Deltora Quest #2: The Lake of Tears (9 page)

L
ief felt a chill run through him. He swallowed.

“We cannot —” he began.

“Give the little man to me,” hissed Soldeen. “I like his face, and the music he makes. He will come into the Lake with me and sit upon the weeping stone. He will play to me through the endless days, the lonely nights. He will ease my pain, for as long as he lives.”

Lief heard Jasmine draw a sharp breath and looked around. Manus had risen, and was stepping forward.

“No, Manus!” cried Barda, catching his arm.

Manus was very pale, but his head was high. He strained against Barda’s grip.

“He wishes to join me,” hissed Soldeen. “Let him come.”

“We will not!” shrieked Jasmine, catching Manus by the other arm. “He would sacrifice himself for us, but we will not allow it!”

“Give him to me, or I will kill you,” growled Soldeen, the spines rising on his back. “I will tear you apart, and your flesh will be devoured by the creatures of the mud until there is nothing left but bones.”

A wave of anger rose in Lief, burning like fire. He jumped up and threw himself in front of Manus, protecting him from the front, as Barda and Jasmine were protecting him at the sides. “Then do it!” he shouted, drawing his sword. “But if you do you will kill your companion, too, for you are too large to take one of us without the others!”

“WE SHALL SEE!” roared Soldeen, lunging forward. Lief braced himself for the attack, but at the last moment the beast twisted like a serpent, and three of the swordlike spines beneath his eyes ran under Lief’s arm, tearing his shirt to ribbons and running through the folds of his cloak.

One easy toss of Soldeen’s head, and Lief was jerked away from Manus and swung off his feet. For two terrifying seconds he dangled in midair, fighting for breath as the strangling ties of the cloak bit into his throat.

There was a roaring in his ears and a red haze before his eyes. He knew that in moments he would be unconscious. The cloak was double-tied, and he could not unfasten it. There was only one thing he could do. With the last of his strength he twisted, swung himself up, and caught one of the spines in his hands.

Immediately, the choking band around his neck loosened. Panting, he pulled himself up until he was sitting on the spine. He edged along it until he was just under the beast’s eye.

His shirt had been torn away, and he shuddered at the feel of Soldeen’s slippery, ridged hide on his bare skin. But still he clung there, pressing himself close, his sword steady in his hand.

“Drag me down into the mud and slime and drown me, if you will, Soldeen,” he muttered. “But while we are gone my friends will escape. And I will plunge my sword into your eye before I die, I promise you. Will you enjoy life half-blind in this dank place? Or does your sight mean nothing to you?”

The monster was very still.

“Let our friend go, Soldeen,” Lief urged. “He has suffered long, and only now is free. He came here for our sake. Make up your mind that we will not give him up. You shall not have him, whatever the cost!”

“You … would die for him,” the beast growled, finally. “He … would die for you. And all of you would give up — everything — for your cause. I remember — I seem to remember — a time when I, too … long ago. So long ago …”

His eyes had narrowed. He had begun to sway, groaning and shaking his head.

“Something — is — happening to me,” he moaned. “My mind is — burning … clearing. I see — pictures of
another time, another place. What have you done to me? What sorcery —?”

And only then did Lief realize that the Belt of Deltora, and the topaz that it held, were pressing against the creature’s skin.

“It is no sorcery, but the truth you see,” he whispered. “Whatever you see — is real.”

Soldeen’s eyes gleamed in the moonlight, no longer the eyes of a ravenous beast, but those of a creature filled with unbearable suffering. And suddenly Lief remembered the golden eyes of the guardian of the bridge, and understood.

“Help us, Soldeen,” he whispered. “Let Manus go free, and give us the stone. For the sake of what you once were. For the sake of what you have lost.”

The tortured eyes darkened, then seemed to flash.

Lief held his breath. Confused and afraid, Barda, Jasmine, and Manus pressed together on the rocks, not daring to move.

“I will,” said Soldeen.

Lief felt the eyes of his friends upon him as Soldeen slid back into the Lake and moved away from the shore. He knew that his life hung by a thread. At any moment Soldeen might change his mind, grow impatient or angry, toss him into the oily water, tear at him in rage.

Then he felt something that made him forget fear and doubt. The Belt of Deltora was warming on his skin. It sensed that another gem was near — very near.

