"And then kill us?" Colby's voice rose on the word then, bordering on hysterical even in her own ears. She sucked in a deep breath, held it as long as she could then let it out slowly. It didn't help the hammering in her chest or the fluttering in her stomach, but maybe it would soothe her voice. Not, she realised, that she had anything to say just then.
They hiked through the swamp. The Reptar seemed to know
all the firmest, driest places to walk so had it not been for the spears and fear surrounding them, it would have been a more pleasant route than they'd traversed the day before. The miles passed quickly and gradually, as day turned into night, Colby's fear subsided enough to make room for other emotions like curiosity and acceptance. It never left her, but burrowed deeper, allowing her to function, to breath.
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When finally they reached the village Colby looked around
herself in wonder. The stars illuminated the scene, but the many shadows made it difficult to make out details.
Many of the crudely-fashioned mud and straw huts had been
built inside the crumbled ruins of older, stone buildings. There were open fire pits in front of each hut, some of which still smouldered.
The Reptar marched them into the middle of the village, and
other lizard-men came out of the buildings and shadows to join in the crowd surrounding them. Her research back on Terricina had indicated the existence of three separate classes in Reptar society.
The warriors hunted for food and defended the village; shamans performed magic, brewed potions and served as the tribe's wise men; and scavengers gathered tools, weapons, clothing and the like from the swamp and its victims. Those who had brought them here were obviously the warriors, and the Reptar from within the village all seemed as though they were scavengers. The grey who'd led them here waved his arms, and the subdued noises from the Reptar
stopped. He spoke a few words and pointed, and one of the
scavengers dashed off through the crowd, following the direction of the grey's finger. Colby wondered if they'd been brought here as part of some trial, or merely for a more public execution than the swamp would have provided.
"Stop it," she whispered to herself, balling her fingers into fists so that her nails cut into the palm of her hand, cutting off that line of thought and shoving it back into the depths of her mind where it belonged. She noticed Xavier looking down at her curiously, and shook her head. "Not you."
"Does anyone understand me?" Xavier asked in trader tongue, raising his voice to be heard over the Reptar's murmuring.
"I does." The voice, deep and guttural, came from the rear of the crowd. The Reptar parted and Colby saw what she was certain was a shaman.
His scales gleamed grey and green, and he stood a full head
shorter than his fellow Reptar. Even so they fell silent the moment he spoke and moved out of his way as he approached. He wore a leather belt around his waist and two more crossed each other diagonally across his chest. Pouches of various sizes and materials hung from all three. Colby presumed, with a tinge of envy, that they contained the ingredients for his spells and potions.
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Xavier nodded giving Colby's hand a squeeze, met the
shaman's sharp gaze.
"We mean you no harm. I escaped from Furtma and the girl seeks aid."
The shaman's eyes swept over the pair and lingered on Colby.
Inwardly she squirmed under the heat of his gaze, but did her best to hide it. The Reptar nodded. Turning to his brethren, he addressed them in their language. Once finished, the shaman jerked his head toward a path behind him. "We see. Let heart decide."
The shaman shuffled slowly along the trail and Xavier,
prodded by a spear, followed a respectful distance behind. Colby moved quickly to his side, not wanting to be jabbed herself. The soldiers surrounded them and the scavengers fell in behind. As the strange procession marched deeper into the swamp Colby's
apprehension grew.
The path looked well-used, worn into a distinct rut several feet lower than the ground around it. Here the swamp closed in once more. The trees crowded them and the air was heavy and oppressive.
It felt as though they were traveling downhill, but when Colby looked up at Xavier, intending to question him about it he silenced her with a look before she'd even opened her mouth.
A dozen questions rested on the tip of her tongue, impatiently waiting their turn to be spoken. Where are we going? What is Xavier's plan? Can I really trust him? Get a grip, she chastised herself, y ou're just being paranoid.
That helped. The most important question she'd asked herself
was 'Can I trust Xavier?' and since her gut told her with resounding clarity that she could, her troubled mind relaxed and she managed to muster up a little more patience and courage.
Feeling guilty for doubting Xavier, Colby gave his forearm a
light squeeze and, when he looked down at her, smiled shyly at him.
He blushed and looked away, continuing to follow the shaman.
Abruptly, the path leveled off and then, directly ahead of them, the shaman took a sharp turn and disappeared from view. Colby, close behind, took the same turn, then immediately froze and sucked in her breath.
They were in a large glade. Cold stars danced above them in a clear, black sky and in front of them stood the most amazing tree Colby had ever seen.
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Its trunk rose from the ground like an immensely wide column
and then narrowed as it ascended. Sphagnum moss clung in patches to its rough bark and some of its boughs, heavy with lacy leaves and vines, trailed to the ground and sank into the damp earth like living anchors. Scores of fireflies, the first Colby had seen since entering the swamp, swarmed overhead, illuminating the tree and adding their own special magic to the scene.
