Shift (The Pandorma Adventures Book 1)

by Mikaela Nicole

  “Lissa!”

  I turn back around. Ryan waves his hand in, “come on” before cupping his hands to his mouth and yelling, “Race you!” then he starts running. I let out a noise of exasperation. Ryan knows I won’t turn down a challenge. I smile to myself. He also knows that I don’t always play by the rules. Cheetah. Ryan yells something when I speed past him and Shiver squeals with excitement and tries to run faster. I run until my paws hit sand and the water is looming in front of me, then I slide to a stop. Lissa. “I win!” I exclaim and I jump into the air.

  “No fair,” Ryan says when he’s caught up.

  “No rules,” I tease then set off down the beach. We mostly walk in silence, me picking up numerous, exotic shells and examining them. I let Shiver inspect them before putting them in the backpack. Ryan just walks by my side, encumbered by his own thoughts.

  My eyes travel along the dunes and tussocks of grass everywhere. I spy something unusual and run toward it. I crouch at the edge of what once was a fire pit, a large one at that. Burnt rocks, sticks and embers are scattered within a perimeter of six feet, a few stretching further. The ground has been dug down about a foot and a half; new grass is growing over the previously charred earth.

  Ryan ambles over and bends down beside me. “Trevor?” he asks uncertainly.

  “No.” I finger one of the ashes. It crumbles.

  “Then who?” Ryan asks.

  Shiver fluffs out her fur. “Maybe it was dragons!”

  I stand back up. “I don’t know. The scents of whatever or whoever did this are long gone. Covered over by hundreds of others,” I continue when Ryan looks like he’s about to ask why. Ryan begins kicking around rocks and debris like he’s looking for something. I just stare at the fire pit. This looks like it was done by people—not dragons. But who? For some reason I strongly doubt it was Xavier and Medusa, which means there must be other people on Pandorma besides the five of us. I wonder who. Ryan saying, “Let’s go,” breaks up my thinking.

  “Kay,” I say reluctantly and follow him away.

  A wall of jagged cliffs stands in front of us. The gray-brown stone cliffs overlap each other, columns and outcrops make it difficult to see properly, but from what I can make out, this should be easy to scale. The cliffs are crumbled and not steep, there are many small plateaus and caves and footholds. But the crags go very high up and Ryan says that we should wait until morning to climb so that we’re not climbing in the dark. We follow Ryan away from them. He finds a dip in the small woods bordering the beach and that’s where we stay for the night.

  When I wake the next morning I am alone. I scramble up and out of the dip, then frantically look around. Ryan’s scent is stale. He hasn’t been here for a while. I quickly follow his fast-fading trail; panic building inside me, only to find him angrily throwing objects into the ocean, which is shimmering with daybreak light. Ryan mutters crossly as he picks up a shell and hurls it a good distance. Ryan kicks the sand. Shiver is watching from a distance.

  When I stop by her she says, “He’s been at it for a while.” She tips her head. “I’m not exactly sure what he’s doing either. He’s upset though,” she says sadly. “Will you make him feel better?”

  “I’ll try to,” I say then head over to him.

  “Ryan?” I ask gently.

  Ryan sighs, runs his hands through his hair, and then sits down heavily. Quietly I come to sit by his side. He doesn’t want me to speak; I can sense that, so I stay silent, very silent and watch. Ryan picks up handfuls of sand, sifting the dirt through his fingers, watching it fall. He picks up a tiny seashell and turns it over and over.

  Finally, Ryan takes a deep breath and says, “We’re getting closer to their army—or whatever. That means we’re getting closer to danger. Everyone I lo—everyone that matters to me always gets hurt when I’m near them.” Ryan runs his fingers through his hair, blowing out a breath before looking out across the ocean.

  I look away from Ryan and down the beach. The light has grown considerably stronger, there are no more shadows trying to combat the light. I turn my gaze back to Ryan. “I won’t get hurt,” I say softly.

  Ryan makes a noise of disbelief in the back of his throat.

  “Okay I will get hurt. Ryan,” I say. He continues looking at the ground so I take his chin and force him to look at me. “If I get hurt it’s not your fault. Believe me,” I add more firmly when doubt passes through his eyes. “You can’t carry us all on your back, wrapped in velvet pillows. We will get hurt; you will get hurt. That is life and it can’t be changed. Got it?”

