Cobaaron finally picked up a stone, and gently tossed it by the giant’s feet. The rock rolled to the giant, and then like a magnet, it snapped into the body becoming a kneecap.
“He wants us to run west. Go, Huntra!” Tyrus shouted.
Huntra shot off at full speed in the direction of the mountains, running alongside the dry riverbed. Ky screamed, seeing giants leap from the rock wall, and then sprint toward them. “Run!” Tyrus yelled again, and Huntra soon outdistanced them. However, more dropped from the cliff ahead of them, and charged. Huntra began to swell.
To Ky’s horror, so did the giants. Huntra ran, but Tyrus told him to double back and continue to get bigger.
“What are you doing?” Ambrosia cried out.
“Cobaaron wants Huntra to reach great heights, and get the giants to follow us.” They darted down the riverbed. Cobaaron ran, drawing them in the opposite direction. When Cobaaron veered around, Huntra grew as he sprinted, leading the chase.
The rocks in the riverbed rolled toward the giants. Their bulky bodies gathered stones as they pursued Huntra. It wasn’t until they slammed into one another, making one large giant, that its long strides gathered speed.
“Run, Huntra,” Ky yelled when a massive fist swung at them as the giant closed in.
Cobaaron was running beside them. He was fast, and weaved easily between the feet of Huntra and the giant. He enticed the stone giant, slowing his speed so it wouldn’t take swipes at Huntra.
Soon, Huntra was leaping over trees, and scaling hills, as Cobaaron sprinted at unimaginable speeds. The giant continued to gather rubble from the river. Its body was swallowing up stones like a hungry tornado.
The earth shook from heavily pounding feet. The giant was gaining on them. Its head was in the clouds. Ky couldn’t see anything except thick dark fog. “Right,” Cobaaron yelled. In a flash, Huntra veered to the right, and immediately got smaller. The giant, who still had its head in the clouds, continued to run and then abruptly dropped, falling off the high ledge. Cobaaron rushed to the edge and looked down to the ravine. The giant plummeted, before finally crashing to the ground. There was a great, loud rumble when the stones slammed to the ground and all the larger boulders smashed to pieces.
It wasn’t the end. The rocks soon gathered again. Fear built in Ky. Ambrosia voiced Ky’s doubts. “What good did that do? They will reform and return with a vengeance.”
“That is the valley of goblins leading to the only route under the mountains. It’s well guarded,” Cobaaron said, as he continued to watch the stacking stones building on top one another. “Goblin magic is different, and can easily conquer the rock giant, which they will, because they won’t tolerate other sorcery in their lands. Let’s not be seen looking over the ledge, because they’ll hate that we plotted to use them.” Cobaaron walked away from the edge, but continued to keep his eyes on the ravine. Huntra soon followed, and when he diminished to his normal full size, he bumped into Cobaaron’s hand as he walked. Cobaaron petted him for a moment.
There was a crunching sound of grinding rock. Cobaaron pushed Huntra away, and whipped his head to the side to look into the thicket of trees. Ky saw it then, a very small rock giant, no taller than five feet. It was shivering, looking frightened.
“Head around the wood,” Tyrus commanded Huntra. They turned their backs to the small giant, and walked away as Cobaaron slowly followed.
Ky could hear the sound of a thunderous flash flood filling the canyon. From the ledge she could see silt filling the valley, which quickly harden to cement. More crashing mud poured over the enormous rock giant, swallowing it, so each stone could no longer gather or move. The giant disappeared under the clay. The small one ran away from them and the cliff.
Cobaaron took his seat on Huntra’s back. He told Huntra to skirt along the perimeter of the wanderers’ forest. They weaved between the trees, covering miles of land. Cloud cover concealed the moon, and it looked like it would rain during the night. Hours later, Huntra’s ears twisted back, listening to the sound of crunching rock.
“The little one follows us,” Tyrus stated.
“I know. It must be a real rock giant, a baby, and not made by magic. Usually they live in herds, and since we destroyed its family, it’s trying to join our group hoping for protection.” Cobaaron fell silent and sniffed the air. “I smell wanderers. We will lock ourselves in a cave for the night. Huntra needs rest, and I don’t want to fight needlessly. With all the noise we made, we need to lie low, or we’ll be tracked by much worse than wanderers.”
