Diviner (31 page)

He waved his hand toward the grottoes. “I just don’t want you to sacrifice yourself for these … these … Oh, I don’t know what to call them.”

Her eyes seem to boil like green storm clouds. “Human beings? Miserable wretches who are too frightened to know what to do? Slaves in chains who are blinded by their cruel captivity, fearful that any rebellion would cause their children to suffer torture or death?” She pointed toward the south. “Jason, you’ve seen the cattle camp. You’ve seen the grinding mill. These monsters have ripped the hearts out of the women and stripped the backbones out of the men. Cruelty does that.”

Jason shoved a hand into his pocket. “Okay, I’m sorry for thinking like that. I know they’re valuable no matter what. I learned that the hard way. I’m just trying to protect you.”

Cassabrie backed away a step and let her cloak flow freely. “Jason, I am a Starlighter, born to sacrifice. I am not yours to protect.”

“Listen …” Jason dragged a toe across the ground before looking at her again. “I don’t understand what a Starlighter is supposed to do, but why can’t Alaph do something? He’s powerful, isn’t he?”

Her answer echoed like rolling thunder. “What I must do, only a Starlighter can do. There is no other option.”

Jason looked around. How could she have done that with her voice? If she was trying to hypnotize him, he had to shake off the effect. Too much was at stake. “Okay, back to you and Exodus. How do you know if the wounds are sealed now? And how are you going to get inside it?”

“I think when it collapsed on itself, everything sealed.” Cassabrie began walking toward the Basilica again. “I just have to expand it. It might not be as big as it was before, but that’s okay. I don’t need much room for my experiment.”

Jason hustled to catch up. “Experiment? You mean what you’re planning has never been done before?”

“Never. Based on some things Alaph told me, it should work, but I think it really depends on the people.”

He reached over and touched her pocket. “Does the experiment have something to do with that thing you took from Petra?”

She laid a hand over her pocket’s opening. “That’s all I’m going to say about it. I have said too much already.”

When they arrived at the Basilica gate, they found Tibalt leaning back against the bars, a sword in hand. Exodus sat on the cobblestones about fifteen paces away, still shining and sizzling, only slightly smaller than before. The spear that had punctured it lay close by. He squinted at Cassabrie. “I see red hair, but that ain’t Koren, unless someone altered Koren’s face and cut off two of her fingers.”

Cassabrie raised a hand and looked at the gap with a sigh. “No. I’m not Koren.”

“Tibalt,” Jason said, “this is Cassabrie. She’s going to try to save Exodus.”

“Aha! The other Starlighter.” Tibalt pointed at Exodus with his sword. “I’ve been guarding it and the spear, but no one’s come around at all. I can’t say I blame them. With all the talk of disease, no one would want to mess with a superheated ball of fire. Not that they’d want to anyway, but—”

“Listen, Tibalt,” Jason said, “I have some bad news. Petra is dead. A dragon burned her.”

Tibalt’s head drooped. “Oh … That’s terrible. The poor girl.”

“And Fellina’s hurt, so with a disease about to strike, things aren’t looking good at all.”

“I get it, young’un. Time to be serious.”

Cassabrie walked toward Exodus and picked up the spear. “Maybe I can change our fortunes soon.” She ripped the explosive tube from the point-end of the shaft, then lifted a leg, snapped the spear over her knee, and threw the two halves to the ground. “This spear will never puncture Exodus again.”

“Jason!” a draconic voice called.

Jason looked up. Xenith dropped from the sky, barely catching herself with a flurry of wings as she landed in a run.

“Have you seen my father?” she asked as she scooted toward him. “There is trouble in the Basilica.” “What kind of trouble?”

“I was waiting in a room that has a passageway that leads to the Zodiac.”

“The incubator room.” Jason nodded. “Go on.”

