Boo peeked out of Diva’s pouch, then dropped back, the material bobbing up and down.
“Are you hiding or eating?” Theo lifted the flap.
Inside, Boo pecked at berries.
Theo laughed. “Diva’s truly amazing, and you’re truly a glutton.”
On the other side of the chasm, Diva changed back into a girl. She secured all the vine ropes around another tree trunk. “Theo, you and Pavel should cross one at a time. Watch where you step, so your feet don’t slip through.”
“I’ll go first, Pavel,” Theo said, gulping down his fear, “to make sure it’s safe.”
“You sure?”
Theo nodded. He had to take the lead, show he was brave despite the fear recoiling inside him.
Pavel called over to Diva, “What about your stuff? Do you want to fly back and carry it or have us bring it?”
“I’ll get it.”
Stirring up a whirlwind a second time, she transformed into a falcon and flew back to Theo and Pavel.
When she was a girl again, Pavel asked, “Does it hurt to change like that?”
“Not at all. It feels natural.”
“Can you teach me?” Pavel asked.
“No, it’s a power I was born with. Even if you had a Samodiva ancestor, I don’t think you could do it. The power transfers only to females.”
Pavel’s shoulders drooped. “Stinky swamp grass.”
“Okay, let’s go, guys,” Diva said. “I’ll wait here until you both get across.”
Boo crept out of Diva’s pouch and sailed across the chasm.
Theo slung his bow over his shoulder and set his foot at the edge of the woven vines. “Here goes nothing.”
The makeshift bridge swayed over the chasm. Taking a deep breath, Theo placed a foot onto the bridge, making sure to balance it on the vines. He took another step, both feet now on the moving bridge. He grabbed hold of the guardrail vines to keep his balance. Each step seemed an eternity. The vines and wooden slats buckled and crackled under his weight. Halfway across, a piece of rotten wood broke away. Theo looked down as the slat swirled into the dark chasm.
Diva shouted, “Don’t be afraid. Only a few more steps.”
Theo’s foot twisted in the hole around the vines. Pain shot up his leg from his earlier wound. His sweaty hands slipped off the ivy, and he almost fell. He reclaimed the handholds and clenched the vines tighter as he freed his foot.
He breathed slowly and deeply trying to stop his heart from racing out of his throat. Sweat soaked his clothes, and he itched all over. If the rope broke, he’d die and wouldn’t be able to save Nia. No. He couldn’t think like that. He could do this.
The footbridge rocked like a boat at sea while the handholds swayed the opposite direction. His arms and legs ached. He could make it. One step at a time.
At three-quarters of the way across, the bridge gently swayed. Theo stopped to regain his balance. He pressed onward. Only four more steps to go. Three. Two. One. He stepped off the bridge and dropped to solid ground, cooling his vine-burned hands in the dry soil.
“You made it,” Diva screamed, and Pavel hooted.
“Your turn, Pavel,” Theo called, breathing heavily. “Piece of cake.”
Pavel shuffled to the bridge and grabbed onto the tangled vines. “I never told you I’m afraid of heights, Theo. That’s why I never test the wings I make.”
Pavel afraid? Theo wasn’t the only one? “You can do it. Just don’t look down,” Theo said.
“Do you want me to carry you?” Diva asked.
Pavel twisted around to look at her. “Huh?”
“As a falcon. I’m strong enough to get one of you across.”
He shook his head. “No. I’ll do it.” He took two steps. The vines creaked and swayed.
“You’re doing good,” Diva said. “Just a couple at a time.”
Every few steps, they called out encouragement, until Pavel reached the middle. “You’re at the point of no return, Pavel. You can make it the rest of the way,” Theo said.
Pavel took a step and staggered.
“No! Don’t look down,” Theo shouted. “Look at me.”
Pavel screamed as his body lurched forward. He lost his grip on the handhold. One foot slipped off the edge and the other twisted in the vines, caught between the wooden slats. He twirled upside down mid-air with nothing to hold onto. “Help! My foot’s slipping. I’m going to fall!”
“I’m coming,” Theo shouted.
