“So, you want me to save Scout from some dragons and a villainous cloud?” Chloe shouted. “I don’t know how.” She lowered her voice. “I’m not that brave.”
“Oh, Chloe, you are. Do not lose the mountain stone, as it may yet serve you well, and to it I add my gift.” Quill handed her the picture, the beautiful one. “When you wonder who you truly are, look and see. And may you find this memory.”
“If it’s no bother,” Quall grunted, “could we start soon?”
Chloe winced and scampered onto his belly.
“Quill.” Qujan grabbed his arm. “It may be time to surface. While we cower, the land above falls. When has Retinya been in greater need?”
“Cower? We do our part from below, Qujan. Retinya is not the only world that needs our aid. You should know this most of all. We do not involve ourselves directly in the affairs of men when —”
Qujan glared and raised her hands to her hips. “This is not what you told me when Salvador was in need.”
“That was different.” Quill rubbed his forehead and lowered his voice. “He’s family.”
“And what does that make Chloe?”
Chloe paused with her knee pressed against a Quint’s hand. “Please, I don’t know what you’re talking about. But if you can help …”
Quill raised both arms toward the ceiling. “Enough. I will consider your request, Qujan. Were you not my daughter, I would discipline you.”
“Then it’s a good thing I am.” Qujan turned to Chloe. “Climb, and do not fear.” She winked. “You have not seen the last of us yet.”
Chloe stepped up. “Don’t run,” Quall said, and Chloe climbed higher.
“Don’t run.” The next Quint whispered as she stepped. “Don’t run.”
“Don’t run.”
“Don’t run.”
“Don’t run.”
Chloe scrambled onto the last Quint and reached for the stairs’ bottom step. “I know, I know.” She chuckled. “Don’t run.”
He stared sadly into Chloe’s eyes. “From your father.”
Chloe paused, then continued onto the staircase, turning just in time to see the Quints tumble onto the floor. From somewhere within the pile, Quall groaned, “There must be an easier way to do that.”
She laughed and breathed deeply. “Don’t run from your father. Give up on Nick. Find Scout in Medahon, where everyone is after me on a set of stairs going nowhere. Sure, why not?”
Chloe climbed through the ceiling, and immediately all light from below disappeared.
“No, no. I can’t climb in the dark.” She paused. “Don’t run from your father. My father, Crazy Ray.” She giggled as she remembered the airplane he built for squirrels. He had tethered it to the chicken coop to scare away hawks. Oh, the hissing those squirrels made. The invention worked for a week … until Q shot all the rodent pilots.
As she thought, her stone lit up the stairway.
Memory light. Just what I need.
“Don’t run from my father? Okay, but just on these stairs.”
At first, Chloe passed time counting steps. But as her legs numbed, her mind wandered and she lost track — and balance. It wasn’t the number of steps, but their depth. They followed no consistent pattern. A wide, comfortable step followed a narrow, shallow one barely deep enough to support a toe.
The shaft around her was no more forgiving. Broad and angular, its walls were out of Chloe’s reach. Occasionally, railing remnants provided handholds, but for the most part she climbed through silent, empty space.
And then, voices. They were muffled at first, but with each step they became louder and clearer until she turned a corner, saw firelight above, and climbed into a night filled with torchlight.
Medahon.
Chloe quickly pocketed her stone and raised her gaze. The stairway continued its rickety spiral skyward until it disappeared into dense fog. Around her, deep voices filled the square.
Senseri wander the streets. Keep going, Chloe!
She quickly found the journey toward the clouds a much more frightening climb. Similar to the underground section, there were few railings, but unlike the portion below, the stairway creaked and swayed in the stiff breeze.
Chloe peeked down and felt her head lighten.
“Quints are at the bottom of this. I could ease back down and get a good meal and a good night’s sleep.”
A gust rocked the stairway and Chloe dropped to her knees. She crawled upward until her body could go no farther.
