Maylin's Gate (Book 3) Read online

  The beast stretched its jaw wide. A dozen rows of glassy teeth grew inward like those of a cobra.

  Thoth’s tail rocked sideways and slammed into the beast.

  Wings flapping, the creature careened downward. The beast loosed a high-pitched reedy gurgle that left his teeth chattering.

  General Demos trained the longbow on the shrouded rider and loosed an arrow.

  The arrow hissed and the beast rolled. The arrow missed and clattered off the creature’s invisible skin.

  The beast darted upward at a speed faster than should be possible. The creature raised its tail overhead like a scorpion ready to strike.

  Thoth roared and rolled sideways exposing black scales.

  The beast’s tail flicked forward. Hard pellets skittered against the dragon’s protective scales.

  Thoth loosed an agony filled roar and dove toward the high-grass and flowing rivers below.

  He peered over Thoth’s side and scanned the dragon’s scales.

  Blood streamed from the cracks between Thoth’s scales. Thoth rolled and bright sunshine gleamed off the blood.

  His stomach sank.

  Thousands of glassy quills impaled Thoth’s scales.

  “Heal him,” General Demos screamed above the whipping wind and the dragon’s wail.

  He reached for Elan’s magic and touched emptiness. “I can’t.”

  Thoth glided a few feet above a stream flowing between high grass and ten-foot cattails. The dragon’s mind lurched outward. “Leave me.” Thoth yelled through the link.

  His face flashed with heat. “What? I won’t leave you.”

  General Demos gripped his collar and pulled.

  His hands fell free of the saddle, and he flew backwards across the Thoth’s tail.

  Thoth barrel rolled.

  He fell. Cool water met his back and splashed around him. He sunk toward the river bottom and the sound of a second splash came a few feet to his right.

  General Demos thrashed with arms and legs flailing. The general slipped beneath the river’s surface in a frothing soup of whitewater.

  He kicked and shot free of the water’s surface and gasped.

  Thoth roared and he turned his gaze skyward.

  The dragon climbed fifty feet setting a collision course for the alien beast and its rider. With neck lowered, Thoth slammed into the creature’s belly.

  The beast spiraled backward toward the open portal.

  He reached for Elan’s magic, but it refused to serve him.

  The creature rolled away from Thoth’s snapping jaws.

  The water beside him splashed followed by a desperate gurgle. General Demos broke the surface with tongue flickering.

  Without thinking, he took a deep breath and dove. He kicked lower and slid his arm around General Demos’s chest.

  The baerinese general clutched at his arm pulling and grabbing trying to reach behind him.

  Water shot up his nose and slid down his throat. He fought back his body’s instinct to cough and pushed away from the struggling general. If he didn’t reach the shore, General Demos would drown them both. He tightened his grip around the general’s chest and pushed off the river’s soft bottom.

  General Demos thrashed and pulled before both their heads broke the surface.

  The alien beast’s high-pitched shriek filled the air and he gasped.

  General Demos coughed and spit pulling in short hard breaths.

  The general stopped resisting.

  He pulled them to the shoreline high with green river grass and swaying cattails and turned his gaze to the sky.

  Thoth’s jaw circled the creature’s neck. Where the dragon’s teeth pierced, cracks appeared in the beast’s clear skin. The creatures wrestled before the portal locked in mortal combat.

  The rider turned its gaze toward the riverbank and stared into his eyes.

  His flesh crawled.

  The rider had no face. The man from the next world gazed on him without eyes, nose, and mouth.

  He turned away from the rider’s stare and shifted deeper into the grassy thicket.

  Thoth kicked the creature’s belly and it slipped halfway through the portal.

  The energy around the portal dimmed and drew inward shrinking the doorway.

  The creature let loose a final cry and snapped down with its jaw grabbing hold of Thoth’s tail.

  With a twist of its neck, the alien creature yanked and pulled Thoth through the opening.

  Thoth bellowed spraying a torrent of fire from the next world. The dragon’s wings beat in short hard bursts before the portal slammed shut.

