The Last Dragon Shifter

Chapter Forty-Four

"Which way do we go?" Naomi hissed at Malcolm, still eyeing The Digger's cage.

"Well, The Digger is a burrower, hunting for different minerals. And it eats all kinds of hard materials, metal, gold, almost anything."

"So we just go stumbling around looking in the underbrush for pebbles?" Naomi frowned.

"Do you have a better idea?" Malcolm asked.

An eerie creaking noise interrupted Naomi's response. Glancing over, her stomach dropped at seeing The Digger's cage swing open.

"For now, run!" she said, grabbing onto Malcolm's arm.

Despite adrenaline fueling their speed, The Digger took no time at all in showing off its moves. It stormed out and immediately mined through the dirt, creating ruptures in the ground. The two of them were ahead but not by much.

"Here," Malcolm said as they reach a large oak tree. Quickly, he mastered a hanging vine, swinging up into the tree. Naomi followed, landing on one of the high branches. They'd be safe for a few moments but not much longer.

"See any promising munchies for that thing?" Naomi asked.

"Maybe. That looks daunting yet promising," Malcolm said, pointing off into the distance.

On the far side of the forest, Naomi could barely make out what Malcolm had spotted. Hidden by more ginormous trees and misty clouds, a craggy tower of thick rock could barely be seen.

Naomi was in the middle of voicing her approval when a giant crash from below jostled them. The Digger was gnawing at the tree trunk and making quick work of it at that. Malcolm urged her to jump to the next tree with him, but they didn't even get to mid-dive. The oak tree gave way, crashing to the ground and taking her and Malcolm with it. Luckily, neither of them was crushed but Malcolm's pained gasp had Naomi on high alert.

"So much for no permanent damage," he groaned as he clutched his left arm.

"Is it broken?" Naomi scrambled towards him from out of the branches. Yet, The Digger's shrill cries stopped her from investigating his injury. As the wild animal approached them, Naomi let out of a stream of fire, aimed directly at one of its main ugly heads.

"Naomi, don't!" Malcolm protested, much too late. The fire had already blinded The Digger, which Naomi saw as a temporary victory.

Until the shrieking creature suddenly split in two. It went from one giant, grotesque monster, into one of its unscathed heads morphing into its own special entity.

"Damn it, Naomi," Malcolm growled.

"You could have warned me sooner!" Naomi snapped back. But instead of arguing with him further, she decided they needed an urgent escape. The only thing that might work was her transformation. If she went full dragon, she'd be able to get her and Malcolm to that cliff and away from the mutating monsters. Without further preamble, she changed into her scaled counterpart.

"Malcolm, hop on."

He did so without any further questioning and they took off for the distant rock. When they reached it, they managed to land on a small ledge, halfway up. At least, far enough to be out of The Digger's reach.

They studied the giant fixture. On closer inspection, they found glowing red fissures embedded in the rock.

"Do you think it's something inside the cliff. Like we have to find a way to mine it out?" Naomi kept with their current theory on what The Digger wanted.

Malcolm studied the rock and its fiery lines. Placing his hand above it, he created a twisting vine, one strong enough to yank a piece of the rock free.

The vine burned to a crisp.

"So that's what those fun lines are for," Naomi sighed. "If the inside of the rock itself isn't it, I don't know what's left."

As they began to brainstorm, a thunderous noise from below shook their outcropping. The Dual Diggers were back, knocking away at the bottom of the cliff, without the same problems she and Malcolm had encountered. Instead, bits of rock were flying off everywhere.

"Well, if there's nothing here, what's on top of the cliff?" Malcolm asked as he eyed their attackers below.

Naomi studied their obstacle once more. It would be a lengthy trip to the top, but with her powers, she could fly the two of them up there.

"Let's find out and go for a ride," Naomi said. Malcolm climbed back up on Naomi's winged back, and then she took off, zipping through the clouds and racing against the clock. They had a rough landing, but finally found something of value. Resting on the precipice, an ornate red case gleamed at them with its gold designs and sturdy lock.

Changing mainly back to her human form, Naomi didn't dare touch it, in case it was enchanted with fire, like the rock tower. Maybe she could fight it with fire. She made Malcolm stay back as she tested the idea. She let out a careful stream of fire directed straight at the lock. It refused to melt. The thing didn't even have the decency to smolder. Next, Naomi whipped out her claws. Maybe she could pick the lock. Carefully, she slipped in one claw's tip. When it didn't get torn to bits, ripped off, or set ablaze, Naomi worked it further inside, trying to trace the intricacies of the mechanism. No matter which way she turned, she didn't hear the beautiful click of the box unlocking.

"Let me try. I think this is where I finally come in," Malcolm said ruefully.

"Meaning?"

"It's bloodline magic," Malcolm confirmed as he studied the box. "Passed down through generations. Only an elf with a strong lineage could unlatch this."

He gestured with his finger at Naomi's claws, but it took a second for her to realize what he wanted. Cautiously, she slashed a shallow cut into Malcolm's finger.

As it began to bleed, Malcolm held two fingers in front of the lock and made a complex hand motion. Then he pressed his finger to it. Easy as could be, the lock hissed, unlocking instantly.

Gazing inside, they found a glowing emerald rock. It looked similar to foxite, an element used in gardening. It was a strange choice for The Digger, but Naomi didn't question the judges' decision. Malcolm lifted it out of the box triumphantly and beamed at her.

"We did it, Naomi. We—"

Malcolm gasped for air suddenly, and his eyes rolled back. Naomi watched in horror as he fell to the ground, and his body convulsed. Hoping that the judges could still see and hear everything, she screamed for help. Slower than she wished, the landscape below began to change back to the school stadium. The Digger disappearing from view. Naomi didn't wait for the judges to lower them from the cliff. Naomi shifted again, scooped Malcolm up, and flew as swiftly as she could. 

When she hit the ground, Figgis and Sam were the first to run toward her, but they wouldn't be enough. Only a doctor, a miracle, or a rewind button could fix this.

* * * What will happen to Malcolm? Feel free to shout out your theories in the comments!