“Back a thousand years ago, the borders of Salus Valde were created using her shadow,” Elmot said wistfully.
Van didn’t care about anything that happened a thousand years ago, and she wasn’t interested in Elmot’s geeky topography infatuation.
“It’s the home of the Elementals,” Trey added. He had felt drawn toward the waterfall, too. “They sit atop Mt. Altithronia, watching over us mortals.”
“We’re safe here,” Elmot said. “The Elementals don’t allow the Balish on their land without permission.”
“But they allow us?” Van asked.
“The Elementals favor Lodians,” Elmot said, smiling up at the mountain.
“Yet they’re repealing Manik’s law so the Balish can come and kill us?” Van snipped.
Trey chuckled. “Van has a point. Better get out of here before they smite us.”
“That law saved our tribe from annihilation by the Balish,” Elmot said defensively. “None of us would be standing here right now if Manik and the Elementals hadn’t stepped in.”
“Can’t we just stay here?” Paley asked, eyeing Brux as if he were something she had created from the boundless bowl. “We can camp in the roots of that tree and let the other team find the Coin.”
Trey sniggered and said, “Don’t I wish.”
Paley’s idea surprisingly irritated Van. Normally, Van was all for lounging around. But she had an urge to keep moving. She wondered whether this inner drive meant she was the Anchoress-in-Waiting being pulled toward the Coin. She didn’t feel like a warrior. A warrior wouldn’t need the Elders to fix the Games for her because she lacked skill and her family wanted her to place on the highest career track. Or had Pernilla lied about that, feeling threatened by Van as her competition, both in the Games and for Ken’s affection? Would a warrior’s feet hurt this bad? She didn’t think so. Van was sure her father or Uxa would have told her if she were the Anchoress‑in-Waiting.
They rejoined Jorie and Brux by the TAV.
Elmot knelt and pulled several worn parchment maps out of his backpack. “This is the last chance for us to head south by way of the Fulguro River,” he said. “I would love to get my hands on that map in Manik’s text.”
“Focus on what we have, not on what we don’t have,” Jorie lectured. “What’s the fastest way to the river?”
Van resisted the impulse to whip out Manik’s text, claiming she had found it in the bushes, but knew the team would never buy it. They would immediately figure out that Michael was Van’s father, and that would cause trust issues with her teammates. Van imagined them accusing her of being a saboteur and leaving her and Paley behind in this strange place, with no food, water, or shelter, and no map to get home.
“Any original book is a rare find, thanks to the Balish,” Brux said.
“The only reason Manik’s text survived is because it’s a historical artifact written by a Balish king,” Trey said. “A king who is the direct ancestor of the Moors—the current-day Balish royal family.”
Jorie prickled over his comment, though Trey didn’t notice.
He went on. “Solana’s younger brother Ferox, King Nequus, Prince Devon, Prince Merloc, and a bunch of other Balish royals could have studied the text. None had any interest in a book full of Lodian beliefs or attempting to translate the Language of the Ancients, which is apparently very tiresome and laborious.”
As Trey spoke, Jorie got more fidgety with every word. Van felt too intimidated by their leader to ask what was bothering her, and no one else seemed to notice. Van shrugged it off, thinking she might have misread Jorie’s reactions.
“Tell me about it,” Brux said. “My father taught me. It’s a nightmare. Only a handful of people are fluent in it. Commoners are banned by law from reading the Language.”
“The Balish did that for their own protection,” Trey said. “They say if commoners read the Language of the Ancients, their eyes will burn out of their sockets. Which is a load of crap.” He dumped his backpack and kept his crossbow and quiver. “I’m going to go scout. Elmot, if you could point me in the right direction.”
Elmot pointed east, and Trey disappeared down a dirt path leading off the bluff and into the pines.
Jorie squinted at Trey’s departing form and barked, “Elmot!”
He jumped, startled.
“Find an alternate route in case the Balish have the river blocked,” Jorie instructed.
Elmot scrutinized his maps. “Because of the terrain . . . hmm . . . if the east passage is blocked . . . looks like our only choice is to go north through Blackwood Forest.”
