Naatos nodded to WroOth. Sighing, WroOth cleared his throat. "Inale," he said, his tone almost as warm as it had been when they were playing just minutes ago. "You need to come out now. I know that all looked rather bad, but we didn't lie to you. Not about the important things. I promise, dearest. No one will hurt you."
Inale huddled down, the straw scratching her face and arms. It itched and poked through her dress as she trembled. She edged closer to the bear.
"Inale, please come out. I know you're frightened, but I can explain everything." WroOth called again. "You have to at least let me have the chance. Remember you said I could have explained things to you and you would have listened in the labyrinth? Why don't you come out and let me explain now?"
He sounded so friendly now. How could he sound so friendly when he had just lied to her? Inale swallowed hard. How was anyone supposed to know who could be trusted if bad people could pretend to be kind? She'd thought they liked her.
"Start searching the stalls," Naatos said.
Fear spiked through Inale. Whimpering, she pressed closer to the bear. The bear shook its head and roared again, sensing her fear. The other bears likewise bellowed and snuffled. They shook their heads as the mawnores thumped their tails, and the horses whinnied. All became chaotic within the stable as the dust rose in a hazy cloud.
Naatos, AaQar, and WroOth began searching each of the stalls. The bears became increasingly agitated, snarling and growling. The brothers warned the bears back. One bit AaQar's arm. Wincing, AaQar seized the bear's head with his other hand and snapped its neck with a sharp twist.
Inale bit back a gasp and hid her face. How strong he was! And he looked like the weakest of the three.
"Inale, come out now." Naatos's voice was deeper and sterner than WroOth's. "We aren't going to hurt you."
Inale remained motionless. Her yellow dress made it easier to blend into the straw, but her dark hair would stand out. At least the bear's large brown paw was near her head. Maybe they wouldn't notice.
Naatos stopped in front of the stall she hid in. All Inale could see were his black boots and the cuffs of his black trousers. She held her breath.
The bear shifted its weight forward and growled, baring its large white teeth.
"She's in here, isn't she?" Naatos said.
Inale didn't dare squeeze her eyes shut. Even if she couldn't see him, that little bit of movement might betray her. She couldn't even let half a breath eke out. Her nerves pricked and burned, and her heart thundered in her ears.
Naatos stepped closer.
Suddenly, Ayamin battle cries came in the courtyard. Naatos stopped short, as did WroOth and AaQar. Inale tightened with hope. Joseph had returned from maneuvers.
"Take care of it," Naatos said.
WroOth jumped in the air, transforming into a swallow and flying out the window. Once he cleared the opening, he shifted into a red-scaled, bat-winged dragon. AaQar became a silver serpent more than twenty feet in length. He lunged out another window, body broadening and eyes burning gold. The wooden shutters and sides of the stable clattered and snapped.
More battle cries followed. Naatos was distracted, but it wouldn’t last long. This was her only chance. Inale leaped up from the straw and darted past Naatos.
"No, you don't." Naatos snatched her back.
"Let go!" Inale screamed. "Somebody, help me! I'm in here!"
"Now that's enough," Naatos said, turning her to face him. He gripped both of her shoulders. "If you call anyone in here, I'll have to kill them. And then that will be your fault."
"I hate you!" Inale cried. She struggled to free herself, but his hands were like iron on her. She couldn't kick him either. Her legs weren't long enough. How was she supposed to kill him when she couldn't even reach him?
"I said enough," Naatos said, his voice more commanding. "How you feel about me is irrelevant. We're leaving." He lifted her off the ground.
The nearest bruin roared again, shaking its head fiercely. Inale kept screaming and fighting. Then the bear lunged forward, sinking its massive jaws into Naatos's thigh. The bear snapped him back and dropped him to the ground. Kicking Naatos in the face, Inale scrambled away.
Naatos shouted with pain. Snarling, he drew his hunting knife and stabbed the bear in the head, driving the blade between its eyes as easily as if piercing a lemon.
Inale ran toward the stable door as fast as she could. The sounds of battle, war cries, beast roars, and crackling fire filled the air. Then the wood slab doors burst open, and a familiar form appeared.
