Warrior (6 page)

She let her mind follow that path. The flow seemed tinged with life, as if someone had sprinkled the energy with living particles. Still, the life felt weak, as if struggling, similar to the way Arxad struggled under the glow of the sphere, a despondent prisoner who longed to be set free or else killed and put out of his misery.

Elyssa opened her eyes and slowly shifted around toward the doorway leading to the crystalline sphere, begging the rod to hold fast. The energy mystery would have to wait. She had to concentrate on survival.

Still at the sphere, Arxad and Wallace watched from the domed chamber. Wallace crept closer. With each step, the orb brightened, but he paid no attention.

“Keep lying to the sphere!” Elyssa called. “Arxad’s in pain!”

“I don’t care!” Wallace shouted as he approached the doorway. His words dimmed the sphere, at least for the moment. Then, standing at the threshold, he gaped at the lower floor. “Wow! Arxad was right!”

“I know. I know.” Elyssa steeled her legs. The problem with jumping to the next rod wasn’t so much the distance; it was the accuracy. Her foot would have to land directly on the dark metal. Not only that, her momentum would force her to jump immediately to the next rod, and the next, and finally down to the threshold where Wallace, she hoped, would catch her and keep her from tumbling into the hole. And what about the impact? With her momentum striking the rods, would any of them give way?

She made a quick count—six lanterns between her and the door. She could do this. No problem.

“Are you ready to grab me?” she called.

Wallace held his hands out. “Ready.”

“Okay. Here I come.” After sliding the key into her trousers pocket, Elyssa crouched, then leaped, extending a leg toward the next bar. Her foot struck it perfectly. She launched to the next one, again landing without a problem. She vaulted to the third, then the fourth. When she landed on the fifth, it bent and nearly ripped out of the wall, depriving her of a solid foundation for the next leap. With a desperate lunge, she shot forward, but her foot fell short of the final bar. As she dropped, she threw her arms upward. One hand struck the final rod and held on. Her body swung with the momentum, lifting her legs high before swinging back.

With perspiration moistening her grip, she swayed over the gaping hole and the sharp stakes below.

W
allace called from the doorway. “Are you all right?”

“I think so.” She withdrew the key from her pocket and held it out. “I’m going to throw the key into your room. Don’t bother trying to catch it. Just let it fly by and then pick it up and unlock Arxad. He can come and get me out of this mess.”

Wallace stepped out of the way. “Go ahead and throw it.”

Elyssa gave the key an underhanded toss, then reached up and grabbed the rod, giving herself a two-handed grip. The key struck the floor well into the room and slid along the tiles. “Now hurry. I can’t hang around here all day.”

Wallace snatched up the key and ran toward Arxad. Elyssa looked down. The invisible energy from below washed over her body, sending its message of life into her senses. It seemed to draw her toward it, tantalizing, almost hypnotizing. What could be down there? What was worth such elaborate security?

Grit from the wall fell into her hair. The bar bent, and her hands began to slide. As she regripped the metal, she shouted, “Wallace!”

“The key worked,” he yelled back. “I’m unhitching the manacle. But stop asking me questions. Telling you the truth is a pain.”

A chunk of the wall ripped out. Still clutching the lantern rod, Elyssa thrust her hand into the newly opened hole. She hung on for a second before slipping and toppling downward in a backwards somersault.

Arxad rushed toward her in full flight and snapped at her clothing. His teeth caught the end of her shirttail. Her shirt stretched, slowing her plunge. But it ripped, and she dropped again.

Clenching her eyes shut, she searched for the spikes in her mind. There! And there! She twisted her body, slung the rod downward at one of the spikes, and landed on her feet. She then sprang backwards, launching away from the bed of deadly nails and rolling onto smooth stone.

She sat up and looked at the spikes. Two were broken, snapped by the lantern rod. As she rose to her feet, she pushed a hand against her stomach. More nausea boiled, but it was a lot better than being impaled.

Arxad flew down and settled beside her. “Are you injured?”

“I don’t think so.” She took a mental inventory. Although her hip ached from the impact, and her hands stung, nothing seemed broken. “I’m all right.”

Arxad snorted a spray of yellow sparks. “You have gone to absurd lengths to free me. I fear that I have vowed to aid a fool of a female.”

