by Brandon Mull
“We’ll save your sister,” Cole said.
“Will we?” Mira asked. “None of us have any idea how to go up against an echomancer.”
“I’ve meant to talk to you about that,” Cole said. “Your sisters didn’t want you to go after them. Not you personally, at least. They didn’t think the risk made sense. They want you to send people. The echo who helped us gave me the same advice. He said nobody should go to Gamat Rue. Maybe we should recruit some help.”
Mira set down her flask and smoothed her hands over her shirt. Her expression grew calm before speaking, but Cole had a feeling she was exercising restraint. “Thank you, Cole. I appreciate your concern. It makes sense to try to get help. Maybe we can find somebody. I wasn’t saying that I’m giving up.” Tears came to her eyes. “Or maybe I was, a little. Cole, part of me wants this to end at Gamat Rue, just to be done. I want this to be over. But it isn’t fair to take everybody with me. And it isn’t fair to give up on Tessa! Why’d she have to get drawn into this?”
Mira buried her face in her hands and shook with sobs. Cole wasn’t sure how to respond. He drew near and put an arm around her. She leaned into him, which he took as a good sign.
As Mira continued to cry, his heart ached. He felt bad for her, and for Tessa, and for himself, and for Jenna. Things really were terrible. But you couldn’t just sink to the bottom! You had to keep coming up for air.
“Nobody is leaving you,” Cole said.
Mira brought her sobbing under control. Leaning away from Cole, she wiped snot from below her nose. “You know where to find Jenna. We’re going the wrong way.”
“I’ll worry about Jenna later,” Cole said. “She’s not in immediate danger.”
“If you get killed, who helps her?” Mira asked.
“Dalton.”
“What if you both get killed?”
“I don’t know,” Cole said, not wanting to face the question. “She’ll do her best. Nazeem wants me. What if I lead him to her? We’ll take care of your stuff first. If we beat your dad and Nazeem and Owandell, then I can really work on helping all the kids who were taken.”
“That’s a lot of optimism.”
“I’m not saying we’ll succeed,” Cole said with a laugh.
She laughed too.
“It’s the plan that makes the most sense to me,” Cole said. “If we’re drowning, it seems like the shortest distance to the surface.”
“I guess,” Mira said.
“At least right now we’re between waves,” Cole said, looking around. “We can breathe tonight, right?”
“Can we?” Mira asked. “I mean, mentally it doesn’t stop. So many people are after us. Terrible things are ahead of us. The stars are gone. Who knows how Tessa is suffering?”
“You weren’t like this before,” Cole said. “You’re extra worried about Tessa.”
Mira squinted and teared up. “She’s so little. Thinking of her in hiding was all right. She doesn’t deserve to be hunted. Nobody ever really treated her like a person. Because of her gift, you know? I think I was her only friend. My poor little sister.”
“I’ll save her, Mira,” Cole said. “I promise.” The words brought a feeling of irrational bravery, like when he had jumped at the cyclops or charged the Rogue Knight. Something about protecting people brought out the best in him.
Mira looked at him through her tears. “I hope so. You’re a good friend.”
“You’re a good sister,” Cole said. “Now wipe your face before Jace decides I’m abusive.”
“I’m not a crier,” she professed.
“Obviously,” Cole joked.
“Save it,” Mira said, her normal personality returning a bit. “Not a word to anybody.”
“As long as you think about sitting this one out,” Cole said.
Real anger entered her eyes. “Cole, all I have is saving my sisters. It’s my fight, and it’s all I have. Do you think I care about surviving? I haven’t cared about that for a long time. I only worry about failing them. I could get captured or killed just as easily in hiding. If I go down, I want to be helping them.”
“Die bravely,” Cole said.
“The Sky Raiders had some things right.”
“Too bad our Jumping Swords don’t work. I’d feel a little braver.”
“Get your power back,” Mira encouraged.
“I keep trying. Still nothing.”
“We’ll find a way.”
Cole smiled. “Look at you being optimistic.”
