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.”
Arxad’s tone sharpened. “If you continue acting like the queen of this world, young lady, you will get yourself and Jason killed, and your quest to free your species will be destroyed.” He gave her a hefty shove, forcing her to walk with him. “Let us go from this place before Magnar returns, and I will give you as much information as I can later.” He stopped and gave her a mock bow of his head. “That is, of course, if Her Majesty grants permission.”
Elyssa set her hands on her hips and faced the dragon. “Look, to me you’re part of an evil group of monsters who brutally enslave my people—men, women, and children—and you use their backbreaking labors to help you live at ease. I am in no mood to be mocked with sarcastic labels of queen, Her Majesty, or even young lady.” She pointed a finger at his snout. “You promised to do what I say, so until you prove yourself to be something more than a cowardly beast, I will decide what we do, where we go, and when we depart. Got that?”
“Add impetuous wench to that list of labels,” Arxad growled. “If your brain worked as well as your tongue, we would be halfway to Jason by now.”
Firming her lips, Elyssa stared into his eyes. The fire within seemed to crackle with life, slinging daggers of scorn. His words sliced through her pride. He was right. Her anger at dragon cruelty had boiled her passions to a frothing frenzy, and her tongue had fanned the flames. She had ignored her own words. An enemy’s prisoner is an ally indeed. It didn’t make sense to keep driving verbal swords into this dragon’s heart.
She crossed her arms over her chest and bowed her head. “I’m sorry. My emotions got the best of me.”
Arxad stared at her for several seconds before glancing back at the tunnel of light. “The energy particles surely affected your judgment.” He gave her a gentle push with his wing. “Our accounts are settled. Let us go.”
As they walked through the new tunnel, dimness enfolded their bodies. A single lantern mounted on one of the walls guided them forward. About fifty paces beyond the first one, another lantern illuminated the path farther ahead, as if handing them off from one island of light to another.
“Who trims the lanterns?” Wallace asked.
Arxad continued shuffling behind them, his wings drooping and his head low. “That had been my duty.”
Elyssa let Arxad’s melancholy statement stir in her mind. Had been. Obviously an indicator that he no longer expected to resume his normal activities, maybe not ever. “How many other priests are there?” she asked.
“We have seven priests, and this year I am the high priest.”
“Why would the high priest take care of such a menial task as trimming lanterns?”
“A menial task is best undertaken by one who has been exalted to a high status. It reminds him of his lowly estate and who lifted him from the ashes.”
Elyssa pondered his words again. They reflected a maxim she had memorized from the Code back when she was a little girl, a short time before the book was outlawed in Mesolantrum. Humility is an elusive prize. The proud wear it as a badge, gladly reciting their sins as proof of their low estate. Yet true humility is as quiet as the silence of dawn. Its bearer waits in twilight for the opportunity to bless. When Solarus rises, the deeds of the humble man are easily seen, deeds of service that boast neither of accomplishments nor imperfections. His righteousness crowns him with a halo that requires not a single word, a crown he neither wants nor sees, yet it glows with an unspoken testimony that rises to heaven to please the master who places it upon his head.
Wallace interrupted her reverie. “And do the other dragon priests take over these functions when it’s their turn?”
“I have trimmed these and other lanterns ever since I took my Zodiac vows. Shedding light in dark places is good for my soul.”
Elyssa glanced at Wallace. Arxad didn’t really answer the question. Was he deflecting criticism of his fellow priests? Probably. Arxad brought back memories of Benjamin, a clergyman in Mesolantrum, the only religious leader who ever stood up to Orion and his rabid persecution of anyone who displayed gifts of spiritual insight greater than his own—witches and Diviners, Orion called them. Benjamin swept the floors of the cathedral and polished every inch of brass. Passersby always knew when he was inside, anytime the huge doors stood wide open.
Elyssa sighed. Poor Benjamin. When his sixteen-year-old daughter was sentenced to perish in the flames of persecution, he preached her innocence to everyone who would listen, hoping pressure from the populace would sway Orion. Most of Mesolantrum ignored his plea. How could anyone but a Diviner or a witch know what Megan knew? She forecasted rain and drought. She knew how many people gathered in a room beyond her sight. And the proof that chafed Orion more than any other was her demeanor when the inquisitors verbally assaulted her without mercy. She always spoke with love, never flinching, returning blessings in exchange for their evil words.
Strangely enough, Orion used this as his ultimate evidence. No normal human could resist the overwhelming temptation to counter her opponents with a blistering retort. In her trial, he demonstrated his theory, allowing one clergyman after another to scream horrible invectives, whisper subtle insults about her “supposed” maidenhood, and even insult her departed mother. Yet, through all that abuse, she uttered simple truths, sprinkled liberally with grace, while never taking her eyes off her accusers.
Her calm spirit infuriated her interrogators and played perfectly
into Orion’s plans. When Orion concluded in his final arguments that no one but a demon-possessed girl could act in this manner, the jurors were all too happy to sentence her to death. Apparently the light of her halo shone too brightly for their darkened eyes … and guilty consciences.
As Megan burned at the stake, Benjamin, though he wept well out of range of the fire, burned with her. He continued sweeping floors at the cathedral, withering with every stroke of his broom, and he died only a few weeks later.
“Elyssa,” Arxad said softly. “You seem pensive. Are you frightened?”
As she continued walking, she looked back at him. He had not called her by name before. In the glow of the next lantern, a tear sparkled in his eye. “I am sad,” she said, “as you also appear to be. What is troubling you?”
“If I explained, you still would not understand.”
She stopped and turned, forcing him to halt. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his chest. “You need not explain,” she said, her voice muffled in his scales. “I already understand.” She pulled away and gazed into his eyes. “The only part I don’t yet know is the identity of the one who died, the one whose death destroyed your faith in dragonkind.”
The fire in Arxad’s eyes dwindled. “Your wisdom exceeds my expectations. I apologize for misjudging you.”
“Will you tell me? A mate? An offspring?”
Arxad averted his gaze and spoke in a melancholy tone. “The final hope for this world and for dragonkind, or at least so I thought at the time. Now I believe there is another, and she could well save us all.”
“She?” Elyssa asked. “Do you mean Koren?”
“Come. I will explain while we are walking. We will soon reach the exit.” Arxad shuffled forward while Elyssa led Wallace at the dragon’s right flank. The dim path followed a gradual incline, rocky and uneven, with barely enough room for everyone to fit. At times Arxad had to duck low to avoid the ceiling.
“As a Starlighter,” Arxad said, “Koren possesses abilities she does not yet understand. The last time a Starlighter appeared, she exercised so much power, Magnar feared that she could topple his empire. In fact, she very nearly did, but it would take too much time to tell that story. I had hoped that she would fulfill the call of the Starlighter, but she delayed her decision, choosing to hide from Magnar’s persecution while pondering her options, and that delay proved to be her undoing.