Sapphire (23 page)

“Without the wolves,” he said in a quieter but stern
voice. “They, who have blessed us with their loyalty and protection
since the creatures first appeared, those
monsters
would
have destroyed us then. However, despite our patrols, despite the
power of the Golden One, the creatures have been growing
stronger.”

“But, I don’t, how could—” she started to stutter
until she realized what he was talking about. “Those creatures,
they aren’t Kryos and the soleons. Those are molochs! I’ve seen
them. You have it all wrong.”

“You’ve seen them? Where?” It was a whisper, but his
eyes screamed alarm.

Mira’s horn began to glow. She pawed the ground, and
tossed her mane. Shawna had a sinking feeling about all this. She
swallowed.

“No…nowhere near, just in the distance…once, far
away…other mountains…” Her voice trailed away.

“She’s telling the truth,” Orin shouted from the
crowd.

She saw him trying to push his way through again,
and her heart surged to her throat.

“Just let us leave in the morning,” Orin said. “If
you fear for your village we’ll leave. We’re not here to bring you
any harm.”

Faolon shook his head and waved for Orin to be
silenced. Several men shoved him away as he continued to
protest.

“You’re lying.” His eyes pierced through Shawna, and
she knew he was already convinced that she’d brought their worst
nightmares on her heels.

Just as Faolon opened his mouth to perhaps give an
order to capture them, the tawny-gold wolf she had seen earlier
leapt with ease over Faolan’s shoulder and landed right in front of
her, level with her startled expression. Faolon and everyone behind
him grew quiet. All the wolves lay down in front of this
black-faced one with the piercing yellow eyes. Shawna remained
perfectly still. The wolf gazed straight into her eyes, and she saw
specks of gold in the darker rings of its irises.

Lula started having a fit of sneezing, speckling
some of the wolves below her with fairy dust. They growled at her
when pink spots appeared in their fur. The yellow wolf threw his
head back and howled. It sounded more like chords of a song Shawna
could almost remember than a wild howl. It was melancholy yet
lovely.

This seemed to settle the matter. The other wolves
stood and sauntered back through the throngs of people into the
great hall. The villager’s whole demeanor changed in a heartbeat.
Everyone followed the pack inside and started to chatter as if the
whole event had never happened.

“Well,” Faolan said, looking at the wolf in front of
him. “Zev, alpha of the wolf pack, has decided the matter despite
who you really are, or whether you’re telling the truth or not.” He
sounded actually relieved and nodded at Zev. “He would have killed
you if you meant us harm.”

Shawna reflexively took a step back while the wolf’s
eyes followed her. Mira was looking at the wolf, Zev, as if seeing
him for the first time. He calmly returned the look, then dipped
his head at her, and she snorted in surprise. Shawna realized they
had been privately conversing.

Faolan, oblivious to the exchange, spoke to them.
“You may stay for awhile and continue your journey in a few days.”
He paused. “Unless you feel the need to leave earlier.”

He turned heel, pulled Orin along with him as if he
feared they would take him with them, and left them standing there
with Zev. Orin looked back at her, but then turned and walked
inside before she could even say anything. She wasn’t sure if she
was still angry at him or not. Zev walked past her, and she
followed his path until she saw something red glowing in the
distance.

“Antares,” Mira said, turning to face him along with
Zev.

Antares nonchalantly padded up to them, licking his
whiskers. Shawna saw they were slightly stained with blood. He had
been hunting. Zev bowed his head to Antares, then rose and loped
off into the night while seven other wolves materialized from dark
corners around the village and streaked after him.

“Is it true?” Mira said to Antares so that everyone
could hear her thoughts.

“Yes. They’re scouting the mountains right now.”

“Is what true?” Shawna said.

“The molochs that escaped from the Monoliths are
amassing and heading our way,” said Antares. “Those creatures that
attacked us before were only a few.”

“A
few?!
” she shouted.

Some young men near the doorway turned to stare. She
blushed and looked away, convinced that they thought her strange
and best to be avoided.

“Why are we staying here? We should leave,” she
said. “They don’t want us here. Isn’t that obvious.”
Except for
his grace, Orin.

“We must keep this amongst ourselves,” said Mira.
“They will certainly believe that you have something to do with the
molochs if they hear it from us.”

“This is ridiculous. Let’s go get Orin’s spoiled
royal butt, and get out of here. Aren’t we supposed to be finding
the third realm?”

Mira suddenly whirled on her, ears pinned back.

“Do you think this is some
game
we brought
you along to play? An amusing adventure from your human fairy
tales? This is as real as the other world you knew. Each of us
real
and alive! Each of us risking our lives to protect
you
. If anyone’s ‘spoiled’ I’m looking at her as we
speak.”

Shawna stepped back in total shock at Mira’s vicious
tone.

“Well.” She was shaken. “I…I know. I mean, I know
this isn’t…a game. I didn’t mean…” She didn’t know what she meant.
She pursed her lips, noticing how dry and cracked they were.

“If anything’s ridiculous,” said Mira, “it’s the
reason we’re all here on this journey in the first place.”

At first Shawna wasn’t sure if she had heard her
right. Then the inside of her chest felt like it was beginning to
burn with a rage she never knew was there.

“Wait,” she said, stepping forward. “Did you just
say that you think all this is pointless?”

Lula was looking between them, opening and closing
her mouth like she wanted to say something, but thought better of
it. Antares looked bored.

“Are you saying we went all that way to find Sirrush
for nothing?” The anger was catching fire in her throat. “First you
accuse me of not taking this seriously, of being a spoiled brat,
and then you say
you
don’t believe in what we’re doing?
Don’t tell me this is all pointless…this whole
amusing
adventure
”—She was starting to yell, but she didn’t care who
was listening—“you took me away from my family, my
life,
because
you
believed in something, in
me!
” A throng
of people was beginning to edge around them. Mira was clearly
agitated as Shawna continued. “
You
believed in
me.
And now you’re telling me you
don’t
anymore?”