  Blue skies and silence descended on the swampland. Thoth vanished.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Ritual

  Beneath the horizon star, rainbow lights glowed above a crystal oasis. Zen. Trace’s home and Obsith’s capital.

  Danielle shrieked a warning cry. She rolled right and descended toward the desert city. A city where she might find the last of the great heartwood trees.

  Flying as a desert hawk, Arber loosed a high-pitched shrill and rolled right following in her path.

  Atop her saddle, Jeremy leaned forward. “Be careful Danielle. I’m going to leave the shields off.”

  She tipped right and drifted lower leveling off for a slow even descent.

  Like a sea of glittering diamonds, white salt flats shone beneath a full moon. Zen’s jagged walls rose above the plane like a crown jewel. Thousands of lights twinkled behind Zen's quartz walls. A rainbow of colors danced for miles in every direction.

  Her eyes feasted on Zen’s dazzling skyline. How had a man as despicable as Trace created such beauty?

  “If I’d not seen the city with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe,” Jeremy said. “I’m still not sure I do. Am I dreaming?”

  Bright light flickered near the closed gates. A cluster of robed figures patrolled the outer walls.

  She’d never planned on walking through Zen’s gates and gave a silent blessing for her ability to fly. If she wanted access to Trace’s palace, she needed Brees. She hoped to find the shaman in Zen’s temple.

  Arber caught an updraft and soared above Zen’s walls. An action not possible three short months ago. Without the dragons, the city could not defend an aerial attack.

  She spread her wings and followed. No sense in letting the guards spot them now. Not after a week’s hard travel from Mara.

  A hundred feet below, Zen’s walls gave way to a city gleaming with hundreds of crystal structures. Zen’s homes and businesses spread out in variety of shapes and colors. Each building’s crystal walls glowed with light that came from inside the wall.

  Below, a few people traveled the wide sandstone streets. Not unusual for the hour. Unlike Mara, the plague hadn’t yet decimated Zen.

  She panned the city searching for the temple’s telltale sign.

  Near the city center, crystal towers soared.

  She angled right and flapped her wings pulling up beside Arber. “Stay on my wing. I doubt we’ll find a friendly face at the temple.”

  “What about Brees?”

  “Even if Brees is at the temple, they might not forgive his alliance with Ayralen,” she said. “He could be in chains for all we know.”

  “You take the lead.” Arber drifted behind her.

  She flew ahead gazing across the sleeping city below.

  Zen’s temple came into view looming behind a high crystal wall separating it from the city.

  Across from the temple stood a palace that made Freehold’s appear shabby. A dozen marble pillars supported five floors of crystal walls and outdoor decks. Giant ferns and glossy palm bushes grew in planters across the palace’s decks.

  Between the temple and palace, a crystal fountain sprayed water into a pool filled with jewels.

  Beyond the pool, a dragon’s skull, larger than any in Moira’s herd, sat with jaw open. Its empty eye sockets cast a mocking gaze across the courtyard.

  “That was Zen,” Arber said as if rea
ding her mind.

  Goose bumps crisscrossed her body. How massive had the dragon been in life? Even Moira would appear juvenile beside Zen. How had the dragon died? “Let’s see about the temple.”

  She flapped her wings pushing high above Zen’s palace walls. She rolled left and set a course for the temple.

  The dragon platform on the temple’s rooftop was twice as broad as Mara’s. No dragons occupied Zen’s rooftop.

  A dozen shaman and sorcerers stood guard across the dragon landing. On the palace grounds near the temple, a throng of shaman and sorcerers lingered. Guards stood beside the temple’s closed doors and turned away those trying to enter.

  She beat her wings and climbed passing high above the dragon landing. Why so many guards on the rooftop? Without dragons, whose arrival did they expect?

  Opposite the temple, a pair of nearby homes sat outside the palace walls.

  She glided in a tight spiral pattern toward a shadow-washed alley. With talons out, she touched down atop a smooth sandstone street.

