The Wildcat's Claw Page 16

  “We’re wasting time.… Let’s go.” Meilin marched ahead, leaving the group behind before Abeke could check to see if her face had turned pink once again.

  As the team trekked toward the Taabara Chasm, a few puffy white clouds began to gather, providing occasional relief from the heat. The terrain also changed from the grasses of the savannah to rocky hills dotted with trees. In the distance, what had at first looked like hills quietly morphed into amber colored mountains, with scattered patches of green.

  Stopping for a quick break under the shade of a wide-branched cypress tree, Conor released Briggan. The wolf burst onto the scene and, with his tail wagging, pounced on Conor, knocking him to the ground.

  “Whoa,” Conor laughed as Briggan placed his two front paws on Conor’s chest and raised his snout to sniff the air. Conor ran his hand through the Great Wolf’s gray-white fur while the wolf’s cobalt-blue eyes analyzed everything. “Sense anything?”

  Briggan glanced down at Conor before giving him a quick lick on his forehead. The wolf jumped off to further inspect their surroundings.

  “Ha, I would take that as an all clear,” Anka said, her body blending with the tree trunk she was leaning against.

  Abeke opened up the map and checked their location. From the look of things, it seemed liked the sinkhole that formed the Taabara Chasm should be close by.

  “Are we headed in the right direction?” Meilin asked.

  “Think so,” Abeke answered, shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun. She scanned the land for a small stream that might feed into the waterfall of the chasm.

  Briggan let out a long howl from somewhere in the distance.

  Rollan stretched out his hand to help Conor up. “Sounds like your partner may have found something of interest.”

  Conor grinned. “Leave it to Briggan to be here five minutes and already track something down.”

  As they all headed toward the sound of Briggan’s howl, Rollan shook his canteen. “I really hope he’s found some fresh water, because I’m almost out.”

  Abeke shook her head. “Hm, who was talking about having enough supplies so we wouldn’t have to share water later? Oh yeah, that was you.”

  “Hey …” Rollan shrugged, a mischievous smile on his face. “These muscles need the extra hydration.”

  At that remark everyone laughed out loud.

  “It wasn’t that funny,” Rollan mumbled.

  Soon, the group came upon a small stream where Briggan and Uraza had both decided to lounge by its edge.

  “Look at those two.” Meilin pointed. “They’re like—”

  “Shhh.” Abeke touched her ear. “Listen.”

  Besides the gurgling sound of the water bouncing off of several rocks in the stream, there was a louder, crashing sound of rushing water cascading down somewhere.

  “The waterfall has to be nearby,” Abeke said as Rollan filled his canteen with water. “It’s got to be downstream.”

  Abeke and the group followed the stream until the ground dropped, disappearing into a giant sinkhole. From where they stood, at the very edge of the deep crater, they could see the stream cascade down past three land bridges, each of which seemed to bisect the hole at different depths.

  “Now what?” Rollan asked, looking down. “Do we go down into that giant rabbit hole, cross one of the bridges, or stay up here?”

  “In my vision, I could see the gorge’s opening high overhead. The water seemed to be falling from above.” Conor patted Briggan, who had now rejoined them. The wolf nuzzled his hand. “So, I think we have to go to the bottom.”

  “Yeah,” Rollan sighed. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

  Abeke looked at the western sky, where the sun was already hanging low. They had made good time, but it would be much darker in the gorge. Any remaining light would soon disappear. She could already hear a nightingale chirping in the distance. If they were going to go, they needed to be quick about it.

  “What do you think, Uraza?” Abeke asked the leopard, who was peering over the edge right next to her. “Should we head down and see if there’s anything down there? Or wait until morning?”

  Uraza responded by leaping off the rocky ledge onto the path toward the bottom.

  “Guess that’s your answer,” Meilin said, following Uraza with a jump of her own. She looked back up at the rest of the group. “Come on!”

  Once at the bottom of the crater, Meilin released Jhi. The Great Panda lumbered over to Meilin, and their foreheads touched. The genuine affection between the two was obvious to Abeke. Then Jhi waddled over to where Briggan and Uraza were lapping up water from the edge of the small pond. The entire team spread out, hunting for a clue as to why Conor’s vision had brought them here.

