The Rivers of Zadaa (23 page)

That was pretty harsh. Basically I'd just told Loor I was worried that she'd let her emotions take over to the point where she'd do something dumb. Spader had done that, more than once, and it cost us. I couldn't allow Loor to do the same thing.

“This has become personal, Pendragon,” Loor said. “My best friend is dead, and my people are starving. If this is the work of Saint Dane, he will suffer for it.”

I felt the anger in her voice. We had reached a crossroads. I couldn't blow this. It was my job.

“You're not the only one who's lost friends and family,” I said just as firmly. “Yours isn't the only territory in trouble. We've come too far to let Saint Dane goad us into doing something stupid. We've all made mistakes. Big ones, and we've paid for them. I will not let you do it too. Not here. Take a breath and get your head back in the game!”

My eyes stayed locked on hers. I wasn't about to blink. Loor was supremely confident in everything she did. That was her. But she wasn't stupid. She gave me a slight nod. My words had struck home. I could feel the tension melt. “Do not worry, Pendragon. I have not lost sight.” Her voice was softer. I still felt the intensity, but she was now in control. She was with me.

“Good,” I said. “Now, where the heck are we going?”

Loor pointed ahead. I turned around and saw a single light glowing in the distance.

“That's as good a choice as any,” I said.

Loor kept us headed for the light. I'd say we traveled for about half an hour. That's how big this underwater ocean was. As we got closer, we could see that it wasn't a single light at all—it was several. They were torches. Six of them. The flickering light illuminated enough of the surroundings that I could see we were approaching a shore. As we drew even closer, I saw that one torch wasn't lit.

“Six flaming torches surrounding one dark torch,” I said. “I wonder if that's some kind of symbol?”

“The dark one is not a torch,” Loor observed.

I squinted to try and see better, and sure enough, standing at the center of the ring of torches was a person. It was kind of creepy. The guy stood there, alone, stock-still, with the torches burning around him. Was it some kind of Rokador ceremony? He didn't seem to be dressed in the classic white robes of a Rokador. He was wearing all black.

“Should I land the boat near him?” Loor asked.

“I guess,” I said. “I don't think it would be a trap because nobody knows we're—uh-oh.”

My mouth went dry.

“What?” Loor asked.

I wanted to be sure I was right, so I didn't answer right away. As we drew closer and I saw the truth, I still couldn't answer because my brain wouldn't kick my tongue into gear.

“Pendragon?” Loor asked. “Could it be?”

I didn't have to answer. Loor knew. Standing in the sand, surrounded by torches, was a tall man wearing a dark suit. He was completely bald. We were still too far away to see the angry red veins that slashed across his head from front to back, like bloody lightning bolts. But even from this distance, I could see his eyes. His blue-white eyes. They caught the light from the flames, dancing like he was possessed by some evil, inner glow. Because he was. As we drew closer to shore, he actually smiled and lifted his hand to give us a slight wave.

We were being welcomed…by Saint Dane.

ZADAA

L
oor had one hand on the tiller. With the other hand she went for her weapon.

“Don't,” I warned.

“I can end this here, Pendragon,” Loor said through clenched teeth.

“No, you can't,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. It wasn't easy since my adrenaline had just spiked too. “We gotta know what's going on.”

Loor's eyes were laser-locked on to Saint Dane. This was the guy who was responsible for killing her mother, and possibly her best friend, not to mention all the other mayhem he caused on his mad quest to control Halla. Loor wasn't the type to negotiate with her enemies. She was more inclined to whack first, then not bother asking questions later.

“If he's showing himself like this, he wants to talk,” I said. “We've got to listen. It's the only way we can find out what's been happening.”

I knew we had to play this Saint Dane's way. There were bigger issues involved, not the least of which was the future of Halla. Picking a fight with Saint Dane wasn't going to help. Imagine that? Me trying to protect Saint Dane from Loor.

Loor tore her eyes from Saint Dane and looked at me. “I will listen to him, Pendragon,” she said, but it sounded like it physically hurt her to say it. I hoped she meant it. She guided the boat onto the sandy shore. I jumped out and pulled it up and out of the water. Saint Dane didn't lend a hand, in case you were wondering. He stood in the center of the circle of torches, watching. Not moving. He wasn't going to come to us. We had to go to him. Fine. Whatever.

“Be cool,” I whispered to Loor.

The two of us walked up the beach and stood on the outside of the circle of torches, only a few yards away from the demon Traveler. Nobody said anything for the longest time. Maybe it was because nobody wanted to make the first move. I've been told that's not a good idea.

“I'm happy to see you are feeling better, Pendragon,” Saint Dane finally said.

“Really?” I asked, heaping as much sarcasm into that one word as I could. “Then why did you beat me up in the first place?”

Saint Dane chuckled. I amused him. Swell.

