by Alane Adams
Then Tiber grabbed Leo by the collar and dragged him forward, tossing him into the pile of stones.
“Hold on tight,” Rego shouted over the wind. They wedged themselves between rocks and waited.
With a roaring sound like a race car engine, the mouth of the strange storm passed over them. A rock next to Leo lifted and then took off like a slingshot.
Rego shouted for help. The dwarf’s feet had left the ground. He clung to a rock, but he was being sucked into the vortex. Tiber let go with one hand and grabbed the dwarf by his chest mail. The beefy soldier clung to the dwarf as the ferocity of the storm reached its high point, deafening them with the thunder of sand and wind. Tiber seemed to be winning the battle, and then the storm increased another notch. Rego was torn from his grasp, cartwheeling through the air. Tiber lunged for him and lost his own grip, instantly sharing the same fate as the dwarf.
Leo shouted in horror, but his two allies were gone. Moments later, the wind lessened, and the roaring subsided until only a passing gust stirred the air. Leo stood up, brushing the coating of dust from his hair and face. His ears were full of sand— everything sounded muffled. He shook out the grit, then looked around for signs of Tiber or Rego.
“Rego?” he shouted.
“They’re gone,” Jey said without a trace of emotion. “We need to find the horses.” He brushed past Leo and retraced their steps.
Leo stared after him. They had just watched two friends get sucked into a black hole, and Jey acted like they had gone for a walk. He shook his head, suddenly grateful he was nothing like the heartless Falcory, then followed after the boy. They spotted a mound across the dune. Jey dropped to his knees and brushed away the sand.
The vacant eyes of Jey’s painted horse stared up at them. Jey said nothing, just gritted his jaw and pretended that losing his favorite horse didn’t bother him. The waterskins tied to her had broken in her fall and spilled into the sand. The tip of a stick stuck out of the ground. Jey dug down, letting out an excited yell when he pulled his prized javelin out. He slipped it back into the leather case he wore.
“I’ve never seen a storm like that,” Leo said, breaking the silence.
“That’s because it was witch magic. They must be looking for us.” Jey put his fingers to his lips and let out a whistle. He sniffed the air with his beak, wrinkling his lips as he filtered the smells. “The horses are all dead,” he said in that clipped detached voice. Then he turned and started to jog.
“Hey, where are you headed?” Leo called.
Jey answered without slowing. “To the mountain to get that cuff. I made a promise to my father.”
Leo hurried after him, grabbed Jey by the shoulder, and spun him around “Stop. We have to look for our friends.”
Jey’s dark eyes glittered angrily. “No. We have to get to Ilyawit Peak and recover the Draupnir. Or are you running away from that like your responsibility to be a chief?”
Shame flooded Leo. “You heard that?”
“Yes.” He looked at Leo with disgust in his flinty eyes. “A Falcory would never turn his back on his tribe. We have honor. We are not cowards.”
Leo’s jaw tightened. “I’m not afraid.”
Jey pushed him. “Prove it.”
Leo pushed him back. “Knock it off. I said I’m not afraid.”
Jey’s fingers curled into fists, as if he were about to take a swing at Leo, and then he took a step back. “I won’t dishonor myself by hitting you. Keep up if you’re coming.” Jey turned and sprinted across the sand.
Leo glared at his back. He had no choice but to race after him or be left alone in the middle of this desert. But before he followed, he stopped and said a silent word for Rego and Tiber, praying that they had landed safely somewhere.
The two boys pushed on, neither one admitting to fatigue or thirst. The sun was like an oven, baking them to a crisp. All moisture had been sucked from the air. Leo’s mouth felt like it was made of dried cardboard.
Finally, after two punishing hours, Leo called a halt. “I give. You’re better and faster than me,” he gasped, dropping to his knees. “I can’t go on. I need water.”
Jey slowed and then stopped. His shoulders went up and down as he panted for air. “You lasted longer than I expected.” A small sound of admiration tinged his voice.
Leo would have smiled if his lips weren’t cracked and dry. “Look, I can’t do this without you. We would have more success if we worked together. As a team.” He let the olive branch dangle.
