by A D Lombardo
The Lumens had not stolen the light—merely pushed it away, and hidden some deeper within itself. Kai followed the border of light and dark. An empty void surrounded them. It was as if a thick blanket covered their location, enveloping the river and the surrounding landscape. High in the hills, he found the third waterfall free and clear of the blackout. Mentally he drew a line between the river he could sense on his level behind them and traced it east upriver to the third set of falls.
He knew where they were and where they needed to go. They needed to head back north. Back toward the river. They had made no progress. On the boat, Yulia showed them how to pull at the energy from the storm. Weaken it. There was no storm from which to draw power. There had to be another answer.
Could he pull at the magic around the blackout? He wanted to try, but the idea of revealing his new-found clarity held him back. If he weakened the border, the Guardians might know he had discovered their illusion. No, he could not risk giving them any information.
Focused on Smoke, Kai pushed his energy specifically at his wolf. A faint white glow emanated through the blackness. He saw Smoke’s outline. He felt their connection. Thrilled, he opened his eyes. “We need to continue east, but slowly move north. Let’s go, I’ll explain along the way.”
After securing his supply pack, he pushed his thoughts to Smoke. Obediently his wolf darted off between the trees. Concerned, Rayna tilted her head. “Where is Smoke going?” she twisted her neck to watch for Smoke.
“All this time, we foolishly relied on the trail to guide us, relying on our eyes. We both tried to glean, but it was a futile attempt to survey our surroundings. As you said, they’ve had time to prepare this place.”
Rayna nodded. “I see your point, but how does this help us?”
Kai smiled. He knew even the Katori had limits. “You said it earlier, we need to change our perspective. Smoke can hear the waterfall, even though we are several miles away.”
“So he could lead us back to the falls.” Rayna stroked Smoke’s back.
“Well, yes, but that is not what I had in mind. There is a wolf pack that lives north of Albey and they hunt the land between here and Chenowith. Each summer, they find me. If they are near, Smoke can find them.”
Rayna squinted her eyes. “I suppose it is worth a try. I can only imagine the Beastmasters will attack us at some point. It would be good to have reinforcements.”
A howl echoed through the hills. No return call. “We need to climb. In my mind, I can see the third waterfall. The Guardians do not hide it yet. We must walk that way. It means we must climb those rocks. I must simply hold tight in my mind the angle of the river to each waterfall.”
Thankful for the bond between him and his wolf, Kai hopped up onto the rocks and pulled Rayna along. He leaped to the next spot and offered her a hand. They climbed up two more boulders and found a small crevasse, a deep open crack in the rocks. From their view, the crack widened and led into a narrow passage between two rock walls.
“This looks like an easy way to get back on track.” Kai pointed along the route ahead.
“How will Smoke be able to follow us?” Rayna questioned.
“He knows we are going to the third waterfall. Animals have a much better sense of direction. Our scent is not only on the ground but in the air—that is how they hunt. He will find us,” he assured her.
“See there, the stone begins to open up wider and wider.” Rayna pointed the way. “The ground down there is even and smooth. Plus, that is northeast.”
Pleased with the new course selected, Rayna insisted on going first. Twisted sideways, they squeezed between the rocks and climbed down. The confined space was barely large enough for Kai’s muscular chest. When he slid through the opening, he took in a deep breath. They were out and headed in the right direction.
Ahead on the path, Rayna pointed; sunlight streaked through the trees above. Kai was happy to see the blue sky again. It was the first opening in the trees they had seen in a while. The opening above continued to expand as they walked, as did the space around them. The rock walls rose up on either side and eventually widened enough for them to walk side by side. Kai took stock of the area.
The air had a metallic earthy smell. Dim, filtered sunlight hardly reached down into the canyon. Even though the area where they walked was nearly fifteen feet wide, the rising cliffs kept the sun from reaching the soil.
The more Kai looked, the more it seemed like the dirt was freshly brushed. Bewildered, he also noticed there were no pine needles, no acorns, even though pine and oak trees towered above them. There were no decaying leaves, except for those close to the wall’s edge. Upon further study, he noticed that no moss covered the rocky walls around them. They had not walked downhill, but the walls were getting taller.
