As Conor drifted off to sleep, he heard the leopard purr in agreement.
Dawn was already breaking when a voice pierced through Conor’s dream of running down the hillside toward his home in Eura.
“Wake up, sleepyheads!” Rollan commanded. His hands were on the rocks at the entrance of the cave as he climbed inside. Daylight streamed in from behind him. “Don’t you want to see that field full of skulls and drain the demon’s blood? Mwahaha!”
“Rollan, give them a minute.” Meilin swung her legs over the small barrier wall and walked into the cave.
Conor opened one eye, wishing he could have five more minutes of sleep. It had been a long time since he’d seen his family, and he liked having them pop up in his dreams.
“Someone has a ton of energy,” Xanthe remarked from deeper in the cave.
“You aren’t kidding,” Anka grumbled, clearly visible to everyone. Conor assumed she’d placed Toey in passive state. Perhaps even Anka liked to be seen once in a while.
“I think Jhi’s influence made Rollan a little too well rested,” Meilin said. “He’s been chirping like this the whole walk here.” Meilin pulled out her canteen and took a small sip of water. “Mental note for next time.”
“Funny.” Rollan stayed outside the cave and looked up at the mountain. “Did you notice that the path ends up ahead? Looks like we’ll have to find a different way to get to the face in the mountain.”
“Yeah, about that.” Conor rubbed the back of his stiff neck. “Xanthe had an idea, but I’m not sure if—”
“Why don’t we just tell them and let them decide for themselves.” Xanthe drew closer, wearing Abeke’s cloak to shield her from the soft morning sun.
“What’s the idea?” Meilin glanced from Abeke to Conor, then back to Abeke.
“We were thinking that going around will probably take a couple of days,” Abeke explained. “And if there are some sort of traps that gave the valley of death its name, they’d probably be on the typical paths around or over the mountains.”
“So Xanthe found a different way?” Meilin looked over at Xanthe for more information.
“Well, last night I explored the cave a bit.” She motioned behind her where one of the tunnels grew dark. “And that one extends deep into the center of the mountain.”
“Uh-huh.” Meilin waited for more, but Xanthe didn’t say anything else. “But it ends, right? So we can’t go through.”
“Oh, wait. I get it.” Rollan’s expression changed. He snapped his fingers. “You want me to get us through the rest of it.”
“I already explained that we’ve faced a similar situation before,” Conor stated. “And we decided we couldn’t use it because it was too risky. And nothing has changed.”
“But it has changed. It was different with Worthy.” Abeke stroked Uraza, who remained curled up on the blanket. “The cave was completely unstable back then. Any movement could’ve caused the whole thing to collapse. That’s not the case here. And Rollan’s gotten much better at using the bond token, too.”
“I am pretty good at using it.” Rollan ran his hand along the inside wall of the cave. “But I wouldn’t be able to make a tunnel like I did when we were underground. There I only had to shift the dirt and sand.” He knocked on the stone. “This is too solid.”
“So that’s that.” Abeke stood up, pushed Uraza off, and shook out the blanket. “We go around and brace ourselves for whatever’s out there.”
Rollan pulled out a loose stone from the wall. “But maybe I can make enough cracks where we can take out the rocks and make our own tunnel.”
“Rollan.” Meilin pulled him aside. “Do you even know how to do that? This would probably be a lot harder than moving dirt, and if you mess up—”
“I won’t mess up.” He sidestepped Meilin to speak directly to Xanthe. “Do you know how far we’d have to go?”
“I tried to get a feel of the cave’s vibrations like in Sadre. It’s not the same because this is aboveground, but I think I could direct you to where there’s another cave that comes in from the other side of the mountain. There’s about ten feet or so of solid rock between them, though.”
“So I’d have to make enough cracks where we can create a tunnel between the two caves.” Rollan pursed his lips and nodded. “Yeah, I think I can do that … but I should practice first.” He pulled out the Heart of the Land from under his shirt and lifted the chain over his head. He clutched the amulet in his hand and pushed against the cave wall. A rumbling and creaking noise filled the air.
