One is Come (Five in Circle) (5 page)

Chapter 7

Bowl Call

Light flickered in a cave that existed neither here nor there. Three identical pedestals squatted in the cave, forming a perfect triangle. Each perfectly black pedestal balanced one bowl on its top. One bowl, a shimmering blue, clear like glass, held water. One, made of metal so finely polished it appeared white, held small blue flames that provided the light in the room. The third bowl, a dark brown stone, appeared to have just plain sand in it.

The water rippled in the blue bowl. The ripples, random at first, bounced off the sides of the bowl, and slipped into alignment, forming perfect circles. They met in the center of the bowl, colliding into each other and sending a drop of water flipping up. The drop paused and then shot unerringly toward the bowl of fire. The bowl pinged softly and hissed as the water drop struck the bowl and burst into steam. More rippling waves produced another drop, and another ping and hiss echoed off the walls.

The flames shot up, lighting up the small room, except for its one doorway which was still completely hidden in darkness. The bowl of sand sparkled, a multicolored glittering of a million diamonds. The water also glinted as another drop rose from the blue bowl. A voice flared out of the flames, “I am here, cease your water works!”

The drop fell slowly back to rejoin the water as the ripples became waves, seemingly too large to be held by the bowl. The waves matched the volume and pace of the voice that rose out of it. “Now is the time for us all to join in remaking the world.”

The flames laughed, their flickering matching the tones of its voice. “And they call me melodramatic! What are you talking about, you underworld half-wit?”

The waves repeated, “The One is come. By our ancient laws, I request a Speaking of the Three.”

The flames dipped into a low, blue mass, a single pulsing flame for an instant, then flared again, full of reds and oranges. “Oh, that. So, who do think it is? Are you sure?”

The waves flattened for a beat, then resumed. “That is the intent of the Speaking.”

The flames spun, flashing yellows. “You are just guessing. I am not going to put forth all the effort of joining a Speaking without seeing with my own eyes. Have you touched Earth?”

Waves in the water made a complex pattern and the voice said, “I will do that right now…”

The room shone as a huge flame shot up. “No, you sly spring! Let’s make sure this is worth it.” The flames hissed softly. “Mucking about with humans. How tiresome.”

The waves started to slow, the water flattening. It said, “You do me honor.” They picked up again. “May I ask how you will check if he is the One? If you were going to be close enough to do a Reading, might I ask a favor? I don't have a reason to stray from the Forms.”

The flames flickered and laughed. “You slippery fish! You and your pet humans! What wild theory have you now?”

“Yes,” the waves sloshed excitedly. “That is exactly how I found out the One. That family you told me of has such interesting energetic patterns, and even if the boy-child is not the One, the girl-child is transitioning through Awakening. You know that is a particular interest. Well, this girl-child exhibits type IV use of Fire, but seems to have absolutely no balancing Water talent. Imagine if she were the first human pure Fire user? The thesis I could write on the implications…”

The flames flattened at first but picked up at the end. “Pure Fire user?” it interrupted. “Well, that is… um… mildly interesting.” A brief pause. “I will take a look.”

“Oh, that would be most excellent, thank you,” the waves said.

“We need not disturb Earth at this point,” the flames continued. “If need be, I will call the Speaking.”

“As you say,” the waves demurred. The waves flattened until the bowl of water was still. The flames flickered once, and then dropped, casting the room back to its relative darkness.

A soft crunching sound accompanied the bowl of sand’s pushing spikes up from its surface. A new voice spoke in the dimly lit cave. “What are you up to? Why did you not tell Fire I was here?”

The impossible waves returned with their sloshing background. “You also must suspect Fire lies about her lack of involvement in humans. I wanted witness to my request. I can request the Head to observe a meeting.”

There was the soft sound of shifting sand as the spikes became blocks, rising and falling. “Yes, that is your right.” A chuckle. “How clever to use the bowls to your advantage… but might Fire not guess?”

“Might, and she might also respect the Head’s prohibitions about interactions with humans,” the waves replied.

“As you do,” the sand said dryly.

“No dragon was seen!”

“Bah, that is the most basic interpretation!”

“We must still live on the same planet,” the waves started.

“Yes, yes, we do,” came the quick reply. “But never risk repeating previous horrors.”

“Of course, we all live our history. But if Fire is too curious to not interfere…”

“Yes, curiosity is strong in all of us—but you know the saying about curiosity and the dragonelle.” The blocks of sand became one solid block, rising and falling.

“Prophecy says…” began the waves.

“The universe will do as it will,” the sand interrupted firmly. “It needs no help from us. Heed well that you do not accuse Fire of interference, and then be caught in that very crime. Farewell, Water.”

