‘Kassie,’ Sian sang out making Rumal and Oomoth pause. ‘We need to put our hoods on.’
‘Me too?’ Cat came around from where Leseach and Rashid stood.
‘Yup.’
Kassie went to Oomoth’s side and swirled her energy underfoot, lifting herself high enough to rummage through the saddle bag. It lay at the bottom, naturally, and it took a few moments of wrestling past other items to drag the small bit of mail out.
‘Here,’ said Rumal. ‘Let me.’
Kassie turned, watching Oomoth do Sian’s while Rumal worked at hers.
‘Leseach, would you mind?’ Cat asked the question a hint too loud and walked quickly to the Northerner’s side. Ignatius, in the midst of stepping forward to do it, caught himself and frowned, eyes perplexed. Kassie bit her lip to stop a smile when she heard and felt Rumal’s quiet snigger.
‘Lean your head forward, love,’ he said, dragging her ponytail through the slit in the back of the hood. ‘There you go, all set.’
The mail hood felt cold against the back of her neck and ears. Kassie wrinkled her nose. It didn’t block her view—skimming close to the outer edges of her eyes—but it gave a sense of it. The front came down like a widow’s peak, arching over each eye with a narrow section that started down her nose and clipped solidly over it.
‘Ugh,’ she grumbled and shook her head. ‘It feels horrible.’
‘Better than a blade in your skull,’ Rumal said dryly.
With the hood in place Kassie accepted another strip of meat and chewed away while staring up the side of the mountain they climbed. Trees clung with exposed roots to the sparsely occupied rock face, their trucks gnarled and the scrawny, twisted branches outstretched toward their neighbors. Further up it appeared to plateau out, the mountain side disappearing back. At the blast of a centaur horn everyone started moving, making their way back to their appropriate positions. Kassie turned to climb onto Oomoth’s back when she heard the plants murmuring through Loi’s energy. It still didn’t make any sense to her, but the tone sounded different—urgent. Kassie looked for Loi and spotted her standing amongst the troops, still, with an expression of shock. Cat’s voice broke through the general noise everyone made.
‘Loi! What are they saying?’
It sounds wrong, Cat emphasized through their link.
Shhh! Loi snapped.
Sian flicked Kassie a terse glance and stayed put, close to Loi while they waited. All those around them tensed, eyes focused on Loi. While Kassie waited a mass of thoughts, images, and messages began to swell through their link due to Loi projecting the plants’ thoughts to them.
Hurry!
You must hurry!
They are coming!
We can’t stop them.
Get to the cave!
‘How far is the cave?’ Loi yelped, her eyes wide and scared when she looked at Larvaste then snapped her attention to Tomiar and Sabyn, communing with the griffon.
Everyone started moving, shifting to position themselves defensively on either side of the track. I darted to Belsesus’ side and wrenched the saddle bag open again, searching. My fingers connected with the smooth cool surface and I yanked the disk map out, holding it flat, watching as the surface shimmered.
‘Hurry, hurry!’ I muttered.
It cleared and showed the crowd of dots we made up. Then my stomach lurched. High on the ridge a mass of black dots moved down the mountain side, aiming for us. They appeared to be grouped in even numbers.
‘Urotho and rockvorhn!’ Belsesus bellowed. ‘Incoming!’
The other Lieutenants crowded around and stared at the map.
‘We can’t defend our position here,’ Rashid snapped, the others nodding in agreement.
Ignatius pointed out the cave system.
‘We’ll never make it in time, it’s too far,’ he said in a steady voice.
Loi appeared at my side and after an instant of staring at the map, jabbed at a spot.
‘The plants say to go here, there’s a cave, big enough for all of us.’
The spot she gestured at looked like normal river bed on the valley bottom.
‘There’s no cave there,’ Oomoth said with a frown then the centaur glanced up the mountain side. Everyone looked too but nothing yet appeared.
‘Not long,’ growled Larvaste. Gredel, Rumal, Sabyn, and Daron, having reached us stared at the map too.
‘Are you sure you got the spot right, Loi?’ Sabyn asked.
