Echoes in the Dark (61 page)

They
all looked at her.

“We’re
pretty sure the dreeths will come from the top of the mountain.”

“Ayes,”
Jaquar said. “All the reports indicate that.”

“They
don’t know it’s going to be today.” Alexa showed her teeth. “No one would
expect a force of this size to make it in under a month, let alone under the three
weeks of the exploratory team. They weren’t aware of us then, either.” She
gestured to the Ship, which a volaran had stated “did not look there,” when it
flew to the southern shore for that purpose.

Alexa
shifted her shoulders. “If the Master and Dark fall, the horrors will not be
directed. Those in Lladrana can find them, clean them up. Hold the line, build
a new border. The sooner we get in and do the spell, the less loss of life.”

“So
we go with the first wave.” Bastien nodded.

Raine
gestured to Madam Lucienne, who came over. “You’ve been watching Bastien as he
counts down the waves of our army?”

“Ayes,”
the woman said.

“We’re
going first,” Alexa said. She sent a glance around their little circle but no
one protested.

Madam
rubbed her hands, “Good idea.” She nodded to Bastien. “I’ll count down and
release the teams as practiced.”

Bastien
took her hand and kissed her fingers.
“Merci.”

She
nodded, went to her post, squared her shoulders.

Calli
said, “Ready?”

They
all replied, “Ready.”

Raine
grabbed Faucon and kissed him hard. “I love you.” Then she set the earbuds in
her ears and turned up the volume. Once they were committed, she’d be all
right.

She
hoped. The beat of the volume was the same as her portion of the Song and she
muttered it in her head.

“Mount!”
Bastien barked.

They
did, and she felt better on Blossom, even stronger when Enerin sat on her
shoulder, dug in her little war hawk claws.

Communication
by mind, Exotique link only from now on,
Bastien ordered.

They
nodded.

Got
the gong?

Calli
and Marrec, Marian and Jaquar held up the soon-to-be invisible ropes.

Bastien
looked at Alexa.

She
nodded.

Here
we go!
she ordered and they all rose together, and when they were at the top of the
mast everyone winked out around Raine.

She set
her teeth and didn’t look down as she trusted to Blossom that they all moved
together. It felt as if she were a disembodied spirit floating toward the
island. The speed of the volarans was significantly slower when they were
invisible. She could feel the draining of Blossom’s and her own Power. She
wished she’d known about this sooner, so she could have prepared herself. This
was good for the volarans, this was excellent, but the time it took to cover
the distance aggravated her nerves.

They
were nearing the shore when she heard Madam Lucienne’s mental shout of
First
wave, go!

Wings
whirred beneath the Exotiques as the other volarans flew toward the island with
their burdens of sailors, Chevaliers, the Marshall team, two medicas, Bossgond
and another Circlet. As they hit the beach, their invisibility disappeared and
they engaged the horrors milling around the mountain.

They
gave war cries and Sang Jikata’s battle Song.

Noise
from the battle rose and Raine looked down.

Ella
was the first to die.

Ledge outside the Dark’s Nest

R
aine and Blossom
bobbled the ledge landing, had to withdraw.

Steady,
Raine
—Alexa’s
voice was sharp.

Raine
pressed her lips together, separated her grief from the rest of her mind,
reassured Blossom. Definitely not the time for a volaran to panic. Blossom and
she approached the ledge to land again, settled on all fours this time.

The
women had all dismounted and were visible in their dark dreeth hide. The men
were lined up—the seven-man bobsled team of Koz, Bastien, Luthan, Marrec,
Faucon, Jaquar and Sevair—and their sled looked sturdy and efficient.

Raine
ignored the tears running down her face, at least her eyes weren’t continuing
to well and blind her, and slid from Blossom. For one last moment of normality,
she buried her face in Blossom’s neck and drank in her scent and hugged her
tight.

See
you later,
Blossom said.

One
last squeeze, then Raine stepped away, lifted her chin, straightened her
shoulders.
Fly safe to the Ship.

I
will.

Blossom
lifted her wings, Raine could see the hazy outline of them and touched Blossom
again, sending her a little more energy until they faded.
Go.

With
an almost silent whir of wings, the volarans were gone. Marian and Calli were
holding the saucer on the ledge, a third of it was protruding over space. Raine
gulped, went over and took her place in the lineup. Alexa and Bri would be at
the front, Raine and Jikata in the middle, Marian and Calli in the back. At
least that’s how it was supposed to work. Raine prayed they wouldn’t
go
spinning around. Going one direction—down a steep slope, and there
was
snow—was enough.

Ready?
Alexa’s eyes
were compassionate and a little haunted. She, too, would lose friends today,
had lost friends for the two years.

Anger
spurted through Raine. Ella should have lived a long and full life.
I want
this DONE.

So
do we all,
said Calli, inclining her head.

Air
spell initiated,
Marian said, and the front of the saucer rose, steadied, as if it sat fully on
the ledge.

Alexa
and Bri climbed on, curled their hands in the thick woven edge that had been
placed around the gong’s rim.

Raine
met Jikata’s eyes and they settled in, legs stretched around Bri and Alexa.
Raine felt the gong-saucer rock a little as Marian and Calli got on. Soon
Marian’s legs were snug around Raine’s hips and the buzz of the Exotiques all
in physical contact comforted her.

On,
“go,”
Alexa said.

There
was a little peck on Raine’s cheek and she saw Enerin hovering near.

