The Verdant Passage

FIFTEEN THE LIVING BRIDGE

Sadira’s head pounded as though it contained a dozen drummers, all beating the same primitive rhythm. Her ears ached, her temples throbbed, even her teeth hurt. Her eyes were too sore to open, and she felt sick to her stomach. She was so dizzy that she didn’t think she should be standing, yet, to her surprise, that was exactly what it felt like she was doing.

The sorceress tried to lift a hand to her aching head and found it an impossible task. For some reason she did not understand, she could not move her right arm. She tried with her left and discovered that it, too, was immobilized. There was a terrible, sharp pain in both wrists.

Fearing that she was paralyzed, Sadira opened her eyes. As her vision began to clear, she saw that the sound of the drums came from outside her head, not inside. Ahead of her lay a small meadow covered by soft moss, tinted pink by the light of the afternoon sun. At the edges of the clearing stood a dozen halfling men dressed in breechcloths, their eyes round and glazed as they beat a feral cadence on tall drums.

In the center of the meadow, a mound rose high into the air. Sadira squinted at the structure and, despite her blurred vision, saw that it had been built entirely from large blocks of gray rock. A steep stairway ran up the center, but otherwise the structure was perfectly smooth, with only tiny seams where the blocks met.

Atop the mound sat a small house of white marble, with a smoking copper brazier outside the door. Next to the brazier lay the weapons and satchels that Sadira and her friends had brought into the forest. In front of the pile stood Anezka and a wild-looking halfling male. He was covered with green paint, and a crown of woven fronds ringed his tangled mass of hair. In his small hands, the man held Ktandeo’s cane.

Sadira’s heart sank. After using the cane at Agis’s estate, she had realized that it was far more dangerous than she had suspected. Still, the sorceress did not like seeing it in the hands of a forest-dwelling savage. She and her companions would need it to battle Kalak.

Looking to the bottom of the mound, she saw that a single oak tree grew there. The majestic oak looked oddly misplaced in a meadow surrounded by dancing conifers and frond trees, but its isolation had not prevented it from growing up straight and strong.

Scattered around the oak’s trunk were dozens of halfling men and women, all holding wooden bowls. Some had adorned their arms or legs with brightly colored feathers, but otherwise none of them wore anything except loincloths. They all watched the top of the mound with an air of anticipation.

“You’re awake.” The voice came from Sadira’s left.

“I feel like I’m dead,” Sadira answered shakily, turning her aching head toward Agis.

A few feet away, the noble hung on a stone slab that had been planted upright in the ground. His hands and feet were lashed into place with leather ropes running through a set of special holes. At the bottom of the slab was a large, semicircular catch basin, stained brown with old blood.

“What happened?” Sadira asked. Her head had finally cleared, and she realized that she hung on a similar stone. The pain in her wrists was caused by her bindings.

Agis told her about their capture. When he explained how she had stumbled into the tripwire as he tried to save her from the poisoned arrow, he added, “I’m sorry about your head.”

“She’s alive and conscious,” said a woman voice. “There’s nothing to be sorry about in that.”

Sadira turned her throbbing head to the right and saw that Rikus and Neeva were also hanging from stone slabs.

“It was Anezka who led us into the ambush, not Agis,” agreed Rikus. “Maybe she did it because of that business with the spider-”

“And maybe not,” interrupted Neeva. “I doubt we’ll ever know, but now isn’t the time to worry about it.” She tilted her chin toward the granite mound. “I think we’re finally about to meet our captor.”

Sadira looked in the direction Neeva indicated. The green-painted halfling stepped off the mound into midair. Instead of falling, he slowly drifted down toward the sorceress and her friends. He carried Ktandeo’s cane in both hands, like a full-sized man would carry a fighting cudgel.

Behind him, Anezka climbed down the steep stairs. When she reached the bottom, a half-dozen halflings with feathered armbands joined her. One of them handed her a wooden bowl, then they walked toward Sadira and the others.

As the floating halfling settled to the ground in front of Sadira, the slave girl saw that a large ring of gold hung in his hawkish nose. Bands of hammered silver ringed his ears, and a large ball of obsidian dangled from a chain around his neck.

The halfling looked at Sadira with an air of indignation. “Where did you get this staff?” he asked.

“Who wants to know?” Sadira responded.