“My thanks,” the waves replied, but the bowl of sand was flat and still.

After a moment the waves settled and the room fell into silence.

* * *

On the opposite side of the globe, the opposite of silence echoed in another cave. That cave, only the size of a small amphitheater, thundered as flames poured over already-charred rock. One small dragon, only about as large as a limousine, was curled on the floor around an open bonfire. Her orange eyes bright, slitted pupils narrowed to nothing, she watched a large dragon swoop from wall to wall in fierce attacks. Blazing fire and challenge roared from her mouth, as she swooped, twisting away at the last moment to attack the other wall. The dragon so large and quick, the space so small, the cave looked full of scale and flame. At last, the large dragon tired, and swooped to the floor, curling her wings against her. She looked similar to the smaller, golden-red scales catching and seeming to amplify the light of the bonfire. Green-gold eyes looked into orange ones, brow scales sharp in a scowl.

“Fire to authority, to overgrown government!”
the large one bellowed, mind to mind.
“We and the humans should live as we were meant to live, according to the laws of nature! But that human mu government has become too big, too many. Their technology is getting close, and they are like spoiled children with a new, dangerous toy! They grow more powerful in magic, and more of them are mus despite their oppression of its use or even knowledge. Their progress is exponential, on the brink. But they have forgotten we are more than token members on their Council. And still we sneak around, hiding, as if we should be ashamed of whom we are!”

The smaller one just nodded, having heard this all before.

“
The Forms must be followed,”
the larger continued sarcastically
, “we can do nothing outside our ancient laws.”
She grimaced, a flash of white teeth in firelight
. “Do nothing can burn! Even if I have to do it all myself, I swear I will do it. I have and will continue to weave so many cords to make the knot impenetrable. I cannot fail this time. What I started, I can finish.”

Orange eyes blinked, flashing a bit of light. The larger dragon's face softened. She raised her right hand, reaching forward to stroke the smaller dragon's face.
“I waited too long already
,
”
she murmured, running one claw gently over the smaller dragon's horns.
“The world needs us! For you, sweetie, for all the future children, I have to bring us all along. So we all can live free, the world must be remade. If that means the One needs to come, then whatever it takes, let come the One!”

Chapter 8

From Above

Cadarn shook his head, trying to stay awake. For the first time, his mother’s lasagna gave him such bad heartburn it kept him up all night. He knew he shouldn't have had thirds, but Haylwen didn't even touch hers. How could he be sleepy anyway, he loved computer lab! Grumbling to himself, he knew it was because he was catching up on a paper instead of being able to play games.
Imagine
, he thought,
playing video games, and calling it school? How awesome was that! Maybe a little break would help, something productive, like email
.

Keeping his paper open, he found two emails that weren't junk. One from Uncle Chuck, and one from CJ. Cadarn grinned as he thought,
Wait until CJ hears about this school!

Cadarn typed quickly, giving CJ the update from the move. CJ was cool. He knew the hacks to every video game and other things, and would totally love this school. He was enviably tough, too, and helped with his uncle's animal experiments. Cadarn, on the other hand, still felt the tears remembering when Nibbles died. Cadarn hadn’t seen CJ in forever, not counting the pictures they shared, but they kept in touch. Cadarn never really broke the rules about not telling anyone where they moved, since email didn’t count.

CJ was such a great friend that Cadarn didn't miss in-real-life friends. Sometimes it felt a little strange, being such a social outcast compared to CJ. If they were in the same school, would they still hang out? Cadarn smiled, nodding to himself. CJ never seemed to care about what anyone else thought of him. If CJ were here, the only thing he would groan about was there being so few pretty girls at this school.
Then again
, Cadarn thought,
CJ would probably have the prettiest girl on his arm in a few minutes, no matter how tough the competition.

Cadarn sent the email and started typing a thank-you note to his uncle for the computer, which felt really unfair considering his father had immediately confiscated it. He didn't know what to say. His eyelids drooped as he fantasized about asking Chuck to sneak him another computer. And a cell phone, while he was at it.

The door to the computer lab opening made him reflexively look up. His tired eyes slid back down to his computer screen. Then they leaped back up, pushing his jaw down in their excitement to stare at who had come in. She had to be the prettiest girl in school, maybe anywhere. With long, sunshine-blond hair, a perfect body dressed in a bright red shirt, maroon belt, and yellow pants, she was eye-grabbing. She just stood there looking around. Before he could even close his mouth, she caught him staring. Their eyes met and she smiled.

Cadarn felt his face heat as he slammed his eyes back to the computer. He started hitting keys as fast as he could, typing randomly to make it seem like he was working intently. When he dared look back up, she was gone.

