Bloodrose
Page 21
Shay was turning in a slow circle, careful to keep his footing. “Where are we?”
“Altitude fourteen thousand, seven hundred fifty feet,” Silas rattled off. “Latitude seven degrees, longitude forty-six.”
“In the Swiss Alps,” Adne interpreted as she closed the portal. “Not too far from Mürren.”
She pointed one of her skeans at the sheer obsidian rock face a few feet in front of us. “That’s the passage to Tordis.”
Shay stared at the black wall and voiced the thought that lodged in my own mind. “But there’s no entrance.”
“There’s an entrance,” Adne said, sliding the sharp spikes back into her belt loops. “It’s just tough to see.”
Ethan was already moving toward the dark surface. When he reached it, he put his hands out, walking sideways, all the while sliding his palms along the rock. He stopped, gave a small cry, and disappeared.
Sabine whined, rushing to the wall. She sniffed the edge, pawing at the rough black stone. Suddenly a hand appeared, reaching for her. She yelped, tumbling backward. I jumped forward, terrified she’d begin the long, unending fall down the mountainside. My jaws clamped into the ruff of her neck as I leaned back on my haunches while digging my paws into the snow.
Let go, Calla. She snarled.
Not until the law of gravity isn’t working against us. I growled back.
Mason’s voice reached both of us. Stop fighting her, Sabine. You don’t want to fall off this cliff. You wouldn’t be an attractive pancake.
She growled but stopped struggling.
Thanks, Mason. I held on to her, probably digging my teeth in a little harder than I needed to, but she’d almost taken us both for an unwanted skydive. I was pissed.
When I felt sure that we were both upright, I released her. She threw me one spiteful look before turning back to the rock wall.
Ethan’s head, which looked like it was detached and floating against the black surface, appeared just as the hand had. “Sorry! I was just trying to show you the way.”
Sabine and I moved toward Ethan’s bodiless head. Scanning the rock wall, I still couldn’t see where the rest of him was hidden. It wasn’t until we were practically on top of him that I saw it. A crooked opening like a gash in the mountain’s hide. Beyond Ethan lay only darkness. I wanted to whimper but covered it with a snarl.
Shay was right behind me. “How inviting.”
Ethan turned away, beckoning to us. “Let’s go.”
A bellow, full of pain and rage, pulled me around. Barreling up the steep slope, churning snow and ice in its wake, was a bear. But it was larger than any bear I’d ever seen. Its girth was double that of the grizzly that had attacked Shay near Haldis. This creature looked like something left over from the ice age.
“Ethan!” Connor shouted. “Looks like one got past the other team.”
Ethan’s crossbow appeared from the slit in the rock before the rest of his body. By the time he fully emerged, he was already firing. Sabine, Mason, and I chased after the flying bolts.
Our downward charge, aided by gravity, was almost too fast. We’d have no control when we hit the bear, which meant the first strike had to count. When we got close, I smelled copper and salt. The bear had already been wounded.
It’s running from the other strike team. I threw the thought to my packmates. Try to find the wound.
Got it, boss. Mason sprang into the air. He came down on the bear’s back, digging his teeth into its shoulder to keep himself from tumbling past it. Just as Mason went high, Sabine ducked low. She squeezed her limbs tight to her body, flattening herself to the slope so she slid under the bear. When it was directly over her, she struck. Her muzzle clamped onto the bear’s underbelly.
The bear roared, slowing. It turned in circles, trying to shake the wolves loose. As it moved, I saw the gash in its side. I leapt, striking as hard as I could into the bleeding wound. I bit down until my teeth met bone. The bear rose onto its hind legs, roaring its fury. Mason and I went flying, our bodies crashing into the snow-covered slope. But the bear’s desperation to rid itself of our ripping teeth threw the beast off balance. It tipped over backward. Sabine, still clinging to its belly, landed on top of the bear, which now lay on its back. Not wasting a moment, Sabine tore into the bear, shredding its abdomen. The bear swung at her, but she leapt out of the way.