The halfling stared at her menacingly, obviously shocked at her challange to his authority. When Sadira met his gaze evenly, he said, “I am World Tree, whose roots bring forth fruit so that my people may eat. I am Rain Bird, whose wings shower the land with water so that my people may drink. I am Time Serpent, whose tail is the past and whose head is the future, so that my people will live forever. I am Nok, the forest.”

Nok raised the cane. “Now, tell me how you came by this staff.”

“A man named Ktandeo gave it to me.”

Nok narrowed his eyes. “I made this for Ktandeo. He would not have given it to an impudent young woman.”

“It was his dying act,” Sadira said, regarding the halfling in a new light. Anyone who could make such an item was no ordinary savage. “He gave me the cane so you would know we came in his name.”

The halfling’s posture grew less menacing, and he closed his eyes. “Now I know why the moons have been weeping. Ktandeo was a worthy friend of the forest,” he said, touching one hand to the gold ring in his nose and the other to a silver ear-band. “He brought many fine offerings.”

Anzeka arrived with six halflings wearing feathered armbands. They stood behind Nok, patiently holding their bowls in both hands. Rikus and Neeva fixed angry glares on Anezka, but said nothing. Agis also remained silent, studying Nok with a thoughtful expression.

“Ktandeo sent us for his magical spear,” Sadira said.

“I have been growing a spear,” replied the halfling, meeting Sadira’s gaze with warmer eyes. “I cannot give it to you.”

“Why not?” the sorceress asked. “Isn’t it ready?”

Nok glanced over his shoulder at the oak tree. “It’s ready … but you are not worthy of it.”

Assuming he meant she was not strong enough to throw it, Sadira pointed her chin at Rikus. “He’s the one who will use the spear. Not me.”

Nok regarded the mul with an appraising eye, but shook his head. “There is more than strength to throwing a spear,” he said. “The aim must be accurate, the heart true. Without Ktandeo to guide his hand, the hairless one will fail.”

“What do you mean?” Rikus bristled. “The spear hasn’t been made that I can’t handle.”

“You cannot wield this one!” Nok snapped.

“You haven’t seen him fight. How is it that you know this?” Sadira asked.

“Because you hang on the Feast Stones,” the halfling replied, tapping the cane against the basin at Sadira’s feet. “If you were worthy of the Heartwood Spear, you would not be there. Your blood would never yearn to fill these basins.”

“Feast Stones!” Rikus exclaimed, tugging at his bindings.

“We came as friends!” Agis objected.

“You’ll become part of the forest. What could be a greater gift for one’s friends?” Nok asked, smiling sincerely.

“Anezka didn’t bring us here to be eaten!” Neeva growled.

“Of course she did,” Nok said. “You are her offering.”

“Offering!” Rikus cried, looking to Anezka. “That’s not why you brought us here, is it?”

Anezka nodded, giving the mul a reassuring smile.

“Nok, my friends and I would be honored to join your forest,” the sorceress lied. “Unfortunately, Ktandeo sent us for the spear because the need in Tyr is great.”

“What need?” the halfling asked.

“Kalak has a small pyramid made of obsidian,” Agis explained, his eyes fixed on the halfling’s pendant. “He also has many obsidian balls, and a tunnel lined with obsidian bricks. Do you know what this means?”

Nok’s eyes opened wide. “It is too soon,” he said, shaking his head sadly.

Agis went on to tell the halfling about the memory he had seen inside Tithian’s mind and about the king’s plans to seal the stadium during the gladiatorial games.

When the noble finished, Sadira asked, “Now will you give us the spear?”

Nok shook his head. “You couldn’t even reach me without being captured,” he said. “How can you hope to stop a dragon?”

“Dragon?” Sadira uttered. Her companions echoed her astonishment. “We’re talking about Kalak, not the-” Sadira stopped herself, the implication of Nok’s question striking her with the force of a half-giant’s club. “Kalak is the Dragon?” she gasped.

“No. There are many dragons throughout the world,” the halfling said. “Kalak is not yet one of them.”

“But he’s about to become one,” Sadira said, her mind racing as she began to understand the wicked nature of Kalak’s plan. “That’s what the ziggurat is for.”

“Yes,” Nok agreed. “He needs it for his changing.”

“The time to strike is before he changes!” Neeva exclaimed. “Give us the spear before it’s too late.”

Nok regarded the woman thoughtfully, then shook his head. “I cannot entrust the Heartwood Spear to someone who is not worthy.”

“We’re worthy!” Rikus growled. “I’ve won more than a hundred matches.”

