by Adam Blade
“She knows it’s time for a meal,” said Vendrake.
He lashed with the cat-o’-nine-tails, and Tanner ducked as the thongs cracked above his head. He searched desperately for Firepos but couldn’t see her. Where are you?
“I’ll cut you to ribbons!” roared Vendrake. Gwen let out a moan.
Tanner spun around and dove, slamming into the other side of the chariot. The knotted leather swished past his shoulder and snapped across the chariot wall, tearing out splinters of wood. He crouched in the enclosed space and lunged with his sword, but Vendrake skipped nimbly out of the way, dragging the thongs across Tanner’s forearm. The contact was only light, but a stinging pain made Tanner gasp. Beads of blood smeared his arm. The thongs wrapped around his sword, and Vendrake yanked on the handle of his whip. Tanner couldn’t hold on as the hilt was pulled from his hand. His only weapon spiraled over the edge of the chariot.
The vulture screeched with triumph.
“My creature can have your flesh,” said Vendrake. “I’ll save your skin to hang from Derthsin’s chamber wall.”
A voice intruded on Tanner’s thoughts: I’m here.
Firepos! His Beast was in place.
Tanner grinned at Vendrake. “Come and get me, then!”
As his enemy stepped forward again, raising the snaking thongs, there was a blur of movement and Vendrake suddenly tripped onto his face with a grunt of surprise. A hand gripped his ankle — Gwen’s! She let go, her face twisted in a grimace as she looked at her palm. It was coated in green slime and mold that had come off Vendrake’s leg.
Just like Geffen’s skin, thought Tanner. Of course! No one could survive the wounds that Derthsin had inflicted on Vendrake….
Gwen’s woozy gaze met his.
“Vendrake’s a corpse!” Tanner shouted to her.
Vendrake scrambled to his feet, his lip curled into a sneer. “None live to breathe after Derthsin’s rage,” he said. He kicked Tanner hard in the stomach, sending him reeling against the back of the chariot. Through his pain, Tanner saw Vendrake turn on Gwen and lift the whip over her head. “You’ll soon see for yourselves.”
Here we go, Tanner told Firepos.
He threw himself against the edge of the chariot. It tipped, making Vendrake stumble and desperately grip the side. As the world turned upside down and his stomach climbed into his throat, Tanner felt himself fall.
Tanner tumbled through the air, catching flashes of Gwen’s rolling body. He slammed into something soft and warm — Firepos’s waiting back. His hands closed on her feathers. Gwen bounced off a wing and plummeted toward the ground.
“Gwen!”
Tanner scrambled up to Firepos’s neck, his heart racing, and looked down. Gwen was lying face-first over Gulkien’s broad, gray-haired back. He’s come to the rescue, too!
The wolf howled as his leathery wings rose and fell. His flank was still bleeding, but not heavily. Gwen sat up groggily, her face pale and arm bruised. She threw a leg over his ridged spine, then looked up to Tanner and nodded in gratitude.
Tanner noticed his sword clutched in Firepos’s talons. He stroked the flame bird’s neck. “You saved our lives!” he said.
Weak flames rippled along her wings as she banked down and right, her golden beak glinting in a ray of sun. Tanner could see from her trembling wing tips that she was struggling to stay aloft. The bruised Avantian landscape slipped below them, and Tanner’s heart clouded. She’s tired, he realized. But her weariness seemed to run deeper than the exhaustion they were all feeling. Is it because I drank her blood? he thought.
He remembered Hilda, the old woman at Hartwell, passing him the vial that contained the thick liquid. She’d said she bought it from a traveler….
Vendrake, disguised as Jonas.
Dread seeped through Tanner. Derthsin’s minion must have used Firepos’s blood to subvert Tanner’s mission. Now, the bravery and strength of a Beast flowed through his veins, but at a cost to Firepos, making her weak. He stroked her golden feathers. He’d been a fool to drink it. He’d played into Derthsin’s hands and betrayed Firepos. Derthsin must have guessed that Tanner would be tempted to wear a piece of the mask, that the strength from Firepos could be twisted into hate-filled bloodlust. Derthsin gambled and won, Tanner thought bitterly. Firepos is weak and getting weaker, and battles fill me with a fury I can hardly control.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured.