"Joseph!" Inale flung herself at the Ayamin, knocking him off balance. He lifted his crossbow with one hand and pulled her behind him with the other.
Naatos shoved the dead bear back and ripped his blade out of its head. "That one belongs to me."
"No," Joseph said, his voice grim and his face and clothes blood-stained. Ash and soot clung to his dark hair.
Something crashed outside, fracturing and cracking like a thousand breaking trees. Inale looked behind Joseph. The Ayamin soldiers fought ferociously, several converging on AaQar and others forming up to take on WroOth. WroOth soared up into the sky, filling the blackness with fire and smoke. Soot and ash rained down, scattered by the wind. Dozens and dozens of enemy soldiers in black and green poured out of the palace. The other Ayamin met them, fighting as fiercely as if they had a chance. Yet even Inale with her limited knowledge of battles knew that they had little hope. Her people were horrifically outnumbered.
"Give me the child, or I will kill you where you stand," Naatos said.
Joseph shot the crossbow bolt at Naatos and scooped Inale up. Turning, he ran.
Inale wrapped her arms around his neck. "Where are we going? What about everyone else?"
Joseph didn't answer her. He ran faster, heading toward the Studier's Garden. A separate passage under the fan-shaped gazebo led to a path outside the palace.
Perez, a broad-shouldered swordsman and Ayamin commander, threw an attacker out of the way. "Shon, Matthu, with Joseph. Then to Plaohi. Sersen, Mauhail, Ceras, get to the beacons!"
Shon and Matthu, two of the younger Ayamin, detached from the larger force. They ran toward Joseph and Inale, their weapons drawn. Perez continued yelling out commands. Everything blurred in Inale's ears.
Up above, WroOth sprayed down a wall of fire. It flared and flamed before the Studier's Garden. AaQar bowled through eight Ayamin soldiers, hacking a path toward the gate.
Inale dug her fingers into Joseph's shoulders as Joseph halted. The veins and muscles in his neck and jaw stood out. He was afraid. She could feel it, a powerful, thundering terror. Her own heart pounded, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Up above, WroOth glowed flame-red in the night as he spiraled about. Were they giving up? What way out was there?
"Shon, Matthu, put out their eyes. Inale, hold tight." Joseph shifted her to his back, seized a bolt from his side quiver, and fitted it into the crossbow.
Shon had already unsheathed his tomarang, a hatchet blade he could bend and throw in any direction that would return to him. He spun and flung it at AaQar. Matthu and Joseph shot at WroOth, Matthu with his spring-coiled javelin and Joseph with his crossbow.
WroOth tore through the sky. As he spread his wings, he sent the weapons flying back. The tomarang cut AaQar across the face and glanced off, slicing across his silver skin before returning to Shon. The other Ayamin continued to fight on, creating as much of a diversion and interference as they could to let Inale escape. Slowly the path toward the palace opened. Joseph signaled Shon and Matthu, and they ran.
Inale clung to him as tight as she could. Everything stank of blood and smoke, sweat and dragon scales. The courtyard glowed yellow, orange, and white.
As they reached the top of the staircase, the doors to the stable burst open. A spertha leaped out.
Inale's breath caught in her throat, and her eyes widened. She'd only seen pictures of sperthas. The massive monster stood more than nine feet tall with numerous tentacles coili
ng and writhing from its head to its back. Large growths and black spine-tipped feathers covered its six outer arms and legs. Three yellow eyes burned in its over-sized skull. Black and grey teeth jutted from its mouth.
If Inale had been trying to run on her own, she would have been frozen in terror. Even Naatos's own mercenaries and the other Ayamin pulled back. But Joseph, Shon, and Matthu bolted into the palace's side door. They slammed the thick stone doors behind them, and Shon and Matthu fastened the locks.
Outside, a wailing shriek tore through the night. The sound hurt Inale's ears and chest, cutting into her like a blade. Even Joseph doubled over briefly.
Inale buried her face in Joseph's shoulder. This was all her fault. She was supposed to stop Naatos and his brothers. But how?