“And now you're masquerading as a Ghee warrior,” he said with a smirk. “What is it you say on your territory? Trick or treat? I'm afraid I have no candy for you, little boy.”

He was trying to rile me. I didn't take the bait.

“Speaking of masquerades, you surprised me,” I said. “Bokka knew your name. Your real name. That's not like you. Usually you're such a coward you have to hide behind other identities.”

Saint Dane flashed his fiery white eyes at me and smiled. It wasn't a happy smile. The game was on.

“Ahh, yes. Bokka. The brave Tiggen guard,” Saint Dane said. “I believe he was a friend of yours, Loor? Such a shame he turned out to be a traitor to his people. I do hope his death was painful.”

Loor moved before I could react. She leaped at Saint Dane while pulling her weapon from its harness. Saint Dane didn't budge. He didn't have to. The instant Loor entered the ring of light, three Tiggen guards leaped from the shadows and tackled her. Two more Tiggen guards jumped me, holding my arms. Another stepped into the ring holding his crossbow full of steel arrows, ready to shoot. I recognized him. It was Bokka's killer.

Saint Dane said, “My friend here is such a fine marksman. I believe it only took one arrow to serve justice to Bokka. Though he fired several more, just to be sure.”

Loor squirmed in anger, trying to get up, but the guards held her facedown in the sand. Saint Dane strolled over and leaned down to her.

“You want to kill me, don't you? “ he said calmly. “And here I thought you and your friends were so righteous. You are just as capable of evil as anyone. Perhaps more so. Yet you believe your brand of evil is justified, so long as it serves your own misguided purposes.”

Loor struggled to pull free. “Why did he have to die?” she growled through clenched teeth. “He is not part of this.”

“That's not true, my dear,” Saint Dane said. “Bokka made himself a very big part of this. Once the Tiggen guards discovered he was going to present a Ghee with a map that showed the route to Kidik, his fate was sealed.” He walked to the Tiggen assassin with the crossbow and put a hand on his shoulder. “I can't say I was surprised, though. I knew Bokka would run to you. That's why I gave him the map.”

Loor screamed and struggled, but the guards held her firm. I moved to go to her, but the Tiggen guards held me tight as well. I shot one guard a look straight in the eye and said firmly, “Let…me…go.” The guard stared back, and a strange thing happened. He let go. I looked to the other guard, and yanked my arm away from him. The two guards stood there, looking at me like dummies.

“Nicely done, Pendragon!” Saint Dane said. “You are learning!”

I knelt down next to Loor and touched her back gently to try and calm her. I put my face down in the sand right next to hers and whispered, “Please do this my way.”

Loor's eyes burned with anger and hatred. We locked gazes. Slowly I saw her regain control. She gave me a slight nod. I touched her hair, then stood up and looked at Saint Dane. “Let her go,” I demanded calmly.

“Is your guard dog under control?” he asked.

“Let her go,” I said again, just as calmly.

The Tiggen guards looked at Saint Dane. He gave them a nod, and they quickly backed away from Loor as if they were releasing a wild animal. They were ready to pounce back on her at the slightest sign of trouble. The assassin with the crossbow kept his weapon aimed at her. Loor didn't jump up right away. I think she was still trying to get her wits back. I leaned over and helped her to her feet. When we were face-to-face, I gave her a reassuring smile and a wink. She nodded. She was back with me.

I turned to Saint Dane and said, “Okay, so you gave Bokka the map to lure us to…wherever the heck this is. Nice job. Real clever. Why?”

Saint Dane chuckled and said, “To save your lives, of course.”

I hadn't expected that. I didn't know what to say. Saint Dane reached into his pocket and pulled out a soft, black cap with no brim. He put it on his bald head to hide the angry red scars and said, “My time with the Rokador has been so refreshing. There has been no pretense, no trickery. I've presented myself to them as I am, and helped them forge their own future. It's been such a perfect demonstration.”

“Demonstration of what?” I asked.

“Of my ability to control Halla, of course,” he said as if I were an idiot for not knowing that.

“What's going to happen, Saint Dane?” I asked, trying not to sound as desperate as I felt.

“Pendragon, my boy,” Saint Dane said. “Once the excitement starts, those fortunate enough to be on this underground island will be the only survivors. I've spared you because I wouldn't want you to miss seeing Zadaa's future. And why not? You helped create it.” He turned to the Tiggen guards and said, “Please escort our guests to chambers.” With that he smiled at me, turned, and walked away.

“What's going to happen?” I yelled at his back.

“Patience,” he called. “Your answer will come soon enough.” He stopped and turned back to say, “Oh yes, I nearly forgot. If you feel any guilt about spending so much time with Loor, don't. The lovely Courtney Chetwynde has found a new beau.”

He gave a smug little smile and continued walking. His comment came from so far out of left field, I didn't know how to react. He had just jerked my head away from Zadaa, and thrown me back to Second Earth.

