Selene scrambled to her feet, Bo with her. “No, you listen to us, thief,” she snapped. “If you don’t give Bo back the keys, then I’ll turn you into a pongslug.” There was so much venom in her voice Bo almost forgot she couldn’t use her magic because of the cuff. “Don’t test me,” she warned. “Or I’ll conjure a Shadow Creature to gobble you up. You know what happened in the temple, don’t you? I fought one off! All by myself!” She raised her hands as if preparing to blast him with magic.
Galvin laughed at her again. “You can’t stop lying, can you, girl? I see that cuff. These Korahku know a thing or two about magic. They know how to stop people like you.” He shot Bo his golden smile. “Listen, if you give me the key, I’ll tell you how to escape this place.”
Bo huffed. “If you know how to escape, then why are you still here?”
“Because I have to wait for the right moment. If you give me the key, I’ll even take you with me.” He scowled at Nix. “All of you.”
Nix barked.
“Exactly,” said Bo. “As if we’d trust you.”
Galvin threw his hands up. “Lug-headed dumdedongs! These are Korahku, don’t you know? They’ll have our limbs for drumsticks!”
“We’re not leaving without Tam,” added Selene.
Bo nodded.
“Nit-witted slomplugnongs!” yelled Galvin, stomping his feet. “You’ll have us all killed!”
A door on the opposite side of the room opened and the black-robed guard barged in. “King Saros will see the prisoners now,” he announced. More guards followed and the four of them were dragged from the room and into another grand hall.
“I’m a victim here!” cried Galvin, voice echoing in the cavernous space. “These children kidnapped me and forced me to trespass on Korahku land! You must set me free immediately!”
The hall was decorated with more gory tapestries—Korahku warriors standing triumphantly on piles of dead Irin. Bo shuddered.
Up spiraling stairs and down long, tall hallways they trudged until they were led into the biggest and grandest room of all and dumped in front of a golden straw throne high up on a dais.
“Oof!” cried Bo as he landed, but he felt worse when he looked up and saw a fearsome Korahku sitting stiffly on the throne.
He wore lush robes of purple and black and a crown of twisted golden thorns. He had a plume of red feathers, and painted copper-colored rings adorned the length of his curved, sharp beak. As Bo watched, horrified, the Korahku plucked a plump worm from a bowl at his side and dangled it over his beak before gulping the poor creature down whole.
This must be the King.
Tam’s father.
The King stood and stepped down from the dais, Redfist in his hand. Bo’s blood ran cold—if the King had Redfist, did that mean Tam was . . . No. Bo couldn’t bear to even think the words. It couldn’t be true.
The King peered at Bo, Selene, Nix, and Galvin as though they were yellow-bellied tree slugs. Galvin immediately flung himself to the floor and kissed the King’s talons.
“I’m not with them!” he cried. “Spare me!”
“Your plan for escape is to beg?” said Bo.
“You have a better plan?” snarled Galvin. The King kicked him; he flew back and landed with a thud and a cry of pain.
“They were caught trespassing on Korahku land,” announced the black-robed guard. “By their own admission they are in league with the traitor.”
“Tam’s no traitor,” said Bo, standing. “She’s fierce and loyal and she saved me twice. She’s my friend.”
Bo was knocked face-first to the floor by a boot to his back. “Kneel before King Saros!” snapped a guard.
The King clicked his beak, running a careful eye over each of the prisoners. “I can see the boy and man are filthy Irin, but the girl? Perhaps Lahesi?”
“Nev’en,” said Selene, chin raised.
The King chuckled, though there was little kindness in the sound. “Ah yes. Nev’en. Just as filthy as Irin.” He held Redfist aloft. “They have a nasty habit of stealing Korahku belongings. All in the name of preserving the land’s history, they say, but we know the truth. Nev’en are greedy liars.”
Selene held her tongue.
“What are two Irin, a Nev’en, and their dog doing in Korak? With a traitor?” asked the King.
Bo shook his head and said nothing.
“They kidnapped me,” said Galvin, “and—argh!”
The black-robed guard clipped him around the head. “No lies,” he snapped.
Galvin grumbled but didn’t say another word.
