Chapter 51: A New Enemy, A New Ally

Sakura

My breaths came slowly as the sunlight died behind us. I took slow, deep breaths just as Manao had taught all of us initiates years ago.

“The slower, and deeper you breathe, the higher you can climb.” She repeated the words out as she helped me up to the next plateau. “But I think this is high enough. Third ring, just below the peaks and highest plateaus. Now hurry girl, we don’t have much time before the sun finish’s setting.”

I didn’t bother speaking, I just got to work. The chalk was out of my pack and in my hands in seconds. The biting cold chilled me down to the bone, but I circulated chie to my extremities giving myself the strength and warmth enough to keep going.

The chaulk broke in my hands twice before Manao put a clawed hand in front of me.

“If you think it would help, you are welcome to summon your companion. He should fit on this plateau and warm it nicely I think.”

King, what do you think?

I’d love to help. Been saying that all day!

I bit my tongue. He had most assuredly NOT been trying to help. All he had been trying to do was talk me out of this. But he wanted to help now, so I bit my tongue and opened my soul vault.

A red and green light erupted from my chest, and in a moment King stood next to the mountain on the far side of the plateau. Heat rolled off him, melting small pockets of snow.

“GRAH!” He shouted a challenge to the dying light as his shell erupted in fire, bathing the scene in a lava-like glow.

Does that help?

I held my hands out towards him and rubbed them together. After a few seconds the numb feeling was replaced with needles, and I regained the dexterity in them. My fingers still hurting, I gripped the chalk and went back to work.

Yes, thank you.

You’re welcome.

After a few moments of concentrated work, the improved formation diagram was inscribed into the stone. I sat back on my heels for a moment, and took long deep breaths to calm my racing heart.

“Well done child. You should . . .”

Shouts of excitement and interest came from the direction we had come. Students of the sect became visible on the winding path a moment later, dressed in the blue and silver of high ranking initiates.

A girl wearing a pink ribbon in her dark black hair that ran past her shoulders laughed as she led the small group of students onto the plateau. On her hip was her crystalline sword. The other students all seemed equally equipped for some battle to come. When the girl saw me her face turned up in a snear for just a moment, and just as it had come the expression vanished.

“Greetings Mistress Manao.”

“Hello Taitha. Are you seeking to challenge the peak at night?”

“Yes Mistress.” The girl bowed deeply, and the rest of the group followed. “We have beaten the Silver Lord in the light of the sun many times now. We were hoping for a greater challenge.”

“I see. Your father would be proud of your dedication and effort.”

“Yes, and I am also sure he would be grateful of your efforts with the less . . . gifted, of the high nobility. One so high as yourself taking time to educate a remedial student is most gracious.” She gave me a side long look I had experienced far too often back in China to not recognize.

She was a predator, and in her eyes I was nothing but prey. King grumbled, and the heat rolling off him increased slightly.

“Your father might be King of the Southern Kingdom, Taitha. But you will show respect to all of the sects students.” Manao said, her voice firm but not unkind. “Exaggerations are unbecoming of one such as yourself. Sakura Gamera is walking her path, at her pace. As you must walk yours.”

“Of course mistress. I meant no disrespect. Only to highlight your generous nature.” Again Taitha bowed. “We will be on our way, if it pleases you.”

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“Be careful, the Silver Star Lord's grow, cranky, come night. And Sky Snakes roam the upper edges of the clouds looking for easy prey.”

“We will of course be watchful for the poisonous pests. Thank you, mistress, for your concern.”

“You are dismissed.”

As they left, Manao turned her attention back to me.

“Now. Let us begin.”

***

I sat at the center of the formation, the cricket creature and its cage firmly on my lap as I cycled chie and pure mana from my cores directly into it. I nearly bottomed out my mana core, as the sun's last rays cast their dubious light on my back.

To anyone with magical and spiritual senses I was screaming into the wind. It appeared to all around that I was holding a massive source of Wind and Sky mana that gave off a distinct impression of the crickets soul signature. To the spirits, beasts, and predators that hunted the little cricket and its cousins it appeared there was a whole swarm, ripe and juicy just waiting to be taken down.

Manao sat on a rock off to one side with her eyes closed. I wasn’t sure if she was awake and listening, in deep meditation, or asleep.

I don’t know if this is working. King said into my mind, as he let off a low rumble of annoyance. Could I be the problem? Maybe I'm too scary?

You’re plenty scary, I said with a smile. But no, Manoa wouldn’t have suggested you manafest if that was the case. She knows what she’s doing. Even if we don’t. Let's just give it a little longer and then . . .

A hawk screeched in the distance, like the tinkling of shattering crystal.

Was that . . .?

