by Erin Johnson
He’d left his walking stick at the base of the mountain, telling Francis he felt well enough to go without it. I’d wanted to caution him to bring it, just in case, but I’d pressed my lips tight and held my tongue. He wasn’t talking to me, which meant he definitely didn’t want my advice. Still, I hoped he was doing all right in this rough terrain.
A deep, grating rumble sounded from somewhere nearby. I froze. “What was that?”
“Thunder?” Iggy squeaked.
It sounded loud enough to be, but though the rains and winds buffeted us around, I’d yet to see any lightning. I took a few more steps and the white cloud around us thinned until I could make out Rhonda and Francis. The deep, scraping noise sounded again and I stopped cold, as did my friends ahead of me.
The cloud drifted away and unveiled a giant rock structure just to the left of our path. The column of stacked boulders loomed above us, stories high. My stomach tightened.
“I don’t think that was there before.” The cold wind sent raindrops stinging against my face and knuckles. I held Iggy’s lantern aloft and squinted into the dim light of the overcast afternoon. A horizontal crack stretched across the top rock.
The stone split, revealing a tooth-filled mouth. The rock creature hissed. Iggy and I screamed.
20
Rock Snake
Misaki and Jun, up ahead, raised their wands and fired spells at the now moving rock column. Glowing orbs of light flew through the air and collided with the stone, to no effect. The wind whipped harder around us. The top rock twisted with a loud grating noise and a forked tongue made of pebbles snaked from the mouth and tasted the air. The head jerked and turned to look straight at Iggy and me. My stomach twisted. I had no powers, no way to defend myself—none of us did.
I cupped my free hand to my mouth and shouted. “Misaki! Give us the antidote!”
Her face turned my way for a brief moment, but she went back to firing spells at the rock creature. A couple of guards burst through the thin mist and shoved past me, wands aloft. They joined the attack, hurling magic at the monster. Rain poured over the creature’s gray body, turning the smooth rocks black and mirrorlike. Another deep rumble sounded and the creature uncoiled, lowering its head to the ground. It slithered through the thrashing grasses, nearly disappearing despite its size.
My jaw dropped. “It’s a rock snake.”
“Rock snake! I call it as a band name!”
I rolled my eyes at Iggy. “Great. But what do we do?”
A clacking noise sounded to my left, the sound of stones banging together. The snake was on the move.
Misaki dashed up to Rhonda and Francis, paused a moment, and then ran up to me and Iggy.
“Here.” She pushed a familiar vial of red liquid at me. “Drink it.”
I popped off the cork and tipped the spicy liquid down my throat. She moved to run further down the line, but I reached a hand out. “Wait.”
She paused, her eyes wide. “What?”
“You’re giving us our powers back?” I lifted a brow.
Misaki gave a curt nod. “You’ll need them. This thing is strong and it’s lethal.”
“What’s effective against it?”
She snorted. “Nothing. We usually just run from it, it’s not that fast. But we’re trapped out in the open. We need all the help we can get.”
She ran off to give the rest of my friends their magic back. I took a deep breath. It felt good to have my power again. Without it, I felt I’d lost one of my senses. Now I could feel the power coursing through the wind and the rain and the slow rock monster that moved nearby in the grasses.
A faint cry reached me over the howling winds and pounding rain. The rock snake coiled up and lifted its boulder of a head high, its sightless face fixed on Rhonda. The crack that marked its mouth split wider to reveal a moss-covered maw and jagged stone teeth. The guards fired at it and spells ricocheted off its hard body, but it ignored them and tensed up, ready to strike my seer friend. Francis transformed fully into a bat and flapped around its head. Annoyed, the rock snake snapped at him, and my stomach clenched with fear. Francis managed to stay just out of reach, but I feared for him. I closed my eyes and sought the creature in my mind. I found it, heavy and solid and old. I took a deep inhale and as I pulled in the chilly, damp air, I pulled too from the monster. It wasn’t easy, just a little trickle came, but I sipped at it, more and more, hoping to weaken it.
Clacking and grating noises made me open my eyes.
