The Torchbearers

by Ally Condie

  Nico heard a rumble behind him. Turned. Found himself nose-to-nose with a snarling, reptilian snout. He rocketed backward, away from the dragon’s gleaming teeth. The creature crashed through the Timbers Rift, eyeing Nico like a prize morsel. Beyond it a stream of deadly creatures were piling up in their rush to join the party.

  The figment army had followed. It was coming after them.

  But would they fight for the Torchbearers, or have them for dinner?

  Nico, hurry! Opal sent.

  He glanced at the Rift into Thing’s world as Logan and Aster disappeared into its radiance. Emma and Tyler were right behind them, jumping through hand-in-hand.

  Nico felt hot breath on his neck. Every nerve in his body fired at once.

  Choking back a squeal of fear, he fired down to join Opal beside the gateway.

  Let’s go! he mind-shouted, but she stopped him.

  Wait! Opal’s body shook with adrenaline. We have to make sure they follow us.

  Nico looked up. Monstrous figments were pouring into the Void behind the dragon. Nico saw a Yeti, giant fireflies, and a band of snarling ogres. The group spread out in a disorganized mob of growling mayhem.

  But Opal was right. They weren’t following.

  Suddenly, she shot forward, closing on the swarm in a blink.

  Hey monster squad! Opal sent, then she spun around and pointed at Nico. That way to fight the Eater!

  The horde exploded in angry shrieks. All eyes glared at Nico as they raced toward him.

  They know I’m not the Eater, right?! Nico squawked in panic.

  Opal was only a few lengths ahead of the creature avalanche. Go go go!

  She streaked by him, eyes wild as she bombed into the Rift without stopping.

  Nico gave the muffled yelp of potential dragon food and dove through after her.

  30

  OPAL

  Opal tumbled flat on her face.

  Spitting out grains of purple-red dirt, she rolled to her feet an instant before a neon-orange velociraptor crash-landed right where she’d been sprawled. Other figments tumbled out behind it in a growling, rumbling mass.

  Nico scrambled to his feet on her left. Linking hands, they bolted to where the others were huddled about fifty yards farther up the plateau.

  They had returned to Thing’s world. The Torchbearers were temporarily less disoriented than the arriving figments, who’d only seen this place in their minds, but it wouldn’t last long. Hissing and baring their teeth, the monster horde threatened to splinter and tear into itself. The gang needed to direct them, fast.

  Assuming they don’t just maul us instead of the demons.

  “Where’s the Eater?” Nico asked in a rush. He had an ugly scrape down his left cheekbone. “We’d better point our figments at the alien army, quick!”

  Emma was jittering beside him, streaked with dust. Aster had an arm around Tyler, steadying him, while Logan had assumed some kind of fighting stance, looking around wildly.

  “There!” Opal pointed to the stark mountain in the distance on the plain. Yellow-green light still shimmered from the cavern at its base, where they believed a conduit to the Yellowstone Rift lurked. “That’s where the Eater was headed.”

  “Have they gone through already?” Tyler balled his fists. “Please say we’re not too late!”

  Opal tried to calm her breathing. Figments were still storming out of the Rift behind them, and some members of the swelling mob were eyeing the Torchbearers hungrily. “Remember, time moves more slowly here. Even though we were back on Earth for a full day, only minutes would’ve passed in this dimension. They can’t have gone far.” She squinted into the murky half-light, trying to catch a glimpse of the deadly creatures.

  Her stomach sank.

  The Eater’s army had ballooned on the plain, an undulating mass of nightmares streaming toward the mountain. Takers. Beasts. Other monsters she couldn’t name. And in the center, on its chariot, rode the Eater.

  Opal’s pulse thundered in her veins. Thing, are you here? she sent. Can you help us?

  No response. The Torchbearers shrank into a tight circle as howling figments began stalking toward them across the plateau.

  “We have to hurry,” Opal said in a strangled voice. “Like, really hurry.”

  Logan barked a high-pitched laugh. “We know, Emma. And not just to avoid being figment food. I’d prefer not to miss the next few decades on Earth. What’s our time, Ty?”

  “We’ve wasted two minutes already,” Tyler whined. “That can’t be good.”

