Shift (The Pandorma Adventures Book 1)

by Mikaela Nicole

  Twigs snap and brush gives way as I grow larger. The animals stand in shock as I charge forward. The lion is the first to register that I am an intruder. He lets out a furious roar and charges at me.

  I falter a bit, surprised that he’s rushing at something so much larger than he, but continue running. The lion, instead of attacking me head on, sidesteps and scrapes gashes along my flank as I run by. The two enteledont separate, going opposite ways behind me. The hyaenodon stays by Ryan’s side while the wolf begins pacing in front of me.

  My eyes flicker back and forth, searching for the enteledonts. I can’t see them, but I know where they are the minute their teeth tear into my side. Bellowing in pain, I swing my tail to the side. Grizzly. I roar as claws tear into my skin. I shake violently only to scatter my own blood. I tuck my leg and roll over. The wolf tries to jump away, but its legs get caught under my weight and it gets crushed. Elephant. An enteledont rushes for my flank, but I whack it away.

  I watch the animal’s eyes flick back and forth between each other. There are messages in them that I can’t read.

  It’s only the lion and enteledont, the hyaenodon still sitting guard by Ryan. The lion runs at me from the side and I move sideways, right into the enteledont’s ready teeth. It rips its teeth to the side and out, I bellow in pain. I spin around and catch its shoulder with my trunk. There’s a snap of bone and it crumples to the ground, its shoulder broken. Before it can drag itself away I grab its back leg and throw it at the oncoming lion.

  I race over to Ryan and the hyaenodon scatters.

  “Where are my weapons?” Ryan asks. I point over to where all the bushes have been trampled. He slips into the forest and makes his way over to where I pointed. Bear. Favoring my injured leg, I charge at the hyaenodon. It runs to the side then dances around me before moving in closer, its jaws aimed for my hurt leg. I turn and pounce on it. I crush its neck in my jaws then drop it. I lick my teeth several times to get the taste of blood out. Ugh, that’s never a good taste. Lissa. I purse my lips and look down at my injured leg. It looks pretty bad and is bleeding freely.

  There’s a roar of pain and I look up. The lion staggers to the side, an arrow stuck in its shoulder. The lion had been heading for me but now it turns its attention on Ryan.

  I watch intently as the lion races at him. He’s drawn an arrow and it’s sitting patiently against the bow’s string. The lion is less than twenty feet away when Ryan releases the arrow and it hits the lion square in the chest. Its feet trip and it rolls over itself, leftover momentum carrying its body to Ryan’s feet.

  “That was an impressive shot,” I say when I reach him.

  “Thanks. We’re going to have to use the water for that,” he says when he notices the wound on my leg.

  Before I can say anything Ryan yells, “Duck!”

  I duck even before I realize I have. Blood showers down on me. I stand and look over my shoulder then instantly shut my eyes. The head of an eagle has been completely severed from its body.

  I cautiously turn my head back to Ryan, careful not to look at the bird’s head. “Ryan—”

  A terrible scream splits the air. Ryan grabs my hand and yanks me underneath the bushes nearby. We look up. We’ve hidden just in time. A pterodactyl lands inches from the spot where we had just been standing. It takes in the dead creatures then sharply looks around.

  “Ryan the healing water is gone.”

  “What?” he asks, not looking at me.

  “It got smashed.” I really hope neither of us get badly hurt.

  Ryan doesn’t say anything to this. “We’d better go.” His voice is so quiet I wouldn’t have heard him if I weren’t so close.

  “Wait.”

  The pterodactyl has started sending out a series of sounds. Seconds later a pronghorn, breathing heavily, steps lightly from the underbrush. Ryan and I glance at each other in confusion. A pronghorn isn’t exactly warrior material.

  It walks up to the giant bird, waiting for its command. The pterodactyl narrows its eyes and snaps, “Run and tell Nadder that there are intruders. Hurry!” it adds when the pronghorn just stands there stunned. The pronghorn dips its head and then races off.

  Ryan tugs me away. We weave through the brush as quietly as we can. When we are a substantial distance from the bird, Ryan stops.

