walker saga 06 - dronish

by Jaymin Eve

  She dropped the shadows. Her rapidly blinking red eyes were the first image to appear, followed by the rest of her cloaked figure. “It is habit that I hide.”

  The three Walkers were standing where we had left them, their eyes curious, but expressions unreadable as I led Sapha back toward them. We halted at the edge of the large table. I didn’t want to overwhelm her by getting too close to the powerful men. Each of them exuded large waves of energy. I was used to the way it buffeted off me when I got too close, but I knew the Drone would be afraid.

  “This is Sapha, the half-Walker from Dronish.” I didn’t touch her, simply swept my hand close to her body. “She’s unsure about helping us in this battle. For now she wants to learn and observe.” I locked eyes with Jedi’s unusual silver-ringed pupils. “And she’s from your clan; she’s Gai.”

  A grin crossed his features, perfect white teeth shining at us. “I thought you’d never get around to finding my half,” he teased me, his infectious chuckle filling the space.

  I wrinkled my nose at him in return. Smartass.

  The very dominant male left his side of the table, moving around to stand next to Sapha. His large frame dwarfed her. “Welcome to Gai. I’m Jedi, your princeps, and it’s my pleasure to meet you.”

  Sapha looked terrified, her features frozen. Jedi didn’t let that faze him. He still reached out and took her hand. “If you ever need anything, or help – if anyone bothers you, then you can always come to me. I’m here for you at any time.”

  There Jedi went again with his sensual and shameless flirting. By now I was pretty sure he meant nothing by it. It was just his way.

  Sapha pulled her hand free. “I will keep that in mind,” she said indifferently, and Grantham couldn’t hide his grin.

  “About time we found a woman who was immune to Jedi’s charms.” His voice was loud in the tented room.

  Jedi narrowed his dark eyes on the Relli princeps. “I’m starting to get a complex around these half-Walker females.”

  I rolled my eyes at him before turning back to my father. “What have you discovered? Any information that can help us with the Seventine?”

  Josian’s features sobered as he sat in his chair again. “Actually, we have found a few interesting facts.” He started to shift through the paperwork and books littered across the table. Jedi and Grantham also retook their seats.

  I pulled out a chair on the opposite side. Sapha sat next to me. We were about four feet away from the men.

  “Alright, hit me with it.” I tented my hands in front of me.

  We were running out of time, and I knew that finding the last half-Walker was going to be a challenge. Earth was an energy dead zone. I’d be limited in my power and it was a damn big world to hope I stumbled across the human half-Walker.

  Jedi spoke first. “Continuing on from our last conversation, I’ve discovered more information on the origin of Walkers and the first scroll. The original seven and the Seventine were definitely allies, friends, companions – whatever you want to call it. They worked together on many events. Their actions resulted in the first tendrils of life on most of the seven worlds. They were fundamentally important in the creation of the races that govern these planets.”

  I was still finding this alliance hard to believe. Jedi continued.

  “Like the lalunas, it took a long time for the Seventine to lose their way, for their power as gods to corrupt that which should have been incorruptible. And that was when the originals knew that they needed a plan.”

  A burning of excitement started to flash through my blood.

  “If the Seventine can be locked away, the lalunas can too, right?” The words blurted from me, interrupting Jedi as he started to speak again.

  All eyes locked on me.

  “Yes,” Josian said. “In fact, we think we’ve come up with a plan to lock the lalunas into the very walls of the Seventine prison. If we manage this, it will strengthen that prison so that no one will ever be able to free the Seventine again.

  I was really excited now. “Will that mean the last three Seventine can’t be released?”

  Some of my joy fell as all three shook their heads.

  “No, there are cracks in the prison that not even the lalunas will fill,” Jedi said. “I mean, if we return all seven of the Seventine back to their prison, and the lalunas are already part of the security, it will be impenetrable for all eternity. Never again will we face this sort of battle.”

