“What?” Azarius clasped her arm.
“It’s not getting any closer. We’re going to have to go look for it.” She wasn’t going to leave it. She couldn’t.
Azarius nodded and released her. “You lead. I’ll follow from above.”
He shifted into a raven, his bird’s feet never touching the ground as he flapped upwards. She envied the Black Shamans for their trick for transforming with clothes on and being dressed when they shifted back. It would have saved her so many embarrassing situations.
Kinley headed into the woods and ignored the urgency of the whispers. She’d listened and obeyed them her whole life. Not now. Not when so many people needed her to find this totem.
The next hoot she heard was closer. So she was moving in the right direction. Except it was leading her up and toward the mountain.
While Azarius flew above, loneliness snugly wrapped around her allowing fear to creep in. She wished Ransom was with her. His strength, daring attitude, and the way he could make her laugh would help her feel less afraid.
No. He was safer elsewhere.
The ground grew steeper and rocky. She slid a few times, grabbing tree trunks for support.
Another cry from the owl. Kinley stared up at the surrounding trees. It was up there. Fifty or sixty feet. Maybe eighty. She pointed up, waiting for Azarius to come into view so he could see her and check out the treetops.
He flew from one to the other. With the amount of time he was taking, she guessed he was being thorough. But what if he couldn’t find the token? What if she had to climb up there?
The owl called to her once more. Up the mountain farther away.
Was it playing a game of chase? Kinley didn’t like it. The stakes were far too high.
With the sky growing darker, she swatted at the mosquitoes beginning to swarm and picked up her pace. She could see well enough at night, but she was unsure if Azarius could. Ravens weren’t nocturnal animals. Though being a Black Shaman could give him some advantages.
Kinley came to a spot where she had to scale a twenty foot rock wall. Not very high, but she’d never been great at climbing. The owl’s hoot echoed from upward in a small copse of trees on the side of the mountain. This has to be it. Please don’t let it lead me up any farther.
She began her slow climb, taking time to find proper holds. Inch by inch, she’d make it. She had to make it.
One of her feet slipped, and she let out a cry, clinging to the rock face.
Azarius cawed and shifted, landing softly on his feet on the edge above her. He lay on his belly and held out a hand to her. “Grab on.”
Could she reach him? Would her other foothold remain stable with most her weight if she let go with a hand? Her heart pounded in her chest. The fall wouldn’t kill her, but dammit, she didn’t want to start over.
“Grab my hand.” Azarius urged.
Taking a deep breath, Kinley let go with one hand and stretched her arm up. Her fingers grazed his. Not enough.
Azarius seized her fingers and hauled her up with a speed that made her squeal. Her fingers throbbed as if he’d crushed them, but she was up and on solid ground.
A piercing hoot caused her to cringe.
“Where?” Azarius glanced around.
“That group of trees. It’s close.” As long as it doesn’t move again.
He didn’t wait for her to say anything else. Shifting, he hopped off the side of the rock and flew upward.
One hop on the mountain.
RAVEN! The voice shrieked like a spaceship falling from the sky.
The stench of decay rolled over her, and from the west, from the site, the giant roared.
Not now. Not when they were so close to the totem.
There was no turning back. Kinley had to get to the token. But which tree?
The ground shook as the giant approached. Was that the owl’s shriek or hers? Pick a tree. Any tree!
The one in the middle was the biggest. That was the best bet. It would allow her to see the tops of the others if she was wrong.
Wait. There were no low branches. The closest one was about sixteen feet above her. Kinley swallowed hard. Time to piss off the giant even more.
“Kinley!”
She cried out as if struck by a gauntleted fist. No! She spun to see Ransom running toward her. What was he doing here? Why was he here?
“What the fuck are you doing? Run! Get away from here!” Ransom leapt over a big rock and snagged her around the waist.
“No!” Kinley pried herself from his grip. Damn. Why did he have to show up now? If he died, it would be her fault. She couldn’t cry. Not now. “I’m so sorry. I can’t run. I can stop the giant. I can save us all.”