‘Yes. It’s there. They say it’s concealed; that’s why it doesn’t show on the map.’
I looked out over the edge at the spot Loi indicated. The only route to it appeared straight down the almost vertical drop.
‘How the hell are we meant to reach it?’
Leseach joined me then glanced at Sian.
‘Sian, can Sito leap down there?’
After a brief moment Sian turned from looking at the dragon and nodded. ‘Yes.’
Oomoth and another Aswaran centaur peered over the edge.
‘We could make it down there.’
Leseach turned to Rashid.
‘If we get as many as possible on the griffons and Sito then they can carry them directly down.’
‘The enemy will be on us soon, we’ll have our backs exposed,’ cautioned Chaieth.
‘I’ll stay and hold them off. If you don’t mind?’ I asked Belsesus.
No one responded at first then Ignatius burst out, ‘No! That’s ridiculous!’
I ignored him, addressing Rashid.
‘I’m strong enough to hold them off and reduce their numbers. When you’ve all reached the cave we’ll come down.’
Belsesus looked dubious.
‘I like the idea, Princess, but after four hundred centaurs move down the mountain side it’ll be in no condition for us to attempt it.’
Everyone considered that begrudgingly.
‘Wait!’ cried Kassie. ‘I can shield them all, protect the mountain side.’
‘Are you sure?’ Rumal asked, his eyes glowing while he studied Kassie and then frowned, shooting another glance up the mountain. I followed his gaze but couldn’t see anything yet.
‘Yes. I’m positive.’
Ignatius shook his head, his voice angry.
‘We shouldn’t be exposing the Princess like this!’
‘Then why the hell did I come, Ignatius?’ I glared at him. ‘I’m the only one able to reach my full Elemental state, I have the ability to do this. Plus, my energy isn’t as loud as the girls. It’ll be unexpected.’
‘All non centaurs need to get on a griffon or Sito, now!’ Rashid yelled. ‘That includes you, Ignatius, get going. Catherine, keep them at bay until you get the all clear from one of the girls. Kill as many as possible.’
I nodded feeling my stomach shrink with nerves. The guys already sat in their saddles on the griffons and Ignatius sat in front spot on Loushka.
‘You be careful, Cat. We have yet to reach the castle,’ the griffon thought to me.
‘I will. You be careful too.’
‘Will do. May lose the leech on the way though.’
‘Just be sure to make it look like an accident,’ I thought cheekily.
‘Naturally,’ Loushka quipped.
Sito gave a low warbling cry and his thought flashed through my mind.
‘Hold tight, I’m about to leap!’
The dragon stepped to the edge of the path and with a strong push, jumped off. His wings pumped hard and he hung there for an instant then his energy chimed. The griffons all sprang toward him and he vanished, taking them too. I leaned out, staring down and saw them reappear at the bottom of the deep valley but I still couldn’t see the cave entrance. I gasped when the six creatures seemed to vanish.
We’re in! Come on, Kass, Loi’s anxious thought popped into my mind.
I turned and grabbed Belsesus’ arm, swinging up onto his back while the mass of centaurs readied themselves. A Medanga centaur blew on a horn bringing them to order quickly. Kassie s
at astride Oomoth at the front, with Chaieth and Larvaste on either side.
‘Give me a moment,’ she instructed.
I watched her raise her energy when Belsesus looked up the mountain side.
‘Enemy sighted!’
I felt Kassie’s nerves when I twisted to stare up.
‘H-o-l-y crap.’
I heard a shout as the centaurs surged forward over the edge and I turned my back on the ugly creatures advancing, watching while Kassie successfully shielded the group, not a stone moving beneath the powerful legs. I stared in awe, knowing I could never really do such a thing with my energy, not without setting the mountain side ablaze or melting it.
‘Who says defensive gifts aren’t impressive,’ I muttered.
It looked like it would take them a good half hour to reach the desired spot. Just need to hold them off for that long, I thought, my heart hammering when I looked back up the mountain.
‘Belsesus, tell me what we’re up against.’
