Lighting Distant Shores (Challenger's Call Book 4)

by Nathan Thompson

  Teeth and I fought like unwilling roommates all the time, but it usually wasn’t as bad as this. Something had us both really high-strung.

  Sorry, he replied, and I felt some of his tension bleed into my consciousness.

  He was afraid, too. And he didn’t want to admit it either.

  Why were we both afraid? And why were we covering it up?

  Even Cavus hadn’t made me act this way.

  A Scaleling is a construct created directly from a dragon’s body, Teeth told me. It gains a tiny portion of the dragon’s strength, which the dragon itself loses, and it can be controlled like a puppet by the dragon himself. The dragon sees what the Scaleling sees, hears what the Scaleling hears, smells what the Scaleling smells. He can also use the Scaleling to communicate, or even have the Scaleling fight.

  Can a dragon make only one? I asked.

  A dragon can make as many Scalelings as his power and stupidity allows, Teeth said bluntly. If he’s really foolish, he’ll make an entire army of Scalelings. A dragon of equal power could wipe them out with ease, before moving on to devour their weakened creator. It’s a rough, easy way to gain an army or spy network, but the cost in personal power isn’t worth it, unless they can reabsorb every Scaleling body that dies—shit. Hurry up and—

  Right, I answered, and cast my other Blood magic spell, Vein to Vein.

  Vein to Vein could either transfer vitality, or absorb it. I could use it to make a quick blood transfusion, a little bit of tissue mass, even temporarily transfer a few memories from my brain to help someone figure out how to swim or purify water or something. I could also take these things just as easily from someone else.

  I began to absorb every part of the Scaleling that I could.

  Yes, Teeth said as he digested the power from the dragon-creature. It was a testament to the panic we both felt that he didn’t think of doing so earlier. This is what we need to be doing. This is how we should behave. This is how we will survive.

  He kept speaking, but the next moment, a series of sights, sounds, and emotions drowned him out.

  Anger.

  Betrayal.

  Trapped might, throwing itself at the first prison powerful enough to contain it.

  The indignity of strength diminishing slowly over time, instead of growing as more resources are gained.

  Sensing an intruder, one who would take what little it still kept…

  And a chance of escape.

  We need to move, I said to my friends as I studied the surrounding area. My senses sharpened once more, and a memory, not my own, told me there was an outcropping of rock some distance to the north. That way. Now.

  They responded immediately, with everyone walking as quickly and quietly as possible. We couldn’t stop the sound of our feet splashing across the puddle-like surface of this strange lake. The best we could do was to limit the noise to resemble the sound that stones make when young boys try to skip them across the surface of a pond. So we moved in a wet pitter-patter of noise for the next several minutes, our enhanced bodies letting us cover the large distance quicker than I had feared we would.

  Behind us, where we had been standing moments before, the water swirled in an even larger wave than the first one we had seen.

  And something roared in my head.

  I clutched my temples as the noise echoed painfully through the caverns of my mind.

  Wes? Breena asked anxiously through the mindlink. Are you alright? Are you flaring up again?

  She was referring to the device in my skull that kept trying to kill me at really inconvenient times.

  I’m fine, I told her. Just something I ate. We’re almost there.

  A few minutes later, we finally saw the rock outcropping. It jutted out of the pool like an iceberg, craggy and pale. My feet felt a hint of cold as we all climbed on top of it. It was just large enough for us to all fit on the plateau at the very top, so we formed a circle facing outward, and watched the water around us, weapons drawn.

  Here and there, more massive waves rippled behind that same large, invisible monstrosity as it moved through the false ground far below us. The trail would roll out into the distance, disappear, then reappear several hundred yards later in a completely different direction, over and over. Finally, a massive wake caught all of our attention as it rippled straight for us, sending out waves as tall as a house behind it. It rushed toward our position like a giant invisible torpedo, then slammed against something far below us at the base of the snowy peak. Dirty water flew through the air around the outcropping, making cracking sounds as it froze immediately upon proximity to the icy rock. The blue-white stone shuddered, but did not crack itself. Silence hung uncomfortably in the air.