Mira shrugged. “It beats crying into our water flasks.”
* * *
A tidy cottage came into view the third day on the trail. Joe spotted it first, a few hundred yards ahead, halfway up the next incline, nestled among lush evergreens. Before they could move out of sight, a figure came to the porch and waved at them.
Joe lifted a hand in reply. “We’re in the middle of nowhere,” he said. “Hopefully, this person won’t be trouble.”
“Stay ready for anything,” Hunter said. “Necronum draws some strange hermit types. They live lonely lives muttering to echoes. Not always healthy for the sanity.”
Cole and the others rode up to the cottage. A man awaited them on the porch, his long, graying hair fastened back in a single thick braid. Several sets of wind chimes dangled from the eaves. Without a breeze they hung limp.
“I only get visitors out here during Shiver Moons,” the man greeted. “I seldom see flesh-and-blood people—let alone a band of mostly children. What brings you so deep into the wild?”
Mira and Joe whispered together.
“You have some marks of the Unseen on your walls and on that rain barrel,” Joe said.
The man smiled. “I live far from regular roads. I should have suspected you might be fellow radicals.”
“Do you have the latest code phrase?” Joe asked.
“Probably not the latest,” the man replied. “If you hear it twice?”
“It might be an echo,” Joe said.
“Three times?”
“Kids chanting rhymes.”
“Four?”
“A bore. That’s an older one but it was accurate.”
“I don’t get much contact out here,” the man said. “I remain a sympathizer, but I’ve been inactive for some time. I go by Tuto. My given name is a tongue twister.”
“Let’s hear it,” Cole said.
“Tutoulohavanook,” the man replied. “You must be weary. Let me open my home to you for the night, humble though it may be.”
Joe turned toward Mira. “It would mean stopping early.”
“You’re a weaver?” Mira asked.
“Guilty as charged,” the man replied.
“Talking to a friendly weaver would be worth the time,” Mira said.
Tuto placed a hand on his chest. “I’ll help however I can. I remain devoted to the cause. Please, come inside.”
After tying up the horses, they joined Tuto in his cozy cottage. A footstool and a cask were used as extra chairs. Cole thought Tuto seemed a little overwhelmed by all the people, but he remained good-natured as he gave them water to drink and bowls of what tasted like cool, creamy oatmeal.
Jace left his bowl untouched while he lingered by a wall where a variety of medallions hung on pegs. “Do you make these?” he asked casually.
“I do,” Tuto said. “They ward off echoes.”
“Do they work?” Jace asked.
“Some shysters sell cheap trinkets,” Tuto said. “These are all made with strong weaving.”
“I might be interested,” Jace said, fingering a pendant made of wood, bone, beads, and leather. “We should talk later.”
Tuto turned to Mira. “You wanted to talk to a weaver. How may I be of service?”
“We have to go someplace dangerous,” Mira said. “Gamat Rue.”
Tuto’s jaw dropped. He looked at the others, as if to make sure they were all in agreement on such an absurd idea. “The accursed prison?” he finally asked. “Why?”
“To save somebody,” Mira said.
Tuto sucked in a lot of air through puckered lips and shook his head. “Anybody who got lost there is not coming back. Let it be.”
“We know she went there,” Mira said. “And we know she isn’t dead.”
“How can you be sure?” Tuto asked.
“There are ways to know things,” Mira replied evenly.
Tuto considered her closely. “There are ways, I suppose. You are sure about your ways? This girl is definitely alive? And definitely at Gamat Rue?”
“She was definitely alive a few nights ago,” Mira said. Cole knew Mira meant the last night they had seen Tessa’s star. “And I know she went to Gamat Rue. She may not still be there. If we can’t find her, we need to talk to a certain echo named Ragio.”
Shaking his head, Tuto rubbed his thighs. “You are determined?”
“Completely,” Mira said.
“This person is special?” Tuto asked.
“You have no idea,” Mira said.
“Important to our cause?” Tuto wondered.
