“Magnus, can you hear me?”
She waited nervously, not really expecting an answer, but praying that the shaman would be able to hear her.
'Sarah?'
She gasped. It sounded like the man was sitting right beside her.
“Magnus! Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to reach you.”
'If you'd called an hour ago, you wouldn't have. Where are you? Are you and Bobby all right?'
“More or less. We're at the Diefenbunker. Eric and Fani are here too.”
'Really? I'm impressed that you were able to reach that place safely. Things have gone badly here in the city. Very badly.'
“What do you mean?” Sarah asked anxiously. “You mean worse than when we left?”
'Much worse. There's a full-blown battle going on between the goblins and the drakes. And there's a black dragon here, a big one.'
“They're all big, Magnus,” Sarah replied with a touch of asperity.
'Not like this one. I don't believe that it's the primal black, at least I pray that it is not, but it's almost as big. The damned thing is perched on top of the Peace Tower. I'm guessing that it's directing it's troops from there.'
Sarah could picture the scene in her mind; a massive monster squatting on the top of the tower, overlooking the city like a horrific vulture. She still remembered vividly when the old primal black dragon would fly over the city after the world had fallen. The Changlings were hunted by the dragon like mice being hunted by a bird of prey. It had been a terrifying existence for several years. And now it was starting all over again.
“Why, Magnus? Why does some dragon care about Ottawa? Why is it hunting us? Do you know?”
'I have no idea, Sarah. There is a great big world out there and there are a lot more human survivors in other places than there are here. Why does a dragon want to destroy a few dozen Changlings? Your guess is as good as mine.'
She shifted on the bed and wiped her palms on her jeans.
'Are you all right?' Magnus asked, his disembodied voice echoing in her mind. 'Are you secure?'
“So far, I guess. But something horrible has just happened here and I can't understand it. That's one of the reasons I've called you.”
'What happened?'
She explained the attack by Jeremy and its aftermath. She also told him about her contact with Esmiralla and the woman's gifts to her and Bobby, and how she had talked him into leaving the bunker to try to save some of the others. Magnus listened silently until she was finished.
'By my ancestors, what a horrible event,' he said when she was done. 'To be attacked by a close friend, or the simulacrum of him, is a horrible thing. And it is something that I have never heard of before. You aren't injured, are you?'
“I'm fine,” Sarah told him. “Well, not fine, but I'm not hurt. Bobby and the other guys are... disposing of the remains right now.”
'I'm relieved to hear that you aren't injured. Bobby is to be commended for his quick reaction to that creature's assault. He saved your life. Now, there is one thing that stands out to me about that attack, other than how bizarre it was, and that was what Jeremy's double said about you.'
“Yeah, that whole nexus thing. I didn't understand that at all.”
'Well, on the face of it, its meaning is fairly simple. A nexus is an important point of connection between two things. Those things could be a mechanism or two sides in a dispute or some sort of structure. In its simplest form, it is basically a point of strength or weakness. And your attacker said that you were a nexus in an upcoming battle. That may shine a light on the reasons why a black dragon and its minions are here in the city.'
“Because of me?” Sarah asked in disbelief. “But I'm nobody, Magnus. I'm not important.”
'Aren't you? What about that woman, Esmiralla? She seemed to find you very interesting. There has to be a reason for that. Who is she? Why did she give you and Bobby those weapons? What does she know and how does she know it? And what are her motives in all of this? I won't lie, Sarah; these questions make me very nervous.'
“You and me both,” she replied darkly. “Can I trust her?”
'Do you?' he asked simply.
She thought about it for a minute.
“No. No, I don't think so.”
Sarah raised the wand and watched the yellow gem begin to glow.
“The wand that she gave me is amazing. I think that it focuses my powers somehow, concentrates them. But is it really a gift? Or is it a curse? I don't know.”
