The Magic Shell: A Seven Kingdoms Tale 6 (The Seven Kingdoms) Read online

  “Why did you not take a different path, then?” Orion asked.

  “Because the same thing that told us to be careful also told us to come this way. The last time we tried to take a detour, I almost ended up flattened by a demented tree,” Ross answered with a touch of exasperation. “Listen, I don’t mean to be rude, but if you guys came to help us, can you do that? Those – things – took Gem hours ago. Who knows what has happened to her since then. ”

  “Drago,” Nali said with a nod.

  “Stand back. Theron, we will do this together. The ice will reform almost immediately. There will only be a small window of opportunity,” Drago warned.

  “I will assist as well,” Gant stated, stepping forward.

  Ross bent down and picked up his shield and lance. He rolled his shoulders in anticipation, then hissed and shook his head when Drago suddenly transformed into a large, solid black dragon.

  Swallowing the lump in his throat, he stepped out of the way when the dragon named Theron moved forward along with Gant. Ross exchanged glances with the ‘giant’ as he stepped around him. The guy looked normal to him.

  “Interesting weapons,” Ashure murmured with a hint of amusement in his voice.

  Ross pulled his shield closer to his body. “The store was out of rocket-launchers,” he retorted.

  “Ready – go,” Gant said.

  Drago and Theron each released a strong, steady burst of super-heated blue fire. Ross lifted his shield to protect his face from the intense heat. Gant held his arms out, hands extended. Ross didn’t understand what the man was doing, but whatever it was appeared to keep the narrow hole that had formed from closing.

  “Hurry!” Nali ordered.

  Ross was already in motion. The moment he saw an opening large enough for him to safely pass through, he sprinted forward. He held the shield and lance out in front of himself and dove through the center as Drago and Theron paused to draw in a deep breath. From this side he could see that the entire top of the canyon was sealed with ice too. The only way to get into the canyon was through the opening they had made, and almost immediately, it began to close.

  “Ring of fire open wide the ice that is meant to create a divide,” Gant gritted out as he kept his hands spread.

  The opening that the dragon fire had created remained thanks to whatever Gant was doing, but a thin layer of ice crystals was beginning to form along the edges. Ross stepped back as Nali, Drago, and Orion dove through the opening after him. Ashure was a touch more reserved. He broke away the edges of ice and stepped through.

  “Gant, release your spell and stand back. Theron will open it again from that side while I open it from this one,” Drago shouted.

  Gant dropped his arms and stepped back. Ross glanced back and forth between the group and the passage. Drago and Theron had shifted back into their dragon forms and were once again releasing a long blast of fire. Nali and Ashure stood to the side watching them.

  Gant jumped through the opening the moment it was wide enough for his large frame, barely making it through before the ice sealed the hole. Ross reached out and steadied Gant when he stumbled.

  “Thank you,” Gant muttered.

  “No problem,” he replied with a brief nod.

  Then the dragons blasted the ice one last time, but this time, it held firm.

  “The ice is no longer melting. Theron cannot get through,” Nali said with concern.

  “Drago, you release your dragon fire and I will use the power of the trident to try to create an opening for Theron,” Orion instructed.

  Drago bowed his large black head. Ross wasn’t sure how Drago did it, but he was able to communicate with Theron through the thickening ice. Theron shifted forms and rolled his shoulders. Lifting a hand, Theron nodded to them on the other side of the ice. Ross stumbled back a few steps when Nali gripped his arm and motioned for him to retreat.

  “It might get dangerous,” she said.

  “Why – damn!” Ross began.

  The rest of his sentence was cut off when dragon fire combined with powerful bursts of dark blue balls of energy hammering the ice wall. Ross lifted the wooden shield as large chunks of ice flew toward them. Peering out from behind the shield, he was shocked to see that the ice remained intact. It was as if the magic that had caused the ice to form was adapting – as if it were alive – and now it was attacking them.

  “Stop!” Orion shouted.

  The small group stood gazing at the thick wall of ice. The silence was broken by the sounds of crackling ice. Nali and Ashure stepped out from behind him.

  “Well, this isn’t good,” Ashure said with an uneasy expression.

