Born of Shadow - Book 1 (complete)

Chapter 30

Back to our band of intrepid adventurers running from a Shadow Scorpion! 

Please check out the media box where I have included a painting of the abandoned fish warehouse.

_________________

At first Kami felt like she was spinning, but as her disorientation began to wear off, she felt more like an apple on a conveyor belt, jostled and tossed this way and that. She opened her eyes, then immediately shut them against the brightness. She cracked her eyes open again to see a bright blue sky with a few wispy clouds.

The movement stopped for a moment. She turned her head against a mouthful of shirt, then eased it back to look up into Liam's face. His jaw was set in a determined line, and she could tell by the strain on his face, the perspiration on his brow, and his labored breathing that carrying her was difficult.

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing would come out. She ran her tongue over her cracked lips. Her head pounded. She wondered what had happened to her. She remembered talking to Yasmin, that was right. Talking to Yasmin and then, out of the blue, that drinking fountain was coming at them. It went black from there.

Now she heard Yasmin's voice dimly.

"In here. Quick!"

Kami forced her eyes open again. They were in an alleyway, leaned up against a grime-covered wall. The stench was terrible. There had to be garbage dumped nearby. She wondered why they were there, and why Liam was carrying her.

She could hear a clattering sound not far off. A woman's scream was cut short with a thump. A scraping sound was coming their direction, closer and closer. Liam held her tight, painfully tight.

She could hear a clicking sound, almost like a woman wearing heels, a giant woman anyway. She peeked into Liam's face again, but he wasn't paying any attention to her. His face was tense, eyes seeking out whatever was following them. She couldn't imagine what it could be! Certainly it was not a giantess in heels. Whatever this thing was, it terrified Liam. She could see it in his eyes.

Kami heard a hissing sound, then renewed clicking. Click, click, click. The thing stopped. She could see a bit of its shadow. It only had to take one or two more steps, and they would be exposed. Kami cringed against Liam waiting for the moment.

Suddenly, they heard a great rushing of wind, and the shape of the shadow began to change. It bulged and writhed and shot up into the sky, but not before she thought she saw a wing form.

"Let's get out of here," Samuel whispered. "We're sitting ducks."

They were moving again. Kami closed her eyes and pressed her face against Liam's chest. She should run with them, but she wasn't sure if her legs would support her. It wasn't long before Liam stopped. She felt herself being lowered to the ground. 

"Kami, are you all right?" Liam asked as he brushed her hair back. She opened her eyes and Liam's anxious face loomed into view. His shoulders sagged in relief as he hugged her close.

"She's fine!" Liam called to the others.

"Shhh," Samuel hushed, peering anxiously to the left.

"Sorry," Liam whispered.

Kami felt another set of arms around her now, and a kiss on her forehead. She was startled, then looked up to see Yasmin and realized with a slight disappointment her cousin must have kissed her. She noticed the other faces too—Chris and Samuel.

"How are you feeling?" Liam whispered into her ear. 

"Honestly? Like I had a run in with a bulldozer," she whispered back.