He spoke first to Captain Lovvorn, and learned that all had gone well for their first month stationed at the temple. As Shane knew, they were the advance guard in the Conquerors’ planned invasion of Clarobo. The city served a valuable function as a port; if it fell, the entire continent would be instantly vulnerable. And Clarobo would fall quickly if forced to defend itself on two fronts, with one attack coming from the Conquerors’ fleet at sea as a second attack was launched from the jungle.
So Lovvorn and his men had been told to secure a post and wait. They were still waiting when disaster struck.
It had been a normal morning. Exercises at dawn; card games over their morning oatmeal. Then there was a sound that wasn’t a sound, a hissing in their heads that felt like cold fingers in their brains. There was a flash of anger, a rush of panic, and then silence.
“We all looked at one another,” the captain explained. “Wondering whether every one of us had experienced the same thing. My first thought was that it was some kind of assault — that the Greencloaks had found us.” His eyes had a faraway look, as if he were watching the events of that morning unfold all over again. “Before I could say it, we were attacked — but not by Greencloaks. It was our animals. Our own spirit animals. They’d gone … well, wild, though it seems strange to say it. I didn’t know it was possible.”
Shane nodded solemnly.
“It wasn’t just us. Was it?” the captain asked.
“No. It was everyone. Everyone who drank the Bile.”
“What happened?”
“It’s complicated,” Shane answered, running his hands through his hair. “Suffice it to say, we lost. The Greencloaks outmaneuvered us. Our allies are … gone. With the Bile neutralized, we lost half our army in an instant. Our forces started withdrawing immediately, trying to get to Stetriol as quickly as possible, before the enemy realized just how powerless we were.”
“But you came here. For us.” Lovvorn smiled. “I’m honored, sir.”
Shane rubbed his hands together. The truth was that he’d known the Bushmaster plan was in the works, but he’d had no idea men had actually been sent to Amaya. He’d left the military decisions to others while he’d focused on obtaining the talismans. Most likely Gar had stationed these men here, acting on Gerathon’s orders. It would never have occurred to Shane to look for them. But there was no point in turning down the man’s gratitude, and he accepted it with a curt nod.
“I want to speak to your men,” Shane said. “I’d like to get to know everyone.”
“I’ll send Soyland your way, sir.”
“No,” said Shane. “I want to start with him.” And he pointed to the scrawny soldier with the haunted eyes, who watched them intently from the far side of the fire and quickly turned away as Shane singled him out.
Shane remained seated when the soldier approached and bent down on one knee.
“Up,” Shane said. “Up, up. I’ve seen enough bowing to last me a long time. Have a proper seat.”
“Yes, my liege,” the soldier said, and his voice squeaked. He wasn’t much older than Shane, and he was skinny, barely filling out his leathers. Shane tried to picture him in the steel gauntlets and shoulder plates the Conquerors wore over their oiled black leather armor when they went on the march, but he had a hard time imagining this boy ever being an imposing sight.
Shane wondered briefly how many young men and women of Stetriol had marched into battle across Erdas. He’d once feared their numbers weren’t enough. Now it seemed far too many — too many lives, for a gambit that had failed.
The boy sat as directed, but he remained rigid, staring straight ahead as if at attention.
“What’s your name?”
“Alix, sir.”
“Alix. Tell me about when the animals turned against you,” Shane prompted.
“It was … It was chaos. As if the animals had been sleeping, and then suddenly they were awake. You never want to corner an animal, you know? It was like they’d all been cornered and had only just realized, all at once. Garth’s owl tried to take his eyes out. It just kept screeching and smacking him with its wings. It hadn’t seemed so big before. The captain’s horse was kicking at anybody who came close. Arnold’s snake slithered off — somewhere. I’m terrified it’s still in here with us. Tep’s lynx actually got into it with Dahved’s dog, which was lucky for us, because we had our hands full with the bear.”