The King trailed his beady eyes up and down Bo with contempt. “Let us hear what the traitor has to say, shall we?” He made a small sign with one hand, and a heavy set of doors opened at the back of the grand hall. Two guards barged in, dragging a limp body between them.
“Tam!” Bo made to run toward his friend, but a guard grabbed his collar and forced him to his knees again.
Tam was shoved to the floor at the King’s feet. While Bo was overjoyed to see her still alive, a wave of nausea gripped him as he took in her appearance: battered and bruised and swollen and weak. Her own flock had broken her.
The King stared impassively at the limp form at his feet, his own daughter.
“She who was once known as Tamira Mura is a traitor,” he announced to the room. There was a chorus of agreement among the guards. “And a murderer. She killed my daughter. Our future queen.”
Bo shrank as the guards all raised their weapons and jeered.
“Kill the traitor!”
“Kill them all!”
“But not me!” pleaded Galvin. “It was them that set magic free! All these Shadow Creature attacks are the Irin child’s fault. I’ve been trying to stop them. You must believe me!”
The King turned his gaze on Bo.
“This is your doing?” he asked, eyes glistening with rage. “Though we have long prepared for the return of magic, we have lost many of our best soldiers to the growing Shadow Creature attacks.”
Bo’s mouth was raw and dry as the flames of his anger burned brighter than ever. “It wasn’t my fault!” he shouted, shocking the room into silence. “Mads should have told me and . . . it doesn’t matter because I’m trying to fix it and you”—he stabbed a finger at Galvin—“keep getting in my way and stealing my keys and you”—he stabbed a finger at the King—“should forgive your daughter because she’s brave and loyal and good and she’s trying to help me save the land, too.”
Bo’s chest heaved as though he had run for miles. Everyone in the room stared at him, this Irin child who had dared raise his voice in front of King Saros. Bo knew he should feel afraid, but the flames of his anger were so fierce they had filled his entire body, controlling him like a puppet, moving him, speaking for him.
“See! There’s your traitor right there!” cried Galvin, pointing wildly. “But I’ve got charms that ward off Shadow Creatures. If you’ll kindly give me back my bundle of goods, I can sell them to you for ten, eh, eleven Raha each.”
There was a loud groan as Tam pushed herself up off the floor and swayed on her knees.
“Tam? Are you all right?” Bo struggled in the guard’s grip.
“Ah well,” she croaked. She met Bo’s eye with wry amusement. “I have been better, Irin child. I have been better.”
Bo blinked back tears as he watched his friend proudly turn and bow before King Saros.
“Father,” she said, “I have a deal for you.”
The King laughed bitterly. “You are in no position to bargain. In this flock, you do not even possess a name; you are not worthy of the name Tamira, so it has been stripped from you. We only know you as traitor.” He spat at his daughter’s feet.
Tam did not flinch. “You will free my friends in exchange for my life.”
“Tam, no!” Bo made to lunge for her, but the guard’s fingers dug deep into the tender flesh of his arms to hold him back. The only pain Bo felt was the aching of his heart.
The King pointed Redfist at Tam, using the blade to forcibly lift her chin to meet his eye. “I already have your life,” he said. “When you murdered my child—heir to the Korahku throne and your sister—you gave up your life. There is nothing more than your death that I could want from you.” As the King withdrew Redfist, the tip of the blade nicked the soft skin under Tam’s chin. She winced but did not cry out as three drops of her blood fell to the floor: drip, drip, drip.
The King turned away with a grunt of displeasure and made for his throne. But Tam’s next words froze him in place.
“But you do not have the Stars,” said Tam. King Saros slowly turned back, eyes narrowed. “The Irin child can claim them for Korak,” continued Tam. “With them, you can rule all of Ulv—that is your greatest wish, is it not? That is why you refuse to acknowledge the Queen’s rule? If you set him and his companions free, he will bring them to you. You may do with me as you wish.”
Bo felt as though he might throw up as he listened to Tam bargain for Bo’s life in exchange for her own.
It wasn’t right.
He could not let this happen.