“Agreed.” Jey stuck his hand out, and they clasped arms.
“We need water,” Leo said, tasting the grit between his teeth.
“See that mound of rocks?” Jey pointed to a distant clump of boulders. “There will be water there.”
“How? An underground spring?”
Jey grinned, flashing white teeth. “No. My father’s secret stash. The Falcory cross the desert all the time. We prepare for the worst. Last one there has to carry the water.”
Jey took off in a sprint. Leo chased after, but even with his longer legs, Jey easily beat him to the boulder pile. The boy pushed a rock aside, revealing a small hole in the ground. He reached in and pulled out a bulging waterskin. Uncapping it, he tilted it back, pouring water down his throat before passing it to Leo.
Leo drank greedily. “I think I like your father,” he said with a satisfied burp.
Jey took the waterskin and capped it tightly before settling himself down in the shade of a boulder. He looked up at Leo. “The girl is pretty. You like her, don’t you?”
Leo’s mind flashed to Keely, and he shrugged. “Keely’s my friend.”
Jey grinned jauntily. “I will steal her from you some day.” He folded his arms, tucked his chin on his chest, and promptly fell asleep.
Leo sat awake, staring at the distant red peak as the sun set behind it, thinking about iguanadillos and the very real possibility that being the Sacrifice would end with his death.
Chapter Nineteen
Leo and Jey walked through the night, stopping to rest and take tiny sips of water. By dawn’s light, they were at the base of Ilyawit Peak. Rocks pressed in on either side as they wended their way along a narrow animal trail that led up the mountain. Strange insects called out with sharp chirps. Hidden birds screeched at them from small rock caves.
They refilled their waterskin from a brackish stream that trickled out of a boulder. The water smelled like rotten eggs, but it was better than nothing. They climbed to a flat mesa where the smell of decay permeated the air. Burned and blackened trees dotted the rocky plain. The bones of long-dead animals, picked over by carrion, lay scattered in heaps. Red-gulled vultures hovered over a misshapen lump, squawking their displeasure at the interruption.
A rock wall rose three stories above them. Cold air flowed from the dark opening at the top, down the cliff face. Through the pungent smell of the offal Leo could detect the sulfurous odor of the she-she-kana lair.
It was time to face his destiny.
There were handholds cut into the side of the cliff. Neither boy spoke. Jey began to climb, pulling himself easily from hold to hold. Leo followed, feeling his stomach in knots. With each advance up the wall, Leo was less and less certain about his ability to tackle this beast that had now grown to the size of a tanker truck in his mind.
Too soon, he levered himself over the lip of the cliff. His knees were shaking as he stood next to Jey. The black hole of the entrance yawned like a menacing trap.
Leo hesitated. “You promised your father you wouldn’t go inside. I can do this alone.”
Jey just laughed. “I’m not letting you have all the glory. Besides, I didn’t promise him. I just didn’t argue with Captain Teren when he suggested it.” Jey rolled his shoulders. He held up the javelin in one hand, thrusting it high as he let out a loud whoop. “Beware, she-she-kana, your doom awaits you!” he shouted.
Leo pulled out the curved knife Mimir had given him. It felt ridiculously small in his hands. Together they
stepped inside the hole. It reminded Leo of Sinmara’s underworld prison. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness. He could make out uneven ground. Rocky outcrops pressing down from the ceiling would crack open his head if he wasn’t careful. They moved forward, on alert for the slightest noise. The tunnel came to a bend and split into two trails. The left trail led downward; the right tilted upward at a slight incline. They stood, uncertain, neither wanting to be parted from the other.
Leo spoke first. “I’ll go right,” he said softly. “You go left.”
For once, Jey didn’t argue. It took another ten minutes of maneuvering and stumbling before Leo emerged on a narrow shelf of rock overlooking a large chamber. The walls of the cavern were phosphorescent, giving off a natural glow. Steam rose from an oily pool of water in the center and disappeared through a circular opening that offered a glimpse of sky. Crystal stalactites hung from the ceiling, emanating the same internal light. Scattered bones littered the floor around a smooth, rounded indent where the monster no doubt slept.
