Lotari grumbled how those contraptions never worked properly and only the old fashioned way was the tried and true. He pulled out his flint to start a small fire with dead wood from the tree.
“This can take forever,” Christina’s voice sounded panicky. “They are nearly right on us. Everybody get inside and we’ll try to get the torches lit in there.”
Ellen and Sue both cried, “I am not going in without a fire.”
Alyra, heart racing with fear of the darkness, agreed. Panthers or bears may have set up residence inside. “We need the light.”
At that moment, the hillside alighted with a glow. Alyra thought Lotari had finally managed to get a spark but the radiance was too bright for a small flame. Everyone else gasped and stepped away. Frank backed up so fast he nearly fell off the side of the cliff. Jerin managed to grab his arm before he tumbled over the edge.
Lotari gaped at her in utter amazement. He turned toward the approaching army below. Before she could register what was happening, Lotari grabbed her arms and shoved her through the opening. “Inside, now! Hurry.”
Everyone poured in after them, keeping their distance from her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Lotari thrust her toward Jerin, who looked as astonished as the others. Grabbing a rope off the horse’s saddle, Lotari motioned for Stitch to follow him outside.
A large smile split Jerin’s face. “You’re all lit up, Aly. I’ve never… it’s so.…”
“Beautiful,” Katrina finished. “I read about the Illuminate ones before, yes!”
Stitch and Lotari darted back inside the tunnel each holding an end of rope.
“When I say three, pull hard,” Lotari instructed.
The men must have caught on to what they were doing because they all grabbed an end and pulled with them. A loud crack sounded from outside, followed by a shower of dirt, rocks and roots. The tree broke loose, causing the roof to crumble and crash down over the opening. Everyone ran deeper inside and stopped in a large room. The glow from Alyra shone off the soaring granite walls and marble pillars.
The light pulsated with her rapid heartbeats. She tried not to panic over what was happening to her. Only Katrina stayed by her side, her small white hand grasped Alyra’s. Christina huddled against the farthest wall with her daughters. The sisters both whimpered as one of them said, “She’s scary, Mother! It must be some kind of dark magic!”
Lotari trotted into the grand room rubbing dirt from his curly hair. The men followed close behind. “Not dark magic. It’s a gift from King Shaydon, whom I’m starting to believe you have no concept of whatsoever.” He took a long drink from his water bag before offering a sip to Stitch who was also covered in dirt.
Alyra gawked at her glowing hands. Gingerly she touched her chest where the brightest part came from. “I’m like some kind of human lantern!” Even her hair emanated light.
Katrina smiled shyly. “You, dear one, are an Illuminate. Once your kind helped the people of Alburnium, but the dark one has extinguished many of the lighted ones, or driven the remaining into hiding.”
She gasped. “Why didn’t someone tell me all this before? Have you known, Lotari?”
“Not near as much as our new knowledgeable friend here.” He stared at Katrina as if realizing something, yet he said nothing more.
Stitch leaned in close to her ear and whispered so only they heard. “I told you that you were the ‘precious light’ he’s been looking for.”
Alyra’s knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the cold, stone floor. Katrina and Stitch grabbed her arms to steady her.
Jerin looked from Lotari to Alyra and then back to Lotari again. “Does this mean…?”
Stitch hissed, “Not here, ay?”
Lotari nodded and addressed the family who were still huddled at a fair distance from them. “We are fortunate to have an Illuminate in our midst. She is new and lacking understanding of her abilities. But she will be able to help us get through this black pit.”
His words comforted her and the light went out.
Frank’s voice echoed across the room, “We were fortunate, you mean?”
One of the sisters screeched.
The darkness felt like drowning in inky soup. Her heart began to race again and the glow returned, yet dimmer than before. She barely made out Frank and Harp working on the torches. Lotari pulled her to her feet and spoke against her ear.
“Relax, Alyra. Right now, fear controls your ability to shine. Think about how we need to get through. Focus on the need to see. Can you try?”