Without taking off her clothes first, she shifted. Her favorite hoodie shredded around her expanding form as she dug her claws into the trunk of the tree. The remnants of her clothing fluttered to the ground. The giant raged, bellowing for Bear, even as she lifted herself from the ground and climbed. No easy task, but she wouldn’t be able to do it at all with human hands.
“Kinley!” Ransom growled and transformed. He slinked out of his clothes and ascended the tree much quicker than she. Well, he was a cat, after all. How she wished for his dexterity now.
Twenty feet. Thirty. The branches were too close together for her big bear body. She hugged the trunk and shifted back to human form. The cold hit her first and then the prickliness of the needles. To top it off, naked Ransom jumped onto a branch beside her.
“What’s going on? How will you stop the giant?” He breathed heavily with his beautiful hazel eyes boring into her.
“The owl.” Yes, like that was going to explain it all. Ransom must think her insane. She started climbing again. Was that the giant’s bald head she could see in the distance? How close was he?
Ransom followed behind her as if he was her spotter on a rock climbing exhibition. “I don’t understand.” When she didn’t reply, he grunted out a sigh. “Come on, Kin. I can’t help if you won’t tell me. I’ve known for a while that there is more to this than you’ve let on. You know I’m with you, whatever you have to do.”
Kinley didn’t need the whispers to confirm he meant what he said. She could trust him. He’d proven that over and over again. Scratches covered her as she continued to climb, but the cold didn’t bother her so much anymore. The warmth from his body near hers helped on so many levels.
“The owl isn’t an actual owl, but a token. A magical token from a stolen totem pole.” That wasn’t helping explain it either. She took a deep breath, tried to ignore how close the giant was getting, and started again. “Last month, Ametta found a sacred cave. It once housed a totem pole fashioned by the gods to store the magic in which they used to create shifters. The pole is gone. We must find seven totem tokens and reunite them with the pole to save that magic. If we don’t, it could mean the end for all shifters.”
“Holy shit.” Ransom hiss through his teeth. “You could have told me this before. I can help.”
Sixty or seventy feet up, Kinley stopped. “Could you imagine what would happen if every shifter knew about this? It would be chaos. The Black Shamans know and are searching. My family knows. But that’s all we wanted to involve because, well…” She gestured toward the giant. “The magic screws things up. I think it called the giant from the grave. Once I have the token, things will return to normal on the mountain.”
Ransom climbed up beside her and perched in a crouch on the branch. “Why couldn’t one of the Black Shaman find this token? If you’re wrong…”
“No one else can hear the owl. I think the token was meant for me.”
The giant neared the copse of trees. Ransom grabbed her and the tree trunk, holding them steady as everything shook.
A series of caws rang over the giant’s roars. Kinley dared to stand, hugging the tree, and leaned to peer through the branches. Azarius flew up and dove down, whizzing by the monster. The raven did this again and again, and the giant only grew more furious.
“Your friend is distracting it for us. Come on!” Ransom nudged her as he grabbed the branch above them.
Kinley started upwards again. So close to the top. But where was the owl? And what was she looking for exactly?
Her fingers stopped hurting. Numbness spread through them and her toes. A soft hoot drew her to the right. But the branches were growing too thin to support her. A flash of feathers. Big wings stretching.
Glancing at Ransom, he appeared not to have seen what she did. Another affirmation that the owl token was meant for her.
She held out a hand to stop him, and he did so without question. Trust, loyalty, and respect. Maybe she had judged the cat in him too harshly before. This was a man of honor. No matter how carefree and wild he might seem, Ransom was a guy you wanted by your side. And he was hot on top of that!
Calling without words to the owl, Kinley startled when a pair of large golden eyes blinked at her. A great horned owl fluffed itself up as it sat on a nearby branch. It regarded her in silence as she gaped at it.
The world around her seemed to freeze. Caught in one heartbeat, she and the owl linked together mind to mind. No, deeper than that. Soul to soul.
