“Of course, Your Honor, please forgive my transgression,” Arlaugh said smoothly. “I only meant to point out it was more of this fanciful elemental spirit ‘communication’ that gave you the idea Mogritas is behind this approaching ‘army’, as you put it. Nothing has been heard from him in years — is he even still alive? We just feel,” he said, indicating the First Seat next to him, “that the conclusions you’ve made, from rather flimsy evidence, are not worthy of one who is leader of Mother’s Reason. Furthermore —”
The Second Seat was cut off by a low rumbling. Sara looked up and saw one of the catwalks, leading to the tower above, crack explosively. A heartbeat later, masses of stone and rock tumbled toward the audience below.
Screams echoed throughout the arena and panicked citizens stampeded for the exits. Sara was buffeted by a score of Elvorstrastenai, running for their lives. She shouted for calm and was unanimously ignored by the crowd.
Sara saw several people go down in the rush and she tried to push her way against the flow to offer help.
The ground shook with the impact of the catwalk, to her right. Many people were crushed under huge chunks of stone and died instantly. Many others were badly injured from smaller debris or from being trampled by the frightened crowd.
Sara reached an elderly couple and managed to get them back on their feet. The woman had a broken arm and the man was bleeding from a scalp wound, but they were alive.
The next person Sara reached had not been so lucky.
The Elvorstrastenai’s skull had been crushed under the feet of the fleeing mob. Sara looked away and choked back the bile rising in her throat.
She then saw, in the center of the stadium, Captain Herina and some of the other guards had formed a protective ring around the Council members. Sara forced her way out of the aisle and climbed over seats in direction of the stage.
Most of the crowd was clear, but she still heard cries and wails of grief and pain throughout the stadium. Some people were helping to remove debris and tend to the injured.
As Sara reached the cluster of guards and Council members, she heard an argument in progress. Whatever magical acoustics at work before had apparently failed with the collapse of the catwalk.
“… is exactly why I didn’t want to hold the meeting here in the Seat,” Ba’ize was saying.
“Respectfully, Your Honor,” Second Seat Arlaugh replied, with no hint of respect at all, “if you hadn’t been chasing phantoms these past few weeks and dealt with the real problem at hand, none of this would have come to pass.”
Ba’ize looked back at the Gobinstratstorai in shock and fury.
Captain Herina stepped in and said, “Your Honor, we need to move you all some place safer … if you will all gather your things and follow us?”
* * * *
The next few hours were a blur for Sara. Once the Council had been secured in a solid, two story building at the edge of the hub, she and the other guards had been sent out in pairs to patrol the city and maintain order.
She and her partner, a hulking Gobinstratstorai named Zaurock, had walked the streets, calming the frantic populace to the best of their ability.
They came across a workshop in the Elvorstrastenai quarter that had exploded when a captive festri’i had broken free of its bonds. The shopkeeper had been killed and several others who had been walking on the street were injured. She and Zaurock spent the better part of an hour helping the wounded and clearing the street until other rescue and cleanup crews had arrived.
They reported back to Captain Herina near nightfall and were allowed to eat and rest.
Sara sat in near darkness, in a corner against a wall, slowly chewing on some bread and cheese. The room had been assigned to the guards to use as a break room, but it was currently deserted. All the guards not on patrol had gone home to spend time with their families. Sara didn’t feel like going back to her empty apartment.
Light from the hallway to her right spilled into the room, dimly illuminating a table and chairs in the center. Sara heard the scuff of a boot in the hall.
“That was quite a show today,” a muffled voice said.
“Indeed, but I can’t take credit for it,” a second voice answered quietly. Sara recognized it as Second Seat Arlaugh.
“Really?” the first speaker said. “Then things are as bad as Ba’ize has been saying?”
“Mogritas should find the city in complete chaos by the time he arrives,” Sara heard Arlaugh reply and she clamped a hand over her mouth to keep silent.
“Quite a coincidence … all this happening at the same time,” the first voice said.
