Chapter 18: The Great and Terrible: Chapter 18

I screamed, expecting pain. But… I felt good. Better than good.

Looking myself over, I marveled. Shiny golden armor covered me, the metal seemingly poured onto my flesh, one with me. Before my very eyes, the dagger I gripped elongated into a sword. It, too, thrived inside the flames.

How was this even possible?

The monstra swooped down, opening its mouth to consume me with a single bite. But it shrieked and reared back, tumbling from the sky, crashing into the ground.

I didn’t know what happened, but I should probably rush over to remove its head before it recovered.

The thought came, and a split second later, I stood beside the injured monstra. Just boom, there I was. Dizziness, shock, and confusion struck, but I didn’t let the tide stop me. Drawing strength from the ring, I raised the sword and oh, the way I moved! A fluidity I’d never before exhibited.

Sensing my nearness, the creature attempted to rise. I wasted not a second, striking. Metal sliced through scales, fur, muscle and bone like a hot knife through melting butter. Its head separated from its body, its dark green blood spurting from severed arteries.

Satisfaction in a job well done acted as fuel. Now to help my friends. Or not. I stood rooted, pelted by rain unable to tame the flames still crackling over me and flabbergasted. Jasher hacked at a monstra with the ferocity of a thousand soldiers. Unable to fly with broken, mutilated wings, his challenger couldn’t escape his strikes. It, too, died by beheading.

Nugget’s opponent realized its brethren were toast, hurried to disengage and fly away. Well then. No help necessary. Battle won.

To prove it, the tempest downgraded to a light shower. Then the droplets tapered, and the sun materialized, shining brightly.

“Victory!” I raised my fist to the sky and cheered. “Everyone is good?” I called.

Leona sank to her knees and cried. Patch hunched over, attempting to catch her breath, and flashed a thumbs up. Nugget huffed and puffed, the tendons in his neck pulled taut. Jasher stood next to a slain monstra, splattered with blood and staring at me as if I’d grown a second head.

With no prompting from me, my sword returned to dagger form. The flames snuffed out, and my golden armor faded, vanishing. Strength abounded me, too. My legs buckled, and I dropped. Upon impact, air exploded from my lungs. When I could breathe again, air sawed between my lips. I sprawled on the ground, quaking from top to bottom.

“Moriah!” Jasher rushed over, skidding to my side to pat me down, on the hunt for wounds. A frown of confusion accompanied his efforts. “You are unharmed. You caught fire, but you aren’t even singed.”

“I’m fine.” A fact I couldn’t explain. I eased into an upright position. “Are you?”

“I sustained a few minor abrasions and burns.” His gaze cut to the headless carcass of my opponent, and his frown deepened. “Without training, you killed a fully grown monstra.” The astonishment in his tone could not be measured; there was simply too much of it. “The crimen is gone.”

Had it burned away in the flames? “I don’t know what happened. The flames hit, liquid armor appeared on my body, strength filled me, and… ” I waved to the corpse. “This occurred.”

Jasher rubbed a hand over his mouth, leaving streaks of crimson. “The prophecy claims a crime can occur, but an execution won’t be necessary to stop the storm. I couldn’t imagine such an event taking place, yet here we are.”

“The Guardian must have answers.” I pressed a palm against my churning belly. How would he react to my newfound abilities?

Nugget’s fury cooled, and his body went lax, revealing his injuries. Deep wounds littered his chest and arms.

Unacceptable! “I’m coming, baby.” I climbed to my feet.

With a whimper, he limped toward me.

“No.” Stiff as a board, Jasher angled in front of me. “No closer.”

My pet stopped and bared his teeth, growling.

“Enough!” I rushed around the executioner and to the rabdog’s side. “We’re on the same team.” Nugget had returned. Had protected us. I wouldn’t punish him for it. “Someone bring me Jasher’s first aid kit. Please.”

Leona hesitated before zooming to the pack, swiping it up and sprinting over. Nugget stayed where he was, but that was okay; I went around Jasher.

“Lay down for me, baby.” With the gentlest pressure, I urged him to stretch out on the ground. He offered no resistance and allowed me to clean and bandage each wound. Though, yes, he did bare his teeth a time or two.

Jasher hovered nearby, at the ready just in case. When I finished with the task, I kissed Nugget’s adorable face. He nuzzled my cheek, uncaring as the villagers returned, slipping into town to gawk at the slain monstra.

