Read Online The Soldiers of Halla by D.J. MacHale - Free Book Online Page B

is a direct result of Saint Dane’s meddling with the nature of man.”
    â€œSo how was I supposed to stop that?”
    â€œNot just you. You and the other Travelers. Saint Dane became a physical presence in Halla. For him it was no longer about visiting dreams and whispering guidance. Once he determined the turning points, he became part of their societies, seemingly helping them make decisions, but actually leading them toward disaster.”
    â€œYeah, I know all that.”
    â€œThe only way to stop him was to create our own actual presence in Halla. We took ten souls and gave them physical life. One on each territory.”
    Uncle Press stopped talking. He must have seen the look on my face.
    â€œWhat do you mean ‘took ten souls’?” I asked cautiously.
    â€œYou’re from Solara, Bobby. All the Travelers are from Solara.”
    I knew he was going to say that. It’s exactly what my parents had told me. But hearing it put so plainly was still a shocker. Maybe in the back of my mind I was hoping for another explanation, but that was just wishful thinking.
    â€œSo I’m really not Bobby Pendragon” was my sober response.
    â€œOh no, you are very much Bobby Pendragon. That was the whole point. We chose a strong, wise, caring spirit and gave it life on Second Earth. We created a family to raise and nurture that spirit, teaching him the ways of that world. The same happened with each of the territories. Each Traveler was given a mentor from Solara to prepare them for theconflict with Saint Dane. It’s why I became a physical being. I bounced between territories, ensuring that the Travelers were being properly prepared and ultimately telling them of their true destiny.”
    â€œThat’s why Press Tilton was born,” I said.
    â€œNot exactly born. More like created. The only hope we had of countering Saint Dane’s influence was to do so with actual, living beings. But instead of just one, we chose ten. Saint Dane had grown too powerful; there was no way we could match what he had become with only one Traveler. Our intent was for the Travelers to bond and work against him, which is exactly what happened.”
    My mind flashed to a million different questions.
    â€œBut wasn’t that just as bad as what Saint Dane was doing? I mean, the spirits of Solara aren’t supposed to monkey with reality, right?”
    â€œYou’re right. By creating the Travelers, we were also sapping the strength of Solara. In some ways what Solara has become was also our doing. The tools we gave the Travelers came at a cost. We showed you all how to use Saint Dane’s flumes. We marked them with stars and created rings to help locate them. We advised you to write journals and send them to your acolytes. Whenever you stepped into a flume, we ensured that you arrived where you needed to be, when you needed to be there, in order to continue the struggle with Saint Dane.”
    â€œAnd we could heal one another,” I added.
    â€œYes, as much as you were human, you had that ability as well. But each time it was used, another piece of Solara slipped away. It was a price that had to be paid. The alternative was far worse, which was to hand Solara over to Saint Dane without a fight.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you just tell us all this from the get-go? Maybe we would have had a better chance.”
    â€œNo, in spite of our manipulation of physical reality, your mission retained the spirit of Solara. You were behaving exactly as natural inhabitants of the territories would act because that’s what you were. Everything you did, every decision you made, came from your experience as a living being, with all the flaws and fears and strengths that every being has. We counted on your strength and character to triumph. And it did. You had many victories, Bobby. Each time, Solara was given a new, positive shot of life. It was restored not only because you kept a territory