“I can bring you the Stars,” said Bo. The King turned his steely gaze on him. “Only I know where they are and how to release them. No one else.” Bo willed his voice to be steady, not to betray him. “But I won’t do it if you hurt Tam. You have to set us all free and only then will I find the Stars for you. If you don’t, then bad magic will grow, the witch will return, and there’ll be no stopping the Shadow Creatures.”
The room grew suddenly quiet and there was a long, agonizing pause as the King appeared to consider Bo’s bargain. Bo’s heart fluttered like a butterfly moments before takeoff.
Then the King threw back his head and laughed. “You think the Korahku fear the rise of magic? You see what we do to magic-users.” He nodded at Selene’s bound hands. “We are not superstitious like Irin—we never forgot about magic, never stopped telling our children about the power of the Stars! We have been preparing for magic’s return for centuries. We already have our weapons master working on powerful magical swords that can defeat Shadow Creatures, and as for Freja . . . I fear no witch. Let her come for us. We are waiting.”
Tam’s shoulders dropped, and with that small movement Bo’s own body felt suddenly limp and lifeless.
There was no way out.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The King’s cry of “Guilty!” rang in Bo’s ears, blowing out the final embers of his hope.
The guards stomped their feet. “Dragon-worm, dragon-worm, dragon-worm, dragon-worm!” they chanted.
“For the crimes of trespass and treason,” continued the King, “you will be taken to the home of the mighty kroklops—”
“Dragon-worm, dragon-worm, dragon-worm!”
“—where you will liquefy in the stomach acid of the ancient dragon-worm.”
The guards clicked their beaks in a frenzy as the King turned away with a flick of his hand as dismissal. “It is an honorable death,” he added. “More honorable than you deserve.”
Galvin lunged for him, desperately clawing at the King’s feet. “Forgive me! Pardon me! I was kidnapped and dragged onto your land against my will! I have charms I can sell you! I can get you the Stars! Let me serve you, my lord!” It took two guards to drag him away, his face twisted and red like a bawling child’s.
The black-robed guard grabbed Bo by his arm and hauled him to his feet. “Come, child. Time to die.” Bo struggled against the Korahku’s grip but he was too weak. Selene grappled with two guards, trying to stomp on their feet and kick their shins. The guards only laughed at her, gripping her tightly.
“Father,” called Tam. The King paused with stiff shoulders but he did not turn. He tilted his head, though. Listening. The guards listened too, frozen in place. Bo held his breath.
Tam wobbled on her knees. “I am sorry for Runa,” she said. “More than you will ever know. More than I can bear. But do not punish the children for my mistakes. Set them free. It is what Runa would want.”
The King lowered his head, shoulders curling forward. Bo was certain his mask of cool indifference would crumble, revealing something pained, something raw, something broken underneath. For a long moment the King said nothing; the silence in the room was suffocating. Then, at last, he raised his head and squared his shoulders.
“The only thing I am sorry for,” he said, “is that I ever knew you as my child.” With those words, the King of Korak walked away, leaving his last remaining daughter to die.
* * *
They were flown for miles in the claws of the scout birds—high enough for Bo to glance back and gasp at how much more land the sickness had claimed.
Finally, they were dumped in a shallow crater at the base of a snow-tipped mountain.
Lindorm.
If only we were free, thought Bo.
The scouts circled above them, their haunting cries of caw, caw, caw piercing the air. Bo scrambled to his feet and rushed at Tam. “You lied,” he said, helping her up. “That’s why the vines went for you in the Labyrinth. You lied about how safe it was for you to enter the Valley of Eyes. You knew all along they would capture and kill you.”
Tam hung her head, features twisted with shame. “I hoped we would find the key and escape before they found us, but in my heart, I think I knew it was a false hope. I was protecting you by keeping my plans hidden. But to keep the truth from you leaves you vulnerable. I made a blood bind,” said Tam, “to protect you, not to keep you ignorant. I am sorry I let you down.”
Bo swallowed. “You’ve saved me more times than I can count, Tam,” he said. “But you don’t have to sacrifice yourself to make amends. And you need to trust me with the truth.”
