JOURNAL #34
(CONTINUED)
IBARA
Loquewas alive. Barely. I wasn't sure if I should be happy or terrified. The idea of the Jakill makingit all the way
back to Ibara only to die within sight of shore wasunthinkable. And what did he mean by "They're coming"? Who
was coming? When? Why? It didn't sound like a good thing. I didn't thinkLoquewould fight to stay alivejust to
deliver a casual message that some friendly folks were going to drop in for a visit.
"Loque!" I cried, shaking him. "Who's coming?"
He didn't budge. He was gone. With one hand I grabbed the edge of the skimmer. With the other I paddled
furiously toward shore. Within minutes I hit the beach and dragged the craft onto the sand. A quick check for a
pulse told me he was still with me. But for how long?
"Help!" I screamed, hoping somebody was within earshot. "Somebody!"
I was lucky. Or rather Loque was lucky. A young kidwas wandering toward the beach to fish. I waved him over.
When he got close enough to hear me, I yelled, "We need a doctor."
The kid stood staring at me, his eyes wide.
"Now!" I shouted, shocking him into action. He sprinted back toward the village.
I waited for help to come, not sure of what to do. His heart was beating, so he didn't need CPR. All Icould do was
make him comfortable. I thought back to what had happened with Loor in the caves below Zadaa. She was dead. A
sword had been driven through her heart. But I heldher in my arms and willed her to stay alive. It was a
ridiculously desperate thing to do, except for the fact that it worked. Loor somehow survived with no injuries. To
this day I don't know how that happened. Could I doit again? I put my hand over Loque's heart, but had no idea
how to go about healing somebody. I closed my eyes and repeated to myself, "Don't die, don't die, don't die."
The good news is that he didn't die on that beach, but I don't think it had anything to do with me. There was no
miraculous recovery. No instant healing. If anything, his heartbeat grew fainter. That meant that whatever
happened with Loor, it wasn't because I had magicalhealing power. The mystery of why she came back tolife
would continue.
It wasn't long before several men and women came running toward us from the village. I recognized one as a
doctor that Telleo worked with. Man, what a relief.Loque had a chance. An hour later he was lying in a cavern
medical room in the base of Tribunal Mountain. I waited outside to get a report on how he was doing. Between the
doctors and Telleo, I knew he was in good hands. Ifhe had any chance of surviving, these were the guys who
would pull him through. It was torture sitting alone, waiting for news. All the memories of that nightmare in Rubic
City came back to me.
Loque was Siry's best friend. I guess you could call him
the second-in-command of the Jakills. Siry was the leader of the young rebels and didn't want anythingto do with