  Abeke first searched behind the waterfall, hoping that there might be a cave like in Eura, but there was nothing there.

  “Maybe it’s like the Heart of the Land.” Rollan touched the token that hung under his shirt. “Hidden within a rock somewhere.”

  “There are a million rocks here, though,” Anka said.

  “How about hidden along a path?” Conor pointed to a narrow chasm through the mountain walls.

  Abeke walked over to him. “Are you saying we should go through there?” The opening would require them to enter single file. If it got much narrower, their spirit animals would certainly not fit. As it was, Jhi already couldn’t enter.

  “See how the ground is worn down in spots?” He pointed to the rock floor. “I think this is a path that’s been used before. Used a lot.”

  Meilin and Rollan joined them, each peering into the long, narrow chasm.

  “We should explore in there before it gets much darker,” Meilin said. “Don’t you think, Rollan?”

  Rollan didn’t answer. He only stared into it.

  “Rollan?” Conor repeated his name.

  Meilin placed a hand on Rollan’s shoulder. “You’re thinking of Tarik, aren’t you?” she said. “The last battle you fought with him.”

  “It looked a lot like this place,” he muttered. “Same type of chasm. A warrior’s last path.”

  “But it’s not that place, and we aren’t battling the Devourer or the Conquerors,” Meilin replied in a gentle voice.

  Suddenly a sense of unease filled Abeke. This would be a good place for an ambush. She glanced around, her hunter instincts on full alert.

  It was too quiet.

  Even the nightingale had stopped singing. Something was off.

  “I think we should get out of here,” Abeke said in a hushed voice. “Maybe have Essix see if—”

  Before Abeke could finish her sentence, a hooded figure jumped down and twirled a quarterstaff in front of them.

  “Now!” came a shout from above, and suddenly warriors wearing gray cloaks rained down all around them.

  First, one dropped behind Abeke. Then another in front. Then two more blocked the path forward through the chasm.

  Abeke pulled an arrow from her quiver and nocked it to her bow, just as Meilin drew out her sword.

  In a split second, more than two dozen cloaked figures had jumped down from the cliffs … all pointing their weapons at the five Greencloaks or at their spirit animals over by the pond. High above all of them, balanced on the natural bridge, another dozen attackers stood with arrows trained on Abeke and her friends.

  There was no escape.… They were trapped!

  FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE WAS NEVER ROLLAN’S FIRST choice. He had learned on the streets of Concorba that diplomacy could work wonders. Words often yielded better results than any sword. Disarm them with a smile whenever possible.

  Rollan quickly assessed the situation. Jhi, Briggan, and Uraza were surrounded, but they would be able to take care of themselves. The four Greencloaks had taken defensive stances against the hooded warriors, but Rollan wasn’t sure where Anka had gone. She’d camouflaged herself so well that he couldn’t see her at all. What Rollan could see was that these people weren’t dressed in all black like the
Oathbound.

  Perhaps he could convince them that they weren’t enemies.

  “Friends, friends.” Rollan lowered his dagger and took a step toward one of the figures. “We mean you no harm.” He acted calm, as if the Greencloaks had the upper hand, instead of the other way around.

  “Rollan …” Meilin’s voice carried a warning that this approach might not be the best idea.

  Rollan ignored her. She was a warrior at heart. Her instinct was always to fight. But he had to use his gut. He took another step. “We aren’t here for a battle. We’re only in search of something. Perhaps you could help.”

  The response came quick and swift. The hooded figure in front of him spun his quarterstaff in the air, then swung it low at Rollan’s knees, trying to knock his legs out from under him.

  Rollan jumped over the end and quickly grabbed the pole, yanking it out of the hooded figure’s hand and turning it on him.

  So much for diplomacy.

  “STOP!” a voice called from above. A hooded warrior appeared from an opening near one of the land bridges. The figure ran along a path to the bottom, leaping down the last few feet to skid to a halt right in front of Rollan. “Don’t harm these people. These are our friends.”

