Chapter Fifteen

A thick band of cedar and brush hid the cave entrance used by a tribe of Shadowed Souls. The tangle of foliage low to the ground added another layer of protection as did the deliberately strewn branches that covered the hole. A large dragonfly hovered over the entrance as though deciding whether to enter or not for there were several large holes in the cover that would allow an insect passage.

The insect shot up into the air with wings shimmering in the dull, gray afternoon light. It followed a long, narrow, rocky ridge of land known as Dragon’s Spine. The forest, as though hoarding its secret, had formed a nearly impenetrable wall along each side that neatly shielded the bumpy, jutting ridge. Reaching a tiny fissure, the dragonfly landed, then blurred into a small, dark blob as iridescent wings stretched and widened into the black wings of a tiny bat that then crawled through a crevice.

The bat dropped down into the total darkness of the narrow chimney. It zipped around nodules of rock, flew past shallow indents and wider openings that twisted ever deeper down into the bowels of the earth.

Meeting bats on their way out to seek the dusk, it clung to the rough stone. Soon, more would emerge from the caverns in a cloud so thick, it would darken the sky. The bat continued its controlled, downward plunge until it came out into a large cavern where it easily avoided the sharp, pointed rocks that hung from the ceiling like dragon teeth.

Leaving the cavern, the bat shimmered and blurred as Zirgis released the spirit of the bat. He bent his fingers and made a fist as the transformation that took mere seconds, almost too fast to consciously feel, completed. His feet hit the ground. Long practice at shifting gave him the ability to go from flight one moment to a smooth, steady stride the next.

The weight of his body, the rough, hard floor beneath him, and the dismal darkness surrounding him made Zirgis sigh. He loved the freedom that came from zipping and soaring through the air, unfettered by weight, unbound from the constraints of the human form. Of all the flying forms, the thrill of flying in the dark, trusting the bat’s ability to see not with its eyes but its ears, was his favorite.

An angry, shrill yell echoed through the cavern. He winced, then moved with purpose down the tunnel where a single stone bowl of glowing embers provided enough light to allow him to see. Reaching a low opening, Zirgis ducked low.

Cold rolled off the stone, slid over his shoulders and around his waist and legs, coiling around him like a snake squeezing prey. His eyes, once a bright medley of earthy colors had faded with time and deeds, swallowed by the shadows lurking in his soul.

But he still had his sharp sight that pierced the darkness. “What is wrong?” He strode into the cavern. Another bowl of embers gave off enough light to see Red Flower lying naked on a stone slab padded with bear fur. His gaze took in the raw, angry-looking puncture wounds and ripped flesh along both sides of her spine that the healer was cleaning.

“Owl. Foolish girl. Got caught in the body of a squirrel.”

“Not an owl,” Red Flower said, her voice harsh. She lifted her head and sent the woman a look of intense dislike.

“Explain.” Zirgis watched as the older woman smeared ointment across his mate’s back.

Red Flower hissed in pain. “I do not know. It looked like an owl, but I could not touch its mind.” She thumped one fist on the bear hide. “It dies.” Her eyes, like his, had lost most of their color. Fury flashed like bolts of lightning in their depths.

Both of his brows shot up. “A SpiritWalker?” His heart raced. The family of his wife was among the most powerful of all SpiritWalker families.

Shaking her head, Red Flower frowned. “No. Not one of them or one of us.” For the first time, she looked worried. “I felt no life. No spirit. I could not control its mind.”

Zirgis glared down at the stubborn woman. “You were told to stay away.” Fury deepened his voice. “If the owl had been a powerful SpiritWalker, you would not have been able to control it. You are lucky to be alive.”

Hands on his hips, he strode to the opening to the section of cave he and Red Flower shared. Her news worried him. The Earth Dwellers were powerful. Until banished, he and Red Flower had belonged to that tribe, until she got caught trying to steal the Eye of Dragon.