Jorie ran her hand through her Mohawk. “That’s way off track.”
“Or we’d have to head back using the TAV,” Elmot said. “Get out in Tipereth Forest and head south, like Echo did.”
“I’m not a fan of going north,” Brux said. “But the farther north we go, the farther from Aduro we get. There’ll be less of a Balish presence. Rural villagers pass down folklore through story. If they know about the Coin, they’ll talk.”
Van lit up.
“I’m not saying the Coin is in the north,” Brux quickly added. “But if we can find out where it’s hidden in the south, then we can send word to Dais—team Echo.”
Jorie pushed out her bottom lip, mulling it over.
“What difference does it make which way we go?” Paley said. “No one knows for sure where the Coin is. That’s why Uxa sent two teams. It could be anywhere. Even here.”
“We’re not staying here, Paley,” Van said flatly.
Just when Van thought maybe Elmot wasn’t so great at reading maps, he said, “Brux is right. If we go north, we can stop in Agerorsa. It was the site of a brutal battle during the Dark War. Looks like a good-sized town, though, not too rural. But it is far from Aduro, so the people will probably talk. It will take us a couple days to get there, and we’ll have to pass through a border checkpoint.”
Jorie said, “Let’s wait for Trey—”
Trey came bounding out of the woods, limping, with a dark red stain on his thigh.
“The Balish are set up on the river’s bend,” he called out. “I got too close. They caught sight of me, thought I was the thief.”
Trey did kind of look like a thief, thought Van. Despite being extremely good looking, he had beady eyes and always seemed to be assessing the situation, working out his next best move.
Trey reached the group and put pressure on the bleed. He rummaged in his backpack and took out a long piece of gauze. “We’ll never make it down the river, and now this squadron knows we’re here,” he said. “We’ve got to go. They’ll be here soon.”
Trey had barely wrapped the gauze around his thigh when Jorie whipped out Zachery and shoved him up against the TAV. “You seem to know an awful lot about the Balish,” she growled, holding Zachery to his throat. “Brown eyes, dark hair—you a Bale? You lead them here? You working for Solana? Tell me!” The blade dug deeper, cutting into Trey’s skin.
“I’m—a—Lodian—convert,” Trey said barely able to get the words out. “Raised—Balish—”
Van took a step back from Jorie, wide-eyed. So that’s what was bothering her.
“Take it easy, Jorie,” Brux said. “Uxa handpicked all of us. He’s okay.”
Jorie released her blade but didn’t back down. “Explain!”
Voices of soldiers echoed from the trees.
“We’re going to get caught,” Paley said anxiously.
“We need to get into the TAV!” Brux said.
Jorie stood firm; nobody moved.
“I immigrated to Salus Valde so I could become a Lodian and live in peace.” Trey angrily rubbed his neck. “I’m the best resource you have. I know the Balish inside and out. Who better to have on your team?”
Jorie relaxed her stance, as the first Balish soldier emerged from the trees. “In!” commanded Jorie.
They all dashed into the TAV.
“You okay?” Elmot asked, flittering around Trey’s leg.
The soldiers stampeded forward, shouting. It was the longest closing of an automatic door in the history of the world. An arrow skimmed the top of Van’s head, as several more pinged off the door frame, causing them to duck just before the door slid closed. Van’s heart beat so hard, it seemed about to burst her ribs.
Paley gripped Van’s arm and whispered in a shaky voice, “What have you gotten me into?”
Van didn’t need Paley’s stress added to her already abundant load. They had narrowly escaped the Balish soldiers, but now she had to deal with being trapped in a traveling tree again.
Jorie pressed the only illuminated icon on the panel map, located in eastern Kezef. The TAV hummed and vibrated.
“The route opened!” Elmot exclaimed. He pointed at the panel map, his finger still shaking from the close encounter. “That route to Agerorsa was restricted before! The TAV is taking us to the northern edge of Blackwood Forest in Kezef. We’ll reach Agerorsa by tomorrow afternoon, without the hassle of passing through a border checkpoint! It’s the Elementals helping us find the Coin!”
“Or maybe you just misread the panel map,” Trey muttered.