“I had taken Petra and Cassabrie there and was waiting for them to return. I heard voices, so I flew up to the ceiling hole and perched there to see who was coming. Taushin flew in from a lower level carrying Zena. Then Hyborn joined them. I heard Taushin say that they were going to wait for someone to come out of the passageway. They said something about capturing Cassabrie and killing anyone who was with her. Of course, I wanted to warn Cassabrie, but Hyborn and Taushin would certainly have stopped me. When I saw you down here, I thought it best to seek your aid.”

Jason pictured the scene in his mind. The ceiling was high, but maybe not too high to jump from if something on the floor could provide a cushion. “Your father is in the Zodiac’s lower level with your mother. She’s hurt.”

“Mother is hurt?” Xenith unfurled her wings again and turned toward the Zodiac. “I must go to her.”

“And tell your father what you told me. We’ll need his help.” Jason pointed toward the Basilica’s roof. “But first, can you take me up to that hole?”

“Yes, I will be glad to.”

“Can two ride?” Tibalt asked. Xenith looked up at the roof of the Basilica. “It is a short flight. I can take two.” “Tibalt, you don’t have to —”

“Of course I have to. I’m not doing any good babysitting this spitting star, and it sounds like there’s some big trouble brewing.” He tapped himself on the chest. “You need a sidekick with a keen eye and sharp mind. I ain’t got either one, but I’ll do my best.”

Jason laughed. “I’m sure you will.” He glanced at Cassabrie. She gave him a nod. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s go.”

Xenith lowered her body, allowing them to mount. Jason sat at the base of her neck, while Tibalt straddled her about two feet back, leaving a protruding spine between them. He reached around the spine and swatted Jason’s arm. “Let’s see what that evil critter is up to.”

Jason patted Xenith’s neck. “We’re ready.”

As Xenith ascended in a wide circle, Jason looked around. Arxad flew out of the Zodiac in a hurry, banked hard, and headed away from the village. Whatever the priestly dragon’s errand might be, it meant he and Tibalt might not get any help with Taushin and company for quite a while. Still, it could be that nothing would happen during that time.

Below, Cassabrie stood next to Exodus, her hood covering her head and shading her eyes. With the explosive tube tucked under her arm, she inserted her hands deep into the radiance and, as if sweeping curtains of light open, forced a wide gap in the membrane. She then lifted her foot, stepped inside, and melded with the sizzling star. The opening snapped closed behind her in an eruption of sparks, leaving just a ball of radiance wobbling on the cobblestone street.

After a few seconds, Exodus began to expand, and the outer wall grew more transparent. Inside, Cassabrie’s frame came into view, a shadow in the midst of brilliance. With her arms spread and her cloak fanned out, she appeared to be speaking or perhaps singing. Then, as if awakened from slumber, Exodus began to rise.

Jason shifted his gaze straight ahead. Xenith fluttered her wings, ready to land on top of the Basilica. It was time to pay attention to his role, not Cassabrie’s. He had to make sure Elyssa returned to the Northlands safely. Nearly every human life on Starlight depended on it.

twenty

 

A
s they ran side by side through the tunnel leading to the Basilica, Elyssa glanced at Koren. Her hair and skin glowed far brighter than did her own. She was a real Starlighter, not a hybrid Diviner. With shining red hair and brilliant green eyes, she was truly beautiful. And dressed in ragged trousers and thin tunic, she seemed vulnerable, needy, dependent. No wonder she entranced dragons and humans so easily, and no wonder Jason seemed so …

She took in a quick breath.
Stop it, Elyssa. Don’t be an idiot.

As they neared the end, Koren faltered, holding a hand against her side. Elyssa stopped and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Can you make it?”

Koren raised her hand into her glow. Blood smeared her fingers. “It’s not bleeding much. Nothing like it did earlier.”

Frowning, Elyssa lifted the edge of Koren’s tunic and peered at the wound.
“You’re
the one who needs stitches.”

“I can’t take the time to get stitches. I have to make sure you’re safely on your way to the Northlands.”

Elyssa guided Koren to the wall where she could lean and rest. “It won’t help matters if you bleed to death. I’ll do my part, and you do yours. You need to keep telling people to have courage and be ready to escape.”

