Enemy Known

by Butler, J. M.

  While Naatos had expected some manner of resistance, this lack did not change what would be done. Orders had already been given to the Talbokians. AaQar would remain behind long enough to affirm these when the rest of the summoned faction leaders arrived at the summit while WroOth scouted out the Machat. Naatos, despite being the better tracker, needed to locate Amelia. Their previous mistakes could not be repeated.

  Naatos shifted into a veldrok wolf as silt and dust wafted from the passage. The strong wind carried it down the mountain and toward the forest. Though his eyes stung a little from the smoke and fine debris, the ocular pain vanished once Naatos assumed his lupine form, and his sight at once improved. Those were two of the many benefits of this particular shape. With a nod to AaQar, he lunged into the passage.

  The double doors hung twisted at the hinges, blackened and burning. Naatos loped into the longer passage. WroOth had already charged down the first path. Naatos took the nearest one on the right.

  These chambers were plain and simply cut. Torches hung in several places, burning still while others had fallen to the ground, charring to ash and staining the stone. Yet even if he reached a place where all was dark, Naatos could see with ease. The veldrok wolf's eyes changed with the darkness.

  Naatos's claws dug into the stone. It grated beneath him, but he moved faster and faster, prepared at any moment for the sting of arrows or darts.

  But none came. In fact, there was no scent at all.

  Naatos paused in front of a wooden door on his left. Rearing onto his hind legs, Naatos struck the door in.

  This room smelled cold. Two bed frames, a wash station, and a few other pieces of wood or stone carved furniture were positioned throughout. No dust had accumulated, no ants or pikas or centipedes made their home, and yet the air smelled of nothing more than stone and wood.

  Naatos snarled. Turning, he ran to another room and broke down its door, but once again he found nothing except bare furniture. Even the down and straw-stuffed mattresses had been taken, and not a scrap of fabric remained. How had they accomplished this with such speed and perfection? He couldn't catch even a hint of Amelia, and he had the tunic she had worn for a baseline comparison. It was as if no one had lived in this place for years.

  What else should he have expected of prophets?

  Gnashing his teeth, Naatos struck his claws against the wall. The Talbokians had been ordered to search every room extensively, but if he could not find even the tendril of an odor, they would find nothing. Not unless someone was foolish enough to write where the Machat had gone.

  No. It was obvious that the Machat had gone to some central keep farther underground. But they could not have gone far. According to the Truth Bringers, there were approximately six thousand Machat who lived in this place along with hundreds of rescued Libyshans. Not even if the Machat ran as soon as the Truth Bringers left could they have all vanished from this place. There would have been signs of such a march across the mountains, and both he and WroOth had flown over several times. From the heights they took, it would have been difficult to smell an individual or three. But if a few thousand had moved out within the course of the day, there would have been something, even if they were coming out from various passages so long as it was within certain parameters.

  No. They were deeper within the mountains now, likely moving toward hidden passages that would allow them to leave through hidden entrances and exits farther into the mountain range, permitting a sufficient pattern for dispersal. It was much easier to control and destroy scents in the quiet of these halls than it would be out in nature and among the trees and wind. But they had to have left something behind. Some trace. Some scrap. Some scent.

  Growling, Naatos continued his search, checking rooms at random, thrusting his nose beneath the furniture and flinging open doors. But all he found was empty chambers, cold stone, dead ash, and the mocking scent of incense oil.

  WroOth bellowed somewhere deep within the mountain. Clearly he was meeting with the same failure. No sound came from AaQar, but that was normal. He would make no calls or roars until he found something.

  Naatos raced through the passage, taking them faster and faster. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing!

  Then, to his left, came a dull thudding knock. It resounded back through the stone walls.

  Naatos charged toward it. His path took a few wrong turns, but as the cracks continued, the vibrating sounds guided him until he at last emerged before a set of dual stone doors, tall and ornate with engravings. From the looks of it, they had been recently closed.

  WroOth, still in dragon form, stood before it. "Here," he said, pointing toward the center. "This must be the heart of New Istador. Perhaps their keep. This is where they will be."

