Iri bent to put the water to Atu’s lips, but his hands arrested hers. Iri’s eyes darted to his.
His brown eyes were steady as they gazed back. Speaking softly so the others couldn’t hear, Atu said, “It wasn’t your fault.”
Iri averted her gaze. “You could’ve died.”
Atu’s hand brought her chin around so she faced him again. “But I didn’t. Your plan worked. We didn’t have to blot our souls to save him.”
“That’s what you meant when you said we’d become like him?” Kayla’s voice behind her had Iri tensing. How much had Kayla heard?
Oblivious to Iri’s lack of an answer, Kayla continued her musings. “Because if we let Slurpy die, if we killed him, our darker emotions would’ve had a place to take hold? And if they did, we could’ve become just as twisted as he was?”
This time, Iri answered. “Yes. For some people, the slope is a lot more slippery. And who knows how slick one’s path is until you’re so far down the slope you can’t stop?”
Nodding thoughtfully, Kayla glanced back at Slurpy. He was still unconscious.
Jaden said what they were all thinking. “We’d better figure out what to do in case Iri’s plan doesn’t work. In case he’s still a monster with demons driving him instead of a more humane version of himself, difficult as that might be to believe after seeing Atu extract those pieces.”
Using every rope in their packs, they trussed Slurpy up, but he’d probably just snap the bindings with his power. So, as an added precaution, they aerial connected with their gliders and waited overhead.
They didn’t have long to wait. When Slurpy came to, it wasn’t with roaring and power. Rather, it was a whimper. His eyes rolled violently, studying his surroundings. Then swept up to where they hovered. Then careened further afield to the battle between Gaptors and gliders, still raging. He began screeching. “What have you done? Why did you take it?”
The voyagers glanced at one another. Was he talking about the pieces Atu removed?
Slurpy continued ranting. “It’s gone! All gone! How can I face them now? I won’t survive. They won’t obey me. They’ll turn on me.” On and on he rambled, his words nonsensical.
“You think he’s still speaking about the pieces Atu took out of him?” Jaden asked.
Kayla and Atu shrugged, but Iri was deciphering colors and scents. Despair. Regret. Guilt. Fear. Oranges and purples clashing so vividly they hid the man beneath. “I could be wrong, but I think he’s sorry he created the Gaptors.”
“You’re not serious?” Kayla half-laughed.
Iri nodded. “More than that, I think he’s afraid.” The oranges tones were taking over, turning coral and suppressing the purple.
Slurpy was squirming in his bonds. His eyes darted wildly from side to side. “They have me. I can’t do it. They won’t let me live. Without my power, I am nothing.”
Jaden flinched. “Is he saying what I think he is?”
Abruptly, the rich coral hues were snuffed out, replaced by violet streaks quickly morphing to mulberry. “Something’s happening.”
“What?” Jaden’s voice reeked of alarm.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure. He’s . . . shrinking.”
“Iri, are we in danger?”
Jaden’s barked question made Iri jump. Her gaze bounced back to Jaden. “No, I don’t . . . I don’t think so. I’ve never seen anything like this. But no, I believe it’s the opposite of dangerous.”
“Are my eyes failing me, or does Slurpy seem . . . less?” Kayla sounded like she couldn’t believe she had said the words.
They stared at Slurpy. Iri couldn’t take her eyes off the colors swamping him. They were condensing, becoming more intense, and they formed a more concentrated aura around Slurpy.
Jaden’s yell startled them all. “He’s fading!”
“Yes, he is!” Atu exclaimed.
Kayla whispered, “He’s not solid anymore!”
Iri squinted, trying to make the colors go away so she could see what the others did. But they wouldn’t go. They became stronger, like clouds going from wispy, opaque cirrus to solid, dense thunderclouds. Except, instead of growing, the colors were contracting. She had been right. Slurpy was shrinking!
“I don’t want to live if I can’t be in control. I won’t!” Slurpy’s mutterings remained incoherent, his voice fainter with each word. “They can’t make me go back. I refuse. I won’t live if I don’t have my power.”