“I know I said I’d never call you Toto,” I whispered to him, “but that’s who you are. My Toto. I love you.”

The rabdog lumbered to his feet, but he didn’t dash off. He met my gaze, and in that moment I knew. This was goodbye. He wasn’t going to kill me, but he wasn’t going to stay with me. Wasn’t going to follow me anymore, either. We’d reached the end of the road.

Hot tears brimmed. “I love you,” I repeated. “I’ll miss you all the days of my life.”

He bowed his head as if he understood and entertained the same sentiment, then bounded for the woods. His loss was an arrow to my heart, but I, too, understood. Our lives were on different paths.

Jasher gently wiped the droplets of sorrow from my cheeks. “Just because something is hard doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”

“Yes, but this still hurts.”

“I expect a commendation after this,” Leona mumbled, peering from one fallen monstra to another. “A star of honor. Ballads sung about my bravery. Legends repeated for eons to come. Something!”

“I’m shocked we’re all still alive. But you.” Pale and trembling, Patch pointed a finger of accusation at me. “You caught fire. Materialized armor. Golden armor at that. Not even water maidens can do that.”

“I can’t explain it.”

Villagers peeked through the trees before returning to the town square in groups. “You’ve heaped punishment upon our heads!” someone shouted. “The royal army will come.”

“How did they kill the monstra?” Wonder and distress coated the question.

Sounds of agreement arose, quickly morphing into a song of rage and fear. Other bellows breeched the uproar. “Go!” “Leave us!” “We don’t want you here!”

“Did you forget we stopped the storm and prevented the death of one of your own?” I demanded. “Does a young mother with everything to live for ring any bells?”

The citizens of Gum Drop Lane meant business. They swiped up pebbles and rocks and hurled them at us, as if we’d ruined their lives rather than saved the day. A rock whizzed narrowly missed my cheek, rousing anger and hurt.

Jasher clasped my hand in his and, with the pack slung over his shoulder, propelled me along the same trail Nugget had taken. Patch and Leona stayed close to our heels. I wasn’t even surprised when we came upon the hat, allowing me to reclaim my property. Rather than wear it, I folded it into a square and pocketed it.

“Not to repeat myself, but Moriah caught fire, and she’s not a heap of ash,” Patch said, her voice tinged with hysteria.

“Keep yourself together until we reach camp,” Jasher commanded.

He maintained his clasp on my hand, shoving past sharp branches while the ladies hustled to remain five steps behind us. At some point, however, those branches seemed to move out of our path of their own accord. Insects and singing sirenes went quiet. Even rainbow birds kept their distance.

“I think the forest is afraid of you,” he muttered for my ears alone. Tension radiated from him.

“Me?” But that was ludicrous. A woodland wasn’t sentient. Was it? No, no. It had displayed no type of personality before this. “A forest is just a forest.”

“I’ve never seen it react to someone this way.” He picked up his pace. “We’re two days from Lux. Four if we go around this grove, which I think we should do. As the villagers proved, those snared by fear can do terrible things.”

Doubling our journey wasn’t an option. The longer I stayed in Hakeldama, the more danger I faced. I’d even begun to throw myself into life and death situations with utter abandon. For Daddy’s sake, I should leave as soon as possible. “We will be acting in fear if we forgo the shortcut. We’ve overcome every obstacle so far. That isn’t going to change.”

A long while passed before he nodded. “Very well.”

We continued on until sunset and made camp. Too exhausted for conversation, we ate the last of the jerky and fell asleep around the fire. I slept in the crook of Jasher’s arm again, clinging. But he clung to me, too.

When morning arrived, we cleaned up and set out, forgoing breakfast. Despite the lack of nourishment, everyone else’s mood was much improved. I felt as if I were being watched again.

Leona teased Patch about her tangles, and Patch seized every opportunity to poke me, shake her head, and muttered about otherworlders. Jasher whistled under his breath. I constantly glanced over my shoulder.

“Why are there so many birds?” Patch shooed a flock. One squawked at her, and she yelped, hurrying on.

There were a lot of birds about. They flew here, there, and everywhere, growing more and more agitated. Ultimately, they shot into the sky in unison, as though frightened away. Amid the sudden quiet, our group stopped.

“Something comes.” Menace radiated from Jasher as he palmed an ax.

I unsheathed my dagger, ready.

