Free Sapphire by Elayne Griffith Page B

truly sorry.”
    Mira tossed her head, baring her teeth. “We will
find him. His entrails will hang from the end of my horn…along with hers. ”
    Shawna wondered if the unfortunate her was
her mother, but knew now was not the time to ask. Guess I was
wrong about unicorns being all pure of heart and
sparkle-farts.
    Lula poked her head out from the pack’s flap and
sneezed. “What? More running? Towards monsters?”
    Mira ignored her, pivoted, and dashed away from the
Guardian of the Monoliths. Her hooves clattered down the crystal
path towards sunlight, and Antares was right on their heels, ruby
lightning flashing all around him.
    “Ah!” gasped Shawna when something flared on her
chest.
    She looked down and quickly lifted her necklace up,
amazed. Where one of the dull stones had been was now a black star
sapphire. It looked like the sun itself was radiating from within
the gem.
    Just as they galloped into the open, the volcanic
roar of Kryos erupted from the monolithic crystals. Giant pieces
cracked off from the spires and crashed to the ground.
    “Warn Karuna!”
    The last word he said was a tremendous roar, but
Shawna was sure it had been, ‘run!’ Mira neighed in response
and veered for the vast mountain range before them.
    Deep within a distant crystal canyon, dark forms,
dormant for ages, crept from shadowy fissures. Their eyes burned
like fire as they snarled and slavered savagely, drawn to the black
sapphire.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     
    A shadow watched their reflections in a still
mountain pool; the images of a bossy unicorn, a snotty girl, an
obnoxious fairy, and a soleon were traveling through a deep ravine.
The young man scowled and dropped a stone into the image which then
rippled and vanished.
    “We need to be more careful.” He seemed to be
talking to himself as he straightened and stared towards the
mountain pass.
    It was drizzling, draping the foliage in glimmering
liquid diamonds. The man was soaked through, drab garments blending
with his drab surroundings, but he cared nothing for comfort. His
mind was focused on only one task: the girl.
    “We must get to her before the second realm.”
He said to the air. “She surprisingly made it through the first.”
He scowled. “She may even be beyond your power if she
reaches the last realm.” His green eyes shot over to a blanket of
overhanging branches.
    “Hmm,” answered another voice from beneath the
dripping leaves. “ If she gets there. It’s been shielded like
the rest. They were lucky finding the soleons. No one can find the
realms. You could hardly find the first one. I’ll give you
my best horse if you find the second. Oh wait, I don’t have
one.”
    “You arrogant ass , ” said the first man. “The
molochs were released, were they not?” Only a scoff answered from
the shadows, making him clench a fist to keep from replying with
violence. He inhaled. “They weren’t lucky. The unicorn’s with them,
you idiot, and she’s up to something.” He glared into the trees.
“We have to get to her before they reach the Dragon. It will
be far more difficult to get those stones once the Dragon’s
involved. He’s not very…sympathetic to our cause.”
    “He may not be to theirs either.”
    “But if the snake is?”
    Crouched in the branches, his younger brother did
not reply.
    “It’s time you do what you do best.” He tossed a
stone high into the air.
    It fell towards his palm, but instead of the smack
of stone against skin it halted and hovered an inch above his hand.
He flicked his wrist, and a nearby tree exploded into kindling
before groaning and collapsing sideways. He grinned.
    A twig snapped in the thick undergrowth, but neither
of them flinched.
    He peered into the gloom and raised his hand.
“You’ll have her soon.”
    The moloch snarled and melted back into the
darkness, both drawn and repulsed by the golden object