You couldn’t have known, came the message back. You’re a brave warrior now, fighting to save Avantia. That much was true, Tanner knew. He still wanted to save his kingdom. All of this had to be worth something, didn’t it? He’d set out on this journey to avenge Esme’s death, but somewhere along the way it had become bigger than that — about saving Avantia from Derthsin’s evil. He still wanted that, and he’d still fight for it.
Tanner glanced up as Vendrake’s Beast dipped after them.
“Coward,” Tanner yelled at Vendrake, “creeping around in disguise!”
Vendrake gripped both reins and steered the vulture in a low swoop past the Beasts.
“I’ve watched all of you,” he sneered. “Ask Castor why he wasn’t in the mines near his village!”
The words flew like a weapon through the air. Then Vendrake whipped the reins and the vulture climbed again.
“The mines?” Tanner muttered to himself.
He watched the chariot disappear to the west, heading for the volcano. And for Derthsin, thought Tanner grimly. His master will soon know we’re coming. Why had he allowed Gwen to believe that man was Jonas? Hadn’t they learned anything by now? No one is to be trusted, Tanner thought. Not even the faces of the people we love.
Firepos spread her wings and landed beside Gulkien, back at the entrance to their cave. The wolf growled a greeting. Gwen inspected her Beast’s wound with an anxious face; it was nearly healed, thanks to the Beasts’ ability to cure themselves. She barely seemed to notice the dried blood on her own arm. As Tanner slipped off Firepos, Castor came to his side and gave him a punch on the shoulder.
“That was some stunt!” He grinned. “Did you know the Beasts were right below?”
Tanner knew that Castor was trying to lighten the mood, but his stomach felt tight with nerves. Their pursuit of the last piece of the mask was already going wrong. Tanner had no right to call himself a hero, or even a survivor. It seemed as though he was failing at everything he did.
Rufus stood at a distance, watching them carefully. When he saw Tanner’s glance, he approached.
“You could have died,” he said, his lips white with anxiety. Falkor hissed slowly and blinked his polished black eyes. “He’s pleased you’re safe.” Rufus nodded to Gulkien. “Come here, Gwen. Let me see your injury.”
Gwen did as he asked, lifting her arm. The skin was tight and swollen around deep scratches and trails of dried blood.
Rufus turned her arm over so that he could take a closer look, then pointed with his staff, muttering a few strange-sounding words. Blue smoke stretched in tendrils from the staff’s tip and settled over the scratches like a cloud. Gulkien snarled and licked his fangs, watching his mistress. But as the mist cleared, the skin on her arm had healed over.
“That’s amazing!” said Gwen, gazing at the unblemished pink skin.
Rufus flushed. “It’s the least I can do,” he said with a shrug.
Castor started to walk over to Nera. “Come on, we’ve wasted enough time.”
“Wait a minute,” said Tanner, remembering Vendrake’s odd parting words. “I need to ask you something. About the mines.”
Gwen raised her eyebrows.
“Can’t it wait?” asked Castor, looking away. “Derthsin’s probably found the final piece of the mask by now! And then he’ll be after us for the other pieces. Our lives are in danger, for Avantia’s sake!” His face was flushed with emotion.
Tanner folded his arms. “Well, let’s make it quick. How come you weren’t trapped down there, too? Captain Brutus took all the other men and boys fro
m Colton, but not you.”
Tread carefully, Firepos warned him. A friend’s heart is not to be torn out.
But he ignored his Beast. Tanner realized these questions had always been playing around the edges of his mind. Why had it taken Vendrake’s sinister prompting to make him say the words out loud?
Castor shrugged, but still his eyes were downcast. He drew his sword and looked along the blade, making a show of inspecting it. “How should I know?”
Gwen put her hand on his arm. “Come on, Castor, you can tell us. If I were Brutus, I’d have picked you out. You must have been the strongest boy in the village with those muscles of yours.”
A faint smiled flashed over Castor’s face, but it quickly fell away. He sighed.
“Just tell us,” Gwen said softly. “Or would you rather we heard the reason from Vendrake, or Derthsin himself?”
