by Brandon Mull
A blunt blow struck Cole on the shoulder, making him drop his sword and Joe’s leg, then an invisible force shoved his chest, and he stumbled over some rubble and fell. Dalton staggered away from Joe as well. Cole rose, and a rock the size of his fist flew by his head, brushing his ear. An invisible blow struck him behind the knees, and he was back on the ground.
“Stop it!” Cole yelled, punching and kicking the air around him, striking nothing.
One of Joe’s legs lifted, and an unseen force started dragging him. Dalton lunged at Joe, swinging his sword at the air above the raised leg, and the blade seemed to connect with something. The leg fell.
“Hurry,” Cole said as he raced to Joe, picked up the Jumping Sword, and grabbed an ankle.
Waving their swords at the empty air around them, Cole and Dalton scrambled as fast as they could with a grown man in tow. A rock thumped painfully against Cole’s back. Dalton grunted as a stone pelted his side.
Up ahead, past the final rampart, Cole saw Hunter pulling Jace down the slope. Mira already lay far beyond them.
“Almost there,” Cole encouraged. He dodged a rock that came from the side, then ducked one that sailed at him from up ahead.
“Keep going!” Hunter called as they passed beyond Gamat Rue and the air returned to normal.
“That’s better,” Dalton said.
Back in regular atmosphere, they both picked up the pace. A couple of rocks flew by to either side. One struck Joe’s thigh. As they proceeded down the slope, they moved out of range. Rocks stopped flying.
They halted when they reached Hunter, who crouched between Mira and Jace, his hands on their foreheads. Dalton’s horse roamed off to one side, farther down the slope, grazing in the tall grass.
Hunter hurried to Joe, hunching over him and cupping his face. “He’s not completely gone.”
“That’s something,” Cole said with relief. Reaching behind himself, he tried to rub his back just to the side of his spine, where the rock had hit. He couldn’t reach the spot very effectively. It sure ached.
“Should I go after my horse?” Dalton asked.
“Wait,” Hunter said. “It’s not running off. We have more horses than riders now. I need to catch you guys up.”
“I still don’t really get what happened,” Cole said. “Why didn’t Nandavi just kill us too?”
“Let me guess,” Hunter said. “Jace and Joe volunteered somehow.”
“Sando told them he would take Mira to the echolands if they didn’t,” Cole said.
“And didn’t mention he would still take her even if they volunteered,” Hunter concluded. “They were brave but stupid. It would have been a lot harder to hurt them if they had kept quiet. We might have all escaped.”
“I tried to volunteer too,” Cole admitted.
“That’s because you’re brave, and you didn’t know enough about the echolands,” Hunter said. “I imagine they kept you frozen, so you couldn’t speak.”
Cole nodded.
“Sando played us from the start,” Hunter said. “I’ve actually heard of that guy. And that isn’t a great sign, because I haven’t spent tons of time in Necronum. He’s a trickster. One of the worst. Known for getting things done.”
“That’s on me,” Cole said, staring at Mira’s body. The guilt hurt a lot worse than his back. He felt like he might puke.
“You got played,” Hunter said. “We all did. He’s a pro. All Sando asked you to do was hand over that ringer?”
“Yeah. I had to give it away at his command.” It was weird that the words came out so easily now.
“Seemed so innocent,” Hunter said. “Keep this ringer for me, and I promise to help you until our bargain is over.”
Cole nodded again.
“He used the ringer to track you and spy on us,” Hunter said. “He helped us get away from Enforcers but led us to a lonely path that went right by a weaver he liked to work with. I bet he set it up with Tuto before we got there. Probably taught him the outdated Unseen code words. Then when he wanted to turn on you, Sando had you give the ringer to Jace, and we were in trouble.”
“Why lead us away from the Enforcers?” Dalton asked. “They could have caught us days ago.”
“Sando probably wanted credit,” Hunter said. “And he may have wanted us in a place where our lifesparks would be extra vulnerable. He might have planned everything from the start. He might have known we’d end up at Gamat Rue when he first contacted Cole back at the Seven-Cornered Shrine. He probably could have guided us directly here. He might have just used the cave to build trust and put us off our guard. Or to get us close to the road that would lead us to Tuto. The way he did it was cleaner than armed Enforcers. Less risk of Mira getting physically hurt. I’m sure he wanted her body intact. Probably yours, too, Cole.”
