《The Cor - A classic Sci-Fantasy Adventure (All Chapters)》


 Hammer Prologue

    The baby curled his small hand around his father¡¯s forefinger and smiled up at him, but the intense ache in the man¡¯s heart brought a frown in return. Immediately, the infant¡¯s joy was replaced by a trembling cry.


    Fumbling inside his cloak, the man pulled out a small stone hammer, and laid it on the infant¡¯s bare chest. As the baby¡¯s fingers wrapped around the smooth handle, a soft light flowed from the base and over the infant¡¯s face. The cries ceased and the child fell into a peaceful sleep.


    The man held the boy closer. If only he could be as calm. The thought of returning home without his son was tying him in knots. The plan seemed sensible at first; leaving the hammer here with his son until he was old enough to return and lead the people. Now, however, he found himself fighting the urge to retreat through the portal door and close it forever behind him.


    He pushed the idea aside. Giving in to his fears would only lead to disaster for both worlds. There was no choice but to leave his son behind in this strange world, with its wide-open spaces and searing heat.


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    He scanned the vast plain toward the ridge of hills on the horizon. Somehow the people his son was to stay with had removed the pointed homes of their settlement from the base of the hill, leaving only circles of stones behind. Where had they gone, and would their leader even arrive in time for their meeting? The last visit, he had observed the man astride a four-legged beast that shook the ground as it ran. Surely that creature was able to bring the leader back to fulfill their arrangement.


    The baby stirred and the man rocked him gently in his arms. Turning his infant son over to a people he had observed only from a distance did not bother him, for the hammer had assured him their leader was a man of honor.


    The first harsh rays of a new day glinted off the polished stone hammer and bit at his face.


    His plan had failed. Disappointment mixed in with relief as he hugged the child to his chest and stepped into the circle of rocks.


    As he moved toward the open door, he heard the drum of distant hoof beats.

 Hammer 1: Nightmare

    Corvan pressed his back against the cold stone of the tunnel and peered into the gloom. There was no point in trying to wake himself up. He was trapped inside the nightmare until he either escaped from the monster - or died trying.


    The dream felt more real every time it came back, the pounding of his heart, the taste of musky fear, and the foul stench of the creature in his nostrils. The beast was always waiting for him in the darkness, waiting for him to move and betray his location. As soon as he did, the terrifying chase would begin once again.


    There was only one way to escape from the maze of tunnels; he had to find the green rope, then climb it to a doorway filled with blue light. From many past failures he had learned to stay in place, not moving until the rock wall beside him melted away and a new passage opened up. Ducking inside, he crept quietly along to where a familiar jagged fracture broke the cavern floor. At least the dream was consistent; a translucent green line dangled over the void, just out of reach.


    The click of claws on rock set his heart racing. A glance over his shoulder revealed a massive bear-like creature sweeping toward him, its bulk filling the passage, its red eyes piercing the dark.


    Corvan whirled about, leapt off the edge, latched onto the rope, then climbed furiously. A deafening roar assaulted his ears as the creature''s fetid breath rolled past him, propelling him even faster towards the rock shelf that stuck out overhead, and the glimmer of blue beyond. His breath came in ragged gasps as his sweaty hands lost their grip on the rope. He heaved himself higher, but the rope only stretched and grew thinner. When he squeezed it tighter, it squished out like jelly between his fingers, then broke apart.


    He plummeted toward the open jaws, a strangled scream trapped in his lungs.


    Corvan sat bolt upright in his bed and wiped the sweat from his brow. Once again, he had failed to escape the nightmare tunnels, but he wouldn¡¯t be going downstairs to tell his parents about it. He would be turning fifteen this month. He couldn¡¯t be running to their room in the night like a frightened child ¡ªbut he was afraid.


    Pulling his knees in close, he wrapped his arms around them, then gazed across the room and out the window. He could clearly recall sitting in this exact spot next to his grandfather, watching the stars, and listening to stories of monsters and caves. He wasn¡¯t even sure how he could remember those events so clearly; his grandfather had disappeared just days before his fourth birthday. That could be why the dream was back. In the last few weeks, he had overheard his grandfather¡¯s name in the hushed discussions and arguments his parents were having as his special fifteenth birthday drew closer.


    Corvan sighed. Tomorrow was only Thursday. He would rather go back to bed and face the nightmare than another day of school. At least with the monster, he would eventually wake up and the fear would fade. In real life, at least for the past year, his problems at school and at home clung to him like burrs on his woolen socks.


    Throwing off the covers, Corvan crossed to the window, sat up on the wide sill, and leaned back against the jamb. A cool breeze, fresh with the scent of approaching rain, raised goose bumps on his skin. The harvest moon highlighted the silver-green tips of the aspen trees bordering his back yard and beyond them, a gentle wind was stirring his family¡¯s crop of golden wheat into waves that swept in to run ashore against a massive mound of granite¡ªhis favorite place in the entire world.


    The rounded sides of the rock climbed thirty feet above the sea of grain in an unbroken curve until it reached Castle Rock, Corvan¡¯s name for the ring of symmetrical boulders crowning the summit. From his second story window, the protective circle of stones looked like the beginnings of another Stonehenge or the ruins of an ancient island citadel. Low on the horizon, the moon looked like a flying saucer about to land inside the crenelations of Castle Rock.


    Above the tops of the rocks, he could make out the canvas roof of his fort, his personal refuge from the realities of an increasingly complicated life. Unlike his comic book hero, his fortress of solitude was within earshot of his mother¡¯s call from the back porch or the ring of her dinner bell.


    A passing breeze rippled the sheets hanging on the clothesline that ran alongside the path to the outhouse, the small toilet building hidden in the shelterbelt. ¡°Rats!¡± he muttered. The outhouse door was hanging open and his mother would not be happy. She hated it when the gophers got inside and chewed up the old magazines, but as far as he could recall, this time the open door it wasn¡¯t his fault. He had been reading in his fort the previous evening and had decided to skip using the outhouse before coming in for the night. That was likely the reason he definitely needed to use it now.


    Crossing the room to grab his t-shirt off the floor, he caught his refection in the cracked mirror hanging on the pony wall supporting the vaulted ceiling. He was the only person short enough to stand up where the sloped ceiling met the wall and actually look at himself. Not that he liked to see his body in the mirror. At school, Billy Fry continually joked that Corvan was the model for the skinny ninety-eight-pound weakling in the Charles Atlas comic book ads.


    Pulling the shirt on over his thin frame, he moved quietly down the stairs and out along the path. He stopped abruptly at the outhouse door for there, clearly outlined in the dirt by the bright moonlight, was a set of large three-toed footprints. The same ones he had noticed the past week at the base of Castle Rock only this time he could see the indents from the claws. Whatever from the previous day. The tracks were too large to be a bird, so it had to be some sort of lizard but how large was it and where had it come from? Corvan looked along the tree line and then in behind the outhouse around the woodpile, but the night was completely still, even the owl wasn¡¯t hooting.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Coming back around to the outhouse door he swung it wide and discovered the book he had been reading in his fort that evening, sitting on top of the old magazines they used for toilet paper.


    Mrs. Barron, the owner of the town¡¯s corner store, had given it to him after a traveler had left behind on her counter. ¡°Consider it an early birthday present,¡± she had said. ¡°Your mother tells me fifteen is an important birthday for you, and I know things are a bit tight right now with the mine closed down and all.¡±


    Corvan stepped up inside the outhouse. He must have brought the book here and tried using the outhouse while he read. It was amazing how engrossed he could get in a story and completely forget everything around him. At least now he had something to read while he waited. He left the door open a few inches to bring in a bit of fresh air. Nothing smelled worse than an outhouse after a summer of heat. The smell would go away once winter arrived but at forty below, the seat would be cold enough to freezer your butt cheeks off. Dropping his shorts he sat over the well-worn hole in the planks and picked up his book.


    The story was entitled, Daybreak 2250 AD, and each time he read it, Corvan found himself identifying more strongly with its mutant hero, Fors of the Puma Clan. Fors was bullied and mocked for his appearance, but at least Fors was able to escape his situation with his loyal animal companion.


    The moonlight streaming through the partially open door was bright enough to read by and he was flipping through to one of his favorite sections when a rustle of sound came from outside.


    Looking out, he watched the sheets flutter on the clothesline but there was another noise in behind them, the sound of something approaching. He tensed as a shadow appeared in the center of the sheet, growing larger until it filled the moonlit cotton. It was an animal standing up on two legs. The shadow turned to one side and sniffed the air. It was a lizard and its silhouette looked exactly like the logo for Reptile World in the city. His parents had never paid to go inside but maybe this same lizard had escaped from there.


    In the blink of an eye the shadow flicked away, then Corvan heard a long hiss of breath alongside the outhouse, a twig snapped, and a shadow crossed the knothole on the back wall of the outhouse. Pulling up shorts, Corvan knelt on the bench and pressed his eye to the hole.


    At the very top of the woodpile, the head and shoulders of a large lizard faced into the moonlight, staring up at the Castle Rock. Blue markings ran down the sides of its neck. Corvan shifted to get a better look and the half-used Sears catalogue slipped off the pile, landing on the floor with a dull thud. The lizard¡¯s lean faced snapped about to face the outhouse, then it vanished down into the pile of logs.


    Corvan let out his breath and turned back to the door. At least now he knew where it was hiding. He would come back tomorrow night and wait for it to show up again so he could get a better look at it.


    Taking his book, he latched the outhouse door, rubbed out the lizards tracks to avoid frightening his mother and made his way back to his room. For a long while he leaned into the window screen searching the backyard for any sign of the creature. Eventually he gave up. Even the chickens in the coop were resting peacefully.


    Tugging off his shirt, he tossed in on the floor and climbed back into bed with his book. There was no use worrying about the lizard, the nightmare, or his upcoming birthday. Turning on his side he looked over at his bookshelf, where a ragtag collection of adventure stories and comic books were piled haphazardly on top. The shelves themselves held a variety of bird nests, plant samples, petrified bones, a well-used set of encyclopedias and an extensive rock collection.


    Nothing caught his eye so he picked up his book and imagined himself on the cover where Fors was navigating a raft down a river with Lura, his mutant cat. Corvan had rafted down the river with his father a few times and loved it. Watching the banks slip past without any noise or effort, all the while moving towards new lands was a memory he often used for his own made-up science fiction adventures.


    He dozed off in the midst of his imaginations and when he opened his eyes, pink sunrise clouds were caressing the sky. The new day would slip past and bring him closer to his fifteenth birthday, the day when his father said he would come of age, and become an adult member of the family.


    Leaving his bed, he went to the window and pressed his forehead into a well-worn bulge in the metal window screen. Corvan searched the outlines of the Castle Rock and the backyard for any sign of the lizard but the only thing moving was their rooster strutting about and getting ready to welcome the new day. From its appearance on the woodpile the night before, the lizard wasn¡¯t anywhere near the size of the monster in his nightmares, but the timing of its appearance along with the secrecy surrounding his upcoming birthday . . .


    ¡°Corvan!¡±


    Jumping back from the window he found find his mother standing in his doorway, her blonde hair pressed up against the door frame.


    ¡°I should have known you¡¯d be looking at that rock again. Didn¡¯t you hear me call you down to breakfast?¡±


    ¡°I must have been day dreaming,¡± Corvan said, retreating behind his bed to pull on his patched jeans.


    ¡°No doubt you were,¡± she said with a frown. ¡°I met Miss Thompson at the store yesterday.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s heart dropped at the mention of his teacher.


    ¡°She says you¡¯ve been coming in after classes have begun this past week. I told her you must be dawdling on the way. You certainly leave home in plenty of time.¡±


    Corvan tugged his threadbare T-shirt over his head. The truth was, he wanted to be late for school¡ªfor the rest of the year if possible. His head poked out just as the horn of their truck honked twice in the driveway.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this later. Your father has been called to a meeting at the mine, and I¡¯m going along to sell my apple cider at the farmer¡¯s market.¡± She shot a warning look his way. ¡°Be on time today.¡±


    He nodded, and she retreated down the stairs.

 Hammer 2: School

    Corvan waited until their truck chugged its way up the long driveway before making his way to the kitchen. Whisps of steam rose lazily from the kettle¡¯s spout and a pot of oatmeal sat on the counter next to the woodstove. With a heavy sigh, he poked at the sticky lumps. He was used to oatmeal every weekday morning, but for the last few months there had been no brown sugar and often they were out of milk. Unless the coal mine reopened soon, there wouldn¡¯t be much of an improvement; definitely not before his birthday came around.


    A dog barked in the lane. Corvan snatched up his lunchbox and ran to the front door, but there was only a mangy stray slinking through the trees along the dirt track.


    Every morning since the start of grade eight, when Kate and her mom had moved to town, Kate had picked him up on her way to school. But last week she informed him she wouldn¡¯t be walking with him anymore. She wouldn¡¯t say why; Kate could be so secretive and stubborn at times. Her distance made for a hard week but now he had some news, both about the tracks and seeing the lizard for the first time.


    The morning breeze had died down, and the dust from the passing of his dad¡¯s truck hung over their tree-lined lane. A red-tailed hawk perched on the weathered gate post at the end of the lane, followed his every move. The intense gaze reminded him of the bullies at school, always watching for an opportunity to swoop in and pick him to pieces. The dark eyes blinked in disdain, then the hawk rose into the air with its distinctive screech and soared along the road heading into town. Corvan ran his dusty hand over his crew-cut hair as he trudged toward the school. If only he could fly away and go wherever he wanted.


    The sound of playing children grew louder as he poked his head around the final clump of saskatoon bushes. His one-room schoolhouse had seen better days. It was new when his father attended, but now its faded red paint hung from the rough boards in brittle strips.


    Corvan scanned the playground, relieved that Billy Fry, the biggest bully in town, was nowhere in sight. He breathed a sigh of relief. Billy¡¯s frequent truancy was one of the few things that made school days bearable. Whenever Billy showed up, Corvan could count on being harassed the entire day.


    Checking the perimeter of the playground, he spied Kate sitting against the picket fence around the ball diamond. He needed to tell her about the tracks and what he had seen from the outhouse.


    The bangs of her red hair were flopped over her eyes, and he didn¡¯t think she had seen him, until she jerked a thumb toward the boys¡¯ outhouse. Billy must be inside. Corvan glanced across the playground to the school door. This time, rather than hiding out until after the bell rang, he could make a run for it. He would not only impress his teacher with his early arrival, but also be safe inside¡ªat least until recess.


    Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and stepped through the gate.


    He was halfway across the schoolyard when the outhouse door sprang open, and Billy stepped into the sunlight, looping the strap of his patched coveralls over his broad shoulder. The large boy paused on the stoop, surveying the playground like a hungry wolf searching for the weakest member of the herd. His eyes locked on Corvan, and a cruel grin spread over his face.


    Corvan froze and looked to Kate. She remained in place, biting her lower lip, and looking hard in the other direction. He didn¡¯t expect her to always fight Billy for him, but her presence usually curbed the bully¡¯s attacks. In fact, all the boys kept their distance from Kate¡¯s lightning fists. Her slight frame hid a feisty fighter who could blacken an eye and get away before a larger opponent could even try to pin her down. If only he could be that brave.


    Not to be deprived of his prey, Billy lumbered over to Corvan, glanced at Kate, then dropped his voice to a menacing growl. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you on time today cause I gots something to tell ya.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all ears,¡± Corvan replied, attempting to disarm Billy with a grin.


    ¡°I can see that.¡± Billy flicked the lobe of Corvan¡¯s left ear until he winced in pain. ¡°The way these things stick out, you look like Dumbo.¡±


    Corvan tried to pull away, but Billy stepped hard on his toes, pinning him to the ground and forcing him to look directly into the boy¡¯s broad chest. He tried to squirm free from the humiliation, but his sneakers might as well have been nailed down.


    Kate¡¯s voice cut the tense air. ¡°Why don¡¯t you pick on someone your own size?¡±


    Billy stepped away and turned to face her. Corvan was free to run away, but he didn¡¯t want to let Kate face Billy alone, especially now that the other children were running over to see what might happen next.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t ya notice, Kate? There is no one my size in our school,¡± Billy said with a sneer.


    He laughed over the heads of the gathering crowd, then looked at Corvan. ¡°Maybe Corvan¡¯s dad could fight me.¡± He spread out his hands out in pretend shock. ¡°Oh, yeah, I forgot. Corvan¡¯s dad is a shrimpy chicken too.¡± He took a measured step away from Kate. ¡°And you, you don¡¯t even have a dad.¡±


    The other children pulled nervously away from Kate. She squinted through her bangs for a long moment, her jaw working as she chewed the inside of her cheek. Her eyes flickered to Corvan, lingered momentarily, then she spun around and marched away.


    Billy watched her leave with a relieved smirk, then turned his attention to Corvan. ¡°My dad says your kind don¡¯t belong in our school. Everyone in town knows your dad¡¯s a no-account half-breed that can¡¯t even keep a job.¡±


    Corvan stared at the ground, his arms hanging limply at his sides. This was not the first time someone had talked about his father this way. His dad said if Corvan just ignored the insults, people would eventually move on, but his father was dead wrong. Ignoring the comments had only intensified the attacks.


    The school bell rang, and children scampered past Corvan and Billy to beat each other into the building. He tried to follow, but Billy slapped an open hand the size of a baseball glove on Corvan¡¯s forehead and shoved him to the ground. ¡°Best just stay away from school today, Dumbo, ¡®cause you ain¡¯t gonna like it here as long as I¡¯m around.¡±


    Corvan got to his knees. Through Billy¡¯s legs, he could see Kate watching him from the school door, her fists tightly clenched.


    A plume of dust exploded in Corvan¡¯s eyes as Billy¡¯s heavy boot skimmed past his head. ¡°No use lookin¡¯ for Kate to save you.¡± Billy bent closer. ¡°My dad told her mom about Kate fighting at school, and now she ain¡¯t gonna let Kate help you no more.¡± The bell fell silent, and Billy¡¯s footsteps faded toward the school.


    Corvan knelt and blinked with his head down, allowing his eyes to water and rinse the dust away. Gritty tears slid down his cheeks as his eyes cleared. Great! Now everyone would think he¡¯d been crying. Grabbing the bottom edge of his t-shirt, he pulled it up to wipe his face clean and the hem tore apart.


    Getting to his feet, he poked a finger through the torn shirt, then slapped the dust off his pants. Now he really did look the part of Billy¡¯s taunts. He looked toward the playground gate. This would be a good day to skip school, but with his mother and teacher comparing notes, it would not be the best idea.


    His shoulders drooped as he trudged to the school building and slipped quietly through the door.


    Miss Thompson stood at the chalkboard with her back to the class; the words ¡°Oral Report¡± printed neatly over her head. He eased the heavy door closed.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Corvan¡¯s here, ma¡¯am.¡± Billy¡¯s voice broke the silence like the brash call of a raven. Corvan¡¯s jaw clenched as he headed toward his assigned seat.


    Miss Thompson did not turn around. ¡°You¡¯re late again, Corvan. You will stay after school to write lines.¡±


    Corvan headed toward his desk at the back of the room. Normally, the shorter kids sat closer to the front, but Miss Thompson had agreed to let him sit at the back with the oldest children, thankfully one row behind Billy. As he walked up the aisle between the wooden desks, the bully shook a fist at him and mouthed a nasty slur. The next row over, Corvan caught a flicker of sympathy in Kate¡¯s eyes.


    Miss Thompson¡¯s voice pulled him up short. ¡°Since you¡¯re already standing, Corvan, you might as well be the first to give your oral report about what you did this past summer.¡±


    An oral report? She must have given that assignment on one of the days he arrived late. Corvan racked his brain for a topic as he dragged himself to the front of the class. It had been a boring summer as there was not enough money for gas to go camping in the mountains. The weather had been unusually hot and dry, and his father had stayed in the cellar most days or had gone to the caves by the river.


    But ¡­ something significant had just happened, something the others would find interesting. Coming alongside Miss Thompson¡¯s desk, he turned to face the class and found everyone looking intently at him. Straightening his shoulders, he cleared his throat. He was good at telling stories. This was his time to impress them with a fantastic tale, and for once it was completely true.


    ¡°This past week,¡± Corvan said, pointing out the side window, ¡°I discovered strange tracks around the large rock in our field. The tracks were three toes with claws and sometimes there was a thick tail dragging behind. The tracks would come and go at night from our rock into the fields. Sometimes they headed into town, so I had to find out what it was up to.¡± He hitched up his pants. ¡°I needed to make sure everyone was safe.¡±


    Kate frowned at him, and Corvan paused. He was going to tell Kate about the tracks when they were together again, not here in front of the whole class. The rest of the students, however, were fully engaged and waiting for him to go on. A few of the younger children at the front began to fidget nervously, and the ones at the back were leaning forward to hear more. He¡¯d never had the entire school so intent on what he was saying. He stepped in front of Miss Thompson¡¯s desk and lowered his voice.


    ¡°Last night, I saw it up close. I was hiding inside our outhouse and spying out a knothole when it crawled out of our woodpile. It was a huge lizard, this high!¡± He held a hand past his waist. ¡°There were dark blue markings around its chest and face, and it walked like this, upright on its hind legs. It had long sharp claws and¡ª¡±


    Miss Thompson¡¯s ruler smacked her open hand, and Corvan whirled around. ¡°Corvan, the assignment was an oral report about your summer vacation, not another of your tall tales.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You know as well as I do, there are no three-foot-high blue dinosaur-like lizards around here. This is the 1950s, not the Mesozoic era. After school, you will write that out on the board one hundred times.¡±


    She continued talking to the class, reassuring the younger students that dinosaurs went extinct a long time ago and were not roaming through their town at night.


    Could she be wrong? Corvan thought. In a recent story in one of his favorite science fiction magazines, the Mad Scientists club had hatched a dinosaur egg. His own town was close to one of the largest deposits of dinosaur bones in the world. Was it possible for an egg to be preserved deep underground and then hatch when it was pushed to the surface by the spring thaw? Could that be why the lizard was so large and walked on his hind legs?


    ¡°Corvan!¡± Miss Thompson¡¯s voice pierced his mental fog. ¡°How many times do I need to tell you to sit down?¡±


    Corvan flinched as he looked up to rows of laughing classmates. His face burned as he walked dejectedly past the younger children to the back of the class. True to form, Billy Fry stuck his foot into the isle. Corvan jumped over the boy¡¯s leg, stumbled against his own desk and scattered his pencils across the back of the room.


    Easing himself into the seat, he opened his desk and hunched down to hide behind the lid. At a touch on his leg, he peered over the top. Kate was leaning back to him from the next row, one of his pencils in her hand. Corvan smiled her and mouthed ¡°thanks.¡± Closing his desk, he took the pencil and unwound a narrow piece of paper wrapped around it.


    We need to talk. Meet me at the fort after supper.


    Corvan looked up and nodded eagerly to Kate. Now he could tell her all about the lizard and get her help in finding out where it might be hiding.


    He was about to write back when the thin strip of paper disappeared into Billy Fry¡¯s grimy hand.


    ¡°Billy, what are you up to now?¡± A weary Miss Thompson walked up the aisle.


    Billy grinned at Corvan, then turned around. ¡°Sorry, ma¡¯am, but Corvan¡¯s writin¡¯ notes in class.¡± He held the strip of foolscap up to the teacher.


    As she took the paper from Billy, Corvan slouched deeper into his seat.


    Miss Thompson checked the handwriting, then turned to Kate. ¡°Miss Poley, you will also stay after school today and write one hundred times on the blackboard, ¡®I will not pass notes in school.¡¯¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, Miss Thompson,¡± Kate pleaded, her voice trembling. ¡°I have to clean the house before my mom gets home.¡±


    Miss Thompson¡¯s posture softened, but when Billy Fry twisted to face Kate and mouthed a few nasty words behind the teacher¡¯s back, Kate¡¯s eyes blazed, and Miss Thompson¡¯s back stiffened. ¡°Today you will eat your lunch inside with the younger children and write your lines,¡± she said to Kate.


    Corvan¡¯s heart sank. Kate never ate lunch with anyone else, as she rarely brought any. He always made sure that the second sandwich his mother put in his lunch box found its way into Kate¡¯s hand.


    Pink crept up Kate¡¯s cheeks and she pushed her shoulders back.


    A smug grin spread over Billy¡¯s face. ¡°I bet her mom spent her lunch money at the bingo hall,¡± he snickered.


    Miss Thompson whirled about; the crack of her wooden ruler breaking over Billy¡¯s head brought everyone to attention, except Kate. Kate was halfway up the aisle before the pieces hit the floor.


    ¡°Kate!¡± Miss Thompson¡¯s voice brought the girl up short at the classroom door. ¡°You do not have permission to leave class.¡± Her tone eased. ¡°Please take your seat. We can talk about this later.¡±


    Kate¡¯s lower lip quivered as she pulled the bangs of her red hair even farther over her eyes. She had cried only once in front of Corvan. There was no way she would let the class see her tears.


    Kate put her hand on the doorknob. ¡°I don¡¯t need permission to leave because I¡¯m not coming back.¡± In a flash, she was gone, leaving the door wide open and the students sitting in stunned silence.


    Corvan ground his teeth, staring at Billy while the boy rubbed his head. What right did the bully have to make fun of Kate¡¯s home life? It wasn¡¯t like living alone with his father on their run-down farm was any better. If he had the strength of one of his comic book heroes, he¡¯d make Billy pay for all the misery he caused others.


    But he was no hero. He hadn¡¯t even stood up for Kate and taken the blame for the note. He slumped further into his desk and rested his hands on his knees. Once again, he had given in to his fears. Billy was right; he was a chicken, a runt, a pathetic excuse for a human being.


    A dark cloud hung over Corvan for the remainder of the day. Fortunately, Billy left at lunch, complaining of a headache. To avoid taunts about his ¡°blue lizard¡±, Corvan ate by himself in the dugout of the ball diamond, forcing himself to listlessly eat both sandwiches.


    After lunch, Miss Thompson announced that she would be gone the following day, and that meant there would be no school that Friday. With Kate wanting to meet up again, the surprise long weekend was looking brighter.


    As soon as classes were over, Corvan wrote his assigned lines on the chalkboard with fervor. He did not want to waste precious moments of freedom. By the time he was finished, his fingers were cramped into a claw. On his way out, Miss Thompson called him to her desk.


    ¡°Corvan, I know some of the big boys pick on you. I will do my best to see it stops, but you add fuel to the fire when you tell the class such an outlandish story about a giant lizard.¡± She leaned toward him. ¡°Honesty is a basic building block of a successful life. Think of your father, Corvan, and try to follow his example.¡±


    Corvan nodded but couldn¡¯t look her in the eyes. Mumbling an apology, he turned away and dragged his feet out the door.


    On the walk home, he turned her words over in his mind. If he were honest, he didn¡¯t really believe it paid to be truthful. Many people took advantage of his father¡¯s integrity or mocked his dad behind his back. Mr. Fry nicknamed him Tonto, referring to the Lone Ranger¡¯s sidekick, and others made jokes about his height as he was the shortest man in town, most likely the whole county.


    Unfortunately, Corvan had inherited his father¡¯s skin tone and stature. He was a good ten inches shorter than any of the other kids in his grade, and that gave the larger boys ample opportunity to make his life miserable. He had tried to win their respect by telling them fantastic stories from his science fiction magazines, but now it had earned him a reputation as a liar.


    He kicked a stone up the gravel road. By tonight, the whole town would be laughing at his description of the lizard and talking about his big lie.


    Stopping at the top of their lane, he put a hand on the fencepost and looked back toward the schoolyard. It was time to stand up for himself and not back down from what he knew was the truth.


    ¡°Tonight,¡± he said, ¡°I am going to catch that lizard and prove to everyone its real.¡±

 Hammer 3: Garden

    Climbing over the gate at the end of their lane, Corvan spied his dad¡¯s rusty pickup slouched on its broken springs in front of the house. His heart dropped. Now his parents would want to know why he was late. There was nothing worse than getting in trouble at school and then again at home when his mom found out. If she grounded him, he wouldn¡¯t get a chance to meet Kate at Castle Rock or ask her to help him search for the lizard that night. It would be best to sneak around to the back porch, climb the maple tree to his room, and pretend he had been napping.


    As he veered to the left side of the house, the front screen door squeaked open, and his mother stepped out. Here was living proof that opposites attract: unlike his father, she was tall, and her skin remained pale no matter how much time she spent outdoors.


    ¡°About time you got home,¡± she said wearily. ¡°You can help me carry the cider jars back to the pantry. I only sold three and traded a few more for some baking supplies.¡± She dropped the tailgate and slung a half empty crate of jars at him with an ease that denied its weight. Grasping the handles of the wooden box, Corvan barely managed to stumble his way through the front door. If he had his mother¡¯s strength, he could knock Billy Fry clean across the school yard.


    Entering the kitchen, he found his father at the sink staring out to the field, a pair of sunglasses sticking out from his hand. His deeply lined eyes scanned the horizon; an even more pronounced furrow creased his brow.


    As the crate scraped onto the table, Corvan¡¯s father jammed his sunglasses on his head, then stalked out the back door without saying a word.


    Corvan desperately wanted to stop him and ask what was going on, but he knew it was no use. His father had become increasingly reclusive the past year. He missed his job at the mine and detested farming. The summer heat sapped his energy even though he covered up, wore a wide brimmed hat, and kept his darkest sunglasses on whenever he was outside.


    Corvan gazed helplessly at the hunched figure walking across the yard. He missed happier days when his dad would come home from the mine and play games with him after supper. Since the mine closed, his dad spent most of his days and nights down in the cellar, pounding away on his metalwork projects. He was glad his father wasn¡¯t angry all the time like Billy Fry¡¯s dad, but withdrawing to the cellar didn¡¯t seem like a great way to deal with problems either.


    Corvan¡¯s mother entered and slid two full crates onto the kitchen table. She stared at her husband as he disappeared around the rock, then shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve no time to make supper tonight,¡± she said quietly to Corvan. ¡°Grab yourself some jerky and a piece of bread. I¡¯ll dig you some carrots before I start weeding the garden.¡±


    Unlike his father, his mother¡¯s response to problems was to spend even more time in her garden, but Corvan didn¡¯t mind. Since she never ate meat, her gardening was vital to her. He also enjoyed the fruit of her seasonal labors, and her obsession with gardening usually meant he would be left alone to pursue his own interests.


    He didn¡¯t bother slicing the bread and stuffed three long strips of dried meat from the stoneware crock into his pocket. Slipping onto the screened back porch, he found his mother already on her knees out in the garden, the dilapidated scarecrow watching silently over her. A bunch of carrots lay next to the water pump. Picking them up, he began working the long iron handle.


    The pump squeaked as he washed the dirt off the carrots. His mother stretched her back, then went back to weeding. The water ebbed to a trickle, and he turned toward the outhouse, hoping she wouldn¡¯t ask him to help her weed. He hated that chore, and right now he needed to get out to the rock to meet Kate. Creeping from the yard, he headed out to the Castle Rock.


    It was a steeper climb up the southeast side of the rock out behind the outhouse, but Corvan knew every small foothold like it was the stairs to his bedroom. Reaching the top, he stepped into the widest gap between two stone crenelations and leaned back against one of the boulders, like a king surveying his domain.


    Their home was one of two farms that lay outside the streets of their small town. Corvan¡¯s home was directly north of town at the end of a long, tree-lined lane. His father liked being separated from the town and always kept his gate closed and latched. The other, much larger farm on the northeast side of town belonged to Mr. Fry.


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    Their yard and garden were bounded by twin rows of trees, a line of tall aspens and a shorter screen of spruce. In the center of this living wall of green was their home¡ªthe Guard Tower, as his grandfather had named it. It was a fitting name, for the house was a tall square structure, with a pointed roof over the second story. It was also the only home in town made of large stone blocks. It had been built long before the surrounding area was settled. A history professor from the city college once asked to see inside, but his dad wouldn¡¯t let him past the front gate.


    The rest of the homes were clustered along three gravel roads running parallel to the railway tracks. All in all, their dusty town had one grain elevator, one corner gas station, two vacant lots, and 76 houses of various sizes. The total population was 257 residents, most of whom worked in the city of Fenwood, fifteen miles past the railway crossing, or in the river valley at the coal mine.


    Crunching the last bite of carrot, Corvan tossed the green top over the side of the hill. He should be helping his mother in the garden instead of imagining himself as the king of the world, but Kate was coming. He eased his guilty feelings by walking around to the north side of the ring of rocks and looking over the fields.


    His father, now a stick figure in the distance, disappeared into the tangle of brush-filled coulees that marked the edge of their property. Beyond that boundary, the land dropped off steeply to the river and the caves that laced the sides of the deep valley. His father loved to explore the caverns and could be underground for days at a time.


    Corvan turned away and stepped into the depression in the middle of the ring of rocks crowning the hill. The large rock that used to be in the gap facing his house, was now in the very center of the circle. At some point in the distant past, it had been broken off and relocated.


    On the eastern side of the Castle Rock, he and Kate had built a fort from old lumber pillaged from an abandoned farmyard. It wasn¡¯t much to look at, but it provided a bit of shade and protection from the prevailing winds. From there they had explored the surrounding area all the way out to the largest caves at the river¡¯s edge.


    The area just in front of the fort was normally a muddy pond. Rainwater would gather before it would overflow into a channel cut into the western slope and rush into the field. The past summer, however, had been far too hot and dry. The pond water had long since evaporated leaving salt-crusted shards of mud behind.


    Corvan continued past the central boulder to the western side. The slope was gentler here, and the dry water channel was a comfortable resting spot. From this vantage point, he would have a clear view of Kate coming from her house.


    A smile spread across his face. It had been a relief to find out it wasn¡¯t Kate¡¯s idea to stop hanging out with him. Billy¡¯s father was a mean-tempered man known for pushing people around to get his way. Most likely, he was embarrassed that his son had been put in his place by a younger girl.


    As the sun sank toward the horizon, Corvan¡¯s hopes faltered. Kate usually followed through on her plans, but at times Kate¡¯s mother returned from work in a bad mood and would refuse to let Kate come over after supper. After the way she left the school after a week of not seeing her this would be the worst time for her to be grounded.


    The cradle of rock beneath him radiated its stored heat into his body. Laying back, he closed his eyes to block out the setting sun.


    The bell on the back porch startled him and he sat up to find the last sliver of sunlight hiding behind a thin band of cloud on the horizon.


    Walking down the channel, he stopped in at the outhouse before going into the kitchen. His mother was drying the dishes and stacking them on the cupboard. A bowl with a few small strawberries was waiting for him on the table.


    ¡°There¡¯s not many left, and they likely aren¡¯t the sweetest, but I thought you might enjoy them.¡± She stepped off to one side of the sink. ¡°You need to wash your hands first. I saw you come out of the outhouse.¡±


    Corvan stepped beside her, dipped his hands in the warm water, and looked out the window past the Castle Rock.


    ¡°Is dad coming back tonight?¡± He dropped his head. His mother had enough worries.


    She looked down at him. ¡°Your father needs some time to think things through, but don¡¯t let all this worry you.¡± She put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ve been through tough times before, and we¡¯ll make it through this one too.¡±


    Corvan wiped his hands on the towel that hung next to the sink, sat at the table, and finished off the berries.


    His mother picked up his empty bowl and pushed it into the soapy water. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day, and I¡¯ll be going to bed soon. You should do the same and get some rest.¡± She smiled at him over her shoulder, but the lines about her eyes remained sad and drawn. ¡°Hopefully you have better dreams and don¡¯t wake me up in the night.¡±


    He gave her a quick hug. ¡°Goodnight, Mom.¡±


    As he climbed the stairs, he muttered to himself, ¡°I won¡¯t be waking you up tonight. There can¡¯t be a nightmare if I don¡¯t fall asleep.¡±

 Hammer 4: Crystal

    Corvan sat on top of his quilt, fully dressed, and propped up against the wall, but as the night dragged on, he was having a hard time staying awake. He was about to give up and crawl into bed when the owl hooted in the trees. He rubbed his eyes clear just in time to see something move across the top of Castle Rock. A creature running on its hind legs moved out the western gap between the boulders. Scooting to the end of the bed to avoid the squeaky spot the wooden floor, Corvan took two long steps to the window and watched closely. A few minutes later it sprinted up the side of Castle Rock and into the ring of boulders. Now he might have a chance to see it up close.


    Creeping down the stairs and through the kitchen, he eased himself silently out through the back porch. Swirls of dust rose between his toes as he moved past the outhouse and onto the worn path leading to western side of the rock. A lone coyote barked at a full moon ringed by dark clouds.


    Cutting away from the outhouse path, Corvan circled the base of Castle Rock just inside the tall stalks of ripening grain. Approaching the water channel cut into the west side of the rock, he dropped to all fours and crawled forward within the smooth walls. The coyote barked again, closer this time. Corvan flattened himself against the cool stone. He could handle a single coyote but had no desire to encounter a pack alone in the dark. He listened intently. There was no answering call from the usual pack of coyotes that roamed their area and sometimes checked out the chicken coop in the back yard. Instead, he heard the scratch of claws heading directly toward him.


    Corvan lifted his head above the edge of the dry water channel in time to see a shadow detach itself from the protection of the larger rocks overhead and dart toward him. The lizard was trotting alongside the channel on its hind legs, its eyes glinting in the moonlight as it looked out over the field. It was almost to Corvan¡¯s hiding place when it abruptly veered off and disappeared into the wheat. A swath of wheat stalks swayed with its passage into the field.


    If it came back the same way, he could try to catch it. Slipping out of his t-shirt, Corvan tied the neck shut with the sleeves. The improvised sack had worked in the past to catch a rabbit, but it obviously wasn¡¯t big enough to catch the large reptile. All he could do was wrap the shirt around its head so it couldn¡¯t see but what if it ripped the thin cloth to shreds? What if it ripped him to shreds? This was a bad idea. He should run to the house to find something stronger, but this might be his only chance to prove he was not a liar. If nothing else, he could at least watch it to see what it was up to. Flattening himself into the water channel, he peered into the darkness where the lizard had disappeared.


    Time crawled by as dark shadows from the clouds overhead moved across the rock, then launched out into the sea of grain, looking like an armada of pirate ships sailing away in the night. The shadows vanished momentarily as a brilliant flash of lightening illuminated the open prairie. Thunder rumbled overhead, and in the deep silence that followed, Corvan heard a sharp hiss.


    Rolling on his side, he found the bright eyes of the lizard watching him intently from the lower edge of the channel. Dropping a small bundle, it moved intently up the slope toward him, its gaze fixed on his face.


    The lizard drew close enough for him to see the blue marks on its chest and a black collar around its neck. He hadn¡¯t noticed that before. Was it someone¡¯s pet? Maybe someone in the city brought it home from a tropical jungle on their travels and it had escaped. The creature¡¯s claws scraped across the rock as it hissed and clicked in angry tones. Corvan was about to leap to his feet to scare it off when the creature stopped, raised its nose, and sniffed the air.


    Out of the darkness, a coyote bounded up from the field. Corvan shouted and the reptile ducked to evade the attack. The coyote skidded to a halt, whirled about, then pounced on the lizard. The lizard easily rolled to one side, its front claws raking the coyote''s lean face as it went by. The wounded animal yelped, then stopped to wipe a paw over its torn nose. In that moment, the lizard sprinted up the slope and disappeared into the circle of rocks. The coyote shook its head furiously before leaping after it.


    Corvan jumped to his feet, tore up the incline and darted inside the ring of boulders, waving his t-shirt over his head and yelling at the coyote digging furiously in the dirt next to the central stone. It turned to him, snarling, and weaving its head from side to side. Bubbles of saliva dripped from its black lips. Rabies!


    Corvan resisted the urge to run, dropped his shirt, and waved both hands over his head to make himself appear larger. Immediately the angry growl gave way to a whimper. Fear shone in the animal¡¯s eyes. Rabid animals were always more aggressive than this. The wounded animal put its tail between its legs and stumbled out of the ring of rocks to disappear in a brilliant flash of lightning. A blast of thunder rolled across the darkening prairie. The storm had arrived.


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    Drops of warm rain fell on Corvan¡¯s bare torso and he bent to pick up his t-shirt. Lightning crackled, illuminating a small bundle on the ground. Picking it up, he discovered a dozen or so short stalks of wheat neatly tied with a leather thong.


    ¡°Animals can¡¯t tie knots,¡± he whispered. ¡°Where did it get this from?¡± Setting it down on one of the outer boulders he untied the shirt sleeves and tugged it over his head. A spatter of rain fell on his upturned face as black clouds boiled in the sky overhead. The storm might turn into hail, maybe even a tornado. It was time to get back to the house.


    He looked to pick up the strange bundle of wheat, but it was gone. Whipping about, he caught site of a shadow slipping beneath the large boulder where the coyote had been digging. The lizard had returned for its prize, but why would it want a bundle of wheat so badly?


    A powerful gust of cold wind rushed past him before a blast of freezing rain pummeled the back of his head and sent a shiver through his body. He made a dash past the central rock and into the wooden fort he and Kate had built on the other side. He squinted at the light bulb swaying on his back porch. He was about to make a run for it when the clouds burst, and sheets of driving rain obscured his view.


    The tattered tarp roof whipped up in the wind, spraying water into his face. Corvan backed away from the door. A prairie storm like this rarely lasted long but the display of lightning was exciting to watch, as long as it didn¡¯t hit the lightning rod his grandfather had attached to the very peak of the house.


    The rain pounding on the canvas roof of the fort began to mix with the intermittent patter of hailstones. The rickety walls swayed in the gales of wind that whipped past it and in through the open doorway. Huddled in the far corner, Corvan watched as the water falling over the Castle Rock gathered and spread out around the central boulder.


    Usually, the water would rise high enough to drain out the channel heading down the western side of rock, but this time it began to leak into the hole the coyote had dug into the soft dirt. When the coyote¡¯s mound of dirt collapsed, the muddy water rushed in and dropped away. The drain opened wider, and a whirlpool formed, sucking the water away inside the Castle Rock. A column of bubbles shot up through the whirlpool, and something bobbed to the surface of the water, swirling amid the hailstones. Corvan jumped to his feet and peered out the door.


    It was the sheaf of wheat.


    Splashing into the pond, he tried to grab the small bundle, but it shot past his fingers then disappeared back down the water funnel. Dropping to his knees in the freezing water, Corvan thrust his hand in to get it back. The wheat was gone, but below the surface, the water was flowing between two slabs of rock. He was just about to pull his hand out when it came up against a slender rock with a series of sharp angular edges. It was some sort of quartz crystal, a very large one and the perfect addition to his rock collection.


    He tugged, but it did not come free. He tried pushing down on it instead, but his hand slipped off the crystal and he fell hard, painfully jamming his arm between the two slabs of stone and trapping his face under the water. His arm blocked the drain and cold water rose over the back of his head. Twisting his arm frantically he pushed against the bottom with his free hand until his trapped arm came free. Scrambled to his feet he stared into the whirlpool, gasping, and shivering in the cold wind. Were his grandfather¡¯s stories about a tunnel under the rock real?


    The entire mound of rock shuddered as a deep rumble of thunder echoed through the stone below his feet. The lightning flashed and the whirlpool vanished, replaced by a rapidly rising swell of freezing water around his legs. The water flowed quickly out into the western channel, and Corvan ran ahead of it down the slope and turned for home. Another flash, then the lightbulb on his back porch and all the lights in town winked out. Repeated streaks of lightning and peals of thunder chased him up the stairs and into his room.


    He stood at the window, dripping, and staring through the grey curtain of rain at the Castle Rock. The numbness in his injured arm slowly gave way to a growing warmth. Corvan flexed his arm, and a sharp pain clenched his shoulder. He looked down his arm to find his fist coated with sticky mud. Somehow, he had managed to pull out a large crystal. That must have been what closed the hole and made the water rise.


    His hand clutched around the angular stone grew warm, then a wave of heat made the muck between his fingers steam. The crystal was suddenly to hot to hold and he flung it into the corner, where it thumped off the wall and landed with a dull clank in his metal wastebasket. He pinched his sore arm and winced. This was not a dream. The lizard was real; the space beneath Castle Rock was real; and he had almost drowned to retrieve something that had its own source of heat from under the ground. How could a rock do that?


    Pulling the wastebasket over to his bed, he sat on the floor and looked over the edge.


    Whatever it was, it now lay below a layer of dirty crumpled papers.


    Corvan shook his head as he mumbled to himself. ¡°Get ahold of yourself. You are frightened and your mind is playing tricks on you. It¡¯s likely just some old bone a dog had buried in the dirt.¡±


    Moving the papers aside, he peered into the wastebasket.


    This was no dog bone.

 Hammer 5: Hammer

    The mud that had coated the angular object had dried to form a halo of grey crumbs around a small hammer that was so black it seemed to absorb all the light inside the trash can.


    He pulled the wastebasket closer. Over the drum of rain on the metal roof, he could hear a low hum. The noise was emanating from the hammer and being amplified by the tin walls of the can. He reached inside and it fell silent. Did he dare pick it up? He touched a finger to it and found it was cold to the touch.


    Cautiously wrapping his hand around the polished handle, he lifted it out.


    It was so beautifully balanced; he could hardly believe it was in his hand. Smoothing out a spot on his bedspread, he laid the hammer down. It sank deeply into the quilt. How strange when it felt so light weight. Pressed deeply into the yellow and white triangles of the quilt, it looked like a velvety black hole cut into the cloth.


    Picking it back up the examined it closely. The hammer was all one piece of black stone, or maybe metal, and the head had seven distinct sides¡ªa heptagon. Miss Thompson would be proud he remembered the name of the unusual geometric shape. There were faint markings on the bottom of the handle. He would need his magnifying glass.


    As Corvan stepped past his window toward his bookshelf, an odd sensation washed over him¡ªit was as if the hammer was tugging on his hand and turning his body like a magnet around to the north.


    ¡°I should put it back.¡± The sound of his own voice startled him, and a dizzying surge of apprehension overwhelmed him. Stumbling away from window, the hammer slipped from his hand with a dull splash, and he barely made it back onto the bed. A shiver ran the length of his body, and he pulled the side of his quilt over to get warm.


    A final soft flash of lightning pulsed through the room. Corvan closed his eyes to stop the room from tilting around him. The nausea began to fade as a long distant memory rose to the surface.


    He had held the hammer before, right here in this room. His grandfather had shown it to him, and his grandfather was the one that said it would need to go back. Back to where? To the same place had the man gone? But then he had left Corvan behind and had not returned.


    Corvan turned slowly onto his side and looked over to the washstand. He wanted to get up to look at the hammer but instead found his eyes drooping from an overwhelming exhaustion.


    When Corvan opened his eyes, a foggy dawn was swirling through the aspen trees. The nausea and extreme weariness of the night before was completely gone. Throwing back the covers, he jumped from his bed to stand in front of his washstand.


    The black hammer lay in the shallow water of the washbasin where he had dropped it as he stumbled back to bed in the middle of the night. Placing one hand on either side of the washbasin he leaned in closer. There was no sound but at this point he had no desire to pick it up and see what it might do. He needed more time to figure things out. Maybe Kate could help.


    The screen door banged, then his father began singing as he washed up on the back porch over the hum of the rain. The song floated into Corvan¡¯s room and filled the misty air with images of ancient battles and long-lost civilizations. After his father went back into the house, the refrain, like the chant of prisoners in chains, continued to cycle through Corvan¡¯s mind. All of this, the lizard, the hammer, even his father¡¯s change, had to be connected in some manner to his upcoming birthday but would they tell him anything. Even more important, should he tell them anything about what had happened last night? Since his grandfather had shown him the hammer as a young boy, his parents likely knew about it as well. Would they let him keep it? He didn¡¯t want to risk them taking it away until he had more time.


    The smell of bacon wafted up from downstairs. It had been a long time since they had enjoyed a real breakfast. ¡°Corvan,¡± his mother called from the foot of the stairs, ¡°food¡¯s getting cold. Make sure you wash your hands.¡±


    ¡°Coming!¡± Corvan called back. Dipping his fingers into the water, he wiped his hands on his jeans then shut his bedroom door firmly behind him.


    His father waited at the table with a mug of steaming coffee in his hands. He looked up at Corvan. ¡°You sure are getting hard of hearing these days. Must come from being outside in a thunderstorm.¡±


    ¡°That makes two of you,¡± his mother said as she brought a plate of pancakes to the table.


    His dad patted her arm as she sat down. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to stay inside on a night like that. I might even enjoy farming if I could do it in the dark.¡±


    He passed the pancakes to Corvan. ¡°Do you remember running past me last night by the outhouse?¡±


    Corvan¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but he tried to look nonchalant. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you.¡±


    ¡°I was right by the path when you came bolting by.¡± His father¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°You looked like you¡¯d been wrestling some poor creature out of a mud hole. What did you find this time?¡±


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    Corvan shoved a piece of bacon into his mouth and chewed on it. It bugged him that his father was so interested in everything that happened out at the rock even though his father rarely went there. He looked intently at his plate and speared another piece of bacon onto his fork. ¡°It was just the mud. I didn¡¯t find anything this time.¡±


    Corvan kept his head down and kept eating, but it seemed like forever before his father spoke to Corvan¡¯s mother and suggested they go into the city to pick up a few things.


    ¡°Would you like to come along?¡± his mother asked. ¡°Maybe you could pick out something for your birthday. I¡¯ve saved a bit of money, and it¡¯s just over a week until your big day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d better stay here,¡± Corvan said. ¡°My fort fell apart in the storm, and I need to fix it up. That¡¯s how I got all muddy.¡± It was partly true, but what he really wanted right now was to be left alone; to find out more about the hammer and where the water had been flowing under the central rock.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to come along,¡± his father said. ¡°But if you stay home, remember to stay out of the cellar. It¡¯s not your birthday yet.¡±


    As soon as his parents resumed discussing the trip to the city and what they could afford to pick up, Corvan took the opportunity to a mumble a quick, thanks for breakfast, grab his rain jacket off a peg, and exit out the back door.


    The rain had tapered off into a light mist. The dull sky mirrored his feelings as he passed under the dripping trees and skirted the mud puddles on the path. He cut out toward the steep side of the rock beyond the outhouse. He wanted to get to the top and out of sight as soon as possible.


    As Corvan stepped into the ring of stones, the back screen door squeaked. He crouched down behind the nearest rock.


    ¡°Corvan,¡± his mother called out. ¡°We¡¯re ready to go if you want to change your mind.¡±


    He was sure she knew where he had gone, but he stayed low and still. A few minutes later, he heard the truck bumping up the lane. As soon as the sound faded, he headed back to the house and sprinted up the stairs to his room.


    He stood a long while at the washbasin, admiring the hammer¡¯s cold beauty. His grandfather had intended to give it to him from an early age, and it contained some sort of power. Just like his comics, if he learned how to use it, he could change how people treated him. He leaned in closer, glad he had not told his father about it. Lately, his dad was only interested in him when he was pressing him for information about the Castle Rock. For now, if he needed to lie to his father to keep the hammer a secret, so be it.


    He reached into the basin and when his fingers touched the handle, the markings on the bottom of the shaft gave off a blue glow. Mesmerized, he lifted the hammer from the water. A familiar sense of power flowed up his arm and into his chest and he lifted it over head toward the metal ring at the peak of his ceiling. Looking up at the blue markings, he spoke fiercely to the stillness. ¡°This hammer belongs to me, and I won¡¯t let my father or anyone else take it away.¡±


    A flash of electric blue light shot out from the end of the handle then twisted down his arm, over his shoulder, and toward his face. The crackling shaft of light knocked him towards the door and the washstand. Dropping the hammer, he fell hard against the wall and sagged down to the floor.


    It sounded like a swarm of bees buzzing around his room. Shaking his head, he blinked until the residual blue refractions in his eyes faded away. The sound was coming from his washstand, where a column of steam was rising from the basin.


    Crawling over to his bed, Corvan grasped the bedpost, pulled himself upright, and peered into the basin. The water was gone. The sides of the basin were scorched and warped. Small flakes of enamel had cracked from the twisted edges to create a speckled ring on the top of the washstand.


    Panic gripped him. The hammer must be radioactive! It was the only logical explanation. And now that he had brought it inside, his family would get sick and die. Corvan shook his head. That didn¡¯t add up. The hammer had been stuck under the boulder in the center of his fort for years, and it hadn¡¯t made him or Kate sick from playing over top of it. He moved closer as the last wisp of steam melted away. The dark hammer lay inside the bowl; there was no glow on its base.


    Maybe the hammer was actually an artifact from his grandmother¡¯s side, the native people of the area. Then again, his father had collected a lot of native artifacts from the river caves, but none of them looked anything like the small hammer or had any sort of internal power.


    Maybe the hammer had been left on the rock by aliens from outer space. It was said that Stonehenge was built by aliens, so maybe they had also created the Castle Rock and had left the hammer behind as a gift for mankind. When his grandfather said it needed to go back, he may have meant to its home world on another planet. That would certainly explain the large lizard. It was one of the aliens that was left behind to watch over the hammer and keep it safe.


    Regardless of where it came from, it¡¯s power had both warmed his hand when he was cold and then shocked him when he was angry. That meant the hammer was able to sense his emotions and was defending itself.


    Taking a deep breath, he moved squarely in front of the basin. ¡°I know the hammer is not mine,¡± he said quietly. ¡°I will put it back on the Castle Rock where it belongs. I will tell my dad about it and do whatever is needed to send it back where it belongs.¡±


    The memory of the searing blue light made his heart flutter, but as his hand hovered over the handle, he sensed it was not going to hurt him this time.


    As he closed his hand around the shaft, he first felt a tingling sensation and then only the warmth of the stone. Carrying it reverently back to his bed, he lay on his back, and held it overhead. This time, warmth flowed down his sore arm and the pain melted away.


    Drawing it down to his chest, a sense of peace wrapped itself around him like a warm blanket. Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply, exhausted from the long night and the encounter with the power of the hammer.


    As he faded into sleep, the nightmare tunnels returned, but this time, as he wandered through the caves, he felt strangely at home in the darkness. The monster and green rope were nowhere to be seen. Instead, an opening appeared in the cavern wall up ahead. It was a wooden window frame, complete with a screen.


    As he drew closer, a shadow fell across the rusty metal mesh.


    A razor-thin claw thrust in near the top and shredded its way down to the bottom.

 Hammer 6: Firewood

    The bang of the screen door startled Corvan out of a deep sleep. His parents had returned, and, judging from the light coming in his window, it was almost time for supper. At least there was no jagged rip in the window screen. The lizard was still out there on the rock, waiting for him to return.


    Rolling out of bed, he grunted as the handle of the hammer jabbed his ribs. Pulling it from under the quilt, he checked it over. There was no glow or warmth, just cold stone. Something had changed. It was time to talk to his father and find out where his grandfather was taking the hammer on the night he disappeared.


    He pushed it under his pillow. I would be best to wait until he could talk to his dad in private. No use in alarming his mother with a story of being attacked by a wild animal out at the rock. She didn¡¯t like his special place much, and might tell him not to go back. He closed the door quietly and head down the stairs.


    ¡°Did you play on your rock the whole day?¡± his mother asked as he entered the kitchen. ¡°You didn¡¯t fill the wood box, and I¡¯ll be baking bread tomorrow for the next farmer¡¯s market.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it in a bit. I need to ask Dad something.¡±


    ¡°What about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I just need¡ª¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s nothing, it can wait until you fill the wood box.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it later.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how many times I¡¯ve heard that?¡± she asked.


    Corvan nodded. ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry. I really will do it as soon as I talk with Dad.¡±


    His mother stopped what she was doing, looked at him for a moment, then nodded. ¡°He¡¯s working out front.¡±


    His dad was by the hood of his truck, wiping off the dipstick. ¡°Hasn¡¯t lost a drop since the last oil change. I think the old girl will still be going when you take her over.¡± He smiled at Corvan.


    Corvan leaned on the fender. His father took the air filter apart and cleaned out the inside. He was seemingly oblivious to the tension his son was feeling.


    ¡°I lied to you.¡± His words hung in the air.


    ¡°I know.¡± His father straightened and looked at him. ¡°Would you like to talk about it?¡±


    Corvan nodded just as the dinner bell rang on the back porch.


    His dad pushed the hood shut. ¡°After supper then. I¡¯ll meet you at the firepit on the rock.¡± Their eyes met briefly, then they walked in silence to the back porch to wash up.


    As soon as supper was over, Corvan filled the wood box while his father helped with the dishes. His dad nodded at him to go ahead without him. No doubt he wanted to talk to his mother about what was going on.


    The long shadows of the aspen trees were creeping across the yard. The North Star sparkled in the darkening sky, and the warmth of the day still clung to the autumn air.


    Leaving the yard behind, he approached the west side of the Castle Rock. It appeared much more mysterious in the muted shadows of twilight, as if it were the grave of an ancient warrior king waiting to arise and lead his people into battle. His father told him the rock was a sacred place to the people who once lived in the area. They believed the rock had the power to protect them from their enemies, but in the end, they had been defeated and vanished from the area.


    Corvan climbed to the top, entered the gap, and turned back to look across into his bedroom window. His father once said that it was his grandfather who had cut the stone out of the circle and had rolled it into the center. If he understood correctly, all boulders around the rim had been cut out of the crown of the hill. He had asked Corvan to keep it a secret because he didn¡¯t want the people from the university poking around again.


    Corvan and Kate¡¯s rickety fort had been reduced to a muddy pile of broken boards by the storm. The pool of water had drained away from the center of the rocks, leaving only a soggy patch where he¡¯d found the hammer. The only water left up top was a muddy puddle inside the ring of smaller stones they sometimes used for a firepit.


    His father¡¯s song rose strong and clear on the evening breeze. Corvan went back to western side. His dad was carrying something wrapped in an old blanket and an armful of firewood. He wasn¡¯t wearing his sunglasses, and he looked more like his old self. He smiled warmly at Corvan. ¡°How about getting a fire going up by your fort while I go get a bit more wood?¡±


    ¡°We will have enough if we use the broken boards from our fort,¡± Corvan said, pointing up the slope. ¡°It got knocked flat in the storm, but the firepit is still full of water.¡±


    Setting the firewood and the strange long bundle down, his father climbed up to take a quick look. ¡°I see what you mean. Let¡¯s build our fire out here instead. I¡¯ll clean some of this up while you get the fire ready.¡±


    Corvan arranged the kindling and firewood his father had brought on a flat spot near the western trail. As his dad came through the gap in the castle rocks with a few short boards, the final golden rays of the day captured a noble look on his face, like a warrior king about to embark on an important quest.


    His father placed a few broken boards to one side and retrieved a pack of matches from his pocket. A moment later, flickering flames lit the craggy features of his face. The wood crackled, his father sat back and they sat watching the flames in silence before his father spoke.


    ¡°I am proud of you for letting me know you did not tell the truth. Your grandfather would be pleased as well, for it demonstrates that you understand what it takes to be a leader.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s chest swelled with pride. He¡¯d done something right for a change. Perhaps there was hope for him after all.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    His father leaned back and looked into the sky. ¡°Can you imagine not seeing a single star in your lifetime? Never enjoying the vastness of a night sky or feeling the pull of a full moon?¡±


    Corvan shook his head as his father continued, ¡°There was a time when our people didn¡¯t see these things.¡± He leaned forward, put a palm flat against the rock beside him, and stared at it. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure where I should begin or how much I¡¯m supposed to tell you right now.¡±


    Corvan didn¡¯t know what to say. He had been expecting his father to ask him about what he¡¯d found out at the rock.


    His father stared into fire, deep in thought.


    Corvan moved closer to break the chill of the breeze flowing in on the heels of the setting sun.


    The nearby hooting of an owl broke the silence. His father reached beside him and pulled the blanket-wrapped object onto his lap. Pushing the coarse fabric aside, he revealed a long wooden box. Firelight flickered across the polished surface, as if the box itself were on fire. Was this an early birthday present his parents had picked up in town? He glanced up to find his father studying him.


    ¡°Your grandfather left this with me, and he made the case to keep it safe.¡± He tapped on the polished top. ¡°I¡¯m definitely not as good with wood as he was.¡±


    ¡°But you can make just about anything out of metal,¡± Corvan said. ¡°That forged ring around my lightbulb looks great and it sure is strong. If I stand on my bed, I can hang from it.¡±


    His father grinned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how your grandfather attached that ring to the beams so hanging from it might not be the best idea, but I didn¡¯t make that piece. Your grandfather brought it back with him on one of his trips. I¡¯m not even sure what sort of metal that is. I had a hard time drilling the holes for him to hang it up there.¡±


    Corvan nodded eagerly, happing to be chatting so freely again. ¡°Sometimes, when I am in my fort, I can feel you pounding on stuff down in the cellar.¡±


    His father¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You can feel that out here?¡±


    Corvan nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know,¡± his father said, more to himself than to Corvan. ¡°The cellar must be connected. It is the same rock.¡±


    ¡°I really felt it the night of the storm,¡± Corvan interjected. ¡°It was like you¡¯d set off an underground explosion.¡±


    A mischievous smile crinkled the corners of his father¡¯s eyes. He looked like a boy caught stealing apples. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on something down there at night. I¡¯ll show it to you after your birthday, but no using the dumbwaiter for a peek ahead of time.¡± His father smiled at him, and Corvan grinned back. The dumbwaiter was a small elevator connecting the kitchen to the cellar below. Exactly why his grandfather had built it was a mystery, but Corvan could easily crouch inside and move himself up and down without having to go outside.


    His father shook his head. ¡°Your grandfather was supposed to be here on your fifteenth birthday to tell you everything you needed to know.¡± He looked up into the sky for a long moment. ¡°He and I never talked that much even when he was around. I failed to recognize the danger he was in, and didn¡¯t realize I might never see him again.¡±


    His dad¡¯s eyes glinted softly in the firelight. ¡°All he told me was that you would need this someday.¡± He tapped a finger on the black case. ¡°¡®He must have it,¡¯ he told me, ¡®When he is ready, for this one is the Cor-Van.¡¯¡±


    The way his father said his name, pausing in the middle and stressing the last syllable, made Corvan¡¯s skin prickle. The shadows of the trees seemed to grow darker. Corvan put another board on the fire and leaned closer.


    ¡°It was he who named you,¡± his father said over the crackling of the wood. ¡°Your mother chose a different name, but he insisted on Corvan. If he was right, you will know soon, for your time is almost here.¡± He looked intently into Corvan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Do you remember the story of this rock?¡±


    ¡°The betrayal and the final battle?¡±


    Father nodded. ¡°There are always those who want power over others. The old ways leave no room for that, but, in the end, our people were outnumbered and wiped out, except for one warrior.¡±


    ¡°The one who built the Castle Rock?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. That part of the legend is not true. The circle of rocks goes back much further than him or his tribe. It started eons ago, back with the lost people.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    His father frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not completely sure of that history.¡± He stared beyond the fire at the castle, and then he turned back to look intently into Corvan¡¯s eyes. ¡°The one thing you grandfather was certain about is that your future is tied to that circle of stones.¡±


    The dinner bell on the back porch rang urgently, and his father glanced over his shoulder. ¡°I know that ring. Your mother must need to talk to me.¡± He wrapped the blanket back around the wooden case. ¡°I¡¯ll have to show you this another time. Your grandfather made me promise I would give it to you before your fifteenth year began. He said you would become an adult, able to choose between fear and duty at that age.¡± He stood. ¡°You certainly proved him right today.¡±


    Although father was trying to make him feel better, Corvan found his stomach churning. The thought of becoming an adult held no attraction for him. The only positive part about turning fifteen was being allowed to grow out his hair. Without a crew cut he would at least look a little less like a child and maybe some of the teasing would end.


    Leaving the dying fire behind, they returned to the house. On the porch, Corvan looked back. The flickering embers and wisps of smoke made the Castle Rock look like a volcano teetering on the edge of an eruption.


    Inside the house, they paused at the foot of the stairs. His father put a hand on his shoulder, as if he had more to say, but then he just nodded, entered his own bedroom, and shut the door.


    Back upstairs, Corvan closed his door, sat on the bed, and pulled his pillow away to expose the hammer. ¡°So, how are you connected to what¡¯s in black box?¡± he whispered. ¡°I think my grandfather rolled the middle stone over to keep you safe.¡± He touched the handle and the soft glow from the strange markings on the base of the handle sprang to life. He leaned in closer. The light was from an insignia on the bottom of the handle, a ring within a ring, with strange figures between the two. He knew that design. The markings on the hammer were identical to those on the oak chest in the corner of his room!


    Hammer in hand, he rolled off the side of the bed. Th blue glow washed over the large oak chest against the far wall just as the phone in the kitchen rang with their distinctive party line code. There was a short, muffled conversation before his father hung up. His mother asked a question, then chairs scraped across the floor. His parents were settling in at the table for a talk.


    He eased out of bed, but the old floorboards groaned under his weight. There was no way he could make it to the chest without his parents hearing him. Pulling back onto the bed, he listened carefully. There was a pause in their conversation, and then the back screen door squeaked and banged.


    Corvan shoved the hammer under his pillow. One of them must be heading for the outhouse, and he couldn¡¯t have them see his room full of blue light. He would need to wait for them to go to bed before checking out the insignia on the chest.


    The moon crept out from behind a cloud and its light landed squarely on the oak chest. In the pale light, the large chest looked like a stone coffin, or like the sarcophagus that King Arthur was buried in; its thick lid hanging out over the edges.


    The rings and the strange markings from the hammer were highlighted on the front of the chest. From the bed he could see that the insignia was larger, but the hole in the center appeared to be about the same size as the handle of the hammer. It stood to reason that since his grandfather had made the chest, the stone hammer was obviously some sort of key that should reveal a secret compartment inside.


    Reaching under his pillow, he wrapped his hand around the hammer¡¯s handle. Blue light leaked out the side, and he lay his head down to cover it up. The comforting warmth of the hammer ebbed up his arm, along with a growing weariness. He tried to fight it off, to stay awake until his parents went to bed, but the sleepy calm spread through his body and mind.


    He tried to let go of the handle, but it was too late.

 Hammer 7: Coin

    When Corvan woke up, he was lying on his back with the hammer on his chest and both hands folded over it. He had finally slept peacefully without any bad dreams.


    Hammer in hand, he rolled out of bed and tiptoed across the floor to his grandfather¡¯s oak chest. It was over four feet wide and so heavy it had never been moved from the place where it rested. If his theory from the previous night was correct, when he inserted the hammer¡¯s handle into the hole in the front of the chest, a secret compartment should open inside the chest.


    Gently propping the thick lid against the wall, he checked inside. Each of the sliding trays inside the chest was filled with treasures he had collected over the years: bottle caps, agates, arrowheads¡ªanything he could scavenge around town and the area around their farm.


    Kneeling in front of the chest, he examined the design his grandfather had carved into the front panel. It looked identical to what he¡¯d seen glowing on the end of the hammer¡¯s handle, only the carved version was twice the size. In its center was a shallow hole exactly the size of a half dollar. He knew this for a fact as a year ago he¡¯d pushed the fifty-cent piece he received for his fourteenth birthday into the hole. It got stuck, but since it seemed as good a place as any to save it, he had left it there.


    A board creaked on the stairs up to his room. Jumping to his feet, Corvan closed the chest, and dove back under the covers, thrusting the hammer under his pillow. Closing his eyes, he pretended to be asleep.


    The door opened, and his mother spoke. ¡°You won¡¯t get a proper rest if you stay up so late you need to sleep in.¡±


    Corvan pulled his head back under the covers like a shy turtle. He was hoping she would think he was too tired and let him be.


    ¡°You need to get up, eat your breakfast, then clean up the rest of the dishes. Your father was called to another meeting at the mine, and I¡¯ll be baking bread and canning peas. You¡¯ve got five minutes.¡± Her footsteps retreated down the stairs.


    If his father¡¯s meeting at the mine meant it would reopen then his dad could get back to work. Personally, he wouldn¡¯t like to be underground all day and only come up at night, but his dad thrived on it. He spent as much time underground as possible and was always reading about mines and caves. He repeatedly told Corvan that the continental crust of the earth was more than twenty-five miles thick, but most mines and caves were less than a mile deep. ¡°There¡¯s a whole world below us just waiting to be discovered,¡± he would say.


    Under the covers, the hammer¡¯s blue insignia was glowing softly. He turned it around until the letters were in the same orientation as on the front of the chest. If the hammer was a key to open the chest, then whatever was hidden inside could be a special fifteenth birthday present but he didn¡¯t have much time.


    Throwing the covers off, Corvan dropped to his knees in front of the chest. His hands trembled as he lifted the hammer toward the hole but a loud thump almost made him drop it. His mother banged again on the kitchen ceiling with her broom handle. Corvan groaned. If he didn¡¯t move fast, she would come up and make sure he was awake and washing up. Placing the hammer inside the chest, he covered it with his stamp collection book and closed the lid. He moved silently down the stairs as he finished getting dressed.


    The scene in the kitchen caught him off guard. His mother was at the sink, and a dishcloth hung limply in her hand as she stared into the backyard. She was singing his special song in a quiet, broken voice.


    Backing out of the kitchen, he made his way back up to the landing. What was going on? His parents were both acting strange. After crouching at the top of the stairs for a few minutes, he heard his mother putting dishes away in the cupboards. Corvan bounded down the stairs, this time humming loudly. As he rounded the corner into the kitchen, the screen door banged shut behind his mother.


    Two pancakes smeared with a thick coating of raspberry jam sat on the table. He rolled one up and slurped the jam that squeezed out the center. Maybe he should show the hammer to his mother instead. He shook his head. Not yet. First, he needed to see what was hidden in the chest. Finishing off the second pancake, he sunk his plate into the soapy water. He didn¡¯t mind washing dishes¡ªthe warm water that came from the tank on the side of the woodstove was comforting, and as he worked, he could gaze out the window toward the Castle Rock and let his imagination run wild.


    As he was drying the last plate, his mother came around the corner of the house and headed to the back porch with a basket full of pea pods at her hip. She smiled at him through the window, and he hurried to the door and took the basket from her.


    ¡°Thanks for finishing the dishes.¡± She patted his back as he set the basket on the table. ¡°I¡¯ll need all the kitchen space to shell and process the peas.¡±


    Corvan detested shelling peas, but it seemed he should at least offer to help. ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡±


    His mother laughed. ¡°Before your father left for his meeting, he said I should give you a break from your chores since it¡¯s almost your birthday. You could spend the day out at that rock of yours if you like.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you like the rock?¡± The question came out before he could stop himself, and he winced.


    She retrieved a blue ceramic bowl from under the cupboard and returned to the table. ¡°Why would you say that?¡± she asked. Her fingers flew with practiced ease as shelled peas rolled inside the chipped bowl.


    Corvan took a handful of pea pods and sat across from her. ¡°I never see you come near it, except on my birthday.¡±


    Mother¡¯s fingers slowed. ¡°It¡¯s because I don¡¯t like to think about what might happen out there.¡± She dropped an empty pod into the pile at her side. ¡°It¡¯s not the rock or your fort, Corvan. It¡¯s . . . it¡¯s so much more. I¡¯m not sure what I should say to you ¡­¡±


    He hunched over the peas. ¡°That¡¯s what Father said last night.¡±


    ¡°Your father is trying to do what he thinks is best for you.¡± She stopped shelling and looked at him. ¡°If what your grandfather insisted is true, then things will unfold in their own time. I don¡¯t even understand how it could open when the key piece is missing.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Corvan thoughts went to the hammer sitting in the chest. Was that the key?


    ¡°If he was wrong,¡± she said, ¡°or it¡¯s not the right time, why should we burden you with what might never affect you?¡±


    Corvan dropped a few peas into her bowl. ¡°Can¡¯t you at least tell me something about what might be coming?¡±


    His mother came around the table to hug him from behind. Corvan dropped his head and stared at the pods in his hand. She leaned in close and spoke quietly in his ear. ¡°Your grandfather said we will see you grow into a great leader. I think that is true no matter what.¡±


    Corvan frowned. A great leader? How could the shortest, skinniest, most picked-on kid in the school ever be a great leader?


    His mother smiled down at him. ¡°I¡¯m sure things will develop in their own time. I¡¯m just not ready right now to say good-bye to my only one.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s heart lifted. He liked it when she called him ¡°my only one.¡± It was a name she used when no one else was around. The words were from the special song she had sung to him ever since he was little.


    ¡°So, are you going to shell peas in here in the kitchen all day, or is there something else you want to do?¡± Her amused smile suggested she already knew the answer.


    Corvan grinned. ¡°You¡¯ll finish the peas faster if I am not here to distract you with my questions.¡±


    Mother laughed as he headed for the stairs. ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t give you a choice.¡±


    Corvan climbed the stairs to the sound of peas hitting the growing pile.


    Closing his bedroom door, Corvan retrieved the hammer from inside the chest and knelt on the floor in front of it. His mother¡¯s cryptic words about saying goodbye had startled him. What if this was like Pandora¡¯s box and bad things would start to happen once he opened the secret compartment? He cradled the hammer in his hands. It did not feel dangerous. Taking a deep breath, he grasped the head of the hammer like an oversized key and fed it slowly into the hole.


    A loud humming filled his ears, and excitement rose in his chest. The sweet smell of burning oak filled his nostrils as wisps of smoke curled into the air. Sparks shot out from around the butt of the handle.


    The coin! He¡¯d forgotten the half dollar. Yanking the handle out of the hole he stuck his finger inside, then with a yelp, he yanked it back out, wincing in pain at the sight of his blistered fingertip.


    Scrambling to the washstand, he remembered that the charred bowl was completely dry. He needed something cold to ease the pain! The smooth handle of the hammer in front of the chest beckoned to him, and he crawled back to press his stinging finger against the cool stone. Instantly, the pain eased, then melted away.


    Corvan released his breath, pulled his hand back and examined his finger. It was a little red, but there was no welt; even the blister was gone. He looked in amazement at the hammer. First, it seemed intent on killing him; now it was healing him. Could he learn how to control it or did the hammer just do whatever it wanted?


    Turning his attention back to the chest, he found the wood around the hole charred and cracked. The blackened coin was still stuck inside. He opened the lid of the chest to dig out his grandfather¡¯s carving set. Choosing the smallest chisel, he pried gently on the edge of the coin.


    The blackened circle of warped metal flicked out of the hole and skittered across the wood floor along an erratic path toward the washstand. Corvan crawled after it as it wobbled to a halt and fell flat. Poking it gingerly, he found it cool enough to pick up.


    One side still showed a man¡¯s head, but the other now carried the imprint from the design on the bottom of the hammer¡¯s handle. Sliding the coin into his pants¡¯ pocket he crawled quickly back to the chest and carefully inserted the handle back into the hole. There was a whispering buzz, but it was only a bumblebee bumping into the window screen. He tried again, this time turning the head of the hammer as he held it in place. Nothing. He pushed harder, twisting it around in circles. Still nothing.


    He slumped back, hammer in hand. The stupid coin had wrecked it! Now he would never know what the hammer was supposed to do. He stood up and let the heavy lid fall. As he turned away, the lid banged down and a thin panel of wood on the very top of the lid flew up a few inches on a hidden hinge, then snapped back down into place.


    Corvan quickly stooped to grasp the front lip of the lid. He pulled gently, but, as usual, the entire heavy lid rose from the chest. He let it drop again, but nothing happened.


    Falling to his knees, he fumbled to get the handle of the hammer back into the keyhole. This time, he was sure a faint hum was coming from inside the chest. Holding his breath again, he slipped his fingertips under the topmost edge. A thin panel lifted away to reveal a gray cloth lining. ¡°Incredible!¡± Corvan whispered, then spoke quietly to the empty room. ¡°Grandfather would have laughed at all the times I lifted the heavy lid looking for a secret compartment somewhere inside the chest.¡±


    Leaning over the secret compartment he pulled on the gray cloth. It stretched but didn¡¯t come free. Feeling along the edges, he discovered five black buttons holding the cloth in place. Releasing them, he pulled the gray material onto his lap. The shallow compartment had been separated into niches of various shapes and sizes. His grandfather must have spent a lot of time on this part of the chest, but most of the indentations were empty, including a complete set of matching curved ones running along the top.


    A coil of green rope caught his eye. It looked more like a living vine than a piece of rope. Corvan nodded to himself. This was the rope from his dreams and his grandfather¡¯s stories. A shiver ran up his spine. If the rope was real, did that mean the monster was as well? He shoved the thought aside and looked to the next compartment and a small metallic book. Finally, he''d get some answers.


    Bound in thin metal covers, the book¡¯s top was etched with the hammer¡¯s insignia, but when he tried to pick it up, he discovered that the book, like the other items in the lid, were held into their softly padded indentations with a set of silver metal clips. His attempts to twist one of the clips off to the side only resulted in a broken fingernail.


    Grabbing up the chisel from the carving set, he carefully slid it under the clip and pulled up. Nothing budged. He leaned in close to add more pressure, and the chisel snapped, leaving a thin scratch across the cover of the book.


    Annoyed, he whirled around, grabbed the hammer, and then spun back to the chest. ¡°When all else fails, give it a smack,¡± he said, rapping on the clip. All the clips holding the book in place popped up and swiveled 180 degrees.


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s cool,¡± Corvan said with a grin. He picked up the book and crawled over to lean back against the end of his bed. It was a small book, about five inches square and no thicker than his index finger. Despite its small size, it was heavy, as if he were holding the history of the entire world in his hands. Thick pages lay between the covers, but the covers would not open. There was no latch like the one on his mom¡¯s diary, although he had never figured out how that one opened either.


    Retrieving the hammer, he placed the end of its handle in the center of the insignia etched into the front of the book. Without a sound, the covers separated to reveal pages that were soft and flexible, more like cloth than paper. The first page contained only the original insignia and what looked to be a signature at the bottom. Corvan¡¯s hands trembled. He turned the next page, then another, and another. The entire book was full of pictograph figures, sketches of odd creatures, and a few detailed maps of locations that made no sense at all, round cities with curved streets and homes built high in the air.


    As he fanned through the last pages, a yellowed paper fluttered to the floor. It was a folded section of a newspaper printed on September 19, 1940. Tucked inside was a scrap of lined note paper written on in English. The first words leaped from the page.


    My dear grandson, Corvan,

 Hammer 8: Letter

    The letter was written in a scrawling hand that slanted steeply across the page.


    I must return tonight so I will miss your birthday.


    I didn¡¯t see it before, but it is clear to me now. The Cor-Van must be from both sides; it is the only way we will defeat Him. He will never be content until he conquers everything.


    When I complete my task, I will return both to you. You are the Cor-Van, and they must come back to your hand.


    I am looking forward to the time we will have together as you grow. I will do a much better job of explaining this in person, and I can hardly wait to begin your training.


    Keep them close by at all times. Learn their differences and remember that all three must be used together.


    Three? Corvan looked at the hammer on the floor. That had to be one of them, but what about the other two? One might be the book, but he couldn¡¯t read it. Was the third one in the long black box his father showed him? How could he keep them close if he didn¡¯t even know what they were? He looked back to the letter.


    Do not trust the dark-eyed ones, and, whatever you do, never mention the hammer to anyone, not even those you think are with us. Do not use your title until you are ready. Use only the name your mother calls you.


    You will be in constant danger, so make sure that you also take along ¡­


    The letter ended with an inch of space left, and the back side was blank. Yet his grandfather had taken the time to fold the letter up inside the piece of newspaper.


    A sense of helplessness overwhelmed him. Something was about to happen to him, and he was entirely unprepared. His grandfather¡¯s letter was unclear, and it didn¡¯t sound like his father would be much help. The hammer was obviously the key to everything, but beyond that, the letter was nonsense. Folding it back inside the newspaper, he tucked it back in the book. Maybe something else in the chest would provide a clue. As he pressed the book into its niche, the clips pivoted and snapped back into place.


    He turned his attention to the coil of rope. His suspicion it was the same as the one from his reoccurring nightmare was confirmed when he pinched it and the thin strand squished flat between his fingertips. His head snapped up, and he stared at his bed. A clear memory of playing with this same rope on what was then his grandfather¡¯s bed came to mind it he was laughing hysterically. Why would he think a rope was funny?


    Picking up the hammer, he released the clips that held the coils in place, but before he could lift it out, the squeak of the stair before the landing outside his room threw him into a panic. Yanking the lid of the secret compartment down into place, he jammed the hammer into his back pocket, and shoved the chisels under his bed.


    His mother stepped inside the door and shut it behind her. ¡°Kate is downstairs, and she¡¯s not happy,¡± she whispered. ¡°Did you promise to help pick berries this morning?¡±


    Corvan shrugged, and she shook her head at him.


    ¡°When you didn¡¯t show up, she did it herself, but she wants to know if you will help clean them.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s face flushed. He had told Kate he would help her with that chore, but that was before she quit talking to him. How was he supposed to know she still expected him to show up? He got to his feet and the gray cloth fell into a pile at his feet. He tried nonchalantly pushing it under the bed with his toe.


    ¡°You need to get downstairs and make things right with Kate.¡± She turned to leave and looked back at him. ¡°By the way, kicking your winter quilt under your bed does not constitute cleaning your room. Fold it and put it back into the chest.¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Do it now, so I know it¡¯s been taken care of.¡±


    As Corvan collected the cloth, his mother stared at him with a frown on her face.


    ¡°It took me hours to sew those quilt pieces together. I don¡¯t like to see it tossed on your dirty floor.¡±


    Corvan looked from her face to the cloth. Was she joking? How could his mother mistake the gray cloth for his brightly colored winter quilt?


    ¡°Fold it neatly. And don¡¯t make Kate wait any longer, or you¡¯ll get an earful.¡± With that she left the room. The door clicked shut behind her.


    Corvan waited until he heard the squeak of the landing step before he pulled the hammer from his back pocket and unlocked the secret compartment. Spreading the gray cloth back over the inside of the lid, he buttoned it down, shaking his head at his mother¡¯s insistence that it looked like his winter quilt. Testing the thin lid to be sure it was locked in position, he hurried downstairs.


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    He found Kate sitting at the kitchen table, where she was finishing off a piece of bread with raspberry jelly. Two full pails of berries sat on the table, and, judging from the twigs and leaves in her tangled red hair, Kate must have worked hard to pick them so quickly. As Corvan entered, she gave him a withering look from behind her bangs.


    ¡°Sorry, Kate, I was . . .¡±


    Kate waved him off. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t give me any of your excuses. I know how much you hate picking berries. Trust me, it¡¯s not my favorite chore either, but my mom needs these cleaned and all the pastry ready when she gets home tonight.¡±


    Kate¡¯s mother baked the best Saskatoon berry pies for miles around and made extra money selling them to the caf¨¦ where she worked. Unfortunately, she often lost it all playing bingo.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you, Kate,¡± Corvan¡¯s mother said, giving him a disapproving look. ¡°I¡¯ll mix the pastry for you to take home.¡±


    Kate¡¯s face brightened. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m sure my mom will appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°How many pies is she going to make?¡±


    ¡°She said only six. They aren¡¯t selling as many, now that summer vacation is over.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fix the pastry while you two clean the berries.¡± She smiled at Kate as she passed her a clean pail.


    Corvan picked up the second pail of berries and followed Kate out to the back steps. As he sat down next to her, the sweet aroma of lilacs rose about him even though the lilac bush in the yard bristled with seed pods, its flowers long faded and blown away. Kate tossed her head and a fresh wave passed.


    He leaned closer and sniffed. ¡°You¡¯re not wearing perfume, are you?¡±


    Kate bent over her pail of berries, and a pink blush touching her freckled cheeks. ¡°My dad sent it for my birthday.¡±


    Shoot. He had forgotten her birthday. He caught another whiff of her perfume. It reminded him of their recent spring nights on the front porch swing looking at the stars together. ¡°I lick likelacs. I mean, I lake laclicks.¡± He stopped and took a deep breath. ¡°It smells nice.¡±


    She looked sideways at him from the berries with a smile tugging at her lips. ¡°Thanks, I like lilacs too.¡±


    Corvan face was getting warmer. ¡°I found something out at the rock,¡± he blurted out, desperate to change the subject.


    Kate rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were trying to catch your imaginary lizard.¡±


    ¡°I have to prove¡ª¡±


    ¡°The kids will laugh you out of town if you don¡¯t drop that story. I couldn¡¯t believe you used it for your oral report. That was your tallest tale yet. My mom even heard about it at the caf¨¦.¡±


    Corvan focused on sorting the berries. He had expected Kate to be more supportive.


    ¡°So, what was it?¡± Kate looked at him.


    ¡°What was what?¡±


    ¡°The thing you found that you couldn¡¯t tear yourself away from to meet me on time.¡±


    His grandfather¡¯s letter came to mind. Whatever you do, never mention the hammer to anyone, not even those you think are with us. ¡°Nothing.¡± Corvan shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal.¡±


    ¡°Fine, keep it to yourself,¡± Kate said, digging twigs from the berries. ¡°It¡¯s better that way.¡±


    They cleaned quietly for a while. ¡°These are nice berries,¡± Corvan said. ¡°Where did you find them?¡±


    A sly smile stole over Kate¡¯s face. ¡°Fry¡¯s pond.¡±


    Corvan almost spilled his pail. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to go on his property! Remember those two boys that tried fishing on that pond? He shot over their heads with his shotgun to scare them off.¡±


    Kate¡¯s smile vanished. ¡°The bushes aren¡¯t even on his land. His property stops at the edge of the pond.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but his shotgun pellets don¡¯t stop at the edge of the pond. It¡¯s not very smart to go there.¡±


    Kate snorted. ¡°Yeah, well, if someone showed like they promised, I wouldn¡¯t have to take such ¡®stupid¡¯ chances.¡±


    Flustered, Corvan looked across the yard, then stood to shake the twigs from his lap. He hated it when Kate was annoyed with him.


    There was a sharp tug on the back of his jeans and when he turned around, he found Kate holding the hammer, a puzzled expression on her face.


    ¡°Give me that,¡± Corvan whispered. ¡°It might hurt you.¡± He held out his hand, but Kate pulled the hammer close to her chest and stared vacantly past him. Corvan knelt on the bottom step. ¡°That¡¯s what I found. It was buried near our fort. It belonged to my grandfather.¡±


    Kate blinked, and her eyes focused his face. She nodded slowly and looked down at the hammer. ¡°Your grandfather must have been a great man.¡±


    ¡°My dad said he was descended from a mighty warrior.¡±


    ¡°It feels like something a king would own,¡± Kate said softly, then slowly released the hammer into his opened hand. Corvan stood and slipped it back into his pocket.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I walked to school without you.¡± Kate said, wiping a sleeve over her eyes. ¡°I get so mad when Billy Fry starts picking on you. I¡¯m not afraid of him, but my mom said if I were in one more fight, she¡¯d make us move away.¡± She blinked back tears. ¡°I don¡¯t want to move again, but I don¡¯t know how to help you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± Corvan said, sitting back down. ¡°I hate being so short and weak.¡±


    ¡°At least you¡¯re a boy¡ªyour dad won¡¯t mind if you got in a fight once in a while.¡±


    ¡°Maybe if your dad was around, he wouldn¡¯t mind you fighting either.¡±


    She turned away, and Corvan chided himself for bringing up her father¡¯s absence.


    ¡°What happened when you held the hammer?¡± Corvan asked.


    She looked across at him. ¡°It¡¯s a bit silly, but I felt better about myself ¡­ like it¡¯s okay that I get mad at the bullies. But it was scary too, like I was the one in charge of making things right, like a judge or a ¡­ a queen.¡±


    Corvan nodded. The way she put it made sense. He had felt something similar.


    Corvan¡¯s mother came out the screen door, holding a cloth-covered bowl in her hands. ¡°Here¡¯s the pastry, dear. You¡¯d better get it home and put it in the fridge right away.¡± She shot an accusatory glance at her son. ¡°Corvan will carry it for you.¡±


    As he stood to take the bowl, his mother shook her head in disappointment. ¡°Did you have to smear berries all over your pants? As soon as you get back, throw them into the washing machine. Let¡¯s hope they aren¡¯t permanently stained.¡±


    Kate kept busy pouring the cleaned berries back into her pails, all the while hiding an amused grin.


    Corvan turned away to the side of the house to hide his own smile.


    It felt great to be back with Kate and also to share the secret of the hammer with her.


    Together they would figure out the mystery of the lizard and what was beneath the Castle Rock.

 Hammer 9: Berries

    Kate and Corvan sauntered down the back lane to her house; the late afternoon sun on the arched trees creating a dappled canopy of light overhead. Placing the pastry bowl down in the grass, Corvan held the gate open for Kate.


    A voice drawled from the deepening shadows.


    ¡°Looks like you got yourself some real good berries there.¡± Billy Fry emerged from behind a stout maple tree and sauntered over with a shotgun cradled haphazardly in the crook of his arm.


    ¡°The berries are for my mom to make her pies,¡± Kate said, stepping away from Bill¡¯s advance.


    ¡°I seen your footprints in the mud out by our pond, so those are my berries,¡± Billy said firmly. ¡°You can have Corvan pick you some more.¡± He laughed. ¡°Maybe he can get his three-foot high lizard to pick the ones he cain¡¯t reach.¡± He grabbed the handle of one of the pails and berries sprayed into the dirt as Kate hung on.


    Corvan let go of the gate, and it swung shut on its spring-loaded hinge, slapping the hammer stuck in his back pocket and knocking it halfway out. Corvan shoved it back in, and as his hand touched the smooth stone, the back lane seemed to grow brighter. He looked at Bill, and for the first time, he wasn¡¯t afraid of him.


    ¡°Leave her alone, Bill.¡±


    The large boy jerked back in surprise. He stared at Corvan for a second, then the wicked smirk returned to his face. Pushing Kate aside, he moved to stand toe to toe with Corvan; his bulk blocking out the light. ¡°Did I say you could speak? Mind your own business. I don¡¯t need any advice from no half-breed.¡±


    Corvan tightened his grip on the hammer and looked into Bill¡¯s narrowed eyes. ¡°When you bully Kate, it is my business. I¡¯m telling you to leave her alone.¡±


    Billy blinked, then laughed. ¡°And if I don¡¯t, what are you going to do about it?¡± He jabbed a thick finger at Corvan¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Whatever it takes,¡± Corvan said calmly.


    Billy snorted as confusion flickered across his broad face. ¡°Well, looky here; Stumpy¡¯s got hisself a girlfriend, got to show how brave he is. Well, short stuff, you can have her. She¡¯s white trash, just like her mother.¡±


    Kate whirled to face Bill. Her cheeks were bright red. The boy stepped back.


    ¡°Why do you have to be so mean?¡±


    Bill¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he gestured with the barrel of his gun. ¡°I¡¯m goin¡¯ to be taking them berries, Kate Poley, so I suggest you hand ¡®em over.¡±


    The sun glinted off the barrel of the gun. Fear gripped Corvan¡¯s chest, but he took a deep breath and stepped between Billy and Kate.


    ¡°Leave us alone, or you¡¯ll be in a lot of trouble for pointing a gun at people.¡±


    Billy turned to look at Corvan. ¡°Yeah? Who¡¯s gonna tell?¡±


    Corvan steadily returned his gaze but didn¡¯t answer.


    Billy hesitated and then turned back to Kate. ¡°Go ahead, keep the berries. Everyone knows your mom¡¯s a rotten cook. I¡¯d rather eat a cow pie than the soggy mess she cooks up.¡± He turned and hollered over his shoulder as he swaggered off down the lane, ¡°When you two get married, your kids will be so short, people will mistake them for gophers and shoot ¡®em.¡± He gave a loud guffaw and continued on his way.


    Corvan let out a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxed, and he released his grip on the hammer. He turned to find Kate gazing at him with admiration. His face flushed as he picked up the pastry bowl from the grass.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that,¡± Kate said.


    She put the berry pails down on the other side of the picket fence and reached for the heavy stoneware bowl. For a moment, her hands wrapped around his, and the scent of lilacs filled the air as a breeze rippled between them and flicked a lock of hair across her eyes. She smiled at him. ¡°Thanks, Corvan. Thanks for standing up for me.¡±


    Stammering out a good-bye, Corvan stepped quickly through the gate and trotted up the alley. Over the years, he had endured a lot of teasing about Kate. If he had a dime for all the times he had heard that stupid rhyme about Corvan and Kate sitting in a tree and kissing, he would be rich.


    Kate, however, always stated emphatically that she would never have a boyfriend, that they weren¡¯t worth the trouble and in the end the girl just got hurt and abandoned.


    He thought about the rhyme as he walked along, draping one hand loosely over the hammer sticking out of his back pocket. Truth was, he wouldn¡¯t mind kissing Kate. The problem, however, was that she might punch his lights out if he tried.


    He smiled. Maybe someday he would give it a whirl anyway.


    Back at home, Corvan stopped at the outhouse and then washed up on the porch. The blue stains on his hands reminded him of his dirty pants, and he peeled them off and dropped them into the tub of the old washing machine. A pair of patched coveralls lay draped over the threadbare armchair. He pulled them on and stepped into the kitchen.


    His mother was carrying her sack of flour back into the pantry and turned to look at him. ¡°Those fit you pretty well considering they belonged to your grandfather.¡±


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    Corvan ran his hands over the faded cotton. ¡°He was as short as me?¡±


    ¡°Shorter.¡± She laughed and pointed at his feet. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re expecting a flood.¡±


    He looked down to where the pant legs rode high over his ankles.


    A glass of water and a piece of bread waited at the table. Corvan sat and looked up at his mother. ¡°You¡¯ve never told me much about my grandfather and why he left.¡±


    She closed the panty door. ¡°We don¡¯t really know for sure. He left without saying a word to anyone.¡±


    ¡°So maybe he¡¯s still alive?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. There¡¯s nothing in this world that could have kept him away from you. You¡¯re what he lived for. I never understood why he left the day before your birthday.¡± She shook her head gently. ¡°He was so looking forward to it.¡±


    As she turned to the stack of pots and pans by the sink, Corvan grabbed his slice of bread and slipped from the room.


    In seconds, he was sitting on his bed and unfolding the newspaper from around his grandfather¡¯s letter. His grandfather left the day before his third birthday. That would have been September 20, 1940, the next day after the newspaper clipping wrapped around the letter was printed.


    He scanned the front side of the paper. There was a long article about the beginning of the war in Europe. The other side was all advertisements except for one short article.


    New Evidence Comes to Light at IPC


    Representatives from the Industrial Power Company confirmed today that last Saturday¡¯s explosion, which resulted in the deaths of three miners, may have been intentional. The explosion took place during the boring of an experimental shaft.


    At first the mine operators claimed that the machinery overheated, igniting dust raised by the drilling. Investigators now report that footprints were discovered around the test bore. They claim someone was trying to tamper with the evidence, although it is unclear how anyone could have reached the site before the shaft was cleared.


    One member of the investigation team, who has asked not to be identified, says he saw a figure retreating down the borehole. This claim has been rejected by the mine officials as there are no levels below the test site.


    Corvan recalled his father talking about the disaster of 1940. A few days after the shaft was cleared, another massive explosion had collapsed the main shaft and forced the closure of the mine. IPC went bankrupt. Only the smaller Red Creek Mine was still in operation.


    The thump of his mother¡¯s broomstick interrupted his thoughts. After stuffing the newspaper and letter under his pillow, he returned to the kitchen. His mind was whirling.


    ¡°I need you to run to the Barrons¡¯ and get some baking soda. Make sure you let Mrs. Barron know we¡¯ll pay our bill as soon as we can.¡±


    The Barrons owned the local corner gas station, and although it was long past closing, they were always available to open the store and get something a neighbor needed. Corvan didn¡¯t mind going to the store. Mrs. Barron often gave him a chocolate bar or licorice cigar the mice had nibbled on. ¡°Can¡¯t go selling that to my customers,¡± she would say as she cut off the nibbled edge, and handed him the treat.


    The sun had slipped over the horizon. The sky was painted in swaths of orange and pink above the low hills to the west. Corvan whistled as he walked down the center of the road and a few birds called in response.


    By the time Corvan returned home with the amazing taste of an almost fully intact Cuban Lunch chocolate bar still lingering in his mouth, his father was sitting at the supper table. While they ate, mother tried chatting about her day, but father didn¡¯t respond. Normally on a Saturday night, they¡¯d sit at the table after supper and play games, but finally his mom stood up and said that since it was getting late, she¡¯d do the dishes and let Corvan get washed up for bed.


    Corvan went out to the washstand on the back porch. Looking in through the rusty screen door, he saw his father staring at his half-eaten supper.


    ¡°We¡¯ve managed through hard times before,¡± his mother said quietly, her hand resting lightly on his father¡¯s shoulder, ¡°and we can make it again. If he¡¯s old enough at fifteen for what your father was planning, he¡¯s old enough to understand that we¡¯ll have to celebrate his birthday another time.¡±


    His father¡¯s voice responded in tones too low to catch, then left the table and vanished into the bedroom. Corvan washed up and returned to the kitchen while wiping his hands on his shirt.


    His mother shook her spatula at him. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you to dry your hands on a towel? What good does it do to scrub your hands and then wipe them on a dirty shirt?¡±


    ¡°But this one¡¯s clean.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not clean now that you¡¯ve wiped your dirty hands on it, is it?¡± She raised her eyebrows as if to dare him to respond.


    Corvan could see this would be one of those circular arguments he could never win. ¡°I¡¯d better head to bed.¡± He leaned forward to kiss his mother¡¯s cheek, but she pulled him in close and gave him a tight hug.


    ¡°Mom, are we going to lose our home?¡± Corvan asked, his voice muffled against her arm.


    His mother¡¯s shoulders sagged as she released him. ¡°We¡¯ll lose everything if your dad doesn¡¯t get the call to go back to the mine. This year¡¯s wheat crop will only pay off what we owe the bank right now, never mind our debt from the past.¡±


    ¡°Is that because Old Man Fry has been talking to the bank?¡± He couldn¡¯t hide the bitterness in his voice.


    His mother shook her head. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t refer to Mr. Fry that way.¡±


    ¡°But why is he always trying to make trouble for our family?¡±


    She looked out the kitchen window at the castle rock. ¡°Your father says Mr. Fry holds a grudge against your grandfather, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s behind the letters from the bank.¡± She waved him on. ¡°Don¡¯t stay up all night reading. If I see a light under your door after ten o¡¯clock, I¡¯m going to take your lightbulb away for a week.¡±


    Corvan grinned. She couldn¡¯t put a book down herself, and would often read until all hours of the night.


    Back in his room, Corvan undressed and settled into bed. He wanted to get the rope out of the chest, but he couldn¡¯t take the chance of being discovered. He would wait until he was sure his mother was in bed.


    The crickets in the back yard were tuning up for their nighttime symphony. The screen door banged as his mother went out on the porch below his window and set their ancient wringer washer into action. Soon its rhythmic swish and bump drowned out the crickets. Corvan closed his eyes and let his breathing fall into sync with the familiar sound.


    The cave dream returned; except this time he was in hot pursuit of someone just ahead of him in the damp tunnels. Whenever he caught up and was reaching out to grab them, the person ran away and called out to him. ¡°Who? Who are you?¡±


    He woke to the repetitive hooting of an owl on the maple tree outside his window. ¡°Whoo-hoo,¡± he called back, and it swept out across the yard on its nightly hunt.


    A gentle breeze wafted the scent of rich earth and moist wheat into his room. The house was silent. This would be a good time to check out the mysterious rope inside his grandfather¡¯s secret compartment. Picking his grandfather¡¯s pants off the floor, he tiptoed to the chest and searched through the pockets.


    The hammer was gone.

 Hammer 10: Wheat

    Corvan searched frantically through the dirty clothes he¡¯d kicked under his bed, but the hammer was not there. Staring at his reflection in the mirror, he thought back to the previous day. The last time he held it was in his back pocket at Kate¡¯s house and then up the back alley so it must have been in his pants when he changed clothes on the back porch. His mother was doing the wash when he fell asleep. If she put his pants through the wringer, the hammer would make a real mess of things. Two years ago, he¡¯d left marbles in his pockets, and they had jammed the rollers and ruined the gears. His mother was not impressed. His only hope was that she had gone to bed without wringing out the wash. Crossing to the window, he found his pants swaying gently on the wash line, far out where the line ended on a post near the outhouse. ¡°Oh great,¡± he muttered.


    Making his way quickly downstairs, he forgot about the step just below the landing and put his foot in the middle, instead of off to one side. The stair let out its customary low groan. Holding his breath, he waited for his mother¡¯s snoring to resume, then crept out to the back porch.


    The wringer washer grinned at him from its corner. It always reminded him of a robot from a science-fiction story: its wringer head hanging over its squat body and twin rollers like yellowed teeth in an oversized mouth. He inspected the rollers and gears, but everything looked fine. Either his mother had found the hammer, or it was still down in the rinse water she always saved for watering her garden.


    Rolling up his sleeve, Corvan plunged his hand into the cool water and felt around the groove at the bottom of the round tub. All he found was the scorched half dollar from the chest in his room. Dropping it into his pocket, he looked back through the screen door into the kitchen. If his mother had found the hammer, she might have put it in the secret hiding place where she kept the family cash.


    Pushing down firmly on the screen door latch to avoid any squeaks from the hinges, he crossed to the pantry and pressed on a knot in the wall. A small door popped open to reveal a hidden alcove. Grandfather had built the hiding spot for his mother, but Corvan had found it one day while searching for chocolate chips. This time, it contained nothing: no chocolate, no cash, and no hammer. Corvan clicked the hidden door shut and retreated to the back porch. Maybe the hammer had slipped out of his pocket when he used the outhouse.


    The dirt path was still warm on his bare feet, and the moonlight illuminated his footprints returning from the outhouse earlier that afternoon. The wooden latch on the toilet had been left open, which meant he was the last one to use it. Corvan pulled the rough plank door wide on its leather hinges, and the familiar rank odor wafted out. Crouching, he searched around the wooden platform and behind the stack of old newspapers and the remains of the Sears catalogue.


    The hammer wasn¡¯t there. He shut and latched the door, then headed in the direction of Kate¡¯s back alley. Corvan glanced up the path that led to the steep side of the rock. A set of odd marks were outlined by the moonlight. He bent low to examine a set of animal tracks that had been partially wiped out, as if the animal had been dragging something along. Usually that would indicate a predator¡¯s successful kill being taken away, but there was no blood on the ground.


    Following the tracks led to the edge of the rock, Corvan heard pebbles rolling and clinking together overhead. Dropping in close to the rock, he climbed on all fours until he reached the crown of rocks, silhouetted against the star filled sky.


    Crawling quietly forward, Corvan peered around one of the boulders. A shadowy figure was crouched near the solitary rock in the center. Dirt and pebbles sprayed out as the animal dug furiously at the base of the lone boulder. When the creature stopped digging, it stood up on its hind feet.


    The lizard!


    Corvan watched in fascination as the reptile picked up two strips of cloth from the ground, then wrapped them carefully around its front claws. It held them up to inspected them, and in the soft light, it looked like it was wearing mittens. Corvan stared, transfixed by the bizarre sight. The lizard stooped to drag something back to where it had been digging. The hole in the ground appeared to be too small for the large creature, but its body seemed to melt and flow inside until only its cloth-wrapped claws remained in view holding up a dark object. Corvan moved a bit closer. It was the hammer. The lizard had taken it from the outhouse.


    The cloth-wrapped claws abruptly disappeared into the hole, leaving the hammer standing upright for a moment before it toppled to the ground.


    Corvan rushed forward and was reaching for the hammer just as an explosion of dirt shot out of the hole into his face. Blinded, he sat back to stare down, shake his head and clear the grit from his eyes.


    A guttural screech snapped his head up, and a dark blur hit him squarely in the chest and knocked him onto his back. The lizard jumped up on him, raking its cloth-bound claws across his face as it screeched in frustration. Corvan hollered and knocked it off, rolling onto his knees and wiping his eyes.


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    Corvan tensed for another attack, but the lizard was standing still and unwinding the cloth from its claws. Its keen eyes burned with hatred. Corvan frantically felt around the ground for a weapon, but there were no rocks or sticks within reach.


    The lizard leapt toward him, landing with its front claws outstretched and its back legs straddling the hammer. It hissed, but it didn¡¯t try to pick up the hammer. For some reason the creature couldn¡¯t touch it with bare claws. If he could grab it first, he could use the hammer to keep the creature at bay and escape.


    The lizard inched forward, staying between Corvan and the hammer, with its pointed front claws extended to drive him back. Its hind feet scraped across the muddy piece of tarp Corvan had ripped off the fort and Corvan glanced down. If he yanked the tarp out from under its feet, he¡¯d have a chance to grab the hammer. Corvan inched his hand toward the loose end of the large canvas sheet.


    The lizard pulled its thin lips back to expose its pointed teeth. Hate-filled eyes bore into his as it took another step toward him.


    Corvan yanked as hard as he could and the lizard¡¯s tumbled back past the hammer and slammed up against the central boulder. Corvan jumped forward, tossing the heavy canvas over the creature, then scooped up the hammer. He retreated to the outer ring of boulders as a flurry of claws tore the old tarp to shreds.


    The lizard emerged with eyes blazing. It took two quick steps toward him, but when it saw the hammer in his hand, it stopped.


    Glaring through narrow slits, it snarled at him in a low, hoarse voice. ¡°You will never be the Cor-Van. You could not survive the wrath of my master.¡±


    Corvan blinked. The lizard could talk?


    ¡°You are only a child,¡± the lizard rasped. ¡°Return the hammer to me, and I will spare your life.¡±


    Fear constricted Corvan¡¯s throat and all he managed to croak out was, ¡°Go away.¡±


    The lizard fell back as if it had been kicked, and its eyes widened in fear. Corvan held the hammer higher and took a step forward. ¡°I said to go away. Go back to where you came from.¡±


    The creature retreated before him, it eyes flickering from one side to the other. With a frustrated hiss, it gave him one last angry glance, then melted down the dark hole it had dug.


    Grabbing the largest rock he could lift from the firepit ring with one hand, Corvan dropped it over the hole and stomped into place. Stuffing the hammer into his back pocket, he piled on more rocks until he couldn¡¯t lift any more. His sides heaved. He fell to his knees and retched. Shaking uncontrollably, he crawled to the western side and collapsed against one of the outer rocks. Never in his life had he been so afraid. People like Billy Fry were mean, but this thing was so ¡­ evil.


    Corvan shook his head. The lizard said it had a master. That must be why it wore a collar, but his couldn¡¯t be happening. Animals didn¡¯t talk. The hammer was messing with his mind just like when he said it had to go back. It was more powerful than he imagined.


    Corvan pulled the hammer out of his back pocket and an overwhelming awareness of danger flowed through him but then he sensed something else. An even greater power was holding the immediate threat at bay. An unseen force was flowing around and through him and he breathed a sign of relief.


    A shadow flickered past his feet, and Corvan scrambled away through the western gap and stood by the drainage channel. An owl hunting for prey on silent wings swept just overhead. He let out a long breath as he watched it fly over the field, looking for a mouse or a gopher. He glanced back at the pile of rocks over the lizard¡¯s hole. Gophers always had a second entrance to their holes so they could escape. The lizard likely did as well and was likely watching him even now, or maybe it had left to bring back more of its kind to attack him.


    Cold sweat broke on his forehead as he scanned the circle of rocks. The shadows could easily conceal the vicious creature. He backed out of the rocks, bolted down the water channel, and headed for his house. As he ran, he imagined an entire pack of lizards bearing down on him. With a final burst of speed, he reached the safety of the porch and turned to look back. The owl hooted from the trees, but the backyard was still.


    Since the lizard had retrieved the hammer from the outhouse, it obviously knew where he lived. If it came back with reinforcements, or even worse, its master, the only thing that could save his family would be the power of the hammer.


    Corvan stared out the porch door at the shadowed outline of Castle Rock. The lizard was afraid to touch the hammer, so it had wrapped its claws in cloth. He put his other hand to his face. It felt a bit sore, but at least there were no bloody scratches. If its claws had been free, it would have scratched his eyes out.


    Moving deeper into the shadows of the porch, Corvan sank into the moth-eaten armchair. Tonight, he would keep guard over his home and protect his mother from harm. With the hammer firmly in his right hand, he stretched his arm out on the armrest, like a king with his scepter on a royal throne. Holding it this way gave him a sense of authority, and he envisioned himself holding an entire legion of lizards at bay.


    When the rooster crowed, Corvan shook off the sleep that had been dodging him all night long. The gentle light of dawn was spreading from the east. He had made it through the night and his home was safe but every muscle in his body ached, as he pushed himself out of the armchair. As far as he knew, the lizard stayed underground during the day. Creeping back up to his room, he slipped the hammer under his pillow.


    As he undressed, the blackened half dollar fell out of his pocket and rolled under the bed. Too tired to chase it, Corvan crawled under the sheets and fell asleep.

 Hammer 11: Rope

    By the time Corvan finally woke up, the sun was directly over the house. His parents never let him sleep this late. Bees buzzed past his window, but the house below him was silent.


    ¡°Mom,¡± he called out, ¡°what¡¯s for lunch?¡± There was no answer. Had the lizard attacked while he slept? Leaping out of bed, he tugged on his pants, then moved cautiously down the stairs, the hammer held out before him.


    The bed in his parents¡¯ room was not made, and the dresser drawers hung askew. His mother never left things like that. Corvan ran to the front door and found the truck was gone. Retreating to the kitchen, he searched for a note. Nothing.


    He was about to pick up the phone and ring the Barron¡¯s when Kate called into the house from the back porch. Turning around, Corvan crossed his arms over his bony chest. He hated being seen without a shirt.


    Kate shook her head in disgust as she entered the kitchen. ¡°Are you just getting up? Must be nice to sleep in half the day. My mom had me up at six to take her pies out to the station wagon.¡± She placed her hands on her hips. ¡°And you should get a shirt on.¡± She nodded to the laundry basket by the back door.


    ¡°Have you seen my parents this morning?¡± Corvan asked, grabbing a T-shirt and pulling it quickly over his head.


    ¡°I saw them drive past our place earlier. They were headed out of town.¡± She looked out the window as he pulled his shirt on. ¡°So, what are you doing today?¡±


    Corvan was relieved that his parents were okay. They must have needed something from the city, maybe a surprise for his birthday.


    ¡°I went out to the rock,¡± Kate said before he could even reply. ¡°What a mess! Our fort¡¯s ruined.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the storm flattened the fort.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with the pile of rocks from the firepit? How did that happen?¡± Kate asked, looking intently at his face.


    ¡°That was me.¡± Corvan looked out the kitchen widow to escape her steady gaze. ¡°I was . . . making a¡­ monument. Like a small pyramid.¡±


    Kate scowled. ¡°When are you going to start telling people the truth instead of making up silly stories? If you don¡¯t want to say what you were doing just say, ¡®Kate, I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡¯¡±


    Corvan shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to tell you. It just that this time I don¡¯t think anyone will believe me, even if I tell the truth. This one sounds crazier than any story I ever made up. I¡¯m not sure I even know what to think about it yet.¡±


    ¡°Try me,¡± Kate replied as she hopped up on the kitchen table.


    His grandfather¡¯s note had said not to trust anyone, but this was Kate. Besides, she¡¯d already seen the stone hammer.


    Pulling the hammer from his back pocket, Corvan placed it on the table next to her. ¡°It¡¯s all connected to this.¡±


    Kate stared as if she were seeing the hammer for the first time. Reaching down, she touched the handle with one finger and then pulled her hand back. ¡°You never did tell me where it came from.¡±


    ¡°I thought my grandfather made it for me, but now I¡¯m not sure. Last night, the hammer was stolen.¡±


    Kate hopped off the table. ¡°Billy Fry took it? How did you get it back?¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t Bill. It was ¡­¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Aw, forget it. I get enough mocking from the kids at school.¡± Snatching up the hammer, he swept around her into the porch, went out the screen door, and slouched on the porch steps.


    Kate followed and stood behind him. ¡°You¡¯re talking about that lizard again, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Corvan checked to see if she was teasing, but her face was serious.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I made fun of you about that story,¡± Kate said, sitting next to him. ¡°It sounded a bit far-fetched, and besides, no one but you has seen it.¡± She shrugged. ¡°But I guess not seeing something doesn¡¯t mean you should doubt someone who says he has.¡±


    Corvan stared at the rock. He had definitely seen it. His stomach churned at the memory.


    ¡°Why would a lizard need a hammer?¡± Kate asked.


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    Corvan dropped his gaze to a dandelion near the bottom step.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Kate nudged her shoulder against his. ¡°I said I was sorry.¡±


    Corvan sighed. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll tell you what happened. But if you start to laugh, I¡¯m not telling you anymore.¡±


    ¡°If the story gets funny, it¡¯s not my fault if I laugh,¡± she teased.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that kind of story. Just do me a favor¡ªlet me get to the end before you ask questions.¡±


    Kate nodded, and Corvan told her about the lizard taking the hammer and the fight to get it back.


    Kate listened intently, but her frown deepened as the story progressed. When he got to the part where the lizard spoke, she interrupted him.


    ¡°Wait a minute. I could imagine a wild animal trying to bury your hammer, thinking it was a bone or something, but everyone knows animals don¡¯t talk. That¡¯s just crazy.¡±


    Corvan jumped to his feet. ¡°You¡¯re right. I am crazy. Crazy for thinking I could share this story with someone like you.¡± He stomped off.


    ¡°What do you mean, like me?¡± Kate hollered after him. ¡°You think you¡¯re better than me?¡±


    Corvan rounded the corner of the house and broke into a run. He should have known she wouldn¡¯t believe him either. Bounding up the steps to the front door, he shut it behind him and peeked out the living-room window. Kate hadn¡¯t followed. Hopefully she¡¯d go home, and he¡¯d have a chance to look through his grandfather¡¯s chest in peace.


    Corvan counted to two hundred to make sure Kate wasn¡¯t coming, then went up in his room and unlocked the secret panel. Draping the soft cloth over the footboard of his bed, he began to look at the few items that remained, but his attention kept returning to the green rope. Popping the clips and withdrawing it from its shallow depression, he examined it carefully. One end was squashed flat and wrapped securely around the coils, the small flaps keeping the rope fastened in tight loops. Corvan tugged at the flattened edges, but they wouldn¡¯t budge. He pulled as hard as he could on the free end to get it to unravel but the rope only stretched slightly.


    A low whistle escaped his lips. How could something this light be so strong? It wasn¡¯t even woven like a braided rope; it was all one thin strand except that the free end was a thicker, more like a short handle. On the end of the handle was a round button¡ªlike an eyeball with a black knobby pupil staring out from the center. Corvan pushed on the dark bump: the flat flaps securing the coils opened, and the loops fell to the ground.


    Letting the soft rope play through his hands, he picked up the flat end that had been wrapped around the coils. It was disk shaped, like the head of a cobra. He held it flat in the palm of his left hand, then pressed his thumb against the dark eye on the end of the handle with his other hand to see if it would curl up again.


    An intense prickling sensation snapped his left hand tightly closed around the disk. In a panic, Corvan tried to open his fist, but it was as if the disk was suddenly coated in thick glue. He tried harder, and the prickling increased. His fingers began shifting about of their own accord. Dropping the eyeball handle to pry his hand free, it bounced off the open chest and his left hand sprang open. The flat disk spilled to the floor along with the rest of the rope.


    Red dots of blood blossomed across the surface of his palm where tiny needles had punctured his skin. Wiping his hand on his pants, Corvan picked up the disk by its rope tail, like a dead mouse, and gently set it on his bed. Retrieving the handle end, he ran a thumb over the black knob. The flat disk came alive and began twitching and burrowing into his blanket. Leaning in close, he watched as a thousand miniscule fingers thrusted in and out from the disk, grasping, and bunching up the cloth. With trembling hands, he flicked the black button again, and they vanished. The disk lay still.


    Turning it over, he pressed the button on the handle end. The tiny tentacles leapt out, waving and seeking something to grab and then the rope itself grew thicker; recoiling on itself like an angry snake and slithering around his forearm. Letting out a yelp, Corvan dropped the disk to the floor, where it spread out wide on the wooden planks. The rope thinned out and seemed to flow toward the disk.


    He pulled, but the flat disk wouldn¡¯t budge. He tried harder, and the floorboards flexed and creaked. Working the small button, Corvan released the disk from the floor, then tossed it at the wall while activating the tentacles. It stuck fast, and tiny flecks of paint fell as the tiny fingers found the smallest of cracks in the lath and plaster walls.


    Corvan pushed the control to one side and watched as the disk crawled in the same direction, like a round centipede scuttling across the wall. He released the sideways pressure, and it froze in place. For some reason, he had expected it to work that way. It seemed to make logical sense. As he experimented with the button end, he discovered he could control not only the direction but also the speed of the disk. The farther over he bent the knob, the faster it moved.


    ¡°This is incredible,¡± he murmured and a grin spread across his face as he directed the flat disk to where the wall met the slope of ceiling. It made the transition smoothly and slipped upwards towards his grandfather¡¯s light fixture. Corvan flopped onto his back as dislodged plaster sprinkled onto the bed around him. He laughed as he sent it to the very peak, running over the four angles surrounding the black metal ring and his light bulb. When his thumb slipped off the controls, the twitching disk fell onto his legs and sent him scrambling back with a startled yelp.


    Leaning back against his headboard, his laughed died off as a memory of the rope and his grandfather came clear. He had been allowed to play with this rope when he was very young, and he remembered laughing as his grandfather ran it around the light and then tried to catch him with it on the bed.


    Corvan raised his gaze to the bedroom window. Why was he only remembering these things now? Was it because he was coming of age soon? Maybe his grandfather had planted those memories so Corvan would come looking for him? It sounded like something from his science fiction stories but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t possible.


    He picked up the disk. Would it work on something really smooth? Crossing to the window, held it up to the glass, and activated the button. The disk spread out even flatter, like a small lily pad floating on the water. He worked the controls, and it moved across the smooth surface, but at a much slower pace.


    A desperate scream from outside pulled his gaze beyond the pane of glass.


    Out on the rock, someone was madly swinging a long stick. The person shouted, the stick rose high, and then they vanished behind the central boulder.


    Kate was being attacked by the lizard!

 Hammer 12: Door

    Corvan scrambled into the circle of stones to find Kate sitting in the dirt. The thick body of a large garter snake was stretched out toward her. A long stick from the ruined fort lay next to its crushed head. Relief flowed over Corvan as he knelt beside her.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°You know I hate snakes,¡± Kate said, shaking her head.


    Corvan grabbed the dead snake by the tail and carried it over to the edge of the castle rocks. It was a real beauty, one of the largest he¡¯d ever seen. He tossed its thick body into the field down below. A coyote or owl would soon make a meal of it.


    Turning back, he found Kate already on her feet and brushing the dust off her jeans.


    ¡°I thought the lizard was attacking you,¡± Corvan said, instantly wishing he hadn¡¯t mentioned it again.


    Kate nodded. ¡°I came here to prove that the lizard was just in your imagination.¡± She pointed to where his pile of rocks had been. Kate had moved them to one side, and the dark hole through which the lizard had disappeared gaped at him.


    Corvan tugged the hammer from his back pocket and held it out. ¡°Did you see it?¡± he asked without taking his eyes off the spot.


    ¡°No. You said the lizard only comes out at night.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure.¡± Corvan muttered as he was edging closer. ¡°Did the snake come out of the hole?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kate replied. ¡°The snake was on the other side. I was following the lines, so I could see the rest.¡±


    ¡°The rest of what?¡±


    ¡°The door.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t a door, Just a hole where the lizard . . . where it came out of.¡±


    Kate shook her head and pointed to the central rock. ¡°That hole is just a gap between the rocks that are holding two flat slabs apart. It¡¯s like the two sides of an elevator door, except its flat on the ground.¡±


    Corvan crouched by the large rock with the hammer in hand. Where Kate had scraped away the dirt, he could make out two parallel lines about 6 inches apart. Between them were the bumpy outlines of rocks under the mud. The two lines vanished under the large rock.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a big crack the rain has washed stuff into,¡± Corvan said while glancing up at Kate.


    Kate waved him on with a grubby hand. ¡°You need to look on the other side.¡±


    Corvan crawled around the rock. The parallel lines continued a short distance before each one bent out at precisely ninety degrees.


    Corvan traced the lines with a finger. ¡°This must be something the first people carved,¡± he said. ¡°Like the rock paintings in the caves by the river. My father says this hill was a sacred place to them.¡±


    Kate knelt beside him. ¡°You could be right. I had just found some strange carved symbols when that snake slithered out.¡± She brushed a pile of dirt away from the base of the boulder. ¡°I think we need to move this big rock to see the rest. I hope there¡¯s no more snakes under it.¡±


    Kate moved back as Corvan inspected the cleared area. The marks that had been cut into the stone weren¡¯t strange to him. The looked the same as the glowing symbols on the hammer. If Kate was right, this was the door into the cave under Castle Rock. He stood, put his shoulder up against the rock and pushed with all his might. Kate joined him, and it rocked slightly.


    ¡°We need a pry bar,¡± Corvan said. ¡°My father has some long pipes in the cellar.¡±


    Retreating down the western channel, Kate cleared her throat and spoke from behind him. ¡°I saw some tracks when I was moving the dirt.¡±


    ¡°Three toes with claws?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Are they from your lizard?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Those are the tracks I saw this summer.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s three feet tall?¡± Kate asked.


    Corvan stopped in the field at the bottom of the water channel and looked up at the rock. ¡°Maybe not quite that high, but it¡¯s almost up to your waist when it¡¯s next to you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see it that close,¡± Kate said, looking looked closely at his face. ¡°What happened after ¡­ after it talked to you?¡±


    ¡°I told it to go away and held the hammer up in front of me,¡± Corvan replied, raising it up between them. ¡°It¡¯s really scared of the hammer. It won¡¯t even touch it without cloth wrapped around its paws, so I think we¡¯re safe if we have the hammer with us.¡±


    Kate nodded and they walked together towards the house. Gravel crunched in the driveway out front, followed by the slam of the truck door. ¡°Sounds like my parents are home. Do you think we should show my father the cracks and carving in the rock?¡±


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    ¡°It might be best,¡± Kate said. ¡°He must know something about how that rock was rolled into the middle. Maybe he did it to lock the door so the lizard couldn¡¯t get out.¡±


    They met Corvan¡¯s mother at the corner of the house. She was walking slowly with her head down. Once she saw them, she wiped tears from her eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, mom? Where¡¯s dad?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside,¡± she replied. ¡°I need to sit a minute.¡±


    They followed her in, and mother sat at the kitchen table. ¡°Kate, can you get me a cup of cold water.¡±


    Kate filled a glass and joined them at the table but stayed standing.


    Corvan¡¯s mother held the cup in both hands, staring into it without drinking.


    ¡°We got a call from Fred Simpson this morning. He arranged for your dad to start a job up north at the Langdon mine. He had to go right away, so I took him into the Fenwood bus station.¡± She stared out the window. ¡°It¡¯s a long way from here. We won¡¯t see him for a least a month, but we need the money if we¡¯re going to make it through the winter.¡±


    Corvan frowned. ¡°Why can¡¯t he keep working at the Red Creek mine?¡±


    ¡°At the meeting, the owners told the miners they are shutting that mine down for a while. They breached an underground river, and the lower shafts are filling up with water. The owners say the ground is too unstable in this area and they have lost too much money. They might close the Red Creek mine for good.¡±


    Kate began to make her way nervously toward the door. Corvan knew she hated any sign of family tension or problems.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to leave, dear,¡± Corvan¡¯s mother said. ¡°Fred gave us a fresh chicken for supper. You¡¯re welcome to join us.¡±


    Kate stopped and looked at Corvan with a question in her eyes. He nodded to here and Kate said, ¡°That would be great, thanks.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s mother pushed her chair away from the table and took her cup to the sink. ¡°I¡¯ll get everything ready. You two go ahead and enjoy the outdoors while we still have nice weather.¡±


    Kate left out the back door. Corvan rose slowly to his feet, and his mother stopped to give him a hug.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my only one,¡± she said, pulling away and putting a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Things will work out. We¡¯ll miss your father, but we¡¯re fortunate that he found work so quickly.¡± With a gentle push, she directed him toward the back door. ¡°Supper will be done in about an hour,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll ring the bell when it¡¯s ready.¡±


    Kate was sitting on the porch steps looking up at the Castle Rock. Corvan jumped past her. ¡°Wait here a minute. I¡¯ll grab a pipe.¡± He headed around the house to the steep ramp that ran down to their cellar. At times, his dad would back his truck down the ramp and unload longer pieces of metal. It would take a pretty strong pipe to move the heavy rock, but there was bound to be something on the rack in his dad¡¯s shop.


    Descending the stone ramp, he pushed one of the cellar doors open. The shaft of light pierced the dusty air and fell on the pipe racks along the far wall. He took a step inside, then stopped. His dad said he was not to go into the workshop until after his birthday. If he went straight ahead to the far wall and grabbed a pipe without looking around, surely his dad wouldn¡¯t mind given the circumstances. He wouldn¡¯t even turn on the light. Besides, they wouldn¡¯t be celebrating his birthday for a long time with his dad gone and he couldn¡¯t just let a dangerous lizard prowl around their home. It was up to him to protect his mother and do his part as the soon-to-be man of the house.


    Walking between the slender columns and arches that supported the cellar ceiling, he was reminded again of the small cathedral in Paris he had seen in a travel magazine. When his grandfather had built their home, he had cut the stone blocks for the walls of the house from below it. He even cut the workbench from the bedrock, complete with storage spaces and tool racks. Without looking in that direction, Corvan went straight ahead and lifted a long, heavy pipe from the rack. Gripping it with both hands, he intentionally turned away from the workbench to avoid seeing anything his father might be working on.


    Instead, he saw a door.


    Ever since he could remember, the north wall of the cellar had been completely covered with a set of high wooden shelves, but now the center section had been pulled away from the wall to reveal a dark space beyond. His father had created a secret storage compartment under their house. It was likely where he was hiding the long box and maybe the other surprise birthday present his father had mentioned.


    As he took a step forward for a better look, the end of his pipe banged on the open shelving section, and it swung closed with a soft bang and a click as a hidden latch flipped into position somewhere on the shelving. From the echo beyond the door, it sounded like a fairly large room. Turning the pipe toward the door leading up the ramp he sidled up to the shelves and tugged on the secret door. As expected, it was now locked tight.


    ¡°Did you find a pipe?¡± Kate¡¯s voice floated down from above.


    Leaving the shelving door behind, Corvan left the cellar and climbed up the ramp. Dropping the pipe into the grass, he ran back and eased the cellar door closed. He desperately wanted to check out the door, but this wasn¡¯t the right time. Actually, with his dad gone and his warning to stay out of the shop, he would need to wait until his dad came home. ¡°Don¡¯t let my mother know I was in there.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°My dad said I was supposed to stay out of there until after my birthday.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have gone in.¡±


    ¡°I forgot.¡±


    Kate shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re very good at making up excuses to suit your own plans.¡±


    Corvan grunted and picked up the pipe. Kate was right. Why did the truth hit so hard the last few days?


    By the time they reached the top of the hill, the evening shadows from the rocks were halfway across circle. The last wedge of sunlight was highlighting the dark hole next to the central boulder. It would be a good idea to block it up again, but he was anxious to see what was under the boulder and the lizard didn¡¯t seem to like the sunshine.


    Slipping the pipe under it, he grabbed the larger rock he had first stuffed into the lizard¡¯s hole and used it to create a fulcrum. Stepping back, he leaned on the far end of pipe.


    The rock began to tip back. Kate jumped in beside him to add her weight. The rock slowly lifted, then suddenly rolled away, dumping them onto the ground. Kate scrambled to where the rock had been sitting and started pushing away the dirt. She stopped and pointed down to where the central rock had been sitting.


    ¡°If this is a door, then this must be the keyhole.¡±


    Corvan crawled beside her and stared in amazement. Off to one side, just beyond the gap that the lizard had used to escape into the rock was a shallow hole, rimmed by sunlight. Two circles and symbols were carved around it, just like the keyhole in his grandfather¡¯s oak chest.


    Kate picked up a rock and tapped on the symbols. A dull thump sounded from inside. ¡°It¡¯s hollow down there.¡±


    Kate knocked again, and this time Corvan clearly heard the rustling of scales on rock in the silence that followed.


    A shadow flitted across the hole directly below them.

 Hammer 13: Bracelet

    Corvan¡¯s blood ran cold. Without a second thought, he yanked Kate to her feet and pulled her away from the hole. Eyes wide, she dropped her rock and stumbled along to crouch with him beyond the ring of outer boulders.


    ¡°Was that the lizard?¡± Kate asked.


    ¡°Yes, I need to block that hole,¡± Corvan said. Pulling the hammer from his pocket, he crept forward.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Kate whispered.


    Choosing a good-sized rock from the pile, he pulled it to his chest with one hand but it slipped free, and he had to jump back to save his toes from being crushed.


    ¡°I can help,¡± Kate said as she bent to pick up the rock, but Corvan stopped her.


    ¡°Here,¡± he said, holding the hammer out to her. ¡°If the lizard comes out, point this toward it and tell it to go away.¡±


    Kate hesitated, then reluctantly took the hammer from his hand. Her face was tight with fear.


    Corvan heaved a larger rock to his chest, stepped cautiously forward, and held the rock out as far as he could directly over the hole.


    A claw appeared. Kate screamed.


    Corvan lost his grip, and the rock dropped. A screech of pain erupted at his feet as the rock bounced and rolled away. From below the hole, there was a scrabbling of claws and then silence.


    He had to find something else to close over the entrance to the lizard¡¯s den and fast.


    Corvan looked to the ruined fort. If he could cover the hole with a large board, he could stand on it while Kate piled the rest of the firepit rocks on top. Keeping his eyes on the hole, he picked up a wide plank from one end, but it was too heavy and dipped down toward the hole. Corvan fell to his knees to stop its descent, but it kept falling and rapped sharply next to the hole.


    Immediately the lizard shot out and sank one of its long claws deep into the wood. It glared at him and snarled past a mouth full of pointed teeth and flecked with foam, then muttered something. This time Corvan couldn¡¯t understand what it said, but a gasp from Kate told him that she heard it clearly.


    The angry creature ripped its claw free of the wood, took a step forward, and locked its fiery eyes on Corvan. One foreleg and claw were extended toward him, the other hung at its side. Blood was dripping steadily from the end of the crushed paw. It stopped and stared at him through narrow slits.


    The dinner bell on the back porch shattered the silence and the lizard turned toward the house. Its eyes fell on Kate and it creapt in her direction. With a shaking hand, Kate lifted the hammer toward it. ¡°Stop!¡± she commanded.


    The creature collapsed to the ground as if she¡¯d shot it. Covering its head with its good claw, it whined and writhed before her, its wounded claw dragging about in the dust. Hammer held out before her, Kate moved in closer.


    ¡°Stay away, Kate. It¡¯s a trap!¡± Corvan shouted.


    Ignoring his warning, Kate kept her eyes focused on the lizard as she continued her advance on the injured creature. Corvan had observed animals feigning death and then attacking. Kate needed to back away.


    As Kate drew close, the lizard stretched out prone and grew still. An intense determination covered Kate¡¯s face as she stood directly over it, then raised the hammer high above her head. The creature at her lay perfectly still, as if waiting for the fatal blow. Corvan could only watch in horrified silence as Kate brought the hammer swiftly down but then she slowed and gently touched the lizard on the back of its neck. With a low metallic groan, the black collar around its neck quivered and fell into the dirt.


    Kate took a step back as the lizard rose slowly, bowed its head to Kate, then backed away toward the hole between the door slabs. When Kate bent to examine the black band, it stopped, shaking its head while rattling off a string of clicks and hisses. Kate sank to her knees and picked the band up. The lizard kept hissing and gesturing toward Kate with its healthy claw, then approached Corvan. What was it saying? He looked to Kate and found her glowering at the creature. She thumped the hammer on the ground and the rock seemed to shiver beneath them. ¡°Be quiet and go away,¡± she said, pointed the hammer at the wounded creature.


    The lizard glanced at Corvan with a helpless expression on its narrow face.


    ¡°Now!¡± Kate commanded.


    The lizard scuttled away and retreated into the hole.


    Picking up the lizard¡¯s black band, Kate stood with it draped limply over her palm like a glistening black leech. She held it off to one side and then lifted the hammer, as if weighing both objects in her hands.


    The dinner bell rang again, louder, and longer. ¡°We¡¯ve got to go,¡± Corvan croaked, ¡°I¡¯ll put a rock over the hole.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to,¡± Kate stated. ¡°It won¡¯t come back now that I¡¯m holding the hammer.¡±


    Corvan approached her. ¡°How did you know what to do to get that collar off?¡± He held out his hand. ¡°Let me see it.¡±


    Kate stuffed the black band into the front pocket of her jeans. ¡°We don¡¯t have time. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Hammer in hand, she turned and strode off down the western trail.


    Corvan sprinted to catch up to her. ¡°Kate, I need the hammer back.¡±


    Kate shook her head, shoved the hammer into her back pocket and sped up until they were both was slipping and skidding down the incline.


    ¡°I need it back to keep the lizard away from my house,¡± Corvan shouted. He managed to grab the back of her shirt, but she shook him off and the fabric slipped from his fingers.


    As soon as Kate reached level ground, she broke into a run toward the house hollering, ¡°Race ya!¡± over her shoulder.


    Corvan didn¡¯t even try. Kate always beat him in a foot race and there was no way he could fight her to get the hammer back. He slowed to a walk as she neared the house and then disappeared into the back porch. Why was she acting so strange?


    As he stepped into the porch, his mother came out to pour the potato water into the washing machine. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. ¡°What was all the hollering up there?¡±


    Corvan¡¯s face and neck were hot and prickling as he went to the washbasin and concentrated on his soapy hands. ¡°We were cleaning up the mess from when the old fort blew down. Didn¡¯t want that old tarp blowing out into the field.¡± It was another lie, but his mother would never believe the truth. Right now, he wasn¡¯t so sure he even knew what the truth was. How could he when he couldn¡¯t understand anything the lizard was saying? They only person who could understand it was the one holding the hammer. He had to get it back from Kate.


    The back door opened, and Kate appeared. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize it was so late. My mom will be home in half an hour, and I haven¡¯t finished the dishes. She¡¯ll be furious. I need to leave right away¡± She went to move past them, but Corvan¡¯s mother stepped in front of her.


    ¡°You can take along some of the chicken dinner for your supper. She will be happy that something is ready for her.¡± Corvan¡¯s mother retreated into the kitchen to dish hot food into a tin pie plate.


    Corvan tried to catch Kate¡¯s eye, but she just stared at the floor. There was no way he would let her leave without getting his hammer back and also getting a look at the black band. The lizard didn¡¯t want her to take it away but it wasn¡¯t angry about losing it, in fact, it seem relieved to not have it around its neck again.


    Mother came to the door with the plate wrapped in a tea towel.


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    ¡°I¡¯ll carry it for her.¡± Corvan said quickly as he took the dish from his mother¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Then come right back,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll wait to eat with you.¡± She looked to say something to Kate, but the girl was already out the door and off the back steps.


    ¡°Kate is worried and also angry,¡± his mother said. ¡°Better give her some space and let her cool down.¡±


    Corvan nodded quickly and ran to catch up with Kate. As soon as they were out of earshot, he tried asking calmly, ¡°What happened with the lizard?¡±


    ¡°It was frightened,¡± Kate replied but kept marching along. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you see that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but what did it say to you?¡±


    Kate did not answer and picked up her pace.


    ¡°You did hear it talk, didn¡¯t you?¡± Corvan asked, his irritation rising.


    Kate stopped but did not turn to face him. Instead, she looked straight ahead, her voice low. ¡°It said it could not stand against me because I had all the power. Then it begged me to let it live. It said I was the only one who could set it free from the band. All I needed to do was touch it with ¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me see the black band,¡± Corvan said. ¡°Why did it want to be set free? Did you feel something when you picked it up?¡±


    ¡°Not now. I¡¯m too tired,¡± Kate snapped back.


    ¡°It¡¯ll just take a second.¡± He stepped around her to block her way into the back alley behind her house.


    Kate snatched the covered plate from his hands. ¡°I said I¡¯m tired,¡± she huffed. ¡°And I¡¯m not a child who needs to be walked home in the dark. I can take care of myself.¡± She pushed past to leave Corvan standing alone in the alley.


    He watched her go through her back gate before he turned for home. Why was she acting so strange? One minute she was back to being his best friend, and the next she was chewing his head off. He turned around and headed home. Not only did he not get to see the black band, but Kate still had his hammer. What if the lizard came to his house in the night?


    The screen door banged shut behind him, and he slumped down at the table. Mother¡¯s eyebrows arched as she retrieved their supper from the oven. As they ate, she filled him in on the details of his father¡¯s new job. He was one of the fortunate ones. There were ten or more families affected by the Red Creek mine closure, and only a few of the men had been offered a job up north. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a difficult winter,¡± his mother said. ¡°We¡¯ll need to help as many people as we can.¡±


    Corvan was barely catching what she was saying. His mind was still trying to sort out what had just happened with Kate, the lizard, and the black band.