  Okay, I understood a little better now. It would all work only if we could re-imprison those Seventine which were already out, repair the cracks their release had left.

  “An impenetrable fortress,” Grantham said, “for all of eternity.”

  I was totally down with that. Yes, yes, and hell yes.

  “What do we have to do?” I asked, barely contained excitement in my tone.

  I’d shifted my entire body forward and was almost across the table. Not only would we eliminate the stones which held my father captive, and were preventing Brace and me from melding – a bond which was most probably essential to winning the battle with the Seventine – but we were going to make the prison so strong no entity could ever escape it again.

  The men paused then, exchanging a few glances before fixing their eyes on me.

  Oh no, there was a catch. Dammit, why was there always a catch?

  Jedi broke the silence. “The only way I can find at the moment is an exchange of power. Which would mean, to merge the stones with the prison, we would have to free at least one of the Seventine. We would pull the Seventine along a pathway, and in return the lalunas would enter that same path and form one with the prison. They would fuse with the wall and their energy would strengthen the jail.”

  Shit. Freeing a Seventine was the complete opposite of our goals.

  “Are you sure this is the only way?” I huffed. “I’m not sure any plan which involves freeing one of those creatures is a good one. They get so much stronger with each release.”

  Jedi’s eyes dropped for a moment. “You’re right, but we have to weigh up the positives versus the negatives of this plan. Yes, we’ll be freeing a Seventine, which is a definite step backwards, but Josian is sure that you need to be melded to Brace to have any chance of beating the Seventine. Not to mention the fact we’re securing the prison and ensuring any other plans the laluna might have will be thwarted. In the end, locking them away might be the first step in giving us a fighting chance to win.”

  I sighed. “So, weighing up the pros and cons, we should be better off even with another Seventine gaining freedom.”

  There were nods all around, but I saw the doubts also. It was so hard to know. None of us was omnipotent.

  “Do we have all the stones yet?” I asked Josian.

  He nodded. “Yes, they were relatively easy to find. The three of us spent the last twelve hours gathering them.”

  “How do you make them stay put?” I asked, meeting his unblinking bronze eyes.

  He grinned. “Your laluna is keeping them secured.” He gestured to a locked cabinet that I hadn’t noticed before, back near the edge of the tent. “All we have to do now is figure out the best way to do this ritual.”

  I thought of something. “What about Tenni?” Surely they hadn’t been able to gather that little hive.

  Josian’s face fell, his eyes drooping at the corners. He both loved and loathed his laluna, and his heart was still hurting. “All original powers are the same. If you lock enough of them away, the rest will follow. Because we have all the stones except … mine, the gravitational pull will be strong enough to bring Tenni to us.”

  Similar to our original plan for the Seventine. Of course, too many of them were free now.

  There was still a lot of tension riding the three men.

  “What else aren’t you telling me?”

  Jedi rushed out the next lot of bad news all at once. “We need the Seventine to agree to this plan. They’ll have to join their energy with one of us.”

>   I sank back into my chair, some of the joy and excitement deflating from me.

  “Why would they agree?” I asked. “Why would the Seventine risk the odds that the prison becomes any stronger? Would it be worth it for one free brother?”

  Jedi shuffled more paper before pulling a sheet free.

  “Firstly, they have to be getting desperate. They’re running out of time, and a lot of energy is required to free the last three. And secondly, I suggest whoever asks does so in a way where they’re sort of hiding the fact that merging the lalunas with the prison will make it the strongest jail in our star system. Instead focus on how it benefits the Seventine, namely by freeing a brother. It shouldn’t be that hard. They don’t fear the power of the lalunas. In their arrogance, they believe that nothing trumps the Seventine.”

  I thought of all the times that the first Seventine had found me, contacting me in my head. It had said there was a link between us, which was something I’d always shied far away from. But maybe I could use it to my advantage.

  I sighed. “The first Seventine has been trying, for a while, to get me to join them, and the other half-Walker females by default. It says that we’re allies and that we should be on the same side.”

