I nodded.
'When you hear it, come to the library'
Soundlessly, he ran across the grass, blending into the shadows. I pressed myself back against the passage wall, listening for his call, knowing that two men were about to die. So many people were dying for this scramble for power. My mind skittered into a sick imagining of Lord Tyron's head falling from his shoulders. I shook off the raw images. Better to think of what we had to do. Get the folio. Get the power. Stop Ido.
Or did I really mean, kill Ido?
Kill him, or be killed.
Kill or be killed.
I jerked my head back, away from the words and hit the wall. The sharp impact with the stone made me gasp, but at least it stopped the dreadful mind knell.
Thru I heard something; a hollow grunt. Not the call. Some part of me knew what it was, but I didn't want to think about it.
Another sound. This time it was the signal.
1 ran across the grass in a limping lope. In the dim light, I jumped real and imagined dips and rocks, quickly passing the pavilion and joining the pathway. The library loomed with two dark shapes on the ground. Two slumped bodies. I focused on Ryko standing on the path and tried to ignore the silhouettes at the corner of my vision.
'The dragon's illusion is still in place,' Ryko said as I reached him. 'I'll need your help.' He held out his hand.
I hesitated. I did not have the red folio with me and it was too dangerous to force a connection with the Rat Dragon. There was only one way to find out if I could still protect Ryko. I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the protected area. We both froze, waiting. He blew out a relieved breath, the illusion obviously held at bay.
'You didn't look convinced,' he said drily
'I don't know how it works,' I admitted.
He grunted and pulled me forwards. We ran the distance to the metal library door. As before, it was padlocked. This time, however, Ryko was not writhing in pain, unable to pick it. He/
kneeled and, with my hand gripping his shoulder for protection, deftly manipulated a thin piece of metal into the lock. The mechanism released with a soft click.
He glanced up at me. 'Luckily one of us knows how things work.'
Pocketing the piece of metal, he unhooked the padlock from the latch and pushed open the door, quickly stepping into the safety of the dark passage.
Ahead was the inner door. The twelve-circle design etched on its surface was barely discernible in the dim yellowish light that spread from under its base. Someone had left lamps burning inside. Ever cautious, Ryko stood in front of the door and listened. I heard the siss of sliding metal, His knife was back in his hand. Had he heard something inside? He saw the question on my face and shook his head, Pressing the lach, he sent the door swinging soundlessly open.
Blue carpet, huge reading table, stacks of wooden scroll boxes along the wall, and that same sour resonance of power. Nothing seemed to have changed from our last visit, except this time the oil lamps along the table were lit, giving the room a mellow warmth. Ryko stepped across the threshold.
'It'll be at the back,' I said, following him. 'I'll get —'
He came from the left, head down, straight into Ryko. A low tackle that took them crashing into the wall of scrolls. Boxes and parchments spun into the air, smashing down around me.
Ryko wrenched his attacker to the floor, landing on top. I saw a flash of a sickly, desperate face — Dillon. Ryko lifted his knife, his other hand holding my friend's throat.
I lunged, catching Ryko's foot. 'Stop! It's Dillon!'
Ryko froze, the knife still poised for the down thrust.
'I thought you were him,' Dillon gasped. 'I thought you were him.'
'Ido?' Ryko's face was still tense with fight.
Dillon nodded. Ryko let go of his throat and lowered the knife, easing back onto his knees.
Suddenly, he grabbed Dillon's jaw, ignoring the boy's terrified flinch, and turned his face to the light. Dillon's skin was yellowed, even the whites of his eyes, and the rash on his neck was twice the size. He struggled under Ryko's hand.
'Let go of me.'
'Steady' Ryko said, releasing him. 'You've got Sun drug poisoning. Any more and it's going to kill you.'
'It doesn't matter.' Dillon caught Ryko's wrist in a trembling grip. 'He's going to kill me anyway. He's going to kill all the Dragoneyes.' His eyes found mine, but there was nothing left of Dil!on, only mad hate. 'He told me what you are, what he's going to do. You've brought disaster on us all.' He lurched at me, his hands clawed. Ryko grabbed his shoulder.
'The drug's got hold of him,' Ryko said to me. '(jet the book. We need to get out of here.'
Shocked by Dillon's venom, I stumbled past the reading table. Behind me, I heard Ryko reassuring Dillon that we'd get him out, and Dillon's voice, quick and fevered, ranting about Ido's power. The grating energy in the room pressed into the base of my skull, crawling across my skin. No doubt Dillon was feeling its effects too.
1 ran up to the plain wooden case at the end of the room. Some defeated part of me expected the red folio to be missing. Like my dragon. But it was there. Next to the black folio. I shivered; even the sight of the other book sickened me. I pushed the glass lid back on its hinges and grabbed the red volume. As though suddenly woken from sleep, the black pearls around it stirred then burrowed into my wide sleeve, binding the folio against my arm in a tight clicking embrace. The surge of victory made me sway The book was mine, not Ido's. I stroked the tail of the dusky pearls, trying to ignore the darker presence still in the case. But I knew what I had to do. I reached in with my left hand, hesitating over the black leather. The white pearls shifted. I licked my lips, remembering Ryko's yelp when he'd reached for the folio. This was going to be painful. But I couldn't leave it here. I snatched up the book and held it at arm's length, bracing myself for the stinging lash. The pearls reared, curled, then suddenly swarmed up my left arm, binding the black folio over my sleeve.
'Have you got it?' Ryko demanded.
'Yes,' I said, my voice cracking. Why hadn't the white pearls attacked me? Gingerly, I poked the rope of gems. They tightened.
'Then let's get out of here,' he said.
He pulled Dillon to his feet. The boy held himself as if something was very wrong inside.
'I'm all right,' he said roughly, pushing Ryko's hands off him.
The islander stepped back, I take it you can get through the Rat Dragon's illusion?'
Dillon's voice was low and vicious, 'ldo may he draining my connection, but I can still call my dragon.'
They both turned as I walked stiflly up to them.
'He's draining your power?' I asked. Was that what he had done to me? Was it something he could do to anyone?
Dillon nodded and pointed at the black folio. 'He learned it from that.' Then he smiled, his teeth bared like an injured animal. 'He won't like losing it.'
Ryko eyed the folio uneasily. 'Well, it's good that we have it now Perhaps it can be used against him.'
He herded us towards the door. Dillon forged ahead, eager to be out of his prison. I followed him with Ryko bringing up the rear. The pressure in my head slowly eased as I got further along the short stone corridor. Just as we stepped outside, I felt Ryko grip my shoulder.
Then something hit me in the chest, crushing the breath out of me. I collapsed onto my hands and knees. I had no air. Through a haze of red panic, I saw Ryko a length away, writhing in agony, caught in the Rat Dragon's illusions. A sharp pain seared through my arm. I tried to find the breath to scream.
'Let go of it.'
My eyes focused: it was Dillon, shouting at me, pulling at the black folio.
Dillon had hit me.
My chest finally opened. I sucked in a deep breath. He swung his leg over my body and straddled my chest, his fingers digging under the white pearls.
'What are you doing?' I gasped, bucking under him. He landed heavily on my hips, sending a spear of pain streaking down my bad leg.