'Trust your instincts, Sarah. You can sense evil; we both know that. So if the wand doesn't feel evil, I would guess that it isn't. Again, it's this woman's motivations that are more worrying to me, not her gifts.'
Sarah waved the wand a few times and then dropped it on the bed.
“So what should we do?” she asked the shaman. “And what are you doing? Where are you? Are you safe?”
Magnus laughed softy and Sarah could picture his strong, wise face in her mind, smiling at her.
“I am in the bowels of my tunnels. Or rather, I was. Right now I am standing just outside the lower exit where you and Bobby last saw me. I wanted to see what was happening out here. My tunnels are blocked off now, thanks to my traps and dead-falls, and the drakes cannot reach me, unless they come in through this entrance. And if they find it and try to enter, I can seal it off too. There is no way that a black dragon will be able to force this door unless it flies down here and lands in the river first. And we both know that that would be fatal to it. So I'm safe for now.'
“Thank goodness.”
'Yes. Now, as to what you should do going forward, that is another question. How are you doing for supplies?'
“Not good, I'm afraid. We have a reliable source of drinking water, but there's no food here. If the goblins camp outside of our door, they could starve us out over time.”
'I doubt that they will stay for very long,' Magnus told her. 'They will want to get back to their base and report, ask for new orders, that sort of thing. Goblins need direction from their superiors; they are far too stupid to be effective if left to their own devices.'
“Well, that's good news, anyway,” Sarah said with relief. 'We can always escape through the emergency exit if we have to, but I have no idea if it's still usable or if it's collapsed over the years. I've never gone through it. Plus, I have no idea where it leads.”
'Don't use it unless you absolutely have to,” Magnus warned her. 'It might compromise your position or give the enemy an opportunity to reach you. Stay as safe as you can for now. Have you contacted any of the other leaders since you were attacked by that infiltrator?'
“Not yet. I wanted to see if you were safe first.”
'I appreciate the concern, Sarah and, while I am safe enough, perhaps now is the time for me to get out of the city. The sun is rising and the drakes are still searching for a way through the tunnels above me. They haven't found this door yet. I could join you and the others at the bunker and we could decide where to go from there.'
Sarah felt a surge of relief at Magnus' words.
“Oh, please join us,” she said eagerly. “I would love to have your help, and I'm sure that the others would too.”
The shaman chuckled.
'Not all of them. But yes, I think that is what I will do. I travel light and just need to pack a few things for the journey.' He sighed. 'I will miss this place though. It's been my home for a long time. Ah well, sentimentality might get me killed and I still have some living to do. Now, Sarah, I suggest that you call the others and find out what is happening with them. Then check the main entrance. If the goblins have left, it might be the best time to send a couple of your friends out to look for food. But don't take any chances; I will bring a few supplies with me, as much as I can safely carry. And with any luck, I will reach the bunker some time tonight, so even if you cannot find any food, you won't be hungry for too long.'
“Thank you, Magnus. You are a true friend.”
'You'
re welcome. Take care. I will contact you when I arrive.'
“Okay. You be careful too.”
'Always.'
Magnus' presence faded from her mind and Sarah put down her stone and sat back.
“Talking to someone?”
She looked over at the doorway and watched as the others filed into the room. She smiled at Bobby.
“Magnus. He's alive and well, and he says that he's going to try to reach us by tonight.”
“Magnus? Excellent!” Bobby exclaimed with a wide grin. “Finally, some good news.”
Eric and Fani exchanged glances and Sarah looked at them as they sat down on a cot across from hers.
“I saw that,” she said pertly. “What, you don't like Magnus?”
Fani flinched at her sharp tone, but Eric returned her look evenly.
“I neither like nor dislike him,” he said. “I've only spoken to the man a few times in the last ten years. He's been helpful to our people, of course, and I certainly trust him well enough. But he isn't one of us, is he?”
Before she could reply, Bobby plunked himself down on the edge of Sarah's bed and glowered at Eric.