Arlaugh chuckled. “In my experience with Mogritas, there are no such things as coincidences.”
Sara heard their boots shuffle away, and she sat frozen for several minutes. Finally, she stood up and checked the hallway. I have to find the Captain and Ba’ize.
33
Brandon sat quietly in the training ground courtyard while he waited for the others to get ready.
He had seen Mogritas only rarely in the weeks since he’d brought Mrs. Minch and the others from the Nomenstrastenai village. Brandon had spent his time well, however, practicing the art of creating illusions.
As long as he concentrated, Brandon could form convincing illusions of stone, grass, trees — anything really. But he still hadn’t been able to figure out the trick of making them permanent, like the wall in his cave. He had hoped Mogritas would discover the secret in the library texts, but he hadn’t had any luck yet.
Mogritas had spent much of his time lately working with Mrs. Minch, helping her learn better control over her abilities. Brandon had asked about it a few days ago, and that’s when Mogritas had told him of the plan to return to Earth.
Brandon had first been skeptical of Mogritas’s plan, but after hearing Carrie was being held prisoner, Brandon saw Mogritas had thought it through and really had no other choice. The thought of going back excited him, even though he realized he now thought of his cave as home, not Idaho. Then he wondered if they would change back to human form. Surprisingly, his feelings about the possibility were mixed. While he wished he could go back and do things like play football again, there were things about being a dragon he decided he would miss more. The ability to fly, the strength and sheer power were all ingrained in him now. He was sure he would feel weak and helpless if he were human again.
Mogritas had seemed excited that afternoon when he told Brandon they were ready to go. On their flight to the castle, Mogritas said he had discovered what had become of the dragons and he and Brandon could discuss it at length after his return from Earth. Brandon was somewhat surprised Mogritas would not be going too, but he needed to check on the army and make other preparations for their return with the toxins. Mogritas had also appointed Brandon in charge of the mission, and Mrs. Minch and the others were to obey his orders.
Brandon was proud to be trusted with so important a task, and had vowed to do his best.
There had been some commotion when it was discovered Lori was gone. Mogritas had other venti’i at his disposal, however, and Mrs. Minch set about preparing for the trip. One spirit of each type — earth, water, fire and air — was required for the ritual.
The sun had set a couple of hours before, and now everything was ready. Alisha sat with her bag next to Brandon, impatiently waiting for Mrs. Minch to start. Todd played a video game. His huge, pointed ears twitched and he stuck out his tongue in concentration. Beside him were four other Gobinstratstorai, two large and two normal sized. Mogritas had told Brandon the four were some of his finest warriors and were charged with protecting the group. Brandon didn’t think they’d need more protection than he could provide, but it would be good to have others to enforce his decisions with Mrs. Minch and Alisha.
Two servants entered the courtyard, carrying a bowl between them filled with a dark liquid. They set it in front of Mrs. Minch, then bowed and exited through another doorway.
“Everyone come in close and
I’ll begin,” Mrs. Minch said.
“I will bid you good hunting and hope to see you all again very soon,” Mogritas said. “Remember, we want to rendezvous outside of Seren’naie in a week if possible.”
Brandon and the Gobinstratstorai nodded. Mogritas changed into his black eagle shape and flew off to the north. Mrs. Minch sat in front of the bowl cross-legged, and closed her eyes.
Lights formed and swirled over the bowl. Brandon suddenly felt extremely drowsy. Mist appeared around the courtyard. He saw a flash of light on the parapet above them, but dismissed it as a reflection of the lights around the bowl. He put his head down on his front feet and gave in to sleep.
* * * *
Brandon opened his eyes and slowly raised his head. The air was warm and humid, much more so than it had been. They weren’t in the mountains, but rather a farm field left fallow. Stars twinkled in the sky and he could see a few lights from buildings in the distance.
The others woke up, yawning and stretching. The guards checked their weapons and supplies. Mrs. Minch took an empty bottle from her bag and poured the dark liquid from the bowl into it. She replaced it next to some other bottles that clinked together. Todd grumbled and resumed his game. Alisha looked through her purse and pulled out her cell phone.