Whispers swirled around them, but they were like invisible Tweets. She could pick which ones she wanted to read and let the others disappear into the feed. Messages from the Otherworld. Not tied to the bird’s leg, but flying free as it did.
The moment shattered and the owl was gone. Cold jabbed into her skin like a thousand pins, and her ears rang from the giant’s furious shouts. In the owl’s place was a necklace draped over the branch. A carved and delicately painted owl hung between beads of ivory and stone. Or was some of that bone? Whatever it was, she had found the token.
Ransom said something below her, and she looked to see him pointing at the necklace.
“I’m going to crawl out to get it.” Kinley climbed up a little farther and knelt on the branch, testing its strength.
Azarius’ screech jerked her head to the west. He flapped upwards, listing to the left. She didn’t need to be an ornithologist to tell something was wrong with his wing. The giant swung his hand, batting Azarius from the sky, and stomped on him.
Kinley screamed, and the giant’s milky gaze turned toward her.
Not Azarius. He was a Black Shaman. He was her savior. There was no way he could survive being crushed no matter his magic or long life. Unlike a vampire, Azarius was mortal.
“Kinley!” Ransom grabbed her ankle and shook her. “Get the token!”
The giant was coming. Azarius was dead. She was stuck at the top of a Sitka Spruce, naked and with no weapons.
“Kinley!” Ransom shouted again.
She stared at him as if through a haze. Was he really there? Maybe her mind conjured the image of Ransom to keep her company in the tree. That way, she wouldn’t have to die alone.
The giant pushed through the tall evergreens, reaching toward her, but not being able to seize her. He stood on his toes, but no luck. So huge and yet not big enough. Kinley wanted to laugh, but no sound came from her mouth.
The monster pounded at the trunk with his fists. Kinley wrapped her arms and legs around it and held tight. Ransom shifted and dug in with his claws, yowling.
Somehow the necklace remained on the branch. Magic, of course. It waited for her. Now if only the giant would stop and allow her a few seconds to retrieve it.
Ransom launched himself at their tormentor. He hissed as he landed on the giant’s face and raked his claws down the bulbous eyes.
Tears stung her eyes. Kinley had seen how an attack like this ended twice already. Ransom was there for her and her alone. She couldn’t let him die.
She twisted and leapt toward the token. Slipping as she did so, she tumbled and was caught by two branches below. The force of it knocked the air from her lungs, and she struggled to get a hold to keep from falling farther.
Steadying herself, she looked back in time to see the giant swipe a hand across his face. Ransom jumped back into the tree, but his claws caught loose bark. He tried to grasp it again, but his claws only tore more of it to shreds. Shifting, he locked his fingers around the branch and dangled sixty feet off the ground.
“Kinley!” Ransom’s cry drew a sob from her.
She pulled herself up, getting a steady footing again, just as the giant stumbled and flailed his arms about. He managed to snap off a large branch a few feet under Ransom’s feet. His massive hand hit another tree, snatched it, and shook it.
That’s when she spotted the gouges on his eyes. The monster couldn’t see. Ransom blinded it.
A few more precious seconds. She could get the totem token. It still sat upon the branch, unaffected by the nightmare events rocking the mountain.
Kinley glanced at Ransom to see his hands slowly losing their grip. No! He just needed to hold on. One more minute. Not even that.
With a terrifying snarl, the giant swung around and lashed out at all the trees around him. One punch slammed their tree, and Ransom almost lost his hold. The shifter tried to get his feet up to help, but everything was shaking with the giant’s furious fit. Ransom wouldn’t be able to hold on long enough for her to reach the token and then him.
If he dared to yell, he would tell her to get the necklace. He would sacrifice himself for the possibility she would live. Shouldn’t she honor that sacrifice?
No. He wasn’t dead. He didn’t have to die. She wouldn’t let him.
Kinley swiftly scaled down the trunk and stepped onto his branch. It mattered to her if he died. She squatted and sat, wrapping her legs around the branch and leaning forward to grab his wrists.