“No, Theo,” Diva shouted from the other side. “The vines won’t hold both of you. Let me try.” She turned into a falcon and swooped closer to the dangling boy.
“Someone, help me, please!” Pavel sobbed with his eyes squeezed shut.
Theo paced, not knowing what to do. Every second was precious.
The falcon grabbed hold of Pavel’s shirt with her talons and pulled upward until he was no longer upside down. Screaming constantly, Pavel swung at her with his arms.
“Pavel, stop,” Theo ordered. “Let Diva help you.”
Pavel quieted and hunched forward. The falcon kept him steady, all the while pulling him closer to the bridge.
“Now, Pavel,” Theo said, more gently. “Open your eyes and reach for the vines. You can do it.”
Pavel obeyed and grabbed hold. He swung his dangling foot onto the bridge and swayed for a while, his backside hanging over the edge. With the falcon hovering overhead, he eased himself onto the bridge and untangled his foot. He lay like a worshipper for several moments. The falcon flew above him as he crawled the rest of the way across.
Theo pulled Pavel off and wrapped his arms around him.
“You were brave, Pavel,” Diva told him after she changed shape once again.
He hung his head. “No, I was scared to death and acted like a baby.”
“You’re no baby,” Theo said. “You chased the fear out and did what you needed to do. That’s bravery.” Theo vowed he’d find a way to protect his friends from now on.
Chapter 12
Forest of Souls
Theo, Diva, and Pavel walked through rocky terrain sloping toward the valley, while Boo flew ahead. At dusk, they entered the Forest of Souls. The sweet essence of incense surrounded the leafless trees, whose blackened and cracked bark appeared petrified by time, rather than ravaged by Lamia’s fire. Like cocoons protecting their charges, branches stretched their twigs to encase spheres, ranging in size from golf balls to basketballs. The spheres, in turn, bathed the limbs in soft golden light. Some shone as brightly as the sun, while others glowed like distant stars, and still others only flickered like candles.
Theo gazed in awe at the orbs. “Back when we were at the Ispolini glen, they looked like fireflies.”
Pavel moved in a circle. “There are so many.”
“This is the resting place of my ancestors,” Diva said in a hushed tone.
Theo grazed the cracked bark with his fingertips. Heat washed over them and spread up his arm and to his shoulder before he pulled away. “It’s like the trees are giving the spheres life.”
“I think the spheres are feeding the trees with their essence the way water sustains our life,” Diva said as she unpacked. “It’s safe to spend the night here. The sacred forest is protected from Lamia’s creatures.”
Pavel touched a sphere, and a soft moan escaped from within. Startled, he jumped back. “What was that?”
Diva scowled. “Don’t touch them. You disturbed the spirit’s rest.”
The sphere’s glow increased, changing from golden, to purple, then pink, until it faded again to golden, and the groan ceased.
“People come here to talk with their ancestors,” Diva said. “They have to be careful. If they gaze into the spheres too long, their own spirit becomes trapped here while their body lives on.”
Leaving the others, Theo wandered around the forest, enchanted by the glimmering lights. One of the larger ones pulsed like a heartbeat, drawing him closer. When he stopped beside the sphere, it spun slowly and
glowed brighter, the colors alternating between light violet and rose.
“Theo, look at you,” a melodic voice spoke soft as a lullaby.
He spun around. “Diva?”
No one was nearby.
A light fragrance of honeysuckle seeped from the tree. Whispering notes in its branches called to him. Mesmerized by the melody, Theo placed his palm against the pulsating orb. It was as cold and smooth as glass. The twigs encasing the orb stretched, expanding to expose more of the globe.
The spinning colors inside it faded, and a beautiful, ethereal woman with curly hair like fire floated within the sphere. He had seen her before—in the water at the fountain where he had landed in Dragon Village. Her gentle smile filled him with warmth and love. A balmy breeze surrounded him as if to embrace him and caress his hair.
The woman said, “Theo, believe in yourself. You’re special.”
He opened his eyes wide. “How do you know my name?”