Castor took a deep breath and stared off over the trees. “I made a deal,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. Finally, he looked at them, his eyes full of despair. “I didn’t know they were bad at first.”
“Who?” asked Tanner.
“Gor and his men. He said he was raising an army. Well paid. To protect the kingdom. He wanted lists of all the men in the village. He said he’d make me a sergeant.”
Rufus was the first to speak. “So you handed them over,” he said.
“I didn’t realize until it was too late,” said Castor. He was slicing through the air with his sword now, cutting figure eights. His movements became quicker and more clumsy as he continued to speak. He looked away from them. “Gor turned nasty and sent his men to drag everyone from their houses. He said they’d work in the mines until they fell to the ground dead.”
“And you did nothing to stop this?” said Rufus, throwing down his staff in disgust.
“Rufus …” Gwen began.
“What could I do?” asked Castor, his blade gleaming. He took a menacing step toward Rufus, who backed away. “Gor said he’d kill all the women and children if I didn’t help. He told me he needed a contact in Colton. Someone to tell him if anyone suspicious showed up.”
“A spy and a coward,” said Rufus.
Tanner half expected Castor to hold his sword to Rufus’s throat, but instead his shoulders slumped and he sheathed the blade.
“That’s right,” he whispered, almost to himself. “A coward.”
“But you didn’t hand me and Tanner over,” Gwen interrupted. “You fought with us to free the people of your village. You helped save my brother!”
“He bought his own freedom by selling his people into slavery!” shouted Rufus.
“Yes, and he also saved your sister — or have you forgotten that?” Gwen gasped.
Rufus ignored her, his face coloring. “I should’ve stayed in my cave!” Falkor stirred his shimmering scales and hissed angrily in agreement.
“Well, tough. You didn’t, did you? You came with us,” said Gwen. “We need to pull together now.”
But anger rose up in Tanner’s chest, as unstoppable as a geyser. He was remembering all the times Castor had taunted him. Always pretending to be so brave, so undaunted. Always putting everyone else down to make himself look better.
“Rufus is right,” he said. “We don’t need cowards.”
As the words left his mouth, Gwen gaped at him in astonishment. Firepos fluttered her wing tips. She was trying to communicate, but Tanner shut off his mind to her. He wouldn’t be told what to do!
Even as he looked at Castor, he could see he was spoiling for a fight. And Tanner wanted to fight. Heat spread over his skin, his veins throbbing. His eyes sought out Rufus, boring into the young wizard’s cloak. The pieces of the mask were calling to him, begging him to put them on his face again, to feel the sparks in his blood, the surging power….
“Are you all right?” asked Gwen.
Her voice snapped him to attention, and his body cooled.
Castor looked stiffly from one face to the next. “I’m glad you’re safe, Gwen,” he said thickly. He turned to Tanner. “You’ve always hated me, haven’t you? Well, I never meant to hurt anybody. Remember that.”
Castor stepped up on a boulder and leaped nimbly onto Nera’s back. His Beast scraped the rocks with her claws and roared, taking a step away.
“Don’t go!” shouted Gwen. She rushed forward, but Rufus gripped her arm.
With a lash of her tail, Nera sprang down the slope and into the forest.
“Good riddance to them, I say,” said Rufus.
The fury seeped from Tanner’s blood, and he felt shame. He looked to Firepos, who stared at him with reproach. What have I done? he asked silently.
Gwen threw off Rufus’s arm and leaned against Gulkien, her face buried in his fur.
A gentle breeze ruffled Firepos’s feathers and her reply sent a chill across Tanner’s skin. You pushed him away.
Nera has gone. She takes her Chosen Rider with her, and our fate is more uncertain than ever. The group of four is broken.
The ancient fire sweeps over me, consuming my bones in pain. There’s no escaping the curse of the flame bird, as foretold by Anoret. Her words come back to me again:
The bravery in Beasts’ blood
Shall set fire to the final fight,
The curse of the phoenix
Shall make a companion falter
But Justice will find the Mighty.