“I did.” Koren turned her head, her expression morose. “They wouldn’t listen to me. I failed.”

Elyssa laid her hands on Koren’s cheeks and looked her in the eye. “I saw you up there in that star. Telling people what they need to hear when they don’t want to hear it is courageous. If people refuse to listen, it’s not your fault. And it doesn’t mean they won’t listen the next time, or the next time. You just have to keep trying.”

Koren’s sparkling eyes locked on Elyssa’s. “It’s a lot easier to talk about it than it is to do it, but I think I’m gaining a new power that might help.”

“Really?” Elyssa lowered her hands. “What power?”

Koren shifted her eyes lower. “Take a look.”

A new glimmer appeared from below Elyssa’s neck. Her pendant glowed, first orange, then red, almost as brightly as it had when she tried to heal Petra. “Are you doing that?”

Koren nodded. “Cassabrie once shot beams from her eyes that blinded Zena. She was bound to the Reflections Crystal then, so that’s where she probably got the power, but I think the stardrop is giving me the same kind of energy. It’s hard to control, but I’m working on it. Maybe this new power will give me more courage.”

“Well, I’m sure the stardrop helps, but watching Jason taught me an important lesson. Courage is generated by love. Since you love your people so much, let that reenergize your courage.”

Koren spread out her arms. “But what should I say? I don’t have Exodus anymore, so I’ll have to try to convince them one person at a time, and I won’t have a platform or a powerful presence to let people know I’m speaking the Creator’s words.”

Elyssa raised a mental photograph of Koren standing high above the crowd as she delivered her message. With hands blocking the heat, most of the people had no desire to take in a single word. “You know, I think it might be better this way.”

“How so?”

“For some, platform and presence mean nothing. They’re stubborn and won’t respond. For people like that, sometimes we should just ask questions and let them ponder. All we can do is give them the key to unlocking their chains. If they won’t use it, there is simply nothing you can do, no matter how much love and courage you have. Some people are comfortable in their chains. They want to be slaves because they don’t have the courage to live in freedom.”

Koren averted her eyes. A glow emanated from them, strong at first, but it quickly faded. “Have you ever lived in freedom, Elyssa? Do you really know what it’s like to be completely unshackled?”

Elyssa tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Never mind. We’ve lost enough time already.” Koren walked toward the stone at the end of the tunnel, now visible in her glow.

“Wait a minute!” Elyssa marched after her. “How can you spear me with a question like that and just walk away?”

Koren stopped and knelt at the gap between the tunnel exit and the blocking stone. “I’m just practicing what you told me.”

“You mean asking questions? Do you think I’m stubborn?”

“Yes, I do.” Koren slid her hand into Elyssa’s. “Your stubborn determination to fight for freedom, to help others less fortunate than yourself, and to sacrifice your life to save our people is a beautiful sight to behold. Yet, I think focusing on how terrible the slavery is here on Starlight has blinded you to your own slavery on Darksphere. At least here we know we’re slaves, and that’s the first step to seeking freedom.” She lowered herself to her stomach and belly-crawled into the gap.

Elyssa stooped and watched. In the dim light, it seemed that manacles wrapped around her own wrists, chains dangling to the floor. The air smelled like the dungeon where she had spent too many dark and lonely nights—fetid and dank. The Starlighter’s influence was at work.

As soon as Koren’s feet disappeared through the gap, she let out a muffled grunt.

“Koren?” Elyssa called. “Did you hurt yourself?” She dropped down and peeked through the gap. Shadows skittered here and there on the Basilica’s floor tiles, but no other sign of Koren appeared.

“Koren?” Elyssa’s heart raced. Something was wrong, but should she follow and expose herself to the same danger? That would be brave, but stupid. She pushed her head a little farther in, closed her eyes, and probed. As her mind crept into the incubator room, a sense of guilt weighed her down. Why hadn’t she done this earlier instead of fussing about Koren’s remarks? It was stupid to get so distracted when —

Stop it! You’re getting distracted again! Release the whip!

