Gaia's Secret (38 page)

Sonya was already reaching for her bow.
Before I could blink, the dark green and silver feathers shot
through the air, sinking deep into the skull of one of the
creatures. It shrieked and blew hot steam as it clawed at the air,
unable to bat its wings. Gravity took it then, pulling it down like
a stone falling through the air.

Another took a swipe at Sonya. Her horse
dove, missing the gargon’s claw by a thread. Cicero threw one of
his daggers and missed, but provided enough of a distraction for
Sonya to restring her bow and loose another powerful arrow. With a
shriek the beast tried to dislodge the point from its chest, its
wings unable to keep it airborne.

Two down. One left. But this one was
faster.

Sonya shot arrow after arrow, each missing by
a hair. Cicero flew near enough to slash with his blade, but the
gargon raked at him, sending him, my dad, and their winged horse
spinning through the air away from us.

Infuriated, the gargon shot forward, intent
on Alex and me. Sonya and Cicero were far behind now, trying with
everything they had to catch up. The beast was too quick. The
distance between us was closing fast.

“We have to go faster!” I yelled.

“This is as fast as it gets!”

“Can’t you do something?”

“You drive.”

Before I could ask, Alex was climbing over
me.

Air screamed past my ears and my wet hair
stung my face. The sound of the gargon’s beating wings grew louder.
It was so close I could feel its hot breath. Alex held on to me
with one arm, his other clutching his sword as I tried to give him
the stability he needed to do whatever it was he had planned.

The gargon swiped, but its claws were
deflected by Alex’s blade. Its teeth came down on us and our horse
dropped before those powerful jaws could trap us inside. The next
time it clawed at Alex, it took his sword with it.

No.

This couldn’t happen.

We hadn’t come this far to die, splattered on
the ground. I had to make things right. I wouldn’t let this
happen.

My anger surged. A gust of wind blew so
strong it sent our creature and the gargon spiraling through the
air. Both of us struggled to rebalance against the wind. I held on
tight to the horse, clenching my legs around its body so that I
wouldn’t fall, Alex doing the same. It took a minute for us to
regain our balance until we were jetting forward again. But the
gargon had righted itself as well.

Fury wafted through my body again, as the
wind blew hard in my face. But this time the wind had words. It
filtered into my ears, the whistling gaining volume, transforming
into what sounded like a soft voice.
“Use the dagger.”

There was a strange tingling sensation over
my body and the dagger began burning at my hip.

No…that’s impossible.

You have to try. There’s no other
choice.

“Hold on!” There must have been something in
my voice because Alex didn’t argue. He let go of me and held on to
the horse.

I ripped the dagger from its place beneath my
belt and turned my body so that I could get better aim, my legs
clamped tight for balance.

“What are you doing?”

“Just hold on!”

I concentrated on those eyes—those furious
eyes that thirsted for my death. For Alex’s death. I would not let
that monster have it.

Pulling back the dagger, I focused, empowered
by the wind.

With a quick throw, the dagger left my
hands.

Shining silver streaked across the black sky.
It split through droplets of water and landed right between the red
eyes of death. Within seconds, the red eyes turned dark and the air
filled with the terrible sounds of agony as it fell back to the
earth.

A
lex stared wide-eyed
after the fallen gargon. Our own creature slowed to a more relaxing
pace so I carefully turned back around in my seat. Alex snaked his
arms around my waist, holding me against him. I could feel his
heart pounding through my back.

“How did you do that?” he asked in my
ear.

Cicero and Sonya joined us—their surprise
strong, their faces showing love and pride. A love and pride I
didn’t deserve.

“Did I just witness Daria slaying that
gargon?” Cicero hollered over the wind.

“Yes!” Alex shouted.

“I thought we were going to lose you,” Sonya
yelled.

Alex squeezed my waist. “So did I.”

We had made it. It was a good thing, too,
because if anything had happened to them, I never would have been
able to forgive myself.

My dad was unconscious in front of Cicero,
but at least he was safe. Fleck’s eyes were still shut tight as he
held on to Sonya with all his might.

“Fleck, it’s all right,” I yelled. “We’re
alive.”