" Z'thandra, " the shaman intoned, gesturing.
Colby dared not speak, lest her words shatter the wonderful
feeling of peace that had fallen over her.
"Come," the shaman commanded, and they obeyed.
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Chapter Five
Their armed escort, as well as a growing number of unarmed
Reptar spread out around the glade, forming an impenetrable wall of scales and spears. The grey and the green who had argued in the swamp were amongst their number, and neither looked likely to be inclined to let them leave here alive if the shaman said otherwise.
Xavier glanced down at Colby, who seemed wholly fixated on the tree, and then to the shambling shaman. The shaman drew nearer to the tree, and began to mutter something under his breath. His back was to him so Xavier couldn't make out exactly what the Reptar was doing or saying but it seemed to be some sort of ritual involving complicated hand motions.
Once the Reptar fell silent, Xavier watched an opening, big
enough for him to enter without stooping, slowly faded into
existence in the tree's bulbous trunk. The shaman jerked his head toward the hole and grunted. "Test."
Xavier hesitated and glanced over his shoulder at the silent
ring of Reptar surrounding them then sucked in a breath, let it out slowly and looked down at Colby. "Here goes," he said, and with her close behind, stepped into the tree.
A rough earthen staircase wound its way into the ground.
Xavier cautiously made his way down, hugging the wall and
dodging roots the entire way. He could feel Colby close behind him.
The still air smelled like wet earth and though there was no obvious source of illumination, the underground passage was as bright as day. As he continued his descent the wound in his chest began to throb. It didn't hurt, on the contrary it was invigorating.
After traveling down the twisting stai
rcase enough to make his head swim, they finally arrived at the bottom and stepped into a large round chamber. The roots of the tree surrounded them in an intricate web that formed the walls, ceiling and even the floor. The Reptar shaman stood to one side.
In the middle of the room, floating in mid-air and thrumming
with power, was a red stone.
As he watched, the stone slowly rotated, allowing him to see
every side of it. It was nearly the size of his head and was colored a rich ruby-red shot through with spidery veins of deepest black. It was rounded, but longer than it was wide. Its sides were smooth but looked jagged at the base, suggesting that it had been broken off an
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even larger whole. It didn't glow or smoke or hum to show its power.
It didn't have to. He could feel it; the ancient strength of the stone washed over him in waves that ebbed and flowed but never
completely vanished.
The wound in his chest continued to throb in time with the
waves of power, feeding his reserves of strength.
"The stone," Colby whispered, her voice filled with longing.
"Now," the shaman said, "test."
Xavier looked from the shaman, to the stone. Colby moved to
his side, the back of her hand brushed against his thigh but she didn't notice. "I don't understand. Test what?"
"Test you. Touch heart, heart touch."
Xavier heard a noise behind him and turned to see a row of
armed warriors had joined them, walking single file down the twisty path behind them. They held their spears tightly, but kept them pointed up, neutral, presumably until this test, whatever it was, was completed. He sighed and looked at Colby, making sure she knew about the warriors and wasn't going to try anything stupid now that they'd found the stone she was looking for. It wasn't going to do anyone any good if they died retrieving it.
"Touch heart."
"Will you let us go? If—" Xavier stopped, uncertain of how to end his question.
"Heart know if you enemy. If no enemy, Reptar let go."
"I'll do it," Colby said, and after a long sideways glance in his direction, stepped forward, her arm outstretched. She moved slowly toward the stone, and Xavier held his breath. In its absence he felt the waves emanating from the stone even more powerfully,
resonating in his chest and rippling outward throughout his whole body.
Colby was sideways to him when she reached the stone, and he
could see that her fingers trembled then she touched the stone and in the silent room he heard her exhale softly. Her breath stirred the stray hairs around her face, and her eyes closed. She seemed to relax, and Xavier let his own breath out.
The shaman watched her intently, and Xavier alternated his
attention between the Reptar and the girl. Colby's eyes were closed, but moved beneath their lids, zipping back and forth, much like how they had when she'd read the scrolls. The shaman, in turn, seemed to
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be reading her. It leaned forward to peer closer at her, and, when she finally broke contact with the stone, gasped in surprise.
Colby looked up at him, then down at the stone, and back up at him again. The look on her face was indecipherable, and she didn't say at word, merely stepped back to stand at his side.
"Colby, are you alright?" he asked, more than a little concerned.
She nodded, and before he could press her further, the shaman pointed at him, and then the stone. "You. Touch."
Xavier crossed the distance between himself and the stone with three quick strides, and laid his palm against the stone. It felt warm beneath his touch, like a living being, and it thrummed against his hand like a pulse. A pulse he could feel in the restoring waves that swept through him. Then it touched him, touched his consciousness and he closed his eyes, breathed out his fear and allowed himself to drift with it.
Impressions swept through his mind, scents, flavors, colors,
thoughts. He followed them as far as they went, then allowed
himself to pick up the next and be carried along with it. It was like being a leaf on a stream, drifting from one current to the next helplessly. All streams end at the sea, and a quiet part of Xavier wondered where this trip would end.