Soldeen had almost reached the weeping rock. The water had worn deep cracks and holes in its smooth surface. Under the gentle light of the moon it looked like a woman with her head bent in sorrow, tears falling from between her hands. Lief’s heart thudded as he saw, cupped in one of the hands, something that did not belong there.

It was a huge, dark pink gem. The dripping flow of water hid it completely from the shore. Even here, so close, it was very hard to see.

“Take it,” hissed Soldeen.

Perhaps he was already regretting his promise, for he turned his head aside, as if he could not bear to watch, while Lief stretched out his hand and plucked the gem from its hiding place.

Lief drew his hand back from the rock, opened it, and stared at his prize. Then, slowly, his excitement changed to confusion. He had no doubt that this was one of the gems they had been seeking, for the Belt around his waist was so warm that his damp clothes were steaming.

But he could not remember that any of the gems in the Belt of Deltora were pink. Yet this stone was pink, indeed, and seemed to be growing paler in color as he looked at it.

Or was it just that the light had changed? A thin cloud had covered the moon, so that it shone through a smoky veil. Even the stars had dimmed. Lief shivered.

“What is the matter?” growled Soldeen.

“Nothing!” Lief said hastily, closing his hand again. “I have the stone. We can go back.”

He twisted and signaled to Barda, Jasmine, and Manus, clustered together on the rocks. He saw them raise their arms, and heard their shouts of triumph.

The emerald is green, thought Lief, as Soldeen turned to swim back to the shore. The amethyst is purple. The lapis lazuli is deep blue with silver dots like stars, the opal is all the colors of the rainbow, the diamond is clear as ice, the ruby is red …

The ruby …

Some words leapt into his mind. He could see them as clearly as if the page from
The Belt of Deltora
was open before him.

†
The great ruby, symbol of happiness, red as blood, grows pale in the presence of evil, or when misfortune threatens …

The ruby is red, Lief thought. The ruby grows pale in the presence of evil. And when red pales, what is it but pink?

The gem in his hand was the ruby, its rich color drained away by the evil of the Lake. But surely it had faded even more in the last few moments. Now it was no darker than the palm of his hand.

A terrible fear seized him. “Soldeen!” he cried. “We must —”

But at that moment, the sky seemed to split open with a jagged streak of light. With a fearful, rushing sound, a cloud of foul-smelling, yellow smoke belched through the crack, churning the Lake to mud and filling the air above it with thick, choking fumes.

And in the midst of the smoke, hovering above the water, was a towering figure, shining green, with wild, silver hair that crackled and flew around her beautiful, sneering face as though it was itself alive.

“Thaegan!” It was as though the whole Lake moaned the name. As though every creature, and even the rocks themselves, shrank and trembled.

The sorceress jeered.

She pointed the little finger of her left hand at Soldeen, and a spear of yellow light flew at him, hitting him between the eyes.

The beast cried out, twisting and rolling in agony. Lief was pitched violently sideways, and the great ruby flew from his hand, high into the air. He shouted in horror, snatching at it vainly even as he plunged towards the churning water of the Lake.

The gem made a great half-circle and began to fall. Gasping, struggling in the muddy foam, Lief watched in horror as it dropped into a deep crack in the weeping rock and disappeared from sight.

“You shall never have it!” cried Thaegan, her voice cracking with fury. “You — who have dared to enter my lands! You who have freed one of my creatures and made another do your will! You who have killed two of
my children and mocked my power! I have followed you. I have smelt you out. Now, you will see!”

Again she raised her hand, and Lief felt himself being swept towards the edge of the Lake. Foul-smelling water rushed into his eyes, nose, and mouth. Nameless things, fighting for life as he was, battered against his face and body and were crushed.

Half-drowned, he was cast up on the shore. He crawled, coughing and choking, through the oozing mud and foam, only half aware that Barda, Jasmine, and Manus were running towards him.

They hauled him to his feet and began dragging him to the rocks.

But Thaegan was already there, barring their way, her silver hair flying in the smoke, her body shining green. “You cannot escape me,” she hissed. “You will never escape.”

Barda flung himself at her, his sword pointed straight at her heart. “One drop of your blood, Thaegan!” he shouted. “One drop, and you are destroyed!” But the sorceress laughed shrilly as the blade swerved aside before it touched her and Barda was flung back, sprawling, into the mud. Kree screeched as Jasmine leapt forward to take the big man’s place, only to be thrown back with even greater force, tumbling over Lief and Manus, taking them both down with her.

They wallowed helplessly in the ooze, struggling to rise.

