by Amelia Jade
Raphael grabbed the kayak itself and tipped it upside down, carrying it over his head.
“Lead on,” he told her.
Together they set out into the forest that overlooked both sides of the river, hoping to find an easy way through.
We make a good team…
Behind them, the sound of the engine grew louder once again.
Chapter Six
Karlie
It was close enough that she could hear it now.
“They’re gaining on us, aren’t they?” She stepped forward, careful of where she placed her feet.
“Probably,” he agreed, water splashing under his footsteps. “This isn’t helping us much.”
They were walking along the riverbank. After twenty minutes of trying to find their way through the virgin forest, it became apparent that they were not going to find an easy path. Instead they were forced to trek alongside the river, hoping that it would deepen soon and allow them to make better headway.
Up ahead, the river curved sharply to the right. They’d seen the curve coming for some time, as this particular portion of it had been rather straighter than expected. Both of them were hoping that after they got around it they would be able to move ahead at a faster clip.
“So, Raphael,” she said, breaking the silence a few minutes later. “You never did finish telling me who you are.”
“What did you want to know?” he asked after a moment.
“Who are you? What do you do? Why are you still in Genesis Valley?”
“I’m a Stone Bear,” he said at last, his voice heavy with the gravity of the title, as if she should know what that meant.
“A what?” Although she’d been lamenting the fact that she was in front of him, unable to sneak much more than a peek here or there at her rescuer, Karlie was all of a sudden very glad he couldn’t see the embarrassment on her face.
“How much do you know about Genesis Valley?” he said, answering her question with one of his own.
“It’s home of the dragons,” she answered immediately. “That’s where grandfather used to live. You know, before.”
“Before what?” It was Raphael’s turn to sound confused, and all of a sudden she felt better about herself. It appeared they both possessed knowledge the other did not.
“Before he shifted,” she answered. “That was where he lived.”
“Oh,” Raphael said, sounding surprised. “Well, I suppose that makes a lot of sense.”
She nodded, knowing he could see it as she stepped forward tentatively while trying not to lose her footing. “Your turn to answer my question now,” she prodded.
“Do you know what the Lionshead Mining Consortium was established to do?” he asked.
“Not really,” she answered. “Father would always fly into a fit of rage every time they were brought up, and Grandfather never got a chance to tell me before I went away to school. He doesn’t like leaving his valley, so I haven’t seen much of him since I turned eighteen. More than a decade ago now.”
“So, LMC for short, was established to dig for Dragon Stones,” Raphael explained.
“Right,” she said, a fragment of a memory coming back to her at the mention of that. “That actually rings a bell now that you mention it.”
“Well,” Raphael’s voice sounded…odd, but he continued nonetheless. She wondered what it meant. “I am one of the bears in charge of security for the Stones once they are found.”
All of a sudden the seriousness with which he had said his title earlier made sense to her. She knew what a Dragon Stone was. Whenever a dragon died, their bodies turned to stone, and eventually to dust. But buried within the hard outer casing was a gem stone. They were larger than a watermelon, and very important to the dragon species.
When a fully mature dragon used its fire on a Stone, it softened the exterior, and on the inside a new dragon was born. Nobody quite understood how it worked, and dragons kept that information a heavily guarded secret. They did not want anyone to know more about the Stones.
He must truly be a powerful shifter in his own right for Raphael to have been appointed a keeper of the Stones. After seeing him dispatch several of the guards pursuing them, Karlie fully believed it. He was a man she could trust. If anyone would see her through to freedom, it would be him.
“What’s life like in Genesis Valley?” she asked carefully, keeping her voice as neutral as possible.
He didn’t respond.
“Raphael?”
She turned to look back at him when he still didn’t answer. He was standing in the river, his head cocked to the side, looking behind them. Falling silent as she realized he was listening for something, Karlie tried to open her ears as well.
“They’re close,” he said at the same moment she heard voices.
“We have to move. Now!”
In full agreement she began to find her way once again, this time being less careful about her foot placing. There was no time to be careful now; they needed speed more than anything.
Branches snapped. Risking a glance behind her, Karlie saw two large shapes moving through the brush on the left side of the river. Without a bulky kayak to slow them down, the shifters could easily make their way through the undergrowth, using the bulk of their bears to simply bull their way through.
“We’re not going to make it!” she shouted back at Raphael.
“Focus on getting to the bend. We have to hope it gets deeper there,” he responded, his voice as calm and focused as ever.
How does he do that? Staying so focused without worrying about the pair of guards pursuing us? She knew she was not possessed of such mental fortitude. A memory of a shadowy figure dropping from a tree onto the back of another shifter the night before stole through her mind like a ghost.
Right. This was Raphael, a one-man wrecking crew. He wasn’t worried about two shifters, because he could handle them. She hoped.
An angry growl came from the forest to her right as the shifters gained ground on them.
Wait a minute. I looked back to my left the first time! “They’re on both sides of us!” she shouted.
