Too Far Gone, page 24
part #3 of The Jaxon Grey Chronicles Series
"They won't be coming back anytime soon," said Crispin. "We made sure of that."
I caught Demtrius' eye. "I'm going," I said firmly.
Demtrius looked me up and down, and then, knowing he couldn't sway my decision, nodded.
Alexitus, however, made no such plea and seemed content to remain where he was. Nepalen, too, feeling more secure on the plateau's shelf, opted to remain, but Dolvin made protests to continue on.
"I was too stricken with fear to help you before," he said, "but I'll be damned if I don't see this thing through with the rest of you!"
Demtrius went up to Dolvin and placed a friendly hand upon his shoulder, taking him into his confidence. "You have nothing to be ashamed of Dolvin, and besides, I need you here, looking after Alexitus and Nepalen. We can't leave them afraid and unprotected, now can we?"
Dolvin thought this over for a second. "I suppose you are right," he said at last, "but what can I do if we are attacked again?"
"You keep a good eye out and hide if you see anyone approaching, even us," Demtrius answered. "You hide until you are certain there is no danger."
"Right," said Dolvin, and then, with more confidence. "Right, hide and protect!"
And with that, we were back on the move.
We followed Ricson's directions without error and were finally rewarded when we came upon an excavated section of the wall about twelve feet from the ground with steps leading up to the precipitous heights above. The wall before us, however, was bare and mostly smooth, providing no footholds or crevices to use for climbing.
Demtrius, as always, was quick to provide a solution. "It's too high to jump, even for a Tatoran," he said, "but three of us can make a pyramid with our bodies, and then the fourth person should be able to reach the landing."
"Then how will the rest of us get up there?" asked Crispin. "Whoever goes up first can probably help to pull the next of us up, but the third and fourth will have the most difficulty."
"Teamwork," Demtrius replied simply.
"If only we still had our mattertrons," Thristin commented. "We'd have been to the top and back a hundred times by now."
Demtrius turned to me, "Jaxon, since you are probably the lightest one here, you should be the first to ascend. How is your wound?"
"Never better," I lied, but Demtrius knew, and knew that I would push past the pain.
Crispin and Thristin knelt before the wall, and Demtrius climbed atop them, placing a knee on each of their backs. I was up next, awkwardly trying to climb atop their Dotaran pyramid, but soon I was up and reaching for the landing's edge. I jumped to cling onto the ledge and quickly managed to pull myself up, and then turned to help the next person.
"Crispin, you're next," said Demtrius, placing his back against the wall and cupping his hands low. Thristin followed in step right beside him. Crispin then placed a foot in each of their cupped hands, and put his hands on their shoulders to steady himself.
"On three," said Demtrius, and at the end of the count they launched Crispin upward to latch on to the ledge. I helped him up from there.
"Two down, two to go," said Crispin as he righted himself on the landing.
"Same idea, Thristin," said Demtrius, again placing his back against the wall. "Just remember to jump."
"Yes, Captain," Thristin replied, and soon he, too, was atop the ledge.
"Now is the tricky part," said Demtrius. "One of you will have to hang down over the ledge face-first while the other two hold his legs. I'm going to get a running start to jump my highest, and, when I do so, whoever is hanging down will have to catch my arms, and then the other two will pull us up."
It took us three tries, but finally Thristin and I pulled back on Crispin's legs and brought them both up.
After that, the climb up the steep steps was easy enough. We quickly made the summit, and then the ground was completely flat.
"Straight across the plateau to the frozen lake, and then follow its right bank," said Demtrius, repeating Ricson's directions.
"I don't understand why we couldn't just ask Ricson and Pinut for some of their yume," said Crispin. "It looked like they had more than enough. No one back in Finnis would have been the wiser."
"Because we need to procure our own," said Demtrius. "Ricson knows that too, which is why he didn't offer. The Mercerians embark on this quest for a reason, and cutting corners does not fulfill that purpose."
"I know," Crispin commented, "still would have been nice though."
