Liberator (18 page)

“Always trying to make a deal, aren’t you?” Koren touched her tunic pocket, feeling the outline of the box holding Cassabrie’s finger and the crucible. “I already have the secret—Cassabrie’s genetics combined with energy from Exodus. Uriel and I made an ointment that seems to be working on me. I just need to make more.”

“A solution that will last for hours, perhaps days, but the disease will return. You probably already feel it waking from slumber.”

Koren set a hand on her stomach. How could he know? “I was thinking I could swallow the cure in a stardrop instead of applying it to my skin.”

“More groping in the darkness. Where will you get enough energy material? Even if Cassabrie brought Exodus to you and allowed you to scrape its membrane until you have all you need, what of her genetics? Will she provide body parts while you conduct experiments
that might or might not create a cure? She rejected her role as Starlighter before. It would be foolish to think that she will change her mind, especially when you ask her to sever another finger, or a hand, or a foot. She is overjoyed to be back in her body. She will not soon give it over to be butchered.”

Koren half closed an eye and gave him a hard stare. “What exactly do you have in mind?”

“Become my eyes. You already know how persuasive I can be to a Starlighter. I will tell you how Cassabrie can be convinced to heal everyone. Already the wheels are in motion to draw her here. When she comes, she will try to overpower you with her Starlighter gifts, but I will show you how to gain complete control over her.”

“And why would I want that? She’s my friend.”

“Friend or foe, you need her body and Exodus’s energy to heal the sick. If something drastic is not done soon, they will all perish. I cannot give you power over Cassabrie unless I can see through your eyes.”

Koren averted her gaze, trying not to gag at his deceit. Still, if she didn’t play along, who would stop him from trying to hurt Cassabrie? If she really were coming, someone had to make sure he couldn’t carry out his plan against her. “What if you fail? If the people aren’t healed and sent home safely, will you release me?”

“It is too late to save some of them,” Taushin said, “but if no more than half of those remaining make it safely to Darksphere, I will release you. If you are successful in saving more than half with your medicine, then you will stay in my service for as long as we both live.”

Koren glanced at the Zodiac. “Will you make this covenant at the crystal?”

“Gladly, but first you should dismiss the Benefile, or else they will interfere.”

She looked at the motionless white dragons. “Dismiss them?”

“Did you not see how easily you hypnotized them? They are under your control, at least for long enough to fulfill our purpose. In fact, your power has become so great, no one will come out of the trance until you directly command it. Call them by name — Beth, Dalath, and Gamal. They will listen to you.”

“Where should I send them?”

“You need not send them anywhere. Make them believe all the slaves are dead, and they will leave.”

Koren gave him a skeptical stare. “Where will they go?”

“They plan to go to the southern mountain range to bring wrath to the Southlands dragons for their crimes. You know from personal experience that they deserve it.”

“Yes, they do.” Koren kept her stare on him.
And so do you.
What was he up to? There seemed to be no downside to hiding potential victims from the Benefile. Whether this was part of his deception or not, they had to be rescued.

She waved an arm across the line of slaves. In an instant they disappeared, replaced by row after row of ice-covered bodies.

“Beth!” Koren called in a commanding voice. “Dalath! Gamal! Your work is done here! Go and bring retribution to the cruel taskmasters who broke the backs and spilled the blood of the innocent.”

Beth shook her head, as if awakened from sleep. Dalath and Gamal did the same. Their blue eyes scanned the portico and the surrounding stairs and cobblestones. Beth breathed out a wispy cloud of white. “They are all dead. The disease is gone.”

Koren whipped her arm southward. “Go! Justice awaits!”

“And what of you?” Beth brought her snout close to Koren’s face. “If you have any trace of the disease, we must kill you first.”

Koren lifted her tunic, exposing her abdomen from her waist to her lower ribs. Her skin had stayed clear.

Beth sniffed her stomach. Every exhale sent a cool puff across Koren’s skin that raised goose bumps all over her body. Resisting the urge to shiver, she held her ground.

“I detect nothing. Let us go.”

“I have no memory of freezing all these humans,” Gamal said. “I remember ten, perhaps fifteen at the most, but certainly not hundreds. Perhaps the Starlighter has crafted an illusion.”

Dalath shuffled toward one of the bodies. “I will investigate.”

While the other two Benefile looked on, Koren lifted a hand discreetly.

