Odriel's Heirs Page 5

  For the first time, the gravity of their situation hit Kaia like a brick to the face. “And there’s only two of us left.” She winced.

  Klaus rubbed the scar in his brow where the hair hadn’t grown back—a lasting reminder of their vulnerability. He threw another stick into the fire. “We need help.”

  Kaia stuffed her empty bowl into her pack beside her. “But who?”

  Silence stretched between the trio as the fire burned low between them. In the vast open lea, beneath the endless sky, their pitiful fire seemed like a single spar in an ocean of darkness. Gus puffed out his lips in a long sigh that Kaia felt down to her bones.

  Shad sat up, ears twitching. “You must ask the Maldibor Tribe to call the warriors of Okarria.” His pink tongue flicked out over his black nose. “Only they keep the jackhawks fast enough to carry your message.”

  Klaus raised his eyebrows. “Where can we find them?”

  Shad blinked slowly as he looked out to the Dalteek bending their antlered heads low in the grass. “Their village lies in the shadow of the Naerami, not two days journey from here,” he turned to meet Klaus’ gaze. “In Carceroc forest.”

  Now it was Kaia’s turn to look up. “Where the magi imprisoned the ancient mankillers?” In the world’s youth, bloodthirsty beasts had roamed the land, killing for pleasure and squashing creation in all its forms, until the magi emerged from hiding to imprison them in a spelled wood in the heart of Okarria. The story had been one of Kaia’s favorites as a child.

  Klaus snorted. “That’s suicide.”

  Shad shrugged his small shoulders. “Maybe you’re right, oh wise Shadow Heir.” He sank back to the ground. “What do I know? I’m just an 80-year-old cat.”

  Their words washed over Kaia as she tried to focus her scattered thoughts. With her father gone, only she and Klaus stood between Okarria and two dead armies. She glanced at Klaus. His shirt and vest were ragged, and his breeches were full of holes, but the bruise on his face had disappeared, and the stripes on his back had closed. Short dark hair now covered his head, and his jaw sported a layer of scruff.

  Confidence marked his every gesture and movement, but the lines of experience had yet to etch his features. And they would need more than confidence. Kaia fixed her stare on Klaus. “We have to try.”

  Klaus shook his head. “There’s got to be another way. This is a stupid idea.”

  She shrugged. “If you think of a better way by morning, feel free to share.” She lay back on her saddle, but she could still feel Klaus’s eyes on her.

  His voice was soft in the night. “You don’t have to prove anything you know.”

  Kaia let the breeze take the words over and past her into the field beyond. Three weeks ago, she had daydreamed of going to the Spring Festival while tending her blusheep. Now, fate had tossed her into a maelstrom of danger and evil, and she was drowning. Klaus couldn’t understand—he’d assisted her father with missions for years. Of course she had something to prove. She had been born the Dragon Heir, but she had yet to earn it.

  Gus reached over and licked her arm. No worry. Rest now.

  Kaia wrapped her arms around the dog in a tight hug. Inhaling his scent of earth and smoke, she felt the knot of anxiety loosen in her stomach. Tomorrow, they would go for help. Until then, she could sleep.

  As her eyelids drooped, she felt small paws alight on her side and turned to see glowing sapphires staring at her through the darkness.

  “Have you courage, girl?” the cat asked.

  Kaia swallowed. “I am the Dragon Heir. Of course I have courage,” she whispered.

  Shad’s eyes narrowed into slits. “You will need it.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Carceroc

  Kaia remembered these words vividly when two days later, she stood before the verdant tangle of branch and fern they called Carceroc Forest. Butterflies fluttered cautiously in her ribcage as she recalled her father’s stories of the creatures of Carceroc—cyclogres that could hypnotize you with a glance, shadow beasts that could silence your inner thoughts, and strigans that could mimic a child’s desperate cries to lure you to your death. As she stared into the dark wood, Kaia became uncomfortably aware of the odd silence, devoid of bird song or insect chatter.

  Her eyes shifted to Klaus as he pulled Moonstreak beside her. His full lips pressed together, and tension hardened his hazel eyes. He had voiced his objections again and again over the past two days but had yet to come up with an alternative course. His playful pranks had disappeared as he begrudgingly followed Shad’s advisement. Now, sitting atop his majestic stag, with his grave countenance and freshly healed wounds, he looked every bit Odriel’s Assassin, the dangerous Shadow Heir of legend.

