Sapphire (18 page)

They’re going to catch us and…
She didn’t
want to think of what might come after ‘and.’

“Shawna!” She looked down at Mira below, ready for
her to jump on. “We should run,
now.
”

She jumped from the boulder to her back, Orin right
behind her. He threw his arm around her waist. She felt an
overwhelming desire to turn and kiss him again. It seemed the
proper romantic thing to do in such dire circumstances. But just as
she was about to turn and gaze dreamily into his eyes, Mira plunged
ahead, nearly throwing her off. It was all she could do not to fall
as Mira raced along the narrow path like a black wind. Lula was
almost left behind, but she snatched Antares’ ear before he too
took off like a streak of red light.

“Erowr!” he yowled at her tight grip, snapping his
jaws.

“Well-l-l,” she stammered as she bounced along like
a floppy earring. “W-w-what was I-I-I sup-p-posed to dooOO, you
sparkly hair b-b-baaAALL?”

Antares hurled past Mira and charged up a tall
outcropping of rock. He reached the top, turned, and Shawna saw his
eyes widen. Lula gratefully let go and had a sneezing fit.

“Keep going!” he bellowed as they reached his
look-out.

In one fluid motion he leapt to a boulder, then
propelled himself over their heads, roaring like an avalanche. He
collided like a thunder-clap with a moloch, almost as large as he,
merely feet behind them. Both began fighting and roaring furiously.
Mira turned, reared to her full height, and her neigh echoed to the
roiling clouds above.

“There’s no time.
Fight,
” she said, rearing
again and making them tumble off her back.

Her front hooves came down upon another monster’s
head. Shawna was at a loss. So much was happening all at once. Huge
dark shapes with gleaming eyes and tusks were starting to surround
them, growling, roaring, tearing, biting. Orin yelled, brandished
his sword, and charged into the chaos. More than once, Mira kicked,
bit, or gored a creature a second before its claws or fangs found
Shawna. She was frantically trying to use her weapon and climb the
rocks behind her. She felt like a fool and had no idea what to do.
She grabbed the necklace.

Work,
her mind screamed in sheer panic.
Work! Do something!

But the stones remained cold and dull.

Lula was trying to use her magic to aid them, but in
her fright the spells were wild. Flowers sprouted out of a
monster’s mouth which did save Mira a lethal bite. A few pink
monsters could be seen rampaging around, but the color of their fur
didn’t seem to faze them much, nor make them less frightening. Lula
was trying but there were just too many of them.

Antares was certainly a force to be reckoned with.
Bolts of red lightning flashed from his hide, searing any monster
in the vicinity. Their skeletons glowed beneath their rotten hides
a moment before they dissolved into smoky ash. His snarls and roars
sounded as though they would bring down the mountain.

At some point Shawna lost hold of her sword, and it
fell to the ground only to disappear under clawed feet and flashing
hooves. She was sure it was smashed and would have sobbed if she
had not been so petrified. Then she was torn off the ledge. Sharp
rocks cut into her head and shoulders. One of the monsters was
dragging her away by a boot, away from the protection of her
friends.

She opened her mouth to scream for help, but found
her throat, her tongue, her lips, wouldn’t work. She couldn’t make
a sound except a feeble choking whisper through the tightness in
her chest.

“
Help
,” she choked out, her heart hammering
up into her constricted throat.

Tears leaked from the edges of her eyes as she kept
trying with all her will to speak. She could feel nothing but the
pressure of jaws on her leg, the slicing stones, and see a mass of
black hairy undersides letting her slide past. Saliva flecked her
like rain, or was it rain? Yes, it was raining, though she was
slimed in drool from the howling beasts as well. She tried twisting
away, but the jaws were too strong, and movement caused sharp teeth
to dig into her leather boot. Then she saw it. Her sword,
miraculously intact. It was close, almost within arms reach as she
was dragged towards it.

She dug her free boot into the ground and launched
herself away from her captor, tearing her other boot off. Before
the creature knew it was holding only a dirty-pink boot, she
quickly crawled and grabbed for the crystal blade. Her hand closed
around the iron handle. She whirled onto her knee, and with a yell
of pure fear and determination to survive, thrust the glinting
blade into the chest of the leaping beast.

She felt the weight of the moloch falling through
the sword towards her, its stench, its warmth, its gargling throat
sliding down to hers. For the first time, dark blood actually
gushed from its wound, then eerily froze in mid-air inches from her
face as it began to disperse into mist. She was left lying on her
back while raindrops caught in her lashes, blurring her vision. The
hilt had jabbed into her side, causing a horrible bruise, but a
will to fight pulled her to her feet. She raised her sword with
both hands. The rain was heavy now. A horde of crushing, slavering,
fire-eyed bodies swarmed around her, but kept just out of reach of
the luminous razor-sharp crystal.

She thought nothing, only felt; felt the fear
becoming anger, then a calm inner-strength; felt the smooth iron
hilt, the cold rock under her bare foot, the cuts on her back and
leg. The monsters took another step back. She thought she saw them
ripple, like a mirage. Their numbers were overwhelming, and she
couldn’t see or hear her companions.

What am I going to do?
she thought.

Her resolve slipped. A monster raised a clawed paw
and took a step forward. Three more edged closer. She was starting
to panic again. The first one crouched, ready to spring, then threw
its head back and howled in pain.

A man had leapt onto its back from the boulders
above, slicing it to ribbons with an S-shaped double blade. Before
she could comprehend what was happening, every claw, every tooth,
was fleeing before this deadly apparition. The stranger was like a
cyclone, his weapon weaving around his body so quickly there was a
constant black tornado of defeated monsters swirling.

“Shawna!”