Her glow wasn’t much brighter than a candle flame. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on needing light. She didn’t like her predicament at all! No wonder Issah had put off explaining.
Her eyes flew open, and she looked into Lotari’s worried face. “Will Shaydon use me against Darnel? That’s what Master’s afraid of. Right? That’s why he’s still after me?”
Lotari shook his head. “You are a child of the King, not a pawn. I swear. I can’t explain here. Not right now. Please believe me.”
She searched the expectant faces surrounding her. They needed light, and she had to get out of the tunnel. One thing was certain, if Darnel had her, then he was assured his Kingdom would grow stronger. She wasn’t sure about King Shaydon. She’d grown to love Issah. No one had shown her the kindness and love he had, though Lotari came close. The centaur was asking her to believe in him. She glanced at Jerin, who seemed as bewildered as she was. They needed light. They needed to get out. They needed to keep out of reach of the soldiers. Not only for her sake but everyone else as well.
The chamber filled with brightness again, and despite any reservations they might have, a sigh of relief went around the group.
“Very good, sweet girl.” Lotari grinned at her.
Katrina grinned. “We go now. Yes? This big mistake. No? But we keep going on and find a way through. Yes? Find the White Road. Right?”
Lotari laid his hand on her shoulder. “Yes, we’ll get back to the path. Yes, let’s go.”
With Jerin on her right and Katrina on her left, they hurried through the widest tunnel passing several rooms and side passageways. A few had been blocked off. Familiar symbols were carved into the stone over the openings. Chills coursed up Alyra’s spine.
The effort it took to continue glowing began to wear on her. If her thoughts drifted, she started to dim, and the sisters would scream. Alyra wondered if this ability always took so much energy to keep going. Her fingers gripped tight onto Katrina and Jerin’s arms. So tight, Jerin stared down at her with concern.
“Are you all right?” He motioned Lotari over.
“I’m getting really tired. This is hard.”
Lotari stopped the others and told the men they needed a break. Jerin helped her sit while Lotari took Frank’s fire-starter and tried again to light one of the torches. He finally resorted to taking out his flint and tinderbox and getting a small fire going that way. Once they had a flame, Alyra heaved a sigh of relief, and her brightness dimmed. Yet, as she looked at her hands, she knew her fear was keeping her lit up to a small degree. Had she always done this? What made it happen this time? She hoped Shaydon would explain everything. She refused to acknowledge the nagging voice saying, If. If you make it.
With the torches lit, the group began to look around. They’d stopped in a corridor of sorts where four passages met.
Frank said, “How are we supposed to know which is the right tunnel, Harp?”
He shook his head. “Dunno. I just thought only one led straight through. It’s like a whole underground network here.”
Frank fumed. His face set in a scowl as he yelled, “We could be wandering in here for days and not know. Didn’t you check to see who made these tunnels?”
“What difference does it make? The map just showed a passageway from our side of the mountain to the other. We’re going the right way.”
Jerin settled next to Alyra and asked if she felt better no
w. When she told him she was fine, he said, “I’m also worried about who made these tunnels.”
“You should be.” She whispered so only he heard. “Those marking are Racan symbols.”
Chapter 34
Jerin rubbed the back of his neck. “How do you know?”
Alyra remembered the countless hours spent with Darnel’s scribe as he made her copy the strange letters over and over. He’d never allow her to read the books, instead writing short snippets, or lists of rules for her until she had a good command of the dark language. “I was taught the language in Racah.”
At least her parents taught her the common language before she ended up with Darnel. Anytime she did find a book, she’d sneak it to her room or her secret passage to read.
Jerin closed his eyes with a groan. “I’ve really blown it.”
She gave his shoulder a squeeze. “We decided together. Don’t start blaming yourself.”
The argument between Frank and Harp began to escalate. Christina tried to break them up by suggesting they eat something and take a rest.
Frank removed the horse’s saddle and set a feed sack over the mare’s snout. “I think we should split up and explore where these tunnels go.”
