Free walker saga 07 - earth by jaymin eve

ash-ridden surroundings was quite spectacular. Everything in the vicinity of the dark mountain was dead, leeched of life. The Regali queen must have been working overtime with her plant-earth-magic to revive this small area.
    “Come and meet Sass,” she said, waving a slender hand at me.
    I didn’t hesitate to stride across, giving Cerberus a pat as I passed him. The hellhound was in his element surrounded by the other animal guides. He seemed extra friendly with Apollo. They had the same big-and-scary thing going on. As I crossed the space between us, my eyes couldn’t help but focus on the dark shadows which surrounded Ria. It took me a few moments to reconcile what I was seeing –
    Holy sweet baby Walkers. It was a snake. No – not just a snake – a monster, mutant, anaconda, python-on-steroids snake. And Ria was just standing there while it curled all around her.
    I paused about three feet from my friend. It was impossible to see the true length of her guide. The body coiled in and around her, then out into the forest area.
    “This is Sass,” Ria said, before reaching out and placing her hand onto the section of the snake’s body which was closest. “She’s my guide.”
    As the head rose, my breath caught in my throat, and I resisted the urge to turn tail and run as fast as I could. But I couldn’t stop staring at her, my eyes tracking the animal as it unfurled. The scales were a myriad of green colors, starting very bright and working along to darker through the length. As Sass’s head perched up near Ria, I could see that it was the size of my torso, black eyes flickering in the sunlight as she observed me.
    There was intelligence in that gaze, and the cold-blooded predatory nature of her kind. A forked tongue flicked out, as if she were tasting the air.
    Ria seemed to have no problem that Sass was twirled around her and the largest part of the snake’s body was a yard in diameter and could probably crush Ria in an instant.
    Of all the sacred animals, Sass made me hesitate the most to move closer. I had never thought I was scared of snakes – on Earth most of the wildlife had been destroyed, especially in New York City – although I did remember skipping quickly over the images of them in a text book. Huh, guess I did have a bit of an aversion to the reptiles.
    The half-Walkers, and Brace, would be able to feel my emotions. All of us were still connected. But no one said anything. There was no judgment in this group. All of us were rocking fears, some more obvious than others.
    “The bond is incredible,” Ria said as she turned to glide her hand over Sass’s scaled nose. “When I first touched her, I was almost knocked over by the intensity. Now I can feel her here.” She touched her chest, and then moved to her head. “And here.”
    “It is incredible,” I agreed.
    The sacred animals had honored us. I just hoped that in the end we were worthy.
    “So what are you doing back here, Supes?” Fury drew my attention again, and I was grateful to be able to step away from the reptilian guide.
    Sass was amazeballs, but probably the scariest thing I’d ever seen.
    “Shouldn’t you be off finding the Earth half?”
    I resisted the urge to flip her off; she was just being Fury.
    “I’m on my way there. I just wanted to check in with you all first. Make sure there wasn’t some epic battle we were missing out on.”
    Delane cleared her throat. Her black wings were sitting securely against her back, but still dramatically towering above her head. Lina lingered close by, and at random moments the Nephilius half would reach out and run her hands along her flank. Like she needed to touch her.
    “We’ve been keeping abreast of the situation. I confer with the war council leaders, and so far just small pockets of skirmish. Nothing to worry about.”
    That didn’t sit right with me. “What are the Seventine or their creatures waiting for?” I asked no one in particular. “Are they gathering more