by Bryan Davis
“If only that were true of all of us.” Randall bent low and skulked toward the Basilica, his legs still unsteady. It would take a while to make a wide enough circle to avoid the Benefile, but at least that would provide some time to plan a way to climb to the Zodiac’s main level … if he survived that long.
In the castle’s foyer, Koren sat on Alaph’s back, her hands on his smooth skin. With no deep recesses between his thin scales and no spines along his backbone, hanging on would be a difficult chore, especially considering the long journey ahead. Fortunately, the air outside had warmed, and the clouds had thinned, making it feel like a crisp morning in the cool season instead of the usual blistering cold.
Near the sliding wall at the back of the foyer, her father opened a leather bag and withdrew a cylinder that was about half as long as his forearm and nearly as wide. “Interesting. It reads, ‘Danger. Explosive.’ “ He reached it up to Koren. “Take a look.”
She grasped the cylinder and read the words. This was exactly the same as the tube she had found attached to the spear that pierced Exodus. “What are they for?”
“In the days when the humans were the slave masters,” Alaph said, “they attached a tube to a rope and slung it around a rebellious dragon’s neck. The human would then press a button on a control box that activated the weapon. The explosion destroyed the dragon, which was a loss for the slavers, but they preferred to kill rather than corral one that was prone to rebellion.”
Koren grimaced. Picturing dismembered dragons didn’t sit well with her queasy stomach.
Alaph touched the bag with a wing. “Arxad stored these in a chamber below. There are many down there, but I do not wish to carry more.”
“Too dangerous?” Orson asked.
“According to the journals, they are safe as long as they stay cold, but when they thaw, they can become quite unstable.”
“So as we journey southward, the instability will grow.”
“Yes,” Alaph said. “We will have to be very careful.”
Orson peered into the bag. “I count ten. What do you suggest that we do with them?”
“We shall see. I want to survey the situation when we arrive.” Alaph nodded at Koren. “You have a detonator that will activate the weapons. Be careful not to push the button.”
Koren felt the blood drain from her face. She withdrew the detonator and studied the button. So that’s what Detonate meant. At least pushing it accidentally wasn’t likely, not with the button recessed the way it was. Still, it would be good to take some care with the control box.
Her father tied a leather cord at the top of the bag and left it on the floor. “I assume you will carry it underneath.”
Alaph bobbed his head. “It will be safer there.”
After putting the detonator back into her pocket, Koren grasped her father’s wrist and helped him climb to a spot in front.
As soon as her father settled, she slid her arms around him and laid her cheek against his back. “I’m ready.”
He patted her hands. “So am I.”
“I cannot say the same.” Alaph spread out his wings. “Although I am pleased to visit the Southlands again, I think my welcome there will be as frigid as the Northlands once were.”
Without so much as a bump, Alaph lifted into the air and flew out the wide doorway. As they passed through, the air cooled, but not drastically. The combination of wind and Solarus shining near the horizon made Koren blink—only minor annoyances. She had her father in her grasp, and they were heading to the south to help the slaves. In spite of the new twinges in her stomach, no disease could steal this moment.
The scene below whisked by, almost unrecognizable now that most of the snow had melted. The river ran freely, driving water into the south-flowing stream and making it run more swiftly. As they continued southward, the meadow grass waved its spindly fingers, and flowers nodded their colorful heads. Every detail seemed more beautiful than ever.
Alaph rose higher and higher until the world below looked like a drawing on a scroll. A dragon passed by underneath, heading northward, too far away to identify. It appeared that Alaph didn’t care to investigate. He just flew on and on, faster and faster.
After nearly an hour, a bright light came into view, a radiant sphere hovering near the ground. “Look!” she said into her father’s ear. “There’s Exodus.”
“Ah. It seems that Cassabrie is traveling southward, though at a slower pace than we are.”
“Where did you put the crucible?”
