“That we can make it across without a problem.”
Trust your gifts, Jason. They were bestowed upon you for a reason.
“Fair enough.” Jason thrust the tip of the sword through the snow and into the ice. Again, it seemed solid.
“If turning back isn’t an option,” Uriel said, “we should proceed and announce ourselves. We will find hospitality in the castle.”
“You mean the ghosts?”
“Of the friendliest sort.”
“What about the dragon?”
“If he had plans to accost us, I think he would have done so by now.”
A gnawing sensation bored into the pit of Jason’s stomach. Their last meal had been too long ago. Hospitality sounded very promising. He exhaled, blowing a thick stream of white. “If you say so.”
Stabbing the ice with the sword before every step, he walked ahead, setting his own feet in line with the bear tracks. With each footfall, the snow crunched against the underlying ice, but it held firm. Stories came to mind, tales of brave men on dangerous journeys who always encountered pitfalls along the way, like falling into an icy river, but the storybook heroes never had bear tracks to follow. After all, who would be insane enough to follow a bear … in a frozen wasteland … while being hunted by a dragon?
He grinned. Jason Masters would. Sure, he might end up facing a dangerous bear with sharp teeth and claws. That wouldn’t be anything new. But at least he and Uriel would be dry.
After another minute, Jason’s sword plunged deeply into the snow. Holding a hand up, he stopped. “No ice.”
Uriel leaned over Jason’s shoulder, so close his hot breath warmed Jason’s cheek. “Is the river below?”
Jason pushed the sword deeper. “We must be past it. The snow is hard enough to walk on. The bear made it.”
“I say we keep following the bear. Who can tell where a pond or a chasm might be hiding underneath?”
“True.” Jason visually followed the trail. It continued straight toward the castle, now looming much closer than before. The red turrets on the third floor looked like three scarlet sentries ready to warn of approaching intruders, and the doorway at ground level, bordered by ivory columns on either side, seemed to open more widely as he watched. But would he and Uriel be guests … or someone’s dinner? Perhaps the dragon kept bears as pets, which would explain the tracks heading that way.
After taking a cold draw into his lungs, he held his breath and listened. Not a sound, save for the lightest breeze brushing his ears and Uriel’s clothes shifting. With only a field of white in every direction, no one could attack without warning, yet something in the air pricked his skin, an ever-so-slight gap in the breeze. Someone was near. Could the white dragon be lurking, camouflaged by the snow? The jumpy sensation crawled up his leg again, faster and more intense.
“Cassabrie,” Jason whispered. “Do you see anything dangerous?”
I see only what you see, but I interpret differently. There is great danger, but I am not at liberty to warn you. The king’s orders.
He spoke through clenched teeth. “The fate of the entire human race hangs in the balance, and you won’t even tell me what you’re seeing with my own eyes?”
No, Jason. If I tell you, all will be lost. I will say no more.
Jason kicked the snow, sending the sparkling powder flying. When the flakes settled, he glared at the castle. Now the entire structure seemed red. Was it anger? If so, what had gotten him so riled up? If that jumpy sensation took over, his training would be useless. He had to stay in control.
He took another deep breath. Settle down. Remember your training. Don’t let anything take you by surprise. After counting silently to ten, he nodded toward the castle. “No more delays, but keep your eyes open for a dragon hiding in the snow.”
As they followed the tracks, the ground dipped toward a swale, perhaps two hundred feet from front to back, before rising again toward the castle. Jason slowed his pace and peered ahead. The tracks stopped at a point about a dozen paces in front of them.
He halted just before the final track and touched it with the point of his sword. “Where could he have gone?”
Uriel looked up. “A bear with wings?”
Jason crouched and studied the marks. “They’re perfectly formed. If this bear could fly, I think we’d see evidence of pushing off.”
“I see what you mean. Some kind of smearing or elongation.”
Jason guided the sword over the snow at a point ahead of the tracks. “Let’s see how deep this is.” He sent the blade plunging down, but nothing resisted the force. His momentum pulled him forward, but Uriel caught his arm and jerked him back.