“Is that so?” Elyssa brushed off her trousers and examined her torn shirt. Only a minor rip. She kept her gaze away from the scarlet-eyed dragon’s stare, a stare too sharp to endure. In one way, he was right. It probably was foolish to save this ungrateful beast, but what good would it do to point that out now?

“Hey!” Wallace called from above. “Are you okay?”

“Fine, but I don’t recommend my way of travel.” Elyssa turned to Arxad. “When you bring him down and put away the key, how will you get below the floor level before it closes?”

“There is a delay mechanism,” Arxad said. “But I did not say I would bring him down.”

“No, you didn’t, but I want to see where that light’s coming from, so bring Wallace—”

“You are forbidden. No one is allowed to enter there, especially no human.” Arxad looked at Elyssa and Wallace for a long moment, as if contemplating. “I will carry your friend down here, but only because we can use the other passage I mentioned. It will allow us to depart without Magnar’s knowledge.”

“Good.” Elyssa crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

Arxad glared at her, his ears flattening and his eyes aglow. “If you leave this room before I return, you will prove my opinion that you are a fool.” With a rapid beat of his wings, he jumped and sailed over the bed of stakes before rising in quick orbits.

Tightening her clenched arms, Elyssa resisted scowling. Receiving a tongue lashing from a dragon stung her pride, but no use getting too worked up about it. Things could be worse. She glanced at the stakes and shuddered. A lot worse.

In fact, events had played out quite well. Every dragon in town had gone on a manhunt, leaving easy access to this Zodiac place and a noble-to-a-fault dragon who promised to take her to Jason. Having dragon firepower and quick transport would make everything a lot easier. The sooner they could get out of here and find Jason, the better.

She looked up at the opening. Arxad and Wallace were nowhere in sight. Letting out a low
hmmm,
she surveyed the area again. As long as she stayed in this chamber, it wouldn’t hurt to have a quick look around while she waited.

On the far side of the stakes, a high and wide tunnel led toward the energy, still soft and tantalizing. Behind her, a narrower passage led into darkness, likely the escape route Arxad had mentioned.

Limping to lighten the load on her sore hip, she made a wide berth around the knee-high stakes and headed toward the energy source. Just taking a peek while staying in this room wouldn’t violate Arxad’s warning.

She stopped at the entrance to the tunnel and leaned in, allowing the stream to flow across her body. About fifteen paces ahead, the tunnel bent to the right, preventing her from seeing beyond that point. It seemed that a breeze blew with the energy, as if the particles had a physical presence that brushed back her hair and made her clothing flap. Although the flow stayed invisible, it sharpened every detail in her field of vision.

She looked through the open floor above. Still no sign of Arxad. What could he be doing? Was Wallace safe? No use worrying. She couldn’t fly up there to see what was going on.

Turning, she closed her eyes and probed the tunnel, but the energy seemed to create a blockade, reflecting back her efforts. The particles tickled her skin, drawing her forward, as if the source now inhaled. She opened her eyes and took a step, giving in to the call.

Just a few paces. It won’t hurt to get a glimpse of the source from a distance.

As the tunnel curved, she tiptoed along the rough, stony path. It seemed that the rocks had been chiseled by hand, the work of human slaves. An image of sweating men and boys entered her mind, each one pounding chisels as their half-starved bodies flinched at the sound of cracking whips.

Elyssa scowled. Arxad was one of the whip bearers. Priest or not, why listen to a dragon who was trying to keep secrets that ought to be exposed to the light? He was the enemy, a slaver. Solving this mystery might help the ones who endured the lashes.

Her fists clenched at her sides, she marched deeper into the tunnel. Although the light from the upper floor lanterns faded, the energy guided her steps. After several seconds, a rock barricade halted her progress.

She stopped and stared at it. Although dim in the sparse light, it glowed in her mind’s eye, saturated with energy, like a sponge filled with radiant water that someone slowly squeezed.

Setting her hand on the wall, she probed its surface. Using her gifts to penetrate a wall might be beyond her ability, but this one seemed porous, lacking density, as if filled with pockets of air.

She closed her eyes and dove in. Beyond the inches-thick barricade, the tunnel continued for a few feet before opening into a new chamber. At the center, a brilliant aura shone around a floating form.