“Whoa!” Meilin shouted. “Stop!”
Rollan yanked his fist away from the wall. Cracks resembling a spiderweb had already formed, boring into the stone. He dug his fingertips around one of the larger splintered pieces of rock and jostled it back and forth. Then he pulled it out, leaving behind a hole several inches deep.
“Hey, this might actually work!” Conor exclaimed.
“You doubted me?” Rollan smirked.
“Didn’t doubt you,” Conor explained. “I doubted the mountain.”
“Uraza,” Abeke called to the leopard. “I think it’ll be easier if you make the journey in passive state.”
Conor glanced over at Briggan. “You too, boy.”
Both animals stepped forward and disappeared, emerging as tattoos on their respective partners.
“I’m not even going to bother asking Essix,” Rollan said. “She’ll either fly around and find us, or she’ll follow us through the tunnel.”
“So let’s get started,” Xanthe said, ready to lead the way. “You’ll have to light the lantern. It gets very dark in there.”
The group gathered their things and walked into the center of the mountain, following Xanthe through several twists and turns. Eventually, they reached the dead end Xanthe had mentioned.
“All right, then.… Here we go.” Rollan struck the cave wall with the side of his fist while clutching the Heart of the Land.
The mountain rumbled and groaned with every hit as cracks splintered the wall. Piece by piece, bit by bit, the group took chunks out of the mountain. It was slow and tedious work that, after several hours, left many of their fingers bleeding.
“We’re through!” Abeke yelled when a piece of cave wall fell back into the opening on the other side.
Conor and Meilin pushed the remaining rocks and boulders until they could all crawl through the hole. A long, winding tunnel led them to an opening where daylight streamed in. The five Greencloaks and Xanthe stood side by side, looking out at a mountain on the opposite side of the green valley down below.
“There it is.” Xanthe pointed to a part of the mountain that looked like a man’s profile. “The face in the mountain that Sodu described seeing and that Tembo wrote about.”
It was unmistakable. The wind had chiseled out the curve of his forehead, the sunken area of his eyes, the steep angle of his nose, and a very prominent chin.
Conor gazed at the valley below, filled with bushes and a few acacia trees. There was a small stream running down the center of it. It was all very peaceful. Nothing like the barren wasteland he had imagined. “And is that supposed to be the valley of death?” he muttered.
“Doesn’t quite live up to its name, huh?” Abeke replied.
“Meh, you never know.” Rollan grabbed a small rock and threw it as far as he could. “It could be a trap to lull you into thinking nothing is wrong and then … Whack! Your head is chopped off.”
“I can’t see much right now.” Xanthe was shielding her eyes, the hood of Abeke’s cloak pulled low so it nearly covered her nose. “Do any of you see skulls?”
“No,” Meilin answered. “But maybe it’s been so long that they’re all buried by now.”
Conor looked back at Xanthe. She had stepped farther inside the cave to avoid the direct midday sun. Even with Abeke’s cloak as protection, she wouldn’t be able to hike in the daytime for too long. “Maybe we should wait until it gets dark. Head out then.”
“No, you
can’t waste any time,” Xanthe answered without hesitation. “I’ll only be slowing you down from this point on. You have to go without me.”
“But we can’t leave you here.” Abeke’s voice was full of concern. “Nilo can be a dangerous place, especially if you’re alone. You have the hyenas and other animals out here. Never mind the Oathbound.”
“I’m a warrior.… I can take care of myself,” Xanthe answered, taking another step back. “And I really should go back to see Takoda. Let him know that I’m safe.” She retreated even farther into the dark cave. “I’ll travel at night and I’ll be fine. But you need to go finish your mission. My job was to get you to this point.”
Meilin gave Xanthe a small nod of gratitude. “Thank you for helping us.”
Abeke wasn’t convinced. “But maybe Xanthe can wait and—”
“Good luck, my friends.” Xanthe waved to them. “I hope our paths cross again soon.” She turned and ran back into the cave.
