Sapphire

  She was grateful that no one mentioned her silly romp through the woods. When Lula flew up to give her a bracelet of iridescent imp blossoms that were enchanted to never wilt or fall apart, Shawna didn’t avert her eyes or hang her head.

  “You seem,” Lula began, as Shawna admired her gift, “um, different.”

  Shawna glanced at Orin’s back, a few yards ahead of them, leaping from boulder to boulder while Antares did the same. It was like they were in contest, one trying to out-leap the other, though Antares obviously had the upper-hand, or paw. Something like disgust glimmered across Lula’s face.

  “Did…did you?” she stuttered, glancing from Shawna to Orin and back again. “Did something happen between you two?!”

  Shawna was amazed that her little friend, usually as clueless as she was about things, could so easily see the flame of affection she felt for him.

  “What?” She tried to feign innocence, though she could see Lula crossing her arms at this lame act. “I—” She played with the flower bracelet. “I don’t know. No. Maybe. Not like that. What do you mean exactly?” She knew she sounded like a blundering, besotted, numb-tongued moron.

  Lula continued to stare at her while flying backwards at face level, arms crossed.

  “We kissed, all right,” Shawna hissed, looking intently at the duff covered path they had been following.

  “Ew.”

  “Ew?” Her eyes snapped up to Lula’s, who looked sincerely disgusted.

  “Him? You actually kissed him?” Lula grimaced. “Why?”

  “Why do you think? Cuz he kissed me, why else? What’s wrong with that?”

  “What’s wrong is that you’re Ava, oh powerful one meant to save our world.” Her tone was as sharp as Shawna’s glare, but Lula was undeterred. “You’re not supposed to be slobbering over some big-lipped, pretty boy. You have a purpose here! You have something that none of us, not me, not Mira, not Antares, have. Something within you, that’s not your tongue, that will hopefully help us. And we aren’t about to let you forget that.” Lula took a breath from her rant, and Shawna snatched the moment to rave back.

  “Apparently not!” Her stomping feet accidently kicked and stumbled over a rock, but she ignored the ungraceful moment and the pain in her toe. “For one thing, my name is not ‘Ava.’ And I don’t have to do anything. I chose to do this. I didn’t ask to be here, but I guess you all can’t survive without me, so I’ll do what I want like save your glittery-butt, and kiss pretty boys. I don’t need your approval. What’s your purpose? Huh? Cuz it’s certainly not saving anyone!”

  Too late she realized she had gone too far as Lula’s lip began to tremble, and her eyes welled up with tears.

  “Y-you think he feels the-the same as you?” The tears fell freely from her tiny eyes. “You think he cares about you more than we do, your highness?!” Then she flew away into the nearby lichen-laced trees.

  Shawna mentally kicked herself and blinked back her own tears. She tried to validate her outburst as she followed the sound of Mira’s hooves up ahead, but Lula hadn’t deserved that. As her nose filled up with unshed tears and she sniffed, she saw that Orin and Antares had given up on trying to out-macho one another. That, or else Orin had realized he probably couldn’t compete with a nine hundred pound killing-machine. He was now crouched on a high moss-tufted boulder, staring into the ravine below. Antares was standing alert on another boulder, staring down in the same direction. Mira took one more step, stopped, and slowly turned around with nostrils flaring. Antares unleashed a tremendous roar that made Shawna’s heart bounce off her ribs like a rubber ball. She ran over, scrambled up Orin’s rock, and wished she were a million miles higher.

  A sea of dark shapes was amassed less than half a mile down the mountain, rising and falling in great swells while the earth rumbled like an oncoming storm. Molochs, thousands upon thousands of them. Panic-stricken, she reached down and grabbed the hilt of her crystal sword till her hand was numb. Where did all those monsters come from? How did they find them so quickly? It looked like their strength was actually growing, not waning, as she watched them start to climb up the steep slope towards them.

  They’re going to catch us and… She didn’t want to think of what might come after ‘and.’

  “Shawna!” She looked down at Mira below, ready for her to jump on. “We should run, now.”

