The Hammer - Cor Series Book I

Chapter 52

When Corvan emerged into the Molakar settlement, the only light in the cavern was the glow from patches of purple moss. The leader of the gray men had vanished at the entry into the tunnel just as silently as he'd appeared, but Corvan hoped he might still be watching over him.

Tentatively approaching the karst Corvan looked across at the broken crane hanging sloppily above the black water rushing around the island below. A row of unlocked empty shackles brought a sigh of relief. The young boy with the crew cut hair must have escaped with the others.

He ran a hand over his head. His own hair had grown considerably longer during his time in the Cor and by his family traditions that meant he was now an adult. He nodded to himself. If being an adult meant saving innocent lives then he was willing to embrace that responsibility. Something had changed in him when he had gone into the karst. He had faced the fears of his childhood and had left them behind. He turned away from the karst. Now it was time to rescue Kate and give her a fighting chance to live again.

The cliff dwellings were dark and Jokten's home was as lifeless as the rest. Corvan crept into the entry and set the sack of food on the floor. There was a cough from inside and a small fire stick sputtered to life. The tree on the tapestry covering the inner chamber glowed. Viewed from this side the branches of the tree were covered in pale blue blossoms. On the top left corner, a man dressed in a cloak faced a woman faced in a white dress on the other side. Arranged between them were the hammer, the medallion, and a carved staff with a purple glow.

The scene split in two and flickers of light fell on his face.

Jokten's wife gave him a halfhearted smile. "I was hoping you would return soon." She held the curtain open. "She is fading quickly. Her strength is almost gone." She motioned for him to follow her to the other room where she placed her small firestick into its wall sconce.

Corvan was shocked by the sight of Kate's white face on the stone table. Had it not been for the old woman's words, he would've been certain she was dead.

"She is being pulled deeper into darkness," the old woman said. "I thought the medallion might work to bring her back, but she continues to slip away."

Corvan squeezed Kate's limp hand but there was no response. "There has to be something we can do for her," he said urgently.

The old woman caressed the girl's forehead. "It is hard to know what to do when the good of many people is weighed against our deep love for just one. We could cut into a lumien seed and squeeze its life into her mouth, but I do not think that would be enough, and in the end the Cor would be a darker place with one less lumien to sustain the community."

Corvan touched her shoulder. "What about these?" Pulling the pouch from his pocket, he lifted one of her hands and dropped the last two seeds from the pouch into it. Instantly the room was infused with warmth and light.

"Where did you . . . It can't be. How is this possible?" She stared at the bright gems in disbelief.

"Can they help Kate?"

The old woman's fingers closed tightly around the seeds and a pulsing red glow shone through her skin and outlined her bony fingers. Light twinkled at the top where her thumb would have been. She twisted her head to look into his eyes. "These represent new life for the city of Kadir and perhaps the Cor. Would you deny an entire world their salvation to save one person?"

Corvan wanted to say yes, but the word stuck in his throat, and he just stared at her.

She slowly shook her head. "We do not even know if it would work. If we allowed her to eat one of these, I think it would be more than her worn out body could handle. Just touching them, I can feel the power flowing through my hand."