It may have been nothing but a coincidence that I was here when she found the stake. There’s no doubt that these are strange times we live in and many changes are upon us. I should expect that odd things will happen—events far from the ordinary.
None the less, I can’t help but feel that this was more than a random encounter. I’m certain that our paths will cross again.
Chapter 1
I rocket over a hilltop and soar at least thirty feet into the air. Flapping my arms by my sides, I try to keep my spear in the grip of one hand. I realize that I was traveling way too fast when I hit the crest. The drop on the backside of the hill is much steeper than I anticipated, always a risk when sailing through the Barrens.
The more I blend my light, the more I learn that distinguishing between two thousand and ten thousand miles per hour is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. When I’m cruising through the Delta, I have familiar landmarks to help me judge my pace. But in the open space of the wasteland, it’s like being behind the wheel of a sports car on an empty highway in the middle of nowhere. Excessive speed is inevitable.
I estimate that my speed was well over eight thousand miles per hour at the top of this hill, much faster than I should have been going in an area I’m not familiar with. Decisions aren’t split-second at this speed. They’re split-millisecond. And they’re much less of a decision than they are a pure instinctual reaction.
Trying to maintain my balance through the descent, I concentrate on the layers of light flowing between me and the dirt. As gravity pulls the millions of particles of my body downward, I focus only on the beams pointing in the same direction that I am. If I get tangled in the rays that splay off to my sides, my landing could turn into a painful explosion of my molecules in many different directions. When they eventually slap back together out of my control, at the very least, it would result in a horrendous wipeout with several broken bones. Death would be more likely.
Of equal concern is the sheer face of rock on the side of the next hill in front of me. If I can’t regain control in the half-second I’ll have on the ground before covering that mile, the last painting I create in Krymzyn will be my body splattered all over the side of a cliff.
As soon as the particles of my feet graze the dirt, friction slows my speed with a jarring stutter. I start to topple forward and feel my molecules trying to implode. Fighting to maintain my running motion, I funnel as much of my body as I can into a few distinct beams. I rifle forward after regaining my balance, but a wall of rock instantly fills my vision.
Jerking my head to the left, I jam my focus into a series of light rays perpendicular to the direction I’m traveling. Like a fully stretched rubber band being snapped, my particles spring in the direction of my vision and complete a ninety-degree cut at full speed. I imagine a thunderous “whoosh” echoing off the side of the hill as my body sweeps into the light ahead of me, but I’m traveling way too fast for my own sound waves to enter my ears.
“Woo-hoo!” I shout, curving around the base of the hill.
My heart is racing from the surge of excitement, something I’m getting used to in Krymzyn. I’ve never considered myself an adrenaline junkie, but nothing on Earth can begin to compare to the feel of blending my light. To be honest, I find it addicting.
With one hundred miles of flats between me and the road to the Delta, I glance around one last time to check for Murkovin. Not seeing anything but lonely hills and a few dead trees, I return my attention to the road and angle in from the south.
From the north, the vague shape of Tela sparkles towards the dirt path. She and I often find ourselves assigned to lead watch for transport caravans between the Delta and the Mount. Both of us have surpassed the speed of the other Travelers and can stay neck and neck with Larn, although I have to assume that even he’ll be lagging behind us soon.
As I close in on the road, I make a gradual curve towards the center. Checking to the east, I spot the rays of Jeni and Velt with the blurs of their empty sap transports in tow. Farther behind them, Larn races down the road with his Apprentice Kale at his side. Bringing up the rear, Nuar jets in from the Barrens behind Larn and Kale.
Tela and I reach the hard dirt path at about the same time and both aim towards the Delta. With our particles lightly bristling against one another’s, we race the final few miles to the bridge. I feel a slight bump in my motion from the last little hump in the road, my marker to let me know that the bridge is only a mile away.
Tela is still at full throttle by my side, so I don’t slow yet. As we near the end of the road, the multi-directional array of reflections from the steel bridge becomes increasingly brighter. They’re the same reflections that Larn once warned me will scatter my body in many different directions and more than likely kill me if I’m still in my blend when I reach
