Almost done with Wild Born! Hang in there!
From her position on the stone wall, Abeke had a clear view of the battle. Down below, Zerif dueled a tall Greencloak who moved in ways she had never imagined — twirling and flipping without ever mishandling his sword. Shane fought a Zhongese girl who was putting up surprising resistance considering how young and small she looked.
"I am not small," Meilin said.
Abeke wanted to help him with her bow,
"What!" Meilin said "You were going to shoot me!" "I did a lot of things in this chapter, so don't be surprised" Abeke said
but the pesky falcon kept diving at her, sharp talons threatening her bowstring. Abeke had already wasted two arrows trying to hit the bird at close range.
"And you tried to shoot Essix, also" Rollan said "Don't forget that"
Uraza gave a low growl. Abeke thought she understood what the leopard wanted. Crouching low, Abeke held her bow near Uraza, nocked an arrow, and aimed downward again. When the falcon flew near, Abeke leaned away and Uraza jumped straigh up, catching a wing in her jaws.
"YOU WERE GOING TO HAVE URAZA EAT HER!" Rollan yelled. Lenori gave him the quiet down look.
The falcon struggled for a moment, but after a threatening rumble from Uraza, the bird went limp. Abeke set the arrow to the string again and bent her bow. It would probably help most if she put an arrow through the Greencloak fighting Zerif. Or she could drop the big guy with the bear.
"You were also going to shoot Tarik and Barlow?" Conor said
Of course, for now he was distracting Arax, so she should probably leave him alone. The ram had already crushed the buffalo and trampled Neil along with his baboon. As she searched for a target, the bow trembled in her hand. Did she want to shoot a Greencloak? She had come here committed to help Zerif and Shane get the talisman. But none of this felt right. The Zhongese girl had a panda. The boy with the ax had a wolf. And the gyrfalcon that had challenged her — was it Essix? She was up against the other members of the Four Fallen. So who was on the wrong side? Shane and Zerif wanted her to stand with them. Well, truthfully, they wanted Uraza. Abeke frowned. Nobody had shown much interest in her until the leopard showed up. Paralyzed with indecision, around her — Greencloaks, Arax the Ram, the Four Fallen. When this new story was told, would she be a hero or a villain?
"Villain" Rollan said
With the falcon still gripped in her mouth, Uraza watched the panda approach. Jhi looked ridiculous atop the wall, too round and ungainly to cross the thin ridge. Abeke turned her bow toward it.
"Seriously" Meilin said "Jhi too? Why don't you just shoot everybody while your at it that will definitely make you a hero"
Uraza looked back at Abeke and growled low in her throat without releasing the falcon. Abeke immediately lowered her weapon. Uraza had never scolded her that blatantly before. The panda drew near and sniffed Uraza. The leopard released the falcon, which leaped from the slab and took flight. Uraza must have held the bird very gently, because its wing was undamaged. Those powerful jaws could have torn the wing clean off had Uraza desired. Uraza touched noses with Jhi, then looked up at Abeke and made a purring sound. "You recognize Jhi?" Abeke asked. Uraza stared intensely at her with those bright violet eyes. For once, Abeke felt deeply unsure about what the leopard wanted.
"She wants you to switch sides" Conor said
Abeke squeezed her bow. If she didn't want to actually hurt any of the Greencloaks, perhaps her safest bet was to run for the talisman. It was why they had come. If she could get it away from here, that might end this bloodshed. Down below, Shane stood over the Zhongese girl, his blade poised to strike. She was on the ground, defenseless. Then a boy with Shane's wolverine dangling from his arm tackled Shane from behind.
Abeke gasped. Blindsided by the attack, Shane went down hard and lost hold of his blade. One of his legs was twisted at an unnatural angle. The girl picked up the sword and held it threateningly. Looking woozy, Shane called off the wolverine.
"We should have killed him when we had the chance" Rollan said
"We won't fight Jhi," Abeke told Uraza. "But please don't let them hurt Shane." Uraza turned and sprang from the wall with a mighty roar. It was a fairly long drop, much farther than Abeke would willingly attempt. Uraza pinned the Zhongese girl down with one paw, and the Amayan boy with the other.