“It’s safe in my pocket. I also have a wax envelope with plenty of the catalyst I told you about as well as instructions for making the medicine. If my own case of the disease progresses to the point that I am unable to make it myself, someone will have to do it in my place.”
“Alaph!” Koren shouted. “We need stardrop crystals!”
He bent his neck, bringing his head close. “I will land in front of her and drop you off. Once you collect what you need, I will return to carry you the rest of the way.”
“I beg your pardon,” Koren said, “but why can’t you stay with us?”
“Cassabrie’s energy has increased dramatically, so I dare not get close while you collect the stardrop material. If just one crystal were to touch my body, it would destroy me before I am ready.”
“Before you’re ready?”
“The hour of my departure has not been determined. I know only that my replacement must be chosen first, and that has not yet occurred. When he or she is manifested, I will be able to surrender my life willingly.”
Koren pondered his words. It seemed that Alaph was continuing his habit of speaking deep thoughts that no one else could understand. “So you could get close if we were not scraping off the crystals.”
“That is correct, but I also wish to avoid Cassabrie’s hypnotic power. She is much stronger now than ever before, and I am not certain of her intent. Coming under her control might be disastrous.” Alaph dove toward the meadow and landed about a hundred paces in front of Cassabrie. When Koren and her father dismounted, he lifted into the air again and flew in a slow orbit well above their heads.
Less than a minute later, Exodus drew near with Cassabrie floating upright just above its floor. Although the star shone with brilliant radiance, seeing through the membrane was easy and painless. With her cloak’s hood low over her eyes and her hands holding it closed in front, Cassabrie looked like a hovering blue shroud.
When Cassabrie arrived, she stopped Exodus and pushed back her hood. Her hair and eyes shone with brilliant color, and a smile lit up her face even further, genuine but weary. “If you wish to go with me to the Southlands, I would be glad to have company, but I have no way to transport you over the wall.”
Koren gestured toward her father. “We need stardrop material. We have a possible cure that requires it.”
Orson displayed the crucible in his palm. “I think a full container would provide enough to heal at least fifty. If it works, we could come back for more.”
“You need genetic material from an immune human,” Cassabrie said. “Jason isn’t naturally immune, and harvesting sufficient material from Elyssa would maim her.”
Koren withdrew from her pocket the velvet-lined box containing Cassabrie’s finger, but left it closed. Telling Cassabrie they were using her body parts in an experiment seemed … disturbing. After swallowing, she let out a quiet, “We have your finger.”
“I see.” Cassabrie opened her cloak and gazed at her hand. The gap in her fingers was evident. “How many can you cure with just one finger?”
“My guess of fifty was based on using what is left of your finger,” Orson said.
“Then your plan is inadequate.” Cassabrie guided Exodus closer and stopped again. “Collect what you can. Cure whom you may. But I must continue my journey as soon as possible.”
“Thank you.” Orson pushed the edge of the crucible into the membrane and began scooping radiant crystals. Several flew into the air and scattered in the b
reeze, confirming Alaph’s fear. For him, being close would have been dangerous indeed.
As soon as the crystals reached the crucible’s brim, Orson backed away and set a lid over the top, locking it in place with two small latches. “I will wait until we arrive to prepare the mixture. I need a fire.”
“You need healing yourself,” Cassabrie said. “You must hurry.”
Orson laid a hand on his stomach. “Yes, I feel it, and we will hurry, but may I ask what you intend to do in the Southlands?”
Cassabrie gazed at the sky, her eyes following Alaph’s flight. “He knows, or at least I think he does. If he sees fit to tell you, I ask only that you don’t try to stop me.”
“Stop you?” Koren slid the finger box back into her pocket. “Why would we want to do that?”
“I will say no more.” Cassabrie guided Exodus over their heads and drifted southward, calling back, “Follow if you wish, or ride on Alaph. Either way, I am sure you will see me there. I think you will have no choice.”
As soon as she traveled well out of range, Alaph flew down. After Koren and her father mounted, she patted Alaph. “What is Cassabrie planning to do?”
