Free The Aurora Stone by G.S Tucker

paperweight he launched it across the room, the orb ricocheted off the bookcase and embedded itself in a rather large portrait of his grandfather.
    “DECEIVERS, I KNEW YOU WERE LYING TO ME! “he bellowed, the pinks of his ears turning purple.
    “I can prove what I am telling you to be true, just please calm down.” Eve pleaded from behind Jericho. This seemed to cause Maximus to reach new heights of fury. His breathing was becoming shallow and fast, eyes wide and ears flat.
    “You shouldn’t have told him to calm down,” moaned Jericho as he watched his leader knock over three chairs and tear up a large map.
    Eve stepped back and reached for the door handle; if she could just get to her room, she could retrieve the box, and hopefully begin to prove her story to be true. Unfortunately, the Miscurt leader saw her. Picking up the cane that a moment ago had supported his prized cheese plant he came crashing towards her.
    “Where do you think you’re going?” raising the cane, Maximus was about to bring it down on Eve’s shoulder, when he caught his foot on the rumpled rug and fell, Miscurt and cane flew in opposite directions. Maximus came to land with a thud against the end of his desk with the wind knocked out of him. Maximus was about to spring to his feet when the ink blotter that had been on the edge of his desk fell off and struck him between the eyes, knocking him unconscious and leaving a smudge of blue ink in its wake. Caleb, who had been watching from the chair he had been too scared to vacate, looked at the now still Maximus.
    “Is he...dead?” Caleb whispered eyes wide. Rushing to his side Eve placed her ear to the mighty rodent’s chest.
    “No just knocked out, he will be alright. I will make him something for the pain.” Leaving the room, she asked that Jericho bring Maximus to her burrow as discreetly as possible. Sighing, he went towards the great leader and hauled him over his shoulder.
    “I hope you know what you are doing, Eve; Maximus is not going to like this when he wakes up.” However, he was addressing the closed door, as she had already left.
    It was a tense few moments when Maximus came around. At first, he was ready to tear the burrow apart and throttle the lot of them. However, realising this was physically not possible and that Eve had been tending to his extremely sore head, Maximus did something he had not managed since he was a child, Maximus listened.
    “I have never seen a stone of prophecy in all my years; you must guard it well, there are those who would destroy it,” Maximus warned Eve, as he carefully handed back the slab of moonstone.
    “Destroy it? What good would that do? The prophecy has been heard,” Caleb interjected. Maximus trying hard to keep his temper explained that the stone is also a key and without it, the prophecy cannot be completed. This was news to Eve; Reena had not mentioned anything more about the stone apart from to keep it safe and activating it for her.
    Finally, they made it back to the shore; Keisha had returned home, but Sapphire was still there, her beautiful snowy head tucked under her wing. Cautiously, Eve made her way to her new friend and reached out a hand to touch her soft feathers to rouse her.
    “I don’t think you should be touching a sleeping giant bird Eve, it might not be too happy about it,” cautioned Caleb, from the brave position of behind Jericho. Sapphire must have heard; she was now awake and extending her wings in what looked like a post-nap stretch.
    “Dear Sapphire, we need to visit Gloria, could you please take us there?” Eve asked the owl tenderly. Her blue gaze never leaving Eves green-gold one, she nodded. Sapphire then looked at Jericho and Caleb making a move with her talons she scratched two lines in the dirt. Jericho was the first to understand.
    “She can only carry two of us; we need another owl, or one of us must stay behind.” Eve knew that she could not leave Caleb behind, and she needed Sapphire to