  “We need a plan. We also need to hurry. When the alarm is sounded they’ll be out in the hundreds looking for us.” Ryan runs a hand through his hair.

  “Cuven said to go after their army,” I say.

  “How are we going to destroy a whole army though?” Ryan asks.

  “We can’t. But we can find out what they’re planning and maybe we can destroy their weapon supply.”

  “They have weapons?”

  “Yes. I noticed the leopards claws gleamed, like they were covered in metal and then I saw this moose with metal on his hooves and antlers. That’s why the animals fighting on Cobalt’s side have been getting such massive wounds.”

  “Let me guess, Cobalt’s warriors don’t have this same advantage?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “That cat is up to no good,” Ryan says decisively.

  “Sure seems that way.”

  We fall silent—mentally planning.

  “Do you think Cobalt has told them we’re coming?” Ryan asks.

  I shrug. “Probably. I think they’re going to underestimate us though,” I say, hoping that Cobalt didn’t warn them that Cuven actually trained us well.

  “Alright. Let’s get this over with,” he says.

  I take a step to leave, but Ryan gently grabs my hand. There’s no need to ask him what he wants to say. It’s all in his eyes. No matter how this turns out, he’ll be with me every step of the way.

  Chapter 19

  Ryan pushes ahead, I walk behind in the shape of a black leopard. Every time he looks at me with such intensity his eyes are saying something. In my room his eyes had said he wanted to kiss me. I wonder—I crash into Ryan’s rear, nearly knocking him onto an open pathway. I grab his shirt with my teeth and yank him back before he falls through.

  “Sorry.”

  My fur pricks with embarrassment. Of course I go and do something like that. Ryan’s mouth opens, his eyes dancing with a joke, but he never gets to say anything because a pack of animals gallop by. They are so close to the edge that if they move an inch closer they would trample us. We hold our breath but they pass us in seconds, not slowing their pace.

  Urgency reflects in our eyes. We cross the path. All cautiousness gets left behind and we tear through the undergrowth. It won’t be long before an animal picks up our scent and follows it. We come to an edge of the mountain we’d been on. Beneath us the mountainside is covered in rocks. The only way down is to slide.

  I leap down. I try to stay sideways but I trip and ungracefully tumble until I thrust my front legs out to keep myself from continuing to somersault. I leap over two larger rocks, clipping my paws. Bushes start to sprout here and there and I glimpse the bottom of the rocky hill. With one final bound I hit the bottom. My legs buckle and I continue rolling through the bushes. I finally stop when my middle slams into a tree trunk. The wind is knocked out of me and I screw my eyes shut. Lissa.

  Ignoring the slight sting where branches had scraped me and the ache in my side, I head back. When I reach the bottom of the rockslide I spot Ryan standing by a large boulder, his finger in his mouth. I jog over.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” he says around his finger. “That was kind of reckless. Jumping down like that.”

  “Except I’m not the one hurt.”

  “Ahhh.” Ryan shakes his finger. Specks of blood spatter the rocks around us. Ryan takes his finger and quickly wraps it in his shirt. But not before I see a gash.

  “Come on.”

  “But your finger—”

  “Is fine. Now let’s go before we have bigger problems.”

  Reluctantly I follow him.

  “How much farther?
”

  “I don’t know. We don’t even know where we’re going.”

  We’re leaning up against a rock face, breathing heavily from running—the fear of being discovered driving us mercilessly. Ryan slides down the rock then uses his shirt to wipe off the sweat sliding down his face. I sneak a peek at his finger. A gash runs along from the inside of his finger to just under his nail, which is somewhat bent. That’s got to hurt.

  “Ryan let me—” The bushes to the left rustle imperceptibly. Ryan doesn’t hear and I don’t think I would have either if I weren’t looking in that direction. I see the flick of a forked tongue seconds before a snake slinks out. Ryan hastens to his feet, sword drawn. I stand as well, but warily. I can sense the snake’s uncertainty at our intentions of being here.

  When the snake doesn’t move, except for a flicker of tongue, Ryan raises his sword.

  “Ryan wait.”