“Grrr, no signal. Where are we?”
“I don’t know,” Brandon said. “But I suppose it’s lucky we’re out in the middle of nowhere. It would be hard to explain showing up in the middle of a city.”
A lone car drove down a road a few hundred feet away, heading west.
Seeing the car sent a rush of emotions through Brandon. They had done it! They were actually back on Earth! He realized the air smelled different … less clean, he decided, and his senses were slightly dulled somehow.
“Well, we have a job to do so we may as well get moving. We need to find some place with Internet,” Brandon said. They had discussed how to go about finding some toxic waste. The Web seemed like a good place to start.
Everyone climbed aboard Brandon. Mogritas’s people had created a set of simple leather harnesses, making it easier for his passengers to hang on while he was flying. They strapped in and Brandon took off, heading west toward the lights he’d noticed before.
He made sure to fly low to avoid showing up on radar. Darkness would be their ally since he was black as night and difficult to see, in spite of his size. It was late and there was little traffic on any of the roads within his vision.
He closed in on a small town and saw a sign along a straight highway. It read, “Wilmot, South Dakota, Population: 487.”
Well, at least they knew where they were.
“If we head west, we’ll be getting closer to home at least,” Mrs. Minch said. “Now that I think about it, I seem to remember reading about a big clean up project in eastern Washington.”
“Sounds as good as anything,” Brandon said. He flapped harder and they flew west, into the night.
34
Jenni was tired, but Lori had indicated they were getting close, so she had pressed on.
About fifteen minutes later, she saw it in the last rays of sunlight: a giant stone fortress, carved directly from the mountainside. Jenni angled so the setting sun was at their backs, hoping to minimize the chance they’d be spotted.
She slowed her approach, wanting to wait for full darkness to start their search.
Gliding along, they were silent, with Mrs. Osorio giving her instructions from a bud in Jenni’s ear. The fortress was quiet and they saw only a few guards patrolling the various towers and walls. It had been their hope that Mogritas had sent the majority of his guards with the army, leaving only a skeleton crew at the castle. It appeared that hope had materialized.
After a few minutes circling the massive keep, they saw the courtyard Lori had described outside the dungeon. Unfortunately, it was buzzing with activity, so Jenni found an unoccupied tower roof on the southern side, and settled onto it with only a small amount of noise and jostling of her passengers. She absorbed her wings and sat, exhausted.
Crank hopped down and helped her out of the backpack so she could stretch and recover from their long flight. They ate some Tolenton’naie silently and Crank kept an eye on the courtyard below. Tori and Merlin landed next to her after finishing one additional sweep, making sure the area was clear of guards.
Crank motioned Jenni over. She quietly shuffled to him, crouching next to the short wall that surrounded the tower roof. Crank pointed below and Jenni peeked over for a look.
The courtyard was lit by torches along the walls. A huge, black mass lay in the center and it took her a second to realize it was Brandon. He had grown huge since she’d seen him last. A man stood near Brandon’s head, which was as big as a VW Bug. The man appeared to be giving instructions while Brandon rumbled responses and nodded. Jenni couldn’t make out any of the conversation though.
Crank whispered to her, “Look at the Gobinstratstorai in the middle. Doesn’t that look like the dress Carrie’s mother wore?”
Jenni moved her gaze to the right and spotted the figure Crank pointed out. It certainly was strange to see a Gobinstratstorai in a floral print dress. It had to be Mrs. Minch. Jenni looked over the rest of the group. Another Gobinstratstorai was playing a video game, which Jenni guessed was Todd. Then she saw Alisha sitting with her back resting on Brandon’s forearm.
Movement to the right caught Jenni’s eye and she saw two more Gobinstratstorai carrying a bowl, filled with a dark liquid, between them. They set it down carefully in front of Mrs. Minch and scurried off.
