Giants by Heppner Vaughn

Author:Heppner, Vaughn [Heppner, Vaughn]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Fantasy
Published: 2010-06-30T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

The Hills of Kel-Hemen

They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne... For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

-- Revelation 6:16-17

Joash clenched his teeth and concentrated upon proper breathing. Two long strides, breathe in, hold for two more strides, then let out for two more. His right side felt as if his muscles had been sewn together. Every turn, every twist pulled at the spear-throwing muscles and caused needle-sharp pain.

At times he almost pitched aside his spear. Carrying it hurt his rhythm, and it was heavier today than yesterday. He longed for a javelin, remembering how its slight bounce had seemed to add to his running rhythm rather than destroying it. Pride ran too deep, however, to ask either Herrek or Elidad to carry his spear in their chariots.

The others pulled ahead until Joash was fifty yards behind. They topped a small rise, leaving him all alone. It was then, from behind a clump of boulders, that Joash heard loud screeching. He whirled around to see a huge, ten-foot orn dashing at him. The flightless bird had a wicked-looking yellow beak, like a pickaxe. The orn ran on big, three-clawed toes with razor-sharp talons. Orns were like the ostriches of the South, but were bigger, were meat-eaters, and were known for their savage temperament.

Joash froze before he yelled and brought up his spear. The orn screeched and flapped its stubby, useless wings. Its eyes blazed with predatory zeal. When it was only twenty feet away and closing an arrow whizzed over Joash’s head and sank into the orn’s breast. The orn staggered, righted itself, and renewed the charge. Another arrow hissed. The orn screeched with rage, baffled at these slivers of flying wood.

Joash took that split-second to regain his courage and hurled his spear at the staggering orn. If he missed, he was dead. He didn’t miss. Incredibly, however, the orn didn’t go down, but still staggered for him as if drunk. A final arrow hissed into the orn’s head. The orn sank to the ground, its huge legs spasmodically kicking.

Joash knew that if there had been just one more orn, that he’d be dead. He also knew he didn’t mind carrying the heavy spear.

Adah walked up to him with a strange smile on her face.

“That was wonderful shooting,” he said. “Thanks.”

She laid a warm hand on his cheek.

Impulsively, Joash kissed her.

She blinked. “What was that for?”

He shrugged sheepishly, but felt supreme.

“Koton kept barking at me,” she said. “The only way to get him to stop was to come back and help you. Now, hurry up and get your spear. We have no more time to waste.”

For a while he kept thinking about her hand on his cheek, and how he’d kissed her. He thought, too, of the orn, and that Adah had come back to help him. Maybe Adah wasn’t under the emeralds’ spell as much as the others were.

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