“I’m an idiot,” Cole said.
“You couldn’t have known,” Dalton said.
“Don’t blame yourself,” Hunter agreed. “The deal you made seemed safe. You got good info in return for a small favor. We knew there might be a catch. We tried to be ready for it. I thought we were being careful, but we got burned.”
“Not just burned,” Cole said, tears stinging his eyes. His breathing became irregular as he tried not to burst into sobs. He waved a hand at his fallen friends. “Look at them.”
Hunter held up a finger. “We’re in Necronum. Their bodies are whole. You know, beyond getting scratched up from being dragged around. Don’t forget there’s still a chance we can save them.”
That helped Cole feel steadier. “You really went to the echolands?”
“Sando didn’t know my level of weaving talent,” Hunter said. “He didn’t expect me to cross over.”
“That was when you first collapsed,” Cole said.
“When my body was frozen, and I saw what was going on, I crossed over,” Hunter said. “It’s important that I’d never done it before. You only get one echo. Once you have one, you can only cross over when you’re near it. Same if you’re trying to get back to your physical body.”
“Had you deliberately saved crossing over for an emergency?” Dalton said.
“Yep,” Hunter said. “I never had a dire need before. Why waste your easiest trip?”
“How’d you know you could pull it off?” Cole asked.
Hunter shrugged, one hand still on Joe. “I wasn’t sure I could. I knew the theory, and I’m pretty good at all things shaping. It’s why people were scared of me as an Enforcer. Anyhow, I went for it, and it worked.”
“What was it like?” Cole asked.
Hunter blanched. “Not good. I’d heard of the music in the echolands. It penetrates you more deeply than the music we know here. You don’t just hear it. You feel it. When I went over, it seemed like I’d dropped into some freaky video game level. The music was seriously scary, and I was in this dark castle. Or maybe a fortress.”
“A prison?” Dalton asked.
“Sort of. It didn’t seem quite like a prison on that side. I’ve looked across a lot. Things don’t always match up like you might expect. Anyhow, Nandavi was there, but she was busy helping Tuto with his weaving. I went unnoticed at first. So I reached out for Ragio with my weaving and found him.”
“No way!” Cole said.
Hunter smiled. “Clutch performance, right? I connected with Ragio mind to mind. He was someplace nearby. I hunkered down in a quiet corner. We didn’t have long, but I got the basics.”
“Do they have Destiny?” Cole asked.
“Nandavi tried,” Hunter said. “Tessa came here. But she got away alive. Her bodyguard wasn’t so lucky.”
“Honor?” Cole asked.
“Same story. She came and went. But a guy with her, Oster, died here.”
“I knew him,” Cole muttered, remembering the knight who had led him and a bunch of friends out of Blackmont Castle. How long before everyone he knew was dead? Jace, Mira, and Joe lay motionless. They’d survived some hardships together, but it felt like things were unraveling. His darkest worrie
s were coming true.
Hunter snapped his fingers. “Cole? You with me?”
Cole realized he had zoned out. “Yeah. Sorry.” His gaze strayed to Jace. Then Mira.
“We can save them,” Hunter reminded him. “Focus on that.”
“Right.”
“Did you find out where Destiny went?” Dalton asked.
“She learned from Ragio that her stray power was being gathered in the echolands. So she went to the best place in the area to cross—the Temple of the Robust Sky.”
“They were collecting her power in the echolands?” Cole asked.
“A place called Deepwell in the Hundred Forests,” Hunter said. “I don’t really know the geography of the echolands. Ragio was a shapecrafter working on the project to capture Destiny’s power. He died and continued with the project as an echo. I guess Destiny’s power was the hardest to gather. They were trying to shapecraft it at Deepwell. Ragio had a change of heart and ran away. They eventually caught him and brought him to Gamat Rue.”
Cole didn’t want to ask his next question. He really didn’t. “Is Destiny in the echolands?”
