Hatchling (Tameron and the Dragon) (38 page)

The level of the water went
up to Tameron's knees, and then crept even higher. He hung onto the pony's back for balance as his footing became slippery. He felt hot and chilled at the same time, and his mouth became dry with the fear that he was going to go too deep. Perhaps his father had seen him dead
here
and only thought it was the Anchor Pool. He pressed on anyway. Better death than life as a mindless animal or a quaking coward.

At last the water level began to drop, though both he and Mujuk were soaked nearly to the rump. The chill mist felt icy on his legs, while steep hills loomed in the darkness. Now he must climb them to reach the entrance to the tunnel to the Giant's Sanctuary beneath the Guardi
an's Shrine. As long as he kept going, he'd cover the distance somehow.

Once he was out of the wind in the shelter of the first few trees, he stopped for a moment and fed the pony some grain. Tameron forced himself to eat, though
dried fruit glued together with nut-meal tasted like dust. Taking swallows of water with each bite helped. For a moment he wasn't sure the food was going to stay down, but it finally did. The drug was beginning to wear off and left weariness behind.

"Oh, Mujuk, I might as well take this off now," he said, removing the cloth around the pony's eyes. "I've gone too far to stop now. I have no choice."

Then he took the pack-beast onto the narrow, rocky path leading away from the water and began to follow the trail upwards. Most of the snow was clear from it, except for the flakes left from last night's storm, but that didn't affect his footing much. He grimaced when he saw the prints that he and Mujuk left behind.

Tam allowed himself and the pony a few rest stops on the way. Stine had taught him that exhaustion brought bad judgment to both man and beast. He felt ill and dizzy again, as he had on the castle parapets just after throwing up. Mujuk was tired, too, judging by her slow gait.

The sky began to lighten and he was still on the upward slope. He bit his lip.
I have to find the Shrine soon. They must be looking for me by now. Lorin, ride fast!
He hated thinking of his friend in danger because of him. If only some other guard had been on duty.
Then again, I probably would have been forced to kill him. That's even worse.

He quickened his step and pull
ed harder on the lead. He had to wait till he was out of sight before he could rest again. At least the trees offered some cover now.

Tameron stood on the crest as the sun rose. Where could he and Mujuk hide during the day? What if they decided to search Neyarmie Isle first because it was closer? They had to know that Lorin was gone from his post
by now. He glanced out onto the water, which he could see from the top. Nobody was crossing right now, but they could have earlier and he wouldn't have seen them.

He staggered down from the top towards the center of the isle to avoid being spotted, and nearly slipped again. He
had
to find someplace to hide. Once he stopped, he wasn't going to get up for a while. If any guards found him while he was asleep, he probably wouldn't wake up till it was too late.

I'm glad I can see where I'm going now,
he thought. Making a misstep going downhill could be lethal. The hills around him were crowned with light, though it was still dark below the tops of the trees as he traveled onwards.

A great load lifted from his heart as he finally saw the Shrine. He'd never been here before, but the small, pure white building by the stream that ran near the heart of this island couldn't be anything else. Most of the snow around the
chapel was gone, and the area surrounding it was already green with the first grass of spring.

He tied the pony behind the building so Mujuk could graze. If any beast deserved this holy feed, it was the brave pack-beast who'd followed him so far already.

Tameron entered the Shrine. Early sunlight shone in through the high rose window near the altar, which faced east. The colored glass showed a picture of the Lord, the Lady, and Their four children, the Elements. The icon below it which covered the wall all the way down to the floor was a painting of a mountain. Was it his imagination, or was the snowcap that lay on its top in the form of a sleeping dragon? On closer inspection, the picture of the whole mountain turned into that of a great-thewed man crouched under a great weight. Of course. Who else but the Giant could hold up the sky?

He knelt with reverence before the altar, covered by a s
hining white cloth. The stone block beneath stood on a floor of plain dark earth. The walls of the Shrine were also made of stone, with no other decoration than the painting behind the worship-table and the high window of light above.

Tam placed his hands on the cloth in supplication, and was surprised to feel strange bumps beneath the cloth. He glanced around the inside of the building again, but there were no doors but the one he came in. If there was a passage to the Sanctuary
for Earth from here, he didn't know where it was.

He bowed his head and laid it on the table for a moment, then raised it back again. He hadn't come this far to give up. But for a moment he felt only peace.
I know I'm not safe here either, but my heart is at rest now as it hasn’t been for...for...maybe forever.
It was a real temptation just to let his troubles go and throw them into the lap of the Lord and Lady.

Perhaps it was time They helped him, if only by enabling him to figure out what to do. And if that didn't work, he'd do
something
. Faith was important, but what you did in its name mattered, too.

He carefully placed his hands on the cloth in preparation for his plea. Perhaps it made a difference whether they were on the bumps or not. Then Tameron recited the Great Prayer of Supplication, to be used only in desperate need. His fingers convulsively tapped the pattern that went with it. "Oh, Lord and Lady hear me!" he finished. "I must find a way out. Or I will ask you to accept my life. I can't do what they want me to do." For a moment he stopped. What of all those women who had become Blessed Mothers and risked far more than he ever had? "I'm not as brave as they were," he said out loud, hoping They would know what he meant. "How can it be right to do wrong?"

Of course nothing happened, and he realized why. He sighed, and began again. After all, the Lord was symbolized by the number one, and the Lady by the number two. The Giant was the oldest child, so His number was three. Arial was next, then Shapechanger, while Salamander was the youngest. The number seven stood for the stars, eight for all mages, and nine for the common people. Ten, with a one and a zero, showed that nothing existed without the Lord's power. It was only right to give the Giant the full number He deserved.