“Soyland’s bear,” Shane clarified.
“Yes, sir. We led it out — well, to be honest, we just sort of ran away, and it followed. Then we were able to double back and lock ourselves in here. The owl had flown away by then, and the other animals scattered. We kept expecting the bear to wander off eventually, too. But every time we leave the temple, she’s there. Waiting.”
Shane narrowed his eyes. “And where was your spirit animal in all of this?”
“Mine? Uh, in the confusion — I’m not sure …”
“Your captain told me what you’d bonded with. And I find it hard to believe any amount of confusion would allow it to slip away.”
Alix swallowed hard. “Sir, please don’t —”
“Tell me what you’re hiding. That’s an order.”
Alix wiped the sweat from his brow. He swallowed once more and, eyes downcast, nodded curtly. Then his left hand went to his right bracer. Slowly, he undid the clasps at his wrist and below his elbow, and the leather bracer fell away. He held his forearm up to Shane, catching the light of the fire.
There on his arm was an image of a ram. The tattoo was faded at the edges, as if somehow going out of focus, and the skin beneath and all around it was a sickly white, dry and peeling.
“I can’t summon him anymore. I’ve tried. He just … I think he’s stuck or something. Stuck like that.
“And the mark … It’s starting to itch.”
“What use is an earthworm?”
In the days following his father’s death, when Shane had ascended to the throne and taken the mantle of the Reptile King, change came quickly. He did everything he could to spread the word: There was a cure for the bonding sickness, and Shane had it.
People came to the capital in droves, more each day, so that Shane could barely keep up with the demand. Yet he and Zerif trusted no one with the secret of the Bile’s creation. Each and every drop was a drop made by their hands.
The secret gave Shane power — more power even than the crown he had inherited. It gave him the power to put Gar in his place. It gave him the power to unite Stetriol under his leadership, not out of fear or tradition, but love and respect. Gratitude.
Best of all, it gave Shane the power to defy the Greencloaks. He could have revenge against them for all they’d done to Stetriol — all they hadn’t done for Stetriol.
So once the bonding sickness had been wiped out, Shane and Zerif didn’t stop creating Bile. They wouldn’t stop until every able-bodied, battle-ready man and woman on the continent had a spirit animal.
People chose animals based on how they would contribute to the war effort. Predators were most popular. Some chose animals for their fearsome teeth, their speed, their ability to fly or crush or sneak.
And then there was Yumaris, who made an unusual choice.
“What use is an earthworm?” Shane asked her, unable to keep the irritation from his voice. It was the day before they would leave Stetriol, perhaps forever. Zerif was already abroad, gathering allies and laying the groundwork for their invasion. Shane had decided to pay one last visit to the small cemetery in the shadow of the castle, the one where his parents were buried. He hadn’t expected to find Yumaris here.
“All creatures of Erdas have use,” she answered.
Shane rolled his eyes. He’d had little patience for her cryptic answers as her student. He certainly didn’t care for them as her king. “Some less use than others,” he said pointedly.
“Earthworms are extraordinary animals, in fact,” she said. Joints practically creaking with age, she knelt down over the grave of l
ong-dead King Feliandor and placed her small, writhing spirit animal upon the ground. The grayish-pink worm flailed for a moment, then, in a few pulsating movements that made Shane’s skin crawl, it burrowed into the soil.
It struck him as somewhat disrespectful, but then, Feliandor wasn’t actually buried here. The grave was only symbolic.
When the Greencloaks had finished with Good King Fel, there hadn’t been enough left of him to bury.
“They have no eyes. No ears.” Yumaris stood, pulling herself up with her walking stick, her movements as slow and deliberate as her words. “They do not see or hear so much as sense.” She shrugged. “For them, that is enough. They survive. They thrive. All beneath the feet of giants.”
Shane snorted. “And they eat dirt.”