He saw a pair of eyes, familiar and green, felt a flash of regret, a sweeping sense of empathy, fear. His parents, victims of swamp fever when he was quite young smiled at him from the back of a memory. The swamp flashed by in bits and pieces. Beautiful,
haunting and tragic. He sensed a dragon, saw a pair of clasped hands; one chestnut and one ivory. The crocodile he'd felled right before Scholar captured him, the cabin he'd been raised in. Emotions swept through him, but while he experienced the pleasant ones in their entirety, he felt shielded from the painful ones, buffered.
When the connection broke it was by degrees, and it left him
with a warmth in his chest. Warmth and a sense that everything would be okay.
He opened his eyes to see the Reptar watching him intently
and smiled.
The shaman did not smile back, but he nodded slowly and as
he looked at the warriors surrounding them, Xavier saw them relax.
"You no Reptar enemy. You Furtma enemy. Why here?" the shaman asked, while Xavier moved back to Colby's side.
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"I need to borrow that..." Colby said, and then as if realizing the inanity of her statement, let it trail off and gestured lamely at the stone. She looked up at Xavier and he saw a deep sorrow in her eyes.
"I can't. They need it, their whole society…"
His heart went out to her, what could he say? She was right.
That had been part of the message he'd received from the heart as they'd joined, shared. The Reptar needed this stone, it was the center of their society, the stone and the tree.
"No can have. What need for?"
Colby sighed "My brother swallowed vampire blood. He has a...a special sword, one that could heal him, but it needs your stone in its pommel to work."
The shaman tilted his scaly head. "How big sword?"
The repercussions of his question struck Xavier. This stone
was massive. If the sword wasn't immense there was no way it
would fit into the pommel. Xavier reached over to lay a comforting hand on Colby's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze.
"There is still time, Colby. We'll find something else."
"There's no time."
Xavier searched his brain for something to say to ease her
distress. He found nothing. Then the shaman shuffled forward, put a rough hand under Colby's chin and lifted her eyes to meet his reptilian ones.
"Yes hope." He took a backward step and gestured to Z'thandra's Heart—one part in particular. "Heart broke."
Colby looked at the shaman and a flicker of realization crossed her face.
"Long time ago heart broke. Many pieces."
"Where can I find one?" she asked.
" Furtma man has one," the shaman said.
Xavier sucked in his breath and Colby turned to look at him.
"What's wrong?" she asked, interrupting the shaman in her worry.
"I think I know where the stone is," Xavier whispered in awe before dropping his eyes to his chest wound.
"Are you sure?" she asked, obviously missing the import of his glance. "Where is it?"
Xavier nodded and whispered, "Trust me, Colby." Then he looked over Colby's head at the shaman and addressed him directly.
"You remind me, men from Furtma have followed us here, they
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intend us harm. They are probably a couple hours out still, but they will find your village."
The shaman's brow furrowed and he nodded decisively and
spoke in sharp, quick bursts to the warriors
surrounding them. The warriors filed out, moving quickly, the clink and clank of their armor sounded around them.
Climbing out of the tree, Xavier felt the waves in his chest
subside more with each step he put between Z'thandra's Heart and himself. Once they emerged into the glade, the shaman barked more orders to the Reptar still in the glade which sent them rushing back toward the village. When he returned to the base of Z'thandra's trunk, where he'd left Colby and Xavier, the shaman's scaly face was twisted into a malicious grin.
"They no follow you now."
Colby was holding Xavier's hand and he felt her shudder at the Reptar's words. He understood the feeling; he had repressed a shiver of his own.
"So, you'll let us go?" Xavier questioned.
The shaman nodded. "Enemy of Furtma, friend of Reptar. You leave now."
Xavier wasted no time in retracing their steps back up to the village center and then out of it. He felt the eyes of the lizard men on their backs long after he ceased to see their forms.
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Chapter Six
They left the village behind, and walked into the moonlit
swamp. The trees still grew close together here, but the moon was so bright it penetrated the foliage and cast weak shadows at their feet.
The night was filled with the sounds of crickets and the soft splashes of animals entering the water that lay off to the side. Away from the custody of the Reptar and under the impression their pursuers wouldn't be following them any longer, Colby relaxed slightly. She would have been happier if she actually possessed the stone, but Xavier said he knew where it could be found and that reassured her.
A little.
"Why didn't they kill us?"
"We passed the test. I guess." Xavier shrugged. "Did you feel the stone there flipping through you like a book?"
Colby nodded. "I did. I'd have guessed that would be
something like rape, but strangely, I didn't mind really." Xavier didn't respond so Colby continued. "What is Furtma? Is that where Scholar lives? And how could his men have stolen the stone if it was taken decades ago?"
Xavier smiled at her, then stubbed his toe on a tree root and stumbled, nearly falling.
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