Dalath grasped a human’s leg with her foreclaw and shook it. Koren’s fingers flicked, and ice crystals flew all around, glinting in the sunshine. When the Benefile dropped the leg, the image let out a thud and crunched the fallen crystals.

“All is well,” Dalath said as she returned. “Perhaps the Starlighter’s influence caused us to forget our merciful acts.”

Koren spread out her arms. “Leave now, or you will again succumb to my influence.”

“Let us go.” Beth beat her wings and rose into the air, followed by Dalath.

Gamal paused in front of Koren and scowled. “If I decide that you have deceived us, I will come back with wrath.”

Koren bowed her head. “So be it.”

His scowl unrelenting, Gamal turned and flew away.

When the breeze of departing wings settled, Koren refocused on Taushin. Getting him to believe she was going along with his plan would be difficult. It was always hard to deceive a deceiver. “Come,” Koren said, “We will test your promises at the Reflections Crystal.”

“I have no doubt that my vows will be verified. I would like, however, to make one request before we begin. Release my mother from the trance. She needs to warn Arxad’s family about the Benefile.”

Koren thought for a moment before nodding. Even if Mallerin became aggressive, it would be easy to hypnotize her again. She waved a hand in front of the she-dragon’s face. “Mallerin! Awake! I release you.”

Mallerin shook her head hard, then blinked at Koren. “Has this Starlighter worked her sorcery on me?”

Taushin set his eyebeams on her. “Mother, it is not sorcery. Koren has allied herself with me, as I had hoped. Do you remember what I told you we would have to do if this covenant came about?”

“Protect Arxad’s family,” Mallerin said.

“Correct. Make sure they are safely hidden, then come back to me. I will be in the Zodiac.”

“Were the Benefile under Koren’s influence?”

Taushin nodded. “Why do you ask?”

“Why did you not awaken me so that I could kill them? It would have been easy then. They would have been unable to fight back.”

“Mother …” Taushin’s eyes flared, but his voice stayed calm. “This is a new day. I have come to realize how evil our race has been, and we should delay justice no longer. If you had killed the Benefile while they were so vulnerable, the guilt upon our heads would have been worse than ever, and we would never deserve the services of a Starlighter.”

“I will concede that point,” Mallerin said, “but I do not wish to be a victim of Benefile wrath.”

“Fear not. You heard the bargain I made with them. You and I will be excluded.”

“If we can trust them,” Mallerin said with a snort.

“Speaking of trust …” Taushin’s eyebeams pulsed. “Make haste in returning. If all does not go well, I will need your eyesight very soon.”

“I will hurry.” Mallerin took to the air and flew toward the grottoes.

When Taushin turned toward Koren, his eyebeams found their way into her eyes. The familiar probing sensation drilled in.

She jerked away and stared at the ground. “Not yet! First the vows!”

“Forgive me.” Taushin bowed his head. “In my eagerness to help you, I overstepped my bounds.”

“Give me a minute.” Koren turned away and bent over, rubbing her burning eyes with her fists. Tears seeped over her knuckles. That was too close. This plan to pretend to
go along with him was like walking through a pheterone-laced chamber with a burning torch. With his manipulative power, at any second everything could blow up in her face. She had been careful to verify every word he spoke, but as Gamal indicated, it’s impossible to know that you’re being influenced while under someone’s influence.

She gritted her teeth. She couldn’t let down her guard around this monster for one second. Yes, he might tell the truth in front of the crystal. Yes, freedom for the slaves was worth the price of giving up her own physical freedom. But nothing was as valuable as her soul.

Still, the dilemma was real. If she refused to give in, most if not all her fellow slaves would be condemned to a horrible death. But if she freely received Taushin’s chains and used Cassabrie against her will, she would be condemned herself. Her black soul would be expelled to outer darkness for all eternity.

And Taushin knew full well that keeping the dilemma in mind would reignite the inner battle and bring back the burdens.

With her eyes closed, Koren focused on calming herself. She needed help, an ally, someone who would help her do battle with the dark dragon. As she concentrated, a vision replaced the blackness—Jason marched toward the barrier wall, his shoulders straight and his jaw tight. The look in his eyes told of something powerful guiding him, a hand of strength and purpose.

Taking a breath, she straightened and swiped a sleeve across her eyes. As she stood with her back to Taushin, the sensation of eyebeams brushing her clothes sent a chill up her spine. No, Taushin couldn’t be trusted. And
no, she couldn’t forsake her beloved brethren or Cassabrie. The original plan had to remain intact. The only way to protect them was to stay with him and pretend to acquiesce, at least as long as necessary.