Up ahead, branches parted and leaves rustled. A pair of majestic black and white horses trotted forward, each bearing a single horn between its eyes. The black one possessed white wings and the white one possessed black wings, each feathery masterpiece arching backward.

“Pegacorn,” Leona breathed.

“Told you,” I sang. Not extinct.

“They were—are—known to be vicious,” Patch whispered, a tremor in her voice.

The cool metal of my ring told a different story. Did the pegacorn sense my connection to the former king and queen?

I took a step toward them, but Jasher tightened his hold on my hand, keeping me at his side. “They won’t harm us,” I promised. “Trust me.”

Seconds passed before he freed my fingers. I lifted to my tiptoes and kissed his cheek, surprising us both. His gaze swung to me, but I only smiled before approaching the pegacorn. Both bowed their heads, allowing me to pet their snouts. Such soft fur. The gemstones in my jewelry glowed, as if thrilled with the contact.

I gasped, my heart leaping. “They offer us a ride to the City of Lux.” The knowledge burned within me, as if they’d spoken out loud. “We’ll reach our destination in two hours rather than two days.”

“And let them drop us from the sky?” Leona shuddered. “No thank you.”

“Stay here, then. I’m going.” The black horse kneeled and slightly flared his wings, helping me mount with ease. “Jasher?” I arched a brow at him.

He jutted his chin. “I’ll go.” As he stalked over, the girls followed him. He helped the pair mount the white horse before climbing behind me, adjusting his pack, and wrapping his arms around me.

What an amazing development. “Did you ever hope to travel by pegacorn?” I asked my co-rider, anchoring my fingers in the animal’s mane. “Wait. Never mind. Until today, you believed they were extinct.”

“So did the rest of the world,” he remarked.

“Well, get ready for a delightful experience.” I’d flown to my grandparents on my father’s side, who’d moved to Florida when they’d retired. There’d been turbulence, but unlike other passengers, I hadn’t cared or worried. Being in the air had felt natural.

The pegacorn turned and kicked into a gallop, moving faster and faster through the forest. Dodging trees. Spreading further and further apart until… They leaped and flared their wings, catching a current and gliding up, up. Flapping and flapping, soaring higher and higher. Wind whipped through my hair, and I laughed.

Jasher tightened his hold on me. “This is not delightful,” he grated into my ear, and I laughed again.

“Is the ice cold Tinman afraid of flying?”

“I assure you, I’m not ice cold or afraid of flying.” He nipped my lobe, a gesture meant in jest that sent ripples of pleasure cascading through me. “Falling on the other hand…”

I’d already fallen—for him. All amusement fled. There was no denying the depths of my feelings. I liked him. Maybe even loved him. Yet we were closer than ever to saying goodbye.

I twined my fingers with his. “Come with me to Kansas,” I pleaded, pride no longer a factor.

His hold on me tightened. He nuzzled his cheek against mine and placed our joined hands on my torso. The heat of his skin seeped through my clothing, warming my bones. “There are things you don’t know about me, princess.”

“Tell me then.”

He didn’t. “Consider staying. The people of Hakeldama need you.”

That… no. “I’m just one person. What can I do?”

“Kill more monstra and recruit others.”

“You are well able to do that.”

“Yes, but the forest has never provided me with an oasis or paid homage to my nearness. The pegacorn aren’t here for me, but you. I can’t produce liquid armor from thin air or stand in an inferno of flames.”

The warmth dulled bit by bit, and I shivered. “My father⁠—”

“Can be brought here, as you were.”

But would he want to move? Did I want him living in this dangerous land? “He wouldn’t survive travel or be okay with an innocent dying in his place.” A life for a life. I hadn’t forgotten. “Neither am I.”

“That isn’t always the case.”

“Well, if we can avoid the death thing, and I can find a way, I can maybe possibly come back after Daddy is…” I let my words trail off, shamed I’d even entertained such a thought.

“Yes. Maybe.”

Judging by Jasher’ flat tone, he didn’t think I would. But I’d overcome worse odds.

Our group came to the end of the forest, but not Dead Man’s Pass. Other crumbling roads extended from various parts of the forest, but all led to a colossal dome seemingly made of smoked glass and big enough to cover an entire state. The only visible landmark was an equally large iron gate studded with emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds. Currently closed. No one stood nearby.

“The grand entrance to the City of Lux,” Jasher said and sighed.

My breath caught. We had arrived. But what awaited us inside the dome?