Edge of Destiny (32 page)

“Are you well?” Eir asked. “Truly?”

“Yes. And I know what we must do.”

“What?” asked Rytlock.

“A great evil is rising. An ancient evil. We haven’t fought the true evil yet, but only the mortal champions. Now we must fight a true dragon. He is rising. His champion is bringing him out.”

“Faolain showed you this?” Rytlock asked. “Surely she was lying.”

“There is only one hope to stop this new threat: we must slay the dragon’s champion.”

Rytlock shrugged. “Well, we’ve killed the others. Why not this one?”

“What is this champion called?” asked Eir.

“She’s another dragon—a lesser dragon,” Caithe said, “though ancient in her own right. Humans call her Glint.”

“Glint!” Logan said. “
The
Glint? Keeper of the Flame-seeker Prophecies?”

“The same,” Caithe said.

“Are you kidding me? She helped stop the Lich Lord. She helped stop the titans,” Logan went on. “Why would she turn against us?”

Caithe looked levelly at him. “Glint is the champion of the one who rises.”

“Glint is a friend of humanity,” Logan argued.

“Very few of us are human,” said Zojja.

Logan said nothing, but after a moment he nodded.

“Glint is in the Crystal Desert,” Rytlock grumbled. “That’s a long walk.”

“There’s no time to walk,” Caithe said. “We must arrive in a matter of days.”

Snaff snapped his fingers and trundled off across his workshop.

“Where’s he going?” Rytlock wondered.

Over his shoulder, Snaff called back, “I’ve got a device that could get us halfway there!” He disappeared into a closet, and there came the sound of clattering metal. Something heavy crashed to the floor; then Snaff emerged, seeming to carry nothing except a smile. “It’s one of the cleverest things I’ve come up with.”

“What?” Rytlock asked.

Snaff reached in his pocket and pulled out what looked like a metal coin. “I call it a ‘hole in my pocket.’ But it’s actually a mini, portable asura gate, of my own fabulous design.” He flicked the coin, and as it tumbled in midair, it expanded. Metal filaments slid over each other and reoriented, broadening into a hoop, then a wide ring. The metal circle came down to strike the floor, wobbling itself flat. The moment that the entire circumference of the circle touched the floor, the flagstones within it vanished, showing a patch of windblown sand.

“Whoa,” Logan said. “Where is that?”

“I can tune them only to known places, and this one’s tuned to just south of Ebonhawke.”

“How far south?” Rytlock said in alarm.

“Out of arrow range,” Snaff assured flatly.

Logan frowned. “What if the charr are sieging?”

“Out of range for them, too. In the desert! Where do you think I got all that sandstone for Sandy?” Snaff clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Now, let’s gather up supplies and golems and go see this Glint!”

From Her Royal Majesty, Jennah,
Queen of Kryta
To the Most Magnificent Logan Thackeray

Logan:

Another dragon champion lies slain at your feet—the Destroyer of Life and his thousand minions. Well done! You have saved Rata Sum, and you have won for us an upgraded asura gate into Ebonhawke. To think—a year ago you were guarding a caravan to Ebonhawke. Now you have made such caravans unnecessary. Thank you!

Still, I must say that I was greatly troubled to read your account of the incident with Faolain of the Nightmare Court. None of her ilk can be trusted. They cling to a demented view of the world. When I read your account, I almost called you to me, but that would only have been selfish.

If Glint is helping her master rise, you must face her down and slay her. But Glint has been an ally to humankind. I am torn. If I had to choose, I would trust her more than the Nightmare Court.

This mission is yet another danger for you to face in my name, in the name of all Tyria. So, go, my champion. Go slay a lesser dragon to stop an Elder Dragon.

Yours always,

Jennah

From Logan Thackeray
To Her Royal Majesty, Jennah,
Queen of Kryta

My Queen,

This may well be my darkest hour. I, too, remember what Glint has done for humanity, and to go to slay her seems inconceivable. But if this act can stop the holocaust of an Elder Dragon’s rising, I must do it.

Your letters pierce me like arrows. How I long to see Divinity’s Reach, our home. But more, I long to see you. Every moment of every day, I hope to feel your call, so that I can throw aside everything that doesn’t matter and run to you. I would throw aside the whole world if I had to. But I know that the only way you will call to me is if you are in mortal danger. I never want that to be the case.

So I will remain your champion. I will fight on for you, these thousand miles away. I will even kill Glint if I must. But all the while, I will have your face before me—your eyes that pierce to my soul.

Your champion,

Logan

PART III

BATTLING DRAGONS

SEEKING THE SANCTUM

T
he Crystal Desert sun beat down on a strange company. At the head walked warriors in white burnooses—Eir Stegalkin, Logan Thackeray, and Caithe of the Firstborn. Behind them came Rytlock Brimstone and Garm the wolf, their backs bared to the blazing sun. Next were a pair of newly designed Bigs, with Snaff and Zojja suspended within.

This army was marching into battle against another dragon champion: Glint.

Eir perched a hand over her eyes and squinted toward a ridge that ran across their path. “Either Glint’s sanctum is very close, or we’ll have to climb that ridge.”

Caithe shook her head, eyes closing to consult the map in her mind. “The sanctum is beyond the ridge, but we will not have to climb. There’s a defile that cuts through, just ahead.”

