Spirit Animals: The Evertree Part 2

The light pushed the fog back. Only for an instant.

Meilin withdrew her hand, refusing to call Jhi into her dormant state. Then she lunged at Shane once more.

Shane's eyes popped open in surprise. Meilin managed to strike a glancing blow against his cheek before his crocodile's tail caught her legs and sent her cras.h.i.+ng to the ground. Shane drew his saber and pointed it at her throat. All hints of amus.e.m.e.nt were gone from his face.

"Chain both of them to the wall," he commanded. The two Conquerors waiting behind him moved immediately.

Meilin shook her head as she felt the soldiers pinning her hands against the cold stone of the wall, then clapping chains around her wrists. Her rebellion had already ended. Gerathon's coils slithered across her thoughts in her mind, Meilin heard the Great Serpent chuckling. Beside her, the panda stared cautiously at the crocodile while a Conqueror secured her paws with manacles.

Poor little girl, Gerathon hissed inside Meilin's mind. I'll have to be careful with you.

Gerathon chuckled again, but somehow, Meilin thought she could detect a hint of wariness from the serpent. Somehow, in some way, Meilin had managed to push back against the Bile. It hadn't lasted long. But it had lasted.

Shane cast her one last look before calling his crocodile back. It vanished in a flash of light to reappear on his chest. He scowled. Meilin knew he would never admit it, but she could see that her moment of defiance had shaken him. As Gerathon lost interest in controlling her, she felt the fog dissipate from her mind and bring the prison cell back into sharp focus. Her anger returned with it.

Shane had been the Devourer all along. He fooled us.

"See to it that her door stays locked," Shane snapped at the Conquerors. Then he motioned for them to file out.

Meilin found her voice right as Shane was about to leave. "I don't know what you did to Abeke," she spit out, "but you don't deserve her. And if you hurt her, I'll make sure you pay for what you did."

Shane hesitated with one foot still inside her cell. He didn't turn around. Instead, his jaw tightened, and a strange emotion flickered across his face, something Meilin almost wanted to interpret as ... regret.

The moment lasted barely a few seconds, and it pa.s.sed so quickly that Meilin couldn't be sure he'd hesitated at all.

Then he stepped out of her cell, and the door shut with a loud, echoing clank.

Meilin sat in the new silence, savoring that echo, listening to the Conquerors' footsteps disappear down the hall. In spite of everything, she couldn't stop a small smile from creeping onto her face. Jhi blinked when she looked at her.

Gerathon had kept that cell door open to taunt her all this time, knowing she couldn't wouldn't escape.

But the door was locked now, because Meilin had forced them to do it. She continued to dwell on this. And she dared to hope.

THE FOLLOWING DAY, ALLIES WHO HAD RECEIVED AND accepted their call for help began to arrive, just as Olvan had said they would. Conor waited anxiously to see each of them cresting the horizon and approaching the castle in sporadic groups. It would be a long, hard road ahead for all of them, but at least they were in the company of old friends.

First came Finn, the Greencloak covered in tattoos who had helped the team find Rumfuss the Boar. Finn arrived in stoic fas.h.i.+on, leaner than before and quieter than ever, although he did manage to crack a small smile of greeting when he saw Conor, Abeke, and Rollan. At his side was Donn, his sleek black wildcat. The cat purred as they made their way back to Greenhaven Castle. Conor marveled at him, remembering the awe they all had felt when they first realized Finn's spirit animal was this legendary creature.

"And how has life treated you in Glengavin?" Abeke asked as they walked.

Finn shook his head. "Very well," he replied, "until last week."

"Why?" Conor asked. "What happened?"

"What a shame that we reunite under such circ.u.mstances." Finn's voice turned grim. "You'll recall our friend MacDonnell, yes? His castle, his law? Well, the Conquerors returned to Trunswick, this time in huge numbers, and laid siege. Lord MacDonnell was forced to retreat and leave his estate to the Conquerors. He will commit his soldiers to our cause."

