The snow fell thick and heavy, draping the ground around them. They leaned into the blustery wind, sheets of snow swirling around their faces. Then, pulling up the hoods on their fur coats, they hooked their arms together and headed out.
“Which direction is the way back,” Piper asked. “I can’t see.”
“Don’t worry,” Gabriel said. “I can. We just have to make it to the border of the Tandem Wood, then the weather should calm down.”
They’d only taken a few steps when they were reminded the castle was surrounded by water. Only now, it looked frozen. Gabriel remembered the day he’d first found the crystal Divinity and he’d fallen under the ice. The thought made his stomach twist.
“At least I won’t have to swim this time,” Piper said with a shiver.
Gabriel bent down, tapped at the ice with his knuckles, and leaned his ear close to its surface. “It’s not completely frozen. It isn’t safe.”
“There’s no other way.” Brent stepped onto the ice. “I can hear it creaking, but it’s not breaking. Come on, let’s just get moving. There’s no going back now.”
Gabriel opened his mouth to say no, but then clamped it shut. Brent was right. There was no other way out. They rushed onto the ice, their bodies pressed into the frosty wind. About halfway across the ice, a horrible cracking noise shot out in the dark. Before he could react, Gabriel plunged into the water with a loud splash. The cold water stung his skin like a thousand needles. He scrambled to grab on to the side of the ice, gasping for air.
Piper dropped to her belly and scooted close to where Gabriel had fallen in. “We need to spread our weight!” she called over her shoulder to Brent.
“Okay. I’ll back off.” Brent moved away from the hole. “Be careful!”
“Help,” Gabriel huffed.
From the castle roared a thunderous, angry howling. “Gruocks!” Brent warned.
Gabriel clenched his jaw. He’d fallen in the water again. Stupid. His body grew colder by the second, until he started to tingle into a numb mass. He caught glimpses of Piper crawling to the edge where he’d fallen in. He grasped at the icy edge, but it broke apart as he tried to pull himself out. The weight from his coat dragged him down under the water.
Piper let out a hopeless groan as the ice began to give way. She dove in beneath Gabriel, and pushed him up out of the water with the strength and accuracy of a dolphin. They rolled away from the hole and the brittle ice surrounding it. Brent paced on solid ground. “Th-thanks P-p-p-piper,” Gabriel stammered through chattering teeth.
“I really hoped I wouldn’t have to go in that ice tank. But, you’re welcome.” Piper managed a smile through her own trembling.
When they stumbled over, Brent took off his coat and handed it to Piper. “Here. Trade coats with me. Mine is dry.”
Gabriel checked to make sure the Divinities were still in place. One dangled from the rope on his neck, and the other remained deep in his pocket. He sighed in relief as the heat they radiated warmed him a little. He pulled his dripping coat closer to him. Angry gruocks roared from the other side of the ice.
They staggered, shivering toward the edge of the Tandem Wood. Gabriel’s icy, soaked clothes needled his skin with cold, and his legs felt like blocks of ice. Somehow he moved forward, the Divinities warming him a little at a time. The sky lit up with lightning bolts, while the ground rumbled beneath them.
“Malgor was right. We’ll freeze out here,” Piper moaned. Loud howls closed in around them.
“Or be eaten,” groaned Brent.
They passed the red tree, which looked like an enormous icicle.
“N-not much further,” Gabriel called.
“Then what?” Piper yelled over the gusty wind. “The gruocks will just follow us past the border, into the Valley of Shadows, and attack us there.”
“We’ll fight them with all we have. Hurry … his powers can’t control the temperature out there,” Gabriel said.
When they reached the border, what had been a wall of water, was now ice. They were trapped.
Gabriel pounded against the ice. He thought he saw something moving in his peripheral vision, but just as quickly, it vanished. He faced his friends, and instantly, a sick feeling settled in his gut. An army of gruocks stood in the distance. Gabriel looked around for an escape, but caught sight of a familiar figure instead.
Duke Malgor, surrounded by his faithful death-mongers. Gabriel’s friends followed his gaze far off through the twirling snowflakes.
“Oh, my God, Gabe! It’s the gruocks, right? I see their eyes!” cried Piper.
