The Dragon Guard (35 page)

“You're bloodied,” Jason said to Tomaz.

“Been in a fight, and a fire would be good.” He nodded to Jason.

 

Later, Gavan would say, “I'd have been here sooner, lad, but I was a bit busy.”

“Hold still,” Rich muttered. He dabbed on some more peroxide and began wrapping gauze again. Gavan gave him a bemused look. “It'll scar,” Rich told him, “but it's mostly just surface damage. You didn't bleed out much either, from the looks of it.”

“Good news and bad news, aye?” He flexed his arm gingerly when Rich finished. “A handy kit you carry about.”

“Won't do much if anyone gets really thrashed, but it's good for a cut or sprain.” He clipped it back onto his belt.

“You've a talent there.”

“Thanks. I mostly thought my Talent consisted of bear herding.”

Stef snorted and dropped a load of deadwood onto the ground. He ignored everyone as he carefully fed another log into the fire. Gavan had finally warmed judging by the color in his cheeks, but he still leaned close to the flames.

Tomaz squatted across from them. He looked tired and worn, himself. His jeans sagged a bit about his body, and his bracelets seemed loose when he moved, as if he'd lost weight running with the wolfjackals. He'd said little about them, only that they were torn from Chaos and sought it to go back where they belonged. Jason had the feeling that there were volumes to be learned from the shaman but nothing he wished to tell at the moment. It was surprising enough to know that the wolfjackals could be entrapped by Chaos, and it was a near thing that he had freed them all.

Gavan straightened. He gave Jason a look of sheer pride. “You've opened the last Gate, lad. Good job. If Iron Mountain ever gets built, it'll be because of heroic acts like that.”

“If? Not when?” Trent drummed his fingers on his knee.

Tomaz said quietly, “There are other matters at hand.”

“We're going to be under attack.” Everyone looked to Jason.

“Possibly,” agreed Gavan slowly. “What makes you say that?”

“When I looked in the pool, I saw wolfjackals. Some bore the two of you . . . others bore the Dark Hand.”

Bailey whistled. Rebecca reached out and grabbed her daughter's hand. Madame Qi tightened her grip on the cane across her knees. “It is a good thing,” she said, “I have been able to teach Jason a few things.”

“Very good,” Gavan said to her. “As for what detained me . . .” He took a deep breath, wincing as if it pained him. In slow, halting words, he told them of the caves and the Leucators. “We've got to rally what's left of the Council, and Tomaz and I have to bring in Eleanora. I couldn't get through before.”

“I've got it blocked.”

“Can you open the Gates, Jason? Open and hold them, till we get Eleanora and FireAnn and what others we can in?”

“Jason won't be alone.” Trent stood. A small piece of kindling snapped in his hands.

Gavan gave them a tired, lopsided smile. “From the first, none of you have ever been alone. You've always had each other. You are Magickers, more than we could ever have hoped for.” He got to his feet carefully, his right arm tucked against himself like a broken wing. He held Jason's chin with his good hand, and looked into his eyes. “We will be back.”

Jason shifted his weight. He said quietly, “I'm waiting for Ting and Henry, too. So I'll swing the Gates open every now and then, looking for you. We'll hold each as best we can.”

“The Dark Hand will have tried the moment they felt the wave of the Dragon Gate being opened. Your blocking must have shut them out, as it nearly did me, and as it did Tomaz. I'm guessing they don't know where you're to be found.”

“They will.” Jason held an intense belief in the danger he'd seen in the lake.

“Then you'll have no choice but to guard the Gates carefully once they're open. When I get the Council in, we'll be able put up permanent wards, with pass runes.” Gavan clasped Jason's hand. “Outstanding work, my lad. I can't wait to get Eleanora here.”

After they left, it got very quiet. Bailey said, “It's not right without Ting and Henry.”

“Ting will be here,” Qi told her. “She is on the way now.”

“I think Henry will be back, too.”

“They'll be here,” Jason said with certainty. “But this is what we have to do. There're three Gates in. Iron Gate, Water Gate, Dragon Gate. They'll have to be watched whenever I open them.”

“Battle stations,” agreed Trent. The Magickers all stood and walked to Jason and they slapped their hands in the air.

 

Ting tried not to fuss as her mother strapped together the last bundle and loaded it into her backpack. She didn't know how long she'd been gone from Haven, but it had been two days while lawyers drew up papers and made arrangements since Qi Zhang had said she would not be back. Jiao finally looked into Ting's face. “I know, I know,” she said in soft answer to the rebellion on Ting's face. “You can go back and forth, but these are things she will need.” She paused.

 

“And when everything is settled, I'll bring you to visit,” Ting promised.

“You can do that?”

Ting nodded.

“Then I am content.” Her mother held her a moment. “We'll stay here at the house until you can bring the papers back, and we know how she's really feeling. Sometimes, the health is a false promise.”

“I know, Mom. We've been over this.”

“Have patience with me, Ting. It's hard to lose a mother and a daughter in the same day.”

“You won't lose either of us!” Ting promised fervently, and threw her arms around her mother's neck. “Now, I really have to go.

“I will wait,” Jiao Chuu told her, and her mother's calm face was the last thing she saw as her crystal took her. She felt Jason's Gate waiting as if just for her, and slipped through quietly.

 

“It's time, my friend,” the stranger said, and tapped lightly on Jerry Landau's car window. Jerry woke with a start. Sleeping again? He stretched, then groaned. He felt as dried out and crusty as an old mummy. How long had he been sitting there, watching the apartment building? He rubbed at his eyes.

“I never saw her,” he muttered in disgust.

“It's all right. You should go home and wait. But before you go, I would like something small and insignificant from you to help in our quest.”