Van took deep breaths to calm her jitters. Were the Elementals helping them because they were Lodians? Or because one of them was the Anchoress-in-Waiting? Van glanced at Paley, who nervously clutched Brux’s arm. No one knew who Paley’s parents were. Maybe her being here was secretly orchestrated by the Elementals. Could she be the Anchoress heir?
“Agerorsa!” Brux exclaimed. “I knew the town sounded familiar! My father told me about a library there with a secret room packed full of documents on Lodian lore—all either untranslated or translated by Lodian scribes. It’s hidden from the Balish.”
“Ho-yeah!” Jorie said, fist-bumping Brux.
“There’s a belief that Grigori can connect to Earth World elevators from TAVs.” Trey glanced at Van, expecting her to confirm this as truth.
His comment made Van suspect the group knew she and Paley were from Providence Island. She had no idea if Trey’s claim was true or not. “How’s your leg?” she asked, forcing a change in subject.
The door slid open, only this time the land ahead appeared barren and bleak. A dim blue sky hung overhead, streaked with silvery clouds, casting a cold gray light over the horizon.
“There’ll be no more chances to use a TAV. The traveling trees end here,” Elmot said. He pointed to a desolate-looking area of Kezef on one of his maps. “We’ll travel by foot through Mesoterra.”
“Kezef is mostly undeveloped,” Jorie said. “We shouldn’t run into any Balish soldiers. But the terrain is rough and rocky. We’ll have to take it slow.”
They marched onward over the vast rural landscape. The wind whipped, the temperature dropped, and soft, fine sand blew from the ground into their faces. It got so bad, they were forced to stop and re-gear.
Van and Paley copied the rest of the group, wrapping their scarves around their faces, protecting their noses, mouths, and ears from the wind and sand. They put on thick, black sunglasses, protecting their eyes, and tucked into their weather-resistant utility jackets.
Jorie was right; navigating the rocky terrain of Kezef was slow going. Even the wind seemed to be blowing them backward. Every now and then, they passed massive rectangular granite slabs that jutted out of the earth, as if an underground giant had pushed them up from below. As they traveled north, the slabs became larger and more clustered, forcing them to alter their route.
By late afternoon, Van could barely see twenty feet ahead and silently gave Elmot credit for keeping them on track.
Eventually, Elmot announced they had entered Mesoterra. The sandy wind abated. They were able to loosen their scarves and remove their sunglasses. Their journey eased, except when they had to wait for a herd of strange animals to pass. They seemed familiar to Van, with their four hoofed legs, brown fur, curved horns, and humped backs. She just couldn’t place them.
“Buffalroo,” Brux said. “Part of the buffalo family from your world.”
“My world?” Van said defensively.
“The Earth World, duh,” he said.
Van focused on the buffalroo. When Uxa had asked Brux to find her and Paley in Lodestar Village, she must have told him they were from Providence Island. Van just didn’t know how much Uxa had told him. Like, did he know Michael Cross was Van’s father? Did he know Paley was a terrigen? Or that Van was using the Twin Gemstones to keep Paley here?
Brux didn’t elaborate. He watched the herd pass and said, “Stupid creatures, really. Annoying. Shouldn’t exist at all, yet here they are, thriving. At one time, they were near extinction.”
“Why are they annoying?” Paley asked, appearing next to Brux.
“You’ll see. Later.”
The last of the buffalroo passed, and the group moved on.
After what seemed like hours, Jorie called for a break and led them under a natural archway formed by several granite slabs.
Surprised at how tired she felt, Van wondered if her exhaustion came from the energy draw of the Twin Gemstones. She pushed the thought away. Paley was with her, so the Gemstones were being used correctly. Her achy body simply validated that her athletic awards were a myth.
She spotted a nearby fallen tree and sat on the trunk. The rotted-out tree crushed under her weight, spilling Van to the ground.
Paley giggled.
“Oh, gross!” Van cried. She jumped up and wiped off her butt. Then, feeling as if she needed to get herself together, she slipped away and kneeled behind a nearby bush to brush her hair, making sure no one glimpsed her contraband hairbrush. Afterward, she sat next to Paley on a granite slab.