Huntra made for the nearest mountain, and soon they were scouring the base of a hill scanning for a cave opening. In the increasing cloud cover, spotting gaps were difficult.
“There.” Ambrosia pointed to a small hole a few meters hike up the mountain.
“That will be a tight squeeze. But I’ll go check it out.” Tyrus hurried off Huntra, and ran up the rocky terrain before he disappeared into the cave. He reappeared a few seconds later, and hurdled down the mountain to report. “It’s very small. We’d be cramped, but it’s an adequate dwelling.”
“It will do then. We’ll hunt for food for everyone in awhile, but we’ll have to wait until the forest forgets we’re here.”
They raced up the mountain. They crawled on their bellies through the entrance. Huntra, the size of a housecat, easily pranced into the chamber. He made his way to a corner to lie down, ready to sleep. Ky’s druse smoothed his fur before comfortably clinging to Huntra’s neck, laying on him.
Cobaaron used his feet to push a boulder over the mouth of the cave. There was only a few inches gap when he locked them in. It was so cramped Ky felt claustrophobic. She kept staring at the small gap, hoping it would bring in enough air. After the tree, she hated cramped spaces.
“We would be more comfortable in my room. There is more space, and we could make a nice fire,” Ambrosia suggested, leery to linger in such tight confinements.
“No, don’t use magic,” Cobaaron stressed. “We will be traced to this location, and we’re in a land where wanderers are very good at finding magic. We would no longer be safe sleeping here. We need to be quiet, and wait. I suggest you try to sleep. In a few hours we’ll hunt, then leave.”
Ky gasped. There was a loud rumble of an avalanche covering the cave entrance. Ky’s heart pounded, and Ambrosia trembled. Ky felt trapped, and in her panic she felt she’d never get out.
“We’re trapped,” Ambrosia said, horrified. “You have to let me do magic, or we’ll die in here. We won’t have air.”
“Calm down, Ambrosia.” Tyrus pressed her hand down when she raised it. “We are perfectly fine. Don’t forget whose presence you’re in.”
“I already can’t breathe well. Do something.”
“There is no need. You’ll survive this. We always do.”
“Tyrus, please!”
Ky knew exactly how Ambrosia felt. Her lungs seemed to need extra oxygen, and she was taking deep breaths. Unlike Ambrosia, Ky had no way of getting out if everyone passed out. Ky would not be able to rely on her strength to push away all the heavy stones. She was the most vulnerable person in the cave.
“We’ll be fine,” Cobaaron tried to reassure Ambrosia by agreeing with Tyrus. “The mountain’s breathing will bring in fresh air. The giant likely trapped us by design for added defense from wanderers. The kind gesture was to conceal Ky’s light, and it obviously is hoping to join us. They are very protective by nature, be thankful it protects us. They don’t sleep and will guard us all night. Hopefully, by morning the young one will hear a herd of its kind and leave.”
Cobaaron hugged Ky to his side, and asked her to warm the rocks they sat on. She put her palm to the stone floor, and lit her hand ablaze. It flamed in a brilliant orange fire, and soon warmed the ground.
“This reminds me too much of being trapped in a miners’ tunnel as a kid, before I knew charms,” Ambrosia said, still panicked. Cobaaron’s attempt to ease Ambrosia didn’t work. She still shook like a leaf.
“As I recall, you were dug out within an hour,” Tyrus reminded, trying to show her logic in light of her irrational fear. “Unlike the tunnel, getting air will not be a problem in a breathing mountain.”
“I can’t stay here more than an hour,” Ky interjected, finally voicing that she was increasingly uncomfortable. “Ambrosia is right. There is no room and I feel trapped. There must be another cave nearby.”
“Don’t expect me to thank you,” Ambrosia snapped, speaking over Ky. “You’re the one who made the tunnel collapse, you dunce.”
“Knock her out, Tyrus. She’s losing her nerve and will be a risk to herself,” Cobaaron commanded Tyrus.
“Don’t you dare hurt me,” Ambrosia threatened, with a deadly glare. “I’m still mad at you! I’d rather hear another of your rants and threats about sleeping with studs!”