After taking a deep breath, she continued the probe. Her mind drifted across the room. Warm bodies stood here and there. Anger in one of them. Fear in another. Both human. Two dragons stood there as well. There was no way she could win a confrontation with them, especially if her only ally was a wounded and captured Starlighter. It would be wiser to go back and get Randall —

Something grabbed her hair and pulled. “Randall!” she screamed. “Help me!”

As her body squeezed into the gap, she groped for a handhold. Her fingers clutched the side of the tunnel entrance, but the force from the Basilica room jerked her so hard, her neck felt ready to snap. She let go. Her chest and stomach scraped against the tunnel’s rough floor before sliding out onto smooth tiles.

When the pressure released, Elyssa jumped to her feet. Her head pounded so hard, darkness pulsed in her vision. Hyborn sat within reach, holding several strands of hair in his clawed hand.

Taushin and Zena stood near the center of the room, and Koren knelt in front of them facing Elyssa, her mouth gagged and her hands tied behind her. Blood streamed from a wound near her eye, trickled down her cheek, and dripped from her jaw to the floor. She heaved shallow breaths but kept her stare fixed on Elyssa.

Zena stooped behind Koren, brandishing a dagger in her pale, bony hand. She rolled up her ivory sleeve and held the blade against Koren’s throat. “Elyssa, you will be silent, or I will slay this Starlighter.”

Elyssa rolled her hands into fists. The cowards! She glanced around the room for Xenith, but she was nowhere in sight.

Taushin flashed his eyebeams on Zena. “By my count, there are four humans remaining in the Zodiac — Cassabrie, Jason, Randall, and the girl.”

“Petra,” Zena said. “But I heard Elyssa call for Randall. If Jason were still in the Zodiac, she would have called for him. She has a great fondness for Jason.”

Taushin nodded. “An excellent point. However, it is also possible that Shrillet killed him. The tear tracks on Elyssa’s cheeks indicate that possibility. My bigger concern is Cassabrie. We cannot wait long to see what has become of her. If she has reanimated her body, we must capture her as soon as possible.”

Elyssa sneaked a glance at the hole in the ceiling. If Xenith was here earlier, maybe she left because she saw Taushin and his companions coming, but surely she would have tried to warn someone. Maybe Xenith would return with Arxad … and maybe not. She couldn’t risk waiting. She had to do something to protect Randall, and getting the dragons out of here had to be the first step.

“You’re right about one thing,” Elyssa said. “The longer you wait here, the more energy Cassabrie will build up. The power she’s generating while you wait will be of such magnitude, nothing will be able to stop her from destroying you.”

Koren glared at her. The copper flames in her eyes sent a strong message.
Don’t tell him!

Elyssa concealed a swallow. Maybe Koren already had something planned. So what now? The only reasonable option was to keep talking so Randall could hear her, but would Zena really slit Koren’s throat? Probably not. She was too valuable to them.

“Anyway,” she added, “you have no idea what you’re up against.”

Taushin chuckled. “What kind of fool do you take me for? If that were true, you would not warn us in advance. Cassabrie is not attached to the Reflections Crystal, so she has no energy source. Not only that, she will be hesitant to act as long as I have a hostage. Hyborn could separate a head from a human’s body in the time it takes a Starlighter to draw a breath. I have no concerns about what she can do to me.”

“Hyborn,” Zena said, “encourage Elyssa to come and kneel with Koren.”

Hyborn gave Elyssa a shove from behind, clawing her back.

“I’m going!” She grimaced at the pain but quickly shifted to a smirk. Touching a finger to her chest, she marched toward them with a confident gait. “What about me? Did you know that I have Starlighter powers as well?”

Taushin’s blue beams strengthened, striking Zena’s eyes. “Even with Zena’s pitiful vision, I can see that you are not a Starlighter. Your eyes are green, but you lack the fiery red hair.”