  But I could smell the anger of something frustrated and powerful lash toward us before it too retreated into patient darkness.

  It left, Teeth said in my mind. It should have finished us. Why didn’t it finish us? Why didn’t it try to attack again?

  From the mindlink, I felt a flurry of quiet activity as everyone asked each other the same questions Teeth had just asked me.

  “The cold hurts it,” a voice explained behind me.

  A blue-skinned child stood behind us, in the very center of the cold rock. His hair was white, and he looked to be not much older than little Gabby.

  “It always had,” the boy continued to explain. “We thought if we brought enough cold, we could defeat it, and be saved. We were wrong,” he said mournfully. “You cannot be saved either.”

  “I’m sorry you came here,” the little boy whispered, before vanishing into a spray of cold water.

  Breyn let out a trembling breath and eased into the center of the frosty peak to investigate the puddle, shuddering as he kneeled near the spot where the little boy had stood.

  “Was that one of the Atlanteans?” I asked, watching his face.

  He nodded.

  “Why did he disappear like that?” I asked.

  “Because he died,” Breyn said, staring blankly at the ground. “I had been excited to see his people when I first visited. It was one of the biggest reasons I came with my father and mother to Avalon. To see the rarest of our sister races. There had been no time to visit them before the invasion, and when we finally arrived, none of them left their duties to greet us. Now, I have finally seen one, only a small child, and he has died before my eyes.”

  The tattooed young man took another shaky breath to try and master himself. Petalbell flew over to his shoulder, patting it worriedly.

  “Okay,” I told everyone. “He appeared out of nowhere, spoke for five seconds, then died. Virtus, Breyn, does any of that line up with normal Atlantean biology?”

  “No,” Virtus answered, as Breyn blinked at my question and shook his head. “They only die like that in legends, and they don’t have some special power to appear out of thin air. The lad was probably another ghost, like the Avalonians you resurrected.”

  “Right,” Breyn said, still blinking. “Maybe he still can be saved.”

  I walked to the center of the cold blue stone, looking down at it. We thought we could defeat it, and be saved, the boy had said. This rock had a purpose.

  “Look for an opening,” I decided. “See if there’s an entrance in this thing. Otherwise, we’re gonna be stuck up here for eternity.”

  My team went to work, casting magic, examining the naturally formed peak beneath our feet. Val and Weylin called out at the same time.

  “I found something,” they said in unison, giving each other a dirty look. But both pointed to a tiny crack in the middle of the platform that the rest of us had overlooked.

  It didn’t count for much, but no one else was having any luck finding any kind of opening. On impulse, I walked carefully over to the fissure.

  Any sign of traps? I sent, reverting to silent communication.

  No, Val said tiredly. It’s just a crack. I’m not even sure how we’d find a trap on there if there was one.

  Heh, Eadric chuckled. That brings back m
emories.

  I glared at him, remembering the way he and the other Testifiers had ‘initiated’ me into the group, but it had no effect on him.

  She’s right, though. No real seam for them to even stick a script or shaping spell, or we’d notice it. Unless a trap is hidden on the other side, where you’d never be able to find it before triggering it. In that case, you wouldn’t even realize how you died, unless it was designed to kill you slowly and painfully. So go for it. We’re all real curious.

  I’ve forgotten how much I miss our little talks, I grumbled at the dwarf, but he had a point. Between my enhanced body and my magic resistances, I had the best chance of surviving if something did trigger on us. Everyone cleared away as far as they could while still remaining on the rock. I stepped directly onto the crack and began putting my weight into it.

  It shifted immediately, sinking downard and revealing all sorts of invisible glyphs and script that had been hidden a mere moment ago. The rock began to reveal a crevice wide enough for me to fall forward into, so I stepped back and let it finish opening.

