SummerDanse

by Terie Garrison

  He then led me to a door in an archway under the tiers of seats. We passed through into a passageway lit with candles that burned red flame. The lurid light gave an eerie cast to the walls and to Zhantar’s face. I shuddered.

  At the end of the short passage was a wooden door ornately carved with more dragons. In other circumstances, I would have stopped to examine it, admiring the craftsmanship. Zhantar pushed it open without a glance, and we went into the dark room beyond.

  With the door closed behind us, all was pitch black. I opened my senses to try to learn about this place. There was the life vibration of at least one other person. Who it might be, I dare not guess.

  The silence was broken by footsteps, then the sound of a knife being withdrawn from its sheath.

  “You will now swear fealty to me,” Zhantar said.

  I took a deep breath and let it out again. I would resist him to the last, come what may. “No. I have said I will not, and I mean I will not. There’s nothing you can do to change my mind.”

  “Is there not?”

  This was followed by a tiny, frightened squeak, uttered by the third person in the room. At a word from Zhantar, light filled the room. We were in a six-sided chamber with two doors other than the one behind me. And not five feet from me, Zhantar stood with his knife at Mama’s throat.

  I staggered backwards against the door. Her ankles were still shackled and had a short length of chain between them, and her arms were bound behind her. She wore a plain dress made of rough, grey fabric. Her whole body shook, held in Zhantar’s grasp. Tears streamed down her face, and her terror-stricken eyes pleaded with me to do something.

  But what could I do? To speak vows to Zhantar was unthinkable, but how much did it really matter if I joined the dragonmasters? Would it not be selfish to let my mother die for my own principles?

  “Now,” Zhantar said in a perfectly calm voice. “You will take your vows. It really is that simple.”

  I hesitated, and he pressed the knife into Mama’s skin enough to draw blood. She squeezed her eyes closed. My rasping breath filled the room. What should I do? Why did my mind have to freeze up now?

  Zhantar was right. I had no choice. I closed my eyes to shut out the sight of Mama, and I nodded.

  “Speak the words,” Zhantar said.

  Hatred filled me as I looked into his eyes. Hatred of him, hatred of what I was about to do, hatred of myself. “I will take your vows.”

  A smile of triumph bloomed on his face. He shoved Mama aside. She lost her balance and fell, her head smacking the floor with a dull thud. Then she disappeared in a flash of sparks.

  I cried out, but Zhantar said, “It must be humiliating to be so easily manipulated.”

  He grabbed my arms and pulled me to the center of the chamber. Two circles, about three feet in diameter, were inscribed onto the black floor with something that glittered silver in the light.

  Zhantar pointed at one of them, and I stepped into it. When I did, the inside of the circle flashed into a labyrinthine design. I scarcely had time to notice that it was the Etosian knot, an exact match of the design Rennirt had carved into my face, before everything went black and I found myself floating amongst the stars.

  My heart leapt. A sense of release came over me and let me truly relax for the first time since forever. Now, for awhile, I was free of the dark web that had entangled me.

  A purple star shot across the sky. Curious, I followed it. Faster and faster I flew, and soon the stars, which had been stationary before, began to dance. Colors and patterns dazzled my eyes, and I soon lost that first purple streak in the blaze of light.

  I joined the dance. Reaching out a hand, I felt no surprise that someone—or something—took hold of it and pulled me in. I soared across the sky, leaving a rainbow trail in my wake. Dipping and climbing and turning back on myself, I left my own design across the sky.

  “You come to me again, my child.”

  The deep, musical, booming voice brought me to a stand-still. The beating of my heart created ripples and waves in my rainbow.

  “You are afraid. Tell me why.”

  And then my soul was filled with joy. This wasn’t Zhantar; it was Etos! The soul of the ancient wisdom of Stychs.

  “I am here, my lord, but how?”

  His laugh boomed across the sky in flashes of gold. “What mean you, how?”

  “Well, I am in Hedra, not on Stychs.”

  “Ah, my child, you were in Hedra. Now you are nowhere in any world.”

  I pondered this as we sailed across the sky. A place beyond any world. That seemed to be fitting, for I had never seen Etos, only felt the presence of his soul. Perhaps this was a place of pure spirit. In which case, what exactly was I at this moment?

  “As ever, you worry too much. Let go. Ride the danse.”

  And I did. I let loose of my cares, finding that it was an easy thing to do in this place. An ethereal music whispered in my ears, and exotic, voluptuous scents tickled my nose. I pulled myself into a ball and spun as fast as I could, laughing when I bumped into a trail of red shimmer that tasted of cinnamon and strawberries.

  Eventually, my own reality encroached on my mind again. But now, the recent events were mere facts with no emotion or anxiety attached to them.

  I spoke again. “What brought me here? And what will happen when I return?”

  “Ah. How you got here is a curious matter indeed. There is that about you which, when it touches my remnants, brings your spirit to my realm.”

  “The tree in the desert?”

  “Yes. That is one. It is a leftover manifestation of a form I once took in that world.”

  “But there wasn’t any tree this time.”

  “I do not show myself in the same form in all worlds. Nor always the same form in the same world.”