  Naatos approached the doors slowly. He sniffed the air. These doors had been recently closed, and on them he smelled a hint of…He sniffed again. The herbal compound was difficult to identify. It was as if the smell was disintegrating even as he caught it. "These doors are too obvious to hide them."

  "The prophecies and foretellings are their life. They would not have abandoned them here. And they could not have taken them all."

  AaQar slithered in from the left passage. He arched up along the wall, his gaze fixed on the doors. "The Levthro…"

  "It should be in there. Hidden, of course." WroOth drew in a deep breath and released it, smoke flowing from his nostrils and jaws. The red along his throat and chest flushed and intensified with each intake and expulsion of breath until they glowed. "Let the chaos begin."

  WroOth flung himself at the doors. Flames shot from his jaws. Naatos and AaQar drew back against the heat, but even so it singed Naatos's fur.

  Crashes and eruptions sounded within the chamber. But there were no screams or shouts of surprise. Not even from WroOth.

  AaQar and Naatos exchanged glances.

  WroOth bellowed in rage. White fire exploded from his jaws as he climbed one of the rock mounds. "Come out and face me!"

  "They must have gone far deeper into the mountains," AaQar said.

  "That scent…the only one that's here. It keeps fading. They've used some herb…" Naatos tried to catch it again.

  AaQar arched up, using the length of his serpentine body to reach the top of the door frame. He slid along, then moved to the ceiling. As he coiled around a large stalactite, he thrust his snout into a crevice. A small bundle of bound herbs fell out.

  Naatos pounced on it. "Lelk herbs." The long, thin, multi-colored strands included at least four different dried plants: ingus sage, red heather, milk grass, and chilan leaves as well as possibly some bolnan weed. Where had the Machat gotten these? The plants grew nowhere in Libysha. Nowhere in Reltux. How far back did the Machat plans go? Or did they just keep them in case they required a mass evacuation?

  AaQar slithered toward the doorway. "We'll have to find their exact point of entry, or else we won't find them at all. The olevs can only consume so much."

  "There are only so many places where they can hide. The lelk herbs will be strongest at the entry point," Naatos said. The Machat had been clever to hide these plants in the higher nooks. It made them harder to find. But now, they knew to focus on the bottom creases between the floors and the walls. The doors, as usual, would be hidden. Naatos did not relish this. With all of the Machat going farther underground along with Amelia, it would be difficult to get her out without her realizing what was going to happen.

  The rock walls shook as WroOth continued to crash about in the chamber, breaking through stalactites and stalagmites and sending down showers of rock and silt. "Where are you?" he bellowed.

  "WroOth." Naatos charged into the large open chamber. "If you bring down this mountain with us inside, you will only reward the Machat."

  "I said face me!" WroOth shouted at the wall. He drove his foreclaws into the stone, cracking it. More dust and silt rained down. "Where are you?"

  AaQar coiled around WroOth and jerked him further in and away from the wall. "I may wish
for death, but I have no desire to be buried alive with you!"

  Naatos resumed his state of rest. The smoke and dust spiraled upward through narrow ventilation shafts. A faint breeze moved it upward. This chamber, supposedly the resting place of prophetic sculptures and paintings as well as historical renderings, was empty. Much had been destroyed. Only the torches remained, and their incense oil burned low.

  "I must have vengeance!" WroOth roared, his voice echoing in the room. He struggled against AaQar as AaQar continued to drag him into the room and away from the walls.

  A fine silt covered the floor, perhaps a half inch deep. But there, just beside AaQar and WroOth, stood one waist-high table. The dust had been blown off its surface, and the charred remains of paper lay on the ground. But beside the nearest table leg was a small polished grey stone without markings. It was slightly scorched, but it did not look like the sort of thing that belonged.

  Naatos picked it up. As soon as he touched it, light flashed before his eyes. He stumbled back, falling against WroOth and AaQar.

  All went black.