This was because there were no more steps to take. The stairway simply ended. At this altitude, the fog cleared, and the lights of the city spread out below. Staircases of equally dizzying heights reached into space around her, some ending nowhere, some leading into rooms or disappearing into large nests.
“You’ve come back.”
That voice — the same thick, throaty rasp that had come from the robed man who attacked Scout. Chloe turned and started back down, until a rush of wind almost sent her tumbling off the stairway. A scarred dragon descended and flapped, snout to Chloe’s eyeballs. It circled the swaying staircase.
“What’s a girl like you doing way up here? You seem out of place.”
Four more dragons screeched down from the sky. They rushed toward the staircase, biting and clawing each other as they came. One surged ahead and wrapped a talon around Chloe’s waist.
“My prize! I’ll be giving her to Vaepor when he returns tomorrow.”
Chloe screamed, and up they flew. “No, please!” But her shriek was lost in the flap of wings. Minutes later, the creature set her in its nest, pinning her between its weighty wing and the dead branches beneath.
“Why do you need me?” Chloe struggled. “Why —”
“Shh,” it said. “Your memory truly is short.”
“Flit!”
Feathers engulfed her. The dragon tucked its head beneath its wing and exhaled a long, warm blast of air. “Scout is beneath one of the others. No doubt much less comfortable. We don’t have much time before Vaepor arrives. Be ready when I signal.”
Chloe nestled into Flit’s soft feathers. They felt like her bed back home, and slowly she drifted to sleep.
CHAPTER
17
COME, CHILD.”
Chloe left her dream and hurtled through the sky. Flit’s talon drew her deeper into his feathers, and she pressed against his warm body. Flit circled high above Medahon, finally alighting on the edge of another nest. Chloe swept large feathers from her face and strained her neck forward to see through the thick mass of fluff.
“Get up, Yizash.” Flit slapped the sleeping dragon across the face.
The creature slowly cracked an eyelid. “Away with you, feathered one.”
Flit hopped to the other side of the nest, balancing on one talon. “You stole my human. I want the girl back. You already have your prize.”
“All I have is the lame boy.” Yizash closed her eye. “I caught him fair, at considerable pain to me.”
“And it clearly wasn’t enough for you.” Flit slapped her again. This time Yizash rose.
“If you strike me again …”
Flit bent over the smaller dragon. “I’ll do more than that, sister, if you don’t hand her over.”
Yizash’s great eyes narrowed. She drew her body up, slowly beat her wings, and lifted into the night sky. There she hovered, her eyes fixed on Flit. “The human has been anguish to me all night.”
In the bottom of the nest lay Scout, curled up with eyes open wide.
“As you see. Just the boy.”
Flit stretched forward and his body tensed. Chloe’s did too. “Yes,” Flit whispered, “just the boy.”
Flit launched, ducked beneath Yizash, snatched Scout, and dived toward the city, all in one smooth stroke. Behind him, Yizash gave a hideous shriek, and within moments more shrieks filled the air. Flit missled straight down, gaining speed. Chloe braced and watched Medahon’s lights fast approach, but she felt no fear. She sensed what was coming.<
br />
Whoosh! Flit skimmed the street and wove between buildings at tremendous speed before spinning to the right, where he released her and Scout an arm’s length from the inside of the wall.
“Into the crack!” With that Flit and his words quickly disappeared.
Scout grabbed Chloe’s hand and yanked her into a crumbled gap between loose wall stones. She landed on her backside and tucked in her legs, rolling forward as four dragons screeched by. She and Scout lay motionless, side by side, until the sound of dragons vanished in the distance. Chloe’s breathing slowed, and she propped herself up on an elbow.
“What just happened? Oh, Scout, I didn’t think I’d ever find you. I mean, there were thirty Nicks and I ran for the tents and then a Quint — have you ever seen a Quint? — saved me from —”
“Stop,” he said. “Are you sure it’s me?”
Chloe squinted hard. “Well, yeah, I think — Oh. I don’t know anything.”
Scout smiled and sat up. “Ask me something only I would know. Something you told me in private.”