  Kaia tucked her copper braid behind her ear and pushed her mass of tangled hair behind her shoulder. Meanwhile, she still looked like a lost sheep girl.

  Gus yipped from her other side, panting exuberantly. Chin up, my girl, chin up.

  Klaus’ grimace deepened as he regarded the black cat in his saddle bag. “Do you know how to find the Maldibor Tribe once we’re inside?”

  Shad’s tail swung back and forth. “No need. The Maldibor will know as soon as we enter. They will find us.”

  “As long as something else doesn’t find us first,” Klaus grumbled. He clicked his tongue to urge Moonstreak forward, with Sunflash following close behind.

  The bright afternoon surrendered quickly to dusk as they entered the forest. Color drained from the trees, leaving only silhouettes to line the silent path. Unlike the serenity on her mountain, the silence here felt unsettlingly oppressive. Kaia strained her ears, listening for sounds in the shadows that her eyes could not pierce in the gathering gloom.

  Her mind strayed to thoughts of Lost, slinking through the dark with their hellish red eyes following her through the trees. Gus drew close to her, ears pricked, and even the Dalteek seemed nervous as their pace quickened along the ever-narrowing path.

  As they rode into the twisting, moss-covered trees, a question prodded Kaia’s thoughts. “Shad, why would the Maldibor choose to live in a forest of monsters?”

  The cat didn’t look back. “Ask one when we get there.”

  They hadn’t gone twenty paces along the narrow trail when Klaus stopped abruptly. “That’s odd,” he murmured

  Kaia leaned in her saddle to peer around him. Not far ahead, the path broke into not two, but five separate paths.

  Klaus glanced from one to the other. “Which way?”

  The cat considered the paths for a moment. “Isn’t this interesting?” he mused to himself as he surveyed the scene. “I have heard of this before, but never experienced it for myself.”

  The quake of Kaia’s heart sent rushes of tingling nerves through her fingers, her fire bubbling just beneath the surface. “What’s going on?”

  Shad’s whiskers twitched. “This is the work of forest griegals.”

  Kaia cocked her head, not sure if she heard him right. “What’s a griegal?”

  “Take the most irritating parts of an imp, a pixie, and a fairy and mix them together. You get a griegal,” said Shad. “They aren’t dangerous, mostly, but meeting up with them can make a long day much longer,” The cat mewed with impatience. “The pests have altered the appearance of the forest and will play with you until they get bored. I would travel slowly and hope they tire of us sooner rather than later.”

  A rustle in a bush near the path caught Kaia’s attention. Gus bustled noisily through the thin layer of spring shrubs and scared a small midnight squirrel out of its hiding place. They continued on, and a few minutes later, they came to another fork in the path that looked exactly like the one they had just left.

  Klaus scanned the paths with knitted brows. “We were just here, but we didn’t go far enough to get turned around.”

  Kaia eyed the darkening canopy. "Leave us alone, griegals,”

  The Shadow Heir skewered her with a contemptuous stare. “Right, because I’m sure that’ll work.”


  “You’re the one who’s leading us in circles,” she said. “Let’s try this way.”

  Kaia led Sunflash to the rightmost path. Once again, after an impossibly short time, they arrived back to their starting place.

  Klaus rubbed his stubbled chin, then pointed. “Walk down the left path, and I’ll wait here for you.”

  She bristled at his sharp tone. “Hopefully, Gus, he’s wrong, and we’ll just leave him behind.” She turned her back on Klaus, but she didn’t have to go far before she saw him and Moonstreak looking towards her expectantly. Kaia dismounted. “What now, oh great Shadow Heir?”

  “I don’t know. There’s probably a reason they’re not letting us pass, but what do you think they want?” Klaus massaged his temple with a sigh.

  “I have no idea.” She shrugged and sat down to ruffle Gus’ fur. “You’re the crafty one. Aren’t you supposed to figure things like this out?”

  Klaus rolled his eyes, “I know it's not your strong suit, but you could at least try to help.”

