A Star is Born: The Coming Dawn: Book I (25 page)

There’s nothing to fear; sing to keep from having a care.

Now twenty steps up ahead you will cross to the right.

This pond, you will see, is the biggest in width and height.

Heed my warning; count the many steps with song with me.

Have joy, and you’ll be on the road to recovery.

Twenty, nineteen, eighteen—”

He was singing the directions of how to get through the marsh. He sang his numbers as he counted backward with each step he took. She knew the song was correct because she had seen the pond with the odd, spattered shape, and saw the golden yellow brush at the waterside as they passed it. They were rounding a large body of water, and as the song promised, they were heading toward smaller ponds and wider paths. Ky was so happy she could kiss him. How could she ever have doubted him? She cleared her mind, and listened to him sing. The lyrics were comforting; she liked the melody and the constant promises of safety. Soon she was humming along to the catchy beat, in much higher spirits. They were going to survive the swamp!

The warriors sang their song aloud. It sounded like a confusing discordance of jumbled lyrics, as they all sang their own position on the path. There wasn’t a feeling of depression in the air anymore. It was encouraging.

Cobaaron stopped and spun. He looked very pleased. “It’s my men. They’re coming. That’s what’s over there.” He pointed to the massive mirage dancing like dark heat waves in the night. “Octavos is bringing the other half of the army that purged the woods.” Ky saw the horizon had grown a lot in a short amount of time. Now there was no mistaking that thousands, probably over four hundred thousand men, stretched across the swamp. “I tried to tell my men to stop sweeping the forest and come find us, and that we were on the move. They must have heard my thoughts.” Cobaaron wore a pleased expression and added, “Come on. It’s almost over.”

“I know,” Ky grinned.

Their optimism wasn’t shared by everyone. Ky heard the distant screams of women over the next hour, as several ran for phony freedom. The shrieks weren’t easy to hear, but Ky knew nothing could be done for them. She tried her best to focus on Cobaaron’s song. She didn’t want to digress into negative thinking again about Cobaaron or never leaving the swampland.

Finally, the path spread out, and the grass became firmer and easier to walk on. Huntra, who had been dangling from Cobaaron’s shoulders, opened his eyes. He rolled backward, and plopped onto the grass, landing on his feet. He sprung up as if he fell onto a trampoline. He began to swell while in midair. It was sweet relief; Ky couldn’t wait to be carried. Her feet were so swollen she wondered if something was seriously wrong with her ankles. Huntra flung Ky onto his back, and a moment later did the same to Cobaaron. She rubbed her feet as Huntra walked, and two seats formed.

Ky again felt guilty that she was being carried while the other women marched the entire distance with no rest. It started to bother her so much that she spoke up. “Don’t you think we should have Huntra carry someone else? Some of the women? We could be alternating rides.”

“You’re the only woman who truly matters. They have all come to protect you from my men. They knew this wasn’t going to be easy.”

“But that’s ridiculous. If you don’t care about their wellbeing, there will be no women left.”

“That is the swamp talking,” Cobaaron said.

“No, I’m serious, Cobaaron.”

He spoke over her, “Ky, if it’s not the swamp, then keep that thought in the back of your mind for later. But let’s not argue about it here. Focus on solutions not the problem; Huntra will not carry other people while you walk. He won’t do it. He belongs to you.”

“But…”

“No, I’m all done.” He got off Huntra before another word was spoken. He patted Huntra’s leg as he passed, and walked in front to lead the way.

Ky didn’t know when she fell asleep but she woke up in Huntra’s small silver room feeling claustrophobic and cramped in the small box. There were too many pillows, blankets, and clothes filling it. Her body and mind were so tired she felt delirious, and guessed that she couldn’t have slept long if she was this tired. She sat up, not regarding her grogginess. She wanted to look out the small window to see if they were still in the marsh, or had she slept a long time and they had found a resting place.

“Lay down, Ky. Go to sleep,” she heard Cobaaron’s tired voice behind her.

“How long have I been sleeping?” Ky asked.

“Not long, and I haven’t slept. It’s almost morning. My men will be surrounding us within the hour, and we’ll finally be out of the marsh before then. There is another six hours until we reach our resting point.” He pulled her down, and tiredly mumbled, “Lay with me and go to sleep. Noxis leads us; there is nothing to worry about.”

