Destiny Series Boxed Set

by Bronwyn Leroux

  But they didn’t. The gliders were gone. Apprehensive, Jaden risked stepping out onto the tiny balcony of the strange room. Craning his neck around the curve as far as he could, he still couldn’t locate the gliders. Just as he was considering going back down, he spotted them, streaking toward him like their lives depended on it. Jaden’s eyes darted past them, searching for pursuing Gaptors. But he saw none.

  “Hurry!” Taz yelled as soon as they were within earshot.

  “Why?” Jaden shouted, his sense of urgency spiraling out of control.

  “No time to explain—just get to the tower as fast as you can. Don’t waste time checking in on each level. We’ll meet you there!”

  Then she and Han dashed away. Jaden spun around. Kayla and Atu were staring. “You two get that?”

  “Sure did.” Atu loped back to where Kayla squatted.

  “Packing up,” Kayla muttered, stuffing her pen and notebook into her backpack.

  “Did you finish?” Jaden asked as he joined them.

  “I wrote it all down but didn’t have time to finish decoding.”

  Jaden nodded, then took the lead as they raced up the stairs.

  They barely registered the next level, split into tiny rooms with barred gates blocking each entrance, eerily reminiscent of the dismal cells they’d seen in the dungeons. Or that the next level had more rooms, larger and missing the iron gates, with more plentiful openings along the sides which granted more air and light.

  But as they hurtled up, Jaden realized two things: first, the openings to the outside were becoming more plentiful; second, the number of rooms on each level was diminishing. In fact, the level they had just passed only had three rooms, all opening into each other.

  Even though the openings along the sides were too small to allow the Gaptors access into the tower, they could still reach into the room with their stingers if they clung onto the walls outside. Jaden shuddered, remembering the terrible talons at both Horatio’s store and the storage unit.

  Jaden was so absorbed in the memories, he came up short when the stairs dumped them in a triangular room at the very top of the tower. They had arrived.

  Jaden glanced out the large opening directly in front of them, perfectly situated in the center of one side of the triangle. The sun was just leaning down to kiss the horizon. Almost twilight, prime time for Gaptor attacks. His spirits dropped with the sun as he confirmed his fears. The Gaptors had multiplied while they were inside the tower. Although still restrained by the invisible barrier, Jaden now understood their gliders’ concern.

  “So that’s why we had to hurry,” Kayla commented, coming up behind him and following his gaze.

  “No doubt. Let’s find what we have to find and get out of here.”

  They scrambled over to an ostentatious table. But when they got there and spotted the blood dried in lines down the fluted pillars supporting the flat stone top, the long-congealed black pools on the floor, and the blackened, dried blood spatter on the walls closest to the table, they recognized it for what it was. An altar. Not just any altar—an altar used for sacrifice.

  Jaden immediately turned to Kayla. She looked like she was trying to convince herself they had only sacrificed the animals occupying the floor a few levels down. But the barred gates on the rooms in the level above the animals told her otherwise. They had also sacrificed humans here. She heaved.

  Grabbing her hand to give her moral support, Jaden tried joking. “Ugh! You’d think they would’ve cleaned up their mess!”

  Kayla only stared. His attempt at humor wasn’t helping. She gulped, swaying where she stood.

  Can she handle the gruesome truth? Concerned for her wellbeing, Jaden steadied her by holding her arms, gratified when she sent him a weak smile. Sensing her rising agitation, he murmured, “What do you need?”

  “Fresh air.”

  Her voice was barely recognizable. Kayla all but fell against him when Jaden pulled her closer and helped her to the opening in the wall near the altar. For the third time since they entered the temple, Kayla had not backed away from physical contact. Maybe she’s finally coming around.

  Kayla sucked in deep, refreshing breaths of air. Gradually, her serenity returned, and Jaden saw her eyes focus, allowing her to assimilate what she was seeing. He followed her gaze.

  The altar, somehow half-in and half-out of the room, was strategically placed in full view of the extensive courtyard nestled far below, between the points of the crescent. Baffled why he still felt like he was inside, Jaden looked up and took in the generous overhang protecting the altar.