The last sentence ended on a wail. The colors compacted further, and the wail dwindled, then faded to nothing. A black flash! Iri stumbled away, staring. Nothing remained. Slurpy was gone.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Kayla wasn’t sure what to believe. “Did he fade back to his own world? Or fade away?”
“As in fade away and die?” Jaden asked.
Kayla shrugged. “How would I know?” She glanced at Iri. “What’s wrong with you?”
“That black flash—it was . . .”
“What black flash?”
Iri stared at them. “None of you saw a black flash right before Slurpy disappeared?” Three nods. “It’s real, then. If I was the only one who saw it, it was my gift. Not something he generated.”
Kayla frowned. “You’re sounding as addled as he did. Care to explain? Maybe with full sentences?” Iri’s sudden smile was not what Kayla expected.
Iri hopped foot to foot. She threw her hands in the air, then did a happy dance and sang, “He’s gone! Truly gone! Dead! And not because of anything we did!”
Kayla grinned at Jaden’s quirked eyebrow, but he was right. They needed confirmation. “Are you sure about that?”
“I am!” Iri squealed, still leaping about like a magic bean.
Jaden tried. “Iri, could you stop a moment and explain?”
Iri paused, noticing the others weren’t joining her in her exuberant celebration. “I only ever see that black flash when someone dies suddenly.”
“But how did he die?” Aware of everyone else’s shock, Atu hurried to add, “Not that I’m sad he’s gone.”
Iri finally stopped dancing. Her eyes rolled up to the left, recalling events that had only taken seconds. “I believe he surrendered his will to live.”
Jaden guffawed. “Slurpy? Giving up? I don’t think so!”
Iri returned his ridicule with a glare. “And how would you know? Did you see the despair on him? The fear?”
Jaden stopped laughing. “Sorry. It just sounded so preposterous. I don’t doubt your abilities.”
Kayla stepped in before Jaden put his foot in his mouth again. “I think what Jaden meant was we still don’t understand. Can you elaborate?”
“Sure. Think about the words he spoke. He regretted something. I think that was creating the Gaptors. I think the only reason they obeyed him was because of his power. And I believe when Atu removed those black pieces, Slurpy’s power went with them. Slurpy’s rantings were all about not having control if he had no power. And his last words were something like, ‘If I don’t have power, I won’t live.’”
Kayla replayed what she had heard. “Yup. I believe you’re right. He chose death rather than living without his power.”
“I disagree.” Atu’s rebuttal was mild. He studied Iri. “Were you able to see Slurpy past your gift?”
“No.”
“If you had, you would’ve seen how he faded away. Not only faded, but aged. I agree with Jaden’s observation—Slurpy didn’t give up. Without his power, he could no longer sustain his considerable age. That’s what killed him.”
Iri shrugged. “Does it really matter? He’s gone, and we don’t have to deal with him anymore.”
“He’s really gone?” Kayla still couldn’t believe it.
“Yes,” Iri confirmed, “he really is.”
Markov’s voice cut over the comm, ice dousing their emerging jubilation. “If you’re done jawing down there, we could use some help up here!”
The tension in his voice rocked Kayla to her core. How did
we forget there’s a battle going on? They had been so absorbed in dealing with Slurpy they’d abandoned their friends.
“On our way,” Jaden replied.
“Hurry!” Markov urged.
Jaden shouted to Han, flying overhead. “Ready to take on some Gaptors?” He glanced at Kayla. “Are you and Taz joining us? You have your medallion now.”
The mention of her medallion reminded Kayla she had news of her own. “Oh, yes! Yes, oh, um, there something was, I mean . . .” Kayla stopped, the words still jumbled in her mind. Ziggety! Get it together, girl!
“Having a little trouble there?”
As he took her hand, Jaden’s grin was wicked. Kayla rolled her eyes. “What I meant to say was we can eradicate the Gaptors.”
Jaden’s grin vanished. “What?”