Rollan made an angry sound in his throat. "Our week hasn't been great either," he said, pointing up at the dreary sky. "Although I'd much rather get soaked by rain than sacked by Conquerors."

Conor felt sad at the thought of the mighty lord's castle now overrun by Conquerors. Somehow, the older image of Lord MacDonnell in complete control of his domain was comforting. It seemed like such a long time ago. They'd only just learned that Zhong had fallen. Nilo had still been free. The Conquerors were moving fast now.

Next came Kalani, all the way from the islands of Ocea.n.u.s, her cloak of seaweed now replaced with a standard cloak. She looked more irritated than Conor remembered, which he figured might have something to do with the fact that she was now in a place quite opposite to that of a tropical paradise. Still, she greeted Conor warmly, even as she muttered something about the never-ending cold drizzle.

"Thank you for coming, Kalani," Conor said with a smile. "It's good to see you."

"And you," Kalani replied. "It's only a matter of time before the Conquerors take Ocea.n.u.s completely. I didn't want to wait around for that to happen."

She greeted Abeke too, but when Rollan tried to say h.e.l.lo, Kalani's lips tightened and she looked away. Rollan's smile vanished as he did the same. It took Conor a moment to remember that Kalani still considered Rollan tapudangerous and forbiddenand therefore could not acknowledge him. This would make for an awkward journey.

As the day went on, Conor noticed that Abeke hovered constantly at the windows facing the harbors. He knew who she was searching for, and who she hoped to see. But they didn't come.

At the end of the day, only Maya and her fire salamander joined them, significantly less bothered by the chilly weather. Conor laughed in surprise at the sight of her. Maya looked nothing like she had when they'd last seen her, when she'd lain limp and nearly lifeless after unleas.h.i.+ng the fury of her fire against the Conquerors. Her red hair had been burned away and her cheek scarred with a vicious wound. The scar was still there, a faint but permanent blemish, but Maya's red hair had grown back a little, enough for her to tuck it behind her ears, and a healthy pink glow illuminated her face. There was a weight in her brilliant blue eyes that didn't exist before, the lingering pain of the past ... but time had a curious way of healing things, and Maya had managed to cover that burden with the new joy of seeing her friends again.

She squealed at the sight of them all, then threw herself into a hug with Conor, Abeke, and Rollan. Her fire salamander, Tini, watched from her shoulder, his bright yellow spots pulsing happily at the reunion.

"Other Greencloaks from Eura are on their way too," Maya told them as they headed toward the hall for dinner. Her short hair bounced with each step. "They'll join Olvan's forces." She glanced at Conor and nodded. "I'll go with your smaller patrol. You probably won't need any fire while traveling through Stetriol, but you'll certainly need a friendly face." She paused to look adoringly at her spirit animal. "And we are the friendliest faces, aren't we, Tini? Yes, we are!"

They all laughed. Seeing the old affection between the two of them lifted Conor's heart for a moment. It was really, really good to have Maya back.

The conversation over dinner stayed low. Conor felt like he could touch the tension in the air.

"A s.h.i.+p with other Greencloaks has set sail from Ocea.n.u.s. They will join Olvan's forces in Stetriol." Kalani rubbed at her dolphin mark, the other tattoos lining her arms bold in the candlelight. Conor felt sorry for her that she couldn't call on her spirit animal in a place like this. She looked warily around the table. "Do we even know how to get to Kovo's prison, or the heart of Erdas?"

Olvan looked uncomfortable at the question, but he lifted his head authoritatively. "There are rumors of where Kovo's prison is. Ancient accounts of the first war tell of a chain of mountains in Stetriol, near which lies a formation called Muttering Rock. They say Tellun imprisoned Kovo there. Conor's visions of the red rock also support this theory. It will be a good starting point for us."

"We have some old maps," a voice called from the end of the table. A Greencloak named Dorian sat with them. Conor hadn't remembered seeing him around the castle. He looked unpleasantly pale, with dark blond hair tied back in a short tail at the nape of his neck. His lips were thin and drawn back into a stern line.