She tore her eyes from her savior and saw Lula
zooming towards her, followed closely by Mira and Antares, both
showing many bloody cuts but otherwise unhurt. Orin was nowhere to
be seen. Their enemies had nearly completely dispersed, retreating
back down the mountainside into the forests below. Whoever the man
was, he was certainly powerful, able to strike fear into thousands
of deadly creatures.

Lula flew up to her and landed on her shoulder.

“Are you all right?”

Shawna nodded numbly.

“I tried to get to you,” said Mira, her sides
heaving and flecked with foam.

“I know,” said Shawna. She was absent-mindedly
patting Mira’s neck. “I know.”

Orin stumbled over to her side. Blood coursed down
his face from a head wound.

“Orin, are you okay?” She felt every cut and bruise
on him as if they were her own.

“I’m fine. Looks worse than it is.” He leaned over,
staring up at her, the stream of blood running down his neck. “As
long as you’re okay.”

She took a step towards him, then stopped and
followed Antares’ gaze. Antares was watching the man striding
towards them through the rain. Wearing only leggings, he looked
every bit a warrior with long, confident, powerful strides, a
muscular frame, and an intensity in his startling sky-blue eyes. He
was frightening and mesmerizing at the same time. He had saved
their lives, but he also didn’t seem human. This feeling unnerved
Shawna, and at the same time drew her to him. Was this the one in
pursuit of her? The one they called Gavan? If so, she was sure any
attempt to escape would just make him laugh.

He stopped a few yards from them. He was an
intimidating seven feet tall at least. Shawna stepped back, but
braced herself for whatever might come next. Orin stepped in front
of her, shielding her. Lula was poised on her shoulder. The man
said nothing, only watched them in return. He had short
iron-colored hair and perfect but emotionless features. His skin
was strangely pale with a slight silver sheen. Shawna found this
man, savior or no, more chilling than even the beasts he’d just
saved them from.

“You won’t get past all of us as easy as those
monsters,” Lula yelled, making Shawna wince as her ear started
ringing.

“Oh, sorry,” mumbled Lula.

The man laughed, a wide smile forming on his once
frigid face. He looked straight at Shawna, completely unconcerned
about anyone else.

“Are you strong enough to fight me, little human
girl?”

She only returned his stare, ready to flee or fight,
though she very much hoped for fleeing.

His teeth glinted and slowly began to extend into
points. Shawna and Lula both gasped at the same time. His whole
body began to morph. His muscles rippled, undulating under his skin
as he grew larger and larger, head and fingers elongating, his neck
growing in length beyond that of his body. He looked monstrous, no
longer a handsome ageless man. His scant clothing melted into his
skin, but he was not even remotely human anymore. His skin
shimmered with silver scales. His fingernails grew into huge curved
claws. Giant wings like ship’s sails sprouted and unfolded over his
stretching torso as his long snout soared to dizzying heights above
their heads. The silver dragon roared and spread its massive
wings.

Shawna gazed at the diamond goblet in her hand.

“Not drinking?”

She looked up at the dazzling, finely dressed,
silver-skinned man seated at the other end of the ornate stone
table. He grinned. Shafting sunlight through high castle windows
glistened off his sharp white teeth. She quickly took a sip, the
diamond trembling and tinkling against her less impressive
teeth.

“It’s good,” she said, grinning nervously before
coughing.

In fact, she thought Capella’s troll tea tasted like
honey compared to the tincture Sirrush had served them. Her mouth
was on fire. He laughed while everyone else stole quick glances at
each other.

After the battle, the dragon had morphed back into
his human form, but not before terrifying the electric stripes off
of Antares. He grabbed him by the tail like a snake snapping up a
mouse. Antares yowled, swiping at the dragon’s massive jaw, but his
claws harmlessly sparked off silver scales. The dragon threw him
high into the air with a flick of his head, and snatched him again,
before setting him back down. He then laughed, causing a small
avalanche from the loud echoes, and introduced himself as
Sirrush.

Shawna was amazed at how delicate the dragon-man had
been with his rows of razor sharp teeth longer than her leg.
Antares was still twitching and sparking like a malfunctioning toy
lion. Apparently, Sirrush had only done it to amuse himself for he
was being quite cordial now in his human form. Antares had done
nothing but glower at their host the entire time.

After Sirrush introduced himself on the mountain, he
had led them to his—
castle?
The grand structure lay before
them after they had passed through a few secret pathways, and
under, over, and through rocky cliffs to finally emerge into a
beautiful valley.

I thought dragons lived in caves, and were, well
…dragons.
She stared at the large, intricate, strange castle
with waterfalls cascading down its sides. The water flowed from a
single massive tower at the heart of the castle, some of it
splashing a hundred feet or more to the ground below, while the
rest was caught in strategically placed aqueducts. Little streams
of water flowed to the outer edges of the castle walls and sprang
from stone dragon heads.

She wasn’t very surprised to see more dragon
sculptures, dragon carvings, and even dragon-themed dinnerware put
before them by a team of gorgeous women. Dragons, it seemed, were
incredibly vain and Sirrush was no exception. They were now all
seated around his table, that was, naturally, adorned with dragons,
and staring at a rather bloody-looking meal. No one had taken a
bite, not even Antares, though Shawna had caught him licking his
lips.

“Come now,” said Sirrush through a mouthful of raw
meat. “Do not be rude. My harpies will be insulted. They spent
hours killing, gutting, skinning, and preparing this elegant meal.”
His pale blue eyes flashed.

“Harpies?” Shawna whispered to Lula as she tried to
chew on the almost raw meat.

She looked at the beautiful dark-haired women seated
around Sirrush. “I thought harpies were scary and ugly.”