There was no sign of the she-she-kana.
Jey appeared below, walking across the chamber floor to the edge of the pond. The boy spied Leo above him, shrugging as if to say he didn’t know what to do. Behind him, the water rippled. Out of the center, a creature emerged. The she-she-kana was as big and ugly as a tank. Broad and squat with mottled green skin, it had taloned feet and a short neck. Tiny eyes were placed well back next to a pair of small slits for ears. Its snout was blunt, consisting mostly of a wide pair of jaws lined with two rows of sharp teeth. A thick plating of scales like armor crossed its chest and torso.
It really does look like an iguanadillo, Leo thought, with his first real frisson of fear. Then a glint of light caught his eye, and his heart rate ratcheted up. There. On its hind leg. A golden cuff gleamed.
“Jey!” Leo hissed a warning, jabbing his finger to point over Jey’s head.
The Falcory boy turned around and stumbled backward as the she-she-kana bore down on him, moving fast on its stubby legs. Jey threw his javelin, but it bounced harmlessly off the beast’s scaly plates. Leo took a running leap off the top of the ledge, soaring through the air to land straight down onto the creature’s head as its jaws widened to devour his friend.
Gripping the scaly creature with his knees, Leo raised his knife high, then plunged it into the beast’s right eye.
The creature bellowed, rearing up on its hind legs, and tossed Leo off as it pawed furiously at its wounded eye. Leo held onto the knife but lost his hold on the beast. He landed hard on his backside, feeling the wind knocked out of him.
The iguanadillo’s deafening yowl echoed off the walls, knocking down loose rocks that tumbled around them.
“It’s got a soft spot under its chin. If I kill it, the Draupnir is mine!” Jey shouted, then he charged forward, clutching his javelin. “Come and get a taste of me, you ugly beast!”
The she-she-kana turned at Jey’s voice. It was quick and agile for such a squatty creature. It scampered forward like a lizard. Jey drew his arm back and launched his javelin, aiming squarely at the beast’s soft underthroat, but the creature dropped its head, and the javelin sailed past. Fast as lightning it whipped its head up, and a long silvery tongue streaked from its mouth, snatching Jey and rolling him up like a sausage in a bun. Jey let out a shocked scream as the she-she-kana tossed its head back and opened its jaws wide to swallow the boy. All Leo saw of Jey were his legs kicking to get free.
“Leo, help!”
The beast swung back and forth, attempting to guzzle Jey whole. In another few seconds, Jey would be dead. With its head up, its vulnerable spot was exposed. This was his chance. Leo ran forward, clutching his knife. He jumped onto one bent fore-leg of the beast and thrust upward with all his might, aiming for the tender spot. The curved blade went in all the way to the hilt. He thrust harder, pushing deeper, feeling the blade slice through tendons and flesh.
Green, gooey blood sprayed on him, making him gag. The beast kept on its feet, determined to choke Jey down its throat. It staggered forward, raising one taloned foot to crush Leo. Leo rolled sideways and dodged the attack but then had to roll again as the creature came crashing down on its side, hitting the ground next to him with a tremendous thud that shook loose another cascade of rocks.
A long, foul gust of air was squeezed from the dead beast’s lungs as its enormous body deflated like a popped balloon. It was silent in the cavern save for dripping water. Leo jumped to his feet, wiping the beast’s blood from his eyes and searching for his friend.
“Jey, where are you?” He pried open the creature’s massive mouth. The jaws were foamy, covered in sticky saliva. With both hands, Leo shoved up on the upper jawbone. The slack, silvery tongue rolled out, spilling the Falcory boy onto the floor.
“Jey, say something!” Leo cried, rushing to his side.
After a long moment, Jey sputtered, spitting out beast saliva and wiping goo from his eyes. “Took you long enough. Thought I was going to have to come out the other end.”
Leo grinned. Nothing dented this Falcory. He stuck his hand out and pulled Jey to his feet.