  Nico cleared his throat. “We, um … we have someone’s attention, at least.”

  The dragon was slithering ahead of the other figments, teeth gleaming like razors.

  “It’s okay,” Emma said, nervously eyeing the giant reptile. “Dragons are good. Magical and wise. Right?” But her voice shook, and the dragon wasn’t flashing a welcoming grin. Beside it, a pack of video-game robots fixed their laser-like gazes on Logan. His creations, Opal was willing to bet. But could he control them?

  Even Aster seemed overwhelmed, ogling a group of iridescent, sparking peacocks that were closing in on her. Opal darted a glance at Nico, whose jaw was clenched. He was tracking a group of gray howling creatures like the one he’d dispelled on the island. They were smaller than most of the other figments, and eerily silent, advancing with eyeless faces.

  Really, Nico? That’s the best you could do? But the sickly pallor of his face changed her mind. Whatever they are, he’s absolutely terrified of them. Nico made the scariest creatures he could imagine.

  Opal caught his eye, and their gazes locked. Nico took a deep breath. They’d been through so much together—there were times Opal thought he was the only person who truly understood her. Saw what she saw. Felt what she felt.

  Sightless monsters as a weapon? She had to trust him.

  More figments stomped onto the plateau. Ten. A hundred. They followed the dragon across the broken landscape to where the Torchbearers cowered.

  Opal swallowed hard. We may have made a terrible mistake.

  Suddenly, Tyler’s voice rang out. “Stop. Hold!” His tone carried an authority she’d never heard before. He stepped out in front of the others, one hand up like an angry crossing guard.

  The dragon paused, eyeing the skinny boy. The other figments milled around it in confusion. Tyler had their attention, but the moment balanced on a knife’s edge.

  Maybe he really is a Beastmaster.

  “We still command them,” Tyler hissed over his shoulder. There were Beast-like creatures in the mix that were surely his imaginings, but these were slender and winged rather than hulking sea monsters. “We made these figments with a purpose. We just have to, like … show it to them. Remind our fighters why they came here!”

  “How?” Emma asked in a hushed voice. “They don’t even see the Eater’s army.”

  Logan sucked in a breath. Then covered his eyes. “Right. Opal, can I borrow your flashlight?”

  She blinked at him. The plateau was lined with shadows, but it wasn’t hard to see.

  Logan thrust out a palm and snapped his fingers, eyeing the dragon, which was rocking side to side on its talons, as if working up to charge. Other figments growled and scored the dirt.

  “Hurry, please.”

  Opal swung her bag around, dug into the pouch, and tossed Logan a light. “What do y—”

  Logan flicked it on and bolted away from the group, waving the beam over his head. “Hey monsters! You should all look at me now, but don’t bite!” He whirled and ran across the rocky mesa.

  The effect was electric. The dragon’s head snapped to Logan. Steam poured from its nostrils as it abruptly gave chase, like a cat pouncing after the dot of a laser pointer. The other figments roiled in confusion, then set off after their champion. In moments, Opal and the others were left alone, watching the pack of figments sprint away.

  After Logan.

  Who was running like a jackrabbit.

  “Logan, no
,” Opal gasped.

  “Fool,” Aster swore. “Brave stupid fool!”

  A hissing rumble sounded at their backs. Opal froze. She and others turned back toward the Rift.

  A black cloud was exiting the Void. In a blink, it stretched into a slipstream and rolled closer to the Torchbearers.

  Caustic pepper smell swamped the plateau. Opal felt a sickly tingle on her skin.

  “He’s here,” Aster said quietly, but her voice quavered. “The Stalker has come home.”

  The cloud reformed a short distance from where they stood. Sparks ignited within its depths, then the vapor slowly faded.

  The yellow-eyed wolf emerged, staring at the Torchbearers with a smirking tilt to its jaws.

  But it was bigger. Much bigger, its broad shoulders towering higher than Opal’s head. Teeth like warped swords crowded its salivating mouth.

  A voice like sandpaper rattled from its throat. “The end is nigh. You will be mine. It has been promised.”