  Rollan couldn’t believe it.… His plan had worked.

  The cloaked figure pulled back his gray hood.

  “TAKODA!” Meilin exclaimed.

  Takoda smiled and rushed over to be embraced by Meilin, Abeke, Conor, and Rollan. “I’m so glad that you’re all safe!” he exclaimed, but then lowered his voice to a whisper. “I heard what happened with the Emperor of Zhong. How could the Greencloaks do something like that? What’s going on?”

  “It was a setup by people impersonating us,” Meilin answered. “We’re trying to make things right again.”

  Takoda didn’t hesitate. “How can I help?” he asked. “Do you want me to go with you somewhere? Maybe give you a place to hide with the monks?”

  Rollan stared at Takoda. The boy had grown about four inches since he’d last seen him. He’d also become more muscular.

  But along with Takoda came Kovo, who was bonded to the young monk. Rollan didn’t love the idea of traveling with the once subjugator of Erdas. “Have you heard of something called Stormspeaker … or the Dragon’s Eye?”

  Takoda shook his head. “What are they?”

  “Important items we need in order to clear our names and unite Erdas,” Conor explained. “We believe at least one of them is found in Nilo.”

  Murmuring had risen from the cloaked figures. The monks still had their weapons trained on the group and their spirit animals.

  “Takoda, what’s going on?” someone shouted.

  Takoda turned around. “Everyone, please … lower your weapons.” He pushed down the spear of one of the nearby monks. “These are my friends, the ones I’ve told you about. The ones who helped defeat the Wyrm. The Heroes of Erdas. We should be welcoming them, not threatening them.”

  Briggan growled at one of the hooded monks and Rollan could see Uraza’s muscles tense and tauten. Even Jhi was staring down the person in front of her.

  “Place your spirit animals in passive state,” Takoda whispered. “The monks won’t relax if they’re out.”

  Meilin, Abeke, and Conor glanced at each other. They each quietly nodded and called back their animals.

  Rollan could see the hesitation among the monks, but they slowly put away their weapons and pulled back their hoods in an apparent symbol of acceptance.

  Takoda had risen to become a leader in his community. This was definitely not the same boy Rollan had first encountered moping in Greenhaven. The battles underground against the Wyrm had clearly changed him … or was it Kovo’s influence? Had the bond between him and the Great Beast caused him to grow in his command of others? Was it just a sign of growing up? Rollan wasn’t sure. Perhaps Kovo had changed, too. Doubtful, but anything was possible.

  “Do you know someone who might help us?” Meilin asked.

  Rollan feared that the answer would be Kovo, but Takoda surprised them. “I don’t know someone with answers, but I know someplace that might have them. Come with me.” Takoda motioned for the group to follow him into the chasm.

  “No!” The monk who had attacked Rollan leaped forward, blocking the entrance. “You can’t take them into Mabtaka. You’d be placing everyone and everything at risk.”

  “Step aside, Sodu.” Takoda stared him down. “I think I’ve earned the right to bring four guests, four friends, into our community.”

  Sodu didn’t back off. “They’re wanted by the Oathbound! I’ve heard the rumors of what happens to those who help Greencloaks. We can’t allow them entrance. The library has never been seized, because strangers are not permitted inside.”

  “These four aren’t strangers,” Takoda argued. “They’re known to everyone.”

  “Ahem,” Anka cleared her throat. She took two steps forward, away from the mountain wall where she had been camouflaging herself, and allowed herself to be seen. “There’s five of us, actually.”

  Takoda spun around. He hadn’t noticed her, even though she’d been standing so close to him.

  “Anka’s with us,” Meilin quickly explained. “Her spirit animal is a chameleon. We can vouch for her, though.”

  “You see!” Sodu mocked Takoda. “You can’t even recognize danger when it’s right next to you.” He turned to the monks as Anka blended back into the colors of the mountain. “My brothers, we cannot let them enter. There’s no telling what will happen if they do. We would be putting everything at risk.”

  “What I see”—Takoda spoke to Sodu through clenched teeth—“is someone who pretends to be strong, but is afraid of his own shadow.”