  Arber landed beside her and Jeremy leaped from her back.

  She shifted into human form and stole a nervous glance over her shoulder.

  A windowless building loomed behind her.

  Jeremy’s hand rose as if to channel spirit.

  “No shields,” she said in a low whisper.

  Arber shifted and tiptoed to the alley’s far end where it emptied into a broader street. The guardian leaned forward and glanced in both directions. As if satisfied, Arber turned and joined her and Jeremy in the alley. “All clear.”

  She leaned in and whispered. “I need to get inside the temple and find Brees.”

  “Something strange is happening inside,” Arber said. “I don’t remember so many sorcerers there before.”

  “We don’t need to find Brees tonight,” Jeremy said. “If he’s there, you can find him tomorrow without the guards.”

  “Who’s to say Brees will be at the temple tomorrow? What if he’s in danger?” she said. “Brees might even be a part of whatever’s going on at the temple tonight. He’s one of the most powerful shaman in Obsith.”

  Jeremy’s eyebrows raised. “Did he tell you that?”

  Her gazed drifted downward. “Not exactly, but I’ve seen him fight.”

  “I agree with Jeremy,” Arber said. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “Which is why I’m going alone,” she said.

  Jeremy’s eyes bulged. “Alone? Have you gone mad? I’ll not allow it Danielle. Don’t you remember what they did to you the last time?”

  “Not even you can take on a hundred obsith channelers alone,” Arber said.

  “They’ll never see me.” She slipped free her backpack and handed it to Jeremy. “If I don’t return in an hour, meet me tomorrow at midnight on top of the palace.”

  Anger flashed in Arber’s eyes. “If you’re not back in an hour, I’m coming in after you.”

  She pressed her palm against the guardian’s chest. “No. We can’t risk what’s in my bag.” She nodded toward her pack dangling from Jeremy’s fingertips. “I’m the best equipped to break free of their traps.” She reached into her pocket and pulled free a handful of seeds. “Besides, I’m not going in unarmed.” She flashed her palm forward. “They’ll think twice about laying a hand on me.”

  “It feels wrong.” Jeremy’s gaze drifted downward. “What if…?”

  She inched forward and hooked her finger under Jeremy’s chin.

  The shield knight gazed at the ground.

  “What if what?” She said.

  Through watery eyes Jeremy met her gaze. “What if I lose you?”

  She grabbed hold of Jeremy’s tunic and pressed her lips against his. “You won’t. I promise.”

  “We’ll watch the alley until dawn,” Arber said.

  She nodded and shifted into a hummingbird. The quickest bird to ever call the Heartwood home. She beat her wings and took flight.

  The inner wall passed beneath her and the temple’s rooftop appeared a dozen yards ahead.

  On the landing deck, guards peered between the palace grounds and the sky near the landing.

  Why would the obsith search the sky? Surely they’d heard of the dragons’ defection. Were they expecting an Ayralen offensive? Or the dragons? She understood their caution. Trace had earned powerful enemies.

  At the center of the dragon’s landing, a crystal staircase descended to the temple’s top floor.

  With wings buzzing, she flew high above the deck and moved with speed imperceptible to the human eye. She hovered thirty feet over the staircase and descended.

  The tower guards never looked her direction.

  She darted down the stairway and fluttered into the temple’s top floor.

  Glass jars and exotic crystal littered a workbench. The jars held powders, strange liquids, and herbs.

  The room was empty of people. A circular railing overlooked the lower floors. A low buzz of conversation drifted up over the railing.

  She darted toward the railing and flew into open space.

  Five floors below, a healing basin’s clear water sparkled.

  She flitted downward and paused at the fourth floor hovering high above the healing basin.

  A triangular table inlaid with precious gems filled the room. Shaman and sorcerers took every available seat. They wore fine dark robes unlike any she’d seen in Obsith. Embroidered rings appeared on each channeler's sleeves. They varied in color and some channelers had more rings than others.