  A bemused smile curves Ryan’s lips. “Got it,” he repeats softly. I can tell he doesn’t accept it unquestionably, but that’s fine with me. After a few more minutes we stand and trace our steps back to the depression, where he retrieves his weapons. Then we go back to the cliffs.

  Before I can ask Shiver if she needs any help, she hops onto a small ledge. Wiggling her haunches she pounces onto another one. I dig my fingers into a cleft and heave myself up. Ryan carefully spots me—though he doesn’t need to—a few feet below. I feel like recklessly jumping from outcrop to outcrop, the tingles of energy going up and down my body definitely don’t help. I’m so glad Trevor isn’t with us. He would’ve dared me and both of us would’ve ended up with broken necks. Maybe.

  Ryan is suddenly by my side. “Don’t do anything stupid,” he warns, seeing the gleam in my eye.

  “I won't,” I say defensively. I climb higher, little bits of rock and dirt crumbling beneath my fingers. I pull myself onto a small outcrop. There’s a larger shelf about four feet up. I bite my lip.

  “Lissa,” Ryan cautions. I look at Ryan, who is several feet right of me, giving me an admonishing look. “Why don’t you just fly up so I don’t have to worry about you falling,” he says.

  “I’d rather climb. It’s more fun,” I say.

  “Even if Lis did fall she’d catch herself,” Shiver says.

  “Thank you, Shiver.”

  Ryan sighs. We scale the rock-cliff in quiet, the only sound is of the clatter of stones we’ve dislodged falling to the ground. Twice Ryan catches me before I can jump. Irritatingly he seems to have a knack for it just like Dad. I complain after the second time. “I know I can make it, you don’t have to worry,” I grumble.

  “I worry,” Ryan mutters in return and I snort in amusement.

  I soon fall deep into concentration because Ryan won't answer any questions beyond a single word and it leaves me to my own thoughts. I think Shiver is singing a little song to herself but I can’t make out the words because she’s panting.

  Since I’m so out of tune with my surroundings I don’t even know a creature is stalking me until it’s jumped on me. I scream as I lose my footing and fall to a ledge below.

  “Are you okay?” Ryan calls, fear in his voice.

  I carefully stand and rub my shoulder and hip. Nothing feels broken and I say, “Yeah.”

  “See, that’s exactly why I was telling you to be careful.”

  “What?” I cry, incredulous. I search the area above, which is void of the thing that had jumped me. Huh. Had I just slipped and imagined something ramming into me? Or had a boulder hit me? But if one had, then why didn’t I hear it fall the rest of the way? Or why hadn’t it flattened me? I sigh then start to make up the ground I had lost. Something slithers slightly at the corner of my vision. I whip my head in that direction, but see nothing. “Ryan?”

  Ryan grunts. “There’s something—” I don’t get to finish my sentence because an animal screeches and barrels into me. This time there is no ledge breaking my fall. Eagle. I right myself and swoop up and land on a rock. This time I can see the creature that attacked me. It has a body and head similar to a lion’s. Its legs are solid, short, and its thick tail ends in a spade. It has thick, sharp nails; its medium-sized wings look like bat wings and are shaded in a smoky gray. The creature hangs upside down on the rock face; its black eyes on me, its forked tongue flicking out then back in. I shrug
off the backpack. Mountain lion. I spring at the creature. It flits to the side and I crash into stone. Ouch. I slide down onto a ledge. I realize there’s a hiss to the air and I look around. Roughly twenty of the creatures—all varying in shades of browns and grays—sit amongst the cliffs and rocks. Their wings are angrily raised and some possess spikes on their backs, which are raised as well. Their fur is short like a lion’s. One lets out a high-pitched snarl and they race at us.

  I hiss and meet one coming at me head on.

  The creature bumps its head into my chin then digs its back claws into my belly and yanks me so I’m upside down, before dropping me. I hit my head as I tumble through the air, catching my claws on an outcrop. I yank myself up then charge up the rock and leap. I close my eyes and picture myself as one of them, by the time I land, I am. A creature’s teeth burrow into my shoulder blade and it bashes me up against a wall. Before I can recover, another one digs its claws into my hindquarters and throws me up into the air. Seconds later one sinks its teeth into my back left leg and wings me around, tossing me into a thin stone column, which collapses. I fall onto a slender ledge, my vision blurring over. Another grasps my throat with its teeth, but before it can do any more, it lets out a scream and falls away.