It was easy to follow his orders. His chest was warm against her back. His presence filled her with ease and comfort but the union had another idea in mind. She fought her urges. Combined with her worn out body and fatigue, she soon fell asleep again.

*****

“Ky,” Cobaaron gently shook her shoulder. “Ky, wake up. Huntra is tired. He’s hasn’t eaten, and he’s traveled a great distance. I need to carry him. Wake up.”

“Where are we? Are we there yet?”

“Not quite,” he said.

When they were sitting, the walls to the sleeping cart bubbled and fell away. They slid off a wobbly Huntra. Cobaaron picked him up when he was small again.

Everyone was exhausted and inched slowly along. They walked all day and night with no food or water. Yet there were two big changes. All the warriors now accompanied them, making their formation over ten miles in length, and the landscape was vastly different. Hills rolled on and on as far as the eye could see. Wind blew shards of wheat among tall, budding purple flowers.

On a distant hill stood oddly placed lean, rectangular boulders; some were knocked down. Positioned around the pillars were giant carved faces in stone, all of which had different exaggerated facial features. The heads speckled the landscape, but all faced a stone hedge. Cobaaron was leading them directly toward the granite garden.

Ky took Huntra from Cobaaron. She held him in the crook of her arm, so she could scratch his back. His warm little body leaned against her. While thoroughly enjoying being petted, he wrapped his front paws around her arm. He then closed his eyes, ready to sleep.

They approached the stone hedge where rocks protruded, exposing the rock-strewn geography. Once they stepped over a short stone fence, Cobaaron told a few warriors to check the inner rooms. Ky became perplexed after the group thanked him, and ran behind a larger granite slab carefully balanced on large upright stones forming a table; the moment they ran around they disappeared. Ky thought it was an optical illusion that the men could run behind the large rocks and not reappear. But as Cobaaron and Ky reached the other side, Ky realized there was no mystery. Below the rock table were steep steps leading underground. Ky laughed at how easily she had been wrong. Cobaaron jumped, skipping the first few steps and then called back, “Are you coming?” He held out a hand, and warned her to duck to avoid the overhead.

From a black sky, to instant darkness, they walked the tunnel with no light. “Oh,
Huntra
,” she grumbled and dropped him when he squirmed and started scratching. She tried hugging him tighter but he wriggled free. “No!”

“It’s okay. There are beetles down here. He’s hungry, and they’re a good source of meat,” Cobaaron said. “Just let him go.”

“I don’t have him anymore.”

“It’s all clear,” a warrior yelled from the depth of the tunnel.

“Well, that is good. I’ve had enough excitement,” Ky complained.

“Try to light up, Ky. There is a torch around here somewhere.” A second later he recanted, “Never mind. Here it is.” Cobaaron lit the torch with a small metal prong that sparked when scraping against a flammable rock. The rock itself caught fire. Cobaaron lit more torches as he explained, “It’s petrified sap from popping pine. They will burn for months.” She was impressed with the mechanics as much as the way they made use of the trees’ sap.

Ky saw Huntra chasing a huge beetle the size of her fist. The insect was black with working pinchers in front and back making it impossible to know which end was which. For added protection, the beetle zigzagged, running backward and then forwards in confusing spurts.

“That beetle is
huge
,” Ky said uneasily. Then she saw several. They were all scattering in different directions. She gasped having to lift her feet, and jump to keep away from them.

“No. These are young offspring,” Cobaaron said, smiling. “You’re not afraid of bugs are you?” He suppressed a laugh, and not very well.

“These bugs,
yes
, I am. I’ll say it again,
they’re huge
,” she stressed, not ashamed. “Please say you’re joking about the beetle being small comparably. They, uh, don’t get
much
bigger do they?”

“About three times that size.”

“I don’t want beetles crawling on me, especially if I’m sleeping,” Ky groaned, and bit her nails until she realized what she was doing.

“They don’t like fire. That is why they scattered.” He turned around still trying to hide his amusement, and they walked on.