Sinafinal,
Tuckerinal and I will be with you until it is time to take the gong,
Enerin said.

Merci.

Alexa
sucked in a breath, but shouted mentally,
Ready, set,
go!

Marian
released the spell holding the front of the sled. They dropped and were off.

They
zoomed down the mountain.

Rock
on the left!
Alexa yelled to Bri, who was steering.

I
see it, I see it. Lean right,
Bri shouted back

Raine
leaned right.

Path
is to the left,
Marian reminded coolly.

Course,
Raine
corrected, recalled she was supposed to be projecting it to everyone’s mind.
Enerin gave her an overview, she picked out their position and set it on a
green line.

Doing
well!
Alexa gave a shriek of wild laughter.

Raine
opened her mouth and some snow flew into it and tears ran down her face,
thrills from the ride and the others’ excitement, sadness from Ella’s death and
the sound of distant battle. That was as close to laughter that she could get.

T
he men ranged
themselves on the bobsled silently. Koz would drive, Jaquar would keep the
course and help with air or weather magic, and the rest of them would give
ballast and Power.

Faucon
wanted to be with Raine. Whose idea was it to separate the men and the women?

Amee’s.

Female
planet. One of the men, Luthan, should have spoken to her.

Everyone
on?
Koz asked. He sat in the front of the sled that hung in midair, anticipation
gleamed in his eyes. He was looking forward to this battle, having been
forbidden Chevalier status by the medicas due to a head injury.

Bastien
slid in behind him, slightly shorter than the other men, but he’d never driven
a sled, and Faucon wasn’t going to trust his life to Bastien’s wild magic.

Luthan
came next since they all figured it would be best if the brothers were
together. Marrec took his seat, Faucon followed, and Sevair, the one with the
most sheer muscle, stood ready to jump in after he shoved off.

Set?
asked Sevair
calmly, though there was an undercurrent in his Song that the men shared, they
wanted to be close to their women.

Go
when you’re ready,
Jaquar said. An image of the course came to Faucon’s mind with the sled
motionless and poised.

The
sled surged forward and Faucon caught his breath as they were airborne, then
hit the ground and bounced twice then shot down the mountain. This was nothing
like a volaran ride. He began to pray.

Outside,
down the mountain of the Dark’s Nest

Jikata
Sang, her voice quavery. Better get over that, soon.

Since
the wind whipped the sound of her words away, she didn’t think she was alerting
any of the dreeths that appeared in view.

Marian
had inserted a cushion of air between the gong and the rock or snow and that
made the ride smoother, faster than Jikata’d anticipated, more dangerous.

They
were going too fast for the dreeths to catch them, weren’t they?

So
Jikata Sang out her fear, little limbering exercises before stepping onto a
stage, some Song she knew from her childhood, but couldn’t put a name to in her
fear.

Hearts
thumping fast and in unison, they leaned to the left or shifted to the right.
Hit a bump and went flying, landed with a skiff of snow, gliding long and
smooth.

Lava
tube ahead,
Marian said with tension in her voice.
Leave the saucer guidance to me. I’ll
be using Air Power.

“Yeah!”
Alexa yelled.

Jikata
averted her face so as not to see the dreeths shrieking above them, circling,
trying to get a bead on them. She brought up an image of all she loved, Luthan,
these women who’d welcomed and helped her, Ishi, her parents…

Then
they were slowing, circling a hole into the mountain.

Slowing!
A dreeth cried and swooped.

A
huge bird attacked it. Bri’s roc companion.

The
hole swallowed them. Jikata’s heart jumped again, her stomach tightened.

Showtime.

They
plunged into the Dark and the odor was foul. The mountain itself seemed to
grumble at being a lair for the Dark, the Master, the horrors. Plummeting down
an old tunnel made by lava, Jikata
felt
the Dark. Knew the others did,
too. More, she heard its life force. Not a Song at all, something more like a
huge, inimical hissing, low continuous thrumming of hatred for all life.
Stirring…waking? It touched all of them in dreams more than awake because it
was asleep and torpid? A terrible thought that they hadn’t known this, hadn’t
experienced the full might of its waking power.

L
uthan hung onto
his brother, who was coping with this part of the action so much better than
he.

Jaquar
was skimming Power from all of them to push the sled along, gain on the ladies
in the saucer ahead.

Women
flying down a mountainside on a gong.

Inconceivable,
except that it was happening.

Luthan’s
entire life had changed the moment one Exotique came and did inconceivable
things.

Coming
to the hole. Hang on tight, I’ll have to raise and angle the sled,
Jaquar said.

Luthan
knew he’d hate that more.

Then
it was happening with a terrible wrenching in his gut and they disappeared into
darkness and the familiar sound of battle was lost and he was lost.

Until
he heard the purity of Jikata’s Song.

He
opened his eyes and saw a sliver of red light ahead, the large upper cavern.
And the glint of the saucer-gong. Close, so close. They could protect the
women.

Especially
since he heard the sound of the Dark awakening.

They
shot through the opening to the large chamber, saw Alexa pointing and shouting,
“
There!
Across, across, across. Fly this thing, guys!” The saucer, the
gong, stayed up even as Luthan felt their own sled lose momentum in the middle
of the air, angle toward the bottom of the cavern.

Lift!
Bastien
commanded, but they were unused to flying on a sled instead of volarans. Luthan
raised his voice in a flying spell, Sevair Sang a spell for lifting massive
blocks.