Indeed it would have, but at least we were nearing our destination. The ground before us was flat and much more welcoming than the forest, so here we donned our snow shoes again and proceeded with haste.
Presently, we saw two figures approaching us from across the plateau. All four of us drew our swords, preparing for another fight. It was Scard and Jasala, presumably returning from the tree. They saw us from a distance too, but just kept walking toward us. They passed by without a word, looking at us strangely with our weapons drawn, and then they continued on without looking back. I don't believe either of them was aware of what had happened to us.
I shrugged to Demtrius, and then we continued on our way. Before we knew it, we had reached the edge of the frozen lake, marked by the low depression it made in the otherwise plain landscape. A few miles around its edge, we spotted the patch of trees and shrubbery. Sure enough, the Dracari tree was just past the patch, and Ricson was right; it was definitely a spectacle. We must have been a few miles away still, but the myriad of ever-changing colors was bright as day, like a natural Christmas tree already decorated with lights and ornaments. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and even white, all present at the same time, each coursing through the tree in different waves and shades of color. Most stunning of all, there were even streaks of the magnificent color of detriminium, that unmistakable yet impossible-to-describe color not found in Earth's realm. It was a truly majestic sight.
Far across the plateau, however, we could already see the sky showing signs of the coming dawn against the eastern horizon. Time was of the essence.
Exhausted as we were, the four of us began running as we covered the remaining ground, all of us in awe at the sight before us. The closer we got, the larger and brighter the tree became, and soon its enormous size was fully realized. Its trunk was easily thirty feet in diameter and must have risen over a hundred feet into the sky, splitting off into dozens of branches. The branches were covered in tiny leaves, and a swirling array of colors projected from cracks in the bark. It was like the tree was a living, breathing creature and we were seeing glimpses of its inner workings.
The first thing we did was provide a drop of blood each, as Rengar had directed. I pricked my finger, and smeared the blood against the trunk, staring up in wonder.
High in the tree, wrapped and tangled among the higher branches, was a strange object, almost polished white and reflecting the tree’s scintillating yume blossoms. I couldn't tell what it was until I was right under it, but then I realized just what I was looking at. It was a skeleton, and a large one at that. Judging by its considerable size and length, I immediately thought of Thiesel, my serpent friend. He had cocooned himself inside a chrysalis on another Dracari tree in the distant west. These skeletal remains, however, seemed to have some extra features; several appendages that could have been arms or legs, and perhaps even a set of wings. I finally concluded that I must have been looking at the remains of the legendary gyx, the mythical dragon of Tatora. Perhaps the legends are true, I thought, and Rengar's ancestor really did ride atop one.
As I gazed up into the tree, Demtrius and the brothers circled it looking for any low-lying branches or knots to use as footholds, but to no avail. The trunk was far too wide to shimmy up and was completely bare for twenty feet or so. The glowing yume, of course, was only on the upper limbs, and day was finally beginning to break. I could already see the shimmering herbs receding back within the cracks of the bark. We were so close, just a few feet from where the herbs lay, but might as well have been miles away still with no way to scale the tree.
I looked around for any overlooked branches or footholds, I couldn't help but notice dozens of sets of claw marks from where previous Mercerian couples had struggled to ascend. They were larger and more adept at climbing, but even with their size and claws they apparently had significant difficulties. If they struggled so much, I feared we might never be able to harvest the herb as lightly equipped as we were. Even just a rope would have sufficed, but all we had were our snow shoes, swords, and furs.
That's when it came to me. "I've got it!"
The other three looked at me impatiently.
It was faster to show them my plan, so I took my sword and drove it into the tree as hard as I could, sinking the tip several inches into the trunk at waist-level. I tested it, and it was stuck in pretty good. Next I removed my furs and began wrapping the blade with them. By this time, the others understood my plan.
I finished wrapping the fur around the sword, shivering as I did so, and then used my sword belt to lash it in place. Luckily, the jumpsuit I wore under the fur kept me warm enough, at least for a few minutes anyway.