  Drago shifted back to human form and walked over to the wall. He reached out to run his hand over it, but quickly drew back when Gant grabbed his wrist. Gant nodded to the ice crystals greedily reaching for Drago’s hand.

  “This is old magic,” Gant murmured.

  “How is it that a Giant knows so much about magic?” Ashure casually inquired.

  Ross didn’t miss the way Gant’s expression hardened. From the reaction of the others, neither did they. Gant relaxed and shrugged.

  “I’m not at liberty to share that information,” he replied.

  “Drago, warn Theron about the ice. Perhaps he should return to my ship. We may need it, and your link to him will be helpful,” Nali said.

  Drago gave a brief nod. “Done, he will return to the airship and await further instructions,” he said.

  “Ah, guys – and Empress – I think we should get moving,” Ross suggested.

  “I second that,” Ashure said with a wave of his hand toward the wall of ice. The crystals were voraciously reaching toward them.

  Drago and Gant’s curses blended together. Orion pulled both men out of the crystals’ reach. Ross looked at the small group. If he had to be in this mess, this seemed like a good cavalry to have on his side.

  “Just so that you know, Gem said the stones warned her that things that shouldn’t be alive are, or something like that,” Ross said.

  “Something like that? It might be helpful if you could remember exactly what she said. There is a large amount of gray space when it comes to magic,” Ashure dryly commented.

  Ross shot the pirate an irritated glare. “I was too busy trying not to get killed. You guys are the ones who live in Fantasyland, you figure it out,” he retorted before he turned and began walking away.

  “How did you come to our world?” Nali curiously asked.

  Ross carefully scanned the walls of the narrow canyon as they walked. “Damned if I know,” he responded.

  He’d learned his lesson well and was not going to mention his encounters with Magna any more than he had to. From Gem’s reaction, it wasn’t hard to deduce that Magna wasn’t very popular in this world. Turning people into stone and creating deadly traps would do that. Still, it was hard to reconcile the things he was learning about her past with the woman he had met back home.

  “One minute I’m on my boat, the next I’m swimming for my life. I ended up on the beach here, found Gem, and we’ve been fighting to stay alive ever since,” he said with a shrug.

  “Interesting,” Nali commented with a speculative expression.

  “So, Orion is a merman, right?” he casually asked.

  Nali glanced over her shoulder at Orion. “Yes, why?” she inquired.

  “I was just wondering how he can be out of the water,” Ross said with a shrug.

  Nali chuckled. “The merpeople live both above and below the water,” she said.

  “What about the giant? He doesn’t look all that big,” Ross said.

  Nali raised an eyebrow. “Oh, he can get much bigger. It is his ability with magic that I find intriguing. He has an unusual skill that deserves closer examination. Before you ask, Ashure is no ordinary pirate. I would not cross him. His skill with a sword is legendary, but there is more to Ashure than meets the eye,” she explained.

  “Okay, the giant can get bigger and don’t pi
ss off the pirate. What’s your story? They call you the Empress of Monsters. Are you like their mother or what?” he asked.

  Nali tilted her head back and laughed. Ross flushed and grinned. The other guys stopped the quiet conversation they were engaged in to look at them with curious expressions.

  “I am the most fearsome of all monsters, Ross. I protect and care for them. In return, they follow me,” she said with an amused smile.

  “She is also wickedly beautiful and very stubborn,” Ashure added.

  Nali looked over her shoulder at Ashure. “I’m still mad at you for using my sea monkeys and don’t think I’ve forgotten about your theft of my sea stags to use them in one of your illicit schemes,” she said.

  Drago and Orion chuckled. “I would quit while you are ahead, Ashure,” Orion suggested.

  “How is Lady Jenny doing? Is she tired of you yet?” Ashure asked.

  “Jenny – Jenny Ackerly? Is she— Look out!” Ross warned when he saw the cascade of rocks out of the corner of his eye.

  The group dove for cover when a large section of rock suddenly broke loose. Ross rolled and protectively covered Nali and himself with his shield. He uttered a pain-filled grunt when several fist-sized rocks hit his lower back and legs.