“Jeremy was 'one of us', he said sarcastically, “and see what good that did. Magnus is wise, Eric. He is strong and has powers of his own. If anyone can help us escape from the situation that we're in right now, it's him.”
Eric looked at him dubiously.
“I'm not denying that, guys. I'm just saying that I don't know him very well. Hey, if you vouch for him, that's good enough for me, all right? I agree that we need all the help we can get and if Magnus is willing to join us, then you'll get no argument from me.”
Fani nodded vigorously and both Sarah and Bobby relaxed a bit.
“Thanks, Eric,” she said. “I understand your caution, especially after all that's happened. As long as you're willing to give Magnus a chance, then that's fine.”
“Cool. So what's next?”
“I'm going to call everyone else, or try to, and then we'll go from there. Magnus doesn't think that the goblins will hang around outside the entrance, so maybe we can check on them when I'm done. If the coast is clear, a couple of you can head outside and look for some food if you want to. Just don't stray too far from the bunker.”
“Hey, I like that idea,” Bobby exclaimed. “I remember a small village just a couple of miles to the west of here. I think it had a few stores. We could search in that direction.”
“Sounds good to me,” Eric told him. “Fani can stay with Sarah while we're gone and keep the place locked tight until we return.”
“Aw, how come I have to be the one to stay?” Fani asked plaintively. “Nothing personal, Sarah,” he added hastily.
She laughed at him.
“No worries, Fani. I don't like being cooped up either. But someone has to keep the bunker secure. It's an important job.”
“Hmm, that's true, isn't it? Okay then, I'll stay behind and protect you and the bunker.”
She hid a smile at the thought of the slightly-built teenager defending her and thanked him warmly.
“But, presuming that you two can leave the place safely,” she said looking from Bobby to Eric. “How will we know what you find or when you get back?”
“Maybe you can use this?”
Bobby pulled something out of his jeans and handed it to her. It was a small round stone.
“It was Miesha's,” he said sadly. “I took it out of Jeremy's, I mean that thing's, pocket. Maybe I can use it now?”
She accepted the rock and gave Bobby's hand a quick squeeze.
“Yes, there's no reason why you couldn't use it,” Sarah told him. “I want to make new ones so that they can communicate with each other as well as with mine, but there's no time for that at the moment. This one should work fine for now though.”
She held it in her hands and closed her eyes, feeling for the magic in the stone.
“Yuck, that's weird,” she said as she encountered a sensation that she'd never felt before in one of her stones.
“What's weird?”
“The stone. Physically it's fine, but touching it with my power feels... I don't know. Sticky? Gooey? It's gross, whatever it is.”
“Something left over from that thing that attacked you, after it used it?” Eric wondered.
“Possibly. Hmm, let's see if I can clean it off somehow.”
She kept her eyes closed and squeezed the stone between her palms, thinking of it like a sponge that she could empty of dirty water. She focused her will on the round lump and pressed it as hard as she could.
Remarkably, it began to work. The oozing, filthy stickiness that she could feel with her mind began to thin out. The stone drained of the corruption and, after a few minutes, it felt clean again. Sarah imagined that she could almost smell a freshness rising from its surface and she opened her eyes and rolled it between her hands.
“There, that's done it,” she said with some satisfaction as she handed it back to Bobby. “It feels better now.”
“What caused whatever that was?” Eric asked.
“No idea. Maybe when that duplicate of Jeremy used it, it became corrupted? That's just a guess though. Bobby, go out into the hallway and concentrate on the stone, would you? We need to test it.”
He tossed it from one hand to the other.
“Just the way that I've tried to sense the goblins' traps?”
“Exactly the same. Power is power and you use it the same way. Just think of me when you focus on the stone and relax. Your powers will do the rest.”
Bobby gave her a dubious look, shrugged and left the room.
“He's not very confident in himself, is he?” Fani observed quietly.