Alaph curled his neck and drilled a stare into her with his shining blue eyes. “Ah! She would not tell you.”
Koren shook her head. “I’m worried about her.”
“As you should be.” Alaph turned his gaze toward the south. “Regarding her plans, I am not certain, so I will not speculate.”
He rose into the air, not quite as smoothly this time, and flew lower, no more than a hundred feet above the ground. Below, Cassabrie caught up with a group of running men. Without pausing, she lifted over their heads and continued on a straight path, her face set due south. Many of the men pointed and appeared to shout, but the wind cut off their voices.
Koren touched the finger box in her pocket, frustration rising like bile. With Cassabrie being so mysterious, how could a less experienced Starlighter like herself know what to do about the prophecy? One of the two had to be the sacrificial Starlighter, and so far it didn’t seem that Cassabrie was willing to reveal her choice. Based on her past, though, it seemed more likely that she hoped to overwhelm the dragons with her influence, and that wouldn’t be sacrificial at all.
As she pondered her options, Koren caught sight of another dragon approaching the men from the north, flying low with a human passenger on his back. His muscular body and powerful wing strokes made his identity obvious.
“Alaph,” Koren called, “Magnar is down there.”
“I see him, and your friend Wallace is riding.”
Koren allowed herself a smile. At least Wallace hadn’t succumbed to the disease yet.
As Magnar landed gracefully in front of the running soldiers, Alaph continued. “Magnar plans to help the Darksphere soldiers, though even with his help their chance of success is minimal. They are a dedicated group, but they are far too few to hope to defeat Taushin’s allies. Courage alone will not be enough to defeat so many dragons.”
Koren looked back at the men as they surrounded Magnar, their whoops and hand clapping barely audible. How odd it all seemed. The dragon who had been the bane of every human on Starlight had become the hero of the Darksphere warriors. The beast who ate drugged children was now ready to fly into battle to rescue parents and siblings of those he consumed. If these soldiers were to be told of his cruelty, would they still accept him as a fellow warrior?
Alaph flew on and on. To the right, the river flowed fast and wild, bending tall grass and thin saplings in its swollen path. The snowmelt surge had traveled quickly, but its turbulent ride would end at the great waterfall.
After a few minutes, her father gave a shout and pointed ahead. Two humans sat on top of a rollicking raft, both steering with stripped branches. The water tossed them back and forth, but they managed to hang on.
“Jason and Elyssa,” Alaph shouted. “It seems that everyone is converging on a common destination.”
Koren shifted on Alaph’s back to get a better look. “Can’t we stop and help them?”
“I cannot carry another passenger. They have chosen this dangerous route, and, as you can see, they are quite capable of steering to the bank and getting out at any time.”
“But the waterfall.”
“They are aware of the waterfall. I know you long to ease everyone’s journey, but that is not possible. Remember, your father needs healing, and your fellow humans need it as well. Allow Jason and Elyssa to complete their journey and gain the strength and wisdom their trials will add to their character. You have enough to occupy your mind with your own destination. Do not imagine that I am unaware of the battle that must be waging within you.”
Koren cringed at his words. He was right, as usual. So far no sacrifice had come to mind other that giving herself to Taushin’s service.
She slid an arm away from her father’s waist and looked at her wrist. The earlier bout with the disease had reddened the manacle abrasions, and they were still evident. Turning herself over to Taushin would be like snapping the manacles back in place herself, whether on her wrists or on her soul.
A great weight pressed down, as if ten pails of river stones had been set on her back. The enormity of the task crashed into her mind. If she gave in, everyone else would be free, maybe even cured, and on their way to a new world while she stayed at Taushin’s side, bound in chains, a Starlighter who moved and breathed but walked as a dead girl.
She lifted her tunic. The rash had receded upward, no longer visible on her stomach at all, but her chest still itched. The ointment, like the healing trees, had alleviated symptoms, but was it enough? Was Father’s medicine really a cure? Maybe they did have to swallow it after all. Only time would tell.
