12
“Where did that come from? Did anyone see?” I screamed. The force of the impact had flung us all backward, but being supernaturals, we recovered in an instant. I stood over a dazed Ray, my legs splayed across his body, eyes searching for the next attack. “Boulders don’t just shoot themselves up in the air!” I scented the air, but the only thing I could detect was the bitter scent of the winged devils.
Naomi took flight in a blur. Eamon had disappeared sometime between the boulder’s impact and the recovery.
Danny rushed over to Ray and me, scattering pine needles out of his hair. Tyler had gone to retrieve the cooler and had yet to return, thank goodness. “Whatever flung that rock over the crest was no small being,” Danny said. “Either the boulder was spelled or something massive tossed it. Either way, not a great scenario.”
A large groan rent the air as a hand the size of an armchair reached over the rock face and grabbed on to a lone tree. It bent the small trunk to the ground as it started hoisting itself over the top.
Before we could see what the head looked like, Naomi and Eamon simultaneously landed in front of us. “What the hell is it?” I asked. “Hurry up!”
“We could not go past the tree line because of the devils, but we did go straight above as far as we could,” Naomi said. “It is our belief it’s some kind of mountain troll, based on its size.”
“A troll?” My voice held stunned surprise. “Selene has a troll? How do you even control one? I thought they were confined to Eastern Europe. What’s it going to do when it’s done smashing us with rocks? Eat us?”
“No,” Eamon said with irritation. “You’re talking about a bridge troll. A mountain troll is used to defend a mountain. It’s deft at throwing anything and hitting its target with accuracy. If we linger in the sky, it could take us out by knocking us to the ground with a boulder, and then crush our bodies beneath its feet before we could recover. Do not underestimate a mountain troll.”
“But it doesn’t smell like anything,” Danny complained. “I would assume a troll would have a scent. I’ve smelled many a bridge troll and they have a nasty, fishy stink.”
“It doesn’t matter. We’re about to find out exactly what it is,” I said. “It’s cresting the top now.”
All eyes focused on the dark edge of the mountain. Behind me, Ray staggered into an upright position. “I can’t see a thing,” Ray complained. “Are you telling me we’re about to be attacked by a giant creature who carries a club with spikes on it and eats people?”
“That sounds about right,” I said. My eyes were riveted on the other gigantic hand as it sailed over the edge in a loud crash, sending pieces of the mountain flying down into the gorge.
There was noise behind us as Tyler burst into the trees, the cooler hoisted strategically above his head. “I heard an explosion. What happened?” He set the metal box down with enough force to bury the bottom. “I ran all the way back here. It sounded like part of the mountain sheared off—”
A huge body emerged over the edge, ending all discussion.
Its dark stony eyes arched in our direction. It wasn’t a troll. It appeared to be made up completely of rocks. My wolf let out a long howl. What is it? She barked in rough staccatos.
“No,” Naomi whispered. “It cannot be.”
“I take it that’s not a troll,” I said impatiently. I hated being a newborn. Everything was new to me. “Whatever. I don’t care what it is. We just have to find a way to defeat it.”
“I believe it’s a Mahrac,” Eamon said with a touch of awe in his voice. “They are very rare and very strong. It is much worse than a troll. A troll bleeds and breathes and has a heart that beats, making it possible to bring down. A Mahrac is the stuff of nightmares. A spirit being. Impossible for us to kill. We will not be able to best it.” He made a move to leave. “We must turn back.”
I grabbed ahold of his arm before he could go anywhere. “We aren’t going back,” I said, my voice just short of full-on rage. “I am not leaving.” My wolf snarled her agreement, teeth flashing. “Tell me what a Mahrac is and then we’ll figure out how to defeat it.” As I spoke, the thing hoisted itself to its full height. It towered at least fifteen feet high and six feet across, completely massive. Its whole upper body was made up of a series of rocks hanging together in space. “The rocks don’t look connected. What’s holding it together? If we can disconnect the parts, it falls apart. Correct?”
“Wrong,” Eamon snapped. “It’s a spirit being made entirely of the rocks from its environment. If it loses one, it pulls another. It is not sentinel. I told you, there is no way we can defeat it. We do not have the right skills,” Eamon said with confidence. “We must clear the area. It can sense us better than a troll.”
The thing let out a deafening howl. From someplace other than its mouth, because it didn’t have one. Then it leaned over and grabbed hunks of stone from the ground, like a child scooping sand from a sandbox. It started to pace toward us, the mountain shaking under its weight in a seismic vibration. “We have to split up,” I yelled. The thing arched a stony arm and launched its booty. Rocks and boulders crashed into the trees, breaking them perfectly in half like some sort of cartoon. A huge boulder raced straight toward Danny. “Danny,” I screamed. “Move!”
“Already a step ahead of you,” Danny called. Using his preternatural speed, he dodged it no problem. “No need to worry about me. Get yourself under cover.”
I turned to Ray, who appeared to be in shock. “Ray! Wake up! We might recover from a crushing blow, but you have zero chance. Run back to the Humvee and wait for us there. Crawl under the damn thing if you hear it coming down the hill.”
Ray didn’t move. The spirit monster turned and lumbered toward my voice. “There’s no getting away from that thing,” Ray said quietly. “Its parts aren’t even fully connected. How is it moving?”
“It’s enchanted in some way,” I heard myself yell as I grabbed on to Ray and ran. “Selene is using it to do her bidding, like a golem. If there’s a way to break her mind control over it, it might fall apart or lose interest in us.” I shoved Ray behind a big tree, pinning his back to the bark, and ordered, with a finger up, “Stay here. If one of those rocks hits you, you’re dead.”
I didn’t wait for him to answer. I slipped behind the trunk and sped for Tyler. The Mahrac turned slightly when it noticed me running through the trees. It didn’t seem overly hurried in its assault on us.
I reached Tyler, leaping behind a mass of earth to land next to him. Danny darted through the trees toward us. Naomi started doing a little jig in front of it to keep its attention.
“She’s going to distract it as long as she can,” Danny said, joining us. “Anyone know how these things operate?” There was another deafening sound as a boulder exploded into the trees. “I’ve never even heard of a bloody Mahrac before. Golem, yes; Mahrac, no. It must be regional to some faraway land. Where does she come up with these things?”
I looked around. “We need Eamon,” I said. “None of us knows what it’s capable of besides him. Eamon!” I yelled, glancing around me. “Where did he go?”