“Imogen.” Iggy’s voice rose at the end. “What did you do?”
The snake turned away from Rhonda and Francis and the guards who still pelted it with spells and focused on me. Its tongue tasted the air.
“Eep.” I froze and dropped the connection between us. But not soon enough. Slowly, the snake slithered over, surprisingly graceful for an enormous creature made of rocks. My breath came in frightened gasps.
Misaki appeared next to me, along with Maple and Wiley, their wands at the ready, except for Maple who sang her spells.
“I could barely pull from it.” I blinked at Maple.
The color drained from her wet face. Then her eyes lit up. “I have an idea.”
As the snake approached, Misaki and Wiley fired at it. It didn’t even appear to notice, just kept coming closer and closer. Hank jogged up to us, holding the spot on his ribs where he’d been lanced. The wind blew his hood back and rain trickled down his handsome face. Grrr. Even when I was mad at him, I found him handsome.
He held his big palms up, closed his eyes, and fired a spell at the monster. Ice covered the boulders that made up its segmented body. Maple glanced up from fidgeting with Wiley’s pack, then went back to work opening the drawstring top. The creature literally froze for a moment. Then cracks appeared in the ice, and the spell shattered. The monster came for us, moving again, even faster than before.
“Ha!” Maple’s white fingers pulled open the pack and Cat sprang out. “Sic ’em, boy!”
I raised my brows at her.
She shrugged. “They said he was the most powerful creature on the island. Maybe he can stop it.” She turned to her little pet and frowned as Cat scampered toward the giant snake. “Not too close! Be careful! Oh.” She bit her nails.
Cat bounded up to the creature and stared at it. The eyeless snake paused and hissed. They stayed that way, very still, for several long moments in a standoff. The guards and my friends stopped their barrage of spells to watch.
“What’s he doing?” I barely dared to breathe the words, afraid to break whatever trance the snake was in.
Maple shrugged, but Misaki glanced over. “Your Cat, as you call him, has the power of mind control.”
“Ha!” Iggy burst out with a humorless laugh. “Oh good. It gets better.”
But Maple and Wiley exchanged impressed glances.
Wiley nodded like a proud father. “I always knew our little guy was special.”
Misaki frowned. “Though it usually works when you stare into the creature’s eyes… this rock snake has none.”
The rock snake shook its stone head, and dropped its jaw. It hissed, bits of moss and pebbles flying from its mouth
“I don’t think it worked.” I backed away.
The snake opened its mouth wide, moss and greenery dripping from its jaws. Cat whimpered and bounded back to us, his ears pressed down flat. He scampered up Maple’s leg and into her arms.
“You did your best.” Maple nuzzled the wet, shaggy creature, who petted her face with a weird little monkey hand.
“Pets shouldn’t pet you back.” Iggy shook his flame head. “I’m just saying.”
“Bigger problems.” I shrieked as the snake coiled and struck. I dove to the right with Misaki, as Maple, Wiley, and Hank scattered left. The snake slammed into the ground where we’d been, splitting the rocks that marked the path with a loud POP!
Now the snake swung its head right and left. It’d split our group into two, cutting me, Francis, Rhonda, and all the guard
s off from the way back. Francis spun back into man form, his toes hovering above the ground again.
I frowned. “What works against rocks?”
“Paper?” Iggy burst into giggles.
I shook my head at him. I didn’t even have words.
A shout made me spin around. Rain stung my cheeks as the wind howled and shrubs thrashed around us. The snake lifted its head, focused sightlessly straight at Hank who stood with arms wide, protecting Sam. My heart tightened. Despite all that had been going on between us lately, I couldn’t deny it. Hank was an amazing man, and I loved him. And I was about to watch a monster strike him down.
I opened my mouth and screamed, “No!” But the wind carried my voice away so that even I barely heard myself. Francis transformed into a bat in a whirl of black magic, but the winds immediately threw him to the ground, and Rhonda dove to his side. I looked away from them, back to the snake. Spells hit it, to no avail.
It opened its mouth, body tensed.