  Naatos opened his eyes. The darkness surrounded him and his brothers. Startled, he looked about. Tapestries fell down around him. They began to move in a gentle rhythm, cycling through memories and key events. Naatos sat up slowly, trying to focus on the nearest one.

  AaQar groaned, shifting back into his state of rest. WroOth was collapsed against him. "Curse your temper, WroOth." He struggled to shove him off.

  "As if I needed another curse," WroOth muttered. He moved off AaQar. Stretching his neck up, he folded his wings tight against his back. "And what in the shrieking moons…"

  Naatos stood. He turned slowly, then stopped.

  Amelia stood across from them, her mouth open. "Oh…" She stepped back, looking them and the space over. She clasped her hands before herself. "Well, hello."

  22

  A Friendly Chase

  Amelia ran as fast as she could through the forest, weaving and zigzagging. Once she could not see any glimpses of the mountain, she began scattering spices at random. She climbed trees and moved through the branches, crossing creeks and streams whenever she found them. Occasionally she cast out a shredded garment down into a ravine or she let some of the blood drip onto a branch and cast it in the opposite direction. And as she went even farther into the forest, she stopped at each soft patch of earth and pressed her foot deep within the soil, making sure her foot was pointed in the wrong direction.

  "Here's to this distracting them," Amelia muttered. She glanced up into the sky through the canopy of thick leaves. It hadn't been long since she started. Two hours at most. Night was a couple hours away, and from there…

  Don't focus on it, she thought. It doesn't matter if you think there's enough time. Just go as far as you can. Do what you have to do.

  Taking a deep breath, Amelia scooped up more cinnamon, cumin, and pepper and sprinkled it over her footprints and then cast it into a broad circle around the bushes. She wrapped some in leaves and cast them into nearby gullies and another up into a tree. She poured extra into the heel of her footprint.

  A particularly large oak tree with broad roots and high-reaching branches stood only a few yards away. Amelia ran up to it, circled it five times in ever-widening circles, and then tracked back.

  A warning pricked up her spine and along the back of her neck. Naatos was near the psychic stone. A scene flashed in her mind's eye, too fast to comprehend aside from the fact that he was near the Levthro and there was smoke. Her heart beat faster, and her mouth went dry.

  This was it.

  Grabbing her necklace, Amelia closed her eyes and whispered a prayer. "Elonumato, please help me." She clenched the necklace in her palm, focusing then on Naatos.

  The darkness intensified. Still cold, the pendant tingled in her hand, the sensation reaching into her bones. The tingling next ran the length of her arm and up her neck. The tapestries lined with crimson yarn dropped down again, uncoiling and beginning their slow dance.

  A deep voice groaned behind her.

  Turning, Amelia's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. It wasn't just Naatos. And it wasn't even Naatos in his state of rest. He was some sort of wolf-like creature with red eyes and long black tufts on his ears. AaQar and WroOth were also there. AaQar started as a silver serpent with salt-spire horns above his ridged eyes, but he returned to his state of rest. "Curse your temper, WroOth." He struggled to push his brother off him.

  "As if I needed another curse." WroOth moved away. He folded his wings tight, his tail brushing against one of the tapestries. "And what in the shrieking moons…"

  Amelia returned her focus to Naatos. Adrenaline sparked inside her as her eyes met his. For a moment, she couldn't move. Do something! "Oh." She moved farther back, trying to take everything in. "Well, hello." This was bad.

  "Hello," Naatos’s eyes widened slightly, his posture becoming less rigid. For once, he looked stunned. AaQar's eyebrows lifted.

  WroOth peered around at the tapestries. "Not quite what I expected." Smoke puffed from his nostrils.

  "Not what I meant to do." Amelia glanced back at her necklace. How had she pulled all three into her mind? The necklace was only supposed to be attached to Naatos. Wasn't it? "Um…WroOth, could you please not be a dragon in my head? I don't know what happens if you catch my memories on fire."

  "I don't think anyone knows that." Naatos scanned her up and down, searching for some clue. "Pleased as I am to see you, viskaro. I have to wonder what you are doing."