  The wolf stalked forward a step, but then froze as a thunderous roar erupted from somewhere out on the plain. The Stalker cocked its enormous head, grimacing. The shapeshifter spat on the dirt in disgust before turning to glare at them once more. “Soon.”

  Black smoke exploded around it, swirling into a tornado as the wolf disappeared and the bird of prey arrowed up into the sky, zooming out over the plateau, toward the Eater’s army.

  Opal took her first breath since the creature arrived. She noticed everyone was gripping their Torchbearer daggers tightly. “Why did it flee?”

  “It did not,” Aster said miserably. “The Stalker was called to heel by its master. The Eater is ready to invade. And we are not prepared to stop him.”

  Nico whirled. “Logan! He’s alone. Come on!” He took off after the figment pack.

  Emma and Aster were right behind him. Opal glanced at Tyler, who made an inarticulate groaning sound. “I hate hero stuff,” he wailed. But they both raced after their friends.

  A cloud of dust had billowed up ahead. Logan was surrounded by the throng, standing at the very edge of the cliff with his hands up, shouting, “Wait wait wait!” As the Torchbearers drew close, the figment circle tightened around him, hissing and spitting. Claws and paws darted out to jostle and prod.

  “Look!” Logan spun, putting his back to the mob as he aimed his flashlight down at the plain. “Just look, okay?!”

  The dragon glanced where Logan was pointing. It stiffened, exposing glistening incisors. The champion growled deep in her throat. She’d spotted the Eater. And was not pleased.

  Other figments mirrored their leader’s attention. Logan seemed momentarily forgotten as they began shrieking their disapproval down at the demons on the plain below. Logan cautiously slunk along the rim of the plateau until he was outside their sphere. Then he sank to one knee and threw up.

  Everyone ran to his side. Tyler and Nico helped Logan off the ground and began anxiously dusting him off. Aster shook her head in disbelief. “More bravery than sense,” she snorted, but something else flickered in her eyes.

  “All right,” Nico said. “Nice work, Logan. You’re insane. But did they take the hint?”

  The dragon let out a deafening roar. Fire arced from its jaws as it glared down at the Eater.

  “I believe so,” Emma whispered. “Yes.”

  Opal’s fingers dug into the side of her wetsuit. “But they’re stuck up here, with no way down to the plain.”

  “Whatever we do, we’d better move quickly.” Logan pointed at the mountain. “Time is flying by, and the Eater is on the move.”

  Beside them, the figment horde was getting worked up. A bus-sized tiger swatted a paw over the edge, looking for a way to descend. But the monsters were stuck on a plateau well behind the Eater’s army, which was arriving at the foot of the mountain.

  They’re so close to the Yellowstone Rift.

  “How can we get in front of them?” Tyler said. “We’re going to be too late!”

  Emma’s face brightened. “I have an idea!”

  Before the others could react, she darted into the jostling pack of figments, sliding unnoticed among them until she reached the dragon’s clawed feet. She waved a hand and yelled up at the enormous predator.

  Opal nearly passed out.

  “Emma,” Tyler croaked, both hands pressed to his face.

  The dragon went rigid for several anguished heartbeats, eying the little blond girl. Then the figment lowered its head.

  Emma climbed up onto the dragon’s back.

  The other creatures stared at Emma. Opal felt the oxygen evaporate in her lungs. “I. Can. Not. Even.”

  “I told you dragons are wise!” Emma shouted back at the Torchbearers. “We can use flying figments to carry the others. We can still get in front of the Eater. Come on!”

  Logan giggled in terrified surprise. “Okay, guys. You heard her! Let’s attack from the sky! Holy moly.”

  Aster aimed a shaky finger at her sparking peacocks. “Like the birds on royal grounds. I saw them once, on a tour with my father.” She paused as two of the peacocks flapped glimmering wings, grabbing the massive tiger between them and hauling it into the air. “I made them larger. With better flying. And that excellent new invention, electricity.”

  The dragon rose off the ground, snaring the velociraptor in one set of talons and a slavering, red-eyed panda bear in the other. It lifted them skyward, Emma still perched on its back.

  “Okay,” Nico choked. “Emma is riding a dragon carrying a dinosaur and an evil panda … Sure. Why not?”