  Kayla swayed next to him, giddy again from looking up too. Lowering her head, she pressed into Jaden more closely.

  Perhaps I shouldn’t be too quick to make assumptions. Maybe she just needs my support. It’s a pretty scary place after all. Sighing, Jaden continued studying his surroundings. To the right and left of the altar, a balcony circled the tower like a widow’s walk. Tucked away and half hidden in the shadows between the overhang and the outer corners of the triangle on the far side of the altar was a ladder, disappearing upward through a hole in the overhang.

  Kayla glanced back at Atu, still standing in the room. She stiffened beside him.

  “Boys, look!” Kayla whispered, gesturing with the hand that wasn’t scratching her arm.

  They did. And they saw it, too. Carved into the gray flagstone floor was the unmistakable semblance of the medallion.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Jaden whistled. “Well, if that doesn’t validate we’re in the right place, I don’t know what will. Should we confirm it?”

  Kayla allowed Jaden to lead her back to the medallion, smiling when he only let go of her once he was sure she could stand unaided. Then Jaden hurriedly retrieved the disc, his fingers flying as he worked the opening sequence.

  Sure enough, when the map bounced up, the dot was blinking so rapidly it confirmed they were practically on top of whatever the map was leading them to. Taking their cues from the dot’s altered tempo depending on the direction in which they traveled, they ended up on the image of the medallion itself. No big surprise.

  There, the dot stopped flashing and started glowing. Kayla glanced down expectantly. But she found only the engraved feather, albeit a magnified version of the one on their medallions. Convinced she was missing something, Kayla fell to her knees, the boys joining her as they frenetically ran their hands over the carving.

  “There has to be a lever or button or something!” Kayla mumbled. “Perhaps hidden in the dips and dents?”

  But search as they might, they came up empty handed.

  “Maybe we have to dig again like we did to find the relic stone?” Kayla offered.

  Jaden frowned. “How would we dig through two feet of stone? Unless you have a pickax or laser or perhaps some explosives hidden in your backpack I’m unaware of?”

  “No need to get snippy.” Kayla bristled. “There must be something here that can help us. The shovel was there on top of the hill. The only reason we didn’t find it sooner was because we didn’t know to look for it. So, let’s look for something. Perhaps whatever will get us under the stone is somewhere close.”

  Jaden scowled. “Have you looked outside? The number of Gaptors is only increasing. We don’t have time!”

  “Calm down,” Kayla hissed, her own temper rising. “We won’t make any progress if we run around in circles shouting the sky is falling!”

  Atu stepped in. “Bro, Kayla’s right. Walk it off. Take a breath. Then open your mind. Kayla’s always talking about those feelings of yours—use them. What are those feelings telling you to do?”

  From the glare Jaden gave Atu, Kayla could tell he wasn’t in the mood for anything except ranting. She watched as he stomped back and forth between the altar and his friends and then the altar and the entry to the room, from one opening to the next, trying to calm himself enough to focus.

  Jaden’s temper was barely contained when he stalked back to the medallion. His
foot skidded on the rim outlining the shape, and his fretful movements stilled. He stared at the medallion.

  “What?” Kayla breathed, sure he had figured something out.

  Instead of answering, Jaden lifted a finger in the air and then leaned down and inspected the outline. His fingers traced something running around the thin rim: the faint line of runes, remarkably similar to those on the walls earlier. He grinned up at her. “Kayla, you need to decode that message!”

  Relieved he seemed to have come to his senses, Kayla smacked her fingers to her head in a mock salute. “Yes, sir!”

  Dropping her backpack, Kayla snatched up her notebook and pencil. Trying to ignore her surroundings, she sat on the floor and worked on the translation. Within seconds, she forgot where she was, her entire being concentrated on applying what she had learned under duress all those years ago.

  Jaden stalked back to the opening that overlooked the courtyard, muttering, “Well, doesn’t this just give an excellent view of that growing crowd of Gaptors lurking beyond the barrier?”