    After supper, they washed the dishes together. His mother suggested they play Scrabble. He agreed, but he found it difficult to concentrate. Finally, his mother said they should get to bed, although she seemed pleased that for once she was winning the game. Corvan returned the game to the pantry.


    As he turned for the stairs, his mother called after him. ¡°Did you see the letter your father left for you?¡±


    Corvan looked blankly at her and shook his head.


    ¡°He left it on your washstand when we left this morning. He didn¡¯t want to wake you.¡±


    Corvan tore up the stairs and burst into his room. Sure enough, a folded piece of paper with his name printed across the front was propped against the water pitcher. He nearly ripped it in his haste to get it opened.


    There was only a short note.


    Corvan,


    I¡¯m sorry I must leave without saying good-bye. I will come home just as soon as I can.


    The next four words were crossed out. Contact me if anything. Below the scribbled-out words, he had written,


    You will turn 15 and be a man by the time I get back. If anything out of the ordinary happens, use your best judgment, and do what you know is right.


    Take care of your mom while I am gone.


    Love, Dad.


    Corvan sat on the edge of his bed. He wasn¡¯t ready to be a man, and his mom was a whole lot stronger than he was anyway. Still, it felt good that his dad trusted him to look after things while he was away.


    Downstairs there was a knock at the front door, then an agitated woman¡¯s voice rose up the stairwell. It was likely one of the other wives of the men at the mine. His mom was right, this would be a difficult winter for everyone.


    The voices moved into the living room, there was a pause and then his mother called from the bottom of the stairs. ¡°Corvan, can you please come down here for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Coming,¡± he replied and headed downstairs. His mother was in the kitchen getting the teapot ready and jerked her head in the direction of the living room. He nodded and turned the corner, then stopped and stared. Kate¡¯s mother was on the couch; her cheeks streaked with tears and mascara. He had never seen her look so sloppy. She always took great pride in her looks and made sure everyone knew that she once had a small part in a movie.


    Corvan¡¯s mother entered from the kitchen with a teapot and two cups on a wooden tray. She nodded to the armchair, and he sat on its wide arm, while his mother set the tray on the coffee table and poured the tea. Settling in next to Kate¡¯s mom she looked at him.


    ¡°Mrs. Poley believes you might know where Kate has gone.¡± She fired a warning look at him from beneath her eyebrows that said he had better tell the truth this time. ¡°When you were walking her home, did she say anything to you about going away?¡±


    Corvan¡¯s heart sank as he shook his head. ¡°No. Nothing about leaving. Is she . . .¡±


    ¡°Did she say anything about me?¡± Mrs. Poley interjected.


    Corvan¡¯s jaw tightened. Every time he met Kate¡¯s mom, the conversation had to be about her. ¡°She only said she was worried that you¡¯d be mad about the dishes not being done.¡±


    Mrs. Poley shook her head. ¡°I was only a little bit annoyed with her.¡± She turned to Corvan¡¯s mother. ¡°I get so tired from working those long shifts, you know, and it¡¯s not easy to raise a child on your own.¡± She paused and dabbed at her eyes with a stained hanky. ¡°She told me she had been busy too and had made me a chicken dinner. But as soon as I saw the plate, I knew she was lying because the towel matched the one on the bowl of pastry you sent over.¡±


    She blinked her long lashes, but no more tears fell despite her best efforts. ¡°Kate¡¯s never lied to me before, but before I could say anything, she ran to her room and slammed the door. I left her alone while I watched my TV.¡± She paused, no doubt expecting them to be impressed that she owned the only TV set in town¡ªan extravagant present from the movie director. ¡°When I checked on her, she was gone. Just took the blanket from her bed and left out the window. She didn¡¯t even take her runners from the front door; she¡¯s run away with bare feet!¡±


    Corvan¡¯s mother patted her shoulder. ¡°Then I¡¯m sure Kate will come back soon. She just needed time to cool off.¡±


    ¡°She had better do it quickly.¡± Mrs. Poley pouted. ¡°I¡¯m tired of phone calls about her fighting and her bad attitude. I¡¯ve always been there for her, I even moved to this one-horse town to give us both a fresh start, but now she keeps saying she is old enough to take care of herself.¡± She stood up and looked out the living room window. ¡°Dave wants me to move to Las Vegas with him. If Kate is so sure she can make it on her own, I have half a mind to just leave her here and go.¡±


    As the woman flounced and tossed her head, Corvan found himself wondering if there even was half a mind under the dyed blond hair. He had seen her be mean to Kate, and twice Kate had run away. The first time they met he had found her crying inside his fort in the middle of the night.


    Kate¡¯s mom turned around with her hands raised dramatically. ¡°She even took my outhouse flashlight from beside the back door,¡± she complained. ¡°She knows I hate going out there in the dark.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s mom gestured off to one side for him to leave, and he headed for the stairway. There was no way he would go to sleep. As soon as Mrs. Poley was gone, he was going to slip out and see if Kate had gone back to the Castle Rock.


    Mrs. Poley called after him. ¡°Corvan, do you know who gave Kate that lovely black bracelet?¡±


    A shock went thought Corvan and he turned slowly around.


    ¡°She was wearing a shiny bracelet, but she wouldn¡¯t let me look at it. You didn¡¯t give it to her, did you?¡± She studied his face intently as if she would be able to read his mind.


    Corvan shook his head.


    ¡°She said that even though I didn¡¯t want her around, there was someone who did, and I thought ¡­¡± She cocked her head to one side. ¡°Did she say anything about hearing from her father? I haven¡¯t let him know we are even here so unless she contacted him on her own . . .¡±


    Her voice trailed off. Corvan stared blankly at Mrs. Poley the shook his head again. His mind was racing. Why would Kate put that black band on after the lizard wanted so badly to be set free from it? It was obviously dangerous and powerful.


    Mrs. Poley crossed the room and dropped on one knee, so her eyes were level with his. ¡°Corvan, I know I haven¡¯t been keen on you and Kate playing together. It¡¯s just that I know all too well what can come of a boy and a young girl spending too much time together.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s face flushed as Mrs. Poley took his hands in hers. ¡°I can tell you honestly that if she goes to find her father, her feelings will be hurt much worse than if you were to break her heart. Please don¡¯t let her go looking for him. That could ruin her life.¡± The way she said the words and put a hand to her cheek, made the speech sound like Mrs. Poley was acting in another movie.


    His mother helped Mrs. Poley to her feet and ushered the woman back to the couch. She looked to Corvan. ¡°Run along to bed, son. No doubt Kate will cool off and come home soon.¡±


    Corvan looked at Mrs. Poley¡¯s tear-stained face. Despite the way she treated Kate, he felt sorry for her and how her life had turned out. ¡°I¡¯ll find Kate and bring her home,¡± he blurted out. ¡°I promise.¡±


    Mrs. Poley smiled. ¡°Thank you Corvan. I know you will do your best.¡±


    Corvan left the living room and slowly climbed the stairs back to his room. That bracelet was doing something strange to Kate. He should never have let her hold the hammer in the first place. If only he could have heard everything it said to her.


    Lacing up his tennis shoes, he pulled on his sweatshirt, then sat and waited on his window ledge. As soon as his mother was in bed, he would find Kate, get the hammer back, then roll the central boulder back over the door. Things were getting too complicated. He would wait for his father to return to help him figure out how the pieces all fit together and what to do next.


    A beam of light from the top of the rock played past his bedroom window. Corvan pressed his face against the screen. The shadows shifted as a flashlight flickered around inside the Castle Rock before the light shot straight into the air, then went out.


    A chill raced up his spine.


    The hammer was the key to the door in the rocks, and Kate had gone to open it.

 Hammer 14: Pitchfork

    Pushing up the window screen, Corvan slipped over his windowsill and onto the back porch roof. Tiptoeing to one side, he grabbed the thickest overhanging branch of the maple tree and was on the ground in seconds. Crouching low, he cut wide around the back porch and between the rows of the trees. Halfway along, the light in the porch went out, plunging the backyard into darkness. Glancing back through the kitchen window, he saw his mother turn toward the light in her bedroom, then closed the door. The sound of her radio filtered into the backyard. She often left it on through the night when his dad was away.


    Cutting over to the outhouse path, Corvan ran full tilt past the outbuilding, leapt onto the rock, then stumbled as the stone beneath his feet shuddered and dropped him to his knees. Before he could get to his feet, a desperate cry pierced the night air.


    Scrambling to the top of the rock, he bolted into the circle just as the two stone slabs crashed together. Splinters of shattered rock exploded into the air and rained around him as he fell to his knees and pounded on the stone. ¡°Kate. It¡¯s me, Corvan. Open the door!¡± He shouted at the ground.


    He hammered on the stone slab with a loose stone, but the only answer was faint echoes from below. He reached for a larger rock and bashed on the door until it fell from his scraped and bleeding hands.


    Sitting back, he spied a piece of cloth caught in the top corner where the slabs met. Corvan tugged, and it came loose, neatly snipped off. It was the hemmed edge of Kate¡¯s flannel blanket. Tears of frustration obscured the cloth in his hand. Kate was gone. And without the hammer to open the doors, there was no way he could get her back.


    The clouds shifted and moonlight poured into the circle of rocks. Wiping his eyes with the scrap of cloth, he got to his feet to look at the various footprints in the twin piles of dirt that had been pushed aside when the doors had opened for Kate. Some were from Kate¡¯s borrowed runners; the rest were made by the lizard. Corvan walked in a circle and traced the progression of the tracks. The lizard had been hiding behind the large rock because he could see a set of deeper prints where it had jumped out and landed just after the doors had opened. After that, the prints retreated toward the north side of the hill. Either the lizard was still out there, or it had a different way to get inside and follow Kate. He had to hope it was the first option.


    The north side of Castle Rock was too steep to walk down, so he skidded on his backside to field, then searched the soil around the perimeter of the rock until he located the lizard¡¯s tracks heading toward the loose pile of dead tree limbs waiting to be cut into firewood out behind the outhouse.


    A bank of clouds enveloped the moon, and the tracks vanished in the dark. Corvan looked up. There were only a few small breaks in the sky overhead. It was going to be a long, black night.


    A singular patch of moonlight slipped toward the woodpile and moved over the jumbled logs. He caught his breath as the silhouette of the lizard appeared briefly at the very top of the pile.


    Easing himself lower into the stalks of wheat, Corvan crouched onto the soft, warm soil. This time he would need a weapon to defend himself. The lizard was too quick and vicious. He needed something to stun it before it could get away.


    Corvan crawled soundless in the exposed dirt at the base of the rock until he was hidden from the woodpile by the outhouse, then scurried up the path to the house. As he passed his mother¡¯s room and climbed the stairs, he could hear Patti Page singing The Tennessee Waltz. The radio would cover any sounds he might make in his room, but he left the light off as he retrieved his slingshot and pouch of marbles from inside the chest. The Wham-O slingshot had been a tenth birthday present from his dad, and it was the top model, featuring a solid ash handle. As its name implied it made a great sound when it hit its mark. With the screen up, he could hit the knot on the outhouse door from his bedroom window; his mother was not impressed when it turned out she was inside.


    Sneaking over to the window, Corvan peered around the edge and studied the deep shadows of the back yard. The top of the log pile was just visible, but the lizard was not in sight. If he stayed downwind and came in from the front side of the outhouse, he should be able to catch it unawares. If he pulled back only halfway back on the slingshot, the marble should stun the creature long enough for him to capture it.


    Using his maple tree escape route, Corvan dropped to the ground and searched around the base of the tree for a forked stick; like those he used for catching snakes, but there was nothing large enough for a lizard. He was making his way toward the cellar to find something that might work, when he spied his mother¡¯s garden scarecrow standing in the middle of her garden, the broken pitchfork in its hand. That would work perfectly as it only had the two outer tines remaining.


    Picking his way carefully through the rows of plants, he pulled the pitchfork from the scarecrow¡¯s hand. He jumped back nervously when its head flopped to one side and looked to the ground. Instinctively Corvan followed its gaze to where bare footprints in were pressed into the soft soil hilled up around his mother¡¯s potato plants. Kate had just been here, and she had taken the worn-out sneakers his mother had placed below the bottom of the scarecrow¡¯s empty pant legs.


    Leaving the footless scarecrow watching with its cockeyed stare, Corvan crept across the yard and crouched behind the outhouse. Overhead and to the west was a large open patch in the clouds; the moonlight would arrive any minute.


    Moving out into the shelter of the trees, he tucked in close to the darkness around their weathered trunks. The plowed soil muffled his approach to a vantage point under the canopy of one of the largest spruce trees. The bed of dried needles poked into his kneecaps as he pulled three marbles from the pouch. Two went into his mouth and one into the slingshot.


    The moonlight was moving in his direction, lighting the open prairie in a silver arc. Corvan focused on the woodpile and waited. As the light reach the ragged pile, there was a flicker of movement before a familiar shape leaned out, looking up at the Castle Rock.


    Pulling the leather pouch back to his elbow, he measured the tension building in the rubber bands, then let the marble fly. It struck the lizard high on the side of its head. The creature slumped forward, its body draped over a log.


    Busted pitchfork in hand, Corvan scrambled over the logs up to the reptile. It rolled over, its eyes wide with fear as the points of the pitchfork dropped past its face. Adrenaline surged through Corvan as he pushed the two tines firmly around the lizard¡¯s neck, pinning it tight against the rough tree bark.


    It gurgled and tried to swallow, its eyes begging for mercy. Corvan eased up on the handle to let it catch a breath. ¡°Where¡¯s Kate!?¡± he demanded and choked on the marbles still in his mouth.


    The lizard blinked, hissing out what seemed to be words.


    Spitting the marbles away, Corvan leaned closer to the reptile¡¯s narrow face. ¡°Where¡¯s my hammer? Does Kate have it?¡±


    The lizard shook its head as much as the two pitchfork tines would allow.


    ¡°Do you know where the hammer is?¡± Corvan asked, this time speaking slower, to make sure it understood what he was asking. If Kate really didn¡¯t have the hammer with her, then were could it possibly be?


    The lizard tried to talk, then shook its head again, its healthy claw pushing against the shaft of the pitchfork.


    Corvan returned the creature¡¯s gaze. Its dark eyes had lost the venomous anger of their previous encounters. Now it appeared more frightened than vicious.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Corvan eased up on the pressure. ¡°Can you open the door, so I can go inside to find her?¡±


    The lizard slowly nodded and patted the handle of the pitchfork with a question in its eyes. What choice did he have but to trust it. Tugging the points free of the wood, he held the pitchfork ready at his side.


    The lizard sat forward, rubbing its neck as it looked around the jumble of logs, then slipped downward to disappear into a gap between the logs.


    Corvan groaned and plopped down on the end of the thick log jutting out from the pile. The lizard had tricked him, and now he would never find a way past the doors. His stomach churned at the thought of Kate trapped inside the rock until she starved to death.


    Movement on the pile of logs behind him caught his attention and he turned to find the lizard struggling to pull something up and over the log. The creature gave a yank with its good claw, and a pink pencil case bumped down to fall into a pile of dead leaves at Corvan¡¯s feet. The lizard followed and crouched next to the hammer, its sides heaving from exertion.


    Picking up the soft case, Corvan recalled seeing it on Kate¡¯s school desk last year, but only for a day. She had told everyone her father had sent it to her in the mail. At lunch, two boys grabbed it and tossed it back and forth over her head, teasing her that they had seen the same case in the city, until she had given one a bloody nose. He knew exactly what that felt like from the first time he and Kate met. She had never brought the pink case back to school or ever spoke of it again.


    At his feet, the lizard¡¯s head was bobbing as it gestured with its good claw toward the case. Corvan tugged the zipper open and looked inside. Nestled within the pink vinyl was the missing hammer and when he touched it, the insignia glowed brightly turned the entire case into a pastel purple blob. He lifted it out, the handle grew warm, and a sense of calm flowed through him.


    ¡°She was going to take the hammer to the master of the black band,¡± the lizard stated. ¡°That would not have been for her.¡±


    Corvan stared at the creature.


    ¡°When you possess the hammer,¡± the lizard said, ¡°you are able to understand my speaking. That is why I could warn your counterpart about the black band. But she did not listen to me and has willingly accepted the rule of the master.¡±


    ¡°Her name is Kate. What master are you talking about? Did she see someone down below?¡±


    ¡°No, not yet, but she will in time. The band has been awakened by the presence of the hammer and now it compels her to seek him,¡± the lizard said.


    ¡°The band?¡±


    ¡°The black collar that was around my neck before she released me. When they connected, I felt the change in the band and the call to return. That is why I begged her not to touch it, but she wanted it for herself. Now she is wearing it on her wrist when she went through the doors. I know she under its command because she put the hammer in that pink case. When I had the band on, I could not touch the hammer with my bare paws either.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t she take the band off?


    The lizard solemnly shook its head. ¡°Since she has accepted the band of her own free will, it will call her to him, to serve him.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s mind whirled. ¡°But I could use the hammer to set her free?¡± He gripped the handle tightly.


    The lizard thought for a moment. ¡°Only if she desires to be set free, and only if we find her before she reaches him. Once he sees her, he will not allow her to go free, lest she destroy all his plans.¡±


    The lizard¡¯s words were both confusing and frightening. ¡°Then I¡¯ve got to go after her right away.¡± Corvan jumped to his feet and scrambled off the pile. As he ran toward the rock, the lizard caught up to him on its hind legs and ran alongside like a well-trained dog.


    ¡°I believe she will be inside the labyrinth by now,¡± the lizard said, ¡°and you will not be able to follow without a guide.¡±


    Corvan slackened his pace, then stopped at the base of the rock by the footholds climbing the eastern side. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    The lizard patted the side of the rock. ¡°Below the door is an intricate maze. Only those who are called from within can find their way through. The band on the girl will guide her, but you will most certainly be lost.¡±


    ¡°But you can show me the way?¡± Corvan asked.


    The lizard firmly shook its head. ¡°I no longer have the band, so I can no longer make my way through the labyrinth. We would be lost together and trapped inside until we perished.¡±


    Corvan held out the hammer. ¡°What about this? Can it guide me through?¡±


    The lizard stepped back. ¡°Perhaps ¡­ have you been trained in its use? Have you studied the writings?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about writings,¡± Corvan said, ¡°unless you mean my grandfather¡¯s book. It¡¯s metal, and the hammer unlocks it.¡±


    The dark eyes of the lizard widened as it drew in a hissing breath. ¡°Have you discovered what it says?¡±


    The urgency in the lizard¡¯s voice caught Corvan off guard. Maybe all this was just a trick to get the book. I might be more important than the hammer. His grandfather had said not to trust the dark eyes. Was he referring to this lizard?


    ¡°Put your hand on the hammer,¡± Corvan said, his gaze fixed intently on the lizard.


    ¡°My hand?¡± the lizard asked.


    ¡°I mean your paw. Place it on the hammer.¡±


    The lizards stepped away. ¡°Oh no, I cannot touch it. I tried once when I wanted to take it to him, but it hurt me badly. I had to wrap cloth around my paws.¡±


    ¡°That was before Kate released you from the black band,¡± Corvan said.


    The lizard nodded, its good paw caressing the welts around its neck.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the hammer will hurt you now unless you are not telling the truth. It seems to know when you¡¯re lying or have bad intentions.¡± Corvan extended the hammer again.


    The creature shrank away. ¡°I fear it will hurt me.¡±


    ¡°I need to know if I can trust you and you need to decide if you¡¯re willing to trust me.¡±


    The lizard closed its eyes, then edged its paw toward the head of the hammer. There was a moment of silence as it made contact, followed by a long sigh. ¡°It is not angry with me anymore.¡±


    ¡°Try the other paw, the injured one,¡± Corvan suggested with sudden inspiration.


    The lizard attempted to lift its bloody paw and let out a low, painful hiss. Crouching lower, Corvan touched the hammer to the damaged paw. A look of astonishment crossed the lizard¡¯s face as it flexed the paw, then wrapped it tighter around the head of the hammer.


    ¡°Does it feel better?¡± Corvan asked. ¡°It healed my hand when I burned my finger so I thought it might help you too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Look, I can lift it now, and the pain is almost gone. Oh, thank you, sir, thank you.¡±


    Watching the creature bobbing and bowing before him reminded Corvan of the old man who used to be the caretaker at the Red Creek mine. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me; it was the hammer. If you lie, it hurts you, but when you tell the truth, it heals you. I don¡¯t know how it knows, but it does.¡± Flipping it around he pointed the handle¡¯s glow at the lizard. ¡°So be sure you always tell me the truth.¡±


    The lizard nodded vigorously. ¡°I will, sir, but we must hurry if we hope to get through the door before daylight.¡±


    Corvan looked to the eastern sky. ¡°Is there anything else I should bring? Will I need a flashlight?¡±


    The lizard squinted at him. ¡°I do not know the word flashlight.¡±


    ¡°You touch a switch and light comes out the end from a small bulb.¡±


    The lizard¡¯s face wrinkled in thought.


    ¡°Kate had one at the rock. I saw it flashing about.¡±


    The lizard nodded eagerly. ¡°Oh, yes, the short fire stick. No need. I have much larger ones in my entry.¡±


    Corvan needed more information, but time was passing quickly. ¡°Is there anything else I should get?¡±


    ¡°Whatever you think you will need for a long journey,¡± the lizard replied with a shrug.


    ¡°A long journey?¡± Corvan¡¯s heart dropped. ¡°How long will it take to find Kate?¡±


    ¡°Many of your days, sir.¡±


    ¡°Days? How far down does your cave go?¡±


    ¡°It is a long way down. It will take days just to get through the labyrinth, after which there is another long set of passages before we will even arrive in the Cor.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s mind reeled. How could he go into this maze of tunnels unprepared? He needed more time, but there was no time. He would have to just step through the doors and see what happened, despite how crazy it seemed. But then, who am I to say what¡¯s crazy when I¡¯m having a conversation with a lizard?


    ¡°Looking on the bright side,¡± he said with a wry smile, ¡°it will mean missing a few days of school.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, sir. I¡¯m afraid you do not understand. The cycles of your moon affect the passages.¡± It scanned the predawn skies. ¡°Once we have passed through the labyrinth, the opportunity to return to this sphere will not come again for at least one of your moon cycles, maybe more.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t be gone for a month,¡± Corvan exclaimed. ¡°My dad is away, and my mother needs me here to help her.¡±


    The lizard looked up at Castle Rock. ¡°The first portal into the labyrinth will be sealed at sunrise. If you do not wish to go, that is your choice. We can wait until the next opportunity.¡±


    The inside of Corvan¡¯s mouth felt as dry as sandpaper. ¡°But what will happen to Kate?¡±


    ¡°Once she meets the master, she will never return.¡±

 Hammer 15: Backpack

    The matter-of-fact tone in the lizard¡¯s voice shocked Corvan. There was no way he would leave Kate under the control of the black band, lost in the caves underneath the Castle Rock and likely never to return home.


    ¡°We must help her, no matter what it takes.¡± Now his own voice gave him pause; it sounded more like his father was speaking.


    ¡°If we do not try,¡± the lizard stated, ¡°all will be lost. If you stay here to protect your world, you may lose it anyway.¡±


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s going to happen to my world?¡±


    The lizard studiously scratched in the dirt with one of his claws. ¡°It will depend on our success in rescuing the Kate. It may be best for now to focus on that task.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to bring food, but I could never carry enough for a month.¡±


    ¡°No need. There will be food for you once we reach the boundaries of the Cor, but there is none in the labyrinth. I think you will only need enough for six of your days.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the Cor?¡± Corvan asked. ¡°Is that the tunnels under the rock?¡±


    ¡°The Cor is the place where the Kate is going. We must get inside the doors quickly to follow her. Will it take more time to pack your food?¡±


    ¡°Not long. Wait for me up on the rock.¡±


    The creature glanced to the east. ¡°You must hurry. I cannot be outside once the sun is in the sky, and we waste time talking.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± Corvan said as he turned and sprinted toward the house. Maybe he should wake his mother to let her know he was leaving. His pace slackened. She would never believe a story about a talking lizard. It would be best to leave a note telling her he¡¯d gone to find Kate to bring her home as he had promise Mrs. Poley. That would hopefully cause her the least amount of worry when he didn¡¯t return right away.


    Once he reached the familiar outline of his home, he paused with one foot on the porch steps and looked back at the rock. He was not ready to leave his home, but Kate was in great danger. He had to save her.


    The interior of the house was deathly silent; the radio was off and even his mother¡¯s snore was missing. He stood quietly outside her bedroom door, waiting until he heard faint measured breaths inside. She never slept well when his father was away. He would need to be especially quiet.


    Retrieving the hunting packsack from the front entry closet, he shut himself inside the pantry, lit a candle, and slid the pack of matches into the front pocket of his jeans. Filling one of the side pockets of the pack with jerky, he stuffed tinned food, bread, and candles into the main section. After moving a box of Corn Flakes, he discovered a reused waxed bread wrapper, half-full of oatmeal raisin cookies. It fit neatly into the other side pocket. An unexpected bonus was finding a small package of chocolate chips inside an empty tin labeled as baking soda. His mother knew better than to leave those out in the open.


    Sneaking up to his room, Corvan set the pack on the bed, opened the chest, and pulled the grey cloth off onto his lap. There was a longer empty cavity at the very back of the tray he had not noticed before. It was about the length of the wooden case his father had shown him on the rock. If that item was now inside the box and not behind the locked secret door in the cellar, then it was likely stashed under his parents¡¯ bed. He couldn¡¯t go looking and risk waking his mother. Hopefully it was not important for the task at hand.


    Corvan considered the metal book, but since he couldn¡¯t read it and the lizard was a bit too interested in it, he decided to leave it in the chest for safekeeping. Releasing the rope, he tossed it into the packsack and moved on to the next indentation where a pair of slipper-like shoes were held in place with two stretchy cords. Pulling them out he found they were actually more like thick socks and since his own socks were rather thin, he added them into the pack. Having warm feet was important, and it was likely cold under the rock.


    The grey cloth cover was making his legs quite warm, so he rolled it up and placed it inside the pack. Closing the chest, he added three T-shirts and then jammed his slingshot on top. Once he had tied the pack cover in place, he hoisted it onto his shoulders with a low groan. How would he ever manage to carry this much weight around in the caves? What if the passages were really small and more lizard sized. On the other hand, how could he know what a journey to the place called the Cor would require? He would need the lizard¡¯s help to figure out what to keep and to lighten the load.


    As he straightened up, the frame of the pack pushed hard against the hammer in his back pocket. He needed a better way to carry it, and he had the perfect solution.


    Setting the pack on his bed, he knelt down to pull his army ammo box from beneath it. His mother insisted he keep anything that might cause a fire in the stout metal box. Unclipping the latches, he dug past an unopened packet of Black Cat firecrackers, three stubby bottle rockets on short bamboo sticks, a roman candle, and a metal waterproof tube of matches before he found it: his Hubley Trooper cap pistol with the Texas star on its holster. He had quit wearing it years ago, after the other kids started calling him Tex and Billy mocked him by saying he really should be carrying a bow and arrow instead.


    Putting the cap gun back in the box, he stood and threaded the empty holster onto his belt. The hammer slid inside, handle down, as if it were made to order. Snapped the button top flap over the head of the hammer, he stepped in front of the mirror, and in one fluid motion released the hammer and pointed its glowing end at his reflection. He had practiced that maneuver a thousand times with the pistol and was pleased it worked just as well with the hammer. If he needed it in a hurry, he would not need to fumble around to find it.


    He was about to put the explosives back in the ammo box but thought better of it. You never knew when you might need a bright flash or a loud noise. Pulling the grey cloth back out of the pack he wrapped it securely around the fireworks and the metal waterproof tube of matches to make sure nothing went off accidentally.


    Tying the pack shut, he hoisted it onto his shoulder and glanced around his room. A strong sense that he might never return made a strong impression as he flipped the light switch and closed the door.


    He remembered to avoid the noisy stair but with the added weight of the pack, his evasive tactics still resulted in a muted squeak. He heard his mother mumble something in her sleep, then the bed springs creaked as she rolled over. Seizing the moment, Corvan tiptoed down from the landing and scooted through the kitchen to the back porch.


    Easing the back door open, he carefully closed it softly behind him. As he turned, a voice spoke from the armchair.


    ¡°I watched you sit here through the night with the hammer in your hand, but I do not see the advantage of placing one¡¯s body in this thing.¡± The lizard pushed itself out of the chair. ¡°It seems designed merely to keep one awake. It hurts the tail.¡±


    Corvan frowned. ¡°I told you to wait for me on the rock.¡±


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    ¡°I was worried you might be late, and I was considering coming inside to find you,¡± the lizard said.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t. The sight of you would have been too much for my mother to handle.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡± The lizard had a gravely wounded expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing personal. She just doesn¡¯t like snakes.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not a¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know, but she¡¯s not fond of lizards either.¡± He pointed out at the rock. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡±


    ¡°Gladly, sir,¡± the lizard said in a huff. ¡°It is well past the time to leave.¡±


    ¡°Just a minute.¡± Corvan crept back inside the kitchen and found a pencil and paper by the telephone. He jotted a short note telling his mother he was going to look for Kate and not to worry. He might be gone a while if he had to look for her in the city. At the bottom, he wrote his name, Cor-Van, with a tiny hyphen. At least that way his father might understand where he¡¯d really gone.


    Setting the note on the shelf under the phone, he had to blink back the tears and force down the emotions that threatened to engulf him. He had never left home on his own before. Squeezing out the back door, he descended the porch stairs with the lizard following close behind.


    ¡°I believe your belongings will be too large to fit through the labyrinth,¡± the lizard said. ¡°Some of the labyrinth openings cane be quite small.¡±


    Corvan kept walking. ¡°I grabbed everything I thought I might need. It will get lighter as we travel and eat the food.¡±


    ¡°Is it heavy for you?¡± the lizard asked.


    Corvan straightened his back and adjusted the straps of the pack. ¡°I¡¯ve carried more than this before,¡± he replied, but he couldn¡¯t think of when that might have been.


    The dark bulge of the rock loomed ahead. Corvan attempted to leap onto its steep edge but misjudged the added weight of the pack and crashed back to the field. The lizard¡¯s head appeared above him with an ¡°I told you so¡± look on its narrow face.


    Corvan rolled over onto his knees. ¡°I guess it might be a bit too heavy,¡± he said quietly. ¡°Maybe once we¡¯re inside, we can go through it and decide what to leave behind.¡±


    The lizard didn¡¯t answer, but Corvan thought it rolled its eyes before darting up the rock and into the circle. Heaving himself to his feet, he clambered up after it, reached the top, and found the lizard waiting for him at the doors.


    ¡°Light is coming, sir. We must get inside.¡±


    ¡°We have a few minutes.¡± Corvan put his pack down by the stone door. The circle of rocks around him appeared as mute sentinels against the thin grey light of the approaching dawn. A light came on in the kitchen below him, and through the window, he saw his mother go to the sink. He lifted his hand to wave goodbye. She couldn¡¯t see him, but it made him feel a bit better for leaving her this way. She turned away, and the kitchen light went out.


    He turned back to the lizard and found a questioning look on its face.


    ¡°Why do you raise your hand and shake it back and forth?¡± the lizard asked. ¡°I have seen others do this. What is the meaning?¡±


    ¡°We are saying good-bye.¡± The lizard only looked at him, expecting more. ¡°When we are leaving someone, and we don¡¯t know how long it will be before we see them again, we wave.¡± He swallowed hard. ¡°It means that we love them and hope we¡¯ll see them again soon.¡±


    The lizard nodded. ¡°We do not wave.¡± It shook its head sadly. ¡°Love is not permitted when you serve the master.¡± The lizard jumped over to the pack. ¡°We must go now. Once the light is fully up, the first door into the labyrinth cannot be opened until the next phase of the moon.¡± It wrapped its claws around the strap of the packsack and tried to move it closer to the door, but the heavy pack refused to budge.


    Corvan stooped and slung it onto his back. It seemed significantly heavier this time.


    ¡°Sir,¡± a voice spoke at his back.


    Corvan turned around, but the lizard was gone.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, sir.¡± The voice came again and something poked Corvan¡¯s side. Twisting sharply, he found the lizard hanging just above his waist.


    ¡°My claw appears to be caught in your belongings, sir,¡± the creature stated flatly.


    Corvan chuckled as he set the pack down and unhooked the lizard.


    Free from the pack, the lizard frowned at him. ¡°I do not understand that noise you just made. I have heard it before when you and the Kate were together in your fort.¡±


    ¡°I was laughing,¡± Corvan said. ¡°You looked funny hanging there.¡±


    The lizard shook its head, then glanced over its shoulder at the growing light. ¡°Is the hammer ready or did you leave it in your home?¡±


    ¡°I have it with me in a special holder,¡± Corvan said as he slipped it from the holster. He looked between the polished stone and the face of the lizard. ¡°I just realized I don¡¯t have to actually be touching it to understand you. It just needs to be in my possession.¡±


    The lizard only raised its eyebrows, as if to say that was so obvious only a silly human could have missed it.


    Corvan looked at the door slabs. ¡°It should work when I put the handle in that keyhole between the rings.¡± He pointed the handle forward.


    ¡°Stop!¡± The lizard darted in front of him to bar his way to the door. ¡°You do not need to put the hammer in that hole. The power of the hammer flows through your body. The door will open even if your feet touch the stone. That is what happened when the Kate stepped on the doors¡ªthey opened up, and she fell, throwing her arms up, like this.¡± The lizard mimicked the motion. ¡°The small case with the hammer inside flew from her hand, bounced off the big rock to land near the doors, and they closed very fast. That is when I grabbed the case and carried it away as you approached.¡±


    No wonder Kate¡¯s scream had been cut short. ¡°How long does it stay open once you touch it?¡±


    The lizard briefly pondered the question. ¡°I think until you touch it again. It shut when the hammer dropped on it from this side. The Kate was fortunate to not get hit. It closes swiftly.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s test it and see.¡±


    Corvan set his pack down before he tentatively touched the stone. A low rumble echoed below him, but nothing moved. ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t work.¡± As he leaned forward to test it again, the door sprang apart. The lizard pulled him back from the open hole.


    ¡°That¡¯s incredible. Does it work the same to close it?¡±


    Corvan leaned forward and touched one finger to the exposed edge of the door. All was silent.


    The lizard was hissing and clicking, pointing at the ground where the hammer lay dangerously close to the edge of the door in the dirt. Corvan¡¯s face flushed, and, as he picked it up, his free hand brushed the frame. The doors slammed back together with the ferocity of a massive stone mousetrap. He looked up into the wide eyes of the lizard. ¡°How can I possibly get inside the doors without being crushed?¡± Corvan stammered.


    ¡°I think if you open the door, then drop the hammer inside, you will be able to climb in safely. I will go first, and you can follow. I suggest you toss your belongings in after me to avoid them getting caught on the door.¡± The lizard gave the eastern sky another quick glance.


    Pulling the pack in close beside him, Corvan exhaled slowly, then placed his hand on the stone.


    The doors rumbled open, and immediately the lizard leapt into the blackness.


    Corvan called, ¡°Heads up,¡± and dropped the pack. It hit the ground below with a thud. Edging forward, Corvan held the hammer out over the hole. ¡°I¡¯m going to drop the hammer in now.¡± No response. ¡°Here comes the hammer.¡± Silence.


    Was this a trick to get the hammer inside with him still locked outside? It might be best if he held the hammer and jumped in without touching the sides. After that he could shut it from below. As he brought his feet together with his toes just inches from the doorway, and it reminded him of the time he jumped off the high diving board at the city pool. That time he¡¯d ended up in the first aid room.


    Ignoring the warning thoughts, Corvan jumped forward and landed amid a pile of jumbled rocks. He stumbled, and his fingers touched the inside of the door frame. The massive slabs came back together with a resounding thunder that grazed the back of his head and knocked him flat on his face, his head coming to rest against the coarse canvas of his packsack.


    It was so dark that he couldn¡¯t even see his empty hands in front of his face. Empty! Once again, he had dropped the hammer. He felt around on the floor with panic rising in his throat. What if the lizard was waiting in the darkness, its razor-sharp claws ready to tear out his eyes?


    ¡°Are you here lizard?¡± There was no reply.


    He crawled about, fumbling along the stone until his groping hand encountered a round handle, but it was just a short, thick stick with a knobby end. Patting his jeans pocket he found the box of matches, pulled it out and struck one.


    It sputtered to life, and he tilted it down, waiting for it to catch.


    It brightened and when he held it higher, he came face-to-face with the empty eye sockets of a human skull.

 Hammer 16: Watch

    The match sputtered and died.


    In the darkness, the rhythmic click of claws on rock approached, then stopped close by. A spark of light expanded to a dome of brilliant white flame. As Corvan¡¯s eyes adjusted to the harsh light, he saw it came from the end of a long stick the lizard carried. The creature cocked his head to one side, frowned and pointed a claw past Corvan.


    Turning around, Corvan spotted the hammer lying between the ribs of a human skeleton, as if it were a mishappen black heart. The skull seemed to be looking directly at it in wide-eyed disbelief. Was the rock actually some sort of burial ground? There were a few of those in the area. No, that made no sense for this one had a sliding door activated by the stone hammer that his grandfather . . . Had the door closed on the hammer and trapped his grandfather under the rock? Is that why he had not returned home as expected?


    Gingerly, Corvan plucked the hammer from amid the bones and rotting garments. A piece of mildewed cloth pulled away to reveal the letters IPC embroidered in red thread. He knew that logo. IPC was the bankrupt mine with deep bore problems in his grandfather¡¯s newspaper clipping. But his grandfather had never worked at that mine, only for the Red Creek Mine. This had to be someone else but how had they come to be trapped here?


    A shiver ran up his spine. It must have been terrible to die so close to being free. All this person had to do was reach up and touch the hammer and the door at the same time and they would have escaped. Why had the laid down to die instead? Maybe they were injured and couldn¡¯t move?


    ¡°How long has it been here?¡± Corvan asked in a shaky voice.


    The lizard tilted its head to study the skeleton, as if seeing it for the first time. ¡°A long while. It was a time from when I have been guarding the door.¡±


    Corvan slipped the hammer back into the holster and fastened the snap. ¡°How long have you been guarding the door?¡±


    ¡°Before you were born.¡± The light waved about the small space. ¡°I have lost count. It has been a long assignment, and a tedious one.¡±


    Corvan glanced back at the skeleton. It sounded like this person had died long before his grandfather had gone missing, but how would an IPC miner ever get all the way over to the Castle Rock? Could the tunnels the lizard talked about lower down actually connect to some of the mines and caves in the river valley? He and Kate had explored a short way into a few of the larger caves, but this was a long way from those entries.


    ¡°What was your assignment?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°I am a Watcher.¡±


    ¡°What are you watching for?¡±


    The lizard¡¯s eyes darted about. ¡°For those who might try to enter our world ¡­ or leave it. I am to report anything I see back to him.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s him?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°No more askings,¡± the lizard snapped, but then immediately it bowed to the ground. ¡°I am sorry, sir, but my service to the black band is a painful memory.¡± He paused. ¡°I would prefer not to speak of it anymore. Please, come now, we must prepare to make our way through the labyrinth.¡± The lizard turned around and moved off into a low passage, barely high enough for its own head.


    Corvan crawled after it over the rough floor, dragging the packsack behind him. It snagged a few times, and he tugged it free. ¡°Are all the caves this small?¡±


    ¡°No. They are usually large enough for your kind to stand upright, even the ones that are more normal in tallness, but sometimes the passages between them are smaller. You should fit through without problems.¡±


    Corvan sighed to himself. Even in the lizard¡¯s world he was an anomaly, a condensed version of a real human being.


    The passage slanted steeply down, and Corvan took to sliding after the lizard. If his sense of direction was correct, they were descending below the western slope of the Castle Rock. Soon the tunnel became less steep, turned back on itself, then opened up enough for Corvan to stand upright. Now they must beneath the Castle Rock and underground. With this much solid granite down below the field, it was no wonder their soil was so poor and rocky.


    The light from the lizard¡¯s stick bobbed away. Loose stones rolled under Corvan¡¯s feet, and he stumbled, cracking his shoulder against the craggy wall. ¡°Hey, slow down, I can¡¯t see where I¡¯m going.¡±


    The light stopped and came back. ¡°Sorry, sir. After all the times running through here in the dark, I forget there are stones in the way. Please, take my fire stick. I do not need it but be careful not to touch the light. It will burn through anything, even the rocks.¡± He thrust the stick at Corvan and moved on. Corvan held the strange torch with its gooey looking light out in front of him, hoping it would not drip and set his shoes on fire.


    The tunnel descended rapidly for a few hundred yards, then branched in two directions. A clear trail cut to the left, but a single set of running shoe prints went right, the prints that were likely made by the scarecrow¡¯s shoes.


    ¡°It is no use to look for the Kate now,¡± the lizard said from behind him. ¡°The first shifting of the labyrinth openings has already occurred, and she is in the next room. We have some time before we can follow her. Come with me, and I will show you a place where you can rest.¡±


    Corvan followed the lizard down a short corridor and into a small room.


    ¡°You can cover the fire stick, sir.¡± The lizard gestured to the torch. ¡°There is enough light here when your eyes adjust. Just carefully put that cover back on top.¡±


    Corvan examined the stick he held. A small black cap hung from a silver thong just below the glowing end. He held his hand over the fire. It was not as hot as he expected.


    ¡°Do not touch it, sir. If it gets on your skin, it will burn through to the other side.¡±


    Corvan recalled dripped burning plastic on his arm when melting one of his green army men. It had burned deep into his flesh before it cooled and solidified. This sounded infinitely more painful. He carefully slipped the cap over the flame, and the light went out.


    As his eyes adjusted, he discovered the cave was bathed in a blue glow from overhead.


    ¡°Not enough light for you, sir? Just a moment.¡± The lizard ran onto a low shelf and pushed a claw toward the light, which in turn became stronger and more pinkish in hue. ¡°I heard that the lumiens would not grow so far from their source, but I kept tending them and they have survived.¡±


    All across the ceiling of the cave, long, silky threads hung in clusters around knobby globes that were the source of the mysterious light. Near his head was the largest, about the size of a small pumpkin. Corvan gently brushed the soft tentacles that hung around it, and the bulb dimmed to a deep blue. The color fanned out like ripples in a pool to other smaller bulbs scattered about the room. Corvan detected an electric smell, as if lightning had struck close by.


    The lizard grinned. ¡°Touch it again.¡±


    Corvan reached up, and waves of light spread from bulb to bulb becoming brighter until they were all the color and intensity of the brightest full moon.


    ¡°Careful, sir. Mine are not as strong as those in the Cor.¡± The lizard raised a claw, and the globes dimmed back to a soft blue. ¡°They can expend themselves and never recover. We are not permitted to let that happen.¡± He pointed above Corvan¡¯s head. ¡°That is my best one. Not near as splendid as the huge ones in the Cor, but a beautiful specimen nonetheless.¡±


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    Corvan inspected the large bulb and discovered it was hanging from metal holder that arched out from the cavern wall. The fixture ended in a metal ring, just like the one in his room but instead of an electrical cord leading to the light, a gnarled stem was wrapped around the ring and along the metal holder until it spread its roots onto the rock wall.


    ¡°Are they plants?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°Yes, like your vegetables, but much better tasting. Here, try one of these.¡± The lizard plucked a small globe the size of a plum from a patch that hung lower on the wall. ¡°Quick, eat the flesh while it is still blue; that is the nicest flavor, I think.¡±


    Corvan nibbled on the strange fruit. It was sweet¡ªlike a peach but tangier. The texture was smooth, and warmth flowed down his throat and into his stomach. He popped the rest into his mouth.


    ¡°Careful, sir.¡± The lizard quickly approached him, concern on its face. ¡°Do not bite the seed. You must never do that. It is not permitted to consume the life of a lumien. That is a primary law of the Cor.¡±


    Corvan worked his tongue around the hard pit of the fruit. There was a tiny buzz of electric current as his tongue touched the pointy end of the seed, like touching when he would touch his tongue against the terminals of a nine-volt battery to see if there was any power left in it. The tingle in his tongue spread through his head. It was much more pleasant than the shock from a battery.


    ¡°You need to touch the pointed end to the ceiling, sir,¡± the lizard said anxiously as it watched him.


    Corvan spit the seed into his hand. It was teardrop shaped and veins on its surface pulsed as if a tiny heart were beating inside. As he held to the rock overhead there was a small tug as the seed reattached itself to the rock. As he pulled his hand away, a translucent skin formed and obscured the patchwork of veins.


    ¡°You must replant it any time you eat the fruit. It is forbidden to eat the center of the lumiens. The penalty is death, for they are our source of light and life.¡±


    ¡°Does each one only have one seed?¡±


    The lizard shook its head. ¡°I have been told that there is a special mother plant that produces many clusters of seeds, but I have never seen it. It belongs to the priests, but it must not produce many of the seeds because the Cor is darker each time I return.¡±


    A fuzzy blue skin now covered the seed, twitching and stretching as the fruit expanded.


    ¡°They grow quickly at first, but they won¡¯t glow or be ready to eat again until they are larger. If you pick them when they are a brighter color, they become too spicy for my taste. Would you like to try a brighter one?¡± The lizard raised a claw toward the globes.


    ¡°I feel full. Maybe later.¡± The pleasant feeling from the seed had passed and left behind a heightened awareness of his body, as if the electricity was trapped inside him. He wasn¡¯t sure he like the sensation.


    Looking around the lizard¡¯s chamber, his gaze settled on an intricate sculpture created from bits of metal, hanging on one wall. Looking closer, he could see pieces he recognized: a circular saw blade, lids from tin cans, a tie rod from a truck, and a rusty hand-cranked eggbeater. ¡°Did you make that?¡± Corvan asked.


    A proud smile spread across the lizard¡¯s face. ¡°The hole onto the top of the rock permitted me freedom that a Watcher normally does not receive. I did not have to go back to the Cor for supplies and was able to learn much about you and your world. When I would explore, I would find things, so I made this to help me pass the time. I use very small fire sticks I grow to melt the pieces together. Do you like it?¡±


    Corvan nodded. He didn¡¯t know much about art, but it certainly looked as good as anything he had seen on his school field trip to the art gallery in the city.


    Below the sculpture, a row of tall quartz crystals sprouted from the floor. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen rock crystals that big,¡± Corvan said.


    The lizard nodded and eagerly leapt over to the crystals. ¡°I have practiced a little over the years. It is one of the things that kept me from losing myself. Would you like to hear them?¡±


    ¡°Sure?¡± Corvan said, although he was uncertain how you would listen to rocks.


    The lizard stepped into the center of the tallest crystals. After a moment of intense concentration, the creature caressed the angular shapes with the tips of his claws. A faint sound, like tiny glass wind chimes, slowly filled the room, rising from Corvan¡¯s feet like water. The sound was like a liquid that flowed around his head and into his ears. As he closed his eyes, the tempo of the music increased. He imagined a group of these small creatures moving about the crystals in a circle, bobbing rhythmically up and down. Abruptly the music stopped.


    The lizard was looking up at Corvan with glistening eyes. ¡°I have not played that one since I accepted the black band. It was a song about my kind in the days before we became Watchers. Did you like it?¡±


    ¡°It was very nice.¡± Corvan¡¯s ears still rang with the tune, and his head felt fuzzy. ¡°I think I¡¯d better sit down,¡± he mumbled, dropping the pack from his shoulder, and sitting beside it.


    ¡°Yes, you should rest. We have a short time until the first portal door opens into the labyrinth, and I need to pack. I am not sure what to take. I have more collected than I could ever carry.¡± Going to the cave wall, the lizard pulled back a coarse curtain to reveal a smaller room carved into the rock. Hanging on the back wall were rows of skinned and dried gopher carcasses. No wonder their field was the only one in the area not full of gopher holes.


    Next to the dead gophers, sheaves of wheat were piled high in a roughly hewn stone bin. Shelves cut into the rock above it held a variety of glass jars full of dried fruits, nuts, and strange things that Corvan didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°So, that¡¯s where my mother¡¯s canning jars went. She always blamed me for taking them outside and losing them.¡±


    ¡°You did bring them outside, sir. So, in a way, she was correct,¡± the lizard replied.


    ¡°Why do you keep calling me ¡®sir¡¯?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°Out of respect. Now that I am free from the black band, I am pleased to become your servant.¡±


    ¡°How can you be free and also be a servant?¡± Corvan asked.


    The lizard stopped picking items from his shelves and turned to Corvan. ¡°That is the best freedom of all. To know I can serve by my own choice and not from fear of punishment and pain. I was born to serve, but I only enjoy it when I freely choose my own master.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you freely choose to accept the black band?¡±


    The lizard¡¯s face wrinkled, and he caressed his neck. ¡°Yes. I made the choice of my own will, but once the bond was on me, I was not free to leave. My choice placed me under his control. That is not how Tsarek was created to serve.¡±


    ¡°Is that your name, Tsah-reck?¡±


    ¡°It is the name I was given at emergence, but I have not used it for many years. He forbade us personal recognition. We were referred to only by the location of the portal we guarded.¡±


    ¡°What does your name mean?¡±


    Tsarek looked down at the ground. ¡°It means pretty face .. on account of these blue markings.¡± He gestured to the side of his face.


    The three lines of deep blue scales that swept off Tsarek¡¯s face and onto his neck seemed more visible than before, as if the lizard were blushing. Corvan felt a bit sorry for him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me ¡®sir.¡¯ You can use my name and call me Corvan if you want.¡±


    The lizard shook his head vigorously. ¡°Oh no! If I used your title when others might overhear, that would be the end of us both.¡± His tone softened. ¡°Perhaps I may be permitted to use your personal name?¡±


    ¡°Corvan is the only name I have.¡±


    ¡°I refer to the name your mother used: Kalian.¡±


    ¡°My mother never called me that.¡±


    ¡°I did not hear her call you,¡± Tsarek said, ¡°but she sang it to you in her song. Kalian means my only one.¡±


    Kalian. Was that the name Grandfather¡¯s letter referred to? He liked the sound of it. ¡°That will be fine. From now on, you can call me Kalian.¡±


    The lizard¡¯s eyes shone with honor. He crossed to Corvan, placed a slender paw on his knee, and looked into his eyes. ¡°Tsarek promises to serve Kalian and ¡­ and . . .Oh, sir, I am so sorry.¡± His voice faltered, and his paw dropped from Corvan¡¯s knee.


    Tsarek, pulled back across the cavern floor and leaned heavily against the crystals. A discordant jangle of noise filled the room.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Corvan asked.


    Tsarek hung his head in sorrow. ¡°I cannot serve you. Instead, you must kill me. You must take the right of family blood.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Corvan said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡±


    Stepping into its pantry room, the lizard pulled something from a niche in the wall. He placed the object into Corvan¡¯s hand, then stepped away, bowing deeply.


    An old pocket watch with crudely scratched symbols over its back lay in his palm. He turned it over to find the front cover was carefully inscribed with the same insignia as the hammer. He flicked the catch, and the watch popped open. The bezel was cracked, and the hands were frozen together near the top position. Tiny words had been engraved on the inside cover. Lifting it toward the largest globe, Corvan read aloud, ¡°To the Grandfather, on the birth of Corvan, September 21, 1937.¡±


    His mother had told him about this watch. It had been a present from her to his grandfather. He wrapped his hand tightly around it. ¡°Where did you get my grandfather¡¯s watch?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°I did not know who it was,¡± Tsarek said. ¡°It was dark, and I was afraid.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Did you meet my grandfather? Where? When?¡±


    ¡°Oh sir. The bones up above in the entry. I took it from the skeleton after ¡­¡± Tsarek fell prostrate on the floor. ¡°Oh, sir, my life is forfeit to you. You must now kill me because I am the one who took the life of your past-father.¡±

 Hammer 17: Poision

    Tsarek¡¯s words hung in the still air of the small cave. Past-father could only refer to Corvan¡¯s grandfather. The lizard had lied about how long he watched the doors. He had murdered his grandfather to stop him from returning home! ¡°Why? Why did you kill my grandfather?¡±


    The lizard fell on its face against the floor. ¡°It was the task I was given by my master. I was under the band and had to obey.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no excuse! You said you chose the band; you were responsible for your actions.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, it is true and that is why you must take my life for his.¡± Tsarek spoke into the dirt. ¡°It is the law of the Cor.¡±


    The scaly creature groveling at his feet only increased Corvan¡¯s frustration and anger. It should be punished it for what it had done, but he did not want to kill it. Corvan released the hammer from its holster and held it over the lizard¡¯s head. ¡°I am not your judge. I will let the hammer will decide your punishment.¡±


    Tsarek twisted over onto his back and a scream escaped its lips. Startled, Corvan jumped back and the hammer smacked into the large globe. It exploded; warm blobs of blue light rained down around him before the room was plunged into darkness. The blue light fizzled out on the floor.


    There was a rustle of movement, then a quiet voice spoke. ¡°Please, sir, do not use the hammer against me. I am afraid of what it might do to me.¡±


    The glow in the remaining smaller globes slowly ebbed back to life, revealing a pathetic form cowering against the far inside wall of the storage room. Corvan lowered the hammer. A long time ago, Tsarek had killed his grandfather, but the creature before seemed different than the one he had first met with the band around its neck.


    ¡°I will not take your life, Tsarek,¡± Corvan stated as he slid the hammer back into the holster. ¡°I am not bound by your laws. You are free to go.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sir, please do not send me away.¡± Tsarek crawled out of the pantry and back to Corvan. ¡°To send me away is to send me back to him.¡± He rested a paw on Corvan¡¯s right sneaker. ¡°Please, sir, I wish to stay with you now. You will need me to get through the labyrinth. I freely desire to serve the Cor-Van and to help him rescue his counterpart and remove the black band from her. It makes you do terrible things that you will regret as long as you live.¡±


    The words hit home. Could Kate end up as angry and violent as Tsarek when he had worn the band? He had to find her as soon as possible and he needed Tsarek¡¯s help, whether he not he was sure he could trust the lizard.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to serve me,¡± Corvan said, ¡°but I will let you be my guide until we find Kate and return home.¡±


    Tsarek sat up and nodded vigorously. ¡°I will assist you but we cannot reach her right now, and she can go no farther until the next shift of the labyrinth. That is also when the first portal will come open. For now, I must finish packing, and you need to rest. You can lie there.¡± He pointed to a low mound on the floor. ¡°It is my special sleeping place.¡±


    Corvan dragged the pack over to the mound and sat on it. The weariness of the long day and night settled in as he leaned back against his pack. As he relaxed, the spot beneath him grew softer and slowly conformed to his body. He desperately wanted to close his eyes but not with Tsarek in the room. He was also getting chilly in just his t-shirt. Opening the top of the pack he pulled out the plaid long sleeve shirt and put it on.


    As he buttoned it up he found Tsarek watched him with keen interest. ¡°You are tired and there is a long journey ahead of us. I will be sure to wake you in time to repack your things. Although the first opening is quite large, the others may be too tight for all your belongings.¡±


    When Corvan only looked back at him, Tsarek turned away and began to pick through the alcoves cut into his storage room walls. Each compartment contained something from the world above: a battered transistor radio with a piece of barbed wire stuck into the broken antenna, a carefully polished bent fork perched on a rock like a thin metal bird, a rusty adjustable wrench with only one jaw, and a scruffy baseball with Corvan¡¯s early attempts at a signature scrawled across it. From what he could see, the lizard was a highly organized packrat.


    Tsarek appeared to ignore Corvan, but from time to time the lizard¡¯s eyes would flicker in his direction. Was he waiting for him to fall asleep, so he could attack him and steal the hammer?


    He sat up and forced his eyes to stay open. He had to find out more about this creature. ¡°Tsarek.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    The lizard jumped and dropped the plastic baby rattle it has been examining. ¡°You must sleep, sir. Our journey begins soon, and it will not be an easy one. You will not find a soft sleeping place like that once we are inside the labyrinth, only cold hard rocks.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep. Too much has happened in the last day. Or has it even been a day? I guess there¡¯s no way to know down here.¡±


    ¡°We know the passing of time, sir, for the glow of the lumiens ebbs and flows in a regular cycle.¡±


    ¡°Like the tide of the ocean?¡±


    ¡°I do not know the word ¡®ocean,¡¯ but as in your world, we rest in the dark and work during the light¡ªalthough I have heard that now the settlement workers must work longer, at least if the production of fire sticks can keep up.¡±


    ¡°What do they work at?¡± Corvan asked. ¡°Why would they force people to work in the dark?¡±


    Tsarek picked up the rattle, gave it a quick shake, then put it back in its cubbyhole. ¡°Each group has different tasks to perform but the lowest class are the gleaners. They tend the lumien clusters and the other plants people need for food.¡±


    Corvan pushed his pack away and stretched out. ¡°The people eat only plants?¡±


    Tsarek emerged from his pantry with his paws full of wheat sheaves. A dried gopher carcass hung by one leg from his teeth. He scurried over to drop the wheat and spit out the dried rodent by the growing pile. ¡°It is against the law, but some have taken to eating other creatures.¡±


    ¡°Like what, cows?¡±


    Tsarek grinned, exposing his pointed teeth. ¡°Oh, no, nothing like cows. Just a few small animals, like those.¡± He gestured to the gopher carcass. ¡°Just as in your world, there are those who take advantage of their position higher up in the eating order.¡±


    Was the lizard saying that the high-ranking people ate those in classes lower than themselves? Did animals like Tsarek eat whatever they could find? He thought of his grandfather¡¯s bones in the entry above and decided he didn¡¯t really want to know.


    Tsarek watched him intently, but when Corvan met his gaze, he bustled back to the cubby holes and began selecting more items. At times, he would hold something up to the light of the remaining lumiens, give a heavy sigh, then place it back. ¡°Such a wonderful collection,¡± he muttered. ¡°Some he has never seen before. There would have been a great privilege for bringing back such things.¡±


    Corvan stiffened. Tsarek must be referring to his former master. That might mean there also a reward for bringing him back alive.


    Tsarek chose three smaller items, wrapped each one in a scrap of cloth, and placed them by his row of supplies. He turned, and his eyes met Corvan¡¯s. ¡°Sir, you really must sleep.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I have too many questions.¡±


    ¡°Then ask. I will try to help. I have been observing your world a long time.¡±


    ¡°You said that you were guarding it before I was born?¡±


    ¡°Long before that. I was young myself when I was first sent here.¡±


    ¡°Were you expected to guard this portal all your life?¡± Corvan ask.


    ¡°For as long as I was left in this place. There is no returning unless the band calls you to report or another Watcher arrives to takes your place, but there are so few of us left. We are to keep the portal safe from all intruders. No one must be allowed to come into the Cor or to ¡­¡± Tsarek¡¯s voice trailed off, and he turned back to his packing.


    Corvan flicked the pocket watch open and reread the inscription. ¡°Did my grandfather say anything to you before he died?¡±


    Tsarek turned around. ¡°He did not have time.¡± A look of remorse crossed his face. ¡°When my kind are afraid or in a fight and we kill, it is very swift.¡± The lizard lifted one claw and glared at it with the angry expression Corvan remembered vividly from the first encounter on the rock. Tsarek frowned at his claw, then the angry look returned. His dark eyes were smoldering with hatred.


    Corvan sat up and fumbled at his side for the hammer.


    Tsarek¡¯s face relaxed, and the lizard moved his claw closer to Corvan¡¯s face. In the dim light of the small globes, he could make out a drop of yellow fluid forming at the tip of the longest claw.


    ¡°It only takes a scratch.¡± The lizard shook its claw, and the drip fell to the ground. ¡°It was much easier to produce with the band on because you need to get very angry to make it come out.¡± He pointed the claw at Corvan. ¡°Catching the rodents was simple. I would wait until they stuck their foolish heads out of their holes.¡± He made a slashing motion with his claw. ¡°They were dead before they could even pull their bodies back into their burrows. It can be somewhat slower with larger animals, like that dog creature that attacked me. It depends on how much they absorb. I can make it even slower if I want them to live until I ¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Tsarek,¡± Corvan said, shaking his head. ¡°That¡¯s all I need to know.¡±


    Tsarek nodded politely. ¡°I am glad to be of service. Are you able to sleep now?¡±


    Any hope of sleep had abandoned Corvan. He would need to keep an eye on Tsarek day and night.


    Tsarek moved over to the crystals. ¡°I know what will help you rest. My mentor used to play a tune for me when I could not sleep. I am not sure I can remember how to play it after all this time, but I will try.¡±


    Tsarek ran his claws over the angular rocks, and soft music swirled around the cavern then wrapped around Corvan like a warm blanket. It remined him a bit of his mother¡¯s lullaby.


    Leaning back against the pack, he closed his eyes. Small lizards danced in his imagination. Their claws were clicking on the rocks. He forced his eyes open to watch Tsarek¡¯s poisonous claws caressing the crystals. Sleeping with this dangerous creature so close was not a good idea.


    Corvan¡¯s eyes grew heavier.


    Just before they closed, he thought he saw a line of yellow venom dripping down the luminescent surface of the largest crystal.

 Hammer 18: Portal

    A shadow fell across Corvan¡¯s eyelids, and he instinctively rolled away, pain shooting up his elbow before his arm went numb. The lizard had scratched him with his poisonous claw!


    Corvan¡¯s eyes popped over to find Tsarek standing over him, his head cocked inquisitively to one side. ¡°I am so sorry frighten you into being wake, Kalian, sir, but it is time for us to leave.¡±


    Corvan moved his arm tentatively. The numbness ebbed away, although his elbow still ached fiercely. He¡¯d simply hit his funny bone on the rocky floor.


    A faint tremor ran through the cavern walls.


    ¡°The first portal is about to open,¡± Tsarek said, jumping towards the cave entrance. ¡°I was too occupied sorting through my collections, and I let you sleep too long. We will need to sort through your pack between the next portals of the labyrinth.¡±


    Corvan sat up and pulled his pack closer. It seemed heavier.


    The lizard gestured over his shoulder to a small cloth bundle tied to the end of a few long sticks, like the bindle the railway hobos would carry when they got off in town the trains in town to walk into Fenwood. ¡°I did not have enough room, so while you slept, I added a few of my belongings to your pack. I hope that is all right.¡±


    Corvan got to his feet and hefted the pack. It was much heavier. ¡°What did you put in here, rocks?¡±


    Tsarek grinned. ¡°Just one,¡± he said, pointing to the musical crystals.


    Corvan looked around. All that remained of the largest crystal was a broken stump.


    ¡°If it is too much for you, I can try to carry it in my bundle,¡± Tsarek said, shaking the sticks balanced over his shoulder.


    Corvan shook his head as he pulled on the pack. ¡°It¡¯s okay for now. When we go through my stuff later, we¡¯ll decide what we really need.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir. I have grown attached to my music and I believe it will keep our spirits up during the long walk to the lower levels, especially if we become lost.¡±


    Another tremor went through the rock along with a sinking feeling in Corvan¡¯s stomach. They hadn¡¯t even started and Tsarek was already talking about getting lost.


    ¡°The first door is open.¡± Tsarek tugged on Corvan¡¯s sleeve. ¡°I am not sure how long we have to get through.¡± The lizard scurried from the room with Corvan stumbling along trying to avoid end of his sticks and bundle.


    Tsarek was quickly lost to sight in the dark tunnel. ¡°Wait for me!¡± Corvan called. ¡°I can¡¯t see anything.¡±


    ¡°Right in front of you, sir. No time to stop. Follow my voice; the entry is not far but watch out for the stones on the floor.¡±


    Watch? In complete darkness? Most likely the lizard could see in the dark.


    The lizard cried out in pain then his voice came from up ahead. ¡°Look out for the big stone in the middle of the path,¡±


    Nope, the lizard couldn¡¯t see in the dark either. Corvan shuffled his feet along the floor to avoid stubbing his toes or twisting his ankle.


    An abrupt shift in air pressure caused Corvan¡¯s ears to pop. A moist breeze blew past, heavy with the sulfuric odor of burnt matches.


    ¡°It¡¯s opening!¡± the lizard shouted. Corvan rushed along, bumped off the wall at a sharp corner before the end of Tsarek¡¯s sticks hit him in the shoulder. The lizard was standing at the end of a roughly hewn tunnel and the source of the sour wind was before them: a hole in the wall about a foot off the ground and three feet in diameter.


    ¡°The other entries all open at the same time, and the air from inside the Cor pushes toward the surface,¡± Tsarek said in a reverential tone. ¡°I haven¡¯t come this way for a very long time. The smell of my home would give me great longing but also terrible fear that the black band would call me to report.¡±


    The rock around the edges began to ripple like molten blue glass. Wisps of smoke trailed from its edges as it opened a bit wider. Corvan leaned forward and looked through, but there was only a black void on the other side.


    ¡°We will need some light,¡± Tsarek said, fumbling with his bundle of sticks. Presently a brilliant glow fluttered in the breeze of the portal opening. Corvan stepped forwards.


    ¡°Do not touch it, sir. We must wait until it is fully formed, or it will close quickly and cut whatever is partway inside to pieces.¡± The lizard shuddered. ¡°It is not a pretty sight.¡±


    ¡°How will Kate know not to touch them?¡±


    ¡°I think she will be moving forward quickly, as the black band calls her on. I believe the next portal leading on to the next cavern of the labyrinth will be fully formed by the time she gets to it so if she steps through, she will not be harmed. See, this one is ready. We can go inside now.¡±


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    The ring of blue glass had turned a creamy tan color. The smoke and the smell of sulphur vanished on the breeze.


    ¡°You can touch the sides now.¡± Tsarek¡¯s claws clicked on the glossing ring, then he picked up this bundle of sticks with its attached sack and tossed it inside. ¡°It will be easier if you throw your large pack in first. I¡¯ll hold the light for you.¡±


    Corvan tossed the heavy pack over the rim, put one foot over the threshold, then stood straddling the gap in the wall. He gingerly touched the glossy edge. It pulsed warmly against his fingers and the blue light returned, rippling out from around each fingertip.


    Tsarek shouted and shoved him through the hole to land in a heap on the other side. The opening snapped shut and the darkness returned, as if someone had switched off the lights. The smell of burning matches once again infused the still air.


    Corvan heard the lizard grunt. ¡°Sir, I need your help, please. You will find more fire sticks attached to my bundle on the floor. The one in my claws is no longer useful.¡±


    Fumbling around the floor, Corvan located the sticks, untied them, then exposed the capped end on one. White light flared to reveal Tsarek hanging from the end of a stick that stuck straight out of a solid cave wall. He looked so funny with his short, thick legs dangling in midair that Corvan had to choke back a laugh. ¡°Was the portal supposed to close that fast?¡± Corvan asked.


    Tsarek shook his head and that made him bounce on the end of the stick like a jackfish on a willow pole. ¡°It hasn¡¯t in the past. Kate must have found the next portal very quickly. There is no other way to explain it.¡± The lizard shrugged, bobbing up and down. ¡°Could you help me down, sir?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not far. Just let go.¡±


    ¡°I would, sir, but when I get frightened my claws lock up on me.¡± Tsarek ducked his head and dropped his gaze to the ground. ¡°You will need to rub the small spines on my neck and back for me to relax enough to let go.¡±


    Corvan stepped closer. ¡°These little spikes?¡± He ran his hand up the lizard¡¯s prickly spine.


    ¡°The other way, please. That way only makes me more tense.¡±


    Corvan ran his hand downward as if he were petting a cat.


    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± Tsarek said as he dropped from the pole, the stick twanging above him. Muttering a stiff ¡°thank you, sir,¡± the lizard scurried over to his belongings and tied everything back together.


    ¡°Will the next door be nearby?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°Not usually. The portals move each time they open and close. That is why we will need the hammer to guide us on from here. It will be many hours until the next time they open. We should move farther into the main cavern and find a comfortable spot to sort through your belongings. Your bag barely fit through this one and its likely one of the largest of the portals.¡±


    Corvan hoisted his pack into position, then grabbed the stick in the wall. ¡°I suppose we should break this off in case we need it later.¡± He pulled down and the stick shuddered in his hand. A dull boom thumped through the walls of the cavern.


    ¡°Oh, my, so fortunate it did not break off on this side,¡± Tsarek exclaimed. ¡°To break a fire stick is to release its energy at one time. Very dangerous. It is fortunate that the Cor shield is unbreakable.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°No harm done, sir. It is good that we are not deep enough for buraks. A vibration like that one in their area would have them eating us before we could call out for help. One bite and you die even faster than my claws!¡±


    Corvan didn¡¯t recall the lizard mentioning man-eating creatures lurking below. He peered over his shoulder into the darkness. Was a burak the monster from his recurring nightmare? A shiver ran through his body. Did his grandfather¡¯s stories mean he would need to use the special rope to escape from a burak to get out of the labyrinth? He looked to Tsarek, and the lizard smiled at him.


    ¡°Not to worry, sir. The buraks cannot enter the labyrinth. They are much farther down and closer to the Cor. It may be best to move away from here in case that fire stick breaks on this side. Sometimes, when they get as old as these ones, they can shatter on their own. Very messy if you happen to be holding one.¡±


    Corvan thrust the glowing fire stick at Tsarek.


    Tsarek took from him, his short legs churning as he moved off with Corvan following closely. If Tsarek was wrong about the buraks, he didn¡¯t want to meet one alone in the dark.


    The low passage opened into a cavernous room with a low ceiling. The sound of water echoed in the far corner, and Corvan¡¯s parched throat reminded him he¡¯d had nothing to drink since leaving home.


    Tsarek ran to the pool, stuck his torch into a crack in the floor, the crouched down to lap up the water like a scaley dog.


    The pool was a good twenty yards across to where the water tumbling in from a fissure in the wall. No water ran out of the pool, so the drain had to be somewhere below the surface.


    Corvan stretched out on the ground and sucked up the water. It was cool and refreshing but tasted somewhat of fish. He glanced to one side. Tsarek had waded into the pool next to him and was washing his scales. ¡°Do you mind?¡± Corvan said. ¡°I was still drinking,¡±


    ¡°No problem, sir,¡± Tsarek chirped brightly in response. ¡°You do not bother me. Please continue.¡±


    Corvan shook his head, got to his feet, and waded in until the water was below his knees. He should have taken off his running shoes first. They would take a long time to dry in the damp air. He stooped over, and splashed water onto his dirty face.


    The water was cool, but Tsarek didn¡¯t seem to mind. Was he actually cold blooded like most lizards? His energetic splashes were sending ripples dancing across the pool in all directions. The small waves bounced off the rock wall on the far side and crisscrossed on their way back like thin snakes swimming just below the surface. The ripples were moving toward Tsarek, then suddenly changed direction to undulate directly toward Corvan.


    He pointed at them. ¡°Hey, Tsarek, why are the ripples¡ª¡±


    In that moment he was yanked underwater by his legs. Corvan grabbed at a thin rope wrapped around his ankles, but more ropes whipped around him to bind his arms and legs together. Panic raged through him as he was dragged like a hogtied calf deep into the dark water.


    A bright light bubbled past, and he caught a glimpse of a fire stick held out in Tsarek¡¯s claws. The water foamed angrily around Corvan. His ears thundered in pain as the light faded to a narrow point.


    The ropes pulled him along even faster and his lungs screamed for fresh air. His head throbbed. Sparks swam before his eyes. He tried to hang on, but before he could stop himself, his lips parted, and water swept into his lungs.


    An unexpected sense of calm settled over him. His body relaxed, his arms drifting limply past his face.


    He was about to die, and Kate would be lost in tunnels of the Cor.

 Hammer 19: Silence

    ¡°Breathe, sir, please breathe. You are the Cor-Van and you must live to set the Cor free.¡±


    Tsarek¡¯s voice was hollow and distant. Corvan¡¯s entire body felt heavy and unresponsive.


    ¡°Without you, the Kate will die.¡± The lizard rocked Corvan¡¯s body so hard he pushed him on onto his side.


    Water gurgled from Corvan¡¯s mouth, but he couldn¡¯t pull in a breath. His heart fluttered, his body arched, and he started coughing out streams of brackish water. Gasping for air, he managed to push off the ground on all fours, grabbing shallow breathes between bouts of retching and gagging.


    ¡°Thank you, sir, thank you.¡± Tsarek said as he patted Corvan¡¯s head.


    Finally, Corvan was able to get to a sitting position and choke out a few words between coughs. ¡°What ¡­ happened? What ¡­ was that?¡±


    ¡°I think it is an offspring from the great water creature in the Cor, the Volisk. This one¡¯s arms were long but not as thick and easier to burn through. Even a fire stick is no match for the body of a larger one.¡± He pointed to where a floating fire stick was casting its bubbling glow through the water.


    ¡°Was it your fire stick I saw under the water?¡± Corvan fell into another fit of coughing.


    ¡°Yes. They burn well under water.¡± He dropped the pair of unlit ones and waded out to retrieve the glowing one from the water.


    A long, white tentacle rose to the surface and Tsarek gave it a poke with the burning end of the fire stick. The arm of the creature twitched, and the lizard sprinted for the shore.


    Corvan continued to heave up water until his ribs and stomach ached.


    ¡°I burned through many of its arms, but they just kept coming,¡± Tsarek said as he pushed the glowing fire stick into a crack in the floor. ¡°It was not until we came to this pool that I finally burned through that last one and it let you go.¡± Tsarek looked over his shoulder. ¡°I only wish I knew where we are now.¡±


    Corvan hunched over to suppress a new coughing fit but lifted his head to check out their surroundings. They were in a new cavern, one with a high ceiling and deep black walls. The pool was long and narrow, and there was no water coming in or going out. The surface was as smooth as a mirror with the limp arm of the water monster reflected in the shallows.


    Tsarek looked at him. ¡°I believe we are still in the labyrinth, but I am not sure how to locate the next opening or how to know if the Kate is nearby or if she has already come through here. I do not even know which level we are on or how many entries we skipped. This is not good, not good at all.¡±


    The air here was much cooler, and Corvan shivered both cold, and fear. Would the rest of this adventure be this dangerous? They had just started out, and already he had nearly drowned.


    ¡°Oh, sir, I forgot you humans cannot tolerate the cold. I heard your mother say you might catch your death of cold.¡± He pressed his smooth, chilly nose against Corvan¡¯s cheek. ¡°Are you dying?¡±


    Corvan tried to answer, but his teeth chattered too much to talk.


    ¡°You must not die so soon. I shall get you warm.¡± He jumped over to Corvan¡¯s pack and yanked the top open. A clump of soggy clothes came free along with the slingshot. Tsarek tossed them to one side and dug deeper into the pack. ¡°Here is something that is still dry.¡± He shook out the grey cloth from the chest and the still dry fireworks tumbled to the ground.


    Tsarek let out a long hiss as he lifted the cloth and stared at it with wide eyes. ¡°Only the master had one of these. He used it to walk undetected through the Cor.¡± He turned to Corvan. ¡°When you wear this cloak, others see it for whatever is in their mind or whatever is around you. Did it belong to your past-father?¡±


    ¡°Wear it?¡± Corvan leaned closer and touched the fabric.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Tsarek stated. ¡°That is why it has a hood and buttons, just like the rain jacket you sometimes wore.¡±


    ¡°If it belongs to your master,¡± Corvan doubled over and coughed up a bit more water, ¡°is it an evil thing?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, not evil, but highly valuable. He will surely want to find it and take it away from you.¡± He draped it over Corvan¡¯s shoulders. ¡°You must wear it at all times, so he cannot find you.¡±


    Despite the cold dread in his heart, Corvan¡¯s body was immediately infused with warmth. Tsarek flipped the hood over his head, and Corvan breathed deeply. It felt like the air itself was being warmed by the cloak.


    ¡°If you do not like wearing it, I can look for other dry things.¡± Tsarek stuck his head inside the pack, and Corvan heard a muffled expression of surprise. The lizard emerged, holding the strange coil of rope in his claws. ¡°Most incredible. I have never seen one so long and thin. There are tales of such that used to grow in the farthest regions, but I did not think them true. No one has been there for a long time. Where did you acquire a krypin such as this?¡±


    ¡°It was my grandfather¡¯s. He left it for me in case he did not return.¡±


    Tsarek¡¯s face fell. ¡°I am most sorry, sir. I should not be touching such things.¡± Tsarek dropped the rope at Corvan¡¯s feet and moved over to the clothes. ¡°The air is drier here so we must be getting closer to the Cor. Perhaps I should lay your things on the rocks to dry?¡±


    ¡°I have a better idea.¡± Corvan grabbed the rope. Pushing on the dark button, he ran the sticky disk out to the far wall, then tied the handle end off on a short pillar of rock near his pack. ¡°There, a clothesline. Just like at home. You can hang up the clothes while I empty out the pack. I need to check on my food.¡±


    Tsarek grimaced, and Corvan realized that the bundle with the lizard¡¯s food supplies had been left behind at the upper pool.


    ¡°I should have enough food for both of us,¡± Corvan said. ¡°Do you like canned beans? We can eat and lighten the pack at the same time.¡±


    ¡°I have never tried beans from a can. I could not make the thing you use to open it work with my paws, but I am grateful for your concern.¡± He began to hang up the wet clothes.


    A low stone slab the size of his kitchen table lay just beyond his clothesline. Grabbing his pack, Corvan carried it to the stone table and began to unpack the soggy contents. The beef jerky in the side pocket was a little soft, but it would dry out. Amazingly, the knot on the bread bag filled with cookies had kept the water out. He set the bag aside for later.


    In the largest pocket on the front of the pack he found Tsarek¡¯s wrapped bundles. Hopefully none of them would turn out to be a slimy gopher carcass. As he piled them by the pack, a small red Swiss Army knife tumbled out. His ninth birthday present that had gone missing when he left it out at the fort. Picking it up he glanced at Tsarek smoothing out his clothes on the line. ¡°Finders keepers; losers, weepers,¡± Corvan mumbled to himself before wrapping the knife back up and placing it on Tsarek¡¯s pile. At the bottom of the compartment, he found Tsarek¡¯s musical crystal. Corvan stood it on the rock, stroked it lightly, and was startled by a soft, clear note that filled the cavern.


    Tsarek¡¯s head jerked up, and he rushed over. ¡°Thank you, sir, but please do not attach it to the rock. I do not want to break it off again or the music will grow too faint to hear.¡±


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    Corvan tipped the crystal down, and the soft glow died away. Tsarek tried to gather all his bundles in his paws, but there were too many to carry. ¡°Do you need a hand?¡± Corvan offered.


    ¡°No, no, I am fine,¡± Tsarek stammered, ¡°I will just move my things over by the wall and dry them there. You do not need to help me, sir. I will come right back.¡± Tsarek hurried to the far wall but kept glancing over his shoulder. He sprinted back to the table, loaded up the rest, then ran everything back to the wall. With his back to Corvan, he pawed through his possessions. A sharp hiss echoed off the wall and he ran back. ¡°One is missing. The one is not there!¡±


    ¡°Did you put something in another pocket?¡± Corvan said, turning to the pack.


    ¡°No. Please look again.¡± Tsarek leaped onto the table and poked at the front of the pack.


    Corvan felt inside the pocket. Sure enough, a flat circle of cloth lay on the bottom. He pulled it out and noted it was warm to the touch. A corner of the cloth had unraveled from the edge of a flat disc with two silver points showing.


    Tsarek snatched the object from his hands and quickly bound it back up. ¡°Thank you, sir. That is the one I needed.¡± He bounded off the table with the bundle clutched to his chest. With his back to Corvan, he spent a while carefully rewrapping all his things.


    Corvan shrugged. Crows and packrats carefully guarded their treasures, no matter how worthless they were.


    Once Tsarek finished fussing with his belongings, he joined Corvan at the stone table. His eyes scanned the food laid out on the rock but he wrinkled his nose. Corvan picked out the driest piece of jerky and held it out to him. ¡°Try this; you might like it.¡±


    Tsarek smelled it a moment, nibbled then nodded enthusiastically. He took a larger bite. ¡°It is very tasty. What is it?¡±


    ¡°Beef jerky. Dried strips of beef.¡±


    ¡°Much better than the small rodents. What is beef? It is easier to chew and no small bones.¡±


    ¡°It comes from the large black-and-white animals in the field next to ours, the cows.¡±


    Tsarek bit off another piece of jerky, chewing and nodding. ¡°Do all cows taste this good or just the black-and-white ones?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re pretty much the same.¡±


    Tsarek nodded eagerly. ¡°Had I realized, I would have eaten one of those instead of the small rodents.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve obviously never been chased by a bull.¡±


    ¡°A Bull?¡±


    ¡°A male cow. It¡¯s big and dangerous.¡±


    Tsarek raised a claw. ¡°One does not need to be big to be dangerous.¡±


    There was a minute drop of yellow in a hollow at the end of the claw. Was Tsarek that upset about his missing silver disk? He must have been staring to intently as Tsarek quickly lowered his long claw, then took another bite of the jerky. ¡°Thank you, sir, for sharing your provisions with me.¡±


    ¡°We could try some beans if you like.¡±


    ¡°Not yet. We need to be careful with the food. We do not know how long we will be here, where here is, or if there is a way out of here.¡±


    ¡°Do you think we¡¯re trapped?¡±


    ¡°I do not know, sir. Permit me some time to see if there are any other passages out of here. It should not take long.¡± Tsarek scrambled away and disappeared into the dim recesses of the cavern.


    Corvan nibbled at his jerky as he opened one button of his cloak to get more comfortable. He was getting to warm and the clothes under the cloak were almost dry. Somehow, the special fabric was able to pull the moisture away from his body, although his feet were still cramped and cold.


    He picked up the soft slippers from his grandfather¡¯s chest that were lying next to the pack and found they were also completely dry. ¡°Probably made of the same stuff,¡± she said to himself. Dry, warm feet would be great. Unlacing his sneakers, Corvan kicked them off, then struggled to remove his wet socks. He was glad he made the effort for pulling on the slippers was like stepping into a warm bath after playing all day in the snow. The lightweight fabric contracted around his feet like a second skin, each toe showing distinctly through the soft material, like a pair of gloves but for toes instead of fingers. It looked odd but felt great.


    Swinging his legs off the table, he walked about on the rough floor. He could feel every ridge through the smooth soles, yet the small pebbles and sharp rocks felt no different than going barefoot in the warm summer sand at Buffalo Lake. Whatever fabric they were made of it was incredibly strong.


    Corvan head in the direction where Tsarek had disappeared. The slippers gripped tightly on the rocky surface, and he jogged a bit around a corner and the light from the torch behind him vanished. It was so silent; he could hear water dripping off to one side and something rustling directly toward him. He slowed his pace just as his knees plowed into something that sent him toppling to the ground, scraping his hands along the rocks, and slamming the air out of his lungs.


    ¡°Do not move,¡± a hoarse voice croaked in his ear and a sharp point pressed into his throat. ¡°In the name of the Chief Watcher, who are you and what are you doing here?¡±


    Corvan tried to speak, but no sound came out. The fall had knocked the wind out of him.


    ¡°Answer me,¡± the voice rasped, ¡°or I will kill you now. Who are you?¡±


    Corvan managed to pull in a small bit of air, ¡°Cor ¡­ Cor ¡­ Kalian.¡±


    ¡°Kalian?¡± The voice changed the gleam of Tsarek¡¯s eyes appeared over his shoulder. ¡°It is you! Oh sir, I am so sorry. I did not hear you coming. I thought I was being attacked by someone lying in wait for me.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s breath returned in a painful gasp.


    ¡°Are you injured? Can you stand?¡±


    Corvan croaked out a weak, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m okay.¡±


    The lizard helped him to his feet. ¡°Let¡¯s get you back to the light.¡±


    Corvan followed Tsarek around the corner and back to the burning fire stick next to the stone table.


    As they retraced their steps, Tsarek kept glancing at Corvan¡¯s feet. ¡°Where did you get those shoes, sir?¡±


    ¡°They were with my grandfather¡¯s things in my room at home, so I brought them along.¡±


    ¡°Have you listened to your walking in them?¡±


    Corvan held his breath, but all he could hear was the drip of water from the clothesline and the click of Tsarek¡¯s claws on the floor.


    They arrived at the table, and Corvan sat down wearily. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything.¡±


    Tsarek crouched and examined Corvan¡¯s feet while shaking his head in amazement. ¡°Your shoes make no noise at all. I have very keen hearing and would have heard you coming, but I heard nothing until you bumped into me. These are very special shoes, sir. I have never heard of such a thing, but they must be a companion to your grandfather¡¯s cloak. Maybe we should hide them away so nobody will notice them?¡±


    Corvan pulled one foot onto the table. ¡°For now, they are warmer than my wet sneakers. I can take them off once my shoes and socks are dry. They sure feel good.¡± As he reached to touch one of the silent slippers, a drop of blood fell from his fingertip to the table.


    ¡°You are hurt, sir. Please let me see if I can help.¡±


    Tsarek gently turned Corvan¡¯s hand over. A thick flap of skin had been torn back when a sharp stone had broken his fall. Bloody sand oozed out around the edges.


    ¡°We must clean it and bind it up. I will get a rag.¡± The lizard darted towards the far wall and unraveled a cloth from one of his objects. Running to the pool, he stooped to dampen it and then bounded back to Corvan. ¡°Let me see your hand, sir.¡±


    Corvan held out the bleeding hand. Tsarek dabbed tenderly at the loose piece of flesh. Corvan wanted to jerk his hand away but forced himself to remain steady as the lizard pushed his skin and tissue back into position.


    ¡°Please hold this in place while I get more cloth to tie it up,¡± Tsarek said. ¡°It is in a bad place for healing very fast.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s hand throbbed as he pressed on the cloth. This hurt much more than burning his finger on the half dollar. Of course! Why didn¡¯t he think of that right away? Freeing the hammer from its holster, he removed the rag and gingerly wrapped his wounded hand around the shaft. The end pulsed with a soft glow and his palm stretched and pulled, as if ants were crawling along the handle and using their pincers to close the wound.


    The pain eased, then vanished along with the blue glow. Pulling the hammer away, he found only a faint line remained along with a smear of dried blood. Clenching and opening his fist, he noted that the skin felt a little tight in the center but he pain was completely gone.


    Tsarek scurried up to the flat stone. ¡°Here you are, sir. I have enough cloth strips to wrap your¡ª¡± Corvan held up his healed hand. Tsarek stared then looked at the hammer in his other hand.


    ¡°It is very powerful,¡± Tsarek said, bowing and steeping back.


    Corvan stood, but a dizzy rush caused him to sway and sit back down.


    ¡°You hammer has healed you, but you are worn out from all your troubles. You should rest here in your cloak and slippers, while I keep looking for a way out of here. I shall awaken you if I find a path to follow.¡±


    Corvan nodded, pushed the pack to the floor, and curled up on the stone. Once again, using the hammer had left him incredibly tired.


    He fell asleep in moments and in his dreams, Corvan found himself back at his home. He was lighting a fire in his backyard, and he could smell the matches as he lit them one after another. A pale white moon flickered behind him, bobbed along, and came to rest over the clothesline where his dripping T-shirts rippled in a cool breeze.


    The moon swung closer, but when he lifted his head to see it more clearly, it bounced away and disappeared. The smell of matches came again, the light reappeared, turned blue, then oozed out of sight over the horizon.


    Corvan smiled dreamily to himself.


    How strange that the moon should have Kate¡¯s face.

 Hammer 20: Thief

    Corvan opened his eyes, blinked, then blinked again to make sure they were actually open. Absolute dark was an unsettling sensation. It was like he was breathing the black into his head and then it was seeping out his eyes.


    A faint glimmer appeared on the other side of the pool, then a growing light pushed the shadows away. Tsarek walked toward him with the barely lit stub of a fire stick hanging limply at his side. Giving the pool a wide berth, he shuffled up to the stone table.


    ¡°Did you find a way out?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°No, I did not.¡± The lizard hung the glowing end of the short firestick off the side of the flat stone. ¡°I found only one thin, twisting tunnel and followed it for a long way. It was going lower, and I thought it might work but then it reached a narrow crack you cannot fit through.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s a dead end?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tsarek scowled at him. ¡°There is a larger cavern after the narrow place, but as I just told you, you can¡¯t fit through.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s the only way out of here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then we have no choice but to try.¡±


    Tsarek pulled himself wearily onto the rock. ¡°You are the master, but I will need to rest first. If you could let me eat one of your cows, I would be grateful.¡±


    Corvan pulled out a long piece of jerky and handed it to the lizard. ¡°My fire stick must have burned out. It was pitch black in here before you came back.¡±


    Tsarek talked past a chunk of meat. ¡°Then you must have put it out before sleeping. It should have at least two segments of burning left.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall doing that.¡± Corvan left the table to check where it had been stuck in the rock. ¡°It¡¯s not here. You must have come back for it.¡±


    The lizard stopped chewing and shot him a withering glance. ¡°And how could I do that and be far away down that very long tunnel at the same time?¡±


    Corvan pointed to the ground. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not here.¡±


    In a flash Tsarek was beside him and searching the ground. Dropping to all fours, he sniffed at the rocks, then scampered from side to side. He groaned as he stood up. ¡°Not lost. It was stolen. The Kate has come through here while you slept. Her flower scent still lingers.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s head snapped up, and he searched around the cavern. ¡°Kate was here? Why didn¡¯t she wake me?¡±


    The lizard¡¯s short arms shot up over his head. ¡°Wake you? Be glad she did not kill you! The Kate is under the control of the band. It is full of hate, but she must have sensed the hammer and dared not come close to . . .¡±


    Tsarek bounded away to the far wall where he had carefully stored his possessions. ¡°Nooo! The thief! She has stolen it from me!¡± The lizard stamped back to the rock table while hissing and muttering.


    ¡°What did she take? That silver thing?¡±


    The lizard¡¯s eyes blazed as it leapt onto the table. ¡°Who said you could look at my things?¡± He pointed a claw into Corvan¡¯s face. ¡°Is that why you hid it in your pack? Because you wanted it for yourself?¡±


    Corvan took a step back from the glistening claw. ¡°No. I saw the edge of it when I took it out for you. Even inside the rags it was ¡­ warm.¡±


    Tsarek sank down onto the rock. ¡°Yes, it is warm and comforting. Often, I would hold it to ease the burden of the black band.¡± His body sagged lower, his head on his chest. ¡°Without it, I would have been completely lost to the darkness. When I held it too close, the band would burn me, but mostly I did not care.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it will also help Kate?¡± Corvan asked. ¡°Keep her from going directly back to the evil one?¡±


    Tsarek sat up straighter. ¡°We can only hope. He loves to collect things like that. He would take it away from her.¡± He slid off the flat rock. ¡°I thought he would take it from me too.¡±


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    ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    Tsarek shifted from one foot to the other without looking up. ¡°Because it belongs to the hammer. It is the counterpart.¡±


    Corvan sat bewildered. Tsarek said Kate was a counterpart and now the hammer also had a counterpart? ¡°How do you know it belongs with the hammer?¡±


    ¡°I saw the markings on the bottom of the hammer when you were going to punish me with it.¡± Tsarek said, then looked away. ¡°They are the same as the ones on the silver disc.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Corvan asked, standing up and putting his hand on the top of the holster.


    Tsarek stared at the ground and then nodded. ¡°I know it belongs with the hammer because,¡± he drew in a long breath, ¡°because it was in your past-father¡¯s hand when he died.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s mind reeled, and he dropped back onto the block of stone. If his grandfather was coming back to the surface with the silver disc it had to be the third piece in his grandfather¡¯s letter, the one Corvan was supposed to take along on this journey. Instead, Kate was taking it to the lizard¡¯s evil master.


    Tsarek put a paw on his leg. ¡°I am sorry to bring up your past-father¡¯s death,¡± Tsarek said softly. ¡°I see it has hurt you greatly yet again.¡±


    Corvan focused on the lizard¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s more than just his dying. He was going to get me ready to come down here. I don¡¯t understand why the hammer would be matched up with a flat metal disc.¡±


    ¡°All I know is that the hammer tells me what I am,¡± Tsarek said, ¡°but the disk always gave me hope that I could be better. That I could be free to do what is right.¡±


    ¡°It still seems the hammer should be with another tool, like a saw, or maybe a large spike or nail.¡±


    Tsarek shrugged, then went to the clothesline, touching things to see if they were dry and pulling them off.


    Corvan slipped the hammer free of the holster. Maybe it wasn¡¯t a tool after all. It was too small to be any good for building things; the handle was too short. It was more like a model you¡¯d see on a shelf or on a desk and that¡¯s where he had seen one like it in the past. At home, he had seen a small wooden hammer that was lying next to a round disk on an ornate table. Closing his eyes, he pulled the faint recollection forward.


    ¡°Of course! That¡¯s it!¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡± Tsarek scurried back to the table with an armload of t-shirts.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a hammer, Tsarek, it¡¯s a gavel, and the disk is what it pounds on.¡±


    ¡°Gravel, sir?¡± Tsarek came closer to the table. ¡°I thought that was your word for very small rocks?¡±


    ¡°Not gravel, gavel. It¡¯s a ceremonial hammer that a judge hits on a wooden disk to stop an argument. I saw one at the town council meeting when they tried to take our field away. Old Man Fry was shouting at my dad, and the mayor banged his gavel on a disk to get everyone to be quiet.¡±


    Balancing the hammer in his hand, Corvan thought back to the council meeting and the injustice his father had suffered. He had been angry to see how prejudiced people were against his father. It was good to seek the truth, but there also needed to be some kindness toward others. He nodded to himself and held the hammer higher. Maybe that¡¯s why the hammer needed a counterpart. The disk could ensure the truth was balanced with compassion.


    The hammer lit up and light flowed down his arm. Tsarek took a step back and pointed to the glow of the firestick. ¡°If we are going to try the long passage we should leave while we still have light. If it is permissible, I would like to put a few things in your pack. I no longer have a way to carry them.¡±


    Corvan nodded and Tsarek ran off to the far wall. Corvan slid off the rock and pulled the pack closer. One of the side pockets hung open. The bag of cookies was gone. For a brief moment, he was angry at Kate for stealing them, but thought of her wandering alone in the darkness with nothing to eat. He wouldn¡¯t even mention it to Tsarek¡ªno use getting him more upset.


    The lizard approached as if he were in a funerary procession, his tail dragged limply on the rocks, and his crystal was cradled against his chest. ¡°She also took the small read knife. There is nothing else I will need, except this.¡±


    Corvan wanted to say no, that the pack was too heavy, but the sadness in Tsarek¡¯s eyes would not let him. Adding the crystal to his pack, he retrieved the krypin and his clothes. The fireworks lay on the ground where they had tumbled out of the cloak. By wrapping them in the special fabric, they had been kept completely dry. He was tucking them back into the pack, with the t-shirts when he realized that the wet sneakers, he had tossed on the ground were also missing. No doubt old sneakers Kate had taken from the scarecrow were too big for her feet, so she had stolen his. Now that he had the new slipper shoes, it didn¡¯t really matter, and the pack would be lighter.


    Tsarek pointed at the krypin rope. ¡°I have seen where people use the flattened end to hold the loops of a coil but also to attach it to their waist belt in case it is needed quickly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Corvan played with the control end to open up the rounded head holding the coils together, then wrapped them around one of the pack straps and activated them again. With his hammer in its holster on one side, and the coiled rope on the other, a renewed sense of confidence settled over him. He was ready to find a way out of this place and look for Kate. Although he felt bad that Tsarek had lost his silver disc, knowing it might slow Kate down was a relief.


    Tsarek nodded, picked up the short piece of glowing firestick and turned toward the pool. ¡°If we don¡¯t find a way out of this part of the labyrinth,¡± Tsarek said over his shoulder, ¡°I fear this cave will be our tomb.¡±


    Corvan followed, trying hard not to think of what would happen if Tsarek was right.

 Hammer 21: Collarbone

    Tsarek insisted they save the last piece of firestick. As soon as he put it out, a suffocating darkness pressed around Corvan. The low tunnel was much tighter than any place he had been in the mine. Pulling out the hammer, he found the insignia was givng off a feeble blue light¡ªlike a flashlight with the batteries almost depleted. It was enough to keep him from stubbing his toes on the occasional rock on the sandy floor, but Tsarek stayed well ahead of the pool of light, as if he were afraid it might bite his heels.


    ¡°Is it much farther? We¡¯ve been walking for hours.¡± Corvan made no attempt to curb his growing frustration.


    ¡°Just a bit more. The roof is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Corvan exclaimed as his head scraped the ceiling.


    ¡°It is even lower up ahead,¡± Tsarek said. ¡°You will need to crawl.¡±


    Corvan got down on all fours. ¡°How much farther to the tight spot?¡±


    ¡°Not far.¡±


    Corvan soon realized that not far meant something different to Tsarek than it did to him. Eventually, as the ceiling dropped lower, he had to jam the hammer under the strap of the pack and roll the cloak under his belt to free up his legs. He was about to ask Tsarek if they could take a break when the lizard twisted around in the narrow confines of the passage to face him. ¡°Just ahead is the tight place I spoke of. It would be best if you take off your pack and push it along.¡±


    Corvan pulled the hammer free, unbuckled the straps, then rolled on his side in order to remove the pack. He looked to Tsarek. ¡°If I push the pack ahead in front of me. It might get stuck.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps if you tied it to your leg with the krypin, and pulled it along behind you?¡± Tsarek said, then quickly shook his head. ¡°No, that won¡¯t work,¡± he muttered. ¡°If the pack gets stuck, I could not get past you to release it from your leg. Then we would both be trapped.¡±


    Corvan shivered at the thought. His father had told a story about a caver named Floyd Collins. In a tight crawl, a rock fell behind him and trapped his legs. His rescuers could see him, but they couldn¡¯t pull him free. They attempted to tunnel around him, but he lost too much body heat and died from hypothermia.


    ¡°I guess we should leave pack behind for now,¡± Corvan said. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rope as well. If I can get through, you can bring me one end of the rope and I can pull the pack through from the other side. Is there enough space to turn around after the tight spot?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it comes out in a larger cavern that might be the outer limits of the Cor. The band of rock we call the Cor shield transmits light from deep inside the Cor. I saw a bit of that light inside the crack. Either we are still a long way out, or the Cor was in a dark phase.¡±


    Corvan didn¡¯t understand all that Tsarek was saying, but it sounded like there was at least some hope of getting out of the labyrinth.


    Tsarek scrambled into the darkness, and Corvan followed with the soft glow from the hammer lighting the way. Soon the tunnel became so low that he had to wiggle snakelike along the floor, with one arm out front and one pushing from behind.


    The sleeve of the cloak snagged on a rock. Corvan pulled on it, but found he was unable to move forward or back. Panic welled up at the realization that there wer3 millions of tons of rock above him. The passage seemed to squeeze in tighter and everything in him clamored to thrash about to get free of the constricted space. The musky-smelling dust clogged his nose. He gasped and tried to pull in a deeper breath, but the intense pressure on his chest cut off his attempt. It was as if he were drowning again, but this time in solid rock.


    Clutched in his forward hand, the hammer cast the light of its circular words on the wall by his face. The script seemed more natural projected onto the rock. He still couldn¡¯t read them, but somehow the words gave some reassurance that things would be okay. The soft glow calmed his mind, and he concentrated on long slow breaths until his pulse returned to normal.


    Tsarek had vanished into the darkness ahead and there was no point in calling him back to help. Instead, Corvan imagined his cloak and the jagged rock that had hooked it, then rotated his shoulder and twisted his arm until the trapped sleeve slid free. Keeping the light of the hammer out in front, he wiggled further up the tight crawl.


    ¡°Look this way, sir.¡± Tsarek¡¯s muffled voice came from Corvan¡¯s immediate left, where two gleaming eyes looked at him through a narrow crack in the wall. ¡°This is the spot, sir. You must get through this hole to make it into the cavern I am now standing in.¡±


    Corvan inspected the crack. The low passage he was crawling through ran horizontally, but the crack ran vertically. Where the two met, a small trapezoidal opening had formed, but Tsarek was correct, it was far too small. He lowered his forehead to the cold floor. ¡°My shoulders won¡¯t fit through there,¡± he said into the dust.


    ¡°You must try, sir! There is no other way. If you do not make it through, you will most certainly die in there.¡±


    Most certainly die ¡­ his stomach clenched at the thought of wriggling backwards through the tunnel to die of starvation and cold in that last cave. Kate would also die if he didn¡¯t find her. The memory of her face when she had passed through the last cavern had been haunting him. He was certain her eyes had been begging for his help, despite what Tsarek had said about her and the black band.


    Summoning his courage, he breathed in and out a few times to steady himself and then bent at the waist and wiggled in closer to the small opening. ¡°There¡¯s more than one way to skin a cat,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°It is not worth the effort, sir,¡± Tsarek said. ¡°I have tried the creature they call cat. They are tough and not at all tasty.¡±


    Corvan looked at the unblinking eyes. His mother had wondered what had become of her favorite tabby. ¡°It¡¯s just an expression,¡± Corvan said. ¡°It means there are always other solutions if you look hard enough and take the time to think things through. I¡¯m not going to die of hunger in the next ten minutes, so let¡¯s examine the problem carefully. My shoulders can¡¯t get any smaller, but maybe there¡¯s a way to make the hole larger. How about the hammer?¡±


    Tsarek frowned. ¡°I do not think this hole is very stable, and on this side, there is a large overhang of rock above it. It looks like it could crack off and collapse at any time. It may not be the best skinning of a cat to try the hammer on the hole. I am sure this rock is the Cor Shield and it is very tough. The risk is great and¡ª¡±


    ¡°All right, I get the picture. How about our last piece of fire stick? You said it could burn through rock.¡±


    ¡°Not this rock. As I said already, this is the Cor shield. A fire stick will not burn it, and if we try, the piece of stick might explode in your face.¡±


    Corvan held the hammer closer to the vertical crack. The rock around it was shiny and black, like the piece of obsidian he had in his collection at home.


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    ¡°So, this is the main wall that surrounds the Cor?¡±


    ¡°I believe it is. At least my side smells like the Cor.¡±


    Corvan sniffed at the of air wafting in through the hole. It was damp and smelled of rotting compost. ¡°It doesn¡¯t smell very good.¡±


    The eyes blinked rapidly. ¡°It smells like my home. This side is not part of the labyrinth.¡±


    ¡°Then I must make it through. If I twist diagonally in the opening, that might give me a bit more room, but I need to take the cloak off first. It could bunch up again and trap me.¡±


    As he squirmed out of the cloak, Corvan realized just how cold the cave was. Pulling his legs up behind him, he dug his toes into the soft sand and rotated his body around until he was heading toward Tsarek. He pushed into the crack and stopped. ¡°If this is a shield wall, will it close and squish me like the blue wall around your fire stick?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, sir. This one is black, so it is a very old crack. It¡¯s the new ones that can close up on you. Those ones are a lighter color and have more light inside them. I touched it coming through and it seemed fine. No movement at all.¡±


    Corvan gingerly touched the hard crystalline surface. Nothing changed. ¡°All right, then. Here goes nothing.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, sir? Where is the nothing and where will it be going?¡±


    Ignoring Tsarek¡¯s questions, Corvan extended both arms into the opening and pushed forward.


    Tsarek backed away from the hammer¡¯s glow. ¡°You are doing it, sir. Keep coming¡ªnot far now.¡±


    Corvan pushed until his feet began to slip and his toes lost their grip. Wriggling and squirming, his body crept forward into the crack.


    ¡°Your hands are through, sir. It¡¯s working!¡±


    The rock surface tore at Corvan¡¯s shoulders, as if the Cor shield was doing its best to keep him out of the Cor. Panicked, he jerked erratically in the tiny space, banging his knees against the floor behind him. He gained a few precious inches and his face emerged from the other side of the crack with the hammer held out awkwardly in front of him.


    ¡°You are here, sir. I am so happy,¡± Tsarek exclaimed.


    Tsarek¡¯s face was level with his and by the hammer¡¯s glow he could see lizard was standing on a narrow rock shelf. Below Tsarek, a scree slope of broken shards stretched away into the darkness.


    ¡°My head may be through, but my shoulders are too wide. If I can get one shoulder out, then my body will follow. I need you to pull on my arm.¡±


    Corvan wiggled his left hand. The lizard held out both paws and intertwined his claws so Corvan could wrap his fingers around them.


    ¡°Okay, Tsarek, lean back and pull.¡±


    The lizard pulled and Corvan¡¯s shoulder moved an inch, then jammed tight. The folds of his shirt bunched and pinched at his flesh.


    ¡°I think my shirt is part of the problem. Can you climb up by my shoulder and pull some of the cloth through the opening?¡±


    The lizard scrambled up the wall and got in close to the trapped shoulder. A sharp yank was followed by the sound of tearing cloth.


    ¡°So sorry, sir,¡± Tsarek said in his ear. ¡°I have ruined your garment.¡±


    Cool air flowed over his arm as Tsarek climbed down and reappeared with a piece of Corvan¡¯s shirt sleeve draped over a claw.


    ¡°I think we must remove the skin from a different cat, sir.¡±


    Corvan managed a wry smile. ¡°We¡¯ve got to free my shoulder. Take the hammer and try to carefully chip away at the rock lip that has it trapped. If this black rock is so old, maybe it can be opened up a bit.¡±


    Tsarek shook his head so vigorously his scales rattled. ¡°I cannot touch the hammer. It may kill me, and you will be stuck forever. I don¡¯t want to try that.¡±


    ¡°Then wrap my shirtsleeve around the handle, like you did on the Castle Rock.¡±


    Tsarek¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°That may work. Just a moment.¡± Tsarek bent to the ground, then Corvan heard the soft hiss of a fire stick.


    Brilliant light stabbed into his eyes. ¡°Put out the light! Corvan cried out. ¡°It¡¯s too bright!¡± He clamped his eyes shut to push away the pain.


    ¡°So sorry, sir. Is that better?¡±


    Corvan opened his gritty eyes. All he could see was milky white orbs. ¡°Is it still on?¡±


    ¡°No, sir. The firestick is out.¡±


    Corvan recalled this happening when his father was welding metal and his goggles had fell off. His dad couldn¡¯t see much for almost a week.


    His cramped body tightened with fresh fear. He forced himself to calm down. His eyesight should eventually return. For now, he had to find a way out of the crack.


    ¡°Move your fire stick farther away from me on the other side, then light it again so you can see what to do. I will drop the hammer, and you try to chip away the rock by my shoulder.¡±


    Tsarek scrambled out of the way as Corvan relaxed his fingers and let the hammer go. As it fell from his hand, a fresh wave of nausea coursed through him. Forcing himself to relax, Corvan focused on the white lights floating before his eyes. They had already faded slightly. That was a good sign.


    The area in front of him seemed to brighten a bit and then Tsarek was back. ¡°I am wrapping the handle now. There it is ready. Please hold still.¡±


    A sharp crack was followed immediately by a deep gong and a rumbling whoosh past Corvan¡¯s ears. The air was filled with chocking dust. He coughed, his chest squeezing painfully against the rocks.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Corvan asked.


    The only reply was sliding rock and crashing boulders on the slope below.


    ¡°Tsarek?¡±


    Distant thudding echoes were mixed with the clatter of small rocks peppering down from above. The acrid taste of fear mingled with the dry talc in his mouth.


    ¡°That was a close one, sir,¡± Tsarek said quietly in the dense air. ¡°I barely touched the black rock and the whole wall shook. A piece of the large slab above your head came down and just missed you. The rest of the boulder hangs just above and may come down at any moment.¡±


    A small rock clattered down, glancing with a sharp blow off Corvan¡¯s head and bouncing down the slope. A low grinding followed.


    ¡°The rock is sliding. Pull your head back!¡± Tsarek pushed frantically on Corvan¡¯s head, then stopped as the cavern fell silent.


    ¡°Sir,¡± the lizard¡¯s tense voice whispered in his ear, ¡°we must push you back or pull you out now. That huge rock balances just over your head and soon we will both be crushed. We must make your shoulders smaller.¡±


    As soon as Tsarek said the words, Corvan recalled a diagram in one of his dad¡¯s caving books. They showed that as a last ditch effort to release a trapped person, the rescuers could break one of the trapped person¡¯s collarbones and then push the shoulder in toward the body.


    He shuddered.


    The rock grumbled.


    Tsarek tensed, digging his claw into Corvan¡¯s forearm.


    Pain would be better than death. ¡°Tsarek, you must use the hammer again.¡±


    ¡°But if I touch the wall, the rock will surely come down on us.¡±


    ¡°Not the rock, Tsarek. This time you must hit me.¡±


    Tsarek¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Sir?¡±


    It took a bit to convince the lizard of the necessity of the operation and the method by which it had to be accomplished. At first, Tsarek argued vehemently against striking Corvan, but slowly he began to understand. In the end, Tsarek refused to use the hammer and went to find a smooth rock.


    Corvan was starting to have second thoughts by the time Tsarek came back. ¡°I am ready, sir.¡±


    ¡°Make sure you hit me hard enough. I don¡¯t want to do this more than once.¡±


    The lizard¡¯s claws caressed Corvan¡¯s skin, making sure of the placement of the long, thin bone. Corvan closed his eyes and waited.


    There was a long pause. Corvan was just about to ask Tsarek what he was doing when an intense jolt of pain ripped through his body. In a haze, he heard Tsarek talking in his ear, begging him to push with his legs. The lizard was tugging at his torn shirt and pushing in on his broken collarbone.


    Corvan tried to yell at him to stop, that the pain was too great, and no words came out. He thrust with his feet and a ragged cry escaped his throat as his body slid free of the crack. He tumbled painfully down the rocky slope until he came to rest against a large boulder.


    Tsarek was beside him. ¡°Are you still alive?¡± he whispered.


    Corvan groaned.


    Tsarek put a paw over Corvan¡¯s mouth. ¡°I know you are in much pain, sir, but you must wait here quietly while I get your pack,¡± Tsarek whispered. ¡°There are buraks in the outer reaches of the Cor, and they feed on anything or anyone they can find. They have the most excellent hearing and with all our noise they will certainly come to investigate.¡±

 Hammer 22: Healing

    Tsarek was only gone a moment before he was back and laying something heavy on Corvan¡¯s stomach. ¡°Here is your hammer and piece of your shirt. I have put out the firestick light to hide you from the buraks while I try to get your rope and pack. Try to watch for them and stay very still,¡± he said before scampering off.


    Watch? Corvan could see only the white orbs. If the man-eating creatures arrived while Tsarek was gone, he would be defenseless.


    A rock rolled past him down the slope, and Corvan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Tsarek had just gone through the crack and the large slab of rock was still balanced over it. He had to move out of the way or it would crush him. He tried to sit up but the intense pain from his broken collarbone forced him back down.


    Lifting his good arm, he wrapped his hand around the smooth handle of the hammer. The hammer could heal cuts; would its power fix a broken bone?


    Drawing the injured arm over his stomach, he winced at the pain. Gingerly, he traced the path of the collarbone with his finger until he located the broken spot. The bones were in alignment. Lifting the hammer with his good hand, he gently touched it to the break. The pain seemed to ease but when he tried moving the injured arm, the ugly grating of bone on bone washed over him with waves of pain. Tears welled up. The hammer could not heal his collarbone and he was blind as well. He could not escape the buraks or the stone. Tears of frustration flowed. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand until the handle was slick with them.


    ¡°Stop it,¡± he whispered to himself. ¡°Crying will solve nothing. You must take care of your arm a different way.¡± Two years ago, Billy Fry had broken his collarbone running to the outhouse at his home and tripping in a gopher hole. The bully had missed a bit of school, and when he returned with his arm in a sling, he was kept in at recess. Corvan remembered the time well.


    What he needed to do now was to hold his arm close to his chest, with a loop of cloth tied around his neck. The shirt sleeve Tsarek had placed on his stomach was too short, but by gripping the torn end in his teeth and pulling with his good hand he managed to tear it along the seam and make a loop. Once he managed to get it in place he was able to sit up, although his stomach rolled each time bones jarred against each other.


    The insignia on the base of the hammer¡¯s handle was glowing brightly in the dark. He pointed it up the slope. He could see the crack and could also clearly see that the slab over top of it was balanced precariously and even moving up and down a bit from Tsarek¡¯s passing. It took a moment for him to realize that the white orbs from the firestick flashing his eyes were completely gone. Although the hammer had not repaired his broken bone, when he wiped his tears away, it had healed his eyes. He could see perfectly by the light of the hammer¡¯s glow.


    A distant noise from the cave below caught his attention. Were the creatures Tsarek warned of coming? Corvan put the hammer back in the holster to extinguish its glow, then stared down the slope at the bottom of the cavern. A flat area of the floor was bounded by a few patches of some sort of vegetation that gave off a purple glow. He squinted into the gloom.


    A pebble rolled down the slope above him. It was only Tsarek picking his way down toward him, the bulky pack balanced on his back. Tsarek stopped a few away and leaned forward, listening intently.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Corvan whispered.


    The lizard leapt into the air, and the weight of the pack dropped him onto his back against the slope. He looked like an upside-down turtle, legs and head churning in circles, trying to grab an advantage from the air. Getting to his feet, Tsarek whispered, ¡°I could not see you in the dark, and with the pack on I could not smell you, so I did not know you were there.¡±


    ¡°But can¡¯t you see me now?¡±


    The lizard seemed to look right past him. ¡°Are you making one of your jokes?¡± he hissed, then his head snapped around to stare down below.


    Corvan followed his gaze. Something large was moving slowly about in the shadows beyond the open space.


    ¡°Tsarek, what does a burak look like?¡± Corvan whispered.


    ¡°They are hard to see. They take on the appearance of the rocks in which they live and guard the far reaches of the Cor. Sometimes settlement workers try to escape to the outer edges of the Cor. The buraks prevent them.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°They are meat eaters and are very large. They have poor sight, but they hear quite well.¡±


    Corvan swallowed. ¡°I think one is down there guarding the entrance into this cavern.¡±


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    ¡°How do you know?¡± Tsarek¡¯s voice was barely discernable, and he crept closer to Corvan. ¡°With the fire stick out, I can¡¯t see anything.¡±


    ¡°The hammer healed my eyes,¡± Corvan whispered. ¡°And with the purple light down there I can see a large creature down at the far end.¡± Even as he said the words, Corvan was certain the glint of two immense eyes turned to blink up at him.


    Tsarek stood a long time in silence. ¡°You are correct, sir,¡± he said softly. ¡°Now I can hear something moving, and there is a faint rotten smell of Burak in the air. Can you see only one?¡±


    A strong odor reached Corvan. It reminded him of when his father butchered chickens each fall. ¡°Yes. Just one moving back and forth.¡±


    ¡°It is waiting for its partner. They hunt in pairs. They have heard our noise and have come to satisfy their hunger.¡±


    ¡°Can we get past this one before the other one arrives?¡±


    ¡°We could try, but when they sense a wounded animal, they move very fast.¡± He stepped back to Corvan. ¡°Let¡¯s get a little closer and see if we can find a way around it.¡±


    Corvan bent forward and groaned. ¡°I can¡¯t carry the pack with my broken collarbone.¡±


    ¡°I could drag it for you, sir, but we need to move quickly and quietly if we are to escape.¡±


    A low, rumble grew into a grating shriek that filled the cavern from the floor below.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late now,¡± Tsarek whispered. ¡°Its partner has arrived, and the hunt will soon begin. You must wait here and be very still while I draw them away from here.¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t see them,¡± Corvan said quietly.


    ¡°I can smell them and hear them. You cannot move fast enough to get away, but if I can sneak around them, they will pursue me instead. They do not know there are two of us here and they will not let a sure meal run away.¡± Tsarek touched Corvan¡¯s leg. ¡°As soon as they are gone, get down there and move away as quickly as you can.¡±


    ¡°What if you get caught? I need you to guide me,¡± Corvan urged. ¡°I will wait for you here instead.¡±


    Tsarek shook his head. ¡°Up here is a dead end. If you wait here, they will find you. You must leave this place. If I do not catch up to you right away, just keep going down, always down. When you reach Kadir City, look for the large courtyard full of steps but do not go to the palace on the right side. You don¡¯t want to meet the chief of the watchers. You must go to the temple on the other side.¡±


    ¡°How do I know which one is the temple?¡± Corvan said. ¡°And who do I ask for?¡±


    ¡°The temple is the only dwelling in the entire city with a pointed roof.¡± Tsarek made his claws into a sharp point over his head. ¡°Ask for the High Priest or one of his children, Tyreth or Tarran. If you can¡¯t find them look for anyone in the green cloaks that only the priests wear. Never talk to the red cloaks; they are from the palace.


    Another shriek shattered the air and Corvan grabbed Tsarek¡¯s paw with his good hand. ¡°What if they catch you?¡±


    Tsarek pulled his paw free. ¡°It does not matter what happens to me. You must escape and save the Kate.¡± He rested his paw on Corvan¡¯s leg and looked intently in his direction. ¡°I did not want to worry you, sir, but the Kate is not of the Cor.¡±


    Anxiety knotted Corvan¡¯s stomach. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    The lizard ducked his head. ¡°She can¡¯t live long under the light of the lumiens. If you do not find her soon, she will fall into a deep sleep.¡±


    ¡°And . . .?¡±


    ¡°She will never wake up but it would be worse if he finds her first.¡±


    Corvan wanted to ask what could be worse than death, but a rumbling growl echoed off the walls. Tearing his gaze away from Tsarek, he peered down to the cavern floor below.


    Movement off to the right caught the corner of his eye. One burak rose up just below them on the broken slope. He looked back down. The other one must be hiding among the boulders on the floor.


    At that moment a small form darted between a gap in the boulders near the bottom of the slope. He heard Tsarek cry out in pain, then the lizard tumbled out into the open space on the floor.


    As Corvan sat up straighter, a deep grunt pulled his gaze back to the right. The second burak on the slope was now so close he could make out the bulbous eyes on its flat, angular head. It was looking at the cavern floor; its head cocked to one side. When a series of clicks came from its partner below, this one¡¯s head bobbed up and down. A wide mouth opened to reveal twin rows of jagged teeth.


    The creature¡¯s throat bulged like a bullfrog¡¯s as it emitted a series of gulps and clicks. Corvan looked to the floor of the cavern. Tsarek was on his feet, moving slowly but dragging one leg.


    As Corvan watched in horror, a huge rock behind the lizard shifted slightly. It was not a rock. It was the other burak. Tsarek was heading directly into a trap.


    Corvan took a step forward. A pebble broke free under his foot. The burak to his right turned to face him, its flat face swinging from side to side.


    Corvan froze. If he moved, the burak would know he was there, but if he didn¡¯t, Tsarek would die. The beast stared sightlessly at him in the dark until a cry of distress from the cavern below grabbed its attention.


    On the cavern floor, Tsarek was dragging an injured leg behind him as he floundered about. He stopped, held both paws over his mouth as if trying not to cry out in pain. Turning his head in Corvan¡¯s direction he raised his claws over his head, touching them together in a point.


    A dark shape loomed up behind him. For a fleeting second Corvan saw the outline of the lizard, and then he was gone.


    A moment passed in eerie silence before a slow, rhythmic throbbing sounded out. The large shadow on the floor rose on its hind legs and danced in a slow circle, pounding its feet on the ground.


    The burak on the slope rumbled out a response as it slid through the gravel toward the floor. As it neared the bottom and its partner the noise grew to loud grating shrieks.


    The dancing creature below turned toward Corvan.


    From its clenched jaws hung Tsarek¡¯s lifeless body.

 Hammer 23: Vision

    Corvan cowered behind a boulder, watching as the buraks circled each other, celebrating their successful hunt with deep grunts and ear-splitting shrieks. Finally, they both moved out of the cavern and into the gloom, their sounds fading away until the darkened cave was silent once again.


    Putting his back against the rock, Corvan lowered himself to the ground, the throbbing pain in his shoulder overwhelmed by the intense ache in his heart. In the short time he had known Tsarek, they had become more than just traveling companions. A sob shook his body, sending fresh pains across his shoulder and chest.


    A cool breeze swept past from up the slope where they had entered the cavern. The enormity of his situation sank in. He was far below the surface of the earth. No one knew where he had gone, so no one would ever come looking for him. Ever. For the first time in his life, Corvan was truly on his own. He couldn¡¯t go back through the hole where Tsarek broke his collarbone or return home through the labyrinth. Not that he wanted to go back right away. He needed to go after Kate, but how could he find her without Tsarek¡¯s help?


    Tsarek has said Kate didn''t have long to live and that she was in great danger. If he was to rescue her, he had to set aside his fears and keep moving deeper into the Cor. His only hope was to locate the pointed roof of the temple. That must have been what Tsarek meant when he pointed his arms over his head. Tsarek knew he was about to be captured and was giving Corvan one last instruction. No, two, for the paws over the mouth had been telling Corvan to stay quiet, so at least he could escape from the buraks. He nodded to himself, then instantly stopped as all the muscles in his neck constricted around the broken bone. Tsarek had sacrificed his life to save him, now it was up to him to follow the instructions he was given.


    The slow breeze from up the slope was quickly pulling the heat from his sweat-drenched clothes. He shivered, renewing the pain in his broken shoulder. If he didn''t put something dry on and start moving, hypothermia would set in and that would be far worse that the pain.


    Moving slowly to not aggravate his injured shoulder, he managed to pull his pack close with his foot. Tsarek had retrieved his pack with his dry t-shirts from the tight crawlspace up the slope, but the cloak must still be up there. At least he still had the slipper shoes to keep his feet warm and dry and putting on two dry t-shirts would help.


    The leather straps that had held the top flap of the pack in place were cut in two. Why would Tsarek have done that, when it would have been easier to just undo the buckles? It took only a second for him to realize that opening buckles with long claws would have been too difficult for the lizard. Tsarek had likely tried first and that would explain what had taken so long for him to return. The reason he cut the straps was so he could stuff the cloak and the krypin rope inside. Pushing the top flap aside, his suspicions were confirmed.


    With his good arm he worked to carefully slipped the cloak over his shoulders, then lifted the hood into position. Immediately he stopped shivering, his body relaxed and the pain in his upper body eased.


    With the crude sling supporting his broken arm under the cloak, Corvan was able to get back to his feet. He peered over the boulder to the cavern floor below. The faint patches of purple light were spreading farther out around the lower cavern and lighting what appeared to be the only exit. Tsarek had said something about the Cor having a day and night cycle where the light grew stronger and then receded. The brighter light confirmed that he had found a way past the labyrinth and was now in the outer caverns of the Cor, the place where buraks roamed to keep people from escaping, or getting in.


    Dragging the heavy pack down the scree slope by one of its straps, he entered the clearing where Tsarek had been captured and set it down next to a low, flat stone. The way out was in the same direction the huge creatures had headed. He would need to lighten his load, or he would make too much noise pulling the pack along the ground. Sitting on the stone, Corvan spread the top of the pack wide, then pulled out green rope and the t-shirts he had wrapped around the fireworks and set them aside. Tsarek¡¯s crystal was next, and he set it on its side on top of the shirts, recalling Tsarek¡¯s wishes about not breaking it off again. Not that it would matter anymore.


    The familiar scent of the campfire smoke embedded in the canvas of the pack, along with the appetizing smell of beef jerky swirled about him. His stomach growled. In this timeless world, there was no way of knowing when he¡¯d last eaten last.


    Chewing on a piece of the jerky, he dug into the main compartment of the pack and pulled out the tin cans. The soggy labels had fallen off, but it in the end it didn¡¯t matter¡ªhe had left the can opener at home. If Kate hadn¡¯t stolen Tsarek''s Swiss Army knife he could have used the opener, but he had nothing on hand to get a tin open. Picking out a familiar rectangular tin, he studied the picture of the Spam printed on the metal. The tinned ham wasn¡¯t his favorite, but at least it had an attached key to twist it open. He flipped it over¡ªthe key had broken off. A careful search along the seams at the bottom of the pack came up empty handed and only served to make his head pound.


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    Why was everything going wrong? Irritated, he tossed the can away. The motion made his injured shoulder throb. The Spam bounced off a nearby rock, cracked, then landed in the dirt at his feet, neatly split along the seam.


    Picking it up, he held the tin firmly between his knees and peeled the top back with his good hand. Cold, gritty gelatinous Spam¡ªhe¡¯d never tasted anything so good.


    After finishing off the entire tin, he wiped his greasy hand on one of the t-shirts. He decided to put one of the wider round tins back in the pack. It was likely canned fruit, maybe even peaches, and once he found Kate he could open with the Swiss Army knife and share them with her.


    For a while he only stared at Tsarek''s musical crystal, trying to recall the song he had played under the Castle Rock. Picking up the tapered crystal he held in in his hand. There would be no more music from Tsarek, and it was too heavy to carry. Setting it between his legs on the flat stone, he sensed it rooting itself. He would leave it here as a memorial to Tsarek and his sacrifice. A few tears fell on the tapered crystal, skidding down its length and leaving a phosphorescent trail behind. More tears followed. Reaching out he touched one of the glowing tracks and a tiny spark leaped out to meet his hand, along with a sound like miniature wind chimes in a summer breeze. Was that the tune Tsarek had played for him?


    As he wrapped his hand around the top of the crystal, the musical sound increased along with an overwhelming weariness. He closed his eyes. "Please help me find a way out of here," he whispered. "I want to find Kate and to my home." At that thought his mind seemed to fill with a bank of dense white fog. Two figures emerged from the mist and walked towards him. It was his mother and father. He called out, but they couldn¡¯t hear him and walked past. Was this another dream like the nightmare monster? He followed along behind them through the murky air and eventually found himself climbing the western trail of the Castle Rock. Just ahead, his parents passed through the western gap between the rocks and when Corvan stepped through, the fog parted to reveal a woman sitting on a black throne, right where the central stone used to be.


    She was dressed in a glowing white dress, her shoulders draped in a blood red cape. A sparkling ring of gems on her head and thick black bands encircled both of her wrists.


    Corvan''s parents knelt before the woman, begging her to open the door below her throne, so their son could come home. The woman stood, raised her hands, and pointed in the direction of his home. Lightning arced from the bands on her wrists, and he followed the crackling light as it wrapped around his house, dissolving it into a pool of molten stone that set the fields alight. The fire roared to the south, incinerating every home in its path.


    "No-o-o-o!" The cavern walls echoed with his cry as he forced his eyes open and pulled his hand from the crystal. Was that woman Kate? If he failed to rescue her, would she become some sort of evil queen capable of destroying the entire world?


    A rumbling crash interrupted his thoughts as the rock face where he and Tsarek had just entered, collapsed onto the slope below. The largest slab of rock gained momentum, toppling end over end and sending tremendous shudders through the ground as it roared downward, before grinding to a halt a short distance away. The avalanche would surely bring the buraks back. He needed to get out of there.


    A dense cloud of rock dust rolled around him, as if the cave were trying to bury him alive. The fine dust thrust into his lungs, and he pulled the hood across his face to breathe through its fabric. It worked much better than he thought it would. He could breathe easily. He kept his head low, between his knees, and waited for the dust to clear.


    The dust cloud passed but it was difficult to see through the murky air. Getting to his feet, he pulled out the hammer, pointed the glow down and hoisted the much lighter pack off the ground. As he turned to leave, the circles from the hammer''s handle were clearly reflected in a tiny round surface at the base of Tsarek''s crystal.


    Setting the pack down, he bent in closer. His tears had flowed down the crystal and collected in a small depression at its base. Touching the shiny surface, he discovered it was as solid as the crystal itself. When he pressed on one edge, a thin circle¡ªlike the small round mirror his mother kept in her purse¡ªpopped out.


    Holding it close to his face, Corvan traced a finger across the surface and the round glass rippled, turning dark blue with tiny points of light, much like the starry sky over the Castle Rock. A glimmer of hope grew in his heart as he caught his own reflection in the mirror. He was still alive, and Kate was somewhere just ahead of him. If he could find her before anyone else did, then the vision from the crystal could not come to pass. He and Kate would see the stars together again if he could stay focused.


    Taking a deep breath, he slipped the glass into his pocket, picked up the pack by one of its straps and headed toward the exit where the buraks had gone.

 Hammer 24: Sneakers

    With the labyrinth behind him, the journey through the outer passages was easier than Corvan expected. Following Tsarek¡¯s final instructions, he kept keep moving down the main corridor, ignoring smaller tunnels that branched off or climbed upward.


    When he first started out, he had to slowly pick his way between the tall stalagmites that had grown up from the floor. It was obvious the large buraks must have taken a different route and he didn¡¯t need to worry about them following him. After a while he noticed tracks in the dust made by smaller animals he could not identify. The individual lines of tracks eventually became a path winding ever downward through the main passage.


    The hammer¡¯s insignia emitted enough light, but after a while it appeared to be fading. Maybe, just like the electric miner¡¯s lamps, it would need to be recharged. It could be that the hammer and the disc Kate had stolen from Tsarek, functioned together to re-energize the battery. For the time being he decided to leave in in the holster in case he really needed its last bit of light in a really dark spot.


    From that point on, he walked as far as he could while there was enough faint light from occasional patches of purple moss. Whatever the hammer had done to heal his eyes from the flash of the firestick, it had also sharpened his night vision and that made it relatively easy to navigate. During the times that the moss faded to its lowest ebb, he would rest and gnaw on a small piece of the beef jerky, then slowly melt ten of the chocolate chips in his mouth, one at a time. He was continually hungry, but at least there was a steady supply of water. It dripped from the stalactites overhead and pooled in small depressions that gathered and eventually ran in a small stream alongside the downward path.


    His mind was so full of questions and worries, it was almost impossible to sleep and when he did, the vision from Tsarek¡¯s crystal haunted him. He couldn¡¯t escape the image of the woman murdering his parents with her fire. If that person was a future vision of Kate, how was it possible for her to change that much? At times she got very mad, but how could that grow into wanting to kill everyone around her? All he could come up with was that the vision was warning him if Kate was taken by the black band to Tsarek¡¯s master, she too would become evil.


    He lay in the darkness, listening to the sounds of dripping water and the pattering of feet¡ªeither small animals or incredibly large insects. He hoped they weren¡¯t spiders. He hated spiders.


    Laying on the cold damp floor would have been unbearable except for the warmth of his grandfather¡¯s cloak. He often thought of his grandfather, wondering what he planned to tell him about this underground world. Was his plan that they would have gone through the portal together and return to this place call the Cor?


    He gave up on sleeping. Supporting his sore arm he sat up against the passage wall and looked across the path at a lumpy stalagmite with the appearance of a person sitting on a stone stool. ¡°At least, if you were here,¡± he said quietly to the stone figure, as if it were his grandfather, ¡°you could tell me why you wrote my name with a hyphen in the middle and also why my father had spoken it that same way. What exactly is a Cor-Van?¡± The strange word echoed down the passage.


    Tsarek was afraid of having anyone hear his name spoken that way and had asked to use Kalian instead. The lizard said it was from his mother¡¯s lullaby and was a translation for the words, ¡°only one¡± in the song. He began to hum a stanza of the song, then stopped himself. The lullaby did not fit the situation and besides, he was likely now fifteen years of age¡ªan adult. He needed to put the thoughts of being a small boy in his mother¡¯s arms aside and, like his father often told him he needed to focus on the job at hand instead of daydreaming.


    His father¡¯s words from their night on the western slope of Castle Rock came to mind. His father¡¯s voice was full of sorrow when he related that their people had never seen the moon and stars. Now Corvan understood just how difficult that was. Without any light, the darkness was overwhelming, crushing him with its vacant weight. If these dark holes were what those people lived in, it was fortunate that his grandfather¡¯s father had found a way to escape into the world above. The sooner he could find Kate and return to a place of bright sunlight during the day and the stars at night, the better. He never wanted to come down here again.


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    Corvan retrieved the ice disc that had formed at the base of Tsarek¡¯s musical crystal. Each time he rested; he had been studying the tiny pinpoints of light. They reminded him of the constellations he would identify while lying on the rock on warm summer nights, through the fall and also from the entry into the igloos he would build from the packed drifts on the top of Castle Rock in the winter. He was almost certain he could make out Orion and the Big Dipper in the sparkling dots. At his last resting place, he had noticed a brighter glow above the handle of the Big Dipper.


    This time, he was shocked to find that the glow had become a tiny full moon that was making its way along the edge of the glass. ¡°How is that possible?¡± he whispered. ¡°Tsarek¡¯s crystal showed me a vision for the future so what is this supposed to tell me?¡± As he pondered and thought through the phases of the moon and what Tsarek had told him about the light of the lumiens and their connection to the world above, he realized that the ice disc might be reflecting what was happening at home right now. It was showing him the stars because he was thinking of a starry sky at home, but could it also show him his house?


    Cupping it in his palm, he concentrated and imagined walking into the gap in the Castle Rock facing his house. The stars in the ice glass slowly spun, the moon slipped off the side, but then moonlit outline of his home came into view. A tiny yellow square flickered, and his mother appeared in his bedroom window. He focused on her face and the scene moved closer in the glass until he could see that tears were running down her cheeks, but she was singing. He could not hear the words, but her hand rose toward him, as if she knew he was watching.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, Mom,¡± Corvan said. A tear slipped down his cheek and splashed on the glassy disc.


    His mother stopped singing and stared out the window. A puzzled expression flickering across her face. Wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve, she turned from the window and his bedroom light went out.


    An overpowering loneliness welled up inside him. He was trapped deep inside the Earth, as far away from his home as if he were on the moon itself and looking through a telescope at his home. He needed to get back but even if he could find the temple building that Tsarek had mentioned, that didn¡¯t necessarily mean he would also find Kate.


    He looked intently into the ice disc. Could the glass also reveal Kate¡¯s whereabouts?


    He turned his thoughts to Kate, and memories flooded back. Days of building forts, riding bikes and hiking through the coulees. He smiled. Kate was his best friend, at least in the world above. His smile faded. Down here, he wasn¡¯t sure he knew who she was anymore. Pushing the negative thoughts aside, he concentrated on the Kate he once knew.


    A fond memory crept into his heart and brought the smile back to his face. He and Kate were lying on the rock, watching for falling stars when a coyote barked nearby in the field. Kate had moved closer and reached for his hand. It barked again, then the night fell silent, but they lay there a long time, hand in hand, looking up at the stars without saying a word, until his mother called him in. Neither he nor Kate had talked about that night or had held hands again, but he often thought about it, and wanted to be that close to her again.


    The glass went dark, and he was about to put it away when he caught a glimpse of Kate¡¯s face in the darkness. Tears were running down her cheeks.


    ¡°Hang on, Kate, I¡¯m coming for you,¡± Corvan called out, and the image in the mirror looked at him in shock, then called his name so clearly he almost dropped the glass. It went dark again, and he tried refocusing his thoughts on Kate, but there was nothing more to see. Returning the glass to his pocket, he lay back and wrapped the cape tightly around him. A sharp rock poked into his ribs and he wondered if it were possible for things to get any worse than this.


    His father used to say, ¡°Cheer up, Son, the worst is yet to come,¡± reminding him to be thankful for what he had in the present instead of focusing on what could and would go wrong in the future. Listening to the rhythmic drip of water falling around him in the cold darkness, Corvan tried to come up with something positive. The only thing that he could come up with was that his collarbone had healed quickly and he didn¡¯t need the sling anymore. It barely hurt to move his shoulder so perhaps the hammer healed bones after all; it just took a bit longer. It could be why its light energy had been used up so quickly.


    With a heavy sigh, he sat back up. It was no use trying to sleep. He might as well walk a little farther and hope the moss would begin glowing soon. For the time being, he would try the hammer again. Pulling his pack onto one shoulder, he released the hammer and followed its feeble glow down a long slope and around a corner.


    The passage abruptly ended in an T intersection with a larger passage. He peered downward and was about to step out, but this new passage was large enough for the buraks and there was a clear wide trail.


    Pointing his light up the steep slope, a distinctive shape caught his eyes.


    A pair of running shoes were sticking out at the base of a tall rock.

 Hammer 25: Hinges

    Corvan tore up the passage only to find the sneakers empty and Kate nowhere to be seen.


    The toes of the scarecrow¡¯s runners had completely separated from the soles. They gaped at him as if they had something important to tell him but couldn¡¯t get the words out. On the ground behind the runners was a crumpled up waxed bread wrapper. He opened it to see if any crumbs remained, but all he got was the aroma of his mom¡¯s oatmeal cookies, along with a trace of Kate¡¯s lilac perfume.


    He looked down the passage. That meant Kate must have just been here. It was her voice calling out to him when he saw her in the glass.


    ¡°Kate!¡± he shouted, but the only answer was his echo reverberating back at him from the tunnel leading down. Covering up the hammer¡¯s glow, he stared into the darkness. The rocks along the right side of the passage were tinged with a glow from around the next corner. His first thought was Kate¡¯s flashlight, but the light was a cold, blue color.