Thaegan grinned, and Lief’s stomach heaved as her
beautiful face shifted like a mask and he glimpsed the evil horror beneath.

“Now you are where you belong!” she spat. “At my feet, crawling in the mud.”

Kree screeched again and flew at her, trying to beat at her with his wings. She turned to him, as if noticing him for the first time, and her eyes lit with greed.

“Kree!” screamed Jasmine. “Get away from her!”

Thaegan laughed, and turned back to face them. “The black bird I will save for my own delight,” she snarled. “But you — you will know nothing of his pain.”

Baring her teeth, she raked her victims with eyes full of hate and triumph. “You are to become part of my creation. Soon you will forget everything you have ever held dear. Sick with loathing at your own ugliness, feeding on worms in the cold and the dark, you will creep in the ooze and slime with Soldeen, forever.”

T
haegan raised her left hand high above her head, fist tightly clenched. It gleamed, green and hard as glass. The yellow smoke swirled as Kree dived wildly, uselessly, around her head. Lief, Barda, Jasmine, and Manus staggered together, trying to run. Laughing at their terror, she lifted the little finger, ready to strike. Its tip, white as bone, gleamed through the dimness.

Like a black arrow, Kree hurtled from the smoke. With a vicious snap his sharp beak stabbed and stabbed again at the death-pale fingertip.

The sorceress shrieked in rage, shock, and pain, shaking the bird off, hurling him aside. But red-black blood was already welling from the wound on her fingertip and slowly dripping to the ground.

Her eyes widened, unbelieving. Her body shuddered and writhed and turned as yellow as the smoke
that still hung about her. Her face became a hideous blur, melting and reforming before her victims’ horrified eyes.

And then, with a high, whistling hiss, she began to shrivel, to crumple, to collapse in upon herself like a rotting fruit left in the sun.

Face down in the mud, Lief wrapped his arms around his head to hide the ghastly sight, smother the terrible sound. He heard Soldeen bellowing in the Lake behind him, crying out in triumph or terror. Then, with a low, terrifying rumble, the earth began to shudder and heave. Icy waves pounded on his back as the waters of the Lake swelled and crashed upon the shore.

Terrified at the thought of being sucked back into the deep, he threw himself forward, dragging himself blindly through the spray. Dimly he could hear Jasmine and Barda calling to each other, calling to Manus and to him. His fingertips touched rock, and with a last, desperate effort he heaved himself out of the swirling mud onto firm ground. He clung there, the breath sobbing in his aching throat.

Then, suddenly, everything stilled.

His skin prickling, Lief lifted his head. Barda and Manus were lying near him, pale but alive. Jasmine crouched a little further away, with Kree on her wrist and Filli, soaked and bedraggled, in her arms. Where Thaegan had stood there was nothing but a yellow stain on the rock.

The sorceress was dead. Trying only to stop her from casting her spell, Kree had wounded her in the one place on her body that was not armored — the fingertip she used to work her evil magic.

But it was not the end. Something was about to happen — Lief could feel it. The clouds had disappeared, and the full moon flooded the earth with radiant white light. The very air seemed to shimmer.

And the silence! It was as though the earth had caught its breath. Waiting …

Slowly, Lief turned to look behind him.

The tempest had almost emptied the Lake. Now it was just a broad sweep of shallow water gleaming in the moonlight. A multitude of slimy creatures lay stranded in heaps around its edges and on its flattened banks.

Soldeen was in the center, by the weeping rock. He was motionless, his head upraised. He was staring at the moon as though he had never seen it before. As Lief watched, there was a long, whispering sigh. Then Soldeen simply — vanished, and standing in his place was a tall, golden man with a mane of tawny hair.

The weeping rock quivered, and cracked from top to bottom. The two halves crumbled away in a cloud of fine, glittering dust. A woman stepped from the shining cloud. She was golden, like the man, but her hair was black as night. In her hand, held high, was a huge, red gem.

Lief staggered to his feet. He wanted to shout, to exclaim, to cry out in shock, disbelief, and joy. But he could not make a sound. He could only stare as the man and woman joined hands and together began to walk towards him, across the water.

And as they walked, looking around them with the wondering eyes of those who still cannot believe their happiness, everything began to change.

The earth dried and bloomed with grass and flowers under their feet. Color and life spread from their footsteps, carpeting the dead earth as far as the eye could see. Twisted stumps and bare rocks became trees of every kind. Clay fell in sheets from the ragged peaks, revealing shining towers, beautiful houses, and spraying fountains. The pure, sweet sound of bells rang through the air.