“Guess she didn’t want to discuss it anymore,” Anka said, calling out Toey, who scampered up her cloak. Within seconds Anka’s form faded from view as her skin and clothes blended against the side of the mountain.
“Xanthe understands that this is important.” Meilin pointed to a way down toward the valley. “Now, let’s stay alert for any traps.”
Rollan and Anka followed Meilin, while Conor stayed behind with Abeke for a moment.
“I had the vision again,” he whispered. “Last night.”
“The one with the big tidal wave?”
Conor nodded. “I’m watching from somewhere up high, and I can see the ocean pull away just before the wave comes barreling toward me. I just wish I knew more about what it means or the circumstances around it.”
“You can’t force that kind of thing.” Abeke touched his arm. “You have to be patient.”
Conor gave her a smile. “You sound like Master Naveb.”
“He definitely had some insight into each of us.” Abeke paused. “Well, most of us. He didn’t have much to say about Anka.”
“He may not have remembered that she was there. She’s pretty good at making people forget about her.”
“ABEKE! CONOR!” Meilin shouted. She had reached the valley floor and was holding her sword high above her head.
Conor and Abeke sprinted down the mountain, calling out Briggan and Uraza as they ran. As both animals appeared, neither one hesitated. Each took a fraction of a second to assess the situation and race to whatever had confronted the others down below.
In his mind, Conor braced himself for what he might find. He imagined the ground covered with half-rotten skulls and something that might put his own head in jeopardy. A trap, a ferocious animal, a vicious attacker, or something completely indescribable. But he was not prepared for what he saw as he drew closer to the valley.
It was Rollan. He was sitting in the middle of the field … laughing hysterically.
Uraza and Briggan were pacing around all the bushes, looking as confused as Conor felt.
“What are you doing?” Abeke spun around, trying to understand what was so funny.
“The field of skulls.” Rollan cupped his hand under the stem of one of the large plants. “Look!”
Conor drew closer and noticed the dried seedpods that clung to the stem. Each one looked like a small brown skull. The entire valley was full of them.
Meilin swung her sword against another plant, knocking several of the seedpods into the air. “This is what we were so worried about.” She spun around, taking a swipe at another bush. “A bunch of dried-up plant parts.”
“Snapdragons,” Abeke confirmed. “It didn’t even occur to me. When the flowers die and fall away, what’s left behind are the seedpods that look like skulls.”
“And here I was thinking that there would be traps trying to chop our heads off.” Rollan stood and shook the dirt off his pants. “Makes me think that there may not be a demon to kill, either.”
Uraza and Briggan had relaxed and were now simply inspecting the area.
Conor looked around for something that might resemble a demon. All he could see were more of the snapdragon plants and, on the other side of the valley, the small mountain with the face jutting out.
“Those trees.” Abeke trekked through the snapdragon plants, mesmerized by something. Conor, Meilin, Rollan, and Anka all followed as she crossed the valley and got to the foot of the opposite mountain. “Up there. There’s a cluster of them on that ridge.”
“You think it has something to do with demons?” Conor tilted his head as if trying to see them from a different angle.
“They are the demons.” Abeke smiled. “Demon trees that bleed red sap.”
“So that’s the blood we have to drain?” Rollan looked relieved. “Plain old tree sap? I’m really liking this part of the mission. Tembo had a good sense of humor.”
“Although it looks like we might have to do some rock climbing to get up there.” Abeke stared at the sheer cliff.
“Rollan and I will do it,” Meilin said. She slipped off her bag and dug around inside it.
“Um, it might be nice if you asked before volunteering me.” Rollan pointed to Conor’s bag. “And if you’re looking for the ropes, they’re over there.”
“I can go with you, Meilin,” Abeke offered. “It shouldn’t be hard to get the sap.… Just nick the tree and attach one of our canteens to collect it. It might take a while, though. We’ll probably have to stay up there until tomorrow, because the sap can drip pretty slowly.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t go,” Rollan clarified. “Just that I’d like to be asked, not told. And it does make more sense for me and Meilin to go up.”