Nok seemed unmoved. In vain Sadira searched her aching head for another approach that would make the halfling listen. The more she learned about Kalak, the more he terrified her and the more determined she became to stop him.

“If you were willing to help Ktandeo against the sorcerer-king of Tyr,” Agis said, “it must have been because you feared for your forest.”

The halfling nodded. “One dragon-the one you foolishly call the Dragon, as if it were the only one-already claims Tyr, as it does everything from Urik to Balic. When another appears, one of them will be forced across the Ringing Mountains.”

“And what does that mean to the forest?” Agis pressed.

“The same thing it means to Tyr: annihilation,” Nok answered. “The dragon that passes over these mountains will devour every living thing it finds: plants, animals, and people. It will allow nothing to escape.”

“Why?” Sadira asked.

“Dragons grow more powerful when they kill,” Nok answered. “And dragons covet power above all else, or they would not be dragons.”

The four companions remained silent for a time. Nok also remained quiet, patiently studying them as if waiting for them to perform some customary act of obeisance. At last, Agis looked toward the dome, where the group’s possessions were piled, and said, “We apologize if our previous gifts were unworthy, and we asked for them back. Instead, we offer our lives in defense of the forest.”

“We will stop Kalak before he comes across the mountains,” Sadira added.

Nok considered the offer, then said, “I am still not certain that your gift is worthy of the Heartwood Spear, but we shall see.”

The chief turned to the halflings gathered behind him and spoke a few words in their own tongue. With crestfallen expressions, they set aside their wooden bowls and stepped around behind the Feast Stones to undo the lashings.

Once the four companions were free, Nok led the way toward the granite mound. The halflings in the area parted, jabbering to each other in peculiar, nasal words punctuated by birdlike shrieks and squeals. Nok paid them no attention until he stood at the tree itself, when he silenced them with a harsh command.

With the meadow quiet, Nok cradled Ktandeo’s cane in one arm, then opened his other hand and touched the oak. He spoke a few phrases in his own language. The tree’s boughs shuddered, and Nok’s fingers melded into the bark. Slowly he pushed his hand deeper, until his arm had disappeared clear to the shoulder.

Nok closed his eyes and stood next to the oak in silence. His lips were tense and turned down at the ends, giving him a stoic and slightly remorseful expression. He remained perfectly still. Sadira wondered if he was having second thoughts. At last, the chief opened his eyes, then looked at the tree and spoke to it in a conciliatory tone.

Another shudder ran through the oak’s boughs, and a terrible, sonorous creak sounded from its core. Leaves began to rain down on the people below. To Sadira it seemed that the bark paled to a lighter shade of gray. Nok slowly stepped away, pulling his arm from the tree as he retreated.

In his hand, the halfling held a thick spear colored deepest burgundy. The shaft tapered to sharp points on both ends, with a grain so fine it was hardly visible. Sadira thought at first that the weapon pulsated with magical energy, but when she looked directly at it, the impression faded. It seemed no more than a normal, finely crafted weapon.

Nok stepped away from the oak, sending a few halflings to fetch the party’s belongings. Motioning for his prisoner to follow, he led the way to a small trail winding into the gloomy depths of the forest. As they traveled along the path, Sadira realized the halflings had carried her and her companions a considerable distance from where she and Agis had fallen. In addition to the dancing conifers and bulb-trunked fronds, the trail was lined by immense, slanting hardwoods. These trees had waxy, ruby-colored leaves and ripe, sweet-smelling fruits with the shape of daggers and the color of sapphires. The constant drone of insects underscored the shrill whistles and chirps of the jungle birds, and the shadows were so thick that, at times, Sadira felt as though she were walking through UnderTyr. Presently, the rumble of a nearby river began to drown out the sound of the insects and birds.

At last they stepped out of the forest. Before them, a narrow suspension bridge spanned a rocky gorge so wide that Rikus could not have thrown his axe across it. The bridge was made of flowering vines woven together to form a V-shaped channel. A densely braided cord of the woody plants served as the walkway, two smaller cords as handrails, and a plethora of bud-covered vines as netlike walls. A round boulder blocked the other end, so it was impossible to tell if the trail continued on the other side of the canyon. The whole scene had an eerie red hue, for the setting sun hung in line with the gorge, bathing it in fiery light.

Nok stopped at the edge of the bridge. Without putting down Ktandeo’s cane, he hefted the Heartwood Spear and threw it. A concerned cry escaped Sadira’s lips, but the spear sailed across the gap as though borne on a cushion of air. It sank half its length into the trunk of a ruby-leaved tree growing behind the boulder on the other end of the bridge.