    Holstering the hammer, he left the flap open, in case he needed it quickly and crept along the tunnel''s side, keeping the larger boulders between himself and the growing light. Feeling his way along the inside wall, he edged past the corner, then approached a lighted gap between two columns of rock. A short distance ahead, a shaft of pale blue light was streaming into the tunnel. It was moonlight! Somehow, after escaping the labyrinth and the buraks cave, he had come all the way down to the level of the river valley.


    Corvan¡¯s heart soared as he sprinted toward the light. Kate must be out as well. They would both be safe and just need to find the mine and ask for a ride home.


    As he drew near he caught sight of a full moon and a few bright stars. He blinked, wondering what the fire stick or the hammer had done to his eyes. The moon was completely blue, without any visible craters, and the stars in the sky pierced the black night with a pink light.


    His pace slowed as he approached the exit¡ª a uniform arch that had been cut into a rock wall. This was not a natural cave, nor was it an entry to a mine. A thick stone door, supported by heavy hinges, hung ajar.


    With his eyes fixed beyond the opening, at what he had thought was the moon, Corvan tripped a loose stone, caught himself on the door, and pushed it closer to the inside wall. A wave of despair crashed over Corvan as he discovered a row of the strange script from his grandfather¡¯s book, carved across the middle of the door. The vast cave in front of him was only more of Tsarek¡¯s Cor. He would have to pass through yet another door and follow Kate deeper into the darkness ahead.


    He was about to move through the open door when angry voices approached from outside. Two men were arguing over who had last checked the door. Ducking behind the thick slab, Corvan slid his body along the wall and closer to the hinges. His pack caught on the curved ceiling, crowding his head forward and pushing his face tight beneath the upper hinge. He was stuck looking directly through wide crack between the door and the jamb. It would be easy for anyone who came close to spot him hiding in the shadows.


    A short, wiry man entered his field of vision, his face shadowed in the hood of a green cloak. Clutched in the man¡¯s hand was a shoulder-high staff. At its top was a carved globe with a dark center. He stopped before the door, shaking his head in amazement. ¡°You¡¯re right. The door is open.¡±


    An even shorter, stocky man appeared, and a deep voice responded from the depths of his red hooded cloak. ¡°I can see that Tarran, but why is it open? The priests hold the only key, and you are the only priest I know who bothers to come up here.¡± He folded his arms over his chest.


    Tarran threw back his hood revealing the sharp features of a young man with thick black hair and keen grey eyes. ¡°What are you insinuating, Harmon?¡±


    The heavyset man didn¡¯t reply.


    Corvan held his breath as Tarran turned away and examined the far side of the door. The person Tsarek had told him to find was just a few paces away, but so was a red cloaked palace guard that Tsarek had warned him to avoid.


    Pulling a notched cylinder on a red cord from around his neck, Tarran twisted it into a hole in the door. Three sturdy bolts clicked out from the doorjamb and when Tarran removed the key, the bolts sank back into the rock.


    The green cloak swished as Tarran crossed over to inspect the hinge side of the door.


    Corvan twisted away to hide his face. His hand touched the hammer and its blue symbols glowed from the bottom of the holster. He quickly yanked his hand away, and the light faded. He looked up into Tarran¡¯s wide eyes.


    ¡°Find something?¡± Harmon asked.


    ¡°Just checking the hinges,¡± Tarran said without breaking eye contact with Corvan. ¡°The door was not forced open.¡± He gestured with his left hand off to the side. ¡°I have seen all I need to see here. Let¡¯s head back down. You can file a report tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Too late for that,¡± Harmon sneered. ¡°I already reported it to the Chief Watcher.¡±


    Tarran¡¯s eyes widened, and he whirled about to face the stocky man. ¡°You did what?¡±


    Harmon pointed into the void behind him. ¡°The Chief Watcher is to be informed any time this door is opened. Since it could only be a priest who opened it, I suspected that you wouldn¡¯t tell him anything that might put your friends or your family in jeopardy.¡±


    Tarran pounded his staff on the ground, and the globe filled with a pale light. ¡°You¡¯re a fool, Harmon. You know little of what is happening. All you care about is how to advance your own career.¡±


    ¡°What else is there?¡± Harmon snorted. ¡°With the bad blood between the Watchers, the priests, and the rebels, this is the perfect time to get on the good side of those who have the most power.¡±


    Tarran pointed the staff at him. ¡°Power is not a toy. Play with power¡ªpay the powerful.¡±


    Harmon shrugged. ¡°You priests and your proverbs. The way you talk, you¡¯d think you were part of the rebels and not fighting for our own city. Don¡¯t think for a moment that the Palace doesn¡¯t know what you and your father are planning.¡±


    Tarran stared at the stocky man. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°I know that Morgan uncovered a plot to overthrow the Palace, and I know that the sources all point to the High Priest.¡± Harmon turned his back on Tarran and swaggered away.


    Tarran gripped his staff in both hands and took a step toward him.


    Harmon whirled around and pointed along the narrow path just beyond the door. ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± he whispered in a hoarse voice.


    Tarran joined him, and both men stood frozen at attention. Tarran fumbled with the staff, and its light faded away.


    In the thick silence, a series of rhythmic chirps approached. Four different tones made is sound like a quartet of wounded crickets were limping in his direction. The soft slap of bare feet on rock soon overpowered the eerie sound, as four incredibly thin men appeared on the path. A palanquin tent with red curtains was slung below poles on their shoulders.


    The men¡¯s white arms seemed too long and slender to be human. Blue veins pulsed under transparent, glistening skin, reminding Corvan of the pictures he¡¯d seen of cave salamanders that lived all their lives in total darkness. The deep red sleeveless robes accentuated their milky white faces.


    The tallest one, at the front of the poles, turned toward Corvan. The thin white lips pursed, then a blue tongue worked to produce high-pitched chirps as its head scanned from side to side. The manlike creatures were blind and had to navigate like bats, finding their way using only echoes.


    Corvan held his breath and help completely still, hoping the crack would shield him from their search.


    In unison, the blind creatures lowered the box of the palanquin closer to the ground. The embroidered red curtains parted, and a dark body oozed to the ground. Corvan stifled a gasp. It was a lizard somewhat like Tsarek, but much larger¡ªalmost Corvan¡¯s own height. Its head bobbed as its thin tongue whipped in and out, tasting the air that flowed from the cavern¡¯s open door. Powerful biceps strained against twisted silver bracers wrapped around each arm. It


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    It moved with measured steps into the doorway. The muscles in its thick legs were bulging and rippling under its scaly black skin, and its powerful biceps strained against twisted silver bracers wrapped around each arm.


    It passed out of Corvan¡¯s line of sight and into the door, then it spoke in a low hiss. Corvan¡¯s blood ran cold. He did not catch what it said through the thick door, but Tarran responded affirmatively.


    Harmon muttered something, but a sharp command from the lizard silenced him.


    The lizard¡¯s snout poked out over the threshold, its nostrils flaring to pull in the scents around it. If it came any closer, it was sure to smell him.


    ¡°Most honorable Chief Watcher,¡± Tarran said abruptly, ¡°I checked this door personally, and all the seals were intact. I do not know¡ª¡±


    Harmon pushed Tarran aside. ¡°He lies. I¡¯m the one who found the door open. I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on the priests for you, just as you ordered me. I¡¯m the one who deserves a reward for¡ª¡±


    A blur shot past Corvan¡¯s hiding place, then the black lizard stood astride of Harmon¡¯s still body. He held his right paw to the dim light, and Corvan could see it was badly deformed. There was only one long curved claw on a small, twisted stump. The lizard¡¯s tongue shot out to taste Harmons blood running down the long claw. The black face wrinkled in distaste, and he stepped off the body, wiped his claw on the dead man¡¯s cloak, then gave the body a contemptuous kick. The creature twisted its sinuous neck to leer at Tarran.


    ¡°Some people don¡¯t know when to be quiet, do they, Tarran? I do not trust those who cannot keep their lipsss ssshut,¡± The creature hissed while moving closer to Tarran. ¡°I also don¡¯t trust a priessst who cannot keep his door shut. It smells of treason. Perhaps you were looking to start a rumor that the Cor-Van has finally come back to overthrow the palace?¡±


    Tarran pointed to the keyhole. ¡°The priest¡¯s key was not used. The door must have been opened from the other side by the Portal Watcher.¡±


    The black body flickered toward Tarran, words spitting past the forked tongue. ¡°If the Portal Watcher had been called, then he would have told me for I am the Chief Watcher of the Cor.¡±


    The lizard circled the man. ¡°Do not think I am unaware of why the High Priest assigned you to represent the temple as part of my palace guard. He tried the same tactic with Morgan and failed. Morgan was at least smart enough to know when to switch sides but that was not a good outcome for your sister, would you not agree?¡±


    Tarran stiffened but did not answer. The black form turned back to the door. ¡°What we know for certain is that sssomeone opened this door without informing me.¡± The lizard extended a claw toward Tarran. ¡°Now, I will take your key.¡±


    Tarran took a step back. ¡°The key is the responsibility of the priests, not the palace.¡±


    ¡°Yessss.¡± The lizard¡¯s tongue darted in and out. ¡°But only as the guardians of the entry. Since the door has been opened without the palace being informed, your position as keeper of the key is forfeit to me.¡±


    Tarran gripped the staff in both hands and held it up like a great sword. The four pale men holding the palanquin dropped the canopied box to the ground and spread out behind the lizard. A tightly coiled krypin ropes appeared in their hands.


    The Chief Watcher extended his long claw and touched the end of the staff. ¡°Do not resist me, Tarran.¡± The lizard flicked the staff aside, then he turned his back on the man and walked toward the doorway. ¡°You cannot win.¡±


    Tarran stepped toward the four white men, who tensed in anticipation.


    ¡°You would be wise to consider joining me, as Morgan has done,¡± the lizard said without turning around. ¡°The priesthood is dying. My new religion is poised to take over. If you join with me, I will make you my captain instead of Morgan.¡±


    Tarran¡¯s staff sagged until the tip touched the ground.


    The lizard held out his claw again. This time Tarran reached into his cowl, pulled out the cord and the notched cylinder and removed it from his neck. The Chief Watcher took it and looped it around his own neck.


    ¡°A wise choice. You are a perceptive young man. One who could play an important role in restoring all the Cor to its former glory.¡±


    The tallest of the men with unseeing eyes approached and bent low to speak in the lizard¡¯s ear. His long fingers were almost brushing the ground.


    The lizard nodded. A tight smile parted his lips. ¡°A company of my men is on their way, Tarran. You will spend the night in the palace cells. I will give you until first light tomorrow to give me your answer. Think it over carefully,¡± it hissed. ¡°Your sister¡¯s life depends on it.¡±


    The lizard threw open the curtains and stepped up in into the palanquin. The four thin men picked up the cabin and disappeared off to the right. Tarran moved out to watch the procession leave. The eerie chirping faded into the distance and Tarran turned back to the door.


    Corvan pushed away from the hinges and the door moved slightly away from the wall. He had to get some answers from the man who had just saved him from the black lizard. Turning himself around he pushed hard on the heavy door, and it slowly moved into the passage.


    The screech of a burak filled the tunnel one of the massive animals pounded past him toward Tarran. It¡¯s broad shoulder slammed into the edge of the door, throwing him onto the ground, his back up against the wall against the bottom hinge.


    Tarran cried out and through the crack Corvan saw the huge animal toss the man in the air and catch him again in its jaws like a cat with a mouse. It threw him again and Tarran¡¯s body tumbled in a wild arc and landed in a crumpled heap near Corvan.


    Terror-filled eyes looked up through the crack. ¡°Help me,¡± he croaked.


    Corvan pushed his legs against the door, but the creature¡¯s weight held the stone slab tight against the wall. He needed something to distract the beast so Tarran could escape. Twisting on his side, he pulled the hammer free. Its blue light shot through the crack.


    The burak lifted its head into the light, its eyes focused on Corvan, then its sour breath blasted into his face with a deafening roar. The hinges creaked as the burak tried to force its snout into the crack. Its angry shrieks ripped at Corvan¡¯s eardrums. He clenched both hands over his ears to make it stop. The door banged again, and the terrifying noise stopped.


    Tarran¡¯s bloody face was just beyond the lower hinge.


    ¡°Help me, Cor-Van,¡± Tarran gasped and then his pitiful face was dragged away.


    The great door boomed as the beast hammered into it. The stone slab bounced hard away from the wall, revealing a lone burak retreating up the slope with Tarran¡¯s broken body dragging alongside it in the dirt before it disappeared between the two stone columns. The door kept closing until the light from the lumiens was only a thin wedge against the other side of the passage.


    Crawling on his hands and knees toward the light, Corvan stomach rolled, and he retched violently but there was nothing to come up. Finally, he was able to sit up, his mind reeling with what had just happened.


    A muted shriek jerked Corvan¡¯s head up. Tsarek had said they always hunted in pairs, but he had not heard from the second one during the attack. He held his breath and listened intently. The passage was quiet, and nothing moved up between the pillars.


    Feeling around the floor closer to the wall, he found the hammer buried in a long pile of dirt. The handle was cold, and the light from the symbols was gone. Stuffing it back into the holster he buttoned the flap down. It was useless to him now.


    Getting to his feet, he discovered that the only reason the great stone door had not closed was because it was jammed tight against Tarran¡¯s staff. Pulling the door back, he picked it up and tapped it on the floor to knock the dirt from the globe at the top. A soft purple light grew inside it and threw a kaleidoscope of shadowed patterns around the tunnel and lighting up the symbols etched across the door.


    A flurry of movement up the pathway caught Corvan¡¯s eye. The other burak had arrived! Leaping out over the threshold, Corvan swirled about, stuck the end of the staff in the keyhole and yanked the door shut. Three sharp clicks were followed by muffled blows on the other side of the door. Corvan slumped down against it and leaned his head against the cold stone.


    High above him, the blue light shone brightly, but now he could clearly see it was a lumien much larger than the one in Tsarek¡¯s cave. Smaller ones were scattered around it, the pink ¡°stars¡± he¡¯d seen earlier.


    The blows against the door quickly faded and Corvan realized he had not only just locked his only exit out of this violent underground world, but the black lizard had the only key.


    Pushing to his feet, he was drawn forward by the incredible size of the new cavern. It was hard to judge distance in the dim light, but it had to be miles to the other side, where a brown haze hung over what appeared to be jagged mountains. He stepped forward for a better look, and his foot slipped. Jerking his body back, he recovered to find himself on the edge of a precipice that ended in a steep slope hundreds of feet below.


    He looked to the path the thin men had taken and followed its winding course down the cliff to his right. At the bottom he caught sight of the tiny figures of the pale men carrying the lizard over a narrow bridge and there, beyond the ribbon of dark water, was the strangest city he had ever seen. It radiated out in concentric circles from a central plaza. Each subsequent larger circular street was joined to the next at intervals, making entire network of streets look like an immense spider¡¯s web.


    He scanned both sides of the widest street that ran toward the far wall. The left side of the city was in ruins, but the right side looked relatively undamaged. An irregular thick wall ran between them.


    The lizard¡¯s pale servants arrived in the central plaza, turned right, and proceeded through a gate in the dividing wall. They marched up a wide street and then through banks of fog that flowed about in a wide courtyard.


    Corvan looked ahead of the tiny travelers, and his eyes widened in amazement. A stone figure rose above the larger buildings. Corvan inched closer to the edge of the cliff, his eyes wandering up over the statue¡¯s broad chest. It had to be a temple of some kind, like the ones for King Ramses and the other pharaohs in Egypt. On top of the broad shoulders sat a rough stone block. The face of the statue was not yet finished.


    Corvan¡¯s gaze swept over a powerful stone bicep overlaid with writhing snakelike creatures. The arm lay on one of the wide armrests of the throne, and its hand gripped a tall staff like the one Corvan now held.


    Below the statue, around the large stone feet, human figures moved like ants on a circular stone wall. Great stone blocks were being moved into position with cranes and rollers. The glow of many firesticks burned around the construction site, casting their hazy heat waves into the air around the statue and made it look almost alive, like it might leave its throne and crush the buildings at its feet.


    Corvan peered into the shadows off to the left of the statue. Was that the pointy roof Tsarek told him to find?


    A shove from behind pitched him over the edge but before Corvan could scream, two powerful hands gripped his shoulders and held him dangling in thin air.

 Hammer 26: Prisoner

    ¡°So, Tarran,¡± a deep voice growled in Corvan¡¯s ear, ¡°you¡¯ve not only proven yourself to be a bigger fool than your father, but this time he won¡¯t save you from the Chief Watcher.¡±


    The grip on Corvan¡¯s shoulders relaxed, causing his body to slip, and his heart pounded.


    ¡°I think it would be best for everyone if you fell to your death,¡± the deep voice declared.


    Corvan was about to shout he wasn¡¯t Tarran so the man would not kill him by mistake, when a calm voice interjected. ¡°Kharag, our orders were to relieve Tarran and Harmon, not kill them.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Rayu,¡± the man holding Corvan barked, ¡°or you will be next. It would be a great relief to not see any of the priest¡¯s green cloaks around our barracks.¡±


    The staff in hand, Corvan was hurled back toward the locked door. He collapsed in a heap, peering out from under the folds of his hood. His captors had been told to meet Tarran at the door, so his grandfather¡¯s special cloak was making them think Corvan was Tarran. He tugged his hood lower over his eyes. It would best to be quiet and see what they would do with him.


    Men in black cloaks moved about, while an older man in a green cloak smiled in his direction. That had to be Rayu, one of the priests from the temple Tsarek had told Corvan to look for. If he could talk to Rayu, maybe the man could help him escape.


    A boot struck his leg. ¡°Get to your feet,¡± Kharag ordered.


    Using the staff, Corvan pushed himself upright, keeping his hood low and his eyes on the ground. He leaned heavily on the staff, and it began to glow. Kharag¡¯s boots moved in front of him.


    ¡°Why did you light your staff?¡± Kharag demanded, snatching it from Corvan¡¯s hand. The light immediately went out. The large man examined the shaft closely. ¡°And why is there blood on it?¡±


    ¡°Kharag,¡± another voice called out, ¡°come look at this.¡±


    Corvan watch from under his hood as Kharag moved to where a knot of soldiers stood around Harmon¡¯s body. The older man in a green cloak pushed through to crouch over the corpse. ¡°This wound was not made by his staff,¡± he said, looking up at Kharag.


    Kharag shoved the man aside, sending him sprawling to the ground.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need your help, Rayu. This isn¡¯t a temple affair. Harmon¡¯s body is proof enough of the murder. Tarran is now my prisoner under the jurisdiction of the Chief Watcher.¡±


    The heavy boots stalked back to Corvan, then the sharp point of the staff jabbed repeatedly into his shoulder with each clipped word. ¡°Tarran, - you - are - under - arrest for the murder of Harmon. You will be taken before the Chief Watcher for judgment.¡± Someone shoved Corvan onto the cliffside path leading down to the city and he walked down the incline.


    Hemmed in by soldiers on the narrow track, Corvan kept his eyes down but kept thinking there something odd about his guards. At first, he couldn¡¯t put his finger on it, but as they entered the first set of switchbacks leading to the bridge below, it finally struck him. Among these grown men, other than Kharag, he was of average height. Either the palace guards were chosen for their short stature, or all the people of this place Tsarek called the Cor, weren¡¯t very tall.


    The light from the lumiens overhead was growing dimmer. With his hood low over his eyes, Corvan felt safe from discovery, at least for now, but once he was taken to the Chief Watcher, he would be exposed as an impostor. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead at the thought of facing the black lizard.


    Seeking reassurance, he reached under his tunic and rested his hand on the head of the hammer, but it was cold to the touch. Something had changed when Tarran died. The man¡¯s frightened face filled his thoughts. He tried to push the image away, but the voice in his head kept pleading, ¡°Help me, Cor-Van.¡±


    Silently, he responded, I was too afraid. I¡¯m not strong enough and I don¡¯t even know how to use the power of the hammer.


    Tarran¡¯s voice continued to implore him. ¡°Help me, Cor-Van. Help me.¡±


    He tried forcing himself to think of something else, but the voice would not quit. It grew louder, more desperate.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    All the men around him jostled to a halt and turned to face him. Kharag pushed through their midst and grabbed him by the collar, almost knocking his hood back. ¡°Why should we stop? Are you too tired, Tarran? Did killing Harmon take too much out of you?¡± Kharag yanked him to the edge of the trail. ¡°If you are so tired, I will help you to the bottom faster.¡±


    Rayu spoke again in his even tone. ¡°Kharag, remember, the Chief Watcher will not be happy with you if he does not have a chance to question your prisoner. There is no reward for a dead body. I suggest we keep moving and get across the water before it¡¯s fully dark.¡±


    The soldiers around Rayu muttered their agreement, and Kharag¡¯s face twisted into an ugly sneer. Shoving Corvan toward the guards, he jabbed a thick finger at Rayu. ¡°Keep your thoughts to yourself, old man, or you will be the one taking a quick trip down.¡±


    Kharag stomped off down the trail, and the soldiers formed a tight wall around Corvan as they plodded downward. There was no way out of this new nightmare. Everything was going from bad to worse.


    Someone squeezed Corvan¡¯s hand. Rayu had moved in close beside him. He looked directly up into Corvan¡¯s hood, caught his eyes, nodded, and smiled. Corvan nodded back and swallowed a lump in his throat. Rayu knew he was not Tarran but was still willing to help him. At least he had one friend in this place. A soldier behind them coughed, and Rayu let Corvan¡¯s hand go as the guard pushed past between them.


    Weariness settled over him, and Corvan drifted into a trancelike state as he stumbled down the winding path, jostled by the men tightly packed around him.


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    The sound of rushing water brought him back to his senses and awakened his thirst. It had been a long while since he last ate or drank but his guards pressed in even tighter as they approached the bridge, quickening their pace. Though it was flanked by stone walls, the soldiers crowded as close to the center of the bridge as possible and glanced nervously at the water rushing below. Corvan searched for the source of their fear. Was one of the long-armed monsters lurking below? Or were they simply afraid of falling in?


    They reached the other side of the river, where the bank of the water channel rose to join the outer wall of the city.


    The company passed through an arch a wide wall that encircled the city. At one point it had gates, the bare hinges jutting out on both sides. As soon as they were through, the guards spread out and marched confidently down the wide street Corvan had seen from above. On his left, the buildings were only crumbling shells, their doors broken off and roofs caving in. On the right, a higher wall had been hastily constructed from mismatched stone blocks that didn¡¯t fit together well.


    The road itself was uneven, and a few soldiers stumbled in the near darkness. The two people they met pressed against the high wall on the right side of the street until the soldiers passed and then scurried away. Corvan could not see their faces because everyone wore a hooded cloak¡ªlikely the only way to stay warm in the damp air or perhaps to avoid detection from the armed guard.


    Soon the company reached the city center. The round plaza he had seen from above was ringed with metal posts topped with a set of rings, much like the one on his bedroom ceiling. There was a dark pool in the center of the plaza, with a statue rising from the still water, topped with a man¡¯s head but with four arms jutting out of its body. Corvan was trying to figure it out when he saw someone move through the shadows beyond the statue. He caught a quick glimpse of a shrouded figure heading into a street beyond, illuminated by a firestick off to his right. The sweet scent of lilacs slipped past, and he bent lower, peering through the legs of the statue. The person on the far side turned to look in his direction.


    It was Kate! She glanced at the soldiers, then pulled the plaid blanket draped over her shoulders and tightly around her head before she disappeared into a broken doorway off to the left. Corvan stumbled on the feet of the soldier in front of him, and they both crashed to the ground.


    In a flash, Rayu was at his side, pulling Corvan¡¯s hood back over his head.


    Corvan grabbed Rayu¡¯s wrist, pulling him close. ¡°There¡¯s a girl in the street behind the statue,¡± he whispered urgently. ¡°You have to help her. She¡¯s wearing a blanket with¡­¡±


    ¡°Are we going to have to drag the two of you to the palace?¡± Kharag¡¯s angry voice echoed in the confines of the walled plaza.


    Rayu leaned back and pulled Corvan to his feet. ¡°We are all right. Just tripped over the loose cobblestones.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it happen again,¡± Kharag warned and turned away.


    With Rayu close at his side, the company moved along the inside of the circular wall that curved around the pool and fountain. Rayu gave Corvan''s hand a firm squeeze before disappearing into the shadows. Corvan wanted desperately to look back and confirm that Rayu was going after Kate, but he dared not stumble again.


    In front of them, a pair of short firesticks framed a narrow iron gate. Kharag strode up and shouted a command. The gate creaked open, but only enough to let the soldiers and Corvan squeeze through single file. Beyond the gate, a soldier stood yawning, his hand resting on the windlass that controlled the gate. Kharag waved the staff at the man and he straightened up.


    Closing in tight around Corvan, the soldiers marched along a wide street toward faceless statue peering over hill wall as if it were brooding over the decaying city. The street became a wide stone stairway, its balustrades crumbled and broken off like twin rows of rotten teeth. At the top, they passed beneath a great stone arch set into a thick wall before emerging into a large open space. Ahead of them, successive ranks of stairs, broken by wide landings, climbed toward the feet of the statue. At regular intervals across the landings were more of the fluted metal trees sprouting from circular stone platforms.


    After two flights of stairs, it was all Corvan could do to force his feet onto the next landing. Just when he feared he might collapse and be discovered, Kharag ordered the men to stand down. They all sank wearily onto the next set of steps.


    Leaving them behind, Kharag crossed confidently across the open space toward a large double-sided gate set into the courtyard wall. Corvan peeked from under his hood, watching as Kharag rapped loudly on a smaller door beside the large gate with the globe of the staff. Nobody came and the man rapped again then stood aside and looked proudly back at the soldiers. Corvan tried to stay alert to see what might happen, but his head sank to his knees. He dozed off before being jolted awake as the soldier beside him pulled him to his feet. ¡°He¡¯s coming back,¡± the man hissed.


    Kharag swaggered toward them and called out, ¡°The Chief Watcher does not want to be disturbed tonight.¡± The small door slammed shut behind him, making Kharag jump. His voice lowered as he approached, ¡°I have been ordered to leave the prisoner in one of the cells. The Chief Watcher will decide his fate in the morning.¡± He gestured for them to follow.


    One side of the larger gate opened, and Kharag led them inside, turning right along a high building. A light glowed in a window next to another smaller open gate. Two red-cloaked guards, armed with tall pikes, stepped out. Kharag approached them and held out the red staff while speaking in an authoritative tone about Tarran¡¯s arrest.


    One of the red-cloaked guards took the staff from Kharag¡¯s hand and pushed him aside. The soldiers around Corvan fell back as the red-cloaked guards swept in, ushering him through the arch and across a small courtyard toward a row of short, round towers nestled tightly against the tall building. A door was opened, and Corvan was shoved inside. The door slid closed behind him, and a key turned in the lock. Any sound from outside the round room was abruptly cut off.


    There was enough light coming in from a hole in the ceiling overhead for Corvan¡¯s sensitive eyes. The cell was about ten paces in diameter, and aside from the faint outline of the locked door, the walls were unmarked by cracks or seams that might indicate how it had been constructed but it was about the size of a round grain bin at home but much taller.


    Corvan crossed to a low stone bench jutting out from the wall and sat down. To his right was a shallow depression with a hole in the middle. Corvan wrinkled his nose against the foul smell. Clearly, this was his toilet. Above the depression, a short, round knob protruded from the wall. When he touched the tip, clear water gushed from the underside, trickling into the hole.


    After drinking his fill of the cool water, he removed his cloak, pulled off his pack, and kicked it under the bench. At least the darkness had kept them from noticing and searching the pack. It seemed the special cloak was able to conceal things well.


    Stretching out on the stone bench, he wrapped his grandfather¡¯s cloak tightly around him and tried to think through all that had happened since Tarran had died. He hoped Rayu had found Kate and taken her to the priest¡¯s temple. If he could escape from the cell he make his way across the courtyard to join them at the pointed roof building¡ªbut how?


    As he gazed up at the circle of light overhead, the solution presented itself with stark simplicity. His krypin rope could crawl up walls. All he needed to do was to walk it up to the top, pull himself through the hole and onto the roof. From there he could find a way to lower himself back into the courtyard while it was still dark.


    Jumping off the bench, he was reaching for the rope clipped to his belt, when a key rattled in the door. Corvan quickly dropped back onto the bench, turning his back to the door, and pretending to be asleep.


    The door slid open, and someone stepped lightly into the room.


    ¡°I need to make sure my brother is all right,¡± a woman said, her voice tinged with concern. ¡°I assume the laws of Kadir City still allow an untried prisoner to have visitors?¡±

 Hammer 27: Pill

    A man¡¯s voice spoke into the round cell. ¡°The law remains unchanged, but you and I both know it is the Chief Watcher¡¯s interpretation of the law that matters. Both of us would be in a difficult position if he found out I let you visit Tarran.¡±


    ¡°I will take that chance,¡± the woman replied, ¡°Unlike you, I am not afraid of what that creature might do to me.¡±


    There was a short pause before the man continued. ¡°These are difficult days, Tyreth. We need to play this out carefully in a way that benefits both of us.¡±


    ¡°There is no ¡®us,¡¯ anymore Morgan,¡± Tyreth responded crisply. ¡°Those days are over. You made your choice.¡±


    ¡°I had no choice at that point,¡± Morgan answered tensely. ¡°Now there are new decisions to be made.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Tyreth shot back.


    Morgan lowered his voice. ¡°Major changes are about to take place. I cannot say more right now, but I need you to consider what could be if things were resolved between the palace and the priests. If I were able to take over the palace and rule Kadir, I would need a wise and confident counterpart. Together, we could free the city from the Chief Watcher and rebuild it.¡±


    ¡°Do you honestly believe I would join with you after what you¡¯ve done to the priests and my family? I would rather go to the Wasting before I would agree to be your counterpart.¡±


    ¡°Things are not as they seem.¡± Morgan spoke so quietly Corvan could barely hear him. ¡°Very soon I will be able to make it all clear to you. Promise me you will attend the Wasting ceremony, and I assure you that you will see things differently.¡±


    ¡°The High Priest¡¯s daughter cannot be seen at that blasphemous event,¡± Tyreth retorted.


    ¡°She need not be seen there,¡± Morgan said, ¡°but she should be there, after I let her speak with her brother before he goes to trial.¡±


    There was a long pause. ¡°Fine. I will observe the ceremony from the back of the amphitheater. I need to see Tarran.¡±


    The man¡¯s tone softened. ¡°Thank you, Tyreth. You won¡¯t regret it. I will awaken him and then wait for you outside the open door. I must fulfill my duty as his guard.¡±


    Hard-heeled boots crossed the room, and a rough hand shook Corvan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Tarran, wake up. Your sister is here to see you.¡±


    Corvan rolled on his side and watched as Morgan strode back to the door. His broad shoulders were set like a matador going out to challenge a bull. The man touched the outside of the door jamb, and a band of amber light encircled the cell a few feet off the floor, illuminating the form of a woman just outside. ¡°You must be quick.¡± Morgan said to her. ¡°The change of guards will arrive shortly.¡±


    Corvan sat up as the woman entered the cell. She wore a pale blue hooded cloak with a white scarf around her neck. Silver tassels hung from the drawstrings of the hood. As she approached, she swept her hood back, revealing an intense face framed by shoulder length black hair that swayed with each step, along with the sheathed sword at her waist. To Corvan, it was as if she had stepped off the front cover of one of his favorite science fiction magazines he had tucked away in his chest at home. A warrior princess, he thought to himself, but as she drew near, he noticed that although she wasn¡¯t much older than him¡ªshe was at least 6 inches taller.


    She smiled and his heart warmed until he reminded himself that she was under the impression he was her brother¡ªthe same brother he had let die. He dropped his head and looked at the floor.


    Tyreth pulled him from the bench into an embrace. ¡°Tarran, I am so glad to see you. Have they been treating you well?¡± The words were full of concern, but the hug was loose and aloof. Letting him go, she took a step back between him and the door.


    Before he could stop her, the young woman pushed his hood back and looked directly into his face. He waited for an expression of surprise, but she gazed resolutely at him without flinching. Her eyes were as blue as a prairie sky in winter, but they were filled with cold sorrow.


    ¡°How can they accuse you of killing Harmon?¡± Tyreth said, glancing over her shoulder. ¡°This is a terrible mistake,¡± she said in a loud voice, then turned back to him.


    Corvan opened his mouth to speak, but she gave her head a slight shake and touched his lips. Her fingers smelled of sweet spice.


    ¡°Tarran, you look terrible,¡± she said. ¡°These cells are so cold. Here, take my scarf.¡± She unwound the white cloth from around her neck, looped it around his, then tucked it into the front of his cloak.


    The kindness of the gesture brought a tear to Corvan¡¯s eye, and he lowered his head once more.


    Tyreth put her fingertips under his chin and raised it. ¡°Don¡¯t give in to fear,¡± she whispered. ¡°Be brave and it will be alright. Do exactly as you will be told.¡± She tugged on the side of his hood and then spoke loudly again. ¡°Keep your hood on and stay warm.¡± She stepped away and nodded to him. ¡°I will try to come back to see you before your trial begins.¡±


    She stood there looking at him and her eyes filled with tears. ¡°I loved you ¡­ Tarran.¡± Her voice faltered. Clenching her jaw and giving her head a tense shake, she flipped her hood up and turned away.


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    When she reached the cell door, she said something to Morgan about her brother being very ill and that he should be left to rest, then the door slid closed.


    Corvan sank down on the bench. Tyreth knew he was not Tarran, and she seemed to know her brother was dead. How could she know that since Harmon was dead as well? It could only mean that Rayu had arrived at the temple building with Kate and had filled Tyreth in.


    Pulling her scarf free from inside his cloak, he held it close to his face. The soothing scent of her spiced perfume swirled about his head. Her last words were to keep his head covered, so she must want him to maintain the ruse that he was Tarran. Yet she had not covered his face when she went out, which didn¡¯t fit her plan. Morgan might have noticed he wasn¡¯t Tarran if he weren¡¯t so preoccupied with his own plans for her. Although Corvan didn¡¯t know anything about the man, he found himself strongly disliking him.


    Annoyed and not really knowing why, Corvan flipped his hood up over his head. A small packet dropped past his face and fell into his lap. Picking it up he looked closely at cloth pouch tied to a stick that looked like a short, thick pencil with a brown eraser. Untying the cloth, he found a small knobby pebble inside. He held both items up to the light from above, then tried pressing the eraser bump on top of the stick. A tinny voice spoke, and he held the stick closer to his ear.


    ¡°We must get you away from the guards before morning comes.¡± A man was speaking in clipped phrases, as if he were on a scratched record. ¡°Your only chance is for the guards to think you have died of a sickness. You must immediately swallow the pill we have given you. It will make you appear as if you are dead. We will come for your body before the Chief Watcher calls for your trial. Make sure you drop this message stick and the cloth down the waste hole right after taking the pill, then lie down on the bench. We shall speak with you after we give you the antidote and bring you back to life.¡±


    Corvan pushed the knob again, but the stick remained silent. Bring you back to life? Tyreth was part of this strange plan, and he wanted to trust her, but how could she know this pill wouldn¡¯t accidentally kill him?


    Placing the pill in a small indentation on the stone bench, he tossed the stick and pouch down the hole. Returning to the bench, he stood looking down at the pill. Even if he chose to take it, his mother always said he should never take medicine on an empty stomach. Digging to the bottom of the pack, he pulled out the wide can of fruit he had saved. Now that he had made it to the city, he should likely throw it down the hole as well. On the other hand, Kate still had the Swiss Army knife to open the cans, and she would appreciate whatever was inside the can.


    Putting the can back in the pack, he opened the side pocket of the pack, pulled out the last piece of beef jerky and stuffed the pack back under the bench. The jerky was a bit soggy, and the salt had risen to the surface in a white crust, but it tasted great and helped curb his growing hunger. He washed it down with a long drink from the stone tap, before returning to the consider the pill.


    ¡°It¡¯s likely bitter,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°If mom was here, she would give me a teaspoon of honey to help get it down.¡± But he had something sweet as well. Retrieving the last of the chocolate chips, he poured half of them into a small pile next to the pill, rolled down the top of the bag and stuffed it back into the pack beneath the bench. He would save the last bit for Kate; she loved chocolate.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Morgan¡¯s deep voice growled in his ear, and a sharp point pressed into his back. How long had the man been standing there?


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve been holding out on us? In these difficult times, with so little food, the Chief Watcher has decreed that hoarding food a crime punishable by death.¡± The knife pushed harder. ¡°Move over to the wall.¡±


    Corvan slid along the bench and tight against the wall. Morgan sat down but kept the point of a black bladed knife hovering between them. His intense face was framed with thick curly hair, and his grey eyes studied Corvan¡¯s every movement.


    ¡°I regret that it has come to this, Tarran. You and I should have been brothers, not enemies.¡± Morgan peered into the recesses of Corvan¡¯s hood. ¡°I need to ask you something, and I need you to answer me truthfully. Is it true that you¡¯ve defected to the palace, or is your presence here just another one of the High Priest¡¯s insane plans?¡±


    Corvan lowered his head, and the piercing eyes disappeared under the leading edge of his hood.


    ¡°Your silence says it all. He may be your father, but the High Priest is a fool. In time you will all be destroyed by his schemes. The Chief Watcher does not tolerate treachery. He will not let you live after your trial.¡±


    Corvan remained mute.


    ¡°So, what are these?¡± Morgan poked at the chocolate chips with the tip of his knife. ¡°Something your sister brought you? Tyreth is as clever as she is beautiful.¡± He picked one up and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger.


    Corvan shifted his weight, and Morgan instantly raised the knife to Corvan¡¯s chest. ¡°Don¡¯t try anything, Tarran. I don¡¯t believe you are ill. You¡¯ve never been sick a day in your life.¡±


    Morgan sniffed at one of the chocolate chips, then nibbled at it. ¡°Sweet, just like Tyreth,¡± he said, poking his knife toward Corvan.


    Morgan cocked his head to one side, then reached out and pulled the white scarf from Corvan¡¯s neck. ¡°You won¡¯t need this in your crypt. Nothing will keep you warm there.¡± Laying his knife next to the chocolate chips, he looped the scarf around his own neck before picking up the chips one-by-one and dropping them into the palm of his hand.


    Corvan glanced at the knife. Should he try to grab it? Morgan seemed intent on the chocolate but when Corvan raised his eyes he found a smirk twisting at the corners of Morgan¡¯s mouth. The man was baiting him into a fight.


    Morgan plucked the last of the chips along with the small pebble. As Morgan added Tyreth¡¯s pill to his handful of chips, Corvan twitched. In an instant, Morgan swept the knife off the bench and pointed it at Corvan¡¯s heart. ¡°A little too slow, Tarran. Perhaps you are actually ill.¡± Leaning back, he tossed the chocolate chips and the pill into his mouth.


    ¡°The night guard will be here shortly. If you will not answer my questions ¡­¡± Something crunched in his mouth, and he grimaced. Jabbing his tongue into his upper molars, he pulled out half of the pebble pill and held it up between his fingers. A cold sweat broke out on his face. ¡°What have you¡ª¡± He lifted the knife to Corvan¡¯s throat, his hand shaking as the tip touched Corvan¡¯s skin.


    Corvan jerked back, tossing his head and sending his hood flying off.


    Morgan¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of Corvan¡¯s face. He jumped from the bench, stumbling, then tripping as his heel caught in the toilet hole. The man crashed to the floor; his black knife skittered toward the open door.


    Corvan stood to help him, but Morgan tried to crawl away, clawing his way toward the knife and the door. His hand reached out and brushed the door frame, then he collapsed on the floor.


    The door slid shut with a soft click. The room was silent.

 Hammer 28: Temple

    Corvan struggled to roll Morgan onto his back. The man¡¯s eyes were closed, and it didn¡¯t appear he was breathing. Corvan placed a hand on Morgan¡¯s chest, but that didn¡¯t yield anything conclusive.


    The pill Tyreth had left behind was intended to make a person appear dead, but Morgan spat part of it out. He might come back around soon, or he else he might slowly die without the antidote. Either way, Corvan needed to get out of the cell, find Tyreth, and let her know what had happened. Despite their argument, it seemed she still cared about Morgan.


    Dragging the man closer to the door, Corvan attempted touching the man¡¯s hand to the frame, but it didn¡¯t open. Searching Morgan¡¯s pockets for a key came up empty handed but he found a leather scabbard strapped to the man¡¯s forearm. Untying it, he picked up the black knife. Like the hammer, it seemed to be made of a single piece of black polished stone. He slipped it in the sheath, went to the bench, and dropped the blade into his pack.


    A rustling noise in the cell caught him off-guard, and he jumped around the bench, expecting to see Morgan coming after him. Instead, two tentacles emerged from the toilet hole. Long, thin legs followed, revealing the largest spider Corvan had ever seen. Its slime-covered bulbous body was larger than his fist. A shiver ran through Corvan¡¯s shoulders as the spider pulled itself from the hole and walked stiltedly to the wall. He watched it climb, finding minute footholds in the smooth surface, until its silhouette disappeared through the hole in the center of the ceiling.


    If the spider could climb the smooth walls, that confirmed that his grandfather¡¯s special rope could as well. Buckling on his pack, he released the krypin rope from his side and stepped to the middle of the room. Releasing the soft strands, he set the disk on the floor and manipulated the control end to position it against the wall. It climbed slowly up the smooth surface, then disappeared into the deep shadow where the walls met the ceiling.


    It appeared the rope might be a bit too short to reach the hole, but as it stretched toward the middle of the room, the rope simply became thinner. Just when he thought it was getting close, the end fell back, glanced off his head, and landed in his hood. The hole in the roof was just out of reach. He would need to stand on the bench and try again.


    He stood for a moment with his hand on the rope hanging from the ceiling before he realized it was still suspended in midair. His hood suddenly twitched as if possessed. The spider! Corvan flailed around the room, shaking his head, and leaping over Morgan¡¯s body to dislodge the creature. Scrambling onto his head, the spider rummaged frantically through his hair. He shouted and jerked until its fat body flipped past his face and dropped to the floor with a plop like a deflated rubber ball. Pushing up on its twiggy legs, it staggered back to the toilet hole and dropped in.


    A shudder ran through his body, but there was no time to waste. No doubt someone had heard him cry out. He had to move fast.


    The krypin rope still hung near the middle of the room so it had to be anchored somewhere close to the opening overhead. Images from his nightmare of the rope slipping through his hands played out in his mind. To be sure he would not let go, he tied the knob end around his waist, gripped the rope tightly, and pulled himself off the ground. The rope only stretched and gently lowered him back down.


    Was it coming loose? Reaching up, he gave the rope a quick jerk. Instantly it tightened like a rubber band, yanking him off his feet. Air whipped past his ears and the circle of light shot past him as he rocketed out of the opening into cool air. His ascent peaked, then he tumbled down to sprawl across the domed roof of his prison cell.


    He lay for a minute, catching his breath, coiling up the rope, and listening for anyone entering the cell below. It was quiet. Using the flat disk, he secured the loops back together and clipped them back on his belt. No wonder Tsarek had been so impressed with the rope, it was much more useful than he first thought.


    Crawling to the short parapet that curled around the top edge of the cell tower, he peeked below. The guardroom was empty; the two red cloaks were searching for the courtyard. There was no going down that way. He would need to climb onto the main building that towered over the cells behind him.


    Crossing to the back wall, he quickly sent the green disk up to the top of the building. This time, after gently stretching the rope out, he gave it a small tug, then found himself dragged and bumped upward along the wall like a sack of potatoes. Swiveling about, he managed to get his feet against the wall. The special slippers gripped the stone, and Corvan climbed effortlessly to the roof, just like the spider in the cell.


    The flat roof was much larger than he¡¯d expected. This had to be the palace of the Chief Watcher. Creeping across the roof to the left side, he looked down into the stepped courtyard he had recently entered as Kharag¡¯s captive. To his right, the dark statue loomed high over the roof of the palace. Even without a face, it seemed to be watching him.


    At the feet of the statue, a thick fog was rolling about behind the circular stone wall he had seen from up on the cliff. It rose in waves, sending tendrils out through an arched gate at the front of the wall. A larger eruption of white vapor soon overflowed the wall, creating waves of luminescent fog that swept down through the stepped courtyard, surrounding the round pots with their bare metal trees. From this vantage point, he could see that the metal rings were the same sort of construction as Tsarek¡¯s lumien holder under the Castle Rock. At some point in the past, each of the curved posts below must have had a lumien attached to each of the rings on its branches, making up some sort of living streetlamp. A few of the rings on the ends of the branches had been broken off and he wondered if this was where his grandfather had found the one that was now at home in his bedroom.


    Across the main courtyard , a peaked roof rose high above the walls¡ªthe priest¡¯s building that Tsarek had told him to find. Now he just needed to get out of the Chief Watcher¡¯s complex and over to the other side. He searched the ground below. If he used the green rope to drop down on this side of the main courtyard wall, he would still need to get past the guard at the palace gates.


    The guard at the small door below coughed. A good ten feet over the man¡¯s head, an iron girder had been bolted onto the wall to reinforce the main gates. If he could cross that beam undetected to the courtyard wall, he could walk along the top of the wall, navigate the perimeter, and gain access to the priest¡¯s buildings. He often walked along the fence rails on his way to school when he and Kate would compete to see who could go the farthest without falling. It was the only contest he occasionally won. The fence rails back home weren¡¯t forty feet off the ground, but the courtyard wall was much wider, and his slipper shoes gripped well.


    Easing himself over the lip of the roof, he felt his feet touched down on the narrow iron rail. He stepped forward and worked his way into the center. The guard below sneezed, Corvan glanced down, and stumbled. A shower of dust floated down toward the unsuspecting guard¡¯s head.


    Corvan tensed to leap forward off the beam and onto the courtyard wall when the crash of a loud cymbal or gong came from around the corner of the palace building in the direction of the cells. As the guard ran off, and the dust fell behind him, Corvan scurried across and climbed onto courtyard wall.


    He was just past the guard house below when he discovered a flaw in his plan. Soldiers were rushing about in the prison compound off to his right, and he would be easily spotted against the dim blue glow of the lumiens overhead. Now the shouts below were being answered by lights flickering on in the windows of the palace directly across from him. If anyone glanced his way, he would be caught.


    Forcing himself to look straight ahead, Corvan concentrated on walking the wall as quickly as possible. Wisps of fog were climbing up the side of the courtyard wall, swirling around him to partially obscure him from view. By the time he rounded the corner to the main arch of the street the entered the courtyard, the thick cotton of rolling mist had risen to the full height of the wall and was squeezing through the arch like toothpaste from a tube. The fog swirled even higher, flowing over the wall in swirling eddies, making it hard to see where to put his feet as he climbed up and over the main entry into the courtyard.


    As he neared the priest¡¯s side of the terraced courtyard, he discovered that the square building with the pointed roof was set back from the main courtyard wall. He was about to get out the rope and climb down when he noticed a thinner wall surrounding an enclosed alley in front of the priests¡¯ building. Corvan lowered himself onto the narrow stone edge and picked his way carefully to the peaked roof.


    Overhead, a soft light shone through triangular skylights. His slippers gripped the slate tiles, and he tiptoed up to the light. The glass was crusted with droppings from some sort of birds or maybe bats¡ªenormous ones.


    As he wiped one bottom corner with the sleeve of his cloak, the skylight swiveled silently open. Inside the room, a large lumien hung from a thick metal ring suspended from the center of a high peaked ceiling. Its thick vines twisted outward to the four corners of room and down the walls.


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    An angry voice echoed from the floor below. Silently, Corvan slipped over the sill and onto a wide ledge that encircled the room. Removing his pack, he left it near the skylight, crawled to the edge and lay flat to see who was below.


    A bearded old man in an embroidered green robe stood alone at the far side of a large table in the center of the room. The angry voice, however, came from under the same pale blue cloak Corvan had seen earlier in the prison cell.


    ¡°I had no choice, Father,¡± Tyreth said, her voice laced with bitterness. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t given my word, Morgan would not have let me see him.¡±


    The old man slammed both hands down on the table. ¡°That ceremony is an abomination¡ªthe opposite of everything we believe.¡±


    Tyreth tossed her head in frustration. ¡°What other choice did I have? You told me that we must play this out carefully. Besides, Morgan hinted at an alliance.¡±


    The bearded man glowered at her from beneath thick eyebrows. ¡°Morgan can no longer be trusted. Why are you even listening to him? That relationship¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is over, Father. Do not be concerned. I had to listen to Morgan to pass on the message to that ¡­ that boy.¡±


    ¡°I believe you are referring to the Cor-Van.¡±


    ¡°All I saw was a young boy, a child not yet of the age to even grow out his hair!¡± There was no denying the irritation in her rising voice.


    The old man pointed toward the door at the far end of the hall. ¡°Rayu said he came from the outer passages. How could anyone come from the outside unless he is the Cor-Van?¡±


    Tyreth shook her head firmly and her hair swished across her face. ¡°If this one is the Cor-Van, it will be a long time before he is mature enough to lead anyone.¡± She threw her up hands in exasperation. ¡°He was so afraid he was almost crying.¡± She dropped her hands to her sides and Corvan noted she was no longer wearing her sword. ¡°I pity that boy if the Chief Watcher gets hold of him.¡±


    Corvan slumped lower on the ledge. She was right about his fears but wrong about him being a leader. He didn¡¯t even want to be here, never mind lead anyone. He just wanted to find Kate and get as far away from this awful place as possible.


    ¡°We must give him a chance,¡± the old man insisted. ¡°With Tarran dead, my plan to seize control of the palace and the city council has failed. The Chief Watcher is onto our plans. All of the priests are in grave danger, and Rayu says this boy is our only hope. I need your support in this.¡±


    Tyreth shook her head slowly. ¡°If he is the Cor-Van for you¡¯ve been seeking, why did he allow Tarran to die?¡±


    ¡°What makes you so sure he was there when Tarran died?¡±


    ¡°I felt my brother die,¡± Tyreth said softly, twisting the tassels that hung from her hood. ¡°Rayu says the boy came from the portal. He had to have been there.¡± She looked up at the man. ¡°But where is Tarran¡¯s body? You know what those creatures do to the dead.¡± She sank into an ornate chair and a tear slipped down her face.


    Tyreth¡¯s father studied her a long moment. ¡°We will need to ask the boy once he is here. Are you certain he understood the message? Does he have it with him?¡±


    Tyreth fiercely wiped the tear away with the sleeve of her cloak. ¡°I did my best. Morgan stayed near the doorway, listening to every word. We can be glad they thought he was Tarran and didn¡¯t bother to search him.¡± A frown creased her brow. ¡°Even if that boy has the hammer, as Rayu claims, it is obvious he doesn¡¯t know how to use it. We should rally the priests and follow through with Tarran¡¯s plan to take over the palace. Then we can rescue the boy and use the hammer ourselves.¡±


    ¡°And risk alerting the dark one to the return of the Cor-Van?¡± Tyreth¡¯s father asked. ¡°Risk putting the hammer into his hands instead? If your brother¡¯s death did nothing else, it at least gave us the opportunity to get the boy out of the cell without anyone discovering his true identity.¡± He looked toward the door. ¡°Why is this taking so long? We¡¯ve already heard the signal for the changing of the guard.¡±


    The old man strode to the main doors and peered into the hallway. A few wisps of fog coiled around his ankles. He shook them off and shut the door. Returning to the table, he fixed his gaze on Tyreth. ¡°Why was someone of Morgan¡¯s rank on guard duty?¡±


    She looked up and rolled her eyes. ¡°Because he knew I would be coming. He believes you have misjudged him and wants you to give him another chance.¡±


    The old man grunted and moved in front of a large tapestry hanging on the wall. His gnarled fingers traced the intricate markings in its center.


    The High Priest jumped as the door burst open and a young man with shoulder-length brown hair and sharp features ran into the room, dropping onto one knee before the man.


    ¡°Something has gone wrong, sir,¡± the young man said, breathing heavily. ¡°They have found a guard dead in a cell, and the one they believe is Tarran has disappeared.¡±


    Tyreth stood and smoothed out her cloak. ¡°You see, Father? Your new Cor-Van has no sense whatsoever. He can¡¯t even follow simple instructions.¡±


    The old man pointed at Tyreth. ¡°He eliminated his guard and was able to escape. I think that sounds more promising than your description of a mere boy. If we can locate him, I can prepare him for leadership along with his future counterpart.¡±


    Tyreth glared at him. ¡°Do not think I am unaware of your schemes, Father. You can dismiss any thoughts that I would become the counterpart to your young Cor-Van. I am not willing to let you set me up for yet another marriage.¡± She flicked the silver tassels on her hood. ¡°When these are gone, I will be making my own choice. I will not be your pawn.¡±


    The young man stood to face her. ¡°Tyreth, the Chief Watcher has issued a warrant for your arrest and is on his way to personally carry it out.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± the old man exclaimed.


    ¡°Tyreth¡¯s scarf was found on the body of the dead guard.¡±


    Corvan groaned silently to himself. How could he have been so careless?


    The old priest grabbed the young man¡¯s shoulder and spun him around. ¡°Are you certain?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was hiding near the barracks when the orders came through.¡±


    ¡°Then you must take Tyreth and hide her in the settlements.¡± The old man walked to the tapestry and pulled on a looped cord. The wide cloth rolled up tight against the wall.


    Tyreth stepped forward. ¡°That won¡¯t work, Father. If I disappear, the Chief Watcher will tear the compound apart looking for me. Many more of our priests will die.¡±


    Her father tied the tapestry in place and pressed his palm against the wall. A section slid back to reveal a narrow passage. ¡°The Watcher knows the law prohibits civilians from entering the priest¡¯s area. This hall is as far as they may go.¡±


    Tyreth shook her head firmly. ¡°The Chief Watcher now decides which laws must be obeyed and by whom. He has plotted to break your power for some time, and this is the perfect opportunity. He will not let an old tradition stand in his way.¡± She turned to the young man. ¡°Tell him, Jorad.¡±


    The young man faced the High Priest. ¡°Tyreth is correct, sir. We have recent reports of the Chief Watcher¡¯s men inside our compound during the night.¡± His jaw clenched as he turned back to Tyreth. ¡°But I will die before I let them take you to the palace. I vowed I would never let that happen again to someone I¡ª¡± He pulled a long knife from within his robe. ¡°If it¡¯s a fight they want, they shall get one. Let us quickly gather all the priests we can find. Even with all his incredible strength, the Chief Watcher won¡¯t be able to get the palace guards to move across the courtyard until the fog lifts.¡±


    Tyreth touched the young man¡¯s hand and pushed the knife back down. ¡°No, Jorad. You have told me many times to choose my battles wisely. Now you must do the same.¡± She stepped past him and approached her father. ¡°The Watcher will not dare sentence me without a trial. This young Cor-Van must be somewhere in the city. You need to find him and ask him to help us. Now he truly is our only hope.¡±


    Corvan wiped a hand over his brow. He should do something, at least show his face so they wouldn¡¯t need to look for him.


    As he pushed himself up on the ledge, Rayu appeared in the open doorway. ¡°Sir, the Chief Watcher and a group of soldiers approach our gate.¡±


    ¡°Soldiers? Out in the fog?¡± Jorad asked.


    Rayu nodded. ¡°The Rakash drive them forward.¡±


    Tyreth¡¯s face twisted in disgust. ¡°Rakash? He brings those hideous creatures to the temple?¡±


    A heavy pounding rocked the room. The old man pointed to the secret passage. ¡°Jorad, get inside before they break the gate down. Find this young Cor-Van and do whatever he asks of you.¡±


    Jorad waved his knife in the air. ¡°Instead, let me hide behind the door and kill the Chief Watcher when he enters. It is the only way Kadir will ever have peace again.¡±


    The High Priest pointed again to the passage. ¡°Priests do not take lives Jorad. If you were to murder the Chief Watcher, you would forfeit all your rights in Kadir, including the right to take a counterpart.¡±


    The pounding grew louder.


    ¡°That law applies only to killing other humans,¡± Jorad snapped back, glancing over at Tyreth.


    Tyreth¡¯s father shook his head. ¡°No. It applies to all sentient beings. It was through our own devices that the Watchers have become like us, so now our laws apply to them as well.¡±


    Tyreth put her hand on Jorad¡¯s back. ¡°I understand how hard this must be for you, but we cannot change the past. Now you must look to our future.¡±


    The knife dropped to his side. ¡°You are the only future I have left.¡±


    A splintering crash shattered the air, and the old man seized Jorad¡¯s arm. ¡°Swear to me you will teach the boy to be a Cor-Van, even if it means leaving Tyreth to face the palace alone.¡±


    Jorad wrenched his arm free and stepped back. Tyreth moved in close and place her hands on Jorad¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Do as he tells you,¡± she said. ¡°If you help the boy become a Cor-Van, we may yet see each other again.¡±


    The walls shook with another round of blows. The old man pulled Tyreth away. ¡°Swear to me, Jorad. Fulfill your vow to me and the priesthood or relinquish your priest¡¯s cloak.¡±


    Jorad¡¯s eyes flashed as he growled out the words, ¡°I so swear,¡± and stalked into the secret passage. The door slid shut behind him, and the old man dropped the tapestry back into place.


    Rayu gasped. ¡°Sir, you have brought out the great tapestry. Why?¡±


    The old man waved him off. ¡°I thought the Cor-Van would be here tonight. I hoped he could tell us what it means. Besides, I doubt a Watcher can read the Old Language.¡± He straightened his robes. ¡°I am ready. Go open the gate.¡±


    Rayu nodded and retreated through the door. Corvan hoped the man had hidden Kate in a safe place.


    A moment later, the pounding ceased.

 Hammer 29: Blood

    Corvan expected to see a squad of red-cloaked soldiers march into the hall. Instead, the large black lizard that had taken the key from Tarran, slipped through the door with a rustle of scales, its keen eyes searching the room. Corvan pressed himself lower on the ledge.


    Tyreth¡¯s father stepped from the tapestry. ¡°Chief Watcher, we are honored to have your presence in our quarters. May you find the truth you seek.¡±


    A chortling hiss of a laugh slithered across the room. ¡°High Priessst of the Cor, this time your pious religious greeting is most appropriate for what I seek is standing right before me.¡± It gestured to one side with its damaged paw, the long, polished claw glinting in the light of the overhead lumien. ¡°The mossst lovely Tyreth.¡±


    ¡°Why would you seek me, mossst honorable Watcher?¡± Tyreth replied, her voice thick with sarcasm.


    The black spines along the lizard¡¯s neck bristled. ¡°I think you know my purpose here. I imagine your spies have already announced my arrival.¡± The hissing words were now clipped and suppressed.


    The High Priest folded his arms. ¡°If you have business in our quarters, then you are required to state it clearly, Chief Watcher.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. You and your precious laws. Of course, we all must observe the rules and obey the priests. If we do, then the light will come back to the Cor and truth and justice will flow from the temple, just as it shows in your beautiful tapestry.¡±


    The black lizard approached the wall hanging. ¡°It¡¯s a wonderful thing, this religion of yours. False hope is so useful in keeping you humans in line.¡±


    As the Chief Watcher examined the tapestry, the High Priest stepped in behind the lizard. ¡°Hope is all the people have these days. Everything else has been taken by the palace.¡±


    The lizard whirled about, its thick tail slapping the tapestry and sending ripples across it.


    ¡°Do not abuse your position by insulting me, High Priest. It is only by my permission that your religion survives. The people find my Wasting Ceremonies much more satisfying than your tired old practices, perhaps even more hopeful.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Tyreth said coldly. ¡°First you take away their food, then you have them worship gods who will give it back so long as they sacrifice the best and brightest of their youth¡ªthe only ones who might eventually stand up to you.¡±


    The reptile¡¯s face contorted, and the sharp spines around its neck pushed out like an angry porcupine. It studied Tyreth through narrowed eyes. ¡°I believe you are the best and brightest I have seen for a long time, Tyreth.¡± His words hung in the air. ¡°Now I understand why Morgan was so determined to acquire you for himself.¡± He sneered. ¡°But I do not have the same use for you as he did, so the next Wasting Ceremony shall serve as your punishment for defying me.¡±


    The old man shook a finger at the Chief Watcher. ¡°I demand a trial by the city council, for she is the daughter of their High Priest.¡±


    The black lizard jumped forward and shoved the elderly man to his knees. ¡°Do not demand anything from me, priest.¡± It grabbed the old man¡¯s hair and yanked his head back. The long, curved claw was dragged across the High Priest¡¯s wrinkled neck. ¡°I hold your life in my hands and will do as I wish.¡±


    The Chief Watcher nodded at the door. ¡°Does it not seem strange to you that I am here without any of my guards? Without my Rakash? They all know I am here to arrest your daughter, so if I say you attacked me and I had to kill you, then that is what they will believe.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t deceive everyone.¡± The High Priest tried to pull away, but his hair was held fast. ¡°The truth will eventually be known. You can¡¯t kill the truth.¡±


    The lizard pulled the old man¡¯s head closer and stared into his eyes. ¡°The only truth that matters right now is that I rule Kadir.¡± It gestured toward the tapestry. ¡°Even your precious religion and your Cor-Van could not¡ª¡± A long, hiss filled the chamber, as if a writhing nest of snakes had awakened from hibernation.


    The lizard dragged the High Priest toward the wall. ¡°Where did you get this tapestry? This is not from Kadir.¡±


    Tyreth¡¯s father raised his head to the wall hanging. ¡°It has always been kept at the temple. The legends say that only the Cor-Van can tell us what it means.¡±


    ¡°Legends!¡± The lizard spat the word in the old man¡¯s face. ¡°When I am finished, that¡¯s all you priests will be, legends.¡± It pressed the point of its claw into the taut skin of the old man¡¯s neck. Drops of blood welled up and trickled down into the folds of the priest¡¯s robe. ¡°Your foolish plans to overthrow me have failed.¡± The Chief Watcher pushed the old man¡¯s head back even farther, and the High Priest¡¯s gaze fell directly on Corvan¡¯s face. His eyes grew wide.


    A chair shattered over the lizard¡¯s back, toppling its scaly body into a heap under the tapestry. Tyreth rushed in and stood over her father, her shoulders heaving as she clutched the legs of a broken chair in her fists.


    The scaly reptile uncoiled like a snake rising from a basket, then leapt at the young woman. Brushing the chair legs aside, it lifted her struggling body over its head, strode to the huge table, and slammed her down on top of it.


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    Spinning her body about to bring her face closer to the edge, the lizard pushed its nose against her cheek. ¡°If you were not so useful to me in destroying this foolish religion, I would kill you now. Fearless ones like you are most dangerous, especially beautiful ones the men will follow.¡± The lizard pulled back and studied her face for a long moment before its claw flicked out and ripped a jagged gash across her right cheek. Tyreth cried out and clasped her hand over the wound. Blood squeezed past her fingers and dripped off her wrist onto the table.


    The thin, forked tongue of the Chief Watcher whipped out and licked its claw clean. It looked down at Tyreth writhing in pain and clicked its teeth. ¡°Sssuch a waste.¡±


    The black lizard turned to the High Priest. ¡°Your daughter just saved your life, old man, for I did not use enough of my poison to kill you. Instead, I will let you live to see her sacrificed to the Cor¡¯s new gods at the next water ceremony.¡± It looked back to Tyreth, the sinews in its neck twisting and jumping. ¡°Yessss, this will be a special event. I will have all the priests summoned from the settlements to join us for the trial of Tyreth, daughter of the former temple. I hope you live long enough to see this, High Priest. Once Tarran is hunted down, it will be a fitting end to your family line and your truly hopeless faith.¡±


    The lizard sauntered away from the table and shouted a command. In an instant, the hall was filled with soldiers.


    ¡°Take these two to the cells,¡± the Chief Watcher commanded. ¡°When I questioned them on the whereabouts of Tarran, they attacked me.¡± It pointed to the pieces of chair scattered across the floor. ¡°The punishment for such treason is death.¡±


    The soldiers froze, staring at the High Priest and the scene before them.


    ¡°I said take them!¡±


    The men scurried to help Tyreth down from the table and her father to his feet, then ushered them cautiously toward the door as if something terrible might happen to them at any moment. Tyreth pushed the men away with her free hand and walked before them with her head held high. Blood ran from the hand on her cheek and dripped from her hand to mark her path as she exited the hall.


    When the High Priest reached the doorway, he wrenched himself free and turned around. His face was toward the lizard, but his eyes were firmly fixed on Corvan. He put his hands together as if he were praying and pointed the tips of his fingers at Corvan. ¡°This is not over, Chief Watcher. The Cor-Van will soon be here to put an end to your tyranny.¡±


    The black lizard dismissed the old man with a contemptuous wave of its arm. Corvan watched transfixed as the High Priest backed slowly from the room with the guards following him. Why had the man pointed his fingers in that way? They were already inside the peaked roof of the priest¡¯s temple.


    As the footsteps of the soldiers faded away, the Chief Watcher remained motionless, studying the tapestry for what seemed an eternity. Finally, it extended its long claw and crudely cut a large circle from the fabric. The sound was like fingernails on a chalkboard and sent shivers down Corvan¡¯s spine.


    The jagged piece of tapestry fell to the floor. The lizard picked it up and folded it into a neat packet.


    ¡°Now, it is over, High Priest,¡± it muttered.


    The Chief Watcher turned and strode toward the door. Abrupty it whirled about and looked past the glow of the large lumien directly at Corvan¡¯s hiding place. ¡°I almost forgot about you.¡±


    Corvan could only watch helplessly as the lizard dropped the folded tapestry on an unbroken chair. Pulling a short, curved blade from a scabbard at its waist, it gave it a twist. The blade opened to a circle of four hooked blades. With practiced ease, it pulled back and released the weapon.


    Corvan had no time to move. A flash of silver whirred past his head, then turned back to its owner. The lizard caught the weapon in midair and stepped back, its cruel face full of anticipation.


    In the stillness, drips of shimmering fluid splashed on the table beneath the lumien. The large globe shuddered and fell a few inches, its main cord almost severed by the lizard¡¯s flying blade. A growing stream of luminescent drips trickled onto the table as long tendrils reached out from the vines to keep the heavy globe from falling.


    It was too late. The stem snapped, dropping the lumien with a sickening splat on the stone table. The globe convulsed then burst, sending pieces of lumien fruit raining down over the stone floor.


    The lizard jumped up into the quivering mass, flicked his weapon back to a single blade, and slashed away at the center of the smashed globe. Shards of light flickered amid the flesh of the shattered lumien until he finally drew out a pulsing red core. Clutching it to his chest, he poked about greedily in the pulpy flesh while sloshing his way about on top of the table. Finally, he jumped down, slipped his knife away, and kicked aside a chunk of the lumien¡¯s thick skin. ¡°Just like everything else in this foolish religion. The mother plant was also a lie. Only one heart.¡±


    As it held up the glistening red pod, its face wrinkled with deep concern. ¡°It¡¯s the largest one ever,¡± it said quietly but then its eyes narrowed in anger. ¡°I won¡¯t become an animal again.¡± The lizard spat the words out. ¡°You,¡± it said, pointing at the ruined tapestry. ¡°You fed the power to me.¡± The lizard lifted the red core before the hole in the cloth. ¡°You needed me to understand. Now I will make you pay for what you have done to me.¡±


    Tipping back its head, the lizard dropped the lumien heart into it mouth, chewing quickly and exhaling in ecstasy. Blood red juice trickled out between its pointed teeth and dripped off its chin. The creature¡¯s dark eyes closed in intense satisfaction¡ªthen bugged open as if they would pop out of its head. Every vein in its neck twisted and jerked as the lizard, writhing and gurgling, fell to the floor.


    A pool of shadows appeared to spread out around the contorted body, as if the creature were bleeding darkness. The light falling from the skylight fell away, and the temperature of the air dropped. The Chief Watcher lay whimpering on the floor, its breath shooting from its nostrils in spasmodic jets of cold vapor.


    The lizard gave one last agonizing cry, then it lay still. The light from the lumiens outside pushed in through the skylights and flowed down to spotlight the dark creature.


    The lizard groaned, rolled onto its knees, and looked up into the light. A thin smile spread across its face. ¡°Such amazing power in only one seed, but now I clearly see what I must do to defeat you.¡±


    The Chief Watcher struggled to its feet before sticking its good claw under a thick collar around its neck. ¡°And then I will finally be free,¡± it snarled.


    The words had no sooner left its lips, and the black lizard hunched low, glancing nervously into the hallway.


    Satisfied that no one was listening, the Chief Watcher raised its head, strode out the door, and slammed it shut with its whiplike tail.

 Hammer 30: Gems

    Corvan stayed in place until he was certain the lizard would not return, then pushed back from the edge, lay against his pack, and looked up through the skylight. Through the murky glass he could not see any individual lumiens overheard, just a dull light around the edges of the grimy pane.


    Now what was he to do? Tsarek was gone, Kate was missing, Tarran was dead, and Tyreth was on her way to the prison cells from which he had just escaped. Should he try to retrace his steps along the walls and attempt to rescue her? With the palace guard on high alert, looking for the one they thought was Tarran, that idea seemed doomed to fail. It might be better to search around the temple building and locate Rayu and Kate. Jorad could help him, and the High Priest had just told the younger priest to help him before sending him into the secret passage. Maybe if he lowered himself into the room, he could follow Jorad into the hidden passage behind the tapestry?


    Pulling out the hammer, Corvan held it up to the skylight. "Please, help me know what to do," he whispered but the hammer hung cold and lifeless in his hand. The sense of power and the blue glow had faded away when Tarran died, abandoning him in a dark and brutal world.


    No matter what he did next, the Chief Watcher now held the only key to the door leading home. He would either need some other way to get that door opened or else find another route back to the surface.


    His father would know what to do. At that thought, he put the hammer away, pulled out the round crystal, and watched the curtain of stars move slowly around the outline of Castle Rock. His father''s face did not appear, but the memory of what he said that night on the rock came back clearly.


    ¡°Your grandfather made me promise I would give it to you before your birthday. He said you should be old enough to choose between fear and duty by then.¡±


    Why would his grandfather think he would be ready to choose between fear and duty by the time he was fifteen? That same night his father said a leader must do right by others, no matter what it cost, but he wasn''t a leader and didn''t want to become one. He just wanted to go home and have things back the way they were before he found the hammer. If the people here wanted it so badly, he would make a deal and give it to them in return for showing he and Kate the way home.


    The grating creak of an opening door startled him so badly the ice glass slipped from his hand and rolled toward the edge of the balcony. Corvan lunged for it, but he was too late. It fell and a second later he heard a sharp clink from the stone floor below. Hopefully it was not broken.


    Corvan turned his attention across the upper reaches of the temple building. Where was the door and who had opened it?


    ¡°I am over here,¡± a hollow voice called from the other side of the room. ¡°You need to make your way around the ledge. There is a door here that leads into the passages.¡±


    Corvan tried to look past the curtain of twisted vines from where the huge lumien had fallen. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I am Jorad,¡± the man stated flatly. ¡°The High Priest pointed you out when he was being taken away. He made me promise I would help you. Come over to the door.¡±


    Corvan stood as best as the slope ceiling would allow, pulled on his pack, and scooted around the ledge. At least that explained the High Priest¡¯s signal with his praying hands. He was showing Jorad where to find him.


    The green-robed priest was kneeling in front of a short door set into the short pony wall that supported the pointed roof.


    Jorad squinted at him as he drew near. ¡°How old are you?¡± the man asked, his tone betraying that the question was not idle curiosity.


    Corvan reached to pull his hood further over his face and discovered it had fallen back when he was laying against his pack. ¡°Fourteen. No, fifteen now, I guess,¡± Corvan said. He studied the young man¡¯s face for a reaction, but all that registered was a look similar to that of the bigger boys at school. Jorad was doing his duty, but he was not happy about it.


    Jorad pointed to the main room below. ¡°The Chief Watcher will be sending the palace guard through the city to find the one he thinks is Tarran. I suspect the soldiers will be back as soon as it is light to search the priest¡¯s quarters out behind the temple gardens. We must leave here immediately ¡­ Cor-Van.¡± He jerked his head to the door behind him where a circular staircase wound downward.


    Corvan looked away from the man¡¯s searching gaze. ¡°I''m not the leader you are looking for. I don''t¡ª"


    Jorad cut him off. ¡°I need your help to get Tyreth out of the Watcher¡¯s prison.¡±


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    ¡°I need find Kate and get her home before she dies.¡±


    "Kate? Who''s that?" Jordan asked.


    ¡°The girl I followed down here. She is from my world. She has red hair and¡ª"


    ¡°Yes, I have seen her,¡± Jorad stated.


    Corvan took a step back, and Jorad grabbed his arm to keep him from falling off the ledge. ¡°Kate is here at the temple?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jorad said, releasing Corvan¡¯s arm and moving back into the doorway. ¡°Rayu found her on the broken side of the city. She is still there but she is very ill.¡±


    ¡°I need to go to her,¡± Corvan said, trying to move past the man.


    Jorad put has hand on the door frame and frowned. ¡°Tyreth and her father will die if we do not help them right away.¡±


    ¡°Can''t your priests rescue them?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°There are few of us left here at the temple and most are old, like Rayu. The priest¡¯s compound is empty. The Chief Watcher ordered all the rest of us to the outlying settlements to inspire the workers who are harvesting food. Tarran was working to bring us back together but now ¡­"


    ¡°Don''t we have some time before that water ceremony the Chief Watcher talked about?¡± Corvan interjected.


    Jorad sighed heavily. ¡°Yes, but the High Priest was poisoned by that lizard¡¯s claw and might not have long to live.¡±


    ¡°The lizard said he would live until the ceremony, and I promised I would get Kate home. She can''t survive down here. I need to make sure she¡¯s alright.¡±


    Jorad looked across the room. ¡°I understand what it means to lose someone you love.¡± He turned and stared into Corvan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Also, if you do not fulfill your vow to take Kate to safety, you will forfeit all rights to be the Cor-Van.¡± He gestured to the door. ¡°Come, I will take you to Kate.¡±


    Jorad descended the tight circular staircase and Corvan followed him. ¡°I can''t be your Cor-Van,¡± he said firmly, his voice echoing in the confined space. The priest shot a warning look over his shoulder and Corvan dropped his voice to a whisper. ¡°I''m just a kid who fell into your world. I want to find Kate and go home as soon as I can.¡±


    Below his feet, Corvan could see Jorad shaking his head, but the man did not respond.


    At the bottom of the round stairwell, they followed a narrow passage around a few corners, then up an incline. Jorad opened a door, they emerged behind the tapestry and then stepped through the hole the Chief Watcher had cut into the heavy cloth. As Jorad examined the torn fabric, Corvan walked around the table, avoiding the piles of smashed lumien, to where his star glass had hit the marble floor.


    He expected to find shattered bits, but the crystal disc had broken neatly in half along a curving line. One side was midnight blue and the other a brilliant white, sparkling like a newborn star. When he touched them together, they two pieces stuck to each other with a magnetic charge, but the outline of the Castle Rock and the stars did not return. He pulled them apart, then let them connect again. Joined as one piece, they looked like the two-toned pendant Kate¡¯s mother wore, the black and white one she claimed kept her life in balance and her relationships in harmony. Corvan gave his head a shake. Hopefully this new version of the star disc would work better for him than it did for her.


    Dropping the connected pieces in his pocket, Corvan walked back to find Jorad sitting in the unbroken chair, gazing at the pulpy mess on the table as if he might cry at any moment. Corvan stood beside him and waited for the priest to speak.


    Jorad gestured to the table. ¡°Our mother plant was our only hope against the growing darkness in Kadir. We had such high hopes but now we will never be able to replace those the greedy beasts have consumed.¡± Anger flashed in his eyes as he looked up at Corvan. ¡°If you are to be a leader, you must learn that if your pleasure causes others pain, then your pleasure is wrong. Selfishness is the source of all evil.¡±


    Jorad stood and thrust the chair away so hard it toppled onto its back. ¡°Come,¡± he said, heading toward the secret door behind the tapestry. ¡°There will be enough light for us to move freely in the streets. It is a good thing you are still wearing Tarran¡¯s cloak. The Broken may have lost their minds to the lumien seeds, but at least they do not yet attack the priests.¡±


    Corvan didn¡¯t understand everything Jorad just said but once again he was amazed again at how differently everyone saw the cloak he wore. It was as if they decided what it was when they first saw it, then afterward they could not change their minds. He could only hope it would fool the ones the called ¡®the Broken¡¯. They sounded dangerous.


    As he turned to follow Jorad, a glimmer of fierce red light from the tabletop caught his eye. Stepping through though the mounds of lumien flesh, he peeled back a piece of lumien skin to reveal three bright red gems sparkling on the table. ¡°What are these?¡± he asked.


    Jorad rushed to his side. ¡°They appear to be tiny lumien seeds, but they never glow red like that.¡±


    Corvan pointed to the wet spot surrounding the gems. ¡°When that lizard cut it down, before it fell, I saw drops from the severed stem fall into Tyreth''s blood so maybe that''s why they''re red.¡±


    Jorad''s face brightened as he carefully gathered the small objects. ¡°It could be that each of these is a seed that will become a new mother plant.¡± He stared at them sparkling on his open palm, then he turned his eyes to the torn tapestry. ¡°Could they be red because Tyreth is . . .¡± His voice trailed off, as he retrieved a small cloth pouch from inside his cloak, dropped the seeds inside and pulled the drawstring shut. It appeared he was about to tuck the pouch away in his own cloak, but then he paused before holding it out to Corvan.


    ¡°The Cor-Van is the guardian of light,¡± Jorad said.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not me,¡± Corvan replied. ¡°You should hold onto them. You are a priest and those belong here in the temple.¡±


    Jorad¡¯s face was tense.


    ¡°If you do not accept this responsibility as the Cor-van, the only future for Kadir is eternal darkness.¡±

 Hammer 31: Burial

    Jorad led Corvan through a maze of low passages and out a concealed door into an empty alleyway. To the left, Corvan could see the top of the high-arched gate leading back into the courtyard between the palace and the temple.


    ¡°Where are all the people?¡± Corvan whispered.


    ¡°I already told you,¡± Jorad replied over his shoulder. ¡°The palace has sent most of the population out to harvest food in the settlements. Those are the only places left where we can still grow our crops. We have concentrated our remaining lumiens there under heavy guard to make sure not more are taken.¡±


    Wisps of fog snaked across the cobblestones, and Corvan noted that Jorad was going out of his way to avoid them.


    ¡°Is the fog poisonous?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jorad replied as he skirted another patch. ¡°But when you live in the Cor, you learn to avoid water at all costs. It is the harbinger of all things evil.¡±


    ¡°I used to be afraid of the water,¡± Corvan bragged. ¡°Before I learned to swim.¡±


    ¡°Swim?¡± Jorad stopped and turned to him. ¡°Are you saying you went into the water intentionally?¡±


    Corvan was glad for the hood to hide his blushing face. ¡°Well, I mostly dog paddle, but I am no longer afraid to jump into water that¡¯s over my head.¡±


    Jorad grabbed Corvan¡¯s forearm. ¡°Never make jokes about the water. The only ones who jump in are those who wish to die.¡± He squinted into the recesses of Corvan¡¯s hood as if he was going to say more, then released him and walked on.


    Corvan followed in silence down the flight of stairs with the broken balustrades toward the central plaza of the city. As they neared the gatehouse, Jorad motioned for him to stay quiet and stay further out in the shadows. A red-cloaked guard saw them coming and opened the gate.


    ¡°Priests,¡± he snarled as they passed by. ¡°What a waste of lumien light.¡±


    Jorad ignored the man and marched straight ahead. The gate clanged shut on Corvan¡¯s heels.


    As they crossed to the right side of the plaza, Corvan noted that the statue in the middle was actually comprised of three separate figures: a man, a small child, and a woman. It had looked like a solitary figure with extra arms because the woman¡¯s head was broken off. Now he could see her sad, hollow eyes staring at him from the muddy water of what was once a pool.


    Leaving the statue behind, they turned up the same street that he had seen Kate go up the night before. Rayu had followed as he promised and had found her.


    ¡°Tyreth is the only girl I¡¯ve seen so far,¡± Corvan said. ¡°Are all the women working in the settlements?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jorad put a lot of anger into one word. ¡°Since the rise of the Watchers, many females who come of age have gone missing. Some are lost at the Wasting to appease the new gods. We don¡¯t know what happens to the rest of them.¡±


    His pace slowed. ¡°It is a curse to bear a child these days. Younger boys are pressed into service as soldiers for the palace.¡± He looked overhead. ¡°It may be a blessing that as the lumiens have faded, fewer children have been born.¡±


    Corvan wanted to ask more questions, but the young priest squared his shoulders and walked away so quickly that Corvan had to jog to keep up.


    Jorad very off to the right into a narrow back alley clogged with rubble from the crumbling buildings. In the early light, it was even clearer that this other side of the once-great city was now an expansive ruin. The stench of decay floated in the air, and the cobblestones of the alley were slimy with mold.


    Jorad stopped where the alley open onto another wide road. He listened for a moment, then entered the road and turned right again.


    ¡°Jorad,¡± Corvan whispered as he followed into the open street, ¡°does anyone live on this side of the city?¡±


    Jorad shook his head and slackened his pace. ¡°The remaining productive citizens of Kadir live inside the dividing wall and close to the palace for protection.¡± He glanced down a side street. ¡°There are some who manage to live in these ruins. We call them the Broken.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    He stopped and faced Corvan. ¡°They lost their minds in the anarchy following the rise of the Watchers. Now they roam about on this side like wild animals.¡±


    Corvan cast a quick glance over the ruins. The deep shadows and rubble provided ample hiding places for an ambush. ¡°Are they dangerous?¡±


    ¡°There is a rumor they practice abomination and eat flesh, but I believe that the Chief Watcher uses that story as an excuse to hunt them down. He should have left them to die off on their own as lately the Broken have fought back and killed some of his soldiers. Now, none of the palace guards come to this side except under direct orders.¡±


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    A rock tumbled from a heap of stones behind them. Corvan glanced nervously over his shoulder.


    Jorad frowned. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be afraid. A Cor-Van does not give in to fear.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you should say my name like that? Someone might overhear you.¡±


    ¡°Is there another name I should use?¡±


    ¡°My mother called me Kalian.¡±


    ¡°If you wish to use a child¡¯s name, that¡¯s fine with me,¡± Jorad said. ¡°Kalian you shall be until such time as you can earn the title of Cor-van.¡± He turned on his heel and headed up the wide street.


    Corvan reluctantly followed behind the priest as he navigated the debris-clogged street. Having someone assigned to help him wasn¡¯t that great when it was so obvious that they didn¡¯t want to do it. A shadow appeared to shift off to his right in a doorway. Corvan was glancing nervously back at it when Jorad stopped short and Corvan bumped into him.


    ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going,¡± the priest snapped and turned away, leaving Corvan standing before an ornate iron gate set into a stone wall. The lock was rusted shut and beyond the corroded metal bars was a miniature replica of the buildings they had just walked through, each one meticulously recreated in white stone. A wide boulevard of cobblestones headed up the center. In behind and towering over it all were the grey cliffs he had seen from the entry.


    Jorad was poking about a smaller opening off to the left side, its metal door twisted off its hinges and lying on the ground.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± Corvan asked.


    Jorad was crouched down and examining the broken door. ¡°A graveyard. It¡¯s a miniature version of Kadir city. We call it the City of the Dead, The priests and the palace guards have a key, but someone has recently broken off the door we normally use.¡±


    As Jorad stepped over the threshold, a commanding voice called out from behind them. ¡°You there, stop in the name of the Palace Guard!¡±


    Jorad pulled his hood low over his eyes. ¡°Keep your head down and let me do the talking.¡±


    Corvan stole a quick glance as he turned around. Three soldiers were heading toward the gate. The one in front appeared to an older officer in a hoodless black tunic and an insignia on his chest. Behind him, two soldiers were carrying a body on a litter. Their hoods were thrown back and sweat glistened on their flushed faces.


    ¡°What are you doing out here, priest?¡± the older man asked. ¡°The palace was not informed of a burial party today.¡±


    Jorad spoke in a deeper voice that did not sound at all like him. ¡°This young man has a loved one who is kept here. It is important for him to pay a vow to come and see her on this particular day.¡±


    The older man grunted and looked at Corvan. ¡°Love, eh? Precious little of that these days.¡± He stepped into the smaller entry. ¡°Was our access door torn off when you were here last?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jorad replied. ¡°This was done recently.¡±


    ¡°I thought as much.¡± He gestured to the cliffs. ¡°The rebels have a new leader and have been raiding our tombs for weapons and anything of value. The palace will need to be on high alert.¡± He waved them toward the open door. ¡°Carry on.¡±


    Jorad nodded, but as he turned to guide Corvan through the doorway, the younger of the two soldiers spoke. ¡°Captain, this body is heavy. Can you order these two to help us get it stowed away? Aren¡¯t the priests supposed to help with burials?¡±


    The captain nodded and turned to Jorad. ¡°Before you fulfill your vow, you will carry this body to its final resting place.¡±


    The soldiers placed the litter on the ground. The younger one groaned as he straightened up. ¡°Could we rest for a minute? My back is killing me.¡±


    The captain shrugged, and the young soldier sank wearily to the ground. The captain stood over him. ¡°You young ones just don¡¯t have what it takes.¡±


    The young soldier curled his lip. ¡°I¡¯m tired of hearing about the glory days of old. I don¡¯t care that you had food to eat, a home to live in, and a woman who loved you. We have none of those things, so I think we are the ones who are tough.¡±


    ¡°Would you like me to lodge a complaint about conditions in the barracks, soldier?¡± the officer asked briskly.


    The frown left the soldier¡¯s face. ¡°No, sir. I don¡¯t blame the palace for what has happened to our world. If anything, it is the fault of the priests.¡± He spat the final word in Jorad¡¯s direction.


    The captain looked to Jorad for a response. He gave none.


    The young soldier pointed a grubby finger at Jorad. ¡°The rebellion wouldn¡¯t have happened if it wasn¡¯t for all the rules you priests heaped on us. If you had allowed the people to eat a bit of a lumien or enjoy other pleasures, their anger would not have spilled over to where they consumed every seed they could get their hands on. With all the men fighting over food and women, the palace had no choice but to take over. Things may not be great now, but at least we are alive.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you¡¯re alive,¡± Jorad said, his disguised voice thick with disgust. ¡°But how many of our people die at the Wasting and in the settlements?¡±


    The young man jumped to his feet and stood toe to toe with Jorad. ¡°If the Chief Watcher and the city council believe a person is a threat to our society, why not let the water judge them?¡±


    Jorad stepped away. ¡°What about the women and children who are taken to the palace? Are they all threats to our society?¡±


    The soldier shrugged. ¡°All I know is that the palace keeps the rebels in check and that makes all our lives easier.¡±


    The captain pointed at the young man. ¡°Therein lies the problem. Everyone is out to get what they can for themselves. At times I wonder how long a civilization this selfish can survive.¡±


    The older of the two soldiers, who had been silent during the exchange, finally spoke up. ¡°I remember the days when our city was full of light and lumiens hung over every doorway. Now our lumien light grows dimmer each day.¡± He looked at Jorad. ¡°But if we abandon hope, what reason is there to keep living? Tell us, priest. Is there still hope for a brighter future?¡±


    The young man pointed at Jorad. ¡°Why ask him? All the priests do is offer false hope to control people for their own advantage. I say we should test the priests in the new karst. Maybe we should drown them all at the dedication of the water temple.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± the captain barked. ¡°We have a job to do.¡± He pointed to Jorad and Corvan. ¡°You two bring the body and follow along.¡±


    The soldiers moved through the broken door.


    As Corvan stooped to grab the poles, his finger snagged the burial shroud and tugged it off to one side.


    As he tugged it back into place, he found himself looking into the ashen face of Morgan.

 Hammer 32: Tree

    Corvan flipped the shroud back over Morgan¡¯s face. Without the antidote, the poison pill had killed the man.


    ¡°Hurry up, Kalian,¡± Jorad hissed from his position up front between the poles. Corvan grunted as he lifted Morgan¡¯s litter. No wonder the soldiers had complained; Morgan was all muscle.


    Jorad pulled the litter and Corvan quickly through the smaller broken gate, but they had a hard time keeping up with the soldiers. Corvan fell into a clumsy trot, mesmerized by the scene around him. If the City of the Dead was any indication, the real city it was modeled after must have been amazing in its day. Each miniature structure was ornately carved and adorned with tarnished metal trims. For the first time in his life, Corvan was a giant, walking the streets of a city seemingly built for people a quarter his size.


    ¡°Jorad,¡± Corvan whispered between labored breaths, ¡°are each of these little buildings, a grave?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jorad replied over his shoulder as he slowed down. He was breathing harder too. ¡°Our people refuse to be buried in a hole that could fill with water, so we build crypts above the ground.¡± Jorad¡¯s subdued tone made his words difficult to hear. ¡°The top of each crypt lifts off, the dead are placed inside, and then the airtight lid is fastened back down to contain the smell of decay.¡±


    ¡°Is there only one person in each one?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°When the next person in the family dies, the bones of the first person are moved to a bottom compartment with their ancestors. Some wealthy families construct a separate crypt for each family member, and there are very large ones for our rulers.¡±


    Corvan looked up a path that curved away from the main boulevard. ¡°Why did they copy the layout of the main city?¡±


    ¡°Your crypt in the City of the Dead occupies the same place here as your home did in our city streets,¡± Jorad said. ¡°To some it is an indication of your status while you were alive.¡±


    ¡°So, each one looks identical to their home in the city?¡±


    Jorad shook his head briskly. ¡°Many people invested more energy into the creation of their tombs than they did into their own homes, or their families.¡±


    The soldiers were slowing down. The captain looking about at the tombs and streets and asking the older soldier questions.


    Jorad nodded to a particularly striking crypt with a statue of a woman and man carved on the sides, as if they were going to welcome you into their home. ¡°Some of the crypts are much more elaborate than the corresponding houses in the city, but they give you an idea of what Kadir looked like before the great destruction, when you could clearly see her beauty.¡±


    ¡°Is there only one city in this cavern?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have other smaller settlements in the outlying areas for our workers, but Kadir is our only city.¡±


    The soldiers moved on toward the small circular plaza that marked the center of the crypt city, but here, instead of a copy of the statue in Kadir, an ancient tree stretched its tangled branches toward the roof of the cavern. The trunk of the tree was split to the ground, as if struck by lightning. Pale leaves adorned the closest half of the shattered tree, while the other side was blackened and dead. Gnarled roots undulated through the soil toward the low wall and railing that encircled the tree.


    Jorad stopped abruptly, and Corvan caught his balance against Morgan¡¯s head. Using the poles he pushed himself upright, and noticed they were alone. ¡°Where are the soldiers?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you listening?¡± Jorad asked in an irritated tone. ¡°They told us to wait here while they checked on the location of a crypt.¡±


    ¡°I was looking at the tree,¡± Corvan said.


    Jorad tugged the litter and Corvan off to one side of the rounded plaza. ¡°Let¡¯s set the body on one of the benches while we wait. You can take a better look at our tree.¡±


    It was a great relief to be free of Morgan¡¯s dead weight. Shaking the cramps from his hands, Corvan crossed the open area and approached the half-dead tree.


    Jorad joined him at the slender stone railing and leaned heavily against it to stretch out his back. ¡°Legend says it was here long before our people entered the Cor,¡± Jorad said. ¡°The living side was much greener before our lumiens began to fade.¡±


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    ¡°In the real city, is this where circular plaza with the fountain statue is located? Corvan asked. ¡°The one with the woman¡¯s head broken off?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this marks the same spot. I¡¯m not certain if our forefathers built the city of the dead around the tree or if they planted it here afterwards. Either way, it¡¯s the only one of its kind in all the Cor. As priests, we remind our people that the half-dead tree symbolizes the choices we make in life before we arrive here.¡±


    ¡°Did the living side ever bear fruit?¡±


    ¡°No. But in the center of the great tapestry, where the Chief Watcher cut it apart, there was a depiction of a living tree with many fruits on it. Maybe it was this one before it was injured or this one was planted from the seed of another one.¡±


    ¡°Are the statues here a part of the legend?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°Statues?¡±


    Corvan pointed to the other side of the tree. ¡°The two grey statues of men watching the tree.¡±


    Jorad peered past the split trunk. ¡°It¡¯s not the tree they¡¯re looking at.¡± He stepped quickly back from the railing. ¡°I hear the soldiers returning. Let¡¯s pick up the litter so we¡¯re ready to go. We don¡¯t want any trouble.¡±


    Corvan paused and was struck by something odd about the dirt around the living side of the tree. He leaned over the fence for a closer look. Radiating from the shattered tree trunk were neat lines of footprints made by a child¡¯s bare feet.


    ¡°Kalian,¡± Jorad hissed, ¡°quickly!¡±


    No sooner had they picked up Morgan¡¯s body than the captain and the two soldiers emerged from a wide street nearby.


    ¡°But all the rest of his family is there,¡± the older soldier was saying. ¡°Perhaps he was to be placed inside his father¡¯s crypt.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The captain replied firmly. ¡°My direct orders were to find a large crypt with Morgan¡¯s name over the door. I bet he decided to build his own crypt in the plaza of the rulers. Follow me.¡±


    They marched away around the tree and as soon as they were out of sight, Jorad abruptly dropped his end of the litter on the bench with a thud, then shoved Corvan away from the body. With trembling hands, he uncovered the dead man¡¯s face. The shock on Jorad¡¯s face was instantly transformed into such intense anger that Corvan stepped away even farther. Jorad¡¯s whole body trembled, his fists clenched, and his arm was cocked as if to punch the dead body.


    A sharp whistle from the captain shattered the tension. The man in black was waiting on the other side of the half-dead tree. ¡°I said to follow me.¡±


    Shaking his head vigorously, Jorad returned to the front of the stretcher and yanked it off the bench with such force that Corvan had to dive to grab the poles. He stumbled along after Jorad as the priest towed him toward the soldiers.


    The captain led them up a wide street across from where they had entered. They passed between the two grey statues on either side of the upper entrance into the plaza. Unblinking grey eyes seemed to follow Corvan¡¯s every move.


    The street was soon lined with larger tombs and Corvan realized that in this replica city they were heading toward the location of the stepped plaza in front of the palace. Sure enough, a short distance later, a low walled area appeared before them, and beyond its gate, an open courtyard was filled with grand tombs; pointed roofs to the left, flat roofs to the right.


    Jorad pulled them in next to the soldiers and looked up in silence. Corvan followed his gaze to the largest crypt he had seen. It was built against the outer wall of the city precisely where a replica of the huge statue with its round wall should have stood. The door on the crypt was large enough for a man to walk into without stooping and ornate letters were carved into the stone above the entrance.


    ¡°Typical Morgan,¡± the younger soldier said dryly.


    ¡°There used to be three crypts here belonging to the ruling families,¡± the captain exclaimed.


    ¡°They have all been destroyed to make room for Morgan¡¯s tomb,¡± the older soldier replied. ¡°Look, you can see how they used the stones from the previous crypts to build his new one. There¡¯s a stone in the corner that still has part of someone else¡¯s name cut into it.¡±


    The captain stomped over to the litter and addressed the shrouded face. ¡°You were always working your way closer to the Chief Watcher. I suppose you thought you¡¯d someday become the ruler of all the Cor, a Cor-Van deserving of such an elaborate resting place.¡±


    The captain raised a hand, and Corvan wondered if he too wished to strike the dead man. Instead, he shoved the body aside, almost knocking Corvan to the ground. ¡°I refuse to dignify the memory of this man by putting his remains in this tomb.¡±


    ¡°Then let us use one of the pauper¡¯s crypts,¡± Jorad suggested in his disguised voice. ¡°A tomb without a name for one who erased the names of others.¡±


    ¡°Done.¡± The captain turned from the ornate mausoleum and marched to the courtyard gate. The soldiers and litter bearers had to run to keep up with him and before long Corvan was so out of breath he thought he would drop in his tracks.


    At the tree, the captain turned down a street, then took a narrow track strewn with rocks. ¡°Put him in there.¡± He pointed to a large, plain box that rose sloppily from the ground. ¡°A pauper¡¯s burial for the man who would be our king.¡±


    He turned to his soldiers. ¡°Seal him up and then get yourselves back to the palace. I have no more time for this nonsense.¡± He thrust past them in the narrow passage, bumping into the litter and knocking Corvan off his feet.


    Corvan fell backward against a low crypt. The litter canted towards him at a steep angle. The body slid out from under the shroud, until its exposed head thumped softly against his chest.


    As Corvan stared down at Morgan¡¯s upside-down face, the man¡¯s eyes twitched, then slowly opened.


    The pupils tilted back to focus on Corvan¡¯s face.

 Hammer 33: Crypts

    ¡°Don¡¯t let it bother you.¡± The younger soldier leaned over Corvan¡¯s shoulder and brushed Morgan¡¯s eyelids shut. ¡°Sometimes that happens.¡± Bending in closer to Corvan¡¯s ear, his voice dropped to a whisper. ¡°Get far away from this priest. Bad things are coming for all the priests. You will soon be free and won¡¯t have to be a slave to the green cloaks anymore.¡±


    The young man straightened, patted Corvan¡¯s shoulder, and spoke out loud. ¡°Rest a moment while we get this thing opened.¡± He stared hard at Jorad. ¡°No doubt the priests are overworking their servants.¡± Pushing roughly past Jorad, he joined his partner in freeing the two rusty latches holding the lid of the crypt in place.


    Jorad dropped his side of the litter and crouched next to Corvan. ¡°Put your hood back on,¡± he hissed.


    ¡°He¡¯s still alive,¡± Corvan whispered urgently. ¡°Morgan is still alive. His eyes opened! He looked right at me!¡±


    Jorad yanked Corvan¡¯s hood into place over his head and glared in at him. ¡°Don¡¯t fall apart on me. That soldier is right. Sometimes the eyes pop open if you give the body a jolt.¡±


    Corvan shook his head. ¡°Morgan was my guard at the Palace prison. He ate part of that pill the High Priest sent with Tyreth, but it didn¡¯t kill him. His eyes didn¡¯t just open, they focused on my face. He¡¯s not dead!¡± he whispered hoarsely.


    Jorad moved over to Morgan and made a show of straightening the shroud and wrapping it more tightly around the man¡¯s neck. Corvan got to his feet, and Jorad joined him, muttering under his breath. ¡°You¡¯re right. He still has a bit of life in him. He was always the strong one. His father called him ¡®the burak boy.¡¯¡±


    They were both startled by the squeal of seized metal as the thick lid of the crypt creaked up and out of the way on rusty hinges. The older soldier peered inside. ¡°What luck¡ªit¡¯s an empty one. No wonder the clasps were so corroded.¡± He turned to Jorad. ¡°Let¡¯s all get the body inside so we can get out of here.¡±


    Jorad straightened Morgan¡¯s body on the litter, and the soldiers each grabbed a pole. Together they lowered Morgan into the crypt. The people of the city must have expected the poor to die in groups; there was ample room for at least two more bodies inside.


    An eerie wail, like a rabbit in its death throes, floated over the cemetery walls from the broken side of the city.


    The younger soldier looked anxiously in the direction of the noise, then turned abruptly to Jorad. ¡°You¡¯re the priest; you can finish the ceremonies and seal the crypt. I want to be out of the broken city before its fully dark.¡± He spun around and walked briskly away.


    The older man nodded to Jorad, then ran to catch up to the other soldier.


    Jorad bent down, scooping up pebbles and dirt. ¡°Are they gone?¡± he whispered.


    Corvan busied himself adjusting one of the clasps. ¡°Just another minute.¡± The strangled wail came again, and the soldiers quickened their pace.


    ¡°What¡¯s that noise?¡± Corvan asked.


    Jorad continued picking up pebbles. ¡°The sound of the Broken. They¡¯re beginning to move about and hunt for food.¡±


    ¡°They hunt people?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°Apparently the soldiers believe they do,¡± Jorad said derisively. ¡°Are they gone?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Jorad tossed the pebbles away, dusted off his hands, and dropped the lid of the crypt in a percussive cloud of dust. Placing both hands on the stone lid, he gazed down at the stone slab. ¡°Farewell, Morgan. This is not how it should have ended, but everyone must live¡ªand die¡ªby the choices they make.¡± He lifted the first of the clasps and twisted down the large turnbuckle.


    Corvan watched in shock before grabbing the second clasp. ¡°You can¡¯t seal a living man inside a tomb.¡±


    Jorad turned fiercely toward him. ¡°I know things about him that you do not. It is best if we seal his tomb and make certain it¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not right,¡± Corvan protested.


    Jorad¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°I am a priest of the Cor, and I know what¡¯s right for my world. If you want my help to find the girl and get back to your world, you¡¯ll mind your business.¡±


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    He stared at Corvan through narrowed eyes as he cranked down the second turnbuckle, then stomped off, leaving Corvan staring at the sealed crypt.


    ¡°Come on!¡± Jorad called over his shoulder. ¡°If he survives the poison, he may escape death once again if someone comes to check on him, although I doubt he¡¯ll ever learn his lesson.¡± He pointed up a narrow street. ¡°We must hurry if we are to catch up to your counterpart before its fully dark.¡±


    Corvan reluctantly turned away from the tomb. A shiver ran up his spine as he caught up to the priest. ¡°Jorad,¡± he asked quietly, ¡°Is Kate here in the cemetery?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This has always been a secure place for the priests to keep our affairs hidden from the prying eyes of the Watcher and his guards. We are expected to come and go regularly, and we can arrange meetings with other priests and our allies from the settlements.¡±


    ¡°What about the rebels the captain mentioned? Are they your allies?¡± Corvan asked.


    Jorad¡¯s steps faltered, and he slowed down. ¡°Some of the rebels were our own palace guards who lost family in the anarchy that followed the rise of the Watcher. In those days, everyone was betraying friends¡ªeven their own family.¡± His voice sagged with the memory, and he pointed to the jagged spires that climbed behind the city wall to the far side of the cavern. ¡°The rebels are based in those crags up behind the graveyard, but as a rule the priests don¡¯t contact them. Lately I began to think they might be a good ally against the Chief Watcher, but then a new leader came into power who claimed to be both Rantellic and the promised Cor-Van. He has begun raiding our settlements for food and recruits. He wants to take over Kadir, but his foolish plans will get a lot of people killed.¡±


    ¡°Is a Rantellic another leader like the Cor-Van?¡±


    ¡°Not the same. Rantellics were an ancient order of wise sages from a city that fell into darkness during the destruction. Everyone knows the Rantellic order died off, so this new leader of the rebels is a fraud in every way.¡± Jorad sped back up. The conversation was over.


    Corvan lost all sense of direction as he followed Jorad through a maze of narrow streets and alleys. Finally, they clambered over a pile of rubble and bones from a crypt that had been broken apart, then stepped down onto a curved roadway. The crypts along the inside of the curve were tightly packed, and taller, with full height doors.


    Jorad stopped, motioned for Corvan to stand watch, and checked into another alley just ahead. He returned with a short cylinder that he inserted into a round hole in the front of a crypt. The entire wall pivoted inward to reveal a narrow passage and an open space beyond.


    Jorad gave a shrill whistle, waited, then whistled again. ¡°Our guard isn¡¯t responding. Follow closely and keep a sharp eye out for anyone coming up from behind.¡± A long knife appeared in Jorad¡¯s left hand as he led Corvan through the narrow channel.


    The secret passage emerged into a clearing walled by the backs of even more interconnected tall crypts. The pavements across the open area formed a pattern suggesting even more of them had once filled the space. Someone had created a secret meeting space for a large army right within the city walls of Kadir.


    Jorad scanned the rooftops around the perimeter, then pointed to one of the crypts directly across from them. ¡°Kate is inside that one. Take this rod, push it into the hole, and the door will slide open. I¡¯ll stay here and keep watch. Bring Kate and Rayu back here and we¡¯ll return to the temple together.¡± Thrusting the notched cylinder into Corvan¡¯s hand, Jorad shoved him into the open.


    Corvan ran across the pavements to the cracked and weathered crypt Jorad had pointed out. He almost dropped the cylinder in his haste to insert it into the hole.


    Nothing happened. He twisted it from side to side. Still nothing. As he turned to look over his shoulder at Jorad, his weight on the rod pushed a narrow section of the wall inwards and off to one side. Losing his balance, he twisted and fell awkwardly inside the crypt, the round key rolling away across the floor.


    His heart sank as he got to his knees. The stone benches on either side of the musty room were empty. Kate and Rayu were gone¡ªif they had even been here in the first place. He looked around just in time to see the door slide back into its locked position.


    In the darkness, the round light from the keyhole beckoned and he crawled forward, to peer through it.


    In the channel on the other side of the crypt clearing, Jorad was speaking with two armed men. He appeared to point in Corvan¡¯s direction just as a man dressed in a dark tunic walked in front of the tomb and blocked his view. When the dark tunic moved on, Jorad and the two men had vanished.


    Now a man in a ripped cloak marched into view, standing in the middle of the clearing with his back to Corvan¡¯s locked door. His long hair hung in two braids down his back. He carried a staff with a long, curved blade on top, and a short sword hung at his waist. These had to be the rebel fighters Jorad mentioned, but in spite of what Jorad had said, it seemed the priest was working with them.


    A loud bang overhead made him jump back. The man outside turned and shouted in Corvan¡¯s direction, then footsteps crossed the roof and faded away.


    Corvan crawled away from the door, sat on the bench, and watched the small circle of light. There was no more sign of movement and all was quiet overhead. If they knew he was inside the crypt, it didn¡¯t appear they were coming to get him, at least not right away.


    Pulling off his pack he dug through looking for something to eat but found only a tin can. Dropping it back in the pack, he stretched out on the stone bench. It was cold and hard, but a relief to finally rest. As far as he could recall, the last time he¡¯d slept was in the tunnels after the buraks killed Tsarek. Intense loneliness enveloped his weary mind. With Tsarek gone, Kate still missing, and Jorad seemingly betraying him, it was getting hard to find much hope to carry on.


    He rolled over to face the wall and was dozing off when his fingers brushed against a smooth object jammed into the crack where the bench met the wall. Clutching its familiar shape, he sighed with relief.


    Jorad had told the truth about Kate being in the crypt for in his hand was the Swiss Army knife she had taken from Tsarek.

 Hammer 34: Crypts

    A concussive thump woke Corvan from a deep sleep, and he fell clumsily to the stone floor of the crypt.


    Red light flickered at the keyhole. Crawling over, he peeked through it at a fire in an enormous metal brazier, burning on the far side of the courtyard. Hazy flames illuminated men sitting on the ground facing the fire. Rebel soldiers with their ragged coats and braided hair were stationed on top of the crypts overlooking the entrance into their hideout.


    A horn sounded in the distance, and the men on the roofs began pounding rhythmically with their bladed staffs. Whatever the rebels were doing in the City of the Dead, they certainly weren¡¯t being very quiet about it.


    Ignoring the incredible racket inside the crypt, Corvan felt his way around the floor until he located the round key. Returning to the flickering light, he unlocked the sliding door, and eased it open a crack. He wasn¡¯t going to wait around to find out if Jorad would eventually inform the rebels where he was hiding. With all the commotion and the cover of darkness, this was the best time to leave and find out where Rayu had taken Kate.


    The pounding abruptly ceased and three older men in hoodless tunics emerged from the alley across the way. They marched in unison to a low mound behind the brazier, then stood at attention looking back into the alley. Even the fire seemed to grow still as everyone else watched and waited.


    Corvan eased the door a bit wider. In front of him a clear isle went between the seated soldiers to the three men standing up front. Did this mean they expected to release him and have him walk up to the brazier? His heart sank. Had Jorad told them about the hammer, that he was the long-awaited Cor-Van that could lead them?


    The three older men at the fire were staring at the entry. These ones all had shorter gray hair and one was almost bald, so they lacked the braid at the back. They must be waiting for their own leader to arrive. Scanning the crowd, it became evident that the isle was not for Corvan to walk up, it was a natural division between two distinct sets of soldiers. On the left side all the men appeared to be taller but as Corvan looked them over he realized it was because they were sitting up straighter than the men who lounged on the right. The men on the left also wore their hair in a braid down their back and none of them had a helmet on. Those had to be the rebels Jorad talked about.


    On the right side of the isle there were fewer men, clumped together in random sized groups. Judging from the red cloaks and helmets scattered throughout, these were the palace guards that had defected over to the rebels. Unfortunately, the wide isle between the two factions in the rebel alliance had pushed their respective groupings out to the very edges of the crypts on both sides. There was nowhere for Corvan to escape except up the middle.


    He looked forward just as a man walked in from the alley toward the older men on the low mound behind the brazier. The three men bowed slightly and moved back to the wall as he ascended the mound to stand front and center. He was the tallest person Corvan had seen in the Cor. Dressed in a long, flowing brown coat that looked like leather or oilskin, his head was adorned with an animal skin with the stuffed head still attached. The dead creature¡¯s head jutted out over the man¡¯s forehead; its glistening hairless skin wrapped tightly around the man¡¯s skull, the clawed legs dangling behind his ears.


    As the man drew in close to the firelight, his smile grew as some on the left side of the crowd began chanting, ¡°Cor-Van, Cor-Van, Cor-Van!¡±


    Keen eyes shone from beneath the mam¡¯s prominent eyebrows as he surveyed his subjects and soaked up their praise. Throwing out his chest, he motioned discreetly to the three men behind him. One picked up a container shaped like a pointed Greek vase and poured a shiny black fluid into a hole at the bottom edge of the metal brazier. The flames leapt higher accompanied by clouds of sticky black smoke and more loud cheers.


    Corvan was exposed to the growing light and was directly in the man¡¯s line of sight. He took a step back into the darkness of the crypt as the tall man raised his arms. The audience fell silent. He swept his hand slowly over the crowd, then clenched it into a fist and struck his own chest three times. Most of the men on the left did the same.


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    ¡°Men of the rebellion, our time has finally arrived! For too long we have been reduced to living in holes, our days growing darker as the rulers of Kadir consume the remaining light for their own pleasure.¡±


    The man¡¯s voice caught Corvan by surprise. He had expected a deep powerful voice from the tall man, but instead the leader spoke in a high pitched, squeaky tone that sounded more like the rusty screen door hinges on Corvan¡¯s back porch. A soldier at the very back of the palace guard¡¯s side of the isle, grinned at his companion, and received an elbow in his ribs in return.


    The man spread his arms wide, and his grating voice rose even higher. ¡°But the end of these evil days is in sight. As your Cor-Van ¡­¡± He paused, waiting for more cheers, but when only a few on the left responded, he dropped his arms to his sides. ¡°As your Cor-Van, I am pleased to tell you that the final sign of our victory against the palace has been confirmed.¡± He turned toward the city proper where the upper edges of the central courtyard gate were visible and raised a clenched fist in the air. At his back, the firelight revealed a wide, forked tail hanging down from the animal skin on his head.


    Nervous fear grew in Corvan¡¯s belly. During the war, he had seen motion picture reels that featured leaders who acted like this, at the theater in Fenwood. Terrible things happened all around the world when people blindly followed a leader who spoke this way.


    Fist still high in the air, the brown coat whirled about to face the men on the ground. ¡°We all know that to take my place as your rightful Cor-Van and to lead you to defeat the palace of Kadir, I must have a worthy counterpart.¡± A murmur of agreement rippled through the left side of the crowd while those on the right shifted about and glanced at each other. The man lowered his hand. ¡°We all know that since the rise of the Watchers, all possible counterparts, including your daughters, have been taken away in service to that creature¡¯s new religion!¡±


    Instantly all the men on both sides of the isle jumped to their feet, shouting in anger, and pressing forward. Unchecked, they would have overrun their Cor-Van and attacked the palace immediately. It took a while for the leader and his three men to calm them down and get them seated again. Corvan looked over their heads. The isle was gone but there was now a bit of room on the right along the crypt wall. He could get past the soldiers but unless their leader left, there was no way for him to escape out the alley. If the rebel leader left and the soldiers went with him to lay siege to Kadir, he would never get back to the city to find Rayu and Kate.


    The tall man stepped back from the crowd, glanced up the alley, nodded, then turned back to the soldiers. ¡°You have waited a long time for me to become your Cor-Van. Tonight, I am pleased to inform you that the priests of Kadir have finally seen the light and have acknowledged that I am the chosen one who is destined to lead the Cor.¡±


    A murmur of questions rose from the crowd, but the leader pressed on.


    ¡°The priests of Kadir have also suffered greatly for some time now. Just recently, the Chief Watcher poisoned the High Priest, murdered Tarren, and falsely charged Tyreth with the murder of Morgan.¡±


    Anger rippled through the crowd at Tyreth¡¯s name.


    ¡°These are desperate days,¡± the leader called out. ¡°So when the priests of Kadir came to me in their hour of need, I agreed to assist them in return for their help with my accession to power.¡±


    The man turned to the alleyway behind him, and Jorad walked out of the shadows to join the man at the fire.


    Corvan studied the priest¡¯s face, trying to discern if Jorad was pleased to be helping the rebel leader or not. The leader stepped to one side and waited for Jorad to speak, but the young priest only looked directly over the crowd in Corvan¡¯s direction.


    A long silence was broken by a few derogatory comments from the right side of the audience. The leader raised one hand to silence them. ¡°Men, this is a historic night. The current High Priest will soon die at the hands of the Chief Watcher and Jorad will join our cause as the new High Priest of Kadir and of the rebellion. Jorad is the only one left who can lawfully join your Cor-Van and his counterpart in everlasting union.¡± He gestured to the alley and two men appeared, carrying a chair bearing a veiled woman in a long white cloak. ¡°A counterpart worthy to be joined to your Cor-Van has been brought to us by the priests!¡±


    The bearers stopped and the base of the mound. Jorad took the woman by the hand helped her down and led her up to the leader. The man shouted to the crowd. ¡°With the blessings of the priesthood, and to fulfill the office of your Cor-Van, tonight, in your presence, I take a counterpart and fulfill the final prophecy!¡±


    The flames leapt higher.


    The leader pulled away the veil.


    Kate stared blankly over the stunned crowd.

 Hammer 35: Candle

    Corvan nearly fell out of the crypt door in shock. Kate was leaning heavily on Jorad¡¯s arm. Her face was pale, and her eyes were dull, as if she had been drugged. He had to get her out of there, but how could he possibly get to her with a sea of armed warriors in the way?


    A man at the front of the palace defectors on the right side whistled at Kate, and a few of his companions joined in. The leader¡¯s head snapped around, squinting in disapproval, the beady eyes of the animal hat glinting in the firelight. The whistles immediately died off.


    The rebel leader shouted something about his new counterpart, becoming the Cor-Van, and the impending victory over Kadir. The rebel soldiers on the left leapt to their feet, chanting a single phrase over and over, jumping about and working themselves into a frenzy. Their bouncing braids all ended in a fork that mimicked the one hanging from the back of the leader¡¯s skin hat. Their celebration spilled into the aisle before the former palace guards joined in; men with braids mingling in with those in the faded red cloaks.


    Over their heads, dressed in the white cloak, with her red hair tucked under a tiara sparkling in the firelight, Kate looked like a queen. Then she wavered on her feet, and Jorad had to pull her closer to keep her upright. Corvan nudged the door a bit wider. Tsarek had warned him that Kate would die under the light of the lumiens; she already looked barely alive. If he didn¡¯t act right away, Kate would be gone forever. ¡°Come on, Corvan,¡± he muttered, ¡°there has to be something you can do. I was too afraid to help Tarran. I won¡¯t make the same mistake with Kate.¡±


    Pulling the hammer from the holster, he stared at the end, but there was no light and no sense of power or direction. He snapped it back in place. Morgan¡¯s black knife would be more useful in a fight than a dead hammer. Digging into his pack he pulled out the sheathed blade and a bright red cylinder on a stick¡ª one of his bottle rocket fireworks from home¡ª tumbled out. With the fireworks to create a diversion, he might get close enough to help Kate escape. Setting he knife aside, he dug frantically through the pack and pulled out the pack of firecrackers, the waterproof tube of matches, a stubby candle, and two more bottle rockets.


    Flipping out the can opener on the Swiss Army knife, h punched three holes around the edge of his last tin can. Inserting the bamboo shaft of the bottle rockets into the holes, he positioned the can just inside the door. With the smallest blade of the knife, he drilled three holes just below the top of the candle, placed it on the top of the can, and inserted one rocket fuse into each hole. If his rough calculations were correct, by the time the candle burned down to the fuses, he could work his way around the perimeter to reach Kate and Jorad. If Jorad was any sort of priest at all, he would leave the rebel leader behind and help get Kate to safety when the rockets went off.


    The noise of the chanting crowd was deafening in the enclosed space of the crypt. The scene outside the door was becoming even more intense, the men slamming into each other. A shower of dust drifted past the open door. He had forgotten about the guards on the rooftops. Those off to the sides could easily see him if they looked his way. He stepped back inside, fighting off the rising fear. Jumping back to the pack, he grabbed the tube of matches lying next to Morgan¡¯s black knife, the firecrackers and the Roman Candle firework. It was time to act, not think about everything that could go wrong.


    Lashing the knife to his forearm, he slid the Roman candle under the sheath, stuffed the pack of firecrackers into his back pocket, and grabbed the matches. Back at the door, he dropped to his knees by his bottle rocket contraption and twisted off the cap of the waterproof tube of matches.


    Only three matches remained. He struck one on the rough side of the tube, but the head snapped off and fizzled on the ground. With trembling hands, he pulled out the second one. It sputtered to life, he touched it to the wick, a small flame sprang from the candle, but as he dropped the match to the ground, the wick wavered and died to a smoking ember.


    One match left. He held his breath as he stuck it. The match caught and he dropped the case and cupped it with his other hand until the flame grew strong, then held it up to the candle until the match singed his fingers. With the candle burning brightly he carefully slid the can over the threshold of the door, then packed dirt around the bottom to angle the three rockets out of the crypt and over the heads of the raucous crowd.


    Stepping past the rockets, Corvan slipped out the door and headed to the right, keeping his back pressed tight against the crypt walls. At first, he had room to maneuver, but then discovered the celebration had spread to the crypt walls on the side with enthusiastic soldiers blocking his way. A fight broke out in front between a red cape and a man with a braid, forcing him to back away into a crevice between two crypts.


    Something was missing. He felt for the knife; still there, along with the Roman Candle. The krypin rope was still attached to his belt. The pack! He had left it in the crypt but there was no time to go back; the rockets would be flying any time now.


    The crowd swirled away from the fighting men and he caught a glimpse of Jorad and Kate just twenty feet ahead through the thrashing tangle of bodies. The alley behind them was empty, but armed guards stood watch on the two crypt roofs flanking the narrow channel. One of the guards peered over the crowd, then leapt across the gap to his companion. He pointed toward Corvan¡¯s flickering candle, shouting into the other man¡¯s ear. The other guard nodded, and together they moved across the tops of the crypts to the left and toward Corvan¡¯s bottle rockets.


    Thrusting himself from the crack, Corvan pushed towards Kate through the mass of bodies, bouncing with them in their frenzy as he moved steadily toward the fire. He fell hard against a stout man, who promptly shoved him into someone else. Corvan evaded another body check, then stepped in close to Jorad. The priest was staring down into the brazier, his face smoldering in anger. Corvan grabbed his shoulder, Jorad twisted to face him, and his mouth dropped open.


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    Corvan leaned close and shouted over the din. ¡°Soon there will be a bright light in the sky and loud noises. When that happens, get Kate out of here and meet me by Morgan¡¯s grave.¡±


    Jorad hesitated, glanced across at the rebel leader, then nodded. Corvan stepped off the mound and dropped down at the wall next to the three older men who stood back watching the crowd in disdain.


    The rebel leader moved closer to the fire, hollering and motioning for silence. Over his head and across the crowd, Corvan could see the two guards peering down at his flickering candle. ¡°Come on, come on, do something,¡± Corvan urged aloud as the din began to die down.


    Someone kicked his side. He looked up to find one of the older men standing over him, shaking his head in disgust. The man thought he was telling the leader to do something. Not wanting another kick, Corvan slid away along the wall and bumped against two full jars of fuel leaning against the wall. The jars tipped slowly over on their pointed bottoms, scraped slowly along the wall, then fell, oozing their contents down the incline into the alley.


    The energy of the crowd was dissipating. Those closest to the fire were now just standing and silently staring at Kate.


    ¡°Come, High Priest,¡± the rebel leader cried out, pointing at Jorad. ¡°Come and bless our union.¡±


    The crowd fell silent as Jorad raised both hands. ¡°Gods of the Cor, we seek your approval. We ask you to give us a sign if you are unhappy with us. Show us if we have moved forward without understanding your will.¡±


    The men nearest the fire shifted uncomfortably. The false Cor-Van motioned his three older comrades forward as Jorad continued to pray, asking in more fervent terms for the gods to demonstrate their displeasure if this were not the right time for the Cor-Van to unite with this counterpart and march on Kadir.


    The three men closed in on Jorad and Corvan rolled on his side and dug into his pocket. The rockets in the crypt door had failed. The firecrackers would need to provide a diversion instead. Taking aim, he lobbed the entire packet toward the brazier.


    As the bright yellow packet tumbled through the air, a shaft of light tore through the darkness, followed by a blast that shook the ground. The entire company of men threw themselves on the ground and covered their heads. One of the guards candle cried out as he fell off a crypt roof.


    Two more bright lights screamed into the sky, momentarily illuminating Jorad leading a docile Kate out through the passage.


    Bang! Bang! The pair of explosions cracked the night air, then darkness dropped over the clearing. The rebel leader called out for more light and one of his older helpers grabbed a jar and sloshed more oil directly into the brazier. The flames leaped up just as the firecrackers began to go off in rapid succession, spitting balls of flaming oil in all directions.


    The man with the jar jumped back, sloshing oil over his robes. In a flash, his clothes were on fire, and he ran into the crowd. Men clambered over one another to get away before someone tackled him and rolled him in red cloak to put out the flames.


    Most of the soldiers were sprawled on the ground and the rest were milling about in confusion. Jumping up, Corvan put his back to the wall to slip undetected into alley entrance, but the leader on the mound was looking directly at him. An intense hatred twisted the man¡¯s face into a snarl as fierce as the animal face on his head. Corvan¡¯s special cloak had failed him. Whatever the rebel leader saw in him, it wasn¡¯t good. The man shouted at the two remaining henchmen and pointed at Corvan. Swords drawn; the two men advanced on him.


    The last of the firecrackers spit a blob of flames at Corvan¡¯s feet. He had one last trick up his sleeve. Whipping the Roman candle out from under the lashed knife, he bent to light the fuse from the bubbling flames.


    The two armed men stopped short at the sight of the firework sparking in Corvan¡¯s hand like a magician¡¯s wand. Their leader shouted another command, but before they could move, a flaming ball shot from the cardboard barrel with a soft fwoop and hit one in the shoulder. The man turned away and disappeared into the crowd.


    Corvan shuffled sideways, keeping his back against the wall and his eyes focused on the next man.


    Fwoop, fwoop. Two green balls whizzed past the man¡¯s head, then he also pulled back and ran away.


    Corvan turned to enter the alley, but now the rebel leader himself was blocking his retreat. The tall man was so close, Corvan could see that the animal skin hat was from some sort of large bat, its wings and body clinging to the man¡¯s head like a leathery skullcap with its small bony claws curled around the man¡¯s ears. Corvan pointed the candle at the man, but all that came out was a small blue dud that rolled up to his feet and died. The man crushed it under his boot, then pulled out a long sword.


    Corvan backed away, slipped in the black oil, and fell hard against the wall of the crypt. His hood fell back from his head, and the leader¡¯s eyes grew wide as a thick cloud of smoke from the brazier billowed around them. Obscured by the smoke, Corvan pushed in tight against the wall, squeezing past the man into the narrow channel and freedom.


    He stood to run but a sword pierced the curtain of swirling smoke, followed by the contorted angry face of the rebel Cor-Van.


    ¡°Die, you evil sorcerer, you servant of the darkness.¡± The man raised his sword over his head, and Corvan found himself looking directly into the eyes of the bat-like creature before it pushed itself up on its bony wings, hissing at him past pointed teeth. It was alive!


    Corvan yelled and desperately shoved the sputtering Roman candle toward the creature¡¯s head.


    A blazing red ball shot out and exploded in the rebel leader¡¯s right eye. The man cried out and the creature on his head leaped up into the air and flapped off into the darkness.


    The man¡¯s sword fell with a splash into the pool of oil as another dazzling red ball hit him square in the chest, rolled down his robe, then dropped into the black gleam of oil in front of his feet. The fire leapt up, and the leader disappeared behind a tower of flames that swept toward Corvan.


    Corvan tore ahead of the fire, slipping his way through the black goo and out into the maze of small streets, leaving a trail of flaming footprints in his wake.


    Another ball from his Roman candle shot into the darkness, giving him a quick look at his surroundings. Was this the right way? He aimed the cardboard tube higher as he ran.


    A final yellow ball sailed through the sky.


    Just ahead was the half-dead tree.

 Hammer 36: Library

    The commotion in the rebel clearing faded behind him as Corvan raced toward the half-dead tree. He thought he could get his bearings from where the statues stood, but the stone figures were nowhere to be found. His ability to see in the dark must be waning.


    Running along one side of the tree, he found what he thought might be the right pathway back to Morgan¡¯s crypt. Jogging along a narrow track he finally came upon the large sloppy crypt, but there was no one there. Jorad must still be finding his way with Kate in the darkness.


    Corvan sat on a crumbled wall to put his hands on his knees and catch his breath. The ominous creak of rusty metal drew his attention up to a faint green line appearing below the lid of the large tomb. Corvan shrank back. The light grew brighter as a man¡¯s hand pushed the lid higher, then a face rose in the ghostly light. It was Jorad.


    Corvan jumped to his feet, startling the priest so badly, he dropped the lid, knocking himself back into the tomb with a bang. Corvan wrestled the lid up and out of the way on its stubborn hinges.


    Jorad was sprawled on top of Morgan¡¯s body, rubbing his head, while Kate lay curled at their feet, pale and still. Her chest rose a fraction of an inch with each slow breath. Corvan leaned in and placed a hand on her cheek.


    ¡°Kate, can you hear me?¡± She didn¡¯t respond, but the green glow grew brighter. Resting in her limp fingers was the source of the green light; the disk she had taken from Tsarek in the labyrinth. It was smaller than he expected but its markings were clear and bright: a star-shaped medallion on a slender chain, with multiple star points around the outer edges.


    Jorad sat up and groaned. ¡°Next time, warn me before you jump out of the darkness,¡± he said, his voice low.


    ¡°Is Kate all right?¡±


    ¡°We barely made it here before she collapsed.¡± Jorad said, moving close to Corvan and pointing to the glow. ¡°We were fortunate she had a glow globe in her hand. There¡¯s not a speck of lumien light tonight.¡± Jorad looked at him closely. ¡°How did you find your way here in the dark?¡±


    Corvan shrugged. He didn¡¯t want to tell the priest about how the hammer had affected his night vision.


    Jorad looked into the darkness. ¡°Their leader will send his men out to find us. He is convinced that he is the promised Cor-Van and that he only he needs a counterpart to make his insane dreams come true. He won¡¯t stop until he finds one. We need to get Kate back to the temple.¡±


    Corvan reached into the crypt and touched Kate¡¯s hand. It was cool and clammy. ¡°Kate, it¡¯s me, Corvan. Wake up.¡± He lifted her hand and grimaced as the black band slipped along her arm to reveal a ring of crusty red blisters around her wrist.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to carry her, Kalian,¡± Jorad said quietly. ¡°Help me lift her out, then I¡¯ll pull out Morgan¡¯s litter.¡±


    They gently extracted Kate from the crypt and laid her limp body on the ground. Her cheeks were sunken and pale. She had lost a lot of weight since leaving home and he hoped the cookies weren¡¯t all she¡¯d had to eat since then. Kneeling beside her, Corvan held her hand and felt a faint squeeze in return. He let out a sigh of relief and checked over his shoulder.


    Jorad was inside the crypt, muttering to himself as he worked at wrestling the litter out from under Morgan¡¯s body. He wasn¡¯t being gentle about it.


    Shielding Kate from Jorad with his body, Corvan reach under his cloak, drew out the hammer, and brought it down on the black band, just as Kate had done for Tsarek on the Castle Rock. ¡°Release her,¡± he whispered, but nothing happened. He gripped it tighter and looked at the base of the handle. It remained dark. ¡°Please, I ¡­ I love her. Please don¡¯t let her die.¡±


    The hammer seemed to grow warmer, but there was still no glow. Tsarek had wanted to be free of the band, maybe that¡¯s what made the difference. Corvan pressed his face close to Kate¡¯s. ¡°Let it go, Kate. You need to leave the bracelet behind. Don¡¯t let it control you.¡± Her head shook ever so slightly, her eyes fluttered beneath closed lids, and a faint sigh escaped her cracked lips.


    ¡°If you let it go, I promise I¡¯ll take you home,¡± Corvan urged. ¡°I want to see the stars from Castle Rock again, don¡¯t you?¡±


    There was a long pause before Kate nodded faintly. The glow from the hammer¡¯s handle came to life and spread softly over Kate. Touching the hammer to the black band, he held his breath, watching and waiting. The band quivered before a small horizontal crack appeared in one of the segmented sections. It widened as the band relaxed, then fell to the ground.


    Morgon¡¯s litter struck Corvan in the shoulder, knocking him on top of Kate as Jorad shoved it out of the crypt.


    Corvan quickly sat up, holstered the hammer, then scooped up the black band and held it tightly in his fist. He didn¡¯t want Jorad to see that Kate had been wearing the evil thing.


    Jorad climbed out, picked up the litter, and set it alongside Kate. ¡°The light she carried is still in there,¡± he said breathlessly, ¡°underneath Morgan. I¡¯ll grab it so we can see where we¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it,¡± Corvan said, ¡°then we can leave.¡± He scrambled into the crypt and out of sight before Jorad could respond. A powerful urge was growing inside him, a desire to examine the black band without Jorad seeing it or taking it away from him.


    Crouching low inside the tomb, he pushed Morgan¡¯s cloak aside. The glow from Kate¡¯s pointed medallion leapt out at him and he covered it with his free hand to hide its light. Warmth filled his hand as the light grew stronger. Spreading his fingers slightly, he discovered that some of the symbols glowing on the medallion looked the same as those on base of the hammer. When he lifted to his face for a better look, and sharp pain cut into his other hand, as if the black band had just bit him. His hand sprang open and he stifled a cry¡ªthe hand holding the bracelet appeared withered and wrinkled, the bones highlighted under the skin, like an old man¡¯s hand.


    He wanted to drop the black band, but his hand closed around it as a thought forced itself into his mind: accept it to live; refuse it and you will die.


    And intense cold crept up from the hand gripping the bracelet, but it was immediately answered with a wave of warmth moving up the other arm from the medallion. The two met at his shoulders. Shards of pain shot into his neck and head as snippets rattled through his mind¡ªtruth or lies, love or anger. He had to choose now, or he would be split in two, just like the half-dead tree.


    A clear memory of Kate¡¯s smiling face rose to the forefront of his thoughts. She was not saying anything, but the look in her eyes told him what he needed to do. Squeezing the green glow, he forced the hand with the black band open to reveal the segmented bracelet laying coiled on his palm. The medallion was the right choice both for himself and for Kate and yet he still found himself not quite ready to tip his hand and let the black band drop.


    A harsh thump on his shoulder sent the bracelet tumbling across the crypt. Jorad¡¯s anxious voice broke the silence. ¡°Hurry up, Corvan. Did you find her light?¡±


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    Corvan held up the medallion, the light leaking past his fingers. He inhaled deeply, allowing the medallion¡¯s warmth to spread down into his chest as he crawled over the crypt wall.


    Jorad reached over to pull the lid back over the crypt. As it shut, Corvan caught a glimpse of the black band slithering toward Morgan¡¯s leg, like a glistening leech looking for fresh blood.


    Jorad eased the top quietly into position and lifted the first latch.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lock him in,¡± Corvan said, holding up the light in his fist. ¡°If he¡¯s already dead, it won¡¯t matter, but if he¡¯s not ¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you before: this is not your business,¡± Jorad said firmly.


    Corvan pointed the lighted hand at him. ¡°I can¡¯t walk away again and leave him to die.¡±


    ¡°Not even if he is a murderer?¡± Jorad asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t judge Morgan¡¯s past but I heard the High Priest tell you that if you killed someone, you can¡¯t be a priest and you can¡¯t get married. Is making sure that Morgan is dead worth that to you?¡± Corvan opened his hand a bit more, and the light of the medallion cast its glow on Jorad¡¯s tense features. The man stared into the light for a moment, then let the latch drop with a soft clank.


    Turning away, Corvan crouched next to Kate. Jorad had placed her arms alongside her body and Corvan raised one hand and placed it over the medallion in his own. Kate took a deep breath, drew it in close to her side and her face relaxed. Removing his hand from under hers, Corvan touched her cheek. ¡°It will be okay, Kate. I¡¯m taking you home now.¡±


    He looked up to find Jorad standing at Kate¡¯s feet between the poles of the litter, a puzzled expression on his face as he stared at the glow beneath Kate¡¯s hand. It seemed he wanted to say something, but Corvan ignored him and turned around to grasp the poles of the litter, facing away from Kate. He had not intended to take the lead, but Jorad lifted Kate¡¯s feet and pushed him along the track, into another alley and then along the wall that separated the City of the Dead from Kadir.


    The cemetery gates were closer than Corvan thought and as they exited the graveyard, he felt Jorad use the poles to direct him across the road and into one of the darkened streets.


    No sooner were they within the crumbling ruins than a thin, wailing voice from a building immediately to their right, interrupted their shuffling walk. It warbled and settled down to a low cackle.


    The tension on the litter poles increased as Jorad urged Corvan on. ¡°Keep in the middle of the street,¡± he whispered. ¡°Even if they come out, keep moving. I don¡¯t believe the Broken will attack a priest.¡±


    Another wail from the right was answered by two more behind them. The voices were close, but Corvan could not detect any movement even though he was able to see into the ruins around him.


    ¡°Turn left,¡± Jorad urged as he pushed harder on the poles. They began to jog, the haunting voices driving them forward. Jorad was directing him from behind with the poles, but to Corvan it felt more like the unseen cries were herding them through the narrow streets.


    Rounding a corner, Corvan stopped short. Just ahead, the street was blocked by a massive pile of rubble. At some point in the distance past, the cavern wall had collapsed and smashed the front portico of a great building. Tall, fluted columns had been tossed about like a giant¡¯s game of pick-up sticks. ¡°This way,¡± Jorad said, pulling back on the poles and over to the right. Corvan twisted his end of the litter around to a square tunnel that had been cut into the alley wall off to the side of the ruins. A chorus of haunting cries thrust him forward and he ran inside the passage, pulling Jorad along.


    It was a dead end.


    Jorad swiveled them sideways in the tight space just in time for Corvan to watch a metal gate rumble across the opening and cut off any chance of escape.


    ¡°I am a priest of the Cor,¡± Jorad shouted as the gate clanged shut. ¡°I bring no harm and seek only your peace.¡±


    His echo faded away, then a small door in the side wall of the tunnel opened inward. A gentle push signaled Jorad¡¯s intentions, and Corvan moved inside. As soon as Jorad cleared the door, it shut hard behind them. They both stopped to listen to the reverberations of an immense space before them. Together, then slowly carried Kate out from under a low ceiling and into a dimly lit great hall, dwarfed by massive pillars that soared high overhead. The air was thick with mold and a familiar outhouse stench.


    Flickering torches highlighted the center of the circular room and Jorad directed him toward them. They passed between rows of heavy stone tables piled high with stacks of rotting scrolls; each one presided over by a small version of the lumien lamp stands Corvan had seen in the square. The twin rings at the ends leaned over the crumbling scrolls like empty eyes.


    Jorad moved them to the middle of the cathedral like room where firesticks in the hands of four statues on short pedestals, shed their light on a large round table squatting on a single ornate column. ¡°We¡¯ll put her on the table,¡± Jorad said, the stale air of the huge room swallowing his words.


    After sliding Kate¡¯s litter onto the stone table, Corvan turned and looked into her seemingly lifeless face. Leaning close, he held his fingertips near her lips and felt a faint wisp of breath. They needed to find someone who could help her, and soon.


    The band of gems Kate was wearing in the rebel clearing had fallen from her hair onto the top of the stretcher. Carefully removing it, Corvan put it into his pocket, then brushed a few strands of hair away from her closed eyes. Kate liked pretty things, and the tiara would cheer her up later. He pushed away a thought that she might not live long enough to see it again. It would be his fault if she died in this terrible place. He never should have let her use the hammer in the first place, but maybe . . .


    Unclipping the cover of the holster, he glanced over his shoulder. Jorad was occupied with looking about the room, so this be a good time to try using the power of the hammer to heal Kate. He shook his head. Since Kate had chosen the black band, the hammer might hurt her, like it did in his room after he had lied to his dad. She was far too weak to risk it. He snapped the cover back into place and sighed heavily.