“No!” I wailed.
And suddenly Sam was gone. I squinted, struggling to see through the rain and misty clouds. Then I spotted him. A small green snake slithered around Hank’s booted feet, straight towards the rock snake. “What is Sam doing?” My heart stopped.
The little green snake that was Sam slithered in spiraling circles. He stopped and his pink tongue flicked out, tasting the air. Then he coiled himself up in a little ball, closed his eyes, and stayed still a moment. The rock snake cocked its head and tasted the air, apparently fascinated.
I frowned. Was he flirting?
Sam uncoiled himself and slithered in winding patterns up to the rock monster. He got closer and closer and I held my breath, hoping with all I had that Sam knew what he was doing. Sam reached the base of one of the boulders and nuzzled his face against it.
GRRRRIICCCKKK. The rock snake shifted and lowered its head, right next to Sam. Sam rubbed his face against the monster’s, and the creature let out a deep grunt.
My jaw dropped. “I think it’s smiling.”
As Sam and the rock snake cuddled, Hank, Wiley, Maple, Cat, Yann, and Annie snuck by and joined us. We all moved further up the path, then looked back, huddled against the side of a towering boulder that partly shielded us from the wind and rain. After a moment, the rock snake slithered back to the spot it’d been, its rocks clacking and scraping. It coiled up among some smaller boulders and settled its head on its tail. Sam, the little green snake, slithered up the path until he stopped right before us. In a breeze of magic, he transformed back to his human form. Rain plastered his thin hair to his scalp and blurred his glasses. He slumped his shoulders and hung his head.
“Now you know.”
My friends and I exchanged confused looks, then pounced on him. We wrapped him up in the middle of a group hug.
“Sam, you were amazing.” I hugged him tight, my arms around his middle.
“You saved us, Sam.” Maple kissed his cheek and a rosy blush spread across his pale, wet face.
Wiley ruffled his hair, Hank squeezed his shoulder, and Yann grabbed him in a big bear hug that lifted Sam off his feet. When he plunked Sam back down, we all spun to face the stunned guards.
Misaki blinked. “This whole time? You’re a shifter?”
Sam sniffed and nodded, then dropped his chin to his chest.
She stepped forward. “How’d you know that would work?”
Sam looked up slightly. “Ssshe had her eggsss nearby in her nessst.” Sam pointed at the circle of boulders that surrounded the now peaceful rock snake. “I thought ssshe mussst jussst be protecting them. Maybe ssshe’d feel more friendly towardsss me, becaussse I’d look like a baby sssnake.”
My heart ached.
Maple clasped her hands together under her chin and her eyes shone. “Awwww.”
Misaki stared at him another moment, then her face broke out into a huge smile. She threw her head back to the gray stormy skies and laughed. She pressed her gloved hand to her chest. “That is possibly both the bravest and cutest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Sam jerked his head up and blinked at her. Misaki grinned at him. “Well done, Sam.”
His chin quavered. “Y-you don’t care that I’m a ssshifter?”
Jun came up beside her, grinning. “You have the powers of a wizard and an animal? That’s pretty badass.”
Tears trickled down Sam’s face, mingling with the raindrops. “B-but I wasss ssso afraid. You hate the monssstersss. I thought you’d hate me.”
Misaki and Jun exchanged looks. Misaki’s face softened and she stepped closer, taking Sam’s hands. “We don’t hate the monsters.” The wind whipped stray tendrils of black hair across her face. “We find the king who set them on us pretty evil, but not the monsters themselves.” She shrugged. “They’re just animals.” She grinned and jerked her head toward the rock snake. “Like your mama snake over there. You’re a special person. Don’t feel bad about who you are.”
“Touching.” Kai raised his brows. “Should we get on with it?”
Misaki sighed and gave Sam a little nod, then turned and moved to the front of the line again. I squeezed Sam’s hand and he beamed, his nonexistent chin held high. “Ssshe called me a ssspecial perssson.”
“You are, Sam.” I smiled at him. Or at least that’s the expression I was going for. My face was numb from the wet and cold.