Jerry looked at the man with a little bit of suspicion. He had little enough of anything to give away, and he thought uneasily that this man had never really been clear why he was at all interested in Bailey or Jerry's difficulties with her. As partnerships go, he hadn't really benefited one way or another. He brushed a paper off his dashboard and tried to straighten a bit in his seat, pins and needles in his legs from hours of not moving.

Antoine Brennard smiled thinly. “Don't worry,” he reassured. “You'll never miss it. Just a touch of your soul.” He reached through the half-open car window and ripped it away.

Jerry Landau gasped. He shoved his legs out and went rigid against the driver's seat, his heart pounding, his body stiff as a board, his ears roaring. Heart attack! He had to be having a heart attack.

Brennard pulled his hand back filled with shadow. “Trust me. I can do much better things with this than you can. We'll have your daughter, one way or another.” He stepped away from the car. “Now go home and forget.” He made a gesture.

Landau's mouth moved open and shut like a fish caught ashore and trying to breathe dry air. Brennard stepped back and into the shadows before Landau could move at all and hurriedly started his car. He burned rubber getting away from the curb as the automobile screeched into motion. Brennard cupped the essence in his hands. A Leucator from this subject might come in very handy indeed.

 

Henry had forgotten how to breathe. The
between
held him gripped in its jaws and the plane of Crystaling stretched into a long black forever, and he knew he was doomed.

Suddenly, a tiny crick of light fractured across it. With a grateful sob, Henry dove toward it headfirst. The Gate! He'd finally found the Gate! He could feel Jason's presence, warm and welcoming, and clutched at it. Something broke inside of him, and he hurtled through with a grateful yell.

Henry landed on top of Stefan. Both boys let out shouts of surprise, Stef's breaking into the cub's voice as they rolled away from each other. With a bang and a clatter, they woke everyone else.

“Henry!” cried Ting in delight. “You came back!”

His head throbbed and Stef shoved him away with a good-natured grunt, and someone lit a Lantern spell, bathing the campsite in soft light. His booty bag had spilled open and Rich had already grabbed out a foil wrapped package of Rice Krispies treats and broken it open to share.

“Back, with treats,” Rich noted.

“And that's not all,” said Henry miserably. He dusted himself off. “Jason, Trent, I need to talk to you. If I can.” He took a deep breath as they followed him off to a quiet place, and he said, “I've had Jonnard in my head.” To his surprise, it came out, and he sobbed in gratitude.

 

Jason listened quietly as Henry spilled his guts. Trent did as well before putting in, “It isn't your fault. You didn't even know for sure what was going on, and I'm willing to bet he wasn't going to let you tell.”

Henry puffed up his cheeks and then let his breath out slowly. “If only there was some way I could make it up.” He looked at Jason.

Jason waved a hand. “Actually, I think you just gave us an unexpected advantage.”

“I did? How?”

“Okay, Henry. This is what I need you to do. I need you to drain Jonnard.”

“Me? But . . .” Squibb took his glasses off and cleaned them deliberately, thinking. “You're not going to just shut me off?”

Jason shook his head. Trent put his hand on Squibb's shoulder and shook him lightly. “Think about it, man. We may have a huge advantage here.”

Henry looked at both of them, his round face slightly puzzled. “I've been a mole, and you guys are happy about it?”

“Not really, but . . . like Trent said, think about it. You've held the key all along. You kept muttering, tug-of-war, when Jon drained you. Henry, it
is
just like a tug-of-war. Only, this time, you pull back.”

“I pull back.”

“That's the plan.”

Realization hit him. Henry put his glasses back on and pushed them into place. “How hard?”

“As hard as you can. Incapacitate him.”

“I can do that?” Without waiting for an answer, he inclined his chin. “Of course I can. It goes both ways.” Henry gave a delighted grin.

“It's not going to be quite that easy,” Jason warned him. “We don't want Jon to know what you can do. You have to be light and quick about it.”

Trent nodded vigorously. “No bull in a china shop,” he added. “Got that?”

“I can do it.” Henry's grin widened even more.

“This is going to be fun.”

“This is going to be dangerous.”

“Oh, I know that. But it's still going to be fun. When do I do this?”

“Now,” Jason told him. “Tomorrow may be too late.”

“All right. It may be a long night.”

“Not as long as it will be tomorrow.”

Henry squinted up at him. “Did you get taller?”

“You think?”

 

Despite the pain in his arm, Gavan felt more alive and full of hope than he had in weeks, as Tomaz brought him to Ravenwyng. His feet touched the ground, and he could feel the spring air with the promise of summer on his face. He forced himself to think of unpleasant things, even though his heart sang with the hope he could bring to Eleanora at last.

“We'll have to deal with Isabella. Strip her of her powers forcibly, if need be, and then neutralize every one of the Leucators.”

“That will take time but we shall get it done,” agreed Tomaz. “Do you think there is any possibility at all Eleanora could be helped by that?”

“I think,” Gavan said firmly, “she is being killed by it. As was Fizziwig and who knows who else? Isabella has to be stopped.”

“Then that we will do.” Tomaz paused. He stopped at the edge of the Gathering Hall building. “Did you not say you left the camp warded?”

“I did . . .” Gavan stepped around him. A haze of smoke and stench of burning hung like a fog. “Gods, no!” He broke into a shambling run for FireAnn's cottage, Tomaz on his heels. The front door lay in splinters. Inside, the smell of crushed herbs filled the air where they'd been trampled. The inside of the cottage looked thrashed as if a hurricane had hit it. It stood empty of all life. Gavan dropped into a squat by the empty bed where Eleanora had lain. He put a hand on the cold covers. He stared up at Tomaz helplessly.