Tyrus looked at Cobaaron, and then back to Ambrosia, clearly torn as to which order to follow. Ambrosia continued to fume about a quarrel over studs when Tyrus reached for her. Ambrosia slapped his hands away, calling him filthy names and vowing that if he touched her he would suffer the consequences. He swiftly pressed her back in three different places, and she crumbled. Tyrus caught her head, holding her cranium carefully, not letting it smack against the hard floor. Then he gently laid her down, and positioned her carefully with great care until she looked comfortable.
Cobaaron watched, and then laughed when Tyrus inched away. Apparently, he thought it was best to be out of range when she woke so he wasn’t her punching bag.
“Are you calm, Ky?” Cobaaron asked, focusing his attention on her. He eyed her carefully. Before she could explain she felt the walls were closing in, he said, “Close your eyes, love. Come sleep next to me.” He put his arm around her, hugging her to his side. Ky was sure he was causing her to doze off next to him. He jabbed her back, and Ky lost her sight. He dug his finger into another spot near her spine, and she lost her hearing. Then he pressed the third point, and she immediately dropped, unconscious onto his soft body.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A soft hum, like a buzzing fly, circled Ky. She was stuck between dreaming and awake, aware of reality and the images that played in her mind. Ky was home, in a strange apartment with a man who had messy black hair, glasses, and a nice smile with slightly protruding canine teeth. He moved in to kiss Ky, but she extended her arm to keep him away. “What are you doing?” She glared.
“Huh?” he asked, confused by her cold emotional distance. Then he backed a foot away. “What’s wrong? Did I do something to upset you?”
“Don’t kiss me,” Ky snapped. “What the…” Ky felt warmth on her belly and looked down. Red blood seeped from her stomach. “I’m dying.”
“Is everything okay?” He stepped back and his eyes widened. He clasped a hand over his mouth like he was nauseous from the news. “Do you have cancer or something? Spit it out. Tell me. Why are you dying?”
“No, look.” Ky lifted her shirt, pulling at the buttons to examine her wound.
“What, babe? It’s your favorite blouse.” He took the fabric in his hands. His fingers smoothed over the wet crimson stain. Clearly, he didn’t see it. “Come ’ere. Let me kiss you, my little hypochondriac. Seriously what was that about?”
The dream melted away, and in its place she found herself in a hallway, the same glistening gem hallway she already experienced herself dying in. Hovering over her was an angel as white as snow and bright as the sun. Ky reached out to touch the beautiful face. “Am I dead?”
“I can’t let you pass on. You won’t die today. Sleep and forget all you saw. You will need your rest to bring your child into this world,” the angel crooned, and then laid her hand on her abdomen. The gentle pressure felt like a forceful blow. The jolt woke Ky. She bolted upright, clutching her stomach.
To Ky’s horror she was still in the cave. She knew the rocks blocking the exit were gone because her druse kept buzzing in and out of the cave, bringing Huntra small bugs to eat.
Ky was glad that her druse changed from a jealous creature and now adored Huntra. It was comical that Prism carried bugs half her size, crumbs for Huntra, as if she had to feed him like a child.
Cobaaron sat, and put his arm around her before kissing her cheek and neck. She relaxed as he soothingly touched her. “Are you okay?” he asked her in a husky whisper.
“A bad dream, but I’m fine,” Ky whispered. She stared over at Ambrosia and Tyrus as they slept. Though they were feet from each other, their hands were almost touching.
Cobaaron looked down the tunnel, as he tapped Tyrus with his foot and said, “Young Tyrus, wake up.”
Tyrus sat, and looked down at Ambrosia before glancing at Ky’s necklace for the time. “Will we hunt?”
“No, the rock giant never left. It would follow and make too much noise. We’ll go down the mountain and start traveling out of the forest.”
Tyrus nudged Ambrosia until she woke as Cobaaron pushed the stone away from the exit. Tyrus crawled out first, and when the coast was clear, he waved for Ambrosia and Ky to follow. They stood silently, waiting for Huntra to grow.
The forest creaked with old trees that swayed in the gentle breeze. While looking out over the woods, Ky envisioned the forest bathed in light on a warm summer day. The scene was so different. She imagined blue sky and leaves rustling in the warm breeze and could practically smell wheat and lilacs. She missed the sun. Ky longed to lie on grass or a sandy beach, and absorb the healing rays of sunshine. She pictured herself surrounded by daisies wasting away hours in the heat of the day. The sight was heavenly.