"Let's hope it holds," I said, and placed a foot on the sword close to the trunk where it was sturdiest. As I placed my full weight on the blade, I was pleased to find that it held me easily. The others had their swords out and furs ready to give to me so I could repeat the process.
"Only one of us needs to go up," said Demtrius. "If you wouldn't mind, I would like the honor."
I smiled at him and then stepped down, "Of course, my friend." I gave him Svix's amethyst necklace and he tied it to his belt.
It took some time, and the rays of the sun were still creeping over the horizon. I had to pry out the bottom two swords and hand them up to Demtrius so he could finish the ascent. That was the most dangerous task since he wasn’t able to jam them into the tree as hard while he wobbled on the thin blades, but, somehow, Demtrius was soon able to make it to the branches, so quick and agile was he. And then he was lost in the foliage.
He was gone from sight for a few minutes, but then finally he returned to the base of the trunk, removing each sword and dropping it to the ground as he did so. Daylight was now reigning in on the landscape.
"Were you able to harvest any?" asked Crispin.
Demtrius just opened a small pouch at his waist and allowed us to peer inside, eliciting smiles all around.
"We had better get moving," he said, proud of our hard work.
We finally had the sacred herb in our possession.
Interlogue Four
Ryane’s Escape
Ryane slept long into the morning, having been afforded this rare occurrence due to the preparations Salama’an had to make for his impending mission. With no piercing noises or shaking floor, Ryane slept deeply for the first time in a great while. Not even her persistent nightmares disturbed her sleep. This night she enjoyed a dream; a dream of Jaxon and her together once again, safe in the confines of their childhood treehouse, where they had made innumerable memories together.
She welcomed these warm visions brought on by her subconscious, unaware that she was even dreaming. To her, it was entirely real, but, had she been lucid, it would only have acted as another poor reminder of her current hopeless predicament. But she was not lucid, and Ryane dreamt through the Scynthian dawn and on through the morning, a faint smile upon her face.
She had known Jaxon for almost as long as she could remember, and they had spent almost every day together, racing each other to the house she lived in with her mother after school, their backyard treehouse waiting for them and their next adventure. Jaxon's parents had both died when he was young. His uncle, Deecan Grey, had taken him in, but Deecan was not exactly the doting fatherly type, and was constantly out hunting or otherwise preoccupied with one thing or another. To say he was a neglectful guardian, however, was entirely untrue, and Ryane knew that Jaxon had cherished the time he spent with his uncle, learning useful skills and diverse life lessons. He spent much more time with Ryane and her mother, though, and when Uncle Deecan finally decided to move north into Canada, where he remained until his disappearance, a pre-adolescent Jaxon opted to stay behind in his New Jersey hometown after Ryane's mother graciously offered him a room in their house.
But this morning, Ryane dreamt of Jaxon as her younger self never had, and the tantalizing images that entered her mind were the furthest things from her living nightmare.
And then came the rude awakening.
Her mind was slow in transitioning from sleep to wakefulness. She heard someone calling to her, but their voice seemed faint and distant. Her body felt cold and stiff, and she had a fleeting out-of-body experience, as if she were trudging through snow. Her eyelids crept open unwillingly, revealing a blurry light as her eyes strained to adjust. The voice seemed closer now, and the words were almost distinguishable, but still they escaped her understanding. Then, with a sudden start of realization, Ryane felt her body being roughly shaken.
"Please Ryane," said the voice. "We need to hurry! There isn't much time!"
Her vision was finally clear and focused, and standing over her was Illoran, looking frantic and worrisome as he shook her by the shoulder.
"What's going on?" she asked, now fully awake and aware of her surroundings.
"We're leaving," Illoran replied hurriedly. "A window of opportunity has arisen, and I'm going to take you away from this place."
Ryane thought she had heard wrong. "Leaving?" she questioned. "To go where?"
A look of anguish flashed over Illoran's face, but he realized they wouldn't be going anywhere until he explained himself, so he quickly began relaying all the pertinent details of his recent conversation with his superior.