Fleck didn’t move, not at first. But then the
lid on one eye lifted to make sure it was safe to open the other,
and his posture relaxed a little.

“How is he?” I motioned towards my dad.

“Breathing,” Cicero called back. “He’ll be
all right.”

I glanced back at Sonya, who, despite all
efforts to hide it, was still recovering from the scare of almost
losing us. All because of me. I fixed my eyes up ahead and felt
Alex’s concern. He didn’t say a word, but held on to me a little
tighter. I was suddenly aware of how close we were, the feel of his
chest against my back, and my heart beat a little faster. I was
glad he couldn’t see my face.

The land remained in shadow from the heavy
clouds above, though the rain had stopped. This was definitely an
improvement. Constant drops smacking your face hurt at the speeds
we were flying. The terrain was far below us, rolling and dipping
endlessly in either direction. The world looked empty from up here;
there were no signs of life or habitation. Just open plains. The
kind I would love to ride on, in any other circumstance.

Flying was a unique sensation. At these
altitudes and with nothing like a seatbelt holding me down, I
should’ve been scared senseless, but I wasn’t. With every gust of
wind and every whisper of the breeze, energy and peace surged
through me. Their combined effort permeated every part of my being.
It was difficult to explain, but the open air was invigorating in
ways nothing else had been. It was purifying and revitalizing. I
could’ve remained up here forever.

The sun sank behind the glorious mountains of
Amadis, warning of the pervading night. Our transport landed with
little impact, stepping onto the ground as though it were connected
to the air, and we stopped.

When I hopped down from the creature my legs
ached from clenching so tight. It looked gigantic from the ground,
the tip of its nose still a few feet from the top of my head. Alex
dropped to my side.

“What is it called?” I reached my hand
towards its nose.

Alex didn’t look at me. “A Vox. They’re
native to the Arborenne. We were fortunate to find them.”

“Great Mages, that was marvelous, if I do
say!” Tran appeared behind me.

“Where did you come from?”

His blue eyes were alight with the excitement
of battle. “I’ve been here, waiting for all of you. It has been
difficult being patient because I’ve wanted to discuss our most
recent events and, well, Grool…” He gestured towards the trees.

Off in the distance, just visible between the
trees, was a little person wearing a helmet the size of his body,
waving a twisted piece of metal in the air at invisible attackers,
laughing maniacally.

I shook my head. “Tran, thank you. You risked
your life…”

“Ah, ah.” He shook a withered finger in my
face. “Your father has arrived.”

He marched past me, towards the others. Sonya
helped an eager Fleck to solid ground, while Alex helped Cicero
lift my father.

Seeing my usually robust dad limp in
someone’s arms made my heart sink. There were deep cuts along his
arms and bruises were beginning to form on his face. I had done
that to him, every cut, every bruise—they were my fault.

I rushed to his side as Cicero and Alex
carried him to Cicero’s blanket, careful to lay him down without
further injury.

I hated to ask it, but I needed my dad. “Can
you help him?” I glanced at Sonya.

She didn’t meet my gaze. “I’m going to
try.”

She knelt at his side and placed a slender
hand on his forehead.

“Sonya, maybe you should let Tran…” Cicero
started.

Sonya ignored her husband, shutting her eyes.
The strain on her was immediate—on her face, her body. It was as
though my own energy was being stolen from me. The look on Cicero’s
face was one of pure torture as his eyes darted between his wife
and Tran, in hopes that one or the other might stop what was
transpiring. Sonya had already done so much.

“Sonya, it’s all right,” I whispered,
crouching at her side. “You don’t have to do this.”

Her body slumped forward, and Cicero was at
her side at once, propping her up. “That’s enough, love.” Cicero
carried her to her blankets and laid her down. Her breathing was
shallow, strained.

A gasp of air sounded beside me.

“Dad!”

His lungs took in another gasp as his lids
fluttered open. When his eyes found me he struggled to reach out
with his hands.

“You’re alive,” he sighed, closing his
eyes.