Yes! I told you, just a little bit longer. I pushed even more chie into the cricket, and it began letting out a warning noise. As if to tell its now missing swarm that danger was approaching.

The moon had come out, and bathed the scene in silver light even as the sun was casting its very last hint of warmth on the world. It gave the scene an odd look to it as my eyes scanned the skies looking for the Crystalline Eagle, or Ice Hawk.

There! I shouted in my mind to King. Do you see it? I sent through an image of the creature I had spotted. It was high in the sky, circling us now. Entering and exiting the thin cloud cover overhead as it tried to keep its approach stealthy.

Pretty bird, but it's small. I could eat it in a single bite.

No eating it, I playfully scolded. We need it. Don’t you remember? Don’t you want to ascend to silver together?

Yeah, I was only joking. But still . . . It does look like it could be a nice snack.

I ignored him and focused back on the bird. My heart raced, and I found myself taking shorter breaths and my vision began swimming slightly. I refocused on my breathing, keeping it slow, deep, and steady.

When I looked back up towards my prize, my heart froze.

A Sky Snake, the largest one I had ever seen before, had leapt from the peak of the mountain and was gliding directly towards the Eagle.

I won’t eat it, but that thing might.

I kept cycling, kept up the illusion of the cricket swarm to the magical senses. Come on, come on you stupid bird! Attack!

The Eagle tilted up, preparing to dive. The Snakes jaw unhinged, and massive fangs easily the size of my palm extended out, dripping cloud colored venum. Just as the Eagle descended, the fangs found their mark.

“Skeeeaaah!” The Eagle let out a terrified pain filled screech as the snake wrapped itself around its prey. The Eagle put up a fight, its beak bite into the snake's flesh, its talons wracked fist full of scales from its predator's body, and its sharp crystal covered wings beat at the creature's head with a wild ferocity.

A ferocity that quickly tapered off as the Sky Snakes venom took hold.

After only a few moments the fight was over. The Eagle fell limply towards the cliff face, and the snake released its prize and elongated its body once again. Gliding down safety towards wherever its kill would land.

“That bird is going to land close by,” Manao said, startling me from my depressed trance. “You should go look in on it. Perhaps you will yet find what you are looking for.”

“How could it possibly be alive . . .” My words tapered off as I looked into her knowing, expectant face. “But I will show trust in my teacher, and go check. Thank you Mistress. I will return shortly.”

“And take your turtle. I like the cold. It's bracing for my old lounges.”

***

King trundled behind me as we made our way around the side of the mountain. We didn’t go far, when we found the dead cristal eagle. Its body broken, its cristal like armor and feathers shattered on frozen stone.

I sighed, and began to turn back but King let out an annoyed grumble, and snorted ash towards the corpse.

“What was that for? You got my clothes dirty. Do you know how difficult it is to get your ash out of . . .”

Look! King insisted, and snorted again. I followed the trail of ash back towards the corpse.

“What? It's just the dead bird. I don’t . . .” Something slithered around its shattered form. Something massive, long. Easily as long as I was tall, if not longer. Its jaw unhinged as it began to devour the corpse head first.

Its scales shimmered white and blue underneath, and gray and black on top, giving it camouflage from both the ground and the sky. Its scales were thick, and protected it from head to the tip of its tail, and its head was that of a python. This was a Sky Snake. And I had never seen one this close, or this large before.

“Whoa,” I said as I backed up a step or two. It was only natural after all.

I had always had a healthy respect for snakes. Back in China, I had to regularly clear out the harmless snakes that would infest our gardens. But occasionally the more dangerous venomous kinds found their way in chasing rats or other rodents.

One had to have respect for such creatures to handle them properly.

I was about to turn around and leave, when a large rabbit that had been hiding among the rocks and small snow drifts darted away, fleeing for its life. I felt a shifting in the mana in the area, and suddenly the snake was free of its first prize, and lunging, mana infused fangs dripping with new venum towards the creature.

The rabbit escaped, but not before I realized what I had just seen. The snake had forged the fangs on instinct out of sky, or cloud mana as it lunged at its prey.

You’re joking, that thing has a bound spell?

I think its a technique actually. I felt chie in the venum, King's thoughts were weary. He didn’t like the snake. He wanted it gone, and away from me as quickly as possible. He wasn’t concerned for himself of course, he could burn any venum from his system in seconds, and then heal whatever damage had been done using his wood and life mana. But it would take longer for him to help me, if I was bit.

His thoughts and concerns ran through my mind and I smiled and patted him on the shell. His fire didn’t burn me in the slightest.

I think we just found our potential new friend King. What do you think?

I hate it.

That's nice. Now help me figure out how to bond with it, without getting bit.