With his battle axe unhooked and ready, Belsesus said, ‘Urotho are mountain trolls. Cunning and fast. The rockvorhn they keep as trackers and to pin down prey, they’re trained with whistles.’
Ahh, I thought, that’s the sounds I can hear. The creatures, for all their dense mass, moved quietly and the sharp high whistles that pierced the air brought to mind farmers and their sheepdogs. Except these farmers had thick mottled gray fur with an obvious layer of fat beneath from the way the flesh jolted and swayed while they moved down the steep angle using all four muscular limbs. Easily as big as Belsesus with massive ugly heads, the jowls thick and loose, they slobbered while navigating the steep terrain. The six legged rockvorhn scuttled like crabs on flat ground, their cloven feet clinging to the rocks with no apparent effort as they sped down. Short twisted horns ringed their heads, giving the appearance of wearing a thorny hat and beneath those horns the wide mouth with two massive canines barked at us; a harsh guttural sound that seemed to excite them. Snapping and barking they raced ahead of the urotho and debris started to tumble down the hill while the ever increasing numbers advanced on us.
‘Bloody hell they’re fast!’
‘I told you,’ Belsesus growled. ‘Watch out!’
I ducked instinctively and a huge boulder hurtled past, crashing down the track behind us.
‘You better be ready, Cat!’
The rockvorhn snarled only meters away.
‘Just a little closer, I want to get as many as possible.’
‘NOW!’ roared Belsesus when a rockvorhn launched off the mountainside, legs outstretched and fanged mouth wide.
A fireball ripped past Belsesus’ head and engulfed the now screaming rockvorhn. Behind him Cat muttered and the fireball turned white, incinerating the creature. The others immediately behind it hesitated and above them a urotho whistled and snarled a command. The rockvorhn still appeared uncertain, then the urotho barked the command again.
‘Hold on, Belsesus!’ Cat yelled from behind and the centaur tensed, readying his axe.
The rockvorhn launched at them and before he had a chance to lift his weapon, a wall of fire erupted in front of him. It didn’t stop the closest creature that slammed into his breastplate scrabbling, and shrieking, trying to get away from the flames. Belsesus threw the stricken animal back into the inferno.
‘Hotter, Cat!’
The fire flashed white hot then vanished, leaving the charred smoking remnants of the rockvorhn scattered before them.
It felt horrible. I knew those things would have torn us to shreds in an instant but their screams of pain and fear made me feel ill. The urotho, however, I wanted to deal to. They were responsible for ordering those creatures. The bellows of fury when they saw what I’d done to their pets—if you could call them that—reverberated down the mountain, causing more rocks to tumble around us and the air filled with thick gritty dust, making me cough and my eyes water. I stared up; they would be on us in a moment.
Considering the numbers and where we stood I knew the fire wall wouldn’t suffice, I needed to really let loose. The energy within screamed for release, impatiently pounding at the walls I’d set in place since coming into my full powers. My hands shook with nerves and I focused on Belsesus, locking a protective shield around his life flame. My breath came in shallow gasps and my heart pounded when the fire lit my veins, far more intense than any adrenaline rush. Red flooded my vision and the conscious part of me was closed off, locked away in my mind while the archaic Elemental side of my soul claimed my body.
Catherine screamed and molten flames of a terrifying intensity wrapped around them, sucking the air from his lungs and Belsesus couldn’t move, his body locked in terror at the firestorm. It moved like a liquid, a flood, gushing up the rocky side, catching every single urotho. The trolls didn’t even get a chance to shout a warning to those behind before the torrent sucked them under. The roar of the fire drowned out any other noise, deafening him while his mind and lungs screamed in dread.
Then it stopped.
Just as suddenly as it started the fire vanished leaving the mountain eerily quiet. He felt Cat climb down and watched when she came into view beside him, staring up at the smoking hillside.
Something felt wrong.
‘Your Highness?’
She pivoted slowly and both his hearts seemed to slow to a single thud. Had he been a weaker centaur, he would have fled.
Staring both at and beyond him, her eyes no longer showed red or green, but fully black.