He wasn’t sure if this should worry him. Interrupting his thought, off in the distance he heard a wolf howl. It was barely auditable. With bated breath, he paused and waited for a return call. Still, nothing.
With Smoke running in the opposite direction, Kai felt divided trying to keep them on track. He let go of the connection to Smoke’s location. Finding the alpha and his pack was a long shot, but they could make all the difference when the Beastmasters came to challenge them.
Kai heard a faint rustling in the trees, followed by a high-pitch whistle. He knew that sound, an eagle’s call. Again the trees rustled. A large looming shadow streaked across the tree canopy into the open sky above, confirming his assumption. The eagle circled twice, then flew off. “We are being watched,” Kai whispered.
“Well, that’s not creepy at all. Are you sure this is the way we should be going?” She glanced left and right at the rock walls.
To be honest, he wasn’t sure. What if there was another way? Without being able to glean the forest, he had no idea about anything. “We are going in the right direction, though I cannot say if this is the easiest path.”
Kai felt the hollowness in his response. It was his responsibility to protect them and get them through this, but he did not feel confident at all right now.
Monitoring the edge of the blackout, he noticed a shift in the border. The circle now encompassed the third waterfall. “They are on the move. The Lumens have shifted their locations. The circle they create has now encompassed our destination. ” Gutted, he tossed up his hands. “I should have foreseen this and been prepared.”
Rayna arched her neck. “Don’t worry, I know in general where we are going.” She pointed up into the trees. “Do you see those dark purplish leaves? They grow on a Poni-euca tree, known for its dark foliage and rainbow bark. I noticed them before we climbed down. All we need to do is keep them in front of us.”
“Well done, Rayna,” he felt relieved she’d thought to observe their current surroundings while he focused on the distance. “Seems your study of plants has more uses than we knew.” Kai took her by the hand and charged forward, the purple leaves guiding their way.
One step later, a rumble started to build beneath their feet. Kai grabbed for Rayna. Earlier in the day, the mountain had grumbled. This time Rayna heard it too, her eyes filled with fear. Then they felt the ground shake. Small rocks tumbled down from above. Tiny dust particles plumed into the sun’s rays above them. The sound grew louder, and the falling stones became larger until they were as large as his fist. Afraid he took Rayna’s hand. “Run.” He yelled, pulling her along.
They dodged falling rocks, and the ground in front of them began to shake and shift. Rayna stumbled and let go of Kai’s hand. He stopped to help her to her feet. “The walls. They are closing in on us!” he shouted through the din. “We must find a way up.”
Rayna turned to go back the way they’d come but stopped. “We have come too far to go back. There is no end in sight either way.” She froze and looked to him.
Kai grasped her arm, but he didn’t know what to do next. “Wait.” He let his eyes trail the walls from top to bottom. “Wait,” he repeated, swatting away a few falling rocks.
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br /> She pulled at her wrist, trying to break free of his grasp. “Let me go. We have to run back, or we’ll be crushed!” she shouted.
Kai reached around her waist and pulled her close. Their eyes locked together. “Do you trust me?” he asked, pushing a feeling of calm to her.
Frozen in fear, tears ran down her soft cheeks. Rayna’s brown eyes locked on Kai’s. She watched them turn from their usual deep blue to green. Her breathing slowed. “I trust you. What do we do?” She wiped the tears from her face.
If he had been thinking ahead, maybe he would have seen this coming. Doubt clouded his mind. The pressure to find a way out hung around his neck. The metallic, earthy smell intensified with the shifting rocks. That is what he’d smelled earlier. Stones scraping over damp earth had created this smell. He would need to remember the smell.
Kai watched the various levels closing inward. Staggered interlocking tiers of stone jutted out from each side. They looked like stone teeth, ready to devour them. Slow and steady, they moved. He studied the ground. She was right, the canyon was going to clamp shut around them. He thought again about how the Guardians had had time to prepare this place. The test was about fear and control. Everything in his gut told him the Katori people were warriors, yes—but, killers no. “This is the work of Stonekings. They are moving the stone walls around us. They must be close by.”