She placed her hand on the sphere mirroring his. “I’ve known you since before you were born, my precious son. I made sure the woman in Selo would love you before I left. She named you ‘Theo.’ ”
Her son? “What? Who are you?” What she was saying wasn’t possible. Mom was in Selo.
He tried to remove his hand from the globe, but couldn’t. The woman’s gentle voice etched deep within his soul. As she continued speaking, he drifted away from his surroundings. He glimpsed a memory she shared with him: Three ethereal-looking women crept out of a forest on a stormy night. Winds howled, gusting around their robes made of moonbeams. Rain battered their faces. Close to her chest, the red-haired woman cradled a bundle in a white blanket. The three women dashed to the porch of a house—Theo’s house.
The red-haired woman set the bundle by the door. It moved, and a baby cried. She sang a sad song and kissed the infant. “Farewell for now, my sweet child. I’ll return when we’ve defeated Lamia.”
The red-haired woman unclasped a seven-star medallion from her throat and placed it over the baby’s heart. One last kiss, and she was gone.
Tears filled his eyes. Why had Mom never told him he was adopted?
Even if it was an illusion, the love the woman in the globe displayed for him blossomed inside him. He had no doubt this was his mother, the woman who had given birth to him. Fear of Lamia had forced her to give him up. But how had she died?
She spoke again. “Don’t grieve for me. Death is the beginning of a new, often better existence.”
The globe dimmed, the image of his mother fading into shadows. A tear crept down her face.
“Please don’t go.” Theo leaned his forehead against the sphere.
Her whispered voice surrounded him, “Any longer and I’ll trap you here.”
Her fiery-red hair dissolved, and the flickering golden glow returned to the sphere. The tree’s twigs stretched and closed, cradling the globe in its embrace.
The air weighed Theo down. He dropped to his knees at the base of the tree. The sweet smell, the lovely tune, his mother. All gone. The dark forest closed in on him. He couldn’t breathe.
“What’s the matter?” Pavel tapped his shoulder. “Who were you talking to?”
Theo stood, his heart breaking. “My mother’s inside the sphere.”
Pavel peered at it. “I thought she was in Selo.”
“My birth mother,” Theo whispered.
“What do you mean?” Pavel tilted his head.
“I-I’m adopted. I didn’t know until now.” Theo’s fingers trailed over where his mother had been. “My mother isn’t ... wasn’t human.”
“Then what is she?”
“A Samodiva.”
Pavel’s mouth gaped. “Hairy horse feathers. A Samodiva enchanted your father?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t say.”
Had his Samodiva mother seduced his human father? He’d heard stories about men driven to insanity by a nymph’s enchantment. Is that why his mother left Theo where she did? If that was true, then Nia was his half-sister.
“Hey, Theo.” Pavel nudged him. “I asked, what does that make you if your mother’s a Samodiva?”
“I don’t know. Legends say children of a human and a Samodiva are great heroes.” Theo certainly didn’t feel like a hero. All he felt now was confused.
“That’s awesome.” Pavel stared at the orb. “I don’t see anyone in there.”
Theo touched the globe again. A moan escaped from inside, and the golden glow faded like a candle snuffed out by the wind. “No! Come back, please.”
Diva ran over. “What are you shouting about?”
Pavel pointed his thumb at the sphere. “Theo thinks he saw his mother inside.”
“I did, and now she’s gone.” He grasped his head in his hands.
“Your mother? This orb belongs to our queen,” Diva said.
The queen. The beautiful woman Diva had shown him a picture of. The woman who carried the black bow he now possessed.
Diva placed her hand on Theo’s shoulder. “She’s not gone. It took a lot of energy for her to talk with you. Look, her orb has a tiny glow.”
He lowered his hands. A spec of light pulsed inside the globe. Theo relaxed. Since his mother had been a powerful Samodiva, maybe he did have a chance of being a hero.
Chapter 13
The Power of Music
Mid-morning the next day, they stopped at the top of a knoll. Ahead lay a sparkling emerald bay. Islands dotted the coastline, and whitecaps looked like worms inching their way toward shore. Pavel pulled out a pair of binoculars from his backpack.
Theo laughed. “I should have guessed you’d bring those, too.”