“You heard right.” A harrowing scream echoed over the comm, reminding Kayla time was precious. “I’ll explain later. Short version is those leather strips joined into that large piece over there - then a magic wand wrote instructions on it.” It sounded inconceivable, and Kayla wanted to giggle at Jaden’s gaping mouth, but another scream pierced the comm. “What I need right now is all the medallions!”
“You do know that without them our riders are vulnerable?”
Kayla smiled sweetly. “You’re the logistics man. I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
Jaden growled. “You know I hate being in charge!”
“I do. But getting the medallions will rid us of those Gaptors more effectively than fighting them. They’re also our best chance of winning with the odds stacked against us.”
“Fine. I’ll figure something out.” Jaden crushed Kayla to him, snatching one last, brief, passionate kiss. He drew back, leaving Kayla’s head spinning. “Stay alive!” Then he raced to the edge of the mountain and leaped. Han caught him and wheeled toward the raging battle.
Kayla watched them leave, her hand on her chest, still trying to find her breath. “You too.” Jaden acknowledged only with a hand wave before disappearing into the maelstrom of war. Iri and Rozie followed him. Kayla prayed they would survive.
Now, she had business of her own to attend to. “Atu, you read the instructions. We need a place to collect those medallions. Any suggestions?”
“How about that nice little bowl carved out of the mountain?” Atu pointed at the spot the explosion had left them standing in.
Kayla studied it. The indentation was large enough so riders could fly past and drop their medallions into the bowl without having to dismount. “Perfect! I’ll start clearing a section here—”
She broke off so abruptly, Atu whirled, his DD blazing. His mouth dropped open. They both stared at the flat piece of ground used only minutes before to piece the leather strips together.
The single large piece of leather was still there. But its markings were obscured by dozens upon dozens of medallions materializing out of thin air. The medallions solidified and dropped onto the leather with soft thuds.
Kayla gawked at Atu, who was staring back at her, dazed. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he got the words out. “Where are they coming from?”
Shrugging, Kayla activated her comm. “Jaden, do you still have your medallion?”
A moment’s silence, then Jaden’s terse response. “A little busy here. Yes. Why?”
“This might sound crazy, but medallions are appearing out of nowhere. Atu sees them, so I’m not imagining things.”
“You’re not making sense.”
“It’s like the medallions are manifesting from somewhere else. Squeezing themselves through a hidden dimension from wherever they were and appearing here. It’s bizarre. And if you have your medallion, I don’t know where they’re coming from. Why are they just showing up like this?” Jaden was silent for so long Kayla tensed. “Jaden?”
“Yeah, here. Hold on.”
Kayla glanced at Atu, staring at the medallions again. They drew her gaze too, just popping into existence as they were. The thought sparked a memory, and she suddenly understood. “Oh, never mind! I know what’s happening.”
“What?” The question burst from Atu and Jaden simultaneously.
Kayla grinned. She had the answer before Jaden. “Zareh told us the medallions would find their way to their owners. I think these medallions don’t have owners anymore. I’m positive they’re from the cache at Sven’s. The ones still left in that box you stole from the Gaptor camp.”
“But how?” Jaden sounded out of breath.
Kayla wished she was up there with him, watching his back. But not answering would only distract him. “This is where they were needed, so this is where they’re appearing. The same way Zareh appears of out nowhere.”
“One less thing to worry about,” came Jaden’s tight response. “Get ready for more. Riders and medallions incoming.”
Mystified, Kayla began stacking the medallions, still plopping onto the leather piece. She hadn’t heard Jaden giving any orders over the comm. Then again, she hadn’t been paying attention. But as she looked toward the other mountain, she made out a steady stream of gliders coming their way.
Something else occurred to her. “Atu, can we mark that bowl so they know where to drop their medallions? It’s so dark they might not see it.”
Atu’s teeth glinted in the dim light. “Done and done.” With a snap, twin bars of light illuminated the space. Atu moved quickly, placing the glow sticks on two sides of the bowl. Hurrying, he snapped two more, placing them on the remaining two sides so the four lights formed a roughly rectangular barrier around the hole.