“How do you know that?” I shouted at him.

“Why, Pendragon!” Saint Dane teased. “Don't tell me you're jealous.”

“Leave Courtney alone!” I screamed. I took a step to follow him, but Loor put her hand on my shoulder, stopping me. It was her turn to be the calm one.

Saint Dane motioned to the assassin with the crossbow and walked toward a group of huge boulders that lined the beach. The Tiggen killer followed. Saint Dane didn't turn into an animal or a bird or anything else. He simply walked away like a regular person. This may be weird to say, but it creeped me out. Seeing Saint Dane acting human was unsettling. I think maybe it was because it was easier to think of him as some impossible, supernatural being. It was harder to accept that someone who was capable of such evil, could be a normal person. It made me shudder.

“Be calm, Pendragon,” Loor said softly.

“He's been to Second Earth,” I said, my panic rising.

“Maybe,” Loor said. “Or maybe he is trying to upset you.”

“He's doing a good job,” I shot back.

Before we could make another move, the Tiggen guards grabbed us, took our weapons, and pulled us along the beach in the direction that Saint Dane had gone. Loor gave me a look as if to say, “Should we take these guys out?” She wanted to start kicking some Tiggen butt in the worst way. I was beginning to think the same way. It took all I had to keep my emotions checked. Saint Dane was trying to get us to lose control. We couldn't let him.

I shook my head and said, “Not yet. We need to know more.”

Reluctantly Loor backed off and let the guards control us. We passed the boulders that marked the beach and continued along a gravel path. It felt like we were in a huge field, littered with boulders. I couldn't tell for sure because it was so dark. I had the stupid thought that I wanted to see the place in daylight. Right. Daylight. There was no daylight here. Ever. How depressing was that? I had no idea what time of day or night it was.

The path continued up a hill. When we reached the top, we got a better view of our surroundings. Saint Dane said this was an island. We had to take his word for that. Because of the darkness, there was no way to see where the land ended and the sea began. What we did see, though, was a group of buildings. I'd say they were about a half mile farther along the trail. It was a sprawling, complex maze of steel and stone. There was one central square structure that was pretty big. It looked about the size of an airplane hangar. Scattered around it were lower structures of all different lengths and heights. It was easy to see these buildings because there were lights burning in hundreds of windows. This was the first sign of life we had come across since we left the surface. We had finally caught up to the Rokador.

“It is a fortress,” Loor said in awe.

She had read my mind. The inner buildings were surrounded by others that ringed the entire complex, like a fort. For the Batu to attack, they would have to come across the ocean, unprotected, and invade this island stronghold. We were wrong before. The Rokador weren't going to make their stand in Kidik, they were going to fight the Ghee warriors right here on this island. This is where the battle for Zadaa would unfold.

The Tiggen guards hurried us down the path and quickly brought us into one of the outlying buildings. It was a long corridor of stone, with lights lining the walls. There were several doors on either side, spaced several yards apart. Doors with bars. It was a prison. They rushed us into one of the cells and quickly locked us in. Loor and I both turned back to see something strange.

The Tiggen guards had removed their hoods. Since they were underground, they didn't wear goggles. Like the other Rokador, these guys had incredibly pale skin and dazzling green eyes. They were all blond, too. That wasn't the strange part. What was odd was the way they looked at us. We were the enemy. We represented a tribe that was about to come down here to annihilate them. You would think they'd have hatred in their eyes. They didn't. It's hard to describe this, but it seemed as if they were looking at us with sadness. I swear they wanted to say something, but couldn't bring themselves to do it. All five of them. They stood in the doorway with these pained looks on their faces.

I took a chance and asked, “What's going on?”

The guards looked at one another nervously and left quickly, as if they had already stayed too long. One stayed outside to watch over us.

“That was…odd,” I said to Loor.

She didn't look happy. “I listened to you, Pendragon,” she said impatiently. “Now we are trapped. I cannot stay in here when the Batu attack.”

“The trick is to stop this before they attack,” I reminded her.

“How?” Loor asked quickly. “There is no time. When we left Xhaxhu, the Ghee were gathering. They were bringing in thousands of other Batu to join in the attack. They had no problem finding volunteers. They are angry and they are thirsty. When they discover this underwater sea, there will be no mercy.”

“But Saint Dane has something planned,” I reminded her. “He said the people on this island would be the only ones to survive. That didn't sound like he was betting on the Rokador to beat the Batu in a fair fight. He's more clever than that.”

“All the more reason we must leave this prison,” Loor said.

She scouted the cell. It was a good-size room, with two stone cots. There wasn't even a toilet or a sink. There was one window with bars that looked out onto…nothing. Loor grabbed the steel bars and shook them fiercely. They didn't budge. She left the window and hurried to the cell door. She grasped those bars and shook them as well. All she got for her effort was a minor clattering of the lock and a dirty look from the Tiggen guard outside.