  More bruises to go along with the ones on my ass and face, he silently grimaced.

  He lifted his head when the rumbling stopped and peered out from under the shelter of his shield. The feel of hands pushing against his chest caused him to look down. He shot Nali an apologetic look before he rolled to the side. He stood up and held out his hand to help Nali to her feet. She gripped his hand and rose to her feet when he pulled her up.

  “Thank you,” Nali said.

  “What happened?” Orion asked, rising to his feet.

  “Ah – I don’t think you want to know,” Ashure replied in a voiced laced with wary reservation, his eyes widening with alarm. The pirate tightened his grip on his sword even as he took a step back. Following Ashure’s gaze, Ross took a deep, hissing breath. The rocks that had fallen were rolling across the ground and beginning to link together.

  “I do not like the looks of this,” Nali commented in a slow, measured tone.

  “I agree with the Empress,” Gant muttered.

  The clump of rocks straightened – towering above them. Ross cautiously bent over to pick up the lance he’d dropped when he dove for cover. He paused, his fingers an inch from it, his eyes frozen on the rock creature when the creature suddenly looked down at them. He almost fell on his ass when it hunched over and roared at them.

  “I think now would be a good time to run,” Ashure said, turning on his heel and taking off.

  “For once I agree with the pirate,” Drago muttered.

  Ross grabbed his lance and twisted around as Nali sprinted past him. He snapped his head up when the rock creature lifted its arm. The creature smashed its fist down on the ground like a hammer right in front of him, and the ground shook from the powerful blow. Ross ducked when the rock creature swung its arm out again, barely missing his head.

  “Son-of-a-bitch! If it isn’t mud, trees, and spiders trying to kill me, it’s rocks!” he groaned.

  He scrambled sideways before taking off in the fastest run of his life. Two things quickly occurred to him. First, he was glad once again that he’d quit smoking but wished he had done it years ago; and second, the others were either in a hell of a lot better shape than he was, or they had super-human speed because they had already disappeared around a curve in the canyon path.

  Ross didn’t bother to look over his shoulder to see where the creature was – he didn’t need to because of the shaking ground, loud crunching noises, and billows of dust rolling past him. He instinctively bent forward and ducked his head when he heard a swoosh of air and was pelted by rocks. Fortunately for him, the rock creature had hit the side of the canyon wall as it swung at him.

  Unfortunately, bending forward shifted his center of gravity, and at the speed he was running, he lost his balance. He stumbled and tried to catch himself but tripped when his foot caught the lance’s shaft. Realizing he was going down, Ross tucked and rolled.

  “Shit!” he choked out when he saw the rock creature raising its foot to stomp him.

  16

  Ross raised his shield in a futile attempt at some protection. He was in the process of turning his head away and silently preparing to meet his maker when a burst of cold air swept over him and covered him in a thin crust of frost.

  “What the fu—?” he hoarsely muttered.

  “Don’t question the help, just move!” Ashure and Orion instructed at the same time.

  Ross felt their hands under his arms lifting him up and dragging him away from the two creatures that were locked together in combat. He watched in disbelief as one of the huge Yetis fought the rock creature. The canyon shook when their bodies slammed into the walls. Ross’s feet slipped on a layer of ice the Yeti had left behind and he fought to get his footing while he was dragged away by Ashure and Orion.

  “What the hell is going on?” he demanded.

  “A fight,” Ashure replied, his tone implying that Ross should already know the answer.

  “I can see that, but—” Ross started to say.

  “This way,” Nali urged.

  “Holy Mother of Mary,” Ross whispered.

  Standing in front of him was Gant – except the man wasn’t the same as he’d been earlier. Gant had grown – a lot! Ross swallowed.

  “Right – giant. Now I get it,” Ross muttered.

  He scrambled to his feet and pressed his back against a stone wall as Gant passed him. The ground shook as the rock creature tossed the Yeti over its shoulder. The Yeti slid across the ground before rising back to its feet. By then, Gant had wrapped his arms around the rock creature’s waist and was lifting it up off its feet.