They reached the bottom of the steps, and continued down a long sloping tunnel. A few steps later, the passageway abruptly opened to a large cavern with thick pillars that arched along the ceiling of a space large enough to hold all of them. The enormous rectangular assembly room had immaculately carved tunnels along the walls. Warriors piled in and built fires in various places around the open space. Their fires soon lit a fountain in the middle.

In the center of the fountain was a beautiful stone woman bathing. She was undoubtedly pregnant, and water was pouring from a big shell she held above her head and splashed down to her nude, curvy body. Warriors took turns drinking from the fountain.

Cobaaron noticed her attention was on the statue, and said, “That is the well of Lu Lush. You will see women bathe in her spring hoping to be blessed with fertility. She has a plethora of wells in countless cities, but they don’t work. Lu Lush is nothing more than a deceased woman with abundant myths surrounding her.”

Ky eyed the fountain, and she didn’t buy into a theory that a dip could heal anyone of infertility either. At least it didn’t work like that in Texas.

“The actual bathhouse is the widest archway straight back. The Questidors, the people who once lived here, were strong believers in tight quarters and no secrets. So, they would feast together every night and spend much of their time together in this room. They thought they would be a stronger society with fewer crimes if they stayed close, but legend says scandalmongers tore the city apart and the community didn’t survive. Since they left, there have been additional rooms carved, which are now the sleeping compartments for travelers (mostly warriors).

“I’ll get a fire started in one of the rooms. You can catch up on your sleep, while my men and I hunt for food.” He pointed to the closest tunnel, and she followed him down a short hallway to a separate chamber.

“Please tell me we’re not eating beetles,” Ky begged.

“You don’t want to eat beetles?” he asked in humor. He smirked, giving away that he was playing around, and then chuckled. “Their cavity is half full of ink. They’re disgusting,” he snickered again. “No. I’ll find something good like curry. Warriors are resourceful, and my men are used to the wild. We know how to make food taste good, though it may take some time. I’m sure my men are tired after being awake so long. Usually we run quickly to the destination, and then rest well. This journey has been long for all of us.” He made the fire as he talked, which was already built and used by past visitors. Ky wondered if it was his army who last came to the city.

He lit the fire with the room’s torch. There was a stack of wood, bones, and sap stone in the corner. He threw a few logs onto the fire, clapped the charcoal from his hands, and watched the fire until the flames were tall and warm.

“You don’t have to go with them to hunt, do you?”

“I slept and my men haven’t. I lead by example. If I go out to hunt, my men follow without question. I won’t have to ask; they’ll follow. Besides, I need to talk with Octavos about what he saw in the woods. I still think we’re being followed.” Cobaaron kissed her, which was a mistake. From his touch, she was filled with passion and great devotion. There was no question she loved Cobaaron with her whole heart, and all her being. Cobaaron broke the brief intimacy, and left. Not long after his departure, she was accompanied by several warriors who stood guard in the tunnel, watching over her.

Ky put her hands near the fire, but couldn’t feel any heat. She put her hands even closer, but there was still no sensation of heat. Slowly, she put her hands in the flames. It was warm to the touch but not hot.

“Oh.”

Ky glanced back at the sound a female voice seeing Oella who had taken one look at Ky in the room, and began to leave. “No. It’s okay. Come in.” Ky waved her in, but Oella didn’t approach.

Oella glanced at the guards, not sure if she should enter. They weren’t saying anything to her, and kept their eyes forward. “You were my handmaiden in the city. I’m sure you can come in here,” Ky asserted, having no reason to not trust her. All the belongings Oella made her had proven to be safe. Ky was positive Oella was good-natured.

“I don’t think I should. You’re a Star—queen.”

“I’m a girl, and exhausted like you. Come sit down. I’m sure your feet are killing you,” Ky said, and patted the cold ground.

“That is an odd expression. I’m not dying of pain.” Oella raised an eyebrow while smiling. “They hurt; that is all. And you’re not a girl; you’re a Star, a goddess born of the heavens.” Oella pointed to Ky’s hands, which were in the fire, but she didn’t budge from her spot in the hallway. “You’re hot inside, and that is why fire doesn’t affect you. It takes something much hotter for you to feel heat.”