Koren laid her head on her father’s back and held him tightly. As before, he patted her hand, but this time he added words to the comforting gesture. Although the wind buffeted his voice, it seemed that the vibrations in his back penetrated her mind with every precious syllable. “Don’t worry, Little K. No matter what happens, the Creator will never forsake you, and neither will I. Suffering is merely a prologue, an opening act in the Creator’s tale. One way or another, whether we live or die, the story will have a happy ending.”
Breathing a deep sigh, Koren closed her eyes. Was Father right? Tales in Starlight never seemed to have happy endings. Without exception, everyone was born a slave and died a slave, and whips and chains threatened every moment in between. No one ever escaped the cycle. No one.
As tears crept past her eyelids, she pushed the morbid thoughts to the side. Starlight needed a liberator, and if no one but Koren the glib-tongued girl from the cattle camp could fill that role, then so be it. At least everyone else would have a happy ending.
Twelve
Jason thrust his branch into the river and pushed against the bed, trying to get leverage while balancing on his knees. “To the left! To the left!”
“I’m trying!” Elyssa shouted. “It’s too deep! I can’t get traction!”
Water flew everywhere, wave after wave sloshing from every side and splashing them in the face and body as they hurtled southward. The raft rocked like a wild bull trying to sling off a rider, and vines holding the saplings together stretched and snapped.
“Then we’ll have to swim for it.” He unhooked his scabbard and heaved it to shore. He then grabbed a vine and reeled it into a loop, bracing against the constant dips and rises. “We’ll tie the ends to our wrists. The first one to get to shore, pulls the other one. Got it?”
“Got it.” They helped each other fasten the vines to their wrists. “I hope it holds,” she shouted above the tumult.
Ahead, the waterfall roared, far louder than he remembered. It would swallow them in seconds.
Jason grabbed Elyssa’s wrist and forced her fingers around his tunic. “Lock on!”
“But I thought we were both going to swim.”
“Never mind! Just hold on!”
She gripped his tuni
c tightly. Water flew from her hair as the raft bounced. “Jump now?”
“Stand first, then jump. Whatever you do, don’t let go.”
The roar heightened. The precipice came into view, shrouded in mist.
“Now!” They rose to their feet and leaped, but the raft slid away. They traveled less than a foot before splashing into the rapids. Still holding the steering branch, Jason kicked toward the bank and plunged the branch into the riverbed a pace ahead. Pulling against it, he drove himself forward. Elyssa’s weight slowed his progress, but he battled on, jerking out the branch and resetting it again and again as he surged toward the bank. With each removal of the branch, the current swept them closer to the falls.
He dug the branch in once more and hung on, his head barely above the water. At this rate, they weren’t going to make it. Pulling the branch out once more would send them over the edge.
The current swept their bodies parallel with the bank until their feet pointed toward the falls. Now only five steps from the precipice and maybe ten from the bank, he just held on. There seemed to be no other choice.
Elyssa wrapped both arms around his waist and drew her lips close to his ear. “I’m letting go! You’d make it if I weren’t here dragging you back!”
“Don’t you dare!” Jason coughed and spat as he shouted. “If anyone’s going over, it’s going to be me!”
“I’m not asking permission. This isn’t suicide. I’m going to try to make it on my own.” She let her arms slide away but kept one fist tight on his tunic, her eyes sad and wide. “I love you, Jason Masters.”
She let go.
Jason slapped at her wrist but missed. Elyssa swam toward the bank with all her might, but the current inched her toward the falls. She wasn’t going to make it.
With a flying lunge, Jason hurtled his body downstream. He caught her around the waist with both arms and, digging his feet into the riverbed, swung her toward the bank.
A surge sent him flying over the precipice, but instead of falling, he dangled in midair, his arm stretching upward as he twisted in the breeze and the river beat against his body before cascading to the rocks hundreds of feet below.