Nok faced the four companions and used Ktandeo’s cane to gesture across the gorge. “There is the spear you seek. To prove you are worthy of it, you must pull it from the tree.”

After studying the bridge, Rikus said, “This thing doesn’t look sturdy to me. Maybe we should go across one at a time.”

Agis shook his head. “I don’t think so. There’s more to this test than crossing a bridge cautiously,” he said. “Kalak is surrounded by guards every bit as powerful as you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he or some of his people are masters of both the Way and magic. To defeat him, we’re going to have to work together.”

“Four people can’t throw a spear,” Rikus countered.

“True,” Sadira said. “But the spear won’t strike unless we coordinate our efforts to overcome Kalak’s defenses. I think Agis is right-Nok is testing our ability to work together.”

The mul cast a wary eye at the vine bridge, then nodded and looked down at the halfling chief. “We need our weapons and some rope,” he said, gesturing at the warrors who had brought their property along.

“Rope, you can have,” Nok said. “You won’t need weapons.”

Rikus looked doubtful, but accepted the rope without protest. “I’ll lead the way,” he said, tying one end of the line around his waist and passing the other to Sadira. “Sadira and Agis will follow, and Neeva will bring up the rear.”

“Rikus, I’m hardly vulnerable, and it might be best to have my skills in front,” Agis said, stepping forward. “I’ll lead.”

Sadira caught the noble’s arm, afraid that the discussion would deteriorate into an argument. “Rikus is right. If you’re in the middle, you can protect us all. If you’re in front, it’ll be impossible for you to protect us against an attack from the rear.”

Reluctant, Agis nodded, then stepped back into line. Once the four companions had all tied themselves into place, Rikus led the way onto the bridge. Sadira followed next, with Agis and Neeva behind her. They moved slowly and carefully, holding onto the handcords and keeping a careful eye on the braided vines beneath their feet. Though the bridge swayed and rocked with each step, it showed no sign of coming apart under their weight.

They were about a third of the way across when Rikus suddenly stopped. He stared at the walkway, gripping the handcords so tightly that his knuckles were white.

“What’s wrong?”

No sooner had Agis asked the question than they all saw why Rikus had halted. The vines were writhing and twisting at his feet, regrowing in a different pattern before their eyes. The bridge wasn’t coming apart; it was reforming itself into two separate pathways, each running in a slightly different direction.

Without releasing the handcords, Rikus took a tentative step. His foot sank through the writhing mass of vines. Only his secure grip saved him from plummeting into the river that snaked like a line far below.

“Don’t move!” Agis cried “The bridge isn’t changing. It’s a psionic illusion!”

“Where is it coming from?” Sadira asked, looking over her shoulder.

She did not need to finish the question, for the noble was already facing Nok. The two men had locked gazes and were staring at each other like gladiators in a death match. Agis gripped the handcord with tightly closed fists, but his legs trembled and lines of persperation ran down his neck. On the other side of the noble, Neeva stared at her feet in horror.

Sadira looked down. There were three separate bridges beneath her feet. “Don’t turn around, Rikus. Neeva, when I say to, cover Agis’s eyes and close your own.”

Plucking a handful of flower buds off the vines forming the wall, the sorceress pointed a hand toward the forest behind Nok to summon the energy for a spell. She had hardly opened her palm before she felt the incredible power from the massive trees rush into her body. For the first time in her life, she found it necessary to close her fist and cut off the flow of energy before it overwhelmed her.

Pushing aside her shock, she cried, “Now, Neeva!”

The gladiator cover Agis’s face with a hand and shut her own eyes. Sadira tossed the buds at Nok and spoke the incantation that would shape her magic.

The buds disappeared in midair, and a spray of brilliant hues blossomed before the halfling’s eyes. It was the same spell she had used to save Rikus from the gaj, but with the forest’s energy the effects were more spectacular. The colors were deep and dazzling, competing with each other for splendor, mesmerizing in their radiance. Nok’s eyes went glassy. Though Sadira had not directed the attack at the halflings behind the chief, even they seemed shocked.

The spell faded almost immediately, but Nok and the other halflings remained stunned. It would take them at least a few moments to recover from its effects.

As his mind was released from combat, Agis’s knees buckled. Neeva opened her eyes and caught him. “Are you well?” she asked.

Agis gripped the handcord and nodded. “Thanks to Sadira. I’ve never faced such a powerful mind!”