Yet, his power was still a problem. It seemed that the torch had been lit, and a pheterone mine lay ahead. With fire sure to come, it would take a miracle beyond all imagination to snuff the flames, but that miracle lay within reach. If the Creator was guiding Jason to the Zodiac, he might be the equalizer she needed, but the timing would have to be perfect.

She turned to Taushin, her hands folded at her waist. “I’m ready. I will lead you to the Reflections Crystal, and we shall see what will be revealed.”

A
rxad flew toward the portal’s forest clearing. Carrying explosives in an insulated box he had packed with snow, he searched for a safe place to deposit the volatile load. In recent times, a snowdrift would have been an ideal location, but now with only a few white patches interrupting a landscape of trees and mud, it seemed impossible to know where a soft drop-off point might be.

As he approached the site, several uniformed men came into view, standing or sitting around Orion, who leaned against a boulder. When the men raised spears and shields, Arxad shouted, “Put down your weapons! I come in Captain Reed’s name!”

Orion jabbed a finger at him. “He is the enemy! Pierce him now! You might not have another chance!”

“If I were an enemy,” Arxad shouted as he made a loop over the glade, “I would have torched all of you already!”

One of the soldiers, eyeing him carefully, gestured to the others, speaking something too quiet for Arxad to hear. The other men lowered their weapons, though they kept a firm grip on shield and spear alike. After diving into the clearing at the southern edge, Arxad beat his wings to level out, deposited the box carefully, and slid into a muddy landing. As he slowed to a stop, he swept his tail through the mud and flung it into Orion’s face. “Your foolishness is an assault on reason! You make Prescott look like a sage!”

Orion wiped mud from his eyes and slung it to the ground. “You wouldn’t know a sage from a simpleton. I prevented a disease from ravaging my world.” He pulled a white cloth from his pocket and cleaned the rest of his face. “History will record me as a hero.”

“A coward’s hero.” Arxad reared up and plucked the crystalline peg from between his scales. “It is time to put your fearmongering to death. Let us bring your full army into Starlight.”

“No!” Orion lunged for the crystal, but two soldiers held him back. Struggling, he shouted, “He’s a dragon, you fools! The disease will slaughter your wives and children. Why are you siding with the slavers over one of your own kind?”

The man who had spoken to the others earlier stepped in front of Orion and faced Arxad, a hefty spear in his grip. “I can’t say that I’ve ever opposed a dragon before, but what Orion says has merit. If you want to torch us, we can’t stop you, but if you open the portal without us, there should be enough men to give you the fight of your life. So unless you can give us some reason to lower our defenses—”

“Cease the chatter.” Arxad reared again, exposing his underbelly and the mirror, the red thumbprint still emblazoned on the surface. “I wear your captain’s symbol.”

The soldier leaned close and studied the mark. “That
is
his thumbprint!” He set the point of his spear against the ground, and the other men unnotched arrows, sheathed swords, and upended spears as well. “We are at your service. What can we do to help?”

“Keep Orion in your grasp. Do not let him interfere.”

Two soldiers regripped Orion’s arms, one at each side. Arxad shuffled toward the line of pegs. The receding snow had exposed a knee wall, and the pegs stood in a line on top. After pushing the center peg in place, he walked to the portal and poked his head through just enough to view the other side, ignoring the shout that went up as his head appeared in the Darksphere clearing. Scattered among the trees, hundreds of soldiers waited, many sleeping on the ground or leaning against trees, though a guard of sixty or so men stood at attention surrounding the portal. With sunlight passing through the trees at a nearly horizontal angle, it appeared to be early morning or late afternoon. One guard, apparently the one who had shouted, pointed at Arxad while nudging the guard next to him.

Arxad drew his head back to Starlight and waved a wing. “Come. All of you. I will give everyone instructions at the same time.”

“Go back to our world?” Orion said. “Are you actually coming to your senses?”

Turning his snout toward Orion, Arxad breathed hot air over him until perspiration trickled from his brow, “If
you continue to insult me,” Arxad said, “you will learn what most dragons do when a human speaks with such arrogance.” Arxad again waved a wing. “You guards go first and explain my presence. I will speak to Orion alone.”