His jaw tightened, as did his stance when he returned to where Red Flower lay. “Your talents are many, but your lack of patience and finesse will cut short your life.

Red Flower was the youngest adult among the Dwellers of Dark. She also had uncanny luck when it came to stealing, and that made her one of the most valued, gifted members of their tribe. Zirgis fingered a tiny medicine pouch attached to a leather thong tied around his waist and hidden from sight by the hide flap of his breechclout.

“Not your concern,” she threw back. She grabbed a small, silver flask and took a deep pull of the fiery liquid.

“Put that away.” His voice was harsh. He grabbed it and tossed down. “You know better than to drink the white man’s poison.” One of her favorite pastimes was to steal from trappers. Their cavern was filled with shiny treasures.

Ignoring her furious protest, he narrowed his eyes at her. “You are good at what you do.”

“The best,” she agreed, her voice haughty and confident.

Zirgis drew in a deep, regretful breath. Once her eyes had been the most amazing shades of blues and greens. The colors had long since faded, as had her youthful beauty.

“You taunt and tempt life. You deliberately flaunt your mortality.” Disgusted and afraid for her, Zirgis headed for the entrance before he said too much.

“Don’t go.”

He spun around. With one sharp gesture, he motioned for the healer to leave. He waited while the woman gathered her supplies. Red Flower picked up her dress, stood, and pulled the dark hide over her head. She sent him a heated look as she shook out her long hair and walked over to him to rest her palms against his chest.

He shoved her against the cold stone wall harder than he intended. “I gave up everything for you.”

Red Flower smiled slyly, then looped her hands around his neck and moved suggestively against him. “We are good together.” She tipped her head back and licked her lips. “We are powerful. Soon, we will be able to let all know of our strength, that we survived. We have grown stronger. Smarter. More cunning.”

Zirgis grabbed a handful of hair and tugged as he sought to wipe the satisfied expression from her face. “A wise man, or woman does not live long if they underestimate the enemy. Remember this.”

He kissed her. Hard. Drew blood. Hearing her moan of pleasure, he turned away. “Enough of this. What did you learn? You look far too pleased with yourself.”

She pulled her hair over her shoulder and began braiding the long, black strands. “You were right,” she said, her voice a low, satisfied purr. She motioned him closer and lowered her voice to less than a whisper sound. “The old woman had the Dragon Eye.” She sat on the stone bench and drew her legs up beneath her. “But that is not all. She had two other amulets. Claws.”

He lifted a brow, glanced over his shoulder toward the passage beyond the room, and hurried close to her. He kept his voice low as he gripped her shoulders. “You are sure?”

Red Flower leaned forward so her lips were a breath away and nodded. “Not one sacred amulet. Three.” She nearly squealed the words.

Zirgis frowned. “I knew of the one. His blood hummed with excitement. He’d seen the Eye of Dragon once during a ceremony and had never forgotten the power it radiated and the way it seemed to call to him. He hadn’t seen it again, but he’d told Red Flower about it. It had been that object she’d been after when she’d stolen the power stone by mistake.

“You and I will take the amulets. And you will have the Eye of Dragon,” she whispered, leaning in close, her eyes blazing with both greed and lust. “You shall become our chief, and I shall rule at your side.”

He gripped her by the shoulders. “Quiet. No one must know of the Eye of Dragon. Especially—”

Zirgis whirled around. His head lifted and tipped back as he scented the air. Striding to the entrance, he stood with both hands on the stone walls and felt a rhythmic thumping.

“We have been summoned.” He pulled Red Flower to him, his mouth close to her ear. “You have done well,” he said, then turned and led the way through a maze of tunnels that ended in another, much larger cavern. A small fire in the center did nothing to dispel the chill in the air.

“You are late,” a low, gravelly voice complained.

“Red Flower was injured.” Zirgis joined his leader who sat with a robe draped around his shoulders. His skin was as gray as the walls of the cave, and deep scars and ridges of burned flesh marred his chest, neck, and arms. His face, long and narrow, carried the same scarring from nose to chin.