All around the margins of the Lake, creatures were dissolving and re-forming. Golden people were rising from the ground, dazed from their long sleep, murmuring, weeping, laughing. Birds were fluffing their feathers and taking flight, singing their joy. Insects were chirruping. Furred animals were looking about them and hopping, bounding, or scurrying into the grass.

Lief felt Barda, Jasmine, and Manus move to stand behind him. The man who had been Soldeen, and the woman who had shared his long, long suffering, were not far from them now, but still Lief could hardly believe his own eyes.

“Can it be true?” he murmured.

“If it is not, we are all dreaming the same dream,” said a chirpy voice he did not know. He swung around to see Manus, grinning at him.

“Manus — you can speak!” His own voice cracked and squeaked in his astonishment.

“Of course! With Thaegan’s death, all her spells have been undone,” said Manus cheerfully. “The people of Raladin and D’Or will not be the only ones in these parts with reason to be grateful to your gallant black bird, believe me.”

Perched proudly on Jasmine’s wrist, Kree squawked and puffed out his chest.

“And grateful to you.” The deep, quiet voice was new to Lief, yet there was something familiar in it. He turned to meet the steady, deep grey eyes of the man who had been Soldeen.

“We have met before as enemies,” the man said. “Now, at last, we meet as friends.” His grey eyes warmed. “I am Nanion. This — is my lady, Ethena. We are the chiefs of D’Or, and we owe you our freedom.”

The woman smiled, and her beauty was like the beauty of a radiant summer sky. Lief blinked, dazzled. Then he realized that she was holding out her hand to him. Balanced in the palm was the ruby — richly glowing, deepest red.

“You have need of this, I think,” she said.

Lief nodded, swallowing, and took the gem from
her hand. It warmed his fingers, and the Belt around his waist grew hot. Quickly he moved to unfasten it, then hesitated, for Manus, Nanion, and Ethena were watching.

“Your secret, if it is a secret, will be safe with us,” Manus chirped. He cleared his throat, as if still amazed and startled by the sound of his own voice.

“It will,” said Ethena. “For a hundred years we have lived a half-life that was worse than death, our land laid waste and our souls imprisoned. Because of you, we are free. Our debt to you will never be repaid.”

Barda smiled grimly. “Perhaps it will,” he said. “For if our quest succeeds, we will have need of you.”

He nodded to Lief, and Lief took off the Belt and put it on the ground in front of him.

Manus gasped, his button eyes wide. But it was Nanion who spoke.

“The Belt of Deltora!” he breathed. “But — how do you have it, so far from Del? And where are the seven gems? There is only one!”

“Two, now,” said Lief. He fitted the ruby into the medallion beside the topaz. It glowed there, scarlet against the shining steel. The ruby, symbol of happiness. Greedily, he drank in the sight.

But Ethena and Nanion had drawn close together, and their tawny faces were pale under the moon. “It has happened, then,” Ethena murmured. “What we feared. What Thaegan promised, before she sent us into
darkness. The Shadow Lord has come. Deltora is lost forever.”

“No! Not forever!” cried Jasmine fiercely. “Any more than D’Or was lost forever. Or you!”

Nanion stared at her, startled by her anger. Then, slowly, he smiled. “You are right,” he said softly. “No cause is lost while brave souls live and do not despair.”

Lief lifted the Belt and put it on. It felt heavier than before. Only a little — but enough to make his heart swell with happiness.

A clamor of shouting and singing arose from the valley. The people had seen Nanion and Ethena from afar and were running towards them.

Ethena put a gentle hand on Lief’s arm. “Stay with us a while,” she urged. “Here you can rest, and feast, and be at peace. Here you can regain your strength for the journey ahead.”

Lief glanced at Barda, Jasmine, and Manus and read in their faces what he knew he would. D’Or was beautiful, and the air was sweet. But —

“Thank you,” he said. “But we are expected — in Raladin.”

They said their farewells and left Ethena and Nanion turning to greet their people. The sound of bells ringing in their ears, they climbed up the rocks, pushed their way through the gap, and began to trudge back the way they had come.

Happiness was behind them, and happiness was before them. They could only guess at the Ralads’ joy.

A few days’ rest, thought Lief. A few days of storytelling, laughing, and music, with friends. And then — another journey, another adventure.

Two gems were found. The third awaited them.