  She jumped from the boulder to her back, Orin right behind her. He threw his arm around her waist. She felt an overwhelming desire to turn and kiss him again. It seemed the proper romantic thing to do in such dire circumstances. But just as she was about to turn and gaze dreamily into his eyes, Mira plunged ahead, nearly throwing her off. It was all she could do not to fall as Mira raced along the narrow path like a black wind. Lula was almost left behind, but she snatched Antares’ ear before he too took off like a streak of red light.

  “Erowr!” he yowled at her tight grip, snapping his jaws.

  “Well-l-l,” she stammered as she bounced along like a floppy earring. “W-w-what was I-I-I sup-p-posed to dooOO, you sparkly hair b-b-baaAALL?”

  Antares hurled past Mira and charged up a tall outcropping of rock. He reached the top, turned, and Shawna saw his eyes widen. Lula gratefully let go and had a sneezing fit.

  “Keep going!” he bellowed as they reached his look-out.

  In one fluid motion he leapt to a boulder, then propelled himself over their heads, roaring like an avalanche. He collided like a thunder-clap with a moloch, almost as large as he, merely feet behind them. Both began fighting and roaring furiously. Mira turned, reared to her full height, and her neigh echoed to the roiling clouds above.

  “There’s no time. Fight,” she said, rearing again and making them tumble off her back.

  Her front hooves came down upon another monster’s head. Shawna was at a loss. So much was happening all at once. Huge dark shapes with gleaming eyes and tusks were starting to surround them, growling, roaring, tearing, biting. Orin yelled, brandished his sword, and charged into the chaos. More than once, Mira kicked, bit, or gored a creature a second before its claws or fangs found Shawna. She was frantically trying to use her weapon and climb the rocks behind her. She felt like a fool and had no idea what to do. She grabbed the necklace.

  Work, her mind screamed in sheer panic. Work! Do something!

  But the stones remained cold and dull.

  Lula was trying to use her magic to aid them, but in her fright the spells were wild. Flowers sprouted out of a monster’s mouth which did save Mira a lethal bite. A few pink monsters could be seen rampaging around, but the color of their fur didn’t seem to faze them much, nor make them less frightening. Lula was trying but there were just too many of them.

  Antares was certainly a force to be reckoned with. Bolts of red lightning flashed from his hide, searing any monster in the vicinity. Their skeletons glowed beneath their rotten hides a moment before they dissolved into smoky ash. His snarls and roars sounded as though they would bring down the mountain.

  At some point Shawna lost hold of her sword, and it fell to the ground only to disappear under clawed feet and flashing hooves. She was sure it was smashed and would have sobbed if she had not been so petrified. Then she was torn off the ledge. Sharp rocks cut into her head and shoulders. One of the monsters was dragging her away by a boot, away from the protection of her friends.

  She opened her mouth to scream for help, but found her throat, her tongue, her lips, wouldn’t work. She couldn’t make a sound except a feeble choking whisper through the tightness in her chest.

  “Help,” she choked out, her heart hammering up into her constricted throat.

  Tears leaked from the edges of her eyes as she kept trying with all her will to speak. She could feel nothing but the pressure of jaws on her leg, the slicing stones, and see a mass of black hairy undersides letting her slide past. Saliva flecked her like rain, or was it rain? Yes, it was raining, though she was slimed in drool from the howling beasts as well. She tried twistin
g away, but the jaws were too strong, and movement caused sharp teeth to dig into her leather boot. Then she saw it. Her sword, miraculously intact. It was close, almost within arms reach as she was dragged towards it.

  She dug her free boot into the ground and launched herself away from her captor, tearing her other boot off. Before the creature knew it was holding only a dirty-pink boot, she quickly crawled and grabbed for the crystal blade. Her hand closed around the iron handle. She whirled onto her knee, and with a yell of pure fear and determination to survive, thrust the glinting blade into the chest of the leaping beast.