She frowned. “When I first met you, you told me something —”
Scout thought a minute. “Don’t stray to the left or to the right. The ground is evil.” He winked. “At least most of it.”
Chloe hugged him. She couldn’t help it. But Scout pried her loose.
“But the Quint line is gone. They are no more. Whoever told you of them is filled with wishful thinking. Clearly, your day’s been hard. Now sleep,” he said, his face haggard. “We should be safe here tonight. Tomorrow we take to the Path, where Vaepor will be watching. It may already have Nick, and if so you become Its desire. But that’s a worry for a different day. Tonight, rest easy. I’ll watch.”
Chloe pressed deeper into the wall and found a nook where she could stretch her legs. The Quints didn’t seem gone. Maybe I am crazy. As she settled in to sleep, Scout sat and hummed. A song she’d heard somewhere in a different world.
Drumbeats.
Chloe woke to drumbeats.
“Time to leave,” Scout said.
She yawned and stepped out from the wall. She’d seen Medahon at night and beneath Vaepor’s cloud, but it looked quite different in the light of day, filled with color and song and smile and song.
“They look happy to begin the trip,” Chloe said.
Scout was quiet.
“Did I say something wrong?”
He paused. “They are happy — happy and deceived.”
Chloe and Scout pressed into the crowd exiting out a back gate Chloe didn’t remember creating. There, the road widened, and the cobblestones had been sanded smooth. As Chloe set foot outside the town, her face brightened.
“A carnival!”
On both sides of the broad, one-way road, street vendors handed treats to children. The smells and colors were irresistible. Chloe ran from booth to booth, and then skipped back to Scout.
“Brownie-like things and doughnut-shaped stuff right over there!” She held up a chewy cookie. “And it’s all free!”
“It’s not what it seems.” Scout tipped his head and focused on a point farther down the road.
Chloe followed Scout’s gaze to an old man hobbling alone. He seemed out of place as he fought his way back against the sweep of the crowd.
“I saw him before I was taken away.” Scout bent to her ear. “No scar. That man has all his memories, and from the looks of things, he doesn’t want to lose them.”
The man reached the edge of the road, looked both ways, and slipped between two booths. When he emerged he ran straight toward the city. The drumbeat quickened, and two giggling children directly in front of Chloe released their balloons and sprinted after him. The moment they stepped off the road, their bodies morphed into strong young men. They quickly caught up with the gentleman, struck his back, spun him around, and hoisted him onto their shoulders.
“Escorts,” Scout whispered. “Senseri in training. A good reason to keep our voices low.”
“Why are they so cruel?”
“They dread that man. He knows who he is, and isn’t afraid of his pain. He also knows how evil they are.”
Chloe glanced back and the three were gone. Scout gestured toward the booths. “They function like a fence. Once you start on this path, there’s no way off.”
She stared at her cookie and dropped it to the road. She used the free hand to grab Scout’s neckline and pull his head down. “Then what are we doing here?”
Scout straightened and flattened his shirt. “Nick. We need to follow. He could be right in front of us.”
“No, he couldn’t. The elves said the trees set him down in the river.”
“Which he hates. He would quickly disembark, head for the easy road.”
Forget about Nick. Find Scout. March toward the pool and don’t run from your father —
There was no use bringing Qujan’s words into the argument, not with Scout. Silence fell, and Chloe searched for words to fill the space.
“Scout, tell me about your family.”
He said nothing.
“Can I ask you … is your father still alive?”
Scout’s face twitched. “Yes.”
“Does it hurt you to speak about him?”
“Yes.”
I sure get that. “Does he ever hurt you … I mean, the way he acts … Is he proud of you?”
“My father gave me this.” He rubbed his limping leg.
Chloe’s eyes widened, and she rubbed her neck. “My dad gave me this! Tell me about your accident.”
“The only accident was he didn’t strike me higher up, through the heart.”
Chloe winced.