  All eyes were locked on me, including Sapha’s. The Drone was probably really confused about then.

  “There’s some sort of connection between my power and the first’s, something from when it possessed Brace and absorbed some of our melding bond.” I continued to relay my thoughts aloud. “Can we use this connection? I think I’m the best chance we have to put this into play.”

  Josian tented his hands under his chin, looking thoughtful. “Yes, I think we can make this work, but we need the plan to be foolproof before we approach them. We’ll only have one shot.”

  “I’ll continue this research then.” Grantham’s exotic green eyes shone with a fire. “We need the ritual words to be correct.” He stood abruptly. “I’m going to speak with Nos. He’s the visionary. He might have some inherited information for us.”

  After dropping a hand onto Josian’s shoulder, and imparting one last smile around the room, the Relli Walker left the library. I had forgotten that Ria’s father was the visionary, which is the soothsayer of the Walker world. He was definitely someone who should have information.

  Jedi handed me the piece of parchment that he’d picked up before. I took the yellowed paper, holding it carefully.

  “This is the ritual to lock away the Seventine,” he said. “I’m a little concerned about the effect this might have on the half-Walkers.”

  I glanced down, and in a sort of scrawl, cursive version of English, was a list. It detailed the steps needed to draw the Seventine into the prison and lock them away. It read like this:

  Requires the seven original powers.

  Connect powers and call on the energy of the ancients and mother to all.

  Expel power and blood from all seven. Requires fifty percent of life blood and equal amounts of power.

  Repeat the words: Terra, ignis, aqua, ventus, spiritus, umbra.

  Lay a seal with your energy, form the circle that will encase the walls and repeat above words followed by: coniungere, carcere, postestas, septum.

  I spoke the last words aloud, my head flying up to meet Jedi’s concerned gaze. His brows had lowered over his eyes as he watched me in silence.

  Josian broke the moment. “All of those words are in the original language. The six elements and the last four represent conduit, power, prison, and finally the Seventine. It will draw in their energy and lock them away again.”

  I stared down at the paper. “So the only thing stopping us now is that we don’t have the seven half-Walkers?”

  Jedi and Josian both nodded.

  My father spoke again. “Pretty much, and it’ll be much harder and require a lot more of your blood and power if all seven of them are free. If we can perform this ritual before they’re fully released … well, that’s a much better option.”

  Sapha shifted in her chair. For the first time since we’d sat down, she spoke. “I think what you are saying is that, to perform this ritual after all of these … Seventy things … are released, will cost us half-Walkers our lives. All of our power and blood. But if we can do it before their final release, we have a chance to survive, correct?”

  It was in that moment I realized how much she truly observed in her quiet little pose. Quiet didn’t mean stupid. Sapha took in every piece of information and, in typical Walker fashion, her brain worked superfast and arranged the pieces in logical order.

  Jedi’s lips straightened into a scowl of sorts. “Yes, unfortunately it looks that way. Which is why the original seven were no longer able to hold their Walker forms. They poured much into the prison, and the rest of their energy scattered in the star-system.”

  Scattered until it became part of us seven half-Walkers.

  Sapha didn’t say anything, but we did lock eyes for a moment, and I saw plenty unsaid in those red depths. This was probably not the conversation we should be having with someone a little unsure about joining our cause. I was about to say something reassuring when a familiar tapping sensation caressed my shielded head.

  Brace. I dropped the barrier without hesitation.

  Hey, Red.

  I let out a relieved sigh, not caring if everyone else in the room thought I was a freak.

  What’s happening, Princeps? I did my best to keep my tone light.

  Missing you, and kicking the shit out of my faithful subjects to keep myself sane.

  I was almost ninety percent sure he was kidding. I let out a few chuckles. He continued speaking.

  I’ve found out something interesting about the lalunas. Not only are Tenni and the rest of her little faeries connected, but the fourteen stones are also each connected. If we trap in the majority, the rest will be pulled along.

