naked, but we humans wear clothing that gets in the way. I can’t drop my trousers while my hands and feet are tied.”

  Thortune swiped a wing claw through the rope around her wrists, then through the ankle bindings. After doing the same for Wallace, he walked toward the exit tunnel. “Stay close and silent. Remember, I can kill you quickly in a variety of ways.”