After the third repetition of the litany, Tam looked up at the painting and the colored window. The sun was up all the way now. Nothing had changed.

He stood up and walked around behind the altar, then ran his hand along the ridge of the painting. Wait. He hadn't noticed an edge to it when he'd knelt behind the holy table.

Tameron trembled with hope, and pulled. Th
e painting was a door which opened to him.

He knelt again, his heart beating wildly. "Thank you," he whispered. "An open door. Such a simple thing, until you've lived behind a locked one..."

Then he stood and nearly ran out the front door to fetch the pony. He'd be even more thankful once he was truly safe!

Tam entered the tunnel through the icon-door, leading the pony with him. Mujuk was proving surprisingly cooperative. Once they were all the way in, he tried to close the door behind him, but it wouldn't latch. He
pulled it as flush to the wall as he could, then left it. With any luck he could escape before they came this way. 

He was happy to see that small mage-lights glowed ahead of him, no doubt for the Guardian's convenience.

Then Tameron staggered and nearly fell. Weariness washed through him like a wave, and turned his knees to water
. I can't rest yet. I have to reach the Giant's Sanctuary first.
His legs and feet felt numb, while his face and chest felt hot.

"The Guardian said he could have come this way--look! You can
tell
the pony did!" said a muffled voice from behind the door to the chapel.

"They split up just past the Gate. He might have sent Lorin here, while he headed west. Damn both of them for being such idiots!" That was Stine herself speaking.

Tam charged forward blindly in panic, his exhaustion temporarily forgotten. He halted for a moment when the tunnel split into two, and neither way had any lights. He took the right-hand way rather than waste time trying to decide. The tunnel was dark, but the walls were smooth enough so he could guide himself and Mujuk with one hand despite its gradual turning.

"No--!" he muttered, when he bumped into the blank end of the passage-way. He rubbed his nose and swore softly to himself. If nothing else, he and the pony could rest a few moments in this cul-de-sac.

Tameron leaned against the stone and caught his breath. He patted the pack-beast more for his own comfort than for hers, though he was afraid she might whinny in fear and give away their position. He ran his hand around the dead-end in front of him, just in case. Wait! What was that projection? It felt almost like a lever of some kind.
It might be a trap. If I pull on this, I might end up in a pit fifty feet below.

Then he heard voices in the tunnel behind him. It was only a matter of time till they found him if he did nothing. Tam worked the lever, and another hidden door swung open. Light spilled out into the passageway that would surely be noticed by his pursuers. He quickly entered the room and pulled the pony in after him,
and then closed the door. One twist of the handle inside sent a hidden bolt home. Maybe he'd just exchanged one trap for another, but what choice did he have? He might defeat Stine, but not the whole escort.

Tameron looked around. He was inside a softly lit, luxurious chamber. The area around the hearth was paved in flat stones, but the rest of the floor was covered in thick carpet, full of dust, except for his footprints that showed that the pile was once dark blue. He looped the lead-rein around the door handle, unfastened the packs, and dropped them on the floor.
I might be here for a while. Mujuk ought to rest a bit.

Then he opened the hearth-doors. As he hoped, they let heat out from a shaft that led to a pocket of warmth in the earth, using the same method used in the Guardian's castle to keep it comfortable.

Tam took off his damp clothes and boots. Then he found a dusty quilt lying folded on a day-bed, and dried himself with its clean inner surface. He found a small privy and used it. His groin was red and tender, and it hurt to pass water. He bent over from a momentary surge of pain.
When is this going to get better? Shouldn't the potion be wearing off by now?

He
was tempted to lie down and rest. Sleep might heal him when nothing else did. Tam listened carefully, and heard nothing outside the door. He sat down on the daybed, still wrapped in the quilt, and the next thing he knew he was lying down. He was so tired he barely noticed changing position to avoid increasing the ache in his groin.

Suddenly he was dreaming. He was back in the library in the Guardian's Palace. The sky outside was still dark, save for blowing snow apparent through the window. Tam felt himself pacing around the room.
How did it get so late? Or maybe this is earlier
. Time had no meaning in dreams.

The Guardian came through the door, clearly agitated by the way she walked. "He's gone," she said. "And in this weather!"

Tameron felt his mouth open, but it was the Protector's voice that came out. "No! We've got to find him."

Tam glanced down, and saw not his hands, but his father's. This must have happened hours ago--if dreams were to be believed.

"It's worse than you think. Both he and Kiliane resisted the Red Cup."

"It can't be. I gave him enough to guarantee he'd do what was needed. I tried to tell him not to blame himself, but I had no idea anybody could ignore the dose he got."

"You told me he'd get only a little," she said accusingly. “And I can’t believe you did this without even attempting the Ritual. Of course the two of them would balk without anything but lust to bring them together.”

"I didn't want him to blame himself. Besides, I managed to live through the same amount, and more than once at that," the Protector said harshly.
“The Ritual is a cheat. Besides, Tam doesn’t really have magic as we understand it, and Lady Kiliane is already in love with someone else. It’s not like it would truly mean anything to either of them.

"But you know we have
to find him! If he doesn't mingle his essence with a woman's then the potion will kill him. Didn't you tell him?"

Tam, still observing, shook with horror.
The only woman close to me right now is Stine. I'll have better luck with the Earth Giant! Maybe the Guardian isn't telling the truth, though. Maybe she's just trying to scare my father.

Suddenly he heard a tiny voice in his mind. Did the Protector hear it, too?
Oh, Mauric, help! Come to me. Follow my thoughts, beloved, and find me...