Page 59 of Shifter King
QueQoa’s tramping footsteps faded. The edges of her vision swirled, the darkness nearly overtaking her. When she lifted her right foot, she staggered, then caught herself against the sharp edge of the rock.
The ground shook.
"Amelia!"
Naatos? His voice scraped across his consciousness, jolting her halfway out of the stupor of memories.
She blinked, then reached out. He was close even if she couldn't see him. She needed to get out of this. It was as if the sinking sands had started to part.
The scent of rich wet earth swept up around her as the ground shook even more violently. Then something seized her waist, too tight and almost painful.
Time slowed for just that instant. She looked down. Something thick, shiny, and black had wrapped around her waist. Something like beetle mandibles. She looked back up. There was Naatos. He was still running toward her.
He wasn't going to make it—this wasn't justagoliath tunneler.
That dull knowledge filled her faster than the fear could reach her.
She couldn’t make those mandibles budge an inch. She looked up once more into Naatos's eyes. He was shouting something at her, but the haze held her as fast as the beetle.
The creature twisted her around and then dove into a large hole in the ground.
HEALER
AaQar halted at the point Phobos signaled. The youth indeed had become a golden fox as they ran through the forest, and the pride on his face suggested it was still a great accomplishment. It reminded him a little of his son Nydas. That thought brought a dampness to his eyes. He blinked it away before lowering his shoulder to let the injured and weak Vawtrian youths down in the small clearing with the bright sycamore and chiron oak trees surrounding them.
Phobos returned to his state of rest, his movements as uneven and unstable as if he was being electrocuted. But he grinned like he had found the greatest treasure in the world. "How do you do this?" he asked, circling AaQar. "It’s brilliant! Incredible! Look at you! You’re a vom kot monster! And you didn’t have problems moving either. You and your friend! You're unbelievable!"
A scrawny woman with patchy white hair stepped out from the underbrush, her arms covered in needle marks. "Phobos, what did you find?" A few others followed, slower. Their clothing was similar to Phobos's, well worn but patched and neat, muted in tone. All were slim, small-muscled, and frail in appearance.
Phobos sprang over to her, grasped her by the arms, and brought her forward. "Ren, this is AaQar. He and his friend helped us get Nolsti and Tati back. Look!"
"Looks like a whole lot more than just Nolsti and Tati." Ren folded her arms, but her eyes remained fixed on AaQar. "You...you’re a Vawtrian like us?"
He waited until the others pulled the last of the weakened Vawtrians off his back. Then he returned to his state of rest. The shocked looks on the faces of all those gathered struck him hard. There was nothing impressive about a Vawtrian returning to his state of rest and yet they were all as shocked by that as the dragon. Perhaps because of how effortless he made it seem. He simply nodded though, hiding the pain of this realization. "I am."
Ren stepped closer. She stretched out a bony hand. Her sallow eyes fixed on him. "You...you’re who he was talking about."
"Who?" He stopped himself before he called her ‘child.’ But that was the overwhelming sense he had. This was a girl. Like one of his nieces. Wide-eyed and hopeful, just waking from a nightmare and hoping for the promise of something better yet to come.
She shook her head, then licked her dry lips. "I’ve never seen a shape like that. Was it easy for you? Can you teach us?"
"It’s a skill. It takes time."
"Can you teach us? Are you the one who is coming to teach us?"
"Ren." Phobos gave her arm a light tap, tilting his head. His cheeks had flushed as if with embarrassment. "Give him space. He and his friend helped us save everyone. Don’t be asking for more. If not for them, we wouldn’t have everyone here."
Ren smiled a little. "Then aren’t these the right people to ask to teach us? Even if not now, perhaps sometime?" She turned back to AaQar. "Our Machat has told us that change is coming. I think maybe you are part of that."
"We are all part of change," AaQar said. "You as well. Whether there is something I can teach you, I don’t know. But we will discuss the matter at a later date." He looked around. The trees provided a natural barrier, but there could and likely were predators above. A simple fountain sat in the center of this clearing, running with clear water with a small green bag fastened just beneath the bowl. "Is this place safe from predators?"
"Safe enough," Phobos responded. "We have plenty of tricks of our own. The other cadres will come get their members. And the ones without cadres, we'll find homes for them."
It was almost humorous. This little cadre leader had made it so clear that he was only out to care for his cadre and his family, but he was making plans for all the rest? Perhaps that was just the way he talked. Perhaps he was worried about such large and unknown Vawtrians brought in when he couldn't know for sure they wouldn't turn on them.
Phobos cleared his throat. "If I could ask though—how did your friend keep the illusions from getting him? If you could help us understand that, it would give us a bigger advantage than we've ever had."
Some of the young ones gathered around. They watched him eagerly, hoping for some promise of protection or charm that would save them.