Elyssa stopped and pinched her hair. “It means nothing. Haven’t you heard of hair dye on this world?”

“My spies have watched you,” Taushin said with a dismissive wave of his wing, “and there have been no reports of phantoms appearing while you speak. And as Zena said, you display a great fondness for Jason. When we capture him, which will be soon, you will do whatever we say.”

“Oh, really? You have spies? It seems that we have a problem with loyalty in our ranks.” She glanced at her pendant. It glowed orange again. With another quick glance, she caught a glimpse of Koren nodding at her. Was it a signal that her power reserves had returned? Even as these thoughts raced through her mind, words poured in, full sentences that formed without forethought. Could this be part of her Starlighter-like gifts, or was Koren providing these thoughts from where she knelt?

“Actually,” Elyssa said as she knelt next to Koren, “you’re right. I do like Jason. In fact, I suppose
love
is an appropriate term.” She jabbed a finger at Taushin and let the inflowing words spill out. “But let me tell you this, you monster, our love for the slaves of this world, for the Creator who made them, for the blessings of freedom that are the Creator’s to give and not yours to steal—that love is enough to drive us to sacrifice anything to snatch the souls of Starlight away from your wicked grasp. If the Starlighters really could do something with their powers to break free and stop your madness, they would do so without care for my life or Jason’s life, because we would rather die than live in chains.”

“Elyssa?”

She flinched. That was Randall’s voice calling through the gap.

“Elyssa, is that you in there?”

“Don’t answer,” Zena whispered, “or Koren is dead.”

Hyborn shuffled close to the passage and reached a claw toward the gap.

A shadow made Elyssa glance up. The ceiling hole directly above led to bright sky, but there seemed to be nothing there to cause the shadow. Closing her eyes, she probed the area. Two humans stood atop the Basilica, both showing signs of aggression. Could Jason be one of them? If they were here to help, she had to make sure they had a safe place to land.

“Randall!” Elyssa shouted. “Stay in the tunnel! Hyborn’s here ready to catch you!” She grabbed Zena’s arm with both hands and pushed the dagger away. Koren shot to her feet, turned, and locked her stare on Zena’s face. Twin shafts of light, pale and faint, radiated from Koren’s eyes to Zena’s.

Sizzling smoke erupted from Zena’s sockets. She screamed. “No! Not again!”

“Hyborn!” Taushin’s eyebeams swept wildly across the room. “Come and stop this fighting.”

While Zena writhed on the floor, Hyborn stomped toward Elyssa and Koren. Elyssa snatched up the dagger and cut through Koren’s gag and bonds. “Don’t run,” Elyssa whispered. “Just back away slowly.”

“Should I hypnotize him?” Koren asked.

“When he gets to where we’re standing right now.” They slid their feet slowly backwards. Elyssa looked up again. Jason and Tibalt stood on opposite sides of the ceiling hole. Jason gave her a nod.

Down on floor level, Randall’s head and torso came into sight, wriggling through the gap behind the stone. He appeared to be stuck, but he made no sound.

The moment Hyborn reached the center of the room, Koren raised her hands. “Halt! Hear my voice!”

Hyborn stopped. “It will take more than a few words to control me, Starlighter. I told you I am more immune than other dragons.” He looked at Taushin. “What do you want me to do with them?”

Taushin’s beams settled on Hyborn’s face. “Kill Elyssa and capture the Starlighter for me. After that, dispose of Zena. She is no longer of any use to me.”

Jason dropped from the ceiling hole, his sword drawn. He landed on Hyborn’s back, toppled over, and slid down his scales. As soon as he hit the floor, he scrambled to his feet and lunged with his sword. Hyborn batted him to the side with a foreleg, sending Jason staggering backwards, then reared his head, ready to blast fire.

“Hyborn!” Koren called, wincing as she pressed a hand against her side. “I command you to hear my voice.”

Hyborn’s ears turned toward her, but he kept his stare fixed on Jason. “No, Starlighter. Your friend will feel my fire.”