ground, I’d say no. When Kaneer lowers me and turns to his companion to take my bag from him, I grab his hand that no longer has claws! They disappeared. How did he do that?
His hands are dusty, but he willingly lets me flip it back and forth, studying what looks like a normal nail although much thicker than mine. “How did you do that? Where’d they go?”
Instead of answering me, he clenches my hand tightly, bringing it closer to his face and practically above my head as he inspects the tips of my fingers. Grunting slightly, he holds out his hand, and I watch as one of the large nails protrudes from the end of his finger just underneath the nail bed. Slowly, it expands and reaches the full four inches he used while we climbed. Woah!
Even though Kaneer’s released my hand, Pascel is holding out his hand toward us, looking at Kaneer questioningly. When Kaneer gives a sharp nod, Pascel’s faster than lightning as his hand shoots out and grabs mine, inspecting my fingertips the same way as Kaneer. Are they really that amazed I don’t have the same nails? If so, maybe they’ll actually start to believe me.
Pascel’s mouth opens as his head cocks to the side, and I know that he’s just as curious about me as I am about him. “Do you suppose—”
The ground rumbles slightly, and small pieces of shale tumble down the edge of the cliff. An earthquake. I’m snatched up as the two men immediately scramble to lower ground. Slammed against Kaneer again, my head jerks before crashing into his chest.
If he didn’t smell so good, I’d probably be more pissed off. Taking a deep breath, I let his intoxicating scent settle my stomach while they practically run toward some small trees not far away. Glancing around the valley, I wonder if this is a normal event?
Is it common for them to have this kind of seismic activity in the area? We’ve only moved about fifty feet away to a flatter part of the gorge that has a few large trees sprouting up before he lets me down again. These trees aren’t as large as the daunting forest we just left, but they appear to be the same kind, only younger.
I’m trailing a few feet behind as the ground continues to rumble when they surprise me by dropping to their knees. Prostrating on the ground, they both swing their arms straight out above their head and drop their forehead to the ground, beginning to chant.
“Oh, Blessed Mother, we give you honor and respect, understanding that you are our provider and protection…”
They’re praying? Now? Is that really appropriate?
I mean, it’s not like their God—or goddess, whatever—is going to show up and save them here during an earthquake, right? I should know… I have firsthand experience in that department!
I specifically remember my family praying outside the icebox while our home collapsed when I was six. My entire family died that day while I survived. Most of it was a haze, which is probably a good thing since it took over a day to dig me out.
The tumultuous movement of the ground is settling, but I continue to stand there watching Kaneer and Pascel pray with my mouth hanging open while I’m caught in the past. When my captor notices my shadow from the larger sun falling across his head, he glances up. His eyes widen, and he yanks my body by the forearm down to the ground beside him.
Is he kidding? Glancing over my shoulder, I see over a dozen of those wild creatures at the top of the gorge, still hooting and hollering like idiots at us. Maybe they’re afraid to come down? But even so, they may not stop their racket until we’re out of sight. That means getting to the tree line that’s probably close to a mile away.
When I don’t immediately drop into prayer next to him, his large hand descends on my head, turning it and practically smashing my face into the ground just like he did my knees. I’m not sure if they’re just scraped, or if I’ll be picking some of the shale out of them when we’re done, but I don’t complain.
His face has turned a darker purple, and I’m guessing that’s from anger. Well, when in Rome… Dropping my head to the ground, I watch him out of the corner of my eye, wondering how long they plan to pray.
CHAPTER TWELVE
- Kaneer
AS MY FEET hit