Page 16 of Bound By Earth (The Nature Hunters Academy 1)

“Hey, blockhead,” Jax hollered. “I didn’t say you could beexcused.”

It turned and faced Jax again. A look of confusion crossed the rock monster’s face. The two figures ran at one another, meeting with a crash of rock upon rock. Jax fell as the golem barreled over him. He toppled back and brought his legs upward, using his momentum to catapult the creature backward over his head. Before the thing had a chance to right itself and face him, Jax was on his feet. He jumped on the creature’s back, calling out spells, drawing strength from the creature itself. The golem was made completely of earth, after all, and that’s where Jax drew his power from. Jax’s fists shimmered and morphed into an iron-like substance. He began pummeling the golem on top of its rocky head. The beast wailed and threw its weight forward and ducked, flipping Jax over his shoulder in a judo-likemaneuver.

“When did they start training the blockheads in martial arts?” Jax muttered. He regained his feet and faced the monster. The two of them squared off like a couple of prizefighters. They exchanged blows, neither able to incapacitate the other. Eventually, the boxing match became a wrestling match as they locked up and fell to theground.

“As much as I love wrestling statues, Zuri, I could use a little helphere.”

“I'm trying,” she yelled back from where she still sat with her palm in the dirt. “This little bugger is faster than I thought.” Jax knew she was concentrating. He could see her eyes squeezed shut as she searched the earth beneath, manipulating the soil to her will, boxing the earth spirit in, dragging him into her trap. “I've just about gothim.”

“Good, ’cuz I don't know how much longer I'll be able to hold off Frankenboulderhere.”

All of a sudden, about ten yards to Jax’s left, the earth began to quake and rumble. Then, with a rending sound, the ground itself split open, and the gnome came flying out of the earth covered in mud and dirt and rock. He shot up into the air, muttering and sputtering and cursing all things good in the world as earthen mullock sprayed out from the ground aroundhim.

In the blink of an eye, Zuri was beneath him. She held her dagger ready as the gnome descended. The wavy obsidian weapon caught the sunlight, and glints of blue could be seen running the length of the blade. The gnome flailed his small arms and legs in all directions while he fell. It did no good. There was no stopping his descent. Just as he was about to reach her, Zuri thrust her blade upward, plunging the blade directly into the gnome’s chest. There was a gurgling sound as the small creature thrashed, impaled on the end of Zuri’s arm, the knife buried all the way up to the hilt. She grabbed the creature by its head and yanked backward as she pulled her arm in the opposite direction. The gnome fell to the ground, shattering into a thousand tiny stone pieces when itlanded.

The stone golem had used Jax’s momentary diverted attention on Zuri to get the upper hand. He had Jax pinned on his back. It sat astride the man, raining down clubbing blows on his face. Jax blocked them as best as he could but had little success. Suddenly, when the life left the gnome, his stone golem disintegrated as well, its master’s magic no longer sustaining it. Jax’s eyes widened as the golem crumbled, and a cascade of rocks avalanched down onhim.

“Dammit,” he yelled from under the pile of rubble where his voice came outmuffled.

“Calm down, I’m coming.” Zuri walked over and held out her hands. With a few words, the rocks began to shake and then roll off Jax, piling themselves neatly next to him in a cairn-likestructure.

“Took long enough,” Jax said, rising and dusting himselfoff.

“Sorry, some of us have real magic to do,” said Zuri. “I don’t have time to roll around in the dirt playing with my friends likeyou.”

“Playing? Did you see the size of that thing? I swear these gnomes are gettingstronger.”

“Oh, did baby get a little dirty?” mocked Zuri. “Was that big, mean golem picking on Momma’s wittle Jaxy-waxy?”

Jax grinned. “Maybe you can take me home and get me all cleaned up. A nice hot bath should do the trick … Momma.” He waggled his eyebrows ather.

Zuri rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’ll get right on that, as soon as pigs fly and people in hell start ice skating on the frozen lake of fire.” She turned on her heel and started marching back up the hill. “You can stand there and fantasize about your imaginary bath or you can get a move on. I’ve got things todo.”

“Wait up. I’ve got to get my hammer.” He walked over to where the weapon lay on the ground, its head showing fresh cracks in the stone. “I’m going to have to get Rolt to make me another one when we getback.”

“I’m sure he will appreciate the extra work,” saidZuri.

“I just hope he does a better job than he did with this one. This thing was crap, total crap. If I can't take down a simple earth golem, then what good isit?”

“If you would have let Ciro infuse a little water magic into it like he did my dagger, then you wouldn’t have that problem,” said Zuri as she flipped her blade into the air. It spun, end over end, the sun catching the glint of blue as it came down. In one deft motion, she caught the weapon and re-sheathedit.

“I don't need any water magic to take out a simple earth spirit.” Jax grumbled, completely aware that he sounded a bit like a petulant child. “I’ve killed hundreds … no … thousands before without the aid of water, and I'm not going to start taking their helpnow.

“And you’re humble, too.” She laughed. “Fine, be a stubborn old fool. I swear sometimes your head is as hard as the golems youfight.”

“Anyway, another job well done,” said Jax as he flung the hammer over his shoulder. “Let’s get back to the academy. I’ve had enough hunting for oneday.”

Zuri sighed. “Finally, one thing we can agreeon.”

And Jax needed to figure out what in Mother Earth’s name was going on in Buffalo, Kentucky. If Tara was in trouble, he needed to make sure to protect her until she could get to the academy and be safe within itswalls.

* * *

Jax’sheavy footfalls echoed in the stone corridor. “You ready?” Eliasasked.

Jax didn’t slow his pace. He merely grunted at the younger man and strode past. Elias was unfazed. Jax heard him scramble to catch up. “Whoa,” said Elias. “What’s crawled up your crevice? I thought you and Zuri just scored akill.”

“Yeah, so what?” The pair came to a high stone arch covered in runes that pulsed with the faint glowing light of many different colors. Two giant golems stood silently on either side of the arch, each one well over seven feet tall. They seemed to stare directly down the corridor, appearing as statutes carved right out of the stone wallsthemselves.

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