The Guardian Herd: Stormbound (22 page)

STAR FLEW TOWARD MORNINGLEAF, PANIC
throttling his breath. He couldn't catch her at the speed she was falling. She was a blur of aqua and chestnut, and her white socks stabbed the clouds as she tumbled upside down.

Star soared below her, devising how to save her, but she was dropping so fast. If he tried to catch her, both their bodies would break on impact. He spread his wings, hovering like a newborn with his back legs dangling and his neck arching toward her. There was one thing he could try. He exhaled starfire in a wide beam, guiding it toward her. Her body crashed into the supernatural light, and it slowed her, but she was still falling, too fast.

He angled his wings, letting his own body fall backward, and he pushed the starfire harder—outward and upward—concentrating on floating her, but she was falling through it. He glanced below and saw the meadow rushing toward them both. The watching pegasi scattered out of the impact zone.

Star took a breath, and the golden light flickered. Morningleaf rolled over, and he saw her round, wild eyes. He dug into his power and pushed up everything he had, and the starfire burst forth, glittering and golden, washing out every other color and blinding the pegasi in the meadow.

Morningleaf splayed her legs, finally floating. Star had caught her in his beam of fire. He guided her down gently until her hooves touched the grass one at a time and she was standing before him, all of her injuries healed. Star closed his mouth and extinguished the light. Morningleaf shook her head, dazed, and everyone stared at her.

Rockwing and Hazelwind stood at the front of their armies, facing each other, as if time had stopped. Then a flash of crimson caught Star's attention, and he saw that Thundersky, Silverlake, and Bumblewind had finally arrived. They joined Echofrost and galloped to Morningleaf's side as Thundersky landed next to his son,
Hazelwind. Star and Morningleaf were both shaking. “I'm too late,” she whispered.

Rockwing scanned the sky from which Morningleaf fell and brayed at her. “Where is Frostfire?”

“I escaped him,” Morningleaf answered, wheezing. “He's still at the lava tubes, in Jungle Herd's territory. The tunnels have re-formed since the collapse hundreds of years ago. He thought he could hide me inside, but I used them to get away.”

“He hid you beneath Firemouth? The volcano?”

Morningleaf set her jaw. “He tried.”

Rockwing arched his neck and bellowed at his army. “You hear that? This filly escaped Frostfire! And he failed to return Shadepebble to me. Frostfire is banished from Mountain Herd.” His eyes swept the faces of his soldiers. “If he returns, kill him on sight.”

Star pinned his ears, looking from Morningleaf to Hazelwind, to Bumblewind and Echofrost, and then back to Rockwing and his warriors. They were all prepared to die for Sun Herd's land.

Star flared his wings, snapping golden sparks across the grass, and every pegasi halted, staring at him. Star met their eyes. He saw fear, hatred, and violence churning inside his friends and his enemies alike. He glanced at
Morningleaf. Her mouth was open, and she shrank from him. He saw she was afraid of what he might do. Star turned away from her and stood in the center of the two armies, hunting for the words that might stop the battle.

But before Star could utter a sound, a sharp, crackling whinny swooped across the field, causing the pegasi to crane their necks and prick their ears. Star lifted his wings and his eyes toward the sky, squinting into the hazy clouds. A giant black shadow swept across the meadow, blocking out the sun. All eyes turned up, and Star, for a second, thought he was having one of his visions.

A black pegasus glided over their heads. He was gaunt and hollow faced and flew on wings too large for his body, like a bat. Star gasped. He wasn't dreaming. This was no vision. This was Nightwing.

The pegasi, even the warriors, flinched in terror, and some stampeded into the woods. The newborns darted under their mothers' bellies, bleating, feeling the panic but not understanding it. Star watched the fierce steeds, who normally raced into battle, crumble around him. As he witnessed their incredible fear of Nightwing, he finally understood why so many had wanted to execute Star when he was still a harmless foal. Star could have turned into this—and some believed he still might.

Nightwing nickered, but it sounded like the distant rumble of thunder, menacing. He landed in the center of the field and faced Star. “There you are,” he said in a voice that crinkled like aged leaves.

Star reeled. The Destroyer's breath smelled like rotting flesh and dead trees. Star shook his head, still not believing this was real. Morningleaf charged across the grass and skidded into him, out of breath. She turned and faced Nightwing. Star tensed, wishing she would fly to safety. “Why are you here?” Star whinnied to Nightwing. “What do you want?”