Paley complained about her stomach growling. Van pulled out the boundless bowl and ordered a veggie burger with caramelized onions for herself, then handed the bowl to Paley, who asked for a chicken-and-cheese sub with onions and peppers. Paley passed the bowl to Trey.
Trey put the bowl down and pulled a sparkly ampule out of his backpack. It looked like a jewel. He offered it to Van.
She flipped her palm up to say she didn’t want it. “I have a boyfriend.”
Trey chuckled. “It’s colloidal silver, not an engagement ring. Take a drop, then pass it to Paley. It’s got immune-building properties.” He commanded the bowl to create wild boar with beans, which he poured into a metal dish, and then he passed the bowl to Elmot.
“It makes sense for the Coin to be hidden in the north,” Elmot said. “A thousand years ago, Fomalhaut was neutral territory.” Elmot instructed the bowl to make “Auroch and figs,” a concoction that looked like beef stew, then continued. “It’s dangerous to travel through. A good place to hide something.”
Soon after they finished eating, Paley started rubbing her knees together. “I have to pee. Van, come with?”
“Yeah, I have to go, too,” Van said, grabbing her backpack.
Brux yelled, “Hey! Where are you two going?”
“Van has to pee,” Paley said.
Van felt her cheeks flush.
“Oh, uh, well—stay close and hurry up! It’s not safe here.”
Brux’s protective concern made Van feel like she had swallowed butterflies, and she wondered about her conflicting emotions. She followed Paley behind a granite slab, not too far from the archway.
“Here’s a good spot,” Paley said. “You go first. I’ll keep lookout.”
Van pulled some tissues from her backpack. Paley turned in standard girlfriend-lookout-position. Van pulled down her pants. As soon as she squatted, she lost her footing and grabbed onto the slab for balance. What the? She could’ve sworn the ground beneath her feet had shifted. “Damn it.” A stream of pee had dribbled all over her thighs and splashed onto her pants and panties. “I need more tissues!”
Paley blindly extended her arm backward with tissues in hand. “Got it?”
Van grabbed the tissue. “Got it.
Thanks.” She cleaned herself and then let the used tissues tumble away in the wind. “Paley, you may want to pee in another spot,” Van said, tucking in her tank top. “I think there’s something wrong with the ground here.”
“Oh right. You’re all set, so now you want me to suffer? Don’t worry. Brux will still be there when you get back. Wait for me!”
They switched positions, with Van’s back turned to Paley. “What do you mean Brux will still be there when I get back?” Van asked crossly. “You’re the one who’s flirting with him!”
“All the boys always like you better.” Paley’s voice echoed from behind Van. “I see the way you stare at Brux with your googly eyes.”
“I do not!”
“You have Ken, from one of the best families, who is the nicest, best-looking guy on the island, and you want more. How much is enough? I—ah! Van! Help!”
Van whipped around, terrified.
Paley was ankle deep in sand that had come alive.
She glimpsed thin black sticks sweeping in and out, rippling the sand around Paley’s ankles. Van stared, terrified, as spindly legs sifted the sand, while Paley sank.
“I can’t move my feet!” Paley wailed. “Do something!”
Van yelled for help, as she threw down her backpack and tore open the zipper—not sure what she was looking for—something, anything.
Paley sank deeper into the sand.
Van snatched a coil of rope. “Grab hold, and I’ll pull you out!” She tossed the rope to Paley, who reached for it and missed.
The spindly legs kept sweeping.
“Help! Help!” Paley cried, as the sand reached her knees. Tears poured from her eyes.
“Hang on!” Van leaned forward, aimed, and tossed the rope. Her body shifted. The sand under her own feet began to ripple like tiny waves.
Paley caught the rope. But it was too late.
Van lost her balance and crashed to the ground.
Sand pelted against Van’s exposed skin, as waves erupted around her body. One of the creatures flicked sand into her eyes. Grains caught in her throat. She coughed and blinked, while struggling to breathe. She rolled onto her back and felt her cap slip from her head as her body sank lower.
Shock of Fate: A Young Adult Fantasy Adventure (Anchoress Series Book 1) Page 15