"You scared the both of us to death" Rollan said
The girl looked momentarily terrified, but when Uraza fended off a fresh attack from Shane's wolverine with a loud snarl, she glanced up at Abeke. Holding her eyes, Abeke nodded gravely. The girl's expression transformed to one of bewilderment. Abeke scanned the sky for Essix, and caught sight of the falcon hovering above the main ledge at the point where it tapered down to nothing against the cliff face. Below the falcon, Sylva stood near the edge, watching as her bat fluttered around a small rock shelf well beyond the ledge. She appeared to be stalled. The talisman was probably out of reach, over by the bat. Nobody down below seemed to notice Sylva. Bow in hand, Abeke dashed along the top of the wall. If she joined Sylva, perhaps they could reach the talisman quickly and escape. Abeke climbed down the least sheer face of the slab she could find, scraping her arms and legs in her haste, and falling the last third of the way. She landed well on the main ledge, and found her leopard waiting. "We have to get that talisman," Abeke said, running along the ledge at top speed. Up ahead, the falcon snatched the bat out of the air. Sylva screamed, extending her arms toward her spirit animal. After brutally shaking the bat, the falcon let go and it fell limply, down, down, until it was out of sight. Sylva dropped to her knees and peered over the brink, wailing and calling out for it. Abeke kept sprinting and Essix flew to the small shelf beyond the ledge where the bat had fluttered. Abeke could now see that on the little shelf was a rough stone box formed by stacking hefty blocks. The falcon pecked and clawed at it, but couldn't open it "Keep away from there!" Arax bellowed, his great voice filling the mountainside with its echoes. "Begone, thieves and deceivers! With a sound like a mighty river, a terrible wind blasted along the ledge. It hit Abeke from behind, pushing her forward.
"Oh yeah" Rollan said "I forgot to mention Arax has the power to influence weather"
Essix was hurled from the shelf and spiraled out of control, striking the wall of the cliff again and again before finding refuge in a sheltered nook. Abeke remembered Zerif warning that Arax could influence the wind. But a Rain Dancer normally had to labor for days to influence the weather — Abeke had not expected instant gales conjured out of nothing. The violent currents of the wind shifted unpredictably, forcing Abeke to adjust to keep from falling. Uraza ran beside her, fur flattened by the gusts. Finally Abeke reached Sylva. "How's the bat?" she asked."Boku landed on a skinny perch way down there," Sylva replied, looking over the side with panicked grief. "He's hurt." Abeke considered the shelf with the stone box. It was higher than their present position, and well beyond where the big ledge ended. She noticed some minor ledges and outcroppings in between. She looked at Uraza. "Think I can make it?" Uraza nudged her encouragingly.
"Either you make it or fall and possibly die" Rollan said "So I think you should do it"
Abeke's senses grew sharper. She was drawing in Uraza's perception, experiencing her power. As she saw the mountainside in greater relief, more handholds and footholds became evident. Confidence welled up inside. She laid down her bow and settled into a crouch. The wind was blowing at her back. The nearest ledge was well beyond the range a normal person could reach with a jump. But with Uraza's support, Abeke was no normal person. She ran and jumped, the wind boosting her leap, and skipped off the targeted ledge to a smaller one. She only touched the next ledge once, then stretched forward and clung to a knobby outcropping with both arms, earning stinging scrapes from her wrists to her elbows. The wind howled and swirled around her. Abeke hoisted herself atop the outcropping and sprang again. This time the wind slowed her, and even with the extra power in her leap, she barely caught her next handhold. Abeke steeled herself not to look below. She knew there was nothing but a sheer drop beneath her. With the deafening wind pushing against her, Abeke pulled herself up. She edged along the thin ledge as far as she could before a final jump brought her to the shelf with the box. "No!" Arax boomed. "No, no, no, no, no!" The wind redoubled in force, and the entire mountainside shuddered. Staying low and leaning into the gale, Abeke fought her way to the box. Pushing with all of her might, groaning as she adjusted for maximum leverage, Abeke toppled the weighty lid. Inside she found a granite carving of a ram,
"He should have hid it better" Conor said
attached to a thin iron chain. The wind abated but the mountainside quaked harder. Some of the nearby ledges and outcrops crumbled away, plummeting down the sheer face into the deep valley below. Praying that the talisman would somehow aid her, Abeke slipped the chain over her head. Abeke wobbled. The shelf was splitting and cracking underfoot. The whole cliff shook harder than ever. Wearing the Granite Ram made her feel no different, and many of the ledges she had used to get here were gone. But with rocks hailing down from above, and with the rock beneath her tearing away from the cliff, she had no choice but to jump. She didn't feel the power of the talisman until she sprang, but then it was as though the strength Uraza gave her had been increased fourfold. The leap propelled her farther than she could have hoped. As the shelf tumbled away behind her, she soared an exhilarating distance through the air. But the jump still wasn't long enough to return to the main ledge, and the other footholds had crumbled. As she began to curve downward, Abeke spotted an indentation in the face of the cliff just large enough that she might find some purchase. Kicking off of the indentation, she gained some height, and with a final push off a meager stone lip, Abeke landed back on the big ledge beside Uraza. "Incredible," Sylva marveled. As the wind slackened, the falcon took flight again. Sylva began the dangerous climb down to her bat. Abeke picked up her bow and turned her attention to Arax. The battle with the ram was moving in her direction. Several people and animals were no longer standing, and Arax fought those that remained with renewed vigor. As Abeke watched, Arax bashed the grizzly bear with his huge horns and sent it sailing off the ledge.