Tam frowned. “I know. I—”
“Very touching,” sneered Galvin. “But I’ll have the final key and be off now, thank you kindly. Before this dragon-worm shows its ugly face.”
Bo glanced up at the swooping scouts. Caw, caw, caw, they cried. “And how are you going to manage that?” Their wing-eyes stared down at them, watching their every move.
“I have my ways,” said Galvin. “Now, give the key to—”
Nix barked loudly. Bo turned, searching for what had caught the fox’s attention. “Is that . . .” He stumbled back.
The scouts screeched with menace as the giant one-eyed dragon-worm slithered toward Bo and his friends from the other side of the crater.
“Kroklops,” said Tam.
Bo couldn’t hold back his gasp at the hideous creature.
The kroklops was taller than two huts placed one on top of the other and longer than a fallen norfir tree. Its only eye—a large yellow orb with a slit of black at the center—took up most of its head, but it was the dragon-worm’s mouth that was the most terrifying sight: a gaping hole filled with razor-sharp teeth, big enough to swallow Tam whole.
Galvin dived to the ground, pressing his hands to his ears and screaming for help.
“What do we do?” Bo shouted over Galvin’s screams. His heart raced—boom, boom, boom!
Tam grabbed hold of Selene’s bound wrists and, with a slash of her talon, sliced through the translucent cuff. “Magic,” said Tam.
Selene raised her free hands and out shot red lightning strikes that zapped through the air and—crack!—hit the dragon-worm dead-on. The creature let out a piercing scream but did not slow down. In fact, it sped up. Selene zapped again but the kroklops continued to advance. The scouts began to swoop, screeching and aiming their razor-sharp beaks at Selene.
“The eye!” yelled Tam. “The eye is the weakest part.” Though she was still shaky on her feet, Bo watched her bend her knees into that familiar battle pose.
“When I lead the kroklops away, you run. Run to the mountain. I will meet you there.”
As Bo watched Tam prepare to go into battle for him again, he felt an eerie calm settle over him. Though the kroklops slithered toward them, though Selene shot thunderous bursts of multicolored ma
gic from her hands, and though Galvin continued to wail, it felt as if everything had stilled, as if Bo had all the time in the world to make his decision.
He would not run away while others fought for him. Mads had never trusted him, the villagers hadn’t either, not even Tam at times, but Bo knew he was brave and strong enough to help. He was determined to.
But as Bo lunged forward, a pair of hands dragged him back, tackling him to the ground. He was pinned in place by Galvin, the Irin clawing at Bo’s shirt and trousers. “The key!” Galvin cried. “Where is the key?”
“I don’t have it!”
“Liar!”
Nix lunged at Galvin and clamped his jaws around the Irin’s ankle, tearing into the flesh. Galvin screamed in pain, thrusting his head back. “Get this beast off me!” He turned and swung his fists at Nix.
Bo tried to shove Galvin off, gripping the Irin’s shirt in his hands. His fingers curled around something cold and hard in the pocket. Two cold and hard things. Keys!
Galvin grabbed Bo’s wrist, twisting the skin raw, ripping open the scabs from the cryven attack. “Oh no, you don’t, Devil-child. Those are mine.”
Bo cried out in pain but he didn’t let go.
They struggled, tearing into each other with fists and nails. Nix leapt on Galvin again, jaws locking around his bicep. Galvin howled, his grip on Bo’s wrist slipping.
The Irin thrashed wildly, trying to dislodge Nix, but the little fox held tight. Bo pulled the keys from Galvin’s pocket just before the Irin tumbled, falling backwards off Bo with a thump. Nix let go, barking as Galvin curled on the ground, cursing boys and foxes and keys through clenched teeth.
“Come on, Nix,” said Bo. He scrambled to his feet and shoved the keys in his trouser pocket. “We don’t have much time.”
The kroklops was almost upon Tam, unperturbed by Se-lene’s blasts of magic.
“Hey!” he cried, waving his arms above his head. “Hey, you! Big ugly worm! Over here! Come get me!” He waved and jumped and yelled until the dragon-worm’s single eye turned on him, and the giant creature veered off its path, headed straight for Bo.
The Boy, the Wolf, and the Stars Page 20