Gasping for breath, Jason stared at the gap. “It’s nothing but air!”
“White air, to be precise. It looks exactly like snow.”
Sliding his feet, Jason edged closer, then knelt and reached down. His arm disappeared up to the elbow, but his fingers detected nothing below, only emptiness. It seemed warmer than the air above, more like autumn than winter.
He handed Uriel the sword. “I’m going to have a look.” Pressing his hands near the last of the bear’s prints, he lowered his head into the “snow,” keeping his eyes open. Nothing. Nothing but whiteness. Yet a strong odor filled his nostrils—rotting flesh.
A sharp pain streaked across his chin. He shot back up, dabbed a wound, and looked at his finger. Blood.
“Scratched your face?” Uriel asked.
“A sharp rock, I guess, but I couldn’t see anything. I smelled something dead, though.”
Uriel propped the sword on his shoulder and nodded. “Then the bear fell in along with any other animal that happens to—”
Long talons reached out of the snow and clawed at Jason, ripping his pant leg. Uriel slashed with the sword and severed three wiry fingers from a black hand. A muffled scream sounded from below. The hand jerked back into the field of white, leaving behind the fingers and a trail of dark green blood.
Jason slid backwards. Another clawed hand, this one reddish, broke the surface and swiped, but it quickly submerged again. As if awakened by the others, more claws lashed at the open air. For a moment it looked like a pot of bubbling milk, but the field soon settled into a meadow of pristine white once again.
His hand shaking, Jason pinched one of the severed fingers and drew it close. Although it appeared to be a dragon claw at first, mammalian flesh covered the bone instead of scales.
He flung it away and stood again. “Cassabrie wasn’t kidding when she said we wouldn’t make it on foot.”
“Has she offered a solution?” Uriel asked.
“No. She got huffy and decided to be quiet.”
A shaky feminine voice drifted into Jason’s ears. “Are you ready to cross, My Lord?”
“Ready to cross?” Jason shifted his eyes upward as if trying to see into his own head. “Cassabrie, you know we want to cross. And when did you start calling me ‘My Lord’?”
Cassabrie laughed. That wasn’t me, Jason.
“Not you?” Jason swiveled his head. “There’s no one else around except whatever those monsters are, and I don’t think they would—”
“I heard it as well,” Uriel said.
“I am here.” The trembling voice returned. “If you are ready to cross, please let us go. The moat is very frightening.”
Jason located the source, a sparkle in the air that glittered a few feet above the snow just beyond the bear’s final tracks. He slid a step forward. “Who are you?”
Like a wisp of light, a girl curtsied, hovering inches above the snow, and when her movements stopped, she vanished. Yet, with every word she spoke, sparks of light flew from her vapor-thin mouth. “I am a servant of the king. My name is Resolute, but I think this place is threatening to shatter my confidence. We should cross immediately.”
Jason pondered the odd name. Resolute. With her tremulous voice, she didn’t present the best image for the word.
“I’d love to cross,” he said. “
But how? We’re not floating spirits.”
“We have tested this fake snow cover,” Uriel said. “I don’t think it will hold a shoe, much less two men.”
Resolute’s hand appeared as it swept in an arc near the false snow. “My boat will carry you.”
“I don’t see a boat.”
“Nor do you see me, but I am here.”
And me, Cassabrie said. Resolute is my friend from the castle. I can’t see the boat either, but she always speaks the truth.
“Has any other human ridden in this boat?” Uriel asked. “I do not doubt its existence, only its capacity.”
Resolute touched her finger to her chin, making both appear for a moment. “Not that I have seen, but the king told me it will carry you, and his word is always true.”
“And what of the creatures that lurk beneath?” Uriel’s shivers made his voice shake. “Is the boat impervious to their attacks?”
“Certainly not.” Resolute trembled, making her entire body visible. Still merely a faint wisp, her hair brushed against the shoulders of a calf-length dress. Her face appeared to be that of a teenager, perhaps fifteen or younger. “We have to be very careful or they could capsize the boat.”
