Brian Rathbone - The Dawning of Power

"You and your visions," Chase said, clearly disgusted. "We're finally ready to go home, and you want to drag Catrin into the jungle because of a daydream."

"The visions are far from daydreams," Nat said in a level voice. The Gunata seemed unsettled by the tone of Chase's words. "I don't know how to convince you, but I will try. Things are seldom specific in my visions, but as I said, they are stronger atop the mount. In a vision, I saw Catrin riding a wave."

"That's it?" Chase asked.

"Let him finish," Catrin said.

"Catrin rode atop a white cat-a panther, I believe," Nat said.

Chase's eyes went wide and he choked, which set him into a fit of coughing. Catrin simply reached into her pocket and pulled out Koe. When the Gunata saw the shining cat, they all began to talk at once. Nat just nodded. "Will you come?" he asked, looking Catrin in the eye.

"I will."

"I don't like it," Benjin said.

"I agree," Chase added.

"I'm going," Catrin said. "You can choose to believe whatever you wish, but I believe Nat's visions deserve credence. After all, he's been right before. Kenward said he'd wait for us, and Prios can contact me if there is trouble, so let's just go and get it done. Then we can go home."

Benjin and Chase seemed to realize that arguing would get them nowhere. After grabbing their packs, they followed Catrin down the gangplank. Waiting below, dressed for hiking, Nat seemed annoyed that Benjin chose to come along, but he said nothing; instead he just led them back onto the trail. As they walked past where the Gunata were gathered, Neenya joined them and took the lead. She, too, was dressed in leathers.

Nat dropped back to walk beside Catrin. "There was something else puzzling about my vision," he said in a low voice meant for only Catrin's ears. "I see the stones you have mounted in the staff, and I suppose that explains the dragon with gleaming eyes, but the dragon in my vision flew."

"Then it was another dragon you saw. His name is Kyrien."

Nat stopped and stared at Catrin a moment but said nothing as Chase and Benjin stood waiting. It was a while before he spoke again. "You've seen a real dragon?"

"Yes. More than one."

Shaking his head and muttering under his breath, Nat walked in what seemed a daze. "I had hoped you would prove my visions false, but you have not. There have been other visions since, each more terrifying than the last. There are troubled times ahead for our world, Catrin. We must prepare."

"What did you see?" she asked.

"I cannot even describe the horrors I've seen, but I can tell you this: There will be a time of great prosperity that will lull most into complacency, but you must be vigilant. You must remind them of the danger that lurks just beyond the horizon. You must learn to live beneath the soil, and you must learn to grow food there, or you and yours will perish."

"What dangers do you foresee? What foe do we face?"

"It's impossible for me to say. I've seen death flow from the skies and the seas. I've seen the land itself coil up and strike you. In my dreams, though, you have stood before the coming fury. You, alone, have the power to save us all; you have but to find it, and find it you must, for you do not yet possess the strength you'll need."

"Strength she'll need for what?" Chase asked, and Nat made an annoyed sound.

"Nat's visions bring dire warnings of a peril we have yet to face," Catrin said. "For that, I will need strength."

Chase seemed to want to say something more, but he bit his lip and remained silent. The forest grew thick around the trail until the trail itself disappeared. Following Neenya, they meandered through lush greenery and vicious needle-vines. Neenya did her best to choose a clear path, but still they had to remain always watchful for danger. Nat explained that Neenya's sharp hiss was a warning when danger was near, and Catrin jumped every time she heard it. Sometimes she failed to even see what danger Neenya warned of, but other times she saw snakes, dangerous plants, and once, a bright red scorpion.

"The blood scorpion is said to have a sting like fire," Benjin said as he avoided the small but deadly creature.

Neenya seldom stopped, but when she did, she generally collected edible fruits, berries, nuts, and roots. On one occasion, though, she stopped in a thicket of tall, stalklike plants with green stems as thick as a man's fist. Using her long knife, Neenya cut down one of the stalks, carefully cutting along one of the many brown rings that divided the stalks into sections. After handing each member of the party a section, she showed them how to cut the top open and drink from the strange plant. The milky juice was sticky and sweet with a tangy aftertaste, but it left Catrin feeling refreshed.

As darkness began to fall, Neenya immediately chose a place to make camp and set about building a fire. The place she chose to camp looked as if it had been used recently; Neenya built her fire on the remains of another.

"It is not safe in the jungle at night," Nat said. "Only fire will keep the predators at a distance, and even then you must be cautious. There are snakes here that can swallow a person whole."

"Was this your camp?"

"Yes. Neenya and I have camped here before. There are several campsites along the way that we may be able to find. Others have already been reclaimed by the jungle."

Catrin pulled a fallen log closer to the fire, and after checking it thoroughly for scorpions, she sat.

While everyone was busy setting up camp, Nat pulled Catrin to the side. "The visions I had were of challenges that await, but I know there are more immediate dangers you need to be aware of. I'm as certain as the sun."

"And you think I will learn something from seeing this place?"

"I can only say what I feel," Nat said. "All my instincts say you must go there."

Catrin said no more, and when Benjin approached, Nat seemed to suddenly realize he had some task waiting for him.

"What did he have to say?" Benjin asked.

"He thinks it's important that I go to the mountain," Catrin said. "I think he believes I will have a vision."

"What do you think?"

"I'm not sure. I should be excited about a place that might give me some insight, but I have a sour feeling in my stomach. Either way, I have to do this for Nat. I hope you can understand that."

"I suppose I do, li'l miss," Benjin said, and he patted Catrin on the shoulder as he rose to look for food. "The world always looks brighter on a full stomach."

With one arm holding a cloth over her face, Catrin climbed, trying to keep the sand out of her eyes, nose, and mouth, but it was impossible. The wind played tricks, growing calm only to suddenly return full force, driving sand and dirt before it.

"We should wait until the wind dies down," Benjin yelled through the cloth he held over his face. Catrin barely heard him as the wind screamed and growled around them.

"It will not get better any time soon," Nat said. "And then it will rain."

Careful not to lean too heavily into the wind, Catrin tried to be ready for when it died down without warning. Already she had stumbled twice and nearly fallen, only Benjin's firm grip on her jacket had kept her upright. Choosing her steps with greater care, she tried not to look down, for every step took them higher.

When they finally reached the chamber atop the mountain, Nat led Catrin in. Within, the wind still howled at her, but it no longer touched her, and Catrin instantly felt safer. Much of the floor was covered in a layer of dirt, but what was exposed was a marvel. Intricate patterns and circular drawings coexisted in orderly chaos, and rods of colorful metal were inset in the floor, bisecting it at regular angles. In the ceiling of the chamber were three precisely sized and spaced holes that let in sunlight. To her right stood a large opening that looked out over the world below. Amazed by how far she could see, Catrin was overwhelmed by the sense of height the view gave her, and her guts constricted.