‘Centaur,’ snarled an archaic voice from her lips. ‘More come. It is time to leave.’
He bowed, feeling every single hair on his hide and the feathering on his legs, stiffen.
*~*~*
Chapter Twelve
My head spun unpleasantly and when the red shade left them I found, to my astonishment, Belsesus bowed low before me. Blinking in confusion I turned and looked up the hillside. Black smoking mounds dotted the razed land, not a bush or tree to be seen, all burned to the ground.
‘Oh god,’ I said my stomach turning when I realized what the smoking mounds marked. ‘Is that the urotho?’
Belsesus straightened and I twisted to look at him but pulled back in shock when he flinched as our eyes met.
‘Belsesus?’
The centaur’s ears flicked back like threatened, his brown forelock stiffening and I jerked around to check behind.
‘What is it? Can you see something?’
He regarded me for a long moment, the look unnerving like I was something dangerous and unknown.
Oops, I guess when I let loose it’s scary.
Do you need much more evidence, my rational voice snapped when I glanced up the torched hill.
‘We need to leave,’ Belsesus said in a weird tone. ‘More are coming.’
‘How can you tell?’ I asked, using his proffered elbow to scramble up. He didn’t answer, checking the saddle bag ties, tugging on the strap that held it to the saddle.
‘I just can. Now hold tight, this’ll be rough.’
Yet again I wished for something tangible to cling to while on centaur back when Belsesus plunged over the edge. Even leaning back as far as possible and hanging on grimly with my thighs, I still needed to rouse a little energy to keep my seat.
Rough is an understatement, I thought while my teeth chattered and I clamped my mouth tight before I accidentally bit my tongue off. My head bounced off Belsesus’ back as I kept up the punishing ninety degree angle, the rattling so hard I couldn’t tell how far we had to go.
Bloody hell! And I thought off-roading with Sian was rough.
The shingle fan started to move with us, burying Belsesus’ legs knee deep and he half waded half jumped his way through. All around us a metallic, heavy pouring sound filled the air while rocks of all sizes flowed past. Dust filled the air and we both coughed, the arid clouds stinging my eyes. Blinking rapidly I could see the valley floor fast approaching. Gritting my teeth still, I braced my strength and started to push up to si
tting, preparing for the inevitable. The heavy blow when we finally hit horizontal nearly caused Belsesus to collapse, his knees buckling at first before he gathered his strength and started across the riverbed.
Cat! Loi’s alarmed voice broke into my rattled mind. I need you here, NOW! The ceiling is collapsing!
Coughing still, I tried to speak and croaked out, ‘We need to hurry!’
I couldn’t manage any more and leaned forward when Belsesus broke into a gallop, arms bent and tucked at his sides and he leaned too, hooves pounding the rocks beneath. We headed for the other side of the valley, covering a good distance in little time when Belsesus muttered something and stopped.
Cat! Get inside now!
‘Belsesus! Is there far to go?’ I yelped the words when an image of Loi from Sian’s link showed in my mind. She stood with her arms stretched high and head twisted, looking behind for something—presumably us—while chunks of rock dropped around her.
‘No. We’re here.’
I sat straight, surprised, and peered around then shook my head when my vision appeared to go double and the rocks before my eyes swam. It took a moment for my brain to register what I looked at.
‘An optical illusion,’ I breathed, awestruck and Belsesus stepped behind the wall of stones that concealed the entrance. The wall matched the exact line of the stones on the valley floor so it appeared flat until you stood beside it. We trotted in and the sudden darkness caused Belsesus to pause. I lit a hand and held it high.
‘WHOA.”
We stood in an enormous cavern and my voice bounced of the sides. At the center stood Loi, her energy glowing bright while she held the ceiling. The loud CRACK when a piece of stone smashed down near us spurred Belsesus into action, at the same time Loi screamed.
‘RUN!’
His hooves clattered across the stone floor and we raced toward the others who watched from an archway beyond this chamber. We flashed past Loi and I focused inward again, searching for Loi’s life flame and wrapped my energy around it, swelling a soft healing light into it to give her more strength.
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