“And now that my father’s gone?” Cara said. “Are you trying to say that you’re taking on his role?”
“I don’t know, Cara,” Merrick said. “But I do know who I am. At my core, I’m about making things right. Proving myself. Redeeming myself. That’s my nature, and I don’t think I’ve fully accomplished that yet.
“I don’t know if I’m the one to unify the languages or not, but I’ve proven I can do things that others can’t. And I have to do what I can to move us closer to Ohman’s goal if there’s a chance it will help save the Drayoom and the humans on this planet.”
Cara plopped down into the leather couch and exhaled loudly.
“I wasn’t expecting to deal with all of this today,” she said. “I just wanted to tell you about the visit from the Wind Family and to ask you to take it a little easy, and now I find out that you’re trying to finish a quest I never even knew that my father was working on.”
“That about sums it up,” Merrick said.
“Anything else?” Cara said, her voice sounding tired.
“I haven’t been just focusing on speeding up efforts to reconstruct the unified creation language. I’ve also had a few of the Alphas out looking for our missing cube.”
“Any progress on that?” Cara said.
“None at all,” he said, turning away from her. “It’s still a liability. But this is definitely a case of no news being good news, for now at least.”
Cara stood up and walked to the door.
“Where are you heading?” Merrick asked.
“I’m going to check on Bradley and see if he’s cleared to travel. I saw Heinin still hanging around tonight. I figure I’ll ask him if he wants to go as well. He hasn’t seen his parents in a while, and Scotland isn’t exactly right around the corner, you know? I can leave him there to look after Bradley and make it back in time for the Emperor’s visit. You take care of preparing for the Emperor’s advanced detail tomorrow, and I’ll see you Wednesday morning. And, Merrick?”
“Yes, Cara?” he said.
“Try to get some rest tonight and tomorrow night, too. Hosting the Emperor is going to require your A game. Remember, dealing with the Wind Family is all about diplomacy and not about hurling lightning bolts at them.”
CHAPTER 6
WHEN THE BEAUTIFUL Cara walked into the room, Bradley forgot for just an instant about his injury.
As soon as she started talking, however, the spell was broken, and he submerged again into a haze of resentment toward Merrick and to Rune Corp in general.
Something like this never would have happened while Ohman was in charge.
The only thing Merrick was doing correctly was sending him to the Earth Clan. Bradley had worked at the company long enough to know that if anyone could restore his limb, it would be the Earth healers.
He shook his head in disgust and wry amusement as it occurred to him that they would most likely have to let him retain his memory when he left the building.
After everything he had done for the company, this would be the first time he would be outside the Rune Corp building with his memory and knowledge of magic intact.
Even though Merrick and Cara trusted him to work with unknown dragon words and to take all the risks for the company, they had never included him as a part of their inner circle. The Alphas and some of Merrick’s other favorites, like Mona for instance, were allowed to come and go as they pleased, but not Bradley.
He knew he would probably be taken straight to the Earth Clan and back, and that it wouldn’t be the same as walking among normal members of society while having the understanding that magic was real.
But it was still something—even though he had to lose a leg to have the opportunity to experience it.
Even as Bradley ruminated over his situation, Cara and the young Heinin moved to help him out of bed.
He was still heavily controlled by whatever words of magic Merrick and the Doc had stitched him up with, and the room seemed to jerk awkwardly around him, but he somehow stood shakily on one leg as he propped himself up between Cara and Heinin.
“I know that neither of you has traveled through Terrada before,” Cara said, “so listen very closely. We’re about to lose ourselves inside the Earth Dragon herself. Our molecules will become one with Oodrosil before they travel down into the roots of the tree and out into the Earth itself.
“While we’re traveling like this, it will be very easy to forget who you are. Our energy will transform into and pass through stones, roots, bedrock, insects...anything that’s a creature or a piece of the Earth, faster than your brains will be able to process the changes. Before we go, you have to settle on something that you can focus on during the trip—something that will remind you that you are the collection of all your parts and more, so that when we reach our destination you can reconstitute as you again. Make sense?”
Bradley nodded. He had studied the concept of traveling on the back of a dragon—as they called it—enough to know how it all worked in theory.
“Everything’s going to be all right,” Cara said. “I’m going to get you both there in no time at all. Heinin, you can go visit your parents while I get Bradley set up with the healers. I have to be back here in the morning to help prepare for the Fuugoshujin family. Heinin will check in on you and make sure you’re doing all right until I return in two days. By that time, you should be healed and walking again. It won’t be long before you’re better than new.”
Cara reached out and held hands with both Heinin and Bradley as the clock in the room ticked to midnight.
“Remember, make sure you have something in your mind to help keep you whole,” Cara said.
As far as figuring out something to focus on, Bradley had no problem with that at all.
He closed his eyes and imagined Merrick’s face, letting his disdain for the brash upstart fester in his mind. His resentment would be the glue that would hold him together as his molecules traveled to the Earth Clan.