  “I did, and you snapped at me. So, feel free to struggle all on your—”

  “My dear Heirs,” Shad cut in, raising his voice. “Let’s not air our dirty laundry in front of company.” He nodded towards a tree on the edge of the path.

  Kaia squinted up at the mossy trunk, trying to make out the eavesdropper. Then, an olive child-sized creature peeked out from behind a lush branch hanging high overhead. The griegal, or so she assumed, resembled a skinny pixie with a stubby, impish tail sticking out of its tunic and vestigial wings far too small for its body. He tilted his head as he edged closer, his black hair sticking out in all directions. He smiled at her innocently with sharp white teeth and chattered something unintelligible. Then he jumped from the branch and, with wings fluttering madly, descended to the forest floor.

  Klaus cleared his throat. “Firefly, for your sake, I hope these things are friendly because they’ve got you surrounded.”

  She sat back on her heels and saw that Klaus was right. Six or seven of the creatures were cautiously descending from the trees and creeping toward her and Gus, while another dozen pairs of amber eyes glowed in the shadows.

  Gus sniffed at one cautiously, then snorted. Interesting smell, but not bad.

  “They’re only two feet tall, Klaus. I think we could take them.” Kaia allowed herself a small smile as the griegals poked at her hair and clothes, tittering to each other in scratchy chirrups.

  Klaus tapped a finger on his chin. “Well, you have obviously found your real family.”

  “You’re just jealous that they like me more than you,” Kaia said, bending down so the clamoring griegals could hold on to her fingers. They tugged on her with sharp fingers, leading her away from the path. They waved their arms at the Dalteek, and the mounts sauntered after them.

  “I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Klaus ventured as Moonstreak threaded into the wood after them. “We should stay on the path until the Maldibor find us.”

  Kaia took in the ever-widening tree-trunks as they passed deeper into the forest. “The Maldibor won’t be able to find us if the griegals are casting an illusion.”

  Shad yawned widely, showing his sharp white teeth. “If griegals are the worst things we find, it’ll be a good day.”

  Kaia’s mouth hung ajar as she stared at the branches as thick as Dalteek intertwining into a dense canopy above, while below, ivory flowers dotted the carpet of pine needles and ferns. As the breeze wove through the forest, softly glowing blue butterflies the size of her hand fluttered gaily about them in the honey-scented air.

  Still atop Moonstreak, the tension eased from Klaus’ features. “Do you hear music?”

  The airy low whistle of a flute echoed around them.

  “It’s beautiful,” Kaia whispered.

  The griegals brought them to a halt in a small circular grove, where a dozen more appeared to poke and pull at the legs and hands of their visitors. They gibbered and gestured towards one of the enormous trees.

  Kaia shrugged. “Seems like as good of a place to wait for the Maldibor as any.” She sat down and leaned against an oversized root.

  Klaus dismounted and leaned against the smooth trunk, his eyes still scanning the dusky forest. The mounts grazed contentedly on the lush ferns, and Gus stretched out in his usual spot at Kaia’s feet.

  His tongue lolled out of his mouth as the griegals smothered him with attention. Little people not so bad.

  Shad’s eyelids drooped as he watched lazily from Moonstreak’s back.

  The glow of the rising moon lit the grove, and another, lighter melody joined the first. As the sound of the gay flutes drifted through the trees, the green tribesman began to dance in a coordinated and complicated pattern in the silvery clearing. A small crowd pulled on Kaia’s fingers to join them.

  “Looks like they want you to dance, Firefly,” Klaus said.

  “I don’t think they’re going to let you escape either,” she called back as a small mob surrounded him. Kaia smiled at their enthusiasm but wasn’t quite sure what to do. The creatures wove, spun, and skipped around one another with matchless grace. Kaia watched their steps, and tentatively copied their movements. Klaus raised a mocking eyebrow.

  Kaia bowed unsteadily. “Aren’t you going to join in?”

  The Shadow Heir crossed his scarred arms. “They seem perfectly happy to just dance around me.”

  “Well, aren’t you boring?” Kaia reached her arms above her, spun around, and weaved carefully between the other dancers with slow, dainty steps. “I think I’m getting the hang of it.”