  The rock creature came apart in his arms. Large and small rocks fell to the ground, only to roll back together and reform. The Yeti grabbed the rock creature by the arm and swung it into a canyon wall. Over and over, Gant and the Yeti tried to defeat the creature, but it was difficult to defeat something that was made by magic.

  “Gant, it would help if you could keep it in pieces,” Ashure called.

  “If you – think – this is – so damn easy, Ashure, you are welcome – to take – my place,” Gant gritted out.

  “You need to break it apart,” Ross muttered.

  Ashure looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “They have been, but it rolls back together,” he pointed out in a slightly amused tone.

  “No, like blast it apart – like with dynamite and into pebbles,” Ross said.

  “Orion, your trident,” Nali suggested.

  Orion smiled, his eyes glinting with eagerness. “Well, if Gant doesn’t mind sharing the fight. Gant – you and that ice creature pull the rocks apart again and stand back,” he shouted.

  Ross was surprised when the Yeti appeared to understand what Orion said. Gant grabbed the rock creature by one arm while the Yeti grabbed it by the other. Together, they ripped the creature apart. As the rocks fell to the ground, Gant and the Yeti fell back while Orion lifted the glowing trident in his hands and aimed it toward the larger boulders, blasting them into tiny fragments when streams of blue electrical charges shot out from the trident. Ross had a whole new appreciation for the power behind these mythical people. He would never think of the Little Mermaid story in the same way again.

  Within minutes, the rock creature was no more than a pile of rubble, and everyone was focusing on the Yeti. Ross wasn’t sure whose side it was on. On the one hand, the beast had saved him from being smashed to smithereens, while on the other, the creature had kidnapped Gem.

  The Yeti took a step toward them, and Gant moved into the creature’s path. Orion, Drago, and Ashure each took a stance in front of Nali who rolled her eyes at the men.

  “I – we’ll watch their backs,” Ross muttered, lifting his flimsy shield.

  Nali chuckled. “Sav
ing their asses is usually what happens,” she dryly retorted.

  Ross didn’t know what to expect next, but it definitely wasn’t what happened. The Yeti shook – slinging large globs of ice and snow outward like a wet dog shaking after a swim – and began to shrink. Ross blinked several times to make sure he wasn’t having a hallucination. When a tall, stately-looking man emerged from the blizzard, he was pretty sure he was imagining things. The stranger was about six foot six if Ross were to guess, and broad. His brown hair was long, and he had a bushy beard. Hell, if Ross hadn’t seen the man covered in snow and ice and nearly twenty feet tall, he would have thought he was just one of the locals back home.

  “King Samui!” Nali hissed in shock.

  “King – you know this guy?” Ross asked, looking from Nali to the Yeti-turned-man.

  “He is the King of the Giants – long thought lost to this world,” she answered.

  “Oh – Ah, what world did he get lost on?” Ross asked, feeling suddenly stupid.

  “Your Majesty,” Gant said.

  It wasn’t until Gant spoke that Ross realized Gant had returned to his normal size. The man turned to Gant and gripped his shoulder, clearly overcome with emotion.

  “Koorgan?” Samui asked in a thick voice.

  Gant smiled at the man. “He is well – and still getting into trouble,” he quietly replied.

  “Samui, is Malay—?” Nali asked, stepping between the men in front of her.

  Samui looked behind them for a moment. “She is well. Come, I will lead you to her,” he answered.

  Ross stood aside, wondering what he should do. He looked at the pile of rocks before turning in the direction the others were going. He scowled in determination. If this man was a good guy, it meant that Gem should be safe. Until he knew for certain, though, he would still be ready for the next challenge.

  “What happened to you?” Orion asked.

  “There is a dangerous creature – an alien – that fell from the sky. It struck our ship when we were not far from the coast of the Isle of the Sea Serpent. I didn’t realize the extent of the damage until we were almost to the Isle of the Elementals. I was working below deck when the alien attacked me. Malay was able to suppress it, but it was a temporary solution. We immediately sought help from Ruger and Adrina, but the alien was becoming stronger, and I weaker. I lost control – briefly. Malay wrapped her arms around me and Ruger and Adrina transformed us into trees to keep everyone safe as we bound the alien to us.