“Kalak’s will be stronger,” Neeva answered.

At the front of the line, Rikus called, “I see one bridge again! Let’s go!”

They continued forward faster than before, but also with more apprehension. With each step, Sadira expected Nok to recover. When they passed the midway point of the bridge without another attack, she hazarded a glance over her shoulder. The halfling chief stood on the far side. His eyes were clear, and he was studying the companions with an air of detached interest.

Rikus yelled, “Get ready! We’ve got trouble!”

Sadira faced forward. The group’s weight had depressed the bridge enough to create a steep slope between the center and the ends. The granite ball on the far side of the bridge had left its resting place. It was rolling down the V-shaped channel, picking up speed as it traveled. Rikus braced himself to catch it.

“Rikus, down!” cried Agis.

The mul cast an angry glance over his shoulder. “Are you mad?”

“Do it!” Sadira snapped.

Rikus looked back at the boulder. It was shooting down the trough with terrifying speed. Taking a hard gulp, he dropped to his belly and wrapped his arms around the walkway. Sadira did the same, craning her neck to watch Agis.

The noble closed his eyes, then held out his arm as if he intended to let the boulder roll up it. He cupped his palm, then tipped it toward the side of the bridge.

The sorceress looked forward again. The ball was almost upon them. Rikus flinched and dropped his face into the vines, yelling, “Never trust a noble!”

The ball lifted into the air, passing just above the mul’s bald pate. By the time the boulder reached Sadira, it was even higher in the air. It arched up before drifting out over the handcord, then plummeted into the gorge below.

For a moment, Sadira lay motionless, trying to slow her pounding heart.

“What was that about trusting nobles, Rikus?” asked Agis. Though his voice was weak with fatigue, there was a wry grin on his face.

Rikus looked over his shoulder. “You sure took your time to-” He broke off in midsentence. Sadira heard the throb of huge wings beating the air, then the mul called, “Duck!”

Two gigantic dragonflies zipped past overhead, their hooked feet slashing through the air. The sorceress rose to her knees and peered over the handcord. The two insects had already flown past. Nevertheless, she could see that a halfling sat behind each beast’s glittering compound eyes. The riders pulled the mounts into a steep, banked turn.

“Crawl, Rikus!” yelled Agis.

The mul obediently moved forward on hands and knees. The others followed close behind, keeping their heads below the handcords. The two insects streaked past again, their gossamer wings shimmering with the ruby light of dusk.

Sadira made the whole line pause while she peered through the side of the bridge. The halflings were again banking their mounts. Unfortunately, this time the riders were holding their palms toward the forest, collecting the energy to cast a spell.

“Magic!” she hissed. They crawled forward as quickly as possible.

“I hear them behind me,” Neeva shouted, looking fearfully over her shoulder. Yet the dragonflies and their riders were nowhere in sight. An instant later, Sadira heard the throb of wings at the back of their line.

“Oh no,” the sorceress cried. “They’re invisible!”

A dragonfly appeared above Neeva, the spell that had hidden it from sight negated by the suddenness of its attack. The halfling on the creature’s back shouted a series of strident commands. The beast dropped onto the woman and locked its six legs around her body.

“Help me!” Neeva shouted, struggling to turn so that Agis might have a clear attack on the giant insect or its rider.

The noble formed a short loop from the slack in the rope connecting him to Neeva. Stepping past the dragonfly’s long tail, he flipped the noose over the rider’s head and jerked the halfling off his mount. The warrior landed screaming on the handcord. Agis shoved him over the side.

The dragonfly flapped its four wings, knocking the noble aside. It rose into the air with Neeva still clutched in its claws. She struggled in vain to pull herself free.

Rikus screamed, “Help her!”

Agis grabbed the female gladiator’s legs and locked his own feet around the bridge’s handcord.

Sadira fished a piece of silk from her pocket. The sorceress pointed her free hand toward the trees. Flicking the silk at the dragonfly, she recited her incantation. The strand disappeared, and a gooey white web appeared on the insect’s wings. The dragonfly tried to force its wings to beat through the stringy webbing, but it was no use. The creature and Neeva dropped into the gap.

Grabbing the handcord, Agis braced himself. Neeva quickly fell the length of the rope connecting her to the noble, and the suddenness of the rope snapping taut made the noble groan.

Sadira dropped to the walkway and wrapped her arms and legs around the vines. Through the thick tangle beneath her face, she could not see what was happening between Neeva and the giant insect.

