Page 106 of Of Serpents and Ruins
I shook my head, my mouth tightening. "No. I don’t want to risk wasting the time. We got here early. We’re getting this done as fast as possible. I want to be through the Keening Pass today if possible."
He chuckled, but the worried expression remained in his eyes, darkening his golden eyes. "If we don’t have the spear by mid-afternoon, we won’t be leaving until morning. There’s noway into the Keening Pass after that. Not until dawn, but don’t let it trouble you. We’re over a day ahead of what we’d planned. Brandt’s still got a chance."
"Yes, well, let’s not squander it," I muttered as the crew set the wooden ridged plank walkway down from the ship to the dock. The pieces slid into place with a heavy thud and a jarring knock.
Kine had given me weapons, a short sword and a dagger this time. Both were strapped to the belt of my dress, even though I wasn’t convinced I knew how to wield them. They were there in case I needed them and my water serpent shifting didn’t work. Best to be safe. I pressed my hand to the hilt of the short sword, reveling in the cool metal and smooth leather of the hilt.
With Kine by my side and Elias following close behind, I strode down the gangplank. My footsteps reverberated through the wood, echoing over the water. A large carp-like fish poked its whiskered snout above the waters, tasting our arrival.
The coniferous forest remained shrouded in mist, the jagged cliffs looming above us in all their dark-grey and dark-red glory. Gnarled tree roots snaked across the ugly beach of pebble-packed earth. This place felt ancient and forbidding, as unforgiving as the Gola Resh. The tendrils of mist coiled about smooth grey-blue stones and sharp coarse white rocks alike, but the gloom seemed all the more pronounced as it reached the tree line. This forest was something primordial.
Buttercup tromped down the walkway, her strides purposeful and regal. She tossed her head, unperturbed by the eeriness of this place. She gave me a small nudge with her grey-beaked snout. The dock creaked a little bit but did not shift.
"Yeah. We’re here," I murmured, stroking her front horn. "We’re here, baby." I kissed her cheek and guided her forward.
We used to come to this place all the time. Brandt and I had made love in some of these groves and nooks. A shiver traceddown my spine, the memory of his lips against my skin and his teeth grating over my shoulder and throat as we pressed against one another vivid.
We walked down the dock. The old boards groaned in response to our weight, especially once both Kine’s and Elias’s parasaurs were set free, but still, the old dark wood did not shift. Whoever had built this and reinforced it had known we would be coming with multi-ton beasts of burden, and we came here with these creatures intentionally. The larger beasts of burden made us less tempting targets for the smaller predators. Even larger predators would think twice about a pack of such size and scale.
Fog curled about the island in great loose formations. The air had grown chillier as well, thick with humidity that clung to the skin. Maybe not all of the pale mist was fog. Some of it might be smoke. Guttural roars and unearthly shrieks echoed up from the shrouded interior.
I shuddered.
Most of the crew remained behind on the ship except for a couple whom Sen sent out to find provisions "just in case." An old tradition and a wise one. Who knew what treasures or even just supplies this strange place held?
More memories spattered through my mind as we paced toward the tree line, random factoids. Moss with red flecks was poisonous. Lorna and Arjax had multiple camps. Basilisk venom was a powerful reagent.
I noticed then that I was walking with Buttercup on my left. Kine and Elias had their parasaurs on their left as well. Someone had taught us that.
I looked to Kine as an especially loud howl pierced the air. "Where do we look first?"
"One of their base camps is up on Bald Ridge near the hot springs," Kine said, gesturing north. "There's a white stone marker that shows the main way if you know how to find thepaths. If we keep walking, they’ll catch our scent sooner or later. There’s none better than Vawtrians when it comes to catching scents."
Elias chuckled darkly. "Part of what sometimes makes them more beast than beast shifter."
Kine shook his head then turned to me, his gaze serious. "Just remember, whatever you do, don’t call them skinchangers. That’s a big slur for them. They’re shapeshifters."
Immediate revulsion filled me. "I’d never call them that. They’re our friends."
"Good." Kine nodded, his posture relaxing. He then glanced around and gestured toward an opening in the tree line where the trees most resembled redwoods. "That way."
"Seems as good as any to me," Elias said.
My seer instincts said nothing except to keep moving.
We strode into the ancient-looking forest. Strips of black moss clung to some of the trees like rotten garlands. The mist coiled about trunks as if it were a living being. Somehow, it seemed that the fog even muffled our footsteps yet made our breaths louder, or maybe it was my imagination.
As soon as we were fully within the forest, though, that seemed inescapable. My blood thundered in my ears. It smelled of old water, ancient wood, rotting greens, and decaying bones, but there was comfort in the scent. This was a place that had existed long before any of us, perhaps longer than anywhere else in this world. Likewise, it would exist long after we had passed. Even if Sepeazia fell, it would go on.
Deeper and deeper we went into the forest, following an invisible path or Kine’s instincts. The sunlight filtered through the trees, grey and silver with pale bits of gold. Up ahead, the trees thinned out into a clearing. I could see the glimmer of a frothy river.
Kine held up a hand, his eyes narrowing.
I drew closer to him, leaning toward his ear. "What’s wrong?"
"Trap," he murmured.
As if summoned, a bloodcurdling shriek split the air. Giant shadows erupted from the fog, circling us and darting just close enough for me to get a glimpse. They were nearly as tall as a man with cruel hooked beaks and claws larger than an ostrich’s. Terror birds.