"Goodbye Jools" Rollan said
The ram barely stopped himself at the brink as the bear plunged out of view. Then Arax whirled to face her, murderous yellow eyes settling on the talisman around Abeke's neck. With a bellow that shook the mountain, the Great Beast charged straight toward her. Moving fluidly, Abeke sprang to one side, then to the other, but Arax tracked her evasions perfectly. Abeke found her back to the void as the ram closed in, horns lowered to strike. Roaring with inhuman volume, the bearded man ran forward, wrapped his brawny arms around one of Arax's hind legs, and grabbed hold of it. Skidding to a stop, Arax tried to buck and turn, but the man kept the giant hoof off the ground, his own legs churning forward. Teeth flashing, Briggan attacked another leg. Shrieking, Essix dove at Arax's eyes, talons raking viciously. The huge ram hopped and teetered. With a scream and a huge heave, the bearded man pivoted his body and launched Arax over the side.
"Bartlow throws Arax off the cliff! And that's the end of Arax. The end!" Rollan said
The big man fell to his knees as the ram plunged out of sight, following the bear to the valley floor. Abeke was dumbfounded. Not only had this stranger managed to defeat a Great Beast, he'd just saved her life. He looked her way, panting. "You .. . you okay, girl?" he asked, holding out a hand to her. Before Abeke could respond, Zerif lunged forward and stabbed the big man through the back. Abeke screamed, putting a hand to her mouth.
"Zerif killed Barlow?" Olvan said
The big man pawed weakly at the blade protruding from his chest. The Greencloak with the otter arrived at his side a second later, slashing at Zerif with his sword, but Zerif dodged away, leaving his own sword where it was. Abeke could hardly believe her eyes. This man, her enemy, had saved her life, only to be rewarded by treachery. A stab in the back. The lowest blow one could deliver. As Abeke drew nearer to her rescuer, Zerif ran to Shane, picking him up. The tall Greencloak got tangled up with an Amayan fighter. The woman's viper struck at him from behind, but the Greencloak's otter bit it just below the head. Though the snake thrashed, the otter refused to let go. A moment later, the tall man clubbed his opponent with the hilt of his sword, knocking her unconscious. Zerif and the others fled up the rock-strewn slope. He carried Shane over his shoulder, with Shane's saber in his hand. Zerif looked back at Abeke, his eyes frantic. "Hurry! This way!" Abeke shook her head with a strangely calm certainty. "We're over! I'm not on your side, Zerif!" At first Zerif looked stunned.
"Not surprised" Conor said
Then his eyes became cold and furious. His jackal was with him, uninjured, but Shane's wolverine was limping. Some other survivors had joined them, but they were battered and beaten. All but one lacked their animals. Zerif was out of allies. Abeke set an arrow to the string of her bow. "Go, or arrows start flying." After one last withering glare, Zerif turned and started up the mountainside at inhuman speed. The tall Greencloak turned to Abeke. "You have the talisman?" he asked. She took her arrow from the string and fingered the Granite Ram. "Yes." "And you're with us now?" "If you want me." The Greencloak gave a curt nod. "We want you. And we need you. I'm Tarik." Tarik moved to the side of the fallen bearded man. The Zhongese girl knelt next to him, as did a smaller balding man with a raccoon. Jhi sniffed the wound where the sword protruded.
"Heal him!" the girl insisted to her panda. "That's what you do, right? Or help me heal him. What should I do?" "Not all wounds can be healed," the bearded man gasped. "That ram got Jools, but not before my bear gave me one last burst of strength. I've never lifted half so much weight." Jhi licked the girl, who wept openly. "Save him," she repeated in soft sobs. The bearded man held the hand of the balding one. "You were the best company a man could ask for, Monte," he said, his voice falling to little more than a whisper. "A real friend." He took a jagged breath. "Don't forget to tell folks I threw a Great Beast off a cliff." "There will be stories and songs," Monte promised"Sorry to leave you early." "I'll be along by and by," the balding man said, tears falling down his cheeks. The bearded man looked up at Tarik. As he wheezed, blood dribbled from his lips into his beard. "If it can be managed, dispose of me in a green cloak. "Nothing would be more fitting," Tarik said. The bearded man tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Monte leaned close, whispering to him. The bearded man's chest kept hitching in gurgling Spasms, then stopped. "I can't believe he killed a Great Beast," the boy with the wolf said numbly.
"Killed?" Rollan said "Throwing a Great Beast off a cliff won't kill it"
"Arax is not dead," Tarik said. "It would take more than a fall, even such a high one. The Great Beasts have too much life in them. Still, if we hurry, we might get away." Though his tone was practical, Abeke thought the man looked very tired. And very sad. Monte raised his head. "Barlow's gone. I'd rather not leave him here." "The trick will be getting him to the horses," Tarik said. "We'll manage it." Uraza snarled in agreement. "What if they try to ambush us?" the boy with the wolf asked. Tarik's expression darkened, and he stroked the hilt of his sword. "I honestly hope they do."
"Abeke your turn" Conor said
Chapter Eighteen. The Fallen