mind.
He poked the pendant with a finger. Its fleeing colors and the rosy glow that hovered around it entranced him. On the underside of the gold setting was an oddly shaped indentation. What was this? He turned the pendant upside down and moved it into the sunlight. He squinted, bringing it closer to his face. Engraved in the gold was the smallest writing he’d ever seen. It took several minutes to make out, letter by letter: ‘A promise to transcend death: forever yours.’
A shiver ran down Gavin’s spine. Sometime, somewhere, he’d read this before.
Chapter 11
The eerie calm of the forest suggested an unseen presence watching the travelers from the shadows. The hair on the back of Daia’s neck stood up.
The journey from Sohan had been going more smoothly than she’d anticipated. With three swordswomen to protect the merchant’s wagon, no highwaymen were bold enough or stupid enough to attempt a robbery. The first three days had passed without incident.
Now, on the fourth day, half-way between the Lucky Inn and Saliria, the bushes alongside the road began to rustle. Something kept pace with them, out of sight but not out of earshot. The road wound slowly uphill toward the valley between MountGlory and Twin Peaks. With every turn came a place for robbers to hide. Daia rode with her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. Her companion Sisters did the same.
“I don’t like this,” Cirang said in a low voice.
Daia and Cirang flanked Yardof’s four draft horses while JiNese took up the rear. They rode in silence; no one had to remind the talkative merchant to remain quiet. Even he must have sensed someone was watching them. Or something.
The road was little more than a pair of dirt tracks where wagon wheels and horse hooves had killed the wild grass. Daia scanned the forest on each side of the road, looking for motion. No birds twittered from the branches around them. Not a bee, not even a butterfly hovered around the wild flowers that sprinkled the grass.
A streak of white darted across their path ahead.
“Beyonder,” Daia shouted. From the glimpse she’d gotten of it, it looked fairly small, but no beyonder was harmless. She signaled Yardof to stop his horses. She drew her sword, and Cirang did the same.
The beyonder ran into the road again, this time stopping about forty feet from them. Enormous in comparison with the body, its white head was like a giant mouth filled with row after row of pointed teeth. It had iridescent gray eyes set so far back they looked to be an afterthought of whatever vile god had created it. As it neared, Daia saw its skin wasn’t actually skin or fur or feathers, but armor. Rows and rows of white plates shifted with its every movement. Teeth. The beast was born to rip and crush.
“Watch the horses’ feet,” Daia called out. “Don’t let your mount get too close to it.” JiNese would hang back to guard the girl in the wagon, but Daia and Cirang should have no trouble defeating the beyonder.
As the ranking swordswoman, the strategy of their assault was Cirang’s call to make. Just as Daia started to ask what the plan would be, Cirang raised her sword and let out a wild “Eeeeeai!” as she raced toward the beast.
“Blast her,” Daia muttered. She drove her heels into Calie’s sides and bolted forward to join the battle.
The thing before them went from the size of a coyote to that of a cow. Its armored skin rippled and the plates snapped together, biting the air as viciously as its mouth snapped at Cirang’s sword.
Taking advantage of its preoccupation with Cirang at its mouth end, Daia raced past on the left. She drove her sword into its flank. Its armored plates came down on her blade with a loud clack. Several of the teeth snapped off. A greenish gray fluid leaked out between the gaps and smoked where it dripped onto the ground. Daia turned her mount and sprinted toward it again for a second pass.
She bore down on the creature. It turned away from Cirang
He poked the pendant with a finger. Its fleeing colors and the rosy glow that hovered around it entranced him. On the underside of the gold setting was an oddly shaped indentation. What was this? He turned the pendant upside down and moved it into the sunlight. He squinted, bringing it closer to his face. Engraved in the gold was the smallest writing he’d ever seen. It took several minutes to make out, letter by letter: ‘A promise to transcend death: forever yours.’
A shiver ran down Gavin’s spine. Sometime, somewhere, he’d read this before.
Chapter 11
The eerie calm of the forest suggested an unseen presence watching the travelers from the shadows. The hair on the back of Daia’s neck stood up.
The journey from Sohan had been going more smoothly than she’d anticipated. With three swordswomen to protect the merchant’s wagon, no highwaymen were bold enough or stupid enough to attempt a robbery. The first three days had passed without incident.
Now, on the fourth day, half-way between the Lucky Inn and Saliria, the bushes alongside the road began to rustle. Something kept pace with them, out of sight but not out of earshot. The road wound slowly uphill toward the valley between MountGlory and Twin Peaks. With every turn came a place for robbers to hide. Daia rode with her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. Her companion Sisters did the same.
“I don’t like this,” Cirang said in a low voice.
Daia and Cirang flanked Yardof’s four draft horses while JiNese took up the rear. They rode in silence; no one had to remind the talkative merchant to remain quiet. Even he must have sensed someone was watching them. Or something.
The road was little more than a pair of dirt tracks where wagon wheels and horse hooves had killed the wild grass. Daia scanned the forest on each side of the road, looking for motion. No birds twittered from the branches around them. Not a bee, not even a butterfly hovered around the wild flowers that sprinkled the grass.
A streak of white darted across their path ahead.
“Beyonder,” Daia shouted. From the glimpse she’d gotten of it, it looked fairly small, but no beyonder was harmless. She signaled Yardof to stop his horses. She drew her sword, and Cirang did the same.
The beyonder ran into the road again, this time stopping about forty feet from them. Enormous in comparison with the body, its white head was like a giant mouth filled with row after row of pointed teeth. It had iridescent gray eyes set so far back they looked to be an afterthought of whatever vile god had created it. As it neared, Daia saw its skin wasn’t actually skin or fur or feathers, but armor. Rows and rows of white plates shifted with its every movement. Teeth. The beast was born to rip and crush.
“Watch the horses’ feet,” Daia called out. “Don’t let your mount get too close to it.” JiNese would hang back to guard the girl in the wagon, but Daia and Cirang should have no trouble defeating the beyonder.
As the ranking swordswoman, the strategy of their assault was Cirang’s call to make. Just as Daia started to ask what the plan would be, Cirang raised her sword and let out a wild “Eeeeeai!” as she raced toward the beast.
“Blast her,” Daia muttered. She drove her heels into Calie’s sides and bolted forward to join the battle.
The thing before them went from the size of a coyote to that of a cow. Its armored skin rippled and the plates snapped together, biting the air as viciously as its mouth snapped at Cirang’s sword.
Taking advantage of its preoccupation with Cirang at its mouth end, Daia raced past on the left. She drove her sword into its flank. Its armored plates came down on her blade with a loud clack. Several of the teeth snapped off. A greenish gray fluid leaked out between the gaps and smoked where it dripped onto the ground. Daia turned her mount and sprinted toward it again for a second pass.
She bore down on the creature. It turned away from Cirang
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