  “I still don’t understand.” My insides were beginning to knot up again. I wished I could stay here with Etos forever, where I could forget all my cares.

  “That cannot be, for you are not ready to leave your own corporeal form. There is too much future left in your life.” Did I imagine it, or was there a note of wistfulness in his voice?

  “But what were you in my world?”

  “Do you remember what happened just before you left your body?”

  “I stepped into a circle drawn on an obsidian floor.”

  “Yes, yes. In your world, I was a volcano. Many long ages I stored up great power, then released it in a mighty blast of liquid fire. And you stepped into a circle, you say? That is a mystical shape, indeed. Never beginning, never ending, perpetual motion, perfect stillness. A circle holds great power.”

  “So does everyone who steps into that circle come here? Everyone who makes their dragonmaster vows?”

  More of that golden laughter. “No, no. I said before that there is something unique about you. Can you guess what it is?”

  I thought. Once upon a time, I used to insist there was nothing special about me. And though I wished more now than ever that it were so, the truth was that I did possess a mighty power of my own. I’d needed help, but it was my maejic that brought the red dragons back from Sytchs to Hedra.

  “No, dear child, it is not your power. Yours is a very, very great power, but it is not unique. Can you think of something else?”

  Then I remembered the design within the circle that had flashed. The mark on my face!

  “Yes. It is a heavy burden you bear, but it contains its own magic.”

  “Will I always be able to come to this place? Any time I want?”

  “No. But occasionally, when all the elements are in their right places.”

  Etos’s voice had begun to fade. “Don’t leave me yet!” I cried out.

  “It is not I who leave, but you. Use your strength. Much is asked of those to whom
much is given.”

  And there I was, back in the Chamber of Vows, with an echo of Etos’s voice fading away. Zhantar stood in the center of the second circle, his eyes closed, one hand on my head and the other one raised, palm upward. A look of elation suffused his face. His eyes opened and he looked straight into mine.

  “It is done,” he said.

  My stomach turned into ice. What was done? Had I spoken the words while my spirit and soul danced with Etos?

  “Now, come. Our first task together awaits.” He held out a hand to me.

  I didn’t take it. “I want you to free Mama first.”

  Fire flickered in his eyes. “She is nothing of significance to you now. We are your family.” He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward one of the other doors. I tugged against him, but he was much too strong for me. I tried to summon my maejic to resist him, but my thoughts were too scattered.

  Beyond the door was the beginning of a spiral staircase, and up we went, our steps turning round and round on themselves.

  My thighs burned and I was out of breath by the time we reached the top. Down another corridor, then Zhantar opened a door and we went in. This room was lit only by the moon shining through wide windows that stood open, and the air was filled with the sounds of birds cooing and rustling.

  “Now,” he said as he reached for the latch of the nearest messenger bird’s cage. “You will summon the red dragons.”

  I gasped. “Are you mad?” This was to be my first task? To lure the red dragons to the dragonmasters?

  Zhantar turned on me. He gripped my upper arms and, lifting me off my feet, pushed me backwards against the wall. “You will send a bird for the dragons. You will do it now. You swore fealty to me, and if you disobey me, you will pay so dearly you will wish you were dead. For many, many long years. Just like your father.”

  “Papa?” I cried. “What have you done with Papa?”

  And something strange began to happen. All my anger, all my worry, all my hatred, all my love, everything within me began to coalesce around the maejic that had lain dormant so long. One moment, I was helpless, held pinned to the wall by a man far stronger than I. The next, I was filled with unspeakable power.

  I raised both legs to my chest and kicked them out at Zhantar. The force knocked him across the room. I landed lightly on my feet, as lightly as if I were a trained dancer, and yanked the door open. Zhantar let out a bellow of rage. I stepped into the corridor and pulled the door closed behind me. With both hands gripping the handle, I bid the door stay locked. A bellow of rage informed me that my cast had worked. But I didn’t know how long it would hold. I fled.

  I’m so tired of being treated like a little kid! Yallick is all in charge and never tells me anything, and Oleeda is his right-hand man, well, woman. Breyard is always off with the dragons. Okay, so the truth is that he’s amazing with them, even I can tell that, but still. He’s turning into a military general with the dragons or something. And Grey, well, look what happened to him.

  Then there’s me. It’s like they think I’m just some dumb tagalong with nothing to do with all their powerful plans.

  But I have a part to play in all this, too. I’m sure of it. And I have an idea. I won’t be Lini’s novice much longer; just wait and see.

  We’d come from the right, so I went left. At the end of the corridor was a staircase leading down. Three flights later, the stairs ended in a wide hall. A servant, possibly a doorman, stood near the main entrance. Having heard someone coming down, he was looking straight at me when I stepped into the hall.

  My instinct was to make a run for it—surprise him and get out the door before he quite knew what had happened. Immediately following on that thought, however, was a more sensible one. Better not to do anything that would make him raise the alarm too soon.