Mira glanced at Joe, then over at Cole. “We really need help, so I’m going to tell you a secret. Will you keep it?”
“Yes.”
“You’re a weaver,” Mira said. “Swear by the strongest oath you know.”
“That’s a lot to ask,” Tuto said.
“It’s the price of knowing,” Mira insisted. “It’s a secret vital to the rebellion. Just keep the secret, and the oath won’t matter.”
“All oaths matter,” Tuto said. “But I sense sincerity, and frankly, I’m curious. If I divulge this secret, may my bindings never hold and all my weavings be undone. May all echoes dominate me and the echolands provide no refuge.”
Mira glanced at Hunter.
“Sounds strong to me,” Hunter said.
“The girl in danger is Destiny Pemberton, daughter of Stafford Pemberton,” Mira said.
“Her echo?” Tuto asked, marveling.
“Maybe, but she’s alive,” Mira said. “A strange type of shaping called shapecraft stopped her from aging when her father took her powers. Now her power is returning, and she is on the run.”
“Your words carry the power of truth,” Tuto said somberly. “This is . . . beyond belief. A surviving heir could change the entire complexion of the rebellion.”
“Exactly,” Mira said. “We have to rescue her. How can you help?”
“You give me much to ponder,” Tuto said. He folded his arms and tucked his chin down. When he spoke again, the words came slowly. “A man prepares his whole life for an opportunity like this, never knowing if it will come. A chance to put his principles into action in a way that could make a real and lasting difference. A test of his abilities greater than he would undertake except at extreme need.” He looked to Hunter. “You have weaving abilities, young man?”
“I have some experience,” Hunter said.
“Your power burns bright,” Tuto said. “I’ve not seen such variety. But your weaving is less developed than some of your talents.”
“I’ve had less experience in Necronum than other kingdoms,” Hunter said.
“Yet you can see across to the echolands,” Tuto said. “And you can weave there. Have you stepped across?”
“Not yet,” Hunter said.
Tuto nodded. His gaze returned to Mira. “You need the help of an experienced weaver. If you desire, I will come with you to Gamat Rue.”
Mira smiled. “Thank you. We’d love extra guidance. Have you been there?”
“No, but I have visited some unsettling haunting grounds. I will develop a strategy to get us in and out with the lowest possible risk.” Tuto’s gaze took in everyone in the room. “I cannot guarantee the safety of any who venture there. It is a very real possibility that none of us will survive. Your life could be lost and your echo trapped. The price of failure could be paid not only in this world, but for eons in the afterlife.”
Jace had no color in his face. “The echoes at Gamat Rue can hurt us?” he asked.
“Some powerful echoes can exert their power over a place,” Tuto said. “At the shrines and temples, the weavers of Necronum dedicate spaces where the echolands draw near. At haunting grounds, mighty echoes pull the physical reality of Necronum close to their realm. At Gamat Rue, echoes could harm you, and quite possibly kill you, taking your echo prisoner for ages untold.”
His posture rigid, his eyes not quite hiding the horror inside, Jace nodded. He cleared his throat. “So, how much did you say those pendants cost?”
CHAPTER
11
GAMAT RUE
The ruins of the ancient prison crowned a huge, brushy hill surrounded by dense woods. All roofing had caved in long ago, and many walls had collapsed into grassy heaps of rubble. The irregular fins of stonework that remained rose from the brush in bewildering shapes, leaving the design of the original structure unrecognizable. A few empty windows still contained rusty bars, giving the only clue that the broken ramparts once contained prisoners.
The midday sun glared down from almost directly overhead as Cole and the others gathered at the base of the hill near the edge of the woods. Each of them wore one of Tuto’s pendants, though he had warned that most of the protection would be forfeited by knowingly entering the haunting ground. Jace wore three.
The journey from Tuto’s cottage to Gamat Rue had provided no difficulties. Only forcing their way through the untamed forest around the hill had really slowed them.
“The timing could not be better,” Tuto said. “Here in physical Necronum, the powers of Nandavi should be at their lowest ebb under the noonday sun.”