“You have news.” His voice scraped the air like two rough stones.

“Yes.” Zirgis met the blood-red eyes of a man who looked more monster than human. The shrunken pupils and protruding, snake-like eyes repulsed him, but he was careful to keep his face blank and devoid of all emotion. The creature’s body was old and worn, but his mind was sharp, powers strong.

He turned his gaze to Red Flower who swallowed audibly. “I heard of your foolishness.” A silent rebuke hung in the air.

She lowered her head as though ashamed. “I am sorry.”

“You are not. What did you learn that was worth risking your life?”

Red Flower shrugged off her false cloak of shame. “The old woman had two sacred amulets, claws of Father and Mother Dragon. She gave them to the warrior and the woman who is daughter to Zirgis. She called them DragonSeekers.”

The shrunken man straightened. Across his lap, lay a thick, tall staff. He rubbed two fingers over the large yellow stone that tipped the staff, then held it out over the fire, revealing a stone so deep a red it looked black except in the fire. It pulsed as though alive. “You will get them and bring them to me.” He caressed the stone.

“There is more,” Zirgis said. “My daughter is a DreamWalker, as is her mate. They will try to free my wife without releasing Ardong.”

Beside him, Red Flower turned on him. “I am your wife,” she said, her voice rising. “Not that old woman.”

“Fight later. This is very good news, my friend.” His leader held up his staff. “The woman must be forced to leave. She cannot be allowed to sacrifice herself. I have a plan.”

He grinned. The motion pulled at the taut scarred skin of his face, transforming his mouth into an ugly travesty of a smile. After giving his orders, he closed his eyes and sighed. “My soul must be set free. We must join.” He opened his eyes and waved. “Go. I must rest.”

Zirgis pushed Red Flower out. Though he knew better, he turned and saw his leader shimmer. Where the man had sat, a colorless dragon now lay on the stone floor. The staff lay clutched in its sharp talons.

****

Night Warrior sat with Tatonga and her brother. Chief Two Arrows sat beside him. The meeting between them had not gone well, not that he’d expected differently. He couldn’t blame Tatonga for being angry, but he couldn’t change what had happened.

“You refuse to marry me so you can have her,” Tatonga’s face was red, flushed with fury. She crossed her arms over her ample chest and glared at him.

Night Warrior also saw the sheen of tears in Tatonga’s glittering dark eyes and felt worse. “I do not wish to hurt you. I had not met Kangee when I sent my brother to you with the news of my injuries.” He kept to himself that he had met her, but in death, and that Kangee was the reason he’d chosen to live.

“You do not tell the truth.” Tatonga lashed out. “I—”

Her brother held up one hand, cutting her off. “But you now choose that woman over my sister.”

Night Warrior did not hesitate. “Yes.”

Tatonga let out a scream of rage. “You bring war to our tribes.”

Chief Two Arrows intervened. “Much has happened since my cousin was injured. He is now our shaman, an honor held by my father before he died. This position has always been his, but until the attack, he did not accept it. He cannot fulfill his promise to become chief to your people, even without the other woman. The gods have made this clear. His place is here, among our people.”

Sitting straight and proud, despite the pain in his chest, Night Warrior inclined his head. “My chief and I hope to avoid war. I cannot change what has happened that led to this.”

“Then I will become the wife of a great shaman instead of chief,” Tatonga said.

“I am sorry,” Night Warrior said, shaking his head. “My future is bound to this other woman. I am not the same man I was when I proposed an allegiance between our tribes. Death changed me. It changed what was, and it changed my future.”

Tatonga stood. “Then you will not know peace in your new future.”

The men got to their feet as well. Tatonga’s brother inclined his head. “We will leave when the sun has returned.” He followed his sister.

Two Arrows turned to his cousin. “I will arrange a meeting with their father, the old chief, and see if we can avoid war between us.”

Night Warrior didn’t bother apologizing for there was nothing more to be said. The two men returned to their lodge.