I have two more chapters to write then on to Blood Ties!
After a flyover of the garden, Essix was able to guide Rollan and the others towards the fruit orchards. The journey had taken the remainder of the day, but finally Essix had landed in the branches of a thick apple tree, and seemed to announce with a churr that they were close. Now, Meilin, Abeke, and Rollan hid in the shadow beside the apple tree, while Uraza peered across the orchard from the tree's branches itself. Abeke was impressed — perhaps Rollan and Essix really were working on their bond.
"Kind of" Rollan said
"My legs are cramping," Rollan complained. "Let's keep looking somewhere else." Abeke looked up at Uraza, whose lavender eyes met hers with disappointment. Leaving Kunaya sitting in the tree, Uraza slunk down to join the rest of them. Her movement caused a few apples to shake loose, one of which knocked Meilin on the head. She caught it on the bounce and held it up to the leopard accusingly. "Sorry," Abeke said for Uraza. Meilin looked irritated for a moment, then tossed the apple into the darkness. "Don't worry about it. Let's go —" Meilin didn't finish her sentence, because Rollan had grabbed her arm in an uncharacteristically serious way. Essix, who was perched on his shoulder, stared in the same direction — the area where Meilin had thrown the apple. It was through grapevines and fruit trees, a part of the orchards that seemed more wild than the rest of the garden. Under his breath, Rollan said, "It's too dark and there's all that stuff in the way. But I think it's Rumfuss." Meilin started in that direction. "Well, let's go." "Wait," Rollan said, snagging her cloak. "Do you really think we should just go blowing over there like a hurricane? He might run, or worse. Remember Arax?"
"Why all of a sudden you are acting so smart?" Meilin said. "Cuz I am" Rollan said proudly
Abeke shuddered. The image of the gigantic ram bearing down on her would be with her for the rest of her life. "If you were Rumfuss and crazy MacDonnell had locked you up in his garden, would you be excited about talking to humans?" Rollan continued. "Well..." Abeke said as her gaze landed on Uraza. "Who better to approach one of the Great Beasts than fellow Great Beasts? Uraza, could you go see Rumfuss?" Uraza's ears tilted forward and she sat down, tail twitching behind her. Rollan gave Essix a nervous look, but the falcon made a soft clicking sound and jumped to the nearest branch. Meilin held out her arm and Jhi tumbled out, crunching loudly onto the ground. Everyone cringed as Rollan peered back through the trees to make certain the noise hadn't sent Rumfuss running. "All right," Rollan said. "Good luck, guys." Uraza was the first to go, letting her tail swing playfully in Abeke's face as she walked off. She was every bit as silent on the ground as Essix was in the air. Jhi took a step forward "Maybe wait a moment?" Meilin said, putting an arm in front of the panda. The panda obliged, giving Uraza and Essix time to reach Rumfuss before she started off. Jhi rumbled off into the trees, crushing leaves and sticks under her heavy paws. When Abeke could no longer see the bright white bits of Jhi's fur, she worriedly rubbed the spot on her arm where Uraza usually waited in her dormant state. A growl came from the trees, then a falcon's cry. There was then a huge, roaring sort of noise, almost human in its expressiveness — the boar. None of the noises were sounds of alarm, but it still made Abeke's eyes widen. Funny, she thought. A few months ago l'd never even met Uraza. Now I'm nervous when I lose sight of her. "Oh!" Meilin said, reaching forward and touching her temple. "We ... we can go speak to Rumfuss now." "Jhi told you that?" Rollan asked, sounding impressed. Meilin shrugged. "Not told, exactly. But I felt calmness. Safety." They crept through the trees — despite Meilin's spirit animal, she was able to go rather quietly, though it was Abeke who truly moved like the leopard without even trying. Suddenly they broke through the darkened area into a copse of peach trees. Light now poured down from the heavy moon, so Abeke could see Rumfuss clearly. Perhaps too clearly. Abeke thought Arax the Ram was rather frightening, but he was nothing compared to Rumfuss.