The man by Brandon said a final word, then, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a big, black eagle-like bird, and took off flying to the north. Mogritas, Jenni realized. That was him!
Crank looked at her and she could see the same thought in his eyes.
Flashing lights drew her attention back to the courtyard.
“What’s going on?” she whispered to Crank.
“I have no idea.”
Jenni reached for the pouch with Mrs. Osorio’s MP3 player. “Mrs. Osorio, can you see that down there?” Jenni pulled it out and held it above the edge of the roof.
“Down!” Jenni heard in her ear and she quickly withdrew the player. The touch screen was lit up brightly and Jenni cursed herself for being so careless.
“It’s okay,” Mrs. Osorio said, seemingly knowing what Jenni was thinking. “I don’t think anyone saw. We can ‘see’ what’s happening down there but we don’t understand it. Mrs. Minch is directing four elemental spirits in some sort of dance, or ritual. The fire spirit is Zoe.”
The stone around Jenni’s neck tickled her in apparent agreement. Matt was just as confused as Mrs. Osorio.
Jenni chanced a peek again and saw mist forming, and the lights over the bowl were brighter and whirling faster than before. Then, just as quickly as they started, the lights faded and the group in the courtyard was absorbed by the mist. Slowly, it dissolved away — Brandon and all the others were gone!
Jenni looked back to Crank, not believing what she’d seen. His expression showed a similar disbelief. Down below, the last of the mist cleared and a couple of servants emerged from a doorway and began to douse the torches on the walls.
“Looks like we’ll be clear in a minute,” Jenni whispered to her friends. “Let’s pack up. Tori, you and Merlin stay up here for now. We’ll come let you know once we find Mr. Kain.”
Tori nodded from Merlin’s back and he hopped up to the edge of the roof to keep an eye on the courtyard.
Jenni focused and produced her wings once more. She sat still, allowing Crank to climb on and secure himself. Mrs. Osorio was stowed back in her pouch, Matt sat around her neck and Bonnie was still safe in her bottle in Jenni’s bag.
They waited for a few more minutes after the last torch was extinguished and the servants had disappeared into the fortress. The courtyard remained quiet.
Jenni flapped her wings, then glided down in a tight circle to the ground below. She
landed quietly in the grass and looked around, but saw no movement.
“To the right,” Mrs. Osorio directed her.
She reabsorbed her wings and Crank dropped down. Jenni then shifted the pack to sit properly on her back. They moved along the wall and Jenni saw the stone archway Lori had told them about.
The archway led to a long hallway with several doors on either side. They crept through the shadows easily in the dark hall and found, to their surprise, the heavy door at the end was unguarded.
“Lori’s checked the other side and says it’s all clear,” Mrs. Osorio said. “Maybe being shorthanded, they didn’t feel the need to post a guard here anymore.”
Jenni nodded and took hold of Matt. He reformed in her hand and she held him close to the keyhole in the door. Matt stretched out and filled the hole. Seconds later, Jenni heard a click. She grabbed the handle and worked to push open the heavy door.
Crank scooted inside and Jenni followed once she had the door open far enough. They decided to close, but not lock it, in case they needed to escape in a hurry.
They moved forward in the darkness a short way, and found a staircase leading down. Jenni pulled Mrs. Osorio from her pouch and used the light from the touch screen for them to see. They descended after letting their eyes adjust.
The stairway was long, over a hundred steps Jenni thought, but it finally ended at another door, barred on their side. Jenni struggled to move the heavy stone bar, then Matt tickled her neck. Jenni chuckled softly and allowed Matt to remove the bar.
A foul smell made her nose crinkle when she pulled the door open. Crank moved inside ahead of her again.
“About halfway down on the right, Lori says.” Mrs. Osorio’s voice was tense in Jenni’s ear.
They picked their way down the new hallway, past several doors that each had small, metal-barred openings just over her head.
“This is it,” Mrs. Osorio said.
Jenni concentrated and elongated her legs so she could peer into the cell through the window. The darkness was total, but she did hear a slight rustling of cloth.