“Aye, dirt,” said Yumaris. She held out her bony wrist, and the earthworm reappeared upon her papery skin as a tattoo. “The dirt of Stetriol’s great kings. One last taste of home before we go to conquer.”
She turned away then and shuffled back to the castle, leaving Shane alone among the tombstones.
Alone among the fallen kings and queens of Stetriol.
Food for worms, all of them.
Shane slept fitfully that night upon the hard dirt floor. He woke at first light, as did the soldiers, who went about their morning routines gloomily.
Of all of them, Alix seemed to greet the day with new enthusiasm. Shane hadn’t known what to tell him about his warped tattoo, other than to promise he would try to help. That had apparently been enough for Alix. The haunted look was gone from his eyes, and though he kept his bracer on over his mark, he moved about as if a weight had been lifted from him.
“We’re running low on just about everything but water,” he explained apologetically as he handed Shane and Anya bowls of boiled oats. “It rains enough — that’s not a problem. But we’re almost out of food.”
“Tell the cook not to worry about rationing,” Shane said, poking at his unappetizing mush. “Use it all up. We’re getting out of here today.”
Alix smiled and nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said, and trotted off to relay the message.
Shane pulled Anya aside. “What do you know about this place?”
“Not much,” she said, crossing her arms. “Other than that it’s been seized by an enemy force.” Clearly she hadn’t yet forgiven him for once trying to conquer the world.
“I’m sorry I got you into this,” he said. “You only wanted to help.”
She frowned. “You’re not what I expected, you know.”
“Let me guess.” Shane grinned. “You thought I’d be taller?”
“Actually, yes. Taller and … sharper. Scarier. And cackling like a madman.”
“There’s not been much to laugh about. Listen, everything is a little more complicated than most people think. Most of your information about the war was filtered through the Greencloaks, and the Greencloaks only like to tell the stories where they play the role of the hero.”
Anya’s gaze swept over the men gathered around the fire, picking at their breakfast. “I suppose we’re in this together, as they say.” Her eyes came back to pin Shane. “Assuming your priority is escape. Yes? You wish to survive this, and save your men?”
“Of course I do.”
“And if you had to choose between the lives of these men and revenge on this woman you seek, which would you choose?”
“No one else dies,” Shane said hotly. “Not on account of Yumaris’s actions. And she’s definitely behind this, somehow. She wanted me to find this place. So I’ll ask again: What’s special about it?”
Anya shrugged. “It is one of many temples in the area. They were built long ago by our ancestors, but their original purpose has been lost to time.”
“Are the others open at the top like this?”
“I don’t know,” said Anya. “I was wondering whether this site was built to honor Essix. That would explain why it’s open to the sky.”
“Maybe,” Shane said, looking up into the clouds. But somehow the idea didn’t ring true. “I’m going to have a look around.”
Shane refused to believe this was a dead end. Yumaris had always had a way of seeing two steps ahead, and he could very easily believe she had led him here for a reason he didn’t see, perhaps to deal with the freed spirit animals. Should he let Grahv out and hope for the best? Maybe he could even get the crocodile and the bear to occupy each other while Shane and the others fled.
But so far, every step Yumaris had made since fleeing the Conqueror camp had led Shane directly to her next stop. She was leaving bread crumbs for him, and he had a nagging suspicion he hadn’t found the end of the trail.
Several stone passageways led away from the central chamber, curling in on themselves. Many came to dead ends or empty rooms, the purposes of which Shane couldn’t guess. Two rose up to balconies set high on the outside of the structure. He found the archers on watch there, and they pointed out to him the odd design that ran around the pyramid, visible only from that angle. There was a ridge carved along the outer walls, running at a gradual decline all the way down.
“It’s like a ramp carved out of the sides of the walls,” he said.
“But too narrow for a man to walk on,” said one archer.
“Or a bear,” said the other. “Happily. From above, it would almost look like a spiral.”