“Yeah, and Malgor and the death-mongers too!” Gabriel kicked at the ice block in frustration. Even though Malgor and his army were far away, they were still way too close. “This sucks!” he yelled. “Like, what else can go wrong?”
They leaned against the humongous ice wall, without a clue of what to do next. The gruocks and death-mongers seemed to wait for Malgor’s command. Piper turned pale, breathing hard, and Brent shook his head with a sigh and stared at the ground.
The gruocks’ angry snarls, mixed with the howling wind filled the frosty night air.
“I guess this is the end then, right?” Brent mumbled, eyes on his shoes.
“I don’t know,” Gabriel said, fisting his hands together at his sides as his stomach knotted. And he honestly didn’t know. His head spun, exhaustion, cold, and fear taking over. “Death-mongers, gruocks, and Malgor … they’re all … monsters.”
And all of these monsters are here for us.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Brent, don’t just stand there. Start melting the ice,” Piper yelled.
Brent blinked, startled, then nodded, dropped to his knees in front of the wall of ice, and got to work. He rubbed his hands together until they burst into flames, then held them to the ice. Water dripped to the ground.
Gabriel glanced at Piper. She stood over Brent and encouraged him to keep going. If they were going to die, Gabriel knew that at least he had the two best friends ever. But he wasn’t giving up without a fight. He darted his eyes back to Malgor. He needed to buy Brent more time.
Malgor’s steps drew closer. The gruocks paced, keeping a vigilant eye on them. Thunder boomed as though two transport trucks had smashed together, and lightning lit up the sky in sporadic sprays of light. He’d never seen a snowstorm and thunderstorm at the same time before.
“This is gonna take forever. The ice is too thick!” Brent yelled.
“Just keep going,” Piper shouted back.
Malgor roared at them from a distance. “Where do you imbeciles think you are going?”
Anger churned inside of Gabriel. He remembered how he and his friends had ended up in Valta in the first place—Malgor had stolen the Divinities, the very life source for Valta. He remembered Zigzag being bitten by the gruocks and infected with a virus Malgor had created. He remembered Brent getting kidnapped and almost dying in the dungeon, and how Malgor had murdered Empress Malina’s husband, and cursed Prince Oliver. Anger took him over, and he ran toward Malgor.
“I hate you! You should just die, you freak. You—you’re nothing. You only want power to make people suffer. You don’t care how you get it, or who you hurt. I hate you more than anything!” Gabriel screamed as loud as he could.
The gruocks gave deep, guttural growls. The odd gruock with the patch of bright red fur on its hind leg stepped forward from the pack. It glared at Gabriel, as though it intended to devour him in one gulp. Its lips pulled back, revealing vicious fangs. Its thick, red mane flew back in the wind. The beast growled, panted, then let out a high-pitched yelp, followed by a whine. It pawed the ground, barking and snarling, snapping its teeth.
That thing is totally crazy.
Then Malgor stepped beside it, his legion of death-mongers behind him. Snow and icicles covered his long blond hair, and his cape flapped wildly in the wind. The bits of decaying skin clinging to the skulls of the death-mongers flapped as furiously as the cape, and the stench o
f rotting flesh wafted into Gabriel’s nose.
“Calm yourself,” Malgor snarled. “Have patience, my faithful hunter. Tonight you shall dine on the finest meat.” He patted the beast’s head. “But for now, he is mine.” Malgor motioned for them to move back, and reluctantly, they obeyed.
Gabriel lunged at Malgor, kicking and punching, even though he was way smaller. His adrenaline pumped so fast, he hardly felt it when Malgor snatched him by his hair, swinging him from left to right like a rag doll.
Malgor cocked his head. “Brave one, aren’t we?” He held Gabriel’s hair with one hand, and slapped his face a stinging blow with the other.
From the ice wall, the others called to Gabriel, their voices desperate.
Malgor tightened his grip on Gabriel’s hair. “You will connect the Divinities now, boy,” he spat through gritted teeth. “Together, with me.” Malgor reached toward Gabriel’s makeshift necklace.
“Never,” Gabriel yelled. He lifted his foot and, with a giant thrust, kicked Malgor between his legs.
