Arrows of Time - Kim Falconer [157]
Where’s he going, Dray?
To find a High Priestess.
I hope he can be quick.
She was feeling thin, drifting further and further away, losing the significance of her connection to the people below. She could barely hear their voices even as they argued. Jarrod’s cut through above them all. He rallied them, saying something that calmed everyone down. They followed him through the gates, heading towards Temple Los Loma. Part of her wanted to keep up. She was sure it was best to stay close to her corpse in any case. It seemed important, but she couldn’t quite remember why. The other part of her wanted to drift away, buoyed up by the wind, letting go of all that worry down below. If she could only float off like an Elemental. That felt good. She wanted to do that.
Maudi!
It was a scream in her head. Drayco, don’t yell. I’m right here.
You’re neither here nor right, Maudi. You’re fading. Come back! His voice was choked. He was running towards her, racing up to the higher plateau.
How did you get so far away, Drayco?
You’re drifting! Come back!
She’d floated up so high that Drayco’s sleek body was a speck on the red earth. Jarrod took off at a run after him. He was incredibly fast, catching up to stop the temple cat. Drayco’s hackles went up and he spun around him, rolling back on his haunches.
We’re losing her, Jarrod.
Rosette heard his mental message, surprised. Losing me?
The temple cat ran on. When he was directly beneath her, he stood, sides heaving, nose to the sky. Maudi, don’t leave me. Jarrod says we must go to the temple. Please come back.
She loved the sound of his voice, even when he was screeching at her. It filled her with warmth and delight. Her ascension faltered and when she looked again, she was hovering within an arm’s reach. I’m here, Drayco. I am with you.
Where did you go? For a moment I couldn’t sense you at all. He stood rigid, his tail snapping.
I don’t know. I heard voices in the distance. At first I thought it was Grayson. It sounded familiar. But it couldn’t have been. He’s over there, with that body. It was getting difficult to concentrate.
Maudi, stay with me!
Drayco was insistent. She ignored all her other thoughts and hovered over him, wrapping her energy around his body until he purred like a honeybee. His limbs were shaking, his heart racing. I’m here, Dray. I won’t leave you.
You must stay close. Jarrod says so too.
It was odd that she couldn’t hear Jarrod herself, though she had to concentrate to remember exactly who he was and why she needed to go with him. The effort was exhausting. I’m so tired, Dray. I want to sleep.
No!
Drayco’s voice agitated her. Why couldn’t she let go and drift into a lovely peaceful sleep? It felt so soft and easy—like floating downstream, warm water lapping, frothy whitecaps buoying her up.
Maudi! Stay with me.
There he was again. This time his words snapped her to attention, the distress in his voice like a magnet, drawing the final threads of her dispersing energy back together. She thought she heard a click. I’m awake.
Stay that way! Jarrod says I am to keep you talking. She heard him snicker. That was never much of a challenge.
Ha!
Not your fault, Maudi. You were born under the sign of the Twins, ruled by the messenger of the gods.
Meaning?
Talk, talk, talk…
Excuse me. The capacity for verbal communication is not actually a fault, Drayco.
What would you call it?
An attribute! It was easier to stay awake now, though she wasn’t completely certain why that was important. I love to banter.
We can banter ‘til dawn if you follow me to the temple. We have to get your body out of the sun.
She couldn’t remember which temple he was talking about, or why the sun was bad. Her consciousness was a lighthouse surrounded by fog. Where are we?
They call it Temple Los Loma.
For the Lupins?
Apparently. Follow me.
She took in the terrain as they travelled along—rusty red soil cut with erosion and cracked like peeling skin; darker boulders jutting out at crazed angles, a game board whose pieces had been scattered; desiccated tree trunks, petrified