  “Oh dear,” Opal breathed, as a handful of griffins fluttered into the sky, arcing over to where they stood. Each dropped like a stone and seized a Torchbearer by the shoulders. Then they took flight.

  Sharp claws pressed into her flesh, but Opal was too scared to notice.

  Don’t pass out don’t pass out don’t pass out.

  Flying in the grip of a mythical creature wasn’t like cruising on an airplane. Noxious clouds streamed around Opal, putrid up-currents choking her with the foul stench of sulfur. She felt weightless and powerless. A captive in every sense of the word.

  And then, suddenly, they were diving.

  The figment air force plunged downward, unencumbered flying creatures strafing the Takers and Beasts while their comrades deposited the land-based fighters in front of the massive demon army. The Eater’s minions reared back in surprise. Opal felt her griffin flap its wings hard, once, twice to slow down. She was unceremoniously dumped on the ground.

  The Order’s defenders had arrived, gathering between the Eater’s force and the cavern where the Rift hid. Opal heard terrible screams—Takers shrieking in anger, furious at the enemies now blocking their way.

  Opal wanted to shut her eyes against the sight of so many of them, but she picked herself up and stood with the other Torchbearers, gasping as she tried to get her bearings. They nodded to each other, faces grim.

  The Eater bellowed from his perch in the center of its army. He pointed forward.

  Emma slid off the dragon and put her hands on her hips, like some kind of warrior princess. “Children of the Darkdeep! Attack! Stop the Eater!”

  Opal wasn’t sure whether the figments heard her or not—or what they thought of Emma’s grandiose words—but the dragon charged a knot of Takers anyway, jaws snapping, tossing their ghoulish black forms into the air like toy soldiers.

  Tyler’s Beastwings lashed into the flanks of the Eater’s army, zooming low over their larger sea-Beast kin to harass them from above. Logan climbed aboard one of his robots, shouting orders from its shoulder as they grappled with a pod of deadly snake beings. Aster jumped astride one of her sparking peacocks and signaled a charge.

  The dragon rose and spread its wings, scorching the enemy with a stream of deadly fire.

  Nico was kneeling on the ground, solemnly regarding the strange eyeless figments he’d created. They alone seemed to be doing nothing. Nico’s head dropped into his hands. Opal noticed t
hat nothing was attacking the squatty gray creatures.

  What is he doing?

  A scream behind Opal caused her to wheel. In a tight formation, her griffins plunged into a riot of Takers.

  But the huge mass of alien creatures began pushing the figments back. Opal watched her griffins pull away, reeling in a disorganized flock. The peacocks were being battered aside, and other figments—smaller lizards, dinosaurs, ogres and warlocks—began blipping out of existence.

  The Eater has too many. We can’t stop them all.

  Despair crept in. Opal heard another terrible shriek.

  “We have to fall back!” Logan shouted, trying to organize his robots into a retreat.

  The Eater’s army pressed forward, hungry eyes fixed on the mountain cave behind Opal. She saw a trio of Beasts rear up and sink their claws into the fire dragon, pulling it down in an explosion of dust.

  “No!” Emma yelled. “We have to help her!”

  Tyler’s Beastwings rose and banked as one, attacking the group of sea monsters swarming the figment champion. But the deadly army surged ever closer to the Rift. They were almost there. Opal heard the Eater’s laughter echo over the battlefield.

  We need to regroup, Opal thought. Where was Thing? Was it even still alive?

  A voice sounded faintly in her mind.

  Help Nico.

  “Thing?!” Opal frantically looked around, trying to find Dax. “Where are you?”

  There was nothing more.

  Help Nico?

  Opal ran toward her friend, and the strange gray creatures surrounding him.

  “Nico!” she yelled. “NICO!”

  He looked up, and something like relief splashed across his face at the sight of her. Their eyes locked and held. Then he turned to his figments and mouthed the word NOW.

  They lifted to the sky on gossamer wings of silver.

  Opened their wide, bottomless mouths.

  And HOWLED.

  Both armies froze in their tracks.

  The line of howlers landed with a thud directly in front of the Eater’s front ranks.

  The demons quailed, wearing expressions of horror. They began to slink backward.