Sarah swung her legs around on the bed and stood up. She stretched a little and glanced at Fani. The teen had moved to the bed next to Eric's, across the aisle to her own, and was watching her brightly. She noticed for the first time that he had pulled off all of the wrappings from his face and neck.
Well, it's a start, she thought.
“I'd forgotten how cute you are,” she teased him.
Fani's elf-like face flushed and his black eyes widened.
“Um...”
Sarah giggled and he realized that she was joking with him. He smiled tentatively.
“Thanks. This whole wearing rags thing is kind of stupid, isn't it?” he said as he darted a quick glance at Eric. “If I can find clothes to fit me, I'll change into them later.”
“Me too,” Eric said defiantly. “No more hiding our faces. After all, who's left to mock us? Goblins? Dragons? Who cares, really?”
“That's the spirit,” Sarah told them both. “A new look, a new start and, hopefully, a new and brighter future. And to answer your first question, Fani, Bobby's getting better. It's my fault, really. For years he depended on my powers any time we needed to use magic, and I never thought to encourage him to develop his own skills. Well, now he pretty much has to. It's sink or swim time, and Bobby knows it. He'll be fine.”
'Sarah? Can you hear me?'
“Speaking of which...”
She held up her stone and it began to glow.
“I can hear you perfectly, Bobby,” she replied in a low voice. “Can you hear me?”
'Wow! It's like you're standing right beside me. Fantastic!'
Sarah chuckled.
“That's the way it's supposed to work. I'm glad you like it. Come on back in. I have to try calling the others now.”
She sat down on her bed and got comfortable. Bobby walked into the room and Sarah listened absently while Eric and Fani congratulated him on his success. She was already focused on the other Changlings that they had left back in Ottawa. Were any of them still alive? Were they on the run or had they hunkered down somewhere, trying to avoid the drakes and goblins?
Well, I'll know soon enough, she thought nervously. So let's get started.
To her relief, Sarah managed to contact both Rachel and Alexa. It was the middle of the day outside now and
the two women were heading toward the bunker. Both were getting close and she promised to go up to the entrance and check to make sure that the goblins were gone and call them back.
“Nothing from Clara?” Eric asked her.
He had slept for about an hour and still looked exhausted, sitting on the bed across from her. But he was too concerned to sleep any more, so instead he listened to her communicating with the others.
“Not a thing,” Sarah replied, her voice thin with sadness. “To be honest, I'm not holding out much hope for her and her friends. Clara's camp was the farthest from the bunker. Crossing the city now would be incredibly dangerous.”
“Yeah. What about... “
Sarah cut him off with a gesture as she stared down at her stone.
“Hang on. Someone's trying to reach me.” She frowned in concentration. “It's very weak, but I can almost...”
'Sarah?'
She gaped at Eric as she recognized the voice.
“Caroline? My God, you're alive!”
'So far, yes. Weren't you supposed to have someone watching the entrance to the bunker? We've been up here for half an hour, banging on the damned blast door. Plus I've been trying to reach you, but it hasn't worked until now. Would you open up, please? Before some random goblin patrol comes by and slaughters us? Some of us are wounded.'
Sarah jumped to her feet and Eric stared up at her in surprise.
“Guys? Wake up!”
Fani and Bobby had both drifted off and now sat up on their beds and stared at her blearily.
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Caroline is upstairs, outside of the main entrance. She's got others with her and some of them are wounded. Come on, we have to get up there and let them in.”
She hurried out of the room. Eric grabbed a torch and followed her, with Bobby and Fani stumbling along in their wake.
“How the hell did they make it through the city?” Eric asked as they raced up the stairs.
“How did you?” Sarah called back. “Good luck and sneakiness, maybe? I don't care. All I care about is the fact that they made it here in one piece.”
By the time the four of them reached the ground floor, they were staggering and covered with sweat. None of them had slept for more than a few hours in days and all of them were achingly hungry.
The Changlings (The New Earth Chronicles Book 2) Page 26