  When it finally came to a rumbling stop, I could see a small stairway of dimly growing rock descending into the darkness.

  “Great,” I said out loud. An entrance into a dungeon. First thing we really found since we entered this dungeon around ten minutes ago.

  We could see pretty easily, due to all the light filtering downward and reflecting off of the rocks , though I couldn’t see all the way to the bottom, no matter how bright I made Claimh Solais. So I dismissed the weapon and re-summoned Breaker in its white-hilted dagger form.

  I’m going to shroud us, I told everyone. Breena and Petal, switch to a dim glow. Carnwennan can cover that, while still providing enough light to watch where we put our feet, assuming it gets darker at the bottom. Let’s move out.

  With no other options available, we fell into a single-line formation and descended into the frosty rift.

  Chapter 11: My Secrets, My DepTHS

  Eadric took the lead. He had the best night vision after Virtus, and was the most familiar with stonework. He led us down the wide blue stairs at a slow, careful pace.

  No signs of any tampering yet, he informed us after ten minutes of descent. Looks like they weren’t expecting to hold this position. Or they just didn’t have time to prepare.

  Whatever the reason, we passed down the stairway in relative peace. Nothing jumped out at us. No more ghosts appeared nearby to give another ominous warning. We continued to descend quietly for another ten minutes, Breena and Petal flying near our feet and close to the walls to provide just enough light to avoid accidents.

  Wes, Breena suddenly sent as she hovered near a wall. Look.

  I glanced to the right. Several parallel gouges ran along the stone.

  That thing outside had five fingers, right? she inquired.

  Yeah, I sent back, though we both knew she was just asking to be polite. Our best guess was that the marks were from another Scaleling, sent down here by the hidden beast. If that were true, it meant two other things: the monster was strong enough to scratch stone with its bare claws, and that it had, for whatever reason, struck at the stone wall on its way down.

  It also meant that one of those creatures would be down here somewhere, though none of us knew if it was still alive.

  I held Carnwennan at the ready, focusing even more intently on the magic shroud. Five minutes later, we reached the end of the stairs. Three reptilian bodies lay on the floor in front of us. Except for a blue tint to their skin, their resemblance to the Scaleling that had washed up to our feet was striking. Eadric approached them cautiously.

  Do you need any part of them intact to do your thing? He asked me.

  I’d probably need one of their brains, assuming they’re even alive to begin with—

  Got it, he replied, slamming the hook end of the hammer through two skulls and smashing the blunt end through the neck and jaw of the last one. ‘Kay. I’ve checked the bodies now. They’re safe to approach.

  I motioned the rest of the group forward, and we pooled out at the bottom of the stairs. There was still enough light to see by, the blue stone somehow reflecting the light from outside, and even intensifying it.

  Beyond the newly secured bodies was a large hallway, with blue stonework done much in the same fashion as the normal gray masonry found in Avalon’s primary shelter. It led off to about a hundred yards into the distance before curving at an angle to our right.

  The team spread out into a wider formation, with Weylin and Karim in the back, Val and myself in the middle, and Breyn, Virtus, and Eadric taking point in a staggered vanguard. The fairies hovered in our midst. Once everyone got into position, I knelt down onto next to the most intact Scaleling and cast Vein to Vein, absorbing as much of him as I could.

  You sure this won’t backfire? I asked Teeth just before I finished casting.

  Not any more than it already has, Teeth replied. I mean, the other guy already knows you’ve stolen a small portion of his power by destroying the Scaleling outside, and he’s aware that you’ve come here to hide. This is only making him angrier.

  That counts as useful to know! I snapped. Next time, share that news, instead of the vague bullshit you were spouting earlier!

  Blah, blah, blah, FNG replied snappishly. Listen, don’t listen, make up your mind. I’m taking a nap. Wake me up if we’re about to die.