  "Well…" Amelia fastened the necklace back around her neck. "I was planning to seduce you, Naatos, but since you brought your brothers, I guess that's off the table."

  Naatos's eyebrow arched. "Seduce me…"

  WroOth returned to his state of rest. He rubbed his head. "Seduction works so much better when the seductress and her victim are in the same room." He massaged his forehead, his fingers pressing against his temples. "What a mess this all is." He took a few steps back, looking at the tapestries. "Oh, look, she's trying to build a gauntlet. That's adorable."

  AaQar frowned at WroOth. "I'm more concerned about our bodies being face first in the keep." He returned his gaze to Amelia. "If you did not wish for WroOth or me to come, then please be so kind as to send us back."

  WroOth laughed. "Naatos, look at this. She's putting your name on some sort of bag she's kicking."

  "I actually don't know how to send you back except all at once." Amelia's cheeks burned. She had no idea what the consequences would be now or how she could control all three. At least they weren't searching for the Machat. If it weren't for the vulnerability of her exposed mind, she might be able to work this to her advantage.

  Perhaps she could. "Um…it's really sort of miraculous that all three of you are here. So like I said, I was going to seduce Naatos…" Oh why did I say that again? Amelia cleared her throat. "But that's fine. I won't do that now. We can all talk."

  "I don't see why it should be off the table." Naatos started toward her. "AaQar, WroOth, go find something else to watch."

  "No. Just no." Amelia waved him back. "You three stay right here. And don't come near me. There isn't going to be any seduction in here, and definitely don't start wandering off into my thoughts. WroOth, come back. I need to talk to you anyway. I'm going to assume you didn't get my letter."

  Naatos smirked. "If you put it in the keep, then no. WroOth set everything on fire. But if you wish to…seduce me…why not join me in person? It will be far more satisfying for both of us."

  Amelia's muscles tightened. She had to make this convincing. Her stomach flip-flopped.

  "Oooh…" WroOth grimaced. He chuckled again, glancing back at her as he gestured toward the tapestry. "Balance wasn't your thing, was it, dear heart? I see why your guardian didn't want you up there. Now this is what my day needed. Oh, and let's see what's over here."

  "WroOth, come back here. Naatos, don't come any closer. AaQar…stay where you are. If you all don't do what I say
, I will terminate this connection, and I will not make an offer I know you'll accept."

  "What?" WroOth continued to laugh as he walked back. "Are you going to surrender and come back with Naatos all sweet and friendly?"

  "Maybe." Amelia forced a smile and gave a half coy shrug. "That's why I wanted to talk to you, Naatos."

  The only sound in the room was the gentle rustling of the ever-moving tapestries.

  "Truly…" AaQar's voice trailed off as all three stared at her.

  "WroOth, AaQar, go," Naatos said.

  "No, no." Amelia held up her hands. A nervous laugh escaped her lips. This was better anyway. "I'll make my offer right here. It involves all three of you. See, right now I want something, and I am willing to give you what you want, Naatos. But there's something you have to do first."

  "And what might that be?"

  "You need to come find me." Amelia held her breath.

  "Only me or all three of us?" Naatos asked.

  "That's up to you. You have to look for me, Naatos. But if AaQar or WroOth find me, then I will honor my promise to you."

  "Well, this will be over quickly," WroOth said.

  "No. It won't." Somehow that simple defiant statement made Amelia feel more confident. Her smile came a little more easily now. "But just so that you are incentivized, if you catch me before the moon looks like it's being cradled in the mountain peak that looks like a double crescent, I will accept and act like I am your wife. I will remain your adversary and the Third Nalenth, but I will lay my concerns aside and give you what you want, Naatos. The mindreading and at least one child."

  "She's not in the mountain," AaQar muttered.

  "What?" Naatos frowned before a slow smile spread across his face. "So now you like me chasing you?"

  Amelia shrugged. "Perhaps this once."

  AaQar folded his arms, annoyance creasing his brow. "And what about your principles? The ones that compelled you to write out a massive list of questions?"