  Standing with one hand on the wall, I summoned my maejic and projected a thought at the man. I must have been hearing things. No one is there. I stood, tense and still, waiting to see what would happen while I sent the thought toward the man again. No one is there. To my amazement and relief, he shook his head a little and looked away. Concentrating hard, I sent another thought. I need to check the opposite end of the hall. Maybe the noise was from down there. A breath later, he marched purposefully away from his post.

  I sidled to the front door, turned the handle slowly, all the while thinking I’m sure I heard something down here, eased the door open, and slipped out. Projecting one parting thought of Maybe I did hear something on the stairs, I ran down the drive and into the roadway beyond. I kept running until I made the next turn into a busy street, then slowed down to the same pace as everyone else lest I draw attention to myself.

  “Are you Donavah?”

  My heart nearly stopped, and only the realization that I’d heard the voice speaking inside my head, not with my ears, kept me from dashing away at top speed. It must be an animal, probably a bird. Slowing my steps, I looked around. Pigeons were everywhere, strutting on the ground and scuttling this way and that to keep from being stepped on, sitting on the ledges of the nearby buildings, and flying overhead. But none of them showed any interest in me.

  Then I spotted it: a robin perched on the branch of a tree in a nearby garden, its beady eye fixed directly on me.

  “You best do something about that mark on your face.”

  Oh! I hadn’t even thought about that. No wonder a few people had give me strange looks. I’d thought it was the clothes. I lifted a hand to my cheek as if to scratch an itch and moved toward the nearest wall. With my back to the street, I crouched down, pretending there was something in my boot, and scooped some loose dirt into my hand. I didn’t know how well it would work, but it would have to do. I rubbed the dirt all over my face, paying special attention to the left side, then rubbed more into my clothes as surreptitiously as I could. With luck, now I just looked dirty instead of noteworthy.

  “Better,” said the bird when I stood up. “Yallick sent us to seek you.”

  “Yallick?” A wave of relief washed over me. He must have understood the message. “But how did you find me so fast? I’ve only just escaped.”

  “It is not difficult to find a maejic human, even among so many.”

  My eyes narrowed as I thought of something else. “How do I know you’re not one of Anazian’s birds?” It would be just like him to try to fool me. “Prove you come from Yallick.”

  “Ah, yes. He said to tell you that the dragons are coming to Penwick from Delaron.”

  Delaron! Anazian wouldn’t know that name. And the dragons were here? “Where are they?” I demanded, looking skyward as if I would see them circling overhead.

  “They are not far by wing. But now that I have found you, I must return to the mages. Yallick said that you are to go to the marketplace near the arena if you can get there. He will send someone to meet you in the central gathering place.”

  Just like Yallick, giving orders before doing anything else. “I can get there. How long—” But the bird launched itself from the branch and disappeared into the sky.

  I looked around and caught sight of the greenish stone of the arena straight ahead. With so many the people heading in that direction, they must be going to the marketplace next to it. I stayed as far to the left as I could to try to keep anyone from noticing the mark on my face. It didn’t help to be wearing such unusual clothes, but short of stealing—and I wasn’t about to do that—there was nothing I could do about them.

  A few minutes later, the road ended and the market opened out wide in front of me. So many colors. So many wares. So many people! How would anyone ever find me here?

  “Just do as you were told,” I told myself, then headed for the stalls. I walked slowly, looking at the wares on offer as if I were actually shopping. No one gave me strange looks, so the dirt on my face must be working well enough. People haggled over prices
of cloth, cooking gear, leather goods, and more. The spicy smell of cooking meat from a lunch vendor made my stomach grumble.

  I eventually made my way to the center of the market, where a large square was set up with benches and tables. I found a likely spot in a corner where I could sit inconspicuously and watch the people coming and going.

  A newsboy’s voice rose above the hum of the chattering people. “King to hold extravaganza tomorrow to celebrate Summer Solstice. Tax increase for textiles. Unexplained shortage of cooking oils.”

  Many people groaned. A woman sitting near me punched one hand into the palm of the other. “That’s it. My poor darling Agi won’t be able to afford a new dress for her wedding now.”

  Her friend patted her shoulder in consolation. “But the king can afford his ‘extravaganza.’ As if it weren’t on our backs that he makes himself rich.”

  A man at the table next to them leaned over. “They call that shortage ‘unexplained’ but we all know how the king manipulates the supply to his own advantage. Bah! All these new taxes have driven my old papa out of business. Now he’s moved in with my family, though we don’t have the room or the money for another mouth to feed. But when it’s family, what can you do?”

  The grumbling continued. Nobody seemed inclined to pay the newsboy to hear the stories in full and he moved on, his voice fading quickly. No one cared about the big extravaganza tomorrow, either.

  Summer Solstice! I couldn’t believe it was already here. It had always been my favorite holiday: being able to stay up late, watching the village magician cast her most exciting spells, feasting into the wee hours, dancing and singing. This year, my friend Marileesa back at Roylinn Academy would be singing in the ensemble. I’d been so excited for her, and now I would miss her performance.

  The man sitting next to me rose to his feet, stretched, and strode out of the square to join the stream of people walking past. An old woman with her back bent under a heavy sack came over and sat down. Easing her bag to the ground, she gave me a friendly nod, and with a start, I realized it was Tebina.