Cole rides Thunder

  Cole squeezed with his knees and clung to the silky mane as Thunder accelerated to a ludicrous speed. His previous ride seemed like a casual trot by comparison.

  Thunder continued to draw power from Cole, his contribution enhancing their breathtaking velocity. Cole supposed it made sense that if the Mare was an embodiment of shaping power, then his power could boost her capacity.

  The Pass of Visions quickly drew near. Just before they rushed into the pass, the terrain and sky transformed.

  The sun glared down from overhead. The cliffs ahead were replaced by brown, crumbling ridges where half-dead shrubs and trees clung to life. Cole had not seen a struggling plant since coming to the echolands. Nor had he seen the actual sun! Off to one side, a meager stream trickled down a series of ledges.

  The colors were less vivid. The music was gone.

  Cole and Thunder had crossed to the mortal world.

  But they continued at a furious pace.

  The transition had been seamless. Cole had not suspected that Thunder could cross to physical Necronum so effortlessly, or that Mare could bring his echo along. Destiny had some serious power.

  Beyond the broken ridges, Thunder and Cole returned to the echolands without slowing. The sky reverted to the even glow of a duskday, the music returned, and they raced across the plain of smooth, clear crystal.

  Cole felt thankful for their speed. He wondered how fast they were going compared to Sando’s gliders. Was there hope of beating Sando to the Fallen Temple? Maybe intercepting Destiny before they delivered her?

  Thunder continued to draw on Cole’s power and sporadically switched between the mortal world and the echolands. Cole thought it seemed the horse was going back and forth based on what terrain was more favorable. When riding in the mortal world, Cole found he missed the music of the echolands, but the direct sunlight was welcome. As an echo in the mortal world, Cole felt no more tired or hungry than he did in the echolands.

  Thunder never reduced her breakneck pace. Landscapes came and went. Eventually, when in the mortal world, they galloped under stars and moonlight. When they returned to the echolands, the terrain became richer in vegetation until Cole once again rode across short grass between lush groves and gardens. After returning to the parklike topography of the central echolands, Thunder stopped crossing to mortal Necronum.

  Trees and blossoms sped by in a colorful blur. Cole’s power showed no sign of depletion in spite of the constant usage.

  Up ahead Cole heard momentous, fervent harmonies. So far Thunder had generally avoided noteworthy music, but they headed directly toward this new sound.

  A large building came into view, expansive and low except for six tall, slender towers. Enclosed by a crenellated wall, the structure occupied the highest ground in the vicinity.

  Cole wondered if this could be the Fallen Temple. The momentous music didn’t seem threatening enough to match Nazeem’s prison. But where else could they be?

  Thunder slowed slightly as they approached an open gate in the wall. Startled echoes hurried out of the way as the horse zoomed inside. Cole received astonished stares as he streaked through courtyards and up stairways. Thunder galloped along covered walkways until skidding to a stop beside a large rectangular pool beneath the sapphire sky.

Chapter 33