Dorian laid out several parchments, faded and crinkling with age. He spread them flat on the table for everyone to see. "These are generations old, discovered in some ancient library texts." He pointed to a landma.s.s on each that Conor had never seen before on any present-day map. "Stetriol."

Kalani didn't look rea.s.sured. Neither did Finn. He frowned at the older Greencloak. "This is all we have to go on? Visions? Rumors? Maps from hundreds of years ago? The world has changed much since then. This will hardly be reliable." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "I mean no offense, Conor," he added, "and I know your dreams are crucial to this, but we are heading into true darkness. The very center of it."

Conor saw Abeke s.h.i.+ver visibly. When she noticed him looking at her, she looked away and reached for a piece of bread. Abeke tore it in half, the crust crackling as she went. "We'll be prepared," she said, trying to sound optimistic. "We'll have plenty of water and provisions with us."

Kalani frowned and rubbed harder at her tattoo. Conor wondered how much water a place like Stetriol might have. The sight reminded Conor of his dream, of how he'd stared and stared at his tattoo of Briggan until he couldn't see him at all anymore. I might not have Briggan forever. Just the thought sent a stab of pain through him. He buried his hand deeper in the wolf's fur.

"Do we know if Stetriol has any harbors?" Kalani asked. "How many people still live there?"

"We know very little of Stetriol," Olvan answered. It was not what anyone wanted to hear. The Greencloak furrowed his brows. "Abeke is right. We will prepare the best we can."

Conor swallowed hard. He was sitting in a room with the world's finest Greencloaks, and no one sounded confident about their mission. They were sailing into the unknown now, an untouched and forgotten land. Briggan and the other Four Fallen had died leading the Greencloaks into Stetriol. What would happen this time?

"Sending the Four Fallen blindly into Stetriol," Finn said, "and sending an army of Greencloaks as their diversion, to face the Conquerors ..." His eyes were tragic. He met Olvan's stare and held it. "This is a suicide mission, Olvan," he said gently.

Conor could feel the dread that rippled through the room. He, Rollan, and Abeke all looked at Olvan, half expecting him to deny such a claim. But he didn't.

"We leave tomorrow, at dawn," Olvan finally replied, his voice very quiet.

The realization slowly settled into Conor's heart. This was it, the final stand. Tomorrow, they would leave Greenhaven. And they might never return.

In the silence that followed, Finn bowed his head. He put a hand flat on the table. "I'm ready," he said.

"Me too," Maya added.

"Me too," echoed Rollan and Kalani at the same time. It startled them, and they looked at each other in surprise before they remembered that they weren't supposed to acknowledge each other. Kalani quickly looked away again.

Conor chimed in too, followed by Abeke, and gradually, everyone at the table pledged themselves to the journey. They were all ready to lay down their lives. Conor looked around the room, memorizing the moment and the faces.

Finally Rollan grabbed another dinner roll and bit into it with determination. "Better eat up now, then. It'll be a hard road."

THE JOURNEY TO STETRIOL BEGAN UNDER A FRAGILE sheet of rain and fog, with the smaller of the two Greencloak groups heading out first. Abeke, Conor, and Rollan each rode separately on their own horses; Uraza walked beside Abeke's mount, while Briggan loped easily alongside Conor. Essix soared ahead, seeking out the harbor where the Tellun's Pride waited for them. Sacks of provisions b.u.mped against each of their horses' hindquarters. Behind them came Maya and Kalani. Finn rode ahead, talking in a low voice to the Greencloak named Dorian, who had been tasked with leading the little troupe. Dorian was now pointing out something on one of the ancient maps he'd brought. On his shoulder perched his spirit animal, a horned owl.

"I'm not sure he's going to lead us in the right direction," muttered Rollan. His eyes were fixed on Dorian and filled with resentment. "And an owl? Really? Is his hoot going to scare the Conquerors away?"

"He's the keeper of the maps," Conor replied, clearly trying to keep their conversation reasonable.

But Abeke understood Rollan's impatience. Dorian had woken each of them up that morning by pounding on their doors and shouting, like a father chiding his oversleeping children. He galloped ahead now, as if he had always been their leader, as if Tarik had never existed.