  The snake slides farther out of the bush it’s hiding in. A boa. My heart starts beating faster. It's giant, the width of its body has to be around a foot or two. The snake glides around us once giving us ample room, yet it seems as if half its body is still hidden.

  “You’re the ones they’ve put the alert out for,” he says, his voice slightly confused.

  “Yes. We’re trying to reach the center—we’re here to help stop the war.”

  “Lissa. What are you doing?” Ryan asks in an angry murmur.

  “I can take you there. But we must hurry,” he says. All confusion gone, urgency and a bit of hope flickers in his eyes.

  “Like we’re really going to go with you. You’ll lead us straight into their hands. With about a hundred other guards surrounding us.” Ryan moves himself so he’s more in front of me.

  “Ryan, we can trust him.”

  “Are you kidding? Trust an enemy?” Ryan says disbelievingly.

  “But he’s not an enemy.”

  “She tells the truth. I am not here of my own accord and would gladly see the fall of Xavier and Medusa’s rule.”

  Ryan folds his arms.

  “Come on Ryan,” I plead. If Ryan refuses I’ll have no choice but to stay with him. “We can’t get there fast enough by ourselves.”

  “Alright. But only because I trust you. And if you try anything,” Ryan holds up his sword threateningly, “don’t think I won’t be ready.”

  The boa slithers to the top of the rock face we’d been leaning on and loops himself around the trunk of a bush growing at the top, pulling it down. Part of the stone slides right; uncovering more rock, a thin stream skimming down the middle of the rock to a pool of mud beneath.

  We both eagerly gulp down handfuls of the rich, cold water. When we are done drinking, the boa takes a cherry sized pebble that is lying just at the base of the stream and pushes it into a small cleft. There’s a muffled click, and then the rock parts into two pieces at the stream. The sides stop at three feet apart. When the left side comes to a halt there is a soft click and a tunnel is lit with flaming torches.

  Ryan makes a noise in his throat and I turn to look at him. He is just as shocked as I am. The boa quickly slides in calling behind him, “The door closes in five minutes.”

  Ryan and I hastily step in around the snake’s thick body, the stream dribbling water on us. The brightness of the tunnel dims when the door clamps shut again.

  “So . . .” Ryan starts; then he stares at the boa pointedly.

  “Ah. My name is Ruze.”

  “Ruze, how long is the tunnel?”

  “And where does it end? And will it take us where we need to be?” I add.

  “This tunnel is only one branch of the many tunnels down here. The one we’re in won’t take us directly to the core. We’ll have to make a few exchanges, which poses a problem. You see, there’ll be others down here and you two explicitly stand out.”

  “You couldn’t just say you’ve captured us?”

  “No. That would cause other guards to join us. But I know there are a few lesser known and purposely unused tunnels. They should suffice.”

  “Why aren’t they used as much?” Ryan asks suspiciously.

  “Several are ‘private tunnels’ that only commanders and higher ups can use. Others were deemed dangerous because they could collapse any minute.”

  Ryan’s face is grim, undecided. But he doesn’t say anything as we move on. The soft sand doesn’t allow for our footsteps to echo, which is good for us, but bad for detecting an enemy approach. I can tell that the boa is, despite Ryan’s reservations, doing his best to keep us safe. He’s risking his life.

  We might as well get as much information as we can while the snake is with us. Once we are out of these tunnels I have a feeling we’ll be without his guidance.

  “Ruze, is there anything we should know?”

  “About what?”

  “Just tell us anything that’d be helpful in keeping us alive,” Ryan says stiffly.

  Ruze stops in front of a bulging rock about four feet high. He pushes in the top and the rock moves aside. Ruze hurriedly slithers through. At first we wait for Ruze to go through but it doesn’t seem like he’ll end any time soon.

  “We might as well go now. I have a feeling the rock will close before all of him gets in.”

  I smile at Ryan’s half-hearted attempt to joke. I place my hands and knees on either side of Ruze’s thick body and crawl through, Ryan inches behind me. After ten or fifteen feet, the small tunnel opens up into a larger one.