    A shallow breath rattled in Kate¡¯s lungs. The power of the hammer might be too much, but the comfort of the medallion seemed to help her. It should be closer to her heart. Opening her limp hand, he removed the medallion and gently laid its glow face down in the open neck of her tunic.


    Kate took a deeper breath, then both hands moved from her sides to cover the medallion¡¯s light. In that pose, she appeared more dead than alive. ¡°Please let Kate live,¡± he whispered, raising his eyes and looking overhead.


    His words seemed to the vaulted ceiling overhead, along with the heat from the four torches. On the underside of the dome, large painted faces gazed down at him in rapt attention, their eyes seemingly focused on the table in the center of the room. Around the faces were smaller paintings of people and other creatures. Many were obscured by the dark smudge of old smoke, but off to the sides, some of the murals were clearer. Was that a blue sky and a golden sun? Corvan stepped back to get a better view, stumbled on a loose brick, and fell backward into a pile of damp scrolls piled against a statue¡¯s pedestal. Getting to his feet, he came up beneath the gray face of one of the statues. It gazed back at him in unblinking silence.


    A hand grabbed his arm and pulled him to one side. Jorad looked fiercely into his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything. They are watching every move we make.¡± The man turned away, and Corvan could clearly see that he was not taking his own advice, for he had cleared off a nearby table, spread out a large scroll and weighted it down with pieces of stone. Corvan followed the priest back to the scroll and watched Jorad trace his finger backwards under a line of text. The man muttered some words but to Corvan the markings looked like the tracks their chickens left behind in the mud.


    ¡°Incredible,¡± Jorad exclaimed. ¡°And this is only one scroll of hundreds that are not ruined.¡± He gestured around the room, and Corvan saw that the walls around them were covered in cubicles of various sizes, many of which contained one or more scrolls.


    Jorad moved to the closest wall and pointed above the cubicles, where a balcony ran around the room to meet at a set of curved stairs. ¡°There are likely even more up there. I have heard stories of the remains of a great library in the broken half of the city, but I never believed it could be this vast. It would take a lifetime to read all of these.¡± From the tone of his voice, Corvan knew Jorad wanted to start immediately and would not be easily distracted from the task.


    The priest moved along, tugging out scrolls, reading the identifying tags, then reluctantly pushing them back into place. ¡°You can see where the water rose up.¡± He pointed a line of black mold encircling the room about three feet from the floor. ¡°All the documents below are hopelessly ruined, and the dampness in the room will eventually destroy those the water did not touch. And look here.¡± His voice choked in anger as he kicked at the remains of a campfire made from scrolls. ¡°They used scrolls for a fire! Fires are not even permitted in the Cor. Our air is much too precious. And there!¡± His hand shook in wrath, pointing to where long strips from a scroll had been used for toilet paper. ¡°Animals. The Broken have become nothing but animals!¡±


    ¡°Who are you to judge our people?¡± a woman called out from behind them.

 Hammer 37: Knife

    Jorad and Corvan whirled about. An older woman with a cane emerged from among the four statues and stalked toward them. She wore an orange shawl, brown leggings, and large black boots. Her red hair was tied back in a scarf, and silver hoops hung from her ears. She reminder Corvan of a character from a movie he had seen in Fenwood.


    Jorad took a step back. ¡°Madam Toreg, I did not know you were still¡ª¡±


    The woman silenced him by brandishing the point of her carved staff in the priest¡¯s face. ¡°I wonder what you do know, Jorad. What you know of those who have lived in the broken side of the city for longer than you have resided in the priest¡¯s compound, filling your belly with food supplied by the palace, food bought with the lives of those who toil and die out in the settlements?¡± Dropping her staff to her side, she lowered her voice. ¡°What gives you the right to look down on those who refuse to serve the palace and live off what little they can find out here?¡±


    Jorad bowed low. ¡°I am sorry, Madam Toreg. I was overcome by the loss of this great library and such wonderful treasures. I had no right to lay the blame for this on those who live here now.¡±


    The old woman¡¯s face softened. ¡°I understand how you feel; my mother was once curator of this library.¡± She leaned on her cane. ¡°It is a great evil that is willing to destroy such a precious heritage in its rampant pursuit of power.¡±


    Jorad pointed to the walls. ¡°How could they get the water to flow so high?¡±


    ¡°We do not know,¡± Madam Toreg said, ¡°but given all the recent work at the temple karst, I have no doubt they will try again. Come, I will show you.¡± The woman moved past Jorad, shot a quizzical look Corvan¡¯s way, and motioned for them to follow.


    Together the walked away from the torchlight cast by the four statues into the deep shadows under the balcony. The floor became more uneven and when Jorad stumbled she held out her staff for them to stop, then pointed below. At their feet, the floor of the building ended in a jagged hole above the shimmer of dark water below.


    ¡°The reflecting pool under our library had been still since the founding of Kadir,¡± Madam Toreg said in a somber voice. ¡°It was a place of peace and contemplation for those who sought to learn and grow in the ways of the wise. One day, it began to bubble and froth, the water became foul-smelling and undrinkable. Finally, it erupted in a great geyser that shot all the way to the ceiling. Everyone fled to the upper balcony as the geyser hammered the ceiling below and water in on this level rose higher.¡±


    She tapped a broken pillar on the rim of the fractured hole. ¡°The geyser weakened the floor until it collapsed and blocked the geyser,¡± Madam Toreg said. ¡°But even then, the water kept rising into the library proper, then flowing into the streets. The entry of the library collapsed and fortunately sealed it away from the approaching palace army. That collapse saved our community from being discovered, but the water found its way into the refuge we had created to hide ourselves from the Watcher and his soldiers. Although the water eventually receded from inside the library, many of our people were trapped inside and drowned.¡± Her voice cracked as she extended her hands, palms up, brought them sharply together, slowly lowering her hands until her fingers pointed straight down.


    Jorad made the same sign back to her. His face a mask of deep sorrow.


    Corvan gripped the stump of a broken pillar and leaned out over the edge. Far below, an island of broken stones rose from the center of a lake that extended from wall to wall. The water swirled slowly past the island in dark eddies.


    He was turning away when a shadow slipped across the lake, just beneath the surface of the water. Something or someone was down there. He leaned out further to see where it was going, but Jorad yanked him back from the edge and beckoned for him to follow.


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    Up ahead, Madam Toreg was stumping along with her cane toward the table where Kate lay. Corvan ran to catch up to her. The woman was knowledgeable and confident, maybe she would know how to help Kate recover from the effects of the black band.


    Madam Toreg approached the large table and for the longest time, only looked at Kate¡¯s face. Kate¡¯s face had become more peaceful since Corvan had placed the medallion on her, make her appear as if she had been laid out for her own funeral. Madam Toreg caressed Kate¡¯s cheek with the back of her fingers, and Corvan glanced up to find a tear slipping down the older woman¡¯s face. Looking back to Kate, he watched as Madam Toreg put her hand under the girl¡¯s wrist to feel for a pulse. Satisfied, her hand cupped Kate¡¯s, probing the girl¡¯s fingers and allowing the light of the medallion to spill into the room as she exposed the glowing letters.


    The woman turned sharply toward him. ¡°Where did you find it?¡± she demanded.


    Corvan stepped away as she advanced with her cane extended. His back pressed up against one of the stone pillars, the statues were on, as her cane thrust against his chest.


    ¡°The medallion you placed on her,¡± Madam Toreg said sharply. ¡°Where did you get it? Answer me truthfully, for your life depends on it.¡±


    Corvan put both hands on the shaft of the cane, but she only pushed the tip harder against his chest. She was much stronger than she looked, and it felt like the metal tip of the cane was about to pierce through him.


    Struggling to push the cane away, his forearm tightened against the lashes that held Morgan¡¯s knife in place. In desperation, he gripped the knife with his other hand. He wanted only to defend himself, to push the cane away, but as he pulled out the blade, a flash of sparks arced through the air and front end of Madam Toreg¡¯s carved staff fell to the ground, her cane cut cleanly in two.


    The old woman gasped and stumbled back against the edge of the round table.


    Corvan held the black blade limply in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know¡ª¡±


    He never got a chance to finish. In an instant, all four statues came to life and leapt from their pedestals like lightening from a night sky. One struck the knife from Corvan¡¯s feeble grip, two helped the old woman to her feet, and the fourth on the pillar behind Corvan dropped his torch and yanked Corvan¡¯s arms up behind him in an iron grip.


    Jorad moved in closer, shaking his head quickly at Corvan as he picked up the front piece of her cane and held it out to Madam Toreg. The old woman shook off the protection of her grey guardians, stepped up to Jorad, took the piece of her cane, then slapped his face. ¡°You have betrayed us by bringing a servant of the Rakash into our presence. You have put those in the refuge in great danger. You are a priest of Kadir. You, of all people, know better than this!¡±


    Jorad licked at a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth and shook his head. ¡°As a priest of Kadir, I swear that I do not know where he came upon the black knife, but I am certain this boy is not of the Rakash, nor is he connected to the palace, the Chief Watcher or to . . .¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± the old woman commanded. With her two grey men close behind, she moved in on Corvan and pointed to the knife on the floor. ¡°If I dared touch that foul thing, and you were guilty of treason, you would die by your own blade.¡±


    Jorad raised his hand. ¡°Madam Toreg, you warned me not to judge people too quickly. Do not make the same mistake.¡±


    The tallest of her grey men touched the woman¡¯s shoulder and she turned to him as he stooped to whisper in her ear.


    ¡°You are certain, Garek?¡± she asked.


    The man straightened, glanced with compassion at Corvan, then nodded.


    Madam Toreg turned and gestured to the man holding Corvan. The man released his arms but remained close in behind him.


    Madam Toreg studied Corvan¡¯s face a long moment, stepped to one side, and pointed at Kate. ¡°Garek tells me that your treatment of this young woman is definitely not what the Rakash would do. He says that you freely placed the medallion on her and asked she would live.¡± She sighed wearily. ¡°I have seen far too much deception and betrayal in my life. What can you offer as a pledge that will remove any doubt as to your intentions towards the people of the refuge?¡±


    It took Corvan only a second to decide.


    ¡°I promise that I will not betray you to the palace.¡±


    He slipped the hammer from its holster.


    ¡°I swear to you on this.¡±


    He extended the hammer toward her, its insignia throwing pulsing waves of blue light around the room.

 Hammer 38: Faces

    Madam Toreg reeled and Garek barely managed to catch her before she hit the table. The woman brushed Garek back then stepped forward to extend an open hand, her eyes locked on the hammer.


    Corvan reluctantly released it into her grasp. He considered telling her that it had belonged to his grandfather but that might only cause more problems. She was a bit too intense and Jorad was still dabbing at the corner of his mouth.


    Cradling the hammer in her hands, Madam Toreg examined it carefully, the glow highlighting the growing excitement on her face. ¡°So, the old stories were true,¡± she said in a hushed tone. ¡°The hammer exists, it¡¯s not just a concept.¡± Grasping it by the angular head, she pointed the handle overhead, its light bringing the paintings into sharp relief. As she rotated the projected symbols into position, Corvan could see the same marks running between two golden bands that surrounded the faces above them. ¡°The words above were painted from memory long after the hammer was lost to us,¡± Madam Toreg said. ¡°I often wondered if they were correct.¡±


    Corvan stared up at the words. ¡°What do they say?¡±


    ¡°Three words flow between the circles: Truth, Mercy, and Justice. Those are the attributes that a true Cor-Van must possess to lead the Cor back to the light.¡± She looked at him from under thick eyebrows. ¡°The legends also say those are the qualities of the one who will return the hammer to us.¡±


    Corvan avoided her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how it works. At times it heals me and other times it hurts me. Sometimes it does what I expect, and then it does nothing at all.¡±


    Madam Toreg directed the glow onto Corvan¡¯s chest, but the blue words were fully absorbed into the grey cloth of his grandfather¡¯s cloak. She frowned, then pointed the light onto the floor between them. ¡°The hammer only has power when held by those who have integrity, those who stand against injustice. It helps people know what is right and supports them as they seek to find the truth, and to speak the truth, but it cannot be used as a weapon.¡±


    ¡°And yet the Chief Watcher seeks it,¡± Jorad said.


    ¡°The Chief Watcher knows the hammer in Kadir?¡± Madam Toreg turned quickly to Jorad and the priest took a step back.


    ¡°I cannot say for certain that he knows, but Rayu was the one to report it, and now he¡¯s gone missing. The Chief of the Watchers is an ancient creature and no doubt aware of the stories of how the hammer was taken from the Cor. I believe that is why he took the portal key from Tarran. He intends to go looking for it.¡± Jorad glanced at Corvan then gestured to the blue words on the ground. ¡°But why would he even want the hammer if it judges truth. That creature is the epitome of lies and deceit.¡±


    Madam Toreg sighed heavily. ¡°Our people are in dire circumstances; they desperately need to believe someone is telling them the truth and will make things better. If the Chief Watcher can convince the people of Kadir he possesses the truth, even in symbolic form, he can easily manipulate them to follow his new religion and give him whatever he asks.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s head swam. There were too many bits of information being tossed about that he couldn¡¯t fit together. If the hammer was truth, what was the medallion? Earlier, he¡¯d thought it was compassion, and that was similar to mercy, but where did justice fit in? It must be the third item his grandfather had mentioned in his letter.


    ¡°How could the Chief Watcher even hold the hammer?¡± Corvan asked. ¡°I have experienced how it punishes those who lie.¡±


    Jorad raised his eyebrows at Corvan¡¯s implicit confession but said nothing.


    Madam Toreg gave Corvan a look that reminded him of Mrs. Thompson repeating a basic math problem he couldn¡¯t grasp. ¡°If an evil person shields himself from the truth in some manner, he will appear to others as if he¡¯s connected to it, but that is just another deception. You must examine that person closely to see if the hammer is freely held in their hands, but deceivers never let others get that close to them.¡±


    ¡°That evil creature will use the hammer to destroy hope,¡± Jorad said. ¡°Hope gives people ideas, and then they search for the truth. If he can destroy hope, the people will willingly follow his plan for Kadir and eventually the whole Cor.¡±


    Madam Toreg nodded. ¡°I have seen changes lately that suggest larger plans and forces are at work. Older and deeper things are stirring. Who in Kadir thought we would see the Rakash walk freely through our city?¡±


    A chill went through Corvan at the name. ¡°Who are the Rakash?¡±


    Madam Toreg turned to him. ¡°Some call them the Sightless. Others call them Seekers. Not many use their true name, Rakash, for we all avoid the reality that an ancient evil is seeking to gain control of our world.¡±


    ¡°I think I saw them,¡± Corvan said. ¡°Are they the four blind creatures who serve the Chief Watcher and carry him in the palanquin?


    ¡°Those four are not his servants,¡± Jorad stated. ¡°I believe they were sent here to keep an eye on the Chief Watcher, and they have their own ways of seeing. Their senses have been heightened to the point where, I am told, they can even sense the heat from our bodies. It¡¯s impossible to hide from them. I understand they came from . . . ¡±


    A girl ran in from the shadows under the circular balcony. She was the youngest Corvan had seen so far, likely a year or two younger than him. Her shoulder-length red hair swayed around an intense face while the hem of her blue tunic swished above the floor. A short sword thumped at her waist as she tore up to the table.


    ¡°Garek,¡± the girl said breathlessly, leaning on the table edge, ¡°a company of palace guards is scouring the ruins out front.¡±


    ¡°In the darkness?¡± Jorad asked incredulously. ¡°On the broken side of the city?¡±


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    ¡°The soldiers are being guided by one of the Seekers,¡± she replied, a strong note of fear in her voice. ¡°They are trying to find a way inside the library.¡±


    ¡°They must have followed us from the temple. I should have been more careful.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± Madam Toreg said. ¡°The Seeker can track anyone as long as they have something the person has held closely. I do not see how it could be any of us in this room, unless ¡­¡±


    They all turned to Corvan, and the old woman¡¯s eyes bored into him.


    The red-haired girl had been staring at Kate laying on the table, but she looked up at Corvan. ¡°The Seeker carries a white scarf.¡±


    Corvan nodded and swallowed hard. ¡°I, I left it behind when I escaped from the prison. I didn¡¯t have time to go back and get it.¡±


    ¡°You were wearing a white scarf?¡± the girl asked with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°It was a gift,¡± Corvan replied, avoiding her eyes.


    ¡°I understand that if you can deny any connection to the giver,¡± Madam Toreg said, ¡°the Seeker may be unable to locate you. Can you do this?¡± She studied his face.


    Corvan turned his thoughts to Tyreth. He recalled her pain when the lizard slashed her cheek, and his heart ached for her. He remembered how she had touched his face and the scent of her scarf. Tyreth was courageous and determined to help others, how could he possibly pretend he¡¯d never met her? How could that work anyway? Most likely the Rakash was tracking him by his scent from wearing the scarf.


    Madam Toreg came close and touched his cheek. ¡°I see you cannot turn your back on this person. It is a good thing to care for others.¡± Madam Toreg turned to the girl. ¡°Go wake the mayor and have him come to meet me at the front gate. We will have to fight the soldiers in the streets of Kadir and draw them away from the refuge.¡±


    The young girl nodded and ran from the room. Madam Toreg turned to Garek. ¡°How long before the lumiens brighten?¡±


    ¡°One more segment,¡± Garek said.


    ¡°You and your men must act quickly. We need the soldiers¡¯ fear of the Broken working for us.¡±


    Garek shook his head. ¡°Our tricks and false voices will not fool the Seeker.¡±


    ¡°Then we have to kill him,¡± one of the other grey men said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible,¡± Garek replied. ¡°Nothing can kill the Rakash.¡±


    ¡°That can.¡± Madam Toreg pointed to the black knife on the floor. ¡°It was done in the past, when the cloak of deception that allowed their leader to move undetected among us vanished. Our City of Refuge was saved from discovery and devastation at that time by a great man.¡± She wagged a finger at Corvan. ¡°I have been informed the remaining four Rakash have chosen a new leader. If he is the one coming our way, then what he truly seeks is the return of the cloak.¡±


    Corvan resisted the urge to twist the buttons on his grandfather¡¯s garment. Breaking Madam Toreg¡¯s steady gaze, he instead bent to pick up the knife.


    As he straightened, everyone took a step back.


    Corvan unbound the sheath from his forearm and put the blade inside. Madam Toreg looked on in admiration until he stepped forward and laid it on the table. She frowned, and he stepped away in embarrassment. Surely, she didn¡¯t think he would use the knife to fight the Rakash?


    ¡°There is another way.¡± Jorad stepped up to the table and gazed down at the knife. ¡°The Seeker believes he follows Tarran, but to capture him, he will need the help of the palace guard. Send your grey men to frighten the soldiers, throw them into disarray, and buy us some time. I will lead Corvan out to the settlements along the river road; beyond where the Seeker can find him.¡±


    ¡°Then we must send this with him.¡± Madam Toreg held out the hammer to Corvan, and her brown eyes searched his face. ¡°None of us here can protect it. Since you brought it to us, you must carry it on from here. In time, it will reveal your true purpose.¡±


    Corvan reluctantly took the hammer and snapped it back into the holster. Ever since he¡¯d found the hammer, it had only taken him farther from his family and from safety. He and Kate would never escape from this nightmare unless someone else took responsibility for it. Besides, he had no desire to find any other purpose beyond taking Kate home.


    ¡°Jorad¡¯s plan has merit,¡± Garek said, the grey coating on his face wrinkling as he spoke. ¡°But let us make use of our preparations at the lower bridge. We weakened it to collapse it in the event of an attack from across the river by the rebels. Instead, if the seeker and the soldiers find where we have gone, we can pull it out from under the them. Perhaps the river will sweep the Rakash back to his master.¡±


    Madam Toreg looked to Corvan. ¡°Is it permitted to do such a thing to defeat evil?¡± Everyone else turned to stare at him.


    Corvan looked at their faces. Was he expected to decide just because he held the hammer? He waited, but no one spoke up. ¡°I would think that ¡­ since these people sent the water to kill your families and children ¡­ maybe falling into the water themselves might teach them a lesson?¡± It was more a question than an answer, but the expressions on their faces indicated it was the affirmation they required.


    ¡°So let it be,¡± Madam Toreg said as she turned to Garek. ¡°You and the others frighten the soldiers away. I will take these two through the new city to the water outlet under the bridge. Signal us when the Rakash begins moving in that direction.¡±


    Three of the grey men turned toward the small door. They blended into the darkness then vanished from sight against the stone wall of the library. The small door appeared to open and close of its own accord.


    The remaining grey man, Garek, laid a hand on the old woman¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Madam, although you are a founder of the City of Refuge, if you bring untested strangers through, the mayor and the elders will rightly accuse you of breaking the community commitments.¡±


    ¡°I will bear that responsibility.¡± She smiled and patted his hand. ¡°But I thank you for your concern.¡±


    He bowed low and slipped away toward the exit.


    The old woman went to the table and cupped Kate¡¯s cheek in her hand. ¡°She is fading quickly and there is no need to put her in danger by taking her across the river. You two can lure the seeker away from us. She can stay in the refuge and our healer will attend to her until you can safely return.


    Corvan shook his head. ¡°I won¡¯t leave Kate behind and risk losing her again. She comes with me.¡±


    The old woman straightened and searched his face. Corvan steadily returned her gaze.


    ¡°I will allow this,¡± she said, ¡°for I know this girl does not belong in our world.¡± She looked back at Kate lying on the table. ¡°If she does not soon return to her sphere, she will most certainly die.¡± Her eyes narrowed, and she came closer. ¡°You, on the other hand, may yet belong to this world, or perhaps this world will belong to you, as our Cor-Van.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not¡ª¡±


    She jabbed a thick finger into his chest. ¡°Do not think for a moment that I do not understand what is possible for you to become, either for our salvation or for our destruction. That is a choice you have yet to make.¡± She patted the hammer at his side and gave him a wry smile. ¡°May your desire for the truth be guided by compassion.¡±


    Picking up the broken piece of her cane, she headed for the door and Corvan noticed she walked just fine without it. Raising the front of Kate¡¯s litter off the table, he pulled it to the front edge. There was a short pause before Jorad picked up his end, then they followed Madam Toreg.


    Corvan glanced back.


    The black knife was gone from the table.


    Jorad was obviously not afraid of touching it.

 Hammer 39: Refuge

    Corvan and Jorad followed Madam Toreg past the staircase leading to the upper level of the library, through an arch and out into a darkened lobby. More of the rusty lamp stands sprouted from mounds of broken tiles and the brittle remains of lumien vines hung from the eyelets overhead. Shattered statues and pieces of slender fluted columns lay scattered about the floor. The front of the building had completely collapsed.


    Moving through the maze of broken pieces, Madam Toreg led them to a stairwell that swept downward in a wide arc. At the bottom, there was only a section of a passage that ended in both directions against piles of rubble that reach all the way to the ceiling.


    It appeared to be a dead end, but Madam Toreg marched straight ahead and inserted the tip of her broken cane into a hole in the smooth rock wall. Concealed doors sprang open, revealing armed guards waiting within. A bald, stocky man rushed out and proceeded to engage Madam Toreg in a heated conversation with furious gestures toward Corvan and Jorad. His face grew redder before he finally pursed his lips, nodded to Madam Toreg in a cursory manner, then scurried back inside the guarded passage.


    Madam Toreg shook her head, turned to them with a deep frown and gestured for them to follow. Edging past the grim-faced guards, they moved together into a crevice so narrow, only one person could go through at a time. It twisted back and forth on itself like a snake with corners so sharp they had to tilt Kate¡¯s litter up at a steep angle to get her past them. As they negotiated a particularly tight corner, Corvan glanced up and noticed there were openings in the ceiling. Shadows moved above them; they were being watched. At two places, they had to wait for matching doors to open and then shut behind them. In the short corridor between the doors, much larger holes overhead suggested that rocks or something far worse could be dropped on them at any time. He hoped the mayor was not the vindictive type, but a few furtive glances from Madam Toreg at the ceiling, didn¡¯t reassure him.


    Once past the second set of doors, the channel entered into a wide square chamber. There were no guards in the room. Madam Toreg waited before an arched double door. As Corvan stepped beside her, she smiled at him, then pushed firmly on the doors and swung them wide.


    After what felt like weeks in near darkness, the light following past Corvan felt like it was pushing on his skin. He squinted through it to a domed ceiling, so crowded with lumien globes it was almost impossible to distinguish one from the others. Jorad twisted the litter to one side, the doors banged shut behind them, and the echo reverberated back from the far side of a large rounded cavern.


    Corvan sidled up to the low stone wall surrounding the balcony there standing on and felt Jorad do the same.


    ¡°Welcome to our City of Refuge,¡± Madam Toreg said proudly as she moved up beside him. ¡°All who seek the truth and live with compassion are welcome here.¡±


    Corvan leaned over the ledge for a better look. Throughout the round cavern, small, whitewashed dwellings were evenly spaced along neat terraces. The scene looked more like a photograph than something real. It was somewhat like the pictures of terraced rice paddies in his travel magazines except these circled the entire cavern to form a funnel shape. The circular pattern of the main streets was the same as Kadir but in this case the interconnecting lanes between the flat sections looped back and forth on the steep slopes, like eels slithering down to a central plaza as the bottom that was surrounded by group of larger buildings.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Jorad spoke quietly from behind Corvan. ¡°Seeing all these extra lumiens gives me hope that Kadir may again shine in all its glory.¡±


    Madam Toreg glanced back at the priest with a question on her face and pointed to the left, where a creek rushed along the bottom of a deep channel next to the cavern wall. ¡°That where the water flows from under the library.¡± Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Jorad. ¡°The water that was sent by the palace in Kadir. The leaders of Kadir who tried to fill our City of Refuge with water. Many of our people drowned in that attempt.¡± She made the special sign with her hands and the anger on her face vanished. She pointed to the left side of the lower cavern where the stream flowed into a stone lined pool. ¡°We are ready if they try it again. Our new water channel will carry the water back to the river outlet under the lower bridge.¡±


    ¡°How many people remain?¡± Jorad asked. ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± she said. ¡°The day has not yet begun, and those along our path will have been ordered by the mayor to stay indoors. For your safety as well as theirs, it is best if you pass unseen. Come, we will follow the water channel down to the pool and I will show you how to leave.¡±


    She led them along the topmost street at the upper edge of the cavern, just behind the outer ring of dwellings. The back yard of each contained a garden that would make his mother envious. All the rows were neatly arranged in raised beds. In some there were clusters of large yellow fruit hanging from a sturdy stone trellis. Others had a circular cascade, like a tipi with vines trailing up cords to the top of a central pole.


    A baby¡¯s cry rose above the burble of the water running alongside the road, and a woman sang a lullaby. ¡°Those are sounds I have not heard for a very long time,¡± Jorad said, his voice choking with emotion.


    Madam Toreg stopped and looked over Corvan¡¯s shoulder at the priest. ¡°I have heard of the great loss of your family, Jorad, and I offer my sympathy. Perhaps you should consider asking to stay here in the refuge instead of returning to Kadir.¡±


    Before Jorad could respond, a lonely strain of flute music drifted from around the corner. Madam Toreg whipped about then jogged quickly around the bend, her broken caned in one hand. Jorad and Corvan sprinted to catch up. Rounding the corner the found Madam Toreg with one hand on her hip, watching a small boy in ragged clothing sitting on the water channel wall. His bare feet legs kept time to the music as he blew across a set of graduated pipes. The mournful sound of its melancholy strains wrapped around them.


    ¡°Gavyn!¡± Madam Toreg barked. ¡°Come here!¡± Madam Toreg sounded stern, but Corvan sensed the motherly love in her voice.


    The boy, all the while playing his pipes without missing a note, jumped off the wall and landed lightly just in front of the old woman. Madam Toreg gently pushed the flute down from his lips. He smiled at her, but his deep blue eyes betrayed an abiding sadness.


    ¡°Gavyn, did you not hear that everyone was to remain out of sight?¡± she asked.


    The boy shrugged, looked at the ground, and ran a hand through his wet, matted hair. There was water dripping from the cuffs of his pants.


    Jorad swiveled the pallet around and came into view alongside Corvan. He gave a soft whistle and Gavyn¡¯s eyes brightened. He ran to hug Jorad around the waist. Jorad bent his knees slightly, and Gavyn reached into the priest¡¯s cloak to fish out a small object wrapped in yellow paper. Jorad straightened and looked at Madam Toreg. ¡°As priests, we must allow the little children that suffer to come to us for comfort.¡±


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    Madam Toreg nodded slightly but shot Gavyn a warning look that suggested he be on his way. The boy ignored her and instead walked along the litter toward Corvan. He stopped for a long moment next to Kate, his eyes moist and focused on the glow at her neck. Taking a long deep breath Gavyn then approached Corvan. He ran his hands along the side of Corvan¡¯s cloak. Corvan tried to pull away from his probing fingers, but Jorad¡¯s grip on the pallet restricted his movements.


    ¡°Gavyn.¡± Madam Toreg stepped toward them. ¡°I have warned you about taking things that do not belong to you.¡±


    The boy¡¯s hand ran over the hammer in its holster. He stopped, then looked up at Corvan with a puzzled expression. He said nothing, but Corvan knew that the boy understood that the hammer and the medallion were now back in the Cor. Corvan wasn¡¯t sure if Gavyn was that happy about it.


    Madam Toreg stamped her foot, and the child whirled and ran, grabbing a yellow fruit off a vine on his way over a stone wall.


    ¡°He means no harm,¡± Madam Toreg said. ¡°He lives wild, up in the ruins surrounding the library. He has found a way to come and go in our new city as he pleases. I was told he lost his family in the flood, but no one knows for sure. He has never spoken.¡± She turned and headed down the road. ¡°We need to keep moving or the mayor might show up again and bring his gaurds.¡±


    The road grew steeper ahead, where the wall alongside was lower. The sound of the creek on the other side of it grew louder. Rounding a corner, Corvan found himself at the top of a steep flight of stairs that were slick with the spray from a series of waterfalls that plunged alongside to a turbulent pool below.


    ¡°We have more work to do to complete the outlet channel, so these steps can get slippery. You¡¯d best turn sideways and carry her down together.¡± She took two steps down and pointed ahead. ¡°Let me go first and caress the light.¡±


    Madam Toreg descended the stairs and pushed a long pole up into the shadows. A large lumien hanging from a ring glowed brighter as Madam Toreg gently stroked the tendrils that hung around the globe with the soft flaps at the end of the pole. Satisfied with the level of light, she leaned the pole back against the wall and motioned for them to join her.


    Corvan and Jorad held the litter awkwardly between them and made their way to the bottom level, where large stone blocks were stacked in loose piles. A deep lagoon swirled behind a circular wall. Madam Toreg led them around to where a sluice gate allowed water from the lagoon to rush under a low opening in the cavern wall.


    Madam Toreg pointed at the tunnel while speaking, but Corvan couldn¡¯t catch what she was saying over the sound of the rushing water. She motioned to them to wait and disappeared around the side of the lagoon. A low rumble, as if a train were passing, coursed through the rock. The water ebbed to a trickle.


    Madam Toreg reappeared. ¡°There is not much time before I must release the water again. You can get inside the channel just ahead of the sluice gate and follow the tunnel along. You will come out directly under the lower bridge. A narrow stairway along the river wall will take you up to the roadway and onto the bridge. Jorad, you will know where to go from there.¡±


    Jorad spoke up. ¡°Thank you, Madam Toreg. Your kindness will not be forgotten. We will protect the secret of your refuge and hold your well-being in good faith.¡±


    ¡°I know you will, Jorad, and I thank you.¡± She turned to Corvan, placed a hand on either side of his face, and pulled him closer. ¡°I understand that you must fulfill your vow to this girl, but I also ask you to do whatever is in your power to rescue the owner of the white scarf. It is important to the Cor.¡± She glanced over his shoulder at Jorad then whispered in his ear, ¡°It is very important to me as well.¡± She pulled back. Her eyes full of tears.


    Corvan nodded quickly. ¡°I promise, Madam Toreg. I promise on the hammer.¡±


    Her bushy eyebrows shot up, then she smiled. ¡°Thank you ¡­ Cor-Van.¡±


    She looked again to Jorad. ¡°Take the girl to Jokten in the Molakar settlement; his counterpart is gifted in healing, and he is the only one left with an understanding of the outer passages.¡± She gestured toward the empty watercourse, and then she touched Corvan¡¯s arm. ¡°Do not lose the medallion the girl holds. When you become the Cor-Van, you will need all three.¡±


    Corvan tried to respond, but she waved them on. ¡°Move quickly now. The lagoon walls are not completed, and the water will soon overflow the gate.¡±


    Holding tight to the front of the litter, Corvan stepped over a gap in the wall and into a roughhewn channel. He could feel Jorad¡¯s reluctance through the poles as the priest did the same and joined him in the tunnel. Water dripped from a ceiling that drew lower as they progressed. Corvan crouched to avoid hitting his head.


    ¡°How much farther?¡± Jorad¡¯s anxious voice reverberated past Corvan in the tight space.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell,¡± Corvan responded. ¡°But we need to keep moving before the water comes back and drowns us in here.¡±


    It was the wrong thing to say. Jorad pushed so hard on the poles that Corvan had to stumble along in his awkward stance to avoid being driven to his knees.


    Jorad¡¯s haste was a good thing, for they¡¯d just cleared the tunnel¡¯s end and climbed out of the channel, when water roared from the hole they had just left and gushed out into the main river. Overhead a narrow span crossed the river.


    Corvan glanced back and found Jorad¡¯s white face dripping with both water and sweat.


    ¡°To the left,¡± the priest gasped, ¡°up the stairs¡ªbut watch your step, I don¡¯t want to fall in.¡±


    A long flight of narrow steps along the riverbank brought them up behind the low wall that kept the travelers on the main road safely away from the water. Setting Kate¡¯s litter on the wall, they climbed onto the road. Corvan had just grabbed the poles when they heard a familiar warbling cry from the edge of the city.


    ¡°That¡¯s Garek and his men,¡± Jorad hissed. ¡°To the bridge, quickly!¡±


    Kate¡¯s body bounced on the litter as they ran forward. Ahead, the entrance to the bridge was flanked by two large stone pillars supporting the main bridge cables that reached out to the far side.


    A shadow moved out to meet them, and Garek waved them on.


    There was urgency in the grey man¡¯s voice. ¡°Quickly, run across. The bridge will shake, but I promise you it will not fall. Do not stop.¡± He pushed Corvan past him onto a metal suspension bridge that curved gently upward toward the center. The metal panels of its floor snapped and sprang as they ran. They were nearly to the middle when a trumpet blast rolled out over the water.


    ¡°Stop in the name of the Chief Watcher!¡± A deep voice boomed out.


    They kept running over the center of the bridge, its panels slipping beneath their feet and pitching them toward the chain railings.


    ¡°Stop, Kalian!¡± The rasping voice crawled up Corvan¡¯s spine and into his head. How did the seeker know his name? ¡°Stop in the name of the Rakash.¡±


    Something moved in the shadows ahead. The bridge pitched and rolled beneath their feet as they staggered off the end. Another of the grey men stepped out to steady them and urge them onto the river road.


    Corvan looked back. Two red-cloaked guards had reached the crest of the bridge, and the ghostly form of the Seeker was just behind them. At the apex of the bridge, the guards slowed as the shifting panels below their feet threw them from side to side. The Seeker staggered against the chains.


    Garek threw his weight off to one side of the supporting pillar and in an instant the soldier and the seeker disappeared along with the center section of the bridge.


    The screams from the soldiers lasted only a second before being silenced by the rushing water.


    Jorad spoke into the heavy silence. ¡°Did they all . . . ?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the grey man next to him replied.


    ¡°Including the Seeker?¡± Jorad asked.


    ¡°Gone into the water. May it sweep him into the abyss.¡± The grey man slipped away into the gloom.


    A light push on the poles of the litter was all Corvan needed to get him moving again. For a time they walked in silence along the river wall but the rasping voice of the Rakash leader echoed in Corvan¡¯s head, and he glanced down into the dark water repeatedly.


    For a brief moment, he was certain he saw a pair of white eyes moving along below the surface of the water and staring back at him.

 Hammer 40: Molakar

    Corvan stumbled on the uneven pathway alongside the river. As soon as he recovered, he glanced back down at the water slipping by. To his relief, there were only a few patches of white foam floating along beside him.


    He put his head down and focused on the road, but his stomach continued churned at the memory of the Rakash leader calling out the name his mother had given him. The one-handed man obviously knew it was not chasing Tarran but how did it know that Corvan¡¯s mother had called him Kalian? Forcing his attention to the inner wall of the river road, he plodded forward on shaking legs.


    Jorad pushed firmly on one side of the poles to moved them away from the water. The man didn¡¯t like being close to the water, but Corvan didn¡¯t appreciate being pushed along by Jorad, especially since the man had secretly taken the black knife. He didn¡¯t know much about Jorad, yet his own life and Kate¡¯s fate were now solidly in the man¡¯s hands.


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Madam Toreg was behind this plan to leave Kadir and the City of Refuge, he would be even more nervous about this trip out to the settlements. If the leader of the Rakash had been swept away, then it might have been better to return with Kate the healer in the City of Refuge. He shook his head and muttered to himself, ¡°No point in second guessing. We can¡¯t go back regardless with the bridge broken.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Jorad asked sharply.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Corvan replied.


    Jorad grunted and pushed harder on the poles.


    The road rose slowly higher over the water until the high crags against the cavern wall on the far side came to an end. At that point, the path turned to the left and swept downward to the farthest point of the cavern. Where it ended, a dense mist hung in the air, along with the faint roar of a waterfall.


    The walked on in silence a long way before Jorad spoke up. ¡°This levee guides the river to the falls by the edge of the Cor. We can¡¯t get up to the settlements that way. We need to leave the wall up ahead at the dam and the sluice gates, go down into the fields, then climb up to the settlement entrances.¡± The tone of Jorad¡¯s words was that of a man resigned to something he dreaded.


    Corvan looked over the wall at a scene he immediately recognized: fields in carefully ploughed rows. Up ahead a wide elevated aqueduct stuck out beneath the road they were walking on, then branched out to even smaller channels, separating the fields below into a patchwork of irrigation lines that fanned out like the veins on an aspen leaf in fall. Between the dry aqueducts, neat rows of plants crisscrossing the ploughed fields, but all the small plants lay withered in the dusty earth. Beyond the fields, a steep slope with a switchback trail rose up the side of the cavern.


    ¡°Is there another way?¡± he asked Jorad.


    ¡°Not to save your Kate.¡± The words were bitter. ¡°But each step we take away from Kadir decreases our chances of rescuing Tyreth.¡±


    Corvan walked on deep in thought. Although he had promised Madam Toreg he would help save Tyreth, how could they possibly take Kate up to the settlements and rescue Tyreth at the same time? Once they got to the settlement and found their healer, they could try to figure it out then but there was no point in discussing it now.


    Just ahead, a low building stuck over the river on sturdy pylons. Between the columns of rock, water rushed over a partially submerged dam that directed the water under the road and into the main aqueduct. The poles in his hands twisted as Jorad directed him away from the river toward an opening in the wall on the field side of the levee road. Corvan stepped through the gap onto a narrow stair that zigzagged its way down to the fields.


    They went down two flights of stairs before Jorad abruptly stopped.


    ¡°Taking the stairs down to the fields will take too long. Step up inside the main aqueduct and we will go straight ahead to the settlement path. My brother and I used to do this all the time when we were younger, especially when the aqueduct was dry, like it is now.¡±


    Corvan raised his end of the litter and stepped over the raised side of the aqueduct. The sides of the watercourse were quite low, with the fields a good twenty feet below them. Jorad might be afraid of water, but for Corvan, it was the height that made him nervous. He focused on moving his slippered feet along the smooth bottom, noting the sluice gates that would have allowed water to flow into the secondary channels that fanned out over the valley floor.


    ¡°What happened to the crops?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no longer enough light to grow our food here.¡± Jorad missed his step from likely looking out over the fields and Kate¡¯s litter tipped dangerously close to the edge of the aqueduct. He recovered and then spoke again. ¡°At first, nobody noticed that lumiens were going missing and our light was fading. But as soon as people realized the seeds of our lumiens were being eaten, everyone tried to get a share for themselves, either to eat or to hide away and grow their own food. Lumiens need a critical mass to sustain themselves and now there are not enough of them left. Unless there is a miracle, Kadir will also fall into darkness.¡± He sighed heavily. ¡°Maybe the people who face the water ceremony are the fortunate ones.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s heart sank along with the hopelessness in the man¡¯s voice. ¡°Jorad, I really don¡¯t know how to use this hammer or what I can do to help, but if the healer at the settlement can make Kate better, keep her alive longer . . . then I would leave her with the healer and go back to the city with you to rescue Tyreth.¡±


    Jorad did not answer and as they walked on, Corvan wondered if Jorad¡¯s silence meant he didn¡¯t think Corvan would be much help or if the priest thought it was already too late to help Tyreth.


    The main aqueduct entered into a dry pool at the base of the cavern walls. Beyond the dry pond, stone walls separated the incline into terraces of dead vegetation, a narrow path snaking its way up and over the walls on short sets of stairs at each switchback.


    Corvan¡¯s arms were aching from carrying Kate¡¯s litter and the steep face that loomed ahead tired him out just looking at it. He was hoping for a brief rest, but Jorad pushed them through the dry pool, up the other side and onto the path. Reaching the first corner, Corvan turned to face the stairs that rose through an enclosed opening in the retaining wall. Putting his head down, he struggled up the steps.


    Reaching the top stair, he raised his eyes to find an incredibly tall man armed with a bow waiting for him. Corvan tried to push back, but Jorad didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°It¡¯s not real,¡± Jorad said dryly. Corvan looked closer. It was only a mannequin, a haphazard face painted onto a cloth bag stuffed with dried vines that stuck out the top like a tuft of wiry hair. Its mouth twisted to one side in a sloppy grin, and it seemed to laugh at Corvan as he passed by.


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    ¡°He was put there to keep the rantels away from our crops,¡± Jorad said.


    ¡°Are rantels the same as birds?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°I do not know this word, birds,¡± Jorad said. ¡°Rantels were fierce creatures with boney arms covered in skin that could soar in the air. They would destroy our crops, so we had marksmen trained to shoot them out of the air. That is how the ones we now call the broken first discovered they could use arrows to cut down the lumiens within range. All that¡¯s left is that last patch high in the center.¡±


    ¡°How big do rantels get?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°I have heard tales from beyond Kadir that in days gone by, they could be larger than a man, but I have only seen one as big as my forearm when I was much younger. All the rantels died out along with the crops.¡±


    ¡°Do rantels have long forked tails and beady black eyes?¡±


    ¡°Who told you that?¡± Jorad asked.


    ¡°The rebel leader had one on his head.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Jorad said. ¡°I saw that. It was a fake or a stuffed dead one from long ago. He uses it to back up the claims that his is the last Rantellic. It seems to impress his dimwitted followers, the ones that wear the braids with the fork at the end. Its supposed to show their devotion to him and their secret ways.¡±


    ¡°Like a religion?¡± Corvan asked over his shoulder.


    Jorad sighed. ¡°I told you all this before. The legend is that the Rantellics were a race of men who could communicate with the rantels. Their creatures would spy on our lands and then reporting what they saw by somehow connecting to their Rantellic masters. Personally, I think it was superstitious nonsense. It doesn¡¯t matter now that the rantels are all dead.¡±


    He sounded so sure that as they walked on, Corvan doubted what he had seen back at the crypts. Maybe the rebel leader¡¯s headpiece had just fallen off when the Roman candle hit his eye. There was a lot of smoke, and he might have just imagined the batlike creature hissing at him and flying away. He decided he would not risk Jorad¡¯s scorn by talking any more about what he saw.


    After a few more corners and stairways, they left the terraces behind, carrying Kate over rocky ground that sloped up toward a series of shadowed entrances cut into the cavern wall.


    ¡°Those are the tunnels to the settlements,¡± Jorad said. ¡°The rantels used to roost in those caves, so the ground is fertile with their guano. The palace has moved some of our remaining lumiens to where the ceiling is low enough to grow food. Now our people work in the rantel caverns, tending the plants under armed guard.¡±


    ¡°Why do the workers need guards?¡±


    ¡°To make sure the lumiens do not go missing,¡± Jorad said bitterly. ¡°And the penalty for eating palace food without permission is death.¡±


    The journey to the tunnel entrances took much longer than Corvan expected. Distances were deceiving, with no landmarks by which to judge the size of things. Small rocks in the distance turned out to be huge boulders. Even with his grandfather¡¯s slippers, his feet were killing him by the time they arrived at the entrances into the former rantel caves.


    ¡°We will take the one farthest to the right,¡± Jorad said. ¡°But first, let¡¯s put the girl down on that flat rock and take a rest. It¡¯s still a long walk out to the Molakar settlement.¡±


    It was a great relief to set the litter down and shake the cramps out of his hands. Corvan immediately crouched at Kate¡¯s side. Her face seemed to have a bit more color, as if the light from the medallion clutched under her hands was infusing her skin from her neck up. Touching her cheek, he was relieved to find it warmer this time.


    A muscle cramp grabbed at Corvan¡¯s calf, and he got to his feet and walked it out. Without the weight of the litter, his step was so light he thought he might jump right over the short wall alongside the path. As he drew close, he realized it would not be a good idea, for on the other side of the wall was a cliff that dropped off to the end of the fields far below. Placed his hands on the wall he leaned out for a better look.


    At the base of the precipice, a stream rushed out to join the main river just above the falls. Through the mist, he could make out a horseshoe shape of rushing water descending into a dark hole.


    Turning around, he found Jorad staring down the path.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°Something is moving down by the stuffed man.¡± He pointed down the slope. ¡°There, behind the wall on that same tier, just below the fake archer.¡±


    Corvan squinted at the place Jorad pointed out. The top of a red hood bobbed above the wall toward the stairs where they¡¯d passed the scarecrow.


    ¡°We need to get inside the tunnel right away.¡± Jorad ran back and bent down to Kate¡¯s litter. ¡°If they are following us, at least they won¡¯t know which entry we took or which settlement we are heading to.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s skin prickled as he stepped into place and stooped to grab the poles. Jorad¡¯s plan wouldn¡¯t work if the red hood belonged to someone who did not need to see them to follow. Wasn¡¯t it Jorad who said the seeker could follow the heat of their bodies?


    Rushing towards the farthest cave, they hurried through the entrance, then ran up a steep incline. The air inside was moist and smelled like a barn long overdue for a cleaning. Luminescent purple moss hung in thick swatches from the roof, providing enough light for them to avoid tripping on the uneven floor.


    The tunnel leveled out then ran straight ahead for what seemed like miles. Jorad urged him on, but Corvan could tell by the tugs on the poles that the priest was continually looking over his shoulder.


    Jorad finally fell back into a steady, plodding pace, and after walking in silence around many corners, Jorad spoke up.


    ¡°I am grateful for your offer to help me rescue Tyreth. I don¡¯t think I can do it alone.¡± They turned another corner. ¡°As soon as we get your Kate to the healer, we must make haste to go back to Kadir. At first, I didn¡¯t see it clearly, but now I am certain that Tyreth¡¯s fate intertwines with the future of the Cor. Her blood has permeated those seeds from the mother plant.¡± Jorad¡¯s pace faltered. ¡°I think that if she dies, the little red seeds also die.¡± He paused. ¡°We all die.¡±


    A heavy weight pressed down on Corvan. The fate of the Cor was resting on his shoulders, but what did he have to offer? He had meant what he said about helping Jorad, but now he was so tired he could hardly think.


    The tunnel descended, spiraling through a series of tight corners before emerging into a low cavern. There were no lumiens, just a few fire sticks around the perimeter and a bright spot far off to the right.


    Jorad slowed his pace. ¡°All the soldiers will be out by the lumiens guarding the workers. Take that path to your left, past all the other worker¡¯s dwellings. Let¡¯s hope Jokten still lives in the same place.¡±


    They passed by entrances that had been carved into the side wall of the cavern. Between the dark doorways, narrow steps climbed up to dwellings on higher levels. The topmost stairs were cut at impossible angles where the wall jutted outward to join the ceiling.


    Suddenly the poles of the litter were almost yanked from Corvan¡¯s hands, sending him sprawling backwards onto the ground next to Kate. Corvan jumped to his feet and glared at Jorad. ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    The priest placed his end of the litter on the ground, turned Corvan around, and pointed down.


    At his feet, a wide, deep pit revealed water flowing past jagged rocks far below.


    ¡°Sorry, Jorad. I was too busy looking about.¡± Muscles trembling with exhaustion, he leaned in for a closer look. He had read about formations like these. An underground river would weaken the ceiling of its channel until it collapsed. In this case, the roof had fallen in to form a low, rocky island surrounded by fast-flowing water.


    ¡°In my world, these are called cenotes,¡± he told Jorad. ¡°Ancient people thought they were doors to the world of the gods, and they¡¯d sacrifice young women by throwing them in.¡±


    Jorad nodded. ¡°Then our worlds have something in common, for that is what is done at the Wasting, when the water threatens to rise and flood the city. Here we call the pits, karst. The soldiers use this one to execute workers who try to escape or who eat food without permission. They use that to lower them in.¡± He pointed across the pit to a platform where a crude metal cage hung from a crane. ¡°They force the rest of the people to gather around and watch them die.¡±


    ¡°They drown them?¡±


    ¡°No, no. Look, there, by the largest rock.¡±


    At first Corvan saw only a dark shadow on the ripples of the water, but as he watched, it turned toward him and took shape.


    Red eyes pierced the darkness and stared up at him.


    It was the monster from his nightmares.

 Hammer 41: Thumb

    Corvan moved closer to the edge of the pit. Jorad shoved his hand over Corvan¡¯s face, stopping his progress and blocking the sight of the smoldering orbs.


    ¡°Do not look into its eyes,¡± the priest said. ¡°It can break your will, draw you close, and kill you.¡±


    Blinking, Corvan backed away from the edge. ¡°What is that thing?¡± he asked, looking away from the pit towards the cliff dwellings.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Jorad said. ¡°It was here before the Watcher came into power, but now the palace guards make use of it to frighten the workers into submission.¡± Jorad tapped his shoulder. ¡°Lights are coming this way from the gardens. We need to find the healer¡¯s dwelling. I¡¯ll take the lead, but don¡¯t look down.¡±


    Jorad stepped to the front of the litter and waited for Corvan to step in behind and lift Kate. As they skirted the edge of the karst, Corvan was certain his every movement was being followed from below. He wanted desperately to look back and the only thing that stopped him was the sight of Kate¡¯s face. She appeared more at peace now, her hands still tightly clasping the medallion. He watched her for any sign of movement. She was lying far too still for him to believe she was just resting. Was this the deep sleep Tsarek warned would come before she died?


    Jorad veered off to the left and Corvan looked up to find the priest guiding them through a congested area where a section of the ceiling had collapsed and half-buried the entrances of the cliff dwellings below. High overhead, where the rock had fallen away, Corvan could see a patch that appeared to be the amber glow of the Cor shield.


    They walked between larger boulders and into the farthest corner of the cavern. Jorad stopped. He appeared uncertain of where to go next. The priest quietly whistled a stanza from a song Corvan¡¯s father used to sing.


    A lump rose in Corvan¡¯s throat as his thoughts turned to home. With the Cor shield so close, surely there must be another crack nearby, some way to get into the labyrinth. Madam Toreg said that the healer¡¯s husband knew about the outer passages. He must know of a way to get back to Castle Rock.


    A voice whispered from a darkened doorway and Jorad quickly pulled the litter and Corvan up a short stair and into a small entry room. He bent to whisper urgently to a hunched form, who beckoned for them to follow past a thick curtain. As Corvan entered the next room, a light flared and a small, twisted fire stick was inserted into a holder on the wall.


    The feeble light revealed a woman so bent with age she had to twist her head sideways and peer up at him through a swatch of thin white hair. Her skin hung on her face and neck in wrinkled folds. She looked like she was on the edge of dying, but her eyes shone with vitality.


    ¡°I apologize for the lack of light. The palace has forbidden the use of fire sticks unless they are only twigs smaller than a person¡¯s thumb.¡± She held up her right hand where only four fingers and part of a thumb remained. ¡°They make sure you do not forget.¡±


    She pointed through an opening into a larger room. ¡°Put her down on the table and let me have a look at her.¡±


    Jorad and Corvan lowered Kate onto a low stone table that had been carved out of rounded alcove in the wall. The old woman knelt by Kate, then ran her gnarled fingers over the girl¡¯s body, clucking and muttering. When she came to Kate¡¯s wrist, she gently caressed the ugly red welts from the black band. ¡°Ah, the young,¡± she sighed. ¡°So easily tempted by empty promises.¡±


    She put her other hand over Kate¡¯s cupped hands, paused a long moment, then pried Kate¡¯s fingers apart and pulled out the medallion. She held it overhead, the green glow lighting her wrinkled face as it slowly spun into place on its chain. ¡°So, you have finally been found, have you? Jokten was so certain you were gone for good.¡±


    Kate moved restlessly, her hands grasping at the air.


    The old woman twisted around and looked up at Corvan. ¡°I think I could help her better if I had the counterpart to this.¡±


    Corvan glanced at Jorad for his approval but found the man staring intently at the medallion as it spun on its chain. Slipping the hammer free of the holster, he held it out to the woman.


    The old woman took it from him as if it were made of glass, then hugged it to her chest. Blue light flowed into her face, swirling together with the green from the spinning medallion. She inhaled deeply, as if breathing in the light, then stood to her feet and straightened slowly until her eyes almost came level with Corvan¡¯s. A huge smile spread across her face. ¡°Only our Cor-Van could have these in his possession. With your return, I have hope for our people once more.¡±


    Before Corvan could respond, she sat next to Kate and held the hammer and medallion on either side of the girl¡¯s head. As both lights grew stronger, Kate¡¯s arms and legs stiffened. Her body convulsed, then her eyes flew open, hands flailing as if she were trying to push the lights away. The old woman moved closer and allowed Kate¡¯s hands to wrap around her own hands. The intense light from hammer and the medallion ebbed to a soft glow. Finally. the old woman released the medallion into Kate¡¯s hand, and Corvan watched as the girl once again cradled the medallion on her chest and wrapped both hands tightly around it.


    Kate looked up, focused on Corvan¡¯s face and smiled thinly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I took your shoes,¡± she said. ¡°It was cold in that cave.¡±


    Corvan dropped to his knees on the side of the table. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Kate. I found something else to wear. I¡¯m glad you took mine. I didn¡¯t need them anymore.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t response immediately, then nodded faintly and whispering, ¡°I want to go home, Corvan.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s said and put his hand over hers. ¡°I¡¯ll take you home, Kate. I promise.¡±


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    She nodded then her eyes closed and her face relaxed.


    Hammer in hand, the old woman stood to face him. ¡°The girl speaks your name. You are the Cor-Van and you have returned to help us.¡± The statement was more tentative than Corvan expected.


    He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not a leader. Corvan is the name my grandfather gave me. I can¡¯t stay here to help you; I need to take Kate home.¡±


    The old woman looked at him long and hard before she released the hammer into his hand. The blue glow faded as she let out a deep sigh and sank back to her stooped over form. Pulling a coarse blanket from a basket at the foot of the table, she covered Kate and cupped the girl¡¯s cheek in her thumbless hand. ¡°You are correct that you must take this girl back. Although her mind is now purged of the darkness, she will not survive if she does not return to her natural source of light. She does not belong here.¡± She twisted about and look up at Corvan. ¡°But that does not mean you are not our Cor-Van. You, my boy, are a part of us. You and I must speak together.¡±


    ¡°Is the girl able to travel?¡± Jorad asked, startling Corvan. He had forgotten the man was still in the room, just inside the door.


    ¡°No,¡± the woman replied. ¡°She is very weak. I need to get some nourishment in her. Perhaps, as a priest of Kadir, you could go out and can find something for her to eat.¡± She pointed at Corvan. ¡°It is best if nobody sees this one just yet.¡±


    Jorad shook his head. ¡°I also cannot be seen in Molakar. Besides, there is very little food available in the settlements.¡± He looked at Corvan. ¡°You and I should go back to the city. There is plenty of food in the storage rooms of the priest¡¯s compound. While we are there getting food for Kate, we can also find out when the next water ceremony is to take place and plan a way to rescue Tyreth.¡±


    Corvan at Kate. There was no doubt she needed to eat. Her cheeks were sunken, and her hands were gaunt and dry.


    Pebbles clattered outside the door. The old woman put a crooked finger to her lips, took the sputtering fire stick from its niche, and slipped into the entry room. The tattered curtain fell behind her, casting shimmers of light through its threadbare folds.


    A man¡¯s tense voice penetrated the cloth. ¡°I was right; they are trying to break through the Cor shield. This clearing of new tunnels to grow more food is just a ruse. They have been seeking a weak spot in the shield, and today they found it.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain?¡± the old woman asked.


    ¡°The soldiers brought the entire tunneling crew back early, all in chains. I crept close and listened. They have found a crack in the Cor shield wide enough for a person to crawl through. A report is being sent to the palace at first light to bring the leader of the Rakash. This can only bode ill for both spheres. All our work will be for naught.¡±


    ¡°There is always hope, my dear,¡± the old woman said softly. ¡°Come and see.¡±


    Her damaged hand pushed aside the tapestry and an old man stepped into the room. His keen eyes fell on Corvan¡¯s face, and he drew a sharp breath. The man raised a calloused hand as if to touch him, then pulled it back. ¡°What is your name, son?¡±


    Corvan stared at him. Other than the white ring of thick hair around his balding head, this man could have easily passed for his father. ¡°Kalian, sir,¡± he stammered.


    The old man frowned. ¡°What settlement are you from?¡±


    The old woman pushed around the man. ¡°He came to us from the world above. He carries the hammer.¡± She poked at the man¡¯s ribs. ¡°And the girl called him Cor-Van.¡±


    A huge smile spread across the man¡¯s wrinkled face, and his blue eyes sparkled. ¡°We have been waiting a long time for you. With your help, we will bring healing back to the Cor and also stop the evil from breaking out into your world.¡± He placed his hands on Corvan¡¯s shoulders, his eyes brimming with tears. ¡°I always believed you would make it back. You have arrived just in time.¡±


    Corvan opened his mouth to protest, but a shout from outside the dwelling cut him off. ¡°Jokten,¡± an angry voice called into the dwelling, ¡°you are under arrest for treason against the palace. Come out and face your judgment.¡±


    Jorad pulled the black knife from under his cloak, but the old man motioned for him to stand down. ¡°Stay here,¡± he whispered. ¡°Do not interfere, no matter what happens.¡± He smiled at Corvan. ¡°Now that the Cor-Van has returned, my purpose is fulfilled. It does not matter what they do to me!¡±


    He turned back to the entry with the old woman close behind. As the curtain fell, a brighter light entered the porch and the old cloth in front of Corvan blazed with dusty color. It was another piece of old tapestry, another picture flowing with angular symbols around a green tree.


    ¡°Jokten,¡± a gruff voice rumbled, ¡°you have been found guilty of unlawfully consuming the food set aside for all the people.¡±


    Jokten¡¯s voice was firm. ¡°I have done nothing of the sort.¡±


    ¡°Your fellow conspirators have testified against you. You and the entire tunneling crew are guilty. You will all be tested in the karst.¡±


    Jokten spoke loudly. ¡°Tested? Don¡¯t you mean executed?¡±


    ¡°You will be given a weapon to defend yourself. If you win against the beast, you shall be proclaimed innocent.¡±


    A shadow fell across the curtain, and another man spoke in a shrill voice. ¡°Look here, Sergeant, another proof of his treason. This tapestry must have been stolen from the priests.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s irrelevant,¡± the gruff voice responded. ¡°Old scrolls and the priest¡¯s legends are meaningless. The High Priest is dying, and the Chief Watcher has announced that his daughter will face the Wasting at first light tomorrow. The priesthood is over.¡±


    A grubby hand slipped through the curtain. ¡°But who knows what else Jokten might have in here? Perhaps he has been storing his stolen food. I have not eaten for three segments.¡±


    The other man¡¯s grew quieter. ¡°I understand your need, soldier. It is mine as well. But I have been told that what we found today will bring us more food than we could ever imagine. The Watcher has promised that finding a way through the wall will fulfill all our desires.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m hungry now.¡± A booted foot appeared at the bottom of the curtain.


    A high shriek filled the air. ¡°Do not take my husband from me. How will I survive? Please spare us. We are old; we will not cause you any trouble.¡±


    At the sound of a loud slap, the hand and foot pulled back.


    ¡°Never lay your grubby hands on a palace sergeant, old woman,¡± the gruff voice said. ¡°Soldier, bring Jokten along. We have a trial to conduct.¡±


    As the sounds of the soldiers faded away, Corvan could hear soft sobs from the entry room.


    Jorad brushed the curtain aside and bent over the old woman sitting on the floor, dabbing blood away from her mouth. She pushed Jorad¡¯s offered hand firmly aside and leveled an unwavering stare at Corvan. ¡°You must rescue him.¡±


    Corvan lifted his hands helplessly. How could he possibly save Jokten from the soldiers?


    ¡°Not for my sake,¡± the healer said, ¡°but for hers.¡± She pointed through the curtain to where Kate lay in the other room. ¡°My husband is the only one who can guide you through the hidden passages back to the surface.¡± Her voice shook. ¡°He would not tell me where the door is... for my own safety.¡±


    Clutching Jorad¡¯s shoulder, she pulled herself toward Corvan.


    ¡°If Jokten dies in the pit, you will be sealed in the Cor. The girl will die.¡±

 Hammer 42: Monster

    A dizzying rush of panic swept over Corvan, and he had to grab the door frame to steady himself. Kate would die if he couldn¡¯t find the passage to get her home, but what could he possibly do to rescue Jokten from the nightmare monster? His voice shook as he looked to Jorad. ¡°Isn¡¯t there someone else who knows how to find the entrance to the passages?¡±


    As soon as he voiced the question, he wanted to take it back. Everyone else was taking risks to help him. Jorad had carried Kate to the healer even though it put Tyreth¡¯s life in jeopardy. The old woman had just risked arrest, or even death, to keep the soldier from pushing through the curtain to discover him, and Jokten had allowed the soldiers to drag him off be executed because the man believed he was the leader they had been waiting for.


    The old woman struggled to her feet, took Corvan¡¯s hand and squeezed it, her eyes imploring him.


    Jorad put a hand on Corvan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I will go with you. We must at least try to save Jokten from the karst.¡±


    Corvan clenched his jaw and blinked back tears. In his nightmares he had never escaped from the monster. The memory of its fierce eyes bearing down on him in his dreams overwhelmed his thoughts and he clenched his eyes tight to force it away. What good would it do Kate or anyone else if he died in the pit?


    Someone cupped his hands, and a sense of peace flowed up through his arms. In his mind, the red eyes faded into white stars that multiplied across a night sky. A deep calm came over him with a new realization: Death was not the worst thing that could happen. Far worse would be to let other people suffer while he ran away.


    Opening his eyes, he found the hammer in his hands, which in turn were cradled in the hands of the old woman.


    She studied his face. ¡°Death eventually comes to us all, but before it does, we have many opportunities to choose life.¡±


    Corvan nodded and took the hammer from her. ¡°I will try,¡± he said and immediately the blue glow from the base of the hammer filled the cave.


    She smiled and patted his cheek. ¡°I believe you will succeed.¡±


    Outside the entry, a lone drum began pounding out a deep, steady beat.


    Jorad glanced out the entrance. ¡°They are calling all the workers in to witness the execution.¡±


    Corvan frowned. ¡°They will come to watch? I thought those oppressed by the palace would help each other.¡±


    The old woman shook her head. ¡°Evil runs through all mankind, rich or poor, slaves or free. You will always find those who take pleasure in the misfortunes of others.¡±


    Corvan clenched the hammer tighter and looked to Jorad. ¡°What will they do to him?¡±


    ¡°They lower the prisoners into the pit one at a time to fight the beast,¡± the priest said. ¡°None will win, for its hide cannot be pierced by the crude weapons they are given to defend themselves. Most will not even try. The beast will immobilize them with its gaze and crush them.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s trapped on that island and can¡¯t go into the water, why don¡¯t the people swim away?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°There is no way out of the pit as the water flows in and out under the ground. None of the prisoners have ever sought to drown themselves to escape.¡±


    Corvan held out the hammer. ¡°Can this be used against it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the old woman said. ¡°The hammer judges a soul and gives its holder strength; this is but a brute beast. Your hammer will not have any effect on it.¡±


    Corvan swallowed the rising fear. ¡°Then what should I do?¡±


    Jorad stepped closer. ¡°The only thing we can do. Step out this door and try our best.¡± He held out Morgan¡¯s scabbard and knife. ¡°Take this. I have my own. If we hurry, we can get there before they lower him in. They usually put the oldest ones in last.¡±


    Corvan extended his arm and Jorad lashed the knife into position. The man stepped to the door and nodded to him.


    The old woman tugged on Corvan¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Jokten says he is old and ready to die, but I love him dearly, I want him to live.¡± She tried to smile but it vanished before she shuffled through the faded tapestry and into her dwelling.


    Corvan followed Jorad outside. Just ahead light blazed from fire sticks scattered around the rim of the karst and from lighted globes on the platform. The pounding of a massive drum shook the ground. Above the crowd, the crane clattered into position over the center of the pit. Inside the cage, a man stood in readiness, a crude wooden spear in his hand.


    The crane groaned, the rope slipped through the pulley at its tip and the cage dropped a foot, then stopped with a jerk. The crowd roared its approval as the man in the cage staggered and fell against the metal slats.


    ¡°It¡¯s Jokten,¡± Jorad hollered over his shoulder. ¡°They¡¯re putting him in first.¡± The man shoved his way into the crowd. Corvan pulled in tight behind him, but in the madness, he quickly lost sight of the priest¡¯s green cloak. Crouching low he forced himself past the tangle of legs, emerging at the very edge of the pit.


    Across the chasm, a row of shackled men stood on the crane platform, eyes downcast. At the far end of the line, a young boy, his hair closely cropped, sat tugging on his leg irons, his bony shoulders shuddering with terrified sobs. The boy looked past his tears at the ring of spectators until his eyes met Corvan¡¯s. They stared at each other for a long moment, then the boy mouthed the words, ¡°Help me!¡±


    As Corvan looked into the young boy¡¯s eyes, everything inside him began to pound with anger along with the beat of the drum. How could people be so cruel? If he ruled the Cor . . .


    The metal gears clattered, the cage dropped another foot, and the people cheered, their voices energized with the anticipation of suffering and death.


    A guttural roar from the confines of the karst silenced the crowd. The immense black beast was pacing within a cleared circle of tall boulders below the swaying cage, its clawed feet crunching through bones and broken spears.


    Up on the platform the sergeant who had arrested Jokten strode into position next to the prisoners. ¡°You are all here today to witness the testing of these workers¡ªmen who took food belonging to all of us here in the settlement.¡± Mutters of anger rippled through the crowd. ¡°They have eaten what was to be shared by all and now they shall pay the price for their greed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± one of the shackled men cried out. ¡°We were cutting a tunnel for the palace.¡± He pointed down the line of prisoners. ¡°They brought the boy to crawl inside the crack and he found¡ª¡± A blow from the sergeant caught him on the side of the head, and he crumpled to the ground.


    ¡°For speaking out against the palace,¡± the sergeant announced, ¡°this man shall go next.¡± The crowd shouted their approval as the guards unlocked the prisoner¡¯s chains and pulled the dazed man to the front of the platform. The beast roared up at them. Startled, the guards dropped the groaning victim and retreated. The stunned man tried to get to his feet but misjudged the edge, falling without a sound into the water below.


    The crowd collectively held its breath until the body rose to the surface, then slowly slid around the island and out of view under a ledge.


    ¡°In the name of the High Priest, this must stop!¡±


    Everyone turned to find Jorad standing at the far end of the platform, his hand pointing into the pit. ¡°The gods are not pleased with this testing. That is why the god¡¯s have returned the man¡¯s body from the water.¡± He pointed down the line of men. ¡°Since when is it lawful in Kadir to sentence a boy to the Karst?¡±


    Some of the audience shrank back from the edge of the pit and Corvan heard someone say, ¡°He¡¯s right about the boy. Look how afraid he is.¡±


    ¡°Since when does the priesthood have jurisdiction in matters of treason?¡± The sergeant strutted to the front of the stage and stood by the base of the crane. ¡°Why should we obey a priest who enjoys the comforts of the priest¡¯s quarters and all the food he desires?¡±


    The sergeant grasped the underside of the crane with one hand and leaned out over the pit.


    The audience gasped.


    ¡°When was the last time you saw a green cloak working in the fields?¡± The sergeant called out.


    Angry shouts rang out around the karst.


    The sergeant pushed himself back from the crane and stared at Jorad through narrowed eyes. ¡°Why are you even here? Were you not told that all the priests have been commanded to attend the trial of the High Priest and his daughter?¡± He spread his arms wide to the audience. ¡°Why should these people, who work all the segments in the fields, listen to a priest who refuses to follow the orders of the palace?¡±


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    Jorad stepped forward to reply, but the angry shouts of the crowd drowned him out.


    The sergeant grabbed the crane again and balanced himself on the edge of the pit. As the crowd hushed, he called out. ¡°Since this renegade priest speaks on behalf of the gods, perhaps we should see if his god will proclaim him innocent in the karst.¡±


    The crowd cheered their approval and the sergeant nodded to his men. Before Jorad could pull out his knife to defend himself, the guards grabbed him and shackled him into the place formerly held by the drowned man. One tied a gag over Jorad¡¯s mouth.


    Corvan looked along the row of men. The young boy was now on his feet, staring at him with desperate hope in his eyes. Corvan looked at Jokten in the cage and then down into the karst. The monster from his nightmares was hunched at the lower end of the island, staring over the water to where the drowned man¡¯s body had disappeared under the rocks.


    The gears chattered again, the pulley creaked, and the cage resumed its descent. Jokten braced himself against the iron slats as the creature below lazily turned its head in his direction. An archer guarding the crane shouted at it, then loosed an arrow, the point sticking fast in the creature¡¯s scaly shoulder. Leaping to its feet it bellowed at the archer, then, pulling the arrow out with its teeth, it stalked toward the descending cage.


    Fresh cheers from the crowd mixed with the bellows of the furious beast as it arrived in the killing circle below the swaying cage.


    If he was to help Jokten fight the creature he had to get down there¡ªand fast. Corvan leaned over the edge. Could he dive into the water? No. At this spot, the rocky island was almost directly below the lip of the karst, the water shallow and strewn with boulders.


    Corvan briefly lost his footing, and someone pulled him back and hollered in his ear, ¡°The beast will get enough to eat today without you falling in. We don¡¯t have a rope long enough to pull you out.¡±


    He had completely forgotten his krypin rope! Releasing it from his belt loop, he anchored the disk just over the edge. Taking a deep breath, he spun around, stepped off the edge and dropped into the void. With the krypin tight in his hands, he let it stretch out to slow his descent. Just as the island came up to meet him, he let go, tumbling up in behind the high rocks that surrounded the killing circle.


    As he crept forward, the metal gears went silent, immediately followed by the animal¡¯s howls of frustration. Corvan peered over the top of the rocks. The beast had hooked one claw into the bottom of the cage and was pulling back with all its might. On the platform overhead, the craned buckled and twisted. The beast yanked furiously, and the sergeant lost his balance, teetered on the edge, then leapt off the platform to grasp the rope. He tried desperately to climb back up to the tip of the crane but lost his grip and slid down until he was standing on the large hook that was attached to the top of the cage.


    The creature stared up at the sergeant with its back to Corvan. He moved in closer next to a tall rock and slid the black blade from its sheath. The sheer size of the animal filled him with cold dread. Stretched upright on its hind feet and pulling on the cage, it towered over him, easily twice his height.


    The screech of tearing metal rent the air as the cage tore free of the hook, crashing to the ground and spilling Jokten out its broken door. The sergeant shouted for help as he wedged his feet into the metal hook dangling from the rope. On the deck soldiers tried to turn the windlass and pull him back up but now the mechanism was hopelessly jammed.


    Again, the sergeant tried to climb the rope, but he only succeeded in making himself swing back and forth over the killing circle. Finally, he crouched down on the hook and waited for it to stop moving.


    In the dead silence that followed, the monster sat back on its haunches to watch the pendulum swings of the sergeant.


    The sergeant let go with one hand and gestured to where Jokten was struggling to his feet, the wooden spear hanging limply at his side. The old man stumbled on the broken bones and the beast turned its attention toward him. Leaving the broken cage, it moved slowly around the outer edge of the rocks to where Corvan was hiding. It stopped just in front of him and crouched low, the muscles in its shoulders tensing for the kill. Jokten stood staring in place, not even noticing Corvan immediately behind the monster.


    Raising the knife high, Corvan jumped up on a rock, then leapt onto the animal¡¯s back, plunging the knife with all his strength into its thick neck. With a deafening roar, it rose up on its hind feet, carrying Corvan astride its back, his hands firmly clutched around the handle. The animal twisted and bucked, its body writhing like bands of steel beneath him and then Corvan flew through the air, slamming into a boulder with a bone-jarring thud, before tumbling to the ground behind two tall boulders.


    Dazed, he lay in a heap listening to furious bellows. Forcing his trembling limbs into motion he pulled himself up and leaned forward to peer out between two rocks.


    Jokten was nowhere to be seen, but the creature was leaning on the empty cage, blood running from its wound as it roared at the sergeant swinging above him on the hook. It must be thinking Corvan¡¯s surprise attack had come from above.


    The sergeant shouted something about firesticks to his men on the platform. His garbled cries were finally understood and flaming sticks of all sizes fell to the ground around the broken cage. A small one landed by Corvan¡¯s knee and when he brushed it aside, he discovered his numb hand still clutched the black knife.


    The beast stepped on one of the flaming sticks and howled in pain. Angrily tossing the cage to one side, it limped away from the ring of fire sticks burning below the sergeant. The scent of scorched fur stung Corvan¡¯s nose.


    As the wounded creature sat down to lick its burnt paw, an eerie silence settled into the arena. Nothing moved except the sergeant struggling to stay balanced on the hook. He tried once more to climb but lost his grip, fell and barely managing to lock his legs into the hook, like an upside-down trapeze artist. The frantic movements made his body swung even farther outside from the protective circle of fire sticks that hissed like petrified snakes on the rocky floor below.


    The beast grunted, watched the swing out and back, waited until he drew close, then batted him off the hook. The sergeant hit the ground, scrambling on his hands and knees to pick up a fire stick but as he turned around, the massive animal pounced, crushing him onto the rocks.


    Slowly the black form rose from the ground and stood over the broken body, then shattered the air with a victorious roar that reverberated off the walls of the karst.


    The echoes faded but now the beast was staring beyond the broken cage to where the point of a spear moved in slow circles behind a loose pile of rocks.


    It had discovered Jokten¡¯s hiding place.


    The huge creature moved cautiously through the scattered fire sticks, all the while keeping its eyes on the jerky movements of the spear tip. It passed by Corvan¡¯s hiding place, muscles rippling beneath its hide.


    The old woman said the hammer didn¡¯t work on animals, but Corvan drew it out anyways. The blue words shone out, his confidence was renewed and he slipped silently out behind the creature, hammer in one hand and the black knife in the other.


    As he readied himself for another charge, an arrow flew over his shoulder and dug into the calf of the beast. Bellowing, it spun around to see where the arrow had come from.


    Angry red eyes locked onto his and a dark fear devoured his will to move. The hammer slipped from his grasp and clattered onto the ground as the black knife slumped to hung limply at his side. The creature crouched low, ready to spring but Corvan could not make his body respond, its eyes held him fast.


    A sharp jab of pain in his shin pulled his eyes away from the creature¡¯s gaze. A long firestick lay dripping at his feet.


    ¡°Point it at the beast!¡± someone shouted. Corvan swept up the fire stick, directing its flaming end at the animal¡¯s broad chest as it circled around him. ¡°Don¡¯t look at its eyes,¡± a familiar voice commanded.


    The crowd cheered as Corvan backed away. Over the beast¡¯s shoulder, Corvan caught sight of Jokten shouting and waving his spear. He couldn¡¯t understand what the man was trying to tell him until it was too late and the butt end of Corvan¡¯s fire stick bit into the high rocks behind him.


    The monster had cornered him.


    With a blast of its rancid breath, it sprang. The fire stick was twisted from Corvan¡¯s grasp as the weight of the massive beast pressed down, squeezing the last bit of breath from his body. The creature¡¯s intense roar engulfed him in darkness until it seemed his head would burst, then suddenly it pulled away.


    Corvan blinked past the pain, expecting to see sharp teeth ready to devour him. Instead, he saw the animal clutching furiously at Corvan¡¯s fire stick protruding from its chest. Roaring, it swiveled around. The fire stick had gone clear through its body and was still burning out its back.


    As it spun about, Corvan pushed himself up against the rocks at his back, then stumbled off to the side. The beast stopped twisting and faced him, its lips pulled back in a snarl. Corvan took two steps back and his feet splashed in the water as the cheers of the spectators above penetrated his deafened ears.


    Another arrow rattled off the stones at his feet and he finally understood.


    The arrows were meant for him. The crowd was cheering for their monster.


    As if it understood, the beast tipped its head back and roared up at the ring of eager faces, its energy renewed. Corvan moved back until the water was up to his shins, then slipped the knife back into its sheath. If it would follow him, he would swim away, hopefully it would drown and Jokten could be saved.


    Two more arrows whipped past him on either side, hemming him in.


    The wounded creature padded closer, then crouched to spring.


    Jokten appeared behind it, a spear in one hand and a triumphant smile on his face. The man nodded to Corvan, raised the spear¡¯s haft high over his head and brought it swiftly down onto the fire stick protruding from the creature¡¯s back.


    A blast of air and chunks of burning flesh hurled Corvan backward and he fell past the rocks into the deep water. As he sank the cold water cleared his head. Arrows were darting into the water around him. Rolling over he dived down, swimming underwater and in closer the edge of the karst, where the archers could not locate him.


    Fire sticks began gurgling around him. Dodging their bubbling flames, he dug fingers into cracks along the rocky wall, but the current grabbed him and dragged him away. Breaking the surface for fresh air, Corvan swam desperately to beat the current and get back to Jokten, but it was too strong and he was quickly pulled past the lower tip of the island.


    Just ahead a wide ledge swept down to meet the river and he dove under the surface swimming along with the current as fast as he could. Somewhere up ahead the underground river must emerge into the open air near the falls, but could he hold his breath that long? Panic grabbed him and he swam even faster.


    By the light of the fire sticks bubbling along beside him he could see the roof pulling away and he followed it upward, his lungs crying out for air. He pulled himself along the roof, gouging his hands on the rough surface. Panic gave way to desperation as his final breath began ebbing out past his lips.


    A fire stick shot toward him in a cloud of bubbles that rose up to a silver pocket of air.


    Just when he was about to give in and let the water fill his lungs, Corvan¡¯s face broke through the silver circle. He took a deep breath and gagged. The air was stale and putrid. His breath came in fractured gasps, but the trapped air gave little satisfaction to his lungs.


    ¡°You have to go on, there is not enough good air here.¡± The voice was murky, as if it was his own thoughts, but he followed through and ducked back into the current, his body twisting along in the bubbling froth.


    The dark shadow of a rocky outcrop loomed ahead, he tried to dodge to one side, but a flash of light filled his head before darkness closed in.

 Hammer 43: Mist

    A deep roar pummeled Corvan¡¯s ears. His eyes flew open, and he searched for the source of the sound, but there was nothing to be seen through the dense curtain of white mist that rolled toward him. The continuous roar could only be coming from the waterfall on the edge of the Cor. Somehow, after hitting his head on the rock in the underwater tunnel, he had managed to get through to the open air, but if he was near the falls, that meant he was a long way below the entrance back to Kate and the Molakar settlement.


    His arm and shoulder were almost too stiff to lift himself off the gravel far enough to get his hood back over his head, but once it was back in position, his shivering eased. He tried to sit up, but his head pounded so fiercely it seemed his vision blurred, unless that was just more of the mist flowing past. Gently probing the lump on his forehead, he found it wet, hopefully just from the damp air and not because it was bleeding.


    As he peered out from under his hood, a shadow took shape in the lighter patch of fog. The silhouetted form of a large lizard walked toward him; a short sword clutched in its claws. The Rakash leader had led the Chief Watcher to him.


    Corvan struggled valiantly to get to his feet, but his body flatly refused, and he collapsed on his side up against a boulder, pain shooting down his neck, right down to the soles of his feet.


    He closed his eyes and dropped his head onto his chest. There was nothing he could do to escape from the black lizard.


    The gravel crunched directly in front of him, and a shadow fell across his eyelids.


    ¡°Oh, sir, I am so glad you have awakened, sir. I was beginning to think the death of cold had finally caught you.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s eyes popped open to find Tsarek standing before him, a short unlit fire stick in his paw.


    ¡°Tsarek?¡± Corvan exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯re alive?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, sir, I am very much alive. No need to worry about me.¡±


    ¡°But how? I was certain you were dead,¡± Corvan exclaimed. ¡°The burak had you in its teeth!¡±


    Tsarek stuck his unlit firestick in the gravel and chuckled. ¡°It most certainly did, but buraks like to keep their prey alive, so they can eat you later. They like their meat fresh so if you let your body go limp, they think you are too injured to move and don¡¯t bite down hard. They are also lazy creatures and like to sleep in their bone nest after a hunt.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you come back and help me get to Kadir?¡± Corvan said. ¡°Did you get lost in the tunnels? Where have you been this whole time?¡±


    Tsarek hung his head. ¡°I could get away quickly. Those beasts take a while to fall asleep and one would look at me if I moved even a tiny bit. Finally, that one got tired of waiting and came to eat me while its mate slept.¡± He lifted his poison claw. ¡°I had no choice, but I doubt it will likely ever wake up again.¡±


    Corvan managed a small nod, but it made his head swim and his stomach roll, so he closed his eyes and tipped his head back against the boulder. That was likely why only one burak had attacked Tarran at the portal door. If he had known there was only one left, he might have fought it and saved the man. He resisted shaking his aching head, but he knew that wasn¡¯t the truth. One or two buraks would not have made any difference, at the time he had simply been too afraid to help Tarran.


    ¡°Is your pain great?¡± Tsarek asked as he gently tucked Corvan¡¯s cloak in close around his neck. ¡°I am so very glad you have this garment. Without it you would have died from the cold water.¡± Corvan looked up as Tsarek stepped away, a look of consternation on his narrow face. ¡°But why did you close the door on me?¡±


    ¡°What door?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°After the last burak attacked the priest and dragged him away, I ran to you, but you shut the portal door on me.¡± It was definitely an accusation and Tsarek was offended.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that was you,¡± Corvan said. ¡°I thought there was still two of the buraks and the other one was coming to kill me.¡±


    ¡°But I called your name and knocked on the door, and you still didn¡¯t open it.¡± Tsarek¡¯s wounded expression became even more pronounced. ¡°It took me a long time to find another way in. I had to swim through much dark water and many small passages. I only made it through the water to the karst just as you used your krypin to drop down to fight the cave monster.¡±


    ¡°So, it was you who threw the fire stick at my leg?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°Yes. I could see you were captured by its eyes, so I threw the stick and shouted. I did not want to see it kill you.¡± Tsarek leaned in and wrapped his short arms awkwardly around his neck. ¡°I missed you, Kalian.¡±


    ¡°I missed you, too, Tsarek.¡± Corvan ran his hand down the lizard¡¯s spiny back and Tsarek snuggled in closer, rumbling in his throat like a contented cat before suddenly pulling away.


    ¡°Oh yes, I have something you left behind in the karst,¡± Tsarek said, grabbing his firestick before scampering away.


    Relief flowed over Corvan. Tsarek had retrieved the hammer. He would need its guidance and its light to get back to Kate and find their way home. With the beast dead, he could only hope that Jokten had also survived the blast.


    A cone of light approached, as if a car with one headlamp was coming through the fog. Tsarek emerged with his lit firestick, a huge smile on his face and a neatly coiled rope draped over one arm. Corvan¡¯s heart dropped as he took the krypin from him. He was glad to get the rope back, but without the hammer, he would not be able to open the labyrinth doors at the top of Castle Rock.


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    Corvan lifted the side of the cloak and wearily clipped the rope back onto his belt loop. ¡°Thanks, Tsarek.¡±


    Tsarek touched his shoulder. ¡°I am so glad we found a spot of air in the tunnel. I know it does not help a great deal to breathe fire stick bubbles, but it was the only way to keep you from drowning.¡±


    ¡°Was that the silver circle I saw up by the ceiling under the water?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The pockets of air look shiny from below. That is how you can find places to breathe instead of drowning, but there were too many fire sticks in the water, it was hard to see them. That is also why I did not see the rock that hit your head. Does it hurt greatly?¡±


    Corvan put a hand to his head and brought it back to examine his fingers by the light of Tsarek¡¯s firestick. There was no blood. ¡°It¡¯s not too bad. I¡¯m just glad to be alive after that fight with the monster.¡±


    ¡°I am glad too. Is your counterpart also still alive? The one called Kate? Does she still wear the black band?¡±


    ¡°No. The hammer set her free just like it did for you. She¡¯s at the settlement by the karst but she is quite sick. I need to get her to our home right away.¡±


    Tsarek looked out into the mist. ¡°That will be difficult. When you locked me out you also closed the only door that leads to the labyrinth and your home.¡±


    ¡°Jokten knows a way out.¡±


    ¡°Jokten?¡±


    ¡°The old man who helped me fight that monster and broke the firestick that pieced its body.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I did not see that man after the fire stick exploded,¡± Tsarek said.


    ¡°We need to go find him and also see if Jorad escaped. He might be able to help me,¡± Corvan said as he struggled to his feet. His head swam and his legs gave out. He leaned on the boulder to lower himself back to the ground. An arrow struck the rock where his head had just been, sparking and shattering into splinters.


    Tsarek yanked him low to one side and he landed with a painful crunch in the gravel. ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± his friend whispered, quickly extinguishing his firestick, and running away.


    Another arrow whistled through the darkness overhead and one more struck the rocks to his right. Somewhere in the darkness, muffled voices argued.


    Corvan listened anxiously but the heavy mist muffled the sounds like a woolen blanket. A minute went by, then two. He sat up again and pulled the knife from its sheath.


    A fire stick sparked to life just ahead and Corvan pushed himself upright into a cleft between two rocks. The light approached, casting a myriad of shifting shadows in the dense fog. At the last moment, Corvan stepped stiffly forward, his blade extended.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡± Tsarek¡¯s irritated voice hissed.


    ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t know for sure if it was you. Are they gone?¡±


    The lizard came close and held out the light. ¡°Now my claws are locked again. Please assist to release them.¡±


    Corvan crouched and petted Tsarek¡¯s back until the fire stick clattered to the ground.


    The lizard picked it back up. ¡°They were shooting at our light from the other side of the smaller river that flows out from the karst. It was the Sightless one and four soldiers.¡±


    ¡°The leader of the Rakash?¡±


    The lizard nodded.


    ¡°I thought he drowned in the river.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Tsarek said, shaking his head until his spines rattled. ¡°You cannot kill them by water. I do not think you can kill them by fire either. They feel no pain nor do they¡ª¡±


    ¡°Does it still carry a white scarf?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The Seeker was angry that they were shooting at our light. It told the soldiers that someone name Tarran was on the other side, and they should cross the water to find him, but the soldiers refused.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t it cross alone if it¡¯s not afraid of the water?¡±


    ¡°I think it needs the soldiers to help it surround the person named Tarran. Their master wants that person taken alive.¡± Tsarek pointed into the mist. ¡°It has taken the soldiers up along the other side. They are going to circle over the water where it comes out of the cliff, but I have a plan to trick them. I will go up on this side and see where they cross. When they come down to this side to the light of our firestick, we can wait until they are close, then cross back over the water and leave them behind on this side while we go up to the settlement. They might think we went back to Kadir. It is a great plan, yes?¡±


    The lizard was obviously pleased with himself, and although allowing the Rakash and the soldiers to get so close sounded risky, Corvan could not think of any other way to escape and get back to Kate.


    Tsarek helped him down to the edge of the smaller stream from the karst, just up from where it joined the main river and the waterfall. Pushing the fire stick into the gravel, and with a final pat on Corvan¡¯s shoulder, Tsarek waded into the creek and disappeared into the darkness on the other side.


    Alone in the pool of light reflecting off the water, Corvan considered the situation. There was a sense of relief that the hammer was out of his hands. He had returned it to the Cor and now his job was done. It was no longer his responsibility. He only needed to find Jokten, locate the other passage, and together they could carry Kate to the surface.


    Was Jokten too old to carry Kate that far? Maybe Jorad could help. Then again, even if he could find the priest, Jorad would ask him to go to the city and rescue Tyreth. Without the hammer they didn¡¯t have much of a chance of defeating the Chief Watcher, did they? Surely Jorad would understand if he took Kate and left the Cor.


    The fog was lifting and hung just above the fire stick in a bright sheet of rolling cotton. Corvan peered upstream to where Tsarek had disappeared. If the fog lifted much higher the soldiers would see them cross back over the stream and know exactly where they had gone.


    Just u the way, a dark form spun in slow circles in a back eddy of the stream. The body of a man was floating face down in a shallow pool, likely the first prisoner who had fallen in and drowned in the karst.


    As he got to his feet, a sharp movement across the water grabbed Corvan¡¯s attention. A rantel was perched on the top of a pointed rock, its long, forked tail spread out wide behind it; grey wings folded at its sides, its eyes glinting in the flickering light of the firestick as it stared at him. Jorad was wrong. The rantels were real and this was likely the same one that was on the rebel leader¡¯s head. It was spying on him.


    Corvan stooped, pretending to check his shoelace while slipping a round stone into his hand. Taking note of the rantel¡¯s position, he stretched as he stood up, then fired the stone directly at it. Pain shot through his shoulder as the stone smacked the front of the pointed rock and ricocheted into the belly of the rantel. The creature sprang from its perch and sliced through the air toward him, hissing and clicking in anger. At the last second, its forked tail whipped down below its body as if it would spear him with the points. Corvan ducked, it missed him and swooped overhead to vanish into the fog.


    It was on its way to show the rebel leader what it had seen. That was all he needed. Now both the rebels and the Rakash would be on his trail.


    Moving along the water¡¯s edge he watched the man¡¯s body spin around until one hand drifted closer to the shore. He should at least pull the body out so it would not get washed over the falls.


    Wading into the shallow bay Corvan pulled on the stiff hand. The corpse flipped over and Jokten¡¯s face rolled into view.

 Hammer 44: Cigars

    A cry escaped Corvan¡¯s lips as tears streamed down his cheeks at the sight of the old man in the water. Jokten¡¯s wrinkled hand still firmly clutched the shattered end of the wooden spear he had used to save Corvan from the monster, yet his face was peaceful, as if he were only dreaming.


    Groaning and slipping on the slick stones, Corvan managed to pull the body onto the shore, then collapsed on the gravel. His father had often told him that if he would do what was right, the answers would come in their own time. How was that possibly even true? Although he had faced his fears and tried his best to save Jokten, the man had died anyway. Now there were no answers and no way out of this terrible place. In a short time, Kate would die and be buried far from her home. Buried? They were in a dark world far underground. Both of them were as good as dead and buried already.


    Sitting next to Jokten¡¯s body, his tears gave way to sobs that shook his aching body. What was the point of even trying to do what was right? Pain and death were everywhere. He could never win.


    His father¡¯s voice came to him as if his dad were sitting next to him on the shore. ¡°Love and pain flow together though all of life. The more you choose to love in this broken world, the more you will need to endure pain.¡±


    Wiping his tears away with the back of his sleeve he looked down at Jokten¡¯s face. A wry smile was embedded in the corners of the man¡¯s mouth, the same smile that he wore while swinging the spear behind the beast. The old man had lived and died on his own terms. Perhaps that was his father¡¯s point. In the end, loving through the pain changed you into a better person.


    A muted shout slipped through the fog and then another. The soldiers and the Seeker were on their way down this side of the river. There was no way he would let them take Jokten¡¯s body to the palace. The old man deserved a proper burial.


    At some time in the past the stream had changed direction, leaving a raised island on the dry gravel creek bed near the rushing water. Pulling the body onto the high spot, he laid it out.


    Prying the broken spear from Jokten¡¯s grasp, he set it aside and folded the cold hand onto Jokten¡¯s chest. Reaching over the man, he pulled the other arm into position and as he did, the soggy sleeve of Jokten¡¯s robe slipped back. The other hand was wrapped tightly around the hammer¡¯s handle.


    Corvan looked in amazement at the angular stone head before placing his hand under it and gently pulling. The hammer slid easily from Jokten¡¯s grasp, as if the man was giving it back to him and the blue letters sprang to life over Jokten¡¯s face, highlighting the crinkles around his eyes and the happy lines etched around his mouth.


    Corvan struggled to his feet and held the hammer aloft in both hands. It pierced the fog overhead like a lighthouse, the blue glow filling the area around him and reflecting on the water below. He breathed deeply then pulled its comfort against his chest. ¡°It¡¯s good to have you back again,¡± he murmured, and the blue light ebbed seemed to ebb in response. He held the hammer over Jokten, the letters in their circles like a hero¡¯s emblem on the man¡¯s chest. ¡°You gave your life to save me and the hammer. I promise I will do my best to honor what you lived and died for.¡±


    Placing the hammer back in his holster, he gathered large flat stones from the dry creek bed and piled them around and over the dead man. The work was painful at first, but as he moved, his joints loosened up and his movements became easier. When he was done, he took the broken spear and stuck it upright in the cracks of the pile.


    As he stepped back to inspect the cairn, he almost tripped over Tsarek.


    ¡°I did not want to interrupt you.¡± Tsarek said, jumping off the low rock he¡¯d been sitting on. ¡°I wanted to tell you earlier that I did not think your past-father survived the blast.¡±


    ¡°Jokten was not my past-father, Tsarek. That was my grandfather that died at the entry under the Castle Rock.¡±


    Tsarek nodded. ¡°I know about that one, but Jokten was also one of your family, from those left behind in the Cor.¡±


    Corvan looked back to the cairn. No wonder Jokten looked so much like his father. Tears began to fall again, and he shook his head firmly and tried to wipe them away. He¡¯d been so close to discovering more about his connection to the Cor and finding someone to help him understand what all this was about.


    Tsarek came up beside him and tucked a soft cloth into his hand. As Corvan wiped his eyes with it, a tender scent permeated his mind and soothed his sorrows.


    ¡°Did I do well, Kalian? Does it make you happy to have it back?¡± his friend asked.


    ¡°How did you get this?¡± Corvan asked, looking at Tyreth¡¯s white scarf.


    Tsarek chortled. ¡°The Seeker was walking along the path in the fog with all the soldiers following in a line. He was holding the white cloth out in front of him like a flag. I had been very still so when he walked by, I leaped across the path in the air, snatched it from his hand, and fled before he could even move.¡± The lizard grimaced and Corvan saw fear steal into his eyes. ¡°I touched the Seeker¡¯s hand when I grabbed the cloth. Now it will know that I am back in the Cor and will report my presence.¡± He pointed across the water. ¡°We must go quickly to Kate and find a way out of the settlement, for I also must leave the Cor forever and never return.¡±


    Corvan looped the scarf around his neck and tucked it into his cloak. He drew its scent in again. How could he leave the Cor now and leave Tyreth to die at the Chief Watcher¡¯s ceremony? Jorad had said that Tyreth¡¯s life was now connected to the life of the Cor, to the red seeds tucked away in Corvan¡¯s cloak. If he chose to run away now and abandon Tyreth, the darkness would close in on Kadir. Their food would run out and all the people of the Cor would starve to death in the black void, people like Rayu, Gavyn, Garek and Madam Toreg.


    His had went to the holster at his side. He had promised Madam Toreg on the hammer that he would do his best to save Tyreth. If there was any hope for her and the rest of the Cor, he had to put the needs of others above his own safety, even above the life of his best friend.


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    ¡°We need to move quickly,¡± the lizard urged, touching his hand. ¡°Kate needs our help, and the seeker is coming. We need to go back to the settlement.¡±


    ¡°No, Tsarek.¡± Corvan turned toward the river. ¡°I am going back to the city.¡±


    Tsarek¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°The city? The palace and the Rakash are searching for you, and now they will be looking for me as well. No, Kalian, we must not go to the city. It is a terrible place and they have done cruel things to my kind in the city.¡±


    ¡°Tyreth is in the city, and I promise Jorad I would help rescue her. I hope he escaped and went there with all the other priests, and they can do something but I must go too.¡±


    ¡°There is enough of them to do it, Kalian. This isn¡¯t something you must do.¡±


    Corvan pulled out the hammer and pointed its circle of words on the stones between them. ¡°Tsarek, I made a promise that I would help rescue Tyreth. I have been to the Palace courtyard and I know the way to the karst under the statue, but I could use your help. I can¡¯t do it alone.¡±


    The lizard took a step back from the blue words. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so in the first place?¡±


    Corvan looked intently at the hammer in his hand, then leaned forward to place it on top of a flat boulder. He took two steps away from it and turned to the lizard. ¡°Do you think I should leave the hammer here?¡±


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Tsarek hopped over to the hammer. ¡°You will need it to rescue the girl. Please pick it up and bring it along. I will try to be more brave when you hold its light.¡±


    Corvan smiled. ¡°I just wanted to make sure I could still understand you even when I¡¯m not holding it.¡±


    Tsarek looked confused.


    ¡°Something has changed between us,¡± Corvan said. ¡°Even though I am not holding hammer, I still understand everything you are saying.¡±


    Tsarek let out a low hiss and looked between Corvan and the hammer. ¡°I don¡¯t know how¡ª¡± A wide smile spread across his face. ¡°But I am very glad.¡±


    They stood looking at each other for a moment, then Tsarek turned away, entered the stream and dog paddled out into the middle. Grabbing the hammer, Corvan holstered it and waded in after him.


    Halfway across, the water came up to his waist, and the current threatened to sweep his feet off the slick rocks. The roar of the falls just beyond the bend sounded a constant warning in his ears. One misstep and he would be swept into the abyss. The swift flowing water was sweeping Tsarek farther downstream, but at least was making progress at getting across to the other side.


    Focusing on his goal, Corvan struggled forward. The fog was thinner on the other side and he pulled himself out and up the steep bank. Tsarek was nowhere to be seen but there was enough pale blue light from above to make his way along the side of the stream. The roar of the falls grew louder.


    ¡°I would appreciate your help,¡± a voice called from below. Tsarek was chest deep in a rocky bay, a pile of smaller capped fire sticks gathered on the shore. ¡°I found these swirling around in here. We will need them.¡± Getting out of the water, he handed the sticks up to Corvan then scrambled on all fours to the top of bank. Pulling out some of the long grasses that grew in tufts between the rocks, Tsarek tied the sticks together, slung the bundle over his back, then led the way along the edge of the steam to where it joined the main river. ¡°The end of the river road is up there,¡± Tsarek said, pointing overhead. ¡°You should go first.¡±


    Picking his way up a slope of broken rocks and paving stones, Corvan emerged onto the high levee. The start of the fields were on his right and far ahead he could see the water control structure where he and Jorad had climbed down into the dry aqueduct.


    There was a tug at his feet as Tsarek grabbed the cuff of Corvan¡¯s jeans and hauled himself up onto the road. He grinned. ¡°It is not a good idea to fall back onto a pile of fire sticks, even if they are small ones.¡±


    ¡°So why do we need them?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°I discovered something that no one else knows.¡± Tsarek smiled proudly. ¡°You can breathe underwater by pulling air back through the stem.¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡± Tsarek set the bundle down, pulled out a short stick, and carefully trimmed the bark away from the butt end with his claw, as if he were sharpening a pencil. Uncapping it, he stuck the trimmed end into his mouth and walked along like a businessman with an expensive cigar that glowed with each breath. ¡°They don¡¯t last as long this way, but it works great for swimming under the water. Somehow the water you suck in becomes air you can breathe.¡±


    ¡°Let me try it.¡±


    Tsarek¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°I will make one for you.¡± He picked through his bundle and trimmed up the smallest of the sticks. He held it out to Corvan. ¡°Are you certain you want to try it?¡± He pulled it away again. ¡°It tastes bitter and hurts the lungs a bit. It might be too strong for someone as young as you.¡±


    Corvan plucked the stick from the lizard and flicked off the cap. He¡¯d tried smoking cigarettes a few times, this couldn¡¯t be any worse. He pulled softly on the stick. Other than a mild bitter taste, he could breathe the incoming air without difficulty. He pulled in a deep breath and swaggered along beside his friend.


    A loud bang sounded with a flash before his eyes. He squinted cross-eyed to find the smoking bark of his cigar stick peeled back toward his face.


    Tsarek made a hissing sound as he grinned. ¡°Oh yes. I forgot to tell you. You must trim them carefully and never make a nick on the bark with your claws.¡±


    Corvan tossed the ruined stick into the water rushing by. The lizard hadn¡¯t forgotten, he had just played a joke on him. ¡°I thought you told me that you don¡¯t laugh,¡± Corvan said.


    Tsarek scratched the side of his head. ¡°I cannot remember making that sound before. It must be because I am free from the band. You don¡¯t have time to do the laugh when you are always angry.¡± He looked up at Corvan. ¡°Would you like to try one of the larger sticks? They have a nicer flavor.¡±


    Corvan shook his head, and they walked on in silence until they arrived at the dam and sluice gates that had been used to let water into the irrigation system for the fields. Corvan looked along the aqueduct they had used to travel to the Molakar settlement. Should he go first and check on Kate?


    Tsarek suddenly pulled Corvan in tight against the small building that stuck out over the dam. The lizard jammed his scaly face up to Corvan¡¯s ear. ¡°Listen,¡± he whispered.


    Corvan listened but all he could hear was the water rolling over the dam on the other side of the building. He shook his head at Tsarek, who gestured for him to stay hidden against the wall. ¡°Stay here. I will be right back.¡± Tsarek got down on all fours and slipped around the corner of the building.


    Corvan leaned against the stone wall and closed his eyes. It seemed he was always tired in this dark world. There was no way to know how regularly he had been sleeping or how many days he had been gone so far. Tsarek had said the door in the castle rock only opened every month. Surely, they had not been gone that long already.


    Tipping his head back, he opened his eyes to find an ugly stone gargoyle crouched above him on the corner of the roof. He was about to stand and get a better look at it when the head of the gargoyle swiveled about and beady eyes peered out over the fields.


    The rebel leader¡¯s rantel had returned to find him.

 Hammer 45: Parting

    As the rantel continued scanning the valley and trail that lead up to the settlements, Corvan held his breath until the creature unfurled its wings and soared out over the fields.


    Someone grabbed his arm, but Corvan¡¯s yell died on his lips as he twisted around and looked into the face of Tsarek.


    ¡°So sorry, sir. I hope I did not frighten you,¡± Tsarek said, and a smirk curved across the lizard¡¯s face.


    Corvan wasn¡¯t so sure he was liking Tsarek¡¯s newfound sense of humor.


    ¡°I had to wait for his rantel to leave,¡± Tsarek said, pointing towards the other side of the river. ¡°Because on the other side of the dam there is a very angry man with a bandage over one eye. He is leading a group of the rebel soldiers and has sent his rantel across the water to find you.¡± Tsarek cocked his head to one side. ¡°You seem to have made a lot of new enemies in the Cor since you locked me outside the door.¡±


    ¡°Does he know I¡¯m here?¡± Corvan whispered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. His connection to his flying guide is not working very well because of his great eye pain.¡± Tsarek cocked his head to one side. ¡°When did you learn to throw fire? I often heard your mother tell you not to play with it.¡±


    Corvan waved the question off. ¡°Where is the man with the eye patch now? We need to keep moving along the road. Is he still watching for me?¡±


    ¡°He already left,¡± Tsarek said, then he held out a paw and helped Corvan to his feet. ¡°His men refused to cross the flowing water over the top of the dam, so they are returning to their base in the crags. They will not bother us as we journey back to the city, but he is sending two of his best bounty hunters to circle around through the graves of Kadir to find you, so yes, we had better keep moving.¡± He began walking along the road toward the city then looked back with a twinkle in his eye. ¡°He is offering a great reward for your capture, one even a small Watcher might find attractive.¡±


    Tsarek walked on and Corvan followed cautiously behind, constantly looking across the river for any sign of the Rebel Leader and then across the fields to see if the Rantel was coming back.


    Upon reaching the top of the river bend, they found the city of Kadir shrouded in a thick bank of fog; the statue rising above it looking like a man with his feet stuck in a snowbank. ¡°The palace must be making sure people stay indoors until the day begins, Tsarek said. ¡°They likely suspect there could be more trouble with the rebels. That is why the fog is so thick tonight.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°The palace controls the fog and the water that floods the city to keep people afraid of what might happen if they don¡¯t obey the Chief Watcher. It¡¯s done with large machines in the underground river below the karst in the palace courtyard. I saw them working on it after you shut the gate on me. I had to follow the cold water far down into the Cor and then there is hot water too, in the place where they create the fog.¡±


    ¡°When I was on the courtyard wall, I saw the fog come out of door in the round wall at the feet of the great statue.¡±


    Tsarek looked puzzled. ¡°There used to be only a small karst between its feet. That¡¯s where they drown people at the water ceremony they call the Wasting. There has never been a wall around it.¡±


    ¡°I think the wall is new. I could see a lot of people working on it when I came out the portal door up on the cliff.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean the one you shut on me?¡± Tsarek asked.


    Corvan nodded. Was Tsarek going to keep remining him of his mistake? It was likely just one of his jokes, but it was getting a bit stale.


    Tsarek pointed toward the city. ¡°The statue karst used to be like the one you were just in, except there is no island in the middle and no great beast. Instead, a water creature with long arms, much greater than the one we fought in the labyrinth, dwells in an underwater cave behind a gate that would be opened whenever they throw someone in.¡± Tsarek looked up at him, his eyes full of pride. ¡°The gate was shut when I was there, but its arms almost caught me. I had to frighten it away with my fire stick.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s where they control the floods?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°I believe that is how it is done. They can send water running throughout the city streets. They have drowned people to make everyone believe the water sacrifice is required to make the gods happy.¡±


    Corvan looked across the river at the fog-shrouded city. At first light Tyreth would be thrown into the karst as part of the Chief Watcher¡¯s evil plans. He picked up the pace and passed Tsarek. The lizard¡¯s short legs were working furiously to keep up and Corvan smiled. Surely things would work out better now that he had both Tsarek and the hammer back.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    They were approaching the lower bridge and Corvan was studying the missing panels in the middle. It looked like the only way across would be to use the chains that remained to work themselves across.


    ¡°The lower bridge is broken,¡± Tsarek said. ¡°We will need to swim to the other side. There is a stairway up from the river to the roadway that encircles the city. Thankfully there is no city wall in that location, or we would . . .¡± Tsarek suddenly yanked Corvan down behind the cover of the stone wall. ¡°Rakash,¡± he hissed pointing a claw in the direction of the fields.


    Keeping his camouflaged hood low, Corvan peeked over the wall. Below them, five people walked in a row along a retaining wall between the fields. One of carried a staff topped by a red globe.


    ¡°That¡¯s a palace staff,¡± the lizard said. ¡°One of the soldiers was carrying it when I took the cloth. The Rakash is returning with the soldiers to report that the one they believe is Tarran has escaped.¡± Tsarek gripped Corvan¡¯s arm tighter. ¡°He will also report my trespass in the Cor to the Chief of the Watchers. I fear there will be great trouble for me now.¡±


    Corvan glanced over the wall. The group was close enough that any movement along the river road or an attempt to cross the lower bridge would be detected. ¡°The soldiers won¡¯t come up here to try and cross the broken bridge, will they?¡±


    ¡°They must know its broken because they are passing through the fields to take the high river road so they can go into the city at the upper bridge, the one that connects to the portal door.¡±


    Corvan waited for the joke about shutting the door on Tsarek, but none came. Tsarek was too busy checking out the river side of the road.


    Corvan checked again and noted that the wall the soldiers were walking on ended at the edge of the fields then climbed a steep path to join up with the river road. He crouched back down. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll reach the city before the water ceremony?¡±


    ¡°I do not believe so. That trail is longer, and they will be moving slowly because it is very narrow and climbs up and down the cliffs near the river. Few people choose to travel that way, as they fear they might fall into the water and drown.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯ll see us if we try to use the broken bridge,¡± Corvan said.


    Tsarek sat back against the wall. ¡°Then we must find another cat to skin. The dark cycle will end soon, and the Wasting always takes place during the first segment of light.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s stomach knotted. He couldn¡¯t be late getting to the temple karst. He had to get there before they threw Tyreth in and the water creature grabbed her. Crawling on all fours to the river side of the road, he looked across to where the outlet from Madam Toreg¡¯s secret city flowed out under the bridge. ¡°If we need to swim to the other side could we use the fire sticks to go through that water outlet? It leads to another city. Madam Toreg is there, and she can send her grey men to help us save Tyreth.¡±


    Tsarek shook his head. ¡°I cannot let her or anyone else in Kadir see me. Those who serve the Chief Watcher will kill me on sight, and those who fight the Watcher will kill me for being of his kind.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll speak to them on your behalf,¡± Corvan said. ¡°I won¡¯t let them hurt you.¡±


    The lizard laid his paw on Corvan¡¯s arm. ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Corvan. If you are seen with me, they will most certainly kill you as well.¡±


    Corvan shook his head, but realized it was true. His best friend in this hostile underground world would always be seen by everyone else as their enemy.


    He placed his hand on top of Tsarek¡¯s paw. ¡°It will be better once we get back to my world.¡±


    ¡°No, Corvan.¡± Tsarek¡¯s dark eyes clouded over. ¡°I have decided that I must stay here in the Cor. Your world is not my home, and our family cannot accept me either. I have even been shot at by that large boy who lives near the rock. You cannot protect me in your world any more than I can protect you in mine.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    Tsarek swallowed. ¡°Our ways are parting, Kalian. You must go ask for help to rescue your friend and I will swim up the river and go inside the karst. I can hide under the edges where the palace guard cannot see me. If you get in trouble at the Wasting ceremony, you should jump into the water. I will have breathing sticks for you, and you can swim away with me.¡±


    ¡°What about Tyreth?¡±


    ¡°I will have enough fire sticks for her too if you can convince her to go in the water.¡±


    ¡°But how will we escape from the water creature with the long arms?¡±


    Tsarek grimaced. ¡°I will do my best to keep it away.¡± He pulled two smaller fire sticks from his bundle and quickly trimmed the ends. ¡°You will need these to make it through that water tunnel. The water is coming out very fast so it will be hard work. If you find it difficult to breathe, use both at the same time. It was the only way I could make it through the fast water to find you in the Molakar karst.¡±


    Corvan took the two sticks as Tsarek slipped over the low wall and hung by his claws. Corvan leaned down to him and touched his paw. ¡°Tsarek, you have not called me ¡®sir¡¯ much since you came back.¡±


    The lizard cocked his head to one side. ¡°I guess after all we have been through, I am thinking of you as my friend¡ªsir.¡± He grinned. ¡°Like the Lone Ranger and Tonto.¡±


    ¡°Where did you hear those names?¡±


    The blue streaks on Tsarek¡¯s face flushed. ¡°The Kate¡¯s mother watched it on her TV box, and I would peek in through the window.¡±


    Corvan shook his head, grinned at his friend, then gave him a quick wave. ¡°See you soon, Tonto.¡±


    ¡°If my claws were free, I would return the waving to you, for I too hope to see you soon¡ªKemosabe.¡± His eyes twinkled. ¡°And this time - don¡¯t shut the door on me.¡± He pushed off the wall, dropped into the water and his trail of bubbles worked its way upstream.


    Corvan leaned out over the low wall and looked down into the water. His heart beat faster. He¡¯d never jumped from anything this high.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± A hoarse voice whispered in his ear and a sharp point dug into his back.

 Hammer 46: Return

    ¡°Place your hands on top of the wall,¡± the person behind Corvan commanded, shoving him tight against the rough stones.


    Corvan did as he was ordered. The point pushed in harder as the person leaned against him, pulled up his sleeve, and removed Morgan¡¯s black knife. ¡°Now turn around.¡±


    Corvan turned to face a man in a green robe, the hood pulled low over his eyes. Morgan¡¯s black knife was unsheathed, and it was pointed directly at Corvan¡¯s heart.


    ¡°So now you are working for the Chief Watcher.¡± The voice was harsh and strained. ¡°What did that lizard promise you? What was he saying and what were you telling him?¡± The hood swept back, revealing Jorad¡¯s angry face.


    ¡°I¡¯m not working for the Chief Watcher.¡± Corvan protested. ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Jorad, this Watcher is my friend.¡±


    The priest snorted. ¡°The Watcher¡¯s don¡¯t have friends. They only use us. You have been deceived, Kalian.¡± The knife higher to Corvan¡¯s face. ¡°I promised the High Priest, I would train you to be a Cor-Van. Instead, you have used me to aid the Chief Watcher in his plans to wipe out all the priests . . . and to murder Tyreth.¡± He jabbed the knife at Corvan, backing him up and almost tumbling him backwards over the low stone wall and into the river below.


    Corvan sat on the wall to get his balance, took a deep breath, and looked up at the man. ¡°Jorad. I¡¯m going back to Kadir to help save Tyreth. I was planning to go through the water channel to find Madam Toreg and ask her to send Garek with me. I promised Madam Toreg I would help her. That¡¯s the truth.¡±


    Jorad¡¯s lips curled back in a snarl. ¡°The only truth I know is that I have taken an oath to protect Tyreth at all costs. I will do anything to save her from the Watchers . . . and from those working with them.¡±


    ¡°I said I would help you.¡± Corvan stood and Jorad took a step back. ¡°And I also promised Madam Toreg on the hammer,¡± Corvan stated, releasing it from the holster and holding it up between them.


    Jorad attempted to use his hand with the black knife to push the hammer away but a pulse of blue energy slapped the priest¡¯s hand and sent the knife skittering across the road.


    Corvan immediately put it back in the holster. ¡°Jorad, the hammer shows I speak the truth. I¡¯m going to save Tyreth, not kill her.¡±


    The priest¡¯s eyes narrowed. He was about to respond when a palace guard appeared on the slope up along the road. The man looked their way, raised his bow and drew back.


    ¡°Jorad, behind you!¡±


    ¡°No more tricks, Kalian. I am not¡ª¡±


    Corvan threw himself toward Jorad, spinning the man¡¯s body to the side. The arrow tore through the bunched-up hood at the priest¡¯s neck and clattered onto the road. Jorad whirled around to see who was shooting when two more soldiers jumped onto the road and drew their bows. Jorad dropped to the ground beside the inner wall. ¡°Do as you said!¡± the man hissed. ¡°Find Toreg and meet me at the Karst. I¡¯ll find a way to get into Kadir and meet you at the temple.¡± He gave Corvan a shove as another arrow whistled overhead.


    Corvan jumped up, leapt onto the outer wall, and dove into the river. He hit the water cleanly, surfaced and headed to the far side, swimming hard against the current to get past the pillars supporting the bridge. Breathless, he pulled himself out of the water in the rocky bay where the water from the City of Refuge gushed out.


    The chains above him rattled. Jorad was hanging onto the sides of the bridge to work himself around the missing floor panels. Above Jorad¡¯s labored breathing, Corvan could hear the soldiers shouting as they ran toward the trapped priest but there were no more arrows.


    Jorad called down to Corvan, his voice tight. ¡°Do as you have promised and find Tyreth, but I swear, if you are lying to me, you will never get out of the Cor alive.¡±


    ¡°I promise you, Jorad, I . . .¡±


    ¡°Get out of sight!¡± Jorad rasped. ¡°They¡¯re coming for me, not you.¡±


    Removing the cap from one of his small fire sticks, Corvan stuck it in his mouth, and waded into the water outlet. The current was stronger than he expected. Clamping the unlit fire stick into the opposite side of his mouth, he felt along the bottom for handholds to haul himself through the foaming water. His lungs labored to pull enough air through the slender stick to fuel his efforts. Jamming his toes into the rocks, he flicked the cap off the other stick. Now his breathing came easier, in through the mouth and out through the nose, just as Tsarek had instructed.


    The current slackened as the tunnel roof pulled away and soon shafts of flickering light shot through the silver surface of the water above. He had made it to the pool. Lifting his head cautiously above the surface he scanned the stairs leading down from the City of Refuge and the gates that would lead him back to the Kadir library.


    Crouching low, he waded toward the half-finished wall of the pool. There were voices on the other side. He drew in close and listened.


    He knew the tone and the caustic words all too well. On the other side of the wall, a group of bullies was teasing a child. Peering over the edge, Corvan discovered a circle of boys gathered around a child huddled on the ground, his back to one of the piles of blocks for the unfinished wall. One kicked at the child, then stepped back to reveal a small, bedraggled boy clutching a flute against his chest.


    It was Gavyn.


    A rush of anger propelled Corvan onto the wall with a great splash. He stood over the bullies, water pouring down his body, a smoking fire stick dangling from each corner of his mouth. The boys stared, their mouths gaping like dead fish.


    Corvan tried to say, ¡°Leave him alone!¡± but the smoking fire sticks scrambled his words and twisted down like glowing fangs. What came out sounded more like ¡°Eat them bones!¡±


    High-pitched screams erupted as a twisting mass of young boys scrambled over one another to get away from the flesh-eating monster. They tore up the stairs, their voices fading into the streets.


    Capping the firestick stubs and thrusting them into his pocket, Corvan jumped down from the wall. Gavyn rose to his feet, triumphantly holding the pan flute he¡¯d been protecting from the bullies. He hugged Corvan around his waist, then pulled back to stare at the water dripping from Corvan¡¯s cloak. His eyes followed the trail of puddles that led to the wall.


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    The blast of a trumpet rent the air. Gavyn glanced toward the stairs, then tugged Corvan¡¯s sleeve, pulling him down behind the stack of stone blocks.


    The horn blew again. Corvan shifted to the left and found a crack between the rocks that exposed a narrow strip of the stairs. A man with a curved horn and barbed staff strode into view. Another man with a carved staff appeared, the mayor Madam Toreg had met at the city gate. A noisy crowd quickly gathered behind him and he hammered his staff for silence.


    ¡°Yes, I can see that something came from the pool,¡± he droned wearily, ¡°but none of us has ever seen a man-eating creature with smoking fangs that swims in the water.¡± Loud retorts came from the audience and the mayor changed his tone. ¡°I agree. I have no reason to doubt any of your boys. If this monster is still in the city, we must all work together and find it.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we should consult Madam Toreg,¡± someone suggested.


    The mayor bristled. ¡°Madam Toreg stands accused of breaking faith with our people and bringing strangers into our city. Her staff is broken, and her authority has been removed.¡± He waved a hand toward the pool. ¡°It may even be her fault this creature found a way inside.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she also knows how to get rid of it,¡± another voice interjected.


    The mayor¡¯s face grew red. ¡°Madam Toreg will remain under house arrest until she is tried by the elders. We will not waste time asking her advice.¡± He gestured to the man with the trumpet. ¡°Tewbel, you stand guard here in case the creature comes back.¡± He turned around and faced the crowd. ¡°The rest of you divide into search parties and scour the city. Blow a horn if you see anything.¡± He pounded his staff again, and the people filed out.


    The mayor watched the crowd leave then shook his head and rolled his eyes at Tewbel, before sauntering off.


    The stocky man with the barbed staff stepped closer to the top of the stairs. He looked like the strong man Corvan had once seen at the circus. The man began to descend the steps as he surveyed the scene before him, his eyes shifting to the pool and then over to the pile of blocks.


    Corvan¡¯s stomach dropped. His trail of footprints led directly to his hiding place.


    The man put his horn to his lips, paused, then let it fall to his side. Raising his weapon, he descended the stairs.


    Corvan turned to tell Gavyn to run and find Madam Toreg, but the boy was gone, leaving smaller wet footprints from where he had been standing in Corvan¡¯s puddle Glancing back through the crack he saw Gavyn run up to Tewbel. The young boy held his hands up to his head made his fingers look as if horns were spouting from his hair. He loped about in circles, growling like a mad dog, then ran to the stairs and beckoned for Tewbel to follow. The man gave one last glance toward the stack of blocks and Gavyn¡¯s footprints before climbing up after him.


    There were a few short tunes on the pan flute that slowly faded away. Gavyn was making sure he knew that he and the strong man were leaving the area. Corvan climbed the stairs on all fours and raised his head over the top. The streets were empty. Getting to his feet, he trotted along the road beside the watercourse toward the city gates.


    The entry into the City of Refuge from the ruined library of Kadir drew near. The gates stood open, and just inside, a guard stood at attention. Staying low, Corvan eased himself onto the wall that separated the road from the waterway.


    The sound of running feet caught him off guard, but before he could get completely over the wall, Gavyn came into view from a side street. The boy motioned for Corvan to keep going over to the other side of the wall, hopped over it, and pulled Corvan down, putting a finger to his lips.


    A moment later Corvan heard marching feet on the road. The sound grew louder, passed them, the faded away. He stole a glance over the wall in time to see a squad of armed soldiers take up position near the city gates.


    Corvan leaned back against the wall. With the whole City of Refuge on high alert, there was no way he could get to Madam Toreg and her gray men to ask for their help. The light of the new day was getting stronger and unless he could come up with a new plan, Tyreth would soon be drowned at the water ceremony.


    Gavyn grabbed his sleeve and pointed along the wall to where the water rushed out of a small cave, swept down a spillway and then ran along the wall to the pool below. The boy nodded, crouched low, and took off along the inside of the wall.


    It was all Corvan could do to keep up with the agile boy. Gavyn ran like a spider monkey, his knuckles almost dragging on the ground, right inside the water cave.


    Following him in, Corvan understood why Gavyn adopted this strange manner of locomotion. There was no other way to make it through the tunnel. The water was not shallow enough to crawl in, and the roof was too low for him to stand.


    Gavyn was already out of sight, but Corvan could hear him splashing along. The tunnel turned to the right and the light from behind faded. It was darker here and when floor suddenly dropped away he slipped under the deeper water.


    Corvan surfaced, choking, and gasping for air. Treading water, he cleared his lungs. Here there was enough light from above to see that he was in yet another karst. This one was larger than the one at the Molakar settlement, but it also had an island rising out of the center.


    A tendril grabbed his ankle and yanked him below the surface. Corvan kicked furiously, and the creature released him. Surfacing, he swam like mad toward the island, his heart pounding as he imagined the snakelike arms pursuing him.


    Bright laughter filled the cavern as Corvan pulled himself out of the water and scrambled up the rocks. Gavyn swam toward him, his mouth bubbling the water as he mimicked Corvan¡¯s panicked flight. Relief flowed with embarrassment and Corvan wanted to throw something at the little imp.


    The boy joined him on the pile of stone blocks, shook out his hair like a scrawny dog, cleared the water from his ears, and pointed upward. High overhead, past the circle of the karst rim, familiar painted faces looked down. He was underneath the great library where the floor had fallen into the reflecting pool. How long had it been since he stood up there on the edge with Madam Toreg and Jorad?


    Gavyn poked him in the side, his bony shoulders held up in an exaggerated shrug as if asking where they should go next.


    ¡°I need to get to the Wasting at the temple karst,¡± Corvan said.


    The boy¡¯s eyes widened as he vigorously shook his head. He made motions with his hands and fingers of things swimming and being captured. Corvan grabbed his hands and held them still. ¡°I know about the monster in the water. I don¡¯t want to go inside the water. I need to get to the top before they throw Tyreth in.¡±


    Gavyn nodded, gestured for Corvan to follow, and dove back into the water. The boy swam across to a set of broken stairs, climbed out and shook himself dry as he pointed upward.


    Wearily, Corvan dropped back into the water and followed.


    By the time he got across to the stairs, Gavyn was already gone, his footprints leading upward, two steps at a time. Reaching the roof, the steps moved upward in a narrow channel. Corvan pulled out the hammer, thankful that the blue glow was back to light his way.


    At times the way was almost impassable, but someone had removed just enough debris for a small person to squeeze through. His legs began to burn from all the climbing, and at times he choked on the residual water in his lungs. He called to Gavyn to wait for him, but when he eventually caught up to the boy, Gavyn put a finger to his lips to tell him to be quiet, turned away and climbed on.


    The boy obviously knew the ceremony would start any time but now Corvan was wondering what could they possibly do once they arrived? How could he take on the Chief Watcher and the palace guards by himself? He had no plan, and even if he did, every plan he¡¯d made so far had fallen apart before it even got off the ground.


    Just take the next step, he said softly to himself. ¡°Just keep moving forward.¡±


    The stairs leveled out into a narrow tunnel and then the rough stone walls were replaced by smooth blocks. Other passages joined in, and Corvan lost all sense of how many turns they¡¯d taken. He was falling behind and the boy¡¯s wet footprints had faded to periodic drips. If Gavyn lost him, he¡¯d never find his way out.


    Coming around a corner he looked up an empty corridor that climbed a final flight of steps to end in a circle of soft light. Trying to keep his labored breathing as quiet as possible, he ascended the stairs and stepped through a ragged hole.


    He was back in the hall of the High Priest.

 Hammer 47: Wasting

    The room was empty. Gavyn was nowhere to be seen, but off to one side a pair of bare feet stuck out beneath the ruined tapestry. When Corvan gave the thick fabric a poke, the feet shuffled over and Gavyn¡¯s smiling face appeared in the hole.


    ¡°Gavyn, I need your help to save Tyreth from the Chief Watcher,¡± Corvan said.


    The young boy backed into the secret passage; a question etched across his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to come with me,¡± Corvan said, pointing out the door toward the courtyard and the palace. ¡°I will go alone to the temple karst. I need you to run back to the City of Refuge, find Madam Toreg, and ask her to send Garek and the grey men right away. Tell her the Cor-Van needs her help at the water ceremony to save Tyreth from being drowned.¡±


    The boy pointed to his lips.


    Corvan nodded. Even if Gavyn could find Madam Toreg and somehow make her understand, she might not believe him . . . unless there could be no doubt Gavyn was telling the truth.


    Removing the Texas star holster and the hammer from his belt, he held them out, then hesitated. Was this a good idea? What if the young boy lost the hammer or gave it to the mayor intead?


    Gavyn wrapped his small hands around Corvan¡¯s and looked into his eyes, erasing all doubt that he could be trusted with the mission. ¡°¡¯Keep it hidden,¡± Corvan said. ¡°Don¡¯t show it to anyone other than Madam Toreg.¡±


    Gavyn nodded eagerly and pulled the holster to his chest. His smile broadened, then instantly vanished as a single drumbeat rumbled through the door. Gavyn pointed overhead to where soft light fell from the dirty skylights. A second drumbeat echoed through the room, then settled into a steady rhythm. The boy touched his arm, then whirled around, the door to the secret passage closing softly behind him.


    Running through the hallway, Corvan found the priest¡¯s gate into the main courtyard hanging askew, its great bolt laying in pieces on the ground. Beyond it, the empty plaza pulsed with rolling drumbeats as Corvan sprinted up the sections of stairs two at a time, the throbbing drum matching his heart, beat for beat. The throbbing drum abruptly stopped as he sailed up the last set of stairs and headed toward a wide arched door in the circular wall. As he drew near the opening, he caught sight of a white-robed man speaking from the front edge of a balcony.


    Just as he drew close to the doorway, a guard stepped from inside the arched door, barring his way. This one did not have a weapon in his hand, only a few short sticks with strips of differently colored cloths tied to the ends.


    Corvan skidded to a halt as a scarred face with bloodshot eyes thrust toward his hood along with the rank smell of rotten teeth.


    ¡°Where¡¯ve you been, boy?¡± The ugly face pulled back to squint at him, and for a brief second Corvan was certain the man would strike him. Instead, the guard bent down and picked up a long-necked clay jar sitting just outside the door. ¡°Lucky for you I saw this back at the barracks. If that new stone gets stuck again, it¡¯ll be your fault.¡± He thrust the neck of the jar into Corvan¡¯s hand and pushed him off to the side. ¡°Get along to the priest¡¯s entry before that old windbag finishes talking.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s heart was pounding as he turned away. The cloak had the man thinking he was someone else, but the priest¡¯s entry could be a faster way to get inside the wall to locate Tyreth.


    The clay vessel he¡¯d been given smelled like well-used engine oil and was almost too hot to carry. Juggling its narrow neck from hand to hand, he worked his way along the outside of the newly constructed wall. A short distance around the curve, an entry jutted out and inside it, a shadowed stairway led down. Beyond the entry there was only a pile of scaffolding and the high wall surrounding the plaza. This had to be the priest¡¯s entry that guard had spoken about.


    As he descended the stairs the familiar odors of his father¡¯s workshop rose up to meet him; hot metal, grease and perspiration. At the bottom of the stairs, the narrow passage curved down a steep ramp to stop before a partially open door that was even shorter than he was. The speakers voice seemed to be louder inside that space. He pushed on the door, and it creaked forward on dry hinges. Was that what the oil was for?


    A cheer from the audience swept in from another passage to his immediate left. He peered through that opening and found it led up a stairway toward a more brightly lit open space. Corvan was about to follow the new passage toward the noise of the crowd when heavy footsteps approached from inside the room with the rusty hinges.


    ¡°I need that in here first,¡± a voice growled. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Corvan pushed the door wider. Thick legs and large boots were visible withing the room on the edge of a raised platform. ¡°I need a bit of oil on one of the gears and then the rest of it goes in them two new holes in the floor at the base of the amphitheater stairs. See ¡¯em?¡±


    Corvan stayed silent. Should he run away?


    ¡°Ya see ¡¯em or not? We don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    Corvan stepped back and looked into the passage on his left. Two holes had been recently bored into the floor on either side of the passage, just before the stairs leading up to the crowd.


    ¡°They say it¡¯ll work this time.¡± The man¡¯s voice drew him back to the short door. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t, I¡¯m going to blame you for being late, and then he¡¯ll feed you to his pet instead of the priests. Now get up here.¡± The boots retreated and Corvan ducked into the man¡¯s room. He couldn¡¯t take the chance of being chased by this man or having him call the guards.


    Beyond the squeaky door, the space was lit by a narrow horizontal slit high on the far wall. Something white fluttered outside. Most likely that was the direction of the stage and the speaker.


    Up on a platform, the large man had squeezed his bulk into the middle of a complicated system of gears and levers. He reached a hand over his shoulder. ¡°Give me the oil. Those idiots didn¡¯t grease the main shaft either. How did they expect the sluice gate to lift into position without being lubricated?¡±


    Corvan stepped onto the raised area. A door at the back of the room was propped open and rippling reflections on the walls beyond revealed he was at the water level in the karst. This man and all his machinery must be what would flood the space and release the octopus creature who would eat the victims they would toss from the balcony where the man was speaking to the crowd.


    ¡°Oil!¡± the man demanded, waving his hand in the air behind him. Corvan quickly handed it over and the man pushed his greasy bulk deeper into the machinery. ¡°If you ask me,¡± he grunted, ¡°and of course they never do, this plan of using Tyreth as bait to catch Tarran is a grand waste of time. If he¡¯s the brains behind the plot to overthrow the palace, he¡¯d know this is a trap.¡±


    The man poured a thin stream of oil from the jar, and the burnt odor was added to the overpowering aroma of the man¡¯s sweat. ¡°Besides, Tyreth wouldn¡¯t even want him to try to save her. I bet that she went tell him when she sprung him out of the cell and killed Morgan.¡± He grunted again. ¡°There, that should do it.¡±


    The man shoved the bottle back towards him and Corvan had to squeeze in past two of the levers to grab it. From here, at the back edge of the long slit in the wall he caught sight of the scarred-faced man from the arched entry, standing above the uppermost seating tier that was packed with spectators. The man was flicking a red flag back and forth.


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    ¡°What are you gawkin¡¯ at? Get going and dump the rest of the oil down them holes, equally mind you, and use all of it. Don¡¯t get in the way when it lifts. I¡¯ll get the signal to crank it into position any time now. You wait there and let me know when it¡¯s all the way to the top. We need a good seal or we both drown in here.¡±


    Corvan jumped off the platform, ran out the door and turned into the other passage. Up the stairs, he could hear the white robed man speaking passionately about the future of Kadir and the Cor. The enthusiastic response of the crowed filled the hallway as Corvan knelt to examine the holes in the floor. Brushing a cone of stone chips away from the holes he poured the oil into one and then did the same to the other, alternating back and forth to let it seep down to wherever it was going.


    Setting empty bottle down, he turned back to the stairs just in time to see a slab of stone rise from the floor between the two holes in spasmodic jerks. Behind him, in the control room, energetic grunts matched each rise as the stone wall inched upward.


    The passage was halfway closed before Corvan came to his senses and leaped over the thick stone and onto the steps. He¡¯d barely cleared it when the slab found the fresh oil and thrust hard into a notch in the ceiling. There was no turning back now.


    The volume of the speaker¡¯s voice increased as Corvan crept up the stairs, edged around a corner and peered out an opening into the curved amphitheater. From his Geographic magazines he knew he was just inside a vomitorium, the internal entry into the bottom floor of the amphitheater where dangerous beasts would be fought, and gladiators would die as the audience watched. In this amphitheater, a pool of water hid a many armed monster lurking below the mirrored surface.


    Off to the left, the first four tiers of seats at the edge of the karst were crammed with green-robed priests. In behind them, a curved wall the height of a man separated the priests from the rest of the crowd who were listening to the speaker on the raised balcony across the water in rapt attention. The white-robed man approached the front of a stage covering the space between the ankles of the statue that towered over the people below. It unfinished face still conveyed a smug satisfaction with the scene below.


    The white robed man was framed between two short pillars on the stage. He spread his arms wide. ¡°Today we celebrate the dedication of our new water temple. We are thankful to the Chief Watcher for his work with the city council in building a place to honor the water gods.¡±


    The man moved to one side and gestured to the upstage wall of high black curtains. They parted in the center and concealed footlights came to life along the front edge of the stage.


    As the man bowed and exited, the Chief Watcher strode out from between the curtains, the lights glittering off silver bracers on his arms and from every scale of the lizard¡¯s meticulously polished hide. The crowd collectively caught their breath as the creature stopped between the two pillars.


    ¡°People of the Cor!¡± The Chief Watcher extended his arms towards the people. ¡°All of you remember when the water of the gods erupted and ran through the streets, killing your families and friends. It made us all deeply aware of the ongoing threat that our world could be filled to the top,¡± he gestured overhead, ¡°with water from this karst.¡±


    A silent fear settled over the crowd and Corvan studied the lizards lean face. Unlike his visit to the hall of the High Priest, its tongue was not flickering out and it was not hissing its words. Something had changed with it had eaten the seed of the mother plant. It seemed almost more human now.


    ¡°Over time we have been making our sacrifices to keep the gods pleased at our water ceremonies.¡± He paused as a ripple of murmurs ran through the seating area. The priests sat stiffly on their benches, many of them looking at the floor instead of the creature on the stage. ¡°I believe there is a better way to appease the anger of the gods, anger directed at those who lie to our people and take advantage of others. Why should the innocent continue to suffer while the guilty go free?¡±


    The black lizard pointed directly at the priests before his arm swept in a grand gesture over the water. ¡°Our new place of justice will allow the gods to show us who we can trust. Instead of throwing the young innocent ones into the water, we will put those who appear to be guilty in the place of judgment.¡± He pointed to a narrow stone pier that descended down a few steps from the audience side of the karst and out over the water towards him. ¡°If they are innocent, the water will remain calm and still beneath them, but if they are guilty, the water will rise and punish them for their lies.¡±


    He waited, arms outstretched, until the crowd responded with a hesitant cheer.


    The black lizard sauntered to the front of the stage. ¡°Recently, Tarran, the son of the High Priest of the old temple was arrested on a charge of treason against the palace. He was brought to my prison to await trial, but he murdered our good friend, Morgan, and escaped. That same night, I went to speak with the High Priest and to ask for his help but instead I was attacked by Tyreth and her father. They were arrested but now we must determine if the entire family of the High Priest is guilty of treason. In these days of perpetual lies, only the water gods know for certain.¡± He pointed to water below his clawed feet. ¡°Today we will call on them to judge the truth.¡±


    Corvan scanned the audience along the left side of the seats. A few of the older priests were shaking their heads in response, but above them, many in the crowd nodded. Everyone grew still and looked to the left.


    A narrow door had opened on the far side of the karst, below the level of the stage near the heel of the statue¡¯s right boot. A murmur ran through the crowd as the High Priest shuffled out and headed around the pool. His mouth was gagged, and his hands bound behind his back, but he walked past the lower section full of priests with his head held high.