“Ky.” Cobaaron shook her. “Quit glowing.”
“Huh?” She realized she was lighting up the forest and instantly stopped twinkling. Tyrus and Ambrosia were shielded from her heat behind a rock.
“What were you doing?”
“I was thinking about the sun. I miss it,” Ky said, and then apologized.
He grinned, and then teased her, “Well, stop doing that.”
Huntra was down the hill, and protecting himself between the trees. Cobaaron urged her to get her cloak to cover her glow. She’d have to wear it now that she made her presence known in the forest, though Ky no longer had a fondness for the cloak that prevented her escape from Zevera. The four hurried down the hill. Ky slipped on her deep red cloak, and instantly, her light vanished. There was no trace she wore the invisible layer, or that she was a Star beyond her crimson swirls.
With haste, they mounted Huntra, and left the area. Sure enough the rock giant followed them. Cobaaron kept sniffing the air, smelling things he wasn’t eager to share. He kept spinning around looking to Tyrus, clearly communicating without words. The only thing Cobaaron verbalized was the occasional groan that the young giant loudly crunched as it followed them.
“You best put some distance between us and its noisy steps, Huntra,” Cobaaron ordered, with a cautious glance behind.
Huntra ran in a zigzag pattern anywhere there was space enough for his large body to leap. He treaded mossy ground to soil littered with heaps of hard pine needles. Cobaaron unexpectedly leaped off Huntra’s back, and hung from a tree limb, before swinging up onto the branch. Ky whirled to search behind her, and spotted Cobaaron crouching on top of the thick branch, waiting for something she couldn’t see.
From a distance, there was a soft sound of music. Someone was singing. A female was in the forest and singing. “A witch,” Ambrosia whispered in terror. Ky was petrified with dread. She hated witches.
“Don’t speak, Ambrosia,” Tyrus hushed her quietly. “Go, you stupid cat.”
Huntra stubbornly stayed. He even circled around to listen to the music with perked ears. Alert to the beautiful sound, he arched his neck.
The words of the song became clearer. The woman whistled, and then sang:
“From a distant land like no other,
I am considered the earth’s young mother.
Wind, air and fire listen to me.
I can churn water of
any sea.
Nature all bows to those of my kind,
Because after us it was designed.
We are the oldest creatures on earth.
We are the elders who first gave birth.
Calm these woods and all its living things,
Or I’ll usher in rushing hot springs.”
Ky saw a woman dressed in a loose, silvery peach gown of several layers. The train dragged on the spongy ground, and she wore no shoes. Her hair was cherry blonde then changed to brilliant white, before brightening to copper once again. Her eyes glimmered a magnificent steel gray, which twinkled as she whistled her melody.
“Noelya, my Queen.” Cobaaron hopped down from the tree. He happily greeted the woman with a low bow.
Tyrus was quick to get off Huntra and rush to the woman. He, too, bowed low, and as he did, he kissed her hands. The woman’s beauty was divine. It was possible the two were captivated by a spell that instantly brought their affections to the surface, not of love, but deep devotion of a kindred spirit.
“Rise. Please.” Noelya’s voice was soft and sweet, and brought her hand up so Tyrus would stand.
“I thought you were a witch,” Cobaaron said, looking pleased to see her.
“I made enough noise to assure you I wasn’t sneaking up on you.” Noelya’s attention then rested on Ky, and before Ky could control her own body, she slid off Huntra and walked to the woman. Being under another’s control filled Ky with alarm, and her heart thundered. “You’re Ky. You are very beautiful. I can see why he will love her. She may not have your eyes or beautiful hair, but you are as graceful as she will be.”
“Excuse me?” Ky’s smile fell. Her words reminded her too much of King Verellis’s ranting, and Zevera’s exclamation of her son’s adoration, when they boasted of Ky’s beauty being the sole reason Wilt loved.
“My partner warned me I shouldn’t come,” Noelya said.
“Too right you are.” Ambrosia pointed her wand at Noelya. Ambrosia rushed up to them and continued to direct her wand so close to Noelya it was almost touching her nose. “You may charm my friends, but I know all witches have disguises.”
The Coming Dawn Trilogy Page 52