“Is there another way?” Jason asked, training his eyes on the smear of green blood.
“No,” Resolute said. “This moat encircles the castle. Your only other option is to return the way you came.”
Jason looked back at their path—a long furrow leading from the forest to where they now stood. They couldn’t go back to the dragon realm, not without help. His mind zoomed through the field of flowers and flew into the land of the Zodiac. A wolf dragged Koren and dropped her in front of Zena, and the black-hearted witch laughed. Then Elyssa appeared in his mind. Where was she now? She would never rest in safety as long as she knew he was still in the dragon world. And knowing her, she would ignore any danger in order to find him. She personified courage.
He glanced at the trembling girl, still hovering over the moat. Resolute. Although terrified, she was here, ready to do whatever needed to be done. The name suited her perfectly.
Jason reached for the sword and pulled it from Uriel’s hand. “It’s time to go.”
“And the moat creatures?” Uriel asked.
Jason pointed the sword at the path ahead. “Those creatures need to fear us.” He marched straight to Resolute and lifted his leg. “Just guide my foot. Where do I put it?”
A shining outline of two hands grasped his ankle and pulled his foot to an invisible but solid surface. He pushed off with his other foot and stood unsteadily. The boat rocked for a moment before calming. “Your turn,” he said, pivoting toward Uriel.
Uriel gave him an uneasy smile and shrugged. “Another impossible adventure. Why not?”
“Sit back here, Jason,” Resolute said, her pointing finger appearing, “so he will have room.”
Feeling an invisible bench with his hands, Jason sat while Uriel climbed aboard. They sank slightly with Uriel’s weight, shifting and bobbing as he took a spot on the bench to Jason’s left. Both braced themselves with one hand while the boat rocked.
Once it settled, Jason scanned the white surface, keeping his sword at the ready. If any claw showed itself, it would get a free manicure.
thirteen
Resolute picked up a transparent paddle and pushed against the shore. Again the craft bobbed, sending them lower into the white air. With the boat displacing its surroundings, its shape and size became apparent — an oval, no longer than a single bed and just as narrow.
Jason and Uriel slid toward the middle until their hips touched. Resolute, again trembling enough to be seen, remained standing at the front of the boat. Turning toward them, she let out a quiet “Shhh” and slid the paddle into the moat. She pulled against the thick matter as if paddling in a stream, but the surface didn’t react, not even the slightest swirl. They skimmed along as if propelled by her effortless strokes.
With his sword angled toward the moat’s surface, Jason peered over the side. No movement. No claws. Where had they gone? Why didn’t they attack? It seemed that whenever he expected something to happen in this frozen wilderness, it didn’t — no white dragon swooped down to snatch them away, no cracks formed in the river ice, the bear disappeared into nothingness, and now the claws didn’t resurface. Not only that, an invisible girl with an odd name paddled them across an impossible body of snow.
Cassabrie spoke again, her voice no more than a whisper. You appear to be troubled, Jason, but don’t explain. It is better to maintain silence. Just let me tell you that this place has many more surprises in store, some that will lift you up, and some that will threaten to cast you into despair. The puzzles you encounter will challenge your mind, perhaps even your sanity. Prepare yourself. Pray for peace. Unlike Darksphere or even most of Starlight, this is a place that will not allow you to survive for long without an abiding peace in your spirit. Turmoil will be your undoing. Ponder these things now, for you will encounter sights even more unsettling very soon.
Jason looked at Uriel. As he gazed over his side of the boat, his fingers clutched his pant legs, and his brow wrinkled, but he seemed to be handling the anxiety well. Resolute had disappeared, apparently no longer trembling.
Peace. Jason mouthed the word. The very idea made his skin bristle. How could he have peace while Adrian, Frederick, Elyssa, and Koren were likely all in trouble? Someone had to rescue them. And if he took too long finding this person who was supposed to help him, what would happen to those he loved?
