The Road's End by Daniel Kirk

Author:Daniel Kirk
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Amulet Books
Published: 2011-04-20T16:00:00+00:00

Jardaine dropped behind a boulder. She heard a swoosh and spun around to see another of the creatures, sidewinding toward her through the dust. This one didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry; its face, a mask of predatory glee, came slowly closer. Jardaine saw its tiny, misshapen arms. A cloud of dust rose where it paddled along the floor. The monster’s tongue flicked delicately. Then, all at once, it sprang at her. Jardaine grabbed her Kolli and ducked, and the monster shot over her head. She smelled the dank underbelly of the thing and nearly retched. She grabbed a thick root and swung her body underneath.

Becky screamed in terror as one of the monsters snapped its jaws and ripped her shirt. There were at least five or six of them now, closing in on all sides. There was only so much dodging, so much running she could do. She felt fingers on the leg of her jeans and cried out. But when she looked down, she saw that it was Jardaine. “This way!” she whispered.

Nick turned and saw his two companions backing toward a narrow corridor. He spun around, but lost his balance and fell. The dust swirled around him. “Wait for me!” he cried, holding up his injured hands. The creatures were on him in an instant. Becky managed to turn and run down the corridor. Jardaine was chanting the spell she’d memorized for using mental energy to move inanimate objects: Kan De Gudind tilladen de ønskeri af hendes ydmyg tjener tol at kompte rigtigt, og medfoere de sten onur Uhyrer til simmenbrod og knuge dim!

There was a sound like thunder, and a black jagged line split the roof of the tunnel behind them. Jardaine and Becky raced ahead as boulders began to fall. The Fire Sprite blew out like a candle as the blast struck them full force, a barrage of debris and granite dust. They stumbled and fell in the darkness. A high-pitched keening filled the air, muffled only when the cascade of rock sealed off the passage. When the dust settled, and Jardaine’s Fire Sprite flickered back to life, they could see that the way back up the passage was closed to them forever. “We’ve got to get to Nick.” Becky coughed. “We’ve got to save him from those—those monsters!”

Jardaine almost felt pity for Becky. The girl was so very, very stupid, so clueless, so … hopeful. How, Jardaine wondered, could she even ask such a question? Of course, Nick was dead. If he hadn’t been dead before the rocks fell, then certainly he and the monsters were crushed now, buried beneath tons of debris. “Too late,” she said.

“If you made the rocks fall with magick,” Becky pleaded, “you can use magick to move them, and maybe we can save Nick!”

Jardaine shook her head. “He died trying to save the two of us!”

Becky wiped the tears from her blackened cheeks. “He did?”

“Why, certainly, my child,” Jardaine lied. “He drew the creatures away from us so we could escape.

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