"Shall we have a competition to see which Great Beast is the scariest?" Rollan said "Because I say Kovo"
He was, yet again, ignored
The boar was more than twice her height and had narrow, dark eyes. His hide looked more like armor than skin, and the hair that jutted out from either cheek looked like it would cut her hand if she touched it. Most dangerous looking, however, were the two thick tusks on either side of his snout. They gleamed yellowwhite and looked like the sharp corners of two glowing stars. Several huge mounds of chewed apples, each as tall as Abeke, surrounded him on all sides. Rumfuss grunted, stamped at the ground, and then he spoke with a resonant voice that seemed to boom from both inside and outside Abeke. "You... want?" His words were filled with the hesitation of someone who does not speak a language fluently. Abeke thought it had probably been a long time since he'd spoken to any humans. "Rumfuss," she said politely. "We seek your talisman — the Iron Boar. We need it to defeat the Devourer." "Talisman?" Rumfuss grunted warily. He flicked his tail back and forth, the bundle of hairs on the end whishing at his legs. "Why... give it to you?"
"Because then the Devourer will win and then all of Erdas will be doomed!" Rollan said "That's why!"
"The Conquerors will come for it otherwise," Meilin spoke up. "They've already taken my country, Zhong. And they've taken over Trunswick. And two Conqueror recruits are here, in this garden, looking for you — for the talisman." "Can...handle... recruits," Rumfuss said. Abeke didn't doubt that he'd be a match for Devin and Karmo, even with their powerful spirit animals. "We still need the talisman, though," Abeke pleaded. "We can't handle the Conquerors on our own." "In return?" Rumfuss grunted. "Um..." Abeke frowned. She looked to Meilin, who was equally lost. "Freedom," Rollan said. They turned to look at him. He was leaning against one of the peach tree's branches, arms slung across it casually. He lifted his eyebrows at the girls. "That's what anyone who's in a cage wants most, no matter how big the cage is. Right, Rumfuss?" The boar stamped the ground and nodded his head; Rollan smiled a bit in understanding. "Wall," Rumfuss said, turning his head and jutting his snout toward the edge of the peach trees. There was indeed an immense stone wall, which rose up high above even the Great Beast's head. With all its jutting stones, it would have been nothing for an animal like Uraza to escape, but for a creature more lumbering, even one as huge as Rumfuss, it might as well have been a thousand feet tall. "Not so fast," a voice jolted through the dark.
"Too late" Olvan said
A voice Abeke knew. A voice she knew too well. They whirled around. Uraza hunched and hissed, showing her impressive teeth. Rumfuss stamped the ground and gave a throaty, rolling growl. Even Jhi hunched forward and flexed her muscles. "What a reception," Devin said, grinning like this was all a fantastic game. "Abeke! I see you managed to escape. My own fault — I always underestimate how wily vermin can be when they're cornered." Karmo, standing beside Devin, looked sour at the joke, though Devin snickered hard at his own genius. "Rumfuss, we're going to need that talisman," Devin continued. He whistled sharply; the wildcat appeared at his side. Karmo's hammerkop flapped out from the trees, thick bill open and menacing. Rumfuss looked unimpressed — and Abeke couldn't blame him. The three of them, their spirit animals, and Rumfuss the Great Beast against Devin and Karmo? They could handle this. But then Devin grinned even wider, and whistled again. Now the trees were alive with footsteps, footsteps of all sizes, skittering sounds, crunching sounds, the sounds of hooves and paws and human feet on the ground.
Even with the Four Fallen and Rumfuss you'd still lose" Olvan said
Conquerors — a dozen or more, and all with spirit animals — poured from the foliage. There was a man with an iguana around his shoulders, and another with a meerkat crouched at his feet. There was a giraffe, a lemur, and a bobcat, each paired with a human who looked armed and ready for combat. Devin had snuck Conquerors into Glengavin. "Well, Rumfuss? The Iron Boar Talisman?" Devin said, holding out his hand. Rumfuss studied Devin for a moment, so long a moment that Abeke began to worry he was going to give in. But then the boar lowered his head. He huffed, nostrils flaring, and his hackles lifted. Then he charged.
"What's with the Great Beasts and charging?" Olvan said. "Well look at the bright side. He charged at Devin" Rollan said. "And again" Meilin said "Thank you for volunteering Rollan." "Wait" Rollan protested "but I just read." "Too bad"
She tore the book out of Olvan's hands and shoved it in Rollan's face (Again)