The scent of sharp vanilla hit him a moment before he heard, “Are you really going to send that?” The angel was standing right behind him, reading the email to his uncle over his shoulder.

“Uh, yeah, it's, um, a joke between us,” he replied.

“Wow, he must be a pretty cool uncle,” she said. Cadarn glanced up to see her smirking at him. “Well, send it off.”

Cadarn typed a quick ending line and hit send. Chuck was pretty cool. Cadarn would explain it later and probably get a “good for you” back.

“Ok, now that you're done with that, would you like to play a game?”

“Me? I mean, uh, what game?” Cadarn glanced at his computer and then back.

“A new game. Not on there. You know computer lab time can be used for games, but did you know why?”

Cadarn shook his head.

“The video game company that sponsors the school uses us for beta testing their new games and equipment. I work with, I mean, my mother works with the guy who owns the video game company.”

Well,
Cadarn thought,
that explains what a girl like you is doing in a school like this.

“So, there's a totally new game I want to try and I need a second player. You're new enough to where you don't know my tricks. Besides,” she said, smiling, “you're the least geeky looking guy in this place.”

Cadarn's chest filled but his brain started running away. “Well, I really need to finish this paper,” he started.

“Aw, come on,” she said, smiling and leaning forward slightly. “You'll like it, I promise.”

Thoughts spinning, Cadarn looked at the computer for a moment.
What would CJ do? Go with her, of course
. Cadarn got his attempt at a CJ-type joke in his mind.
Ok, I guess you are prettier than my paper
.

Before he said it, he looked back into her now impatient face. The words died as her flashing eyes locked on his. “Follow me,” she said.

Something in Cadarn's brain tried to resist, but couldn't, as if he was behind a wall, trying to fight someone moving his body on the other side. He felt himself stand and follow the girl as she walked to a small door at the back of the room. Her hand rested on the doorknob for a moment, then another as she looked over each shoulder. She opened the door and went in quickly, and Cadarn felt himself walk a small half-circle as she turned to close the door right behind them.

The room was medium-sized, with plain white walls. The only furniture was a table against the far wall, holding an array of deep black boxes ranging in size from computer towers to shoe boxes. In the middle of the white linoleum floor stood two pair of hip-high boots, a few paces apart from each other. They were the same perfect black as the boxes and were split down the back.

Something about the sharp contrast of the black on white let Cadarn reach past the walls. He struggled and managed to say, “Wait, where are the monitors?”

The girl looked him in the eye again, and Cadarn felt himself sliding back behind the wall. Ready for it this time, he fought back with all he had, despite knowing that wasn't very much.

Surprisingly, the girl nodded and said, “That's better. Or something we can work with, at least.” She walked over to the table and grabbed things out of boxes. “My name is Solbright, by the way,” she said as she set the arm full of things down by the boots in the middle of the room, coming back to Cadarn with a pair of boxy sunglasses in one hand.

“Cadarn,” he said easily. He could still feel the walls, but for now he didn't have to fight to control his body on the other side.

“Here is your monitor, Cadarn,” she said, deftly slipping the glasses on his face. They fit well, much more wrap-around than they first appeared. They didn't block any light, despite looking completely dark from the outside. Cadarn peered past Solbright at the table to get a better look, and started as the table leaped at him.

“You are quick,” Solbright laughed. “Figured out the zoom right away.” She put her hand on his back and pushed him to the middle of the room. Cadarn, off-balance in more than one way, felt himself flush and having to walk to keep from falling. From the things by the boots, Solbright picked up what turned out to be a pair of ridiculously long black gloves. She stepped close to Cadarn and somehow slipped one on in a smooth motion. The glove went all the way past his bicep, and seemed to tighten after a moment. Solbright smiled, and slipped the other one on him before he could flinch.

Laughing a low chuckle, she put her arm around his waist and guided him to step into a pair of boots. Cadarn was distracted by the heat of her arm that spread over his entire back. He stepped into the boots, and Solbright knelt to tighten them. Realizing where she was going to have to reach to finish putting them on, Cadarn choked out, “I'll take it from here, thanks.”

Solbright chuckled again, and went to put her own things on. By the time Cadarn finished with his second boot, she was all set. With her completely black arms, legs, and glasses, she looked even more otherworldly, but perhaps not angelic. “Ready?” she said. He nodded, and everything started to shimmer.

He watched, his eyebrows rising to the heavens, as her boots shrunk and changed into calf-high lace-ups. The rest of her clothes shrunk too, leaving only a one-piece garment like a red leather bathing suit. Tight everywhere, it was much too small for her now over-sized chest. Solbright struck a pose and Cadarn yanked his eyes to her face as she said slyly, “Cool, huh?”