Ransom shook his head, but didn’t fight as she lifted him high enough for him to get his limbs around the branch. He righted himself and scooted to her to mash his mouth against hers. Not even the giant’s rage could ruin that kiss for her.
“Get up there. Get that token.” He panted.
Kinley turned just as the giant smacked their tree again. He wrapped his arms around the base and roared as he began to tug.
No time to think it through. She stood with Ransom’s help and climbed to the branch where the necklace hung.
A frantic flapping of wings blasted her from the right. Was the owl back?
With a piercing cry, a golden eagle swooped in and snatched the necklace with its feet before flying quickly away from the mountain.
The giant’s bellow ended abruptly. The tree stopped shaking. The monster was gone.
And so was the token.
The smothering silence froze Kinley in place with one hand on the branch that had held the token. That could not have just happened. The totem was meant for her, not for…
It wasn’t possible. Ametta and Lucky said they killed the hunter who could turn into a golden eagle. They’d shot her with a flare gun and pummeled her into the ground. The eagle was dead.
But no ordinary bird would take the necklace. No animal would dare be in this area right now where the giant had been rampaging.
It had to be that hunter. But how? Why?
“Kinley.” Ransom’s soft voice lured her from her thoughts.
Her lips perked up just a little. He was alive. He had taken on the giant and lived.
She climbed down and held the trunk with one arm while wrapping the other around him. Burying her face against his neck, she could almost block out the horrid stench of the monster that still blanketed the mountain.
Ransom rubbed his cheek against her head. “What happened? That other bird… Why did it take the token?”
“She’s a hunter of our kind. Maybe one of the people who stole the totem pole. We thought she was dead…” It would do no good right now to tell the tale. They were naked, hurt, and up a huge tree. She swatted a mosquito that buzzed near her head. They’d get eaten alive by the bugs if they didn’t get down and indoors.
Eaten alive.
Kinley stiffened. Oh shit.
“We need to get down now. Fast as possible.”
She let Ransom go, immediately missing his warmth, and began her descent.
“What’s wrong?” Ransom followed, more quickly and skillfully than she.
“We’re not out of danger yet. The giant isn’t gone.” Foot on branch, hand on trunk, squat and climb. Again and again. Just don’t slip. “Do you know the story of how Bear and Raven defeated the last of the giants?”
“No. But I’m going to assume it was like Mortal Combat.” Ransom somehow maneuvered under her and led the way. “Except, you know, they weren’t mortals.”
A video game reference. Could he be any more perfect?
Time for blushing over the hot guy later. “Bear and Raven burned the giants. They scattered the ashes to the winds so they’d fly in all directions because even those tiny bits of ash were still hungry for human blood.”
Thank you, Azarius, for sharing the story. She wondered if he knew the truth. But if he did, would it have made a difference? Not likely.
“Okay. So if we had made a huge bonfire, we could have scared off the giant.” Ransom hopped down to the next branch and helped her slide down next to him.
Kinley took hold of his arms and stared him right in the eyes. “The tiny bits of ash are still hungry. The mosquitoes. The giant mosquitoes at this site. It isn’t natural for them to be out at this time of year. The giant is here all the time. Only when something triggers him does he come all together.”
“Something like a bear.” Ransom’s eyes gleamed.
“Right.” Kinley nodded. “If we can kill off most of the mosquitoes, we slay the giant.”
“I like the sound of that.” There was that gorgeous grin. She so loved to see it. He kissed her and laughed. “Follow me. I’ll get us down.”
“Then to the site. They don’t have flame throwers, but they have fuel.”
They got to the ground, but not fast enough for her liking. She wasn’t willing to shift, though. If the giant came together now, they’d be dead.
Dead like Azarius. She glanced over to where he’d been killed. Black feathers and blood marred the ground. She blinked back tears knowing Azarius would not want her taking time to mourn him yet. To honor him, she’d finish what they started.
Silent Whispers (Totem Book 2) Page 7