The soldiers walked single file through the portal, each one disappearing in a spray of sparks. When the last one vanished, Arxad focused on Orion. The Darksphere governor stood with his shoulders square, but his trembling legs belied his confident posture.

Arxad removed the peg from the center hole. “Where did you hide the other crystal?”

Orion gestured with his head. “In the forest. Somewhere back there.”

“Show me. I want it.”

“And if I refuse?” Orion blinked rapidly. “If you kill me, you will never find it.”

Arxad bared his teeth. “Do you realize that I closed the portal so the others could not hear our conversation?”

“I guessed as much.” Orion maintained a calm tone in spite of his knocking knees. “You plan to kill me, hide my body, and claim that I ran away. But you cannot lie to the Starlighters. This world will know the truth, and the tale will eventually trickle to mine.”

“Since you have lost control of your region, martyrdom is the only hope you have remaining for your legacy. I will not participate in your elevation to that status.”

Orion wiped his forehead. “I care only for the people of my world, not for my status.”

“I had hoped for your cooperation. You could have contributed in a truly heroic way.”

Orion looked to the side, smoothing out his cloak as if feigning disinterest. “And how might that be?”

“Adrian and Marcelle are at the castle, and they will be coming here soon. I need to make sure the portal is open for them to return to your world. If I could trust you, I would leave you here to act in that capacity.”

“I don’t see why a dragon would trust me,” Orion said. “I certainly wouldn’t trust a dragon.”

“And lack of trust is the core of our conflict, is it not?”

Orion nodded. “We are finally in agreement.”

“Then hear me, Orion. I will be the first to take a risk. Watch my trust in you and then decide if you will act heroically or not.”

Arxad reinserted the peg and walked through the portal. On the other side, the soldiers stood at attention in an array of straight rows and columns, all eyes on him.

Arxad glanced back. A cool breeze blew through the portal. Orion had not closed it yet.

An officer stood in front of the closest line and gave Arxad a chest-thump salute. “We almost gave up hope. We very nearly decided to go home, but now we are ready to march and join the others.”

“March you must, and you will join the others, but our plans have changed. We brought you to this portal because we knew it to be safe. At this time, no one is guarding the Southlands portal, so you will save much time and energy if you go there. I will open the portal from our side and allow your passage.”

The officer gave a shallow bow. “Begging your pardon, but we don’t know where it is on our side.”

Arxad stared at the officer, a youngish man as humans go. It seemed that his question rolled a boulder in front of the new plan. It would take too long to guide the soldiers to the other portal and then return. Orion might be trusted for a few moments to keep the portal open, but for an hour? That was far less likely. “I suppose, then, we will have to go the long route and —”

“Father!”

The call in the dragon tongue came from Starlight. Arxad whipped his neck around and pushed his head through the portal.

Xenith landed in a muddy skid. When she stopped, she wheezed as she spoke. “Father, the Benefile are planning to kill the slaves!” As she caught her breath, her voice settled. “They are going to freeze them to destroy the disease so the army can safely invade.”

Arxad caught a glimpse of Orion watching from behind the boulder.

“Repeat your concern in the human tongue so the human warriors on Darksphere can understand you.” Arxad nodded toward the portal. “That way.”

Xenith extended her neck toward the portal. “The Benefile are planning to kill the slaves. They hope to destroy the disease by freezing them all.”

“And why have you come so far to tell me this?”

Xenith drew her head back, confusion touching her fiery eyes. “Because what they plan to do is wrong, Father. Humans have a right to live.”

Nodding his approval, Arxad met her perplexed stare. Even after her long flight, her eyes stayed sharp, clear, filled with purpose, ready to do whatever else she could
to help the slaves. He extended his neck and nuzzled her cheek to cheek, whispering, “You have done well.”

“Thank you, but what do we —”

“Excuse me for a moment.” He swung back around to Darksphere and addressed the officer. “If you will wait another minute, I think I have a solution.”

The officer bowed again. “Excellent. We will await your instructions.”

Arxad walked fully back into Starlight. “I feared that the Benefile might do this. Sometimes they are unpredictable, but I have never underestimated their cruelty.”

“So what do we do?” Xenith asked.

“How is your stamina? Can you fly to the Southlands again?”

She drew in a long breath. “I can.”

“Have you heard about the portal at the mining mesa?”

She bobbed her head. “I have heard talk of it, and I know where both mesas are, but I do not know exactly where the portal is.”