“I never said—”

“
You don’t!
” shouted Shawna. Mira snorted and
threw her head back. “If you did you’d believe that
I
could
do this!” She dropped her hand, her rage subsiding as quickly as
the pain now rising as it dawned on her. “You think I can’t do
this.” Mira’s shifting ears, prancing, and heavy breathing told her
just that. “If you knew what Sirrush said to me—”

“I know many things, girl. I chose my path, and it
led to you.”

“I see.” Shawna’s face was working to stay composed.
“I see that secrets are best kept by dragons and unicorns. God
forbid if anyone
else
keeps secrets, otherwise they might
just be
impaled
by your horn. Shall I tell Orin, then?”

Mira’s eyes flashed and her nostrils flared. She
struck the ground with her hoof, sending sparks as glaring as the
whites of her eyes.

“Orin’s unpredictable,” said Mira. “He could change
everything. You can
not
tell him whatever Sirrush told
you.”

“You know?”

“I only know that it concerns you both, that is
all.”

Shawna felt the tension leave her shoulders. Mira
would do as she promised and run Orin through if she knew what
Sirrush had said. She ran her tongue along the bottom of her teeth
and took a deep breath.

“What if I don’t believe Sirrush? What if I don’t
believe
any
of this?” Her eyebrows jerked up. “If you’re so
worried I’ll
ruin
everything, then maybe you should have
never rescued me in the first place.”

“Quiet, girl!” Mira reared in rage, striking the air
with her hooves. The crowd gasped and stepped back. “How dare you
accuse me of such things.” Her ears were flat against her skull. “I
do not regret saving you and bringing you to this world. It was my
charge to protect you.” Her nostrils flared. “If you knew what I
know
.
”

“
What?
” Shawna snapped, tears starting to
trickle down her cheeks. She tried to rearrange her face into pure
anger, but she couldn’t stop those betraying tears.

“If I knew
what?”
Her lips trembled. “What is
it that you won’t tell me? Why can’t you tell me?!”

“The same reason you cannot tell
him!
” Every
emotion melted from Shawna’s face, save one of disbelief. Mira
exhaled, lowering her ears to the side. “Knowledge of one’s own
fate can be more dangerous than the molochs. Imagine what Orin
would do if he knew what Sirrush had told you.” Shawna slowly
nodded, and wrapped her arms around herself.

“Then why did he tell me?”

“Most likely to see what you would do. He
is
a dragon. Why a dragon does what it does is beyond any of our
understanding.”

“Do you think he wanted me to tell Orin?”

“I think he wanted to see what was more important to
you. Orin, or the reason you’re here.”

The gravity of their purpose, of her purpose, truly
sunk in. It didn’t matter what Sirrush had said, what anyone
believed, or didn’t believe.
What matters is what
I
believe, what
I
do.
She glanced over her shoulder and
finally noticed the throng of strangers watching. Orin was nowhere
in sight.

Mira stepped closer to her. “Ava—don’t give me that
look. It is your birth name—It is
because
I believe in you
that I say these things.”

Mira dropped her head. “What I
regret
is
bringing you into a fate you don’t deserve. For no matter what I
do…I won’t be able to protect you.” She raised her head, looked at
Shawna for a moment, then turned to walk away.

Shawna raised her hand. “Wait.”

Mira stopped. Shawna walked over to her and wanted
to say something, but all she could do was throw her arms around
her tall neck. She felt Mira rest her chin over her shoulder, and
she smiled. Not only did Mira and everyone else believe in her, but
she truly believed in herself for once. She would do what she had
been brought here to do, or die trying, but not alone; never would
she be alone.

“Go,” said Mira, pushing her with her nose. “You’re
hungry. I can hear your stomach grumbling like Antares, and I’m so
hungry even your hair looks appetizing.”

“Hey,” Shawna laughed as Mira lipped her hair before
walking over to the sweet-grass the villagers had piled near the
doors for her. Lula fluttered over to Shawna.

“Wow,” she said, landing on her outstretched palm.
“I didn’t want anything to do with this at first either. When
Capella told me you’d be coming, and there was this insane quest
I…” She continued talking, but Shawna wasn’t listening.

She was staring at Orin near the Howling Hall’s
entrance. Faolan was talking loudly to him about the village and
his future there, but Orin wasn’t listening to him either. He was
glancing whenever he could at her. Every time his eyes locked onto
hers, she felt like the air blazed between them. Faolon noticed
Orin’s diverted attention, threw his arm over his shoulders, and
steered him away.

“Are you listening?” said Lula.

“What? Sorry, I…what?”

“I
said
that I wasn’t even going to come on
this silly let’s-all-get-eaten-by-monsters-quest until I met you. I
liked you, how you talked back to Capella.” She giggled and looked
down at Shawna’s palm, tapping it with her tiny bare foot, hands
behind her back. “I knew you’d be a good friend. You looked like
you could stare down a dragon if you had to, or worse, a
unicorn.”

“Thanks,” said Shawna, feeling more determined and
hopeful than ever before. “I’m really glad you came with us.
Someone has to smack Capella for me when this is all over.” They
burst into laughter and walked back in to rejoin the
celebration.

An unexpected and unwelcome visitor came that night.
It crept towards Orin who was sleeping under the stars a ways from
everyone else. He awoke with a start, grabbed his knife, and rolled
over to face the eyes he felt on the back of his neck. A black wolf
with green eyes was less than an arms length away.