  A fat-faced shaman wearing thick glasses spoke in an unfamiliar language. Dozens of gold and silver rings ran along the shaman’s sleeves. The high-ranking channeler spoke with a chanting singsong tone.

  She scanned each face. Brees was not among them. She couldn’t guess what the channelers were doing and she didn’t care.

  She flew through floors dedicated to study and meditation and past rooms devoted to prayer. No Brees. She checked every room in the temple’s upper floors without luck.

  The healing basin’s clear water appeared below. Orange, yellow, and blue light drenched the ground floor. A handful of shaman and sorcerers mingled in the temple’s entryway. They wore robes identical to the group gathered on the third floor, but without the rank insignia.

  She buzzed past the healing basin and into the entryway. The assembled group had their hoods turned up making it difficult for her to identify faces.

  She fluttered among the group hovering a few feet over the channelers’ heads. Of those she could identify, none were Brees, but a few faces remained hidden.

  In unison, the heads turned toward the staircase.

  She darted higher and pressed against the ceiling. Her gaze moved from face to face. No Brees.

  Her stomach sank. Brees would know where to find Trace’s orb. Brees might also have more information about the silver and gold keys. Without Brees’s help, she would stumble through Zen carrying the plague with her.

  A procession of shaman and sorcerers moved in single file down the stairway. The same group who sat upstairs listening to the leader's strange chant.

  The lower ranking channelers pressed back and made room for the procession. The high-ranking channelers moved on a path that would take them to the healing basin.

  What were they planning to do at the healing basin? Was she witnessing a cleansing ritual?

  With hoods drawn, the officers filed past the lower ranking members. At the front of the line, the high-ranking shaman stopped.

  Curiosity compelled her toward the basin. She darted upward and paused high above the cleansing water.

  A gold key, like the one she'd found in Aren's pack, appeared in the lead shaman’s hand.

  Her pulse accelerated, and she fought a rising wave of panic.

  The lead shaman knelt and slipped the key into a lock beneath the basin.

  A low rumbling echoed through the temple and the healing basin rose.

  Her instincts begged her to flee. Whatever this group planned was not
meant for her eyes. The channeler's collective power could turn her to ash inside of two heartbeats.

  The rumbling stopped as did the basin after rising seven feet above the temple floor.

  She couldn’t let the group disappear. What if they held Brees prisoner in some secret room beneath the temple? What about Keely? Anger welled inside her. If they touched a hair on Keely’s head she would see every last one of them dead.

  One by one, the ranking members disappeared down an unseen stairway. The second group, without the rank insignia, followed.

  She fluttered downward until she hovered an inch above the floor and shifted into a harvest mouse. She discovered the mouse while traveling with Ronan and Rika last year. The form offered quickness and allowed her to match her fur with her surroundings.

  The final member, a female sorcerer, entered the hidden stairway.

  She darted around the healing basin's pedestal and plunged down the stairs.

  Glowing crystal sconces embedded in the walls lit a path down an ornate marble stairway. In the distance, chants echoed through the stairwell.

  She hopped from stair to stair careful to stay a safe distance behind the sorcerer.

  The rumbling came again and the ground beneath her shifted. The sorcerer continued to descend and the chanting grew louder.

  She continued along the spiral staircase until the passage leveled out. Warm light reflected from the polished marble walls.

  The rhythmic chanting grew louder. The last sorcerer disappeared around a curved wall.

  She shifted into a hummingbird and took flight darting upward.

  A triangular room with high ceilings and polished sandstone walls opened up. Nestled on shelves and nooks, burning wax candles filled the room with a haze of candlelight.

  A polished marble stage, triangular to match the room, sat beneath layered rows of stadium seating. Crystal spheres glowed in indentations in two of the stage's three corners.

  In the indentation near the stairwell, a crystal glowed with shades of shifting green.

  The second indention held a crystal, glowing with yellow, blue, and white light.

  Her stomach dropped. She’d seen this image before. The glowing orbs and triangular pattern matched the mural inside the ruins. Who were these people?