The bear struggled to roll over, but Sabine’s attack had been fatal. Blood and gore spilled onto the ice, creating a river of crimson that flowed over the edge of the cliff. The bear groaned once before going still.
Any more? Mason lifted his muzzle to the wind.
Not that I can tell. I turned to Sabine. Nice work.
She sniffed. Whatever.
We trotted back up the slope.
“We clear?” Ethan asked.
I shifted forms. “That was the only one.”
“Good.” He slung his crossbow over his shoulder. “Though I’m not surprised. Pascal’s team isn’t sloppy. He’ll be furious even one got away from them.”
“They might have thought he wouldn’t get far,” I said. “The bear was already injured. Sabine just finished the job.”
“She sure did,” Connor said, leaning over and whispering loudly to Ethan, “Hey, man, your girlfriend is kind of scary.”
Ethan glared at him and Sabine snarled.
Connor pointed at her bared teeth. “See. Look at that.”
“You’re asking to get bitten,” Adne said, grabbing the back of his duster and pulling him out of range of Sabine’s muzzle. “Let’s get on with this.”
Ethan laughed and slid back into the cavern.
Sabine followed the Searcher, while Mason took up a position at her flank. I kept a few feet back from her and could feel Shay following close beside me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Connor, Silas, and Adne at the rear of our group.
The darkness glowed red as Ethan set off a flare, basking the walls in crimson light so that it looked like the rock had begun to bleed. The tunnel was narrow. We squeezed our way through a passage barely wide enough for Ethan to fit through. I held my breath as he grunted and pushed his way forward. We had to shift into human form to wriggle sideways between the rough walls of the cave.
A constant sighing of wind moved through the cavern, mournful and unsettling. Ethan’s flare sputtered out, but instead of that plunging us back into darkness, the passage remained illuminated. No longer red, the walls took on a soft, opalescent hue. I heard Ethan’s breath catch.
“Altitude fourteen thousand, seven hundred fifty feet,” Silas rattled off. “Latitude seven degrees, longitude forty-six.”
“In the Swiss Alps,” Adne interpreted as she closed the portal. “Not too far from Mürren.”
She pointed one of her skeans at the sheer obsidian rock face a few feet in front of us. “That’s the passage to Tordis.”
Shay stared at the black wall and voiced the thought that lodged in my own mind. “But there’s no entrance.”
“There’s an entrance,” Adne said, sliding the sharp spikes back into her belt loops. “It’s just tough to see.”
Ethan was already moving toward the dark surface. When he reached it, he put his hands out, walking sideways, all the while sliding his palms along the rock. He stopped, gave a small cry, and disappeared.
Sabine whined, rushing to the wall. She sniffed the edge, pawing at the rough black stone. Suddenly a hand appeared, reaching for her. She yelped, tumbling backward. I jumped forward, terrified she’d begin the long, unending fall down the mountainside. My jaws clamped into the ruff of her neck as I leaned back on my haunches while digging my paws into the snow.
Let go, Calla. She snarled.
Not until the law of gravity isn’t working against us. I growled back.
Mason’s voice reached both of us. Stop fighting her, Sabine. You don’t want to fall off this cliff. You wouldn’t be an attractive pancake.
She growled but stopped struggling.
Thanks, Mason. I held on to her, probably digging my teeth in a little harder than I needed to, but she’d almost taken us both for an unwanted skydive. I was pissed.
When I felt sure that we were both upright, I released her. She threw me one spiteful look before turning back to the rock wall.
Ethan’s head, which looked like it was detached and floating against the black surface, appeared just as the hand had. “Sorry! I was just trying to show you the way.”