    Stepping purposefully onto the stone pier, he walked down the shallow steps until he was below the lip of the karst, then pivoted to face the crowd.


    ¡°High Priest,¡± the lizard called out, taking a step back and bringing his thick arms to rest on the two stone pillars, ¡°you stand accused of treason. You are silenced before the people so that instead of hearing your arguments, we shall hear only the answer of the water gods upon whom we call to judge between truth and lies.¡±


    The Chief Watcher raised his long claw and pointed high overhead to the face of the unfinished statue. Corvan resisted the urge to follow the gesture and kept his eyes on the lizard. As the lizard¡¯s right arm went up, he saw the creature lean firmly on the pillar to his left. The pillar moved and dipped ever so slightly.


    A geyser of water shot up around the High Priest, and he was momentarily lost in the spray. The tower of water fell back into the karst, and the surface began to bubble and rise.


    ¡°If the water takes the man, the gods have found him guilty,¡± the Chief Watcher shouted. ¡°If it subsides, we will know he is innocent.¡±


    All eyes were on the priest and the rapidly rising water. With a fierce look of determination, the High Priest¡¯s glanced down as the water rose to his ankles. The crowd leaned in, the High Priest looked slowly around the amphitheater, then turned his gaze defiantly over his shoulder at the Chief Watcher above him on the balcony.


    With one deft movement, the man stepped back off the pier and slipped below the surface of the rolling water.


    The crowd sat frozen in stunned silence.


    The Chief Watcher yanked has arms away from his pillars and looked off to the left at a narrow slit in the side wall. That had to be where the man in the room with all the gears had worked to raise the stone that blocked off the priest¡¯s entry.


    The water grew still and as all eyes turned to the Chief Watcher. A smug expression settled across his dark face as he left his pillars and came forward.


    ¡°Our former High Priest has declared his own guilt by offering himself in an attempt to buy favor with the gods. It was futile, for he remains in the water. If he were an honorable man, the gods would return him to us, but they have not done so.¡±


    Corvan knew there would be no returning, for in the froth he¡¯d caught sight of a tentacle much larger than those he and Tsarek had encountered in the labyrinth. His stomach knotted. That meant Tsarek had failed to chase the water creature away with his firesticks. There would be no last-minute escape that way.


    The black lizard spoke out. ¡°Our High Priest has sacrificed himself in an attempt to save his daughter from being tried for treason, but each one of you must be judged on their own merit.¡± He gestured again toward the left side of the karst.


    A figure in white emerged from the doorway in the statue¡¯s boot. Everyone¡¯s eyes followed Tyreth as she moved slowly around the perimeter of the karst, her hair flowing in dark waves with each measured step. As she drew closer to the stone pier she nodded to the section of priests, the jagged scar clearly visible across her cheek. Her gaze flickered past Corvan¡¯s hiding place and he stepped forward just enough for the light to touch his face, then drew back his hood.


    Tyreth¡¯s eyes widened as she looked into his, then she shook her head slightly and frowned. She wanted him to stay hidden or to run away but with the door sealed behind him, there was nowhere to run.


    Tyreth made her way slowly out to the end of the pier, wavered for a moment, recovered, and turned slowly to face the audience. As she glanced down, her lower lip trembled. She caught it in her teeth, turned her head deliberately toward him, then slowly and firmly shook her head.


    Tyreth was telling him to let her drown.

 Hammer 48: Water

    Corvan could only stare at Tyreth, frozen in place, as if he was another stone statue. She did not want him to save her, but there was no way he could just let her drown or be captured by the creature¡¯s arms that waited in the water. If Tsarek was below the rim with the breathing sticks, there was still a chance he might be able to fight it off while they escaped.


    If only he had the hammer to help him to know what to do. No! He moved his hand away from the empty holster and shook his head fiercely. He didn¡¯t need to hold the hammer to know that he had already promised to do whatever he could to save her. Tyreth was the future of the Cor, not him. He had to do something, and now.


    The lizard spoke from the stone platform overlooking the karst amphitheater and Corvan raised his eyes to the scaley creature.


    ¡°The gods found the father guilty!¡± The Chief Watcher cried out as the lizard stepped back between the two pillars and pointed down at Tyreth. ¡°Now we shall see if his daughter shared in his treason.¡±


    All eyes focused on Tyreth and to Corvan¡¯s horror, he could see she was slowly edging her feet back toward the end of the pier.


    ¡°No!¡± Corvan shouted, as he tore of the enclosed space and past the shocked priests. ¡°You don¡¯t have to die to save me! I¡¯m not the Cor-Van!¡±


    He raced toward the pier and instantly two palace guards jumped out of the door at the statues boot and ran to cut him off.


    ¡°It¡¯s a trap,¡± Tyreth shouted, jumping toward him. ¡°Run away!¡±


    Corvan did not slacken his pace. He easily beat guards to the pier and ran out to Tyreth. ¡°Don¡¯t jump,¡± he whispered to her, ¡°we can escape together.¡± He whipped around to face the two red cloaked guards that had arrived at the far end of the pier. One was looking up at the Chief Watcher for further instructions. The other one, an angry snarl on his face, stepped onto the slender pier, his eyes searching the recesses of Corvan¡¯s hood.


    There was no time for any directions from the stage above, for the man on the pier had no warning as a slender tentacle snaked out of the water from the shadows below the pier, wrapped around the man¡¯s ankle and then, in the blink of an eye, he disappeared below the surface with barely a ripple. The audience didn¡¯t move or breathe as the other guard, his sword drawn, stepped back from the water and two more ran in from the statue¡¯s boot.


    The amphitheater was silent a long moment. Corvan turned to face Tyreth as the Chief Watcher spoke into the electric air and pointed directly at Corvan. ¡°Tarran, you cannot take the place of your sister. Instead, the two of you shall be judged together.¡± The lizard lifted both arms over his head. ¡°I call upon the gods of the water to show us if these two are the source of the conspiracy that has been tearing Kadir apart.¡± His claws dropped on the two posts, and he leaned forward.


    Corvan put his hands on Tyreth¡¯s shoulders. ¡°We¡¯re going to fall together into the water, but you must not panic. Keep your mouth closed and don¡¯t let the air go out of your body. I won¡¯t let you drown; I promise.¡±


    Tyreth nodded but he could see the fear in her eyes. Reaching into his robe, Corvan pulled out the stub of a fire stick and stuck it in his mouth, just as a wall of spray exploded around them, obscuring everything and everyone in the amphitheater.


    Wrapping Tyreth tightly in his arms, he toppled them from the pier.


    Clouds of bubbles rose around them as they plunged into the water. Flicking the cap from the fire stick, he filled his lungs with air, then pulled Tyreth closer and tried to move the bubbling stick into her mouth. Her lips and eyes were squeezed tight, and a thin stream of bubbles were flowing steadily from her nose. They dropped deeper and her bubbles stopped. She needed fresh air right away.


    Pulling in another deep breath from the fire stick, Corvan placed his mouth firmly over hers, and pushed his air past her lips and into her lungs. Tyreth¡¯s eyes opened wide, and a burst of fresh bubbles streamed from her nostrils. This time she watched him pull more air into his lungs through the firestick. When he put his mouth to hers, Tyreth¡¯s mouth relaxed as she allowed the air to flow freely into her body. He took another breath through the stick, Tyreth¡¯s blue eyes locked on his, her lips lifted in slight smile then she pulled him close and put her mouth firmly over his to accept his air.


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    Their intertwined bodies didn¡¯t have a chance against the tentacles that wrapped suddenly around them. Corvan strained against the coils, but the powerful limbs squeezed even tighter, then swept them down through a dark opening in the wall of the karst. His lungs cried out for more air, but the stub of the fire stick was lashed firmly to his side.


    The tentacles jerked, squeezed one last time and then they were gone. Corvan released a burst of stale air, then held up the fire stick and filled his lungs. Tyreth watched, took it from his hand, and followed his example. Corvan looked overhead at the bubbles soaring up toward a huge silvery moon. There was fresh air back under the statue. Pulling on Tyreth¡¯s hand, he kicked furiously, towing her upward.


    They broke the surface in a cavern lit by patches of phosphorus yellow slime floating on the water. Up ahead a shaft of light shone down a crumbling stone stair to a landing, then the stairs turned towards the water. Corvan towed Tyreth toward it and they crawled out of the water across a beach of small pebbles, then collapsed on the steps.


    As his breathing returned to normal, Corvan turned his head to find Tyreth sitting on the step above him, looking out over the water in amazement.


    ¡°My father told me it was possible to survive the water, but I didn¡¯t believe him.¡± She looked down at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t believe him about you either.¡±


    As she studied his face, Corvan found himself wondering how someone so strong could also be so beautiful. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. ¡°So, what happened to the frightened boy I met in the prison?¡±


    Corvan moved up onto the step beside her. ¡°I guess he found someone worth fighting for.¡±


    Tyreth¡¯s smile spread to her eyes, and Corvan¡¯s cheeks grew warm. In his mind he was referring to Kate, but he was glad that Tyreth not only took it to mean herself, but that she also seemed to be pleased by what he said.


    She touched his shoulder. ¡°I am glad you came back for me and did not let me drown.¡± She leaned back on the steps and a mischievous sparkle shone in her eyes from the overhead light. ¡°Of course, now you will have to go back to prison for kissing the High Priest¡¯s daughter without his permission.¡±


    The warm flush spread up to Corvan¡¯s ears.


    Tyreth laughed and checked her shoulder into his. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you. My father wouldn¡¯t . . .¡± Her voice trailed off and she turned away to look over the water.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t save him,¡± Corvan said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think he would jump in like that.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°He likely new it was just a matter of time before the poison killed him anyway and he would not let that evil creature win. I admire him for exposing the Chief Watcher¡¯s lies. I just wish I would have had one last chance to speak with him while we were being held in the cells.¡±


    The surface of the water exploded as huge bubbles of air hit the surface, sending them both scrambling up the steps to escape the rising water.


    ¡°The water creature is back,¡± Tyreth shouted, climbing higher and pulling on his hand.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s the Chief Watcher. He intends to drown all the priests.¡±


    ¡°How can he¡ª¡±


    The water churned and belched another explosion of air.


    Corvan hollered over the rising noise. ¡°He controls the level of the water from the pillars where he stands. The low place where all the priests are sitting has been sealed off by a stone door and once the water rises into the priest¡¯s area, none of them will be able to escape the water, or the creature below.¡±


    Tyreth tore up the stairs, with Corvan right behind her. Muted echoes of the Chief Watcher¡¯s voice reached them as they squeezed through a crack into a corridor lighted by a single firestick in a holder on the far wall. The Chief Watcher¡¯s voice seemed to come from both directions.


    Tyreth grabbed his shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m going left, you go right. If you find the Chief Watcher, come back and find me.¡± She pushed him to go but then pulled him back. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything without me. I need you to stay alive.¡±


    Corvan nodded and turned away, but Tyreth pulled him back again. ¡°Do you have the hammer with you?¡±


    His heart sank and he shook his head.


    Her face dropped ¡°But I thought . . . do you have a sword?¡±


    He shook his head again and showed her the empty sheath still strapped to his forearm.


    Tyreth¡¯s voice rose in desperation. ¡°Anything at all?¡±


    Reaching under his cloak, Corvan unclipped the krypin rope and held it out to her. She hesitated, then took it and tore up the tunnel. Corvan watched her disappear around the corner, then sprinted in the other direction. What good would a rope be against the black lizard?


    The tunnel grew dark and jogged to the left, bumping Corvan off the wall and into something soft.


    ¡°Clumsy oaf,¡± a voice hissed in his ear. ¡°We aren¡¯t moving yet. Stay in your position.¡±


    A burst of light shot into the tunnel from a small window at the end. Squinting, Corvan found himself at the end of a row of red cloaked palace guards crammed into a short, wide passage.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your pike?¡± the man in front of him asked before reaching into the shadows. ¡°Take this. You¡¯ll need something to keep the priests from climbing over the wall. The idiots made it too short just so the spectators above them could see better.¡±


    ¡°Blue flag,¡± the man at the front of the line whispered. ¡°Let¡¯s move out.¡±

 Hammer 49: Shocks

    A door opened and the red cloaks marched out. Corvan brought up the rear as the palace guards spread out along the high wall behind the priests, leaving him standing just outside the door, directly above the toe of the statue¡¯s boot. Each of the guards ahead of him carried a long pike with a double barbed metal tip; Corvan¡¯s was only a lumien light pole with two flaps of leather attached to the end. The man standing next to him gestured for Corvan to lock the door whil3 showing him he had the key on a cord around his neck. Corvan shut the door, heard the lock click, then stood at attention with the rest of the men. He could only hope the cloak worked as well with a full stadium of people and the keen eyes of the Chief Watcher.


    ¡°The palace guard is here to protect you,¡± the Chief Watcher announced. ¡°If the priests are part of this conspiracy, they may try to break over the wall of their area and harm you. As we have seen with Tarran, what begins as lies and deceit will eventually turn to murder.¡±


    The black curtains behind the lizard parted, and the leader of the Rakash slipped in behind the Chief Watcher. The sightless face stooped low to whisper in the lizard¡¯s ear. The lizard nodded and the bony creature slipped away.


    The Chief Watcher left his control pillars and advanced to the front of the stage.


    ¡°People of the Cor, in the past it has been the self-proclaimed Cor-Vans who have continually plagued Kadir. Whether among the rebels or our own priests, these charlatans have led good people to destruction. It appears that even our High Priest and his family have succumbed to the wiles of one of these masters of deception.¡± The lizard pointed down that the pier. ¡°You have just heard Tarran shout that he was not the Cor-Van, that there was someone else. Yesss, and we have finally caught the one he referred to¡ªthe priest, Jorad.¡±


    Corvan could hear the excitement in the lizard¡¯s voice as the Chief Watcher¡¯s pronounced lisp briefly returned. The curtain at the back parted, and the four Rakash appeared with Jorad between them. A gag was stuffed in his mouth, and he was bound with a long blue krypin rope. The rope was forked at the end, and the separate strands spiraled down each of his legs. The Rakash leader moved in behind the priest, manipulating the krypin to force Jorad to walk forward like a puppet on its strings.


    As the Rakash guided Jorad to the front edge of the platform, the Chief Watcher pointed at the priest. ¡°This deceiver was attempting to use Tarran to take control of the palace through his army of priests.¡± His dark eyes turned toward the lower stands full of green robes. ¡°We will test the priests to see if they are indeed a part of this conspiracy. If they are guilty, then Jorad also stands judged.¡±


    The lizard lifted his arms. ¡°Answer us, gods of the water. Expose the liars and eliminate the lies so we might worship in truth.¡± Stepping back the Chief Watcher dropped its arms back onto the pillars. A surging waterspout momentarily obscured the pier, then thundered back into the rapidly rising water.


    The swirling currents quickly overflowed the edged of the karst. A few people scattered throughout the amphitheater stood and chanted, ¡°Death to traitors. Death to the priests!¡± but the crowd did not join them. They were intently watching the priests, the guards, and the swirling water, but Corvan¡¯s focused on the Chief Watcher. The lizard was pulling on his pillars with hooked claws and looking anxiously at the narrow window cut into the left wall of the karst. Inside, From his place near the door, Corvan caught a glimpse of a man floundering about the control room, frantically tugging on levers. The Chief Watcher¡¯s pillars shifted about of their own accord and the lizard struggled to keep his balance between them.


    The Chief Watcher pulled back hard and finally regained control. The water overflowed into the priest¡¯s section of seats, and they all scrambled higher to the dividing wall. From between the pillars the Chief Watcher looked on with the same bloodthirsty anticipation Corvan had seen when he devoured the lumien heart from the mother plant.


    Someone off to the side of the Chief Watcher turned to Corvan. Jorad was glaring at him, his face seething with anger. Corvan quickly lowered his head to hide his face, but he knew it was too late. Jorad was now certain he was in league with the Chief Watcher and the palace guards.


    Below the wall he was standing on, the speed of the circling water was increasing. A deep whirlpool was forming in the center of the karst, retreating from the tip of the pier but sending waves of water even higher into the priest¡¯s section. A few tried to climb the wall behind them, but they were met by the pointed barbs of the palace guards. One fell back, slipped on the wet seats and toppled headlong into the swirling water. His gurgling cries circled around until his body spun into the center of the vortex and vanished.


    The chanting ceased as all the spectators stood and watched in mute amazement.


    ¡°They may call upon the gods,¡± shouted the lizard, ¡°but they will be answered only with judgment, for now we know the priests are guilty of treason.¡±


    The water swirled higher and climbed over another level of the priests seating area. One more rise and all the priests would be drowned or impaled by the guards.


    Corvan edged towards the door. Tyreth had be somewhere up by the stage unless she too had been captured along with Jorad. He stole a quick glance up at Jorad and found the man intently staring down at the stage floor next to the control pillars.


    What appeared to be a green spider, trailing a long thin web from under the black curtains, was circling the feet of the Chief Watcher. Once, twice, and then it climbed up one of the pillars. Tyreth was sending in the krypin in to tie the Chief Watcher to his post.


    Along the wall beside him, the guards were jabbing at the defenseless priests but as soon as they saw him tied up, they would unlock the door above the boot and swarm up the tunnel to rescue their leader from the rope.


    Pulling out his last piece of fire stick, he quickly uncapped it and jammed the flaming end into the keyhole. Molten rock flowed down, sealing the door shut. His heart sank. He should have gone to help Tyreth but instead he had just locked himself outside with the guards.


    A hand thrust out of the door¡¯s small window and flipped the hood off Corvan¡¯s head. Corvan jerked back as Gavyn¡¯s smiling face appeared in the opening.


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    ¡°Where¡¯s Madam Toreg?¡± Corvan asked urgently.


    The boy shrugged.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Garek and the grey men?¡±


    The boy shook his head.


    Panic rose in Corvan¡¯s chest. ¡°Then where¡¯s the hammer?¡±


    Gavyn stuck his hand through the window and held the hammer out in plain view, its blue light throbbing like a lighthouse beacon. Corvan quickly pushed Gavyn¡¯s hand and the hammer back inside the window but with the light surging out the small opening, he was certain every eye was now focused on his back. He turned to check.


    There was only one pair of eyes bearing down on him. The eyes of the Chief Watcher. Corvan stared back into those murderous dark orbs and his blood ran cold. ¡°Gavyn,¡± he whispered hoarsely from the side of his mouth towards the window, ¡°go up the tunnel, find Tyreth and give her the hammer. Now! Run!¡± He heard the boy scamper away.


    Time slowed as if Corvan were in a trance. In slow motion the whirlpool churned one complete revolution as the Chief Watcher rotated in counterpoint to the face the leader of the Rakash. Then its arm swung back in a measured beat, like the second hand of a clock, to point at directly at Corvan.


    Just as his long claw clicked onto Corvan¡¯s location, the green rope bulged, its coils tightened, and the black lizard was lashed tight against the stone post.


    The whirlpool continued its frantic raced around its track. ¡°Treason!¡± shouted the lizard, its muscles twisting as it strained at the rope. ¡°The priests are all guilty and resort to trickery.¡± The lizard pulled against his bonds and the water began to slow down as it released the pressure on the pillars.


    ¡°Listen to me,¡± shouted the lizard. ¡°I speak the truth.¡±


    ¡°Then you shall be judged by the truth,¡± a woman called out.


    Tyreth stepped through the curtain, her white gown shimmering against its velvet blackness. Everyone froze in place and stared up at her.


    ¡°Another deception,¡± cried the lizard. ¡°More lies!¡±


    Tyreth strode toward him. ¡°No one can lie when they are holding the hammer.¡± She lifted both hands over her head, the hammer clearly visible in her grasp. Blue light from the handle enveloped her as she towered over the Chief Watcher.


    ¡°You say you have told us the truth, Chief Watcher. So now you shall be judged by it.¡± She lowered the hammer toward the claw lashed to the top of the post. The lizard writhed and tried to pull away, but he was held fast by Corvan¡¯s krypin. The water of the karst grew still as Tyreth pushed the handle down into the bound claw.


    Silently the lizard sagged down between the posts, a grimace on its face. Its head fell forward onto its chest as its breath was released in one long hiss.


    As Tyreth reached for the hammer, the Chief Watchers head snapped up, a devious smile spreading across his face. His thick tail whipped at Tyreth, knocking the control end of the krypin from her hand, then lizard drew up to his full height, the ropes stretching out as his claw raised the hammer off the pedestal.


    ¡°Old superstitions do not work on me,¡± it cried out. ¡°This hammer cannot harm me, for I am the only truth the Cor needs to obey!¡±


    His words echoed across the water, then a brilliant explosion of electricity erupted from the hammer, wrapping around the creature, and tossing Tyreth to the ground. Sparks shot out from around the base of the pillars as light blazed through the loops of the krypin. Lightning arced about the black band on the lizard¡¯s neck as the Chief Watcher¡¯s head reared back. The light in its eyes faded, and the creature slumped forward within tangles of blackened rope, leaving the hammer perfectly balanced on top of the pillar.


    The Rakash leader jumped past Jorad, reaching for the hammer, but in its haste, it released the priest from the control of the blue krypin. In that instant the black blade was in Jorad¡¯s hand, slicing through the air. The severed hand of the Rakash leader fell twitching to the floor, still holding the handle of the krypin rope. The handless Rakash leader staggered and slammed blindly into the pillar, knocking the hammer to the ground as the pale creature toppled off the balcony and vanished into the water below.


    Jorad leapt forward to stand before Tyreth, his blade extended toward the three remaining Rakash. Short yellow krypins appeared in their hands and on the end of each rope, a glistening point emerged. The three Rakash played the krypins like whips around Jorad¡¯s body until it seemed there were at least a dozen barbed heads seeking to get past his blade.


    Jorad slashed at one and sliced it almost in half, but another yellow whip sank its point into his forearm. The priest yanked it out and stepped back, but his hand shook and the black knife faltered.


    Now all three Rakash stood down and waited until Jorad¡¯s hand slowly dipped to hang limply at his side. The knife clattered to the stage flow and the three fanned out wider, their whips closing in like venomous snakes. The yellow ropes flowed through the air, their poisonous stingers pushing Jorad back the three Rakash drew closer to the hammer lying on the ground.


    ¡°Tyreth!¡± Corvan shouted. Her head twisted to look at him. ¡°The hammer!¡± He pointed to where it lay. Tyreth scooped it up and at the same time plucked the black knife from the ground. She leapt in before Jorad, the blade singing through the air and slashing the yellow ropes into pieces that fell twitching at her feet, but the Rakash did not retreat. They spread out along the front of the stage to surround Tyreth and each pulled out its own long blade. Each one appeared to be fixated on the hammer in Tyreth¡¯s hand. Somehow they could see its blue glow.


    Subtle movement at the far edge of the stage caught Corvan¡¯s eye. On that side of the platform, one of Madam Toreg¡¯s grey men was threading a fire stick into the stone floor. He spotted another grey man in the middle and one more closer to the curtain on Corvan¡¯s side.


    The three simultaneously gave their sticks a sharp twist and a muted thump shot a fracture clean across the balcony, separating the three Rakash from Jorad and Tyreth. The crack widened, then the huge slab tipped forward and the three gangly creatures stumbled to the edge as Garek appeared from the curtain, pulling Jorad and Tyreth back to safety.


    With a resounding crack, the two pillars snapped off the broken stage, taking the body of the Chief Watcher with them into the water below. The broken half of the stage tilted even farther. The Rakash slipped off but managed to cling to the leading edge. The entire slab of stone now hung only by the sturdy metal rods that had previously connected the pillars to the control room.


    The Rakash were pulling themselves upward on the inclined slab and for a movement it appeared they would succeed in getting onto the remaining flat piece of the stage, but then thick tentacles shot from the water and wrapped around the legs of the three white creatures. The tentacles pulled, stretching the already long bodies of the Rakash to a seemingly impossible length.


    An eerie, terrifying sound filled the amphitheater as the Rakash cried out. With loud pops, the knuckles of the control rods split apart and the front of the stage fell into the pool with a colossal splash, along with the three Rakash.


    A towering wall of water slammed the priests against the wall behind them, then dropped them back into their section of seats.


    ¡°Save those men,¡± Jorad cried out.


    The palace guard only milled about in confusion before some began to use their hooks to pull the priests to safety. Others people from the stands jumped forward to help pull them from the water.


    As the priests were being lifted over the wall, Corvan looked down into the karst. Through the ripples, he could make out the broken section of the balcony now lying on the bottom of the pool. The only sign of the Rakash was a severed hand trailing a long blue double headed krypin, its ends swirling around the submerged body of the Chief Watcher.


    Corvan looked closer. The lizard below was small and green.


    That wasn¡¯t the Chief Watcher. It was Tsarek!

 Hammer 50: Confrontation

    Jamming his long lumien flap pole behind the last tier of the priests seating, Corvan pushed off the wall and vaulted himself out past the seats over the water. Releasing the pole, h dropped in feet first, swiveled about below the surface and swam toward Tsarek as fast as he could go. A severed tentacle floated toward him, and he knocked it to one side.


    Grabbing Tsarek¡¯s paw, Corvan towed him towards the dark opening where the water creature had lived. Hopefully it had fled the battle or had been crushed when the stage collapsed. The dead weight of Tsarek¡¯s body made it hard work but he would not let go. His lungs were almost bursting as he surfaced in the low cave.


    Gasping for air and pulling the limp form behind him, Corvan swam to the closest shore and dragged Tsarek onto a slab of rock that hung over the water¡¯s edge. Rolling Tsarek onto his side he rocked the small body gently. ¡°Don¡¯t die on me,¡± he groaned. From the cuts and gashes covering Tsarek¡¯s body, Corvan had no doubt that Tsarek was the reason the water monster had released he and Tyreth. It must have been quite the battle for such a small creature.


    Water trickled from Tsarek¡¯s mouth, but his friend didn¡¯t cough or move.


    Across the pool, a shadow fell on the surface of the water in the light flowing down the stairs. Corvan glanced up, expecting to see a tentacle reaching his way. Instead, he found Jorad standing at the bottom of the steps, black knife in hand.


    ¡°When I saw you dive in,¡± the man said, ¡°I should have known it would be to try to save that evil creature¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°Tsarek helped me save Tyreth¡¯s life, Jorad. Besides, the Chief Watcher is dead, this is a different one.¡±


    Jorad picked his way around the pool toward Corvan, his eyes flickering to his left over the dark water. ¡°I was the one who saved Tyreth. You were in the stands helping the palace guard drown our priests.¡± He drew closer. ¡°I can¡¯t understand what the Chief Watcher could have possibly offered you to help him destroy us. Surely you didn¡¯t hope he would give you Tyreth.¡±


    ¡°I have never talked to the Chief Watcher,¡± Corvan replied calmly, ¡°and you can ask Tyreth. She¡¯ll tell you that I saved her from drowning earlier.¡±


    Jorad planted his foot at the front of the stone slab. ¡°I will ask her, but first I will make sure this creature is dead.¡± He pointed the tip of his knife at Tsarek¡¯s throat.


    Corvan leaned in over Tsarek and spread his arms wide. ¡°I won¡¯t let you touch him. He is a good friend, and he has saved my life more than once.¡±


    ¡°Then he has deceived you,¡± Jorad said. ¡°His kind can only serve their own selfish desires or the purpose of the one who commands them.¡±


    Corvan looked at Tsarek. ¡°You told Madam Toreg not to judge too quickly, yet you do the same thing. This creature has a good heart.¡± Corvan rested his hands on the small spines on the back of Tsarek¡¯s neck. ¡°If the hammer were here, I would swear on it that he is not evil.¡±


    ¡°What you swear makes no difference to me.¡± Jorad¡¯s eyebrows knit together. ¡°What you believe may feel true to you, but there are some things that do not change. The Watchers were created by evil and the only way to safeguard Kadir and the Cor is to make sure they are all dead.¡±


    ¡°This one already is,¡± Corvan said, but even as he spoke, he thought he felt Tsarek¡¯s spines tickle his palm.


    ¡°I will spare your life Kalian, in return for saving my life at the bridge, but I will not let you leave here until I know this lizard is dead. Their kind are masters of deceit and are known to feign death, just as the Chief Watcher just did on the balcony.¡± Jorad bent lower over the slab of rock.


    Corvan jumped to his feet and leaned in toward Jorad, standing the man back up. ¡°When you choose to judge someone before you know all the facts, you act more like the Chief Watcher than the new High Priest.¡±


    Anger flashed in Jorad¡¯s eyes. He grabbed the collar of Corvan¡¯s cloak and Corvan in turn wrapped both hands around the wrist that held the knife. Locked together, they rose up to jostle each other over Tsarek¡¯s body. Jorad stepped in hard, and his added weight tipped the stone slab Tsarek¡¯s body rested on steeply toward the water.


    Locked together, Corvan was able to keep Jorad from falling in but together they could only watch as the lizard¡¯s body slid down the rock and slipped beneath the water.


    ¡°Jorad, are you down here?¡± Tyreth¡¯s words came down the stairs along with her shadow. ¡°Did you find him?¡± The blue words from the hammer reached the landing and then danced on the ripples from Tsarek¡¯s departure.


    Corvan pushed himself away from Jorad¡¯s blade. The man stepped back and the rock tilted back up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let her see you,¡± Jorad hissed. ¡°She believes in you. It would destroy her to know you were helping the Chief Watcher.¡±


    ¡°But I wasn¡¯t. . .¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now.¡± Jorad whispered as he released his grip on Corvan¡¯s collar. ¡°Tyreth will lead Kadir now that her father is dead. Seeing you alive will only confuse the situation.¡± He pointed behind Corvan. ¡°Hide behind the rocks until we leave. Do this for me and I will help you escape the Cor and return to your home. It¡¯s the only way to save Kate¡¯s life.¡±


    Corvan reluctantly nodded and Jorad whirled about to make his way back to the steps. Retreating into the shadows Corvan crouched behind a jumble of rocks.


    The blue glow flooded the cave as Tyreth reached the landing and descended the flight of stairs leading toward the water, the hammer at her side. She smiled at Jorad, and the man took her free hand and helped her over the final broken steps.


    Leaving Jorad by the stairs, Tyreth approached the water¡¯s edge and gazed over the surface. ¡°That boy must have seen a priest fall in and jumped in to save him just as he saved me earlier.¡± Her fingertips brushed her lips. ¡°I didn¡¯t even get a chance to thank him and I don¡¯t even know his real name.¡±


    ¡°His name was Kalian,¡± Jorad said.


    ¡°Kalian. . . precious one,¡± Tyreth said, nodding. ¡°That¡¯s a good name for him. I felt something for him I can¡¯t explain. It was like my connection with Tarran.¡±


    Standing in behind her, Jorad shook his head slowly while looking in Corvan¡¯s direction. ¡°He is gone, Tyreth. He was sent to bring the hammer back to us. That was his mission and thankfully he completed it before he left us.¡±


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    ¡°Left us?¡± Tyreth said, shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t believe he is gone. With Tarran I knew he was dead, but with Kalian it feels like . . .¡± Her voice trailed off as she searched the surface of the water. ¡°My father believed Kalian would be our Cor-Van,¡± she said, lifting the hammer and looked into its glowing words. Her face appeared much older in the blue light, and also more tired. ¡°Now some of the council are saying I should lead the people. I don¡¯t think I am ready.¡±


    Jorad came forward to stand beside her. ¡°The burden of leadership is great, Tyreth, but I believe you will succeed. You are much stronger than you know.¡±


    Tyreth shook her head and raised the hammer. ¡°But am I wise enough on my own? All my life I have been pulled in different directions as people have used me, used my position as the High Priest¡¯s daughter, to their own advantage. Now that I have the hammer, the stakes are much higher, and the deceit will be more subtle.¡±


    Jorad moved in close to her side. ¡°I can help you to know whom to trust. I will be at your side supporting you. You know I would do anything for you.¡±


    Tyreth smiled as she looked into his eyes for a long moment.


    Jorad leaned in closer as if he would kiss her.


    A sharp tug on the back of Corvan¡¯s hood almost made him call out. He whipped around to find Gavyn grinning at him. The boy motioned for Corvan to follow him and tugged on his sleeve. Corvan nodded, but as they moved into the shadows, he turned back for one last look at Tyreth.


    There was nothing but blue ripples on the water.


    Swallowing the lump in his throat, he turned to Gavyn and spoke quietly. ¡°I need to go as quickly as possible back to Kate. Can you help me.¡±


    Gavyn only looked back at him with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°The girl on the litter Jorad and I were carrying in the City of Refuge,¡± Corvan said. ¡°She¡¯s at the Molakar settlement.¡±


    Gavyn nodded eagerly and scampered away to disappeared beneath a rough wedge of rock that was propped against the cavern wall.


    Corvan followed into a crawl beneath the rock that opened into a low passage with tunnels branching off in multiple directions. Gavyn obviously knew where he was going and he forged on ahead of Corvan, the glow of the fire stick Gavyn had lit often the only sign of his presence around the next corner or at the many intersections. Why was he running so fast?


    Crawling after him through a low spot, Corvan discovered Gavyn¡¯s light stuck in the rocks, but the boy was nowhere in sight. Sitting on the floor, Corvan leaned back against the tunnel wall and closed his eyes. An intense weariness swept over him and drained his will to move another inch. Tipping his head against a large boulder he closed his eyes.


    Before he knew it, Gavyn was back and tugging on his sleeve again. The boy held out a cup of something cool that tasted like weak apple juice. Corvan drained it.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, Gavyn. I could drink a gallon of that,¡± Corvan said.


    Gavyn took the cup back, nodded enthusiastically and pulled Corvan to his feet.


    Corvan head swam, and he stood swaying on unsteady legs. He needed more rest and something to eat.


    The firestick in the rocks sputtered and died. Gavyn held onto both of Corvan¡¯s hands and began walking backwards, guiding him around corners and over ledges. Corvan stumbled along after him.


    The sound of a rushing waterfall invaded his hazy thoughts, and a dense mist fell on his face and hands, as if he were walking right through a cold spring rain. The sound faded, they turned another corner and were welcomed by soft light ahead.


    Gavyn let go of his hands as they walked under an arch into a larger round room. Overhead was a high domed roof from which hundreds of lumiens hung. Lush green foliage covered most of the stone walls and vines ran up the walls, trailing strings of tiny globes like strings of Christmas lights. In the very center of the room, hanging from a stout stem, was one of the largest lumiens Corvan had seen so far, at least this close up. It was nearly the size of the one that had been in the High Priest¡¯s Hall. He gazed in wonder as he walked under it, then tripped up against something hard, caught his balance and looked about.


    All around him, raised garden beds divided the room with each growing a different variety of tree, shrub, or flower. The entire floor of room throbbed with life and color, like a living mosaic.


    Up ahead, surrounded by a low stone wall, stood the strangest tree Corvan had ever seen in person. Its trunk was bulbous and as smooth as the baobab trees that grew in Australia, with thick branches fanning out horizontally on top. From below it looked like a giant¡¯s green table on a stout pedestal.


    Gavyn dragged him along the path toward the great tree. Passing through a low gate in a circular wall around the tree, the young boy pulled him down on his knees into a thick moss that surrounded the trunk. A spring bubbled up from between the gnarled roots, then flowed into a stone catch basin and from there into channels that led to the various sections of the garden. Filling a carved wooden cup from the spring, Gavyn passed it to him, and scampered away.


    Corvan drank deeply then re-filled the cup from the basin and drained it. It was the same apple flavored water Gavyn had brought him in the tunnels. The young boy had picked up on his desire for more of this spring water, but this place was not where he needed to be. He had to get right back to Kate with some food to strengthen her while he looked for a way back home.


    As he waited for Gavyn to return, he studied the cup in his hands. It was carved with symbols similar to the ones on the hammer. The words had been cut around the base and above them were symbols representing people and animals, one of which was a lizard with a bright grin on its face.


    Setting the cup into the moss behind the pool, Corvan discovered a ledge supported on the tree roots that was crowded with many other intricately carved wooden objects. Some were of creatures he did not recognize, but in the middle of the carvings he saw a set that was the same as those in the central plaza statue in Kadir. It was a family of three people, but the woman¡¯s head wasn¡¯t broken off like the real one in Kadir and in this small carved version, the mother had long flowing hair and a smiling face that reminded him of Gavyn.


    Gavyn ran in through the gate and placed a basket of strange fruits at his feet. A grubby hand picked up something dark blue, about the size and shape of a lemon, and held it up to Corvan¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Thanks, Gavyn, but the water made me feel a lot better. We need to get going and I¡¯ll take this along to Kate. She¡¯s sick and needs it more than I do.¡± He tried to get his feet, but Gavyn pushed him firmly back onto the moss.


    The boy pointed at Corvan¡¯s chest and held the fruit up at him again. He would not be letting Corvan go until he ate something.


    Corvan took it from him, tried to bite the blue fruit and almost broke a tooth on the tough skin.


    Gavyn laughed, took it back and smacked its pointy end on a nearby rock. It split into sections. Poking his finger under a thick white membrane, the boy pulled out a squishy purple tube from one piece and dropped it into Corvan¡¯s hand. When Corvan went to nibble the end, Gavyn stopped him, pulled out another of the tubes, and showed him to put it all in his mouth and bite down hard. Corvan followed his example, and sweet nectar exploded in his mouth.


    Corvan grinned with pleasure, and purple juice squirted out between the boy¡¯s two front teeth. Gavyn laughed again and this time Corvan chuckled with him. A fresh surge of energy flowed through his body. Gavyn was right. Eating was a good idea. He would be no help to Kate if he was too weak to walk. He grinned at Gavyn and sticky juice trickled down his own chin, sending the young boy into hysterics.


    Corvan ate another section of the fruit and this time his body responded with a desire to close his eyes and lie down. It was a long walk back to the settlement. He would never make it if he didn¡¯t take a short rest. ¡°Gavyn, can you wake me up in twenty minutes?¡±


    The boy cocked his head and Corvan realized how little sense that would make to someone in the Cor. ¡°I need a short sleep, but don¡¯t let me sleep long, okay? I¡¯ve got to take some food to Kate, and I¡¯ve got to get back home to my mother.¡±


    Gavyn nodded seriously. Sitting down next to the spring, he pulled out a dark piece of wood from a cleft in the side of the large tree and began to carve on it. It was slow going with his crude blade he was using and Corvan dug into his pocket, pulled out his Swiss Army knife, and tossed it to the boy. Gavyn pulled out every blade and examined every tool with focused curiosity before he chose one and resumed his whittling. An even larger smile of satisfaction grew as he worked.


    Corvan closed his eyes, and let the exhaustion overwhelm him.

 Hammer 51: Council

    When Corvan awoke, the lumien light was fading and Gavyn was nowhere to be seen. He¡¯d slept far too long. Scooping up a cup of fresh water, he leaned against the trunk of the tree, downing the sweet liquid, and studying his surroundings for any clue of which way he should go to get out of Gavyn¡¯s tree room.


    It was hard to know because the cavern wasn¡¯t fully round; it also had seven sides, just like the hammer. Each section was divided by slender buttresses that soared overhead to meet in the center of the ceiling where the large lumien hung down. Only three of the sections had doors but which one had he come in? If Gavyn did not return soon, which one should he try to leave through? It might be better to wait here than get lost in a tangle of passages.


    Corvan walked around the path on the edge of the low central wall to get a better view of the room and discovered that the paths in the room formed the same intertwined outline he had he¡¯d seen on Kate¡¯s medallion. The wall marked the inner circle on the medallion where the glowing words sometimes appeared. He looked inside around the tree trunk for any indication of words or stones that might give some clue to how this all fit together but there was only dirt and moss and the small water channels.


    He completed his circuit around the great tree and returned to the gate when it came clear. He had been extremely tired when they had first arrived, but they had approached the gate from an oblique angle to his right. That path led to one of the open arches. He was about to check it out when Gavyn appeared from behind the thick trunk. The boy pantomimed eating things off a table, gestured eagerly for Corvan to follow, then ran back the way he had come. Corvan followed around the trunk to see the boy vaulting over the wall, running up one of the angled paths and disappearing into a door on the far side of the room.


    ¡°This is like chasing the White Rabbit around Wonderland,¡± Corvan muttered as he loped around the wall after him.


    A short distance inside the doorway, the passage was blocked by fallen rock. A pebble bounced off Corvan¡¯s head and he looked up at a rope slowly twisting in circles as Gavyn climbed overhead. Using a boulder for a stepping stool, Corvan grabbed the rope and followed. He was a good twenty feet off the ground before he realized that, for the first time in his life, he was climbing a rope with ease. If this was the result of the water from the base of Gavyn¡¯s tree, he was going to drink a lot more of it. He was glad for the newfound feeling of strength in his arms and chest.


    Reaching the top of the rope, he stepped onto a shelf and headed down a passage. Around the corner, Gavyn was spread eagle on a stone wall, his feet supported on foothold in the rock on each side so he could get high enough to peer through a small hole. The boy jumped down, pushed on a rocky knob in the center and a piece of the wall swung forward. Gavyn ran inside Corvan had to to avoid being left in the hall before the door closed again.


    They were inside a large pantry full of food. Gavyn had somehow activated a lumien on a hook by an open door across the room. He pointed into the dark recess on the other side and put a finger to his lips. Corvan nodded back to him, then checked out the room.


    Many cloth bags hung from pegs driven into the walls and clusters of fruit dangled from hooks embedded into the low ceiling. Baskets were piled on the tables that ran down the center of the room, and a rack of pointed jars occupied the far wall where a stream of water in a trough appeared to be keeping them cool.


    Gavyn skipped about, popping things into his mouth from the baskets on the table. He looked across the table and indicated that Corvan should try some as well.


    ¡°This is great, Gavyn,¡± Corvan whispered. ¡°I can take some of this to Kate and the healer in Molakar, but we should go soon.¡±


    Long loaves were piled in one of the baskets. Gavyn picked out a small one and handed it to him. It smelled mildly of cinnamon and was a bit hard to chew, but it was the best bread he could remember eating in a long time. Going around the table he spoke quietly to the boy. ¡°Do you know every secret passage in this place?¡± he asked between bites. ¡°Is there a faster way to get back to Kate?¡±


    A proud look on his face, Gavyn went to the far wall and pushed up on three pegs in succession. The bags suspended below the pegs bobbed and then low opening near the floor swung open. Gavyn crawled through and Corvan set his bread on the table and followed. The boy stood up just inside, put a finger to his lips and shook his head vigorously. There would be no whispering in this area.


    Reaching into his tunic, Gavyn withdrew a round globe, gave it a quick shake and a soft light emanated from it to illuminate a passage constructed from stone blocks. As they moved along it struck Corvan that they were within in behind the walls of a building. Moving past a sharp ninety-degree intersection with a set of narrow stairs heading down, Gavyn led him up to a tight spiral staircase. Gavyn began to twist his way around the pole in the center and Corvan followed with a growing sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Reaching the top, he realized why. Gavyn was crouched beside the small door leading onto the ledge over the High Priest¡¯s Hall. It was right here where he had first met Jorad.


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    ¡°Do you want me to go out there?¡± he whispered to Gavyn. The boy nodded but when Corvan put his hand on the latch, Gavyn shook his head, covering his ears and wincing. He was reminding Corvan that this was a creaky door which meant there must be people on the other side. From his porch door back home, Corvan knew how to defeat a squeaky hinge. Leaning hard on the latch, he eased the door slowly and quietly open.


    A voice floated up from the great hall below. Gavyn gestured for Corvan to go out but stayed close by the door as Corvan crawled onto the ledge, lay flat and looked out to where the mother plant had been. A chandelier with more of the glowing orbs hung from a rope, low over the great table. Six men were sitting around the table; three in white cloaks, two in the green cloaks of the priests, and one in a hoodless black tunic, with his chair tipped back on two legs, was mostly hidden by the hanging lights. Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused the far wall towards the tapestry and the hidden entrance.


    ¡°No doubt the Chief Watcher had that piece destroyed,¡± said one of the priests. ¡°We will never know the message it contained.¡±


    ¡°It is for the best.¡± Jorad spoke from somewhere under the ledge. ¡°We have wasted far too much time and energy searching for a Cor-Van from outside to come help us.¡± The top of Jorad¡¯s head came into view. ¡°I think we should use what resources we have at hand to work together and bring peace and prosperity back to Kadir.¡±


    An older man in white turned to Jorad. ¡°So, you no longer believe the Cor-Van exists, Jorad?¡±


    ¡°The scrolls and tapestries all describe the Cor-Van as a great leader,¡± Jorad replied, pointing at the ruined tapestry. ¡°Someone who speaks the truth and rules with authority. I no longer believe those sacred words point to a specific person, but rather to the office of the Cor-Van, a leader we can all follow. Tarran was such a leader. He was a great man.¡±


    ¡°Who brought us the lost hammer,¡± a thin man in a green robe interjected.


    ¡°And who saved Tyreth from the karst,¡± added another priest, ¡°paying for his brave deed with his life.¡±


    Jorad walked forward and leaned on the table. ¡°All of those are examples of a Cor-Van, a true leader. That is the point of the ancient words. Our leaders are already here among us, whether in the priests or among the people of the city. We have only to open our eyes and we will find the Cor-Van we require. Tarran was one,¡± he paused, ¡°and his sister Tyreth is another.¡±


    The oldest priest snorted and shook his head. ¡°Our people will never follow a young woman, even if she is the High Priest¡¯s daughter. With the Rozan rebels threatening to tear Kadir to pieces, rumors of more Rakash at large, and reports of Broken gathering in secret caverns, we need an older man to bring us through these troubled times.¡±


    Another man in a white robe finally spoke up. ¡°As the youngest member of the city council, I believe it is time to change our attitudes about who is allowed to be a leader in Kadir. After today, there is not a person in our city who does not believe Tyreth is capable of leading us.¡± He pointed at Jorad. ¡°She was certainly more courageous than all the priests who cowered in the stands.¡±


    ¡°It is not up to the people of the city,¡± the old priest retorted and the other two men in the white robes sat up straighter. ¡°It is up to this council to decide together.¡± Heads nodded. ¡°I consider Tyreth to be too headstrong, just like her father. That man put his foolish plans with Morgan and Tarran into action without the knowledge of the city council. We lost good men from both the priests, loyal palace guards and from the council because of his foolishness.¡±


    Jorad folded his arms across his chest. ¡°Her father is dead and after today¡¯s events, I believe that if we do not appoint Tyreth to the palace, the people of Kadir will rise up against us. The division would tear the city apart and leave us open to attack from the rebels or the Broken or even from . . . Him.¡±


    The old man in white waved Jorad off. ¡°You have just said that the Cor-Van is not a specific person, why would you not believe that the evil ruler of all the Cor is now just a legend as well. Do you think you can frighten us into agreeing with you that Tyreth should lead us by insinuating he is still alive and a threat to Kadir.¡±


    Jorad turned from the table and walked back under the ledge. His voice floated through the room. ¡°If I were to be appointed the new High Priest and Tyreth were to govern from the palace, would a marriage between the two offices dispel your fears?¡±


    The old priest grunted and pursed his lips. ¡°Are you certain she will accept you?¡±


    ¡°Tyreth and I have been close since we were children. She has no one else in her life to consider. Everyone she loved is dead.¡±


    The man in the black tunic tipped his chair forward onto the floor with a thud as he spoke out. ¡°Your plan for a union has some merit but this is not the right time.¡± Everyone around the table turned to look at him. Corvan recognized the voice. It was the captain they had met at the city of the dead. ¡°Many of the soldiers are suspicious of the priests, but everyone trusts Tyreth. Now that she possesses the hammer, she will embody the truth. I would agree that if she had someone at her side to manage the political sides of leadership, we may create the stability we all require, including the soldiers.¡± He stressed the final word as he leaned back in his chair, folded his arms and stared across the table to where Jorad stood out of sight below. There was a long moment of silence as those around the table shifted uncomfortably as Jorad reappeared at the table, then took the empty seat.


    ¡°We should at least take the first steps,¡± declared the old priest. ¡°Jorad shall be appointed High Priest, and Tyreth can become the interim leader of Kadir. In a short time Tyreth will be of age and permitted to marry, then she can make her own choice.¡± The old man looked between Jorad and the Captain. ¡°Once she does, we shall celebrate the first marriage between government and religion.¡±


    ¡°Or government and the military,¡± the captain said firmly.


    The old man in white clapped his hands together. ¡°This may yet prove to be a prosperous time for us all. Let us proceed with our plan and inform Tyreth of the decision of this new council of Kadir.¡±

 Hammer 52: Alone

    Corvan slipped a bit farther back from the edge of the balcony as the men pushed back from the table. Some started to leave but the man in black spoke up. ¡°There is one other matter we must discuss and that is what we are to do about the opening my men uncovered in the Cor shield at the Molakar settlement. It has been reported to me that there is an open passage beyond the break, leading upward.¡±


    ¡°It must be closed,¡± Jorad stated emphatically. ¡°No doubt the Chief Watcher was using that opening to bring the Rakash and other creatures, like the one that died in the Molakar karst, into the Cor. We must not wait for more evil to enter; we must keep ourselves separated from whatever and whomever is out there if we hope to rebuild and survive.¡±


    There were nods of agreement around the table but not from the man in black.


    ¡°Take some of the priests with you tonight,¡± the old priest said to Jorad. ¡°Close it if you can, then relocate all the lumiens and the people to one of the other settlements. After that, seal off the entrance to the Molakar settlement. We shall pass a law banning anyone from going that way again. Now that we have the hammer back, our laws will be judged swiftly and severely.¡± He pounded his fist three times on the table.


    The men stood and made their way to the front door, but Jorad and the old priest remained by the table.


    Corvan waited on the ledge, keeping his eyes on the two men below. Without Jokten to show him his secret door, the passage beyond the crack in the Cor shield was his only hope of getting Kate home to safety. He had to beat Jorad and the priests back to the settlement.


    The old priest pointed at the tapestry. ¡°You must also destroy what is left of the great tapestry. Without the key in the center, it is useless anyway. Partial knowledge is more dangerous than you know.¡± The old priest left the room and as soon as door closed behind him, Jorad walked toward the tapestry, nodding to himself.


    ¡°It is useless to you, but not to the one who holds the key to discovering where it leads,¡± he said to the empty room.


    Corvan pushed back farther on the ledge and out of sight. Did Jorad have that piece of the tapestry? He could recall the Chief Watcher cutting it out, but the creature had left it on the chair. Yes, and that was the same chair that Jorad had been sitting on after the lizard left. Jorad must have taken the folded-up piece of tapestry and was not telling anyone else that he was in possession of it.


    As he moved farther back where Jorad could not see him, Corvan¡¯s feet brushed the open door and it let out a muted squeak. He glanced back but Gavyn was nowhere around. Retreating through the small door, he left it open and quietly descended the stairs.


    Retracing his steps he found Gavyn back in the storage room with the secret, three peg door, propped open with large purple melon. The boy was nibbling his way around the table like a fussy mouse.


    Corvan quietly shut the secret door. ¡°Gavyn,¡± he whispered, with one eye on the regular door coming into the pantry, ¡°I need to get to the Molakar settlement as soon as I can.¡± Gavyn did not seem to understand where Molakar was located, so Corvan drew out a map of the Kadir cavern in the dust on the table, outlining Molakar and telling the boy why he desperately needed to get Kate home before she died. ¡°The only way out is through that crack in the wall the soldiers discovered.¡± He made an X on his dust map where he thought it might be. ¡°But I have to get there before Jorad does.¡±


    Gavyn added some of his own markings to the map, drawing strange figures around the falls. A tear splashed into the dust as Gavyn touched his chest, shook his head, and pointed to the broken bridge, then the places beyond. More tears welled up into his eyes.


    ¡°Are you saying you can¡¯t go with me past the bridge?¡±


    The boy nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Gavyn, but I have to go. Kate needs me. Can you take me as far as the bridge?¡±


    Gavyn nodded and his eyes brightened. He moved around the room, filling a small cloth sack with various items from the baskets on the table. Drawing the string tight, he handed it to Corvan and beckoned him to follow him back down to the garden room.


    As Corvan followed he wondered how long it would take Jorad to get his men together and make it out to Molakar. If they shut the crack, he would need to find out who had the key to open the portal door overlooking the city. If Tsarek was still alive he might be able to help but right now there was no choice but to try to beat Jorad back to Molakar.


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    The journey beneath Kadir took them through what appeared to be dried out sewers. Gavyn did not seem to be in any great hurry to get to their destination, and Corvan kept urging him on.


    Finally, they climbed up a ladder, out a round hole and into the streets on the ruined side of Kadir. There was no fog and he saw no one as they passed through the ruins and came to the side of the river. There was only a low wall here alongside the road to keep people from falling into the water. Following it along they drew near a suspension bridge that cross river. An opening in the wall revealed the stairs he and Jorad had carried Kate up after escaping from the City of Refuge through the water discharge tunnel.


    Gavyn tugged on his sleeve then pointed out over the river and shook his head. Corvan knelt down and Gavyn touched his forehead to Corvan¡¯s. The boy made a noise in the back of his throat as if he were trying to say something, then threw his arms around Corvan¡¯s neck and cried silently on his shoulder.


    ¡°I will miss you, Gavyn,¡± Corvan whispered in his ear. ¡°You¡¯re like a little brother to me.¡±


    The young boy pulled back, a pleased smile on his tear-stained face. Reaching inside his tunic, he pulled out the star-studded holster and held it out to Corvan.


    ¡°No, Gavyn,¡± Corvan said. ¡°I want you to have it. I don¡¯t need it now that Tyreth has the hammer.¡±


    The boy pressed the holster into Corvan¡¯s hand. There was something inside it and when he unsnapped it, he found the black hammer inside. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± he asked as he pulled it out. There was no glow, and it was a lighter than before and not quite as smooth. He grinned at the realization that Gavyn had whittled a replica from a block of dark wood. Corvan put it back inside the holster and closed the snap. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. I will always carry it with me to remind me of you.¡±


    He buckled the holster back in place at his side wishing that he had something to give Gavyn in return, something the boy might find valuable and meaningful . . . he did have a gift like that. He fished out the pouch with the red seeds. Afterall, the seeds born from the mother plant and Tyreth¡¯s blood belonged here in the Cor, not in his world, and nobody would appreciate their worth more than Gavyn. ¡°I want you to have these, Gavyn, so you won¡¯t forget me.¡±


    The boy tugged on the cord and as the pouch opened up a red glow lit the tracks his tears had traced down his face. He looked at Corvan in awe. Pointing to the roof of the cavern, he traced a wide arc with his hand, then took out one of the pulsing red seeds from the bag and tucked its glow inside his tunic. Closing the pouch, he handed the two remaining seeds back to Corvan as if the pouch contained all the wealth in the world.


    Corvan reluctantly returned it to his pocket and his hand fell on the connected pieces of broken mirror glass. Maybe Gavyn could find a use for it. He held it out and Gavyn accepted it with a smile, then pulled the two sides apart. He touched the white side to his heart, then closed Corvan¡¯s hand around the blue one and pushed it up to Corvan¡¯s chest.


    ¡°For us to remember each other?¡± Corvan asked.


    The boy nodded, studied Corvan¡¯s face intently, then reached into his own robe and tugged a slender silver chain over his head. Pulling Corvan back to his knees, he pushed the chain under Corvan¡¯s hood and around his neck.


    There was something on the end of the chain and when Corvan lifted it out he. found another silver medallion, identical to the one that Kate carried. It did not glow when he touched it so most likely Gavyn carved this gift as well. It would have been quite the task with the finely interwoven design. ¡°Thank you, Gavyn, I will never. . .¡± He looked up but the boy was already gone. A mournful tune from Gavyn¡¯s pan pipes floated over the ruined city.


    Corvan turned towards the bridge, surprised to find the metal plates had been replaced and bolted down. He crossed to the other side, half expecting to find Garek and the grey men hiding in the shadows but there was no one nearby. Overhead a few of the remaining lumiens were getting lighter and at the thought of Jorad rousing his men to get out to Molakar, Corvan quickened pace. Jogging around the bend in the river road he approached the dam, then followed the aqueduct across the fields to dry pool. Climbing out the other side, he began to ascend the settlement trail.


    At the first corner of the switchbacks, Corvan looked back at the city. He had to get back to Kate, but strangely he was finding it hard to leave Kadir behind. Now he was actually saying farewell to people who were now a part of him: Tsarek, Rayu, Madam Toreg, Gavyn, and especially Tyreth. He had not felt this lonely since his journey began. His father was right. To love others was to embrace pain, at times enough to break your heart.


    Climbing the first set of stairs, he passed the scarecrow with its painted eyes and thought of the Rakash. He knew they could swim, and he had not seen them in the temple karst when he dove down to rescue Tsarek, so one of them might still be on his trail, possibly the one that lost his hand to the black knife. He looked back over the valley. Nothing moved on the ground, but high overhead a small shadow on dark wings swooped past the blue lumien moon.


    He dropped in behind the wall and waited until the rantel headed toward the crags on the other side of the river. Had it seen him? He pushed the thought away. One thing he¡¯d learned on this journey was that he didn¡¯t need to focus on the fear of what might be coming around the next bend. He just needed to take the next step. He looked at his feet and moved one in front of the other. ¡°Okay, Corvan, that¡¯s one. How about another?¡± He moved his other foot forward. ¡°Good enough. Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    Where was he going? He was going to take Kate home. How would he get there? He wasn¡¯t really sure but what mattered most was simply taking the next step. His heart lifted and his head came up. He was not going to give in to fear. Stepping past the scarecrow, he whistled his father¡¯s tune.


    Someone else began to whistle it with him.


    He was not alone after all. A ghostly grey man was walking beside him.

 Hammer 53: Family

    When Corvan emerged into the Molakar settlement, the only light was the glow from the patches of purple moss. The leader of the grey men had vanished at the entry into the tunnel just as silently as he¡¯d appeared, but Corvan hoped he might still be watching over him.


    Approaching the karst Corvan looked across at the broken crane hanging sloppily above the black water rushing around the island below. The line of unlocked empty shackles brought a sigh of relief. Hopefully all the men had been set free and the young boy with the crew cut hair had escaped with the others.


    He ran a hand over his head. His own hair had grown considerably longer during his time in the Cor. According to his family traditions that meant he was now an adult. He nodded to himself. Something had changed in him when he had gone into the karst. He had faced the fears of his childhood and had left them behind. If being an adult meant saving innocent lives then he was willing to embrace that responsibility.


    He turned away from the karst. Now it was time to focus on Kate, find a way home and give her a fighting chance to live free of the darkness again.


    All the cliff dwellings were dark and Jokten¡¯s home was as lifeless as the rest. Corvan crept into the entry and set the sack of food on the floor. There was a cough from inside and a small fire stick sputtered and settled into a soft glow. The tree on the tapestry covering the inner chamber came to life. Viewed from this side the branches of the tree were covered in pale blue blossoms. On the top left corner, a man dressed in a cloak faced a woman faced in a white dress on the other side. Arranged between them were the hammer, the medallion, and a carved staff with an internal purple light.


    The scene split in two and flickers of the firestick light fell on his face.


    Jokten¡¯s wife gave him a halfhearted smile. ¡°I was hoping you would return soon.¡± She held the curtain wide. ¡°She is fading quickly. Her strength is almost gone.¡± She motioned for him to follow her to the other room where she stuck her firestick candle into its wall sconce.


    Corvan was shocked by the sight of Kate¡¯s white face on the stone table. Had it not been for the old woman¡¯s words, he would¡¯ve been certain she was already dead.


    ¡°She is being pulled deeper into darkness,¡± the old woman said. ¡°I thought the medallion might work to bring her back, but she continues to slip away.¡±


    Corvan squeezed Kate¡¯s limp hand but there was no response. ¡°There has to be something we can do for her,¡± he said urgently.


    The old woman caressed the girl¡¯s forehead. ¡°It is hard to know what to do when the good of many people is weighed against our love for the one. We could cut into a lumien seed and squeeze its life into her mouth, but I do not think that would be enough or what the long-term effects might be on her. Regardless, in the end the Cor would be a darker place with one less lumien to sustain the community.¡±


    Corvan touched her shoulder. ¡°What about these?¡± Pulling the pouch from his pocket, he lifted one of her hands and dropped the last two seeds from the pouch into it. Instantly the room was infused with warmth and light.


    ¡°Where did you . . . It can¡¯t be. How is this possible?¡± She stared at the bright gems in disbelief.


    ¡°Can they help Kate?¡±


    The old woman¡¯s fingers closed tightly around the seeds and a pulsing red glow shone through her skin and outlined her bony fingers. Light twinkled where the top of her thumb would have been. She twisted her head to look into his eyes. ¡°These seeds represent new life for the city of Kadir and perhaps the entire Cor. Would you deny our world their salvation to save one person?¡±


    Corvan wanted to say yes, but the word stuck in his throat, and he just stared at her.


    She slowly shook her head. ¡°We do not even know if it would work. If we allowed her to eat one of these, it would be more than her worn out body could handle. Just touching them, I can feel the power flowing through my hand.¡±


    Corvan wrestled with his thoughts. Gavyn had one seed, the healer could keep one, and the other could be used to save Kate. But what if all three were needed to bring light back to Kadir? He looked at Kate¡¯s pale face. Should he take the risk everyone else might die so he could take her back home?


    ¡°Could we at least let her touch them and see if that helps?¡±


    There was no answer. Corvan turned to find a dumbfounded look of amazement on the wrinkled face. ¡°Would touching them help her?¡± he asked again.


    Ever so slowly, the old woman lifted her hand before him and opened it wide. The two seeds sparkled merrily on her smooth palm as she pushed her hand closer. ¡°Look, Cor-Van. Look! My hand!¡±


    Corvan looked closely at her hand. The soft skin looked like a teenager¡¯s hand attached to a gaunt arm. ¡°The seeds have a lot of power,¡± Corvan said. ¡°That must mean it would help Kate to hold them¡±.


    ¡°Corvan.¡± She said his name the way his mother did when he wasn¡¯t really listening to her. ¡°My thumb is back.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s eyes opened wide in amazement. Just as a salamander could regrow its tail, the power in the two seeds had regrown the end of the old woman¡¯s thumb. Corvan was about to touch it, to make sure it was real, when the woman pushed him aside and dropped onto her knees by Kate. Gently she pulled Kate¡¯s hands down to her sides with the palms facing up. ¡°Hold this for her,¡± she said, handing him the medallion. ¡°It is very powerful and opens doors, but it cannot stop death.¡±


    The woman dropped one of the seeds into Kate¡¯s right hand and waited. Nothing happened.


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    ¡°Put one in her other hand,¡± Corvan said, crouching next to the old woman and peering into her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty,¡± she whispered. ¡°A darkened soul is very different from a severed thumb. This may take some time.¡±


    ¡°But she doesn¡¯t have much time.¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± she said, pointing down.


    Kate¡¯s hand had closed over the red gem. Bright light ebbed through the tightly clenched fist, then crept up her arm. Color returned to her face and the healthy glow moved on down her left arm before stopped at the welts around her wrist. The pale hand clenched, and the glow receded away from the welts.


    ¡°She needs the other one,¡± Corvan urged.


    ¡°No,¡± the old woman said firmly. ¡°There is enough power in the one; she must make the choice to accept it. She must let go of the hate and accept the love she has already been given.¡±


    Corvan put his hand on Kate¡¯s forearm. The warmth within was being pushed back by a deathly cold. He put his face close to hers. ¡°Please don¡¯t let it win, Kate. I promise that I will take you away from here and back home.¡± He clenched her arm and the cold stopped beneath his fingers. ¡°Your mom misses you. She loves you.¡±


    There was no response. He touched his cheek to hers and whispered in her ear. ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    A surge of warmth flowed under his hand and the red welts around her wrist crumbled off like old scabs. Tears of relief slipped from Corvan¡¯s eyes and splashed on Kate¡¯s forehead. As he wiped them away, she took a long slow breath. Her body relaxed and her hands unclenched.


    The old woman inspected the seed in Kate¡¯s open hand. A pink glow flickered across its surface. ¡°She has absorbed most its power.¡± She plucked it out, and Kate¡¯s hands clutched frantically at the air. ¡°Let her hold the medallion now instead. It will comfort her.¡±


    Corvan placed the disk in Kate¡¯s palm, and her fingers wrapped tightly around it.


    ¡°Is the seed still alive?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, but I will need to plant it very soon.¡± She held out her hand. ¡°May I have the bag? The other one may help this one rejuvenate. Just as with most living things, companionship is of the essence.¡±


    Corvan handed her the empty bag. Dropping both seeds inside, she tucked it away in her tunic, then sat wearily on the bench by Kate, probing the base of her regrown thumb and shaking her head in amazement.


    ¡°When do you think she¡¯ll be able to walk on her own?¡± Corvan asked. ¡°I need to get her into the gardens where they found that crack in the Cor wall.¡±


    ¡°The seed has done wonders for her, but I do not think she can walk just yet. I don¡¯t think I could help carry her and the soldiers have moved everyone else out to the other settlements. I hid in here and they did not come for me. If Jokten returns, he will help you carry her.¡±


    Corvan looked into her face. She deserved to hear the truth about her husband.


    Sitting beside her on the bench he told her of the fight in the pit, how bravely Jokten had faced the monster, and how Jokten was the one who slew it in the end.


    Tears rolled down her cheeks as he told her how he¡¯d had buried her husband by the falls. ¡°I wanted to put a sign there,¡± Corvan said, ¡°to tell everyone that beneath that pile of rocks was Jokten, slayer of the great beast.¡±


    She brushed the tears from her cheeks. ¡°You did right by him and in due time you will take his place as a great leader.¡±


    Corvan¡¯s shoulders sagged and he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can be a leader; I fail more than I succeed.¡±


    She took his hand in both of hers¡ªone frail and wizened, the other pink and warm. ¡°If you keep doing what is right, are merciful, and live with honor, you will eventually become a great Cor-Van.¡± She looked down at Kate. ¡°And now that the girl is recovering, maybe you can both stay here and help us drive the evil from our world.¡±


    ¡°But she can¡¯t live under the light of your lumiens,¡± Corvan said.


    She pursed her lips. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that now. That seed was powerful, it may have. . .¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stay here,¡± Corvan interjected. ¡°I promised I¡¯d bring her home.¡±


    The old woman patted his leg. ¡°Get some rest. I would go out and find you food, but the soldiers took all the plants and lumiens with the people.¡± Getting to her feet, she held up her healed hand. ¡°Jokten always regretted asking me to find him more fire sticks so he could explore the passages. I wish he was here to see this.¡±


    Removing the firestick from its holder in the wall she carried it into her kitchen area and hung it near the counter. ¡°I don¡¯t have much left in my pantry, but I should be able make you something to eat.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Corvan said. He retrieved the cloth bag from the entry, placed it on the counter and untied the top. ¡°I¡¯ve brought along some food from the priest¡¯s pantry. They have loads of stuff there.¡±


    She gasped in surprise as he pulled out the different foods and lined them up in a row on the counter.


    ¡°How wonderful!¡± she exclaimed, picking up the long loaf of bread. ¡°Let¡¯s slice some of this.¡± Pulling two knives from hooks on the wall she handed him one and pointed something that looked like a fat yellow cucumber. ¡°You cut some thin slices of that to go with the bread. Not too thick, mind you.¡± Her face grew sad. ¡°You will need to take the rest with you for your journey home.¡±


    After eating their simple sandwiches in silence, Corvan placed half the food back into the bag and pushed the rest toward her.


    ¡°You take it all,¡± she said. ¡°I should be able to find some food they left in the community garden.¡± She tried to put it all back in his bag but he pulled the drawstring tight and held it high over her head where she could not reach it. She laughed until tears flowed down her face.


    In the other room, Kate groaned. The old woman looked over the counter at her. ¡°That¡¯s a good sign, she¡¯s coming around. Her body is growing stronger already.¡±


    Corvan went into the next room and looked at Kate. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time before Jorad and his men get here to evacuate the Molakar settlement and seal it off.¡± Corvan, said as he flipped his hood back over his head. ¡°We need to leave as soon as we can.¡±


    The old woman brought the firestick, stuck in into the holder on the wall and joined him beside Kate. She looked up at him through a swatch of thin white hair. ¡°They already took everyone from Molakar, why do they need to seal it off from Kadir?¡±


    ¡°They want to make sure no one can enter or leave through that crack the workers and that small boy found. That¡¯s why I had to come back so quickly. I think that crack is my way to get Kate back to the surface. The Captain said there was a passage beyond it that led upward.¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t leave now,¡± she said, tugging on his sleeve. ¡°There are many things you need to know about your family¡¯s history in the Cor¡ªwho they were and who you are.¡±


    ¡°My family was from the Cor?¡± Corvan asked.


    She threw her hands in the air. ¡°Not just from the Cor. Your family ruled Kadir before the rise of the Watchers.¡±


    Corvan put the bag down next to the bench. ¡°How can I be from the Cor when I live above?¡±


    Kate turned onto her side and the old woman sat down and put a hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I must tell you about how that came to be and many, many other things. There is so much you need to understand before you leave here and go through the Cor shield to return Kate to your world.¡±


    Jorad¡¯s voice filtered in through the curtain. ¡°He will not be allowed to leave.¡±

 Hammer 54: Goodbye

    Jorad pushed through the curtain with the black knife extended, and grim determination etched on his face by the flickering firestick. ¡°You will not leave the Cor until you give me the counterpart to the hammer, the medallion Kate was wearing. It belongs here in the Cor. You, however, do not belong here and never will.¡±


    ¡°Those are strong words.¡± The old woman stood to her feet and stood next to Corvan. ¡°How did you come by this knowledge?¡±


    Jorad glared steadily at Corvan. ¡°What I have learned is that even the innocence of youth is false. I have decided to take matters into my own hands.¡±


    The old woman leaned forward and peered into Jorad¡¯s face. ¡°And what do you intend to do with a medallion?¡±


    Jorad turned his attention to her and stood up straighter. ¡°As the new High Priest, I will maintain the balance of power between the palace and the priests. A medallion will give me the leverage I require to ensure that the palace cooperates.¡±


    Corvan threw his hood back. ¡°You aren¡¯t talking about the palace.¡± He shook his head in disgust. ¡°You mean Tyreth, don¡¯t you? You don¡¯t even trust the woman you hope to convince to marry you.¡±


    Jorad pushed the tip of the knife at him. ¡°You are a foolish boy. Not only were you spying on others, listening in on private conversations, but you also left a map in the dust down in the temple pantry. That¡¯s how I knew exactly where to find you. You know nothing of how to handle power. That is why you will never be a leader of the Cor.¡±


    Corvan did not pull back from the blade. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be your kind of leader. I don¡¯t want to control people; I want others to know that I care about them.¡±


    Jorad¡¯s gaze went to Corvan¡¯s neck, then he lifted the point of the knife to Corvan¡¯s throat. ¡°You can say what you want but since you are leaving the Cor, you will give me the medallion you are wearing on that chain. In return, I will permit you and Kate leave through the Cor shield before I close it and seal off this settlement for good.¡±


    Corvan looked at the blade, then to Jorad¡¯s face. ¡°How do I know you are telling the truth?¡±


    ¡°Because I am now the High Priest of the . . .¡± Jorad¡¯s voice trailed off. He stood blinking in the silence.


    Corvan withdrew Gavyn¡¯s medallion from within his cloak. For a brief moment, he regretted itwas only a replica and not the glowing one that soothed a person¡¯s fears. The real one might actually heal Jorad¡¯s hard heart.


    Keeping his knife extended, Jorad yanked on the medallion Gavyn had given to Corvan, the chain biting into the back of his neck before the thin chain snapped. Intense satisfaction shone in Jorad¡¯s eyes as he tucked it away. ¡°My men will arrive any minute with enough fire sticks to bring down the rocks and seal off the tunnel to this settlement. If you wish to try to leave through the crack in the Cor shield, you must go immediately. I cannot allow them to see you.¡±


    He pointed the blade at Corvan¡¯s arm. ¡°I will take back the scabbard I gave you earlier.¡±


    Corvan pulled up his sleeve to expose the sheath and the old woman help to untie it, then put it in Jorad¡¯s outstretched hand. As he tucked it inside his robe, Corvan turned away, bent down to Kate and gently shook her shoulder. ¡°Wake up, Kate. It¡¯s time to go.¡±


    Her eyes fluttered open and focused on his face. ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°We are going home. I¡¯ll take you to see the stars.¡±


    Kate nodded and Corvan helped her to her feet, shielding her from Jorad while making sure to cover her hand that still clutched the glowing medallion. Pulling her in close he whispered in her ear. ¡°May I carry this for you while we walk, Kate? It would be nice to feel its warmth close by, just for a bit.¡±


    To his surprise, Kate willingly released the medallion into his hand. He tucked it secretly inside his tunic, glad for once it did not glow strongly for him.


    Taking Kate by the hand, he led her into the kitchen room. ¡°Why is it so dark out?¡± she asked.


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    ¡°It¡¯s nighttime,¡± Corvan said.


    ¡°Where are all the stars?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re covered up right now,¡± Corvan replied, ¡°but we¡¯ll see them soon.¡±


    Jorad held aside the curtain into the entry. ¡°Quickly now. We have no time to lose.¡±


    Corvan helped Kate out of the dwelling and into the Molakar cavern. Jorad followed and once they were outside the door, he lit a long firestick and held it up to light their way.


    From the entry a thin voice called out, ¡°Farewell, Cor-Van. May you walk in the truth until we meet again.¡±


    ¡°Wait here a minute,¡± Corvan said to Kate, releasing her hand and running back to hug the hunched-over shoulders. He crouched low and looked into her eyes. ¡°How can I say good-bye? I don¡¯t even know your name.¡±


    ¡°My name is Saray.¡± She kissed his cheek and lowered her voice to a whisper. ¡°When you come back to us, you must be sure to find me. I will help you become a great Cor-Van.¡± Reaching into his cloak she unclipped Gavyn¡¯s carved hammer, turned it over in her hands, fumbled with the holster and then clipped it back into place. ¡°You must keep this as your pledge to return to us. Unless you return this to the Cor, our people will continue to suffer.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Corvan said softly, glancing back to make sure Jorad was not coming closer. ¡°The real hammer is with Tyreth. Gavyn made this one, and I think he also carved that medallion I just gave to Jorad. I have the real one with me but I think Kate still needs it.¡±


    Saray nodded and patted his arm and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I understand where all this is going and soon you will too.¡±


    ¡°The others are arriving.¡± Jorad called out, holding his firestick aloft and pointing at a faint glow coming from the entrance into Molakar. ¡°The captain informed me he would be bringing his guards along with my men to ensure we close off Molakar completely. We need to move quickly.¡±


    Saray gave him a tear-filled smile. ¡°Until we meet again, Cor-Van,¡± she said, then turned back to her dwelling.


    Corvan ran back, took Kate by the hand, and moved along the path leading past the karst and towards the where the gardens had been.


    Jorad fell in behind them. ¡°Do not think you were sent to be our Cor-Van,¡± Jorad said quietly. ¡°A true Cor-Van must know how to wield power and shape the world in which he lives. Instead, you have been used by others to accomplish their goals. That is not the destiny of a Cor-Van.¡±


    Corvan did not respond. There was no point arguing with Jorad. He tightened his grip on Kate¡¯s hand and pulled her faster down the path.


    On the far side of the karst, they entered a roughly hewn cavern full dirt, debris, and pieces of uprooted plants. A bit of light shone out from a few clusters of small lumiens overhead. Farther along, a new corridor ran straight ahead between crude stone support pillars cut out of the solid rock. At the end of the double row of ragged columns, a patch of the Cor shield was exposed against the cavern wall. A long crack ran up the center of the glossy rock, easily wide enough for a person to walk through.


    ¡°Do not touch the walls once you are inside,¡± Jorad urged. ¡°Legend says the cracks in the Cor shield will close on any who touch the walls. I will seal it once you are through and protect our people from more intruders from the outside.¡±


    They stopped at the entrance into the crack. Kate turned back, left Corvan¡¯s side and approached Jorad. ¡°Thank you for helping us, Jorad,¡± she said, kissed the man on the cheek, then returned to take Corvan¡¯s hand.


    The lines on Jorad¡¯s face softened and he looked at Corvan. ¡°I am sorry it turned out this way. I want to believe that you were deceived by the Watchers, that you did not know better.¡± He swallowed. ¡°You could not know what evil they brought on us. Many good men were deceived by them¡ªincluding my brother, Morgan. In turn, he betrayed my family . . . took my wife and child as prisoners to the palace and . . .¡± His forearm bulged as his fist clenched tight around the hilt of the black knife hanging at his side.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jorad,¡± Corvan said, ¡°but I promise you, I did not betray¡ª¡±


    Jorad¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°No one who has been in the company of the watchers can be trusted.¡± He gestured toward the crack with the blade. ¡°You must leave the Cor and never return.¡±


    Corvan looked into his eyes. ¡°I understand how much you must hate the Watchers. I only hope it does not blind you to the truth.¡±


    Jorad shook his head. ¡°I no longer believe that truth exists.¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± Corvan said. ¡°I know it has changed me for the better.¡±


    ¡°Then you are more fortunate than most.¡± Jorad held out the fire stick. ¡°You may need this on the other side. Go quickly. I will stall them as long as I can.¡±


    Corvan accepted the fire stick and stuck out his other hand to shake Jorad¡¯s.


    Jorad looked at Corvan¡¯s hand, then back to his face. His jaw tensed, then he turned abruptly and strode out into the darkness between the pillars.


    As soon as Jorad was past the closest column, a shadow stepped out. Corvan¡¯s heart thumped in his chest. Was it the Rakash? One of the grey men?


    A tiny fire stick, like a lone votive candle in a huge cathedral, came to life, throwing its feeble light up the stone spire.


    Below the light, A small figure stood in the darkness.


    Tsarek was alive and he was waving good-bye. Corvan waved back, his eyes brimming with tears. When he blinked them away both the light and his friend were gone.

 Hammer 55: Upward

    Wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his cloak, Corvan turned and guided Kate cautiously into the crack. Holding the long firestick in front of them, he watched as flickers of light shot through the rock and disappeared. This part of the Cor shield was much thicker than where he had come through when Tsarek had broken his collarbone. At first the crack was wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side, but it quickly narrowed. Getting through without touching the walls would be difficult¡ªor impossible. He shuddered at the thought of being entombed in the Cor shield, like two bees encased in amber.


    ¡°I need to go ahead of you and lead the way,¡± Corvan said stepping in front of Kate. ¡°But remember what Jorad said, we must not touch the walls.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t breathe in here,¡± Kate said, shaking her head. ¡°The walls are moving closer. I want to go back.¡± Her breath came in shallow gasps as her hand waved frantically in front of her face. He had forgotten how much she hated enclosed spaces. Twisting about, she tried to turn back, but with his free hand, Corvan pulled her in close against his chest.


    ¡°Look into my eyes.¡±


    Kate raised her head and her eyes focused on his.


    ¡°Try taking a deep breath,¡± Corvan urged, all the while working to keep his own fears from overrunning him. He felt her take a shallow breath, her heart beating madly against him. ¡°I promise you Kate, there is enough air in here for both of us.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s my light?¡± Kate asked. ¡°Can I have it back now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Let me get it for you.¡± Fumbling inside his tunic, Corvan retrieved the glowing medallion and pressed it into her hand. Immediately she relaxed against him and breathed deeply.


    Tugging Tyreth¡¯s scarf from under his cloak he held it out. ¡°Remember how we used to play Blind Man¡¯s Bluff around the Castle Rock? If you tie this over your eyes, I¡¯ll hold your hands and lead you through the crack to the open space on other side. Is that okay?¡± Even as he said the words, he wondered if a passage back to their home was actually on the other side. They said the boy reported a tunnel leading up, but what is if it was a dead end?


    Kate nodded faintly, then tied the scarf over her eyes. Taking her by the hand, he thrust the firestick out far front of them. The back stone edges at the end of the crack were visible a short distance ahead. ¡°We are almost there,¡± he said calmly, but the way the crack shimmered and appeared to move even closer choked back his confidence.


    A shout from behind them in the ruined Molakar gardens jerked Corvan¡¯s head around. Beyond Kate¡¯s head, firesticks were moving toward them between the stone columns. Kate strained against his hand and tried to turn back, her free hand tugging at the scarf.


    Corvan pulled her on. ¡°We need to keep moving Kate. We¡¯ve got to get away from here.¡±


    Through the crack, Corvan caught sight of the captain from the council meeting leading a troupe of red cloaked guards past a assembly of green cloaked priests.


    The voices from out in the cavern echoed around them as the company drew nearer.


    Something bounced off the toe of his slipper and Kate twisted her hand free from his.


    ¡°I dropped my light,¡± she said, panic rising in her voice. Raising the scarf, Kate dropped to her knees, crawing back to follow the medallion as it rolled along the floor, its glow fading as it bumped along on its points toward the approaching soldiers.


    The captain¡¯s deep voice called out, ¡°Something is coming through the Cor shield! Shoot it! Shoot at the firestick!¡±


    Tossing the firestick into the void behind him, Corvan dropped to the ground as arrows whistled overhead. Grabbing Kate¡¯s ankle, he desperately dragged her backwards, but Kate screamed and tried to slap his hand away.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to attack!¡± a man shouted, and more arrows clattered off the walls overhead.


    Reaching behind him, Corvan grabbed ahold of the rocky floor and yanked hard on Kate¡¯s leg, dragging her along the ground, then tumbling them both out into the shadows on the far side of the crack.


    They lay in a heap, the fire stick hissing behind them in the rocks as it sputtered and burrowed its way into the molten stone, slowly plunging the open space around them into near darkness.


    The noise from the soldiers died away at a terse command from the Captain.


    ¡°Where¡¯s my light?¡± Kate asked loudly.


    Corvan leaned close and whispered in her ear. ¡°We must stay quiet, Kate. Don¡¯t move or talk. I will find your medallion and bring it to you.¡±


    Kate nodded and he pulled the scarf back down over her eyes, then crept back to the crack. If Tsarek was correct, with one touch he could seal the crack in the Cor shield. They would be safe from the soldiers, but also stranded with no way to go back if this passage turned out to be a dead end. Besides, it would be next to impossible to get Kate to leave without her medallion.


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    He peered into the crack. Most of the firesticks on the other side had been extinguished but the glow of the medallion was nowhere to be seen. A shadow shifted on the floor and in the soft light of the Cor shield he could see someone crawling toward him.


    Corvan moved his hand closer to the wall. If the people from the Cor made it through to his world, there was no telling what creatures like the Rakash might do. Medallion or not, he needed to close the crack and keep everyone safe.


    The man in the crack coughed and crept closer. Corvan¡¯s hand faltered. The soldier was just obeying orders. He should at least be given a chance to escape.


    ¡°You need to go back,¡± Corvan hissed. ¡°I¡¯m going to seal the crack now.¡±


    The man kept coming until he was just a few feet away, then he looked up.


    A smile spread across the wrinkled face of Rayu. ¡°You¡¯ve kept this old man running all over Kadir trying to catch up with you. It was lucky I happened to be in the soldier¡¯s barracks when the call came to come out to Molakar. Given all the excitement, I was certain it had to be you.¡±


    Rayu pointed back to the Molakar cavern. ¡°They are arguing about what to do,¡± he said quietly, ¡°and that usually takes quite a while. The captain wants the crack left open for the time being, but Jorad wants it sealed immediately. I was listening in on their conversation when Saray found me. I haven¡¯t seen her or Jokten for a very long time. I was sorry to hear that Jokten had passed from the Cor. He was a great man.¡±


    Rayu came closer, his gaze on the darkness beyond the Cor shield. ¡°Saray told me where you are going and that I had should come check to make sure you made it through. She said I must do whatever it takes to keep them from following you or getting their hands on this.¡±


    Rayu opened his hand and the medallions green glow lit up his kind face. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I did because I found it on the ground. It would be very bad for the Cor if Jorad or the captain were to get their hands on this one. Saray said you were to take it with you and keep it safe until you returned.¡±


    He held out the medallion. Corvan leaned forward and as he took it from Rayu, its light flowed right through him, warming his hand and his heart.


    Rayu pointed past him to where Kate sat on the ground, the scarf over her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m glad you found your counterpart again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but she¡¯s not doing well. That black band did something to her before she decided to choose the medallion instead.¡±


    ¡°She will recover, in time,¡± Rayu said. ¡°She is strong, and you will need her beside you when you return to help us restore Kadir and the rest of the Cor.¡±


    Corvan shook his head and thrust the medallion back to the old man. ¡°I¡¯m not coming back. Tyreth has the hammer, and she can lead the Cor. You need to take the medallion to her instead.¡±


    The old man began to tell him something about Tyreth, but shouts from the far side of the crack drowned him out. Fire sticks blazed to life, their light pushing through the crack. The clash of swords mingled with the cries of ¡°the Rakash! the Rakash!¡±


    Rayu pointed at Corvan¡¯s chest. ¡°As I expected, the leader of the Rakash does not want you to leave until he gets that cloak back.¡± Rayu patted Corvan¡¯s forearm. ¡°But do not be afraid. I will not permit the Rakash to follow you.¡±


    Pulling his hand back, Rayu shoved himself deeper inside the Cor shield. ¡°It my time to say good-bye, Cor-Van. May your love for others always be guided by the truth.¡±


    Before Corvan could say anything, Rayu smiled at him, reached out, then patted the exposed edge of the shield wall.


    A soft hiss of escaping air, like a pop bottle being opened, flowed past Corvan. He blinked and he was looking at a glossy smooth wall.


    He sat in the dead silence for a long moment, staring as the amber rock faded to dark stone. Had Rayu just sealed himself inside the rock or had only the leading edge closed off? He hoped it was the latter.


    ¡°Who were you talking to?¡± Kate asked from behind him. ¡°Did you find my medallion?¡±


    Crawling back to her, Corvan removed the scarf from her face and placed the glowing medallion in her outstretched hand. She studied it a moment, then wrapped her fingers around it and looked up at him. ¡°Can we go home now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Kate. Now we can go home,¡± he replied.


    The firestick was deeply embedded in the floor, but he managed to ease it free without breaking it. Helping Kate to her feet, he led her away from the Cor shield and up a passage that was heading steeply upward. If it kept climbing this way, it had to eventually come out at the surface.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see the stars,¡± Kate said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find them, but first we need to go on a long walk.¡±


    The corridor before them was shaped like a squashed tube, the floor was rippled from when an ancient stream had slowly carved its way through the rock. No water flowed in the channel now, and Corvan was keenly aware that they didn¡¯t have any with them.


    Corvan had no doubt that the journey out would take just as long as the days it took to reach the Cor. Kate didn¡¯t have much strength, and they had to stop often to rest.


    When the fire stick finally died out, they moved on, ever upwards by the light of Kate¡¯s medallion.


    ¡°I need to sit for a few minutes,¡± Kate said quietly.


    ¡°Here¡¯s a good spot,¡± Corvan said and helped her recline against the sloped wall. Kate nestled in beside him and shivered. Pulling out Tyreth¡¯s scarf he draped it over her shoulders, then removed his cloak and spread it over her. She snuggled in closer and fell into a deep sleep.


    The medallion slipped from her hand, and this time, when he picked it up, it kept glowing for him. Tsarek said that in the days when he had worn the black band, the medallion gave him a feeling of hope for the future, and right now Corvan had to agree. Its light grew even stronger as he studied the markings, turning the words around, flowing them from truth to compassion to justice, then back to truth. It made sense that the medallion would be connected to the hammer. To be a good leader you had to hold all three attributes in tension. If any of them were missing, you would make a mess of things.


    His thoughts went above to the long black box his father has shown him on the Castle Rock. The hammer represented truth and the medallion was about compassion so whatever the third item was, it must bring justice to a situation. He would ask his father about it when they got back.


    Kate groaned in her sleep and Corvan brushed her long bangs away from her eyes. A faint smile fluttered across her face.


    Lifting the edge of the grey cloak, he lay down behind her and put his arm around her. Her hand reached for the medallion and closed about his own.


    Corvan took a deep breath and drifted off to sleep.

 Hammer 56: Thirst

    Corvan awoke to the scent of lilacs on cool breeze. For a moment, he thought he was stretched out on the front porch swing at home, his mother¡¯s tabby cat curled up against him. A tickle of hair touched his cheek and as he went to brush it away, he recalled where he actually was, in a dark passage deep underground. In spite of that harsh reality, he smiled to himself, for Kate was cuddled up with her back against him, her head resting on his forearm.


    Kate stirred, then rolled over to him and snuggled into his chest, her hand seeking his and the comfort of her medallion. Releasing it into her grasp, he lay perfectly still, waiting until her breathing fell into a steady rhythm. One thing he now knew for certain was that he would never again be bothered by the boys teasing him that he liked Kate. He was no longer afraid to admit it and he hoped she felt the same way about him. He drew the warmth of the cloak over them and dozed off, only to wake up to a cold breeze flowing over his back. He reached for the cloak, then jumped to his feet. Kate was gone!


    ¡°Kate!¡± he called out, but there was no answer. He stumbled up the passage, but it was too dark for his keen eyesight to pick out any movement in the tunnel ahead. He stopped, glanced back down, and caught a glimpse of green light a long way down from where they had been sleeping. Stumbling toward it, he called her name again, and this time he heard Kate respond with a question he couldn¡¯t quite catch.


    When he reached her, Kate was at the top of a steeper section of the passage. The cloak was loosely draped over her shoulders and the medallion outstretched in her hand as she used its light to stare at a sharp corner in the passage below.


    ¡°What are you doing, Kate?¡± he asked, wondering if she was sleepwalking.


    She turned her head slowly to him, a quizzical look on her face. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear him calling?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Who?¡± Corvan responded, half expecting the leader of the Rakash to appear from behind a large boulder at the corner below.


    ¡°The old man from the secret room,¡± Kate said. ¡°He wants me to come back.¡± She held the medallion up between them. ¡°Sometimes, when I hold this, I can hear his voice.¡±


    Corvan frowned. As far as he could figure, the only old man Kate could be referring to was Rayu. She must have heard his voice when he gave the medallion back and wanted to see him again. Then again, there was no way to know for certain it was Rayu, given how long they had been separated and all she had been through. Maybe she met someone else when she was being held captive by the rebels, or was referring to the rebel leader himself. ¡°You must have been dreaming,¡± he said. ¡°We need to keep moving. Are you ready to walk a bit farther?¡±


    Kate nodded slightly and shivered.


    Corvan tried wrapping the scarf more closely around her neck, but she pushed his hand away and tugged it off. ¡°I don¡¯t like how it smells,¡± she said, holding it out to him. Corvan took it from her and wrapped it around his own neck. ¡°Let me fasten the cloak for you,¡± Corvan said, as he buttoned up the front. Taking her by the arm, he turned her about and guided her back up the slope.


    ¡°I¡¯m thirsty,¡± Kate mumbled as they passed the place where they had been sleeping and Corvan picked up the food bag.


    ¡°If we walk a bit further, we should come across some water,¡± Corvan replied, but he didn¡¯t have much hope. When they had first left the Cor shield, they came across a few pools of water in deep pockets at the edges of the old watercourse, but lately there were none to be found. The last one had been more than four rests ago, and the effects of dehydration were setting in. Their food supplies in the cloth bag were also almost out, but without any water, neither of them wanted to attempt choking down the dried-out bread that remained.


    As he led the way up the passage, deep fear seeped into his soul along with the darkness that pressed in around them. It was getting colder, and he raised Tyreth¡¯s scarf over his face and breathed in her lingering scent. Her words in the prison cell came back, ¡°be brave and it will be all right.¡± Was that even true? Right now, he didn¡¯t feel very brave so how could that make anything better.


    Kate stopped, looked ahead, and whispered hoarsely past cracked lips. ¡°Is it much farther? This night is too long and there are still no stars.¡±


    ¡°We are getting closer,¡± Corvan replied, giving her hand a squeeze. ¡°How about we count out a thousand steps and see where that takes us.¡±


    Kate nodded and he began to count. At the end of the thousand steps, they rested briefly, then did it again. Having a goal help keep his fears at bay, but as they moved along the count dropped to five hundred, then one hundred and finally to twenty-five. At nineteen steps, Kate collapsed in a heap. She looked like she wanted to cry but her eyes remained dull and dry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t, sorry Corvan.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Corvan croaked. He barely had enough moisture in his mouth to get the words out. ¡°Rest here. I¡¯ll find water.¡±


    Wrapping her with the cloak, he waited until her eyes closed and her rasping breaths became more regular. She was so weak that even when he eased the medallion from her grasp, she did not resist. He did not want to leave her alone in the dark but needed some light to explore ahead and look for water.


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    Around the next bend, the passage rose even more steeply over stair-like ridges. He began to climb but his strength gave out and he fell to his knees, then slumped onto the next tier. Had they come all this way just to die of thirst? How was that fair?


    His father¡¯s words echoed back from the recesses of his weary mind. Don¡¯t be looking for this world to be fair to you. Fair is what you do for others, not what you expect to receive.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Dad, I just need to take the next step. I need to get Kate home.¡± He crawled forward over the ledge. ¡°Come on, Corvan,¡± he whispered, ¡°you can do it.¡±


    But he couldn¡¯t.


    In utter exhaustion he fell on his face, his last bit of energy seeping from his body into the cold stone.


    The green glow from Kate¡¯s medallion wavered before his eyes. He relaxed his hand, and it rolled off with a soft metallic ring on the stone. For a moment it was balanced on its points, then it rolled slowly away and off the edge. In the stillness he listened to it bounce down the stone steps, sounding like a small bell fading into the distance. The ringing ended with a soft plop.


    It took a long while for the last sound to register in his mind. It had something to do with wishing or praying. When he was child, he was given three medallions, no, they were coins¡ªand he was dropping them one at a time into a round hole; plop, plop, plop. With each one, he had been making a wish that one day he would grow up to be an amazing superhero.


    Corvan raised his head. The memory was from his parents taking him to the wishing well at the park in Fenwood and giving him three pennies to throw in. Now, the sound he had just heard could only be from the medallion falling into water. He rolled on his side and squinted down the slope where a green light danced from below the ripples of a small pool.


    Crawling on all fours, he made his way down to the light and found a trickle of water bubbling up into a shallow depression, then flowing away under the wall. Dropping on his stomach he drank deeply, picked up the medallion, then made his way back to kneel beside Kate.


    ¡°I found water,¡± he said, shaking her shoulder.


    Kate¡¯s head rolled to one side, but her eyes did not open.


    Corvan pulled her toward his chest. He didn¡¯t have the strength to lift her, but if she helped . . . He shook her gently. ¡°Here Kate, hold your medallion, put your arms around my neck, and I¡¯ll carry you.¡±


    Her eyes remained shut, but her head dipped slightly and when he put the medallion in her hand, she reached up further and clasped her hands behind his head. Corvan pushed to his feet and staggered around the corner.


    Kate revived as they rested by the small spring, drinking and finishing off the last of the bread. Corvan let her eat her fill before nibbling on the last pieces at the bottom of the cloth bag. Turning it inside out he brushed off the crumbs, then rolled up the rim. ¡°Look Kate, it¡¯s a toque to keep your head warm.¡± Kate smiled as she took it from him and tugged it over her head, her eyes moist and alive again. She leaned in to him and he pulled her close to rest against him.


    He let Kate doze until she stirred again. ¡°Shall we try another thousand steps?¡± he asked.


    Kate nodded and he helped her to her feet, but before long she was stumbling up the steep steplike flow, barely able to lift her feet under the grey cloak.


    ¡°Your cape is too heavy for me,¡± she said, fumbling with the buttons. Corvan helped her take it off, then fastened it over his own shoulders. Kate tried walking alongside, holding his hand, but she tripped on a rocky lip and pulled him down with her, his knees smacking painfully against the rocks.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Corvan,¡± she whispered, her shoulders convulsing with dry sobs. ¡°You need to go on without me. Take the light with you.¡± She held out the medallion and a cold fear swept over him along with a wind that blew in sharply from around the next corner.


    Pushing the feelings of dread aside he got to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave you, Kate, not ever.¡± He reached down for the hand that held the medallion and its light brightened and flowed around their intertwined fingers. Taking her other hand, he pulled her to her feet and took a step back. ¡°Keep looking in my eyes and follow me. We can do this one step at a time.¡± He stepped backward and she followed, her eyes locked on his.


    The wind grew steadily stronger, Kate bread bag toque was whipped off, she broke eye contact and looked past him. She tried to speak, but the wind whipped her faint words down the tunnel. Shaking her head she pulled feebly on his hands, but he leaned back and forced her to keep coming. If they quit now, they might never get up again. Just one more step!


    He stepped back but his foot found nothing but empty air.


    Kate yanked on his hands; eyes wide with fear before they toppled together off a ledge and into a rushing river below. Icy water cut through Corvan¡¯s cloak as the currents tore Kate from his grasp. The green glow of the medallion slipped away from him on the darks surface of the water. Kicking furiously Corvan swam after her.


    The ceiling swept lower.


    The glow drew closer.


    His hand brushed Kate¡¯s face, then in a roar of foam, she was pulled away as he tumbled over a waterfall.


    Coughing up water, Corvan surfaced off to one side of the falls in a shallow pool. He got to his feet on the rocky bottom. ¡°Kate! Where are you?¡± he called out, splashing to one side, his hands outstretched. His hand jammed into something hard and he felt his forefinger finger snap. Pain shot up his arm, clearing his mind.


    ¡°Kate!¡± he shouted, his throat rasping with panic.


    Standing still, he listened intently over the sound of the flowing water and heard a low moan. ¡°Kate? Where are you? Speak to me.¡± Another moan came from the other side of the rock he had just hit. Falling to his knees in the water, he felt around what was more like a stout wooden pillar until the glow of Kate¡¯s medallion came into view, lying in the water. He lifted the light and found her lying half submerged in a shallow pool, her eyes closed. A gash on her head and a deep cut on her face were turning the water around her pale face deep red. ¡°Are you okay? Say something, Kate.¡±


    Kate didn¡¯t open her eyes, but a smile touched her lips.


    ¡°I saw the stars, Corvan. We¡¯re home.¡±

 Hammer 57: Home

    Corvan stood at the Fenwood hospital window watching the remnants of a prairie sunset fade over the western hills. He was glad the day was finally over. The harsh sunlight glaring off the stark white walls Kate¡¯s hospital room had been unbearable.


    Footsteps approached, then retreated to answer the jangle of the nursing station phone. He hoped it was a long call. The nurses would not be happy to find him back in Kate¡¯s room again.


    Streetlamps began flickering to life around the empty parking lot below. His parents should be returning at any time to take him home, but it didn¡¯t feel right to leave Kate here by herself. Kate¡¯s mother would certainly not be coming to see her. Just a week after he and Kate had disappeared, she had taken off with the man she had met at the roadside diner.


    Turning away from the darkening sky, he moved toward the clunky metal bed where Kate slept beneath a fuzzy white blanket. She looked somewhat comical with her hair sticking up in swatches through the bandage that had been wrapped around her head.


    He studied her for any sign of movement. He had heard the whispers of brain damage from the nurses¡ªhow Kate might never wake up again or, if she did, how she might not remember anything from before her injury. He refused to believe that would happen. They had come through so much together and he would not give up on her now.


    The steady drip of Kate¡¯s IV had been doing its work, and her face was no longer drawn and thin. The cut in her cheek had been carefully stitched back together and they said it was healing incredibly fast. She would likely end up with a scar similar to the one that Tyreth would have for the rest of her life down in the Cor.


    At the thought of Tyreth he turned back to the window. Up here, with the vast prairie sky overhead, the daughter of the High Priest seemed like a figment of his imagination, and the Cor as far away as another planet. He gazed above the trees to where a few stars struggled to outshine the city lights. A surge of pity for the people of Kadir tugged at his heart. It was like they were all locked away in a dark prison, paying eternally for some ancient crime.


    ¡°The stars are beautiful.¡±


    Corvan whirled about and went to the bed.


    Kate smiled faintly, then winced as the stitches tightened on her cheek. ¡°What happened to me?¡± She tried to sit up, but Corvan put a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°You need to lie still and rest. You fell and hurt your head. Don¡¯t you remember?¡±


    She stared blankly at him. ¡°I think so. Did I get hurt bad?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a cut on your head and on your cheek. You¡¯ll be okay but you need to rest for a while.¡±


    ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t have been climbing on the Castle Rocks in the dark,¡± Kate said.


    ¡°The Castle?¡± Corvan asked.


    ¡°I remember going out there and falling down but I don¡¯t even remember what I was doing out there at night. I had my mother¡¯s outhouse flashlight with me.¡± Her eyes crinkled in a teasing smile. ¡°Maybe I was trying to catch your imaginary lizard so Billy wouldn¡¯t pick on you anymore.¡±


    Corvan nodded slowly but his mind was racing. Kate didn¡¯t appear to remember anything from their adventure, but it would be best to not say anything for now. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about the lizard. I won¡¯t be talking about it anymore.¡±


    Her eyes drooped. ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°Try to sleep. I¡¯ll sit with you until my parents come to take me back home, but I¡¯ll be back tomorrow, I promise.¡±


    She nodded and Corvan pulled a chair in close to the side of her bed.


    Kate reached her hand out from under the covers, exposing what the doctor referred to as ¡°that mysterious star shaped burn¡± in the center of the palm. How could they know that the small star was from where the red seed had sent its power coursing though her body. Corvan reached out and held her hand in his own.


    A peaceful smile settled over Kate¡¯s face. She gave his fingers a weak squeeze as she drifted off.


    The door opened a crack, then his mother stepped into the room. Her eyebrows rose slightly at the sight of their joined hands, then she gestured for him to follow her out.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Easing his hand from Kate¡¯s, he met her out in the hall.


    ¡°How is Kate doing?¡± she asked.


    ¡°She woke up and talked a bit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful. I didn¡¯t think a bump in the head could slow our Kate down for long.¡± His mother frowned. ¡°Did she ask for her mother?¡±


    ¡°No. She seems a bit confused about what happened.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not the only one.¡± His mother shot him a questioning glance as she turned down the hall. ¡°We can leave right away. I¡¯ve already checked you out.¡± She held out his fall Mackinaw jacket. ¡°I hung the raincoat the nurses took from you on the hooks at home. This will be much warmer.¡±


    Corvan accepted the red and black wool jacket. The raincoat she had hung up at home was actually his grandfather¡¯s cloak. As soon as they got home, he would grab it from the back porch and hide it in the chest up in his room.


    His mother helped him to get his Mackinaw on, then pointed to his bandaged hand. ¡°They say it was a clean break and will heal quickly. Does it hurt?¡±


    Corvan shook his head, but he was already turning back to Kate¡¯s door. It didn¡¯t feel right to leave her behind now that she was conscious. ¡°Will you bring me back first thing tomorrow morning?¡± He looked to his mother. ¡°I don¡¯t want her to be alone with her mom gone and all.¡±


    His mother nodded, a faint smile on her face.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Dad?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He had to go back to the Red Creek mine. Tomorrow they are sealing off that lower chamber. He¡¯s the only one who knows where to place all the charges to make sure the water drains away and does not rise up into the mine. He¡¯ll be gone most of the night.¡± She tried to smile but there was worry in her eyes. ¡°You are sure lucky he found you two. Nobody at the mine can figure out how you and Kate got past the locked gates and down to the bottom level.¡±


    It was more of a question than a statement, but Corvan didn¡¯t respond. His father had asked him not to say anything to his mother until they could talk in private when they got home.


    Walking out the front doors of the hospital, Corvan abruptly stopped. Up in Kate¡¯s hospital room the open sky had continually drawn him to the window but now, outside, the stars were pulling him right out of his tennis shoes. He breathed in the scents of early autumn, the drying leaves, the dust of harvest, and the crisp air. ¡°I¡¯m so glad to be back.¡±


    ¡°The way you¡¯re behaving,¡± his mother said, ¡°you¡¯d think you¡¯ve been underground in that mine for a year.¡±


    Ignoring the subtle inquiry, Corvan trotted down the stairs and headed for the truck.


    As they drove out of the city, the artificial glow from the streetlamps faded, and the prairie sky brightened into a star-encrusted canopy. It almost seemed the stars had multiplied since he left for the Cor.


    Resting his forehead against the cool glass, he stared up at them in wonder. Under their sparkling light, he felt both small and infinitely important at the same time.


    Entering his hometown, he watched the empty schoolyard slide past his window, surprised to find himself free of any fear of going back. It wasn¡¯t just that he was ready to grow up and move on, it felt more like he had already walked through that door and came out the other side.


    The gravel crunched as they turned into their driveway and rolled to a stop beside their home.


    Stepping from the truck he turned for the side of the house. ¡°I¡¯m going out to the rock for a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too long,¡± his mother said. ¡°The doctor said you also need to get lots of rest.¡± She came around the front of the truck and as Corvan passed by, she reached out and pulled him close. ¡°I¡¯m sure glad to have you home again.¡±


    He hugged her back with his good arm. ¡°Me too.¡±


    Walking toward the Castle Rock and past the outhouse woodpile brought a fresh pang of loneliness. He missed Tsarek. His friend should be here with him to help make sense of all that had happened and to figure out what to do next.


    The moon came into view over the horizon as he climbed the western trail of the rock. Within the confines of the stone circle, its soft light etched the faint outline of the stone doors leading down to the Cor. He approached, crouched, and tentatively touched the edge. Nothing moved except for a spider crawling out next to keyhole.


    Digging into his pocket he pulled out Kate¡¯s medallion and tried again but it was the same result. As expected, without the hammer he would not be able to open the doors.


    Getting to his feet, he put the medallion away and looked over the fields to the edge of the river valley. In a way he was glad he no longer had the hammer and could not return to the Cor. Tyreth could use it to lead Kadir and it would also help her to know when Jorad was telling her the truth.


    Truth. His parents had drummed the need for honesty into him since he was small and now he understood just how important it was. Everyone suffered when lies and deceit were wielded like a weapon by those in power.


    Leaving the castle rocks behind he walked out onto the western slope and sat down to watch the crescent moon cast a web of thin shadows through the stubble of their field.


    Laying back on the rock, he breathed in the subtle scents of the prairie evening. A falling star arced across the sky and Corvan smiled. For the past few years, everyone at school kept talking about the dawn of space travel. Some of the other kids had great plans of one day becoming an astronaut, wearing a spacesuit, and traveling to the moon.


    Space was the new frontier, the place where fantastic adventures would happen¡ªnew worlds explored, and strange creatures discovered.


    Corvan placed his good hand flat against the cool rock beneath him and spoke to the night air, ¡°If only you knew what¡¯s going on just below your feet.¡±


    The words had no sooner left his lips when a faint tremor shivered through the tips of his fingers, as if a great stone door had opened far below.

 Medallion 1

    Kate stopped with her hand on the cellar doors. If Corvan caught her inside his workshop, he would be furious.


    But she couldn''t turn away.


    Ever since returning from the Fenwood hospital with no memory of how she was injured, or what had transpired since she fell up on the Castle Rocks, Kate had been drawn back to the cellar beneath Corvan¡¯s home. Whenever she passed by the outside ramp leading down to the workshop, the star-shaped scar in the center of her palm would throb.


    More than once Kate asked Corvan if she might have received the strange, seven-pointed mark from a hot piece of metal in the workshop, but he kept insisting that her injury was from being lost in the coal mine.


    Pushing one of the doors open, just enough to squeeze through, Kate took a deep breath, and slipped inside.


    The shaft of sunlight from behind her cut the room neatly in half and fell on the far wall and the doors of the dumbwaiter shaft that connected the cellar workshop to the kitchen above. Normally Corvan would use the small elevator to pull himself out of the cellar after securing the door from the inside with a heavy wooden bolt but this time his mother had sent him away on an errand.


    As soon as Kate¡¯s eyes adjusted to the dim light, she headed to the stone workbench. Corvan would shake the whole house whenever he was home, but she found only a few scattered tools, none of which were heavy enough to explain the deep thumps Kate and Corvan''s mother were hearing upstairs. She examined each of the screwdrivers hanging on a section of peg wall but none of the tips looked anything like her burn.


    Turning around, she looked past the folding card table in the center of the room to rows of shelves on the north side of the cellar. Assorted pieces of metalwork Corvan''s father had created were lined up on the shelves. Maybe her hand had been burnt by one of those.


    As she passed by the table, a momentary pulse warmed the scar in her hand. She stopped and checked out a miner''s headlamp sitting next to an old wooden crate. As she put it down, her hand brushed the side of the box. Her palm prickled in anticipation as she caressed the worn handle of the wooden box.


    An oilskin raincoat lay just inside and when Kate touched the smooth fabric, a memory came rushing back. Corvan''s father had been wearing this coat when he carried her out of the mine. Was the warmth she felt in her hand a connection to the person who had died saving her life?


    Slipping her hand under the folds of the coat, a rush of heat passed through the scar, up her arm and into her chest. The air around her drew close and hot. Her finger brushed something solid, a green glow pierced the thick cloth. A glow in the shape of a seven-sided star!


    The cellar door banged open, and sunlight poured into the room, washing away the glow as Corvan strode toward her. The fierce look on his face backed Kate away from the table.


    "What are you doing in here?" he demanded.


    "Neera asked me to bring her groceries up so she can be ready for the Halloween kids." He frowned and Kate bit her lip. Corvan did not like her using his mother''s first name, even though his mother asked her to use it whenever they chatted in the evenings.


    The death of Corvan''s father had affected all three of them but now Kate was caught between Neera''s desire to only talk about her husband and Corvan''s unwillingness to talk at all.


    Corvan dropped the paper bag on the table, removed his sunglasses and squinted against the dim light in the cellar.


    Kate pointed at the bag. "I can take those upstairs for you. Did Mrs. Barron give you any free Halloween chocolate?"


    "I never asked,¡± he said, ¡°I''m not a kid anymore."


    Her smile faded. "I never said you were."


    "And I told you before I don''t let anyone in my workshop. This is my room, yours is upstairs." Corvan circled the table as if to drive her away, but Kate stepped over in front of the bank of shelves. She didn''t want to leave the cellar until she could see what was under the raincoat.


    Picking a bent piece of metal off a shelf, she held it up to the light from the doors. "Are these what you are banging on down here all the time?"


    Corvan took the metal from her hand and stuck it back on the shelf. "Those belong to my dad. I don''t work with metal. I''m a coal miner now."


    Kate nodded. After the accident, the Red Creek mine helped Corvan''s mom out by giving Corvan a position at the mine, assuring her that the men would look out for him. At that same time, Corvan¡¯s mother also invited Kate to live at their house until Kate could find a place of her own. Kate hoped this might give her more time with Corvan, but instead, he decided to give up his room and move into the cellar.


    "Sometimes it sounds like you''re trying to dig a tunnel to China down here." Kate smiled at Corvan but only received an intense frown in return.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "What I do down here is my own business."


    "Since when did you start keeping secrets from me?" Kate glanced at the box on the table. "I thought we were friends."


    "Everyone has secrets, even you."


    "No, I don''t. At least none that I remember.¡±


    "How about the gifts your dad sent you? You told everyone at school that your pink pencil case was a birthday present from him, but your mom said she took you to the city when you bought it. You made up that story so everyone would think your dad is rich."


    Kate stared at him. It was true. She had bought things for herself whenever she saved enough money, but it was not to prove her father was rich. She just wanted others to believe someone actually cared about her. Tears filled her eyes and she let her gaze fall to the floor.


    Corvan drew close. "I''m sorry, Kate. I''m not feeling great today, and the sunlight makes my head hurt."


    Kate looked into his eyes. The kindness from when she woke up in the hospital shone briefly through, but he was working hard to keep his feelings in check. Back then he sat for hours by her hospital bed holding her scarred hand, so why was he having such a hard time liking her now?


    Corvan put a hand awkwardly on her shoulder. "Kate, I need to tell you . . . "


    Footsteps on the ramp leading into the cellar cut him off. Corvan quickly let go of her and turned away as a long shadow fell into the room and Corvan''s mother entered.


    "Kalian, I need those groceries right away, and I also . . . Oh, hello, Kate. I didn''t know you were down here."


    Kate saw the embarrassment rise on Corvan''s face. After moving into their home, Kate discovered Corvan''s mother would often call him Kalian, and she told Kate the name meant ''precious one''. Corvan didn''t want his mother to use that name when anyone else was around. He told his mother he was a mine worker now, not a child.


    Neera picked up the grocery bag with one hand, and Kate marveled again how someone so strong and tall had ended up with a son so short.


    "I forgot to tell you that I used up the last of the salt," Neera said.


    Corvan shoulders sagged, and his mother smiled. "I won''t send you back. I can pick some up on my way out of town, but I need to talk to you before I go."


    Kate caught the urgency in her voice and watched the irritation tighten across Corvan''s face. Another argument about Corvan''s job at the mine was inevitable and Kate did not want to be in the same room with them when it happened. The money Corvan brought home was paying the bills, but Neera spent every shift worrying about her son''s safety. Giving Corvan a sympathetic glance, Kate headed for the cellar doors.


    Neera stepped into her path and held out the paper bag. "Can you put this on the table upstairs? I finished baking the bread, so feel free to help yourself."


    Kate took the heavy bag and trotted up the ramp outside the cellar. Family arguments always brought the unhappiness of her childhood back. At least Corvan''s mom held their family together in a difficult time and didn''t just run away like Kate¡¯s mother had.


    Elbowing her way in through the back porch door, Kate slid the paper sack onto the kitchen table. The aroma of the fresh bread laid out in neat rows made her stomach rumble. Cutting herself a thick slice she took a bite.


    Neera''s voice rose through the open door of the dumbwaiter shaft.


    "There''s no future for you at the mine. You need to go back to school."


    "There''s no future for me at that school either, and besides, we need the money," Corvan replied, anger tinging his voice.


    "Then you should find a job in Fenwood," Neera shot back.


    "I won''t work in the city. I hate the lights. I belong underground, just like Dad."


    "I won''t let you throw your life away in a coal mine!" Neera stated.


    Corvan mumbled something Kate couldn''t catch but Neera¡¯s irritated voice came back clearly. "That¡¯s the way it has to be. I told you months ago that I need to be in the city this weekend and you would have to stay at the mine. I will not let the neighbors start talking about you and Kate being out here by yourselves."


    The irritation in Corvan''s voice came through clearly. "There are things I need to do here this weekend. Can''t you find someone else to take Kate while you are away? Why did you insist she live with us anyway?"


    "You already know why just like everyone else in town. Her mother ran off with her new boyfriend just after you and Kate went missing. Nobody knows where she went, so she has no family left."


    "Well, she''s not part of ours."


    The words cut into Kate''s heart and brought fresh tears to her eyes. Going to the dumbwaiter she quietly closed the door and finished her slice of bread.


    Neera¡¯s voice slipped past the closed door.


    "I hope you''re still not blaming Kate for your father''s death. He didn''t go back only because she got hurt in the mine. The boss at the mine had been telling him to finish sealing up that shaft, but he insisted he needed to wait until you and Kate were found."


    Kate winced. The nurses at the hospital told her Corvan and his father brought her in from Red Creek Mine after she was struck on her head by falling rock. That very night Corvan''s father went back to seal the section of the mine in which she had been found, and the mine shaft had collapsed on him.


    The cellar doors banged shut. As Corvan''s mother passed the kitchen window, she was wiping tears from her eyes. Kate sprinted up the stairs and quietly shut herself inside Corvan''s old bedroom.


    Outside the setting sun was lighting up the ring of rocks around the top of the hill with its soft autumn glow. The Castle Rock, as she and Corvan name it, was their favorite place to play when they were younger. Now their special place lay ignored as Corvan either worked at the mine or down in the cellar.


    A few times, when the cellar fell silent, Kate had seen him go out to the Castle Rock long after midnight, slowly unwinding a ball of twine he tied off to the porch below. He would head out to the western slope of the hill, counting knots in the string as he walked along.


    The last time, as he wound the knotted cord back up, she could see his discouragement as he shuffled along. She rapped on the window and waved, but he only sped up and vanished into the shadows at the base of the house to finish winding in his twine. Seeing the knotted line slipping out of sight was like watching a lifeline being pulled away to leave her drowning in solitude.


    A muted thump from the cellar shook the bed frame. Another series of tremors tickled the tips of her toes through the worn wooden planks. Corvan had returned to his project. Shortly before midnight his ride would arrive, and he would be leaving for the weekend and locking up the cellar.


    She had to find some way to see what was under that raincoat.

 Medallion 2

    Gagging on the stone dust that hung in the stagnant air, Corvan spat a thick gob of gritty phlegm on the floor. Stepping away from the scattered pile of rubble, he leaned his pickax against the tunnel wall and rubbed his hand. His broken finger had healed up quickly, but it still ached whenever he was working hard.


    Going to the store for his mother that afternoon had left him worn out and irritable. He couldn''t handle bright sunlight since coming back from the Cor, and his headaches were becoming more intense. Retreating underground into the cellar or working at the coal mine was the only way to get the pain to ease. Now he understood why his dad was so depressed in the summer months when the mine was shut down, and why he loved puttering away on his metalwork in the shadows of his workshop.


    The dust settled and Corvan inspected the wall of the channel he was chipping through the bedrock beneath their home. The smudged chalk marks revealed the bitter truth: in the past week he had gained only three precious inches. There had to be at least six feet of solid rock left to chip through, possibly more if his calculations with the string line were wrong.


    Turning away, he dragged himself back to the cellar. Even if he could break through into Tsarek''s dwelling under the castle rocks, could he find a way through the labyrinth without the real stone hammer? The medallion might possibly work or the silver book in the oak chest might help, but with no way to open the secret compartment, he couldn''t find out for sure.


    Corvan ran a hand through his gritty hair. Each day his desperation grew. He considered trying some of the explosives from the mine, but lately he had learned enough about dynamite to understand it was far easier to break out a wide seam of coal than to blast a narrow channel through solid granite.


    He might have no choice but to at least give it a try.


    Closing the section of shelves masking the hidden entrance to the secret tunnel he stepped back and admired the way the door fit seamlessly in with the other sections. His father made been careful to make sure no one would discover he was slowly but surely carving a tunnel out to the Castle Rock.


    He had just reached the table when the cellar doors creaked. Corvan looked up to find Kate silhouetted against the moonlight. His irritation with her rose back to the surface. All of this was her fault. She should never have put the black bracelet on in the first place. None of this would have happened if she had shared her discovery instead of keeping it for herself.


    Kate approached the table. "I wanted to say good-bye."


    "Good-bye?" Corvan asked. In spite of his annoyance with her, he did not like the sound of those words. "Are you leaving?"


    Kate hesitated. "You''ll be at the mine all weekend, so I won''t see you until next week when your mom gets back."


    "Oh yeah, right. Okay, I''ll see you then."


    "Corvan, I . . . I''m sorry about earlier today. I came down because I wanted to ask you something.¡± She pointed overhead. ¡°Can we turn a light on?"


    "They don''t work. I took the bulbs out."


    "Do you have a candle?" she asked.


    Corvan picked up his dad''s small acetylene mining headlamp sitting next to the wooden box. Twisting the knob, he waited for water to drip onto to the lumps of calcium carbide. Pulling a match from the waterproof metal tube attached to the lamp, he scraped it along the top of the table and held it close. The gas sputtered, then caught, flickering and smoking in the center of the polished reflector.


    "Isn''t that your dad''s raincoat?" Kate pointed into the box.


    "Yes. The one he always wore to work."


    "I thought so. When I touched it today, I had a memory of him carrying me out of the mine."


    Corvan turned the light toward her and studied Kate''s face.


    "Do you remember anything else that happened before your accident?¡± he asked.


    Kate shook her head. "All I remember is falling down at the castle rocks at night, I think that¡¯s where I got this." Kate touched the scar on her cheek. "After that I was waking up in the hospital after your father found me in the mine. There''s nothing in between."


    Corvan nodded. He didn¡¯t like to deceive Kate, but how could he tell her about a lizard named Tsarek or a black band drawing her into the underground world of the Cor? Until her memory returned, he couldn''t tell her anything. Her doctor said she could have mental breakdown if her memories came back too fast and then they would have to send her to the special hospital up north.


    Kate spoke softly over the hiss of the lamp. "Your father saved my life. I wish he were still here, so I could thank him."


    Corvan nodded. As he set the lamp on the table, his hand bumped the controls and the flame increased.


    "Someone said your dad died because I got lost in the mine, that it was my fault."


    Corvan''s anger flared with the rising flame. "Why would they say that?" he demanded.


    Kate bit her lip. "Do you think I am to blame for his death?"


    Corvan turned the flame down. "Forget about what people are saying. It doesn''t matter anymore."


    Kate''s face creased into shadowed lines. "Your dad died, but at least you had a home with parents who loved you. The way you act now, it''s like none of that counts for anything." She rubbed a finger over the scar in her palm. "Sometimes I want to hold on to my anger against my mom and how people treat me in this town, but I can''t anymore. Something changed for me at the hospital, or maybe before my accident, I don¡¯t know for sure."


    Corvan swallowed the lump in his throat. Kate could never accept the story of how she was saved from the effects of the black band by the red seed from the mother plant. The only reason she believed him about the hammer at the outset was because she actually met Tsarek face-to-face.


    As they stood in silence over the lamp and the box on the table, Corvan was struck again by how much her appearance had changed since she took the black band from Tsarek. The power of the red seed from the mother plant had done more than just heal her body, it had affected her looks as well. She was no longer the tom-boy with cropped red hair. Now her hair was longer and almost black. In fact, in the lamplight, with the scar on her cheek and the long dark hair, Kate and Tyreth looked a lot alike.


    At the thought of Tyreth, a pang of guilt washed over him. Breaking Kate''s gaze, he turned back to the workbench to tidy up his tools.


    A dull silence fell between them before Kate spoke again. "I''m glad things are going well for you at the mine. Everyone in town says you work well underground, just like your dad."


    Corvan continued hanging up tools. He didn¡¯t care what people in town thought and he was sick and tired of people trying to make him feel better about his dad. Not one of them could ever understand what really happened, never mind believe the truth about the complex world that lay directly beneath their feet.


    "I guess I''ll see you next week?" Kate asked.


    Corvan nodded, keeping his back to her. Maybe by then she would remember more, and they could finally talk.


    Kate walked away, and he glanced over his shoulder to find her wiping tears from her eyes as she closed the cellar door. Kate was no longer ashamed to let people see her cry. Since their time in the Cor, she had become more sensitive to the feelings of others and was being a good companion to his mother during his mother¡¯s grief.


    Unfortunately, he could not have that same relationship with her.


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    Slamming a wrench down on the workbench, Corvan went back to the table and twisted off the acetylene headlamp. This was all too confusing and there was nobody he could talk to. If Tsarek was around he would at least have someone that could help him figure out what to do next.


    Shoving the lamp back into the box, a green glow spread along the wooden slats. Peeling back the oilskin raincoat, the light of Kate''s medallion leapt out, projecting its three words onto the ceiling.


    Jorad must have been upset when he got the one that didn''t glow, but Corvan was glad. It served Jorad right to end up with a fake medallion. No doubt the new High Priest¡¯s desire for the glowing medallion also involved his plans to use Tyreth to take over Kadir. If he could ever get to see her again, Corvan was going to warn Tyreth about getting involved with that deceitful man. She could do much better.


    Picking up the medallion, he wrapped its slender chain wrapped around the points, then cupped it in his hand. Warmth flowed through his hand and the pain in his broken finger faded away. The healing sensation moved up his arm and into his chest, easing his anger and bitterness toward Jorad. He hadn''t held the medallion since he caught Billy Fry spying on him up on the Castle Rock. Corvan had taken it there to see if the medallion could open the door when Billy appeared. For once the bully said nothing, only stared at Corvan and the silver medallion before running off through the field toward his home. As it turned out, the medallion couldn''t open the door and Corvan had not returned to the Castle Rock since that evening.


    As Corvan studied the glowing symbols on the medallion, the pain behind his eyes subsided and his thoughts ran clearer. If he were honest, he would have to admit that he would be glad to return to the Cor alone because he wanted to see Tyreth on his own. Ever since saving Tyreth''s life at the temple karst and pressing his lips to hers, the beautiful daughter of the High Priest was almost constantly in his thoughts. He needed to find out if she liked him, and not only as the person who saved her from drowning.


    Between his thoughts about Tyreth and his inability to relate to Kate it was all too confusing At the Molakar settlement, when Saray put the seed in Kate¡¯s hand, he told Kate he loved her, and it seemed to turn things around for Kate. Earlier today he wanted to hug Kate and there were times when thought about kissing her.


    He squeezed the medallion until the points dug into his skin, the frustration building with the pain in his hand. The medallion could provide comfort but seemed only to increase his confusion over Tyreth and Kate.


    "Stupid thing," he muttered, tossing it away along the workbench. The metal disc ricocheted off the peg wall next to the screwdrivers and then bounced into the room, trailing its chain like a green comet racing away into the void. It flew straight into the dumbwaiter to lay flat on the floorboards. The silver chain began slipping through a crack between the boards, one link at a time, then faster, like a shimmering snake gliding away. Corvan lunged forward, but with a final tug, the weight of the chain tipped the medallion upright and tugged it down through the crack into the empty space at the bottom of the dumbwaiter shaft. The green glow died, and the cellar went dark.


    Corvan turned away. He might as well leave the medallion where it fell until he was able to break through the rock into Tsarek''s dwelling. Then he could come back for it and find out if its power could lead him through the labyrinth and back to the Cor.


    The cellar doors creaked, and he glanced up. There was only a wedge of moonlight floating through the crack between the cellar doors. For a normal person, the pale light wasn''t bright enough to see by, but Corvan''s journey to the Cor had permanently changed his vision and the sliver of light lit up the room like a morning sunrise.


    Retreating to the table, he crammed the raincoat into the box. His dad always wore it when he worked in a wet area of the mine but after the search for his father was called off, Corvan had found the raincoat still hanging on the hook at the back door. Immediately he knew what had happened. His mother had brought the cloak Corvan brought back from the Cor, the special camouflage cloak that once belonged to the leader of the Rakash, and hung it up in the back porch. When his father went to close up the mine, he had grabbed it by mistake and left his raincoat behind.


    Running his hand over his father''s raincoat he encountered a bulge in the front pocket. A while back, he had put his Texas Star holster in the coat for safekeeping. Pulling it from the pocket, he flipped the snap open, and looked in at the fake black hammer. Gavyn had done an incredibly good job of copying the stone one, but it couldn''t open the door up in the Castle Rock nor the secret compartment in the oak chest.


    As he removed the hammer from the holster, a small leather pouch tumbled onto the table. Picking it up, he realized that it was the same one with the two remaining red seeds he had given to Saray when he left the Cor. He rolled the fabric between his thumb and forefinger and discovered a small lump in the corner. Was there still a seed inside? He was sure Saray had kept the last two in Molakar.


    Untying the drawstring he dumped it on the table. Yes, it was the last of the seeds from the mother plant. It appeared to be dead and did not glow like when he had found three of them in Tyreth''s blood after the chief watcher cut her cheek.


    But how did the pouch get under the fake hammer? He thought back to when he and Kate had left from the Molakar settlement. Saray had taken the pouch from him, along with the last two seeds that remained inside. The only time she might have put it under the hammer was when she put it back into the holster as she was saying good-bye to him.


    At that time Saray said something about taking it along as his pledge that he would return. He thought the old woman was referring to the fake hammer but now he realized she had been asking him to return to the Cor. Saray had stuck that pouch and seed under the hammer to make sure he returned to her and to the Cor after Kate was safely home.


    Corvan poked at the seed, and a flutter of light crossed its surface. A spark of life remained but he needed to attach it to the bedrock right away, somewhere that the sunlight could not reach.


    Plucking the seed off the table he held it tightly in the palm of his hand to block out any natural light. There was no warmth or sense of power like when the other one had burned its heat into Kate¡¯s body and driven the darkness away. It was likely too far gone to come back to life.


    Walking to the wall, he worked the hidden catch to swing open the section of the that hid the entry to the passage out toward the Castle Rock. Once inside he pulled the shelving door shut opened his palm. In the complete darkness, soft flickers of light were twisting around inside the seed.


    Pinching it between his thumb and forefinger, he touched the pointy end of the small lumien seed to the bedrock overhead. It quivered and pulled away from his fingers as if it were relieved to be back on the rock ceiling. The seed swelled and flecks of color twirled across its surface, changing from red to purple before settling into a soft blue that swelled and pulsed within.


    A muted sound seemed to come from the small blue sphere, but Corvan couldn''t recall a seed making noise as it grew. Another thump. The sound was coming from further down the tunnel. He walked down the passage by the light of the small seed to where it narrowed into the shaft, he had been chipping toward Tsarek''s dwelling beneath the castle rock.


    The source of the noise was obvious. A large chunk of granite had fallen from the wall to reveal a finger-wide crack. Perhaps he was closer than his measurements led him to believe. Sweeping the pickax up, Corvan took aim and swung. The thud echoed through the rock walls as the pickax wedged deep into the crack. Corvan pushed on the handle until the wood creaked, but the rock refused to break away. Yanking back on the handle he found the head was stuck fast in the crack. He struggled until beads of dusty sweat formed on his forehead, but it was no use.


    Reluctantly, Corvan retreated to the light of the tiny lumien.


    The orb had already grown brighter, and small tendrils, like an ant''s antennae, were unfurling on the rock around it. He looked closer. If this mother pant seed could grow here it might create other lumiens and he''d be able to eat some lumien fruit. That might give him the strength he needed to get through to Tsarek¡¯s dwelling when he got back from working at the mine. His ride would be coming any minute and he needed to get ready for a weekend underground.


    Wearily, he pushed open the secret door into the cellar. A chair scraped across the floor in the kitchen above and something heavy dropped on the table. Kate must be making sure he knew she was still awake in case he wanted to come talk to her. The cover on the stove scraped open and Kate added wood to the fire. He should go upstairs, warm himself by the fire and apologize to Kate for getting so mad at her but the honk of a horn out front cut off his good intentions. His ride had arrived.


    As he gathered up his gear, another gust of wind rattled the cellar doors. At the store today, Mrs. Barron mentioned a nasty storm would be coming through this weekend. After chatting briefly about the incoming weather, she also tried to talk with him about his father''s accident. Most likely that was why his mother sent him in the first place and why there had been such pity in Mrs. Barron''s voice as she told him not to work so hard. The whole town was working to help comfort him about his father''s death, and that only annoyed him even more.


    Not one of them could ever understand what he was going through or what had really happened down at the mine. The morning after his father went missing, Corvan had been taken to the mine with a search party to show them the way to the underground river where his father had rescued he and Kate. He was up ahead of the men when he had turned a sharp corner and a face appeared in the steady beam of his headlamp.


    Across the fast-flowing water of the underground river was leader of the Rakash, a firestick in its good hand. Dangling from the stump of its other arm was the special cloak his father had been wearing when he went back to the mine.


    The Rakash looked steadily at him then jerked its head over a boney shoulder to where a body lay on the ground. Nodding at Corvan, the Rakash pushed his firestick into the rocks over its head. As Corvan watched by the light of his mining lamp the Rakash backed up, pulling on the exposed end of the firestick.


    There was a powerful thump, and large stones began to rain down from the ceiling into the river, obscuring the figure across the water. There were shouts behind Corvan as powerful arms pulled him to safety and rushed him from the mine.


    Upon reaching they reached the surface, he waved them off and they left him alone on a pile of broken slag, staring at the crescent moon overhead.


    They likely thought he was in shock from the reality that, with the collapse of the mine into the water, he could never find his father¡¯s body.


    That wasn''t why his stomach was churning and his jaw clenched in anger.


    It was because he knew for certain that the leader of the Rakash was challenging him to return to the Cor and rescue his father.

 Medallion 3

    Kate had waited patiently in the kitchen for Corvan to pull himself up in the dumbwaiter, but when he climbed out, he only mumbled, "my ride''s here, got to go," before rushing out the front door.


    As the sound of the truck taking Corvan to the coal mine faded away, the silence of the empty home amplified the ache in Kate''s heart.


    Despite it being Halloween night, Corvan¡¯s mother, Neera, had left for the city before the trick-or-treaters had even finished. The radio was saying that first storm of the winter was on its way, and it would be a nasty one. Neera said she didn¡¯t expect there would be many more children coming down their long lane, given the upcoming blizzard conditions.


    Kate looked out at the snow, then turned off the porch light. No use making kids walk all the way for nothing. Retreating upstairs, she leaned against the headboard of Corvan''s bed and gazed at the flakes of snow drifting past the window. Her reflection stared back from the icy glass, cold tears on each cheek. She wiped them away with the edge of the winter quilt and felt the pinch of tender skin around the scar on her cheek.


    She had never cried this much in her life, not even when her father left. She had imagined moving into Corvan¡¯s home would bring her a sense of belonging, but instead a raw loneliness was continually just below the surface. The fresh anger from Corvan that afternoon had pierced her heart again and now more of the tears she bottled up over the years were escaping.


    Kate scrubbed the tears away. It was time for her to move on. Her duffle bag was packed and down on the kitchen table. Staying any longer at Corvan''s house was only making the pain in her hand and the ache in her heart more acute. Tomorrow she would take the bus to the city, find a job and her own place to live.


    A puff of ice crystals blew in through the vent holes above the windowsill, and she tucked the quilt in tightly around her shoulders. The wind was getting stronger, the snow slanting steeply across the windowpanes. Snow hadn''t fallen on Halloween night for many years. It was a good thing the younger kids had finished with trick-or-treating early.


    A muted flash of light, followed by a loud bang, lit up the falling snow. It had to be the older kids shooting off fireworks. Another flash but this time it definitely came from right on top of the Castle Rock. That could only be Billy Fry. In the last weeks, whenever Corvan and his mother were away, Billy would appear on the rock with his gun in hand. Kate stayed in the house, away from the windows and she never told Corvan. She was sure there would be a fight. Corvan was definitely no longer afraid of Billy, in fact, it appeared to be the opposite now.


    The skeletal branches of the maple tree outside Corvan''s bedroom window scratched at the side of the house. With a blizzard on its way, getting to the city on the morning bus might not be possible if the roads were closed.


    The scratching turned to rapping but this time it was someone knocking at the front door. Likely it was the older kids from school pulling some stupid prank. If she ignored them, they would eventually get cold and leave.


    The knocking came again, louder, and more persistent. Pulling on her housecoat, Kate crept down the stairs to the living room. Easing a corner of the front window drapes aside, she peeked out. A small child in a mask and cape stood alone in the shadows of front porch.


    Kate quickly opened the door. The trick-or-treater swayed on unsteady legs, shivering beneath an old blanket tied over its head. An ugly mask with an alligator-like snout twisted upward and peered at her through dark eyeholes. "Help me, Kate," a muffled voice croaked.


    "Come inside and warm up. I''ll call your mom to pick you up." Kate said. ¡°What¡¯s your last name?¡±


    The shivering form stumbled over the threshold and collapsed on the floor in front of her.


    "Are you hurt?" Kate asked, kneeling, and attempting to pull the mask off. It wouldn¡¯t budge; the rubbery folds were slick with perspiration. The kid must be smothering in there. "Let''s get you out of that costume,¡± Kate said, jumping up and flicking on the living room light.


    Her hand was smeared with blood.


    Kate whirled about to stare wide-eyed at a large reptile stretched out across the living room floor, half covered with a blanket. She shrank back against the door, her heart pounding. Was this another one of her nightmares? She''d seen this lizard in her dreams more than once since coming back from the hospital.


    Pinching her arm hard, she winced.


    The lizard groaned.


    Her heart beat faster.


    Someone thumped on the door behind her, and the brash voice of Billy Fry boomed through the wood. "What''s goin'' on in there?"


    The lizard lifted its head and blood dripped off the end of its nose. "Don''t let him in. The large boy wants to kill me!"


    Billy pounded harder on the door. "You''d better open this door, Kate, or I''m gonna knock it down."


    The lizard tried to crawl away but got caught up on the blanket tied over its shoulders.


    Billy kicked the door and the wood cracked at the bottom.


    Grabbing the edge of the blanket, Kate skidded the lizard''s leathery body around the corner and into the kitchen. "Wait here until I get rid of Billy," she said.


    The bloody head nodded slightly as the front door creaked under heavy blows.


    Wiping her hand clean on the blanket, she ran back to the front door and turned on the porch light. The banging stopped. Opening the door a crack, she found Billy silhouetted in a wedge of brightly lit snow that swirled about his bulky frame. "


    "What took ya so long?" the boy demanded.


    "I was upstairs in bed,¡± Kate said with a yawn. ¡°What do you want? You''re a little old for trick-or-treat."


    "This ain''t no trick. There''s a wild animal on the loose tonight. I winged it and followed its tracks through the snow to your door."


    "Well, there''s no wild animal here now--other than you."


    He scowled and thrust a tattered woolen mitten into her face. "Then whaddya scream for?"


    "I had a bad dream and woke myself up. I don''t need your help with that." Kate tried to shut the door, but Billy wedged his snow-covered boot in the opening.