“It is at the mine closer to the village. If you go through the secondary entry, you will see a line of crystals similar to the one here, only embedded in the ground instead of on top of a low wall. The center peg is missing.” Arxad touched the center crystal with his tail. “When I return to Darksphere, take this peg to the mesa portal and place it in the open hole. If all goes well, I will already be on the other side of the portal with many more soldiers. Perhaps with your speed, you will open it in time to stop the Benefile.”

“I appreciate your faith in me.” Xenith wrapped a clawed hand around the peg. “I am ready.”

Arxad curled his neck around hers. “Do you have news from your mother?”

“Only that she is at the wilderness refuge. Randall said she has a minor wound, but my concern is that she will not take care of herself. That wound or her earlier one could easily worsen.”

“Your concern is valid. Your mother is not one to pamper herself. She and I are both ready to sacrifice everything to protect our race.” He pulled back and looked Xenith in the eye. “You are not required to do the same. You have a choice.”

“Do I really?” Xenith nodded toward the portal. “Go, Father. I will see you in the Southlands.”

Arxad looked at the boulder. Orion was gone. Would he retrieve the other crystal and open the portal for Adrian and Marcelle? Maybe. He was an unpredictable human indeed.

“When I disappear,” Arxad said, “fly with all speed. If you see your mother, tell her …” He shook his head. “I will tell her myself when I return.” With a powerful wing beat, he burst into the air. After circling the glade once, he snatched up the weapons box and zoomed through the portal.

With Elyssa and Edison at his side, Jason stood atop a ridge of rubble that had once been the great barrier wall. Who could have destroyed such a massive structure? It seemed impenetrable, a symbol of dragon dominance, but now a one-hundred-foot section lay in a head-high, east-to-west line of boulders with a gentle slope on the north and south, easy to climb.

The river flowed over the rubble’s midsection, stripping sand and grit from the top and creating a slurry that slowly clarified as the water drifted northward. The soldiers rested on the south side of the ridge at the river’s edge, some taking long drinks straight from the current and others just catching their breath and eating from their rations. Drenched with sweat, river water, or both, they needed a break to cool down and dry off. Wallace sat among them, telling stories about being a slave. If nothing else, the tales would infuse passion in the weary men. With the battle against dragons still to come, they might need it.

Magnar perched atop the wall’s remains on the east side, searching the area. He had volunteered to act as a watchman, so they could relax without worry.

“Any ideas?” Jason asked.

Edison shook his head. “My imagination isn’t big enough to grasp the power needed to do what has been done here. It’s as if the Creator himself punched the wall with a mighty fist.”

Elyssa lifted a scorched scrap of paper and sniffed it. Wrinkling her nose, she handed it to Edison. “What do you think?”

He sniffed it as well. “Sulfur?”

“Yes.” Elyssa crouched and laid a hand on top of the pile. “The rocks are warm, but they’re even warmer underneath. With Solarus shining, the opposite should be true.”

“So the ones on top are cooling off,” Jason said. “Something generated a lot of heat.”

Edison looked at the river. “What’s this?” He jogged down the heap and waded into the shallows. Bending over, he began pulling something from under the pile.
Blue and saturated, it looked like a blanket, but when he straightened it out, a hem and a hood took shape. “It’s a cloak,” Elyssa said.

Jason ran to his father and took the cloak. Although the wetness made it darker than usual, the size and shape were all too familiar. “I think it’s Koren’s.”

Elyssa joined him and rubbed her fingers along the hood’s lining. “Definitely.”

“She wouldn’t have left it here unless …” Jason couldn’t finish the thought. It was too awful.

Elyssa dropped to her knees in the water and laid both hands on the ridge. “I’ll start probing!”

Jason grabbed a stone from the pile and heaved it into the river, raising a huge splash.

“No!” Elyssa shouted. “I need to concentrate, and you have no idea where to look.”

While Elyssa probed, scooting slowly toward the river’s edge, Jason sat heavily on the pile and closed his eyes. Koren’s image crept into his thoughts. What did her cloak’s presence mean? Did she find healing? According to his father, she was near death when he found her. It would have taken a miracle for her to survive.

He leaned back and focused skyward. Didn’t Koren deserve a miracle? She was so loving, so sacrificial, so passionately dedicated to her fellow slaves. Maybe the Creator had a special miracle just for her, something amazing, something that would prove to her how much everyone loved her. But … she would never leave her cloak behind.