Flashing a thumbs-up at Atu, Kayla spoke into her comm. “Incoming riders, can you hear me?” Numerous replies on top of one another. “Excellent! Drop your medallions into the area between the lights. Can you see them?”
A dozen or more replies in the affirmative. Then the gliders and their riders were upon them, and medallions rained down. Kayla and Atu scurried out of the way. As the gliders passed on, Kayla noticed them heading for a mountain on the opposite side of the Gaptor battle.
Curious, she engaged her night vision lenses. What did Jaden come up with?
Chapter Fifty-Five
It was simple, actually. While Jaden and the remaining riders kept the Gaptors occupied, small groups rotated out of the battle and dropped their medallions. Once their riders relinquished their medallions, the gliders delivered them to the far mountain before circling back to join the battle. Either the Gaptors didn’t notice or didn’t care more and more gliders without riders were fighting against them.
Kayla snapped off her goggles and returned to her task. When she looked up again a while later, Jaden was leading the final group toward them. And it was the final group. From what she could tell, all the gliders remaining in the battle were riderless.
Doubly pleased she hadn’t tarried after noticing the rotation Jaden had set up, Kayla surveyed their work. Everything was ready. As soon as they had the last medallions, carrying out the instructions wouldn’t take long.
“Jaden, Iri, we’ll need you down here to finish this,” Kayla advised via the comm.
“I figured as much. Iri and I will be the last two coming through,” Jaden replied.
The group swung past, dropping medallions before the gliders carried their riders to safety. Iri and Jaden hung back until the group had left. Then they dismounted, landing next to Kayla and Atu with practiced accuracy.
Glancing skyward, Kayla noted their gliders overhead. They remained there, protecting their voyagers from any threats the skies might bring. She called to Taz, pointing as she did so. “You might want to make sure you aren’t directly under that pile!”
Taz surveyed the medallions on the leather strip. She nodded, and their gliders rearranged themselves, forming a perimeter around their voyagers without being in the line of fire. Kayla snorted.
“What?” Jaden’s eyes sparkled in the reflected light from the glow sticks.
“Nothing. Just me being silly. Thinking the glider
s wouldn’t be in the line of fire—not sure whether it’s a pun or literal . . .” Kayla saw his confusion. “Never mind. Let’s finish this.”
Once more, Kayla bent forward over the newly reformed piece of leather. “Jaden, Iri, please help Atu bring me the remaining medallions.”
They obliged. The others took care not to disturb her work when adding the new medallions. Kayla nimbly positioned the medallions on the piece of leather according to its instructions. Even though she was going as fast as she could, getting the placement of the pieces correct took time. Time filled with the cries of injured gliders and Taz’s leashed misery over the fate of her friends.
Kayla reached for another medallion, but there wasn’t one. Glancing up, she saw the others gathered around, gazing at the carefully stacked pile.
Jaden was the first to comment. “I should’ve guessed.” His smile was wry, making those little crinkles around his eyes that Kayla loved.
“Yup. I suppose we could’ve all guessed—then again, how many times do we have to repeat the pattern?”
“One more,” Iri murmured. “Zareh said our medallions were the key.”
“It would’ve been more precise to say the shape of our medallions was the key,” Atu observed.
The four of them stared at the pile, perfectly arranged on the leather in the familiar octagonal shape.
Kayla cocked her head. “Without this piece of leather, though, and the guidelines that wand drew, we wouldn’t have known how large to make the medallion . . . pyramid?”
“Yeah, I’d call it that,” Jaden agreed.
For it did look like a pyramid. With the outer medallions starting along the lines on the leather, Kayla had filled in the center and then kept spiraling the medallions upward, each exactly on the halfway mark of the last per the instructions. The distinct pattern made it obvious that four medallions were missing.
“Shall we?” Kayla asked.
Jaden hesitated. “Do we have to do this in any particular order?”
“No, just as long as we form the rectangle, it doesn’t matter whose medallion goes where.”
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