“So we better get up there,” Jace said, trying to sound relaxed.
“We don’t want to wait too long,” Tuto agreed.
“Somebody should stay with the horses,” Cole said. They had led their mounts through the woods around the hill. “I vote for Dalton.”
“Why me?” Dalton asked, not without some hopefulness.
“In case things go badly, you can go help Jenna,” Cole said.
“Not everyone needs to do this,” Mira said, looking up the long, gentle slope. “Cole? Hunter? Jace? Joe?”
“You should stay,” Jace told Mira. “You’re not a weaver. Why risk it? The revolution could be ruined without you. The rest of us can look for Tessa and Ragio just fine.”
“I’m going,” Mira said resolutely. “That’s final.”
“Then I’m with you,” Jace said without hesitation, though one hand strayed to a feathered pendant.
“I won’t leave your side,” Joe said.
“Me neither,” Cole added.
“I’d love to watch the horses,” Hunter said. “But I’m the only other person with some weaving skills. I better come.”
Dalton looked uncertainly at his horse. “We leave the horses tied up all the time. It won’t be that long.”
“You’re not only watching the horses,” Cole said. “This is for Jenna. And if none of us return, maybe you can find rescuers.”
“Stay,” Mira encouraged. “It makes sense.”
“All right,” Dalton said. “But come back. I don’t want to try to lead seven horses through those woods.”
“Weapons?” Jace asked, hefting his crossbow.
“We’re dealing with echoes,” Tuto said. “Normally, there would be no reason to involve tangible weapons. But at a haunting ground, sometimes echoes can take material form and interact with the matter of the physical world. In such cases, they may become temporarily vulnerable to physical weapons.”
“They can fight us?” Jace asked.
“Potentially,” Tuto said. “An echo might hurl a stone, or knock over a wall, or even push you directly.”
“He’s right,” Hunter said. “I’ve heard stories.”
Jace looked a little peaked. Cole clapped him on the arm. “At least we might be able to stab them. Better than nothing, right?”
Face valiantly composed, Jace gave a nod.
They hiked up the hillside. Cole could picture that in the dark, the eroded remains of the ancient prison could be scary. But under the sunlight, walking with friends, it felt more like a field trip.
Tuto halted a few steps downhill from the first broken wall. Scarred blocks littered the brush ahead of him. Tuto pointed at a timeworn chunk of carved masonry.
“The area is marked,” Tuto said. “It’s a warning that we are entering haunted ground. Such a warning further limits our protection. We are knowingly trespassing.”
“So why tell us?” Cole asked.
“There are other warnings around the site,” Tuto said, scanning the area. “Some written in plain language. You’ll feel the difference when we enter the former boundaries of Gamat Rue. Your senses will warn you to depart.”
“What’s our strategy?” Jace asked, trying to sound businesslike, but failing to mask his uneasiness.
“Stay strong,” Tuto said. “The echoes here will take what you give them. Your fear or uncertainty will only encourage them. They may ask for things. They may harass you for trespassing. Agree to nothing. We will collectively maintain that we have a right to be here because they may have harmed Destiny. We will not accept their claim to this place. We will not admit to being trespassers. Standing firm on those issues will make it harder for them to bother us.”
“Can they sense if we’re secretly afraid?” Jace asked.
“Our thoughts and emotions will be at least partially exposed to the echomancer,” Tuto said. “But what you claim to believe still matters. Acting confident carries weight no matter how you privately feel.”
“Could Destiny actually be here?” Mira asked.
Tuto shrugged and raised both hands. “I don’t see any other people around. I suppose there could be unseen dungeons where live prisoners are held. We’ll know more once we enter Gamat Rue.”
“If we can’t find Destiny, we’ll want to learn what Ragio knows,” Hunter reminded everyone.
“As soon as we enter, I’ll start looking for him,” Tuto pledged. Shielding his eyes, he glanced upward. “The sun can’t get much higher. Shall we proceed?”