Scout grabbed her arm. “Do not place our fathers in the same sentence. I know of your father. What happened was tragic, but it came from love, his desire to share his discovery —”
“How do you know —”
“I told you, I have been many places. Your father took nothing from you. Strength, beauty, it’s all still there. My father took my usefulness. My father took my speed. An able-limbed guide might have fought off Vaepor, might have reached Nick before he set off.” Scout’s fingers squeezed so hard, Chloe’s arm ached. “When your father attempts to run you through with his staff, we will have something to talk about.”
Scout released Chloe’s arm and turned away.
Chloe massaged her muscle and whispered quietly, “Okay, you know what? Let’s avoid family small talk for now.” She breathed deeply. “And maybe, since Nick doesn’t mind being on his own, we should let Nick go too — for now, I mean. Let’s just get to the pool …” Chloe’s voice dropped away. No matter what the Quints said, leaving Nick didn’t feel right. Don’t let him go, Chloe. Wasn’t that what Grandpa Salvador said?
Scout furrowed his eyebrows. “We should find Nick first. Always, Nick first.” He thought and nodded. “Let’s try something. Keep walking.” Scout left Chloe’s side and pushed into the middle of the street. And from his direction, a chant began to the drum’s steady beat.
“Nick. Nick. Nick.”
Others joined in, and Scout scooted to another group. They, too, took up the chant.
“Nick. Nick.”
Those around Chloe erupted in the one-word chorus. “Nick. Nick. Nick. Nick.”
Hundreds turned to thousands. The tent vendors stared at each other, shrugged, and joined in.
The chant was so loud that it quickly overshadowed the drums. The noise was so intense, in fact, Chloe barely noticed when Scout returned to her side and said, “There. That will bring It.”
“It? The Vaepor thing? I don’t want It here!” She paused. “And how did you get them to say that?”
Scout shrugged. “If you’ve forgotten what’s normal and good, you’ll do anything.”
The sky darkened as a shadow stretched over the road. Scout’s lips tightened. “Vaepor.”
The shadow slowly covered the land, changing blue sky to murky gray. The air weighed down on Chloe and breathing became difficult. “H
ow could anybody want to follow that hideous cloud?”
“That fact, dear Chloe, has saved this land more than once. If Vaepor had an appealing form, I fear every human would already be under Its control.”
Thunder clapped, but the thunder had a voice. Deep, clear, foreboding. “Silence.”
The road fell quiet except for the cries of children. Even the drumbeat stopped, though it pounded on inside Chloe’s head.
“I heard your calls for Nick. You all would like to see him again. And you will.” Vaepor gathered, thickened, and then rolled over the road. Men gasped and cowered. “At the pool, you will hear Nick Secholit speak. There, do exactly as he says.”
Vaepor spun into a funnel cloud, and, with a roar that knocked Scout and Chloe to their knees, vanished toward the east.
The drumbeat began and the march resumed.
“That was Vaepor? And what did he mean?”
“I don’t know. Nick Secholit? It makes no sense.” Scout rubbed his face, hard. “I do believe It’s found Nick, and if so, Nick is beginning to change. I’m too late. I arrived too late.”
Chloe stood, and a large man collided with her back. She regained her balance and the sea of marchers parted around the pair. “You mean we’re both too late.”
Scout closed his eyes and shook his head. “This was my job.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. “Don’t stop. It draws attention.” He puffed out air as they plodded with the crowd. “We’re of no use to him now.” Scout appeared to drift into thought for a minute. “But you already knew that. You just told me. How did you know he was lost?”
Chloe glanced down. “I know a lot of things about this place. But about Nick … There’s something else I need to do before I find him, that’s all. I’m not quitting on him. I won’t leave him here.”
“Who said quit?” Scout grimaced. “But if Nick’s already with Vaepor, we’ll need lots of help, and I fear I’ve led you astray. Now you’re stuck on a dangerous path.” He bumped her shoulder. “But you can’t quit, not if Secholit gave you a task. And remember, glorious failures are often much more wonderful than easy victories.”
Losing your friend sure doesn’t feel glorious.
CHAPTER
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