  She felt the weight of the moloch falling through the sword towards her, its stench, its warmth, its gargling throat sliding down to hers. For the first time, dark blood actually gushed from its wound, then eerily froze in mid-air inches from her face as it began to disperse into mist. She was left lying on her back while raindrops caught in her lashes, blurring her vision. The hilt had jabbed into her side, causing a horrible bruise, but a will to fight pulled her to her feet. She raised her sword with both hands. The rain was heavy now. A horde of crushing, slavering, fire-eyed bodies swarmed around her, but kept just out of reach of the luminous razor-sharp crystal.

  She thought nothing, only felt; felt the fear becoming anger, then a calm inner-strength; felt the smooth iron hilt, the cold rock under her bare foot, the cuts on her back and leg. The monsters took another step back. She thought she saw them ripple, like a mirage. Their numbers were overwhelming, and she couldn’t see or hear her companions.

  What am I going to do? she thought.

  Her resolve slipped. A monster raised a clawed paw and took a step forward. Three more edged closer. She was starting to panic again. The first one crouched, ready to spring, then threw its head back and howled in pain.

  A man had leapt onto its back from the boulders above, slicing it to ribbons with an S-shaped double blade. Before she could comprehend what was happening, every claw, every tooth, was fleeing before this deadly apparition. The stranger was like a cyclone, his weapon weaving around his body so quickly there was a constant black tornado of defeated monsters swirling.

  “Shawna!”

  She tore her eyes from her savior and saw Lula zooming towards her, followed closely by Mira and Antares, both showing many bloody cuts but otherwise unhurt. Orin was nowhere to be seen. Their enemies had nearly completely dispersed, retreating back down the mountainside into the forests below. Whoever the man was, he was certainly powerful, able to strike fear into thousands of deadly creatures.

  Lula flew up to her and landed on her shoulder.

  “Are you all right?”

  Shawna nodded numbly.

  “I tried to get to you,” said Mira, her sides heaving and flecked with foam.

  “I know,” said Shawna. She was absent-mindedly patting Mira’s neck. “I know.”

  Orin stumbled over to her side. Blood coursed down his face from a head wound.

  “Orin, are you okay?” She felt every cut and bruise on him as if they were her own.

  “I’m fine. Looks worse than it is.” He leaned over, staring up at her, the stream of blood running down his neck. “As long as you’re okay.”

  She took a step towards him, then stopped and followed Antares’ gaze. Antares was watching the man striding towards them through the rain. Wearing only leggings, he looked every bit a warrior with long, confident, powerful strides, a muscular frame, and an intensity in his startling sky-blue eyes. He was frightening and mesmerizing at the same time. He had saved their lives, but he also didn’t seem human. This feeling unnerved Shawna, and at the same time drew her to him. Was this the one in pursuit of her? The one they called Gavan? If so, she was sure any attempt to escape would just make him laugh.

  He stopped a few yards from them. He was an intimidating seven feet tall at least. Shawna stepped back, but braced herself for whatever might come next. Orin stepped in front of her, shielding her. Lula was poised on her shoulder. The man said nothing, only watched them in return. He had short iron-colored hair and perfect but emotionless features. His skin was strangely pale with a slight silver sheen. Shawna found this man, savior or no, more chilling than even the beasts he’d just saved them from.

  “You won’t get past all of us as easy as those monsters,” Lula yelled, making Shawna wince as her ear started ringing.

  “Oh, sorry,” mumbled Lula.

  The man laughed, a wide smile forming on his once frigid face. He looked straight at Shawna, completely unconcerned about anyone else.

  “Are you strong enough to fight me, little human girl?”

  She only returned his stare, ready to flee or fight, though she very much hoped for fleeing.

  His teeth glinted and slowly began to extend into points. Shawna and Lula both gasped at the same time. His whole body began to morph. His muscles rippled, undulating under his skin as he grew larger and larger, head and fingers elongating, his neck growing in length beyond that of his body. He looked monstrous, no longer a handsome ageless man. His scant clothing melted into his skin, but he was not even remotely human anymore. His skin shimmered with silver scales. His fingernails grew into huge curved claws. Giant wings like ship’s sails sprouted and unfolded over his stretching torso as his long snout soared to dizzying heights above their heads. The silver dragon roared and spread its massive wings.