Page 131 of The Stone Secret
Dayn rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.
Curi and the others jogged off into the rapidly gathering gloom and were back a minute later.
“Dead end back there,” Touron said. “Rock face will be a bitch to climb.”
“Then we wait,” Hawke said. “Sun’s about to set.”
“I’ll carry you up,” Curi said to me.
The sky turned to blood, and darkness fell. A ripple of electric energy rushed over me, and the goyles growled as they morphed into their beast forms, casting distorted shadows across the dusty valley.
Tails whipped back and forth, and wings stretched to catch the air.
My beast swelled and pushed against my senses, sharpening my vision. I willed my fingers to elongate and release talons.
“Nice.” Hawke’s voice was a grumble of appreciation.
“Let’s get out of here,” Touron said.
Curi wrapped his arms around me, and we took to the air. Touron lead the charge with Hawke close behind. The rest of us fanned out below them.
The canyon had to be over 3000 feet deep, a bitch of a climb without wings. We were almost at the top when Touron let out a bellow and dropped out of the air.
“Barrier above!” Hawke dove to grab Touron.
Shit, there was indeed a shimmer in the air above us.
Hawke managed to snag Touron’s ankle and arrest his fall long enough for him to shake off the effects of the force field and get his wings working again.
The rest of us dropped altitude, aiming for the ground.
Touron landed in a crouch and shook his head as if to clear it. “That hurt.” He grimaced. “Thanks for the assist,” he said to Hawke.
“Don’t mention it.”
“What the fuck?” Dayn spat. “What are we supposed to do in this earth crack?”
“There has to be a way out farther along,” Palia said.
Curi released me. “We can fly if we have to, but not out of the canyon, it seems.”
It was dark, even with the moon hanging like a beacon above us. “The attack will be down here. Something will come for us. We just need to be vigilant.”
“Agreed,” Shar said. “Let’s team up and watch one another’s backs.”
We split into teams. Shar, Curi, Touron, and the twins were with me. Hawke teamed with Waxen, Saffe, and two guys from his dorm. And Dayn reluctantly joined Hamlin and the other goyles from Hawke’s dorm.
The canyon widened, making it possible to walk side by side, but we spread out, making an arrow with my team at the peak.
The shadows grew longer, and the canyon walls seemed to close in.
“It’s getting narrower,” Palia said.
“Fuck,” Curi growled. “Dead end.”
There was indeed a dead end ahead of us.
I scanned the walls, noting pockets of darkness here and there. Wait…those were holes. Huge holes in the rock face.
