touch.
Jandra slipped her visor over her own brow, letting it rest on her nose. The eyeless band looked more like a blindfold than an aid to sight. He slipped the band over his eyes. Instantly, the surrounding landscape was as bright as if it were noon. 'Now this is magic!'.
Jandra put her hands on her hips. 'You can't go around calling everything you don't understand magic,' she said sternly.
'Why can't I?' Shay asked. 'Why should you care how I organize my experiences?'
Jandra sighed and shook her head. Lizard shook his head slowly, as if he, too, were in the presence of a frustrating child. The little beast rolled his eyes, a gesture he'd seen Jandra perform; perhaps her visor spared him this outlet of her judgment, at least.
'It's not fair arguing with you,' Shay said. 'Lizard sits on your shoulder like he's your second head. I feel outnumbered when I'm talking to you.'
'I'm sorry,' she said. 'I know I must come across as short tempered and intolerant. I don't think I used to be like this.' She sounded sad now, as she gazed up the rugged mountain pathway. 'I don't know if it's stress that's making me so mean to you, or if Jazz's personality is bleeding into my own more and more. She wasn't the most patient person. I'll try not to bite your head off from now on.'
'You really haven't been all that mean to me.' Shay felt bad that she felt bad. 'I was a slave. I'm used to being lashed when I displease others. It really isn't an unbearable burden to have you scold me from time to time.'
'The world has enough conflict without me adding to the total. If you want to think the visors are magic, I don't see why that should bother me. It's not your fault you don't have the training to understand the science behind them.'
Her apology slipped in the realm of insult. Was she dismissing his ability to learn?
Jandra tapped her visor. 'These things are more than just fancy glasses,' she said, sounding happy to change the conversation. 'The long-wyrm riders could communicate with them over long distances. I wonder if I can figure out how to use them for that?'
'Actually,' said an unseen voice, 'you're already on an open channel. I can hear you fine.'
Jandra startled, looking around for the source of the ghostly voice. Shay spun in a circle, trying to spot the speaker, his shotgun at the ready.
'Adam?' Jandra asked.
'Who's Adam?' whispered Shay.
'Adam Bitterwood. He's Bant's son. He was captain of the long-wyrm riders.'
'Yes, it's Adam,' said the disembodied voice. 'Is this Jandra? Who's with you?'
'This is Lizard,' she said, raising a hand to stroke the earth-dragon's paw. 'Oh, do you mean the other voice you heard? That's my new friend Shay. Where are you?'
'I'm in the temple in Winding Rock. Look to your left.'
Half a mile distant on the edge of Winding Rock sat a temple of the goddess. These places of worship were stone platforms ringed by trees planted closely together to form living walls.
Jandra motioned for Shay to follow. As they neared the temple, a tall, long-haired man appeared on the stone steps. He was dressed in a long robe woven from green thread. A braided honeysuckle vine sat upon his brow like a crown; even though it was mid-winter, the vine was fresh and green, studded with soft yellow flowers. Magic.
Shay caught himself. He needed to think critically about the wonders he encountered. The biologians at the College of Spires maintained greenhouses. It didn't require magic to keep a plant green in winter.
'Adam,' said Jandra. 'I wondered what had happened to you.'
Adam walked down the steps, holding his arms wide open. 'It's good to see you,' he said, embracing her. The hug lasted several seconds. Shay wondered if there was something more to Jandra's and Adam's relationship than he was aware of. Or was this hug only a greeting? And why should it matter to him?
Adam released Jandra. 'Welcome, brother,' he said, and wrapped his arms around Shay. 'You're an honored guest here.'
The hug lasted for a few seconds longer than Shay felt it needed to. Within the temple, he could see a life-sized statue of a nude woman carved from mahogany. The goddess, he supposed. Chapelion had never educated him much in the various human faiths, but he'd picked up some knowledge from his fellow slaves.
Adam finally released Shay from his embrace. 'What brings you back to these mountains?'
'I'm returning to Jazz's kingdom,' said Jandra.
Adam frowned. 'For what purpose?'
Jandra started to speak, then stopped. She finally said, 'I think Hex might be going back underground to find the goddess heart. I have to stop him. I could use your help.'
Shay wondered why Jandra was lying. This wasn't her true motivation. She was going because she wanted to reclaim her magic.
'I won't go back into the underworld,' said Adam. 'My days as a warrior are behind me. After seeing the scars my father bore upon his soul after a lifetime of fighting, I've taken a vow of non-violence. I intend to serve the goddess in more benign ways. It is a path, I pray, that will spare me my father's fate.'
'The goddess is dead,' Jandra said. 'You watched us bury what little remained of her. How can you serve a dead goddess?'
Adam waved toward the town of Winding Rock and the valley beyond. 'Winter has gripped this valley. The fields are brown and barren. Yet is the earth dead? Spring will awaken the sleeping land. So, too, shall the goddess wake from her slumber.'
'Bitterwood stabbed her in the heart with Gabriel's flaming sword,' said Jandra. 'She was burned to ash. I don't think she's waking up, Adam.'
'My father slew only an aspect of the goddess. You'll see. She'll rise again.'
'Speaking of your father, he's down in Winding Rock. Do you want me to let him know you're here?'
'No,' said Adam. 'My father and I have said all we need to say to one another. In the years we were apart, I dreamed of reuniting with him. I imagined him as a hero, and imbued his dream with all the best qualities of humanity. The man I met was a cruel monster who was only happy when he was fighting. Perhaps I'm to blame as well. No doubt our reunion was poisoned by my own idealism. No flesh and blood man could have ever lived up to my vision.'
'I understand,' said Jandra. 'I always wanted to find my human family. I longed for relatives more than anything else in the world. Now, I've finally met my brother. His name is Ragnar. He's a wild-eyed, naked, long-haired prophet of the Lord who wants to burn me at the stake. It's really made me miss Vendevorex. I wish I'd understood how important he was to me while he was still alive.'
'The kindest thing my father ever did for me was spare my life after he'd slaughtered my companions and my mount,' Adam said. 'Contrast this with the compassion of the goddess in taking me in as an orphan and giving me a life filled with wonders. It's not mere blood that defines a family.'
Jandra's hand dipped into her coat pocket and pulled out a square of folded paper and a pencil. She circled something on the paper.
'What are you writing?' Shay asked.
'This is something I've started doing to organize my thoughts,' said Jandra. 'I'm keeping lists of all the things I need to do. To be honest, I think this was one of Jazz's habits-she called these 'to do lists'. All this talk about Vendevorex reminded me that I still have to find his stolen body.'
She unfolded the paper. There were at least two dozen items on her list. 'Find Ven's body' was now circled. Two slots above it, 'Get back genie!' was underlined several times. Near the bottom of the page was written 'Find Atlantis.' This had three question marks off to the side. Lizard leaned down to study the paper. Of course, earth- dragons couldn't read. Could they?
'The evening is growing cold,' said Adam.
'It looks like snow,' Shay said, glancing toward the clouds.
'It won't snow,' said Adam, with a curious certainty. 'Still, I have a small cabin not far from here. You can spend the night there. Tomorrow I'll send you on your journey with fresh provisions and my best wishes.'
'Thank you,' said Jandra. 'I appreciate your hospitality.' She smiled. 'You really didn't turn out a thing like your father.'
'That means a lot to me,' said Adam.