Malgor dropped to his knees, groaning, and released Gabriel. Gabriel sprinted back to his friends, blood surging through his veins. He imagined the piercing bite of a gruock at any second, but he didn’t look back. He pumped his arms and legs, hard. Run, run, run.
Brent had melted a small hole in the ice, barely large enough to fit them. Piper had already started to crawl through, followed closely by Brent. But Brent’s shoulders wedged in the hole, trapping him. Gabriel dropped to the ground and pushed him, trying to help squeeze him through. Finally, Brent pulled his leg out, and Gabriel snaked his way into the hole. Malgor’s voice bellowed behind him. “Kill them! All except Gabriel. Do it now!” he roared to his army of gruocks. The darkness rang with howls, and the drumbeat of paws charging toward them.
Gabriel wiggled further in, gasping and grunting. “We’re running out of time!”
Gabriel finally tugged his upper body through the small hole into the Valley of Shadows. But from behind him, one of the gruocks thundered up and grabbed the hem of Gabriel’s pant leg in its teeth, shaking him wildly.
“Ahhhh,” Gabriel yelled. He dug his fingernails into the dirt, and with a frustrated growl, kicked back one leg, knocking the gruock with a blow to the head. The gruock released its grasp on Gabriel’s pants with a yelp. Gabriel dug his feet against the snowy ground in the Tandem Wood, trying to push through.
He vaguely noticed it was early morning on the other side of the ice wall, and warm air rushed across his face. Thunder rumbled, but way less violently. Brent tugged on Gabriel’s shoulders, pulling him through the hole in the ice.
The gruock roared. Gabriel figured it was the same gruock he had kicked, but that now it was angrier. It gripped the hem of Gabriel’s pants in its jaws. Piper clawed at the ice around the hole, but the gruock yanked Gabriel back into the Tandem Wood with a snarl. Only Gabriel’s hands and forearms stuck through the hole into the Valley of Shadows, clinging into the dirt. Gabriel stared at the toes of Piper’s and Brent’s shoes on the other side wondering if he’d ever see them again.
A shadow moved over them, and a giant voice boomed out.
“Out of the way!”
“Gah!” Gabriel yelled, startled. He recognized that voice. “Sherpa!” Even though Gabriel couldn’t see him, Sherpa’s huge brown shoes were a dead giveaway. Sherpa, the giant key-maker, loomed over Piper and Brent.
Sherpa dropped to his knees, ducked low, and peered through the hole at Gabriel. “Remember me, do you, Gabriel who was sent by the empress?” the giant asked as the gruock shook Gabriel by his pants leg.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Brent yelled.
Sherpa grunted as he gripped each of his massive hands around Gabriel’s arms, and tugged him out in one big swoop. The gruock’s teeth grazed Gabriel’s skin as he slipped through the hole.
“Owww!” Gabriel screamed, then scrambled away from the hole and twisted around to examine the spot where he was bitten.
Gabriel pulled up his pants leg, wincing. Blood trickled from the wound. Gabriel looked up into the giant’s gruff-looking face. “Thanks for getting me out of there.”
“You are welcome, young human,” grunted Sherpa. “I’d never have thought a mere boy and a modest group of wee children could have possibly gotten so far, and been so daring. You have proven yourselves worthy. I will help you. Now, I see the gruock’s virus is infecting you.”
Gabriel shuddered. “I need to get to Leejor.”
“Yes, you do, and soon.”
Thud.
Gabriel snapped his head up in time to see an outline of a gruock throwing its body against the block of ice. Loud barks, growls, and howls erupted from the other side of the ice more clearly now. It was as though the storm that had been wailing over there had calmed down. The duke’s shadowy figure on the other side made Gabriel gulp.
An indiscernible scream from Malgor, and the gruocks fell silent.
“Get to my tempest room and stop this storm now!” Malgor screamed to someone on the other side of the ice. Gabriel wondered if Malgor was communicating with someone from the castle somehow and telling them to stop the storm with that tempest room he had mentioned.
Within seconds, not even Gabriel’s amazing hearing could pick up any sounds of a storm coming through the hole in the ice to the Tandem Wood. Only beams of sunlight shone through. The storm had stopped!
I was right! The tempest room must be some magical kind of weather control room for the Tandem Wood.
Dripping sounds filled the silence as the ice began melting rapidly.