Rollan snorted. It didn't seem like "keeper of the maps" impressed him much.

"Keep Briggan out, okay?" he said. One of his hands checked idly for the Coral Octopus looped around his neck. "It would be nice if we didn't have to save you from your dreams every other day."

Conor shot him a guilty look, then glanced at Abeke. "Got the Granite Ram?"

Abeke nodded, showing him the necklace that kept it securely against her chest. She tugged once on it, just to be sure. "You can hang on to it, if you want," she said.

Conor shook his head. "I'd rather not."

Abeke gave him a small smile. Even after all this time, he still seemed a little hesitant to be the one responsible for hanging on to a talisman. She stared at him for a moment longer as he turned his attention back to the trek. How different Conor looked from when they'd first started their journeys together he'd grown taller, and lost the fat in his cheeks. Even Rollan, with all his jokes, had changed ever since he lost Tarik and donned the green cloak. He was more focused. More serious. The realization took Abeke off guard. How quickly they'd all changed.

Her thoughts wandered back to her father and sister, and whether their village in Nilo was truly covered in snow. Uraza turned her violet eyes up at Abeke, as if she could read the girl's mind. Abeke just smiled. "We're okay," she said. "I don't need them here." Then she turned away from her spirit animal, so Uraza couldn't tell that she'd lied.

Most of all, she didn't want Uraza to see how afraid she was that she might lose her.

By the time they reached the Tellun's Pride, the entire party looked like a pack of waterlogged rats in wet green cloaks. The s.h.i.+p's captain was already waiting for them at the pier, hollering at the top of his lungs at the crew hoisting crates and rolling barrels up the ramp.

He shook his head grimly as Finn and Dorian approached, then pointed down at the water. "Choppy, murky waters today," he muttered. "We'll have some rough seas to endure." He pointed to where taut ropes at the bow of the Tellun's Pride disappeared beneath the waves. "And the rockback whales they may be sick."

"I'll check on them," Kalani said, shrugging her right shoulder, which housed her dolphin tattoo. She winced light flashed briefly around her, and a moment later, everyone heard the unmistakable call of a dolphin from the water. Kalani leaned over the pier. Abeke was certainly no sea creature expert, but even she could tell that the dolphin was unhappy to be in this cold, unfamiliar ocean. She felt her heart tug at the sight of Kalani's brow furrowing in concern.

"See how the rockback whales are doing," Kalani called down to her dolphin. "Be careful."

The dolphin made a subtle nodding gesture before diving below the surface. They all waited for a few quiet minutes.

All of a sudden, the dolphin exploded from the surface of the black water with a strange, sickly sound. Kalani gasped. She leaned forward and held her arm out.

"Come back up!" she said.

The dolphin splashed around a bit more on its side. Light engulfed the creature before it vanished from the water and returned to Kalani's shoulder. Kalani swayed. Conor and Rollan had to rush forward to keep her from falling backward. Abeke felt sick to her stomach at the sight. She didn't want to imagine Uraza in that kind of agony.

Kalani finally turned to the captain. "The churning water has brought in some schools of tiny, poisonous fish. They are making the whales sick. We have to leave. Now. The whales won't survive if they continue like this."

"Is Katoa okay?" Abeke asked.

Kalani nodded with a tight mouth. "She's very sensitive to the water, even more so than the whales." She sighed. "With the sea around Ocea.n.u.s also unhealthy, I haven't let her into the water in days. She's not happy."

Maya patted Kalani once on the shoulder. "Thank you for the warning," she said. "We better get moving."

"You heard her," the captain shouted to his crew, triggering another flurry of activity on the s.h.i.+p's deck. "Move out!"

Abeke walked up the ramp with the others. She tried not to look at the black water again.

THE WATER TURNED LIGHTER AFTER THEY REACHED OPEN waters. Still, the air felt heavy and oppressive, in part, Abeke knew, because everyone felt a little bit anxious. Uraza's tail swished restlessly, and Abeke knew it wasn't just because they were on a s.h.i.+p Uraza's least favorite form of travel. In fact, everyone's spirit animals seemed slightly on edge.