“We don’t know,” Hunter said flatly. “Maybe she never crossed over. Maybe she crossed and already returned. Maybe she’s on the other side. The only way to find out is to go to the Temple of the Robust Sky. Do we still want to go after her? Things are kind of a mess after today.”
“Mira would want us to find Tessa above anything,” Cole said.
“What about Mira?” Dalton asked.
“That’s where this gets tricky,” Hunter said. “The only reason I survived the echolands version of Gamat Rue was because Nandavi was concentrating on you guys. And there seemed to be some other commotion. I heard people yelling about an attack at the gates.”
“Who was attacking?” Dalton asked.
“I don’t know,” Hunter said. “I was just glad the echoes seemed distracted. I focused on my conversation with Ragio. I only knew Nandavi had taken Joe, Jace, and Mira when I came out of my hiding spot and they were there.”
“You saw their echoes?” Dalton asked.
“Sure did,” Hunter replied. “While Tuto was holding our physical bodies with his weaving, Nandavi bound the echoes created when Jace, Joe, and Mira crossed over. Sando must have struck a bargain with both of them. I wish I had thought of going tangible earlier. I knew that if I returned to my body, Tuto would have me frozen again. But at a haunting ground, echoes can become physical, like Sando did. I’d never had a chance to try it, but Sando had done it, so I gave it a shot, and it worked. First I took out Tuto to free Cole. When Sando jumped back to the echolands, I followed, but Nandavi wasn’t as focused on you guys anymore. Her will was hard to resist. I barely made it back to my body.”
“They have your echo,” Cole realized.
“Yes,” Hunter said.
“What can they do with it?” Dalton asked.
“Imprison it,” Hunter said. “Or destroy it.”
“Your soul?” Dalton exclaimed.
“Not my soul,” Hunter said. “My lifespark is here in this body, or I wouldn’t be talking. My echo is a new body in the echolands. To us it seems like a ghost. They have my echo. If they destroy it, my spark would skip the echolands entirely when I die.”
“You keep calling it a spark,” Cole said.
“It’s the local lingo. Lifeforce. Soul. Spirit. Whatever. In Necronum, a lot of people call it your lifespark, including the people who trained me. Or just your spark.”
“What do we do about Mira?” Cole asked.
“Right now?” Hunter replied. “Nothing. Nandavi has my echo. I can’t risk crossing over again. I must already be imprisoned. And you guys can’t cross here. I don’t have enough weaving skill to send you.”
“Who can send us?” Cole asked.
“Our best bet is the same place Tessa went—the Temple of the Robust Sky,” Hunter said.
“That makes sense,” Cole said. “We should follow her trail.”
“Exactly,” Hunter said, looking at Cole steadily.
“That’s where I’m going,” Cole said.
Hunter patted Joe. “Our other priority is getting these bodies someplace where a more skilled weaver can put them into a stable longsleep. Until then, I have to stay with them, weaving constantly, or they could lose their connections to their lifesparks. Somebody needs to go fetch an expert weaver. I won’t be able to move them without one. If we try to haul them out of here on horseback ourselves, I’m worried the bodies will get spoiled for revival. I have a weaver in mind, in the town of Dobson. If we keep the bodies close together, I should be able to sustain them until the weaver arrives.”
“Cole and I can find the weaver,” Dalton said. “Then we can all go to the temple once they’re settled.”
Hunter watched Cole, saying nothing.
“I don’t know if we can afford the time,” Cole said. “I’ll ride ahead to the temple. Maybe you guys can follow me. Or maybe Dalton should go after Jenna.”
“Alone?” Dalton asked, his voice squeaking.
“Maybe,” Cole said. “This is falling apart.” He paused, trying to think clearly despite his anxiety. “Jenna deserves somebody to come for her. So does Tessa. Mira too. I’ll try to find Tessa. Then I’ll go after Mira. You save Jenna.”
“If you cross to find Destiny, I can’t follow,” Hunter said. “My echo is compromised. Maybe Dalton should follow you. I could go after Jenna.”
Tears clouded Cole’s vision. They weren’t for himself, though he worried it looked that way. “No,” he said. “You should go with Dalton. Stabilize the bodies, then help Jenna together. I don’t want Dalton stuck in the afterlife. If it comes to that, I’ll go alone.”
