25. Chapter Twenty-Five
1176 Words
25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Bryar Rose
I rush out from a cluster of trees and pause, my breath coming in rough gasps. I’ve got shifter strength and stamina, but after today, I’m wondering if I need to get back into Pilates.
Before me, there stands a small clearing. The temple’s nestled the center. It’s a round structure, about twenty feet high and just as wide. All the columns are cracked. At one time, the temple’s roof must have been a white dome. It’s smashed in now, like an egg that got hit with a spoon. Low scrub grass surrounds the ruin on all sides. A few spindly olive trees stand around it, reminding me of lonely sentinels.
More laughter sounds. This time, it’s definitely coming from inside the temple.
Child-Me. She’s here.
With slow steps, I march down the hill and into the temple itself. The moment I move inside, I notice the smooth stone walls appear to be breathing. This typically happens before I have a night vision.
Am I dreaming while I’m awake now?
The place is almost bare. There were markings on the walls that were probably paintings at some point, but they’re faded beyond recognition now. Or rather, I might be able to figure them out if I really looked closely, but I can only focus on the center of the temple floor.
The girl is standing there.
The child is a mess of knobby knees and bony arms that are all wrapped up in a Roman toga. She appears to be about six years old. But that’s not what’s most remarkable about her.
No, that would be her golden skin, silver wings, and long red hair that glistens like rubies.
Within my soul, my wolf pauses, tilting her head. She’s as curious as I am. “How can that be you?”
“I don’t know.” For some reason, I can only stare at the girl.
“Ask her,” urges my wolf. “Go on.”
I take a half step closer. “Who are you?”
“A memory,” says the child. Her voice is like tiny bells ringing. “I’m a wish that never was.” She gestures to the box under my arm. “And it’s all because of that bad thing.”
I lift the Codex Mechanica. “Do you mean this?”
“That’s horrible.” Looking up, she starts clapping wildly. “Oh, look! He’s here, too!”
The interior of the temple darkens. For a moment, I worry that the Shadowvin have returned, but I dismiss the idea. Those creatures drip darkness down the walls in a way that reminds me of paint. Whatever is causing this shadow, it’s big enough to block out the sun. What could do that? A moment later, I have my answer.
A black-scaled dragon dips its head through the break in the roof.
Running forward, my reflex is to protect the little girl from the dragon. However, the child’s reaction the exact opposite. She bobs on her tiptoes and reaches for the dragon’s head, as if the creature were a long-lost friend. Once the dragon is close enough, the girl wraps her arms around its muzzle. Since the dragon is so huge, the child can only grasp a small part of its chin.
“Colonel Mallory?” I ask. The dragon version of the Colonel doesn’t seem to hear me. Instead, his focus is on the child.
“What did I tell you, sugar?” asks the dragon. “You can’t go running off from me like that.”
All the air seems to get sucked from my lungs. The walls of the temple start bowing out and in at a faster pace. It’s like the very chamber is breathing more quickly. There’s no mistaking that dragon.
It’s Colonel Mallory.
The girl pats the massive dragon scales with her tiny hand. “I just wanted to go outside and play.”
“But you can’t, now can you, honey? Do you remember why?”
The child shivers. “The man in the mask. He can’t find me.”
The room rattles on its foundation. Bits of stone tumble from the open ceiling. The girl and dragon disappear. A familiar voice echoes around me.
“Bry, wake up!”
That’s Knox.
It’s takes an effort, but somehow I open my eyes. Knox kneels beside me. I’m inside the temple, curled up on the floor. The Codex Mechanica rests on the ground beside me. “What happened?” I ask.
“You weren’t answering your cell,” says Knox. His skin looks extra pale. A thin sheen of sweat covers his features. “I got worried.”
“I ran in here.” Blinking hard, I check out the room. It looks just as it did a moment ago—all round walls and faded paint. My body feels different, though. Every muscle aches as if I ran a marathon.
Huh. Maybe I did.
“Yeah,” says Knox. “I found you here, passed out on the floor.”
“Did you see anyone else along the way?” Some small part of me hopes Knox saw the little girl, or at least Colonel Mallory in dragon form.
“There was just Alec and Elle behind me,” answers Knox. “What’s this all about, Bry?”
It takes some doing, but I force myself to sit up. “I walked in here and thought I saw…something. Someone, actually. But maybe it’s the stress of everything. It’s those strange dreams I get again.”
Knox eyes me carefully. “The ones you told me about? Those dreams with the little girl?”
“They always start off with the little girl, but they end with the Shadowvin and the Void. This time, it was a little different. When I walked into the temple, I saw—”
At that moment, Elle and Alec step inside the temple, panting for breath. Evidently, they ran here, too. All of a sudden, they pair start cheering their heads off.
“You did it!” cries Elle. “I knew you would.”
I squint at her. “What do you mean?”
Alec points behind me. “The fountain,” he says. “You found it.”
My eyes stretch so wide, I’m surprised they don’t fall out of my head. “I did?”
Knox nods. “When I came in, I saw you passed out and rushed over to you. I didn’t really care about anything else.” He glances behind me. “But yeah, Elle and Alec are right. That sure looks like part of a geyser.”
Little by little, I crane my neck to look at whatever is hidden behind my back. Sure enough, I find a large cone-shaped rock waiting in the center of the temple floor, right at the spot where the girl had just stood. I rise to stand on shaky legs. It looks just like the geyser from my trip to the past. The sides are streaked in red, gold, and silver.
Every cell in my body seems to freeze.
This is it.
At last.
The fountain.
“You’re right,” I say slowly. “It’s here.”
This is everything I’ve been looking for. I run my hand over the mottled stone. Layers of magic have colored its surface. This is definitely the fountain. I should be cheering for joy, same as Elle and Alec. Only, I can only muster one sensation.
This feels wrong.
All of it.
And to top it off, Knox is looking sicker than ever. His muscle tone is fading by the second. Now, his shirt hangs loose on his newly-bony frame. The ice-blue of his eyes has faded to an almost gray. No question about it.
This is killing him.
That’s the worst part of all.
- Writer