“I know,” he replied, his voice huffing as he worked hard to keep up. His greater weight made trekking through the shallow water and mud harder. They had discovered that right away. Now that he was having to run, it was probably making the problem worse. They would get caught by the guards on both sides.
Four. They were being pursued by four shifters. Two on each bank of the river. Those odds were significantly less in their favor than she had originally thought.
“Fuck that’s cold,” she cried out in shock as her foot splashed down into water, the cold sensation trickling up over her ankle.
“What is?” Raphael asked automatically.
“The water on my ankle—” She stopped midsentence as what she was saying hit home. “The water, it’s rising!” Even now it was beginning to lap at her shins as they got closer to the bend in the river.
A big splash from behind made her turn to see what it was. Even as she did, the kayak came rushing at her. She reached down to still it, so they wouldn’t lose it, wondering why Raphael had let go of it.
The reason became clear as she completed her turn. Where he had been standing, a huge light-gray grizzly bear had just splashed down on all fours, turning to face the onrushing pursuers.
Karlie swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry. It was too late. They had been caught. Her initial instinct was to hop in the kayak and go. The water was deep enough now, and the current picked up speed as the river narrowed. She could likely outpace her pursuers.
But that would leave Raphael alone to face four shifters. He may be good, and his bear was certainly larger and meaner-looking than any of the four that had now exited the forest and were approaching him warily, but that didn’t mean he could take on four of them.
Cursing, she hauled the kayak to the shore, ensuring it was lodged well and good. Then she turned back and waded toward him. Before she had closed t
he distance more than halfway, the first of the shifters attacked.
“Shit,” she said, continuing to curse under her breath as the other three shifters prepared to attack as well. They seemed to be ignoring her for the moment, but she promised they would regret that.
Karlie wasn’t a close-combat trained shifter, but when a shifter had lineage like she did, some things became inevitable. Ferro had recognized from the start that she would likely face extreme danger if anyone ever found out who she was, so he had ensured she took some martial arts training ever since she turned twelve.
In the shifter world, power and strength were gained as one aged. It was not bestowed upon someone from birth. Being descended from the purest dragon bloodline there was gave Karlie a slight advantage, but at only twenty-nine years of age, she was still at a distinct disadvantage. Besides you’re not—
She chopped that thought off as fast as she could. Now was not the time for any insecurities. Raphael needed her help, and she was going to provide it. No matter how terrified she was of taking on a bear—like the large brown-and-black one that was turning to face her—she knew it had to be done. The animal facing her growled loudly, then splashed toward her in a mad dash.
Freed of the pack and paddles, Karlie allowed her training to take over. Light on her feet, she waited until the last second and then danced aside in a half-spin, raising her hands above her head as she did.
Before slamming them down in a vicious two-handed chop into the bear’s flank.
The animal, having slowed to try and turn and face her, howled in pain as her augmented strength drove the flat blade of her hands between two of its ribs. She felt more than heard something snap under her blow. Wincing at the unnatural feeling of it, she continued her spin until she settled into a crouch, her legs spread wide and bent low to balance her.
Watching each motion, looking at the eyes of her foe and ignoring the thundering brawl that erupted behind her, Karlie stalked forward. As she did, the bear—now more wary of her skills—moved to meet her. Doing her best to pretend like her first move was blind luck, Karlie telegraphed each of her next moves well in advance, hoping that her enemy would pick up on that.
She danced slightly to the right, and was rewarded to see the bear move almost at the same time she did, having noticed she was going to do it. In a fake attempt to catch it off guard, she lunged forward, making the move as blindly obvious as she could. The bear matched her, its eyes focused on her intently.
Almost at the last second she faked a move to her left before abruptly reversing course and going back the other way. The shifter, having thought he’d found an opening, was already moving to attack the space she would have been in. Her real attack came swooping in from the other side. Her two fingers went rock solid and she stabbed them into the bear’s eye.
Hard.
She retched as blood and…other things flowed around her hand, but she drove the attack home, forcing her opponent to the ground as it shrieked in pain. Karlie ducked, her hand searching in the water until she found what she was looking for. The one hand still pushing deep into the mangled eye socket, she raised her left hand up high, and brought it down upon its head with all her strength.
The rock she had picked up slammed into its skull. Furiously she repeated the motion, pounding away at it until the tough skull shattered under her assault. Finally the bear lay still, its thrashing subsiding into the twitches as the last remnants of life fled it.
Karlie was shaking. Her entire body screamed out at her, trying to lock up her muscles, to overpower with horror at what she had just done. By all rights she should have been on the ground vomiting, crying in terror and regret, or worse. There should have been no control left over her own body. It wasn’t the first time she had killed, but it was the most violent, gruesome method she had ever used. Never had she expected to have to follow through with her training, to use it how it was taught to her.
But the expected collapse never happened. Instead, something reared up inside of her, exerting an iron will of control over her body. Some portion of her mind clamped down on her emotions and hysteria. It didn’t just push it to the side; it seized it bodily and threw it from her mind as she rose, spinning to face the fight going on behind her.
