Free Sapphire by Elayne Griffith Page A

faintly
at Lula, and tightened her grip on her new sword. Its weight and
razor sharp edge comforted her. She noticed Kryos was staring at
her neck, and she covered it protectively with her free hand.
    He laughed. “Do not fear me, daughter of
destruction.” She frowned at his last word. “If you are truly the
one we have been awaiting, those black shards will protect
you.”
    “All the realms will open when the five shards, or
stones, hold power once more,” said Mira. “Most importantly the
last realm. Shawna, there is one that could help prevent a
devastating fate. Pray it is you.”
    Shawna stood paralyzed into silence.
    “Pray?” she whispered. She grit her teeth at Mira’s
distressing and cryptic explanations.
    Kryos turned his attention to Mira. “You put your
hopes in this human?”
    “I do not doubt her,” Mira said, looking at
Shawna.
    Something stirred in Shawna’s chest at these few
simple words, but she couldn’t say if it was determination to prove
herself, or fear of complete disastrous failure, or perhaps
both.
    “Do you believe, Lord?” Mira said, stepping closer.
“Do we have your allegiance?”
    Shawna and Lula looked first at Mira then at each
other. Allegiance? Was he coming with them?! She didn’t have
to read minds to know Lula was thinking the same thing.
    For a moment Kryos didn’t answer, then he inclined
his head.
    “Thank you, Lord Kryos.” Mira inclined her own head
as she stepped back.
    “Antares!”
    Shawna jumped at Kryos’ bellow.
    A handsome soleon loped forward. He reminded Shawna
of a young lean lion with the first scruff of mane, though he was
probably twice the size of any lion she had ever seen in the zoo.
His coat was a dark grey, his scruffy mane black, and his body was
surrounded by fiery-red streaks of light that constantly curled
around him and culminated into an orb of fire at the tip of his
tail. He had dark red cat eyes very unlike his Lords.
    “Antares will help you on your journey.”
    Lula gaped as if he had added, and most likely
eat you for breakfast.
    Mira swished her tail, seemingly at perfect ease
now. Shawna looked between them, and her knuckles turned white
around the sword hilt.
    “Thank you for your offer, Kryos, and thank you,
Antares,” said Mira.
    Antares bowed his head, and Shawna noticed he had no
natural armor or spines like Kryos.
    “You must leave now,” said Kryos. “The sorcerer
means to destroy the other realms.” He glanced at Shawna. “He also
may be able to control the molochs. He is your greatest threat
right now. Do not underestimate him, for he escaped even our claws.”
    She was about to ask how he was controlling the
molochs, but the rest of the soleons began roaring and slashing the
air with crackling lightning. They created such a cacophony of
sound that Shawna had to throw her arms over her head to protect
herself from falling pieces of crystal. Lula shot into the
backpack. The uproar abated, and Shawna saw that her arms were cut
and bleeding a little. She looked up at Kryos, or at least at the
underside of his jaw.
    “The man,” she yelled. “The one who came here, who
is he? How will we know who we’re looking for?”
    “Be assured he will find you.” His upper lip curled.
“He is most likely headed for Karuna, so you must get beyond the
Monoliths before next sunrise. Take the ravine through the Agonian
range. I would give you the aid of my entire clan, but our power
has been diminishing since the massacre. Antares alone remains the
strongest of us. I fear there are others at work against you,
against all of us. You must succeed, girl.”
    “We understand,” said Mira. “On my back,” she
commanded a befuddled Shawna.
    “We do?” she said as she clambered on, holding the
sword carefully.
    “Wait,” Kryos said, and Mira pranced impatiently.
“He was wearing a shard of golden light. I am sure of it.”
    Mira stopped prancing and a shiver rippled across
her hide.
    “A golden shard?”
    “Yes. I am