Lotari groaned. He motioned for Katrina and Stitch to come over and took some jerky from his bag to share with them. They sat in their own little circle while the family argued over what to do. Lotari looked at each of them. “If they split up, I suggest we stay with this passage. I feel a breeze that’s not stale or smells of death.”
Alyra pointed at the markings on the widest arch. “That says this main tunnel leads to the exit. I agree with you.”
“You can read the symbols?” He asked.
Stitch smiled when she nodded. “Me, too.”
Lotari looked over his shoulder as the family continued bickering. “I think we should tell them. I’d hate for them to split up and get lost.”
Stitch rolled his eyes, “Who cares? Let them do their thing. They have bad hearts anyway.”
Lotari’s brows shot up. “Doesn’t matter, son. We are no better if we sink to their level and treat others in a way we would not wish to be treated ourselves. They have allowed you to travel with them. They have even shared their food with you. Do you really wish to sit there and tell me you do not care what happens to them?”
Stitch’s cheeks reddened, and he ducked his head. “Not when you put it that way, Lotari. I’m sorry.”
The older centaur smiled, as if relieved there was hope in the youth turning out decent despite his training.
Lotari offered them some jerky and told them Stitch could read the symbols. “We’re definitely on the right track.”
Christina turned to her husband and brothers. “If you boys want something to worry over, then start figuring out how we’ll get out of here if those soldiers have managed to beat us to the other side.”
* * * *
The passage filled with the sweet tune of Lotari’s pipes. Alyra, exhausted from being a human lamp, drifted off into a strange sleep and dreamed of a gathering. She stood across the familiar mound of dirt, yet now found two men who talked in quiet voices. Her chest ached, not from a physical pain, but from crying herself dry. For some reason, her heart felt like crumpled parchment paper.
“This is the only one?” asked one of the men. He was round in face and belly, wearing a dark cloak and knee-length polished black boots. “I thought my sister had more children. Where are they?”
The taller man, who had curly brown hair much like hers, along with her golden-brown eyes, continued to stare sorrowfully at the knoll. “Our son attends school at the Academy. Prince Issah is bringing him tonight when he comes for Alyra.”
Somehow, she knew the men were related to her. The sad looking one she called Da. The other darkly dressed gentleman was Uncle Macken. Beneath the dirt lay her mother, who she called, Mo.
“Tonight, huh?” Macken tugged uncomfortably at his gold-trimmed vest. “This wee one will attend Academy so soon? Why, she is but four or….”
“This will be her sixth summer.” Da stated, his voice deadpan. “She is going early. Under the circumstances, we feel she’ll be safer there.”
Uncle Macken’s shaggy brows rose in question. “You don’t suspect foul play, do you brother-in-law?”
“I don’t know what to think. I’m not even sure why Mo agreed to go on that quest.” Da sighed deeply. “Her party came upon an ambush.” Da’s gaze fell on her and he said more carefully, “I’m not sure what the enemy was doing there.”
“Did any return?”
Da shook his head. “The people wanted to start a new community in the south. I discouraged her from going until she’d heard from Issah, but they were in great haste, so she went anyway. You know, besides illuminating, part of her gifting was the ability to lay new paths.”
“My, my, my,” exclaimed Uncle, puffing his round cheeks. “Such a shock and such a shame.” He stared intently across the raw dirt, as if sizing Alyra up. “Is this child … ah … like her Mo?”
Da nodded. A tear escaped down his cheeks as he continued to focus on the newly turned earth.
The uncle spoke a bit louder as if wanting her to hear, “Ah, then she will be expected to take on her Mo’s responsibilities. Poor child will be risking her life as well, trudging through dark, lonely places, and now, she has nobody to guide her.”
Alyra’s throat constricted as if a noose tightened around her neck.
Da’s head came up, and he peered hard at the uncle, eyes narrowed at the man like they’d narrow at her when she was up to trouble. “She will be trained at the Academy like the rest of us … and like yourself.” He jerked his index finger at Macken. “Before you decided to leave, that is.”