“I’m the captain of the hiking team. Our instructor always said, ‘Carry a compass, binoculars, and ... clean underwear.’ ”
Theo thumped Pavel’s shoulder. “Your mother said the last one.”
Pavel put the binoculars to his eyes. “I don’t see anyone.”
“How can you tell?” Diva asked. “We’re too far away.”
“Binoculars let you see things from a distance like they’re close to you.” Pavel handed them to her. “Try.”
She put the lens up to her eyes. “That tree ... it’s right next to me.” She stretched her hand in the air like she was trying to grasp something, then removed the binoculars. “Where’d it go?”
“It’s an illusion,” Pavel said. “The trees are still far away.”
“You have magic, too?” she asked.
“Not magic. Science.” Pavel grinned. “Inventions are almost like bringing magic to our world.”
“I really have to explore your world someday.” Diva handed him back the binoculars.
While Pavel and Diva continued to talk, Theo snuck back toward the forest. He had to find a way to protect his friends from any other danger they might encounter. If he was the hero, he should be more powerful. As soon as trees hid him from his friends, he grasped the medallion, hoping its magical powers remained. Holding it tight, he twirled around.
Pavel’s voice boomed, “What are you doing?”
Theo spun around. “I-I thought you were talking with Diva.”
“She sent me to check on you.” Pavel grinned as he leaned against a tree. “Were you trying to change into a falcon like Diva?”
“Y— er, no. I-I ...”
Pavel laughed. “You can’t. Did you forget that Diva said only female children of Samodivi can shape-shift?”
Theo sighed. He’d find another way to protect his friends. He joined Diva and Pavel, and they walked toward the water.
As they approached the shore, the trees thinned to shrubs, then to grass. White quartz sand covered the pebbles, until even the path disappeared, leaving only dunes before them.
“Rusalki Bay.” Diva breathed in deeply. “Smell the sea, the salt, the breeze.”
“A beach!” Pavel shouted.
“I wouldn’t go there if I were you,” Diva said. “Remember, all of Dragon Village is magical.”
“I wa
nt to soak my feet in the water.” Pavel removed his shoes and ran onto the white sand, but stopped. He screeched and hopped like a fire dancer on live coals.
“What’s the matter with you?” Theo asked.
“My feet are burning.” Pavel rushed back and rubbed his soles on the grass.
Theo laughed. “It can’t be that bad.”
“You try it.”
Theo touched the sand. Pain like a hot poker stabbed at his fingers. Gritting his teeth, he snatched his hand away. “I don’t feel anything.”
“Why is your face red then?”
“It’s all the walking we’ve done.” Theo sucked on his fingertips.
“I warned you.” Diva smirked. “Now, if you boys are done being boys, let’s find the Rusalki.”
They walked past a garden with blossoming flowers and trees laden with fruit. Theo’s stomach rumbled from the sweet aroma. He reached for an orange-colored fruit.
Diva slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch anything. You’ll be sure to make the Rusalki angry.”
“Sorry,” Theo said and continued walking. “Why is everything so alive here while it’s dead in the rest of Dragon Village?”
“Good question,” Diva said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if the Rusalki made a deal with Lamia.”
They walked along the beach until they came to a spot where algae-encrusted boulders lined the shoreline like picnic tables at an outside café. Waves played tag with multi-colored precious stones glittering in the sand.
“My feet are killing me,” Pavel said. “Let’s take a break and wait for the Rusalki here.”
They sat on boulders until the tide receded, but no one appeared.
“I hope they’ll help. We need to find Nia quickly.” Theo shuddered. “I had a terrible dream about her last night while we slept under the orbs.”
“Tell me about it,” Diva said.
“I stumbled around a flower garden,” Theo began. “Nia was there. Only she wasn’t Nia. She was a stone statue, and had a look of terror ... or disbelief on her face.”
“Maybe Lamia’s like Medusa,” Pavel said, “and turns people into stone with her look.”
“Or maybe Lamia’s found a way to get inside your head, Theo,” Diva added, “so you’ll stop looking for her souls and go right to the castle to find your sister.”
The Unborn Hero of Dragon Village Page 13