  “More and more,” Atu mumbled. “The Usurper must’ve found a way to get them back here.”

  “Unfortunately, I have to agree with you. On the bright side, it seems they’re only coming through one at a time.”

  “More like a few at a time,” Atu corrected, “judging by their numbers.”

  “No, I think it’s only one at a time. I count ten now, which means at least six have come through in the last thirty minutes, so about one every five minutes.”

  “Why would they only come through one at a time?”

  “Perhaps Slurpy can’t get the door open wide enough or long enough for more than one Gaptor.”

  Atu chuckled. “You’re really going to keep calling him that even though the gliders warned you not to?”

  “It made you laugh, didn’t it? Come up with a better name and I’ll use it.”

  “How about Terminator?” Atu suggested, warming up to the game.

  “Nah, too cliché.”

  “Hitler?”

  “Nope. We need something that describes him better.”

  “You sure it’s a him? Maybe it’s a her, and we can call her Damianca or something like that!”

  Jaden laughed. “Since we don’t know if Slurpy’s male or female, maybe we should go with something more generic, like Doom.”

  Atu tilted his head to the side, considering. Then he grinned. “I like it. Especially if it means we can call the Gaptors the ‘Dogs of Doom.’”

  Jaden guffawed. “As in dog decimator,” he sputtered.

  “Yeah.” Atu snickered. “You got it!”

  Kayla scowled. “I know you’re having fun and all, but can you keep it down?”

  “Sorry,” Atu mumbled, doing his best to control his mirth with little success.

  Jaden was having the same problem. Kayla tossed her hair. They were like two naughty schoolboys! The more they tried to rein it in, the more they laughed. It was good to hear Jaden laughing, though. It felt like an age since they’d truly had something to laugh about.

  Much as Kayla wanted to soak in the view and watch his face relaxing into that amazing smile, she had work to do. She shut the sound out and continued translating. It seemed only a second later when Jaden marched back to her.

  “Anything Atu and I can do to help?”

  “Hmm, just a moment. I almost have it,” Kayla mumbled through the pencil clutched between her teeth. “Yes!” Her shout of triumph startled both boys. She beamed. “Ready to hear what it says?”

  “Well, don’t keep us guessing.” Atu smiled as he joined them.

  Kayla handed them the notebook. On it she had written:

  Light the sacrificial fire

  Hide the object of desire

  Up the side and out

  Do not act in doubt

  Not what you see with your eyes

  Your heart will not tell you lies

  Not if you believe

  But when you believe

  Stop the world from turning

  Stop the boy from burning

  “Stop the boy from burning?” Jaden repeated, reading the last sentence aloud. “That definitely doesn’t sound good.”

  “As usual, you have a talent for stating the obvious,” Kayla said, rolling her eyes. “What do you think the whole thing means?”

  “That this is a temple, and they hid something valuable here?” Atu speculated.

  “Yes, and?” Kayla prompted.

  “That we need to believe?” Jaden guessed.

  Kayla blew out an exasperated sigh. “How about the third sentence?” When they still looked confused, she said, “That maybe this time we should go up instead of down?”

  The boys gazed at her finger, pointing upward. Then they understood. Immediately above the spot where the dot glowed was the pinnacle of the tower.

  “Oh, ‘Up the side and out,’” Jaden mouthed. “You think we should climb that ladder up through the overhang?”

  “Finally! The boy gets it.” Kayla applauded. “And since you’re the best climber I know, I vote you go.”

  “But what am I supposed to do when I get up there?”

  “I don’t know. The message gives no clues. You’ll have to make it up as you go along.”

  “Well, I’m not climbing up there without air support. I’ll get Han to cover me.”

  Kayla couldn’t hide her relief, extinguishing the trepidation she instantly felt about him being out there, all alone, so high up. Trying to cover it, Kayla teased, “Ah, heeding Taz’s advice about caution? She will be pleased.” Jaden’s mouth smiled at her, but were his eyes telling her he knew she was saying something different? Kayla turned away. They couldn’t deal with this now. They had to find what they had come for. “Well, what are we waiting for?”