"Was that what I think it was?" Matthu exclaimed. He thrust his hand through his wild chestnut-brown hair as he sagged against the wall.
"Don't think about it." Shon grabbed his younger brother's arm and pulled him to his feet.
Joseph wiped the sweat and grime from his face with his arm. "Get to Plaohi. Take the sub-passage from the seventh chamber. Don't let anyone see you."
"One of us is coming with you." Shon lifted a tomarang. "We're either going with you or distracting that beast." Matthu's face was pale, but he nodded, his fist clenched tight around a javelin.
"No," Joseph said sternly. "You must get to the other Ayamin and warn them of what's happened. You'll do more to save the royal family that way than going with me." Then, still holding Inale, he ran down the hall.
Shon and Matthu raced in the opposite direction, disappearing down a narrow hallway. The door shook again, and the strange roar filled the air alongside the dragon bellows and battle cries. Inale shrugged her head against her shoulders, crushing down a whimpering cry. Naatos was coming.
Joseph raced into the Hall of Memorials. Here dozens of finely woven wool tapestries and intricately painted oil canvases hung. They were all connected with thick bands of gold fabric and sapphire-blue tassels. In each of the four corners gurgled a large fountain, each connected to the Shenam River through a series of internal aqueducts. The waters surged through with great force for their size, creating a continuous rushing sound that was usually soothing in its steady fervor.
It was a long way to the secret passages. Could they make it? Doubt flooded Inale's mind.
A great thudding and shattering of wood announced Naatos's arrival and punctuated her fears. Inale whimpered, cowering against Joseph. His own fear bristled and burned against her in a chaotic mass that terrified her almost as much as the monster.
Joseph halted in front of the last set of fountains. His heavy breaths echoed amid the rushing water. Three sets of torches at this end of the hall remained lit. They cast pale circles of light on the floor.
Setting her down, Joseph looked her in the eye. "Inale, this is very important. Stay by that door. If they capture me, then run to the lower passages and find your way out. You're a smart girl. You can find the way. Remember the maps I showed you? You have to go to Plaohi or Refendal."
"No! I have to stop them—"
"Not yet, Inale." Joseph grabbed one of the torches. "Now do what I told you."
Inale stepped back, nearing the door and the left fountain.
Joseph set the torch against the third from the last tapestry. The flames crackled as they took, and the scent of burning wool and canvas soon filled the air. As the fibers melted, twisted, and caught fire, Joseph strode to the other side and lit another painting. The flames raced upward.
The heavy clack of claws on the floor sounded ahead. Inale looked up. Her breath stopped as she saw Naatos once more, still in his spertha form.
He stood at the end of the Hall of Memorials, sniffing the air. His three eyes blinked shut and opened again rhythmically. He shook his head and let out another piercing roar.
Inale fell back, tears pouring down her cheeks as she covered her ears. It had to stop! Bumping into the fountain, she almost lost her balance. Down below, the water surged and sucked into the long stone chute that led to the aqueducts beneath the palace.
Joseph had stopped moving. He stood with the torch in one hand and the crossbow in the other, staring down Naatos. "You aren't taking her," he said.
A low growl rumbled in Naatos's chest. The tentacles on his back and head writhed and slapped. "Watch, then."
Joseph spun and bolted toward Inale. "Go!" he shouted.
Suddenly the glass in the upper windows shattered. WroOth, now an emerald-green dragon, plunged into the room, landing between Joseph and Inale. His long tail whipped through the air, narrowly missing her.
Inale stretched her arms toward Joseph. "Joseph!" she screamed. The smoke, thick and black, choked her.
"Inale, run!" Joseph shot the crossbow at WroOth, but it misfired. He dodged another blow of WroOth's tail as Naatos charged forward. Then, all at once, Naatos leaped into the air and landed on the tapestries and canvases, all blazing with flames. His eyes glowed through the smoky haze.
Inale knew she needed to run. She had to run. But she couldn't make her legs move. Horrible thoughts assailed her, churning with the fear. She was supposed to kill the Paras. She was supposed to stop them. Nobody else could. That's why she was a monster. This was the good that she could do. But what was she supposed to do?