Rytlock stomped up beside them. “A defile? Oh, perfect!” He shot a look at Logan. “Any jackass could send a rockslide down on top of us.”

“It’s the only way,” Caithe insisted.

Rytlock stared at the ridge. “I don’t like it.”

“You don’t have to,” Eir said.

The companions marched onward toward the defile, but an hour later, it looked no closer. The ridge only grew taller, the walls of the crevice only steeper. Four hours later, they stood at the entrance to the narrow canyon.

Eir stared at the cleft ahead, then flashed a sharp look at her comrades. “Well, here we go.”

She marched up the loose scree at the ridge’s base and headed into the defile, followed by the rest of the companions. Somehow, the heat of the plains was all the more intense within. The sun baked one wall of stone, which turned the cleft into an oven.

“Wow, it’s hot,” Eir said, her voice echoing from the walls.
Those two asura are like chestnuts in an oven.

“Very compassionate,” Snaff replied tersely.

“Did I say that out loud?”

“Must have. I heard it out loud,” Snaff said.
Your brain’s so close to the sun, it’s probably getting baked.

“It’s hot enough, we don’t need to be sniping at each other,” Eir replied.
And don’t even start making tall jokes. You don’t know how many short jokes I’ve suppressed.

Short jokes! Oh, yes, you’re above us all, aren’t you, Miss Titan?

Leave her alone,
Zojja put in.
You can’t stand having someone else in charge of you.

“Would all of you just shut it!” Rytlock snarled.

“That’s just the thing,” Eir said. “We haven’t been talking.”

“Oh, you haven’t?” the charr roared. “News to me.”
You never stop talking. All these soft races, all they do is talk talk talk—talk you to death.

“Soft races?” Logan spat.
What about short races—Runtlock and the striplings?

I’m twice your height now.

Yeah, and four times my weight, Gruntlock.

Gruntlock!

“Don’t you see what’s happening here?” Eir asked.

Oh, I’m sure you’re about to tell us.

She knows everything.

Yes, quiet everyone! Let’s listen to the mighty norn.

“We’re hearing each other’s thoughts,” Eir said.

Brilliant!

Thanks for explaining the obvious.

“The things we would never say to each other are coming right out.”

“Well, maybe they
should
come out,” Rytlock growled. “I gave this guy a Blood Legion pendant, and he’s calling me
Gruntlock.
”

Logan replied, “It was a private thought. And I wouldn’t even have thought it if you hadn’t called us soft.”

“I was talking about how you people won’t shut up!” Rytlock roared.

“It’s not a matter of shutting up. You’re reading our thoughts!”

“Well, then, stop thinking!”

Easy for a charr.

“What kind of a place is this?” Caithe wondered.

It’s the kind of place we have to get through,
Eir responded,
which will be much easier if we all take Rytlock’s advice and stop thinking.

How do you stop thinking
? wondered Snaff and Zojja simultaneously.

You haven’t heard a thought from me in a long while,
Rytlock put in.
Do what I do.

Grunting keeps you from thinking?
Logan thought. When Rytlock turned on him, he said, “Sorry. It was there in my brain before I could stop it.”

You think of me as an animal,
Rytlock raged.

Garm shot him an angry look.

“Not an animal,” Logan said.
More like a monster.
Rytlock’s eyes grew wide.
I mean, a good one—a good monster that’ll fight on
our
side.

So, you think I’m a traitor to my race?

You’re fighting beside a human being. You’re supposed to be killing me—

I may change my mind.

Eir broke in,
You have to shut down your thinking. Or if you can’t do that, think nice thoughts.

In other words, don’t think about Klab,
Snaff told himself
.

Zojja hurled her hands up.
You’re
obsessed
with him.

He makes
iceboxes
!

You don’t respect anyone but yourself.

I respect you.

Yeah, right—genius in training.

Haven’t I promoted you?

No.

Well, now you’re an almost-genius.

Thanks a lot!

You just jumped a whole level!

An imaginary level! I just helped defeat three dragon champions, and everyone still sees me as nothing more than your assistant!

Is that all you can think of? What I
call
you? The whole while that we’re working together, you’ve been thinking
you’re
the real genius!

Now we
both
know it! And what’s all this “working together” crap? You order me around like I’m no better than Garm!

The wolf turned angry eyes toward Big Zojja.

So, I should worry about this cockpit weld, should I?
Snaff wondered.
Put some kill feature in it, did you? Something to get rid of the master so you can take his place?

Is that what you think? You think I would compromise a design like that? That I would try to kill you?

It’s the secret desire of every apprentice,
Snaff thought, adding,
but not so secret now.

Eir yelled, “Why can’t you two
stop thinking
?”

Snaff and Zojja both thought,
We’re asura.

“We’re being tested,” Caithe said softly.

That brought silence, with only the sounds of feet marching through the defile.

“We can hear each other’s thoughts because Glint is listening to our thoughts. She’s trying to understand why we’re approaching her sanctum. She’s trying to drive us away.”

She may succeed,
Eir thought.

Don’t act like we’re the only problems here,
Rytlock thought.

“We need to stop,” Caithe said. “She knows what we are thinking, that we are divided. She’ll use it against us. Think thoughts that
unify
us!”

There came a flash from Logan’s mind—Caithe stabbing her stiletto into the tail of a devourer, then her smile later as she pulled the roasted meat from the shell.