    "I need to make sure it''s not hiding inside." He pushed past into the house, gun held high. "My Pa told me I needed to keep an eye on your place this weekend."


    Kate cut around in front of him. "There''s no lizard in here."


    Billy''s beady eyes narrowed. "Never said nothin'' ''bout a lizard."


    Kate''s face flushed. "Well, whatever you''re looking for, it''s not here."


    Billy pushed his broad face toward her. "Don''t you fool with me. You know all about that lizard. Corvan weren''t making it up. It''s real and my Pa said he''d give me ten bucks if I can catch it. Pa says that critter knows a way inside the rock where the treasure is hidden."


    Billy stepped back and rubbed a mitten over his worried face. "Don''t you go tell¡¯n anyone ''bout the treasure. My Pa would be real mad."


    "Tell them what? I don''t even know what you''re talking about." Kate pointed toward the front door. "Why don''t you go back to your hunting? You can take some fresh bread and jam along."


    Billy licked his lips.


    Kate gestured to the chair by the front door. "Stay here a minute and I''ll cut you some. Neera won''t be very happy if she comes in here and sees you tracking dirt and snow on her clean floors." She tried to sound nonchalant, as if Corvan''s mother were still at home, but Billy abruptly pushed past her and stalked into the kitchen with his gun ready.


    "No!" Kate shouted, leaping after him.


    Billy stood in the empty kitchen. "Whaddya mean, no?"


    Kate scanned the room and spied the tattered corner of the bloody blanket caught in the dumbwaiter door. "No, the bread isn''t sliced yet. I''ll get some for you." She put a hand on his arm and tried to move him back into the front room.


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    Billy''s brow furrowed and a sneer twisted his flabby lips. "Don''t you try them tricks on me. My dad warned me about them fem-a-nine charms. Says you''ll be using them on all the men now that you''re looking more like a real woman."


    Kate gave her head a small shake and turned away to retie her housecoat.


    "My dad says that''s how you managed to weasel yourself into Corvan¡¯s house and his bedroom. You got Corvan under your spell." Billy leaned in over her shoulder and spoke quietly in her ear. "My dad says since your momma took off, you''re gonna take her place as the town floozy."


    Kate whipped around and punched Billy hard in the stomach. The boy doubled over, the rifle slipped from his grasp, clattered to the floor, and went off with a deafening roar.


    In the silence that followed, Billy''s splintered gasps to refill his lungs were augmented by slivers of glass falling from the shattered kitchen window into the sink.


    A sudden whir of the pulley inside the dumbwaiter and the edge of the blanket disappeared. Kate looked back at Billy, but he was still getting his wind back. He drew a ragged breath and looked at the broken window. "Now look . . . what you made me do."


    "Get out," Kate said.


    Billy straightened slowly. "Who''s gonna . . . make me?"


    Kate grabbed his hand and twisted it behind his back, shoving his arm up as high as she could reach between his shoulder blades.


    "You''re hurting me. Let me go," Billy whimpered.


    "I''ll let go when you''re out of our house."


    Billy stumbled toward the front door and wrenched it open. Kate shoved him out into the night.


    Stumbling off the porch into a snowbank he turned to face her just as a loud thump echoed up from under the house. Billy pointed through the door. "Something''s in there and I''m gonna tell my Pa. He''ll show you what for."


    Kate slammed the door and fumbled with the lock. She waited a moment, then peeked through the front window. Billy tracks headed off to the east, but he would not be gone for long if his dad were at home.


    Kate sprinted back to the kitchen. Her hands shook as she pulled up the sliding door of the dumbwaiter shaft. The lift box had fallen down into the cellar below and as Kate stared into the black hole, she sucked in her breath at a vivid memory. She had met this same lizard at an opening into a hole and there was a sliding door hidden on the top of Corvan''s rock. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Something terrible happened to her down inside the hole in the rocks.


    As she peered into the darkness an even stronger memory came flooding back. On top of the rock, this same lizard had promised to serve her as long as it lived, and now felt responsible for protecting it in return.


    "Lizard," she called softly, "are you down there?"


    She hauled on the rope from the overhead pulley system until the empty dumbwaiter box came into view. Only the lizard¡¯s blanket was inside.


    Another shard of glass from the broken kitchen window crashed into the sink. Snow was drifting through the jagged opening and settling on the hot stove in sizzling wisps of steam.


    Billy''s gun lay on the floor and the acrid odor of gunpowder swirled around the room. Kate looked from the gun to her duffle bag on the kitchen table. If Billy came back for his rifle, she didn''t want him going through her things. Grabbing the bag, she pushed it to the back of the dumbwaiter.


    She stood looking into the lift. She hated small spaces more than anything, but with the cellar door locked from the inside it was the only way down into the cellar to find the lizard. Swallowing her fear, she turned around and crouched backward into the box, sitting on her bag, bending her neck, and cramming her head into the corner. Gripping the rope, she released the catch but the weight of her bag and body whipped the rough hemp rope through her grasp and burned into her palms. Instinctively Kate let go and the box dropped down the shaft, then jerked to a stop.


    The dark air closed in around her. Desperately, she tugged at the rope, but the dumbwaiter wouldn''t budge. Her breathing came sharp and shallow. Dizziness overwhelmed her and her stomach heaved. Anxiously she tried pushing up against the walls and then down, but the box wouldn¡¯t move. Everything in her wanted to scream for help, but at the thought of Billy and his father, she clamped her mouth shut and forced herself to calm down.


    The dumbwaiter always worked in the past so why was it stuck now? Feeling above her head she found the lizard''s blanket jammed beside the top edge of the box and wedged in tight against the wall of the shaft. She gave it a quick yank and the box broke loose, plummeting down, smashing to a stop, and tossing her out on the cellar floor.


    The pulley in the kitchen overhead whined as the rope whirled and dropped all its coils with a resounding thump on the top of the dumbwaiter box. There would be no going back that way.


    Pushing to her feet, Kate turned toward a slice of moonlight spilling on the floor from the tall crack between the cellar doors. Moving towards it, she banged her thigh into something hard. It was Corvan''s cot, but what was it doing out into the middle of the room? The cellar doors rattled, and she glanced to her right to locate the sound. If that was where the cellar doors were located, what was this blue light coming from the wall beyond Corvan¡¯s cot? Tiptoeing forward she discovered one of the shelves had been pulled away from the wall and the strange light was coming from a room beyond. Kate poked her head around the edge and peeked inside.


    The lizard waved at her from beneath a blue light bulb that illuminated its grinning face.


    "Hello, Kate, is the horrible boy gone?"


    Kate opened the shelving door wider and stared at the creature as it dabbed at its head with a piece of thick cloth.


    "The skin of a lumien can be used to stop the flow of blood,¡± it said. ¡°I ate the fruit first and now I feel much better. I would have saved some for you, but unfortunately only one was ready to eat and it is forbidden to consume the fruit of the mother plant." He pointed to the blue light bulb. "It''s hard to believe she is growing so close to the surface."


    As the lizard''s narrow head twisted up, blue lines on its cheeks glowed bright in the strange light. In that pose, Kate had a strong sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu and she squinted to force the memory of what happened when she and the lizard first met.


    "Are you feeling ill, Kate?" the creature asked.


    Kate shook her head, sank down against the rock wall and closed her eyes. "How do you know my name?" she asked.


    "Do you not recall setting me free from the black band? It was not that long ago. Surely you have not forgotten already. You foolishly decided to wear the back band, so Corvan and I had to come and rescue you. Does that help your bell to ring?"


    Kate touched the circle of darker skin around her wrist. She had a vague memory of wearing a shimmering black bracelet, but she couldn''t remember where or why she put it on in the first place.


    The reptile sauntered over to stand before her, and Kate pressed herself back against the rock. The creature had sharp teeth, long claws, and a smudged line of what appeared to be bruises around its neck, almost as if someone had tried to strangle it. Kate glanced at her wrist and more of the memory came back. The black band she recalled had originally been around this creature''s neck and it had begged her to set it free. When that happened, she could understand the creature only when she held the hammer. The scar in her palm prickled. Understanding the lizard without holding the hammer must have something to do with the scar or perhaps having shared the black band.


    The lizard pulled its paw away from its head and tossed a the thick scrap to one side. "This is now the second time you have saved my life." He bowed low. "My promise from before remains and I will protect you on your journey back to the Cor."


    "My journey back? But I . . .


    The lizard put a damp paw over her mouth and hissed, "Someone is out there."


    Kate pushed its paw away, got to her feet and listened. Someone was walking in the snow outside the cellar doors. She slipped inside and pushed the section of shelves partly closed. "You wait here while I take a look."


    A shadow fell on the crack between the cellar doors, and a man''s voice spoke. "You sure that creature''s tracks led to the house?"


    "Yes, Pa. All we gotta do is catch it and we can find out where the rest of the treasure is hidden."


    "How many times do I need to tell you never to mention the treasure outside our house? Mr. Fry growled.


    The doors pushed towards Kate and as the crack between them widened she caught a glimpse of the ruddy face of Mr. Fry over Billy''s hatless head.


    "Maybe she took off, Pa. It scared her pretty good when I shot out the kitchen window."


    "You did what?" The door eased back into position, and the faces vanished. "Where''s your gun?"


    "In her kitchen."


    A sharp smack was followed by a cry of pain. "How can you be so stupid? Git up there and get it back."


    "But she locked the door," Billy whined.


    "Then crawl in through the broken window. Use your head for once."


    "What about the lizard?" Billy asked.


    "You afraid of a little ol¡¯ lizard, boy?"


    Billy muttered a halfhearted ¡°no¡±, then Kate heard him shuffle away. The cellar doors bulged, and Kate ducked below the long wooden bolt as Mr. Fry peered in through the crack. "Now we''ll find where the old man hid them pointy silver coins."


    Kate heard Billy scramble in through the kitchen window overhead. There was a pause and then the back door banged. Soon he was back at the cellar door. "She''s run off, Pa. Left a note on the kitchen table to tell Corvan''s mother she''s gone to live in the city."


    "Good! Maybe she''ll freeze to death in this blizzard. You stay here while I fetch my saw from the truck to cut this bolt. This is our best chance to search his workshop. She''ll take the blame and won''t never come back."


    Kate tiptoed back to the lizard, but the blue light was gone and the entire north wall of the cellar was obscured by the wooden shelves. The opening must be behind one of the sections, but which one? I might be something like the movies where you had to pull on something to make the secret door open. She put a hand on a twisted piece of metal, but it fell off the shelf. She barely caught it before it hit the floor.


    Putting it back on the shelf, Kate rapped lightly on the back of the section. The one next to her swung open and the lizard beckoned her inside.


    "Billy''s father will be back any minute to cut the cellar door open," Kate whispered. "We''ve got to get away from here."


    The lizard touched the shelving, then pointed a claw at the deep recesses of the tunnel behind it. "Unless they know the secret of this door, they will not find this tunnel from inside the cellar, and besides, I know another way out. A different cat to skin as Corvan liked to say." The lean face grinned at her.


    Kate shivered and pulled her housecoat closer. Whatever the creature was trying ot tell her, she couldn''t go anywhere like this. "My things are in the cellar,¡± she said and moved to the door.


    "Things?" the lizard said.


    "My bag, I packed my bag because I was leaving tonight."


    "A big bag? Corvan had many troubles with a big bag."


    "No, I don''t have that much stuff."


    The lizard rolled its eyes. "That''s what Corvan said, then he almost died when I had to break his bones." Shaking its head, it released the catch and eased the hidden door open.


    Slipping into the cellar, Kate¡¯s thoughts were fully occupied the lizard¡¯s offhand remark about breaking Corvan¡¯s bones. Was it a good idea to go anywhere with this strange creature?


    She was almost to her bag when a long saw thrust in between the doors, dropped onto the wooden bolt, and began cutting it apart.

 Medallion 4

    The saw bit deep into the wood, sending spurts of sawdust falling to the floor like amber snow. A blue light fell at Kate¡¯s feet and rapid movement caught the corner of her eye. The lizard had opened the shelving door wide and was frantically waving her on.


    Keeping one eye on the door, Kate stepped sideways and banged into the table. The wooden crate slid toward the edge and Kate wrestled it back into place, then rested her hand on the raincoat. The glow from earlier that day did not appear and her hand didn''t ache. Whatever had been in the box earlier had already been taken away, instead Corvan''s cap pistol holster lay on top of the raincoat. Billy would likely steal it if he had the chance and there was probably more of Corvan¡¯s stuff inside. At least he had appeared to be guarding it from her earlier in the day. Pulling the box from the table she hurried it back to the shelves where the lizard waited at the open door.


    "This is your bag?" the lizard asked incredulously.


    "No,¡± Kate whispered, ¡°and keep your voice down. This is Corvan''s stuff. We need to keep his things safe from Billy and his dad. Can you help me get the rest?"


    The lizard nodded and shot past her into the cellar. Kate set the crate down in the secret tunnel and when she turned around the lizard ran in to add a small wrench to the box.


    "Don''t bother with the tools," Kate hissed at him, ¡°Billy won¡¯t care about those.¡±


    The lizard frowned. "My paws are not good for carrying larger things.¡± He held up a claw. ¡°But I can do something that will stop that man from coming in." He moved towards the cellar. "I''ll stand guard. If he gets through, he will not be here for long."


    Kate nodded, but she wasn''t sure what the lizard was talking about. How could a small claw stop a grown man. Running back to the workbench she looked for anything else that might be worth hiding from Billy, but nothing caught her eye.


    The sawing stopped, the saw withdrew, and then the doors were given a hard push. The thick wooden bolt cracked along its length in both directions, allowing the gap between the doors to widen another few inches.


    "I think I can pull it off." Mr. Fry''s hand closed around the partially severed beam. He shook it vigorously, grunting and wrenching at the wood as it inched up in its metal brackets.


    The bolt was almost free when the lizard stepped forward, an intense expression on its lean face. Extending a single claw, it raked a red cut along the back of Mr. Fry''s hand. An explosion of curses erupted from beyond the door as the bloody hand was yanked back through the crack.


    More angry words came from outside, then the cellar doors buckled under three heavy blows. On the third, the bolt splintered farther apart, the saw emerged again, dropped into the notch and worked feverishly back and forth.


    The lizard yanked Kate toward the shelving door. ¡°I wasn¡¯t angry enough!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Its not working this time. We need to get out of here.¡±


    "My bag. It''s still in the dumbwaiter!" Kate cried out, running for the back side of the cellar just as the sawing stopped. A loud crack echoed through the cellar as the bolt broke completely in two, one side falling to floor and scraping along as the doors were forced wider.


    Kate dove into the dumbwaiter shaft and pulled the shutters closed behind her. The hinges had been bent by her tumbling out and it was all she could do to hold the small doors in place. Through the crack between them, she caught sight of two dark shapes blundering into the room.


    The larger one stopped and Kate heard the rattle of the light chain clicking off and on. Good thing Corvan had removed the bulbs. "Too cheap to buy hisself a light bulb,¡± Mr. Fry said. We should¡¯a brought a flashlight. Can''t see a thing in here."


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    The man moved closer to Kate''s hiding place then stumbled and clutched at the table in the center of the room.


    "What''s the matter, Pa?" Billy asked.


    "Don''t feel good. My arm is all numb where I got scratched by that nail." He breathed heavily. "Must have been rusty and I gots the tetanus."


    ¡°Maybe we should go home and put some iodine on it.¡± Billy said. ¡°We can come back later with our flashlights.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good thinking, boy.¡± Mr. Fry grunted.


    The two shadows headed towards the sheet of snow curling in from outside the cellar doors.


    Kate tensed and waited but she had crouched too long, and a muscle cramp grabbed at the calf muscle. She shifted her weight and one of boards in the bottom of the dumbwaiter box cracked.


    The shadows stopped and the man peered in her direction "Over there," he whispered to Billy. "Gimme your gun."


    Kate pulled the dumbwaiter doors tighter. A shadow fell across the gap between them.


    A crash of metal echoed across the cellar and Billy called out. "It''s over by the door!"


    The blast of a gun roared through the cellar.


    "It¡¯s the lizard! It¡¯s run outside!" Billy shouted.


    Another gunshot sounded outside the cellar, then the voices faded away.


    Kate waited in the musty silence. The lizard had lived up to its promise and saved her by leading Billy and his father away from her hiding spot. Stretching out her leg to ease the cramp, she knelt amid the broken boards, peered over the lip of the shaft and cautiously opened the dumbwaiter doors. The cellar was silent and dark, but a soft green light lit up the dumbwaiter shaft. At her feet, a glowing star-shaped disk on a silver chain lay half buried in the sand. Kate pulled the chain free and held the disk in her hand.


    The glow grew even brighter, and a familiar warmth flowed up her arm and through her body. A memory formed. At one point she had been lying in cold dark water and this same green star had appeared overhead. She took a sharp breath. Corvan had been holding this green light above her and was shouting for help. It had been in the mine, and it was when Corvan''s father had rescued them.


    Other snippets of memories of her holding this glowing shape tugged at the edges of her thoughts. There must be many things that Corvan not told her. Why was he keeping this medallion a secret from her?


    The cellar doors creaked. Kate shoved the disk into her back pocket to hide its light and crouched down. The soft pad of feet approached the lift.


    A long nose appeared in the broken door of the dumbwaiter. "You must be quick Kate. They will be back soon. I do not think that I am the best at making false tracks in the snow."


    Kate clambered out of the shaft, reached back in, and dragged out her duffle bag.


    The lizard held up its long claw with a satisfied grin. "At least the bigger one will not be able to follow my tracks very fast."


    Kate looked intently at the claw, and the lizard shrugged. "I was only able to give him a small bit of the poison. It won¡¯t be enough to kill him." The lizard turned toward the wall of shelves and used both paws to feel along the underside of one of the planks. The section of shelving moved, and the creature eased the door open and let her pass through.


    Kate gave the creature a wide berth. Was it capable of killing a grown man? Was that what it had planned to do?


    The blue light from the globe ebbed around them as Kate set her duffle bag on the ground. No matter what she thought of the lizard, she needed its help. "What do we do?" she asked. ¡°They could be back an minute.¡±


    "We must find the Cor-Van."


    "But he''s working at the mine all weekend," Kate said.


    "Then we must go to him. There is trouble in the Cor."


    "What kind of trouble? Another cave-in? Is the Cor a new shaft at the mine?¡±


    The lizard gave her a sideways glance. "It will be best if we wait until we find the Cor-Van before we . . ." The lizard jumped to the shelving door. A vehicle was approaching down the lane, its lights cutting across the cellar''s open doors. The motor stopped, a door opened, and boots crunched in the snow.


    The beam of a flashlight played over the cellar floor from outside, and a man''s voice called out. Kate pushed the lizard to one side and pulled the shelves shut, hiding the entrance to the tunnel. "That''s not Corvan," she whispered. They stood and listened to the muffled sound of voices moving about in the cellar. "We will have to wait for them to leave." Kate said.


    "Not to worry." The lizard pointed down into the gloom. "I have cut an entry into the labyrinth, but we must hurry. His time is running out and if we do not reach him soon, he will most certainly die."

 Medallion 5

    Water fell in steady drips from the seam of coal above Corvan''s head, rapping on his helmet and sparkling in the bright glow of his acetylene lamp. It felt good to be back in the dark passages of the mine and for once he was alone, although he kept expecting to see the face of the Rakash leader appear at any time. When something moved behind him, his heart leapt into his throat and he jumped to the wall, his pickax ready to strike.


    "Whoa, easy son." A huge hand reached out of the shadows to grip the head of Corvan''s pickax. "It''s just me." The wide, gentle face of Jake Olson appeared in the light of the headlamp strapped to Corvan''s hard hat. "Sorry I¡¯m late getting here,¡± the man said. ¡°My lamp''s gone out again. Was wondering if you could fix it for me."


    Jake held out an acetylene lamp in his coal-blackened hand. "You''re the only one I can trust with these things now that everyone''s using the ''lectric ones."


    Corvan nodded and took the lamp from Jake''s hand. His dad had also refused an electric lamp. He told Corvan an acetylene one could do many more things like marking tunnels with its soot or keeping you warm in an emergency.


    Turning the knob, he held Jake''s lamp up to his ear but couldn''t hear the hiss of escaping gas. Likely the drip tube was clogged. All it took was a small piece of grit to stop the water from flowing. He had to admit that acetylene was more finicky than a battery and a switch.


    "I''m sorry about your dad, boy." Jake patted his shoulder so hard, Corvan almost dropped the lamp. "It''s too bad he never got to see what he did for us by finding this new seam of coal above the waterline." Pulling a pouch of tobacco from his pocket he stuffed another wad up under his lip. "Your father saved our jobs by exploring these old shafts." A squirt of brown juice splashed on the wall. "We''ll always remember him for that."


    Corvan nodded, keeping his head bent over Jake¡¯s lamp. There was no way he could he tell this rugged man that he believed his father was still not only still alive but being held captive by cave-dwelling blind men who navigated in the dark like wingless albino bats. The crew boss would send him to the special hospital up north and they would strap him to a bed for the rest of his life.


    "You did your best, son. You showed our men the way back to that river to look for your dad before the rest of the shaft caved in. That was brave of you and I''m glad they gave you your dad''s job. It''s the least they could do to help support your mom."


    Corvan twisted the knurled knob on top of the lamp back and forth. The reason no-one could have rescued his father before the shaft collapsed was because the Rakash leader had already taken him. The signs of the struggle were plain as day: the hard hat and lamp lying on the ground, his father''s tools strewn across the mine floor, long, thin footprints in the dust. After the collapse he had gone back to that spot many times, but there was no way of getting past the tons of rocks to get to the former water tunnel that could lead him back to the Cor to rescue his father. Now his only hope was to get into the labyrinth by tunneling under the castle rocks.


    "I hear you''re staying in the worker barracks this weekend while your mom is gone." Jake gently punched Corvan''s shoulder. "Guess she doesn''t want to leave you alone with your new girlfriend?"


    "She''s not my girlfriend," Corvan muttered. "She''s just. . ."


    "It''s okay,¡± Jake said with a laugh. ¡°Don''t git all worked up. You''re best to keep ''em at bay for a while. They''ll catch you soon enough, and then it''s game over. You''ll be workin'' night and day just to keep the family fed."


    "That''s not going to happen to me,¡± Corvan said. ¡°I''ve got other things to do." He tried the lamp again, but the gas still wasn''t escaping. He hated it when mechanical things refused to cooperate. Pulling the lid off the water chamber, he dumped the liquid out. "Where did you get this water?"


    Jake chuckled uncomfortably. "Well, I forgot to fill up at the shack, so I used some water coming off a support timber. Looked pretty clean to me."


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    Corvan shook his head and blew on the filler tube. Clogged¡ªjust as he suspected. Feeling under his hard hat, Corvan drew out the fine piece of wire and cleaned out the tube.


    "Guess it weren''t as clean as I thought," Jake said, --crouching down. "Kinda funny that it''s now three generations of your family that have helped me with my lamp. Your grandpappy was a whiz with ''em too."


    Corvan glanced from the lamp at Jake''s brown-stained grin. "You knew my grandfather?"


    "Worked with him for a bit at the IPC mine before he . . . before the mine shut down. Pretty good worker for such an old guy. Wouldn''t listen though. I told him to stay away from the deep places. There was ghosts¡ªwhite creatures with long arms and no eyes."


    Corvan squinted at the older man. Was Jake talking about the Rakash?


    "Don''t look at me like that, boy. It sounds crazy but I saw ''em myself." He shivered and rubbed a hand over his forehead, adding another streak of coal dust to his face. "I tried to tell people and they said I was going crazy, but I knowed different. Saw one come out of that hole. All white and thin with a horrible face." Jake stared down the dark tunnel as if he was seeing the ghost approaching.


    Corvan shook his head. If the Rakash had come to the surface in the past, then that must be what his grandfather referred to in the letter Corvan found in the oak chest. "Did it see you?"


    Jake shook his head and lowered his voice. "That ghosts didn''t have no eyes. Must have been burned in an explosion when it died. Just stood a-listening and then, poof, it disappeared." He glanced over his shoulder and back at Corvan. "I''m only telling you this cause you''re his kin, and he was the only one that believed me. Nobody else knows, and you''ve got to swear to never tell another living soul."


    Corvan nodded.


    Jake swallowed and moved closer. "It was me and your grandpa that blew that tunnel closed at the IPC mine. Your grandpa said it was the only way to keep a whole army of them ghosts from coming up and killing us all."


    Corvan stared at Jake. An entire army of Rakash? Was that even possible? He had only seen four. And why would they want to come up to the surface anyway? The sun would most likely kill them.


    Jake grabbed Corvan''s shoulder. "We never meant to hurt anyone. Those men down there were still drunk from the night before and should never have been in the mine. That weren''t my fault. Honest, boy."


    Corvan nodded and Jake relaxed. It was no wonder Jake was so serious all the time.


    "The only reason I stay working down here is to feed the family,¡± Jake said quietly. ¡°Every day I think I''ll see one of them white faces around the next corner." Jake gave a halfhearted grin. ¡°Just letting my imagination run on me again, I guess." He patted Corvan¡¯s shoulder. "Thanks for not making me feel stupid. It''s good to finally tell someone what really happened so at least somebody knows I''m not goin'' nuts."


    "You''re not crazy.¡± Corvan said. ¡°There''s lots of things down here people on the surface don''t know about." Jake stared at him and Corvan bent back over the lamp. "Do you know what happened to my grandpa?"


    "It was his idea. Said I had to seal him inside the mine to fight the ghosts. Promised me he knew a secret way out of the mine, and I would see him again, but . . ." Jake lifted his hands helplessly.


    Corvan nodded. "I''m sure he knew what he was doing. It''s not your fault."


    A lone tear slid down Jake''s face. He wiped it away with the back of his sleeve, his voice hoarse. "Thanks, son. That means a lot to me."


    Corvan fought the lump in his own throat as he refilled the water tank from his canteen and the screwed the top back on the lamp. His grandfather died trying to stop the Rakash from getting to the surface, but he had failed. And now they had taken his father. He rolled the striker on Jake''s lamp and soon its light was added to the glow of his own. Jake strapped the lamp back on his hard hat.


    "Thanks, Corvan." He lowered his voice and looked over his shoulder, the path of his lantern cutting a bright swath through the dust. "Here, I got you them sticks of dynamite you was talking about." He drew an oilskin-wrapped package out from under his jacket. "You be careful with this stuff. If you get hurt, I''ll be in big trouble. The fuse isn¡¯t very long, so make sure you''re well out of the way and behind something solid."


    Corvan reached eagerly for the packet and Jake pulled it back towards himself. "This better not be for blowing up someone''s outhouse as a trick-or-treat prank."


    Corvan shook his head. "It''s for that rock in my backyard."


    Jake choked back a laugh. "You''d need a truckload of dynamite to blow up that thing." Digging into his coat, he brought out another packet. "These ones have longer fuses so maybe you should use them first to make sure you''re far enough away. And if you get caught, I don''t know nothin''." He passed the packets over, grinned at Corvan and walked off down the shaft.


    There were two sticks inside each packet. He would definitely start with only one. Even then the blast might blow back into the cellar and make a huge mess.


    One thing for certain, he had to make sure no one was home when he tried it out.

 Medallion 6

    Kate followed the lizard away from the cellars hidden door and down a narrow tunnel cut it the rock. The creature said that Corvan might die if they didn''t reach him on time. That could only mean there had been another accident at the mine but how would this passage get them there any quicker? The tunnel tapered down until her head touched the roof. She looked over the lizard''s shoulder and her stomach heaved. The lizard¡¯s exit from the tunnel turned out to be only a small oval hole at the base where Corvan¡¯s tunnel ended.


    Shaking her head Kate backed away. A powerful image of a small, locked door at the base of as staircase flooded her mind and tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn¡¯t go inside such a small space ever again. A sob almost escaped her lips and she screwed he eyes shut and forced it down. This was not the same place. She didn¡¯t need to be so afraid.


    The lizard was talking again. Kate opened her eyes and looked at the creature.


    "I could hear Corvan pounding on the walls on this side,¡± the lizard said, patting the rocks. ¡°I was sure he was trying to make it through to my dwelling, so I cut this hole with my small firesticks to meet him,¡± the lizard pointed at the hole. ¡°But when I made it through, he was already gone."


    "I can''t fit through there." Even as she said the words, Kate imagined herself trapped inside with the rock closing in around her. She took a deep breath. With the cellar door closed was there even enough air in this tunnel? She turned to leave. There was a sharp tug on the leg of her jeans. The lizard had already backed halfway into the hole. "Don¡¯t be worried,¡± it said with a grin. ¡°The Cor-Van fit through one much smaller than this. He told me we only need enough room for a human''s shoulders. I was running out of fire sticks, so it¡¯s not very high, but I made sure the opening was wide enough to fit his shoulders."


    He cocked his head to one side. "But you are different."


    Kate nodded. She hated that she had wide shoulders. Her mother never let her forget that a difficult cesarean birth had scarred her body and supposedly ruined her mother¡¯s chance as an actress.


    The lizard reached out one of its claws. "Let me pull your bag through first. The tunnel is not very long, so I can always push you back if you become stuck."


    Stuck? Kate''s throat tightened and her breathing grew shallow. The dusty air filled her chest. Dropping her bag, she sagged to the floor as a wave of nausea rolled over her. As she reached the floor, a sharp point dug into backside. Twisting to one side, she shoved her hand in her back pocket and pulled out the medallion.


    The green light from the star lit up the tunnel. Taking a deep breath, she leaned in closer to the small hole and cupped the light in her hands. A clear memory of holding it the same way in other dark places came to mind along with a comforting thought. She had made it through other places like this by the medallion¡¯s glow. She could do it again.


    A call from inside the small tunnel brought her attention back to the task at hand. Crawling forward she used the medallion''s light to examine the small opening. The sides of this tunnel were smooth, and her bag had gone through without getting stuck.


    A muffled banging echoed down the tunnel from the cellar. No doubt Billy and his father were ransacking the workshop. They might find the hidden door, so there was no choice but to keep moving forward.


    Holding tight to the medallion with one hand, she extended the other into the opening, dug in her toes in behind and pushed herself forward. Ignoring the rising panic, she wriggled and pushed until she felt her face move into a more open space. Her hand went past a rocky lip and touched the canvas of her duffle bag. Squeezing herself out of the hole in the darkness she dropped down on top of it.


    The lizard''s fishy breath drew close, and his eyes glinted in the dim light of the medallion that squeezed past her clenched hand.


    "That is good you made it through,¡± the creature said. ¡°I am glad I did not have to find a rock to break your bones."


    Kate sat up and pulled her bag close. How could she trust this creature with all the talk about killing people with its claw,  and breaking bones? Her memories of the lizard jumbled together and a vivid recollection of the angry face snarling at her in the Castle Rock came clearly to her mind.


    "Do you have Corvan''s light stick with you?" The lizard was pointing at her hand.


    Kate let the medallion drop free and it spun on its chain, lighting up a small room and the lizard''s narrow face in flashes of green.


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    "That''s mine!" The lizard''s angry eyes reflected the flickers of light. "You stole it from me!"


    Kate pushed herself back from the advancing lizard, keeping her duffle bag between them. "I found it in the cellar," she said.


    "You lie!" the lizard snapped. "You stole it when Corvan and I were lost in the labyrinth, when you also took his shoes and my other things!"


    Kate retreated into the shadows. "I don''t know what you are talking about," she said in desperation. She had no memory of anything it was saying.


    The lizard stopped and its face softened. "Yes, that would be true. The black band was controlling you. I forget how powerful it was. Please forgive me, but my star medallion is very important to me." The lizard extended a long claw. "I would be most grateful if you would please return my possession."


    Kate looked at the lizard''s claw glistening in the medallion''s light. The creature had poisoned Billy''s father with that claw. She glanced behind her. The cave they were in led to another narrow tunnel that disappeared around a corner.


    "The first entry is not open yet," the lizard said, pointing to where she had been looking. "I am sorry I frightened you. Please sit and we can talk together. I will tell you how I came to find that glowing star and how it would always comfort me."


    Kate didn''t respond, and the lizard backed away. "Let me find more light. Perhaps you will feel better if my home is not in darkness." The shadowed figure disappeared behind a tattered curtain.


    Kate slipped away down the narrow tunnel. She had to get out in the open where she could get away if the lizard attacked her to get the medallion. Extending the light revealed another tunnel branching to the right and up toward the surface. She was about to go that way when she discovered a single set of human footprints in the dust, heading down. The lizard said she couldn''t go down, but it had to be the way out there were no footprints coming back her way.


    Hurrying down the tunnel she used the medallion''s light to dodge the boulders strewn on the floor, but as she turned a tight corner, she found herself in front of a blank wall. The lizard wasn''t lying. It really was a dead end.


    The dusty tracks, however, made no sense. Human footprints came down the tunnel, but only the lizard''s tracks went back up. There had to be a secret door or another way out. With the medallion''s light, Kate examined the stone walls. On her right, a patch of smooth black rock was inset into the rough stone. She reached out to touch the shiny surface and a blue spark leapt from her hand. The scar in the center of her palm burned, and Kate yanked her hand back. As she watched, the spark spread out in soft blue ripples on the stone, as if it were made of water and she had dropped a pebble in.


    A rock rolled in the tunnel behind her.


    "It is no use to wait down there,¡± the lizard said softly. ¡°The portal door will not open for a while because moon is not out." The lizard spoke from the darkness up around the corner. "We have time to talk about what we must do once we reach the Cor. Please come back to my dwelling where you can rest. You must be very tired."


    Kate closed her hand around the medallion to hide its light. The blue ripples spreading across the wall shimmered beside her like a large picture frame. Could this be the entry the lizard talked about?


    The lizard¡¯s voice drew closer around the corner. "I will not try to take the light away from you. You will need it to help us if we are to reach him in time."


    The lizard must be talking about Corvan. Could this tunnel be connected to the mine? Kate shifted her weight and her ankle twisted on a loose rock. Instinctively, she put out a hand to steady herself and her fingertips touched the circle of shimmering blue rock.


    Instantly the smooth stone melted away, leaving a large open hole framed with a ring of shiny molten rock. A moist wind blew past her face, heavy with the scent of Sulphur. Shining the light of the medallion through the opening she discovered a larger cave lay beyond. That must be way to get to the mine where Corvan was in trouble.


    The wind grew stronger.


    "Nooooo!" the voice of the lizard filled the tunnel along with the sounds of its claws clicking and scrambling toward her. "Do not touch the walls. They will hurt you!" She heard the lizard tumble and fall just beyond the corner.


    Kate examined the blue ring of rock. She didn''t have to touch the sides to go through. Bag in hand, she stepped over the edge of the ring to the other side then turned around. The lizard was framed in the blue circle, its eyes wide with amazement, blood oozing from its reopened wound.


    "How did you . . .?" The lizard extended a claw through the blue ring. "Did my glowing medallion make it open?"


    Kate clutched the silver disk. "It¡¯s mine now. You can''t have it. I''m going to take it to him."


    The lizard shook its head vigorously. "No, Kate. Please do not take it to Him. His black band is still calling you, but you must not . . ."


    Kate held up her hand to ward off the lizard''s words and another blue spark leapt from her palm to the molten ring of rock.


    Snap! The hole in the wall closed off like the shutter on a camera. The cave went dark, and something soft fell to the ground.


    The stillness was overpowering. An eerie sound filled the space, as if a small drum were beating out time¡ªit was her own heart.


    Green light flowed past her fingers, lighting the cavern with the medallion''s glow. The rock in front of her that had been molten a moment ago was now black and solid. Something glistened near the wall. Kate aimed the medallion like a flashlight and moved closer.


    The long claw of the lizard, still attached to a leathery piece of its paw, lay severed at the base of the wall.

 Medallion 7

    "Hey - are you deaf?"


    Startled from his daydream about using dynamite to get into Tsarek¡¯s dwelling, Corvan looked around to find the crew boss standing in the tunnel behind him.


    "There''s a phone call for you up at the site office,¡± the man said. ¡°It¡¯s the police. They need to talk to you." He turned on his heel and disappeared around the corner.


    Corvan leaned his pickax against the wall and ran to catch up with him. "Did they say what it''s about?"


    The man shook his head as he strode into the main corridor.


    Corvan had to jog to follow him to the metal lift cage. The crew boss slammed the gate shut, and the platform began its slow journey back to the surface. Corvan leaned back against the metal bars. Had something happened to his mother? To Kate?


    The rock walls slid slowly past until the cage shuddered to a stop in the large room at the top of the shaft. The doors of the building were standing open, and a brilliant light filled the sky, blinding him as a loud blast shattered the night air.


    Corvan shielded his eyes. "What''s going on?"


    The crew boss snorted. "Haven''t you ever seen fireworks? It''s Halloween and the kids are out celebrating." He slapped Corvan on the back. "You should join them. You''re about the right size. Bring us back some treats." He pointed toward the site office. "Hopefully they didn''t get tired of waiting and hang up."


    Corvan headed toward the small building, too worried about his mom and Kate to take offense at yet another joke about his height. Inside, the night shift supervisor nodded at the phone hanging on the wall. "You''ve got to talk loud. It''s not working very well."


    Corvan lifted the earpiece and leaned over the speaking horn. "Hello, this is Corvan." All he heard was the static on the line. He tried again and a tinny voice crackled in his ear.


    "Corvan? I''m glad I got a hold of you. This is Sam Green. Listen, there''s been some trouble out at your place."


    A series of firework blasts rattled the windows and Corvan pushed the earpiece tighter against his head. "What kind of trouble?"


    "Your mother asked us to keep an eye on things and check in on Kate, especially tonight with all the pranks. We drove out past your place, but it was too late. Someone has broken in and the back window is smashed."


    "What about Kate?" Corvan asked anxiously.


    "There wasn''t anyone around, but we found a trail of blood in the kitchen. Most likely from the people who broke in and got cut on the window glass. We did see a few large boot prints in the snow near the front door but everything else was wiped out by the blizzard."


    "I''ll come home right away," Corvan said.


    "Can you let your mother know?"


    "Sure." The word slipped out even as a plan formed in Corvan''s mind. He''d thumb a ride home and check out the house before he called his mother. Otherwise she might try to drive home in this weather.


    "Tell her not to worry," Sam said. "We boarded up the window to keep the snow out."


    Corvan hung up the phone without saying good-bye. Who would want to break into their house? And where was Kate? She had mentioned a few times in the past weeks about possibly going to live in the city, but Corvan¡¯s mother had always talked her out of it. Maybe that was what she meant when she said goodbye earlier.


    "Is everything okay?" The supervisor leaned over his desk.


    "Looks like I need to go home for the weekend," Corvan said, buttoning up his jacket. He was glad that he had brought Jake¡¯s packets along with him. If Kate had left for the city and with all the fireworks exploding in the sky, this would be the perfect time to test the dynamite in the passage under his home. This had worked out perfectly for his purposes.


    The man nodded. "No problem. You''re due for some shifts off. I''ll be in trouble with the union if you were injured down there."


    "I should be back soon. I''ve just got to go check on our house and the girl that''s staying with us."


    The man smiled. "Uh-huh. The girl."


    Corvan shrugged. He didn''t care what the man thought. Besides, now he actually was worried about Kate.


    "Bob Shepherd will be going past your place soon. You can catch a ride home with him. He''s over by the tipple greasing one of the conveyor motors. I''ll ring over and tell him to wait for you."


    Corvan always avoided the tipple. The noise and dust in the five-story building bothered him. He hated having to spend an entire shift picking rocks out of the crushed coal as the large chunks thundered along on the huge conveyor belts and dropped into the waiting rail cars.


    Corvan made his way down the lane that led up to the massive structure. Its long wooden arms hung out over the jumble of railway tracks and loading docks like the tentacles of the water creature down in the Cor. At least tonight the tipple was quiet but when coal was being moved out in steady black streams, the building shook so violently that he wondered whether the whole thing would collapse and swallow him up inside.


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    A burst of light made him look back. More fireworks.


    "Good thing we have enough snow this year to make sure those idiots don''t set the hills on fire again."


    Corvan turned to find Bob Shepherd standing amidst the huge support timbers that held up the tipple. The man shook his head.


    "Last year one of those kids got his hand on a stick of dynamite and blew my outhouse to kingdom come. Real funny."


    Corvan resisted running a hand over the packets Jake had given him.


    "They called and said you needed a ride,¡± Bob said. ¡°I''ll bring the truck over to the washhouse, but you''d better be quick about it."


    Corvan nodded and jogged toward the high-peaked roof ringed with smoke from the coal-fired boilers. The hot air from the water heaters would be keeping his regular day clothes warm in a metal basket tied up high in the rafters.


    Stripping down, Corvan rinsed off in the shower, glad he was alone instead of with a full shift of grown men. Out in the change room, he lowered his basket, took his day clothes out and replaced them with his work clothes. Pulling the basket into the air, he hooked the chain on a well-worn nail below a metal plate stamped with the number 17: his dad''s tag number. Corvan caressed the tarnished surface and nodded to himself. With the dynamite, at least now he had a hope of getting back to the Cor and searching for his father. Although he was concerned about Kate and where she might have gone, this might be his best chance to blast a hole through to Tsarek''s dwelling under the castle rocks.


    He was pulling his coat back when a horn honked outside. Running out the door, he jumped into Bob''s old pickup.


    "Aren''t you forgetting something?" The man pointed to a small building next to the washhouse. "Or do you want everyone out searching the mine for you again?"


    Corvan''s ears burned as he jumped out of the truck and sprinted over to the lamp house. Each miner picked up a numbered brass tag on his way into the mine and hung it back up on the assigned peg on his way out. If a man''s tag was missing at the end of the shift, everyone would be called out to look for him. Corvan made that mistake once and it looked like they would never let him forget it.


    Back in the truck, he hunched down against the door and let the warmth from the heater at his feet wash up over his body. The curtain of snow swirling toward them in the glow of the headlights was blinding. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the cold window.


    The next thing he knew his head thumped on the glass as the truck went over two bumps. The railroad crossing near Barron''s store slide past the window. He must have been more tired than he thought; he''d slept the entire way home.


    The truck pulled up to the open gate at the end of the lane to Corvan''s house. "Hope things work out. Have a good night." Corvan pushed the door open and tugged his coat close around his neck as he stepped out into the snowy night.


    "Thanks, Mr. Shepherd."


    The man smiled. "You can call me Bob now that you¡¯re one of us."


    Corvan nodded and shut the door. The truck pulled away, leaving him behind in a swirl of snow.


    Snow drifts had crept like long fingers across the lane up to the house, but the vehicles that had recently come and gone had left a few ruts to walk in. A gust of wind blew up the legs of his trousers. Wherever Kate had gone he hoped she¡¯d dressed warmly. A person could freeze to death on a night like this.


    The front door was locked. Corvan felt around the top of the door frame until he found the spare key. Inside, the house was almost as cold as it was outside. "Kate?" He called her name, but even as he did, he was pretty sure she wasn''t in the house. Sprinting up the stairs, he checked her bedroom. Empty, and her clothes that were usually neatly folded on top of his grandfather''s wooden chest were gone. Corvan sat on the bed and looked out the ice crusted window. The fresh snow made the ring of stones at the top of the castle look like huge marshmallows on a satin tablecloth.


    Crossing to the oak chest, he lifted the lid. Nothing had been moved inside and the secret compartment was still fastened tight. When Gavyn''s fake hammer hadn''t worked on the Cor entry, he had considered breaking the lid of the chest to retrieve the book, but he couldn''t bring himself to ruin his grandfather''s masterpiece. Not much point since he couldn''t open the book without the hammer nor read its strange writing.


    Retreating to the kitchen he heard the screen door creaked out on the back deck. Flakes of snow blew through the crack below the kitchen door. A piece of paper fluttered in the miniature snowdrift forming on the floor. Picking it up, he recognized Kate''s tidy script. Most of the words were a blur of blue ink but two lines were clear.


    "I am going to the city to find a job. Thank you for your kindness and please tell Corvan good-bye from me."


    Kate had decided to take the bus to the city, but at least she had left before the house was broken into. He pushed aside the thought that he would miss having her around and consoled himself by deciding he would look her up after his father was safely back home.


    Corvan examined the boards nailed up over the kitchen window. Why would anyone bother to break in? Everyone in town knew they didn''t have anything worth stealing.


    Pieces of glass were scattered across the floor and drops of dried blood traced a path back to the dumbwaiter. Corvan raised the small door to find that lift had fallen down along with the rope. That could only mean that someone had used it to break into the workshop.


    Running out the back door, he pushed through the drifts that had gathered against the house. His heart sank at the sight of the open cellar doors, and the mess inside stopped him cold. Most of the metal pieces from the shelves had been thrown to the floor and everything was gone from the workbench. The table in the center of the room had been toppled and the box of things for his trip to the Cor was gone.


    Crossing the room, he found the dumbwaiter doors askew: the rope in a tangled heap on top of its broken shell. Climbing inside he used a broken board to dig about in the sand. The medallion was gone, but how could anyone know where he had tossed it in the first place? Was Billy spying on him through the cellar doors when he had thrown it into the dumbwaiter? He was definitely very interested in it when he saw it on the Castle Rock.


    Corvan skirted the overturned table and felt under the shelf to release the catch for the hidden shelving door. A wash of blue light cascaded through the opening and he entered to find the lumien seed he had planted earlier was now the size of a grapefruit. Leafy tendrils were winding their way over the rock and three smaller globes were playing peek-a-boo through the expanding mass of vines.


    This had to be a mother plant if it could reproduce itself so quickly. Corvan gently touched one of the small globes and it brightened to the color of the full moon. His stomach rumbled at the thought of the tangy juice.


    He pulled the lumien closer and caressed its fuzzy skin. His heart skipped a beat.


    Surely if the plant was reproducing that quickly, it would be okay to eat one of the little fruits.

 Medallion 8

    Plucking the round globe from its stem, Corvan nibbled a small hole in the skin and squeezed the juice into his mount. The instant kick was like that first sip of strong coffee after a long shift down in the mine. Popping the fruit into his mouth, he worked the flesh away from the seed.


    As the fruit of the lumien slid down his throat, a powerful sensation of well-being flooded his body. No wonder people in the Cor wanted lumien fruit so badly, there was nothing else that could satisfy your cravings in quite the same way.


    Corvan touched his tongue to the pointy end of the seed. A shiver of excitement coursed through his body, and he recalled of the intense sensation when he had bitten down on the seed in Tsarek''s dwelling. At that time Tsarek had stopped him from eating the seed, but ever since that time Corvan had thought about that powerful jolt of pleasure.


    Jorad claimed it was against the law to consume a lumien seed but that was down in Kadir where they had a limited supply. They had to make that a law before all their light had been lost. This mother plant was already producing multiple fruits, so eating one seed wouldn''t limit its life in any way. Besides, this particular plant was a gift from Saray, and it was his to use as he desired.


    Spitting the seed into the palm of his hand he examined it closely. There was no doubt that he would need extraordinary strength to defeat the Rakash. If eating one small seed could help him rescue his father, then that was more important than the rules down in Kadir. He had witnessed first-hand how consuming a seed had energized the Chief Watcher.


    The memory of the black lizard writhing in pain on the floor of the High Priest''s great hall knotted his stomach. The seed from the mother plant had given the Chief Watcher incredible strength, but at a terrible cost. The small red seeds appeared to be even more powerful. Kate had been brought back to life after one of the seeds from pouch had only burned her hand. Saray¡¯s thumb had been regrown just by holding the red seed¡¯s power. What would happen if he actually ate a seed that had grown from that same source?


    Holding the seed up he gripped it between his thumb and forefinger. This one was tiny--nothing at all like the huge seed the Chief Watcher had eaten. Placing the kernel back in his mouth, he again pressed his tongue to the pointy end, savoring the sensation. As fresh awareness flowed into his head, he knew without a doubt that the seed would make him stronger. Its power was his if he needed it, and right now he believed he did.


    Working the seed over to the side of his mouth, he applied a bit of pressure. It was tougher that he thought, like a pistachio nut that hadn''t been cracked enough to open by hand. He bit down harder, and it splintered apart, sending a jolt of raw energy rumbling through his chest like a freight train and then into his arms. He could feel it moving along, it''s light shining through his skin as it coursed through his veins. The sensation picked up speed and headed toward his fingers.


    The room spun around him. Corvan reached out to steady himself against the rock wall. Asurge of power rushed to his hand and shot from his palm like a jet of water from a fire hose. The force tossed him backwards into a heap on the floor.


    As his equilibrium slowly returned, he tried to move but could not muster enough strength to even raise his head. Something crackled above him. He managed to tip his head forward until a glowing red hole in the rock wall, the size of his fist, came into view.


    His forehead broke in a cold sweat. The power from that one little seed leaving his body was strong enough to melt granite. The red glow faded as the rock cooled. A soft gray ash drifted down over his body.


    He tried again to sit up, but his body refused to cooperate. The exiting jolt of lumien power had completely drained him. A shiver ran through to his core, as if he''d just fallen through the ice into a frozen pond. His heart was slowing down, was he going to die?


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    A splash of vivid light fell off to one side of his chest. Overhead, the stem of the plucked fruit was oozing clear blue liquid. Corvan inhaled deeply, absorbing the minute bits of energy suspended in the air. Summoning all his remaining strength, he pivoted his body around until his open mouth was beneath the forming droplet. It swelled, quivered, and fell, splashing on his cheek. He licked at it and his heart responded with three quick beats.


    Shifting to his right a few inches, he watched the stem closely. Finally, another drop formed. This time the juice fell directly into his mouth and ran down his throat, its energy flowing into his heart. It began to beat steadily faster.


    His chest grew warm, but his hands and legs grew colder. When he thought about moving some heat into his hands, the energy left his chest and surged toward his fingers. He let it rest a moment and then thought about warming his toes. At that thought, the heat radiated down his legs and into his feet. The ability to control the energy and make it go wherever he wished felt unbelievably good.


    Another drop formed and he waited for it to splash into his mouth. This time he moved its energy into his mind. Instantly the tunnel grew brighter and minute details in the rocks jumped out at him. In the stillness he was sure he could even hear the lumien plant pushing new vines out along the wall.


    One last drop fell. This time Corvan pushed it deep into the muscles of his arms. The power flowed and he catapulted himself off the ground and onto his feet in one swift move. He nodded to himself. If he could do all this with a few drops from the vine, being able to control the power from the seed itself would make him invincible. It would be easy to break through to Tsarek''s dwelling, return to the Cor and rescue his father.


    His confidence fades as his knees began to shake, his heart rapping in his chest like a toy drum. He needed more lumien power, but the other two small globes were nowhere to be seen. The mother lumien was hiding them from him like a hen hiding her chicks beneath her wings. Pushing his hand through the tendrils, he located one, but it was now solidly attached to the rock and the vines fought against him. Pulling out his pocketknife he flicked the blade open and cut through the stem.


    A gush of liquid light squirted out, ran down his arm and dripped on the cavern floor. Ignoring it, Corvan eagerly sucked the fruit from the seed but this time it didn¡¯t give the same satisfaction. His body was craving the seed, not the fruit, but he didn¡¯t dare eat another one.


    A wave of dizziness dropped him to his knees and a stabbing pain shot across his chest. There was no choice now. He needed the power from inside the seed. Taking a tiny nibble he allowed the rush of power to run straight into his throbbing heart. The hollow feeling subsided and the pain melted away.


    The rest of the seed lay twitching in his hand, bright liquid oozing from where he bit into it. Could he handle more? Already he felt stronger and more capable. A bit more should do it. Taking another tiny bite, he let the seed''s energy flow into his core along with the overwhelming assurance that he could easily handle more. Popping the rest of the seed into his mouth, he chewed fast.


    The energy filled his nostrils and shot up into his head. His eyes watered as the raw power throbbed in his chest. Wrapping his arms around himself he pulled away from the rock wall. If the energy got away on him, it might tear his heart in two.


    Fear set in as Corvan struggled to keep the power from jumping out of his chest. It was too much to hold and he let a tiny bit into his veins. It ran wild through his body and then settled down as he directed it into his right arm. The muscles in his forearm tensed and rippled, just like the forearms of the Chief Watcher.


    Could he become as evil as the black lizard? Was the power evil? Couldn¡¯t he use it to defend others. He could use it to set things right and make people like Billy stop hurting others. Just like Charles Atlas in his comic books, nobody would be able to push him around anymore. He could stand up for himself and for others.


    Getting to his feet, Corvan focused on keeping the power restrained inside his heart, then gingerly reached out and touched a finger to the rock wall. A twinge of pressure rose in his chest and shoulders, but the energy remained confined.


    Opening his hand, he grabbed the edge of the jagged rock where the first bolt of energy had blasted a hole. Placing the other hand next to the hole, he released a small amount of power into both his arms and his muscles bulged. Corvan tugged on the piece of rock and pushed away with his other arm. A wedge of granite broke away from the wall. The chunk must weigh a good fifty pounds but to his energy-rich muscles it felt like a baseball.


    Pulling his arm back like a pitcher on the mound, Corvan released more energy into his bicep and hurled the stone down the length of the cave.


    The rock shattered to bits in an explosive cloud of debris.


    A shadowed form took shape within the dust, then ran directly at him.

 Medallion 9

    Before Corvan could move, the shadow launched itself at his waist and knocked him to the ground.


    "Oh, Kalian, I am so happy to see you."


    "Tsarek?" Corvan exclaimed, sitting up.


    The lizard pushed himself upright. "It is I, Sir. I am so sorry to have pushed you down, but I am very full with joy."


    "But how did you get in here?"


    The familiar pleased-with-himself grin crept over the lizard''s face. "I made it back into the labyrinth using the long water tunnel. When I got to my dwelling, I could hear you knocking on the other side of the rocks, so I started cutting with my small fire sticks. Come, I will show you."


    The lizard gestured toward the end of the room with a paw wrapped in a bloody cloth.


    Corvan stood to his feet. "Did you burn your paw on a fire stick?"


    Tsarek''s face darkened. "No. She did it."


    "Who?"


    The lizard waved its bandaged paw overhead like a flag. "She tried to kill me and I lost my poison claw, but that left me with no defense against the bad men in the cellar, so was trapped here and then the Kate stole the . . ."


    Corvan grabbed hold of Tsarek¡¯s paw. "Kate was here? I thought she left."


    "Yes, she did. The Kate left through the labyrinth."


    "She what? Why would she . . .  How did Kate open the door?"


    "With the medallion," Tsarek said.


    "Kate took my medallion? From the dumbwaiter?"


    "Yes,¡± Tsarek stated emphatically. ¡°She stole it and now she is taking it back to Him."


    "Him? Do you mean the master of the black band?" Corvan¡¯s face flushed. ¡°Why would she do that? Are you sure?¡±


    The lizard nodded vigorously. "She said so herself. I heard her."


    An intense wave of anger engulfed Corvan and raged through his body. It was because of Kate that his father had been abducted by the Rakash. She was obviously still under the control of the black band.  No wonder she had wanted to stay at his house and was always hanging around the cellar. This whole time she had been waiting around to steal the medallion and take it back to the Cor. It was her spying on him when he threw it into the dumbwaiter.


    The rage intensified. Corvan screwed his eyes shut as is heart pumped the latent lumien power through his veins. If he could catch up to Kate, he would take his medallion back, rescue his father and leave her down in the Cor for good.


    "Sir, you are hurting me,¡± Tsarek squeaked. ¡°Please put me down."


    Corvan opened his eyes. Tsarek hung in midair from his hands clamped around the lizard¡¯s neck. Quickly directing the lumien power away from his arms, he unlocked his hands and dropped Tsarek to the ground.


    "I am sorry, Kalian." Tsarek whispered. "I did not mean to fail you. I should have stopped her."


    Corvan slumped to the floor beneath the blue light of the lumien and closed his eyes. His heart raced, and the power ran wildly through his arteries. Concentrating, he gathered the energy back into his heart, groaning as he squeezed the last shards of power into place. He had never been that angry in his life, not ever. The lumien seeds did far more than make him stronger; they exaggerated his emotions.


    The hatred filled face of the Chief Watcher in the temple hall loomed in his thoughts as the rivulets of sweat ran off his face and soaked into his T-shirt.


    Opening his eyes he found Tsarek studying him intently. The lizard''s gaze wandered up to the severed lumien stem hanging overhead.


    "Oh, Sir. You should not have done that. I warned you not to eat the seed. It is so dangerous for your kind. How many . . ."


    Corvan held up two fingers and the lizard gasped. "You have the power of two seeds inside you?"


    Corvan shook his head and pointed overhead to the hole melted in the rock.


    Tsarek clucked his tongue against his teeth. "It is good you let the power out, but also very bad to have so much inside. If you let that much out at once, your heart may never recover, and you will die."


    Corvan nodded. "That''s why I ate a second one right away. I had to do it, but now I''m done. I don¡¯t want any more."


    As soon as the words left his lips, he knew it wasn''t true. He wanted another lumien, and now. He stared up at the blue globe of the mother plant.


    Tsarek leapt up beside him and put his cloth bound paw over Corvan''s eyes. "Please turn your eyes away. Now that you have used its power you will always want more, but it will kill you in the end. Please, Sir, stop now before it is too late."


    Corvan slapped Tsarek''s bandaged paw away. "Leave me alone. I can handle this."


    Tsarek pulled away, clutching his injured paw. He crouched on his haunches against the far wall.


    "Don''t just stare at me," Corvan snapped.


    "I am leaving you alone," Tsarek said, his eyes brimming with what could only be tears.


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    "Stop it.¡± Corvan said. ¡°I hate it when you do exactly what I tell you."


    Tsarek turned his head to look along the tunnel towards his dwelling.


    Corvan tipped his head back against the wall. Gathering the raw energy back into his heart had exhausted him. "What did Kate actually say to you?"


    "She said those very words, ''I must take it back to Him.''"


    "And what did she do to your claw?"


    "The Kate closed the labyrinth portal to snip it off when I reached in to take my medallion back,¡± Tsarek said in a wounded tone. ¡°But not to worry. A new claw will grow back, although it will be ugly and long. I will end up looking more like the Chief . . ."


    Corvan held up his hand for silence. He had originally believed that the Rakash leader had taken his father get the cloak back, but now it was clear the Rakash was trying to force Corvan use the medallion and return to the Cor. It was the medallion it wanted, not the cloak, but now Kate was taking the glowing medallion to the master of the black band, the one Tsarek called ¡®Him¡¯. Is that who the Rakash served?


    Corvan pushed himself upright against the tunnel wall. "We''ve got to stop her before she reaches the Cor. If the master of the black bands gets the medallion, he will no longer need my father as ransom and . . ."


    Tsarek jumped up. "We should leave immediately. Do you have the hammer?"


    "No, I left it with Tyreth in Kadir.¡± He looked down at Tsarek. ¡°If I had the hammer, I wouldn¡¯t have been cutting this tunnel to get inside the Castle Rock."


    Tsarek nodded. "But now we have no way to open the labyrinth doors. We cannot return to the Cor without the hammer or the medallion. What can we possibly do now?"


    Corvan tried to think things through, but his thoughts were jumbled and disconnected. Letting a little lumien energy flow into his head he found the exhaustion dissipating. The problem at hand came into sharp focus along with a myriad of solutions. His accelerated thinking rapidly explored each possibility, tossing the dead ends aside. It was true that the pathway to Kadir went through the labyrinth, but he and Tsarek had bypassed a portion of the maze of tunnels in the past.


    "Doesn''t the first door open with the phases of the moon?" Corvan asked.


    "Yes, it will open tonight but then we would be trapped in that first section and would wait another month, just to get back to my dwelling."


    "There is another way out of the first cave,¡± Corvan said.


    "Sir?"


    "The small fire sticks you used to weld the metal artwork in your cave. Do you have any left?"


    "Ten or more,¡± Tsarek said, ¡°but they are very dry."


    "Will they work for us to breath under the water?"


    Tsarek hesitated, then nodded.


    "Then we can go down through the pool of water in the first cavern, where the water creature with long arms pulled me in. You said that one was the smaller offspring of the large one at the temple karst. If the small one migrated up to that cavern through the water course, then we can use your fire sticks to breath under the water and follow the underground river all the way back to Kadir."


    Tsarek shook his head. "I do not have enough fire sticks for both of us to make the long journey. It was difficult work to travel through the water to get back here and our breathing will use them up before we get back."


    Corvan squinted at the lizard. ¡°You¡¯re not thinking this through logically. When you were moving up to the surface, you were fighting the current, but on the way down, it will sweep us along. We won''t be breathing hard."


    Tsarek shook his head. "But there will be rocks we might hit and tight places and many things to go wrong."


    Corvan''s jaw clenched as his irritation mounted. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "If Kate is taking the medallion back to the one you call ¡®Him¡¯, then my father is in greater danger."


    Tsarek nodded. "It is important for you to reach your father quickly. I will go with you."


    Corvan got to his feet and caught sight of a wooden box sitting by the hidden door into the cellar.


    "Is that my stuff?" he asked.


    Tsarek scurried over and tried to drag the box away from the wall. "I did not want to let the large boy have your things."


    "Billy Fry was here?" Corvan asked, moving over to the crate.


    "With the older one called ''Pa''. They were looking for a key to the rock to find a treasure, but he will think twice before coming back.¡± Tsarek held up his bandaged paw. ¡°I scratched the Pa, but that was before the Kate cut off my claw. I cannot help you if he returns, as I must wait for it to grow back. I¡¯m sure it will be fairly quick though."


    Corvan was only half-listening as he knelt to empty out the crate. Billy and his father were looking for treasure because Billy had seen the medallion and assumed there must be more of them. He should leave a note to warn his mother to watch out for them before he left but what would he write? Bye Mom, I''m going underground to rescue my father from an evil master who has enslaved Kate, but watch out for Billy because he wants my secret medallion? There was nothing for it. He would have to trust that his mother was smarter than Billy''s father, and likely stronger as well.


    Pulling the holster out of the crate he flicked open the flap to reveal Gavyn''s fake hammer. This one couldn¡¯t open the labyrinth doors, but it looked enough like the real one to be of some use in the Cor.


    Pulling his father''s raincoat from the crate, he stuck the holster into one of the pockets. Later he would try to exchange the raincoat for one of the hooded cloaks the people of Kadir wore, but for now it would keep him warmer than his light work jacket. Corvan tossed his work jacket into the corner and heard something bump against the wall. Good thing dynamite didn''t go off by dropping it. He pulled out one of the packets. Whatever happened down below, dynamite might prove to be useful. He slid the packet into one of the raincoat''s inner pockets.


    At the bottom of the box was faded pillowcase and the gray slippers he had worn on the last trip. The special slippers would keep his feet warm and also to make it easier to move around without being heard. Taking off his sneakers, he pulled the slippers on.


    Opening the pillowcase, Corvan drew out the white scarf, held it to his face and inhaled the familiar sweet scent of Tyreth''s perfume. With the bits of lumien power lingering in his head, the aroma was more potent, as if Tyreth were standing right beside him. The memory of her lips pressed to his at the temple karst made his heart skip a beat. At least there was one person he could trust in Kadir.


    Reaching into the pillowcase, he pulled out the jewels Kate had been wearing at Saray¡¯s home in the Molakar settlement. He had kept both items under his pillow on the cot for weeks and would often pull one or the other out at night. Initially he was planning to give the band of gems back to Kate when her memory returned, but now she''d stolen the medallion, she didn''t deserve them. He''d bring the tiara and give it to Tyreth instead.


    Shoving the jewels into his jeans pocket, he rolled up the scarf and pushed it deep into one of the coat''s inner pockets and buttoned the flap over. He didn''t want the water to wash away Tyreth''s perfume.


    "Do you want that as well?" Tsarek asked, pointing at the floor.


    Corvan picked up his father''s acetylene lamp. The lantern would come in handy as long as he had a supply of calcium carbide along. "I need some fuel from the cellar."


    Picking up his work jacket, Corvan pushed through the hidden door and crossed over to the workbench. The flat tin of fuel for the lamp had been knocked from its alcove but the seal was still in intact. If water seeped into the can when they were underwater, it could explode in his pocket. Leaving his work jacket on the counter, he placed the tin into one of the inner pockets of the raincoat and strapped the acetylene lamp to his head.


    Deep in an alcove cut into the wall at the back of the workbench was the rounded top of his Roy Roger''s metal lunchbox. For the past few weeks, he had been stashing a few food items for the trip to Kadir safe from the mice. Pulling it out, he turned towards the hidden door.


    "Let¡¯s go, Tsarek. I need to see how many firesticks you have left."

 Medallion 10

    They approached the hole Tsarek had cut in the base of the tunnel wall leading out of the cellar, and Tsarek slipped inside. Kate must have been pretty desperate to go inside such a small opening. That alone was proof she was still under the influence of the black band.


    Corvan easily squeezed inside. The panic he had experienced when he and Tsarek had first entered the Cor through the narrow crack where Tsarek broke his shoulder was completely gone. Working at the mine had cured him of those fears.


    Emerging into Tsarek''s dwelling, he found the lizard waiting with one paw behind his back.


    "I have a present for you,¡± Tsarek said past a happy smile. ¡°It was in the water after Tyreth killed the Chief Watcher and Jorad was arguing with you in the water creature''s cave. You might want this one since yours was burned up." Tsarek held out a coil of translucent blue rope. ¡°It belonged to the leader of the Rakash before Jorad cut his hand off. It¡¯s one is not as long as your green one, but it does have a double end."


    Corvan took the krypin rope from the lizard''s paw and examined the control end. This handle was T-shaped, with a control bump on either side. Holding it in one hand, he attempted to activate the controls with his thumb and baby finger but only succeeded in getting the ends of the rope completely snarled up around each other.


    "You need to use two hands," Tsarek said. ¡°That what the Rakash did.¡±


    Corvan tried holding the handle in a way that allowed him to use a thumb on each toggle. It was easier to control, and he sent the ends of the rope climbing the walls in opposite directions until the tension in the middle picked him off the floor. Letting a bit of the lumien strength into his arms. he used the krypin to swing himself around the room.


    "Do you like it?" Tsarek said. The familiar pleased with himself grin across his narrow face.


    Corvan lowered himself to the ground. "I''ll need to learn how to work the controls with only one hand, but I''m sure it will be useful." Coiling up the thin rope and he attempted to fit it into a pocket of the raincoat.


    "I don''t believe that coat will keep you warm, especially under the water. Where is your special cloak?" Tsarek asked.


    "My father wore it to the mine by mistake. The Rakash leader has it now."


    "Oh, that is much more dangerous, now you won''t see him coming."


    Corvan looked up at him, rope in hand. He hadn¡¯t thought a lot about having to fight the Rakash leader. Now that he was carrying the krypin rope it used to own, it might get even more angry.


    Tsarek looked him over. "You will need better clothes, especially to go through the cold water.¡± He pointed at the lunchbox, ¡°and to carry your things.¡± The lizard vanished into the pantry and reappeared with a flat butcher paper bundle tied up with hay bale twine. He laid the parcel at Corvan''s feet. "I found these in the entry beside to your past-father when he . . ." Tsarek stopped and pointed above him to where his grandfather¡¯s bones lay.


    Corvan untied the neat bows holding the package together, unfolded the paper and spread it open. Inside were a pair of pants, a short sleeve shirt and a dark gray cloak with a deeply cowled hood.


    "These are special clothes,¡± Tsarek said, holding up the shirt. ¡°And not only because they belonged to your past-father. This is the clothing worn in the Cor for keeping the body warm, but these ones are the finest quality, worn only by the rulers of Kadir." He pointed to a crest embroidered on the front of the shirt. "You might want to keep this symbol covered under your cloak. Some people in Kadir would not be happy to see it."


    Corvan took the shirt and traced his fingers over the embroidery. Did this mean his grandfather once ruled Kadir? Was the man going back to take his rightful place in the Cor when Tsarek killed him?


    ¡°Try them on,¡± Tsarek said. ¡°I think they will fit you.¡±


    Removing the raincoat and his clothes down to his underwear, he found Tsarek watching him closely. "What are you looking at?" he asked the lizard.


    "The lumiens are changing your body sir. Look over here." Tsarek stepped over in front of the metal artwork he had created on his wall. Pulling down a tattered cloth from the middle section, he revealed an old mirror with the glass cracked from corner to corner. "I covered this looking glass when I no longer wanted to see myself wearing the black band," Tsarek said.


    Corvan looked himself up and down. His head appeared to have stuck on a body taken from one of his comic book ads for Charles Atlas. Every muscle was clearly defined, a sight was both frightening and reassuring at the same time. He flexed his bicep, amazed at how powerful his muscles had become.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s from the lumien seeds,¡± Tsarek stated.


    Corvan nodded and watched the sinews moving in his neck and shoulders. At least now he might be able to hold his own in a fight with the leader of the Rakash.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    He quickly pulled on his grandfather''s shirt and pants. They were a better fit than his own clothes, although the pants stopped just shy of the top of the slipper shoes. His mother had said that his grandfather was a bit shorter than he.


    "This is much better, Tsarek. That was a good idea."


    ¡®Yes, those clothes will keep you warmer under the water, but you should move your lamp and other things into the pack to keep them dry." He pointed back to the unwrapped brown paper at an odd-looking flat bag with straps secured across the front. Tsarek lifted it by the straps and handed the flat oblong bag to Corvan.


    Corvan held it up to the light. "Is this like the hunting rucksack I left in the crypts?"


    "You wear it the same way,¡± Tsarek said, ¡°but it was created for a different purpose in a place long forgotten in the Cor. If we put your things inside, they will stay dry even under the water."


    Tsarek ran a claw along a seam near the top and the pack spread open revealing an interior covered in soft tendrils. Tsarek touched them with the tip of a claw and the tendrils rippled away and the pack opened even wider. "You put your things inside and when you close it, all the air comes out. Water cannot enter and everything is held tight and secure." Tsarek handed him the lamp and the can of fuel. Corvan tucked them away inside. The tendrils tickled the back of his hands.


    "What about this?" Tsarek held up Jake¡¯s packet with the two sticks of dynamite inside.


    "Yes, I will bring those as well."


    Tsarek handed them to Corvan. "And your toy gun holder and jewels?" Tsarek was holding the holster with the fake hammer and Tyreth''s tiara.


    "I¡¯ll take the jewels, but I don''t have a belt for the holster." Corvan took the tiara from Tsarek and put it inside the pocket of the new pants.


    Tsarek laid the holster on the ground and moved toward his pantry. "Should I bring some of my food supplies?"


    Corvan glanced at the dried gopher carcasses hanging on the wall. "I think I have enough food for the trip. It won¡¯t take us long." He reached for the metal lunchbox and as Corvan flipped up the metal clasps, Tsarek leaned in closer. "I''ve been stocking up on a few things from the Barron''s store," Corvan said. ¡°I set aside a bit from my extra shifts at the mine.¡±


    Tsarek pulled out a bright packet. "These are good. They melt in your mouth, not in your paws."


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Tsarek shrugged. "I saw it on Kate¡¯s television box, but I don''t have hands, so I changed it." The lizard dropped the candy inside the strange backpack.


    "This one will definitely melt in your paws." Corvan handed Tsarek a red cellophane package. "It¡¯s called a Cuban Lunch and it¡¯s a bar of chocolate covered peanuts. Lots of energy in that one." Tsarek added in to the pack as Corvan held up five packages of Hot Rods. "You will like these. They taste like the beef jerky you liked but easier to chew." He added them to the pack. "And this is a Pez refill pack, little hard candies and these . . . "


    "Berries from a Lita bush!¡± Tsarek exclaimed. ¡°I love those! May I have one?"


    Corvan looked down and smiled to himself as he opened one of the small cellophane packets, then held a red ball of candy out on his palm. Atomic Fireballs were made from pure cinnamon and packed a lot of heat.


    Tsarek plucked the ball from his hand, tossed it into his mouth and began rolling it about in his cheek.


    Corvan continued to move the rest of the snacks into the pack and closed the sides of the flap. There was a faint hiss, and the pack went flat with only the outline of bumps to show where the items were. "That''s pretty neat. It would have been great to have this on our first trip. The jerky would have been dry and lasted . . . "


    An explosion of disgust erupted from Tsarek, and a red candy ball ricocheted off the ceiling of the cave just over Corvan''s head, then bounced over to land by Tsarek''s musical crystals. Tsarek tore into his pantry and came back with a small jar of brackish water that he kept sticking his snout into and rinsing out his mouth.


    "I take it you don''t like the taste of an Atomic Fireball?" Corvan said, trying hard not to laugh. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s too strong of a taste for someone your age?¡±


    Tsarek glared at Corvan¡¯s reference to when he had showed Corvan how to smoke a firestick, then shook his head. "Not at all like a Lita berry. You can keep those ones for yourself. Tsarek pointed to the pack. ¡°You should try it on and see how it works.¡±


    Corvan tugged the green, translucent straps over his shoulders. "This looks like a flatter piece of my first krypin rope."


    "Yes, this comes from the same place in the Cor. The people there invented these things¡ªvery clever. If it had the part for your face, it would have been even better." Tsarek pointed to the middle of the straps hanging over Corvan''s chest. "Now you touch the two circles together."


    Corvan ran his hands down the straps to the two flat circular pieces and joined them. As soon as they overlapped, all the straps tightened up and the pack snuggled in against his back.


    "Let¡¯s not forgot your new rope." Tsarek held up the blue krypin and threaded it onto one of the lower straps of the new pack. "Now you can reach it quickly if you need to." He picked up the holster. "this can clip on the side strap as well. You might be able to use it down in the Cor."


    Tsarek fastened the holster in place on the other side, then stepped back to inspect the overall effect. He nodded his approval. "Now you put the cloak over top to hide your belongings," Tsarek said.


    Corvan pulled on the cloak, threw the hood back and stepped in front of the mirror.  Now he could he walk the streets of Kadir and easily fit in with everyone else. He did up one more button to cover the crest of Kadir that was showing through.


    "Check in the glass at how your things are kept secret," Tsarek said.


    Corvan turned sideways to the mirror. "That¡¯s great. With my hood back, you can''t even tell its under there."


    Tsarek picked up the lunch box. "Should I put your special school case away in my pantry until we get back?" He shook it and something rattled against the tin sides.


    Taking it from him, Corvan popped the latches open. At the bottom was the blue piece of glass that matched the white one he had given to Gavyn before leaving Kadir. He slipped into the front pocket of his grandfather¡¯s pants and handed the case back to Tsarek. "You can keep the lunchbox Tsarek. I don''t need it anymore."


    Tsarek beamed and scuttled away with his prize swinging at his side like a proud first grader on his first day of school.


    A moist breeze blew over Corvan''s head along with the odor of matches being lit.


    Tsarek¡¯s voice came from inside the pantry. "Do you smell that, Sir? The first door is open. We can go now."

 Medallion 11

    Kate sat on the slab of stone and contemplated the glass-like pool of water. Her faint memories of this place were like fragments of a long-forgotten dream. The last time she was here, Corvan had been asleep on this slab of stone. If he was here with her, then why had he not even tried to tell her about these caves or medallion, or the lizard. He could have at least dropped some hints or tried to help her remember what happened before she hit her head.


    Shivering, she buttoned up the top of her coat. When she had watched Corvan sleeping, she had been so angry she wanted to throw a rock at him. Now, she couldn''t even remember what made her so mad in the first place.


    Kate raised the light of the medallion toward the wall where she had first found the pointed disk, wrapped up and hidden in a pile of rags. Was this the place the lizard was talking about? Did the medallion actually belong to him, or was she searching the cave to take it back after he stole it from her? All she could recalled was intense relief when she first picked up the glowing disc. Her anger at Corvan had quickly dissipated and she want to go back to the rock and talk to him, but then a great tension grew within her as the black band fought to take back control.


    That battle had raged for a long time before the medallion finally won the battle. Where that happened was a mystery but the relief of the black band falling away was a powerful reality. Corvan had been close to her at that time, leaning over her and telling her he would take her home. Kate focused on the memory but found Corvan''s face being replaced by a handsome man with dark hair. Jorad was his name but who was he and why did his memory give her a sense she had been special to him?


    The medallion pulsed in her hand, sending shafts of light past her fingers. Kate sighed and got to her feet. The last time she''d been here, the black band drew her through these caves but this time she followed the medallion. She turned in a slow circle, keeping an eye on the metallic surface.


    The points worked like a compass; a lighted symbol would glow brighter within the point that would lead her on to the next blue opening in the cave wall. She had stepped through at least five so far but the lizard said this tunnel would take her to Corvan so that had to be a long ways underground. The lizard also said Corvan didn''t have long to live. There was no way she would turn back now.


    Following the star''s direction, Kate stepped up to the wall and placed her palm against the stone. Blue ripples of light flowed out. The rock turned to jelly and then opened up to let her pass.


    Kate ducked through the portal and into a low tunnel stretching out in both directions. The medallion in her hand glowed brightly but none of the star points grew any stronger. The new tunnel slanted upward to the left and dropped off steeply to the right. She was too tired to go up the slope. Downward seemed a better choice if Corvan was working deep in the Red Creek mine.


    The long tunnel wound generally downward, even steeper at times, stretching on and on until Kate thought she couldn''t take another step. Kate paused in the middle of a steep incline. If this was a dead end then she would have to climb back up to try the other direction.


    Holding the medallion overhead, she peered down the slope and caught a flash of white in the boulders piled at the bottom of the slope. Stepping closer, she noticed a pair of tattered sneakers perched up on top of a column of rock.


    Clambering down over the rocks, Kate edged closer to the shoes. The laces were nibbled to tattered strands, and a cozy nest of fluff occupied one heel. A plastic bread bag lay between them, chewed full of holes. The shoes had once belonged to her, but why would she have left them here and gone on in her bare feet? Kate picked up one shoe and closed her eyes. The memory came back. She had stopped here because she had been putting on the sneakers she had taken from Corvan and eating the cookies she too as well. That¡¯s when a light had come on and a stone door had appeared in front of her.


    Kate opened her eyes and searched behind the boulders but couldn''t find a door.


    A whisper of a breeze blew up from the tunnel below her and in the silence that followed, she thought she heard a voice.


    "Corvan?" Kate walked along the main path to where a smaller tunnel branched off to the left. She stepped inside and called Corvan''s name again. Glancing at the medallion she the light on the points spinning around as if she were sitting on top of the North Pole. The new path inclined upward. It may be better to try it and if it didn¡¯t lead her back to the Red Creek mine it might at least take her to the surface, and she could hitch a ride to the mine. It was worth a try.


    The new passage climbed straight ahead for a long while. Weariness set in as Kate trudged along. When the floor abruptly gave way to a steep slope, her feet flew out from under her, tumbling her down into a pile of broken sticks.


    Groaning, she stood and dusted off her bruised body. At least her duffle bag had broken her fall. Examining her surroundings by the light of the medallion she found herself in a smaller bowl-shaped cave with two other paths dropping down into it from the opposite side. Kate stumbled over the sticks piled up at the bottom of the bowl and pointed the light down at her feet. These weren''t sticks; they were bones¡ªa ring of broken and shattered bones!


    On top of the pile a human skull stared up at her. Just below its jaw, a tarnished silver chain was draped over the ribs. Kate bent down and pulled gingerly on the chain but the links were tangled up on the bones below. She tugged harder and it suddenly broke free, sending her stumbling backward against a rounded boulder in the very center of the ring of bones.


    Getting to her feet she raised both hands to give light to her discovery. Another medallion dangled from the end of a tarnished chain, identical to the one she held in her right hand except it didn''t glow.


    A bone snapped behind her.


    She was not alone in the cave; something was moving up to her back. As Kate turned slowly around, a putrid odor flowed past her, and she gagged. What she took for a huge boulder in the bone nest shifted to one side. Kate scrambled back to the ring of bones as two huge eyes opened and focused on her face.


    A mouth of jagged teeth opened below the eyes. A blast of rancid air blew her hair back as the massive creature roared into her face.


    Kate stood still. There was no way to escape this creature¡¯s nest of bones and it obviously ate people. She raised the green light of her medallion up between them and the creature grew quiet. "You''re all right. I''m not going to hurt you." Kate laughed nervously. As if she could hurt this thing. It was as big as a horse.


    The wide face drew closer until its round eyes filled Kate''s vision. A low rumble sounded in the back of its throat as its moist breath flowed past her. Kate raised a hand and stroked a leathery cheek. A sharp prickle shot through the scar in her hand, and she sensed there was no threat here. This creature was also afraid and lonely. "I''m here. It''s okay."


    The huge eyes blinked and then pulled back as the beast sat back on its haunches like an enormous puppy and stared at her. Kate picked up her bag and inched her way backwards past the ring of bones to the path she had come in from. The creature rose to follow her. "You stay here. I have to go now." She climbed quickly up the bowl-like side of the cavern and turn around. The beast stood and watched her. Kate pointed to the ground. "Stay." It sat back. "Good boy."


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    Backing away until its face disappeared below the rim of the bone nest, Kate turned around and strode down the tunnel, glancing back from time to time to make sure the huge animal wasn''t following. Looping the new medallion around her neck, she cupped the glowing one in her hand and pointed its light ahead. It remained silent behind her but she still found herself half running down the long corridor.


    Upon reaching the main tunnel, Kate looked back up to where she had found her old sneakers. A quick check of the passage behind her revealed no movement nor the glint of large eyes in the darkness. She sat on a knob of rock jutting out from the wall and leaned her head back. She hadn¡¯t slept since leaving the lizard behind. For all she knew, that was days ago.


    Her eyes closed and she faded into a dreamlike haze. The light above grew stronger, and a door appeared ahead. Was this a dream? She had seen this place before but the memory of it filled her with fear. She reached out to the door, then stopped. Beyond that door she had met an old man dressed in white who led her into a small room full of even more doors. The recollection of that event filled her with overpowering fear, and she sat up on the knob of rock as the light and door vanished. She blinked against tears that filled her eyes and a sob caught in her throat. What happened to her in that dream? Whatever it was, she did not want to sit here and let it come back.


    Pushing to her feet she looked up the tunnel to where she found her sneakers. There was no way she had the strength to climb up that way. There was no choice but to keep going down.


    The trail led through a series of switchbacks between tall boulders. Once past them she could see a small circle of blue light in the distance. The tunnel leveled out and as she drew near, a distinct memory came back. She knew for certain the light was from a keyhole in a door that would open into a huge cavern. She put her eye to the spot, but the thick door did not afford a view of what lay on the other side.


    One thing was certain, this door was too tall and wide to be the door from her dreams. It should be safe to sleep here. Dropping her bag by the wall, Kate slumped down and leaned against it.


    The chain of the new medallion pinched her neck. Pulling it out, she compared the two side by side. The medallions touched and the star points on both disks sparked. A symbol glowed briefly on the new medallion where they joined, then faded away. Kate tried again and studied the mark on the new medallion. Perhaps the mark showed who once owned them and identified the skeleton in the bone nest.


    The soft pad of feet approached and the creature from the bone nest came into view from between the boulders. "I thought I told you to stay," Kate said. The angular head hung lower. "It''s okay. Come here." She patted the ground beside her, and the beast plodded over and dropped down. Kate leaned in close and stroked its leathery cheek. Nestling against the warm body reminded her of the golden retriever she had as a child. The dog had been her closest companion until her mother punished her for not doing the dishes by giving her dog away. That was when she first started to hang out with Corvan. Kate gave a wry smile. The way Corvan was treating her now, it would have been better to find a new dog.


    The steady rise and fall of the creature''s breathing fell in sync with her own. As she drifted off to sleep, a faint memory of using the medallion to open the stone door beside her flickered in her mind. She should try it out.


    Kate opened her eyes to find herself lying on the floor in a small round room carved out of solid rock. A soft white light shone down from the ceiling. A narrow door stood to one side. Her eyes drooped shut and for a brief moment she knew her body was still lying next to the large creature. She let herself drift away again and the round room reappeared. This wasn''t just a dream. The glowing medallion had brought her to this place when she was here the last time. The tight knot in her stomach reminded her it hadn''t been a good experience.


    As Kate rose to her feet, the outline of a medallion shaped star came to life in the center of the narrow stone door. Kate stepped forward and touched it. The door quivered then disappeared in a curtain of tiny lights, scattering like fireflies on a summer night.


    She stared into the dark void and strong memories washed over her. She knew, without a doubt, that in the space beyond she would find a seven-sided stone chamber. There would be a door set into each wall, and each one would have a star with a unique character carved into its surface.


    Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves Kate slid one foot over the threshold. A band of light sprang to life near the ceiling inside the chamber. She scanned the room. One of the seven doors was broken apart but was different the last time she was here. A black drape had covered that doorway and an old man dressed in white had come into the room. He had grabbed her arm, but then someone had pulled her free from his grasp. She tried to recall more but it was like a blackboard had been sloppily erased, leaving only faint outlines under dusty smears. A cold breeze wafted out of the open doorway and settled around her ankles.


    She was about to step back to the small anteroom when a light flickered across the chamber. The star on one of the doors was outlined with a thin ribbon of soft white light and a symbol like one she had seen before on her medallion was glowing. With one eye on the broken doorway, Kate crept across the chamber. She touched the light with her finger and the star slipped away to reveal a young man in a tattered green robe examining a medallion. He looked up. His eyes brightened in recognition, and he stepped toward the door. Kate quickly touched the edge of the star and the opening closed as he called out, "Kate!"


    Kate stood stock still in the small round room staring at the narrow door. She had seen the man¡¯s face before but who was he and how did he know her name? Kate raised her hand back to the star-shaped window but when her finger touched outside its border the entire door dissolved in pinpricks of light. The young man stood just inside.


    "Kate. I''m so glad to see you again. Are you back in the Cor?"


    Kate looked into the young man''s eyes but dropped her gaze as her face grew hot. Why was she thinking of kissing him? Her mind flickered. At some point in the past, she had kissed him but only on his cheek when they had been saying goodbye.


    "Jorad?" Kate said tentatively.


    He nodded. "That''s right. You do remember me."


    "Not really. I . . ."


    "You were very sick,¡± he blurted out, ¡°and I helped Corvan take you back to your world."


    Kate nodded and a smile touched her lips. "Thank you."


    "How did you open my door?" Jorad drew closer. "You must have one of these." He lifted a silver medallion hanging on a chain around his neck. The symbol glowing inside one of the points matched the one on his door.


    Kate hesitated, then drew out the medallion she pulled from the bones. It¡¯s symbol glowed brightly and Jorad''s eyes widened.


    "Mine hasn''t done anything since I . . . since Cor. . . Kalian gave it to me when you left. Then tonight this symbol glowed." He pointed to the one on his medallion. "I waited until I fell asleep and now here I am. You must have brought me here with your medallion." He pushed toward the doorway, but something held him back from crossing the threshold into the main chamber.


    "Where are you?" Jorad asked.


    "I don''t know."


    "I''m not talking about this council chamber,¡± Jorad said. ¡°Where were you before you fell asleep and came here?"


    Kate looked over her shoulder. "I was in a tunnel by a door one with markings on it that leads into a large cavern. A blue light shone in through the keyhole, but I didn''t try to open it."


    Jorad nodded eagerly. "Yes. I know the place. And I have the key to that door. I''ll join you as soon as I can." He pointed across the room. "I think if you go back into your entry cell that when you wake up, you will find yourself back in the tunnel by that large door." He paused. "Wait for me, Kate. Don''t try to open the door. It may be dangerous. Promise me you''ll wait for me."


    Kate gave a slight nod.


    "I''m so glad you''re back." An anxious look crossed his face. "Is Kalian with you?"


    Kate shook her head and Jorad smiled as he backed away and the light in his room faded into darkness. The door to Jorad¡¯s small room became solid again.


    Turning away, Kate looked around the room. Jorad said this was the council chamber, so each door must lead to a cell where the people who had one of the medallions could come and go. This chamber must be a place for the council to gather and make decisions, like the town council room at home¡ªonly this room didn''t have a table to sit at. Or did it? She could recall lying on an angular stone table that dominated the center of the room, but it couldn''t be correct. The doors were too small to bring a large table through.


    Kate crossed toward the small room from which she had entered. The black void beyond the broken door to the right of her own narrow door frowned ominously as she went into her small cell. The door closed behind her.


    Laying on the cold stone floor Kate turned her thoughts to sleeping next to the warm body of the large animal. The overhead light in the small round anteroom faded away.

 Medallion 12

    Tsarek emerged from his storeroom with a bundle of small firesticks. "Are these satisfactory, Cor-Van?"


    For the first time, Corvan liked that Tsarek pronounced his name as the title for a leader. It fit with his newfound sense of power and purpose. "That should be fine. Let''s get going."


    The lizard hurried away down the tunnel and by the time Corvan arrived at the opening, Tsarek was already inside the first labyrinth cavern. He held up his bandaged paw.  " I would step through quickly if I were you. This portal appears to be changing and becoming more tricky.¡±


    Corvan stepped over the glowing rim of rock and glanced back into the passages under the castle rock. He was finally on his way back to the Cor to confront the Rakash leader and rescue his father. He took a deep breath and felt the muscles expanding in tight bands across his chest. He felt ready. With the lumien power in his veins, he had a chance to defeat all four of the thin white creatures¡ªsingle-handed.


    Flickers of light continued to roll around the circumference of the glassy blue rock.


    "No use to watch." Tsarek said. ¡°It will close after we leave." Lighting one of their small firesticks he passed it to Corvan and walked away. Corvan followed, deep in thought about the upcoming journey and all it might hold.


    The pool at the end of the cave wasn¡¯t flowing now that winter had frozen everything above ground. Corvan put his hand into the water. Ice cold. He pushed his hand up under the cloak, but it didn''t get warm. This new cloak would not be as effective as the one now in the possession of the Rakash leader. If he went under the water now, he''d get hypothermia in minutes.


    "The water is colder up here," Tsarek said as he waded into the pool, "but it will become warm as we go farther down."


    Corvan¡¯s heart thumped against his hand. It might be possible to use the power from the lumien to keep his body warm. Letting a bit of energy out of his heart, he focused on sending it to his cold hand. Immediately his fingers warmed.


    Sticking his hand back in the water he could feel the water''s pressure against his skin, but it was like he had a rubber glove on, insulating him from the cold. If the lumien power could keep his all his skin this warm, he could stay submerged in the cold water, but what if the power ran out while they were still underwater?


    Tsarek moved to the side of the pool. "It is good we have the larger fire sticks we left behind when the water creature grabbed you the last time.¡±


    Corvan nodded and Tsarek retrieved two of the long sticks. He didn''t like thinking of what had happened the last time they were here. The intense sensation of knowing without a doubt you were about to pull water into your lungs, and die, was horrible. He pushed the thought away.


    Tsarek returned and crouched beside him, trimming up the small fire sticks they would use to breath under the water. "I think you will need more of these than me," he said, handing a bundle to Corvan. "We will need to look for places where we can surface when the water slows down, so we don''t use them as quickly. You must keep your breathing slow and remember you can use air from the bubbles coming off a big firestick. Just look for a silver pocket when the water is still. It¡¯s enough to keep you alive for a little while."


    Corvan nodded, then stuck the bundle of small firesticks into the front pocket of his new hooded tunic. The pocket wasn¡¯t as deep as those in his dad¡¯s raincoat. It would be better to hold them in his hand in case one clogged and he needed another right away.


    Tsarek uncapped his large fire stick and the bright glow lit up the cavern. He lifted the long stick in a salute. "Here we go to nothing," he said cheerfully.


    Corvan snorted. "I hope not."


    Tsarek¡¯s face fell. "Did I say it wrong?"


    "No, I just hope you''re not right."


    Tsarek squinted and Corvan chuckled. "Never mind. It''s good to be back together again. I¡¯ve missed having you around."


    Tsarek beamed and the blue markings on his cheeks flushed.


    Corvan stepped to the water''s edge, concentrating on letting a measured amount of the lumien power into his bloodstream. His body grew warmer, and he tentatively stuck a foot into the pool. The water was cool on the band of bare skin between the tops of the slippers and the pants, but it was bearable. Wading in, he felt along the bottom with his toes until he reached the drop off leading to the underwater river that would take them down to the Cor. Uncapping the small fire stick in his mouth he sucked in and coughed. These ones were a little stronger tasting than he remembered.


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    "These are a little old," Tsarek said with a frown. "I hope they don''t clog up."


    Corvan stared at the lizard, his lumien-activated mind ticking through all the things that could go wrong with his plan. He was about to ask how to fix a clogged firestick when the lizard gave a quick nod and slipped away under the water. The cavern went dark as the water bloomed into a bubbling pool of light.


    Uncapping his own large stick, Corvan crouched low to ease himself below the surface. Blinking past the stream of bubbles coming off the end, he caught sight of the glow from Tsarek descending below him. Corvan followed, half swimming, half sinking downward, the water pressure popping in his ears. He was relieved that his beathing firestick was working well. In through the porous tube and out through his nose, just as he had learned on his last trip to the Cor.


    When he caught up with Tsarek, the lizard had wrapped his short legs around a knob of rock. He gestured to the rock and then to Corvan''s head. Corvan nodded. He remembered too well smacking his head on an underwater boulder when he escaped from Molakar.


    Tsarek pointed forward, then nodded for Corvan to go first. Corvan put his hand into the darker water, and it almost pulled the bundle of small fire sticks from his hand. The main underground river was moving much faster. Once inside the swift current, there would be no turning back.


    Tsarek moved into position beside him, the fire stick bubbling merrily between his lips, thin jets of air shooting out his nostrils. The lizard pointed downstream, the pushed off to vanish in the rush of black water.


    Ignoring the nagging fears that were jumping about in his mind, Corvan let go and pushed out, feet first. A strong current grabbed his legs and yanked him inside. The cavern walls spun and zipped past him as he dropped rapidly down a long shaft.


    There was no point in looking for rocks that might jut out from the walls. Everything was a blur. He would break his legs if there were any rocks in the way. His large firestick jerked in his hand, caught on the wall and was gone, a powerful surge of water shooting him along even faster. The stick had broken and exploded behind him. Tucking his arms in close to his body, he let the water carry him along in the darkness.


    After what seemed like an incredibly steep ride, the shaft leveled out and the speed of the water slowed as the tunnel walls around him opened up. Pockets of air shimmered overhead and trails of bubbles from Tsarek¡¯s stick up ahead streaked the water.


    Corvan raised his head above the water level and took a tentative breath. The air was good and just up ahead, Tsarek was sitting up on a ledge and dangling his feet in the water. The lizard''s face broke into a wide grin as Corvan heaved himself out onto the rock shelf.


    "That was the fastest ride ever," Tsarek said. "We must be well below the labyrinth and already getting close to the Cor." He raised his fire stick and cried out over the water, "The speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty ''Hi-ho Silver.''"


    Tsarek''s fixation with the Lone Ranger brought a smile to Corvan¡¯s face. Encouraged, the lizard pointed to himself. "With his faithful companion, Tsarek -" he paused and pointed at Corvan, "the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains will lead the fight for law and order. The Cor-Van rides again to save the Cor!"


    Tsarek''s voice echoed off the water in triumph, and Corvan turned his face away. He didn''t think the people of the Cor would welcome a leader who, even now, wanted to eat more of their precious lumien seeds.


    ¡°What happened to your long firestick?¡± Tsarek asked with an anxious note.


    ¡°It got caught on the wall and exploded. It was good we were moving so fast.¡±


    "Then we need to keep riding the current before this one burns out.¡± Tsarek pushed back into the water and grasped the ledge with one paw to keep from drifting away in the current.  ¡°It is better if we can see where we are going." He floated off down the cavern, his light throwing splintered shadows across the ceiling.


    Corvan dropped back into the water and the sudden cold drove the air from his lungs. Gasping, he rushed lumien power from his heart throughout his body. Too much. His heart cramped and he worked to push some of the energy back in place.


    Up ahead the ceiling slanted down to meet the water. Tsarek glanced back then disappeared in a fresh burst of bubbles.


    Corvan¡¯s body temperature came up just in time for him to duck under the water and avoid being struck by the low-hanging rocks. The water swirled around his face, and he reached for one of the small breathing fire sticks. Panic gripped him. He had had left his entire bundle back on the ledge!


    Twisting around, Corvan swam hard against the current, but it was too strong. Frantic, he rolled over and looked overhead, but the water was flowing too fast to allow bubbles from his large fire stick to gather. His heartbeat surged erratically as lumien power shot out into his veins and around his lungs.


    Immediately, his desire for fresh air dissipated. Could lumien energy create oxygen? He tried to sense what was happening in his body as he floated along and found the urge to breathe was slowly mounting again. When he let a bit more of the lumien energy flow around his lungs, the need for fresh air fell away.


    In his mind the began flicking through pages from his encyclopedias until he found the article he recalled. Pearl divers could hold their breath for up to twenty minutes. That must be what the energy from the seeds was doing for him, but would it be enough to make it through to the next pocket of air?  How much lumien power did he even have left?


    A wave of fear throttled up his heart rate. He needed to calm down. If he would relax and let the water move him toward the next place he could surface, he would use less energy and be able to hold his breath longer.


    Corvan thought about resting under the maple tree back home. He let his mind wander to his childhood exploring the coulees around the farm or pretending he was a superhero up on the Castle Rocks. His thoughts ran on ahead to the discovery of the hammer, the end of his childhood fantasies and his immersion into a complicated, grown-up world. The simple days of make believe were long gone.


    A circle of light shimmered overhead, and he swam toward it, his head breaking the water''s surface in a high open space.


    Gulping in air, he heard Tsarek calling to him from the far side of the pool.


    Corvan shook his head to clear his ears.


    "Get out of the water¡ªnow!" Tsarek shouted.

 Medallion 13

    Corvan kicked frantically toward the edge of the pool, taking in huge gulps of air along with a good deal of water. Choking and thrashing, his lumien rich muscles propelled him out of the water and onto a narrow ledge.


    Tsarek was trying to talk to him, but Corvan couldn''t quit hacking up water. When he finally managed to stop, he found Tsarek standing in a low alcove on the far side of a long narrow pool. The lizard pointed at the water and spoke quietly. "You must stay very still. The Volisk was up here when I last came through these tunnels."


    "Volisk?"


    "The water monster from the temple karst. The tunnel behind you leads down to where its caretaker lives. You made so much noise the Volisk will surely be coming up here to . . ." Tsarek''s voice trailed off as a thin white tentacle surfaced in the middle of the pool, rose higher and circled slowly in the air. The lizard gestured for Corvan to stay still as the white tip moved over to the rocky ledge at Corvan''s left, touching along the shelf like a long finger. Corvan tensed and the remaining lumien power inside his heart jumped about trying to escape into his veins.


    Tsarek''s whisper startled him. "You must not move. It cannot hear us through its arm. It can only sense if we move. The creature sleeps a great deal and is very lazy. Its fat body is somewhere below us and it¡¯s just feeling about to see what disturbed the water. It ate a great deal after the wasting but it may be getting hungry again."


    The tentacle probed along the ledge and stopped at the water dripping from Corvan''s clothes into puddles at his feet. The white fingerlike digit stirred the ripples as if to taste them, wavered in the air for a long moment, and then disappeared back into the pool.


    "Is it gone?" Corvan''s voice echoed off the domed ceiling.


    "I am not sure,¡± Tsarek said quietly. ¡°These are crafty creatures and know how to trap their prey."


    "What do we do?"


    "Move slowly along the ledge to your right. There is a tunnel there will take you down to the pool below the temple Karst, the place where you talked with Jorad after saving Tyreth from drowning. Stay far away from the water pool and be very quiet, its keeper lives nearby. I will join you and we can escape up the stairs where Tyreth and Jorad went after you thought I had died. Those stairs lead up to the balcony over the water."


    Corvan crept to his right, keeping his back tight against the wall. "How will you get over here?"


    "I will wait until you are safe and then come silently through the water to join you. I will be safe as long as its eye does not come here and see me."


    "What if it does?" Corvan whispered as he concentrated on moving along the ledge.


    "Then I will escape down the way behind me. I have been here before. The water flowing away on this side will take me to the cave where you and your past-father fought the beast on the island at the Molakar settlement. I will wait for you by the falls where you buried Jokten. Then we will go over the falls into the abyss together."


    Corvan stopped. "Kate has taken my medallion over the falls?"


    "No, not Kate. I tried to tell earlier that your father that is being held below the falls. We need to reach him soon."


    Corvan''s foot slipped from the ledge and toes rippled the surface of the water.


    "My father is in prison below the falls?"


    "Yes, but he is very sick. You must meet me at that pool near the falls and then . . ."


    A writhing mass of tentacles shot out of the water and grappled onto the cavern ceiling. The arms tightened and a bulbous mass of flaccid white flesh rose out of the black water, swinging slowly around until a huge eye came into view. The eye focused on Corvan and the mouth dropped opened to reveal multiple rows of translucent white teeth. Unable to move, Corvan could only watch as a thick tentacle wound its way through the air toward him. The eye blinked twice and sharp chirps came out the beak-like mouth.


    A rock hit the wall to Corvan''s left and splashed into the water. Tsarek began shouting at the creature and other rock skipped over the water. A third stone sank into the soft flesh of one of the thicker tentacles, knocking it from the ceiling. The great eye turned away from Corvan as two more rocks thudded into the spongy head. With an angry gurgle, the creature sank back under the water, along with its tentacles.


    Tsarek appeared between a jumble of rocks at the far side of the pool, just as tangle of white arms shot out of the water towards him.


    "Run!" Tsarek shouted.


    Corvan scuttled along the rock ledge toward a fracture in the cavern wall. Squeezing through the crack, he stumbled down a short stairway and tore down a narrow tunnel.


    When he finally stopped to look back, he was met with silence. If the water monster captured Tsarek, he would never be able find his father. Only Tsarek knew what lay beyond the falls or even how to get past them.


    Slipping on the floor, he grabbed the rough wall to regain his balance. The narrow passage had been cut with fire sticks in the long distant past. The ceiling was sooty from the smoke of torches, and the crude stairs cut into the floor were covered in dirt and slime. Moving cautiously around an abrupt corner, he arrived at a landing that broke off in opposite directions. To his right, circular steps climbed higher and to the left was a yellow glow. It seemed best to go higher and Corvan was heading toward the circular stair when he heard footsteps coming down them. Whipping about, he ran quietly toward the yellow glow, emerging into a high cavern.


    Ahead of him was the pool beneath the temple karst in the city of Kadir. Approaching the water located the narrow stairway he and Tyreth had gone up to defeat the Chief Water but going up that way would expose him to whomever was coming behind. Running past the staircase, he headed for the jumble of rocks on the side of the pool. Gavyn''s hidden entry into the tunnels running below the city was somewhere behind the largest boulders. If he could locate Gavyn, the boy could lead him below the city and out to the falls.


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    Footsteps echoed across the water and the light of an approaching torch flickered on the ceiling. Corvan crouched in behind the boulders just as a tall man in a hooded cloak entered from the tunnel across the water, torch in hand. The man walked up to the water''s edge, put the cap on his fire stick, and placed it on the ground. The pale glow from the slimy water illuminated a shrouded, white-bearded face. This must be the caretaker of the water creature.


    The man stooped to pick up a few pebbles and tossed three of them in succession into the pool. He waited a moment and then did it again. The rhythmic splashes sent intertwined phosphorescent ripples across the water. The caretaker was calling his pet.


    A light at the top of the stairs caught the old man''s attention and he slipped back into the shadows on the side of the stairway.


    A woman in a white robe appeared at the top. When she reached the bottom stair, she held up her light and pulled back her hood.


    It was Tyreth. Corvan rose to his feet, and Tyreth lifted her torch higher, blinking at him through the gloom. "Kalian?"


    A shadow slid in behind her as the old man stepped out from beside the stairway and touched her shoulder. Tyreth''s head jerked around to face the robed man and he gave a low chuckle.


    Corvan crouched back down and peered over the rock.


    "I wish you wouldn''t do that." Tyreth said.


    "I had to be sure it was you," the man said as he sat on the stairs. ¡°Did you bring food? I''m running low."


    Tyreth held out a cloth sack. The man sat on the stairs, rummaged through the bag and pulled out a cluster of dried fruit on a vine. "I guess the dried ones are about as good as I can get, at least for now." He put the sack between his feet, popped one of the fruits into his mouth, chewed for a moment, then talked past his mouthful. "Why did you say the name of that boy, Kalian?"


    Tyreth looked back across the water. "Sometimes I wonder what happened to him."


    The man snorted. "We can only hope he''s gone into the abyss where he belongs. He was a servant of evil. Not a Cor-Van."


    Tyreth''s dark hair moved lightly as she shook her head. "How does that make any sense? He saved my life and sacrificed his own."


    "He was only pretending to be dead to deceive others."


    "Isn''t that what you''re doing, Father?"


    The man''s head jerked up, and he angrily flipped back his hood. It wasn¡¯t the caretaker. The High Priest was alive!


    Tyreth¡¯s father pushed off the stairs. "You know what I had to do to defeat the Chief Watcher, but that boy complicated all my plans. Both of us were to appear to have died at the Wasting but then I would have you pulled from the water, and we would have appeared back before the people to show that the Chief Water was lying to them all."


    ¡°I understand what your goal was now, father,¡± Tyreth said, ¡°but you could have at least warned me before I had to face the testing on my own.¡±


    ¡°I tried,¡± the old man grouched, ¡°but there was nobody I could trust to get a message to you.¡± He gestured over his shoulder to where he had entered the cavern. "Do you think I''ve enjoyed living in the former caretaker''s dwellings? It''s damp and filthy."


    Tyreth patted her father''s arm, and he turned back to her. "I was only trying to point out that your actions were misunderstood, so perhaps Corvan isn''t evil either."


    The High Priest snorted. "Forget about him. He was too young for you."


    "Yes, and Morgan was too old," Tyreth responded with a toss of her head.


    "I was right about him too.¡± The High Priest sat back on the stairs and pulled the cloth sack closer. ¡°Morgan showed us his true colors when he betrayed us and went over to the Chief Watcher."


    Tyreth shook her head. "I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s what happened. Morgan told me he was planning to take the palace back from the Chief Watcher."


    The old man grunted, rummaged through the bag, and drew out a long loaf of bread. Corvan''s stomach rumbled so loudly he was sure they would hear.


    "Too bad he failed and died,¡± Tyreth¡¯s father said, taking a bite from the loaf. ¡°This palace food is much better than what we had over on the priest''s side of the plaza. I hope you are enjoying the luxury of the palace, now that the city wants you to rule over them?"


    "My quarters are very nice, but why did you have to send Mara over?¡± Tyreth glared at her father. ¡°She¡¯s not my mother and never will be,¡±


    "She is there to make sure you are not taken advantage of by Jorad or any of the others. This is a big change for you, and you need an older person in your life to guide you."


    Tyreth frowned as she stuck her torch into a crack of the steps and sat beside her father. Tucking her feet up under her robe she put her chin in her hands. The long scar from her encounter with the Chief Watcher curved up above her fingertips, but Tyreth was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.


    The High Priest looked at her. "So, how are things going at the palace?"


    Tyreth lifted her head. "I hate the thought of ruling on my own. I still don''t see why I had to refuse Jorad''s proposal of marriage. He could have been a great help to me."


    "No," the old man snapped. "That whole family is full of deceivers. Besides, you aren''t on your own. You have our alliance with the guard, and you have me to advise you."


    "It''s not the same."


    Her father patted her knee. "You won''t be on your own for long. As soon as things are ready, I will return and take over as the ruler of Kadir."


    Tyreth pushed herself off the steps and walked to the water''s edge. "And then I suppose you will want me to marry the captain of the guard and give you a son who can eventually be the Cor-Van?"


    "Why do you say that?" the man asked, rising to his feet, tying up the cloth bag and setting it aside.


    "I know your schemes, Father."


    The High Priest joined her at the water. "You must trust me, Tyreth. I know what''s best for you and our city. We will need an alliance as they hold the balance of power, at least for now. They will continue to uphold military law until I can secure control of the council."


    "The people of Kadir are complaining about the new laws. They say I wield the hammer too harshly. After the palace guard executed a man for eating lumien fruit out in the settlements, I overheard a cook in the Palace kitchen saying that I am more cruel than the Chief Watcher."


    The High Priest put his hand on her shoulder. "This will all pass once they see the end result. The priests will come around. When I return from the water, they will realize I speak for the gods. After that, it will only be a matter of time before we drive the rebels from their hiding place and secure peace in Kadir.


    "What about the Rakash?¡± Tyreth asked sarcastically. ¡°Are they going to submit to your plan?"


    The old man stared at her a long moment before he spoke. "There is a way to defeat the Rakash. They all serve one master. When we cut off the head, the serpent will die."


    "And how will you reach the head? You said he was in hiding in the deepest places of the Cor."


    "There is a way, but as you know, your mother stole my medallion when she abandoned us."


    Tyreth dropped her shoulder and slipped his hand off. "I don''t know much at all. You never speak of her."


    "That''s because it hurts to remember being betrayed by the one you trusted most." He ran a hand over his beard. "But you''re right. I do need to tell you more about those early days. It will be best to wait until I am out of this hole and back in the light of the lumiens. It would be too depressing to bring all that back up only to be left alone here in the darkness." His voice overflowed with self-pity.


    Tyreth nodded as she turned for the stairs. "Then let''s not talk about it now. I have to get back to the palace. The captain will be looking for me."


    ¡°I need you to find out what he knows about where the latest movements of the most recent leader of the rebels. We need to keep a close eye on that one.¡±


    Tyreth nodded, climbed the stairs without looking back, turned at the landing and was lost to sight.


    As her light faded away the High Priest lifted his head.


    A wry smile creased his white beard as he reached for his firestick.

 Medallion 14

    A rhythmic tapping woke Kate. Sitting up, she discovered she was back near the door with the blue keyhole, but the creature she''d been sleeping beside was gone.


    The keyhole light went out and the tip of a white rod appeared, twisting around. Three sharp clicks were followed by the door opening slowly toward her and flooding the tunnel ahead of it with blue light.


    Jorad walked into view, holding a hand over his eyes as he peered into the gloom. "Kate? Are you there?"


    Kate was about to respond when a huge shadow rose on the path in front of Jorad. The creature roared as it charged down the incline. Jorad backed away, stumbling, and falling to the ground. The animal was almost upon him when Kate leapt out, holding up both hands to the animal. It skidded to a halt, bumping into her, and growling at Jorad over her shoulder.


    "Easy there, easy." Kate stroked the creature''s cheek. "The man won''t hurt you."


    The animal sank back on its haunches and searched Kate''s face.


    "Good boy." She backed up a few steps and the creature inched forward and let out a low whine. Kate patted its face and felt the connection return. It did not want to be left here alone. "You can''t come with me." The huge face dipped down, and the eyes glistened. "I''m sorry, but I have to go, and you must stay here." She pointed back up the tunnel. The creature slumped lower to the ground. "It''s okay. I''ll try to come see you again." The eyes blinked and the face turned away from her as it lumbered up the incline. It turned back once and Kate waved it on, watching until it was lost in the shadows.


    Retrieving her duffle bag, Kate met Jorad at the door. His face was white and covered in sweat. He nodded as Kate passed him, then pulled the door shut and locked it with a round cylinder. Leaning his back against the door frame, he shook his head in amazement. "I''ve heard stories of people who could communicate with animals, but I always thought they were just tales we used to entertain the little ones." Wiping the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his robe, he bowed slightly. "I owe you my life, Kate, and I pledge myself to your well-being and protection." He looked at the door. "How did you do it? What made the burak listen to you?"


    "I don''t know,¡± Kate said. ¡°I''ve always liked horses and dogs and . . . I just touched it and told it I wasn''t going to hurt it." She held up her hand as if the animal were still in front of her.


    Jorad grabbed her hand and flipped it over to examine her palm.


    "Where did you get this mark?" The intensity of his tone startled her.


    "I don''t remember."


    "Did you have it the last time you entered through this door?"


    Kate shook her head.


    Jorad traced his finger around the star-shaped burn. Kate took a step back, and he let her hand go. Nervously, she walked away to where the pathway lead downward. The cavern was much larger than she had remembered.


    "Do you recall anything about your last time here?" Jorad asked from behind her.


    "Not much." She pointed overhead at the blue lights that dotted the ceiling of the vast cavern. "I remember those lights, but mostly I wandered through dark streets . . . and a huge face watched me. I couldn''t get away from it."


    Jorad came up beside her and took her arm to give her a better view of the entire cavern. She stumbled on a loose rock at the edge and Jorad pulled her close to his side. Her face grew hot, but it was nice to know he was looking out for her.


    "Watch your step." He said, pointing down and to the right. "Look down there. Those are the streets you walked through the last time."


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    At the bottom of the cavern, a city was laid out in concentric circles. A band of dark water swept the closest side.


    "And there''s the face that watched you, though it''s covered for the time being."


    A statue rose above a group of larger buildings around a wide plaza on the far side of the city. The face was covered in a shroud that made it look sad instead of frightening.


    "That is my home. The city of Kadir." Jorad said.


    Kate nodded. "It''s nicer than I remembered."


    "The close side of it was destroyed, so we built the wall that goes through the center to keep the broken out, but Kadir could be beautiful once again, if only Tyreth would only listen to me."


    "Who?"


    "The High Priest''s daughter. The woman Corvan saved from the water at the temple Karst, that round wall and pool over there at the base of the statue."


    "He didn¡¯t tell me about that."


    "Ah." He paused. "Does he still carry the white scarf Tyreth gave him?"


    Kate nodded slowly. So that''s where he''d gotten that smelly thing. She had seen him wear it in the cellar and sitting out on the rock on clear nights, holding it close to his face. No wonder he had become so cold towards her. He was in love with this other girl.


    "I asked Tyreth to be my counterpart, but she refused me." The sadness in his statement turned to bitterness. "I believe she is hoping your Corvan will return and help her rule the Cor."


    "He''s not my Corvan." The words rushed out, and she quicky followed them up with a softer tone. "Did I meet Tyreth? I don''t remember her at all."


    "No. You were dying in the settlements over there." He pointed to the left where the river met the cavern wall. ¡°But then Corvan left you there to rescue Tyreth. I told him not to go, that you might die any time, but he would not listen to me."


    "She must be very pretty," Kate said wistfully.


    Jorad''s jaw tensed, and his gaze turned inward. "Yes, she is beautiful." He focused his attention back on Kate. "Is Corvan coming back to Kadir?"


    "I don''t know. I thought the tunnel I was following would go to the Red Creek mine, but I got lost."


    "I do not know this place called Red Creek."


    "It''s where Corvan works¡ªa place where men make tunnels underground."


    "They are trying to reach the Cor?" he asked.


    "No, they don''t go that deep. They only take the coal out of the ground."


    "Why?" Jorad asked.


    "We burn the coal to heat our homes."


    "You are allowed fires in your world? Doesn''t the smoke hurt your breathing?"


    "Only if you stand too close,¡± Kate said. ¡°The smoke usually goes up in the air."


    "It doesn''t kill your lumiens?" He pointed to the blue globes hanging high above from the cavern ceiling.


    "We don''t have a roof with lumiens, only the sky."


    "But what holds that up?"


    "Nothing, it just hangs there."


    Jorad shook his head. "That can¡¯t be true. You obviously don¡¯t know what holds it up since your cavern is so large."


    Kate clenched her jaw. She hated it when people treated her like she was too stupid to think things through. He was the one who didn''t understand.


    Jorad was gazing at her neck. "May I see the medallion you carry?"


    Kate hesitated. She wasn''t totally sure she could trust Jorad, but she needed his help.


    Shielding herself from his view, she pulled out the medallion she found in the bones and held it out.


    He reached for it, then pulled his hand back. "Do you mind if I hold it for a minute?"


    Kate pulled the tarnished chain over her head and dropped bone nest medallion into his open hand.


    Jorad brought his own out to compare them side by side. He looked eagerly into Kate''s eyes. "Did you meet anyone else in the chamber?"


    "No. Only you."


    "There must be others who still carry the medallions. If I brought them all together . . ." His voice trailed off, but excitement shone in his eyes. "We should get going. I have to be back in the city before the lumiens come to light." He hesitated, then stepped aside for her to go first. After she had passed him, he dangled the medallion over her shoulder. "You must keep this in a safe place. I don''t want you to wear it at night until we discover more about how they work."


    Kate took the medallion from his hand and jammed it into her pocket. Who was he to tell her what to do with her medallion? Jorad and Corvan were the same. Her mother was right, guys only pretended to like you so they could talk you into doing what they wanted to do.


    Jorad caught up to her and pointed to the path cut into the side of a steep cliff. "As promised, I will be your guide. I will take you wherever you wish to go."


    Kate let her gaze wander over the city far below. Even though she was angry with Corvan she still wanted to find him. At least now she knew where to look.


    She stopped and turned to face Jorad. "I want to meet Tyreth."

 Medallion 15

    From his hiding place behind the rocks, Corvan watched the High Priest light his firestick, return to the stairs and jam it into a crack in the rocks. The man then bent over the steps, untied his food bag, and pulled out a piece of dried fruit on a shriveled stem.


    Corvan stared at the man¡¯s back as the High Priest gnawed on the tough fruit. Not only had the High Priest escaped the water creature after stepping off into the temple karst, but now he was using Tyreth to take control of Kadir.


    The water in the pool between them crested and a long tentacle whipped out, wrapped around the man¡¯s waist, and lifted him in the air. Corvan sucked in his breath, but the priest only glanced half-heartedly over his shoulder as the bulbous white head surfaced.


    More tentacles slithered out to grip the rocks and pull the creature''s flaccid body closer to the shore.  The Volisk turned the priest around mid-air and another finger-like tentacle probed the folds of the High Priest''s robe.


    "Put me down." The High Priest barked, slapping the tentacle away. "You''re getting my robe wet."


    High-pitched chirping erupted from the creature''s pointed mouth as it lowered the man to the ground. The priest smoothed his robe. "Yes, I know you are hungry. Be patient and soon I''ll give you a good meal,¡± the man said with a chuckle. ¡°Although she might be a bit old and stringy."


    A tentacle pointed at the priest''s side. He reached inside his robe to pull out a small bottle of luminescent fluid. "I only have a little left. After this you''ll need to wait until I can return to my own home to make more." Wiggling the cork free, he held the bottle out. The tentacle encircled the bottle, emptied the contents into the creature''s maw, shook it to get every drop, then delicately returned the bottle to the priest''s waiting hand.


    A long shiver went through the Volisk¡¯s limbs, then it chirped out a melody of high notes.


    The High Priest looked up from corking his bottle. "A man at the upper pool?" He stepped into the shallow water among the mass of tentacles. "With one of the watchers?"


    Corvan crouched lower in his hiding place. but one of his feet slipped in the yellow slime, dislodging a pebble that clattered down to the water''s edge.


    "Who''s there?" The High Priest''s deep voice filled the chamber, as he retrieved his light and held it high. "Show yourself!"


    Corvan froze in place.


    Clicks and chirps echoed through the cavern before a wave of water slipped under the rocks in front of him. Lumien energy flooded his muscles and Corvan splashed frantically on his hands and knees towards the crevice leading into Gavyn''s tunnels. The narrow crack would be too small for the High Priest but not for the water creature''s arms. Squeezing himself through, he tucked in quickly around a sharp bend and out of sight.


    After a long silence, the white tip of a tentacle appeared in the passage and probed toward Corvan''s hiding place. Flattening himself against the rock wall, he held his breath as it felt around the rocks, just inches from his foot.


    At a sharp command from outside, the tentacle withdrew.


    Light flowed into the tight crawl, followed by a hoarse whisper. "I know you''re there,¡± the High Priest said. ¡°I can hear you breathing,"


    Corvan tried to hold his breath but the erratic spikes of lumien power weren¡¯t helping.


    The priest spoke again. "Listen to me. Whoever you are and whatever side you are working for, I will pay you double if you will join me instead. You need not be afraid. I can protect you."


    While the man spoke, Corvan edged away along the wall. The tentacles could reach a long way.


    "Do not leave,¡± the man urged. ¡®You and I need to talk."


    Corvan kept moving.


    "Here, I will throw in my torch as a pledge of good faith," the High Priest said.


    Corvan crawled away as fast as he could.


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    Something bounced off the walls in the space behind him and he glanced over his shoulder. A fire stick, bent like a horseshoe and held in place by a leather thong, lay burning on the tunnel floor, its flame smoking and sputtering. The thong tightened; the fire stick twitched¡ªit was about to explode!


    Corvan scrambled forward on his hands and knees. The roof grew higher, and he jumped up, lumien energy shooting him down the narrow passage.


    A flash of light and deafening explosion of sound caught him from behind and knocked him flat. Rocks crashed at his heels as the passageway collapsed behind him. Getting to his feet, Corvan groped his way along the walls in the darkness, choking on the dust filling the tight space. Even with his improved eyesight he couldn¡¯t see a thing.


    Removing his grandfather¡¯s special pack from under his tunic, he touched it open and felt about inside until he located his dad''s acetylene lamp and the waterproof tube of matches. Drawing a match out, he lit the lamp and winced. It was too bright in this close space. He turned it down to the lowest setting. It sputtered and smoked but it was enough to see up ahead to where the passage split off in four directions.


    If he was to make his way out of this maze of tunnels, he needed to find the garden room with the baobab looking tree and hope that Gavyn would show up to lead him from there. The problem was that the last time he had been here, he''d been too tired to notice what path he and Gavyn had taken.


    Taking off the lamp, Corvan used the smoke from the flame to mark the passage farthest to the right with the letter A. He would try this direction for five hundred paces and if nothing showed up, he would retrace his steps and try one of the other tunnels.


    At fifty-six paces, a new passage branched off to the left. Corvan marked his location with an arrow and the letter B. Walking past the opening, he kept counting. At almost three hundred paces he came to a four-way intersection. His heart sank at the sight of the letter A.


    He had managed to escape the water creature and the High Priest, but now he had to get out of Gavyn¡¯s tunnels and meet Tsarek near the falls of the abyss as soon as possible. Marking the passage to the far left with the letter C, he set off again.


    Three intersections later, he was hopelessly lost. Sitting on a narrow slab of rock by the wall, he closed his eyes and let a bit of lumien energy flow into his mind. His thoughts ran clearer and his memory of following Gavyn through these passages was less murky. He recalled the entry to Gavyn''s tree room was close to a waterfall. Would it be possible to pick up the sound of falling water if he directed a little of the lumien power to his ears?


    Corvan focused inward, assessing how much energy remained in his heart. It wasn''t much. If he needed to run, he wouldn''t get very far before his strength gave out, but at the same time it appeared logical that it was worth taking the chance.


    Directing a minute amount of the remaining lumien power to his ears, he winced at the harsh sound of the gas escaping from the lamp. Extinguishing the flame, he tried again but heard nothing but the rush of his own blood through his veins and the clink of the lamp''s reflector cooling off. As the reflector''s noise faded, a different sound came through. He stood and it vanished. Crouching down, he listened again. Water was falling somewhere to his right.


    Corvan concentrated on his right ear and swayed his head, scanning back and forth like a bat in the darkness. A shiver went through his body. This was what the Rakash did to find their way in the dark. They also must have acquired the ability from eating lumien hearts. Corvan quickly dismissed the thought. He could never turn into one of the Rakash simply by eating a few seeds.


    Putting his lamp away and fastening the pack back under his cloak he crawled toward the sound, scanning, then moving and scanning again. Finally, he detected the water''s murmur near a fissure in the wall. Squeezing through the crack he felt his way down into a wider passage. Moving forward, the sound increased, and moist patches of glowing moss appeared on the walls. Upon rounding a corner, he stood before a waterfall that tumbled down from a rock ledge and ran across the path to disappear into a hole in the floor.


    Corvan could recall walking behind this waterfall to get into Gavyn''s hideout. Raising his hood, he leaned his head close to the wall and blinked past the spray. Sure enough, there was a crack in the wall behind the water. Sliding along behind the cascade, he squirmed through the crack into a wider tunnel with faint lumien light up ahead.


    Corvan ran toward the light and skidded to a halt just inside the entry to Gavyn''s garden cavern. The large lumien overhead and the small bulbs that lined the ceiling and walls of the domed space gave barely enough light for him to see that something wasn''t right. All the plants in the raised beds along the sides of the paths leading toward the tree were suffering. Piles of brittle leaves crunched under his feet. "Gavyn? Are you there?" The rustling of small creatures hiding under the debris was his only answer.


    The small gate through the short wall that encircled the tree hung open. Corvan passed through and knelt beside the spring bubbling out between the gnarled roots. He scooped a handful to his mouth. The ache in his chest eased and the desire for more lumien power faded. He drank his fill, then stood, scanning the perimeter of the room.


    Other than the path he entered from, each of the other paths radiating out from the tree looked like no one had set foot on them for a long time. He circled to the other side and glanced over to the arched exit that he and Gavyn used to climb up to the priest''s pantry.


    The thought of food made his stomach rumble, and he was about to leave the tree room in search of both Gavyn and food when the glow of an approaching torch lit up the floor just inside the arch that led to the pantry.


    He had never seen Gavyn carry a torch.


    Someone else was coming down from the temple.

 Medallion 16

    Pulling the new double-headed krypin from under his tunic, Corvan sent it along the tree trunk horizontal branches just as the person with the torch entered the room. The rippling tossed the tangled shadows of the tree''s branches against the ceiling of the Gavyn¡¯s garden room.


    Corvan quietly slipped into the bowl-like center of the huge trunk as the light moved around below. Skirting the pile of dried leaves in the bottom of the bowl, Corvan crawled up and peered over the lip of the trunk.


    A thick branch blocked his view, but he could he hear the person drinking noisily from the spring.


    Another torch entered from the far side of the room and a hooded figure strode down the path and through the gate. Corvan ducked out of site.


    "I saw where you came from. Don''t try to deny it." It was Madam Toreg from the City of Refuge. The first figure moved away from the trunk and spoke some quiet words. Madam Toreg responded and Corvan strained to hear what they were saying. Without thinking of moving it, a tiny bit of lumien power flowed to his ear, humming and crackling, like a radio dial being twisted back and forth to find the right station.


    "I''ve told you before, Atiya. I don''t like you going up to the temple," Madam Toreg was saying.


    "I was careful," a younger woman responded and there was something familiar in her voice. "Where else are we going to find something to eat? It''s not like we can ask for anything from our friends in the ''City of Refuge.''" Her words were thick with sarcasm.


    Corvan peeked over the edge. Madam Toreg was sitting on the wall and a young girl in a blue tunic sat beside her, a short bow slung across her shoulder along with a quiver full of arrows. It was the same girl who had run into the Kadir library to report on the Rakash when Corvan had first met Madam Toreg.


    Atiya placed a cloth bag on the wall between them. Madam Toreg shook her head in disapproval but reached into the sack and pulled out a slender loaf of bread.


    Atiya spoke again. "If it weren''t for that boy you found in the library, we wouldn''t be hiding here. It''s his fault everything has fallen apart."


    Madam Toreg tore off a piece of bread and held the loaf out to Atiya. "Don''t mention Corvan around the gray men, especially Garek. He doesn¡¯t trust the boy and wants to question him. I wouldn''t want to be in Corvan''s place if Garek gets his hands on him."


    The girl waved the loaf in the air like a sword. "Maybe if you hadn¡¯t been so quick to trust him, the mayor wouldn''t have forced us out of our home. The boy obviously gave the hammer to Tyreth, and now she''s ruling the Cor like she¡¯s some sort of princess." Her shoulders slumped. "Kadir was better off under the Chief Watcher."


    Madam Toreg wagged a finger at her. "Don''t say that Atiya. I don''t like everything Tyreth does and her alliance with the palace guards is more like something her father would have done, but at least now the poor are getting a fair share of food and eating a lumien seed is swiftly punished. These are difficult times that require hard choices."


    The younger woman shook her head. "I still think Corvan should have given the hammer to you instead of Tyreth."


    "I told him I didn''t want it." Madam Toreg''s voice carried a note of regret. The two women ate in silence for a few moments, then Madam Toreg poked Atiya in the ribs. "You said something quite different about that boy after you first met him. Something about him being handsome and different from the other young men? Isn¡¯t that what I heard from you?"


    The girl put the loaf back in the bag and shuffled away on the wall to avoid another poke.


    Madam Toreg leaned towards her. "I seem to recall that I wasn''t the only one who thought he possessed the potential to be our Cor-Van . . . or maybe even a counterpart."


    The girl jumped to her feet. "Well, it looks like we were both wrong, doesn¡¯t it?" She pointed across the room. "Garek is returning. Let''s hope it''s good news."


    Corvan looked up as the leader of Madam Toreg''s gray men rushed down the path. The strain of Garek''s journey was evident in the rapid rise and fall of his chest. Madam Toreg extended her hand, and he helped her up.


    "I see we have encountered further complications." The old woman spoke wearily. "What happened to the child?"


    "We followed as fast as possible, but the trail grew cold. He must have climbed the cliffs on the rebel''s side instead of crossing the river. We only caught up with him at the edge of the abyss. I called to him and asked him to come back with us, but it was no use." The gray man took a step back, his face full of sorrow. "The boy jumped into the river and was swept away into the abyss."


    Madam Toreg stood a moment, shaking her head. "That poor child. Gavyn lost all hope after Corvan left."


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    Corvan had to grip the rim of the trunk to keep from sliding back. Gavyn had jumped into the abyss? The young boy had never spoken to him but Corvan was touched by his childlike innocence and deep joy. It didn¡¯t seem possible Gavyn could be so sad that he would want to drown.


    "Madam, there is more."


    "More?"


    "The Chief Watcher lives," Garek said.


    The red hair swished, and the earrings jangled as the older woman shook her head. "That is not possible. No creature could survive the release of that much lumien power."


    "I agree, Madam, but as we stood together watching where the boy disappeared, we observed a large Watcher climbing out of the water to stand right where the boy had jumped. My men and I crept closer, intent on capturing it, but the lizard must have caught a glimpse of us, and it also leapt into the falls."


    "It must have been one of the natural lizards,¡± Madam Toreg said. ¡°Why would you say it was a Watcher?"


    "It was too big to be a natural lizard, and it had the same long deformed claw as the Chief Watcher."


    Corvan nodded to himself. That had to be Tsarek. His claw had grown back, and he had been waiting by the falls. No doubt he jumped in to save Gavyn.


    ¡°That makes no sense." Madam Toreg said. "Even if the Chief Watcher didn''t die at the temple karst, why would he go over the falls?"


    "Madam. I believe we have made an error in judgment,¡± Garek said, pointing out the door he come in from. ¡°We have always looked at the falls at the abyss as an exit from Kadir. Now I wonder if that same water allows the Watchers and the Rakash to gain entrance to Kadir."


    Madam Toreg shook her head in disbelief. "How could that be?"


    "We found their footprints in the sandy spots above the falls. More than one set and both coming and going."


    Atiya spoke slowly. "Then it must be true. We have searched every tunnel to find out how the Rakash are getting in to Kadir and we know they are not afraid of the water. That¡¯s how the one-handed leader escaped from the temple karst."


    "You must take me there, Garek,¡± Madam Toreg said. ¡°It is the one place in this cavern I have never been, and I must see it for myself. If you are correct, Kadir is in great danger."


    The younger woman spoke quietly. "I think Gavyn knew the Rakash were using the abyss as a way in."


    "What are you talking about, Atiya?" Madam Toreg said.


    "A few days ago, Gavyn was trying to show me something here at the pool. He kept picking up the carvings of the mother and father and pushing them under the water. I told him to stop, because I thought he was playing at . . . at drowning them. He just smiled at me, and then made out like he could jump in the pool to bring the carved people back out of the water." She paused. "I think Gavyn believes the Rakash are holding his parents captive beyond the falls. He was going to bring them back."


    Madam Toreg shook her head. "Then the poor boy has been deceived by the evil one. Perhaps even called by Him."


    "What do you mean, Madam?" Garek asked.


    Madam Toreg sighed heavily, reached inside her tunic, and pulled out a medallion on a silver chain. "Do you know what this is?"


    Garek frowned. "I do, but you have never told me you carry one."


    "I''m sorry, Garek,¡± Madam Toreg said, shaking her head. ¡°I thought it best if no one knew this medallion even existed, that it might draw our enemy out into the open at some point."


    "No wonder the Mayor was searching your home. Was that the real reason we were chased from the City of Refuge?" Garek''s voice was bitter.


    "It was." Madam Toreg shook her head. "I made the mistake of confiding in him after Corvan left us."


    ¡°What is it?¡± Atiya asked, reaching toward the disk.


    Madam Toreg pulled the medallion out of reach. "This is a key to the council chamber of the Cor. When you wear it, you can be summoned to a council meeting. It is best you don''t touch it."


    Atiya pulled her hand away. "Where is the chamber?"


    Madam Toreg stood. "In times past, the bearers of the medallions ruled the cities of the Cor. Each cycle, on the night of deepest dark, they would gather in the council room. Back then, the hammer and the scepter were kept in that council chamber. They were used to judge the thoughts and intentions of the council members." Madam Toreg walked toward the broken gate, then turned back to face the others. "The council fell apart long before my time, but my mother passed the medallion she carried on to me. It has been dormant all my life, but last night, as I slept, I was summoned to a place I believe was an anteroom adjoining the council chamber."


    "And that is why you think the evil one summoned Gavyn to the council chamber?" Garek asked.


    Madam Toreg nodded. "Gavyn also carried one of the medallions. How he came by it I cannot say." Madam Toreg slipped the silver disk back under her cloak. "Last night in the anteroom I heard a woman inside the chamber speaking to someone, but the other person did not respond. I believe that was because the other person was our young Gavyn."


    "Who was the woman?" Atiya asked. "I bet it was Tyreth."


    Madam Toreg gave her a hard look. "Tyreth does not have a medallion." She touched her chest. "This is the one I would have passed on to her. Who the other woman was I cannot say for certain. There is one whom it might possibly be, but she left Kadir long ago. All I know for certain is that the chamber master has been found."


    "The chamber master?" Garek asked.


    "Only one medallion at a time glowed with the light of the Cor and designated who was the current council leader. The council would share that responsibility, passing the light of the master medallion from member to member. When you carried the light in your medallion you decided when the chamber was open and who was allowed inside.¡±


    Madam Toreg sighed heavily and sat again on the wall. She looked directly at Garek. I believe the master medallion has fallen into our enemy''s hand. Whoever that woman was, she is working for Him and has lured our young Gavyn to jump into the abyss with the hopes of saving his parents. Either she or one of the Rakash was waiting below the falls to take the medallion from the boy¡¯s body.


    "Why would she want another one if she already has the chamber master?" Atiya asked.


    Madam Toreg touched the chain around her neck. "To give it to the one she serves. If he can collect all seven medallions, as well as the hammer and the scepter, he will control the Cor. The dark days since the Great Destruction will be nothing compared to what our people will endure if he can rise to power once again."

 Medallion 17

    Madam Toreg and the gray men departed for the falls at the abyss, but Madam Toreg insisted that Atiya remain behind, the mission was too dangerous.


    Corvan waited silently in the top of the tree as Atiya stalked along the paths in the garden room, muttering to herself that she was just much a warrior as Garek; that she shouldn''t be treated like a child or left behind because she was a girl.


    Eventually the room grew quiet, and Corvan crawled to the edge of the tree and peered over the edge. Atiya had fallen asleep in the moss by the small pool. The dappled light of the main lumien in the center of the room played across her face. From this vantage point she reminded him a lot of Tyreth; except that she was younger, most likely younger than him. When he leaned out further, her eyes fluttered open and Corvan quickly ducked behind the branch.


    After a short pause, the girl began moving about, splashing in the water, and humming to herself. He peaked over the lip. She was hidden by a tangle of branches, but her sword, bow, helmet, and tunic were lying in the moss. He slid to one side for a better view then stopped. Once he had spied on the Torgeson sisters as they skinny-dipped in Fry''s pond, and afterward he couldn''t look them in the eye at school.


    Atiya emerged from the water. The back of her head and shoulders appeared in the open space between the branches below Corvan. Slipping on her tunic, she ran her fingers through her hair to straighten it out. Red hair, like her mother, and she definitely had a temper to go with it.


    Picking up her sword, Atiya buckled it around her waist and then turned to pick up her leather helmet. As she raised her chin to buckle the strap, Corvan pushed himself back from the edge and held his breath. Had she seen him?


    It was quiet for a moment, then the girl began to hum as she moved away from the tree and across the garden. She came into view just before disappearing out the same arched doorway that others had left through. She must have decided to go after them despite their warnings.


    Looking through the branches Corvan caught site of her bag of food next to the spring, the end of the torn loaf of bread visible in its folds. His stomach growled but he waited, watching the entry while slowly counting to a thousand.


    The sight of the bread was unbearable.


    At seven hundred and fifty-three, he stopped counting, anchored his krypin rope and lowered himself in behind the tree. Coiling up the rope, he clipped it back to the pack strap, then crawled around the tree trunk, keeping one eye on the far side of the garden. Pulling the bag between his knees, he tore off a large piece of the loaf. The thick wad stuck in his throat and quickly scooping some water from the spring he washed the bread down, then leaned closer for longer drink.