Above them, the trees were closing the gap. The sunlight was fading. “Could we climb up the sides?” Rayna’s finger bounced up the jutted rock formation.
He contemplated her idea. “Yes, I think we can.” He pulled her along. “Step where I step.”
Kai leaped onto a low protruding rock and pulled Rayna with him. The ground continued to shift and grumble. He pointed to the next jump. She hopped the gap and fell to her knees. Taking a step back, Kai ran and jumped, landing safely on the next tier. He pulled Rayna to her feet. The other side was getting closer, and they still had a long climb to get out.
The next level was above their heads. Kai hoisted Rayna onto his shoulder, and she climbed up. With another step back, he stood on the far edge of his current level. He ran diagonally at the wall, pushed off, and reached up with his hands. His hands locked onto the stone ledge, and Kai pulled himself up, joining Rayna.
He looked for the next level. “That ledge is too high,” she insisted, pointing across to the other side. “There, that is the next jump, but it is ten feet across. There is no way we can make that!”
Above them, the walls were closing in. Did they risk waiting for the other side to get closer? Or climb up the wall on this side. Kai wasn’t sure. Beside them, the steep wall was filled with tiny cracks and crevasses. “We can’t wait, too risky. We climb here.” He pointed. “Get on my back, I will carry you. It’s not that far to the next level.” He crouched down.
Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs clamped tight to his sides. He stood and reached one hand up. He jammed his foot into a crack and began to climb. Above he felt another crag in the stone; he pulled them higher. Dust fell from above and caught him in the face. He shook his head. Oh, how he wished he could use his sight to climb.
Rayna dusted debris from her eyes. Kai reached for the next crack in the wall. On his left, there was a small ledge; he reached his leg over and stepped up and grabbed a thick root jutting out between the stones. Again, he found another spot for his foot and pushed up. Finally, Rayna tapped his shoulder. “I can make it from here.”
Kai held fast, and Rayna climbed up his back, tugging the exposed roots. Once she reached the next level, he jumped up beside her. The ground shook harder, and the stones closed in. Now the gap was only five feet apart, but they had another twelve feet to climb. Rayna did not hesitate—she hopped across the gap to the next level, then up one and over again. Kai quickly followed suit. Back and forth, they leaped, up and over and back. Around them, the ground rumbled and shook.
When they reached the top, Rayna ran from the edge with Kai hot on her heels. He took her by the hand, and they ran through the trees. Twigs and pine needles crunched beneath their feet. When she slipped on the damp leaves, Kai dropped down beside her. “We made it through the Weathervanes storm and now the Stonekings rock obstacle course, and the Lumens test of our dependency on gleaning.”
Rayna dusted off her hands. “So, that leaves the Beastmasters and the Kodama. I get how the Beastmasters might fight us, but how could the Kodama use plants and healing to test us?”
“I’d say they have been shifting more than rocks around. There is new growth everywhere.”
She touched the bright green ivy beneath her knees. “I suppose we are not meant to run these tests in one day. If you had weeks to be lost in the forest, this would be almost easier.”
They were exhausted. Sweat rolled down his back. He didn’t want to think about what might have happened. While they lay there, he heard stone grinding against one another, and then the ground fell silent. He opened his mouth to comment about their insane climb, but a wolf’s howl interrupted him. They listened in silence. A return howl echoed through the trees, followed by multiple wolf calls. Smoke was returning with the alpha.
“What a relief,” Kai sighed, placing a hand on Rayna’s shoulder.
He stopped to meditate and focus his own internal power. It was something the Lumens could not take from him. He needed to search for Smoke. He caught his wolf and the wild pack moments before they were consumed by the blackout. Still, Kai meditated on gathering his strength while thinking of Smoke. Focused on the memory of his companion, he channeled his energy in the direction he’d heard the howls.