  I growled at him and completed the spell. Since this was the monster with the intact brain, it writhed slightly, trying to resist being devoured with what little consciousness it had left. But it wasn’t anywhere near strong enough, so I absorbed a handful more vitality that Teeth immediately turned back around to snap right up, making a lie of his earlier promise to give me peace and quiet for a bit.

  More memories crawled into my mind.

  They had all still been alive just moments before Eadric had ended them. Their father, who could read their thoughts, had sent them here for a purpose, to devour the last of those he needed. There was nothing else to eat in this desolate place, this trap that the Old Hunter had left him caged within. It was the most vile of double-crosses, one for which their father would personally tear the Old Hunter apart limb from limb over, but for now, he needed the power and secrets to escape this place. And the best way to find those secrets was within the ones who had escaped devourment to this point. Father needed their bodies and the treasure they had hidden.

  So Father had sent the three of them down here, into the cold halls that kept Father out. It would keep them out too, they soon realized, for they could bear the icy air only a little better than Father could. So they ran down the stairs as fast as possible, determined to find out what had happened to the others Father had sent down here. They grew weaker and weaker the further they went down, and they knew that they would be no help at all. Father had not made them strong enough. They would collapse if they went any further, and then the hunted ones would be able to kill them easily. Father would never be able to recover the power he had spent in making them.

  In calculated frustration, the wisest of them turned to gouge at the freezing stone. The act hastened the numbness, and he gripped his two brethren and urged them to do the same. But they had already done so, for Father’s directions were clear.

  Finally, they cleared the stairway, and found that they had enough energy to walk a handful more steps. They chose not to, instead falling where they stood, slowing their breathing, and going into suspended animation. They would wait down there in case some of the hunted ones came back. Hopefully then they would be able to awaken and take them by surprise. If not, then they would at least see the faces of the hunted ones before they died, giving Father that much news.

  But after aeons untold, it was not to be. Something odorless and invisible had come alongside them and ended them, one by one. They had not even the energy to curse in protest. Then they were devoured as well, by one who was not Father, and did not care for Father’s goals. Their last thoughts were fu
ll of grief and rage.

  Their bodies crumbled into cold dust. But I still couldn’t get up yet.

  “Wes?” Breena asked. “Are you alright?”

  Val was looking at me as well.

  “Yeah,” I replied, “just a bunch of bad thoughts.”

  Breena smiled sympathetically, then sent me another worried look.

  What do you mean, bad thoughts? Teeth asked me. Their thoughts were perfectly normal for someone who just got eaten.

  Exactly, I replied angrily. This isn’t something I enjoy. I’ve had enough of my own pain to last a number of lifetimes.

  What, Teeth scoffed. You think they would have treated the Atlanteans any better? You think they would have been better off if you had just stabbed or eviscerated them?

  I don’t know, I snapped back, getting up and turning to my group. This internal conversation was going to go in circles, and we didn’t have time for it. “Let’s move. Eadric takes point. Val, search around with your shadow magic.”

  We began to move. I kept Carnwennan’s shroud activated. Breena flew by to nuzzle my shoulder supportively, then patrolled around our group, watching our blind spots.

  We walked all the way down the hallway without further incident. I felt another surge of anger in my mind, something else raging over my theft of its power. I concentrated on the fact that its fury was currently impotent and pushed it back out of my mind.

  We reached the point where the tunnel curved around. After a few more minutes of walking, the tunnel opened up even wider and we emerged onto a rocky ledge, greeted with a bird’s eye view of a massive cavern.

  And a graveyard of stone and sea.

  Far beneath the rim of the cavern, ripples of water flowed back and forth, strong enough to shift large chunks of masonry and other debris. I couldn’t make out the source of the waves, but the subterranean lake rocked like a child’s bathwater. A city had once been here. That was obvious, even to me. And somehow, despite no apparent source feeding the underground pool and numerous descending tunnels that caused its contents to cascade into waterfalls, the water level remained the same. There was no visible line of erosion anywhere above to indicate that it had been much higher.