The way her eyes moved over him made him look at himself. His face flushed as he saw he was wearing only a well-filled pair of shorts. Enormously muscled legs dropped into his own shorter boots, and he had to bend to see his six-pack abs over his bulging chest. He raised one arm and stared at the muscles that jumped and flexed as he moved his arm.

“I told you that you would like it,” Solbright said. Cadarn looked back at her lounging against a tree, his eyes finally realized their surroundings. They stood at the edge of a forest, looking out toward the rising face of a cliff. A large cave opened into the cliff, with an area of dry earth, sand, and rock between it and the forest.

“A dragon lives in that cave. We need to sneak in and find the magic Ring of Fire in her nest before she returns,” Solbright said.”

Cadarn nodded.

She reached up just as a longbow appeared in front of her. Cadarn looked around.
What would I get, a bow too? No, I'll get a sword, one of those giant broadswords
. At that thought, a sword appeared in front of Cadarn, just hovering there. He marveled that it was just as he imagined. Without thinking, as if he had done it a thousand times, he reached up and grasped the handle.
Amazing gloves
, he thought. His hands actually felt like he was holding something. He slashed with it, remembering an old barbarian movie.

Solbright was watching him, eyebrows raised, and Cadarn shrugged. She smiled, and led them out to the very edge of the forest. He could see the dragon's cave clearly, the sun shining partly into the opening. The cliff face glinted in spots, shadowed in others, up to its edge, a dark line against the blue sky. Solbright stepped close. “How about giving me a kiss for luck? I promise I'll give you something back.”

Before Cadarn could answer, a deep male voice from above had them both whirl to face it. “You have no idea what you are getting into, boy.” Standing on a branch above their heads was a tall, broad-shouldered figure in a suit of shiny armor. Small plates overlapped, having him look almost reptile-like. His head was covered in sleek silver, like a metal motorcycle helmet, the eye shield dark and impenetrable.

“Your guide lies,” he said, raising his long, slender sword, “and will send you into a trap.” He jumped down, landing in a deep crouch with only a whisper of metal on metal. He took a step toward them, sword still held steady. “Step away, boy.”

“Who are you?” Cadarn asked, catching a glimpse of Solbright. She knew the figure, that was obvious, but she still peered intently into the dark eye-shield.

“You can call me George,” the man said. “I'm just a wandering Rogue. Now step away.” His helmet shifted slightly, toward Solbright. “And you—you should know by now you cannot get into my mind. You depend too much on magic! I'm not much of a magic user, but my mental shield is well-practiced,” he said, twisting his sword slightly. “Besides, I like using these crude and messy methods.” He took a step toward Solbright.

Before George could take another step, a speck appeared in the sky, growing rapidly. It swelled until a dragon appeared, as big as a limousine, landing in a swirling wind that had Cadarn cover his eyes to keep the dust out. He felt the thump of the landing in his feet and just stared.

The dragon's scales sparkled red and gold in the sun as its wings folded neatly against its sleek body. George snarled and ran toward it, grunting, and throwing something back at Solbright. The dragon roared. Fire shot from its mouth, but George leaped over it. Cadarn dove to the right, out of the way.

Solbright! Cadarn felt a momentary rush and jumped back to where she was last standing. She was gone, obliterated by the fire!
It's just a game
, he thought. He rushed out of the forest.

George and the dragon slashed at each other, claw and sword. Flames caught George's leg as he jumped out of the way, but he seemed unaffected. Cadarn slowed, watching the dragon back slowly to the cave mouth, preventing George from cutting around its side.

George jumped between the dragon's front and back legs, staying close enough to make hitting him with its tail or fire difficult and risk hitting itself. After one jump too close, he had to leap onto the dragon's back to avoid a swipe from its claws. He was knocked off by its wing, and had to do a back flip to land on his feet, then jump back again to avoid its slashing tail. He turned the jump sideways, scoring a slice along the dragon's front leg.

Cadarn realized the dragon wasn't shooting fire anymore. Was it out of fire? George blocked the next swipe of the tail with his sword. No blast of fire followed. The tail came back and George met it with a sword chop. The sword and tail met with a shuddering clang, and the dragon screamed as it lost several scales and gained a bloody cut in exchange.

The dragon backed up toward the cave, limping on its injured foot. Cadarn saw fear on its face, and the thought that it had an egg in the cave popped in his mind.
She must be a mother dragon
, he thought. Solbright did call it a “she.” Cadarn just looked for a moment, appreciating the details of the scales around its deep orange eyes, the tall horns that swept back protecting her ears. She was amazing, beautiful even.
Just protecting her nest
.