“I was going to claim it for myself, you know,” Jey said quietly. “I didn’t think you deserved a prize like that, but you saved my life.” He nodded at the dead beast. “Take what you came for—you earned it.”
Leo walked to the back of the she-she-kana. The cuff glinted at him. He hesitated, his hand hovering over the golden object. If he claimed it, his quest would go on. To the darkness that awaited him. Jey’s father had said the Draupnir had the power to bring someone back from the underworld. Was that Leo’s next stop? A visit with Sinmara, mistress of the underworld? She had lost her hand last time when Rego lopped it off to get at her rings. She would not welcome him back, that was certain.
Leo gingerly touched the Draupnir with his fingertips. The cuff warmed slightly at his touch, and his resolve hardened. If it meant bringing his friends back together, he would do it. Rego’s words came back to him. Maybe the dwarf was right, maybe he was a lot more like his dad than he realized. The thought gave him the courage to put both hands on it and pry it apart. The cuff came loose easily. He held it, staring at it in awe. Smooth and heavy, without markings or scratches. Perfection.
Leo slipped it over his wrist and up his arm. It went as far as his bicep, and then it softened and tightened around it, as if it was fitting itself to him.
The Draupnir was his now.
With a loud crack, the she-she-kana shrank, shriveling up before them, as if whatever magic had kept it alive all these centuries was gone. When it was finished, it was nothing more than a pile of dust and bones.
Jey peered at the gleaming artifact on Leo’s arm. “Now what?”
Leo looked down at the cuff. A new challenge awaited him: figuring out where the cuff was going to take him next. He had a feeling that would prove more dangerous than retrieving the Draupnir from the she-she-kana.
Chapter Twenty
Sigmund Degroot was not a terribly brave man. He rather despised swords and all manner of brutish battle. Left to his own devices, he preferred to wander among the swamps of Balfour Island, studying plants and cataloging them in one of his beloved journals. But his father commanded the Balfin army, and Sigmund was expected to follow in those lofty footsteps. And now, with the full-scale war the witches had started with all of Orkney, every able-bodied Balfin had been conscripted into the Black Guard to join the witches for a final secret invasion.
The seaport town of Jadewick had become crowded with young men from every village and township on the island, assembling and training in preparation for the pending invasion. Sigmund sat at the bar inside Flanner’s Tavern, glumly nursing a glass of soured milk as he sketched his latest finding into his journal. He shipped out at dawn, joining the front line on Garamond. He’d never left Balfour Island before. On one hand, exploring new lands was exciting—who knew what exotic flora he would find? On the other hand, exploring those new lands as a sold
ier, with enemies out to kill him, was enough to send shivers down his not-so-sturdy spine.
Across the tavern, his fellow recruits were busy whooping it up, chasing everything in a skirt, but all Sigmund could think about was the pain of curtailing his field studies. He took a sip of his warm milk, savoring the sour taste. Why, just today he had made an extraordinary find in the swamps that adjoined the Tarkana Fortress. A rare plant not seen in decades. The Ophrys insectfera flower resembled a common housefly with its black-ish-red petals that drooped like wings from a small rounded bulb. If he wasn’t shipping out tomorrow, Sigmund would have spent the next few days searching for more Ophrys specimens and adding color to his meticulous sketches.
A figure slid onto the stool next to Sigmund. The smell of lilacs lifted his head from his sketches. He expected to see one of the barmaids chatting him up, but this woman was no serving girl. She was beautiful and exotic like one of the rare orchids in his books. Her hair tumbled in waves of black ebony down her back. She wore a velvet green dress cinched tight, emphasizing her tiny waist. Her eyes were a matching green, holding a spark that made his shyness evaporate.
“Who are you?” he asked, his blood fizzing with a curious excitement. Part of his brain registered that she was a witch, but the fact didn’t scare him for some reason.
“I am Vena,” she answered. “I hear that you are the expert on local flora, and I see my sources were correct.” She laid one slender finger on his newest sketch. “Tell me, Sigmund, where might I find this lovely plant?”
Her voice was irresistible, like warm honey.
“How do you know my name?”
Vena smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t be coy. Speak up.”