    A heavy weight slammed into his shoulders, driving his face under the water. He tried to push himself free, but his right arm was wrestled up and twisted behind his back. A fist grabbed his hair and pushed his head in deeper and held him fast.


    Corvan''s heart raced, releasing lumien energy around his lungs. The urge to breathe eased. Letting his body go limp, he slumped down deeper into the pool.


    He was yanked back by his hair, then shoved face down into the moss. His attacker jumped on his back, pulled his head up and held a sword to his throat. More lumien energy ran wildly through his veins and surged into his muscles. His body arced up like a wild bronco, throwing his attacker over his head. He heard the sword clatter against the stone wall.


    Corvan looked to see where the sword landed, and his energized muscles sent his body twisting through the air to land clumsily on his feet, next to the blade.


    Sweeping it up, he turned back to discover Atiya crumpled against the low wall, her leather helmet lying off to one side.


    He dropped the point of her sword towards the ground. Atiya glared into the recesses of his hood, and he let it drop low at his side. He took a step forward. "I didn''t know it was you. I''m sorry if I hurt you." Leaning over her, he held out his hand to help her up. "I couldn''t breathe and I . . ."


    In an instant he was flat on his back, the sword stripped from his hand, its tip biting hard against his chest.


    "Do not move a muscle,¡± Atiya commanded. ¡°I do not know how you threw me but believe me, I can detect your slightest intention to move, and if I do, you will die."


    The intense anger in her voice caught Corvan off guard, yet in spite of her threat, his lumien enhanced mind focused on the bow-like shape of her mouth the small gap between her two front teeth. He raised his gaze upward to eyes like polished dark marble, shot through with specks of gold.


    It felt like there might me enough lumien left to overpower her, but he didn''t want to hurt her. "I won''t move. Atiya, I promise," he said calmly.


    Her eyes widened and she pushed back his hood with her free hand. "Corvan?"


    "Yes. It''s me."


    "I was told you left the Cor."


    "I did, but I came back to find Kate," Corvan replied.


    "The girl that you and the priest Jorad were carrying on the stretcher when you came through the library?"


    "Yes, and I need to find her right away. She has that glowing medallion Madam Toreg talked about."


    Atiya''s eyes narrowed, then she leaned in closer, her sword still at his neck. "Why would that girl have the key to the council chamber?"


    "I think she might be taking it back to the person they call ''Him'', back to the master of the black band."


    Atiya shook her head vigorously. ¡°Why would she do something so stupid?"


    "I don¡¯t know. Girls can be like that," Corvan said, instantly regretting the comment as the point of the sword twisted, his cloak puckering up around its tip. "At least Kate can,¡± he added. ¡°She gets mad and just does her own thing."


    "Do you like her?" Atiya said.


    "What?"


    "You heard me. Do you like her?"


    Corvan wanted to laugh, but Atiya was dead serious. "I . . . I guess I used to. But lately she''s been acting strange."


    "Who do you like now?" Atiya demanded.


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    The question came out of the blue. What did it have to do with anything and why was he being asked at the point of a sword? "I don''t have a girlfriend."


    "I don¡¯t know that word. Just tell me who you like the most and hope to have as your counterpart."


    Corvan tried to shrug but the point of the sword held his motion at bay. "I''m not sure. Tyreth, I guess."


    Atiya¡¯s eyes crinkled in anger, then she yanked her sword away. Pushing hard off his chest, she turned on her heel and stalked toward the tree, muttering to herself.


    Corvan scrambled to his feet and dusted himself off. Her anger did not seem to be directed at him, but what was he supposed to say? That he liked this new redhead girl because she might kill him if he didn''t tell her what she wanted to hear? He watched until she turned around, tossing her head and staring at him through her bangs.


    The intense look was quickly replaced by a mischievous smile as she sauntered back toward him, sheathing her sword. "You must have heard what my mother said about Gavyn."


    Corvan nodded.


    "Then you and I should try to find him," she said, putting her palm against his chest.


    "But Garek said he jumped into the abyss," Corvan said, stepping back. ¡°Can anyone survive that?¡±


    "Yes, but Garek doesn''t know that Gavyn can go through the water. I''ve seen him do it."


    Corvan gave a slight nod.


    "I supposed you don''t believe me either."


    "No, I do. I saw him do it as well. But why would he go over the falls?"


    "The Cor River flows between all the cities of the Cor, so obviously Gavyn believes his parents are in a prison further downstream, maybe even in Dubok Kholm, the deepest city of the Cor."


    Corvan nodded. That was what Tsarek must have been saying when he told Corvan his father was being held below the falls. Tsarek knew how to get to one of these other cities and it might be that Gavyn¡¯s parents were being held captive in the same place. "If he thinks his parents are down there then I will go and help him," Corvan declared.


    " I''m going with you." Atiya came closer.


    "I don''t think that''s a good idea."


    "Why not?" Atiya''s eye''s narrowed and Corvan had to step away. "Is it because I''m a girl? I''ve fought grown men and defeated them. Besides, if Gavyn is right about his parents, then it''s likely where they have taken the other girls. I have every right to help free my friends."


    Atiya was almost nose to nose with him now, her eyes daring him to oppose her. Kate could be stubborn, but she had nothing on how intense this girl could be. She certainly could hold her own, and he could use her help to rescue both Gavyn and his father. She also knew how to get through to the other cities.


    "Okay, you can come," he said.


    She shook her head. "It''s not like I need your permission. You''re only a visitor here, so I¡¯m the one letting youcome with me." She looked him up and down. ¡°You will need a disguise. The clothes you wear are obviously from Kadir and the other cities don''t like us." She came over and put her face so close to his, he thought she might try to kiss him. "I think you''re about the same size as Tania."


    "Who?"


    Atiya clenched her jaw and her eyes welled up with tears. "Tania was a Sister who was badly wounded when we escaped from the City of Refuge. We brought her to this spring so the water could heal her, but it was too late. She was a great fighter but one of the Mayor¡¯s men shot her in the back, the cowards."


    The deep sorrow filling her face and the tears about to fall had Corvan wondering if he should hug her and try to comfort her. He was about to raise his arms when Atiya ducked past him and in behind the great tree.


    When she returned, she carried a long blue tunic, a sword, and a studded leather helmet. "We had to place Tania in one of the unmarked crypts but her uniform and weapon is kept for one of the new girls in training." Dropping the sword and helmet, she rolled up the bottom of the tunic, lifted it up and slipped it over his head. "It was lucky we found a crypt with the clasps undone." Corvan''s head popped out of the tunic to face Atiya. The fresh scent of her damp hair reminded him of the wild roses at home. She adjusted the collar of the tunic. "Those lids can be hard to get into once the clasps are rusty and it¡¯s against the rules to leave them open."


    Corvan thought back to his argument with Jorad about sealing Morgan into one of the crypts. He had convinced Jorad not to lock the clasps on Morgan''s crypt because the man was still alive. If that crypt was the same one Atiya had found open it meant Morgan escaped. If the black band was on the man''s ankle, then he too was serving the evil master.


    Atiya pushed the leather helmet into his hands and began buckled the sword around his waist. She patted his side. "You should move your rope onto the outside belt, in case you need it down by the falls."


    Corvan reached under the tunic and his cloak to release the rope and the holster fell to the ground.


    "What¡¯s that?" Atiya picked up the holster and ran a finger over the star. "Is this something that goes with the medallions?"


    "No. It¡¯s just a holder." Corvan took the holster from her, flicked open the flap and held out Gavyn''s hammer.


    "Where did you get Tyreth''s hammer?" The storm of anger threatened to return to the gold flecked eyes.


    "This one isn''t hers,¡± Corvan quickly added. ¡°It¡¯s not even real. Gavyn carved if for me as a goodbye present when I took Kate home."


    "It sure looks real.¡± The smiled returned. ¡°Gavyn can carve anything." She tentatively touched the handle, then took the hammer from him. "I think it might be best if I carry this for a while, in case you get caught and searched."


    Corvan shrugged and handed her the holster. "Sure. It will be safer with someone who knows how to fight as good as Garek."


    Atiya frowned. "Are you making fun of me."


    "Not at all. My head still hurts from your trying to drown me. None of them should ever underestimate you. "


    Atiya beamed as she put the hammer back inside the holster and hid it under her cloak. "Now let¡¯s see how you look. Taking a step back, she smiled. "Not bad. You make a good woman."


    "A woman?" Corvan looked down at the tunic.


    "Only the sisters are allowed to wear that uniform so you''re a woman if anyone finds us. Keep your hood up at all times. Can you talk in a higher voice?"


    "Like this?" Corvan pitched his voice higher and Atiya laughed.


    ¡°I think I''ll just say you lost your voice. Now, show me how you walk."


    Corvan sauntered toward the pool. Atiya ran up behind him and grabbed his hips. "Haven''t you ever watched a woman walk? You''ve got to use your hips." She swished him from side to side, then abruptly twisted him around to face her, grabbing the front of the tunic. "Did you spy on me when I took a bath in the pool?"


    Corvan felt his face go red. "I didn''t look, honest.¡±


    Atiya let him go. ¡°You didn¡¯t want to?¡± She sounded offended.


    Corvan¡¯s face flushed even deeper. Everything he was saying seemed to be taken wrong. ¡°I, I . . . well it seemed wrong to spy on someone like that.¡±


    She smiled. "You have sense of honor. I like that. You don''t find in much these days. Especially among the younger men." She stepped to one side. "Now Let me see you try it again."


    Corvan tried dipping his hips as he walked until the sword slapped against his leg with each step. Atiya had called him a young man. Other than his mother, no one ever called him that before. Maybe it was because of his newfound strength from the lumien seeds. Turning around he found Atiya''s laughing eyes watching him.


    "What?" he asked.


    "If I walked like that, I''d break something.¡± She came towards him. ¡°Try to walk more on the front of your feet like this. Not all flat-footed like the mayor. Do it again."


    Corvan tried to walk like she suggested, and something fell out of his pocket. The glittering band of gems lay on the ground.


    Atiya picked it up and held the band up to the light. "This is pretty. Whose is it?"


    "It¡¯s not important." Corvan held his hand out, but Atiya ignored him, pulled off her helmet and put it on her head.


    "How do I look?"


    The tiara sparkled in her red hair and Corvan nodded his approval.


    "Can I keep it?"


    Corvan shook his head. "It belongs to someone else."


    Atiya''s face fell. Yanking the tiara from her hair she tossed it back to him. "I didn''t like it much anyway."


    Corvan shoved the gems back into his pocket. He needed to locate Tsarek and rescue his father. As cute as this girl was, she was beginning to annoy him. "Let''s get going. We are wasting time."


    Atiya gave him a sharp glance and grabbed the sack of food. "We''d better take this along. We don''t know how far we''ll need to travel before this is done." Moving over to the tree, she picked up her bow and quiver of arrows. Slinging them over her back she walked past him and held the gate open.


    "Come on, oh great Cor-Van. Let''s see if a journey over the edge of the abyss will improve your disposition."

 Medallion 18

    Kate walked alongside Jorad up the wide avenue that had been cleared through the rubble toward the center of the city. On her left were ruined buildings and random piles of small stones but on the right, the larger blocks from those same ruins had been used to create a high continuous partition wall.


    Upon reaching the central intersection, Jorad motion for Kate to join him and tucked in close to the block wall. In the center of the round central plaza, a broken statue stuck out of a pool of dirty water. Beyond the stone figures the main street they were on continued on through the mess of broken buildings. She could recall that was where a kind old man had found her, then taken her to a small city made of one room buildings. She tried to remember more but nothing else came clear.


    Taking hold of Kate¡¯s hand, Jorad led her along the curved wall. At the midpoint in the curve, a gate was protected by a guard tower. Jorad approached and spoke briefly through a small window and the gate opened just enough to let them through.


    They passed a doorway where a soldier watched in silence from the shadows. Jorad ignored the man and pulled Kate along a street framed by tall buildings on both sides. All the windows were empty and dark. A high arch set into a perpendicular wall loomed ahead and as they walked underneath it, fresh memories tugged at the corners of Kate''s mind. Pulling her hand free of Jorad¡¯s, she stepped out ahead of him. The wide terraced cobblestone courtyard was bordered on three sides by a high wall and various buildings, but Kate¡¯s eyes were focused on the massive statue set into the wall at the top of the open space. It had been cut from the side of the cavern and she was trying to get a glimpse of who, or what, was moving on a platform near its base when she tripped on a set of stone steps and fell to the ground.


    In an instant, Jorad was at her side. "Are you hurt?"


    "No, I''m okay." Kate sat up. "I landed on my bag."


    Jorad helped her to her feet. "I was too deep in my own thoughts instead of watching out for you. Please forgive me."


    "It was my fault,¡± Kate said. ¡°I was too busy looking up at the statue. It''s pretty amazing."


    Jorad snorted. "It should be. It cost too many lives to create and will require even more time now to take it down. It never belonged here in Kadir, nor did the karst at its feet." He gestured to the steps. "Please wait here while I see if we can get inside the palace to meet with Tyreth."


    ¡°Is Tyreth the queen?¡± Kate asked.


    Jorad shook his head. ¡°Not a queen. Some in the city refer to her as a princess, now that she lives in the palace, but that¡¯s really the correct term either. It¡¯s all a bit complicated since she was appointed as the leader of Kadir.¡± He pointed to the left. ¡°She used to live with her father and the rest of us over at the temple.¡±


    Kate nodded and sat on the edge of the stairs.


    Jorad crossed to a smaller door set into the courtyard wall off to the right. A flat roofed building with identical rows of windows frowned over the wall. That had to be the palace he spoke of.


    A guard opened the door and spoke briefly with Jorad before the door slammed and a dejected Jorad made his way back to Kate. "The guard says Tyreth isn''t seeing anyone." In a bitter tone he added, "not even me." Picking up Kate''s duffle bag, he appeared to be surprised by its weight. "I should have offered to carry this for you earlier. Please excuse me. I am not being a good host." He pointed to a gate in front of the temple on the other side of the plaza. "You can have something to eat and rest in the priest''s quarters. Tomorrow morning, we will try again to see Tyreth."


    "Do you live in the priest''s quarters?" Kate asked.


    Jorad nodded. "When Tyreth''s father died in the battle with the Chief Watcher, I took his place as the High Priest. At the time I thought it would mean that Tyreth and I would become counterparts, but instead she moved into the palace and became the ruler of Kadir.¡± He looked longingly back to the palace side of the courtyard. "I think she just needs time to get over her father''s death."


    They crossed the expanse of cobblestones and past rows of metal posts. At the far wall surrounding the courtyard they walked through a broken gate into a smaller courtyard. A door leading into a tall, peaked building stood ajar.


    Jorad pulled Kate off to one side. "It''s not generally permitted to take a woman past the main hall and inside the priests'' compound. Thankfully your face is dirty enough to pass for a man''s."


    Kate frowned and Jorad touched her cheek. "Don''t worry. It would take all the dirt in the Cor to cover up your true beauty."


    Kate felt her face flush as Jorad pointed to the open door.


    "When we go inside, stay close behind me and don''t talk to anyone," Jorad said sternly.


    She followed the young man across the courtyard with a frown on her face. Between his exaggerated compliment and his treating her like a child, Jorad was beginning to annoy her. For now, she would follow his lead, but she didn¡¯t trust him.


    Jorad led her quickly inside another broken door and down a long hallway. They passed a large room and through the open doors, Kate glimpsed a huge table with a metal chandelier hanging over its center. "Watch the steps," Jorad whispered over his shoulder and Kate looked down just in time to avoid tumbling down the stairs leading out a back door.


    Jorad paused on the bottom stair, peered into the darkness ahead, the led her through a raised garden, past a walled pool and out towards a row of smaller peaked-roof buildings, most of which had their doors broken off.


    Jorad threaded his way between the buildings to a second row which had most of its doors intact. He opened one, motioned Kate inside, and shut the door behind them. A bright light flared from the end of a short stick, then Jorad twisted into a holder on the wall.


    The square room smelled of mold and contained only a narrow bed and a small table. "I''m sorry about the state of this place. It hasn''t been used since the priests were . . . well, not for a while." Jorad dropped Kate''s duffle bag in the corner of the room and crossed to the bed. He shook out the blankets, creating swirls of dust in the flickering light. "This is only for tonight. Tomorrow, I can take you to the palace and you should receive a better welcome there."


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    "This is where we''re staying tonight?" Kate asked, glancing at the single bed.


    "This is where you will stay,¡± Jorad stated. ¡°I must go back to the High Priest''s quarters to perform my duties. You can rest here until the new light. Then we will try to see Tyreth again."


    Kate nodded, but the thought of being left out here alone in the dark wasn''t appealing.


    Jorad pointed to the door. "You can use the bolt to lock it from the inside." As he hefted the bar, Kate thought of all the broken doors she''d seen in the other buildings. Bolting a door didn''t seem to do much good.


    Pulling a robe from a peg on the far side of the door, Jorad held it out to her. "You can put this on if you get cold." He wrinkled his nose and pulled it quickly back. "Never mind. This one doesn''t smell that great. You can wear mine for tonight and I¡¯ll get this one washed." Kate looked away as he pulled his robe off. When she turned back, Jorad had the dirty robe on and was holding out his own, but his eyes were focused on her neck. "Were you thinking of using your medallion to visit the chamber tonight?"


    Kate fingered the chain of the medallion. "I''m don''t even know how I got there the last time."


    "Were you wearing the medallion when you fell asleep?"


    "Yes."


    Jorad nodded. "That is likely all it takes. I think it might be best if you did not wear it tonight. We don''t know who else might also have one of the medallions and if they are dangerous." He turned and opened the door, looking to both sides before stepping out into the night. "Be sure to lock the door behind me," he said softly. "As soon as I have finished my tasks, I will return and bring something to eat."


    The door creaked shut and Kate eased the heavy bolt into place. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she pulled the bone nest medallion out of her pocket and placed it on the table beside her. Reluctantly she lifted the medallion with the green glow from around her neck and set it next to the other one. There was something odd about the one from the nest, but she couldn¡¯t figure it out.


    Wrapping Jorad''s robe around her, she pulled her feet up on the bed and laid back. His robe smelled smoky and sweet, like the incense her mother used when she was dating the guy that was into meditation.


    Turning on her side, she watched the torch. The flame was getting lower, sputtering and sending drips of flaming goo onto the floor. With one last flicker, the light died.


    A heavy silence settled into the dark room. Kate felt along the table until a familiar glow sprang to life. She needed her medallion¡¯s comfort in this strange place, no matter what Jorad said. Looping the chain around her neck she lay back and snuggled into Jorad''s robe.


    When Kate opened her eyes, she was back in entry room to the dream chamber; the narrow door in front of her. Jorad had asked her not to go inside the chamber but there was no point waiting in the anteroom. Besides, she didn¡¯t exactly trust what Jorad had to tell her, he seemed to have his own reasons for keeping her out of the chamber.


    Touching the door open, she entered the council chamber, immediately turning to the right to avoid looking into the dark space beyond the shattered door. As she expected, Jorad''s door was dark, but the star on the door next to it glowed brightly. Surely it would be okay to take a quick look through the peephole and see who was inside. Touching the edge of the star, she stepped off to one side as it melted away.


    Another young man stood just inside the door; his face framed by dark curly hair. His eyes were closed, and he had a peaceful smile on his face. As Kate watched the young man''s eyes fluttered beneath their lids, opened, then focused on her. Kate quickly raised her hand to close the star.


    A frown creased his forehead. "You''re not . . . Who are you?"


    "I''m sorry,¡± Kate said. ¡°Jorad asked me not to speak with anyone in the chamber." Her hand hovered by the star, but she didn''t want to shut it. Not yet. He had a kind face, and his gray eyes were warm and friendly. Maybe Jorad knew this man might be in the chamber and didn¡¯t want them to meet.


    The young man nodded. "Ah yes. I know Jorad well." His eyes narrowed briefly before the warm smile returned. "But who are you? I don''t think we have met before."


    "My name is Kate." She moved back to the center of his door and her hand brushed its surface. The entire door melted away and she pulled her hand away. She needed to be much more careful where she placed her hands.


    The young man must have thought she had opened it intentionally, for he moved closer. Kate slipped back a bit, hoping the door worked the same as Jorad¡¯s and that the man could not move past it.


    "Hello Kate,¡± he said. ¡°Are you also living in the palace? You look a lot like a princess in that gown."


    Kate looked down, shocked to discover she was in a brilliant white dress. "I don¡¯t know how. . . This isn¡¯t what I was wearing when I went to sleep."


    The young man touched his own robe, royal purple with white cuffs. "I know what you mean. If you could see me sleeping, you wouldn''t recognize me. I haven''t washed my real clothes in a long time. Is my face even clean?"


    Kate nodded and he smiled broadly. "I hope that what the legends say about this place are true. It would certainly make me feel better about myself." He gestured grandly at Kate. "And it would explain your lovely appearance as well."


    Coming from him, the compliment sounded more genuine than it did from Jorad, but she quickly responded. "What legends?"


    "I have been told that here, in the council chamber, you wear what is in your soul. If you are unjust or untrue, it will be immediately evident to the others by what you are wearing. As the chamber leader,¡± he pointed to Kate, ¡°you may still allow others who are not properly dressed to enter the room, but until they have a change of heart and are dressed appropriately, that person cannot participate in council decisions."


    Kate nodded. Was he asking to be let into the council room? She wasn¡¯t ready for that, despite what the legends might say. Kate pointed to his robe. "Are you some sort of king? It looks that from the way you''re dressed."


    "Thank you, Kate. No one has seen me for who I truly am for a long time." He ran a hand down his sleeve to the white cuff. "With everything that¡¯s going right now, I was beginning to wonder if my own heart was growing cold." His face grew somber. "Right now, I don''t feel much like a king, but I do have some advice for you.¡± He pointed to her medallion. ¡°You must be very careful who you show the chamber master to."


    "This?" Kate asked, lifting it between them.


    "Yes. The glowing medallion you carry is the chamber master medallion. It is the only one that can open the anteroom doors and call the council to session. With the chamber master, you are the one who can govern the council. In past days it was a privilege to carry it, but now I feel it is more of a threat.¡± He looked intently into her eyes. ¡°There are many who will want to take it from you, by force if they need to."


    The young man glanced over his shoulder. "Someone is outside the place where I am sleeping. Somehow have found me yet again.¡± He looked back to Kate. "When you awake, do not speak of our meeting to Jorad. He may have good intentions, but his bitterness gets the better of him at times.¡±


    "I won''t say anything,¡± Kate said. ¡°But you haven¡¯t told me your name, if Jorad does mention you."


    The young man shook his head. ¡°It is best for now, if you do not know but be assured that I will introduce myself and tell you more the next time we meet.¡± He gave her a curt smile, turned away and vanished from the small room.


    Kate touched near the opening into his anteroom and the door materialized. Closing the star shaped portal, she turned back to her own entrance. Jorad''s door was dark which may mean he was awake and on his way to meet her in the priest¡¯s quarters. She needed to get back.


    As she moved toward her own entry room, a cold breeze drifted in from the shattered door. She lifted a hand toward the void and a chill ran up her arm. Her bruised wrist ached along with a strong desire to move even closer.


    Instinctively she held up the light of the medallion to ward herself. Immediately her resolved strengthened and she stepped quickly past to her own entry room.

 Medallion 19

    A prolonged shiver ran through Kate¡¯s body. Pulling the hood of Jorad¡¯s robe over her head she leaned against wall and tucked the blanket in close under her chin.


    In the darkened room it was impossible to know how much time had elapsed since she had gone to the chamber, but she was feeling hungrier than when Jorad had left her.  Why had he not returned with something to eat like he had promised? She listened carefully but there was only the scratching of a small creature somewhere in the corner of the ceiling. Holding the glow of the medallion overhead she was relieved to discover the creature was outside on the roof and not in the room with her.


    With the hood over her head, she finally quit shivering. Leaving the bed, Kate gently lifted the bolt, and eased the door open a crack. The pale light from the blue globes overhead cast deep shadows into the gaps between the buildings but nothing moved. She looked to the darkened temple building that loomed over the first row sleeping rooms. It would be better to wait for Jorad by the reflecting pool in the garden than in the stuffy room and she could at least be out in the open.


    She was about to step out of the room when a glint of silver blue light from the bedside table caught her eye. There was no way she wanted Jorad to get his hands on the second medallion she had found in the nest of bones. Plucking it from the table, she wound the shiny chain around the points, then cupped it tightly in her hand. If Jorad asked to see her medallion again, she wasn¡¯t going to make the mistake of showing him the glowing one around her neck. As the gray-eyed man had suggested, it was best not to let anyone know she was in possession of the chamber master.


    Closing the door quietly behind her, Kate crept back through the small buildings to the raised garden beds in the open courtyard in front of the larger building. As she sat on the edge of the walled pool, a translucent fish broke the surface, sending ripples across the dark water. When the water grew still, her reflection appeared between three large lily pad leaves, floating on the surface. In the watery mirror, the scar on her cheek appeared to be more jagged than before. She reached up to touch her own face, but no hand appeared in the reflection.


    A woman¡¯s voice spoke out. "The palace guard said you were looking for me." The mouth in the reflection moved and when Kate stiffened the face in the pool disappeared. "I''m sorry I was not able to meet you earlier, Jorad,¡± the woman said from behind Kate. ¡°Things are moving much faster than I anticipated."


    Kate held her breath and stayed perfectly still. This had to be Tyreth, and she was mistaking her for Jorad because she was wearing his robe.


    A hand gently touched Kate''s shoulder. "Please do not be angry with me, Jorad,¡± Tyreth said. ¡°I had just returned from the karst and was not ready to speak with anyone."


    Kate stood and slowly turned around but kept her head lowered. The woman was wearing a stained and tattered gray robe, but underneath Kate glimpsed polished black boots and a long flowing gown.


    "Jorad, please say something,¡± the woman said as she reached out to push Kate''s hood back.


    For the longest time Tyreth only stared at her before Kate finally found her voice. "Hello, Tyreth," she said as cheerfully as she could before swallowing the lump in her throat.


    Tyreth''s brow creased. "How do you know my name? Who are you?"


    Kate shrugged. "We''ve never met, but Jorad has told me about you."


    "You are wearing his robe."


    The question in the statement caught Kate off guard and she blurted out, "Jorad let me borrow it before he left my bedroom."


    Tyreth¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    "Nothing like that,¡± Kate said quickly, her face flushing. ¡°He was helping me. I was locked outside the stone door, but he opened it. Then I saved him from a creature he called a burak. After that he showed me the city, and that¡¯s when I told him I wanted to meet you. We came to your gate, but you weren''t available, so he said I should stay in one of those for the night." Kate pointed at the row of small buildings then turned back to Tyreth. ¡°I was planning to come to the palace in the morning to see you."


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    "Buraks are extremely large and dangerous,¡± Tyreth stated, obviously doubting what Kate was telling her. ¡°Why did you ask to see me?"


    Kate drew in a deep breath. "I thought you might have an idea where Corvan is. I need to find him. I think he¡¯s in danger."


    Tyreth clasped Kate''s shoulder and looked past her, as if she expected Corvan to walk out from the shadows between the small buildings. "I thought I saw Corvan earlier but did not think it was possible," Tyreth said. "Something in my heart told me he was still alive. Do you have any idea where he might be going?"


    Kate ducked away and eased herself free from Tyreth grasp. Jorad was right. Tyreth was waiting for Corvan''s return so they could be together. That must have been Corvan''s plan all along. That was why he was working so hard on his cellar tunnel.


    "Kate? Where are you?" Jorad''s voice came softly from the shadows around the small buildings.


    Tyreth backed up toward the main building. "It''s Jorad,¡± she whispered. ¡°Don''t tell him I was here and don¡¯t say anything about Corvan. Jorad doesn¡¯t like him." She vanished into a dark alcove beside the steps leading up to the temple entrance.


    Footsteps approached and Kate nerves ran wild. She dropped onto the edge of the pool, facing away from Jorad to collect her thoughts.


    "I thought I heard voices," Jorad said as he sat next to her. "Are you all right?"


    Kate nodded. "I couldn''t sleep. Your night must be different than mine."


    "I apologize for taking so long. I brought you something to eat." He held out a round loaf of braided bread and a round fruit. "You''d best eat them together as the bread is a little dry by itself."


    Kate took the fruit from his hand and tried a small bite. It was fuzzy and sweet, like a peach but not as soft. Taking the bread from him, she added a bite, and the combined flavors reminded her of the sandwiches Corvan''s mother would send her for lunch.


    Jorad moved closer. "How is your night different than ours?" he asked.


    Kate pointed overhead. "Our stars are much brighter than those round things on your ceiling."


    "The lumiens? They are our source of life. Are your stars a source of life?"


    Kate shook her head. "Ours just twinkle and make the night a little brighter."


    "Twinkle? Do you mean they fade with the cycles?¡± Jorad asked.  ¡°Ours grow gradually dimmer until the night of deepest dark, then brighten until the brightest night of the cycle."


    Kate took another bite of the bread before replying. "Ours stay the same, but you can see them better when the moon isn''t full,"


    Jorad looked at her. "What is Moom?"


    "The moon. It¡¯s a large ball of light in the sky but it¡¯s not always fully bright."


    "Ah, yes, we have one of those." Jorad moved in closer and pointed to the main cluster of lights. "The largest of our lumiens is there in the middle but it¡¯s also not very bright tonight. It is not in the right phase, but when it is, our night is brighter too." He brought his arm down to touch Kate''s forearm. "I must say that when I first met you in the chamber, and you were in that white gown, you outshone our brightest lumien."


    Kate stiffened and pulled her hand away to rest it on her leg. Jorad¡¯s compliment made her uncomfortable and it was worse knowing Tyreth listening to every word from her hiding place.


    "I wonder if the way you were dressed was what made it possible for you to go inside the chamber and open my door,¡± Jorad said.


    ¡°I think it must have been the medallion that brought me there,¡± Kate said.


    ¡°Did your medallion draw you back to the chamber after I left?"


    Kate took another bite of the fruit, then slowly nodded.


    ¡°And that medallion let you open the door of the small room and go inside the chamber?¡± Jorad sounded confused.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kate replied, ¡°the same as when I met you there up by the stone door.¡±


    Jorad¡¯s hand went to his chest, as if he would pull out his own medallion but then he dropped his hand to his lap.  "Did you see anyone?" he asked tentatively.


    Kate didn''t answer. The curly haired man had asked her not to tell Jorad about their meeting.


    It was silent for a long moment, then she heard a muffled thump, as if Jorad had dropped something heavy to the ground. The man shifted to lean tight against her.


    "Jorad, please sit up," Kate whispered, pushing on his shoulders. His body slid forward, and he flopped limply into her lap, knocking the medallion from her hand.


    A shadow appeared over her shoulder. Kate tried to stand but a heavy hand pushed her down and a wet cloth was clamped across her face.


    A powerful odor of burnt oil filled her head before everything went black.

 Medallion 20

    Corvan struggled to keep up with Atiya as she jogged through the network of tunnels leading away from Gavyn¡¯s tree room. Eventually, there was no choice but to push a bit of the remaining lumien power to his legs. It felt like sand was scratching its way through his veins and after the energy dissipated, he was even more worn out. An overpowering desire to eat another lumien seed began to build inside him.


    "Slow down, Atiya," he called out.


    The girl skidded to a halt. "What''s the matter, grouchy? Can''t keep up?" She grinned at him.


    "Quit being silly,¡± he snapped back. ¡°I''m exhausted. I can''t remember when I last slept."


    Atiya''s smile vanished. "We can take a faster way to the falls, but we would need to make our way through the ruined streets above. We might be seen by a patrol, or worse."


    "I don''t care,¡± Corvan said, putting his hands on his knees and breathing hard. ¡°I need to save my energy."


    Atiya nodded, then turned into a narrow tunnel on her left. Corvan followed to where it ended. Atiya stood, pointing up a ladder that disappeared into a rounded shaft. Corvan choked back a groan. Atiya tied the sack of food to her belt and swiftly ascended, leaving Corvan gasping for air as he laboriously tackled one rung at time. He wanted desperately to send the last of the lumien power to his lungs, but the overwhelming sensation that his heart might collapse at any moment terrified him. Gritting his teeth, he pushed on. If he had known he would end up like this, he never would have eaten that first seed.


    He was about to ask Atiya for help when his hand landed on the heel of her boot.


    ¡°We must be quiet past this point,¡± Atiya whispered from above, and Corvan patted her foot in affirmation, unable to respond. Overhead, a trapdoor opened, Atiya jumped out, then leaned back in to help him into the fractured shell of one of the broken buildings. He collapsed against a wall. Atiya nodded to him, put a finger to her lips and motioned for Corvan to stay put.


    She had no idea that he simply could move any further. Sagging to the ground, his eyes closed and before he knew it Atiya was gently shaking his shoulder.


    "Corvan, wake up. We need to keep moving."


    He managed to sit against the wall and look around. The room he had been sleeping in must have been an office of some kind for it had a huge desk in the center with the same tabletop lumien hooks he had seen in the Kadir library. A gap in the wall revealed the soft light of new day. "How long did I sleep?" he asked.


    "Not long enough,¡± Atiya said, ¡°but you needed the rest. Your face was pale, and you were having a hard time breathing."


    Corvan only nodded.


    "Are you hungry?" Atiya pulled a purple fruit from the sack, smacked it against the floor and pulled out a membrane full of liquid. He took it from her and chewed on one end. The membrane popped and flooded his mouth with sweet juice. The flavor was similar to lumien fruit and that only served to make him more acutely aware of his urgent need for the flesh, and the heart, of another lumien.


    Atiya showed him to spit out the tough membrane, then fed him two more segments before Corvan held up his hand. "No more, Atiya. You finish the rest." She likely thought he was being kind to her, but the truth was he couldn''t handle eating something that tasted so much like a lumien without giving any satisfaction.


    Atiya had her own method for eating the fruit. After nibbling a tiny hole in the tip of the membrane, she tipped her head back and squeezed a thin stream of juice into her mouth. A bit missed and trickled down her cheek. She laughed, "messy things, aren''t they?"


    Corvan could only stare at her in response. He wished he could be as carefree as Atiya, but with the lumien power gone, his entire being felt empty and dark. Over Atiya¡¯s head, a lone lumien gave off a weak glow. A new day would soon be dawning, and they needed to get to the abyss, find Tsarek and then rescue both his father and Gavyn. To meet that challenge, he would need to find one more lumien - just one more and he would hold it in his heart for the rest of his life.


    Atiya tossed the empty fruit membrane into a corner and held out her hand to help him to his feet. He managed to smile at her, and her eyes crinkled in return. Once he was up on his feet, Atiya peered cautiously out the door, then nodded to him and stepped into the street.


    As Corvan followed her out, his gaze wandered up to the cavern ceiling where a cluster of lumiens was glowing brightly. He stumbled, then forced himself to look at his feet. A few steps later the temptation overpowered him, and he looked up again. There had to be a way to get a lumien down. If he didn''t eat one soon, he was sure he was going to die.


    His foot caught on a loose cobblestone, and he clutched at Atiya''s shoulder to keep from falling. She helped him stand, then straightened out her bow and the quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder. "You should watch your feet and I''ll watch where we''re going. Okay?"


    Her eyes searched his until he nodded but he found himself focusing on the arrows sticking out of her quiver. If he had enough lumien power left in his heart he could shoot one of the globes down for himself, but his strength was long gone.


    "How far can your arrows reach?" he asked.


    Atiya shrugged. "Quite a way. Among the sisters I am known for having the most accurate shot at the greatest distance. Garek says he has never met anyone who can shoot as far."


    "Could you hit the ceiling of this cavern?"


    Atiya looked overhead. "I think so. Why?"


    Corvan tried to sound nonchalant, but his voice cracked. "Jorad once said he could shoot a lumien down from the ceiling with a bow. I wondered if a girl could do it, that''s all."


    Atiya looked overhead. "That small blue one hanging below the rest. I could reach that one."


    "I''d like to see you try."


    Atiya stepped away. "If that lumien fell and they caught me anywhere near it I would be condemned to death. Tyreth''s new laws leave no room for mercy."


    He shrugged. "I don''t think you could reach it anyway. It¡¯s pretty far."


    "I could so. Why do you think we had so many lumiens in the City of Refuge? We were stealing them from Kadir." Atiya''s eyes narrowed. "Not that the stupid mayor gave the Sisters any credit for our service. He showed his gratitude by banishing us from the very city we helped build."


    "Then don''t shoot it down,¡± Corvan responded. Just prove you can get close to it. There''s no harm in that."


    Atiya studied the ceiling before pulling her bow from her back. Choosing an arrow, she moistened her fingers and smoothed out the fletching. With a nod to Corvan, she nocked the arrow and pulled back on the bow. Her arms quivered with the exertion, and she drew a deep breath to steady herself.


    At the crisp twang of her bowstring the arrow climbed swiftly to the ceiling, burying itself in the mass of vines high overhead.


    "Told you I could reach it," Atiya bragged.


    Corvan didn''t answer. He was staring at a smaller lumien bobbing up and down next to where her arrow had disappeared.


    Atiya sucked in her breath. "I wasn''t aiming at that one."


    Corvan''s heart pounded in anticipation. "I think you might have hit its stem." Even as he spoke the lumien fell, spiraling its stem through the air, glancing off the roof of a building, then landing with a splat in the middle of the street.


    Corvan raced up the street and fell to his knees. The shattered lumien quivered on the ground, streaks of light shooting through its pulpy mass. Digging through the flesh he yanked out the heart. It was much larger than the ones he''d eaten up in the cellar, almost the size of his fist. It throbbed in his hand as he lifted it to his mouth, bit off the tip, and chewed in ecstasy. He examined the brilliant gash where he had bitten the seed, and a sharp pain clenched his chest. One more bite and his heart might explode - but he didn''t care; he wanted more.


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    As he lifted the seed to his mouth, it was savagely kicked from his hand. Atiya stood over him, eyes blazing. Corvan snarled at her, lumien juice dripping from his chin like a rabid dog.


    Atiya jumped back, nocked another arrow, and aimed directly at his chest.


    Corvan stood to his feet and the point of Atiya¡¯s arrowed followed him. Raw power pulsed through every vein and his energized mind was picking up the smallest details; the tension on Atiya''s fingers, a slight twist in one of the fletchings, a hairline crack on the arrows nock, and a twitch in the muscles of Atiya¡¯s bow arm. From the beads of perspiration on her forehead and the compassion in her eyes he could tell she was not going to shoot him.


    He glanced to where the seed lay on the cobblestones, its bright liquid oozing onto the crack between the cobbles. Watching it drain away was more than he could bear.


    "Please listen to me, Corvan,¡± Atiya pleaded, her voice quavering. ¡°If you eat any more it will kill you. I''ve seen this before."


    "Leave me alone,¡± Corvan shot back. ¡°I know what I need. I can handle this." He bent to pick up the seed but kept his eyes on her. "I don''t want to hurt you, Atiya."


    Atiya''s bow twanged and Corvan sprang to one side, but the arrow wasn''t meant for him. It hit the lumien heart dead center and the seed exploded in a shower of brilliant shards that died away into dark puddles on the stones. He scrambled on his hands and knees between the pools, but the power had already evaporated into the air. He could feel it dissipating with each breath.


    "Corvan!" Atiya screamed.


    Jumping to his feet, Corvan found Atiya in the grip of a stocky man, a curved knife held to her throat. Another man with a ragged scar over his nose and cheek stood a few paces away, his crossbow pointed at Corvan. "Ah, yes, the young Cor-Van. I was beginning to think we might have to give up on getting the rebel leader''s reward. Now I will be rich, and you will be punished for stealing his woman and blinding his eye."


    Corvan took a step toward the man.


    "Stay where you are or the girl dies,¡± the scar faced man commanded.


    The other man, holding Atiya, pushed his knife pushed tighter to her throat and a trickle of blood slipped over the top of the blade.


    Corvan stopped.


    "That''s better,¡± scar face said. ¡°Now, turn around and start walking. No doubt the palace guards saw the lumien fall and are on their way to make sure that justice is served." The man gestured with his crossbow. "If you try anything, you and the girl will die together. It does not matter to me for either way I get paid twice for the palace also offers a reward for a dead lumien eater."


    As Corvan turned down the street, the lumien power ran erratically through his mind and body. He could easily jump backwards high enough to clear both men. Before they knew what was happening, he could grab Atiya and carry her away. As he visualized the plan, it crystallized in his mind, sending jolts of power into his legs until they were so taut he could hardly keep himself on the ground. Taking one last step, he brought his feet together and sprang backwards.


    Time slowed to a crawl as his body somersaulted through the air. At one point, he was fully upside down as the man with the crossbow appeared below him. Then he was circling down behind Atiya and her attacker. He landed clumsily on his feet, grabbed the man''s arm, and yanked the knife away from Atiya''s neck. He felt and heard the man''s forearm snap. The man cried out and his partner whirled about, his crossbow aimed directly at Atiya. Using the knife-wielder''s body, Corvan shoved Atiya aside. The bolt blurred towards him, thudding into the knife wielder¡¯s chest and a sharp pain shot directly into Corvan¡¯s body. The bolt had passed though the man''s torso and pierced his own chest. He dropped the man to the ground, where the body rolled over, eyes glazed and still.


    The scar faced man was fumbling with his crossbow, cranking back another bolt.


    Atiya scooped up her bow and grabbed Corvan¡¯s arm. "Leave him, Corvan. We have to go. The soldiers from the city will be coming."


    The arbalist stopped loading his crossbow. "Let''s see you fare taking on a whole squad of palace guards, Cor-Van," he sneered, then darted in behind a pile of rubble.


    Atiya tugged on Corvan''s hand, and he followed jerkily after her, his muscles twitching with the energy trapped inside. Some escaped into his head, and he heard soldiers running in the streets behind them. He could distinguish each set of approaching footsteps. There were ten soldiers in total and one of them was limping. His mind quickly assessed the odds, the location and possible outcomes and in that moment, he knew for certain that if he stopped to fight them, he would win.


    Atiya yanked him aside into a crumbling building and he fell hard against a mound of dirt with Atiya on top of him. New sensations flooded his brain: the scent of Atiya''s hair, the weight of her body on his, the softness of her finger against his lips and her voice in his ear, urging him to lie still.


    On the other side of the wall, a commanding voice called out. "This rebel was killed with one of their own crossbow bolts. They must have fought among themselves over the fallen lumien. Search every building. If we find the other rebels, they''ll wish they had never left their vermin holes in the crags."


    Footsteps approached their building and Atiya rolled sideways, pulled back on her bow, and let an arrow fly softly over the wall. It clattered onto a stone roof in the next street.


    "Over there!" a soldier shouted and the men just outside their door took off running.


    Atiya peered over the wall, then bent to help Corvan to his feet. She touched a red stain on his chest. "You are wounded but we must move away from here before they return." Taking his arm, she led him through a gap in the back wall of the building and into a narrow alley.


    Corvan followed blindly; his mind fully occupied scanning his body to find the extent of the wound. It was like he was looking about inside a three-dimensional x-ray of his own chest, first at the spot where the crossbow bolt had entered and then to where it had stopped against one of his ribs. An inch higher and the bolt would have pierced his heart. As he focused on assessing the damage, lumien energy instinctively flowed toward the wound. His skin prickled and stretched as the punctured skin began to close up. Even more energy seeped into the rib itself and he winced as the slender bone was pulled back into position and the cracks sealed over.


    As the lumien power dissipated in healing his body, Corvan became more aware of his surroundings. Atiya was leading him down a set of narrow stairs along a wide river. There was no guardrail. One misstep, and he would fall into water below. Overhead, the black shadow of a bridge thrust out over the water. He had been here before. They were directly under the bridge where the outlet from the City of Refuge flowed toward the settlements.


    Atiya led him into a low alcove and helped him to lean back against the cool stone. The sounds of the rushing water soothed his mind, and he was able to focus on pushing the remaining energy back into his heart.


    Atiya lifted up Tania¡¯s tunic, then his cloak and shirt. Pulling out a piece of cloth from her tunic she began to gently wipe the area around his wound. The lumien power inside him was defining every muscle that tensed under Atiya''s touch. Corvan studied her face. With her helmet off, her red hair swayed as she worked to remove the blood. She stopped, then stared up at him in amazement. "Did you do that with the power from the lumien?" Her finger rested on a faintly puckered scar.


    Corvan nodded. ¡°I''m not sure how. I just sensed where the wound was and then it healed itself."


    "Maybe that wound saved your life,¡± Atiya said. ¡°Everyone I know who ate that much of a fresh lumien seed died right away. Their hearts couldn''t take the strain."


    Her eyes met his and he was suddenly lost in a whirl of golden specks.


    Atiya traced a finger over the scar. "What does it feel like?" she asked.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt, now that it¡¯s healed,¡± Corvan replied.


    "Not that. The lumien. What happened when you ate the seed?"


    "It''s like. . . like. . . I don''t really know how to describe it. You can sense everything around you, and it feels like no matter what happens, you will win. It''s incredible but terrifying at the same time. You want more even if it will kill you.¡±


    Atiya nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I destroyed the seed.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry for how I treated you, Atiya." Corvan said. "Sometimes the need for more can take over and you lose control."


    "It''s okay, I know you didn''t mean it. I''ve been through this before."


    "If you hadn''t destroyed that lumien, one more bite would have killed me. You saved my life."


    Atiya looked to one side and Corvan spied a trickle of blood on the side of her neck. He brushed her hair away. "You''re hurt too."


    "It''s from the soldier''s knife,¡± Atiya said. ¡°It¡¯s just a scratch. It''ll heal quickly."


    "I can help." Corvan said, then diverted a bit of the energy into his mouth and touched a finger to his tongue. Reaching up, he brushed Atiya''s hair aside. Every nerve in his fingers came alive, sensing each strand flowing over the back of his hand. He ran his wet finger over the cut on her neck and the skin instantly fused shut. "Does that feel better?" he asked.


    Atiya nodded and her eyes brimmed with tears. One splashed warmly on the back of his hand and as she looked into his eyes, Corvan lifted his head toward her. Something inside told him to stop, that he wasn¡¯t interested in Atiya that way, but he moved his face closer until their lips met. A small burst of the lumien energy remaining in his mouth slipped through the connection between them. Atiya drew in a sharp breath, her eyes closed and then she sank against his chest.


    Corvan could feel her heart beating against him, rapid at first and then slowing down to a gentle rhythm.


    "Was that lumien power?" Atiya finally asked.


    "Yes, but only a tiny bit. Did it hurt?"


    She pushed off his chest and sat beside him, looking vacantly over the river. "It was like for that moment I could understand what you were thinking and . . .¡± Her eyes grew moist, she bit her lip, and got her feet. Her voice was suddenly flat and devoid of emotion. "We''ll rest here until the night comes. It won''t be safe to travel with all the soldiers searching the city. Wake me in a few hours to keep watch. I need to rest."


    Atiya moved to the far corner of the alcove, laid down and curled up into a ball. Corvan pushed his cloak and the tunic back down and stared up at the rocky alcove overhead. He shouldn''t have tried to kiss her. The lumien energy was messing with his emotions. He wasn¡¯t thinking clearly.


    The blue glow of the lumiens overhead bathed the edges of their hiding place, as if the light was seeking a way into the shallow cave to take back its stolen energy.


    Closing his eyes, he shut out the light. Would he ever be able to live without more of the lumien power? Probing his body, he measured the amount of energy stored in his heart. It was considerably more than the last time, and he could feel the strain. Letting a tiny bit out, he sent it running through his body and then up into his head.


    His ears crackled and he picked up a faint sound over the constant rush of the water.


    Atiya was crying.

 Medallion 21

    Two men were arguing, but in Kate¡¯s drugged state their voices sounded like they were coming through the tin cans she and Corvan would connect with string to make simple telephones. Struggling to open her eyes, she watched two elongated shadows jostle on the rough stone wall in front of her. Her lungs burned with each shallow breath. She wanted to cough and clear her throat, but she stifled the urge and listened until one voice came clear.


    It was Jorad.


    "There was no need for your men to knock me out.¡± the priest complained. ¡°Did they forget I am the one risking everything to give your rebel soldiers sanctuary within the temple grounds? That you and I have an alliance?"


    A man¡¯s high-pitched voice shot back at Jorad. "We had an alliance, but you failed me, the girl escaped, and I lost an eye!¡±


    The distinctive voice made Kate¡¯s stomach churn. She had been near that same man at some point in the past. Was he referring to her as the one who escaped? Was Jorad now conspiring to bring her back to this man?


    The nauseating voice pierced the heavy air. ¡°I am the appointed leader of the remnant from Rozan. Soon I will become the Cor-Van, and also rule Kadir. I expect everyone to follow my orders, including you and all the priests of the city. Your instructions were to alert my men as soon as Tyreth came to see you, but instead my men found you sitting with her by the garden pool under cover of darkness?¡± The voice rose even higher. ¡°Were you planning to take my counterpart away from me? To steal Tyreth for yourself and take over the palace?"


    "No! Of course not! I didn''t even know Tyreth came to the temple and had no time to wake your men,¡± Jorad responded.  ¡°She hasn''t come to see me for two segments. The only person she allows into the palace is the Captain of the Guard. He is the one you should be concerned about. I don¡¯t trust him.¡±


    Kate¡¯s anger rose, clearing the fog from her mind. Jorad had actually promised to help this man kidnap Tyreth. Even worse, now he was trying to fool the man into thinking that she was Tyreth, and that made it personal. She would never trust Jorad again.


    After a pause the irritating voice came back lower and slower. "You better hope I don¡¯t find out you are lying to me. At present I need you to get my soldiers in and out of Kadir, but that does not mean I trust you. If what you say is true, then you¡¯re fortunate my spies were there to capture Tyreth before she could escape back to the palace. Now my plans can proceed."


    "Are you going to marry her right away?" There was a note of concern in Jorad¡¯s question.


    "I cannot take her as my counterpart without the sacred jewels on her head,¡± the man retorted. ¡°It would be a bad omen. I need that tiara on her head to fulfill my destiny as the Cor-Van."


    "But how are you going to get the tiara back? Cor - that boy stole it when he took her from you."


    "Yes, but my scouts have tracked him down. He is hiding with one of the sisters in the ruined side of Kadir."


    "Corvan''s in Kadir?" Jorad asked.


    The leader squeaked out more angry words. "I am the chosen Cor-Van. If you refer to that imposter as the Cor-Van around my men, you will certainly die. Do you understand me?"


    Jorad mumbled something in response.


    ¡°Return to the temple and carry on as normal. As soon as the jewels are back in my hand, I will send for you. If you fail me again, I can always find another priest, one from out in the settlements, to appoint as the new High Priest, and perform the counterpart ceremony."


    Jorad spoke calmly. "Another priest would not be ready to aid you in your plans to take over Kadir. Have you considered it might be better to wait until you take over the palace before you join with Tyreth? It could help bring the council of Kadir on side with your leadership."


    "No. I need my own men to accept me as the Cor-Van and do my bidding. For that, I require a counterpart, that counterpart must be wearing those particular jewels, and a High Priest must marry us. These three are not negotiable. Nothing else I have agreed to do for you will take place until all is completed. Fail me and you will never see the inside of the palace in Kadir. Now go - return to your temple and wait for my signal."


    "I need to speak with your counterpart-to-be,¡± Jorad said. ¡°I want to let the girl . . . to let Tyreth, know what is happening. I believe I can convince her to willingly go along with your plans for Kadir."


    "I have my own ways to bend her will to mine. You will see her at the ceremony and by that time she will be quite aware of her future as my counterpart. You had best go before I change my mind about working with you at all."


    Two sets of footsteps faded away along with the light of the torch. Kate closed her eyes as a wave of fatigue swept over her. When she opened them again, she found herself back in the anteroom outside the council chamber.


    She stood shakily. Even in this dream place, the drug she''d been given continued to affect her. Entering the chamber Kate discovered the star on Jorad¡¯s door glowing along with its distinctive mark in the center. How could that be possible if he were still awake? Or maybe she slept for a long time from the ongoing effects of the drug in the oily rag, and Jorad was back at the temple in Kadir.


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    She brushed the door open, ready to give Jorad a piece of her mind.


    Tyreth stood before her, clothed in a white dress with delicate embroidered green vines with purple flowers around its neckline. She was studying a medallion dangling from a silver chain twined around her fingers. She looked up. "Kate! I''m so glad it worked. It¡¯s so difficult to let yourself fall asleep when you know you have to."


    Kate stared at the medallion in Tyreth''s hand. The doors to the chamber obviously did not work like she thought, or Tyreth would have appeared in a new anteroom, not the same one Jorad was in when she met him here last.


    "Please don''t think me a coward." Tyreth said, following Kate''s gaze. "I picked up your medallion after the rebel soldiers took you and Jorad away, but there was nothing I could do for you on my own. I ran back to the palace and sent my guards to search for you, but they lost the trail in the crags." Tyreth drew closer. "Do you know where you are? Where you¡¯re sleeping? Is Jorad still with you?"


    Kate shook her head. "Jorad was just talking with a man who thinks I''m you. That other man wants to marry you right away so his men will follow him. He has a strange, irritating voice and says things that don¡¯t make sense."


    Tyreth tried to step over the threshold, but the invisible barrier held her back. "Yes, the leader of the Rozan remnant is both crazy and dangerous. Is Corvan with you?"


    Kate looked at the ground, then back at Tyreth. "That leader person said Corvan stole some jewels, some sort of crown you must wear when he marries you. He said he will kill Corvan to get it back and sent his men to find him."


    "Then I must find Corvan first," Tyreth said firmly. ¡°Do you know where he is?¡±


    "The crazy man told Jorad Corvan is hiding out in the broken part of the city with his sister - except Corvan doesn''t have a sister."


    Tyreth¡¯s face brightened. "That''s good news. ¡®Sister¡¯ is the name of a group of women warriors from the City of Refuge. I may know of someone who can contact them."


    Kate frowned. She wasn''t so sure Corvan traveling with another girl was good news, even if the girl knew how to fight.


    "I believe the rebels must be holding you in their base up in the crags, likely close to the entrance to their dark city.  If you can find out the location, in relation to the city of Kadir, I can send the captain of the guard to rescue you. Try to find a place to look down on Kadir and then you can tell me what you see.¡±


    Kate frowned. "I''m in a small cave. It¡¯s dark and I have no idea where it is."


    Tyreth nodded. "Then you must find out more and meet me here tomorrow night. Make sure you keep your medallion hidden at all times. Don''t let any of the rebels see it."


    Kate nodded. Tyreth''s treating her like a younger sister didn''t bother her. She was glad she had met someone she could trust, even if it were someone Corvan was interested in.


    "If you see Jorad, let him know we are coming to rescue both of you," Tyreth said.


    Kate only looked at the floor.


    Tyreth paused. "What''s wrong, Kate?"


    "Nothing, it''s just I''m not sure that Jorad . . ."


    Tyreth''s image wavered as if she were on a TV that was losing its signal, then she vanished from the adjoining room.


    Kate closed the door and studied the symbol in the center of its star. It was definitely the same one she had seen on Jorad¡¯s medallion when she first met him in the chamber. Later, after she had saved him from the huge animal, he had asked to see her medallion. She had let him look at the one with the tarnished chain she had pulled from the bone nest, and he had looked at it and then given it back. She shook her head fiercely. No, he hadn¡¯t. When she had picked up her second medallion from the bedside table in the priest¡¯s dwelling where she slept, its chain was not tarnished. Jorad had switched medallions because he thought he could get his hands on the master medallion and control the chamber doors.


    Clenching her jaw, Kate headed back to her own anteroom. When was she going to learn to be less trusting of others, especially young men? At least she had not shown him the glowing medallion. She turned about in the anteroom and stared into the chamber. No wonder Jorad took so long coming back to see her at the priests¡¯ dwellings. He must have spent the entire time trying to fall asleep so he could test out the tarnished medallion.


    She spoke bitterly out into the empty chamber. ¡°¡°I won¡¯t be trusting you anymore, Jorad. You certainly are not who I thought you were.¡±


    The light in the small room dimmed to darkness, then the cool damp of the rebel leader''s cave was back on her skin.


    Kate opened her eyes, sat up and tried to get her bearings, but with the torch gone there wasn''t enough light to see anything.


    A rock rolling to her right brought her head quickly around. "Who''s there?" she whispered.


    A hand clamped over her mouth and a powerful arm pulled her firmly against a man¡¯s chest. She tried to scream but the arm gripped her tighter and the hand over her mouth stifled her cries.


    "You must be quiet," the man whispered urgently in her ear. "The guard is just outside the entrance. Listen to my voice. You and I met earlier in the chamber. I am not going to hurt you. I am here to help you escape.¡±


    Kate quit struggling. It was the grey eyed man with the curly hair and purple robe from the medallion chamber.


    The glow of an approaching torch lit up the walls and footsteps approached.


    "The guards are coming to check on you,¡± the man said. ¡°Let me take your medallion for safekeeping. We can''t let them discover you have the chamber master."


    He tugged on the chain of the medallion around Kate¡¯s neck, but she clutched at it and yanked it back. After Jorad''s deceit she would not be trusting anyone with her medallion.


    "It''s okay. I understand," he whispered. His hand dropped away from her mouth as he lowered her back onto the mat. "But you must keep it hidden at all times." The torchlight was just beyond the corner. "Meet me in the chamber as soon as you can. There is much I need to tell you." The man leaned closer, and Kate caught a glimpse of his face before a gentle kiss on her forehead. His voice whispered in her ear. "I will find a way to get you out of here. I promise."


    The man retreated into the shadows of a rocky outcrop just as the light bloomed around her. Two soldiers entered the cave. One held his torch overhead as the other stepped forward, a dirty cloth dangling from his hand. His face was in shadow, but she could hear the cruel smile in his voice.


    "Don''t try to resist, princess. This is the only way to keep someone as feisty as you calm for the ceremony. Our Cor-Van requires a compliant counterpart."


    The soldier holding the torch laughed, his light bouncing shadows around the cave as the oily burnt odor drew near.

 Medallion 22

    Corvan studied the arc of metal deck plates on the bridge overhead. On the far side of the Cor River, the twin supports of the suspension chains pointed at the fading light of the largest lumien like a pair of shadowed daggers. Night had fallen and he had slept too long without waking Atiya. She wouldn¡¯t be happy with him.


    Sitting up, he checked where she had been sleeping, but Atiya was gone.


    The chains above him rattled and two shadowed figures walked onto the bridge, speaking in hushed tones. Crawling to the front of the alcove Corvan tried to see if one of them might be Atiya but the noise from the river drowned out most of their conversation. As he strained to catch their words, a bit of lumien energy seeped into his ears and brought the voices into focus. It was Madam Toreg and Garek, the leader of her gray men. They were scouring the city, looking for Atiya.


    Leaving the alcove, Corvan crept up the steps leading to the roadway. A stone wall protecting travelers from falling into the water had been built far enough onto the roadway to allow him to crawl undetected along the outer edge. He moved closer to the bridge to find out what might have become of Atiya.


    He was halfway along the ledge when another person came running along the road, turned down the stairs and passed immediately below him. It was one of Garek¡¯s men and he was heading for the alcove where he and Atiya had slept. Corvan flattened himself onto the ledge as the man came sprinting back up the stairs, then ran on to join the others on the bridge.


    Corvan sent more lumien energy to his ears and leaned towards the bridge.


    "Madam, there is no one below and no sign of the blood,¡± the new man said. ¡°We have lost them."


    Garek''s deep voice growled out a command. "Take the others and search again around the streets where the lumien fell. Bring us word as soon as you see the Broken moving in. It won''t be long now. The darkness is almost upon us."


    The bridge deck flexed as the man ran off. Madam Toreg and Garek left the bridge to stand on the road, just beyond the low wall near Corvan. Corvan crouched low and a small piece of the ledge broke off beneath his foot, bouncing off the steps into the rushing water below.


    "Madam, we shall find Atiya, I promise you," Garek said.


    "Not if the Broken find her first,¡± Madam Toreg said, her voice choking with emotion. ¡°They will be mad with the scent of that smashed lumien. Nothing will stand in their way. They have long been denied what they crave, and now they will hunt down whoever consumed it."


    "Surely you don¡¯t think Atiya ate the lumien''s heart."


    Madam Toreg''s voice faltered. "I don''t believe she is that foolish, but the one who was with her did. You know the signs as well as I do, Garek. The drops of blood we followed here reeked of lumien power. Perhaps he''s already gone insane and has..." A sigh escaped her lips.


    "Do not give up hope, Madam. Atiya is a strong fighter."


    Madam Toreg cleared her throat. "Yes, you trained her well. Thank you for that comfort." Her voice drew nearer, and the back of her hood appeared above the wall. ¡°I am so weary, Garek. Everything has fallen to pieces since that boy came into the library. Now I wonder if I missed something. Perhaps he was not the one we were looking for.¡±


    Garek joined her at the wall and looked out over the river. Corvan tried to duck even lower but his foot slipped off the ledge and he began to fall. Lumien energy rushed to other leg, propelling him through the air toward the bridge. Twisting around in mid-air, his hands locked onto the chains. He dangled there only for a moment before powerful hands yanked him onto the metal decking.


    "Are you all right sister? What are you doing out here all alone?" Garek turned Corvan over and his eyes flashed with anger. "Why are you wearing these clothes?¡± he demanded. ¡°Who are you?" Garek''s hands tightened on his neck and Corvan struggled to pull in a breath. Garek was about to strangle him! Energy leapt from Corvan''s heart, and he thrust to his feet, throwing Garek high in the air. The man fell hard on the bridge panels, but sprang immediately back to his feet, hands wide and ready to attack. "Stay back, Madam. This is the one who devoured the lumien. I can smell it on his breath."


    Corvan whirled to face Madam Toreg. "No, it''s me, Corvan! Atiya gave me these . . ." The words had just left his lips when Garek crashed into him and threw him to the ground, driving the air from his lungs. A sword flashed over Corvan''s head.


    "Stay your hand, Garek. Did you not hear him? Look." Madam Toreg pulled back Corvan''s hood. "He looks different, but Corvan has returned to us, and he knows where Atiya is."


    Garek backed away and Corvan drew a shallow breath. He tried to get up but fell back onto the bridge deck. Madam Toreg came forward and helped him sit against one of the support pillars. "Take your time, Corvan. Get your breath back."


    Garek limped to the pillar across from them, staring down at Corvan through narrowed eyes. "No one could have thrown me like that without the power of a lumien inside them. He has done the unforgivable and consumed our life." Garek sheathed his sword. "You should have let me kill him. It would have been a mercy compared to what will happen to him now."


    Madam Toreg raised a hand. "Quiet, Garek. We may yet be able to save him. Think of your brother."


    "We only bought him a short time,¡± Garek said, shaking his head. He could not give up using the lumien power.¡±


    "So you would rather we had killed him right away and not even tried?" Madam Toreg asked.


    There was a pause. "No, Madam."


    She turned back to Corvan. "Are you all right?"


    Corvan nodded, working to slow his heart rate and keep the lumien energy locked inside.


    "Do you know what happened to Atiya?" she asked.


    He nodded over the edge of the bridge. "She was with me down there before I fell asleep. I woke up just before you arrived, but she was already gone."


    "Was she with you in the street when the lumien fell?" Madam Toreg asked.


    "Yes, and then those soldiers jumped us,¡± Corvan replied. ¡°One of them died but the other got away."


    Garek spoke. "Perhaps Atiya went back to Gavyn''s tree to get away from him." He pointed sharply at Corvan. "She learned from my brother not to trust anyone who has eaten a lumien seed."


    Madam Toreg did not take her eyes from Corvan. "Did you eat the lumien heart?"


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    She looked at him with such compassion that Corvan''s eyes welled up with tears. "Only one bite, just a small taste. Atiya saved me by destroying the rest of it."


    "That would explain the heavy scent in the air," Garek said. "As soon as it reaches the hiding places of the Broken, all of them will come out looking for it. There is no telling what the Broken might do tonight. We must warn the palace. They will need more soldiers at the central gate."


    Garek tensed, then peered around the stone pillar. He straightened as the three remaining gray men ran in from the road.


    One pointed over his shoulder, "Madam, they are coming." His voice was shaking. "All of them are coming, more than we even knew were left."


    "And they come quietly," another of the gray men whispered. "We have never seen such a thing. The Broken are creeping through the shadows without a sound.¡± He looked to Garek. ¡°Can they track us?"


    "No," Garek said, pointing directly at Corvan. "But they can certainly track him."


    Corvan''s throat went dry. "How?"


    "They will sense the power trapped in your body and taste it on the air with every breath you breathe,¡± Garek said. ¡°They will find the traces of lumien power that seeped from your pores onto the stones and walls you have touched. Some will die choking on rocks that have your lumien infused blood on them. They want it desperately and will do anything to get more.¡± He raised his eyebrows. ¡°Something you no doubt understand very well yourself.¡±


    "Can we take Corvan back to Gavyn¡¯s tree?" Madam Toreg asked.


    "No Madam. He has so much power trapped inside him, that there is nowhere in Kadir the Broken will not follow. They will tear the city apart to find his body and when they do, they will tear him to pieces to consume every bit of what he holds inside. After that they will turn on each other. I have seen it before."


    Silence settled over them, but it was shattered by wailing voices, like a pack of hungry coyotes on the trail of a wounded rabbit.


    One of the grey men spoke up, and for the first time, Corvan heard fear in the man''s voice. "They come, Madam. Perhaps this is one time when a death by water would be permitted?"


    "No," Madam Toreg shot back, then paused. "But we can send some of them into the abyss if we cross to the other side and release the bridge panels when they try to cross. We prepared the bridge for this type of emergency. It will buy Corvan some time."


    Pulling something from under her hood, she looped it over Corvan''s head and pushed it under the tunic Atiya had given him. "This is something I should have done when Tyreth first became Kadir''s ruler. Now it is up to you. While we hold the bridge, you must run along the far side of the river and back into Kadir at the upper crossing. Run as hard as you can. Run until there is not a bit of lumien energy left inside you. Go directly to the palace and find Tyreth. Tell her to wear it at all times and wait to be called to the chamber. The future of Kadir and the Cor is now in her hands."


    A fresh chorus of howls sounded from up the road and the three gray men rushed Madam Toreg to the far end of the bridge. Garek watched as Corvan struggled to his feet, then followed the others to the other side.


    Upon reaching the crown of the bridge, Corvan stopped and grabbed one of the support chains. Garek was right, he had made a mess of everything. It was his fault that Atiya, Madam Toreg and the gray men were in danger. If he ran away and left them, even if he could get to Tyreth in time, Madam Toreg, Atiya, Garek and the others would all die.


    Grabbing the adjacent support chain, he leaned out from the bridge deck and over the river. There was only one way to save them and the city of Kadir. If the Broken wanted him that badly, and would follow him anywhere, he would lead them away from Kadir, forever.


    Soft blue light from above shimmered on the dark surface below. Did the Broken know how to swim? It was unlikely given how much everyone in the Cor feared the water, but it really didn''t matter. If there was nowhere in Kadir they would not follow, he would lure them into the water and let the river in the deep channel sweep them into the abyss.


    "Corvan!" Madam Toreg shouted. "They are coming!"


    Corvan glanced over his shoulder. On the Kadir side of the river road, a tattered swarm was racing toward the bridge. Ragged breaths and grunts echoed off the rock walls of the ruined buildings, interspersed with screams as bodies tumbled and were trampled underfoot.


    Madam Toreg continued calling urgently to him, but Corvan looked directly at Garek and pointed down at the bridge deck. Garek nodded, a look of respect in his eyes.


    Turning to face the water Corvan sent a burst of lumien power to his lungs. His head spun as he tipped his face back and exhaled into the air, like a silent howl at the lumien moon overhead. Almost immediately, a cry of crazed desire rose from the horde. The bridge sagged with the weight of their eager bodies as they ran at him. They were just steps away when Corvan let go of the chains, diving cleanly into the water below.


    Surfacing he looked back to find the bridge thick with writhing forms, like flies on an open jam jar. The Broken began pushing each other off in tangled clumps and then, without warning, the center of the bridge collapsed into the river along with a mangled pile of the Broken. Garek had released the bridge panels at the perfect time.


    The river foamed as the Broken thrashed in the water below the ruined bridge, bodies on bodies, the ones on top using the drowning ones to stay afloat as they lunged madly toward him. A smaller group ran along the far shore, catching up to him and then leaping out to splash heavily around him. Desperate fingers clutched him in their final moments and dragged him under the water with their dead weight.


    Twisting himself free he swam back to the surface. The river was choked with torn clothing and drowned bodies that began slowly sinking away as the current rushed him along between the steep walls of the channel. Lifting his head he looked downstream. The only place he could possibly pull himself out of the water was around the bend where the dam used to feed the irrigation channels.


    Another body spun past him as the current bumped him into the far side of the curving bank. Eager shouts erupted across the water, and he looked ahead to where a line of the Broken were jumping about; they were waiting for him on top lip of the dam.


    Corvan swam hard against the current, dodging dead bodies being swept downstream, but it was no use; the current was too strong. He drifted momentarily and then it came to him. If he could not swim against the river then he could use its speed to his advantage. Turning back towards the dam, Corvan pushed lumien energy into his legs and arms and swam for all he was worth, flying along with the flow of the river.


    The dam loomed ahead, crowded with the silhouetted figures jostling for position. Corvan measured the remaining distance, ducked under the surface, kicked hard and then propelled himself out of the water in an attempt to fly over the broken.


    He was too low and slammed into a wall of flesh. For a brief moment the Broken held him fast, their hands scratching and grasping, then together they toppled over the far side of the dam, bouncing down the spillway and splashing into the deep water below. Corvan released more lumien energy to flow around his lungs as he sank along with the Broken to the bottom, until one by one their hands grew limp and let go.


    Pushing off the river bottom, he rose slowly back to the surface. The roar of the falls was just ahead. A few dark silhouettes still ran along the river on the far bank before they disappeared into a heavy mist, and then he was falling, twisting and dropping with the foaming water.


    He plunged deep into a pool at the bottom of the falls, his knees thumping painfully off the rocks at the bottom. He tried to reach the surface, but the churning current jammed him up against a rope net along with the drowned bodies of the Broken.


    Looking up through the rising bubbles he could barely make out the outline of the net. He climbed and more bodies slammed into him, pining him against the thick rope mesh. He needed to breath but there was no lumien energy left around his lungs to assist him.


    Another body pushed him in hard against the ropes. The wide eyes of the contorted dead face were staring at him, then a white tentacle appeared around the drowned man''s neck. The corpse was whipped away into the darkness at the base of the falls. Even more tentacles began shooting out and snatching bodies from the net, as the bulbous white shadow of an even larger Volisk emerged from behind a curtain of bubbles.


    Grabbing the thick ropes of the net, Corvan hauled himself upward as fast as the last bits of lumien power in his arms could propel him. His face broke the surface near a stone ledge, and he heaved himself out of the water and rolled on his back.


    He had escaped.


    Struggling to his feet, he took step away from the water. A thin tentacle shot out, wrapped around his ankle, dropped him to the rocks and dragged him back toward the water.


    Grasping a knob of rock near the water¡¯s edge, Corvan let all the remaining lumien power out of his heart and into his arms. With a desperate cry of agony, he yanked himself forward, got to his feet and stumbled along, trailing the torn limb of the water creature, still attached to his leg.


    He collapsed flat and face down.


    His strength was completely gone; he couldn''t even lift his head.

 Medallion 23

    A fit of coughing pulled Kate from a dazed state and, by the time it subsided, her head was pounding; likely as much from the drug as the coughing.  When she tried sitting up her head throbbed worse. Groaning, she instead just tilted her face to one side to look around.


    The two men had been taken to a room that was cut from solid stone. She was in a raised bed facing a door, a small table and a stool. Light was coming from behind her.  Rolling slowly over, she discovered if was from an arched window with a view of a cluster of lumiens out on the ceiling of the main cavern.


    She was itchy all over. Was that another effect from their oily drugged rag? Kate scratched her side, then immediately sat up, despite the intense headache.


    She had nothing on and there was only a thick prickly blanket covering her body. Was this what the soldiers meant by getting her ready to marry their crazy leader? She had to get back to the chamber and ask Tyreth, or the grey eyed man, to come quickly and rescue her. Her hand went to her neck.


    The medallion was gone.


    Wrapping the coarse blanket around her, Kate searched the room, but her clothes and the medallion were nowhere to be found. She checked under the bed; nothing but dust that swirled up around her. The door was locked and other than the stool and a bowl of water on the table, the room was empty.


    Sitting on the edge of the stool, a distinct memory flashed into her mind. She had sat here before, on this same stool while she stared out the window. She had been wearing a long white dress, and an old woman was standing behind her and combing out her hair.


    A dusty shaft of blue lumien light from outside the window was falling at her feet. Kate stepped into the lighted path, but as she drew near to the window, she knew what she would see beyond. Below here were two craggy peaks and between them she could make out the dark thread of a river curving back toward a round city with a spiderweb of streets. To her right, the end of the river was obscured by the curve of the cavern wall. Kate sat on the window ledge. She could recall many hours in this spot, watching and waiting for Corvan to rescue her. But he hadn''t come and now she knew it was because he had been looking for Tyreth instead.


    A key turned in the lock and Kate jumped up, clutching the blanket closee to her body. The old woman from her last visit limped into the room; a steaming bowl in her hands. Out in the hall, a young soldier stared at Kate before the old woman kicked the door shut.


    "Here you are, my dear, a meal fit for a queen." The woman cackled to herself as she put the bowl down on the table, then turned to Kate, shaking her head. "So how did you ever wind up back here? You must want to marry him pretty bad.¡± She gestured to the table. ¡°After you eat your breakfast, we should comb out your hair, just in case he sends someone to check on you."


    "Who?"


    "The Cor-Van of course,¡± the woman said, exposing a grin with only a few teeth remaining.


    "Corvan is here?" Kate asked, stepping away from the window.


    "Of course he¡¯s here. Where else would he be?" The old woman pulled a comb from her pocket and set it on the table. "And he''s still a handsome man - even with an eye patch."


    "Corvan has an eye patch?¡±


    "Ah, yes. I forget that you haven''t seen our Cor-Van''s face since the night that boy stole you away. It was going to be such a nice ceremony. You were so beautiful in that pretty gown, with his special jewels sparkling in your hair." She clucked to herself. "It''s a pity that boy took that tiara. The Cor-Van is a superstitious man and won''t take a counterpart without his sacred jewels. If he doesn¡¯t find them soon you will be waiting here a long time for your special day."


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    Kate sat on the edge of the bed, recalling the conversation the rebel leader had with Jorad. When the said Cor-van in that way it meant something different than just a name. So why did Corvan have such a similar name? Somehow, he was connected to this underground world. He had told her various stories over the years about his grandfather and the Castle Rock but she had just assumed it was more of his wild imagination.


    The woman turned to the door.  "What¡¯s a counterpart?" Kate asked.


    The old woman cackled again. "You are, my dear. Surely you remember the big party out in the tombs? Jorad was there to get you joined to our Cor-Van but then those loud noises and bright lights were all around us." Her hands waved about in the air. ¡°It certainly was a crazy night!¡±


    Kate stared at her. Was the woman talking about? She had no memory of that time or the bright lights.


    "Oh my. I knew you weren''t yourself before the ceremony but surely you remember something of your special night. It¡¯s not every day a young woman is chosen to be the upcoming queen of the Cor."


    Kate shook her head. None of this fit or made any sense. Maybe the old woman was as crazy as the squeaky voiced man that she served.


    The woman laughed as he headed to the door. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter much for soon you will get a second chance at mad love. Word among the guards is that the bounty hunters may have finally located the boy, and the Cor-Van¡¯s pretty tiara will be here any time now." Her hand went to the door.


    Kate jumped off the bed. "Wait. Do you know where my clothes are?"


    The woman laughed. "Not here. That''s all you need to know."


    "I''d like to get dressed," Kate pleaded.


    "I''m sure you would. But it''s much easier to keep you here with no clothes. There''s an army of men around and you won''t get far with only a blanket. You and me is the only women here, and let me tell you, my dear, they aren''t signing up for guard duty to get glimpse of me." She cackled as she opened the door and shooed the young soldier away. The door closed and a key turned in the lock.


    Kate stared at the door. With the medallion gone, her only hope was the man she met in the chamber. He had promised her in the cave that he would find her. She grimaced. He would be upset that her medallion had been taken away. She should have let him take it for safekeeping before the guards came.


    With a heavy sigh, Kate went back to the stool. The steaming bowl on the table was some sort of thin porridge. It didn''t look appetizing, but she was too hungry to care. The spoon was almost to her lips before she stopped to consider if the food might be poisoned. She sniffed and wrinkled her nose. It didn¡¯t smell great but why would they poison her if they could just knock her out again with the oily cloth? She touched her tongue to the grey mush. It was bland but at least it was hot and something to eat.


    She had just finished the porridge when the old woman came back with a pitcher and cup. Placing them on the table, she picked up the empty bowl and turned to leave.


    "Wait," Kate said.


    The woman sighed heavily before turning to face her.


    "Were you the one who undressed me?"


    The toothless grin spread across the wrinkled face. "No need to worry, my dear. It was me. He may be a bit odd, but at least our leader is an honorable man. He believes it is bad luck to see your face until after the wedding. That¡¯s why you need to wear the veil.  You¡¯re lucky he still thinks you are Tyreth. I know you¡¯re not but I¡¯m not saying anything. I want this all to get done so I can go back to my home and live in peace." She cocked her head on her deeply wrinkled neck and studied Kate. ¡°I sure hope he¡¯s not too angry when he finds out you¡¯re not her.¡± She grinned again.


    "Did I still have my medallion when you took my clothes?" Kate asked quickly.


    The toothless smile vanished. "Medallion?" The old woman shook her head, turning for the door. "Don''t recall any medallion,¡± she said, turning back to the door. ¡°Not to worry though. Our Cor-van will give you the tiara just as soon as they catch up with that boy and much prettier than that old thing."


    "What will they do with him?" Kate asked.


    She looked at Kate and her wrinkled eyes narrowed. "All our Cor-Van wants is the jewels and you. The bounty hunters have orders to kill the boy and dump his body in the river." She pointed out the window. "To the abyss with him!" she cried out; her words followed by another high cackled.


    Kate stood to her feet, but the old woman motioned her back to the stool.


    "Nothing you can do about it, dear. Besides, I am told he has already taken up with one of the sisters. That fickle boy is not worth your time. When you are queen of all the Cor he won¡¯t matter to you anymore."


    Before Kate could say another word, the old woman shuffled out the door and locked it behind her.

 Medallion 24

    A thunderous roar pummeled Corvan''s ears as he shivered in the cold mist. He tried to crawl farther from the waterfall, but a dead weight held him fast. Looking back, he could see a piece of tentacle attached to his ankle, translucent black slime oozing from its torn end.


    Shaking his leg, the tentacle finally let go, but the effort left him exhausted and he fell back against the wet stones.


    Tilting his head to the right, he watched a dense spray whip through the heavy rope net strung across the base of the waterfall. One of bodies of the Broken was still visible just below the waterline but the Volisk was nowhere to be seen.


    Twisting his face to the left, he looked along the river flowing out through a long tunnel. There was a path on both sides, each one lit by a string of evenly spaced lumiens. The dual lines of lights arced around a corner and disappeared from view.


    The last lumien in the line hung directly overhead. Right now he needed a lumien seed or his heart was going to give out entirely. If he died, his father would also die, Kate would never be found, and all would be lost. Taking a deep breath, he rolled to one side, then pushed one shoulder off the floor. His hand slipped in a puddle of slime and he fell back hard, his head smacking against the rock. Stars floating past his eyes and his vision narrowed down to the one single lumien hanging above him. If he blacked out, he might never come back around. Somehow, he needed to get the lumien down. This time he would only eat that one and never let the lumien energy out of his heart again. "I promise," he muttered to himself, "just one more. Then I am done for good."


    Summoning every bit of his remaining strength, he attempted roll to his other side, away from the slime, but the krypin rope attached to the side strap of his pack bunched up beneath him and pushed him onto his back. With a shaking hand, he was able to manipulate the control end, release the coil and lay it on his chest. Could he make it work and use the krypin rope to pull himself up to the vine?


    The trembling tips of his fingers explored the handle of the krypin, fumbling with the controls until the rope tumbled loose and draped its twin ends over his body. With this double headed rope it would be easier to pull the lumien closer than try to pull his body upright.


    Corvan''s stiff fingers warmed to the task as he manipulated one of the krypin¡¯s ends across the floor, up the wall to the ceiling, the wrapped it around the small bulb. Working the controls, he managed to anchor the end next to his head deep into a crack in the floor. Slowly he tightened the rope, the two ends pulling slowly towards each other came the lumien came away from the ceiling. Its vine was stretching and thinning until it snapped with a twang, dropping the lumien directly on his chest.


    Trembling with anticipation, Corvan dropped the handle, grasped the blue globe, and held it to his mouth. Biting down, he punctured a small hole in the lumien''s skin. A few drops of juice fell on his tongue, and he rolled the sweet nectar around in his mouth, inhaling the potent scent. It rose through his sinus cavities, igniting his senses in a sparkle of warmth. He bit a larger chunk of the fruit and more fluid gushed out, almost choking him as he gulped down the electric sweetness. Dropping his head back against the cold floor, he let the energy invade and warm every cell of his body.


    Once his heart had relaxed into a steady rhythm, he lifted the lumien overhead and examined it. The skin of this one was thinner and hung from his hand like a wrinkled deflated balloon. The fruit was much sweeter this time, and its flesh satisfied his immediate need for life sustaining energy. He rubbed a hand over his chest. Maybe he didn''t need to eat the seed this time. This time he could break the desire for more and be free of the need for more seeds. He squeezed the limp fruit. This one didn¡¯t seem to have a seed anyway.


    Sitting sat up, Corvan peeled back the lumien skin. A tiny lumien heart was tucked up where the vine had been attached to the fruit. Pulling it free, he tossed the empty skin aside and rolled the seed between his thumb and forefinger. His heart skipped a beat, and a sharp cramp pulled across his chest. Maybe he was wrong. It felt like his heart still heart needed a small bit of pure lumien energy. He moved it closer to his face. It was such a little seed, barely the size of an aspirin. Surely it would be fine to eat this one. It would be like medicine for his heart. He could eat this tiny seed and that would be it. "I promise," he murmured to himself. "Just this one and then no more."


    Placing the small seed in his mouth, he crunched it between his molars, sending the energy zipping through his body until all his skin tingled with warmth. It felt great. His energy was back. He sat up and beathed deeply, but as he tucked the power away in his heart, a biting pain in his chest doubled him over in agony. The tiny seed had awakened a need for more.


    Up ahead, the next lumien lay on the ground and the one beyond it hung in midair on the long singular vine. Corvan crawled quickly forward and tore the closest fruit apart, spilling its juice on the stones. Twisting the seed from the stem, he bit it in half and swallowed. This time he pushed the energy directly into his heart, but the pain only increased. With one hand gripping his chest, he yanked on the vine and pulled the next lumien off. Shoving the whole fruit into his mouth he sucked out the seed and swallowed it whole. The lumien heart burst in his stomach, sending spasms of painful energy throughout his body.


    These seeds were too tiny to full satisfy his need. He would have to eat a lot more of them to satisfy his cravings.


    When he pulled again, the vine broke off just before the next globe. The light inside the lumien flickered, then all the remaining bulbs down the line began blinking in waves of light down the tunnel, like the neon lights chasing around the motel sign in the city. It took just a moment before he realized what was happening: the severed string of lumiens was sending out an alarm.


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    Atiya had said they gave the death penalty for anyone caught eating lumien seeds. Grabbing the severed section of the vine, he ran back to the falls, bundled it up, then threw it toward the falls. It snagged the net and a long piece hung down on the surface of the water, its free end waving back and forth in the swirling eddies.


    In behind him, the strings of lumiens on both sides of the river went dark. He turned to discover the glow of torches approaching from around the corner. He ran back to the falls but there was nowhere to hide. The paths on both sides of the water ended at the rock faces beside the falls. Looking through the mist overhead he could make out deep rounded pockets in the rock the falling water had carved out eons ago, then abandoned. Grabbing his krypin rope from the floor he sent one end up into the spray, wrapped the other around his chest and quickly pulled himself up and out of sight on a smooth curved ledge.


    The lights grew stronger along with the voices of two women, one on each side of the river. The one on Corvan''s side of the river came into view. She was dressed in a uniform similar to the one that Atiya wore and the borrowed one he was wearing. A crossbow was balanced in her hands, and he had doubt she knew how to use it. If she looked up and saw him, he would have to no choice but to drop into the water, hold his breath and swim away, but that would also put him back inside the net with the Volisk.


    "The lumien vine is caught on the net," the young woman called to the other side.


    "It doesn''t make any sense." The other one replied. "The Volisk has never desired the taste of lumiens."


    "Look, Leena, there inside the net, below the waterline. Do you see it?"


    The light on the other side of the tunnel drew closer and a slender young woman in a similar uniform but with an insignia on one shoulder walked into view, a sword in one hand and a glowing fire stick in the other. The girl named Leena peered down into the water. "It¡¯s one of the Broken from Kadir. Their lumiens must be completely gone if they are jumping into the water to find more. It appears the Volisk has dragged both him and his prize back into the net. It¡¯s letting the body soften up before it feasts on the remains." She motioned with her light. "We must make a report. The gardeners will need to immediately repair the lights and I will recommend that we post a guard here from now on."


    As soon as their torchlight faded around the corner, Corvan lowered himself onto to the path. He needed to follow the women away from this dead end before the lights came back on and any workers or reinforcements arrived. Creeping along the pathway, he stopped in front of the darkened lumien bulb that hung level with his eyes. He reached out, then shook his head and reluctantly pulled his hand back. Taking the risk was foolish and the pain in his body was already easing off. He needed to move on and live without eating any more lumien seeds.


    With fresh resolve he followed the water channel around the corner. Just ahead Leena and her companion were framed against the bright light of a larger cavern. Corvan crouched behind an outcrop of rock at the water¡¯s edge. The women talked across the water for a moment, then Leena moved on while the other took up position at the entrance to the tunnel on his side of the water. The only way to get past her would be under the water.


    Easing himself into the cool water Corvan calculated the distance to where the guard stood, her back to him as she looked out into the brighter light. He should be able to hold his breath long enough without using any of his stored lumien energy. Taking a deep breath, he ducked below the surface and allowed the current to sweep him past the guard. The brighter light cut below the surface and Corvan tucked in closer to the shadows at the shore where the water ran slower. An angular shadow extended out across the river, and he surfaced beneath the arch of a low stone bridge. The bridge had been anchored out over the land on each side, creating dry alcoves hidden behind by stone support columns. Corvan wrapped an arm around one of the pillars and heaved himself out of the water and onto the ledge.


    The warm air was heavy with the scent of flowering plants and over the ripple of water flowing past, he caught the sound of voices approaching the bridge. Laughter broke out from the group as they crossed overhead and Corvan crawled down to the far end of the alcove, then lowered his head close to the water in order to get a look at the path on the other side. A group of women came into view, walking toward a high gate protected by towers on each side. Corvan leaned out for a better look and almost fell out into the river. The large gate was set into pearl white walls protecting streets lined with buildings glistening in the fading light. A second high wall supported yet another tier of buildings that rose higher up the side of the cavern, to a row of houses carved out of the rock walls. Streetlights were flickering to life and lights were coming on inside the buildings as well. The entire city of white stone glowed with its own light.


    More footsteps sounded on the bridge overhead and another group of women appeared on the road leading to the city. This group was older and dressed in working coveralls with green aprons. They were less animated than the first ones; chatting quietly with each other as they moved toward the city gate.


    Corvan''s neck was getting sore from peering out from under the bridge and he pulled back into the alcove. Blue light danced on the water on both sides of the bridge. The day was ending and judging from the gate and the high city wall, there were nighttime dangers here as well. It might be best to stay hidden under the bridge until it was dark and then find a way into the city.


    Laying back he closed his eyes and relaxed. This new city below the falls of the abyss was nothing like what he had expected. He had been sure this would be a dark prison world full of Rakash who forced their captives to tend their supply of lumiens. Instead, this city seemed to be more normal and Kadir was actually the ruined prison city. Why would Gavyn think his parents were being held as captives down here? Why did Tsarek want him to come here to rescue his father?  It didn''t make sense.


    Corvan tried to sleep but his mind wouldn''t allow his exhausted body to rest. A few times, he found himself half-dreaming he was lying in a small, rounded room with a white light overhead instead of under the bridge. When it happened the third time he turned his head to discover a lighted hole in the shape of one of the medallions on the wall in front of him. As he watched it, a piece of the wall opened up and Kate stood before him in a long white dress, just like his vision from Tsarek¡¯s crystal.


    Kate raised a hand toward him, and he winced at the thought of being burned alive by her fire.

 Medallion 25

    Sitting on the edge of the bed, Kate considered the old woman¡¯s comment about the price on Corvan''s head. That was not great news but according to Tyreth, Corvan was now travelling with a woman soldier of some sort, so she hopefully she could offer some protection from the bounty hunters. All Kate knew for certain was that there was no point wasting any more time waiting for Corvan or anyone else to rescue her. She would need to find a way out of the rebel caves on her own.


    A key rattled about in the keyhole, as if someone in the corridor couldn¡¯t figure out how to get it open. Kate slipped from the bed and wrapped the blanket tightly around her. The door burst open, and the old woman staggered into the room, clutching at Kate, and tearing the blanket from her body. Kate yanked it back up and the woman collapsed at her feet, rolling on her back, her eyes wild with fear. "Shut the door," she whispered hoarsely. "Don''t let him inside."


    Kate glanced at the doorway. No-one was there, not even the guard.


    "Shut the door. Shut it!" the woman croaked as she tried to drag herself further into the room.


    Kate jumped past her and checked the empty hallway. "There''s no one there. You''re safe now."


    "Never safe. No one is safe anymore.¡± The woman managed to push herself up against the end of the bed. ¡°The door is broken. He can come through it! He¡¯s coming here!"


    Kate closed the door and crouched down beside her. "It''s all right. I closed the door."


    The woman clutched at Kate''s shoulder and Kate winced. "Keep it locked! Don''t let him in." She raised the other hand as if to ward off someone approaching. ¡°Those terrible eyes!¡±


    "Who?"


    "In the chamber." Her face contorted. "He wants it back."


    "What are you . . ."


    The old woman reached under her tunic and held up Kate''s medallion. Her wrinkled face took on a deathly pall in the green light. "The key. He wants your key." Yanking it over her head, the woman thrust the disk into Kate''s hand, squeezing her own around Kate¡¯s until the points dug painfully in. The old woman¡¯s wide eyes stared into Kate¡¯s face, her voice lowered to an unearthly growl. "He wants you!¡±


    The door thrust open. The old woman screamed as a shadow appeared in the opening. A cold breeze swept across the floor and the woman gave a loud screech and fell to the floor.


    An older soldier dressed in a faded red tunic appeared in the doorway. "What''s going on in here?" he demanded.


    Kate jumped to her feet and gestured to the old woman lying on the floor. "She was afraid, so she came in my room. I think she fainted."


    The soldier strode past Kate, bent down, then straightened, shaking his head. "Whatever frightened her was more than her old heart could take." He pointed out the door. "You''d best wait across the hall in her room while I get help to remove the body. We don''t need any of those young idiots ogling you the whole time instead of helping me.¡± He sighed heavily as stepped far to one side to let Kate past. ¡°I''ll let you know when the job''s done."


    As quickly as the thick blanket would allow, Kate moved into the hall. Off to her right, an open door beckoned, and she slipped inside.  Closing the door firmly behind her, she leaned her back against it.


    The room was as cold as Corvan''s back porch in the dead of winter, and completely dark. Opening her hand, Kate allowed the medallion to hang from its chain and spread its green light across the room. The old woman had taken the medallion from her and was wearing it the whole time to keep it a secret. During the night, the medallion had transporter the woman into the chamber, and someone had come through the broken door. Whoever it was, they had scared her to death.


    There was no time to think about who might have been in the chamber, this was her opportunity to find some clothes and escape. Kate quickly searched the room, but it was as almost as bare as her own. No extra clothing, nothing to eat and not even a window to get a better idea of where she might be.


    A soft rapping was at the door and then it opened to reveal the older soldier. "They are done. You can come back to your own room now."


    Kate hesitated and he stepped back from the door. "You don''t need to worry about the younger soldiers. I have decided that I will be personally guarding your room from now on." He smiled as she drew near the door but his eyes were full of sorrow. "You should know I once had a daughter your age, but she was taken away." He pointed down the hallway to where it opened into a wider cavern. "Our Cor-Van accuses the palace in Kadir, but I believe it is the Rakash. They come on the night of deepest dark,¡± His voice caught. "I believe they are looking for counterparts to have Rakash children so that they can take over the entire Cor, but everyone says I am talking nonsense." He wiped a hand across a wrinkled brow.


    Kate¡¯s heart sank at his words. The Cor was a horrible place if people were kidnapping girls to have children for them. Rakash. She shivered at the word. Even if she found a way to escape from the rebel caves, it appeared there were even greater dangers lurking outside.


    Retreating to her own cell, Kate went immediately to the open window. The soldier stood framed in the doorway. He tried to smile. "I am sorry for causing you even more distress with my speaking of the Rakash. Do not worry. No one will get past me." He eased the door shut behind her.


    Kate looked out at the blue globes on the ceiling of the cavern. Jorad said it was almost the night of deepest dark and now her guard said was saying that was the time when the Rakash would be out looking for girls to kidnap. Could the Rakash climb up the cliff to this window? Surely her guard would have warned her if they could. Then again, he guard''s own daughter had been taken away so how could he ever protect her? Maybe if he understood she did not want to marry their leader, the older man might help her to escape.


    She was turning back to the door when someone knocked on it. There was a short pause, then the door opened halfway, and the older guard stepped inside.


    "I am sorry for disturbing you again.¡± He glanced over his shoulder at movement in the hall. ¡°Our Cor-Van was informed of the death of your servant. He is concerned about you and offers you a replacement to help you get ready for the upcoming ceremony."


    The door opened wider and a young girl in a long blue tunic was escorted into the room by a younger guard with a drawn sword. "This one is too young for our leader,¡± he said with a sly smile, ¡°but our Cor-Van says if she gives you any trouble, just let him know and he will have her assigned to clean the barracks. It would be nice to have a younger ¡®Sister¡¯ to help us brothers." He laughed, then shoved the girl toward the bed and sheathed his sword.


    ¡°Get back to your station!¡± the older man commanded, and the young man whirled about, a long braid at his back whipping over his shoulder. He gave the old man a cursory salute, then sauntered out of the room and turned down the hall. The older guard shook his head, moved back into the hall, and pulled the door shut with a solid click. His key turned in the lock.


    The younger girl jumped to the door, yanking furiously on the handle, then turned to face Kate with both hands on her hips. "Don''t you dare think of treating me like some kind of servant. I''m not serving anyone, least of all you! I''ll never help the rebel leader from Rozan."


    Kate smiled wryly. "I think I¡¯m the one who''s going to end up serving their leader if I can''t get out of here."


    The girl dropped her hands to her sides and frowned. "You don''t want to become his counterpart?"


    "Would they keep me locked in here, wrapped only in a blanket, with a guard outside the door if I wanted to stay?" Wearily Kate sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her eyes. Things just kept getting more difficult. Even if the curly haired man with the gray eyes could find her, how could he get her out past the guard and all the soldiers down in the barracks.


    The younger girl leaned against the side of the bed. "I was told you wanted to be his counterpart."


    Kate threw up one hand. "I don''t even know who that is."


    "The latest and greatest leader of the remnant from Rozan. They say he''s tall, dark and handsome." She grinned. "Not a bad combination if you don''t mind a whole lot of crazy thrown into the deal. He actually believes he is destined to rule the Cor and rebuild Rozan to its former glory, after he invades Kadir of course and steals the rest of our lumiens."


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Kate shook her head. "I don''t know what you''re talking about. Everyone here assumes I know what''s going on."


    The younger girl pulled herself up on the bed and crossed her legs. "This new leader from Rozan has been looking to snag himself a counterpart for some time now. He thinks that will prove he is the true ruler of the Cor. Most of the younger girls went into hiding so he wasn¡¯t able to find the woman of his dreams."


    She leaned forward. ¡°Then we got news that the rebels had captured a girl. My mother sent Garek and his grey men to the City of the Dead to help her escape, but just as they arrive, this new boy shows up and single-handedly rescues the girl right in the middle of the ceremony. Garek said he threw fire through the air, scared away all the rebel soldiers and then disappeared into the crypts with both the rebel leader''s counterpart and his precious tiara." The girl paused, frowned deeply then jumped off the bed, looking out the window. "So that''s where he got those jewels. No wonder he was thinking of her."


    Kate closed her eyes. Adding this to the information provided by the old woman, the pieces were slowly coming together. She could recall that wedding ceremony with a large crowd watching her from beyond a fire. Jorad helped her get away but then someone else had arrived while she lay in a stone box.


    Corvan? Yes, it had been Corvan. He had finally come back to find her, so why had Jorad told her that Corvan had left her to save Tyreth? Was Jorad trying to turn her against both Corvan and Tyreth? She opened her eyes to find her new lady-in-waiting still talking.


    "So later that night, I snuck out of the library to visit this guy I knew who was on guard duty. Just a friend of mine, you know, but my mother doesn¡¯t like him. We were chatting when a report came in that a company of palace soldiers was in the streets being led by one of the Rakash who was carrying a long white scarf."


    Kate stiffened. It had to be the same white scarf that Jorad claimed was given to Corvan by Tyreth and now the ones called Rakash were back.


    The girl jumped off the bed. "I know. I thought it was weird too, so I ran to tell my mother.¡± She leaned towards Kate and threw her arms wide. ¡°That''s when I find everyone inside the library, Garek, Jorad, the new guy, and the same girl from the tombs was lying there on the table but it was hard to get a good look at her with torches lying about on the floor and all. Then the boy tells the rest of them his name is Corvan, not like the rebel leader Cor-Van, but like it''s really his name. Then he admits the scarf is Tyreth''s." She paused for a quick breath. "I didn''t like that part. Tyreth is spoiled and she always gets what she wants.¡± She glanced over her shoulder at the door, then back at Kate with a big smile on her face. "But not this time, this time I found him first. He was hiding above me in a tree while I took a bath before I spotted him and he was so cute and embarrassed, but he said he didn''t spy on me.¡± She paused for a breath.  ¡°Then we left together and escaped but the bounty hunters found us anyway and . . ."


    Kate put up a hand to stop the chatter. Who was this person and what was Corvan doing hiding in a tree, watching her take a bath? "Are you the fighter, the sister person they said was with Corvan in the city?" Kate asked.


    The girl''s eyes sparkled as she straightened up. "Yes. My name is Atiya. I am one of the Sisters and the rebels never would have caught me if I hadn''t been so worried about Corvan." Her face grew serious, then she sat back on the bed. "Corvan ate a lumien seed and it''s the death penalty if you get caught." Her shoulders sagged. "I was upset, and I didn¡¯t know how to help him, so I left him sleeping by the river to find my mother.¡± She tried to smile but now her eyes were sad. "It''s so hard to get the younger boys to stop once they get used to the pleasure of the seeds. They get so confused. I¡¯m sure it must have been because of eating that seed that he was thinking of Tyreth when he was kissing me."


    Kate turned to the window to hide the surprise and anger on her face. Corvan was in love with Tyreth, but he was kissing this girl instead? Was that because of the seeds she kept talking about? Even so, how was that an excuse for his behavior?


    Atiya touched Kate''s arm. "Are you okay? You don''t look great. Have they been feeding you?"


    Kate shook her head and turned back to Atiya. "Not since before the old woman died."


    Atiya jumped off the bed. "You rest here, and I''ll see what I can find." She grinned. "They can''t expect you to marry their insane leader on an empty stomach. I¡¯ll also check out the place and see if I can get you out of here before they find that boy and the tiara and it¡¯s too late.¡±


    Atiya rapped on the door until the guard unlocked it. It took her only a minute to sweet-talk the older man into letting her go down to the dining area to find something to eat. She turned back to Kate, gave her a quick nod, and closed the door.


    Kate crossed the room and gazed out the window. Corvan was somewhere out there but this time, even if he knew she was captured again by the rebels, he wouldn''t be coming for her because he really was out searching for Tyreth. Tyreth was much prettier and also a princess. She sighed deeply. It was time to face reality and let Corvan go¡ªnot that he ever belonged to her in the first place.


    Climbing onto the bed, she lay back and stared at the ceiling. The rebels were after Corvan to get the tiara back, but he was also in trouble with the law in this gloomy world. This new girl, Atiya, was clearly upset with Corvan for eating the lumien seeds. She said he would get the death penalty for eating a seed and as much as Kate was afraid of going to the chamber possibly meeting whoever had scared the old woman, she needed to find out if Tyreth had located Corvan.


    Kate closed her eyes but there wasn''t much chance of sleeping; she was hungry, and her mind was whirling, both with new information and snippets of old memories. Unravelling the blanket, she got under it, then ducked under the edge to get a better view of the medallion¡¯s glow. She traced a finger around its seven points. "Why can''t I just say, ''Take me to the chamber''? It sure would be a lot easier." She touched the words in the center of the star and immediately she was standing in the small round anteroom.


    Tapping the center of the medallion again, she immediately returned to being under the covers in the rebel cave. When she pulled the cover down to expose her head, and tested it again, nothing happened. Retreating back under the blanket, she said nothing out loud but only touched the center of the star. Immediately was back in the round anteroom outside the chamber. ¡°That¡¯s much easier than waiting to fall asleep,¡± Kate said to herself as she touched the narrow door open, then stepped tentatively into the council chamber.


    The anteroom beyond the shattered door was a bit brighter inside and she could see along its curved walls, yet the floor itself was as black as a bottomless pit. Kate gave the broken door a wide berth and headed for Tyreth¡¯s anteroom door.


    The star shaped portal on Tyreth¡¯s door was dark but across the way, a new star glowed on a door she hadn''t opened yet. Crossing the floor, she touched the star but it did not seem there was anyone inside. Stepping closer she peered over the bottom of the star portal.


    A young man lay on the floor, curled up in a fetal position. He wore only a dirty loincloth, and his skin was streaked with grime. Every rib showed along his bruised sides. He looked like the dead lamb she had once seen after it had been stillborn, but a groan assured her this person was still alive.


    The body twisted, its head rolling to one side, and Kate gasped. It was Corvan! She quickly opened the door into the anteroom. He looked up at her, fear in his eyes. She raised her hand to him, but as she went to speak, the light above him went out and he vanished. Kate called repeatedly into the darkened room but Corvan did not return.


    Blinking back tears, she closed his anteroom door. Corvan must be in terrible trouble if he looked so awful in the chamber. Since she had his medallion from home, Corvan must be a prisoner of someone else who had one. That would explain the bruises all over his body. They must have caught him eating those seeds and were punishing him.


    Running back into her own entry room she touched her medallion to return to the rebel bedroom. She needed to ask Atiya what those seeds did to people and why it was against the law to eat them. Maybe Atiya would know what prison Corvan was in and with Atiya¡¯s help, she could escape and find some way to rescue him.


    Her face was still under the blanket when a soft thump came from by the window, followed by the shuffle of someone wearing heavy boots. Kate froze and held her breath as the person drew near to the bed. Through a fold in the blankets, she caught a glimpse of a threadbare dirty robe.


    "Kate," a man''s voice whispered. "Are you awake?"


    It wasn''t the voice of the old guard. It sounded more like the grey-eyed man from the chamber. The one who promised he would be coming to rescue her.


    The man touched her shoulder through the blanket. "Kate. You need to wake up. We need to get you out of here." He drew the cover off her face. Kate clutched at the edge of the blanket as it cleared her chin and held on tight. His face was right over hers and her first thought was that the grey-eyed young man was even more handsome in person, despite not being dressed in his purple robe.


    Dropping to one knee, he let go and smiled at her across the blanket. "I am so glad to see you are safe. It¡¯s taken me a long while to find a way inside these rebel caves. I only had few chances to sleep and each time I waited for you in my chamber entry room. At one point, I heard someone scream inside. Was that you?" He paused until Kate shook her head. "Do you still have the medallion?" he whispered.


    Kate nodded and pulled the glowing star out from under the blanket.


    He smiled and nodded. "If the rebel leader got his hands on it, our world would completely fall apart. That is why I tried to take it from you in the cave. I''m sorry if I frightened you."


    Kate pulled the medallion back under the covers and felt its warmth against her skin. She didn¡¯t like him being so close when she didn¡¯t have her clothes on, but she didn''t want him to leave either. For the first time since coming into the Cor, she felt safe. Would it be okay to say that to him? He smiled at her again, and Kate realized she hadn''t yet said a single word to him.


    She was about tell him she was glad to see him when voices sounded in the hall and a key rattled in the lock. The man touched her cheek. "Don''t let anyone know I am here." He dropped to the floor and slid under her bed.


    The cell door banged open and Atiya bounded into the room, then kicked it shut. Tossing a bundle onto the bed, Atiya grabbed the bottom of Kate¡¯s blanket. "We''ve got to leave right away."


    Kate held on tight and lowered her voice. "I don''t have any clothes."


    Atiya rummaged through the bundle and held up a dirty tunic. "You do now. I''ve been stealing things from around the caves. I¡¯ve even got official cloaks with the Rozan crest on them. We can braid our hair like them and dress like the soldiers and walk out the front gate, but we don''t have much time. Hurry up and get dressed."


    "It won''t work. The front gate is too well guarded." The voice of the grey-eyed man seemed to come from everywhere in the room.


    Atiya jumped to the center of the room, a short sword drawn and ready.

 Medallion 26

    Corvan rolled over and a sharp edge dug into his hip. A thin rock from the riverbed must have worked its way inside his clothes when he hid from Leena¡¯s companion by going into the river. Pulling up the Sister¡¯s tunic Atiya had put on him, he searched around in his clothing and discovered a pointed stone jammed into one of the pockets of the pants. He was about to toss it into the river when he realized what it actually was: the blue side of the mirror glass from the High Priest¡¯s Hall that had fallen and broken in half; the magnetic piece that matched the white side he¡¯d given to Gavyn when they¡¯d said good-bye.


    Back then, when they each held one of the pieces, he and Gavyn were able to communicate some of their thoughts. He closed his hand around the piece. Could it help him locate Gavyn? If so, Gavyn could lead him to his father, and hopefully Tsarek as well.


    Closing his eyes, he pictured Gavyn¡¯s face and smiled to himself at the memory of the happy boy. The disk grew warm against his palm, and a hazy blue circle appeared ¨C a bit like the flowing rock around the labyrinth openings. A man in a hooded cloak came into view standing next to a table covered with open scrolls. A lumien lamp glowed next to him, casting his face into deep shadow under the cowl of his hooded tunic. The man¡¯s head raised toward the blue circle and he walked over, holding out a folded piece of parchment. A child¡¯s dirty hand reached out past the circle to take it from him. That had to be Gavyn. The matching pieces of glass were showing him a scene through the boy¡¯s eyes.


    The man in the vision crouched down and pushed his hood back. Corvan drew a sharp breath. It was his father! His face was thinner, he had a gash over one eye, but he was still alive.


    The view faded. Corvan shifted the half disk to his other hand, the scene reappeared and played again. He studied the surroundings, but the only thing he could tell for certain was that his father was not in the Kadir library, given the lights on the tables. He shifted hands one more time but there was no more to be seen and nothing in the picture gave any clue as to where or when the events had taken place. Opening his eyes, Corvan looked out over the river in the direction of the new city. If he could find Gavyn the boy could lead him to where is father was.


    Crawling along the rock shelf, Corvan pulled himself from under the upstream side of bridge and crouched in behind its low wall. The pale light from the lumiens overhead bathed the white stone of city with their distinctive blue glow. A few people moved about inside the lighted windows of the buildings, but it wasn''t firestick light like Kadir. It was the same steady light of the lumien bulbs he had eaten by the falls. This city was more advanced than Kadir. The library his father was likely within those walls, but from his vantage point, Corvan could see two guards above the closed gates. He might be able to bluff his way in by using his grandfather¡¯s cloak to just walk up to the gates but that seemed a bit risky. These people might not be so easily fooled as the ones in Kadir.


    Corvan looked behind the bridge. It would be better to explore this side of the river first; stay off the main road and look for another way to get inside the walls. Crouching low, he kept the arch of the bridge between himself and the city gate as he scampered over to the edge of the cavern, just down from where the river emerged.


    Tucking himself into a cleft in the cavern wall, he surveyed his surroundings. The city completely dominated the far side of the flowing water, but this side was packed full of gardens. Immediately in front of his hiding place, long sections of trellis in neat rows were thickly blanketed with hanging vines. Between the trellis rows, other plants of various sizes and shapes sprouted from the ground. Leaving his hiding place, Corvan crept along path made of flagstone that followed a trellis, careful to not step in the soft dirt and leave any footprints behind.


    At the end of the garden rows, dominating the center of the gardens, was a sturdy stone building. Shafts of brilliant light were shooting out through narrow windows spaced along the sides and also through small cracks between the roof tiles. The lumien light beckoned him from his hiding place and out past the last trellis post. It was a different wavelength from the lumien glow overhead; more potent and yet, in a way, peaceful and soothing. A short dense hedge ran around the building and when he brushed against it he found it was covered in small thorns, just like their caragana hedge at home that was supposed to keep the deer out of his mother¡¯s garden. Following it around to the short end of the building he found a wider path cut through a gap in the hedge, then up to an arched double door, framed by a lighted window on each side. Running silently forward on slippered feet, he ducked in under one of the windows and peeked over the ledge.


    The long building was a greenhouse, it¡¯s brilliant light coming from deep within two dense rows of leafy vines that flowed down each side of a center aisle. Seeing no one inside, Corvan stepped to the door and pulled on one of the handles. As the door opened silently outward, the potent scent of lumien power flowed out on a wave of light that fell on the surrounding hedge and up the path toward the city. Jumping inside, he quietly shut the door but when he turned around the wave of brilliant light threatened to push him right back out of the room.


    Shielding his eyes, he wandered down the center of the long room. On either side, in behind curtains of vines and leaves, a row of lumiens hung under long support beams. He breathed deep, absorbing the sweet aroma and microscopic bits energy from the lumien infused air. A dizzy rush overcame him, like his head was suddenly floating free of his body. He stopped and steadied himself against a wide stone trough that ran below the lumiens.


    As his eyes adjusted to the light, he noticed that the lumiens were oddly shaped. The large bulbs not only had a thick stem anchored to the stone beam above, but there was another vine grafted onto the bottom of the lumien and tied into a stream of luminescent fluid flowing in trough below. The tension between the upper stem and the bottom vine was giving the lumiens their strange, elongated shape.


    Looking into the water he discovered that the vine grafted on to the bottom of each lumien was securely fastened to the water trough by a flattened disk that looked a lot like the end of a krypin rope, except much larger. Like a krypin, the submerged disk was extending many tiny tendrils into the current. As he watched, minute blobs of light formed at the ends of a few tendrils, then popped out and were swept along with the current. His fingers twitched at the thought of scooping the blobs from the water. His mouth grew dry, along with strong desire to drink from the trough.


    Forcing himself away, he focused on his feet and moved on along between the rows. An overwhelming desire to touch one the lumiens grew with each step, but Corvan averted his eyes. Just as in the water tunnel, these interlinked lumiens would likely set off another alarm and the guards from the city would come running.


    He reached the far end of the room where the twin troughs of lumien infused water spilled on an angle into a round holding tank and swirled about. A thick vine ran around the top edge of the tank, sprouting thousands of smaller vines that cascaded into the pool. The thin branches were being swept along in a living circle as the fluid in the tank spun in a slow whirlpool. It seemed that the glowing blobs from the water troughs were being absorbed by the trailing vines.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Off to his right, on the far side of the glowing tank of water, the thick trunk of the main vine pierced the wall of the building and, through one of the narrow windows, he could see the vine snaking along the ground in the direction of the city. When it reached the river, stone supports held the thick vine high over the water until it entered the side a squat, grey building, that hung a ways out from the side of the city wall.


    At the base of the grey building, a large pipe hung out over the river and brown slime oozed out to become a smear of slimy foam that disappeared with the flow of the water under the far cavern wall. The whole scene reminded Corvan of the coal burning power plant at home. The people of this new city had created a way to store the energy of the lumiens during the day and then use it to power their buildings at night.


    Turning away from the pool, he headed for the entry. If he followed the thick vine to the river, his special slippers should allow him to walk on top of it, then use his krypin to climb the wall of the power plant and get into the city. His intention faltered and his pace slowed as he reveled in the lumien power filtering into his body through his lungs. He hadn''t felt this good in a very long time and he didn¡¯t want to leave this special place, not just yet.


    He paused before one of the globes and examined it closely. The skin of the fruit was different from the lumiens in Kadir; thinner and more fragile, like the rice paper of a Japanese lantern. Cautiously he touched a fingertip to the surface. A soft pulse of energy shot up his arm into his head. It felt amazing. Wrapping both hands around the globe, he let the myriad of pleasant sensations sweep through his entire body. Closing his eyes, he let every cell of his being fill with the gentle energy. There was no pain in his heart, nor was there a craving to consume its seed.


    Opening his eyes he gazed past his fingertips at a huge lumien seed shimmering within the translucent skin. These plants had been specially bred to produce this kind of power. If he could carry one of the seeds with him, he could continually absorb its energy without having to eat it. Corvan stroked the membrane and his fingernail pierced the fragile surface. A drop of juice fell into the trough, and the lumien quivered in his hands. Letting it go, he stepped away, ready to run for the door but suddenly the room was spinning around him, the row of lumiens bouncing crazily upside down below his head.


    It took a moment to realize he was hanging from the beams overhead by vines wrapped tightly around his ankles. Smaller vines began pushed out from behind broad leaves to surround his arms and legs, pulling him in close and caressing his skin. A longer vine covered with small tendrils coiled itself around his chest and then he felt his strength ebbing away. Like a Venus Flytrap, the plant was extracting the energy stored inside him. Corvan struggled to get free, but the vines only tightened and pulled him higher toward the trellis beams overhead.


    The movement of the vines ceased as a low door in behind the whirlpool opened and a tall figure dressed in one of the tunics worn by the women by the waterfalls, stepped inside. The figure leaned over the edge of the whirlpool, scooped up a handful of the bright liquid, slurped it, then spit black fluid on the floor, lips smacking. The person walked past the pool and up the aisle to approach where Corvan hung overheard, like a fly wound up in a spider¡¯s web. The vines pulled quietly higher, carrying Corvan with them until he was fully encased by a curtain of leaves.


    The person below reached for the lumien Corvan had pierced. Corvan was certain it would sound the alarm to report his intrusion but as one hand reached out, its other arm stuck out of the cloak: a long white forearm that ended in a severed stump. Corvan sucked in his breath; it was the leader of the Rakash, the one who had lost his hand to Tyreth''s black blade when the Chief Watcher had died. The Rakash wasn¡¯t wearing one of the women¡¯s tunics. Corvan had been deceived, for the leader of the Rakash was wearing the special cloak he had stolen from Corvan¡¯s father up at the Red Creek Mine.


    Corvan let his breath out quietly, but the thin man paused and turned his sightless eyes toward him. The hood fell back from the head of the Rakash, exposing patches of thin white hair over a network of blue veins that pulsed across the surface of his skull. The blue tongue worked to click and seek out the source of Corvan¡¯s breathing but it couldn''t seem to distinguish him from the leaves and vines tangled around him.


    Finally, the Rakash turned his attention back to the lumien. Thrusting his good hand inside the lumien¡¯s skin, he gave a sharp twist and ripped out the seed. A powerful ripple shot through the vines wrapped around Corvan''s body but the plants didn''t attack the man below. Instead they pulled back even further.


    The Rakash did not bite the lumien heart. Instead, it held the seed over the water and squeezed, the tendons in its remaining hand bulging. Drops of pure white liquid formed across the surface of the seed, then trickled over the long thin fingers, and dripped into the water. The Rakash leader tossed the wrinkled seed in the trough where it bobbed along towards the pool. The creature licked its fingers, then turned his attention to the next lumien in the row. As he reached for it, all the lumiens in the room glowed fiercely and pulses of energy ran through the vines like snakes swallowing eggs.


    Corvan squinted against the light. Even the Rakash had its arm up over the depressions where its eyes had once been. The front doors flew open, Corvan blinked, and the Rakash vanished.


    Three young women, all dressed in a tunic like the one Atiya had given him, ran down the corridor between the rows of plants, swords at the ready. The tallest of the three stopped directly below Corvan to examine the wrinkled skin of the empty lumien hanging over the trough. It was Leena, the same young women who had been in charge at the falls. Another ran to the pool and used her sword to fish the remnants of the lumien heart from the water. The third opened the short door at the back of the power station and stepped out into the night.


    In a moment they were all back and standing directly below Corvan.


    "Look at this." The shortest one held up the squashed lumien heart.


    "No one would have that much strength unless they had already eaten another,¡± Leena stated, ¡°yet this is the only one they consumed."


    The shorter girl nodded eagerly. "Perhaps the lumiens torn down in the water tunnel were not from the man drowned in the net. I think there must be another one of the Broken from Kadir who escaped the Volisk. We must alert the city."


    The tall girl nodded and turned on her heel to leave. As they moved along the aisle the vines around Corvan''s ankles relaxed and lowered him down behind their heads. The women were almost to the door when the vines abruptly dropped him and he landed awkwardly, face down in a heap.


    "Are you injured, sister?" Gentle hands rolled him over. "What are you doing out here by . . ."


    One of them gasped and a sharp point bit into his neck. "Who are you? Why are you dressed in our uniform? What are you doing here?"


    "Pull your sword back and let him talk," Leena commanded.


    "If he ate the lumien seed, it would be better to kill him now while he is dazed," one said.


    "He looks pretty weak." A round face moved closer. "What''s your name?"


    Corvan swallowed hard and felt the tip of the sword prick his Adam''s apple. "Corvan."


    Leena shook her head. "Another one gone mad with eating the seeds. He thinks he is the Cor-Van. He likely attacked one of the sisters and stole her uniform."


    Beyond the tall girl''s head, a pillar supporting the overhead beam appeared to split apart. The leader of the Rakash hadn''t left. He was standing beside the pillar, wrapped in the camouflaged cloak he had taken from Corvan''s father. The white face stared at him from the recesses of its hood, then gazed at the tall girl with the sword. Blue lips mouthed a single word in a whispered sigh. "Leena."


    Corvan tried to shout a warning, writhing to point out the creature, but all that escaped his mouth was a garbled cry before the hilt of a sword slammed into the side of his head.

 Medallion 27

    Kate¡¯s bed bumped about as the grey-eyed man slid out from beneath it and stood to his feet. Atiya gave Kate an incredulous look before addressing the man. "And who are you?"


    He dusted off his cloak. "My name is not important. In fact, it is better for both of you if you do not know my name."


    "Yeah, sure,¡± Atiya scoffed. ¡°The mysterious stranger with the best interests of the helpless women at heart." She stalked to the foot of the bed, her sword extended. "How do we know you''re not part of the lunatic leader¡¯s plan?"


    He grinned at Atiya and gestured to the bed. "Ask Kate. We''ve met before."


    Atiya turned to her with raised eyebrows. Kate studied the man¡¯s face. She didn''t really know who he was, but he had been trying to help her. On the other hand, so had Jorad, but for his own purposes. Regardless, it would be a lot better to try and escape with this guy instead of being forced into marriage with the rebel leader. She nodded to Atiya. "I trust him, even though I don''t know his name," she stared at him, "not yet."


    He smiled and nodded. "For now, that is best. You will be safer if people think I am just some soldier who wanted you for his counterpart." His smile widened and Kate found herself wondering if he was serious. With so few girls left was he actually interested in her? In a way, she wouldn¡¯t mind if he was.


    Atiya waved the point of the sword at him. "We''ve got to call you something."


    "You are one of the sisters?" he asked.


    "Yes, and my name is Atiya. I''m not afraid to let people know it."


    "Then for now why don''t the two of you call me ''brother''. It will be best if anyone overhears us talking." He sat on the edge of Kate''s bed and gestured to Atiya and the door. "Can you tell me what you saw out there?"


    Atiya slide the sword back into its sheath and cinched it up around her waist. "I went looking for something to eat and found and empty room with food laid out on the table. It was good stuff too; I tried some, but then I heard soldiers coming and I ducked under the tablecloth. Their leader was with them, I could hear that strange voice of his.  They all sat down, and I had a hard time not being kicked by all those dirty boots."


    The man nodded. "That was smart. What did they talk about?"


    Atiya smiled at his compliment. "One told their leader that some of the hired mercenaries who used to be with the palace guard of Kadir have been talking about going back to serve the palace, now that the Chief Watcher is dead. The man noted that a mutiny could spread because most of the Rozan soldiers are hungry and tired." Atiya leaned against the bedpost. "And that was when the wise rebel leader decided he just can''t wait any longer to move forward with his plans to be joined to his counterpart, even without his precious tiara."


    Kate sat up and tugged the blanket higher. "He''s going to marry me right away?"


    Atiya nodded. "Sort of. He is planning to bring Jorad back for the ceremony but instead of giving you some pretty jewels for your special day, he plans on killing you."


    ¡°Are you sure you heard that right?¡± the man asked, sitting on the edge of Kate¡¯s bed.


    Atiya nodded. "I told you he was insane. The plan is to dress his elite guards in borrowed palace soldier tunics. At the counterpart ceremony, they''ll attack the clearing, and during the fight, you will end up getting killed. He believes his men will be so angry they will follow him to counterattack the palace right away. And with the one they all think is Tyreth," she pointed at Kate, "dead, Kadir will be without a ruler so it will be easy to take over. In the end the palace guard will be blamed for Tyreth''s death since the story has been planted that you decided to be the counterpart to the rebel leader because you didn''t wish to be joined to the captain of the guard." Atiya shrugged at the man. "A bit convoluted but not bad for someone with only half a brain." She turned back to Kate. "And after you are dead, the rebel leader plans to find a counterpart he can more easily bend to his will. He says Tyreth is far too stubborn."


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Did his men actually buy into this plan?" the man asked.


    "We will find out shortly, my brother." Atiya pushed away from the bed and went to unlock the door. Stepping into the hall, she smiled sweetly as she waved the key in her hand and shut it again. "Our older guard is waiting for me to return his key, but after all the soldiers are fed, they are going to call him to a meeting with the leader and that will leave our door unguarded. It appears they don''t trust him to go along with their scheme. He still has his honor and that makes him dangerous."


    The man jumped to his feet and held his hand to Kate. "We''ve got to get you out of here and warn Tyreth about the attack."


    Kate held up the medallion. "I''ve already met her in the chamber. She has the medallion Jorad took from me."


    The man''s eyes narrowed at Jorad''s name, and he studied her medallion a moment. "Can you contact her again and let her know the rebels are planning to attack the city?"


    "I think so. I¡¯ve just discovered its possible for me to go to the chamber without sleeping as long as I''m covered up and in the dark. I was there when you came in." She cringed at the memory of Corvan lying on the floor. She needed to find him as soon as possible but she didn''t want to tell this man after what he had said about the chamber judging people''s hearts. Could Corvan be so bitter and angry that the chamber removed all his clothes?


    ¡°I can see it upsets you to go there,¡± the man said. "Can we bring you back quickly if we need to?"


    "I think that if you pull the covers down. I''ll come back here," Kate said.


    Atiya laughed out loud. "I want to be here for that."


    "What are you talking about?" the man asked.


    Kate grabbed the bundle of clothes. "I need to get dressed first."


    "Oh. Yes." His ears turned pink as he turned and he crossed the room to look intently out the window.


    Atiya grinned as she shook out the clothes and handed a shirt, pants and a cloak with embroidered sleeves to Kate. She leaned in close and whispered, "Where did you find him? He''s kinda cute."


    Kate grabbed the clothes. "I didn''t find him, he just appeared."


    Atiya giggled so hard she snorted. "I''m gonna look under your bed and see if there''s one for me too."


    Kate glanced at the man staring out the window. He had to be hearing what Atiya was saying.


    Kate pulled on the clothes under the blanket as Atiya crossed to the door and put her ear to the keyhole.


    As soon as she was dressed, Kate coughed and the man turned around.


    "Are you sure you can contact Tyreth?" he asked.


    "As long as she shows up tonight," Kate replied. "But if she isn''t in the chamber, should I speak with Jorad instead?"


    He frowned. "You said Tyreth had Jorad''s medallion."


    "She does but now he has the other one I found up in the caves outside that doorway above Kadir."


    The man nodded. "Then that must have been the one Tarran carried.¡± A deep frown creased his brow. ¡°I wish I could have saved him.¡± His eyes narrowed. ¡°So you are carrying two of the medallions? The glowing one and a plain silver one?"


    She shook her head. "For a short while I had two medallions but then I dropped the silver one, the one that doesn¡¯t glow, and now Tyreth has it."


    "And that¡¯s the one that was Jorad''s medallion?"


    Kate nodded. "Yes. It''s a bit confusing but I think Jorad''s medallion and the one I found in the caves were mixed up when Jorad held them both together."


    His eyebrows raised and he crossed the floor to sit again on the edge of the bed. "Kate, did you mix up the medallions or did Jorad switch them on you?"


    Kate averted her eyes. "I . . . I''m not sure if he did it on purpose."


    "I need to know. It will tell us if we can ask him to help us or if he is fully against us."


    "He seems to be on both sides at the same time," Kate said.


    The young man nodded. "That sounds exactly like Jorad. To be safe I would not open his door unless there is no other way to get a warning to Tyreth. I do believe he would do anything to help her."


    Kate went to pull the covers over her head, but he grabbed her hand.


    "If you do talk to my brother, remind him the path of honor is measured by one''s deeds." He released her hand and drew the blanket up over her face.


    Kate pulled the medallion close as its glow bathed her face. It sounded like the grey-eyed man was Jorad''s real brother but all the double-talk about herself and Tyreth, brothers and sisters, palace soldiers and rebel soldiers was confusing.


    Right now, all she knew for certain was that Corvan was in great danger, and she needed to find him as soon as possible.

 Medallion 28

    The throbbing pain in Corvan¡¯s head increased as a light came on overhead and shone directly into his eyes. He was laying on his back on the floor of a round room; a much smaller version of the prison cell where he had first met Tyreth and Morgan.


    Twisting his head to one side, he located the door, just before it slid opened and a figure in white appeared. Tyreth? He blinked hard to clear his vision. No, it was Kate! She was calling to him and holding out the glowing medallion. Relief swept through him. Tsarek was wrong. She hadn''t taken the medallion to the evil master after all. Corvan tried to call out to her but instead she faded away, along with the overhead light.


    "He''s coming around." A girl''s voice echoed in a large room, as if he were inside the stone church in Fenwood.


    "I''ll get word to our guardian." A second voice responded from somewhere across an open space.


    Corvan managed to open his eyes. High above, a curved dome with painted faces stared down at him, but it wasn¡¯t the Kadir library; this ceiling was clean without any trace of dirt and smoke. Although the paintings were not as detailed as the ones in Kadir, the faces were kinder, less angry. This must be the library where his father had given the message to Gavyn.


    He tried to move but his arms and legs were tightly bound to a hard surface. Lumps beneath his back reassured him that he still had his grandfather¡¯s pack on. They obviously had not searched him.


    Tipping his head back, he winced as a lump on the side of his head pushed against the restraints. A pleasant face appeared upside down above him. A girl with the greenest eyes Corvan had ever seen. She glanced over her shoulder, then bent lower and laid a hand on his cheek. "I''m so sorry Leena hit you so hard but you scared us when you were thrashing about and making that awful sound."


    Footsteps approached and the green-eyed girl stood to attention. Corvan shifted his body to get a better view, but the ropes dug into his wrists.


    An elegant woman with long white hair and wearing a flowing dress, stepped in next to him. Her smooth skin was that of a young girl, but her eyes betrayed an aged sadness. Pushing his left hand open she examined each fingernail, then lifted up the sleeve of his robe and probed his forearm. "Stick out your tongue." Her voice was soft, but it carried the weight of a command and Corvan obeyed without hesitation. She tilted his head forward and gently felt along the bump above his ear.


    "Unbind him. He is no danger to us now," she said, then placed her hand on Corvan''s forehead. "Give the boy something to eat and drink, and when he is able to walk, bring him to my garden." She left his side, crossed the room, and engaged in a whispered conversation with someone else before leaving.


    The green-eyed girl jumped to his side and quickly untied the cords. Corvan lay still and measured his remaining lumien strength. The white-haired woman was right. He was no danger to anyone. There was barely enough lumien energy in him to keep his heart pumping.


    "You can sit up now," the girl said, taking his arm and helping him forward.


    Corvan pushed himself up on the edge of the table. The room tilted crazily around him and he closed his eyes. Hands grabbed him from both sides.


    "She hit him too hard." Another girl spoke. Her husky voice carried her annoyance well.


    "I told him it wasn''t our fault,¡± the grey-eyed girl whispered. ¡°Leena takes things too far. She¡¯s always so serious."


    "Help me carry him to a bench,¡± the husky voice replied.


    Corvan was whisked across the room, his feet barely touching the ground. The dizziness was passing and when he opened his eyes, they were helping him sit on cushioned bench set in an alcove along the wall. He tried to talk but his dry throat would not let the words out.


    "Here." The green-eyed girl offered him a leather-like sack that sloshed in her hands. "Drink from my flask." Pulling a cork from the narrow end, she held it up to his mouth. He didn¡¯t like that it tasted like the purple fruit Atiya had given him, but he drank deeply before giving it back. She smiled at him as she twisted the stopper back in place.


    "Thank you." he croaked.


    The other girl pushed onto the bench beside him. It was the short girl from the power station, and it looked like she was strong enough to have carried him to the bench by herself. Taking a packet from inside her tunic pocket she unwrapped the end and held it out. "Try some of this." It was the shape and color of a thin hamburger patty but tasted like raisins. He bit off a larger piece and the girl smiled broadly. "It''s one of my favorites too."


    The green-eyed girl squeezed in on the other side of the short bench. "Would you like another drink?" Corvan nodded and took the flask from her hand. As he tipped his head back to drink, he caught sight of the tall girl name Leena he had seen both at the falls and the power station, striding towards him with the handle of her short sword cupped firmly in her hand. The girls on either side of him jumped to their feet as Leena stepped in front of the bench.


    "Our guardian will see him now,¡± she stated flatly. ¡°You two can return to your quarters."


    "He''s still a little dizzy, Leena," the stocky girl replied. "He might need our help to walk all the way to her garden."


    "If he falls, I can get him back on his feet." She patted the hilt of her sword.


    Corvan held out the drink to the green-eyed girl, but she shook her head. "You can keep it for now. I''ll get it back from you later." She smiled at him and stepped away.


    The shorter girl pushed another wrapped cake into his hand. "Please take this with you. I find one is never enough."


    The tall girl only shook her head and gestured firmly for the others to move along. As they left the green-eyed one giggled and gave a final small wave before they turned the corner.


    "Ignore the behavior of my companions," Leena said tersely. "They have never been around a male of your age." She motioned for him to follow and turned on her heel.


    Corvan pushed himself off the bench and followed her across the marble floor. He wasn''t dizzy but his head still ached. "There are no men here?"


    She didn''t look back. "Men, yes. Boys like you, no."


    Corvan fell back a step and looked at his feet. He still had the special slippers on, but they had taken away the tunic of the Sister''s that Atiya gave him, along with the sword. He checked around his neck and was relieved to find the medallion Madam Toreg had asked him to take to Tyreth was still safe.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Leena was moving quickly, and he had to jog to keep up with her long strides. Her name was what the Rakash leader had whispered in the power station before she had hit him. Maybe she was keeping it a secret that the leader of the Rakash knew her. He would need to be careful what he told her.


    Turning away from the long wide hallway, Leena led him into an open portico in front of a small garden. In the center of the garden, water cascaded from the hands of the statue of a child and splashed into a small pond. The white-haired woman stood off to one side of the pool; her were eyes closed and her hands were also held out, palms up.


    The tall girl pushed Corvan down on a stone bench and stooped over to whisper in his ear. "You will wait here until she has completed her meditation. I will be right behind you." She pulled her sword out a few inches. "Don''t try anything. You are as good as dead now that you have consumed our light." She withdrew behind one of the pillars surrounding the garden.


    After a long wait, the older woman opened her eyes but then only stared straight ahead as if she were looking right through the statue. Her hands slowly came up until her fingertips touched together. She stayed in the pose for so long it appeared she had also turned to stone. Corvan occupied himself finishing off the drink and the round cake. Finally, the woman took a deep breath and turned toward him.


    ¡°I see you have received food and drink. We all need to be refreshed in our bodies." She beckoned to him. "Come with me. I have a nicer place for us to talk." She walked around the pool and Corvan followed, leaving the flask behind on the bench and casting a nervous glance behind him to make sure a sword wasn''t swinging in his direction.


    On the far side of the garden a low trellis was draped in vines covered with silky grey leaves. She pointed to a long couch, its cushions embroidered with green vine leaves and tiny purple flowers. "Please make yourself comfortable," she said, slipping into a cloth sling chair suspended from the trellis.


    Corvan sat stiffly on the edge of the cushion.


    She smiled at him. "It is permitted to lie down. You should rest your head. That¡¯s quite the bump Leena gave you."


    Corvan lay back and let himself relax. With so little lumien left in his body, the walk to her garden had left him exhausted.


    Tucking back into the suspended chair, the woman drew her feet up under her. "Now you must tell me how you managed to get past the barrier."


    Corvan took a deep breath. Finally, he had meet someone down here who understood where he was from. "It was a difficult journey. The first time I would not have made it through except there was a small crack in the Cor shield."


    The old woman stared at him. "I don''t think you realize how much trouble you are in. Do not tell me fancy stories. It is important to know how you got through to Anamir. If others like you come through from Kadir, in no time we will suffer the same fate as their ruined city."


    Corvan sat up and ran a hand over his face. She was talking about her own city, not how he got into the Cor itself. She likely didn¡¯t even know anything about the surface world. "I followed the river from Kadir and was accidently swept down over the falls. The water creature at the net almost caught me and then the girls came to see why the lights had failed." He pointed to the garden. "The tall girl, Leena, was leading them. You can ask her."


    The old woman studied him and Corvan wished he could take the words back. Now they would know he was the one who had pulled down the vines in the tunnel. Her face grew somber. Placing her feet on the ground she swiveled the chair toward the fountain. "Leena."


    In a flash the tall girl was beside her, sword drawn and ready.


    "Put your sword away, girl. I just wanted you to clear something up for me."


    The sword was sheathed and Leena stood at attention.


    "Were you at the river tunnel yesterday, by the falls?"


    Leena nodded. "Yes, just as the light was fading."


    "And what did you find?"


    "It appeared one of the Broken had come over the falls from Kadir and tried to steal a lumien from the light strings. It pulled three lumien bulbs down from the ceiling before the Volisk drowned it."


    The old woman stood to her feet. "And why didn''t you report this?"


    The girl shifted uncomfortably. "I did. I reported it to the gatehouse."


    "To the gatehouse? Why not to me?"


    The girl pointed to Corvan. "For this very reason. You do not take the theft of our lumiens seriously. Lumiens have been going missing from the garden for more than two segments and you have done nothing about it. The gatehouse guards asked me to report directly to them the next time it happened, so I did."


    The woman put a hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder. "Leena, I do care about the thefts and have been investigating who it might be, and how they are gaining access to Anamir. This was important information that you should brought to me. It was your duty as one of the Sisters of Anamir."


    The girls jaw tensed, she swallowed hard and pointed to Corvan. ¡°This one took a seed from the energy house. If we lose our source of light and the city is dark at night, we will be open to attack from either end of the river.¡±


    Corvan struggled to his feet. "I didn''t eat the seed in that building, the leader of the Rakash did."


    Leena leapt forward, grabbed Corvan by the collar and lifted him off the bench, her voice thick with anger. "Do not mention their name in our city. It is forbidden." She thrust him back into a heap on the cushioned bench.


    The white-haired lady jumped down from her hanging chair and pulled the angry girl away. "Stop it, Leena. I do not think this one understands the rules in our city."


    The girl twisted away from her hand. "Then send him back through the gatehouse to the city of darkness where he belongs."


    "How would that help him?¡± the older woman said gently. ¡°He would either go mad with the hunger for more or find his way back here again. This was one of the downsides of our plan for survival. We divided this city to control the desire our males have for the lumiens, but now we have no way to help those that fail."


    Leena turned away. "Once they start, they are beyond our help. We must turn them over to the gatehouse to be banished beyond the barrier. It is the only way to keep the city cleansed of their kind."