  The words had barely escaped her lips when the music evaporated, and the griegals froze mid-step. Their large, tapering ears pricked up as they stared furtively into the dark forest with luminescent yellow eyes. Kaia halted along with them, fingers of fear fisting in her belly.

  Shad’s eyes snapped open, and Klaus sprang to the ready, scanning their surroundings. In the sudden silence, the giant trees towered ominously above them.

  Gus whined as he looked from Kaia to Klaus and back. Something’s wrong.

  Kaia glanced around the field of still figures. “Klaus….”

  “Shh!” Klaus whipped a hand towards her. “Can you hear that?”

  “Hear what?” But then she heard the hissing. The vibrations started low but grew louder with every heartbeat until the sound rattled her very rib cage. She could see nothing through the large trunks, but the noise emanated from all around them.

  “What is it?” she whispered.

  Then, it attacked. An enormous scaly head burst through the ground with gaping jaws lined with rows upon rows of fangs that opened wide as it swallowed a griegal whole. The meadow erupted in panicked flight. Griegals dashed and fluttered, clambering up the thick trees and jabbering in hysterical, high-pitched tones as more wormlike heads broke the ground.

  Klaus yanked his sword from its sheath and fire leapt to Kaia’s fingertips. She hurled a fireball at a nearby attacker, but its glinting, earth-colored scales deflected her flames. Frustrated, she drew her sword from her waist, but the armored, slimy creatures were too fast, dragging griegals down all around her. Klaus lashed out at one and then another, but even the quick Shadow lagged a beat behind.

  With a whinny, Moonstreak reared and brandished his sharp hooves at the nearest worm.

  Shad clawed at the saddlebags to stay seated. “Terraverms! Run!” he yowled as the mounts bolted for the safety of the forest.

  The Dalteek bounded nimbly away from the worms with great leaps, disappearing between the giant trunks.

  Gus ran after them, before turning and barking wildly from the tree line. C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!

  Klaus grabbed her arm. “Run, you fool! Get moving!”

  He yanked Kaia away from the slaughter just as a pair of jaws punched through the ground to snap at her heels. Gus ran back and forth from the trees, urging them on, while the terraverms, sensing larger prey eluded them, pursued hotly. The Heirs followed after the
ragehound as he ran out in front, weaving through the gargantuan trunks. The fanged predators struck through the earth every few strides, spraying the trio with dirt.

  “We have to climb a tree!” Kaia yelled over the rattling.

  Klaus weaved to the left, just missing the open jaws of one of the monsters. “We can’t climb these trees—we don’t have claws!”

  “But we can’t run forever!” Kaia’s flames glanced off the scales of another attacker.

  “If you have a better idea, let me know!” he spat. “If you hadn’t followed those stupid griegals, we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.”

  Kaia opened her mouth to respond when their luck ran out. A worm surged from its hiding place beneath a log and clamped onto Klaus’ leg, taking him down. Before Kaia could react, the worm’s thorny head retreated into its hole, rattling as it dragged the screaming Klaus with it. Kaia dropped her sword and dove headfirst underneath the log while the Shadow Heir clung to a tree root in a desperate bid to stay above ground. As Kaia slid on her belly over the soft earth, she found herself nose to nose with the nightmarish creature, its jaws tightening around Klaus’ oozing calf. Its six yellow, spiderlike eyes met Kaia’s, and for a brief, mortifying second, Kaia froze.

  Another howl of pain from Klaus snapped Kaia into action. She seized a sharp rock jutting from the tunnel wall and jammed it into the worm’s lower right eye. The rattling turned into a squeal as the creature released Klaus’ leg and retreated into its burrow. Kaia pushed Klaus out of the way before releasing a stream of flame into the hole. After one last hiss of pain, the sinister rattling finally receded to a whisper. Kaia sprang out from under the log, head whipping from side to side.

  The rows of fangs had punctured Klaus’ leg in what seemed like a hundred places, but the wounds weren’t deep. “Did you kill it?” he asked between gasps of pain.

  Kaia’s chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. “No, it’s too fast. I think I just scared it.” In the light of her glowing fingers, she could make out the black streaks already etching the skin around his wound. Venom. “We need help,” she said, wiping sweat from her brow.