Something flashed in the fountain beside her. All at once, AaQar, still in the form of a silver serpent, shot into the air. He transformed into a storm wyvern, his wings shooting out icy salt water. The tapestries hissed and sizzled, the smoke turning white and vanishing in the updraft.
As the room cleared, WroOth hurled a fireball at Joseph. Joseph dashed to the side but vanished in the bright, searing light.
Inale screamed, but her voice was strangled. Guilt and terror battered what remained of her consciousness. "Joseph…" Her voice trailed off in a panicked whimper.
Naatos dropped down, a few yards in front of her. He returned to his state of rest without a trace of his spertha form. "That's enough, Inale," Naatos said, his voice calm now. "I told you, you are coming with us."
Inale shook her head, unable to find any words. It hurt to breathe. Both AaQar and WroOth returned to their states of rest. The smoke smoldered from the place Joseph last stood, escaping out the broken windows. Outside, the battle sounds dimmed. Inale trembled.
"It's all right, child," AaQar said. "The worst is over."
Inale looked to WroOth. A somberness hung over him now, the laugh lines pressed from his face, and his eyes no longer playful. "You lied," she whispered. There was so much more, but it was all she could force out.
"It was for the best, Inale. None of us wanted you to see this," WroOth said. "The winged horse is still waiting. We can go now, and I will explain everything."
"You're monsters." Inale backed way. "I have to…" She had to stop them. But how?
"No, Inale. We're not. But you're too young to understand." Naatos held out his hand as he drew closer. "Come along. There's nothing you can do. This is how it must be."
Inale staggered back faster and bumped into the fountain again. This time she hit it too hard. Losing her balance, she fell back. The cold water splashed up around her.
Choking, Inale cried out. She reached for the railing, but the current of the fountain sucked her back and down the long stone chute.
7
Becoming Amelia
The cold water surrounded Inale, sucking her down, down, down. She vaguely heard Naatos shout. AaQar dove in after her. Bubbles and ripples flowed out from him as he reached for her. But then she couldn't see anything else. She didn't know if that was because she closed her eyes or because everything went dark. She clenched up in a ball, the water squeezing and dragging her along. Rocks and stones scraped her back, her head, her arms, her legs.
Then, all at once, it stopped. Inale didn't know how or why, but suddenly she could breathe. The water had vanished. Warm sunlight covered her instead of cold water. Confused, she opened her
eyes. She lay in the middle of a cornfield, drenched though the ground around her remained dry. Shivering, she pushed her hair out of her face. The coverings on her forehead and hands remained secure. But her arms and legs were battered and scraped, bleeding and stinging. That was one thing that was as it should be. Nothing else looked familiar. Strangely though, she wasn't as frightened. More curious and stunned.
Standing, Inale pushed past the corn stalks. A large bee buzzed around her ear before flying up into the sky. Birds sang. She smelled only fresh air and cut grass. Not even a wisp of blood, sesame oil, or smoke. Here the sun hung high in the sky, just after the midday point. The sky was brilliant blue with white thunderheads building in the heavy heat.
What is this place? she wondered. They didn't grow corn anywhere in or around the city of Telhetum. At least not that she had seen. More importantly, how could it be midday when it was just night? She couldn't have held her breath that long. Even so, there were no signs of Naatos, AaQar, WroOth, or any of the warriors, Ayamin or otherwise.
Stepping out of the corn, she entered a large well-kept yard. A white two-story farmhouse with green shutters that matched the door stood a couple hundred yards away. A swing with peeling light-blue paint moved back and forth in the wind. Sometimes it clanked against the wall, making the chains rattle.
"Hello?" Inale called. Her voice shook. She wrapped her arms around herself. The grass was soft beneath her bare feet. Apparently she'd lost her slippers in the fountain. Even though the sun warmed her, the wind cooled her again, and she almost missed her labyrinth garden with its protective walls and high mesh tent.
"Hello? Who's here?" she called again.
The green door swung open, and Joseph stood in the doorway.
Inale froze, her eyes wide. He had died! The fireball consumed him. But there he stood.
Identity Revealed: The Tue-Rah Chronicles Page 6