Conor and Abeke exchanged a quick glance and smiled. They both knew that Rollan liked the idea of spending some time alone with Meilin.
“What?” Rollan protested. “It’s better if the two people going up are tied together, and a counterbalance works best if both people are similar in weight … in case either one falls, the other will be able to support them. Remember what happened when we were scaling the walls to get the Wildcat’s Claw? That’s why I’m saying it. Meilin and I are closer in size.”
“Riiight,” Conor said in mock deference. “It’s just science.”
Rollan had a broad smile on his face as he glanced at Meilin. “Exactly.”
SCALING MOUNTAINS WAS NOT ONE OF ROLLAN’S FAVORITE things to do, but it wasn’t the worst, either. It ranked somewhere between eating seal fat and swimming in the ocean at night. But he did like spending time with Meilin. That made the climb worthwhile.
“Watch your step over here.” Rollan inched his way along a long, narrow foothold where only the tips of his toes fit. “Putting another anchor in.” He lodged the metal anchor into a crack in the mountain and slipped the rope that connected the two of them through it. This was much safer than when they had used vines to get to the Wildcat’s Claw.
“All right!” Meilin called out. She was taking out the anchors every time she got to one so they could reuse them later on. Eventually she would collect all seven and either take over the lead or hand them back to Rollan.
They were about halfway to the ridge and making decent time. Up above them, Rollan could see plenty of handholds and a couple of narrow ledges where they’d be able to stop, rest, and catch their breaths before continuing to climb.
“How about I go up through here?” Rollan turned to look over his shoulder at Meilin. “Meilin?”
He followed the rope and saw Meilin was already higher than he was, scaling up the mountain. “This way is better,” she shouted down. “There are more crevices for the anchors over here. Shift back.”
Rollan was about to argue that he was supposed to be leading, but it was pointless. Meilin was already putting in the second anchor. It would be more dangerous to have her come back down.
He took a careful step sideways along the tiny ledge.
No, he was definitely going to say something. They were a team. Decision
s needed to be made together. Meilin had a habit of forgetting that.
“Hey, Meilin, you can’t just take off and expect me to follow. We’re supposed to be a unit.” A rock bounced off the mountain from above, narrowly missing him as it came tumbling down.
“Yeah, but this way up was better,” she insisted.
Rollan plucked off an anchor and continued along the ledge, his frustration rising with every backtracking step he took. “Doesn’t matter. It’s not only you up here. You aren’t back in Zhong giving orders like some sort of Imperial Guard.”
Meilin stopped climbing and looked back at Rollan. “That’s not fair. You know I’m not like that.” Another rock tumbled from above. “Plus, I’ve been trying—”
A flurry of rocks the size of Rollan’s fist smashed against the mountainside, interrupting Meilin. But this wasn’t a rockslide from above. No, these rocks were being aimed at them from below.
Rollan looked down and saw several people jumping out from beneath the snapdragon bushes … slingshots in their hands. They weren’t wearing the black that the Oathbound normally wore, but that didn’t make them any less dangerous.
Farther back, Abeke, Conor, and their spirit animals charged across the field to do battle with the slingshot-wielding menaces. He and Meilin needed to get down there to help.
“ROLLAN!” Meilin yelled as the rocks stopped. She was pointing to a ledge high above them.
A flurry of arrows whizzed by Rollan’s head, headed toward the valley.
Rollan looked up at the ridge. Several people dressed in loose-fitting, sand-colored clothing stood on the edge, with bows aimed at the valley below. Rollan followed the arrows’ path and saw them land right in front of his friends. Conor and Abeke split apart, scrambling to find cover.
Essix swooped down from the sky and attacked one of the men. The archer swung wildly with his bow, using it like a bludgeon to fight her off. Rollan could hear the man scream as Essix raked her sharp talons across his face.
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