Jason took a deep breath and forced his muscles to loosen. Even if his brain wouldn’t slow down, maybe his body could pretend to relax. With all the potential disasters looming, who could really be at peace?
After a few minutes, they approached a sign mounted on a wooden post that read Dock Here. Resolute dug hard with the paddle, and the boat slid up onto real snow, almost hitting the sign. “It’s safe now,” she called. “Just step straight ahead. You can brace yourself on that sign if you need to.”
Jason sheathed the sword and hopped out. He sank to his knees in snow, but the ground seemed firm underneath. The castle, now only fifty or so paces away, towered over him. Its front door, wide open to the frosty air, seemed strangely inviting. With the moat protecting the grounds, maybe they didn’t feel the need for more security. But this was a world of dragons. What if enemies mounted an aerial attack?
After Uriel disembarked, Resolute led the way, walking on bare feet without making an impression on the surface. “Let’s hurry. The king has long awaited your arrival.”
Jason trudged ahead, wading through deep snow that thinned as they approached an outer courtyard. Within, lush grass grew in a semicircular skirt in front of four marble steps leading to the castle’s portico. He stared at the odd spectacle, a summer lawn in the midst of winter’s blight.
Resolute scampered up the stairs, crossed the portico, and glided through the doorway.
“I suppose we should follow,” Uriel said.
Jason touched the hilt of his sword. “We’d better be ready for anything. I don’t want to be a prisoner.”
“Nor do I,” Uriel said as he looked up at the turrets. “The castle fills me again with dread, and now I think I would choose a frosty death over loss of liberty. It’s as though I have competing desires for the easiest form of torture, and they keep trading places.”
“No time to analyze your brain.” Jason strode up the steps. With his boots clicking on the portico’s marble floor and Uriel’s echoing behind him, they ruined any hope of a stealthy approach. No matter. Resolute had probably announced their arrival.
After passing between enormous ivory columns, Jason paused at the center of the doorway and looked inside. Sunlight illuminated the foyer, a massive chamber with a ceiling at least as high as three dragons lined up snout to tail, perhaps one hundred twenty feet. He brushed his shoe across deep scratches that marred the wooden floor. Why would an extravagant castle have such damage in its s
howcase entryway?
He pointed at one of the deeper marks. “A dragon?”
“The white dragon flies in here,” Uriel said, using his hand to demonstrate the flight path, “and he digs his claws into the wood when he lands.”
“He must come and go often.”
“I wouldn’t know, but I have seen one other dragon. Arxad pays a visit on infrequent occasions.”
Jason pointed at the floor. “Arxad comes here? Why?”
“More mysteries. I am not privy to the conversations he and the white dragon carry on.”
“Maybe not, but I’m getting the impression that you know more about this place than you’ve been letting on.”
“Yes, I realize that, but my reticence is not intentional. Memories are returning as if summoned by the castle itself.”
Resolute’s arm appeared inside, beckoning a few paces away. “Come in where it’s nice and cozy.”
“Cozy?” Jason asked as he strode forward. “With the open door, how could it be …” When he crossed the plane, the air instantly warmed. “Cozy?”
Uriel followed in Jason’s wake. “A remarkable change.”
Jason turned toward the outside and reached his hand through the doorway. Cold air bathed his skin and ran up his sleeve, as if his arm had become a conduit. When he jerked it back, the hole sealed.
He turned toward the foyer again. A giant mural covered the far wall. It looked like a throne of gold with multicolored gems embedded in the back, arms, and legs. Somehow, even without light shining on the painting, the gems glittered.
Above, ivory beams spanned a domed ceiling. Between the beams, leaded glass displayed a network of colorful spheres with a large reddish one at the center. The display tugged at Jason’s memory, resurrecting Adrian’s mural of the planets in their room back home.
Resolute’s voice sparks appeared, drizzling over a hardwood chair. “Rest. Make yourselves at home while I tell the king of your arrival.”
Uriel plopped heavily into the chair. “I assume you will allow an old man the honor.”
Jason scanned the foyer, void of any other seats. “Of course.”