Feathered Dragon - Douglas Niles [88]
The monstrous jaguar squirmed, the claws of its hind feet scoring deep gashes in Halloran’s legs. Only the pluma cuffs at the man’s wrists saved his life, pumping strength into his grip and slowly forcing the drooling fangs back from his face.
The great cat twisted again, and Hal pushed it away, the;(force of his act shoving him back against the wall of the pit. The cat crouched, snarling, but suddenly it seemed smaller than it had before. Halloran loomed over the beast, staring down into those blazing, hate-filled eyes.
Then he realized what was happening. The spell had taken effect. Vaguely he sensed the Little People shrieking! in horror and fleeing back from the edges of the pit. Erixitl, lying against the wall at the base of the enclosure, held her hands protectively over her belly as she gaped up at him. For the first time, he saw fear in the Lord of the Jaguars’ blazing yellow eyes.
The spell increased his size, although it did not enhance his strength. Still, the pluma around his wrists and the fear and anger burning in his own heart gave him strength that he would not otherwise have possessed.
He lunged at the monstrous cat as the creature tried to
spring toward Erixitl. It twisted in midair, dragging its sharp talons across Hal’s forearm and leaving cuts that quickly welled with blood, But the man stood now nearly fifteen feet tall, and he seized the monster by the scruff of its neck.
The cat howled in terror as he lifted it from the base of the pit, raising it over his head and shaking it. The pluma and his rage possessed him, made him a man mad with battle lust. With a grunt of effort, he hurled the shrieking, spitting beast from the pit, full into the faces of a pair of gaping villagers.
The little folk screamed in terror, bolting away from the horrifying apparition of the flying jaguar. The cat, itself fully terrified, landed on its feet, crouched, and sprang toward the shelter of the surrounding forest. In another instant, the black shape disappeared into the equally dark confines of the enshrouding jungle.
“Come on!” he urged, reaching down and lifting Erixitl up to the edge of the pit. His mind whirled with images of poisoned arrows, and he knew that it would be mere moments before the warriors recovered their senses enough to shoot. His size, he realized, would be no protection against the strike of one of those venomous missiles.
He sprang upward after Erixitl and then crouched beside her, trying to shield her from the natives. Where could they go? How could they get away?
Even as he groped for answers, he saw that it was too late. The area around the pit was crowded with warriors, all of them armed with the deadly darts. Bellowing in rage, he stood up and lunged forward, determined to smash a few of the archers before he died.
Then he slowed his charge, halting after a few steps to look around in puzzlement. The light spilled from the pit, clearly illuminating the painted halflings. One by one, they laid down their weapons and fell on their faces, pressing themselves to the ground in obeisance.
The one who had seemed to be the chief crawled forward. He looked up at Halloran. his face twisted by fear and grief. He moaned something, then hastily pressed his face back to the ground.
“What’s going on?” Hal wondered aloud, looking back to Erixitl. The chief, speaking to her, repeated his words in the language of Palul.
“He calls you Master,” she said, her voice full of wonder, “and begs your apology. He says that he didn’t know who you were.”
“And who does he think I am?”
“He says that you are the king, destined to lead them from the jungle-just as it was foretold in the prophecy.”
“Here-footprints beside this pool!” Luskag gestured to the ground, and Daggrande trotted over to the desert dwarf. They had traced Halloran and Erixitl’s path from the day before to this sheltered pool, where the towering waterfall spilled from the heights above.
“And here!” called Jhatli from the underbrush nearby “There are many prints, as if a group of warriors waited In
ambush.”
Daggrande