  The trio scuttled over to the ladder. Before they reached it, they spotted their gliders racing toward them. Not far behind, the horde of Gaptors previously assembled at the barrier now pursued them—a black, seething, impenetrable mass.

  Kayla wailed. “How did they get through the barrier?”

  “Who cares?” Atu yelled. “We have to get out of here!”

  “No,” Jaden said, so softly Kayla thought she’d misheard him.

  Kayla and Atu gaped, not comprehending.

  “What?” Kayla asked.

  “We’re not leaving. Not before we’ve recovered whatever we came for.”

  “Are you insane?” Atu asked “The Gaptors outnumber us five to one!”

  “Unfavorable odds, I agree. But we won’t get another shot at this. We either recover the item now, or they do. Decide quickly. Han and Taz are almost here.”

  Kayla stared at him wildly. There was no reasoning with him when he was like this. It was like he became someone else. Much as she hated to admit it, he was right. If they didn’t get whatever was hidden here, they might as well pack up, go home, and admit defeat. And that was something she absolutely loathed. “I’m in.”

  Jaden gave her a tight, grateful smile, telling her he understood what they were up against. But who said it would be easy? He glanced at Atu.

  “Who am I to back out?”

  “Good man. Here’s the plan.”

  Barely a minute later, Kayla and Atu stepped up to the edge of the balcony. Turning to face Jaden, still standing where they’d had their impromptu meeting, Kayla plastered on a brave smile. She couldn’t think about things going wrong. She had to focus on the plan working. She had to get this right. His life depended on it.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Looking at Kayla standing there, so alone and vulnerable, Jaden broke out in a cold sweat. Sudden panic compressed his chest. She shouldn’t be going. He should’ve refused. What was he thinking, letting her go out there?

  But before Jaden could move to stop her, Han and Taz swooped in, and Kayla and Atu were leaping into open air. Too late! Jaden groaned. There was only one way to make it right—he had to fulfill his part of the plan. And he had better b
e quick about it.

  Long, traveling strides took him to where Kayla and Atu had stood only seconds earlier. Scanning the black skies, Jaden waited apprehensively for the sign their plan was working. His spirits plunged when he noticed nothing had changed. The Gaptors were closing in on the tower at an alarming rate.

  Just then, they veered away from the tower. Kayla and Atu are initiating their part of the plan. Unsure whether he was relieved or worried, Jaden peered past the lip of the overhang as far as he could, confirming no Gaptors lingered overhead. Clear.

  Grabbing the ladder, Jaden felt the loss of his ring. They had agreed the relic stone would be useless on its own, so he had entrusted it to Atu. Ruefully rubbing his bare finger, Jaden hoped their assumption the Gaptors would leave once the voyagers recovered the item had not been foolish.

  A loud crack shocked him. His hand slipped off the rung he’d been holding. Shaken, Jaden took a second to recover. The relic stones had hit a Gaptor. Or a DD had. Jaden whirled, hoping to witness the efficacy of the weapon. But he could see nothing from here. He needed altitude. Warning himself to not let go because of sudden, deafening sounds, Jaden hauled himself up, hand over hand.

  A smile creased his face when he recalled Kayla’s adamant claim that he was so much better at climbing. Although going up a ladder hardly counted as climbing. That hill now . . . yes, he had scaled it much faster, but he had wanted to be sure nothing lurked at the top that could harm her. Or had he wanted to impress her?

  Movement to his right. The Gaptor dropped and arced toward Jaden. Snatching his DD off his belt, Jaden wrapped an arm through a strut on the ladder, securing his grip. He flipped the safety, swinging the DD just as the blade began sliding out. The unexpected contact with the Gaptor surprised him.

  With a sizzle, a wing separated from the Gaptor’s body like butter sliding off a hot knife. Jaden watched, dazed, as the wing twirled away in one direction and the Gaptor spiraled away in the other, leaving a fat, black trail of blood like the thick smoke of a downed World War II airplane.