Elyssa concentrated on the source. Was it a human body? Although the radiance clarified everything around it, the form itself seemed vague, as if veiled by its own halo.

Something crawled along the floor, perhaps the size of a melon, making slow orbits around the source. As she concentrated on it, the creature shifted toward her. A low buzz sounded through the wall, and a jolt sent her flying.

She slid on her back, sharp rocks ripping her skin before she came to a stop. Grimacing at the pain, she climbed to her feet and brushed her stinging hands together. The shock seemed to clear her mind. What a fool she had been! Whatever that energy was, it carried a hypnotizing draw, and it had influenced her decisions. Yet, even now her curiosity heightened. Only something alive and sentient could deliver such an alluring spell.

As she backed away from the wall, Arxad flew in and landed next to her. His wings whipped the air for a moment before settling. “Warden,” he shouted. “It is I, Arxad. All is well.”

Wallace sat atop Arxad’s back, his mouth agape. Elyssa set a finger against her lips but didn’t dare make a shushing noise.

A low growl sounded from beyond the wall, followed by two yips.

“You detected a human?” Arxad asked.

Another yip penetrated the wall.

Arxad riveted his stare on Elyssa. “Whoever this human is, he or she must be the greatest of fools to venture this far. The warnings against coming into this area are clear enough for even the stupidest among them to understand.”

A series of punctuated growls replied.

“I appreciate your vigilance. And do not worry. Even if we have to use fire snakes, we will catch the intruder. Thortune will be here soon to relieve you, so be at peace.” Arxad used a wing to guide Wallace down from his back. “I assume all is well with Cassabrie.”

An elongated bark sounded, followed by a yip.

Wallace soft-stepped over to Elyssa and stood next to her at the wall. He opened his mouth to speak, but she slapped a hand over his lips and glared at him.

“There is no need for me to see her,” Arxad said. “You know how sensitive I am to her power. Such is the priest’s vocation, to answer every call for help.”

After listening to a longer series of barks, Arxad stared at Elyssa again, his eyes flaming. “Yes, it can be crippling. Sometimes I wish I could offer help in a more fiery fashion, if you understand my meaning.”

A laugh-like growl shot into the tunnel before slowly fading.

Arxad silently prodded Elyssa and Wallace with the tip of his wing. They marched toward the tunnel entrance while Arxad shuffled his feet, apparently trying to drown out the sound of human footsteps.

When they arrived at the stakes, the floor above had closed, and a newly lit lantern on the wall provided the only light.

Arxad shot his head toward Elyssa and spat out, “Am I to follow the commands of an idiot?”

Elyssa stepped back. Arxad’s words stung worse than the sphere’s light. “I … I don’t know how to explain it. I felt drawn, like I couldn’t control myself. I didn’t realize what I was doing until the Warden knocked some sense into me. Even now I feel it pulling me back into the tunnel.”

Arxad stared at Elyssa, as if analyzing her. Soon, his expression softened. “I apologize for my outburst. I neglected to ask if you were hurt.”

“I scraped my back. I’m not sure how badly.” Angling her head, she tried to look. “Wallace, can you pull up my tunic and see if I’m bleeding?”

“Uh … yeah, sure.”

While Elyssa held her tunic down in the front, Wallace lifted the back. “Three long scratches,” he said. “Not much blood. It’s already clotting.”

When he dropped the hem, she flapped the material, drawing cool air across her wounds. “I guess I’ll be all right.”

“Not for long,” Arxad said. “Although most are hypnotized, they cannot feel the drawing force. You obviously can, and the power is too great for you to bear.” He spread out a wing, blocking the energy. It seemed that particles flew over the wing and bounced off the ceiling before diving down and sweeping between the stakes, invisible to the eye, but not to Elyssa’s mind. To her, they seemed to appear and disappear like embers in the wind.

She shook her head as if casting off a dream. “Does it control your mind?”

“In a sense.” Arxad pushed Elyssa and Wallace toward the darker tunnel. “You asked me to take you to Jason. Let us be on our way.”

She halted and set her feet. “I want to go to Jason, but not until you tell me what the energy source is. It has a mind, something intelligent.”