Flamewing: Fire and Stone

Chapter 8

The sword was no decent shovel, and Ben had to twist it repeatedly, grinding it against stones and roots that had grown around the glowing stone like a thick wooden net. Ben tried cutting them, but the sword wasn't nearly sharp enough for the tough earthy wood. He thought of the guards and ducked down, glancing left and right.

They couldn't be far. Ben wedged the sword down between the egg and the tree branches, wondering if this glowing egg-like mass was even worth it. He pushed down and bent the earth and wooden arms away from the egg, working the sword around the mass as quickly as he could. Finally, he sheathed the sword and tried to lift the egg.

It didn't budge at all. Something inside it moved only slightly, the slight nebulous shadow drifting across his face. Ben drew the sword again, hearing a slight rustle in the underbrush not more than fifty feet from him. Ben looked around him, seeing nothing but tangled vines and trees. The light of the stone worked with the moon to illuminate him well. Ben wiped sweat from his forehead and reached down for the egg, straining uncomfortably to be as quiet as possible. They're so totally going to see me, he thought. I'm screwed. They're gonna see the light and they're gonna find me.

Ben stopped himself. He wasn't sure if thinking things cemented them in reality, but he wasn't about to test it just now. Ben thought about how incredibly stupid grabbing this stone out of the ground was, and he turned and ran.

His feet felt heavy, and he tripped and almost fell. The guards were onto him, they'd seen the light of the egg from however far away they were. He stopped running. Probably not that much, he thought. The only way to go would be to grab the egg and try to get lucky. If he couldn't somehow use the egg for food, he could let them chase for a while and then drop the egg somewhere, using the light as a diversion.

Ben turned again and sprinted back to the egg. He reached down, gripping the rough surface of the stone with his hands and pulled. Come on, he pleaded. Please. Just come with me.

The egg began to yield, and Ben regripped his hands to keep it from falling back into the hole. A twig snapped, much closer. Ben strained himself and finally lifted it over the lip of the hole. He put his arms around the bottom of it and lifted, beginning to stumble on through the trees. He was confident he was headed in the right direction, the sounds of twigs came from behind him, and he remembered clearly which angle he'd found the stone from. He'd just have to make it long enough to drop the stone somewhere and sprint off into the darkness.

Ben sweat as he hurried through the forest, his boots easing his sore feet over roots and stones, but the heavy stone and all the gear slowed him to nearly a walk. He imagined himself dropping the stone, throwing off all his gear and sprinting into the forest. I probably can't make it without this stuff, he thought. His eyes were already adjusted to the light of the stone, which lit the way for him, but also for the guards. Gathering all the disciplined bravery he could, Ben kept walking. The steps felt like waves on the seashore. Up, down, then up, then down. Never did one end before the next began, and yet they were still too slow. He imagined the wind, streaking through the trees like a sparrow. He wanted to disappear like that, as untouchable as air.

"There! The boy! He's got a lantern!" came an eerily hushed call.

"Catch him!" The reply was of equal volume.

Now, Ben thought, somehow relieved. This is it. Ben leaned forward and pumped his feet as hard as he could, supporting his massive burden while his sword gently knocked at his side. He thought he could feel their footsteps pounding, bearing down on him in his ears with a near silent power.