Rikus stepped over her, reaching for the noble. It was only then that the second dragonfly appeared above Agis’s head. Its rider leaned over to cast a spell. Sadira screamed a warning, but she was too late. Agis’s eyes fluttered, his head tipped back, and he fell into a magical slumber.

His hold on the bridge gone, the noble slipped over the edge and plummeted after Neeva. When he’d fallen the length of the rope connecting him to Sadira, the noose bit deeply into her flesh. A jolt of sharp pain shot through her abdomen. Though the impact threatened to rip her from the bridge too, the sorceress clutched the walkway vines and prayed she would have the strength to hang on.

Rikus grabbed the dragonfly hovering overhead by the wing. There was a loud crackle and a sound like shredding cloth. The mul pulled the creature’s wing from its body and tossed the mangled limb from the bridge.

As the insect screeched in pain, the rider reached for his dagger. Rikus knocked the halfling senseless, shattering his nose with a casual backfist. The dragonfly raked its claws across the gladiator’s chest, but the mul only gritted his teeth and ripped another wing off the creature.

Rikus dropped both the rider and mount over the side of the bridge, then grabbed the rope and pulled Agis up. The mul passed the noble, still under the thrall of the halfling’s sleep spell, to Sadira. She cradled Agis’s head in her lap and shouted at him. When that did not work, she slapped him across the cheeks, hard. He remained asleep.

“Typical noble,” Rikus grumbled.

Neeva came next, covered head-to-toe with black goo. In her hand, she clutched a dragonfly’s head. There was no sign of the rest of its body.

“Are you hurt?” Sadira asked.

The gladiator looked up and wiped the insect’s blood from her eyes. “No. Just a few scratches,” she answered.

Rikus pulled Neeva to her feet, then took Agis from Sadira. “Good. You carry the noble,” he said, placing the sleeping man in her arms.

The mul stepped past Sadira, then cautiously led the way forward. Though they were constantly watching for another of Nok’s tests, they reached the end of the bridge without further incident. Rikus immediately went to the tree and reached for the spear.

“Wait,” Neeva called, dumping Agis’s body on the ground. “Nok’s coming.”

Sadira and the mul looked back across the gorge. The halfling chief strode across the swaying bridge as if walking down a trail, not even bothering to hold the handcords. Behind him, moving somewhat more cautiously, came two dozen halfling warriors. None of them looked happy.

“We’ve passed enough tests,” Rikus said.

The mul gave the spear a mighty tug. When it slipped out of the tree easily, he stumbled and nearly fell. He stood with the weapon in hand, regarding its balance and shape in awe. At last, he looked up and said, “I feel its power. My hands are tingling!”

Nok stepped off the bridge, cradling Ktandeo’s cane in his arms. He regarded the mul with a look of disdain, as if Rikus had offended him. The gladiator returned the scornful expression.

At last, Nok said, “The Heartwood Spear will penetrate any armor. It will defend you from the energies of the body and those of the world-from the Way of the Unseen and from magic. Now that you have this wondrous weapon, what will you do with it?”

“Kill Kalak,” Neeva said, taking the spear from Rikus’s hands.

The halflings behind Nok gripped their daggers meaningfully. Sensing that she and her companions had not yet passed Nok’s most important test, Sadira took the Heartwood Spear from Neeva’s hands.

“We swore to offer our bodies and spirits to the forest,” she said, facing the halfling chieftain. “Is is not ours to decide what should be done to defend it.” She held the spear out to Nok, saying, “Please accept this offering.”

The halfling smiled and touched his hand to the weapon. “Now you are worthy of the Heartwood Spear,” he said. “It is yours to use in the service of my forest.”

Sadira passed the spear to Rikus, then fixed her eyes on the cane still cradled in Nok’s arm. “If we are worthy of the spear, then perhaps we are also worthy of Ktandeo’s cane.”

Rikus quickly added, “You were the one who said it would take more than strength to throw the spear.”

“If it is a weapon we can use to defeat Kalak and defend the forest, please give it to us,” Neeva said. “We have passed your test, but we’ll still need every advantage you can provide to defeat the sorcerer-king.”

Nok regarded the two gladiators pensively. Finally, he held the cane out to Sadira. “I entrust these to your keeping so that you may protect the forest as you have pledged,” he said. “Kill Kalak, and then you must return the weapons to me.”

Sadira accepted the cane. “We will not fail. I promise.”