Piper paced in circles, running her fingers through her tangled hair. “What are we gonna do? He has a whole army of gruocks and death-mongers with him. I mean, I know you’re strong, Sherpa, but how can we defeat them all?”
“Do you have any ideas?” Gabriel looked up into Sherpa’s face, hoping for an answer.
“Calm yourselves!” roared the giant. “Do you think I would begin a feast with a full belly? I would not face Duke Malgor unprepared, either.” He stuck his fingers into his mouth, and let out a high-pitched whistle.
Gabriel, Brent, and Piper looked at each other, completely confused. Then, the trees began to sway. Gabriel couldn’t believe his eyes as Jasra and many of the creatures from Parma stepped out. Even little Dramel yielded a spear.
Brent grinned. “He made it!”
Piper smiled, and Brent and Gabriel fist pumped the air, amazed so many creatures continued to appear. As Piper ran to meet with Jasra and hug his huge, furry moose leg, Eric’s head popped up from behind a small, grassy knoll. With him were humans from Ericville, each with a long spear or sword, and serious faces.
Eric patted Gabriel’s back. “Good job, lad, good job.”
“Th-thanks,” Gabriel stammered, barely believing what was happening.
“Follow me.” Sherpa headed toward Jasra and the others. “We’ve not much time before the war.”
Gabriel gulped at the sound of the word war. They ran to keep up with Sherpa.
“Don’t forget where you are, children,” Eric warned. “You may be safely out of the Tandem Wood, but remember; this is the Valley of Shadows, and not without its dangers.”
Water splashed behind them in the distance; the wall of ice was a wall of water again.
“Take this.” Eric threw Gabriel a spear. “Take good aim. You know what you have to do.” Eric looked from Piper to Brent. They nodded.
Malgor and his army of evil came running right at them. Piper filled her lungs, and conjured up a wind of hurricane proportions that flung the first of the gruocks back into rotting death-mongers. Some escaped, including Malgor, who sidestepped the commanding airstream. He faced them, his black eyes glittering.
Malgor growled, as though he were part gruock himself. His army ran on, snapping and snarling. Gabriel’s army charged forward unwavering. The two sides collided in a fury of swords, snarls, bites, screams, kicks, and fury.
Eric struggled with
one of the death-mongers, ducking and weaving with a fencer’s grace, unlike any scientist they’d ever seen. Sherpa fought a pack of gruocks, flinging them through the air.
Piper’s wind assault continued, but after a while, she weakened. One of the gruocks skulked toward her, snapping its enormous jaws. It jumped at her chest, hurling her to the ground and knocking the wind out of her. As she gasped for air, the gruock stood on her chest growling, its mangy head just inches in front of her. Saliva dripped onto her terrified face. The gruock reared back its head and lunged forward.
Gabriel plunged a spear through its heart, and the creature toppled to the ground in a limp heap. Gabriel tugged his spear out of the body with a burst of blood. He helped Piper up with his free hand, and attempted a shaky smile. The color began to return to her face.
“Stay with me,” he said. “Catch your breath.”
The war raged as Gabriel and Piper maneuvered around dead gruocks and death-mongers. But many creatures from Parma and Ericville lay dead or wounded, too. Gabriel felt sad, angry, and responsible at the same time.
Then they saw Jasra. The moose man kicked his powerful legs at the gruocks, sword in hand. One slipped past him, jumped, and snapped its jaws around his neck. He crumpled to the ground, bleeding. The beast rushed away to find another victim. Blood poured from the gaping wound in Jasra’s neck.
Piper kneeled beside Jasra, bursting into sobs. “Jasra no—please—not you.”
“Don’t give up … dear friends,” he gasped. “My time has come, but yours has just begun.” Piper hugged him, oblivious to the battle raging all around. Jasra’s eyes softened, and slowly, he closed them for the last time.
“Get up, Piper. Don’t be a baby!” Gabriel yelled. He clasped his hand over his mouth, and shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t feel g-good—that gruock b-bit me,” he stammered. But Piper didn’t seem to hear him. Gabriel searched the battlefield. Many of their allies were dying or dead, but the gruocks and death-mongers continued to fight.
Gabriel Stone and the Divinity of Valta Page 16
