When War Calls(79)
Jaden said nothing, as much from tiredness as not knowing what to do.
‘Try once more,’ said Tarsha suddenly.
‘It won’t work.’
‘Please, once more. This time, make sure everything is perfectly in place, including your hand.’
‘I did that last time.’
‘Just do it!’
Jaden reluctantly put his wrist over the symbols, causing the same unlocking sound to come, and just as it seemed that this time the doors would open, suddenly the sphere above them began to emit a cool blue light, as if a cloud had passed in its way.
‘What’s happening?’ asked Jaden.
‘I don’t know,’ said Tarsha, backing away from the wall. ‘Quick! Take your hand away, now! We may have made a mistake.’
Jaden did as instructed and moved back with her, but the light above continued to lose its power.
‘I thought you said it would last forever,’ Jaden pointed out.
‘I assumed it would,’ said Tarsha in disbelief.
There came a haunted wind in the hollow, whistling through the many stones and rustling the leaves of the trees and plants alike. There was a high-pitched ring, and then all sound dulled as if being devoured with the light. There came a rumble deep beneath them as the ground began to shake.
‘You assume a lot,’ said Jaden, trying to keep his balance.
‘One must, when dealing with the Daijuar,’ countered Tarsha, hanging onto the railing in front of them. ‘They are an elusive kind.’
‘What happens now?’
‘Just hang onto something!’
Jaden grabbed the railing as the rumble continued to gain in strength. The entire mountain was shaking now, and it seemed its very walls would collapse around them. The light dulled even further, leaving them in almost absolute darkness, but no rock could be heard falling, nor did any cracks appear in the ground. The rumble appeared harmless.
In the distance, a slam of metal could be heard, and as the rumble calmed, there were footsteps, too. As the footsteps neared, the light above began to regain its original colour and brightness, revealing the footsteps to be those of three men all dressed in white, two of whom had finely chiselled features, the one on the right with dark hair, the other on the left with light. They flanked the man in the centre who was three steps in front and had long white hair and a short beard of the same colour.
‘Grandfather!’ called out Jaden, racing down the stairway toward the approaching men.
The men flanking him regarded Vennoss with interest and then looked at one another questioningly, seemingly ignoring Jaden running toward them. Jaden embraced his grandfather as they met, and then his grandfather held him strongly at arm’s length, looking him up and down. Jaden noticed then that he was not smiling, nor was there even a hint of happiness in his grandfather’s eyes.
‘What’s wrong?’
Vennoss looked past Jaden to Tarsha, who had walked painfully down to them.
‘She’s wounded,’ he said, ‘tend to her.’
The two men took long strides past Jaden, normal for people of their height, and helped Tarsha back up to the temple again, where they opened the doors easily with nothing more than their hands. When all three had vanished behind the doors, Vennoss looked back to Jaden.
‘Where have you been? I told you to come straight here.’
The tone was harsh, almost of anger, as if Jaden had somehow done wrong.
Jaden was confused, unsure what to say. ‘I came as soon as I could.’
Vennoss did not seem to believe him. ‘Where did you get those clothes?’
Jaden took a moment to think; he wanted to say he found them, but knew he could not hide the truth. He wore an Alliance uniform. There was no way around it. His grandfather would see straight through the lie.
‘The fort,’ he conceded.
‘What fort?’ asked Vennoss.
‘The one in Callibra. The one built over my home.’
Jaden could not fight back the tear welling in his eye. He could handle being spoken to this way by anyone, but not his grandfather, not the man who had always been kind to him, helped him and made sure that he was well. Seeing the tear, Vennoss released his grip, and it seemed he had returned to his old self. They stood apart from one another, avoiding eye contact the best they could.
‘You should not have gone near them,’ said Vennoss, his tone now softer but still strict. ‘It was foolish. Your bravery will lead you to more trouble than it’s worth.’
‘I’m sorry, Grandfather,’ said Jaden, lowering his head.
Vennoss took a deep breath. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I am sorry, child, I do not mean to scold you. It is good that you are alive—let us leave it at that.’ He paused. ‘I guess you would have some questions, then?’