  “This is one of the marked off tunnels, it’ll be safer to talk here. I’ll start with where I’m leading you two. It’s at the heart of the mountains and in the heart of a mountain, beneath it as well. The mountain’s name is Reivax.”

  “Xavier named the mountain after himself but spelled it backwards. Conceited but clever,” Ryan murmurs.

  I look at him, surprised. How did he figure that out?

  “It's guarded, but not as well as the surrounding borders. Xavier’s gotten cocky and doesn’t anticipate attacks,” Ruze continues.

  “Are both of them here now?” I ask.

  “I know Xavier is, but Medusa—”

  “Finish telling us about here first,” Ryan interrupts.

  “Only one tunnel leads directly to the center, but you can’t take it. The place I’m taking you to is called Meltdown. Follow a load of metal being taken inside and you’ll be in Cultivation. When the load stops, hide behind the bins filled with finished products.” Ruze chuckles, “Don’t get in them or you might get cut fairly badly. There’s a stone staircase leading down, how you’ll get to it is your problem, but once you’re down; there will be many rooms. I don’t know them very well, but I do know that the head officers are frequently behind one with a rock-red door.”

  “What are the chances Ryan will be spotted?”

  “High. Unless you can find some way to disguise him. Senses around here don’t fall short,” Ruze warns. “These warriors are very, very well trained,” he says in a grave tone. “But, like I said, cocky.”

  I stare into the snake’s dark eyes. Cocky. Use it to our advantage. He breaks the stare and continues on.

  Up ahead a massive pile of dirt blocks the path. The top narrows to an opening less than a foot across. I look at Ryan. It’s going to be quite a squeeze for him.

  “It’s the only way,” he says.

  “I’ll go first. See if I can widen it out a bit for you.”

  “Very funny.” Ryan sticks his sword in the sand and sits down. Again he wipes his face off. Dirt sticks to my skin as I wedge myself into the tight hole. When my hips refuse to budge I wiggle them around. I faintly hear an amused chuckle.

  “Just wait until it’s your turn,” I huff.

  There’s no response. I heave myself forward. Dirt crumbles around me as I become unstuck. I slither the rest of the way down the pile of dirt. Ryan’s boots shuffle on the other side. His sword flies through the hole and thuds to the ground a foot away, the bow and quiver follow. I look down at myself and sigh inwardly. If I look
in a mirror right now it’d probably crack. I start rubbing off as much dirt as I can.

  “Omph.”

  I look up when I hear Ryan grunt. Ryan’s arms are stretched forward but his shoulders remain stuck. I laugh. I climb up the sand pile and crouch next to him.

  “That’s got to be really uncomfortable.”

  “You think?” Ryan’s voice is muffled because his head is forced down. He struggles fruitlessly for a few minutes before growling, “Are you going to help me or just sit there?”

  “I suppose. Although I don’t know if I’ve gotten my full revenge yet.”

  Ryan grumbles something and I laugh, then take his hands and pull. He doesn’t budge. “You’re bigger than you look.”

  “Thanks.”

  I drop his hands and start digging around him. After I’ve dug out a bit I stop and pull on him again.

  “If you pull my arms out of my sockets you’ll have to put them back in.”

  “Don’t be a baby,” I grunt. I feel him give a little and tug harder.

  “Hold it! Stop!”

  I drop his hands. “Now what?”

  “My pants are coming off.”

  I stifle a laugh. “Don’t you have a belt to keep them in place?”

  Ryan squirms back a few inches then places his hands down on both sides and, with great effort, pulls himself out. Ryan clumsily somersaults down the hill. I slide down next to him. Ryan ruffles his hair and dirt flies out, sprinkling me. Ruze easily slithers through the hole and continues to lead us down the tunnel.

  “I stop here,” Ruze murmurs. “Just go out this door then follow my directions.”

  Ruze rapidly slithers away. I turn back and stare at the door. Now or never. I lightly touch the panel and it freely swings outward.

  “Perhaps I should shift. Then if we get spotted we can at least have some excuse.”

  Ryan nods in agreement. Short faced bear. I’m big enough so that I can provide at least some cover for Ryan. I nose the door open with my snout.