Jak Koke: Stranger souls

After a moment Brooks answered, her voice hushed and urgent. "Quicksilver, is that you?"

His wristphone would have transmitted his identity. "Yes."

"Verify."

Ryan punched an encryption code into his wristphone. "Thank you. Our decker reports this line is clean." "Good, Black Angel. Connect me with Dark Tooth, I must speak with him immediately." 'This is a bad time. Dark Tooth is otherwise occupied." "It's urgent." "It better be."

Ryan looked back down to the excavation site, to the encampment of security forces and military armament next to the river. "I'm in a vulnerable position, Black Angel," he said. His gaze tracked from the encampment up to the step-pyramid teocalli that overlooked the water. "I wouldn't have called if it wasn't extremely important."

Brooks sighed. "Frag," she said. "All right, I'll connect you."

Ryan understood her reluctance. Nobody wanted the task of interrupting a great dragon-regardless of what he was doing, regardless of the importance.

The background hiss grew louder as Brooks patched him through. He could hear the white noise of loud conversation, music, and celebration. "Ryanthusar?" came the voice of a human male with a nondescript accent, but the overlay indicated that this human was speaking through Dunkelzahn's phone. For security purposes, the video was blanked.

The dragon must be in human form for the inauguration ceremonies. "Master, I have to report. I think Darke has unearthed a Locus."

The noise of conversation dulled, then subsided into the background as Ryan heard the click of a closing door. Dunkelzahn's voice was clearer now, "Where are you?"

"San Marcos, forty klicks south of the CAS border in Austin."

"That is a likely junction," Dunkelzahn said. "Describe the item to me."

Ryan told him of the lake, emerging crystal clear from springs, water like liquid glass. He told the dragon of the work crews and the heavy security that surrounded the site, and he described what he could see of the huge rock. Its smooth surface like a geometric black hole, sucking in light.

"Quickly look at its aura, Ryanthusar. Tell me what you see."

Ryan stared down at the scene below. He focused for a second, concentrating on the shift of perception into the astral plane. Physical objects blurred, the black and gray of the night images giving way to the brilliantly colored landscape of the astral. Life force gave off light in the astral plane-auras that were unique to each creature and object. Magical creatures and items were the brightest, but everything had an aura of some sort.

The aura of the Locus was distorted slightly by the living matter in the water above it, but still it was unmistakable. The rock glowed dully, a deep violet, and across its surface shone a tracery of gold lines. That was orichalcum, a massive quantity if those veins passed through the whole stone. The gold veins pulsed, glowing brightly before subsiding again. A moment later they pulsed once more, a very slow beat, like the heart of a sleeping giant. And as Ryan described the rock to Dunkelzahn, the dragon's questions grew more and more urgent.

Ryan had never heard Dunkelzahn so obviously disturbed by anything. The dragon had always been inquisitive and calm, a concerned observer without being reactionary. Only lately had he shown genuine urgency. It was as though something seriously scared him, a notion that was preposterous to Ryan. What could he possibly be afraid of? Whatever it was must be extremely powerful.

"The device as you describe it," Dunkelzahn said, "is not fully active, but it may soon be so." Ryan heard the dragon take a slow breath. "Here's what you will do," Dunkelzahn continued. "Return immediately and talk with Black Angel. Instructions from me will await you. I will not have time to meet with you personally, but this next assignment will be the most important of your life."

Another voice cut in. "Excuse me, sir, but I've detected a delay glitch in the transmission." It was Jane-in-the-box, the

decker who was monitoring the connection to ensure confidentiality. "We are no longer secure. Repeat, we are not secure."

Dunkelzahn finished, "The fate of our world rides on this next mission of yours, Ryanthusar. Be careful and do not fail me."

"Of course."

"Faith and luck go with you, my child," Dunkelzahn said, and he disconnected.

Ryan was stunned. The fate of the world? Frag me, Dunkelzahn, what does that mean?

Ryan might've chalked up what Dunkelzahn had said to the melodrama of the moment-the dragon was known to be melodramatic. But he had never been so with Ryan; Dunkelzahn had always been genuine with him.

In the distance, Ryan heard the rhythmic beat of an approaching helicopter. He sucked in a breath and glanced around. There it was, off to his left, an insectlike machine sweeping the area with its floodlight feeler brushing the ground. Back and forth. Approaching rapidly.

Time to fly.

Ryan undipped his tether from the metal rung and placed his soft-booted feet on the outside of the ladder, holding himself in place with his hands. He slowly eased himself down, beginning a semi-controlled slide, using his feet to guide his fall. Using his magic to maintain perfect balance. He watched the ladder through his feet as his speed increased, growing and growing until the rungs sped past. His hands and feet grew hot from the friction as he plummeted, a controlled free fall. It was a hundred meters down and the wooded hillside below was pitch-black.

Ryan dropped, sliding like a droplet of black oil down the side of the old rusty needle as the rhythmic thunder of the helo's blades grew louder and louder. The sweat on his neck grew chill as he fell, sending prickles over his skin. There was something pure about movement and magically enhanced physics. Something primal and ultimately satisfying, like sex.

The thrill within Ryan stepped up a notch as the column of light from the helo's searchlight grazed the tower just above him. The helo's engines roared in his ears, its wind cool and

fresh over his falling body. Ryan concentrated. Only a few more seconds and he would be down, amid the cover of trees and undergrowth. The world flashed bright around him for an instant as the helo's searchlight caught him. A freeze-frame microsecond. Then it went black again as he fell through the circle into the growing darkness.

They*re close, he thought. Too close.

His ears caught shouts from the helo, and the light scanned along the tower above him as the insect-machine pivoted back around to his side. They would pin him down in seconds.

Ryan concentrated as the concrete platform loomed up beneath him. He was going too fast to stop. Still, he increased the pressure of his feet and hands against the ladder to slow his descent. It wouldn't be enough, but it might prevent him from breaking his legs. His heart resonated through him like a palpable drumbeat. One, gloved fingers gripping flaking metal. Two, hot dry wind slapping him in the face as he looked down and knew he was going too fast.

Three, they had him. Centered in the column of light.

Gunshots sputtered, the sound sharp as bullets ricocheted off the tower. Luckily, none hit home.

Got to get out of their slotting light.

Ryan kicked off from the ladder, pushing himself away as hard as he could. He jumped away from the tower, trying to get enough outward momentum to clear the raised concrete platform and land in the trees. Lurching out of the helo's light, pivoting in the air in a desperate attempt, a last-ditch maneuver to escape. But he was falling too fast.

Like a droplet of black rain against the dark sky. Waiting for the impact, but not knowing how far he had to fall. Not knowing whether or not he was about to splatter against the unyielding earth.

Counting the beats of his heart before the end.