    The older woman shook her head. "I think there is a better way. Look at this one. We can see he has eaten a seed but it has not been many; definitely not one of the huge seeds in the power station. Perhaps we can help this boy to conquer the temptation. He is young and we can teach him to live with lumiens close at hand, to enjoy their lifegiving fruit but never eat another seed. If we can find a way to do this, our families could live together once again."


    "The gatehouse says that''s not possible," Leen said, shaking her head firmly.


    "What if they are wrong? I often think of your father. He had only eaten one seed on the terrible day your mother died, yet he was immediately sent to the gatehouse. He even went willingly for he thought they would help him recover and then he would come back to you."


    Leena''s lower lip trembled. "But he never came back." Her eyes filled with tears. ¡°None of them do except to steal our lumiens.¡± She turned quickly away, striding off through the garden to disappear behind the statue.


    The older woman looked hard at Corvan. "Is this what you want for your life? Ruined lives left behind while you enjoy the pleasure of lumien seeds? If you do not stop now, that is the only path open to you. Pay heed to the account of Leena''s father and think of those most precious to you. You must decide now that you will stop for their sakes."


    She wiped tears from her eyes and gestured to the couch. "Rest there while I find out what the gatehouse is up to. It may already be too late if they are coming for you."


    Corvan watched as the woman left the garden. She was right about the seeds. Each time he consumed another one, the pleasure was decreasing, and it was taking more to give him the same sense of power.


    He lay back on the couch. The older woman was wrong. Obviously, he cared about others more than himself. It was the very reason he returned to the Cor; to find Kate, rescue his father and take the sadness from his mother. She was right that he needed to give up the seeds, but he couldn''t, not yet. Without more of the lumien power he wouldn¡¯t be able to rescue his father or find Kate. At the thought of Kate, Corvan put his hand over his heart and the sharp points of the medallion poked his fingertips through the fabric. He pulled it out and examined it closely.


    This new medallion Madam Toreg had given him was different than the glowing one Kate had taken from the cellar. Maybe, just like the two pieces of blue and white glass he and Gavyn used to connect with each other, the medallions were bringing he and Kate together in the small round room. He had been unconscious at the time from Leena¡¯s blow to his head so most likely he had to be asleep for it to work.


    Wrapping both hands around the medallion, he sank into the cushions, closed his eyes, and focused on the soothing sound of the water falling from the statue¡¯s hands into the pool.

 Medallion 29

    Kate studied the anteroom door. The person the old woman had met inside the chamber had terrified her, but the only way to get in touch with Tyreth was by going inside and walking past the broken door. And there wasn¡¯t much time before Atiya would pull her back to the rebel caves.


    With the master medallion, was it possible for her to open her own star peephole from inside the anteroom and check out the chamber? She touched it, and immediately the interior light from her anteroom pushed into the chamber. Her bangs swished as air was pulled from her entry and into the main chamber.


    A rustle of sound reached her, then quiet. Kate edged to the right until she could see the far edge of the broken door. A scrap of cloth fluttered on the ground in front of the shattered opening. The shadows inside the chamber shifted as another star lit up on the far side of the chamber. The tattered cloth lifted gently off the ground, fluttered into the dark opening and disappeared into the dark floor. The breeze past Kate¡¯s head stopped.


    Touching her anteroom door open, Kate stepped tentatively over the threshold. The door with its glowing star was where she¡¯d last seen Corvan. Crossing the chamber, she opened the star peephole.


    This time Corvan was laying on his back in the center of his entry room, his arms folded over his bare chest. The exposed skin of his torso was blotched with bruises and dirt but at least he was wearing a pair of tattered shorts.


    "Corvan?" Kate called softly.


    Corvan lifted his head and his dull eyes lit up. As he stood to his feet, Kate found herself wanting to look away from the sight of him.


    "Kate. I''m so glad to see you. Are you in the Cor?" Corvan said as he took a step closer.


    "I¡¯m here, but what has happened to you?"


    "What do you mean?" Corvan looked down at himself and was visibly startled. He crossed his arms over the medallion hanging loosely on his chest. "Where am I? I thought we would only be able to talk through the medallions.¡±


    "That¡¯s not how they work. The medallion you are wearing brings you here in your sleep to meet with the others who also have them."


    "Are you sleeping too? Why is your face inside that glowing medallion shape?"


    Kate hesitated, then opened his anteroom door.


    "Why are you are dressed for a wedding?¡± Corvan asked. ¡°Did that rebel leader capture you again?"


    "It¡¯s not a wedding dress. We appear in this place dressed like . . . well, different." She glanced at Corvan then looked away. If the clothes you wore in the chamber showed how pure your heart was, something bad had happened to Corvan. Why would he appear here so dirty and with only shorts on? It had to be because of those seeds Atiya talked about.


    She looked into his eyes. "Are you feeling all right?"


    He shook his head. "I''m sick." Corvan ran a blue tongue over his cracked lips. It looked like he¡¯d been sucking on a blue lollipop.


    "Are you in the city?" Kate asked.


    Corvan nodded, then shook his head. "Not Kadir. A different city, one you did not go to when you were here last time."


    Kate stared at him. "I don''t remember much about the last time because you never told me anything. Everyone down here talks to me like I know what''s going on, but it''s all like some crazy dream to me."


    Corvan approached the door, but he was unsteady on his feet. Had he been drugged by his captors?


    "I''m sorry, Kate. What could I tell you? You would have thought I was insane, and then your doctor said you could go crazy if I pushed you to remember. I was only doing what I was told to do. It wasn¡¯t easy being the only one who knew what had really happened."


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Kate¡¯s face flushed. "Why didn''t you at least ask me some questions or tell me there was a reason I couldn''t remember what happened to me? You could have at least been nice about it."


    "But you couldn''t remember anything at all, and I thought . . . well I thought the black band was still controlling you and you were taking the glowing medallion back to the evil person Tsarek calls ¡®Him.¡¯"


    Kate stiffened as a jolt of memory came clear. She looked over her shoulder at the shattered door, lifting her hand and rubbing the ring of bruised skin.


    "Do you just remember something?"


    Kate looked back at Corvan with a gnawing sense someone was listening in from the black void. She lowered her voice. "I remember being here and someone else stood in that open doorway behind me. He demanded to know where you were and why you had taken my medallion away.¡± She stopped and took a deep breath. Her hands were trembling. ¡°The he grabbed me. He had white gloves on."


    "That must have been when you were in that deep sleep, it was like a coma and we could not wake you up. We were at Saray''s house, and I took the medallion from you, just for a minute. Saray put the red seed from the mother plant in your hand; that''s where your scar comes from. The power of that one small lumien seed brought you out of the coma. I was so relieved. I was sure you were dying."


    Kate looked at the scar on her palm and a shiver ran through her body. She didn¡¯t¡¯ understand what he meant by the seeds, but the rest seemed familiar. "It must have been at the same time as he was pulling me into that broken door.¡± Kate¡¯s eyes welled up with tears.  ¡°I was so afraid and there was no hope left and then your voice came to me. You held my hand and there was a bright surge of power and the white gloves let go. You told me. . . ." She choked up and a few tears rolled down her cheeks.


    Corvan nodded.  ¡°That¡¯s when I promised to take you back home and show you the stars. I gave you the medallion as we left the Cor, but then you got hurt in the mine and I couldn''t leave the medallion with you at the hospital, so I took it home and hid it. Then they said you might never remember, and everything got all mixed up after that."


    Kate wiped the tears away and studied Corvan face. As far as she could recall, Corvan said he loved her when he pulled her free from this place. Was her mind filling in the gaps with what she hoped was true? Pushing the thought away she pointed to his chest. "Where did you get your medallion?"


    "A lady gave it to me. She asked me to take it straight to Tyreth but . . ."


    "But what? Why do you need to see Tyreth so badly?"


    Corvan looked at the floor. "It''s a long story and it doesn''t matter because I am in a different cavern, so I can''t get back to Kadir to take it to her. I fell through the water at the abyss, but I don''t think I can go back that way, because . . . "


    "Because you''re a prisoner?"


    Corvan didn''t reply.


    "Did they catch you eating those seeds?" Kate asked.


    Corvan''s head snapped up and his eyes flashed. "Who told you that?"


    "Atiya. She said you ate the seeds from those glowing light plants and that they are dangerous, and eating them is against the law."


    Corvan¡¯s expression softened. "Where did you meet Atiya? Is she safe?¡±


    "Atiya¡¯s with me in the rebel caves so she¡¯s about as safe as I was when you left me here the last time. Is she right about those seeds? Did you eat them?"


    Corvan gave his head a quick shake. "I''m okay. I can handle it."


    "Then why do you look so sick? Your skin is white, and your eyes are darker.¡±


    "This isn''t how I look in real life. You said this place changes you, remember? It''s not like you''re a princess in real life either." Corvan flinched and looked over his shoulder. "Ouch."


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Something is biting my face." He flinched again. ¡°A bug or something.¡±


    "Maybe someone is trying to wake you up. Listen to me, Corvan. We need your help. The Rebels are going to attack Kadir, and you need to warn Tyreth."


    "What do they want with Tyreth?" His face twitched again and the light above him dimmed.


    "The crazy rebel leader wants to marry her."


    "The same one that tried to marry you?" His light flickered rapidly.


    "Yes. Can you get a message to her?" Kate asked.


    Corvan''s head shook then vanished as the light in his anteroom went out.


    Kate closed Corvan''s door. Atiya was right. Corvan was in deep trouble. There was no way he could help them warn Tyreth about the invasion of Kadir; he was in desperate need of help himself.


    A hot wind swept in from the dark door and swirled around the chamber. The scrap of cloth skated out of the opening.


    Kate reached to grab it, keeping her eyes fixed on the darkened door beyond. The scrap was almost in reach when a sudden tug yanked her back into her own anteroom. The door to the chamber closed and the light overhead went out at almost the same time as Atiya face appeared over the edge of the blanket.


    "We¡¯ve got to get out of here,¡± Atiya said urgently. ¡°Our guard was called away and the soldiers will be coming for you any minute."

 Medallion 30

    Kate and the round cell vanished and Corvan found himself back under the leafy canopy of the trellis. Screwing his eyes shut, he tried to fall asleep by focusing on the soothing sound of the fountain. He needed to get back to the dream room and tell Kate that the reason he couldn''t warn Tyreth was because he needed to rescue his father first.


    Something sharp bit into his neck and opening his eyes, he discovered Tsarek''s lean face sticking through the wall of vines, a short tube in his mouth. The lizard¡¯s cheeks puffed and Corvan felt another sharp sting on his neck. Sitting up, Corvan frowned at Tsarek and shook his head. Tsarek motioned impatiently for him to follow, then faded back into the tangle of leaves.


    Leaving the couch, Corvan stuck his head through the thick curtain of grey foliage. Tsarek was waiting just inside a debris-filled alley behind the trellis. At one time it must have been a protected corner of the garden for a tattered sling chair still hung from an overhead beam that stuck out from the back wall. Over time the vines had grown over the trellis supports and the space forgotten.


    Tsarek grabbed ahold of his arm so tightly, has claws were poking into Corvan¡¯s skin. "Oh Sir, I am so glad I found you. You must come with me right away. It is not safe to be in this city. They have many lumiens here and it is so very dangerous for you now that you . . ."


    Corvan cut him off. ¡°Did you find my father?¡±


    "Yes. He is in the next cavern on the other side of the place they call the Gatehouse. Gavyn took me through it. He is a very clever boy."


    "Gavyn is here?" Corvan looked past the chair into the dusty shadows.


    "Not now, but he was with me when we found where your father. Then Gavyn went away somewhere. He seems to do that often, but I can lead you there." Tsarek took a step back and pointed along the narrow alley to an opening in a stone wall at the far end. ¡°We can escape that way.¡±


    "Looking for more lumien seeds?" The voice behind Corvan startled him so bad he banged his head on the support beam of the trellis. "You won''t find any.¡± Leena stated.  ¡°That''s not a lumien vine."


    Tsarek pulled on Corvan''s hand, but Corvan shook his head. This was not the time to make a run for it. He didn''t have the energy. Tsarek let go, gestured to the opening at the end, and stepped towards the escape.


    Extracting his head from the curtain of leaves, Corvan turned to face Leena. Her face was dark with anger, and this time she was armed with a crossbow.


    "Don''t even try to give me your excuses. I''ve heard them all and every single one is a lie."


    Leaving the trellis Corvan moved with shaking legs back to the couch. Leena pointed the crossbow bolt directly at his heart, her trigger tensed and ready. He sat on the edge and looked up at her. "I promise you I . . ."


    Leena lunged toward him, eyes blazing. "Promise?" she hissed. "Do you know how many promises I''ve heard?"


    Corvan leaned away from the end of the crossbow. "You haven''t heard any from me."


    Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, you are a clever one. Well, Cor-Van,¡± she said sarcastically, ¡°it''s not going to work on me." She motioned with the crossbow to the back off the arbor. "Get on your feet. I don''t care what our guardian says, you need to go to the Gatehouse where they can deal with you while you are still worn out by your own greed."


    Corvan stood and Leena took a quick step back. "I understand how fast you can move when you have the power in you, but I also know that my bolt is even faster." She nodded toward an opening farther inside the arbor on the side where Tsarek was hiding. "There is an old hidden gate there. We will go out that back way and up to the city wall. It will be best if our guardian believes you have run away."


    Corvan moved slowly to where Leena had pointed her bow. If only she knew how weak he actually was. He stumbled on a single step up to a walkway that circled the open garden area.


    "Don''t try to pull any of your tricks on me,¡± Leena hissed at him.


    Corvan did not answer.


    "What, no more excuses?"


    Corvan turned slowly around. "Why are you so angry at me? Have I done anything to hurt you or anyone else?"


    Leena clenched her jaw. "Not yet, but you will. You cannot be trusted."


    Corvan leaned a hand against one of the pillars to steady himself. "I know I was wrong to eat the lumien seeds. I don''t deny that."


    Leena''s face softened. "It¡¯s good you can at least admit it. I wish others . . ." She swallowed, then gestured with her crossbow for him to move along the covered porch to where the thick vines from the trellis cascaded down the back wall.


    "Feel through the leaves beyond that darker brick." Leena said. "The latch is just inside."


    Corvan pushed his hand through the wall of leaves and felt for the handle. "Ouch." The word left his lips before he realized it was Tsarek who had just poked his hand. The lizard was letting Corvan know he was waiting inside and was ready to use his poison.


    "What happened?" Leena whispered.


    "Something poked my hand."


    "Just open the gate and get inside. I don''t want anyone to see where we went. This exit is my secret."


    Corvan pushed the vine covered gate open and stepped into the overgrown space behind the arbor. Tsarek''s face stuck briefly out of the leaves in front of him, his eyes raised in a question. Corvan shook his head quickly. He didn¡¯t want Tsarek to do anything to harm Leena. Tsarek frowned as he pulled back into the tangle of vines.


    "Turn right," Leena whispered as she stepped down behind him and shut the gate.


    Corvan stepped through a narrow opening and groaned at a steep flight of stairs stretching steeply upward to where a blue lumien shone through a small opening.


    ¡°Up to the top of the wall,¡± Leena command and Corvan began to ascend the stairs. With each step toward the light, his breathing became more labored, and his heart rate increased.


    "Quit stalling." Leena said. "We don''t have all night."


    He turned to face her. "I need to rest. I''m tired out."


    Leena leveled her crossbow at his chest. "I''m not that stupid. There are only ten steps left. You can rest when we get to the top."


    Wearily Corvan turned around and looked ahead. Leena was wrong. There were actually thirteen more steps. Summoning his remaining strength, he counted them down. With one last step onto the landing, his legs gave out and he stumbled to one side, collapsing on a stone bench set into an alcove. Tipping his head back to the wall, he closed his eyes to keep the sweat that was trickling down his forehead from stinging his eyes. He didn''t even have the strength to wipe it away. As his breathing slowed, at least his heart stopped clenching in painful spasms.


    Blinking past the salty sweat, he opened his eyes. Leena stood across from him, her back against the wall next to the doorway from below. "You''re not just pretending, are you?" she asked.


    Corvan shook his head. "If you wanted me to die, that just about did the trick."


    "Why are you so exhausted?" She leaned her crossbow against the wall beside her leg, but her hand hung close.


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    "When you caught me in that energy building, the vines had already sucked the last of the lumien power from my body. The lumien plant was about to kill me."


    "The vines grabbed you after you ate the lumien?"


    Corvan shook his head, and the slight motion made the alcove spin around him.


    "You''re still saying that the Rakash took it?"


    Corvan gave a small nod. "Their leader. The one with only one hand."


    "You saw him?¡± She moved in close. ¡°Here in Anamir? The one with the missing hand?"


    Corvan nodded again and Leena glanced towards the glow of the power house in the gardens across the river. "I didn''t think he would ever show his face around here again."


    "He was hiding in the vines and he said your name, so I was trying to warn you."


    Leena''s eyes widened. "My name? When?"


    "When you were leaning over me, just before you hit me on the head, the Rakash leader was hiding in the vines behind you. He looked right at you and said your name."


    Leena tipped her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. Tears squeezed out from beneath her lashes.


    Corvan waited few minutes, then broke the silence. ¡°Where do the Rakash come from?"


    Leena¡¯s eyes opened and she nodded to her right around the corner. "From the darkness on the other side of the gatehouse."


    "How do I get there?"


    Her brow creased. "That is where I was taking you. It''s where we send all the males who eat the seeds. Why do youwant to go there?"


    "I know that is where my father is being held prisoner and he is sick. I must get to him before he dies. That is why I ate a lumien seed, I thought it would help me rescue him from the Rakash, that it would make me stronger than them."


    Leena stared at him a long time, then joined him on the bench. "My father is there too," she said softly.


    "Then you should come with me. We can help each other."


    Shaking her head Leena looked at the stones at her feet. "You don''t understand, my father is not a prisoner, he is . . ."


    "Leena." A voice called from outside the alcove to the left. "We have been searching everywhere for you."


    Three armed men were walking toward them.


    Leena grabbed her bow and jumped to stand between him and the approaching men. She spoke quietly over her shoulder. "You need to get back down the stairs. Ask the guardian to give you sanctuary. I will hold them here. They are not allowed to follow you into her house."


    Corvan pushed himself up and stood on shaking legs behind her. There was no way he could climb down that steep flight of stairs. "Where will they take me?"


    Leena twisted around. "To the gatehouse but you must not go with them. You won''t come back." Her eyes were pleading.


    Corvan touched her shoulder. "It''s okay, Leena. Don''t try to stop them. It''s not your fault."


    Leena turned to face him; her eyes filled with tears. "It is my fault. I reported you and told them I would bring you up here to them." She raised her crossbow between them. "Grab this from me and use it to get away."


    Corvan put a hand on hers and pushed the crossbow down to hung limply at Leena''s side. "I must go to the gatehouse and rescue my father. I will look for yours as well."


    Fresh tears fell freely as Leena gave her head a small shake.


    The guard who spoke stepped up behind her, his two companions flanking them with short swords drawn. "Is this the one?"


    Leena did not turn away from Corvan.


    "We will take him from here,¡± the guard said. ¡°You are commended for taking the initiative and doing what is right for our city.¡±


    Leena wiped her eyes and looked at Corvan. "I made a mistake. This isn''t the one you are looking for."


    One of the flanking guards stepped around her, looking contemptuously at Corvan. "No, not a mistake. There is not much in him right now, but he has consumed lumien seeds in the past." He pointed his sword at Corvan''s chest. "Any weapons?"


    "We took his sword away." Leena replied. "He''s not dangerous."


    The man snorted. "All seed eaters are dangerous. We must rid our city of this curse, or we will end up like Kadir or even Katay Alba."


    "The guardian of the sisters wished to speak with him before you take him away." Leena''s voice quavered as she put a hand on Corvan''s arm.


    "Your guardian is known for being too lax in protecting our city. She stands to lose her position if she is not careful."


    Leena opened her mouth to speak but Corvan cut her off. "I''m ready."


    The guard sneered at him. "We''ll find out just how ready you are." His sword poked into Corvan''s chest, forcing him to take a step back.


    Leena released Corvan''s arm and moved back into the alcove. In that instant Corvan saw a blur as Tsarek whipped out of the stair opening and ducked behind one of the stone supports on the outer wall. Corvan turned quickly away. The last thing he wanted was for Tsarek to try to rescue him.


    As they moved along the wall he glanced back. A small shadow was creeping along the inside of the parapet.


    The walkway on the wall curved towards the squat building he had seen from the power station in the gardens. The thick vine from the power station crossed the water on stone pilings and thrust into the side of the building just below the level of the city wall. All the windows in the building were dark, like hollow eyes looking longingly at the bright lights in the city above and the gardens across the river. As they approached a door, one of Corvan¡¯s captors called out and it swung open to reveal a dim lumien bulb hanging above a man with a drawn sword.


    "So, you found him," the man said dryly in a deep gravelly voice. "Doesn''t look like much."


    "He is a seed eater, and he is alive. That''s all our Master requires."


    The new soldier grabbed Corvan¡¯s forearm and shoved him ahead into a hallway. "I will take him from here,¡± he growled.  The point of the man¡¯s sword propelled Corvan along the hall and then up a narrow set of steps. He was guided down another corridor, then turned to face an arched doorway. "Open it,¡± the guard commanded.


    Corvan pushed on the door and stepped into a darkened room. The only light shimmered through a threadbare black drape over a window beyond a large stone desk. Through it Corvan could make out the lights of the power station across the river.


    A shadow moved in front of the curtain; the head of a man who was seated in a high back chair, facing the window.


    The guard cleared his throat and spoke out. "We have captured another one."


    The black figure nodded.


    "Leena from the sisters reported him."


    A raised hand dismissed the guard and the door clicked shut. In the silence, Corvan caught the rustle of cloth behind him. Someone else was in the room.


    After a lengthy pause, the man behind the massive desk swiveled his chair around. The screech of metal wheels grating against the stone floor made Corvan''s teeth hurt. The man made was confined to some sort of wheelchair.


    A deeply cowled black robe cast a dark shadow over the man¡¯s face but Corvan caught a glimpse of a mask with only two thin slits for the eyes, like a snow-blind mask.


    "Put your hands there." The voice was quiet and low, and a black gloved finger pointed to the front edge of the desk where two polished black globes the size of grapefruits stuck up on thick dowels. Corvan hesitated. "Do it," the voice commanded and Corvan felt the presence behind him move in closer. Gingerly Corvan touched the top of one of the globes. It was warm and throbbed with power. "Now the other one," the masked faced intoned.


    Corvan touched a finger to the second globe and a sudden surge of power ran through his body. It was lumien power. Not as natural as the seeds but more measured and controlled. He let it invade his heart and breathed deeply. It was good to feel strong without any guilt from having eaten one of the limited supply of seeds. This was the same power he had felt through the skin of the seed in the energy house. It was coming into the gatehouse through the vine over the river.


    Closing his eyes, Corvan reveled in the sensations flowing through his mind. Memories flicked past like a jittery film projector. Things long forgotten about his childhood years; playing on the castle rock, camping with his dad at the river. His father''s laughing face filled the screen and Corvan shut the memories off and focused his attention back to the present. His heart was completely full of lumien power. It was enough. Now it was time to find his father.


    Corvan tried pulling away from the globes but instead, his hands gripped them even tighter. Was his body craving more power? He could feel his heart expanding, pushing his ribs into painful rings around his chest. His body began to shake as an intense ache flowed out to invade every cell of his body. Arcing his back, he tried to get away from the throbbing globes but it was no use. He groaned out loud, trying desperately to shut down the energy flowing into his core.


    He was about to black out when a muscular arm wrapped around his belly and yanked him back. His hands came free of the globes, power crackling between his hands and the rods in arced lines of blue lightning. The strong arm drew him tight against the person''s chest and the lightning ceased. Corvan gasped in pain as the power raged within him.


    "It is enough." A coarse whisper, like sheets of sandpaper rubbing together, was close by Corvan¡¯s ear. His head slumped forward and the arm holding him shifted up to his chest.


    A white stump without a hand.


    The leader of the Rakash had just saved his life.


    The shadow behind the desk leaned forward. "Only I decide when it is enough. He could have taken more. This is the strongest one we have found yet. No wonder he was able to find a way into Anamir city."


    "He came over the falls from Kadir,¡± the Rakash leader said.


    The old man behind the desk snorted. "How can that be? There is no one left in Kadir with this kind of strength." The dark figure stood to his feet and pointed at Corvan. "I believe I have found a new leader for my Rakash army. One that still has both his hands." A gloved finger pointed to the side of the room. "Take him to the conditioning room and start the process right away."


    The Rakash leader hoisted Corvan off the ground and draped him over a broad shoulder. Lumien infused blood flowed down to Corvan''s head. His ears rang and the room grew even darker.

 Medallion 31

    A distant voice filtered into Corvan''s head. "Strap him to the table." He had drifted in and out of consciousness as the leader of the Rakash carried him over his shoulder down halls and stairwells, deep into the gatehouse building.


    The Rakash eased him onto his back on a cold metal table that shook beneath him. "This one does not require the straps and you will not seal his eyes," the handless man rasped.


    "Sealing is required," another man answered, his thin nasal voice was much too loud for Corvan¡¯s over sensitive ears. ¡°The master¡¯s elite Rakash must be able to lead the rest of his army even in the deepest dark.¡±


    Corvan tried opening his eyes but the intense pain from a lone lumien bulb swinging overhead seemed to pierce right through to the back of his head. He quickly shut them, then a shadow fell across this face. A finger pushed up one of Corvan¡¯s eyelids and a round face with ruddy cheeks appeared. The man leaned closer and his sweaty odor assaulted Corvan¡¯s nose. He held his breath until the man let his eye close.


    ¡°He has absorbed a great deal of the master¡¯s power,¡± the chubby man said. ¡°If we do not seal his eyes, he will go blind anyway and be in constant pain. He won¡¯t be much of a leader."


    "So you say, but this one will be different from the rest of us."


    "By whose orders?"


    "The Gatekeeper,¡± the Rakash leader intoned. ¡°This one has a special purpose and needs to keep his eyes open."


    "The master said this?" the nasal voice asked incredulously.


    "Enough of your questions. You will do as I say."


    ¡°Fine. I will modify the elixir so that it only heals and strengthens. It will take a minute.¡±


    Corvan could hear the rattle of metal vessels and the clink of glass as liquid was poured and mixed. After a while, the high voice spoke up, thankfully in a quieter low tone. "There is talk from higher up in the gatehouse. One of the guard¡¯s told me our master grows weaker every day and never leaves his wheeled chair. He said the master prefers to stay in his office as he can no longer stand the light of the lumiens on his eyes, or even his skin. Others say . . ."


    The Rakash leader cut the man off. "Do not repeat those rumors down here or anywhere else. It is bad for the morale of our new troops. How are I or my companions to lead the new Rakash if you poison their minds as well as their bodies when they are in your cells."


    A shuffle of heavy steps approached the metal bed, blocking out the overhead light. Corvan squinted at the oily round face over him.


    "You certainly are a strong one. You should be sleeping soundly." A chubby hand held up a vial of vibrant blue liquid. "I have something special for you. This will end your craving for lumien seeds and give you the strength you need without destroying your heart." The vial tilted and hovered over Corvan''s mouth. He tried to twist away but the pack on his back bunched up beneath him and restricted his movement. Clamping his lips shut, he twisted his head to one side.


    The man looked over his shoulder at the Rakash leader. ¡°See that. You have influenced him negatively with all your talk of poison. I fixed it, as you requested, but if he will not take the elixir and dies down here, I will hold you responsible.¡±


    Corvan looked past his feet. The face of the Rakash leader appeared to float midair as the camouflage cloak blended in with the stone wall behind him. A handless stump pointed out at Corvan. "He''s not lying to you boy. Take the elixir. If you have any reason left to live, take the drink he offers you."


    The pudgy man with his overwhelming stench wheezed in Corvan¡¯s face. "Can''t you feel the rending in your heart? You have survived more power in the Gatekeeper¡¯s test than anyone before you,¡± he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, ¡°even him, but your chest is still swelling. Take the medicine now or your heart is going to tear itself apart."


    Corvan knew the man was not lying to him. There was barely enough room in his chest to take a shallow breath. He could not die now. His father was likely a prisoner in the gatehouse. Had they already treated him with their potions?


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    Taking the vial, Corvan caught a faint smell of lumien fruit. He took a small sip, and the cool fluid slid down his throat, soothing its raw tissues. The muscles in his jaw relaxed and the tension across his forehead eased. It definitely felt more like medicine than something that would hurt him. He took a larger sip and the pain in his chest eased as the tightness and swelling went down. Draining the vial, he felt the relief flow through his entire body, right down to his toes.


    He slumped back against the table and the sweaty man grabbed the vial before it slipped from Corvan¡¯s hand. "You will feel very tired,¡± he said. ¡°Close your eyes and rest. Soon you won''t feel a thing."


    The Rakash leader spoke. "Yes. He won¡¯t feel a thing. For once you are telling the truth for, I know what you will do once they are asleep. You search them and take whatever you can find. When I first came to the gatehouse, I had a ring on, but after you treated me, it was gone. I didn''t care at the time because of all the elixirs and potions you kept giving me to drink, but now I want my ring back."


    The chubby man stepped away from the table. Corvan tried to turn his head to follow him, but his muscles had turned to jelly, and his head refused to move. The Rakash leader passed by and out of Corvan''s view. His voice rasped again. "Do not try to run. You have taken my eyesight, but I know where you are. I can hear every breath."


    The nasal voice squeaked like a mouse caught in a trap. "There is a ring on my finger, but I don''t remember where I found it."


    There was a brief scuffle. "Yes, that¡¯s the one. Take it off," the Rakash commanded.


    "It''s stuck,¡± the man whined.


    A crack and a cry of pain was followed by the growling voice of the Rakash. "I can take your finger with the ring, or you can take the ring off."


    "Give me time. I need some grease,¡± the man whimpered. He grunted and groaned for a moment. "Here, take it and be gone."


    The voices in the room were growing fainter but the next words from the Rakash leader caught Corvan''s ears. "I will go when I am certain that this boy will be allowed to rest in peace.¡±


    Rest in peace? The words caught him off-guard. Were they going to kill him?


    "Take him to the cells,¡± the Rakash said.  ¡°I will be back to check on him as often as I please; you won''t see or hear me coming, so don¡¯t do anything foolish." The Rakash leader left the room, his clicks guiding him out the door and fading away down the corridor.


    The nasal voice came closer; low and bitter. "Yes. I will do as you say, but our master will not be pleased to hear what you have done. He will take care you once and for all. His rod is much more powerful than you will ever be." The bed shook below Corvan; the light overhead shifted and moved. Small lumiens began sweeping past on the rocky ceiling, just like the time he was wheeled down the Fenwood hospital hallway to get his appendix out. It didn''t smell like a hospital though, more like the overused outhouse next to his school.


    The rolling stretcher turned a corner and entered through a gated doorway into a small room. A lumien bulb hung from a hook in the center of the ceiling but this time its light didn¡¯t hurt as much. Corvan still looked away from the bulb. He didn¡¯t even want to think of lumien seeds or bother checking to see if he had a desire for more.


    The oily face drew near, the crooked smile looking somewhat like a poorly carved jack-o''-lantern. " My medicine takes away the craving for the power of the lumien seeds and helps heal the damage done to your body. As long as you keep taking my elixir you will feel better. It will give you more strength than the lumien seeds ever could."


    The man reached up to touch the bulb and it grew brighter. Corvan raised a hand to block out the light.


    "Now you understand what I was telling the handless one. This version of the elixir will cause difficulties with your vision." The man dug into his pocket and pulled out a black cloth mask, like the Lone Ranger wore, except this one had slits instead of eye-holes. "I use this when I go to Anamir city. I too have lived in the dim light of the master¡¯s Gatehouse for too long." The man clumsily fastened the mask over Corvan''s eyes. On one hand, two of his fingers were wrapped together with a strip of cloth.


    "Now, as the current Rakash leader requested, I will leave you alone to sleep for a time. My elixir heals your body you must help it along by resting as much as possible. Everyone here is also resting between their doses, so please remain still and quiet. You don¡¯t want to wake them early or they can get irritated. "


    The man backed out of the small room and pulled on the side of the opening. A grid of rusty metal bars slipped silently into position. Corvan sat up but the man waved him back down. "This is necessary to protect you,¡± he whispered. ¡°At times we have ones that react to the medicine, and they become violent. These bars will keep them out of your cell should they escape."


    The lock clicked and Corvan lay back, overcome by an overpowering weariness that radiated from every cell in his body. If his father was in one of the other cells, he would have to find out when he had the strength to move about.


    Folding his arms over his chest, he closed his eyes. As he dozed off, the damp nasty smelling air became drier and clearer. He opened his eyes, and through the slits he could see the walls of the small circular dream room and the light of a medallion shaped star. He watched it through hazy eyes, but the door did not open this time. If Kate showed up, he would tell her he was sorry for how he had acted the last time he was here.


    Corvan closed his eyes. He would rest while he waited for Kate to arrive.

 Medallion 32

    Kate jumped from the bed, knocking Atiya to the floor. ¡°Was I away long?¡±


    Atiya got to her feet and dusted herself off. "Longer than I wanted to wait, but when our ''brother'' left he said to give you as much time as you needed to contact Tyreth. Did you find her?"


    "She wasn''t there," Kate stated. She wasn¡¯t going to say anything about seeing Corvan until she could talk to Tyreth about those seeds. It looked like Corvan was in a lot of trouble and people would only judge him for it. ¡°Where did our brother go?¡± she asked.


    "He said we needed a backup plan and went to find some things he required. I gave him the sword to protect himself."


    Atiya had pulled the heavy table over to block the door and Kate put a hand on it. "I think we should go find him. I don''t want to just sit here waiting for the soldiers to arrive."


    A rhythmic rap on the door startled her.


    "He¡¯s back." Atiya said, then shoved the table to one side.


    The grey-eyed man rushed into the room, a thick bundle of sticks under one arm.


    Atiya shut the door behind him. "What do we need the fire sticks for?"


    The man was already kneeling on the floor, tying the sticks together with a cord. He glanced up at Kate. "Did you contact Tyreth?"


    Kate crouched beside him. "She wasn''t there. I think she might be out looking for Corvan."


    He nodded and looked to Atiya. "When you went down to the main hall, did you notice the pile of rocks across from where this passage comes out? The large stone blocks from the work they are doing there."


    "Yes. That is where I hid when I was checking out the front gate." Atiya smiled then mimicked the brother¡¯s voice. "You can''t go out that way. It''s too well guarded."


    "It won''t be for long,¡± he said, shaking his head slightly while smiling at Atiya¡¯s mockery. ¡°You and Kate will go hide in behind those blocks. When the soldiers come here to take you to the counterpart ceremony, opening this door will trip the bomb I am making, and the explosion will bring everyone running. That will be your chance to sneak out the front gate and get away. We must get you, and the master medallion, as far away from the rebel leader as possible.¡±


    He looked to Kate. ¡°Once you are out the gate, do not take the main trail that leads to the river. Turn to the left and go along the narrow track on the side of the cavern - but watch out for falling rock. This is going to be a massive blast that will likely take out part of the cavern wall." Bending over the sticks he began to weave a thin grey vine in and out of the bundle. "Once you reach the city wall, follow it along until you find the round culvert I told Atiya about."


    "Where will you be?" Atiya asked.


    "I will stay behind to barricade the door and set off the explosion."


    Atiya stepped in closer. "I cannot allow you to destroy yourself to save us. It is against the code of the sisters."


    He raised his eyebrows and gave her a slight smile. "But I am only a brother."


    "It does not matter. I will not leave you here alone."


    He finished tying the cord, stood, and put his hands on her shoulders. "Don''t worry about me, Atiya. I will go out the window and will move to the side of the cliff face before the fire sticks explode." As he turned to the window Kate heard him mutter, "At least that''s the plan."


    Atiya began to protest, and he turned back to her. "It will be all right. I climbed up the cliff to get in the window, so I know the way back down. I will meet you on the path along the wall."


    "If you are not blown to bits," Atiya retorted.


    "It is a chance we must take." He put his hand to Kate''s cheek. "It is critical for you to get through to Tyreth at the palace.¡± He looked into her eyes. ¡°Do not come back for me, even if I do not meet up with you below the city wall. Do you promise me?"


    His hand was warm and his eyes full of compassion. Kate found herself nodding before she fully comprehended what he was asking.


    Opening the door, he peered down the hall. "It''s time for you to leave. The soldiers will come as soon as the horn signals the first meal of the day." He stood to the side as Atiya and Kate ducked under his arm and into the hall.


    Atiya stopped between his arms to hug him. "You are the best brother I''ve ever had." She grinned at him. "And that''s not because you are the only brother I''ve ever had."


    "Wait a minute." He unbuckled the short sword from around his waist. "No self-respecting sister should be without a sword."


    "But you might need it." Atiya protested.


    Wrapping it around her waist, he cinched it up. "A sword would only be in my way as I climb the wall." He paused, pulled a medallion from around his neck, then looped it around Atiya''s. "I also want you to carry this for me. I can''t let the rebel leader get his hands on any of the seven, it would lead him directly to Kate and any others who are now on the council. Consider it as my pledge to you that we will meet again so you can give it back to me." He tried to smile but Kate could see the concern on his face.


    Atiya nodded gravely, then turned away, walking briskly past Kate and down the slope of the narrow tunnel.


    Kate turned to follow Atiya but the man placed a hand on her shoulder. As she turned back, he reached both his arms around her and hugged her close. "Please be careful, Kate. We need you." He whispered in her ear before letting her go. He smiled down at her, then shut himself inside the room.


    Kate ran to catch up with Atiya. It was reassuring to know someone truly cared about what happened to her. Right now, Corvan certainly didn''t. The thought hit home and a deep bitterness toward him welled up. She considered banishing the thoughts and thinking more positively about him, but no, he deserved to be disliked for the way he was treating her. Why should she bother with him if he was only interested in Tyreth and eating more of those seeds he loved so much?


    Atiya stopped and held up her hand. Just ahead, the passage entered into a wider hall. It appeared to be empty. From their vantage point, Atiya pointed to a jumble of large boulders across the way, grabbed Kate¡¯s hand and pulled her into the open area.  Halfway across they were both startled as a horn sounded. Sprinting the rest of the way, they dodged in behind the boulders and crouched down.


    A rush of feet came from all directions and in a moment the hall filled with men jostling for position as they tramped into the gloom at the far end. Two of them pulled into a niche on the other side of the largest stone block. Kate could have reached through a gap and touched their heels.


    "Stupid fools. Hurrying along like a pack of rats when they know full well its gruel yet again," one of them said quietly.


    "Our Cor-Van has promised that once we are inside the city there will be food enough for all."


    "Yeah, right, food for all who are not killed in the attack. He''s not the best at planning battles." The man paused. "Or maybe he is, for fewer men surviving the attack will mean more of the best food for himself and his friends."


    "Shut your mouth,¡± the other man hissed. ¡°If someone hears you, we will both be executed. You for talking and me for listening. Who knows, maybe time his plan will work out. He says the priest is on our side and will make sure the city gate is open and unguarded."


    "I''ll believe it when I see it. on. Come on, let''s get in line. I don''t want to die on an empty stomach."


    The two men left, and Kate peered out between the rocks. The crowd was thinning out and she caught a glimpse of soldiers moving against the flow and marching up the incline toward the bedroom they had just left.


    "Are they in for a surprise," Atiya commented dryly in Kate¡¯s ear.


    "Will they die when those sticks explode?" Kate whispered.


    "Whatever happens serves them right. They were going to murder you, remember?"


    Kate frowned. It was true but they were just soldiers obeying orders. It was a brutal way to die.


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    Atiya gave a little giggle. "Those two are about to find out what an explosive temper you can have." She poked Kate''s shoulder. "We''d better duck down as low as we can. The blast will come out of that tunnel and straight towards us."


    Kate crouched just as a voice spoke behind them. "So, what do we have here? Deserters? Get out of there and join the ranks. No one is exempt from this mission."


    Kate glanced over her shoulder at a man standing in the gap next to the cavern wall. Atiya caught her eye and tapped the hilt of her sword.


    "Come on." The soldier gestured. "I don''t have all day." Kate stood slowly to her feet and stepped in front of Atiya to give her room to draw her sword.


    As she looked up at the soldier, his eyes widened. "How did you. . ."


    The ground shook violently as a blast of dirt and dust shot out of the tunnel they came from. Kate dropped down by Atiya, Horns sounded and men were shouting from both ends of the hall. Kate looked to where the soldier had been standing but a cloud of dust rolled around the blocks, obscuring everything.


    Pushing past Kate, Atiya grabbed Kate''s hand, pulled her to her feet, and led her out into the main corridor and downward along the wall. Muted voices were all around them in the dust filled air. Kate coughed and pulled her cloak up over her mouth and nose. Someone slammed into her and she almost lost Atiya''s hand in the confusion.


    The air began to clear as they made it out the entrance to the cave, then clambered off to one side over a pile of loose rocks that rolled underfoot. Someone cried out overhead, then a huge slab of granite crashed just behind them and Atiya pulled her along even faster.


    Climbing higher, they soon found themselves on a narrow track jammed up tight against the cavern wall. Kate shook herself free of Atiya¡¯s grip and glanced back. Below them men ran about beneath a cloud of dust rolling in the still air from the mouth of the rebel cave. Shouts were ringing out amidst a confusion of shadows and torches.


    Atiya stepped in close beside her but she was looking above the entrance at a ragged hole punched out of the cavern wall. Rocks of various sizes were still falling from the face to the rubble below.


    "Can you see him?" Kate asked anxiously.


    Atiya clenched her jaw and shook her head. "If he is alive, he will meet us at the place he spoke of.¡±


    Atiya climbed higher along the track at the base of the wall and Kate followed. "Will the soldiers come after us?"


    "No. He made it appear like we died in the explosion along with the soldiers."


    "What about the one that saw us in the hall?"


    Atiya shrugged. "Hopefully a huge rock fell on his head."


    Kate glanced behind them as they climbed higher and the sounds at the shattered gate below grew faint. "At least they won''t be attacking the palace tonight."


    "Don''t count on it,¡± Atiya shot back. ¡°Their leader might be crazy, but he isn''t stupid. Now he will likely tell his followers that palace spies killed Tyreth to keep her from her plan to join with him. He might use that to urge his men to attack Kadir immediately."


    "Then I need to contact Tyreth right away so she can warn the city and make sure the gate is not left open."


    "Don''t you need to be in a bed?"


    "Any spot that is closed in and dark should work, as long as I am not disturbed."


    Atiya stopped and pointed down along the wall surrounding the city. "Then the place my brother asked us to meet him will be good. Do you see those smaller pointy roof buildings just behind the city wall? There in the smaller circle."


    Kate nodded.


    "That is the priest''s section in the City of the Dead, it''s where that deep ravine comes up to the wall. Our brother told me there is a small round water outlet in the ravine below the wall. He wanted us to wait there, and then he would show us the way into the city."


    "It should be dark enough in there. I can try to return to the chamber while we wait for him to catch up with us."


    Atiya shook her head firmly and looked back toward the rebel base. "I''m not going with you. I am going back to find him." She looked to Kate, a serious look on her young face. ¡°He might be injured and need help. We will join you there just as soon as I find him."


    Kate was about to argue but the look on Atiya¡¯s face confirmed it would be futile. "Please be careful, Atiya. Remember you carry his medallion, and he trusted you to keep it away from the rebels."


    Atiya gave a quick nod and turned away.


    Kate watched her go, then continued along the track to where it met the city wall. She followed the wall along until she came to the ravine Atiya had pointed out. The steep valley forced the narrow path to cut away from the base of the city wall, then across a crude bridge without any railings. Walking out on the bridge, Kate lowered herself over the edge, then used the bridge supports to work herself down to the bottom of the ravine. Whatever was in the air in this place seemed to be steadily increasing her physical strength.


    After pushing through the dense, fernlike vegetation at the bottom of the gully, she reached the wall and found the round water culvert the grey-eyed man had described. Thankfully it was a good deal larger than the hole the lizard had cut back in Corvan''s cellar. Pulling out her medallion to light the way, Kate crawled inside.


    A short distance ahead the tubelike structure came up against the large foundation blocks of the city wall. Sweeping the medallion over the walls she discovered a star shaped indentation on the top corner of one near the bottom. Pulling the chain out of the way she fit her medallion into the spot. A sharp click was followed by a deep rumble as the block beside her slid up and out of the way. Since Atiya was carrying the brother¡¯s medallion, they would be able to follow.


    Just inside, her light revealed a steep set of stairs. Kate stood to her feet and put one foot on the first step.


    The door behind her dropped with a soft thunk. Shining her light around she located another star cut into this side of the stone door. She should be able to escape if this were a dead end. Cautiously she ascended the stairway to a small landing at the top. Three blank walls greeted her but one to her left was smoother than the rest. At a gentle push, it sprang away and slid an inch to the right. Grasping the thin slab, she pushed it halfway open and stepped into the space beyond, her medallion lighting the way.


    The larger room was empty except for a raised platform in the center and a set of stone doors to her right. There was the usual round keyhole in one of the doors, but the medallion had no effect on the door. Kate stooped to peer through the keyhole and found herself looking down the center of a marbled plaza to a gate at the far end. Small buildings lined both sides. To the left were ones with the pointed roofs she had seen from up the trail up by the cavern wall. It appeared  she had made it back into the city but could not get out and meet Tyreth, at least in person.


    Standing in the darkness before the locked door, she closed her eyes, touched the center of the medallion, and thought about going to the council chamber.


    An overhead light came on and she opened her eyes. She was back in the anteroom. Opening the chamber door, she peered inside. A soft grey mist flowed out of the shattered door. Goosebumps rose on Kate''s arms as the ghostly tendrils reached toward her door. A cold breeze swept around the room and pulled the mist back into the dark opening. Taking a deep breath Kate stepped inside. This time the band of light around the perimeter of the room came on, but they did not penetrate the haze hanging beyond the broken door.


    Across the way, the star on the door where Corvan had appeared before was glowing. Kate ran over and touched the door. As it shimmered away, Kate jumped back. A masked face towered over her; blue veins pulsing up a thin neck. The mouth below the mask opened, revealing a glistening blue tongue.


    "Is that you, Kate?" the masked person asked.


    A white hand lifted toward her and stopped at the opening of the door. Powder blue fingernails tipped each of the bony fingers.


    Kate took another step back. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"


    "It''s me, Corvan." The figure spread out its long arms. "Don''t forget this chamber makes us look different. You look different this time too."


    Kate looked down to discover that her dress was no longer brilliant white. The material was thicker and didn''t fit her well. The bottom hem was stained like she had been walking through the mud and sooty streaks climbed up toward her waist through its coarse folds. She knew right away what had changed, she was angry at Corvan and did not like him or have any desire to help him anymore.


    "Kate. I can prove it''s me. Ask me anything only I would know."


    Kate avoided looking at the hideous person standing before her as searched for a positive memory. All that came to mind were the mean things he had said and done.


    "I can think of something," the person inside the anteroom said. "Do you remember the time we were watching the stars out at the castle rock? A coyote barked nearby and scared you. I held your hand. Do you remember that?"


    Kate did not lift her eyes from the ground. It was Corvan and she did remember that time, but she did not want to admit it. Why should she let him get close again so he could hurt her more in the future? She shook her head and small holes appeared at the bottom of her dress, as if invisible moths were feasting on the fabric. Kate lifted her eyes to see if Corvan was noticing but he wasn''t looking at her dress. His mask had vanished, and the blue veins had faded. Corvan¡¯s sad eyers were searching her face.


    Kate shook her head at him as the anger came rushing back. "So what if I was the first girl you held hands with, who was the first girl you kissed?"


    His eyes glistened. "It was someone else."


    "Yes, it was someone else,¡± Kate said, looking away from him. ¡°It was Atiya and while you were kissing her you were actually thinking about kissing Tyreth."


    "Where did you hear that?¡± Corvan asked sharply. ¡°You can''t believe everything you . . ."


    Kate turned to leave. She wasn¡¯t going to stay and listen to anymore of his excuses.


    "Please don''t go, Kate. I''m sorry."


    Kate stopped but did not turn around. She could hear his sorrow and also his fear. "I don''t want to talk about it,¡± she said. ¡°I need to go now."


    "Will you come back and meet me here again? I''m in trouble. I need your help. Please, Kate."


    The humility in his voice brought her up short. If he was willing to admit he needed help, maybe there was hope for him after all.


    She slowly turned to face him, but his room was empty. Someone must have woken him up and pulled him away from the anteroom.


    Closing his door, she wiped a hand across her eyes. She shouldn¡¯t have been so cold to him, but the intense pain from her past kept trying to overcome her resolve to be kind to him, even when she wasn¡¯t sure he could be trusted.


    The lights around the chamber flickered and dimmed. Kate moved toward her own anteroom. A gray mist slithered back out of the broken door and circled around the edges of the room toward her.


    Kate ran into her anteroom, the mist grabbing at her ankles as she stumbled inside. Instantly she was back in the square stone room in the graveyard of Kadir, still running, stumbling, then falling against the doors. One side sprang open, and she tripped over the threshold to tumble down a short flight of stairs into an open space.


    Jumping to her feet, she looked about, but the courtyard was empty and the small buildings on both sides were dark. The one she just fell out of was the largest building in the plaza and more ornate than the rest. Carved over the door was the word, "Morgan."


    As she walked back up the stairs towards the building, the door she just fallen through closed with a soft thump that echoed through the plaza behind her.

 Medallion 33

    Someone was whispering and hissing at him, but Corvan ignored them. He had to go back to the dream chamber and Kate. The way his body had appeared in the chamber had terrified him. The gatekeeper¡¯s medication was doing something strange. He needed Kate or someone to come help him to get out of the prison cell.


    The voice outside his cell grew louder and more desperate "Sir. Please wake up. The guard will be back shortly."


    "Tsarek?" Corvan peered through the slits in his mask at the lizard''s long nose pushing in between the vertical bars. "How did you get in here?"


    "No time for explaining. You must not drink any more of the liquid they bring you," Tsarek whispered. ¡°If you drink any more you will always need it to stay alive. That bad man will control you.¡± Tsarek stepped away from the bars to glance around the corner of the passage leading back to the treatment area. ¡°This is how they turn men into the Rakash. You have to . . ." Tsarek jumped back to the cell and crammed his face between the bars. "The guard is returning,¡± he hissed. ¡°Do not drink his medicine. Wait until he is gone and pour it on the floor with the other waste." The lizard sidled along to the far edge of the rusty gate. "Please, Sir, listen to me. I will return as soon as he is gone and get you out of here but If you drink any more of his potion I cannot take you with me." He stared hard at Corvan. "You will be a Rakash, and I will never be able to trust you again."


    Tsarek vanished and a shiver ran up Corvan¡¯s spine. As he suspected, the Rakash were not a strange race. They were simply people who fell prey to the desire for lumien seeds and then became addicted to the elixir from the gatehouse. That is why his body was so tall and pale in Kate¡¯s medallion chamber. He was already on his way to becoming one of the Rakash.


    The creak and groan of metal wheels scraping on the stone floor out in the hall brought Corvan fully to his senses. He quickly turned his face to the wall and calmed his breathing.


    "There he is, my master,¡± the man who had locked him in the cell said, ¡°sleeping peacefully. The first treatment was successful, and he willingly took the elixir. His heart is repaired and once we give him his regular dose, I believe this one will be your strongest yet."


    "That is good.¡± The deep voice of the man in the wheelchair ran a shiver up Corvan¡¯s spine. ¡°When he awakens, you will start him on double the dosage. We are running out of time; the night of deepest dark is almost here and the current leader of my Rakash keeps delaying the attack. I need someone new to take charge."


    "A double dose might be too much for this one. He is still very young, and his body is not fully mature."


    "Just do as I say." The metal wheels scraped and in the silence that followed Corvan could almost feel the gatekeeper studying him. "What does he have on his head?" the man snapped.


    "A mask like your own. The leader of your Rakash told me you wished this one to be special and keep his eyesight."


    "Not that special. I can''t afford to have him understand too much of what is going on around him. Take me back to my room, then return immediately and seal his eyes. As soon as this one is ready, his first task will be to kill the formerleader of my Rakash. With only one hand, that one is no longer of any use to me. I don¡¯t care for the way the operates."


    ¡°Yes, my master. I will do as you say.¡±


    The wheels screeched and chattered on the cobblestones, then faded around the corner and up the passage.


    As soon as it was quiet, Corvan pushed himself up on the metal gurney. His body was weary, but at least the intense pain in his chest was gone. Pulling the mask from his face he ran a hand through his short hair. The light above him no longer bothered his eyes.


    The table shook on its small wheels as he slipped off and stook shakily on his feet beside it. He needed go get away from the cell before the guard came back to seal his eyes, but how? Tsarek obviously didn¡¯t have a key.


    A wavering shadow fell across the bars and then the face of the one-handed leader of the Rakash appeared. The he man pushed the hood of the special cloak back from his face. "Well, young Corvan," he whispered hoarsely. "Shall we see if you are ready to kill me and take my place as the leader of the Rakash army?" His blue tongue flicked out with a rough laugh. "The old fool thinks he can be rid of me so easily."


    The stub of the Rakash leader¡¯s arm pushed in through the bars and his good hand gripped the next one over. The tall man pushed outward until the blue veins on each finger stood out in sharp contrast to his white skin. The muscles in his good arm tensed and bulged as the bars of the cell door groaned and slowly edged apart. The mutated man wedged one shoulder into the space, then pushed again. Flakes of stone fell from the top of the opening as the metal gave way and bent apart.


    Corvan backed up to the far side of the cell as the Rakash squeezed through the opening he had created, then crossed over to stand directly in front of him.


    "Go ahead. You can take my life; it does not matter for I am as good as dead already." His stump pointed at Corvan''s face. "But so are you if you don''t quit taking their medicine. You needed it to heal you from the gatekeeper¡¯s insane overdose of power, but ou will soon realize it is killing you. You will also know that you will die anyway if you don''t get more, and they don''t let you forget it." His good hand smacked the wall beside Corvan''s head and the stone shuddered. "They will own you and you will do things you never imagined you would." His blinded eyes drew closer. "I tell you the truth. The person I once was would not have dragged your father down here."


    "My father¡¯s here in the gatehouse? In these cells?" Corvan looked anxiously past the man into the hallway. ¡°Did they give him the same medicine?¡±


    "No. I did not trust the gatekeeper, so I removed him to a different place."


    "Where? I need to find him and take him home where he belongs."


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    The Rakash leader shrugged. "Where do any of us belong?"


    "With our families. With those that love us. I want to take him home."


    The grotesque faced softened. "Your Watcher can guide you to him." The Rakash leader paused and looked overhead, as if his blinded eyes could look right through the stone ceiling and into the gatekeeper¡¯s office. "When you return through Anamir city I need you to tell Leena what I did for you.¡± He held up his good hand where a silver ring, set with a single white stone caught the light of the lumien. ¡°Let her know . . ." A wave of pain contorted his face. "Let her know that I still think of her, that I wear her gift."


    Corvan nodded. "I will. And I thank you for helping me."


    "Don''t thank me.¡± The Rakash waved his stump in front of Corvan¡¯s face. ¡°No doubt you and I will meet again, and I honestly cannot say which of us will die when we do. The gatekeeper¡¯s elixir often speaks louder than the best of my intentions." He paused. ¡°I hope your father recovers quickly.¡±


    He stepped to one side and gestured to the twisted bars. "You best go quickly before the guard returns. That fat oaf will suffer for letting his master''s next great leader escape,¡± he said with a rasping laugh. ¡°He will be blamed for giving you far too much of the elixir and making you so strong you bent his cell door."


    He pushed Corvan toward the door with his good hand. "Go now. Your watcher waits for you at the end of the corridor. He knows the way out of the cells to where your father is being held."


    Corvan squeezed through the opening in the bent bars and took off down the hall without looking back. More cell doors lined the right-hand side; the floor slick with the human waste that was trickling into the corridor. Most of the cells were empty but a few held men in various stages of being transformed into Rakash. A scrawny arm grabbed at him as he passed one of the final cells, but Corvan slipped on a mound of raw sewage and the young Rakash-to-be just missed grabbing onto Corvan¡¯s arm.


    The hallway came to an abrupt end in a tight rounded cul-de-sac. There was no way out and no Tsarek. Corvan turned back but rumble of small wheels and a blue glow from around the corner announced the arrival of the elixir. Arms stuck into the hall as the young men in the cells began crying out. Corvan flattened himself into the rounded cleft of the wall and hid as best as he could.


    The cell keeper appeared, pushing a small cart stacked with racks that held vials of blue light. The din in the tunnel increased as the potent scent of the elixir worked its way down to the waiting victims.


    The man fumbled inside his robe, pulled out a key ring and turned to Corvan''s cell. Shouting a curse, he jumped back from the bent bars, knocking his cart over and sending a cascade of blue over the floor and walls as the vials smashed to the ground. Shouting more sharp words, the guard lumbered away as the glowing liquid flowed along the floor in Corvan¡¯s direction. Guttural cries of frustration erupted from the cells as thin hands stretched out to the luminescent stream. A few managed to reach it and were wetting their long fingers, then bringing them back to desperate faces jammed deep into the bars; sucking off the fluid and reaching out for more.


    The elixir mixed in with the grime on the floor as it ran towards Corvan¡¯s hiding place, creating a muddy, slow-moving sludge. The young Rakash in the final cell was not crying out. He was down on the floor, using the leverage of a bench in behind him to push his head through the gap at the bottom of his cell door. His ears stretched out before his head finally slipped through. The fluid had reached the front of his cell but it was still not quite close enough for the long tongue. The Rakash pushed even harder before Corvan heard the pop of his shoulder dislocating. With a gasp of pain, the face pushed in closer to the slurry.


    Corvan crouched lower in the shadowed corner. A single thin line of glowing liquid reached his feet; the powerful scent overcoming the foul odors swirling about him. As he took a deep breath;  fresh desire flowed through his body and before he could even consider the choice, he had touched his index finger into the pool forming at his feet.


    A loud slurping brought his eyes back to the young Rakash licking at the filthy floor, its blotched face covered in muck. Corvan shivered. That was what his own skin had looked like in Kate¡¯s dream chamber. If he took even one more taste, he would become one of the Rakash; a hated enemy to everyone he cared about.


    Lifting his hand, he stared at the drop of blue fluid hanging from his fingernail. No amount of pleasure and power was worth what this stuff had to offer. As he wiped his finger on his cloak, a completely different sensation of power flowed through him. He had just made a choice to deny his own desire and to do right by the people that mattered most to him; a decision was a much greater power than any that the lumiens or elixir could ever give him.


    A wave of fluid washed into the alcove, gurgling at his feet as it disappeared into a circle of partially plugged holes; a manhole cover over the sewer that ran below. That had to be where Tsarek had gone.


    Sticking his fingers into the holes, Corvan pulled but the metal cover only budged a fraction of an inch.


    Fresh shouts erupted in the hallway. The fluid had moved on past the first cells and the Rakash inside them were screaming for more, wrenching on their doors until the walls shook and dirt fell from the ceiling.


    Corvan yanked hard on the holes, but he did not have enough strength. Blue fluid pooled higher around his fingers. The power was there if he would only use it. For a moment his resolve wavered. How could he help his dad and Kate if he were stuck here? Just a small bit of power and he could get away. ¡°No!¡± he whispered to himself. ¡°No more. There has to be some other way out of here.¡± Getting to his feet, he was about to run to the top of the hall, find a way out of the Gatehouse and ask Leena for help, but before he could move, a cell door crashed into the hall at the top of the tunnel and one of the Rakash bounded into the hallway. Dropping to all fours, the mutated man lapped at a pool of the blue fluid. Next to him, another door broke open and now the two Rakash began fighting over the remaining pools of liquid as they tumbled toward him.


    A sharp jab bit into his ankle. A long, curved claw was sticking out of one of the holes in the grate. The heavy metal disk was lifted, then pushed off to one side. Tsarek''s face appeared in the opening, wrinkling in disbelief at the sight of the Rakash groveling after the fluid.


    "Tsarek," Corvan whispered.


    The lizard''s neck twisted to face him. "Oh Sir!" He leapt out of the hole and grabbed Corvan''s sleeve. "I am so glad one of those was not you. I thought I was too late to save you!¡± He pushed the grate wider. ¡°You must get inside quickly. It''s the only way out of here."


    Corvan sat in the muck and dropped his feet into the darkness. The powerful stench of the sewage below gagged him as he lowered his body into the tight space. His feet landed, squishing into the sludge, then he pulled his head down inside a low tunnel. He retched but there was nothing in his stomach to come up. The wave of nausea passed, and he watch the mix of bright blue and muddy grey fluids dripping from the lip overhead.


    Corvan was just about to take a look for Tsarek when the lizard''s feet swung down. He dropped with a plop in the muck, hooked the grate overhead and dropped it with a sludgy clank into position.  He raised his re-grown claw and spoke rapidly, like a record on the wrong speed.


    "I only gave them enough to stop them following us. It should have been more. In the end it would be a mercy compared to the long death they have in front of them. These ones are so young. It¡¯s not their fault. The gatekeeper did this to them. They deserve another chance."


    Tsarek gave a weak smile and in the dim light Corvan could see traces of luminescent blue elixir glistening between his teeth.

 Medallion 34

    Kate tried to get back inside the crypt, but the door was solidly locked. There was no choice but to wait outside for Atiya and the grey-eyed man from the chamber to arrive. As soon as they did, she was going to ask the young man if ¡®Morgan¡¯ was his first or last name and see what he said. Jorad said he had a brother named Morgan, and that Morgan was the one who had killed Jorad''s wife and child. That couldn''t be the same man; the grey-eyed man was kind and the chamber had proven he was honorable. But then why would his name be on the largest crypt in the entire graveyard and one with a secret entrance into the city?


    As she wearily climbed the polished marble steps of Morgan¡¯s crypt, Kate realized she had not slept through a night, without a visit to the chamber, since first meeting Jorad at the upper door overlooking the city.


    Sitting on the top step of the portico in front of the crypt she looked around the courtyard. The large tomb she had stumbled out of was considerably out of proportion to the rest and occupied the position where the statue and round pool stood in the real city. To her left was a replica of the palace of Kadir and on the right, a model of a building with a pointed roof. Leaving Morgan¡¯s crypt she walked the perimeter, looking over the courtyard walls as if she were a giant. The structure representing the palace turned out to be a set of crypt buildings that had been joined side by side.


    Leaning one of the fluted pillars that supported the roof of the front porch, Kate closed her eyes. Surely it wouldn¡¯t hurt to rest while she waited for Atiya and Morgan, if that indeed was the name of the grey-eyed man, to arrive. But if she was going to sleep, she wasn¡¯t going to take the chance of being called to the chamber.


    Removing the glowing medallion from around her neck, she wrapped the chain around its points, then shoved it into her back pocket. It didn¡¯t resolve the need to relax; her mind just kept running in circles trying to piece together all the conflicting information from both inside and outside the chamber. She had concluded that Jorad had switched his original medallion for the one she had found among the bones. It only made sense, for Tyreth was now holding the one Jorad had first used to meet her in the chamber.


    Her thoughts immediately turned to figuring out who had the rest of the medallions. Morgan had given his medallion to Atiya for safekeeping and Corvan was holding the one he was told to take to Tyreth. Counting the glowing one in her pocket that made five altogether which left two doors in the chamber unaccounted for, the broken one and the door immediately to the right of it. Whoever scared the old woman to death most likely came from the broken door, which meant they either had a medallion of their own or they didn''t need one since the door was already open. She sighed. What was the point in even trying to figure out the medallions when she could hardly recall what happened to her the last time she was here?


    Her body sagged down the pillar, and it seemed she had just drifted off when someone kicked her thigh. Through sleepy eyes she looked up a man in one of the rebel tunics but with short white hair.


    "You are supposed to be guarding the entry, not finding a comfy place to sleep." The man pointed into the plaza and Kate pushed herself up against the pillar. "Since when does a member of the Rozan guard," he pointed at a circular insignia embroidered on the hem of her sleeve, "sleep on duty?" He jerked his thumb towards the plaza. "If it wasn''t for the fact that we will need everyone for the invasion, I would send you back to serve out some time in the punishment cells. Go join the troops before I change my mind."


    Kate stood stiffly to her feet but kept her back against the pillar. While she had slept a dense mist had filled the courtyard and off to the right, a line of ghostly figures was streaming out of a crypt set up tight against the outer wall. Soldiers were creeping through the fog in a long line and out through the exit from the courtyard. Atiya was right. The rebel army was attacking the city while it was dark out. Kate tried to go past the man, but he yanked on the shoulder of her cloak and forced her to halt.


    "Wait here until they are all in, then bring up the rear. I will follow after I lock the door. When we arrive at the clearing you will stand guard at the entry and if you fall asleep again, I will personally handle your execution. Do you understand me soldier?"


    Kate nodded and he left her to walk back along the line of men, issuing quiet commands until he reached the door of the crypt the soldiers were coming through. The last man straggled out and Kate recognized the same soldier who had had discovered her and Atiya hiding behind the pile of stones in the rebel caves. Kate shrank back and watched him go past. He had a bandage over the other side of his face and his good eye was focused on staying in line. The officer came up from closing the secret door and beckoned for Kate to take her place behind the injured man. There was no escaping now.


    Following the line of soldiers, Kate passed through the arched gate, then turned down a narrow street lined with more miniature buildings. At some point on her last visit to the Cor, these rebel soldiers with the long braids had carried her on their shoulders through these same streets to a clearing in the tombs. A priest was with them . . . Jorad! Kate stumbled with the realization. That was where she first met Jorad. He had been there to marry her off to the rebel leader but instead he had helped her escape. It was also Jorad who hid her inside one of these miniature buildings. She searched her memories but there was nothing more to help her understand whose side Jorad was really on.


    The line of men turned into a narrow entry set into a long wall of tall crypt faces. As they entered the gap, the officer behind moved past her and touched the back of the injured soldier in front of Kate. ¡°You should stay here,¡± he said to the bandaged man. ¡°You can keep guard and rest a while. If you are correct, you will be justly rewarded.¡± He turned back to Kate. ¡°You on the other hand, already had your rest. You will go inside and personally check every one of the crypt doors around the perimeter. We don''t need a repeat of the last time we gathered here."


    Kate lowered her head as she squeezed past the two men, then followed the tight alley into an open area filled with clusters of rebel soldiers. The memory of her last time in the space rushed to meet her, and she drew back. Back then, all the men had been watching her; now they were intent on talking with each other, the collective murmur filling the air like bees in the lilacs back home. Kate took a deep breath and entered the clearing. Keeping to one side she began checking the walls around the perimeter but all she could find were the rough stuccoed walls of what the man referred to as crypts. That would make sense as Atiya called this the City of the Dead. The small buildings must be graves, but none of them had doors that she could see.


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    Halfway along the back section a vertical crack caught her eye. Was this the door he was talking about? Would there be skeletons and skulls inside? She pushed lightly above a round hole and a narrow door slid off to one side, revealing a dark room with empty benches along the side walls. She had slept on one of those benches after a kind older man named Rayu had brought her here. He had given her something to eat and then told her to rest while he went to find Corvan. But Corvan had not come. Or had he? In the shadows near the back, a packsack was pushed under the bench. It did not look like it belonged in this world.


    Kate closed the door behind her until only a crack of light came through, then pulled the packsack out and set it on the bench. Under the top flap was a plaid shirt Corvan sometimes wore and beneath it was his slingshot, his name neatly carved into the handle. She smiled to herself. Corvan had let her use it until she started beating him, then he made some excuse about not overstretching the rubber. Lifting it up she pulled back on the leather pouch and aimed towards the crack of light at the door. She dropped her hand. Three men were approaching the crypt.


    Jamming the slingshot into the pocket of her tunic, Kate grabbed the pack and hurried to a wider bench on the far side of the crypt. Shoving the pack underneath, she rolled herself back against the wall. The door opened wider and the three men ducked inside. One of them shut the door until only a sliver of light entered the room.


    The tallest of the three addressed the one closest to the door. "Keep an eye out. We can''t be caught in here when their leader arrives. He will accuse us of treason." The man at the door nodded and turned into the light. His nose was crooked and one eye was badly bruised.


    "Isn''t that what we''re here for?" A short man with a helmet under his arm spoke out.


    "Perhaps." The tall one replied. "Is that what you are suggesting?"


    "Quit playing games." The short man sat wearily on the bench. "We are all fully aware of what must be done. The only reason we defected from the palace guard of Kadir was because we wanted to assist in overthrowing the Chief Watcher. Now we know we should have never joined up with this undisciplined rabble from Rozan. What sort of fanatics wear their hair in a ridiculous split braid so they can look like their leader? It¡¯s a cult, that¡¯s what it is. That¡¯s how he convinced them the death of their own city means it was their destiny to take over Kadir. Now the Kadir we wanted to protect from the Chief Watcher will come under the rule of their insane leader instead." He pointed at the tall man. "The time has come to act, not talk. Tell us what you know."


    The tall man answered calmly. "I have spoken with the captain of the guard. He tells me the new city council is willing to share control of Kadir with the guards and he is severing his ties with the priests. From what I understand, the new High Priest has turned to the rebels for protection but now he finds himself controlled by the false Cor-Van. Supposedly, he brought Tyreth to the rebel leader but I doubt the girl in our base was even her. None of us that knew her could get close enough to check. I believe the explosion and her death was just an excuse to incite his followers to attack the palace tonight."


    The short man spoke angrily. "An attack would be suicide. These people from Rozan are tough enough from all they have been through, and I know not all of them are part of the braid cult, some are proper soldiers, but they lack the skill to fight at street level. The palace guard will cut them down from the walls and towers."


    The tall man leaned forward and glanced toward the door. "Their Cor-Van tells them otherwise. He says his priest can take us from here and in through the temple compound; that a surprise attack on the palace will succeed without bloodshed. He wants to attack tonight but is still trying to find some way to join himself to a counterpart before we head out. He is fixated on his prophecy. That alone proves how unstable he is."


    The younger man with the bruised face turned from the door and spoke out. "What do you suggest we do?"


    The tall man pointed at the door. "We need to contact the captain of the guard and inform him that the entire rebel army is here in the crypts. If he can trap the rebels in this clearing, this invasion will end quickly with fewer lives needlessly lost."


    The helmet rattled in the hands of the short man. "It will not work. The palace guard will not come out into the city at night with all the Broken out looking for blood."


    "That is no longer the case. Recent reports say most of the Broken have drowned themselves in the river."


    "More lies from our Cor-Van," the man with the helmet scoffed.


    The tall man waved him off. "No. This is confirmed by our friends in the palace guard. It defies understanding, but it is true. The overwhelming desire for lumiens must have driven the Broken to follow the river down to Anamir to look for more."


    "But if the palace surrounds this place tonight, what about the others like us that used to be in the palace guard before the rise of the Chief Watcher?"


    "Where does their loyalty lie now?" The tall man asked him. "Do they have enough common sense to see through this false Cor-Van¡¯s claims?"


    The helmet waved in the air, catching the light from the door. "Any thinking person should be able understand how crazy this all is. How can his men possibly believe Tyreth wanted to marry this fool or that soldiers from the palace would kill her to stop the marriage from happening?¡± His voice rose. ¡°How can they even follow someone who wears a dead animal on his head? Everyone knows the rantels died out long ago."


    "Quiet down." The tall man barked. "There are Rozan soldiers all around us. I need to directly contact the captain of the palace guard and plan this out carefully. We must contain the rebels here and stop this madness. The citizens of Rozan who were forced to serve in this attack don''t deserve to die here in Kadir just because they are starving and desperate."


    ¡°While you are gone, I will talk with those we know are leaning towards leaving the rebel army and going back to Kadir,¡± the man with the helmet stated. ¡°If we work together we can help from the inside when you and the captain return, but you had better be quick. If that fool finds a woman yet tonight and his priest arrives in time, the insanity will only get worse.¡±


    "If your plan fails and the guards won¡¯t help us,¡± the younger one who had been watching the door spoke up, his bruised face etched with determination by the shaft of light. He pulled a crossbow from his back. "Then I will do what I have said all along. I will kill the false Cor-Van. I do not care what becomes of me after that."


    His words hung in the dim air a moment, then the man holding the helmet jammed it on his head. "I agree. It is better this one man die than the whole Cor be torn apart."


    A horn sounded outside and the younger man turned and checked. "They are assembling the troops. He must be on his way back and I need run to the palace." He opened the door a bit wider and slipped out. The others paused a moment before following in his wake.


    Kate waited until they were gone, then crawled out from under the bench and crept to the door. It had not shut it all the way; something was caught in the track at the bottom edge. Kneeling, she pulled a dented tin can out of the dirt. Sticky syrup was oozing out of three holes at the top.


    As she stood, a loud cheer erupted from the soldiers. Kate looked over the heads of the crowd as a tall man in a long cloak and a skintight, ascended a rise followed by torch bearers. That had to be the rebel leader Atiya talked about.


    The man waved two guards forward and they escorted a woman onto the mound beside him.


    The woman pulled back her hood and Tyreth glared defiantly at the crowd.

 Medallion 35

    Corvan waded into the river, washed his arms, then splashed cold water on his face. He and Tsarek had travelled a long way through the sewer, at times down on all fours to make it past partially collapsed sections. The--- nauseous rolling in his stomach was just beginning to subside.


    "You will soon be clean and unstinky, Sir." Tsarek spoke from a cleft in the rocky bank, where he was wiping his regrown long poison claw over and over on a patch of purple moss. The lizard nodded to where the river swept under a low arch built into the cavern wall, just beyond the dark boxy shape of the guardhouse. "We must follow the flowing water under the stone. It is not a far distance and the water will carry us quickly along but it is the only way to get to your father."


    Corvan turned to the dark water slipping below the cavern wall, but his thoughts were on Tsarek. At first, he was sure he must be mistaken, that Tsarek would never drink the gatekeeper¡¯s blue liquid, but the lizard was behaving strangely, talking fast and fidgeting, like his father would when he drank too much coffee. "Is it also where Gavyn is being held?" he asked, turning back to Tsarek.


    "Yes, well, at least I think so. He seems to come and go where he wants."


    "And my father. Is he still alive?"


    "When Gavyn met your father, he was very sick, so I cannot say for sure." Tsarek left the bank and waded out to Corvan. "I am sorry, Sir. We tried our best. Gavyn knew how important this was to you. He often held the white stone you gave him and said your name."


    "Gavyn can talk?"


    "Not in your speech, but he can communicate with me in Hoksa, the simple tongue of some of the more intelligent animals. It is crude but you can communicate basic ideas and feelings." Tsarek touched Corvan''s hand. "I think you should rest on the riverbank while I find you a breathing stick. Consuming the elixir can make one a bit tired after a while."


    Corvan looked up the wall to the dark windows of the gatehouse. The gatekeeper might be looking out his screened window and the light of the lumiens was growing. There was no time to find a firestick.


    "How long do I need to hold my breath?"


    "Try for me, and I will tell you if it''s good enough."


    Corvan breathed deeply in and out to get his lungs working to full capacity. Even without lumien seed power in his heart, he felt stronger. He took one last breath and held it.


    A sense of ease settled over him. Normally he would have to concentrate while holding his breath but not this time. He was keenly aware of how much air remained and exactly when he would need to breathe again. Closing his eyes, he waited until the last possible second, then slowly exhaled before drawing in fresh air. When he opened his eyes, Tsarek was nodding enthusiastically.


    "That is much longer than needed for where we must go. I have not seen a human hold their air so long. It must be because of the gatekeeper''s lumien juice. It does the same for me."


    "You drank the lumien juice? The elixir?"


    Tsarek shrugged. "It was the only way I could have the strength to lift the metal circle and set you free." He looked up at the gatehouse looming over the river. "In the early days the ruler gave us a more potent form of lumien fluid so we could communicate with them and think clearly. But unlike humans, my kind does not digress into violence, unless we eat the lumien seeds themselves. I think that is what the Chief Watcher must have done for he was always growing larger and more angry."


    "Don''t you get to where you must have more and are willing to do almost anything to get it?"


    Tsarek''s cheeks flushed as he turned back. "As time goes by, I know that if I do not get more of the refined juice, I will go back to being just another one of the unknowing creatures of the Cor.¡± He looked into Corvan''s eyes. "I can''t let that happen. Now that we are friends."


    "But how long will . . ." Footsteps above them on the wall were followed by gatehouse door on the wall above opening and shutting. Tsarek ducked into the water up to his neck and Corvan drew in closer to the steep edge of the bank.


    A man''s deep voice floated from the wall. It was the same guard who had taken him before the gatekeeper. "Leena. You gave me a start. What are you doing out here?" the man asked.


    "I need to find out what became of that boy,¡± Leena replied from overhead. ¡°I know for certain he is not the one who stole the lumien seed from the energy house. He saw one of the Rakash take the seed, a Rakash with one hand. How could he know about the missing hand unless he saw the Rakash leader?"


    "You can''t trust what that boy says for he also is one of the Rakash, or soon will be. You know the signs as well as anyone, Leena. He started down that path and there is only one place it can end."


    "Is there?" Leena''s voice was tense. "Or does the gatehouse make certain they can never come back because your master turns them into Rakash?"


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    "We help them stay alive. Without us, death is the only option."


    "Then it would be better to let them die.¡±


    "Your father does not think so,¡± the guard growled. ¡°He willingly serves the master of the gatehouse, and I believe he might be the one who has been stealing a few seeds from the energy house of late."


    "You knew it was my father that took those seeds and yet you took that boy inside to make him into a Rakash?¡± Corvan could hear the rising anger in Leena¡¯s voice. ¡°What will the rest of the city think of the gatehouse when the truth is known?"


    "If you want to know the truth about Anamir and the city council, you should ask your questions directly to the gatehouse master himself. I can let him know you would like to meet him in person. Shall we go now?"


    Leena''s voice grew quiet.  ¡°I don''t have any questions."


    The night grew silent and Corvan was about to climb the bank when a rush of footsteps came from up on the wall, someone cried out in pain, then a body hurtled overhead to fall thrashing into the river. Leena! Corvan waded into the water and dove down to where she had disappeared. The current grabbed at him as he descended. He kicked deeper and his hand tangled into Leena¡¯s clothing before his shoulder bounced off the smooth bottom of the riverbed.


    Gripping Leena''s tunic Corvan pulled her body toward the surface, but it was too late. The river had already pulled them beneath the edge of the cavern. He would need to wait until they reached the next open space. He waited until his lungs constricted, warning that he would need to breathe very soon. Were they far enough? It was still pitch-black overhead. Corvan pulled toward the surface, feeling above with his free hand. His fingers reached into air and he raised his head above the water. Pulling in a deep breath, he choked and coughed. The air on this side of the wall was thick with rot and decay, it was barely breathable.


    Dragging Leena''s body, Corvan kicked hard toward the sides of the river where patches of the purple moss glowed among the rocks. His knees scraped the bottom. Struggling get his feet under him in the swift current, he dragged her onto the shore and rolled her over.


    It wasn''t Leena. It was the guard who had been talking to her on the wall; the hilt of a knife protruding from his chest.


    Corvan jumped as something sharp poked his leg. Tsarek stood dripping beside him. "You should not have attempted to rescue him," Tsarek hissed. "That man was dead before he even hit the water."


    "Leena killed him?"


    Tsarek shook his head. "No, she lacks the strength to throw him so far and she was already gone when the guard cried out. It was someone else much stronger that her. Come, you must follow me away from here but be very quiet. Many nasty things hide in these rocks. This is a dangerous place and that will attract them." Tsarek pointed to the river where slender fingers of blue scum were rising to the surface, the remains of the gatekeepers elixir were dripping into the river.


    "What about him?" Corvan pointed to the body.


    "Leave him. Nobody here will care about another dead body. The smaller scavenging creatures will soon make short work of him. There is not much to eat here."


    Corvan followed Tsarek away from the shore. The evil smelling air invaded his lungs and made him gag. Tsarek frowned at him and Corvan repressed the reflex.


    His grandfather''s wet tunic clung around his legs but at least it preserved his body heat. He ran a hand over the straps of the pack on his back. He could use the acetylene lamp for a bit of light and heat but no doubt that would attract unwanted attention from the flesh eating animals Tsarek had referred to.


    Tsarek scrambled up a cleft in the bank and moved onto a narrow shelf that followed the curve of the river. Corvan joined him but a short distance ahead, the shelf ended in a steep drop off. Turning away from the river, Tsarek climbed toward a rocky outcrop A small boulder bounced past Corvan''s head to splash in the water below. Tsarek was a bit too hyper and careless right now. Corvan moved to the right to find a safer place to climb.


    He had just pulled himself onto the top of the riverbank when a girl''s cry for help broke the silence. Tsarek scrambled over to him and tugged on his cloak sleeve. "You often hear such voices in this place," he whispered urgently. "Some of the creatures here can mimic human voices in order to trap others. We must leave."


    The cry came again. It definitely sounded like a young girl. Corvan yanked his cloak from the lizard''s grasp and crawled ahead to peer over a mound of rock.


    Below, in a rocky bowl near a tight bend of the river, three boys were circling a young girl like a pack of coyotes around an injured fawn. One grabbed at her, and she cried out. The boy whooped and held a torn piece of her clothing over his head. Corvan jumped up, only to have his feet yanked out from beneath him. Tsarek was pointing to the scene below. "Look over there," he whispered.


    Corvan turned back in time to see a dark figure jump in amongst the group of boys. One of the boys was thrown through the air and fell into the river, shouting and gurgling as he was swept around a bend in the river. Another was tossed to land headfirst with a crunch in the rocks and the last one ran into the dark crying out in terror.


    Corvan turned his attention back to the girl, but she was already hoisted over the shoulder of her attacker. Corvan shouted and her captor twisted about. Sightless Rakash eyes stared in his direction as the thin face searched the rocks for the source of the sound. It was one of the boys the gatehouse had fed their poison to before sealing his eyes.


    Corvan leapt to his feet. "Leave her alone!" he shouted.


    The Rakash boy stumbled.


    Grabbing a fist-sized rock, Corvan hurled it to one side of the Rakash. The scrawny neck twisted to find the sound and the girl wriggled free of his grasp.


    "Run!" Corvan shouted at her, but the girl only stared at him with eyes that had no white, only dark pupils. Corvan could tell she was seeing him through the darkness as clearly as he was seeing her. Corvan gestured frantically to tell her to move away but now the young Rakash straddled her body, his feet in tight around her.


    Corvan grabbed two more rocks. One went high overhead to clatter down the slope behind the Rakash. The boy turned to check out the sound and the girl was able to slip away.


    Winding up like a pitcher on his mound, Corvan let the rock fly. It glanced off the skeletal shoulder blade of the young Rakash and he cried out, staggering off to the side.


    The girl leapt up and disappeared away from the river among the larger boulders. The Rakash whirled back toward Corvan, snarling, and clicking past thin lips. Corvan held his breath and stood still. The blinded face swiveled about trying to sense his location, then in a flash the Rakash leapt over the ridge behind it and disappeared.

 Medallion 36

    Corvan searched the area below but now there was no one to be seen. He put a hand to his mouth to call out to the girl, but there was a sharp tug on his pant leg.


    "We must go, Sir. You have done well to save the girl''s life but there is nothing more you can do for her. Now we must keep moving if we are to save your father and Gavyn." He turned away to pick his way between the piles of boulders.


    Corvan followed Tsarek but his mind was on the girl. She must have eaten lumien seeds to be able to see so well in the dark. Could women become Rakash? So far, he had not seen any, not even in the gatehouse cells.


    Tsarek stopped abruptly and Corvan bumped into him. The lizard turned left, stopped then threaded in and out of the piles of rubble as if he were trapped inside a pinball game. Finally, he jumped up on a boulder, checked his surroundings and then leapt back to the ground. "I cannot remember the way. So few markings are left."


    "Then let''s wait until it gets light. The glow from this purple moss isn''t bright enough right now."


    Tsarek shook his head. "There is no light to get. All the lumiens are gone. This city is dead."


    "City?" Corvan looked around and realized the piles of rubble were laid out in somewhat of a pattern. Random stacks of stones were all that remained of houses and other larger buildings.


    "Yes, this was once Katay Alba, the largest of the seven cities and the first one to go dark during the Great Destruction. All the lumien seeds were eaten and everyone died in the madness that followed. Anamir city, the one we came from, sealed themselves off from Katay Alba and built the gatehouse to protect their own lumiens."


    "Is this what will happen to Kadir?" Even as he asked the question, the burden of his own part in making Kadir another dark ruin brought on a wave of guilt. He had consumed Kadir''s light and used up their precious resources. The mother plant in his cellar might have been able to save Kadir but he had not brought it back to them. His own actions were an ongoing reflection of the thoughtless actions that had brought on the Great Destruction.


    Tsarek was picking through a pile of rubble at their feet. "Kadir was successful until the Chief Watcher arrived. Once he started eating the seeds, others did the same. Then he created harsh laws against eating seeds, not to save Kadir but to preserve the seeds for his personal use. That when the Broken retaliated and took over half the city and the rest of the lights began to fade. The remaining lumiens have only survived because Kadir''s cavern is so high it is impossible to reach the ones that remain."


    "But the ceiling is lower in the cavern of Anamir city, yet they have lots of lumens."


    "Anamir solved the lumien problem by separating the males into a secure section of the city. They are not allowed out to where the females look after the plants."


    "Girls never eat them?" Corvan asked.


    Tsarek picked something out of the dirt, looked at it wriggling on his paw, then tossed it aside. "A few have tried but the lumien power does not affect them in the same way. Females seem to have a better understanding of caring for the source of all life than the males do."


    Corvan pointed in the direction of the river. "The girl the Rakash boy captured could see me in the dark. Does that mean she ate lumiens?"


    Tsarek cocked his head to one side. "Yes, I saw her eyes. She could see us clearly, but I have never seen that happen to a girl before. The men, however, give in too easily to the desire and must be kept at a distance. In Anamir, if they are suspected of eating lumien seeds they are sent immediately to the gatehouse and then here to Katy Alba."


    Corvan looked at the darkness around them. "Their friends and families are willing to send their men and boys to this place?"


    Tsarek peered into alley formed by piles of stones behind collapsed walls. He pointed forward and gestured for Corvan to follow.


    ¡°Most of the people in Anamir do not know that Katay Alba still has people in it.¡± He pointed around him at the mounds of rubble. "They do not know that this dead city is now being used by the Gatekeeper to train his Rakash army."


    "Army? How many are there?"


    "I am not certain. The Gatekeeper¡¯s cell you were in was where they are first made dependent on his special elixir. The ones that survive that treatment are sent here to the holding area I will show you. It is only the ones that can survive the hardships of Katay Alba who become part of the Rakash army he is creating to take over all the cities of the Cor." Tsarek paused, then turned down a wider street. Corvan walked alongside him skirting pools of glowing yellow slime.


    "How many cities are left?"


    Tsarek halted in a clear space where two streets once met. He looked around for a moment and when he answered his voice was low. "In the beginning there were seven cities in the Cor, and they all enjoyed the full light of their lumiens. When the Great Destruction came, three of the seven fell into darkness, this one, Bandur and Rozan. Rozan is where the rebel men are from and that¡¯s why their leader is trying to take over Kadir. He does not realize that the lumiens of Kadir will not recover and it will become just as dark as Rozan.


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    Tsarek turned to the right. ¡°There is another city, Niva, just down the river from here, but no one has heard from them in a very long time, so it is likely dark too. The last city, at the far end of the Cor River is Dubok Kholm, the ruling city of the Cor. Dubok became isolated from the rest of the cities at the start of the Great Destruction. In Dubok the lumiens that have survived are now underwater so at least it has some light and food, enough at least for the one who lives there."


    Tsarek nodded for Corvan to follow along and headed to the right. As they turned a corner, he put a paw to his lips. Up ahead a curved hill of gravel and small stones rose toward the ceiling. The lizard pointed at the top and began to climb. Corvan followed close behind. No rocks were rolling his way. This time Tsarek was carefully picking his way up the slope.


    As they neared the top, Tsarek dropped down on all fours and crept in behind a lone boulder to peek over the edge. Corvan followed suit and join him. Down below, a wide circle had been cleared to the bedrock and the debris pushed out to the edges to create the high ring they were on. Concentric circular patterns of small, rounded domes spread out across the floor and off to the far side sat a large stone building. On each corner of the building a green light hung from a metal lamppost, illuminating the strange scene below with garish light.


    "Why have they made all those piles?" Corvan whispered.


    The lizard plucked a small rock from the ridge. Using the curve of two claws he whipped the pebble toward the domes, then crouched back down. The small rock bounced off one of the domes and instantly a white head poked from a small opening near its base. A long Rakash body squeezed out the hole and then stood looking up at the large building. Others began popping out from the domes nearby and the effect spread across the circle until many of the domes had a Rakash standing beside it. The domes appeared to be igloo like homes the Rakash army had built from the stone blocks of the old city, pushing all the unusable smaller stones into the circle of rubble that surrounded their unique barracks.


    A robed figure appeared on top of the tall building and struck the side of a huge metal gong three times with a thick rod. The Rakash chirped back, and then, one by one, then pulled back inside their domes. Tsarek waited until the man at the top of the building retreated inside before beckoning to Corvan to follow him away from the strange sight and back down the far side of the ring.


    At the bottom of the hill Tsarek turned into an alcove behind two huge stone blocks.


    Corvan gestured to the hillside and whispered, "What was that?"


    "The Rakash are conserving their strength while they wait for their next dose of the elixir. Each segment they are given an allotment and as the time draws near, they are more sensitive and react to any noise which might suggest their neighbor will get the elixir before they do. If left to themselves, they can swarm about and kill each other in the chaos. Their leaders have to be very careful."


    "They just wait inside those domes till feeding time?" Corvan asked.


    "For the most part they conserve their energy, but at times some of the younger one¡¯s hunt about the cavern."


    "You mean they hunt for a mate? Like the girl by the river?"


    "No. Only the Rakash officers are allowed counterparts and some of them have stolen women from Kadir. The Rakash officers live better than the rest of the recruits but they are not allowed to keep their eyesight. The gatehouse master wants the leaders of his army to fight in the darkness without stopping for food or rest. Sometime soon, during a night of deepest dark, he will send his army to attack Kadir and take it over. He wants his own city ever since the people of Anamir have banished him to the gatehouse."


    "How many Rakash does he have?"


    Tsarek shrugged. "I have never counted as so many do not survive. Only some of those domes are occupied and the Rakash leaders live in the caves in the wall beyond the large building. That building used to be the library of Katay Alba and it is where I last saw your father alive. Gavyn was going back to see him but then he didn¡¯t return. I fear the boy is also now trapped inside."


    "Then we need to get inside that library."


    "Gavyn knew of a different way inside but could not communicate it to me very well."


    Corvan dug into his pocket and pulled out the blue stone. "Maybe this will help us to see where he is now. This is the companion to the one I gave Gavyn. Sometimes, when I hold it, I can see what he is seeing."


    Corvan wrapped his hand around the flat disk and closed his eyes. The picture frame appeared again but this time it was dark, except for a strange pattern of circles with a square near the middle. It took a moment before Corvan realized it was an overhead view looking down at the Rakash barracks from somewhere higher on the cavern wall of Katay Alba. But which wall? He concentrated and the scene pulled toward him as if he had put binoculars to his eyes. Beyond the library building and the rings of the Rakash barracks he could see the ruins of round tower reaching almost to the cavern ceiling.


    Corvan opened his eyes. ¡°I need to go back up for a quick look,¡± he said and climbed quietly back to the top of the rock pile to scan the ring of domes. The tower with its broken roof was a quarter of the way around to his right and to his left he could make out the far wall of the cavern. That had to be where Gavyn had been looking from. They needed to go there.


    As Corvan scuttled back from the edge he tripped over Tsarek crawling up behind him. He tried to catch himself and fell hard against the boulder they had just hidden behind. The stone teetered on its base and then slowly tipped over to go crashing down the slope. Tsarek grabbed his sleeve and yanked him along in the wake of the rock.


    Scrambling to the bottom they tore off down the wide street. Corvan did not look back but in his mind a swarm of white bodies were racing after them. With his eyes on Tsarek''s back he sprinted to keep up as the lizard dodged in and around the mounds of debris.


    Corvan was completely out of breath when Tsarek finally ducked into the doorway of a building with three half walls still standing. Tsarek pointed for him to stay below the level of the walls and slipped back out the door.


    In a moment the lizard was back. "We must keep moving. We are being followed."

 Medallion 37

    Jumping back from the door of the crypt and the view of Tyreth standing next to the rebel leader, Kate ran into the darkness at the back corner of the crypt and touched the center of the master medallion. There had to be someone who could help her rescue Tyreth from the rebel leader. As soon as she was in the anteroom, she moved directly into the chamber without even glancing at the broken door, but to no avail for none of the stars on the doors were glowing. In desperation she touched a finger to Tyreth''s door, then leaned toward the invisible barrier to look inside. To her surprise her hand slipped right through into the small room.


    The light in Tyreth¡¯s anteroom flickered and Kate took a tentative step inside. "Tyreth?" The light brightened slightly. "Can you hear me? It''s Kate."


    Tyreth''s voice crackled around her, like their phone party line in a storm. "Kate? Where are you . . ."


    "I''m in your medallion room,¡± Kate said loudly. ¡°Can you hear what I''m saying?"


    "I can hear your voice but I''m not sleeping this time or in my bed."


    "Is it safe to talk like that?" Kate asked.


    "I don''t need to talk out loud. I''m just thinking the words. This is so strange but Kate, I need your help. I went out on my own to look for Corvan, the rebels captured me and now their leader is about to make me his counterpart. They''ve taken me to a clearing in the crypts and . . ."


    "I know. I just saw you."


    "You saw me? How?¡±


    "I saw you enter the clearing in the tombs next to a tall man that has funny hat on."


    "You''re here?"


    "Yes. Look over the heads of the men to the back wall of tombs. One is a bit taller than the rest and has long vertical crack but it¡¯s actually a door and I''m inside at the back hiding in the dark so I can be in the chamber. Can you see the one I mean?"


    "Not at the moment. The rebel leader is so close and he¡¯s telling me about the ceremony and how he is sending for Jorad so we can be joined. Ugh, doesn''t this guy ever wash? And his breath stinks too. Oh great, now he''s shaking my shoulders and telling me he¡¯s leaving for a while. I can''t talk to you pay attention to him at the same time. You need to let me go before he gets mad. I''ll find a way to come over to you."


    Kate closed Tyreth¡¯s chamber door. As she was turning away, the star on Jorad''s new door began to glow. Morgan said Jorad couldn''t be trusted but Morgan also said Jorad truly cared about Tyreth. Besides, if he was in the chamber that meant the rebel leader¡¯s men hadn¡¯t reached him yet and she would warn him.


    Kate touched the door and found Jorad waiting inside.


    "Kate. I am so glad you¡¯re alive. Where have they taken you?"


    Kate forced herself to stay calm. What she wanted to say was that he knew exactly where they had taken her because she heard him scheming with the rebel leader in the cave. "It doesn''t matter where I am now. I need to tell you about Tyreth."


    He leaned into the barrier. "I was informed she went out into the city on her own and hasn¡¯t been seen since. Do you know where she went?"


    "The rebel leader captured her and very soon he is going to marry her."


    Anger rippled across Jorad''s face. "I won''t be helping him anymore. It¡¯s time to make a new alliance. There is someone else I can work with who will help me rescue Tyreth from that madman.¡±


    "There''s no time for your schemes. He left here to instruct his men to get you so you can perform the ceremony."


    Jorad nodded. "Then we will play by his own insane rules. I can delay his plans while I set things up to rescue her. Where do they have her?"


    "In the same place you took me last time to marry the same madman," Kate said dryly.


    Jorad took a deep breath. ¡°I''m sorry, Kate. At the time I was only thinking about how to save Tyreth''s life. It all got a bit too complicated, and things got out of control."


    As he spoke his face softened and the dirt on his robe faded to dull smudges. Kate knew all too well that sometimes people did irrational things when they loved someone.


    "He is sending his soldiers for you," Kate said.


    "Let them come. They won''t find me here. If you can get word to Tyreth, let her know I have a plan to set her free and I will be there soon. I must leave right away before his soldiers get here." He nodded to Kate, then vanished.


    As Jorad''s door shimmered closed another star light appeared to her left. The grey-eyed man with the curly hair was back in his anteroom and he might be able to get to where Tyreth was faster than Jorad. Crossing the chamber, Kate opened his door.


    Atiya stood just inside, her cheeks streaked with tears. She quickly wiped them away with the sleeve of a knee length green robe embroidered with filigrees of gold braid that twisted up the sleeves and onto her shoulders. Dark pants with sharp creases and pair of thigh length black boots completed her military looking outfit.


    "Kate! I''m so glad you got here,¡± Atiya said, her voice catching. ¡°He . . . he said you would come if I let myself sleep and I thought he was just trying to make me rest so I closed my eyes just for a minute to make him feel better." She blinked back more tears. "He''s hurt bad. The blast knocked him off the cliff and he''s coughing up blood and I think his ribs are broken." Atiya glanced over her shoulder. "He''s resting under the tree in Gavyn''s garden. I brought him here so the spring water will help him heal quickly, but he keeps on insisting on going to that tomb of his to find you. His real name is Morgan but he''s nothing like the stories you hear. He was never on the side of the Chief Watcher and was trying to save Kadir. He wanted to keep looking for you after the explosion but I insisted he come with me to Gavyn''s garden instead." She swallowed and blinked away fresh tears. "I knew I shouldn''t have let him stay behind. It''s my fault he was hurt."


    "No Atiya,¡± Kate said. ¡°He knew his plan might not work but he was willing to risk it to get us both out of there. Let him know you''ve talked to me and that I''m okay and the master medallion is safe. Tell him not to come to the tombs. He needs to rest, and I''ll talk to him as soon as I can.¡±


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    Atiya nodded and wiped her runny nose with a richly embroidered sleeve. "Are you in Kadir? Have you found Tyreth?"


    "Yes. She''s been captured by the rebels, but Jorad just told me he is going to work with someone else he knows and ask for help to rescue her. Let Morgan know. He was worried about Tyreth''s safety and was not sure if Jorad could be trusted but it seems like he is our only hope right now."


    A shadow crossed Atiya''s face.


    "Are you all right?" Kate asked.


    The younger girl nodded but her jaw tensed as she chewed the inside of her cheek. "I need to go back and check on Morgan. I¡¯ll talk to you later."


    The light faded above Atiya, and she too was gone. Kate closed the door and the light of Morgan''s star faded away.


    In the silence of the chamber, Kate heard movement behind her. Slowly she turned her face to the shattered door. A hairless, rat-like creature sat on its haunches, cleaning its claws, and staring at her with beady eyes. When Kate shifted her stance, it scuttled back through the broken door and vanished into the floor. Running back to her own anteroom, Kate shut the door, touched the center of the medallion, and was immediately back in the darkness of the crypt.


    Across the small room, shadows were flickering across the crack of the door. Kate tiptoed closer and listened. Tyreth was outside making a grand fuss. She certainly knew how to get things done.


    "Do you honestly expect me to prepare to join with our great Cor-Van out here in the open? Get that tent up right away. I want to be as far as possible from all these unwashed sweaty bodies. And I require that you to keep everyone far away from here. I know all too well what you soldiers are like. Just look at them gawking."


    Something scraped against the tomb walls and the crack went dark. Tyreth''s voice came again, a bit calmer this time. "That''s better. I will inform the Cor-Van about your prompt service as soon as he returns. Now I am going to retire for some much-needed rest. Make sure no one comes near this tent unless I call for you."


    Kate waited a minute before sliding the door open a few inches. A heavy cloth had been pressed against the wall. "Tyreth," Kate whispered, "are you there?"


    "Just a minute." The cloth lifted from the ground and Tyreth appeared holding a small bright light set upright on a round holder. She handed it to Kate. "Be careful not to set the tent on fire," she said as Kate took the strange looking candle from her. Tyreth crawled into the tomb, stood to her feet and the light between them fell on their faces. For a moment they just looked at each other before Tyreth touched the scar on her cheek. "It''s like looking in my mirror at the palace.¡±


    Kate touched her own cheek. "Its because we have the same scar, and my hair is also turning darker. They said that might be from hitting my head."


    "It''s more than that. We could easily pass for sisters." She raised her eyebrows and smiled. "That could explain why Jorad is so interested in you."


    Kate''s face flushed and she shook her head. ¡°I think he was just being nice in the garden so he could find out what I knew about the medallions."


    Tyreth''s forehead creased. "He was using you?"


    "No. Maybe? I''m not sure but I did just return from meeting him in the chamber, and he told me to tell you he''s finding someone to help rescue you. He said he was going to make a new alliance. From his appearance inside the chamber, it seems he truly cares about you and Kadir."


    The furrows in Tyreth''s brow deepened. "I bet he is planning to speak to the captain of the guard. I must get back to the city right away. If the palace tries to rescue me, many good people will die on both sides of this foolish conflict. My father said one of the other cities is pitting Kadir against Rozan to weaken both of our forces before they attack."


    "Corvan is in one of the other cities."


    Tyreth touched Kate''s hand. "Which one?"


    Kate flinched and pulled away. Tyreth''s interest in Corvan still bothered her a bit. "Corvan said it was the one on the other side of the waterfall but now he''s sick. He was cold and blue, even his lips and tongue. I hardly recognized him."


    Tyreth¡¯s eyes narrowed. "What was he wearing in the chamber?"


    Kate avoided her gaze and looked to the side. "A loincloth thing, sort of like shorts."


    Tyreth dropped her hand from Kate¡¯s shoulder and turned to face the door. She didn''t speak for a long time, and when she turned back, she was wiping tears from her eyes. "When you told me earlier of his troubles, I thought perhaps he had started down that path."


    "To the other city?"


    "No Kate. Corvan is eating lumien seeds. It is a capital offense in the Cor to consume our light and it awakens a terrible desire. Once a young man starts, they cannot stop and the need for lumien power takes over their lives and darkens our cities. A few of the strongest have survived, but only to become Rakash. I believe that is what has happened to Corvan." She took a deep breath. "He is now, or soon will be, our worst enemy."


    Taking Kate by the shoulders, Tyreth held her firmly. "You must never talk to him in the chamber, Kate. Now that he has eaten the seeds there is nothing he will say that you can trust."


    Kate twisted free of Tyreth¡¯s hands. "But I can help him. He will listen to me."


    Tyreth shook her head. "He is not only beyond our help but now that he has joined forces with another city, he will be used by them to take over Kadir, then the entire Cor." She turned for the door of the crypt. "I must return to the palace and stop Jorad from coming here."


    Kate grabbed Tyreth¡¯s sleeve. "There''s no time. The rebel leader has men who are dressed up as palace guards who are going to stage a raid at your wedding. He said you are going to die in the battle and that will be his excuse to send his men to attack the palace."


    Tyreth''s eyes widened. "He really is insane."


    "He said you''re too much trouble and that he wants a counterpart who won''t be so stubborn."


    Tyreth''s eyes blazed. "I''ll show him trouble. Leave him to me. I''ll convince him to delay the wedding but you must go to the palace and ask the captain of the guard to get in touch with my father. The captain will think you''re crazy because my father is supposed to be dead but tell him my father is hiding in the caretaker''s caves at the lair of the Volisk below the temple karst. Can you remember that? The caretaker''s cave below the temple karst. The karst is that pool of water between the boots of the statue."


    Kate shook her head. "Why would the captain believe me? He''ll think I''m part of the rebel leader''s plan and take me captive."


    Tyreth reached inside her tunic and withdrew a pouch. "Show him this." Opening the strings, she pulled out a black hammer and placed it in Kate''s hand.


    A powerful sense of purpose flowed through Kate as the interior of the tomb glowed with the blue light from the base of the handle. The memory of holding this hammer over the lizard''s head and setting the creature free of the black band surged back. "This is Corvan''s hammer. Where did you find it?"


    Tyreth paused. "Maybe this might not be the best idea,¡± she said as she took the hammer back. "The captain of the guard might think you stole it and this is a trick of one of the other cities." Tyreth reached up to her neck and drew out a silver ring on a slender black chain. "Give this back to him and tell him," Tyreth''s face flushed as she pulled it over her head, "tell him I wore it while I considered his request to be his counterpart. If you tell him that, he will know you are speaking the truth."


    Kate accepted the ring and tucked it away in her pocket.


    "You shouldn''t have any trouble at the city gates," Tyreth said. "They are used to me coming and going at odd hours and respect my privacy, but watch out for Mara."


    "Who¡¯s that?"


    "Mara was my guardian growing up, but she likes to think that she¡¯s my mother. She knows me well so don''t talk to her or take off your hood around her. Go only through the front door of the palace and tell the man at the door you wish to see the Captain right away. My room is at the top of the central staircase. Go to the right; it''s the only door without an arch, mine is flat on top. No doubt Mara will follow you inside the first room but she won''t come into my bedroom because I told her she''s not allowed anymore. That hasn''t stopped her from listening at my door so be careful what you say to the captain, even inside my bedroom."


    Tyreth tucked the hammer back into its pouch and Kate pointed to it. "I once used the hammer to set a creature free from a black band that enslaved it. Couldn''t we use its power to set Corvan free from eating those seeds?"


    Tyreth shook her head firmly and tucked the pouch inside her tunic. "No Kate, we can''t take that chance. If Corvan takes the hammer to someone in another city, many people will have given their lives for nothing."

 Medallion 38

    Kate skirted the edge of the clearing in the crypts, staying in close to the plastered walls and as far away from the groups of soldiers as possible. Fortunately, they were all deeply engrossed in their own conversations, and no one took any notice of her in the stolen rebel uniform.


    As she drew closer to the gap between the crypts, where she had first entered the clearing, her heart beat faster. A group of men were clustered on a low rise between the wall and a metal brazier full of coals. Kate began threading her way through them but bumped into one. The man whirled about, his face glistening in the firelight as his hands fidgeted with the strap of his crossbow. "Watch where you''re going." He glared into her hood but Kate put her head down and kept moving. It was the young man with the bruised face who had been inside the crypt, the one who was planning to assassinate the rebel leader. She had forgotten to tell Tyreth about overhearing the three men and their plans, but there was no going back now.


    Stepping around another group of older men, she hurried into the exit passage and down the narrow channel. As she cleared the far end she was grabbed and yanked over to the side wall. The officer who had woken her up at Morgan''s tomb was not happy.


    "About time you got back. Is everything secure? Our Cor-Van will be returning as soon as the high priest can get here."


    Kate looked away from the man. If the rebel leader walked into the clearing and was shot by the young man with the crossbow, anything could happen to Tyreth in the confusion.


    She pitched her voice low. "I overheard a young man with a crossbow talking about killing our leader. He was standing by the fire with a group of other soldiers."


    "Does he have a beat-up face?"


    Kate nodded and the officer shoved her away. "I thought I knocked some sense into him." He gestured to three soldiers waiting at the end of the alley and they ran up to him. The embroidered hem of their sleeves flashed as they saluted. "You two come with me. An assassination plot has been uncovered." He touched the shoulder of the third man. "You stay here and wait for the Cor-Van. Do not let him come inside until I make sure the area is secure."


    The officer turned to Kate. "You stay here as well. We don''t want the assassin to recognize you and get jumpy."


    He turned and moved off down the channel with the two soldiers, leaving Kate to guard the entrance with the other one. She could feel the soldier''s eyes on her and finally he spoke. ¡°What happened to your braid?¡±


    Kate wasn¡¯t sure what he meant so she just shrugged and focused on the ground her feet.


    "How long have you been with the Rozan Guard? I don''t remember seeing you before."


    Kate didn¡¯t respond. Stealing a glance up the alley she got ready to run. She was likely fast enough to get away from him.


    "Do you know Paden?"


    Was that someone''s name or a place in the Cor? Kate shook her head.


    "That''s strange you don''t know him." The man suddenly crossed over and tugged on the embroidered sleeve of her cloak. "Considering you''re wearing his cloak." He tossed her hood up and fell back in shock. "Tyreth? I¡¯m sorry for approaching you this way, buy why are you . . ." His eyes rolled back in his head as he toppled over. A grey patch of the crypt wall appeared to reach out and ease the soldier''s body to the ground. The shadow took shape and an ashen face turned to Kate.


    "The rebel leader will be arriving soon. I must get you back to the palace." The shadowed figure took Kate by the arm and hurried her across the pathway and down a narrow alley. They rushed along other small pathways, taking a few turns, until the black outline of a large gate appeared. Her shadowed companion motioned for her to stay in place and crept off to the side.


    A muffled thump came from just ahead before the man returned to lead her off to one side and through a smaller opening. Kate stumbled over something soft. Another rebel soldier lay sprawled on the ground.


    Her rescuer swept across the main road and through darkened streets until the shrouded face of the statue appeared far off to her right. They were heading away from it, but that was where the palace was located. Kate was breathing hard, and her steps were faltering but the man pulled on her hand. "Where are you taking me?" she gasped.


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    "To see your mother," he said softly over his shoulder. He wasn¡¯t breathing hard at all. She could never run away from this person.


    Tyreth hadn''t mentioned her mother. Did he mean Mara? "You''re taking me . . .  to the palace?" Kate asked.


    "Yes, but your mother needs to speak with you first. There is much she needs to tell you."


    Kate dug in her heels and yanked her hand free from his grasp. "But I need to go to the palace."


    "Your mother has news regarding the young boy who brought us the hammer."


    "Corvan?"


    The grey face nodded. "Yes. He has returned to the Cor and is looking for you."


    "He''s looking for Tyreth." The words slipped out, but the grey-faced man didn''t seem to notice.


    The man gestured toward a large, ruined building set up against the side of the cavern. ¡°Please come and talk with your mother and then I can take you through a tunnel below the city and directly inside the palace compound. It will be much safer than going through the streets with all the palace guard out looking for you. ¡°Your mother hopes they do not find Corvan as she gave him your medallion before he went missing. It is imperative we find him and get it back. "


    Kate took a few deep breaths to collect her thoughts. Anything that might help them find Corvan before he got himself in more trouble with the seeds would be good. Tyreth was wrong about him. Corvan was not her enemy. She knew now that he had followed her here the first time to rescue her from the black band. She owed it to him to do the same for him. Kate nodded and the man turned into an alley and down an incline. At the bottom he ushered her through a door, then shut it silently behind them.


    Water dripped in the darkness and the damp smell of moldy cloth wrapped around them. "You must hold my hand, Tyreth," the grey man whispered. "We cannot risk a light in the library in case the mayor has sent another patrol from the City of Refuge."


    Kate held out her hand and his fingers wrapped gently around her own. They moved through a cavernous room to where a dim light framed a stairway. Images flickered through Kate''s mind as disjointed scenes formed into memories. On their first journey Corvan placed the glowing medallion on her chest in this library building and that small gesture had saved her life. If the medallion hadn''t been returned to her, she would have been trapped inside the chamber. Afterward Corvan had carried her to a small cave where Kate had met an old woman named Saray. Was that Tyreth¡¯s mother that this grey man was taking her to meet?


    They stopped at a wide, curved stairway and the man let go of her hand. ¡°Wait here, while I check the chapel upstairs.¡± Before Kate could respond he ascended the steps in a fluid motion. He returned almost immediately. ¡°She is not there. I hope the mayor did not find her and take her back for trial in the City of Refuge. I wouldn¡¯t put it past him.¡± He moved on along under the upper balcony and Kate followed close behind.


    They passed a row of support columns for the balcony overhead and entered a foyer where blue lumien light leaked through cracks in the walls. The grey-faced man took a step down onto the top of another curved staircase that disappeared into a dark hallway below. He turned to her, his face level with her own and Kate took a step back. His face was coated with thick grey paint. He smiled and touched his nose. "This special mud helps us to blend into our surroundings. I hope it will also help us sneak past the gate leading into the City of Refuge." Pulling off his cloak, he crouched down before her. "I will carry you on my back and cover you with my cloak to keep us both hidden in case the guards are watching from inside."


    Kate climbed on his back and with one deft motion the grey coated man swept his cloak over them, then descended the stairs. His descent was so fluid, it was if she were riding the escalator in the Fenwood department store. When he reached the bottom, however,  he stopped so suddenly Kate almost fell off his back. He pushed them both back under the stairwell, banging Kate''s head on the stone overhead. A quiet exclamation escaped her lips and the hands supporting her legs tightened. "You must be quiet," he whispered. "Someone is coming out the front gate."


    Across the hall, a section of the wall opened up and a double line of soldiers streamed out, then ascended the stairs to the library. Two men in dark cloaks followed. One was tall, his face covered by his hood. The other was short and completely bald. The bald man looked up the stairway as the last of the soldiers'' footsteps died away. "I am giving you the best of my personal guards. You had better be right about your plan."


    The taller man started to reply but was waved off.


    "I don''t need another of your priestly oaths. They mean nothing to me. The only thing I want from you is that girl''s medallion. It is the only way the City of Refuge will be recognized as a full member of the future council. I don''t care what happens to that girl or even to Tyreth as long as I get one of the medallions. Your life is forfeit to me until it is in my hand. Do not try and double-cross me."


    The taller man spoke. "You shall have one of the medallions as promised, but you are wrong about Tyreth. We need her alive and in her place at the palace if we hope to control the new council."


    Kate stiffened. There was no mistaking the voice.


    Jorad had just made a deal with the leader of a city for her medallion. A deal that could end up costing her life.

 Medallion 39

    "How many Rakash are following us?" Corvan whispered.


    ¡°It¡¯s not Rakash,¡± Tsarek said, pointing across the crumbled room. "But we need to go that way."


    Tsarek led him out of the ruined building and across a narrow alley. As he disappeared behind a low broken wall, a scrabble of claws and loud hissing erupted from the other side, then silence. Corvan slipped in closer and peered over the top of the loose blocks. Inside an open space surrounded by piles of loose blocks, Tsarek was trussed up in a thin rope, his arms pinned to his sides. Gathered around him were three smaller lizards. One had a red mark on its chest, and it was touching its claw to Tsarek''s neck. When it saw Corvan, it hissed and poked its claw deeper into Tsarek''s scales.


    "Do not be alarmed, Sir." Tsarek spoke and the three smaller creatures fell back in astonishment. "They do not mean any harm. I think they are here to help us, but they are afraid and unsure of what to do next."


    The largest one with the red mark hissed at Corvan, pointing eagerly over a high pile of bricks before scuttling up and over the top.


    "They want us to follow them because it is too dangerous so close to the barracks. Rakash scouts are heading this way." Tsarek slipped his disfigured long claw under the rope and neatly severed the coils. As the pieces of rope fell to the ground the other two lizards scurried to the bottom of the pile of bricks and waited.


    Corvan came around the crumbled wall into the room. "But where are they taking us? We need to find Gavyn as soon as we can."


    "They want to go to a safe place where they can hide from the Rakash who hunt and eat them. It will be best if we go with them for now so we can stay alive."


    Corvan nodded. "Can you ask them if they have seen my father or Gavyn?"


    "I can try, but it is difficult to get complicated questions across. Their communication is limited." Tsarek turned and directed a series of hisses and clicks at the two remaining lizards.


    One of them bobbed its head, hissed in return, then pointed between two piles of rubble and bounded through the gap. Tsarek shrugged at Corvan and turned to follow.


    Past the piled they entered a narrow lane. The two lizards ran ahead, poking their noses around corners, clicking, and gesturing urgently for them to follow.


    Corvan caught up to Tsarek. "Why can''t I understand what these ones are saying?"


    "They speak only Hoksa,¡± Tsarek said. ¡°They have never received the pure elixir that would enlighten them and allow them to communicate anything beyond basic feelings like fear and hunger." He glanced up at Corvan. "Like the dog on the story box at Kate''s house. The one called Lassie. These ones understand you should not be out here where it is so dangerous. I believe they may be taking us to others of your kind."


    Corvan turned the thought over as they moved through the shattered buildings. The pure elixir Tsarek referred to must be different from what the gatekeeper was making and also incredibly potent if it could turn these animals into . . . he searched for the right term for what Tsarek was to him and could only came up with one - a person.


    As he studied the back of Tsarek''s narrow head he thought back to when he was younger, and their family had a border collie. At that time, he was certain the dog could understand what he was saying but simply lacked the ability to respond. That must be what the lumien juice did for Tsarek: it let him communicate back. For humans, however, it did the complete opposite and turned them into animals, into the Rakash. He wiped a hand over his brow and stumbled in a dry pothole. If the chamber place was right about him, he was already going down the same path.


    They were coming closer the cavern wall; the streets were becoming more distinct and the buildings smaller and wider apart. The two small lizards sprinted ahead and were lost beneath the dark shadow of an overhanging ledge that stuck out from the wall. The ground had been cleared off and patches of the glowing moss ringed the edges of shallow pools. Tsarek stayed well away from the water and Corvan slowed down and followed suit, concentrating on where his feet were going.


    When he caught up to Tsarek, his friend was waiting before a screen of long vines stretching down from the ledge overhead. Corvan reached out to touch one, but Tsarek batted his hand away.


    "Do not touch! It will make all your skin bubble and burn off your body. A nasty way to die. I forgot to tell you that when I came through the settlements after we were separated, I saw that the soldiers from Kadir had planted some of these to block the way to where that old woman lives. When you see her next you must warn her not to touch them or she will die."


    "At the Molakar settlement?¡± Corvan asked.


    "Yes, where you left the Cor with Kate, where I waved the goodbye to you. After you left, the Palace Guard sealed up the passage going in but the old woman who helped you didn''t make it out in time. I saw her in Molakar when I came through the water after I escaped from the Volisk."


    "Saray is trapped there alone?"


    "Yes. The only way she could escape is through the water of the karst but it''s much deeper now." His voice trailed off as he looked to where the curtain of vines curved around to meet the cavern wall. "I believe these vines were also intentionally planted, but I think it is to keep the Rakash out and not to trap someone inside." Using his long claw, Tsarek gingerly pulled one strand away from the rest. "For the Rakash, the vines are too thin for them to sense or see in the dark." He nodded past the vine at a twisted pile of bones laying next to a human skull that grimaced as if it were still in agony. "They don''t get very far."


    Beyond the bones, a shadow flickered among the swaying vines. "The small ones of my kind can run between the strands," Tsarek said. "Look, they are opening a way for us."


    The vines ahead of them parted as more of the small lizards joined into hold the strands back with their claws. Tsarek moved into the gap and Corvan stayed close behind him. Stepping over the skull, he had to wonder if that person had been led by the same lizards into a trap. He glanced back to see the vines falling back into position. There was no going back now.


    A glimmer of light shone through the glistening stands as they neared the back wall of the cavern. A rough opening had been cut into the wall and Corvan followed the lizards and Tsarek inside the tunnel with a sigh of relief.


    Up ahead, Tsarek was standing under a small lumien. "Watch this, Sir. It is very ingenious." As Tsarek stepped past the light, it went dark and another ahead of him grew brighter. ¡°Somehow, these ones sense your movement as you pass. We are being welcomed." He smiled wryly. "Or more likely the lights are warning someone we are coming."


    Corvan followed along as the lights led them on. "Where are they getting the power if all the lumiens in this city are dead?" he whispered.


    Tsarek let out a hissing chuckle that echoed down the tunnel. "They are stealing it from the gatehouse in Anamir city. A thick vine branched off the main power source that feeds into the gatehouse and has followed the water here into Katay Alba. I used it to pull myself along when I went back to Anamir against the current. I wondered at that time where it went as I could feel the power flowing through. Whoever lives in here behind the vines has tapped into Anamir''s power and is using it for their own purposes. It is very clever."


    Turning a sharp corner, they entered a round chamber. No sooner were they inside than a door closed over the tunnel behind them, sealing off the only exit. As Corvan walked slowly forward under the domed ceiling, he picked up the rasp of shallow breathing. He held his own breath, and the noise stopped, replaced by the click of Tsarek''s claws and the shallow hiss of the lizard''s breathing instead. Looking up, he drew in a long whistling breath that echoed back into his ears. The dished roof overhead was a reflector that amplified every noise. The sounds grew even louder as they approached the center of the floor.


    A high-pitched squeal, like one of those toy whistles only dogs could hear filled the room. Corvan reached to cover his ears but Tsarek jabbed his leg and nodded his head slightly upward. In the slope of the ceiling, Corvan caught a glimpse of movement behind a narrow slit. The pitch and volume increased and Corvan winced, glad he didn''t have any lumien energy in his ears to make them even more sensitive. The intense sound had to be a test to see if they were Rakash, no doubt this high noise would drive them insane.


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    The sound ended abruptly and the room plunged into darkness. A sudden whoosh of escaping air popped his ears as an angular doorway opened up across the chamber. Tsarek passed him and headed for the light.


    They entered a corridor intersected by passages coming in from all directions. The jumble of tunnels would have been impossible to negotiate but each time they arrived at an intersection a lumien further down one of the side tunnels would glow, telling them which way to turn. Tsarek chuckled again. "No doubt these other tunnels lead into traps. Much planning has gone into creating a system to keep the Rakash out."


    Corvan following along. The problem with Tsarek''s theory was that the Rakash, and people like himself, those who had eaten lumien hearts, could sense the power in lumiens even if they could not see the light. Reaching up he touched one of the lumien bulbs and realized his theory was incorrect. The small globes lacked any power of their own and were only using whatever energy flowed through the vines.


    A final light hung beneath the stone lintel of a wide door. They kept close to one side and peered into a huge room hewn from solid rock. Rough squared pillars supported a balcony that ran around the perimeter. Tsarek waved Corvan on and as he emerged from beneath the balcony, he caught sight of a thick net strung below a flat ceiling. It looked like a gargantuan spider''s web with rope ladders hung suspended above from hooks in the ceiling where someone had been painting the same sort of faces and scenes, he had seen in the library of Kadir. The paintings were incomplete, but the faces were more stern and angry than the ones in the Kadir library. He felt like they were accusing him of trespassing in their sacred space.


    A line of lights strung around the railing of the balcony brightened and a man¡¯s voice spoke out across the large room.


    "Welcome to our colony, the only true remnant of the once great city of Katay Alba.¡±


    A man in a dull brown cloak appeared in a doorway at the far end of the room.


    Tsarek slipped behind Corvan and whispered, "Do not call me by my name or speak to me. I do not talk, not here." He jabbed Corvan sharply in the thigh to make his point.


    The man crossed the floor toward them while gesturing overhead. "Please excuse the nets and ropes. We are working on our paintings to remind our people of who we are. We believe we cannot move toward our future unless we can first point to your past. When people abandon their heritage, they might as well remain in the darkness."


    He gestured to a side wall where a lone table sat next to a section of niches. "Most of the scrolls in Katay Alba were burned for light as our city died, but our colony has salvaged enough to teach our children the truth about the history of Katay Alba and why our colony was founded."


    The man stopped in front of Corvan and Tsarek and looked back and forth between them. "Your guide has the appearance of one of the original Watchers, but we understood they had all faded away - all except for the Chief Watcher of Kadir."


    "This one is not the Chief Watcher," Corvan said firmly. "The Chief Watcher died when he tried to hold the hammer."


    The man nodded thoughtfully. ¡°We heard reports to that end, but I was not sure if they were true. Then who does this Watcher serve?" he asked, pointing at Tsarek.


    Corvan glanced down at Tsarek. The lizard was looking blankly at the far wall of the room, as if he was not understanding a word. ¡°This one is my guide, like the ones that helped us through the vines outside. He travels with me, and I look after him.¡± Corvan was sure Tsarek looked away to hide his grin. No doubt he would disagree about who was looking after who in their relationship.


    The man nodded and clicked his tongue. The small lizard with the red mark, the one that held its claw to Tsarek''s neck in the ruins, came running in from under the balcony. The man clicked out a question; the lizard responded with a long hiss and more clicks, then scampered into the shadows.


    The man studied Tsarek. "If I understand my own guide correctly, it indicates that yours is capable of human speech."


    Corvan only shrugged in return.


    The man continued. "Perhaps they are mistaken. I doubt they have ever heard any of their kind speak human language before."


    The red spotted lizard reappeared, ran over to the man and crouched behind him. The man turned toward the shadows at the end of the room and waited.


    An ancient lizard limped out of the shadows. Tsarek looked to Corvan in amazement, then ran forward to bow before the creature. The old lizard laid a twisted paw on Tsarek''s head and spoke in a creaky voice. It didn¡¯t sound like human speech but somehow Corvan was able to understand what the old lizard was saying.


    "So, Tsarek. You have not faded away like the rest. I am glad that I am not the only one of us left. There are none of their kind left who understand our tongue and without the pure elixir I lost my ability to speak theirs. I should warn you that this man''s counterpart has tried to create a potion to test on us, but it is not safe. Do not accept anything she offers you."


    Tsarek lifted his head and replied in his own language. "The keeper of the gate also has an elixir he is using to create the Rakash. I was beginning to fade away, so I took a small drink. It helped for a short time but it was created for the human kind. Now I am even more tired. I fear I do not have long before I will regress in unknowing."


    The old lizard nodded. ¡°There is only one left who has the pure potion we both need, but I would rather fade away than serve that one."


    Tsarek glanced at the man standing next to Corvan. "Do you serve this man now?"


    "I serve no one," the old lizard said. "The people of this colony believe me to be the oldest of their guides. They found me here in the tunnels with the other small guides when they created their settlement. They do not know I was a Watcher for one of the last great leaders of the council. That man only knows I am somewhat different, but he and I can only communicate in Hoksa. It is also the only way they can direct the lower creatures to do their bidding."


    The leathery face turned to Corvan. Intelligent eyes searched his own before giving Corvan a quick nod. "Come with me, Tsarek. We are causing your companion a measure of distress over this long conversation. Let us leave and continue our talk elsewhere. There is much to tell you of what has happened in Katay Alba and how this new colony came to be."


    Tsarek glanced at Corvan with a question on his face. Corvan gave a small nod and Tsarek and his ancient companion left the hall followed by an entourage of smaller lizards.


    As the troupe of reptiles disappeared through a door, Corvan looked up to find the man studying him.


    "You can understand their speech." It was not a question.


    Corvan nodded.


    "And speak it."


    Corvan nodded again but found himself wondering if it was true. He had been able to understand Tsarek''s language after holding the hammer but he didn''t need to learn to speak Tsarek''s language. His mouth could never make all those clicking noises correctly. It was Tsarek who could speak and comprehend human language, but he didn''t want this man to know.


    "I believe you are the one we have been waiting for,¡± the man said. ¡°I understand you saved the life of one of our young women who foolishly went out into Katay Alba with three of our more rebellious males. I have been told that you have joined us in our fight against the Rakash."


    "I came here to rescue my father. They took him from our home and are holding him in the large building in the center of the Rakash domes."


    The man nodded eagerly. "Then we must work together. To rescue him from the old library, you will need to get past the entire Rakash army, and I can make that possible." He pointed above at the painter''s net overhead. "Defeating the Rakash army is like taking on a nest of Entosk spiders. You cannot kill them one at a time or they will swarm about and kill you. Instead, you must find the main thread that is still attached to their central feeder and set it on fire. It will burn straight to their queen and eliminate her. Then the rest will die in confusion, unable to do anything without their leader.¡± He pointed to the table. ¡°Come, I will show you how you can destroy the entire nest of Rakash, then rescue your father."


    The man turned and strode away and Corvan jogged to follow him towards the table and the section of wall niches filled with scrolls. Movement off to the right caught his eye and he looked over, expecting to see Tsarek returning. Instead he saw a young girl, barely visible in the shadow of one of the support columns.


    "Ah yes, this is the one." Up ahead the man was spreading a crinkled old parchment on the table and weighing the corners down with smooth black disks.


    Corvan touched a brittle edge. "There is a library full of scrolls in Kadir."


    The man¡¯s head snapped up. "I was informed it was destroyed by the Chief Watcher and all the scrolls were lost."


    "It only appears that way from the outside. If you can get inside, many of the scrolls are intact, except where the water rose through the floor and ruined the bottom few rows."


    The man¡¯s face grew dark with anger. "One more reason why we must stop the Rakash invasion of Kadir. That library is our last hope to preserve the true history of the Cor." He was about to say something more but instead, pointed at the parchment. "Let me show you what must be done."


    Before them was a map of a city laid out in straight lines, not at all like the circles of Kadir.


    "Katay Alba was our largest city before the Great Destruction, but now, with the Rakash clearing a space for their barracks, it is difficult to locate where things used to be. This," he pointed to a rectangle that had been redrawn in darker ink off to one side of the map, "this was the greatest library of the Cor, but now it is surrounded by the Rakash mounds. There is a circle of domes they have built from the rubble where they wait for their next portion of elixir. You must avoid disturbing them and setting off the swarm." He tapped the rectangle on the map. "The elixir they require is stored right here, in a pool in the middle of the library."


    Corvan looked up at him. ¡°Is that the thread you talked about? Do you need to destroy the pool?"


    The man shook his head firmly. ¡°That would only starve them of the elixir until the Gatekeeper could manufacture more, making them more desperate and dangerous, especially to our colony. They know we are here, but so far, they ignore us and stay away from our traps. If they were deprived of their drug, there is no telling what they might do.¡±


    He removed the two end stones and began to roll up the map. ¡°Our plan is to send a spy inside the library to poison the pool.¡± He stopped and looked intently at Corvan. ¡°That way, when all the Rakash receive their allotted portion of the elixir, they will die together."

 Medallion 40

    Corvan watched in silence as the man rolled up his map and the outlined rectangle representing the library of Kadir vanished.  How could the man be planning to poison all the Rakash when they were simply men and boys who had made the mistake of eating a lumien seed? They didn¡¯t deserve to die, even if the man believed the Rakash were their enemies and about to invade Kadir or take over his settlement.


    Tying a leather thong around the scroll, the man returned it to one of the cubby holes along the wall. As he returned to the table, he studied Corvan¡¯s face. "You might be thinking that once we are rid of the Rakash and we replant our lumiens back in Katay Alba, that our own youth will start eating our lumien seeds and our city would be lost once again." The man looked to a lumien hanging over the table with a proud smile. "But we have now solved the age-old problem of the desire to consume lumien seeds." Reaching up, he caressed the globe that was hanging from a metal hook, and it began to glow. "We have developed our own lumien and we have successfully cloned it. A hybrid that will finally end the desire for the seeds. Go ahead and touch it."


    Corvan cupped the soft skin of the light in the palm of his hand. The power within instantly aroused the familiar desire. The man was wrong. People would still want to eat the seeds of his reinvented lumiens.


    The man came around the table. "I can assure you that you will feel a similar desire, but the flesh will not satisfy your hunger and the seeds . . ." He stood directly before Corvan and pointed across the main hall. "The vines you passed through to get to our colony - do you know what they do to people?"


    "I was told they burn you," Corvan said.


    "That is true, and once the burning begins, it does not stop until there is no living tissue left, only the bones.¡±


    ¡°I saw some of those bones under the vines on our way inside. The little lizards held the vines apart so we could get in.¡± Corvan said.


    ¡°Did they now?¡± There was a puzzled expression on the man¡¯s intense face as he looked towards the exit that Tsarek and his old mentor had left from. ¡°They must have thought you were one of the boys that is still missing from that unfortunate incident.¡± He nodded as his features relaxed. ¡°You have seen first-hand what the vines can do to any of the Rakash who get too close to our front entry. My counterpart has carefully studied those vines and after many long experiments, she has successfully grafted those same vines into our lumien plants." Corvan immediately released the lumien and stepped away.


    The man took hold of the swaying light and steadied the light, smiling to himself, and nodding. "It won¡¯t you to touch it. The lumien skin protects you, but the result is a lumien seed that nobody wants to eat. Eating the fruit won¡¯t kill you but it is bitter and makes you nauseous. The smallest nibble of the seed, however, is certain death. Eating it will destroy your body from the inside out. " A shadow of sorrow darkened his face. "We lost a few of our more foolish young men to an agonizing end before the rest learned their lesson and abandoned any thought of ever eating one of our new lumien seeds, or any seed for that matter. It¡¯s impossible to tell the difference when they are planted together.¡±


    The man released the lumien and it swayed back and forth across the table, casting mottled patterns of light over the smooth surface.


    "You don¡¯t think the Rakash will figure it out and destroy the poisoned seeds you plant out there?" Corvan asked.


    "We have considered that possibility. We know we cannot replant the city of Katay Alba with our hybrid lumiens until we first eliminate all the Rakash. It took her a long time, but she was finally able to distill a potent poison from our own hybrid plants. One vial is all it will take to poison that pool of elixir in the library and kill them all.¡± He stared intently at Corvan. ¡°That is why we need you. You have proven you possess the ability to work in the darkness, and you are also small enough to make it through the drainage shafts that lead into the library."


    Corvan broke his gaze and pointed at the lumien. "But how do you know the poison will affect the Rakash in the same way as other humans? The elixir has changed their bodies. What if your poison just makes them stronger?"


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    The man looked at him a long moment, then put a hand on Corvan¡¯s shoulder. "I had not considered the possibility that the Rakash might be able to mutate the poison within their bodies.¡± He made a sour face. ¡°She doesn¡¯t tell me everything she is working on. I will need to ask about that. Please come with me.¡± He turned from the table and someone coughed behind them.


    The girl Corvan had rescued from the young Rakash had stepped out of the shadows. Her hair had been crudely shorn and she wore a drab brown tunic that was much too large for her. It was bunched up and tied around her waist with a coarse red rope that hung down in a loop, then up to where it was tied to something that was cupped in her hands. She gave him a faint smile. Her all-dark eyes reminded him of the rabbits behind the Barron''s store that would watch him from their wire cages as he passed by on his way to school. Knowing the fate of those rabbits, he had always wished he could set them free.


    The man turned back, brushed past Corvan, and strode toward the girl, talking in a soft gentle voice. The girl''s eyes went to the floor, and she mumbled, "to thank him." The man took her hands in his and moved them apart. A metal ball fell to the floor and bounced away with clear bell-like tones until it reached the end of the cord tied off around her waist. Taking her by the shoulders, the man turned her around and pushed her gently away. Her shoulders drooped as she melted into the shadows behind the pillar, the round metal ball following her on its red cord and bouncing out a random tune.


    The musical ball and rope must be her punishment for going out into the dark cavern with those boys. She was now a prisoner in her own home, an example to the other teens. She glanced back, tears falling freely from her dark eyes onto her tunic. His grandfather¡¯s note had said something about not trusting those with all dark eyes, but the girl seemed nice enough.  Corvan raised a hand to wave good-bye, but the man stepped between them and Corvan quickly dropped it to his side.


    "Teeka wished to express her gratitude for saving her from the Rakash,¡± the man said. ¡°It is good of her to be thankful, but during her time of punishment, she is not allowed in the great hall. It would not go well if the community, or with me as a member of the council if found out she was here." He sighed and pointed to the partially painted faces overhead. "As the ancients taught us, at times we must be cruel to be kind." He tried to smile at Corvan but the concern in his eyes betrayed a conflicting emotion.


    Turning around, the man led Corvan under the balcony, then down a short corridor. Reaching the end he unlocked the door, stepped inside, then unlocked a second door with a red colored key. Light poured from the open door into the hall, momentarily blinding Corvan''s sensitive eyes, as he followed the man inside, squinting at his surroundings.


    The inside of the room was set up like the power station in Anamir but on a much smaller scale. Three elongated lumiens were tied over a circular stone table, their restraining bonds terminating in three metal bowls of fluid. A woman in a long blue coat sat on a stool before a shelf cut into the wall, carefully measuring vials of liquid on a scale. When realized they were in the room, she jumped from the stool, then whirled towards them, her gaunt face so intense that both Corvan and the man stopped in their tracks.


    "Even you are not allowed to bring unauthorized people into this place," she snapped at the man.


    He pointed to Corvan. "I have found a replacement who can take your potion to the Rakash.¡±


    The woman stalked over to stand close to Corvan, her eyes searching his. "All the others of his sex have failed and given in to the temptation. They lack the discipline to carry the power. Teeka is the one I have chosen."


    "I do not agree." The man''s voice was tense. "Our daughter is too easily swayed by her emotions. We saw it again with those boys convincing her to steal the key to your test pits at the back entry. This one will not fail. He hates the Rakash as much as we do."


    "Why?" The woman leaned in until her nose was almost touching Corvan¡¯s. "What have the Rakash done to you?"


    "They . . . they are holding my father prisoner in the library building with the pool of elixir." Corvan stammered.


    She stepped away and turned to the man. "I can see he tells the truth, but you can also see that he . . ."


    The man cut her off. "Yes, I also see the strength in him. That is why I believe he has what it will take to save his father''s life and fulfill the mission."


    The woman frowned and pulled the man to a corner of the room. Corvan couldn''t make out the words but twice he heard her the name of their daughter, Teeka. The man became more subdued as she talked. When she stopped, she pointed to the door and the man shuffled out without saying a word to Corvan.


    The woman closed the door, pulled out her red key and locked it.