Nightwing clacked his yellowed teeth at Morningleaf and tossed his dry, haggard mane, but his eyes glowed bright, the color of twin silver moons. “When you received your starfire, you woke me, black foal.
You
brought me here.” He reared and slammed his hooves against the soil, his power flooding it. Sparks popped across the wet grass, setting it on fire.

Morningleaf and Star flinched, and screams erupted around them as more steeds raced for the woods or galloped into the sky. Others stood frozen, their eyes bulging. Bumblewind and Echofrost, inched closer to Star, their heads low, ears pinned at Nightwing.

Nightwing pranced around Star, flicking his tail.
Star circled, keeping his eyes trained on him. The ancient stallion was bone thin, and his dull hair was brittle and sparse, like grass in the fall. Star was heavier and round with muscle, but Nightwing was older, and his coarse hide sparkled with silver fire.

Rockwing glided toward them, avoiding the patches of hot flames, and he touched down next to Nightwing, his eyes mad with excitement. “Sir?” he said with a bow of his head. “I have a proposal.”

Star gaped, stunned. The over-stallion of Mountain Herd could only want one thing from Nightwing: a pact. The Destroyer blinked at Rockwing, also seeming stunned. Star used the moment to push Morningleaf gently with his wing. “Go, please,” he whispered, urging her away, his eyes pleading. For once she listened to him without hesitation, edging toward her mother, and Star was grateful.

Rockwing folded his wings, waiting for permission to continue.

Nightwing opened his mouth as if to respond, but instead he roared silver fire at Rockwing, and the magnificent spotted stallion burst into flames. Star reared away from the inferno, and Rockwing's screech of pain echoed all the way to the Blue Mountains. His feathers evaporated, then his flesh, and then his bones, until he was
reduced to a pile of gray ash. Nightwing clapped his wings over the soot, and Rockwing's remains swirled away with the wind.

“Father!” screamed Shadepebble. Clawfire snatched her and held her back as her tears dropped fast and furious.

Anok was spinning around Star, falling apart and re-forming. Rockwing was dead, the Destroyer was awake, and Star stood in the center of it like an observer—like a dud. He had to do something!

“You want
me
, not them!” Star neighed, coughing on the smoke from the fires. He pawed the grass. “Well, come and get me.” With a quick glance at his friends, Star reared, coiling back his hooves. Nightwing also reared.

“No, Star,” whinnied Morningleaf. “Don't fight him!”

Star blinked, and time slowed. He shut her out and focused his thoughts on destruction. If it was true he'd woken Nightwing, then it was time to put the ancient stallion back to sleep.

The few steeds remaining crouched, ducking as though they could hide from what was coming next. Even the birds stopped flying as a hush fell over the pegasi—their battle forgotten—for each of them understood that the Destroyer had returned to Anok.

I'D LIKE TO THANK THE ADULTS AND CHILDREN
who've shared their love of the Guardian Herd series with me. It's exciting to hear about your favorite characters, answer your questions about the series, and share my writing tips with you. I've also enjoyed all the amazing pegasi art, which is featured on my website. Seeing my characters from your eyes and meeting the new characters you create is fun and inspiring.

Thank you for dreaming with me!

For more information on the series or to contact Jennifer,
please visit her website (
www.jenniferlynnalvarez.com
).

Photo by Karen Perez

JENNIFER LYNN ALVAREZ
received a degree in English literature from UC Berkeley. She blogs about her books and the publishing business (
www.jenniferlynnalvarez.com
) and speaks regularly at schools about creative writing. She lives on a small ranch in Northern California with her husband, three children, and more than her fair share of pets, including horses. Jennifer draws on her lifelong love of animals for inspiration. When she's not writing, Jennifer can be spotted galloping her mare across the golden foothills of Sonoma County.
The Guardian Herd: Starfire
is the first book in this series. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter @JenniferDiaries.

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The Guardian Herd: Starfire

COVER ART © 2015 BY DAVID McCLELLAN

COVER DESIGN BY SARAH NICOLE KAUFMAN

THE GUARDIAN HERD: STORMBOUND
. Text copyright © 2015 by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez. Interior art copyright © 2015 by David McClellan. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

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FIRST EDITION