Misaki turned back and called over her shoulder, “Let’s go get that herb!”
Rhonda strolled past, arm in arm with the floating Francis (who now had arms again). “Yes, let’s get that herb.” She winked. “It’s 4:20 somewhere.”
21
The Kusuri Herb
I hefted my pack higher up my shoulders and marched on, single file, behind Francis, whose toes trailed above the slippery stone markers. I leaned forward into the wind and staggered right and left as I fought to place one foot in front of the other.
Dangling from my hand in his lantern, Iggy pointed forward. “Mush!”
“I’ll mush you,” I grumbled.
“Ew. Not interested.”
I rolled my eyes, surprised he’d even heard me over the howling winds. “I said mush, not ‘smush.’ We’re not in the mermaid kingdom. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
Iggy cackled.
Nerves on edge, I glanced right and left, peering through the pale gray mist that drifted across the mountaintop. Monsters could be lurking anywhere, ready to strike or swoop down on us from the skies.
Up ahead, Cat perched on Wiley’s tall shoulders. The little creature looked around with a toothy grin and scratched behind Wiley’s ear. I shook my head. Maybe the Badlanders were confused. So far, Cat didn’t seem all that powerful to me.
With ears pricked and shoulders tensed, we finally reached the base of the stone monoliths. The grouping of tall boulders shot out of the mountain at odd angles, some piled on top of each other and looking for all the world like that stone snake.
I narrowed my eyes. “Did that one move?”
Misaki pulled us all into a huddle. “The kusuri has black flowers and pointed leaves.” We bent our heads together to hear her. The wind whipped across our backs and rain pelted our hoods. I held on to Rhonda and Sam at my sides to keep from being blown over. “Pick as much of it as you can. We can only linger a few minutes.” She glanced up at the darkening, cloudy sky. “We’ve got maybe an hour of light left to get back down the mountain and find shelter. Go!”
The guards turned and bent low to hike the steep slopes up to the rocks themselves.
“No hands in the middle cheer?” I grinned. My friends just shook their heads at me.
“Why do you love that so much?” Iggy shook his little flame head.
I shrugged. “You have to admit, it’s kinda fun.” I shuddered. The temperature had dropped and I felt colder standing still than I had while hiking.
“If you say so,” Rhonda muttered as she wandered off.
I took a deep breath and started up the slope. We had to go off trail h
ere, and the heavy rains had softened the ground to slick mud. I grasped at the tangled ground cover with my free hand as I climbed.
I headed for a tall rock, black and shiny in the rain, with a vertical crack running through it. Misaki had mentioned before that the herb was said to be so strong it could split rock—maybe some of the plant grew in the opening of this one. I’d nearly reached it when the muddy ground gave way under my foot. I fell hard on my stomach and slid down the steep slope, feet first toward the path and the cliff’s edge just beyond it.
I gasped for breath as my brain fought to make sense of the topsy-turvy world. A strong hand closed around my own. With a slight jolt to my shoulder, I jerked to a stop and hung still, panting.
I looked up and found Hank standing over me. A muscle jumped in his jaw as he stared at me with those bright blue eyes. His hand tightened around my own and he turned more fully to face me, testing his footing. Then he reached down, grabbed me under my other arm, and hauled me upright. I stood chest to chest with Hank as the rain buffeted us from all sides. Rain poured down our hoods and faces.
Hank looked me up and down, his eyes tight with worry. “Be careful.”
I nodded. “Thanks for grabbing me.”
A smile tugged at the corner of Hank’s mouth. “May I?” He gestured at my mud-smeared front. Black soil and bits of plants covered me and even Iggy couldn’t see out the glass of his lantern, it was so covered in mud.
I cleared my tight throat and managed a smile. “Sure.”
Hanks stretched his palms open and my skin tingled with the effects of magic. I guess Misaki and the others had decided to let us keep our powers for now. Either that, or they’d forgotten to take them back, and I wasn’t about to remind them. I found myself, and Iggy’s lantern, suddenly free of mud. “Thanks.”
Hank nodded.