D. MacHale - Raven Rise

“I want to see the prisoner named Alder,” I announced.

“No one is allowed to enter,” the knight replied coldly.

“I’m his friend,” I said. “If he’s going to die tomorrow, he should be allowed to say good-bye.”

The knight blinked. He wasn’t a jerk. “I am sorry that it has come to this.”

“Tell me about it,” I replied.

“I cannot let you in, but you may speak with him through his window.”

The guard retracted his stave and motioned for me to go around to the far side of the hut. Swell. More walking. I wasn’t complaining though. I rounded the hut to see a row of six windows that ran the length of the building. Each had strong vertical bars. I guessed that meant there were six cells. I walked along the row of windows, peering in each to look for Alder. The cells were empty, except for the last. I looked inside to see a man sitting on the floor with his head on his knees. He wore the same kind of leather I wore, which was strange because, when we were on Denduron, Alder always dressed as a knight. Not anymore. Seeing my large friend sitting there, looking so small, made my heart ache. Of all the Travelers, Alder was the most open, honest, and positive. He had saved my life more than once, never with any fear for himself. He was truly a noble warrior. It hurt to see him look so beaten.

“Hello, Alder,” I whispered.

The knight looked up, confused. His hair was ratty. His eyes unfocused. He was thinner than when I had seen him last.

“Who’s there?” he asked, dazed.

“I’m sorry, Alder. This is my fault,” I said softly.

“Pendragon!”

Alder shot up as if the ground were hot. He ran to the window and reached through the bars, grabbing the back of my neck in a warm hug with one of his big paws. The transformation had been instant and complete. Gone was the beaten boy. Alder was every bit the outgoing, positive knight he’d always been. When he grabbed me, it felt as if an electric charge flashed through my body. I don’t know how else to put it. It was more than just a surge of relief. It was an actual, physical sensation. My head suddenly felt a bit more clear. My nausea was forgotten.

Alder beamed. “I knew I would see you again.”

“But not like this,” I replied.

A dark look came over him. “I have failed you.”

I grabbed Alder’s hand and squeezed it. “Don’t go there. If anybody failed, it was me. Now you’re the one who’s going to pay the price.”

“So much has happened,” he said, shaking his head. “So much has changed.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” I replied. “I have a lot to tell you.”

“Speak quickly,” he said with a sorry chuckle. “I will not be around much longer to hear it.”

Alder kept his hand on my good shoulder while we spoke. I felt his strength flowing into me. I don’t mean it was an emotional thing. I swear, I felt I was gaining strength from his touch. My head was clearing. My mind started clicking again. After crawling through the depths for so long, I actually felt as if possibilities might exist. I can’t say for sure what guided me to do what I did next. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was desperation. All I can say is that it felt right. I grasped Alder’s hand, pulled it off my shoulder and placed it square on my chest, over the wound that had been torn open by the quig. Alder gave me a quizzical look.

“We’re Travelers,” I said, staring him in the eye. “I don’t know where we came from or why we’re here, but we are like no others.”

Alder nodded. He knew.

“We are bound by our destiny. We must not accept defeat.”

“We will not accept defeat,” he said, his conviction growing. “As long as we’re breathing, there’s hope.”

“There is always hope,” he added with growing confidence.

In that moment I actually believed it. We stood there, two Travelers. The future was in our hands. The past was in our hands. My life was in Alder’s, his in mine.

“I’m hurt,” I said, not shifting my gaze from his. “Heal me.”

Alder didn’t question. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t look away. I felt his hand press against my chest. It was warm. No, hot. I thought back to the moment at the gate on Zadaa when Loor was in my arms, dead. Saint Dane had driven a sword through her heart. She was gone…but I saved her. I healed her. We were Travelers. We were illusions. We had the power. We would not be denied.

My body started to tingle, as if blood were being pumped through my veins by a force beyond my own. Alder’s eyes grew sharp. He felt it too. The spark was back. I felt my strength return. Not only physically, but mentally. I felt like myself. I was Bobby Pendragon. I was the lead Traveler.

I stood up straight on feet that no longer ached. I released Alder’s hand. He pulled it back through the bars. We stood staring at each other, both breathing hard. I didn’t have to tear off my bandages to know what had happened. I knew the wounds would be gone. Saint Dane was right. We weren’t normal. We were illusions. What that meant, I still didn’t know. All I could say for sure was that we weren’t like other humans, and right then, it was a good thing.

Alder smiled. “We are not done yet, are we?”

“Not even close,” I replied. l

TheMilago village had changed since my first visit to Denduron. What had once been a small village of farmers had been destroyed by an underground explosion (thanks to me), rebuilt using Bedoowan technology, and was now being developed as a jumping-off point for a conquering army-complete with training grounds, hospitals, armories, and barracks for newly inducted knights. Even with all the advances, it was still primitive by Second Earth standards. The huts were made of stone or wood. The streets were dirt. Horses pulled wooden wagons. The only signs of modern technology were the street lights, which were powered by something called “triptyte,” a mineral that glowed in the dark. Triptyte wasn’t electricity, but it was valuable enough to start a war over. A war that would put Denduron on Saint Dane’s path to destruction. Could Alder and I stop it? I had no idea, but we had to try. Together. That’s why the first thing I needed to do was get my friend out of prison.

The Bedoowan armory was exactly where Alder said it would be. I recognized the area as the old Milago training ground. This is where I first saw the Milago miners having target practice with tak. It was a skill that was quickly developed into a method for waging war. Finding the armory wasn’t exactly tricky. It was the largest building in the village. Alder told me that there were two armed guards. I saw only one. I was in luck. Still, it was broad daylight. If I made trouble, there was a good chance I’d be seen. Whatever I did had to be fast.

I looped around to the side of the barnlike building, clutching the dado weapon. I wanted to get as close as possible before announcing my presence to the guard. Surprise was a good thing. Loor and Alder taught me never to make the first move. That didn’t apply when it came to surprise. The trick with surprise was to make sure the fight was over before it began. The first strike had to be the last.

The Bedoowan guard didn’t know what hit him. For the record, it was me. I crept to the corner of the building, waited until his attention was away from me, leaped at the unsuspecting guy, and knocked him cold with two swipes of the dado weapon. Before he had the chance to hit the ground, I grabbed him and dragged him inside the building, closing the door behind us. It was fast. It was efficient. It was violent. It was the new me. So far so good. Really good. I felt great. Physically, I mean. Alder had healed me. The mystery of what it meant to be a Traveler would continue, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t take advantage of the powers we possessed. I felt strong and hopeful. I might even say invincible. Why not? It was proved that we could cheat injury and even death. I wish I could say that we were able to cheat pain, but that wasn’t part of the program. Oh well. It’s hard to put this into words, but the feeling of knowing we had that kind of power shot me full of such confidence,