“Do you have to go after Tessa?” Dalton asked. “We could send somebody.”
“We’d have to find somebody,” Cole said. “We’d lose too much time. And we might not find the right person. If Tessa went to the echolands, I’ll go after her.” He had promised Mira he would save her little sister. His blunder had led to Mira getting taken into the echolands. The least he could do was fulfill her last wish. Maybe he could save them both. And Jace. And Joe. That possibility was the only prospect that made the pain bearable. “Then I’ll save Mira.”
“You get that Mira won’t stay here,” Hunter said, jerking his head toward the ruins.
“Well, no,” Cole replied.
“Sando is probably working for Nazeem,” Hunter said. “If so, Mira will most likely be brought to him. The same would have happened to you. The others might remain. Depends on the arrangement with Nandavi.”
Anger and fear warred inside of Cole. For the moment, anger had the upper hand. “I better go.”
“Tessa went to the temple alone,” Hunter said. “Her bodyguard didn’t survive to help her. She was only here a few weeks ago. You may not be too far behind her.”
“Got it,” Cole said. “You two can handle the bodies?”
“We’ll figure it out,” Hunter said. “When you get to the temple, insist on talking to the prelate.”
“The who?” Cole asked.
“The head cleric,” Hunter said. “The weaver in charge of the temple. Destiny would have gone to the top. In Necronum, the prelates mostly side against the High King. If I remember right, the prelate at the Temple of the Robust Sky is a woman loyal to the rebellion. I don’t recall her name.”
“Good to know,” Cole said. He knelt beside Mira, reached inside her collar, avoided Tuto’s pendant, and unclasped the slender chain he found. An engraved golden disk dangled from the chain—the royal seal. “I’ll use this to help prove whose side I’m on.”
“Should we take off Tuto’s pendants?” Dalton asked.
“Not a bad idea,” Hunter said.
Cole removed Mira’s and Joe’s pendants and chucked them into the brush. Dalton did likewise with Jace’s.
“Here’s a thought,” Hunter proposed. “Once we get the bodies settled, Dalton and I will follow you to t
he temple, to check what’s going on. Maybe Tessa didn’t cross. Or maybe she already crossed and came back. If she isn’t in the echolands, I can help.”
Dalton stared down at Mira. “Or both of us can help. I care about Mira too, you know. And Jace and Joe. It’s not like I want to ditch them.” He looked at Cole. “But part of me wonders if other people could help better.”
“I worry too,” Cole said. “How am I supposed to save them? But don’t forget all we’ve accomplished. And remember that getting home is a long shot. So is saving Jenna or anyone else from back home unless we help Mira defeat her dad and Nazeem.”
“He’s right,” Hunter said.
“Should I even go after Jenna?” Dalton asked.
“I think you should at least make contact,” Cole said. “She deserves to know she isn’t forgotten. You can see how well she’s doing there and play it by ear.”
“We’ll see,” Dalton said. “First things first. We’ll take care of the bodies, then follow you to the temple.”
Cole gave Dalton a hug. “Be safe. See you soon.”
“Don’t jinx us,” Dalton said. “Die bravely.”
Cole gave a nod, not trusting his voice.
Hunter rose and hugged him.
“You were awesome today,” Cole said. “You saved us.”
“You’re awesome too,” Hunter said. “We’ve got this. Go find Tessa.”
Cole let go of his brother and ran down the slope toward the horses. He tried not to think about the bodies of his friends. It felt good to be moving. For now he could concentrate on getting to the temple and pretend he could outrun all that had happened today.
CHAPTER
13
TEMPLE
Despite having plenty of money, Cole slept on the ground and ate mostly from his provisions while traveling to the Temple of the Robust Sky. The practice freed him to stop for the night just about wherever he desired, whether or not a city was near. It also allowed him to avoid drawing attention by staying at an inn alone at his young age.
He could have made up excuses to pay for a room, but he wasn’t in the mood to be around people and didn’t particularly want to be comfortable. His best friends were on the brink of death. What right did he have to a soft bed and warm food? Better to get in some extra miles and hopefully make it to the temple in three days instead of four.