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.