  I smiled; we were all on the same track. Yep, Dad has collected the thirteen stones. We’re holding them here, and Grantham is off determining the exact ritual we need.

  Brace paused. I could sense his brain ticking over. What’s your plan then, to contain the thirteen until the ritual?

  At the moment my laluna has them all tied down here – I broke off, sending my senses outward for a second.

  Jedi had started to speak again.

  I halted him by holding up my hand to indicate I was busy right then. He frowned but paused.

  I returned my attention to Brace. After we get them to the mountain we’re going to trap them in the walls of the Seventines’ prison. Jedi and Josian have been researching and, if we do that, then their prison will be virtually unbreakable. Never again will the Seventine be freed … I trailed off.

  Brace picked up on my unease. I sense a ‘but’ in there. What’s the catch?

  The man knew me way too well. We’re going to need the Seventines’ help, and one of them will be freed in exchange.

  He was quiet for a few moments, before answering. That’s a risk worth taking, in my opinion.

  After hearing the princeps explain the pros and cons, I agreed too, but still I worried that we were making a mistake. To be fair, Brace and I weren’t the most unbiased in this situation.

  I have to go, baby. Brace’s voice lowered. My men are searching for … this room in Que’s house. They think they might have found something.

  Be careful. I miss you. I wanted to add more but kept it short.

  Miss you too, Red. We’re going to fix this, I swear it to you. I love you. He faded out of my mind.

  I tightened the barriers again. They were so much weaker now that I was unmelded to Brace. I had to work hard to keep myself shielded all the time.

  I was about to rejoin the conversation in the room when another tapping sounded on my barrier. Cool, watery energy washed over me.

  Talina.

  I dropped the barriers.

  Abbs, I need you at the lake right now!

  She sounded frantic, and then she was gone from my head. I ju
mped to my feet and that instant Cerberus – who’d been asleep beside the table – was at my side.

  “I have to go,” I said to the room. “Talina needs me at the lake.”

  Josian and Jedi were also on their feet. Sapha didn’t move.

  “Come on.” I attempted to lessen my bluntness, but when I was worried, I lacked tact.

  With unnecessary slowness she stood. I turned away. Trusting that the Dronish half would keep up, I took off. Cerberus stayed by my side, his bulk useful as we plowed through the crowds toward the Doreen area. I needed to get to the lake.

  I entered under the banner, and crossed through the tents and along the eating zones. My heart rate slowed a little as long emerald hair came into sight. Talina was standing, as still as a statue, on the edge of the crystal-clear lake. She didn’t seem hurt and no one was around her. Water streamed off her as if she’d just exited the lake.

  It wasn’t until I reached her side and she turned large brown eyes in my direction that I noticed the trickle of what looked like tears trailing down her pink cheeks.

  “You should have told me how amazing it was,” she said, her voice no more than a whisper.

  I furrowed my brow, staring around trying to figure out what she was talking about.

  Sapha, Josian, and Jedi fell in next to Cerberus. Everyone had followed me.

  Then I saw it.

  Rising from the depths of the lake, silver and emerald sparkles reflecting brightly in the First World sun, a scaled form ascended slowly, and I finally deduced what had happened. Talina had found her sacred animal. As the tip of its head broke the water, I raised a hand to cover my open mouth. Unbelievable.

  “He came to me when I was under the water.” Talina stepped closer, as if she were being drawn to the creature. “I’m not going to lie, I freaked out at first and reached for you … but then he touched me and I knew the gift.”

  As majestic as the other sacred animals, Talina’s bonded one was a water dragon. He was massive, his shadowed form in the water the size of a huge elephant, but longer and svelte. He moved toward us without pause. His head was sleek, with a large jaw filled with razor-sharp teeth. His neck was long, sharp fin-like protrusions emerging all the way down to where his body disappeared under the water.