CHAPTER 7
CARA STOOD IN THE shadow of the imposing, lush green mountain that loomed in front of them. The Highlands of Scotland always smelled to Cara like the essence of the earth. She could almost taste the rich soil, recently wet from the morning dew.
The valley in which they had arrived only moments before was the same one where Cara had first saved Merrick’s life when he was still new to the world of magic.
On the far side of the valley—only a dot in the distance—sat the small house where Heinin grew up with his mother and father.
Even though his parents had lived there all of their lives, they still had no idea that inside the enormous mountain existed a sprawling subterranean city that was home to the Earth Clan, the Drayoom family that followed the Earth Dragon, Terrada.
Listening around, Cara could hear only nature. Bugs jumped here and there across the tips of grass blades, and somewhere a little ways off, a bird called out to its family.
In the distance, through the mountains, Cara saw dark clouds racing across the sky. Even this close to Terrada’s home, the weather was chaotic—another sign of the world being out of balance.
To Cara’s left, Heinin was already straining to see across the valley to where his parents lived. Behind him, Bradley was leaning against a boulder. She put her hand on Heinin’s shoulder.
“Go find your parents,” she said. “When you’re ready, come to the house of Balach, and he will take you to the healers to check on Bradley. If you’re stopped along the way, just tell them that you’re a friend of Merrick’s. That should buy you whatever good will you need to pass through the streets unhindered.”
Heinin said a quick goodbye to Cara and to Bradley before dashing away down the familiar valley.
Cara turned to Bradley.
“We have about an hour’s walk to get to the city’s entrance—mostly uphill,” Cara said. “If you wouldn’t mind lying down on the ground, I’ll arrange a transport for you.”
Bradley looked away from Cara, his ja
w jutted slightly forward.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Merrick always pushing me,” Bradley said.
Cara set her hands on her hips.
“You’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, Bradley, but you lost your leg because you were careless and because you didn’t follow proper procedures—not because of Merrick. If Merrick didn’t care enough about helping you out, you’d be at home in a human hospital speaking with a doctor about what kind of prosthetic leg you wanted to try. It’s because of Merrick that the Earth healers are going to be working on you. Instead of blaming Merrick, you might try thanking him the next time you see him.”
Cara knew that in the normal human world, an injury like Bradley’s would be permanent, but in the Drayoom community, there was a good chance that the healers could create a new leg for him. She understood that he’d been through a lot, but under the circumstances, she was still surprised by, and in no mood for, his attitude.
Bradley looked up at Cara, but didn’t reply. He lay on the ground, rested his head against the earth, and closed his eyes.
Cara uttered a series of tones that called to the moss and to the rocks and to the grass of the valley. Even as she continued her evocation, the ground beneath Bradley solidified and formed around his prone body. Slowly, the slab of hardened earth rose into the air, easily bearing his weight.
She started making her way up the side of the valley, with Bradley’s body floating behind her, as they headed for an outcropping partway up the mountain. It was a taxing climb just because of its steepness, but a necessary one, since traveling directly into the mountain was strictly prohibited for security purposes—very similar to the no-fly zones enforced by humans over certain important governmental areas and monuments. All of the Drayoom families took the same precautions with their cities, and it made entering each one of them appropriately difficult.
After ten minutes of climbing, she looked back and asked Bradley how he felt, but he didn’t answer.
After about an hour, they arrived at the outcropping that Cara knew marked the hidden entrance to the Earth City. She opened her mouth and let the soft words flow from her throat. They tumbled from her mouth, sounding like giant boulders rolling down a grassy hill. Without hesitation, she walked forward and disappeared into the side of the mountain.
She didn’t look back, but she knew that Bradley was in tow directly behind her.
Even though she guessed that Bradley would try to maintain his poor attitude, she knew that he would not be able to resist being excited about visiting the Earth City. Other than Mona and Heinin, he would be the only human ever to actually see the home of the Earth Clan in person.
Once they were through the thick side of the mountain, she looked back and saw Bradley craning his neck to look around.
Behind them stood a great archway almost fifty feet tall that was adorned with ornate, magical symbols carved directly into the inner wall of the mountain.
As they left the hidden entrance behind them, they entered a wide tunnel that was dimly lit by an unseen source. They traversed the uneven pathway that plunged ever downward as it veered left and right every twenty feet or so. After about fifteen minutes, the path opened into a brightly lit, massive cavern that still impressed Cara each time she saw it. The hollowed-out part of the mountain was so large that Cara could not see its end, and the ceiling was so brightly lit that it was as if a second sun, held captive underground, were shining down on the Earth Clan.
They paused when they came to the edge of a cliff that dropped off for what must have been a half a mile to the floor of the cavern. In front of them, a stairway carved into the side of the cliff descended to the edge of a thick evergreen forest.
From her vantage point, Cara could see a trail winding through the thick woodland below before it turned into a stone-paved road in the distance. The road was only one of dozens that converged like spokes somewhere beyond the cave’s artificial horizon. Thousands of dwellings made mostly of stone and of trees dotted the cavern floor, becoming more densely grouped together the farther off they were in the distance.