“Hey!” she shouted, getting the attention of the bears that were trying to work over Raphael.
Try being the key word, she noted. One of them was down, the river stained dark as blood drained from the lifeless body. One more was limping hard as well. The two of them pursued Raphael relentlessly however, and he was hurting. His flanks were torn to shreds, and a large flap of skin was hanging loose from his face, among other injuries. She suspected he had several broken ribs at a minimum.
“You,” she snarled, pointing at the limping bear. It took her a second to realize she was still holding the rock, shaking it at her next target angrily as blood and bits of gore flew from it. “You’re dead.” Her voice was as cold as ice as she strode across the river, water flying from her path as her feet cut through it with ease.
Nobody fucked with Raphael. Not if she could do anything about it.
The ferocity of her feelings toward him, of wanting him to be safe, caught Karlie by surprise, but she focused her intent on the injured bear. She moved constantly to its weak side, forcing it to pivot awkwardly on the ruined leg. The shifter growled and batted its front legs at her repeatedly, but she continually stayed just out of reach, dodging back each time she entered its range.
Finally the shifter made the mistake she had been waiting for. Either from weakness or unsolid ground, the leg twisted some more and fell out from underneath the shifter. It went down, rolling almost onto its side.
Karlie was on top of it in a second, attacking from the rear where it could reach her. She drove her chosen weapon hard into its head. The bear roared in pain and shook violently, trying to throw her off. She had to let go of the rock just to hold on.
When she gained her balance once more, she cupped both hands and drove them hard against the bear’s skull, right over the ears. The animal trumpeted in pain once again as she burst its eardrums.
A hammerfist into its flank cracked rib after rib as she drove her arms high and downward with all the strength she could muster in repeated attacks.
But she got cocky, and stirred too far from her place at the back of the shifter. A massive paw reached back and huge talons dug into her skin as the bear dragged her off its back and threw her into the river in front of him. It couldn’t rise, but she was within reach of him now. She tried to scramble away, but the paw descended on her hand, keeping her pinned as the animal tried to hop to its feet so that it could maul her completely.
Struggling frantically to free herself, Karlie looked up just in time to see a paw headed for her face. She threw up an arm and cried out.
But the blow never landed. The weight vanished from her hand.
She waited a moment longer before slowly opening her eyes, wincing in anticipation of something happening.
But all she saw was the corpse of her attacker, its throat just gone. It slowly crumpled to the side into a heap, revealing her savior.
Lying in the riverbed was a laboring black and gray bear. Blood streamed from hundreds of different wounds, and she wondered how he was even alive.
“Raphael,” she cried, splashing over to his side. The bear stirred weakly. “Oh shit, what the hell do I do?” She was distraught, completely overwhelmed about what to do now. The situation looked bad.
The bear made a sound, and she watched as the form began to shrink rapidly. The sound continued, but as he reassumed his human form, she realized it was actually a long, drawn-out word.
“Ow.” He lay on his side in the water. Even as she looked at him again, she noticed many of his wounds were already closing. That was good, but he was still weak.
They needed to go, and soon. It was unlikely that the men who had found them hadn’t communicated that fact to Vincent and the others. More guards would be de
scending upon them soon if they didn’t move.
After she was assured that Raphael would be okay for a minute, Karlie ran back to the shore. Throwing the pack of supplies and paddles into the kayak, she dragged it back upriver to where Raphael had pulled himself into a ball on his side.
“Come on,” she urged, tugging on his shoulder.
Pain flared up her arm, and she cried out, dropping her grip on him. But the pain didn’t go away. Looking down at her arm, she blinked in surprise. Her upper arm was torn, blood flowing freely from it, though it was already slowing by the look of it. She had completely forgotten about the injury until just then.
“Adrenaline.”
She blinked, looking down at Raphael. “What?”
“You’re wondering why you weren’t feeling that before,” he said, nodding his head at her wound. “The answer is adrenaline. It happens to us all, allows us to do a lot more than we might normally.”
He unsteadily rose to his feet. “Like you said, we need to go,” he said. The first half of his climb into the kayak was okay, but as it came to using his arms to support himself, he half-collapsed into it. “I’m sorry,” he said.
She frowned, hearing him slur his words. “What’s wrong?”
“Weak,” he mumbled, his eyes drooping closed already.
“Wait! What do I do?” she asked, but he was already slumped forward, out cold.
“Shit. Shit. Fuck. FUCK!” She shouted, then clapped her hands to her mouth, looking around in horror. Someone might have heard that.
Get it together, woman. He’s counting on you right now. There is exactly zero time for you to freak out and have a meltdown. It’s time to be a grown-up. He’s gotten you out of more than one jam. Now it’s your turn to repay him.
She looked down at Raphael. At least he was in the kayak. All she had to do now was drag it downriver until the water deepened, and then continue paddling. He would recover at some point. Wouldn’t he?
He had to. Steeling herself, Karlie took a deep breath, took hold of the front of the kayak, and began to pull.