Alara Unbroken - Doug Beyer [19]
The gods’ anger shook all of Naya, and the gods stampeded through the jungle. The people offered breadnut and guava, but the gods’ anger remained, and the gods stampeded over the mountains. The next day the people offered jade and the feathers of griffins, but the gods’ anger remained, and the gods stampeded across the lowlands. The next day the people offered the pelt of the white lion, and the gods were satisfied, and rested once more.
It was as if the humans thought Ajani was part of their religion, some symbol of appeasement for the gargantuans they worshipped. Ajani knew the gargantuans weren’t gods—they were just overlarge, dumb beasts. Still, he wasn’t surprised that the furless ones wished for some way to appease them. The humans had elaborate cities of stone and wood, and the gargantuans had never made accommodating neighbors.
Ajani had never seen those things before, all that research. Jazal must have been collecting the items for years, and keeping them from him. His mind fought with itself, trying to piece together what he was seeing while avoiding coming up with an answer. His confusion and evasion turned to anger. What was it all? What was Jazal hiding from him? Why would his brother lie?
JUND
Kresh peered over the rocky ledge, down into the volcanic cavern. It was hard to see the dragon at first, despite its size; its scales matched the texture and color of the rocky cavern floor, and its body snaked between huge stalactites and basalt columns. Vents smoldered throughout the cavern, offering windows down into the lava only a short distance below the floor. Only once Kresh saw the subtle rhythm of the dragon’s breathing was he able to determine its contours.
He felt excitement in his veins. He had never seen a dragon so large before. Even thin splinters of its teeth would make grand trophies to weave into his braids.
He motioned for the others to draw nearer. Rakka, the newcomer Sarkhan Vol, and the rest of his warriors approached to get a look for themselves.
“Is it asleep?” whispered Rakka.
Kresh stifled a laugh, and saw Sarkhan grin, too. “Dragons this big don’t sleep,” Kresh whispered at her. “Its skin drinks the essence of fire from the mountain. It probably knows we’re here already.”
“Then why hasn’t it attacked?” Rakka asked.
“We’re no threat,” said Kresh, looking down at the mighty beast. “Yet.”
“If you’re going to summon us some help,” said Sarkhan in a low voice, “now would be the time.”
Rakka nodded and began removing components from her bag.
Kresh motioned for his warriors to fan out, and they began creeping along the ledge. They spread in an arc across quarter of the cavern, and each of them readied a spear with a tip of obsidian, which gleamed like frozen smoke. Kresh swelled with pride at the sight of his warriors. Other humans cowered in the low valleys when dragons threatened their territory, but his clan took the fight directly to the source, without fear or hesitation.
Sarkhan had his staff held horizontally, and was chanting under his breath. It was handy to have another warrior along, Kresh thought, especially one who had some magic in his heart. Kresh had watched Sarkhan on their journey through the mountains, and knew that the stranger’s role was going to be as important as Rakka’s in their fight. He wasn’t as adept with forming creatures from fire and stone as Rakka, but his presence seemed to stir the coals inside warriors’ hearts even more than Kresh himself. It was no cause for envy; it was going to take a powerful fury for their fleshy human bodies to overcome the armor-scaled beast down below, and if Sarkhan could provide that fury, so it would be.
The dragon stirred. Its tail wound around one of the floor-to-ceiling columns, and Kresh thought he could see its nostrils flaring slightly. Its nose would be full of their scent.
Kresh shot a look at Rakka. She was still assembling her spell components. “Aren’t you ready yet?” he hissed at her.
Her body language was frantic. “Go,” she whispered. “Start without me.”
“We can’t,” said Kresh. “After we throw,