I don’t understand all of Anoret’s predictions, but I know that the future approaches as surely as the sun will rise and set. Falkor slithers closer, the slits of his eyes gleaming with concern. His tongue flickers, sensing my pain. Gulkien pads toward me and rubs his muzzle into my feathers. It’s all right, my fellow Beasts, I have long guessed where my destiny lies.
I turn toward the west. It’s time to return, my friends. Time to make our way to my birthplace. The volcano calls to me, and I am powerless to resist.
“What’s wrong with them?” asked Rufus.
Tanner watched the Beasts gather together with a sense of dread. Firepos’s eyes blazed and her talons clawed at the rock. He’d never seen her so agitated, and the waves of her anxiety crashed into him.
She wants us to leave, he realized. They’d called after Castor for hours with no luck, searching the surrounding fields and forests. But he was gone for good. Eventually, they’d camped out for the night, waking cold and with stiff joints.
“We have to go to the volcano — right now,” Tanner said, climbing to his feet and stretching his limbs.
“But with only three of us to face Derthsin —” Gwen began.
“The last piece of the mask is too important,” Tanner interrupted. “We’re strong enough. We have to be.”
Did he really believe that, though? Despite his arrogance, Castor’s sword skills were second to none, and without him they were seriously weakened as a force.
Gulkien’s growl drew everyone’s attention. Falkor hissed aggressively and slithered to Rufus’s side. Firepos flapped her wings, bathing them all in the warmth of her inner fire. She screeched, and the sound echoed around them, filling Tanner’s heart with pride.
“It looks like the Beasts agree with me,” said Tanner. “We have to go.”
He scrambled up Firepos’s feathers and settled across her back. Her sharp beak pointed directly toward the morning sun in the east, as if she could see their destination already.
Falkor writhed at Firepos’s side as Rufus laid his staff across his dark scales. She lifted her head and hissed back toward Gulkien, who tested his wings with huge drafts of air.
“I don’t think we need to check the map again,” said Gwen. “The Beasts seem to know where they’re going.”
As Firepos took to the skies, the wind seeping through Tanner’s clothes, Falkor set off, sliding across the ground in pulsing waves. Gulkien’s tongue lolled from his jaws as he flew headlong beside them. Tanner looked back. It doesn’t feel right with only three of us, he thought.
They flew directly into the warm glow of the sun�
��s rays. Tanner squinted at the horizon ahead, feeling dread grip his insides. Since the morning he’d buried his grandmother beside their cottage, he’d known that he’d have to face the full might of Derthsin’s army one day. Maybe he’d known even on the dark day the evil lord killed his father and dragged his mother away. He’d been too young to fight back then.
“But I’m coming for you now, Derthsin,” Tanner promised. They were headed toward the volcano, where the fourth piece of the mask was. Perhaps Derthsin was already there. So be it, Tanner thought. It was time to end this.
They flew over what seemed like endless plains. Here and there were the ruins of villages, charred buildings, abandoned fields, and the rotting carcasses of slaughtered cattle. They passed over the ominous mounds of hastily dug graves. People seemed to have abandoned their ruined homes, or else they cowered indoors, terrified to come out. It was as if Derthsin had poisoned the whole kingdom with his evil.
Tanner watched the horizon for any sign of enemy soldiers, and scanned the sky until his eyes hurt in case Vendrake reappeared in his dreadful, vulture-drawn chariot. The morning had given way to dark clouds that blotted out the sun completely and seemed to press heavily on the scourged landscape.
Firepos suddenly twisted her head downward and dove, with Gulkien copying the maneuver.
“What’s happening?” Gwen shouted across.
“I don’t know,” Tanner replied.
Falkor had stopped, and lay with his head a hands-breadth from the ground, his forked tongue darting in and out. Firepos and Gulkien swooped alongside him, hovering a few paces off the ground.
“My Beast senses something ahead,” Rufus said. “Let’s be careful.”
“I wonder if it’s Castor,” said Gwen hopefully.
Firepos gained height again with powerful wing strokes, and they flew low with Falkor slightly ahead, tasting the air for danger. As they broke over the top of a low rise, Tanner gasped.
A crowd of hundreds seethed over the plain in a solid mass. The thunder of their combined footsteps seemed to shake the air.