"Donn!" Finn shouted as he chased his black wildcat across the deck of the s.h.i.+p. Abeke and the others were in the middle of a lesson with Dorian on how to use the s.h.i.+p's cannons. Scampering barely in front of the wildcat was Maya's fire salamander, Tini, giving off indignant little squeaks every time the wildcat swiped his claws at him. Chasing Finn was Maya, her hair in complete disarray, as if she had just awoken from a nap.

Tini reached the end of the deck, then turned and hissed at the wildcat. Maya managed to catch up just in time to call for her salamander. "Into the dormant state with you!" she exclaimed. Tini obliged all too willingly.

"Sorry about that," Finn said breathlessly. He gave his wildcat a reproachful glare, while Donn gave him the same look in return. Abeke, Conor, and Rollan all looked on from the cannon they were crowded around while Finn straightened his clothes and tried to walk off in a dignified manner.

Rollan raised an eyebrow. "I would just like to point out," he stated, looking skyward, "that Essix has been on her best behavior."

"That's because she gets to fly," Conor said. He'd kept Briggan in dormant state for most of the journey so far.

"Hey, Essix isn't having the best time either," Rollan retorted. Overhead, Essix circled restlessly, making agitated little squawks. "She thinks the fish taste funny."

"All right," Dorian interrupted, nodding back down at the cannon. "Attention back there, all three of you."

As Dorian explained how to light the fuse once powder had been loaded into the cannon, Rollan gave him a mutinous look. Abeke tightened her lips. She shook her head at Rollan, warning him not to be so defiant to their new leader. Rollan remained silent, but the resentment stayed on his face.

As they sailed through the narrow sea dividing Eura and Nilo, they saw more that worried them. Where fertile farmland once thrived in southern Eura, enormous cracks now marred the parched, scorched earth left behind by invading patrols of Conquerors. Farmers gathered on the sh.o.r.e to watch them sail past, looking lost. Abeke wondered if they thought one of the pa.s.sing s.h.i.+ps could stop and save them, or perhaps take them far away to somewhere safe. Farther east, they pa.s.sed entire cities that had been overtaken, their flags now gone and replaced with the Conquerors'.

"We must detour from our planned route," Dorian announced to everyone one morning as he studied his maps. "The Conquerors have seized an important trade strait between Nilo and Eura."

"Tarik would never have let us sail this far without knowing that," Rollan muttered under his breath. Abeke rolled her eyes at him. They'd just heard about the seizure that morning by messenger pigeon.

She pictured her homeland overrun by Conquerors, and could hardly bear the thought: the peppers and wild gra.s.ses burned away, razed by the invading soldiers. The antelope all migrating from the fighting. Would the lions and hyenas turn on the tribes in hunger? What would the people eat? What were the Conquerors going to do to them?

They docked that afternoon in Balanhara, a port city situated at the beginning of a thin strait between Nilo and Zhong, to restock their provisions.

It was a mistake.

"Look," Conor muttered to Abeke as they walked through the port's narrow streets behind Maya and Rollan. All of them were balancing barrels of water on their heads. Kalani had stayed behind to help on the s.h.i.+p. "Conquerors attacked this city."

The inner city still had some of its beauty baskets and bags of colorful spices sat out in the open markets. Their smells were rich and enticing, reminiscent to Abeke of home. Bright gla.s.s trinkets hung from the crowded wooden stalls, reflecting the sunlight. But Conor was right. Once-beautiful homes were now pitiful structures of crumbling stone and broken wood. The harbor itself was almost completely destroyed by fire, with two of its piers washed entirely away.

Beggars crowded the alleys, their thin arms outstretched. People paraded through the streets several times during their walk, the processions all in honor of the dead. Mourners hoisted the deceased on their shoulders in ominous white carriers.

Abeke looked away. So many funeral processions.

"All this couldn't have happened in just a week," she whispered to Conor.