“Well, lot of good her dedication did her.” Uncle swept his hand toward the grave. “As for myself, I decided I wanted something different from what I could get here.”
“Did you find it, Macken?”
Uncle shrugged. “Eh, I find profit at times.” He was staring at Alyra again in the same mesmerized way her brother stared at a plate of dessert set on the table.
“Profitable.” Da spat the word as if it tasted bad. “Yes, I see how such things can be alluring to a man like yourself.” Her father wiped his face on his sleeve and turned to Uncle. “Good to see you again, Macken. I’m surprised you heard so quickly of your sister’s death. I do, however, appreciate you paying last respects.” Da strolled over to Alyra and extended his hand. “Time to go, Pumpkin.”
She stepped closer to the grave. “Da, please, let’s not leave her here.”
He picked her up. “She is not here anymore. Our Mo has gone to Everlasting beyond Shaydon’s throne. We will see her again one day.”
Alyra’s arms became like steel pipes as she pushed against his chest. He held her firm. Kicking her legs, she yelled, “I want her now! Please, Da. Take me to Mo.”
“Wake up, Alyra!” Jerin ordered, shaking her hard. “Wake up, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“I want… my Mo… she’s.…” Alyra sat up finding she was inside the cave and not next to her mother’s grave.
Her fingers dug into Jerin’s burly arms, as her memories flooded back into her conscious. Uncle Macken had found her before he left in his fine carriage parked out on the street.
Uncle crouched next to her. “I know of a land where they’ll never expect you to trek around desolate dark places, like your Mo.”
He went on to tell her how the prince would teach her to use her light. Then he told her all kinds of scary things she’d be required to do.
Alyra had sat in the garden, making holes in the turned earth with her finger. She dropped a dead beetle she’d found, into the hole before gently piling the loose dirt into a tiny mound. Had the bug gone to the lands beyond Shaydon’s throne? The place just beyond the rainbow colored curtains?
“Do you think this beetle is with my Mo now?” She asked, patting down the dark earth.
; Uncle Macken glanced toward the house beads of sweat wove streams down his fleshy face. His gloved hands trembled on her shoulder. “What if I took you to your Mo?”
Her head snapped up expectantly. “Can you?”
He shrugged. “That might be exactly what will happen. I know of someone who has sent many to the land beyond Shaydon’s throne.”
“There is someone who can do that?” No one was allowed to go near the curtains.
Uncle Macken nodded. “Do you really want to go with the prince? You’ll be sent to that boring Academy.”
“I want my Mo,” she’d said.
“Then come with me, little one.” He held out his hand.
She’d stood, brushed the dirt from her skirts and walked away with him. No questions, no fuss. They traveled a long, long way, and then one day he simply left her with a kind looking old lady who owned a fat, yellow cat.
Rough hands shook her. “Come on, child, snap out of this.” She blinked to find Lotari sitting beside her, his face etched with alarm. “Come back, Alyra!”
“She must still be dreaming,” Jerin said, as the fogginess in her head cleared. and she was back in the dank passageway.
Her white-tipped fingers still dug into Jerin’s arm. She released him. How could she simply have left? Walked away with her lunatic uncle who’d sold her to the witch for a bag of gold? She covered her face with her hands and wept. Oh Shaydon help me, I remember everything now!
“Get her a drink of water,” Lotari ordered. Cold wetness flowed over her lips. “Calm down. Try to breathe. You’re safe, sweet girl.”
“I left!” she gasped, choking on the drink. “I knew Issah was coming for me. I chose to leave. I didn’t even fight.” Shame flooded her. Would Issah want her back if he knew she’d left on her own? “It was all my fault.”
“That’s in the past, Alyra. You must get hold of yourself. Hush, you hear me?” Lotari’s hushed voice became more insistent. “Jerin, you stay there while Stitch gathers our things. Let your size be of use and block their view of us.”
“Hey,” he replied defensively.
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