  “You okay?” Ryan asks, lowering his bow.

  I start to nod but the ridge begins to disintegrate beneath me, my bashed muscles strain to obey my command to scramble away. I see one coming at me and I jump down the rock, claws scraping as I slide then jump to a spire. One jumps at me and I whack it away with my tail. It screeches, the blow powerful enough that I hear the sound of splintering bone. This surprises me since I hadn’t thought I’d struck it that hard. Another lands on the uneven top of my spire and hisses, slashing its claws. I slip down a bit as I release a paw and swipe at its face, blood welling beneath my claws. The creature’s eyes narrow to slits, but before it can act another appears beneath me and fits its jaws around my tail.

  I shriek and turn my attention to it. I’m about to sink my teeth into its fur but the one above me slithers under my belly and jams its head into my stomach, unhooking me from the rock. I unfurl my wings, but they’re not exactly like bird’s wings and I whirl around ungracefully, losing precious minutes, which the creatures snap up. They dive bomb me, circling me like a tornado. They pelt me with their tails—pricking me with the needle-sharp barb on the end or slicing at me with the bladed edge—and run their claws wherever they can.

  “Lissa! Ryan!” Shiver shrieks.

  I frantically look around but I can’t find her. The creatures swarm and I’m forced to stay put. I repeatedly strike out; hitting them countless times, but that does nothing to help me. Twice I hear a creature squeal with death, a victim of Ryan’s sword, but I can't get a hold on any of them long enough to make a kill. Finally I get so fed up with being contained that I can't stand it anymore. Golden eagle. I let out a shriek, the creature’s ears flatten and their tight form shatters. I bolt up, catching a glimpse of Ryan before I land on a large outcrop. The creatures keep hissing, like they’re communicating with each other. Ryan is using his sword and keeping the creatures at bay. I desperately look for Shiver but still can’t see her. I leap off the rock and swoop around. I viciously attack the creatures while keeping an eye out for Shiver.

  Suddenly it gets jarringly silent and the sky and cliffs are clear of the creatures. I land on an outcrop near Ryan, who is panting. I shift back into one of the creatures. “Where’s Shiver?” I ask.

  “I—don’t know.”

  I leap to a shelf beneath and crawl along it silently, ears alert. “Shiver?” I call out.

  The cliffs suddenly tremble and I pause. Silence. I start forward, inhaling deeply, seeking out Shiver’s scent. Jackpot. I hit on it and I follow the scent trail up. The cliffs tremble again then there’s a loud hiss to the air.

  “Lissa,” Ryan says slowly. The creatures that I’d thought were gone unexpectedly appear. I gasp. It's like they have the ability to turn invisible.

  “Lissa!” Shiver is scrambling as fast as she can toward me.

  Relieved to see her I quickly cover the space between us and protectively wrap myself around her. Ryan yells something, but it's lost over the tremendous crashing of rocks as one cave is demolished. I look up and my mouth falls open as a creature like the others, but six times larger, comes out of the cave. Oh boy. It bellows and the rock beneath me trembles. The alpha catches sight of me; its tongue flicks out then it leaps. I grab Shiver by her scruff then frantically claw my way up a rock face. Definitely a plus when it comes to being one of these creatures: they’re exceptionally good at maintaining their grip and balance, no matter the pace, on these rocky surfaces. I’m able to race straight up cliffs, slip around columns, jump from place to place, and pretty much anything else that involves madly running away from the alpha creature, which mercilessly pursues me up the cliffs and outcrops.

  I try hard to lose him. But no matter what I do, he’s always on my tail, his teeth centimeters from clasping my body. I spot Ryan several times out of the corner of my eye, wildly fighting off the lesser creatures circling him. He doesn’t appear to be doing much better than me. They’re too adept at fighting on the terrain and skilled at attacking in unison. I’m starting to hate these pack animals. Why couldn’t it just be one large animal?