Sabine and I moved toward Ethan’s bodiless head. Scanning the rock wall, I still couldn’t see where the rest of him was hidden. It wasn’t until we were practically on top of him that I saw it. A crooked opening like a gash in the mountain’s hide. Beyond Ethan lay only darkness. I wanted to whimper but covered it with a snarl.
Shay was right behind me. “How inviting.”
Ethan turned away, beckoning to us. “Let’s go.”
A bellow, full of pain and rage, pulled me around. Barreling up the steep slope, churning snow and ice in its wake, was a bear. But it was larger than any bear I’d ever seen. Its girth was double that of the grizzly that had attacked Shay near Haldis. This creature looked like something left over from the ice age.
“Ethan!” Connor shouted. “Looks like one got past the other team.”
Ethan’s crossbow appeared from the slit in the rock before the rest of his body. By the time he fully emerged, he was already firing. Sabine, Mason, and I chased after the flying bolts.
Our downward charge, aided by gravity, was almost too fast. We’d have no control when we hit the bear, which meant the first strike had to count. When we got close, I smelled copper and salt. The bear had already been wounded.
It’s running from the other strike team. I threw the thought to my packmates. Try to find the wound.
Got it, boss. Mason sprang into the air. He came down on the bear’s back, digging his teeth into its shoulder to keep himself from tumbling past it. Just as Mason went high, Sabine ducked low. She squeezed her limbs tight to her body, flattening herself to the slope so she slid under the bear. When it was directly over her, she struck. Her muzzle clamped onto the bear’s underbelly.
The bear roared, slowing. It turned in circles, trying to shake the wolves loose. As it moved, I saw the gash in its side. I leapt, striking as hard as I could into the bleeding wound. I bit down until my teeth met bone. The bear rose onto its hind legs, roaring its fury. Mason and I went flying, our bodies crashing into the snow-covered slope. But the bear’s desperation to rid itself of our ripping teeth threw the beast off balance. It tipped over backward. Sabine, still clinging to its belly, landed on top of the bear, which now lay on its back. Not wasting a moment, Sabine tore into the bear, shredding its abdomen. The bear swung at her, but she leapt out of the way.
The bear struggled to roll over, but Sabine’s attack had been fatal. Blood and gore spilled onto the ice, creating a river of crimson that flowed over the edge of the cliff. The bear groaned once before going still.
Any more? Mason lifted his muzzle to the wind.
Not that I can tell. I turned to Sabine. Nice work.
She sniffed. Whatever.
We trotted back up the slope.
“We clear?” Ethan asked.
I shifted forms. “That was the only one.”
“Good.” He slung his crossbow over his shoulder. “Though I’m not surprised. Pascal’s team isn’t sloppy. He’ll be furious even one got away from them.”
“They might have thought he wouldn’t get far,” I said. “The bear was already injured. Sabine just finished the job.”
“She sure did,” Connor said, leaning over and whispering loudly to Ethan, “Hey, man, your girlfriend is kind of scary.”
Ethan glared at him and Sabine snarled.
Connor pointed at her bared teeth. “See. Look at that.”
“You’re asking to get bitten,” Adne said, grabbing the back of his duster and pulling him out of range of Sabine’s muzzle. “Let’s get on with this.”
Ethan laughed and slid back into the cavern.
Sabine followed the Searcher, while Mason took up a position at her flank. I kept a few feet back from her and could feel Shay following close beside me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Connor, Silas, and Adne at the rear of our group.
The darkness glowed red as Ethan set off a flare, basking the walls in crimson light so that it looked like the rock had begun to bleed. The tunnel was narrow. We squeezed our way through a passage barely wide enough for Ethan to fit through. I held my breath as he grunted and pushed his way forward. We had to shift into human form to wriggle sideways between the rough walls of the cave.
A constant sighing of wind moved through the cavern, mournful and unsettling. Ethan’s flare sputtered out, but instead of that plunging us back into darkness, the passage remained illuminated. No longer red, the walls took on a soft, opalescent hue. I heard Ethan’s breath catch.