"Orric has just informed me of a new plan that he's formulated to finally rid himself of your Jaxon and his Dotaran allies," he rapidly explained, while Ryane stared back through bloodshot eyes. "He is sending a team of human soldiers, led by Salama’an, down to Tatora, and he has just asked me to accompany the team as the ship's doctor."
"Good for you," Ryane replied tartly, annoyed at being woken from her nice dream to be told something awful.
"Good for us!" Illoran exclaimed.
Ryane failed to understand what Illoran was alluding to, and, in truth, was unable to even contemplate that one of the wretched Scynthians would do anything to rescue her from her ill-mannered imprisonment.
"Don't you see?" asked Illoran, but he continued without waiting for a response. "Orric has just provided me with the means of effectuating your escape! All we need to do is get you aboard the ship, and then I can reunite you with your Jaxon!"
The significance of Illoran's words took a moment to sink in, but then Ryane’s eyes went wide with elation. "You can get me to Jaxon?"
"Yes, yes!" said Illoran, glancing back at the doorway quickly. "But we cannot waste any more time!"
"Okay," Ryane replied excitedly, caught up in the thought of seeing Jaxon again. "Let's do it then." She paused for a moment, wondering how exactly Illoran proposed to sneak her aboard the attack ship, and thus to Tatora.
As if reading her thoughts, Illoran reached into his medical bag and drew forth a cloaking ring, which he had been able to procure from a dissimulation engineer who owed him a long-awaited favor. The engineer had also provided him with a utility cuff, a device that is usually reserved only for soldiers, but for which Illoran knew he'd have many uses for. Illoran kept the cuff in his medical bag with a few other useful tools.
"You'll need this," he said, handing the cloaking ring to Ryane.
"For what?" she asked, seeing no valuable use for the metal ring.
"It is a cloaking device," Illoran explained. "Simply seat the ring on your head, and then it will automatically conceal you from visible sight."
Ryane looked at the metal ring, understanding what Illoran was saying yet wondering how they managed to accomplish such a technological feat.
An idea suddenly sprang into Ryane's mind.
With this cloaking device, she thought, I can elude everyone, even Illoran. As the significance of the situation dawned on her, Ryane couldn't help but think of abandoning Illoran the moment she was invisible and outside of the room. Illoran says he's trying to help me, she thought, but what if this is just another form of Scynthian torture? What if he isn't leading me to Jaxon? And, if not, then where is he bringing me?
After all she had been through at the hands of the Scynthians, this was the logical thought process. Ryane struggled with her conflicting feelings, but she quickly came to the realization that abandoning Illoran now wouldn't do her any good in the long run. She would still be stuck prisoner on Scynthia, even if her captors never found her, and Salama’an would still leave for his mission to take Jaxon away from her for good. To be sure, if the Scynthians had the ability to create such a device, they would surely have developed the means to penetrate through the cloak or otherwise circumvent the camouflaging. Indeed, on Scynthia there were many ways to detect an invisible fugitive. Besides infrared and thermal imaging devices, which Ryane was already aware existed, the Scynthians also possessed several tools she hadn't thought of; sensors that detected minute changes in air temperature, room pressurization, and the level of gases in the air, as well as highly-sensitive gravity sensors, motion sensors, and weight sensors. The chances of a prolonged evasion were already slim in her mind, and had she considered any of these other methods of detection, she would have instantly realized hiding on Scynthia was futile.
No, she had only two options; stay in her room of captivity, effectively sealing her fate along with Jaxon's, or throw her lot in with Illoran and hope he remained true to his words. It took only a second for her to make the decision.
Ryane had nothing save for the clothes she was abducted in, so all she needed to do was throw on her red and blue flannel shirt and then they were ready to depart.
At the door to the room they stopped. "Place the cloaking ring on your head now and be sure to remain as quiet as possible," Illoran directed her. "Orric has had guards stationed outside of your room ever since you overtook him in your ill-conceived escape attempt."