“Yes. Everyone’s alive.” I glanced behind me
at Tran and this family that had saved my life and felt a sharp
pain in my chest. “Tran and the Del Contes saved us…” My throat cut
off the rest of my words as tears spilled over my cheeks. Each of
them stood in silence. “I’m…so sorry. The way I’ve acted…I
should’ve trusted you all. I should’ve listened…”

Cicero came to my side then, his eyes warm.
“I can’t pretend I don’t understand why you did it, because I do.”
His eyes confirmed his words, as he laid a hand on my forearm. With
a sigh, he looked to my dad. “Alaric, why couldn’t you have had a
more obedient child?”

Dad coughed as he laughed. “Trust me, old
friend,” he whispered. “I’ve asked myself that since the day she
was born. I like to think Gaia is getting back at me by putting
ornery people in my life. You included.”

Cicero chuckled as he looked back at me.
“Sonya and I love you like you’re our own daughter. We would do
anything to protect you—not because it is our duty, but because you
are our family. I forgive you. Had you hurt yourself, I might not
have.” He smiled, wrapping his arm around me.

“I don’t deserve you. Any of you.”

“We are given many things in this world we
don’t deserve, so best appreciate it while you can. Life is…so very
fragile.”

He released me, then walked over to join his
wife who lay exhausted on the blankets. My dad moved to sit and I
hugged an arm around his shoulders to support him.

“On the bright side,” Dad continued, “we now
know the gargon rumor was true and the villagers have their
predator destroyed.”

“Unfortunately, we’ve also have our evidence
destroyed.” Cicero motioned towards the unsuspecting Grool, still
fighting the invisible foe.

“The safety of Gaia’s citizens is more
important for now,” Tran interjected.

“Yes,” my dad continued. “Hopefully it will
help unify the territories once we present to the Council that the
Del Contes have slain three gargons.”

“Daria killed the last,” Cicero said.

My dad’s eyes widened as they turned to me.
“Is this true?”

Everyone’s eyes went to me and I stared at
the ground.

“She did,” Alex answered for me. “With a
dagger.”

Dad smiled.

“Sonya and Cicero killed the first two,” I
said. “Really, I was lucky.”

He studied me a moment, his face thoughtful.
“Luck doesn’t slay a gargon.”

“You should’ve seen her,” Cicero continued.
“I’d never seen a more determined face—and for Daria, that has to
tell you something.”

The others chuckled lightly but I couldn’t
smile. I still felt too guilty for what I’d done.

“You haven’t introduced us to your friend.”
My dad nodded towards Fleck, who sat off in the distance with his
arms wrapped around himself.

“Fleck,” I said. He didn’t move. “Fleck, come
here please. I’d like to introduce you to my family.”

Nothing.

I got to my feet and walked over to him. He
had his head buried in his arms and legs. I placed my hand on his
shoulder and he flinched. “Fleck, it’s just me. You’re safe now.
What’s wrong?”

Muffled murmuring sounded from the pile of
folded arms and legs—all of which was indecipherable. I crouched
low, my mouth at his ear. “I can’t hear you. Tell me what’s the
matter?”

“They’ll make me leave.”

“Why would they do something like that?”

“Because I’m marked.”

“Marked how?”

He lifted his head and I started. Flecks of
silver flashed bright in his eyes, glittering in the remaining
sunlight. I hadn’t noticed them before, being in the depth of the
caves. So he hadn’t been named for his freckles. It was because of
his eyes.

“A Daloren child,” Tran gasped. Tran was at
our side in a moment, the shock of the others filtering through me.
“Yes…yes…it was too dark for any of us to notice your eyes before.”
He tilted his head to the side, and Fleck, who was now altogether
distraught, buried his head back into the safety of his arms.

“See!” Fleck cried.

“Fleck is a Daloren?” I asked. I remembered
Cicero saying the Dalorens were dangerous, but I couldn’t believe
that about Fleck. “What was he doing there? I thought Dalorens live
somewhere else.”

“Not always,” Alex answered. “The Daloren
trait can appear at random. You’re born with it. Once the trait
appears—namely the eyes—the child is sent to Indanna’s Keep, where
the rest of his kind reside.”

“Fleck.” I kept my hand on his arm. “What
happened to your parents?”