victim?
“Taemon?” a familiar voice whispered. “Is that you?”
Breaking through the trees — and heading straight for the wire — was Amma.
There was no time even to think. Amma would be at the wire in a second or two. He stared at the wire and envisioned it snapping in half.
Be it so!
The wire broke and recoiled violently against the trees. Amma froze in shock. Free Will’s men came charging out of their hiding places, but still Amma stood there. Why wasn’t she moving? Free Will’s men were almost to her!
Taemon used psi to whip one end of the wire toward the men, lashing the legs of the man closest to Amma. The man cried out and fell to the ground, but his companions kept advancing. Taemon turned his attention to them, lashing them with the wire until each of them collapsed.
As the last man fell, Taemon’s vision became blurry and turned dark around the edges. He looked around for Amma but couldn’t see her — couldn’t see much of anything. Had she gotten away?
He tried to lift himself up on his elbows but found that he couldn’t move his arms. Tried to call out to Amma, but no sound came from his mouth.
All was quiet as Taemon lay in his hiding spot, trying to regain his strength. He’d wait a few minutes, then he’d try to find Amma. He hoped she’d gotten away.
He hadn’t realized he’d fallen asleep until the whine of a mosquito woke him. The ground felt rough under his cheek. Pebbles, leaves, dirt. Why in the Great Green Earth was he sleeping outside? He hated camping.
Grunting, he turned over on his back. His mouth was painfully dry.
“Taemon?” a voice called from nearby.
It was Amma.
Then he remembered. The mountain. Free Will’s men. The ambush attempt.
“I’m here,” Taemon croaked. He hauled himself into a sitting position.
“There you are!” Amma rushed over to where he leaned against the tree. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you! It was you who saved me from Free Will’s men, wasn’t it? Are you okay? You look awful!”
“I’m fine,” he lied, sitting up a bit straighter. “Free Will’s men? Are they —?”
“They’re gone. I ran ahead, then waited for them to clear out. I figured it was you who broke the wire and attacked them, so I knew you had to be close by. After they left, I started looking for you.”
Taemon tried to stand up, but a wave of dizziness crashed over him and he slid back down the tree. He hung his head until the feeling subsided.
“What’s wrong?” Amma asked.
Taemon rubbed his temples. “I think using psi made me weaker, somehow.”
Amma frowned. “That doesn’t sound good. Is it related to your shoulder injury, do you think? How are you feeling now?”
“Better. I just have to be careful. Learn my limits.”
Amma frowned. “Will you admit now that you need me? You can’t possibly make it over Mount Deliverance by yourself — not when using psi weakens you this much.”
As much as Taemon hated to say it, Amma was right. If he had any hope of finding Da, he needed help. He needed Amma.
“Are you sure you remember the way?” Taemon asked, slowly getting to his feet. “You were only a kid when you saw the map.”
Amma seemed to consider the question. “I’m pretty sure I remember everything. But if we get in a real bind, you can always use clairvoyance to see what’s ahead. Between the two of us, we just might make it.”
Taemon gathered up his supplies and pulled on his backpack. “Are you sure about this, Amma? I have to go. It’s my da who’s out there. But you —”
“Hey,” Amma said, cutting him off. “We’re in this together. We need each other. Besides,” she said, picking her way through the brush, back toward the mountain, “if there’s even the slightest chance that the books from my library ended up in the Republik . . . well, I can’t very well just leave them in the hands of the enemy, can I?”
“Hannova thinks they’re buried under the temple,” Taemon said.
“But she
“Taemon?” a familiar voice whispered. “Is that you?”
Breaking through the trees — and heading straight for the wire — was Amma.
There was no time even to think. Amma would be at the wire in a second or two. He stared at the wire and envisioned it snapping in half.
Be it so!
The wire broke and recoiled violently against the trees. Amma froze in shock. Free Will’s men came charging out of their hiding places, but still Amma stood there. Why wasn’t she moving? Free Will’s men were almost to her!
Taemon used psi to whip one end of the wire toward the men, lashing the legs of the man closest to Amma. The man cried out and fell to the ground, but his companions kept advancing. Taemon turned his attention to them, lashing them with the wire until each of them collapsed.
As the last man fell, Taemon’s vision became blurry and turned dark around the edges. He looked around for Amma but couldn’t see her — couldn’t see much of anything. Had she gotten away?
He tried to lift himself up on his elbows but found that he couldn’t move his arms. Tried to call out to Amma, but no sound came from his mouth.
All was quiet as Taemon lay in his hiding spot, trying to regain his strength. He’d wait a few minutes, then he’d try to find Amma. He hoped she’d gotten away.
He hadn’t realized he’d fallen asleep until the whine of a mosquito woke him. The ground felt rough under his cheek. Pebbles, leaves, dirt. Why in the Great Green Earth was he sleeping outside? He hated camping.
Grunting, he turned over on his back. His mouth was painfully dry.
“Taemon?” a voice called from nearby.
It was Amma.
Then he remembered. The mountain. Free Will’s men. The ambush attempt.
“I’m here,” Taemon croaked. He hauled himself into a sitting position.
“There you are!” Amma rushed over to where he leaned against the tree. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you! It was you who saved me from Free Will’s men, wasn’t it? Are you okay? You look awful!”
“I’m fine,” he lied, sitting up a bit straighter. “Free Will’s men? Are they —?”
“They’re gone. I ran ahead, then waited for them to clear out. I figured it was you who broke the wire and attacked them, so I knew you had to be close by. After they left, I started looking for you.”
Taemon tried to stand up, but a wave of dizziness crashed over him and he slid back down the tree. He hung his head until the feeling subsided.
“What’s wrong?” Amma asked.
Taemon rubbed his temples. “I think using psi made me weaker, somehow.”
Amma frowned. “That doesn’t sound good. Is it related to your shoulder injury, do you think? How are you feeling now?”
“Better. I just have to be careful. Learn my limits.”
Amma frowned. “Will you admit now that you need me? You can’t possibly make it over Mount Deliverance by yourself — not when using psi weakens you this much.”
As much as Taemon hated to say it, Amma was right. If he had any hope of finding Da, he needed help. He needed Amma.
“Are you sure you remember the way?” Taemon asked, slowly getting to his feet. “You were only a kid when you saw the map.”
Amma seemed to consider the question. “I’m pretty sure I remember everything. But if we get in a real bind, you can always use clairvoyance to see what’s ahead. Between the two of us, we just might make it.”
Taemon gathered up his supplies and pulled on his backpack. “Are you sure about this, Amma? I have to go. It’s my da who’s out there. But you —”
“Hey,” Amma said, cutting him off. “We’re in this together. We need each other. Besides,” she said, picking her way through the brush, back toward the mountain, “if there’s even the slightest chance that the books from my library ended up in the Republik . . . well, I can’t very well just leave them in the hands of the enemy, can I?”
“Hannova thinks they’re buried under the temple,” Taemon said.
“But she
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