Shane startled at that. “I’ll be back,” he said, then retraced his steps through the winding hallways until he came to a dead end he remembered from before. Unlike all the other walls in the place, this one was marked with a spiral design.
“Maybe it’s nothing,” Shane said. He pushed against the wall, but it didn’t give. So he ran back to the inner chamber and enlisted some help.
“If it’s a door, I can’t budge it,” said Lovvorn as he strained against it.
“Let’s try all together,” Shane suggested. He pressed his shoulder in beside Lovvorn’s, and Anya shoved, too, but it wasn’t until Alix joined in that the stone slab began to creak slowly open.
“You’re stronger than you look, Alix!” Anya beamed as they continued to push.
The soldier blushed. “It’s a team effort,” he said.
The door opened onto a tunnel. Where all before had been stone, the pathway behind the hidden door was carved entirely from dirt.
“Do you think it’s safe?” Anya asked.
“Absolutely not,” Shane said. “You said it yourself, Anya: Everything in this jungle is out to get us.”
She sighed. “Let me get a torch.”
“It’s like a giant earthworm tunnel,” Shane said, and he shuddered when the words had left his mouth. Where Yumaris was concerned, he didn’t really believe in coincidence.
The tunnel sloped downward, slowly at first, and more steeply as they went. If not for the light of Anya’s torch, they would have been shrouded in utter darkness. Eventually they came to a branch in the path.
“This way slopes upward,” Lovvorn said, gesturing to their left. “And I’m not sure…. I think there’s daylight ahead. It’s faint, but I can just make it out.”
“This way goes farther down,” Alix said, pointing to the right-hand path. His nose wrinkled. “It stinks. It smells like … death.”
“Well,” Anya said lightly, “that’s an easy choice, isn’t it?”
“I have to go down,” Shane said.
“Sir,” said Lovvorn.
“Sire!” said Alix.
“Idiot,” said Anya. “What are you thinking?”
“She led me here. I’m certain she wants me to see whatever is down there. You three go on. Make sure that’s a way out. Then go back for the others. We’ve gone far enough that it should lead us right past the bear.”
“Let me go with you,” Alix said.
“I have to do this alone, Alix,” Shane said. “But I’ll catch up.”
Anya lit a second torch from her own and gave it to Shane. He chuckled at the look she gave him as she handed it over.
&
nbsp; “Cackling like a madman,” she said. “I knew it.”
And with that, Shane descended into the unknown.
Shane walked for long minutes as the passageway sloped and slanted, curving around like a slow and subtle spiral.
The silence was absolute except for the snap and hiss of the torch in his hands and the slow shuffle of his boots on the packed dirt. On a hunch, he stopped, standing totally still … and the sounds of boots on dirt continued from behind him. He was being followed.
Shane turned and waited, sword drawn. He wasn’t surprised when Anya stepped into the sphere of light cast by his torch. She was gripping her machete, and her eyes flicked down to his saber.
“I need to stop sneaking up on you, don’t I?” she asked.
“You really do.”
Anya bit her lip. “I thought you could use some company. I was just —”
Shane struck without warning. He sprung forward, slamming his sword’s pommel into Anya’s cheek just as he looped a foot behind her legs. She toppled, falling onto her back in the dirt, and Shane had his blade to her chin before she even seemed to register that she’d been struck.
“You bite your lip whenever you tell a lie, Anya,” he said.
Anya blinked, confusion in her eyes. “Shane, what … Have you lost your mind?”
“Just my patience,” he said. “Where is she?”
Anya didn’t move a muscle, but the fierceness returned to her gaze. “I’m trying to help you.”
“I noticed,” Shane said. “You still haven’t named your price for escorting me into the deadly Amayan jungle. Awfully generous of you, working for free. And then we ended up here, of all places.”
“You asked to go to a temple,” she countered.
“And you said there were several in the area. But we just happened to end up at the one overrun with Conquerors. That’s a big coincidence.”
The Book of Shane Page 10