  “Look who’s talking!” Sodu exclaimed. “The boy who couldn’t be trusted to travel alone, but who required the guidance of a superior student to accompany him to Mabtaka.”

  Takoda eyes narrowed. “And when none could be found, they told me to bring you.”

  “Ha! Nice try, but we all know the truth,” Sodu scoffed. “You are still only a boy.”

  “We’ll see about that.” Takoda sneered and took a few steps forward. He lifted his arms and addressed the other monks in a loud, booming voice. “Brothers and sisters, you all know me and trust my judgment. These are my friends, the ones who defeated the Devourer and then helped destroy the Wyrm. They are the Heroes of Erdas who have selflessly risked everything for Nilo … for the entire world. They come to us seeking answers and rest … something only we can offer. Isn’t it our duty to share our knowledge with the righteous and stand against the Oathbound? Will you not rise up, stiffen your resolve, and aid them?”

  There were whispers among the monks. A sense of purpose was filling the cavern.

  “We are being called to be part of history,” Takoda continued, “instead of just preserving the historical accounts. We cannot turn our backs on those who defended us. We have a duty, so I ask you …” He paused for a moment, capturing everyone’s attention. “Who will join me in leading these heroes to find the answers they seek? Who stands with me and with the Heroes of Erdas?”

  “I do!” shouted one monk.

  “As do I!” yelled another.

  “I DO!” hollered the remaining monks in unison. All except Sodu, who stayed silent with his arms crossed.

  “To the Heroes of Erdas!” Takoda shouted, raising a fist in the air.

  “THE HEROES OF ERDAS!” the monks roared back.

  “Glad he’s on our side,” Rollan whispered to Conor as he followed Takoda into the chasm.

  As the Greencloaks walked through the narrow passage, it continued closing in on either side. Soon it was impossibly tight, like a fissure running up the mountain. As night fell and the light waned, Takoda lit a small lantern. Rollan glanced up the steep rock walls at the sliver of dark sky above them. He knew Essix was flying above them somewhere, giving them protection from the air.

  “So what’s the deal with your f
riend Sodu?” Rollan asked Takoda. “Not the friendliest monk I’ve seen … not that I’ve actually seen any before today. Except for you, of course.”

  “Yeah, we have some history,” Takoda explained. “We were together at the other monastery before I bonded with Kovo. After everything that happened with the Wyrm, we were both sent here. He’s not my biggest fan.”

  Rollan chuckled at the understatement. “You think?”

  “Almost there!” Takoda called back to the others as the path opened up to a ledge high up on a mountain.

  “Finally. I was wondering when we’d get … whoa!” Rollan waved his arms, trying to maintain his balance as Takoda yanked him back. In the darkness, he had misjudged where the ledge ended and almost stepped off.

  “We’re about two hundred feet up and it’s a straight drop,” Takoda warned.

  “A little more notice next time,” Rollan muttered over the pounding of his heart.

  “Wow,” Conor said as he stepped onto the ledge. “I didn’t even realize the incline was taking us so high.”

  “The monastery is up there.” Takoda pointed to a few twinkling lights in the distance. The moonlight revealed enough of the monastery that Rollan could tell it had been built into the mountainside, about two thirds of the way to the top.

  “Guess we have to take one of these rope ladders the rest of the way up?” Rollan tugged on a pair of old ropes with wooden rungs fastened between them. None of it looked very sturdy. “It’s about another two hundred feet?”

  “Two fifty,” Takoda corrected.

  “This could explain why you don’t get many visitors,” Meilin added. “Though it does remind me of parts of Zhong.” She grabbed the first ladder’s wooden rung and hoisted herself up.

  “Before we all get there, I, um …” Takoda suddenly seemed unsure of himself.

  “Spit it out,” Meilin said.

  “Yeah, so, I was going to ask that you not bring out Uraza, Briggan, or Jhi when we get up there. Maktaba is well, a sort of particular place, if you haven’t noticed. Not that I don’t want them around, but I’m not sure what the reaction would be.”

  “From who?” Abeke asked. “The monks or Kovo?”