The terrain itself was more varied than that of the outside Highlands, interspersed with running streams, brightly flowering plants, and what looked to be fruit-bearing trees. It was as if someone had merged a sprawling city within an underground national park.
Without a word, Cara started down the stone steps to the forest below.
After about fifteen minutes, she and the floating Bradley arrived at the floor of the enormous cave and made their way to the trail that led into the forest.
Cara noticed that the snarl on Bradley’s face was gone as he propped himself up and looked around in wonderment.
His change in mood didn’t surprise Cara—the Earth City had that effect on both Drayoom and humans alike the first time they saw it.
She made her way along the trail, through the trees, and onto the stone-paved road on the other side of the forest. The number of dwellings increased as they moved closer to the center of the city, and more members of the clan came out of their homes to wave and to greet them. They didn’t recognize Bradley, but Cara’s face was a familiar and welcome one in the city. The people saw her now, not as a half-breed, but as the daughter of the great Ohman and as one of those responsible for saving their dear city from being taken over by Eudroch and the Fire Tribe not all that long ago.
“This place is amazing,” Bradley said, straining to take in as much as possible.
Cara nodded.
“This is the home of the followers of Terrada. There aren’t many places on the planet more magical or closer to the heart of the Earth Dragon.”
After half an hour of walking, Cara stood outside the home of Balach.
Balach had been just a boy the last time Cara and Merrick had seen him, but after the death of Balach’s father, Cara had heard that he had taken over the household where his mother, Adriana, and he still lived.
Cara had also heard that Balach still honored the name of his father, Fenton, each day of his life.
Even though, she and Merrick had at one point considered having their people stay at Balach’s home during their visit, now that Cara was actually there, she knew in her heart that, even though Balach might offer to let them stay in his house, they would not be truly welcome.
Balach might have forgiven Merrick for accidentally killing his father, but Cara was sure that there was no way he had forgotten. Cara had to fight her instinct to turn around and go straight to the healer herself, but without the Queen’s permission, she would need the voice of Balach to convince the healer to work on Bradley.
She helped Bradley up from his bed of moss and let him lean on her before knocking on the door.
Cara sighed as she waited for someone to answer.
With a slight squeak, the wooden door finally opened, and Balach stood before her, his face emotionless like stone beneath his sandy brown hair that fell slightly over his eyes. Cara searched for a glimmer of recognition or happiness in his eyes. Even though Balach’s creation name meant true love, and such was his nature, she was sure that he was having a difficult time conjuring up anything but hard feelings when he looked at her. It wasn’t because of any direct role she had played in Fenton’s death, but she had been the one to bring Merrick to the Earth Clan in the first place, and for that, she shared some of the blame.
“Welcome, Cara,” he said, his voice lower than she remembered it. He had grown up a lot in the six months since she had seen him and was starting to look and sound like a younger, thinner version of his father.
Cara nodded her head.
“Balach, it’s good to see you,” she said. “You’ve grown into a man since last we spoke.”
As soon as she said it, Cara knew that her words were not the right ones for the occasion. Of course he had grown into a man. With the death of his father, there had been no other choice.
Balach seemed as if he were about to comment on her words, but instead he looked
over at Bradley and raised one eyebrow.
“This is Bradley,” she said, “one of our employees at Rune Corp. We come seeking help from your healers for his leg. Bradley, this is Balach, son of Fenton and Adriana. He is someone you can trust.”
Balach nodded to Bradley, then motioned for both of them to come inside.
Upon entering the house, the smell of fresh vegetable stew filled her nostrils, and as she followed Balach deeper into the abode, the scent grew stronger.
The house itself was like most of the dwellings in the Earth Clan—constructed of several large trees whose trunks were side by side with their branches intertwined above them to form upper rooms and a roof. The floor was made of polished stone, taken, she imagined, straight from the core of the mountain itself.
Working in the kitchen was Adriana, Fenton’s widow and Balach’s mother. A plain woman with dark brownish-red hair, Adriana was also naturally beautiful. Despite this, much like her son, she had aged significantly since the last time Cara had seen her.
Cara knew that, because she was associated with Merrick, just seeing her face probably brought back painful memories that they were still trying to move past as a family.
Adriana stopped stirring the large iron pot and walked over to Cara. She gave Cara a gentle hug that was sincere although not as enthusiastic as it normally would have been when greeting an old friend.
Cara introduced Bradley to Adriana and helped him sit down at the table first before also sitting down.
Even though Cara didn’t want to bring up Fenton’s death, she felt she had to get it out in the open so that they would be able to communicate as the old friends they really were.
“I was told that the funeral for your husband was one of the most attended in the history of the Earth Clan,” Cara said. “He was a much loved and respected Drayoom, and the clan is a poorer place without him. I know you must miss him greatly.”
The Equilibrium of Magic Page 5