Miles away, he felt the connection and saw an iridescent glow wash over Smoke. For a few seconds, he saw their approach. They were closing in fast and would reach them within moments. Now that the ground had stopped shaking, he could hear the rush of the waterfall. They were close.
Back on their feet, they walked in the direction of the river. The sound grew louder, and the trees thinned. To their delight, they were now well above the second set of falls. Thank goodness, Kai thought. He did not want to have to re-climb any more today. At least they had made some progress.
As the ground ahead slanted upward, rays of indirect sunlight filtered through the trees. The think foliage made walking a challenge, but it was good to know they were going the right way.
Smoke and the alpha bounded through the underbrush behind them. Relieved, Kai knelt with pleasure to welcome his old friends. Smoke leaned into Rayna. “How are the wolves meant to help us? I am not sure I understand…” She lowered her hand to the alpha, and he sniffed her fingers.
“My strategy is to use Smoke and the wolves in a way I hope the Katori Guardians will not anticipate.”
“Wait,” she interrupted him. “Can’t all Beastmasters connect with animals? They will know you are using Smoke.”
“True, they might think I was communicating with him, so I will keep him close to us. But I share my mother’s rare gift of focusing on someone and bouncing light off them to find their location. If I can ricochet my magic off the pack, I could use them as beacons. Each wolf could be set along a route pointing to the third waterfall. They can find us a clear path.”
Rayna raised an eyebrow. “Sounds complicated...”
“Good to see you, old friend.” Kai counted the other wolves. “Two new pups. Your pack has grown since last summer.”
The alpha licked Kai’s face before he set off into the woods. Through their connection, Kai sent Smoke and the pack ahead. They needed to find a path to the third set of falls. Kai did his best to stay connected to Smoke while he kept the river within earshot. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long before dense foliage and thorny underbrush pushed Kai and Rayna back into the forest.
Chapter 5
Dragon’s Breath
This time, Kai refused to go too deep into the woods. They took any chance they had to climb a rock or traverse a small stream. There would not be a repeat of losing ground, trampin
g too far south. However, when they came to a large stone wall, he paused. He leaned against the rock, frustrated that it seemed to stretch on forever. His sweaty forehead rested against the cold stone.
“Are you alright, Kai?” Rayna asked.
“I chose wrong,” he confessed as doubt consumed him. “I just don’t know what I am doing. Maybe we should have kept the pack closer. Since I am unable to glean, I do not know how they got around this wall. Is there an easy way up? A place to jump?” He stepped back a few paces and wiped dirt from his face. The disturbed pine needles beneath his feet told him an animal had turned here. “I am not a tracker, I don’t know which way they went. “He shook his head. “We cannot venture back south,” he felt deflated with all his choices now.
Rayna ran her hand down his arm and took hold of his hand. “We climb up here. It seems if the wolves could have, they would have gone up here. This doesn’t look any harder than the other things we’ve climbed today. I think we can follow that ledge all the way back to the river.”
Her confidence in him quieted the doubt wrestling in his mind. “You’re right, this wall can’t be more than ten feet high. The ledge will get us out of the undergrowth and make for easy walking. Not sure what is farther up the wall, but the ledge will work.”
Bent down, Kai interlocked his fingers. Rayna placed her foot in his hands and grabbed his shoulders. “On the count of three. 1—2—3.”
He heaved her upwards. She grabbed the narrow lip and stepped with one foot, then the other. Within reach, she found a rock rim and pulled herself upward to the next ledge. Once on her feet, she called down to Kai. “Your turn.”
Kai backed away from the cliff face to study the cracks and crags in the rocks. He noticed the nooks Rayna had used. Ready, he charged at the wall and jumped. One foot landed on a small lip, and his hand caught a crevice within the rock face.
He shifted his weight and reached for another handhold. After he swung his leg up to reach the next jagged rock, he was able to reach the top (for what good it did). They were now on a narrow ledge, scarcely the width of Kai’s shoulders. Staring at the way forward, he took a few steps. “At least this ledge goes towards the river.”