  I scramble to the top of a high column, watching the creatures swirling around Ryan before turning my gaze back to the alpha below me, who is steadily climbing my column. I look into the alpha’s spring green eyes. The message is clear: get out. If these creatures aren’t working for Xavier and Medusa, perhaps they just want us off their territory. I’m not too thrilled about flying with these unusual wings, but I have no choice. I take off, tipping to the side a few times before finding my balance. The alpha growls, creaking open his wings in order to follow. I shove my way through the cyclone of creatures to Ryan. He tries to strike me but Shiver cries out, “Don’t!”

  With difficulty I grasp Ryan’s arms with my paws. I intend to take off, but Ryan weighs me down and it takes several—painful I should say—tries before I can lift him off the ground.

  They chase us for the first few yards, but a purr rumbles through the air and they fall back.

  “Sorry. You looked like all the rest of them,” Ryan apologizes once the creatures have left us alone.

  I can’t respond because Shiver is in my mouth.

  Once I’m over and past their cliffs, I reach an expanse of grassland that is a sort of valley for the mountains behind it—I’m struggling by this point—and I alight on the ground, almost dumping Ryan instead of placing him down gently. Shiver falls from my jaws, rolling up into a ball. Ryan rubs his neck. Lissa. On one side of the valley the grass slowly dies off until it's just barren and rocky and on the other side, farther away, it is bordered by a forest.

  “Shouldn’t we go farther?” Ryan asks.

  “I think they only wanted us off their territory.”

  “Are you sure?” Shiver asks fearfully.

  “I am ninety-five percent—”

  The ground beneath us suddenly bursts open, throwing me out of the valley and onto the hard, rocky dirt. I moan and sit up, rubbing my side, which I’d hit on a rock. I look around and spot Ryan picking himself up several feet away, Shiver by his feet. I look back to the place where we were thrown from. The alpha creature pulls itself farther out of the hole it’s created in the earth, its minions rushing out behind it. I rush over to Ryan.

  “Now what?”

  “Run!”

  “What?” I yell but Ryan has already grabbed my hand and taken off, I’m just barely able to scoop up Shiver. As the alpha beast lumbers closer, the ground starts to tremble.

  “Ryan, we can't—” I jump over a fissure in the earth, “we can't outrun these things!”

  Ryan doesn’t respond so I look ahead of us: a volcano—not a huge one, but definitely not a small one. I wonder if it’s dormant. I sure hope so, since Ryan seems to be heading straight
toward it. We jump over another crack. I chance a look back. The creatures are gaining on us. Fast. We draw closer and closer to the volcano’s base. Something inside me screams that we shouldn’t get any closer.

  I try again. “Ryan we should really—” This time the volcano shuddering to life interrupts me. That gets Ryan to halt. The ground trembles violently and our arms fly out as we try to steady ourselves, Shiver flying through the air. Great. I slit my eyes at Ryan. He catches my look and his jaw drops open in protest.

  “I didn’t—” Ryan is cut off by a massive explosion. We look to the sky as a column of lava and smoke soar into the air, raining back down onto the old lava-plastered ground. We duck and cover our heads as lava and burning rocks pound the ground close to us. Shiver rapidly jumps back over to me and burrows into my arms.

  “Run?” I say, unable to hide the hint of sarcasm. Part of me is terrified to be so close to an erupting volcano, but I’m also in awe because I’ve never seen a volcano erupt live before and it’s absolutely spectacular.

  He doesn’t answer me; just turns and we begin running toward the thin forest bordering the rocky ground. The alpha and minions have abruptly stopped pursuing us and now turn and bolt back to their cliffs. A burning rock sprays up dirt as it crashes in front of us. Ryan darts around it, hardly slowing. Numerous rocks of various sizes are suddenly showering down all around us and we have to continually sweep our eyes across the sky, while keeping an eye on the rutted ground.

  Ahead of the creatures the ground unexpectedly yawns open, catching three of them off guard they fall into the hole. The rest spread their wings and utter noises of terror as they flee. The earth abruptly opens before us and we frantically skid to a halt. There’s a river of lava a ways below, invisible steam wafting up and blowing our hair around. Ryan jerks me back as the ground begins crumbling. But there’s no point, the earth all around us is cracking, opening up to rivers of lava. We have to scramble backwards, sideways, forward and any other direction in order to not fall in.