Part 22 (1/2)

His body contorted, twisting in the blink of an eye into a monstrous grizzly bear. He was double the size of any regular grizzly, but worse, he was fast. Fast like a cat, with the power of a bear. He dropped to all fours and strode toward Shazer.

I knew without a shadow of a doubt he intended to tear Shazer apart. And he would go through Peta to do it. If I had to choose, I would, and it would always be her.

”Peta, back off!”

Samara cried out. ”Lark, what is happening?”

”Not now, Samara, let me deal with one thing at a time.” I pulled my spear from my side, already knowing how useless I was going to be. Peta darted around the side of Raven, slas.h.i.+ng at him with her wicked claws. He roared, and was on her in a flash, a huge paw glancing off her hip. I called on the power of the earth to hold him down. To pin him.

Nothing happened. ”Goblin s.h.i.+t.” This was not the time to lose my connection to my elements, and I didn't have time to figure out why.

I ran at him, swinging my spear in a huge arc. I brought it down the back of his rump. The blade bounced off as if it were completely dull.

I called Spirit to weave around Earth.

Again, nothing happened. What the h.e.l.l was happening? I felt it then, in the s.p.a.ce of a heartbeat. The same languorous sense I'd only received around one person.

Talan.

He had to be blocking me.

”I'm blocking you both, to be fair.” His voice spun me around. He stood against one of the pillars. ”To keep things even steven, as the humans say.”

”It's not even!”

”Yes, it is.” He spoke as if he was urging me on. ”Meet him on his terms, Lark.”

I stumbled. On Raven's terms? I wasn't a shape s.h.i.+fter. I stared at Peta as she darted around Raven, landing blows, but unable to truly take him on her own.

Power of the heart, child. You have that. Use it. She is your soulmate for a reason. Littermate might be a better term.

The voice of the mountain rolled through me and I dropped my spear. Peta's image flooded my mind and I grasped hold of it, believing the words of the mountain. Believing I was more than I'd ever known.

The s.h.i.+ft took me like lightning; between one step and the next I was no longer on two feet, but running on four. Flashes of gray and white on my legs were all I saw as I leapt toward the mountain of brown fur, a snarl ripping out of me. The rush of power coursing through me was like nothing I'd ever experienced, like nothing I'd ever known.

I landed on his back and gripped with all four feet, clinging to him like a monkey grips a branch. He roared and swept a paw back for me, but I was too high up for him to reach.

Peta dodged his intermittent blows as I dug in, biting through the thick hide as I sought his spine. A glorious battle rage rolled through me, a blood l.u.s.t that blurred my thoughts until only a single image of his death burned inside my mind. I buried my fangs into him over and over as he bucked and writhed under me.

His body humped and we swung to the side. I dove to the other side, away from him as he rolled to his back in an attempt to squash me.

I leapt to stand beside Peta.

”Lark?”

I nodded, not sure I was able to speak like she could.

The smoky diamond was somewhere within his fur, I was sure of it. But where? I narrowed my eyes.

I ran at him while he fumbled on his back. Fast and powerful he might be as a bear, but he was also heavy on his back like a turtle flipped over. At the last second, I jumped, landing on his soft underbelly. I dug my claws in, p.r.i.c.king the skin like cutting through lard with a scorching-hot knife. He grunted under me and I tightened my hold. One good swipe and his innards would spill out.

Peta stalked beside us, speaking for me. ”The stone. Your life for the stone.”

Raven flexed as if he'd move and I slid my claws in further, tearing the flesh slowly. His eyes flicked to me, then back to Peta. He roared, but couldn't move without being mortally wounded, and he knew it.

Apparently it was true: I wasn't the only one blocked from using their elemental powers. At least Talan was fair in his own twisted way.

Raven's body trembled under me, and for the first time I saw fear in his eyes. Without his powers behind him, he was no safer than any other low-level elemental.

He s.h.i.+fted back to his elemental form, clothes intact, but I clung to him, my teeth bared. Still on his back, my claws were buried in his pale belly, blood bubbling up around the punctures from the three-inch-long daggers attached to me.

”The stone,” Peta bit out. ”Or she'll gut you right now.”

A part of me wondered how far he'd push things, the other part wondered that Samara didn't help him. Then again, the Sylphs had stood by and let Ca.s.sava and me wreak havoc on their home without interference. He lifted one hand and slid it into his pants.

Just as slowly, he pulled his hand out and from it dangled the necklace. I leaned forward and grabbed it with my teeth. But I didn't take my claws from Raven.

His eyes widened. ”You made a deal.”

I tightened my claws on him, my thoughts raging. He'd been the cause of so much death, so much destruction. He was the reason I'd broken Keeda's mind, the reason I'd had to kill Vetch. He'd forced my hand to kill our father.

I glanced at Peta and nodded, the bond between us tighter than ever. She spoke for me. ”You are hereby sentenced to death, Raven, as is Larkspur's right as an Ender and protector of the Rim.”

I braced myself. He closed his eyes. ”I know, Lark. I know.”

Electricity blasted through me, sent me flying off Raven in a burst of light and pain.

I tumbled through the air and slammed into the ground next to where Shazer lay. Stunned, I lay unable to move as I processed what had happened.

”Samara, she stopped you,” Shazer said. I glanced at him, saw the agony in his eyes. I could heal him.

”Get your s.h.i.+t done, fix my legs later.” He grunted and closed his eyes. ”d.a.m.n this body; you keep having to heal me and my fragile bits.”

Raven stood, though he was far from steady and the blood ran freely from several wounds. He wobbled. ”You surprise me, sister. I didn't think you had it in you.”

I thought about standing on two feet and the s.h.i.+ft slid through me as if I'd been doing it all my life. A feeling of desperation rolled through me as I reached once more for my connection to Spirit and Earth. They sang through me, hot and wild. A sigh of relief slipped from me.

Raven smiled at me, but it was weak. ”Before this goes any further, I think you should meet someone.”

He took a few limping steps toward Samara. She backed up, holding a hand out to him. ”Stay where you are. I saved you only for the sake of our child.” Wind powered between them, blowing his hair back and out of its perfect slicked coif.