Nandia was not massive. Her wing span was only about the length of my forearm. I wondered if she would be able to change size if needed. I was pretty sure all of the sacred animals could grow bigger, but I hadn’t mentioned that possibility to Fury. It was more fun for her to think she’d been saddled with the animal most likely to win ‘cutest fluff ball ever’.
As the phoenix settled onto Sapha’s bicep, I was able to really see the finer details. She was golden in color, with streaks of orange, black and red threading the feathered wings and long tendrils of tail feathers. She had an eagle-like beak and large, obsidian eyes, which never blinked. There were plumes of feathery appendages, like a crest, along the top of her head, and others scattered around. All in all, Nandia was simply the most stunning bird I had ever seen. Her colors shimmered and danced in the light, almost as if there was a fire burning all over her, and yet I felt no heat.
“Sort of ironically appropriate that you would have a phoenix,” I murmured to Sapha.
“What do you mean?” She was often confused by my words.
I really wanted to touch the beautiful creature. She was captivating, but there was no mistaking the wildness in her gaze. Sort of like Sapha.
“The phoenix represents rebirth. Rising from the ashes. You’ve experienced something similar since Dronish.”
The red of her eyes sparkled. “Of all the things I need to thank you for, allowing me to be here to bond with Nandia … well, it’s everything.”
I reached out a hand, finally unable to stop myself from touching the phoenix. Only at the last moment Brace halted my arm.
“She’s majestic but very temperamental,” he said. “More than one Walker has lost fingers to her talons.”
Fury chuckled. “Kind of like her half-Walker.” She’d had the same thought as me.
Sapha did not return the humor. She leveled those eerie red eyes on the Crais half. “I am simply different to you. Don’t mistake it for anything other than that.”
Fury returned the unblinking stare, and for a moment I felt the bond between us waver. There was still dissention in our ranks, and it was weakening us. I hoped that when we found the last half everything would click into place.
“Abby!”
I turned toward the familiar voice. Ria had moved away from the group and was standing in the midst of a patch of jungle. The visual of this burst of green and life in the ash-ridden surroundings was quite spectacular. Everything in the vicinity of the dark mountain was dead, leeched of life. The Regali queen must have been working overtime with her plant-earth-magic to revive this small area.
“Come and meet Sass,” she said, waving a slender hand at me.
I didn’t hesitate to stride across, giving Cerberus a pat as I passed him. The hellhound was in his element surrounded by the other animal guides. He seemed extra friendly with Apollo. They had the same big-and-scary thing going on. As I crossed the space between us, my eyes couldn’t help but focus on the dark shadows which surrounded Ria. It took me a few moments to reconcile what I was seeing –
Holy sweet baby Walkers. It was a snake. No – not just a snake – a monster, mutant, anaconda, python-on-steroids snake. And Ria was just standing there while it curled all around her.
I paused about three feet from my friend. It was impossible to see the true length of her guide. The body coiled in and around her, then out into the forest area.
“This is Sass,” Ria said, before reaching out and placing her hand onto the section of the snake’s body which was closest. “She’s my guide.”
As the head rose, my breath caught in my throat, and I resisted the urge to turn tail and run as fast as I could. But I couldn’t stop staring at her, my eyes tracking the animal as it unfurled. The scales were a myriad of green colors, starting very bright and working along to darker through the length. As Sass’s head perched up near Ria, I could see that it was the size of my torso, black eyes flickering in the sunlight as she observed me.
There was intelligence in that gaze, and the cold-blooded predatory nature of her kind. A forked tongue flicked out, as if she were tasting the air.
Ria seemed to have no problem that Sass was twirled around her and the largest part of the snake’s body was a yard in diameter and could probably crush Ria in an instant.
Of all the sacred animals, Sass made me hesitate the most to move closer. I had never thought I was scared of snakes – on Earth most of the wildlife had been destroyed, especially in New York City – although I did remember skipping quickly over the images of them in a text book. Huh, guess I did have a bit of an aversion to the reptiles.
The half-Walkers, and Brace, would be able to feel my emotions. All of us were still connected. But no one said anything. There was no judgment in this group. All of us were rocking fears, some more obvious than others.
“The bond is incredible,” Ria said as she turned to glide her hand over Sass’s scaled nose. “When I first touched her, I was almost knocked over by the intensity. Now I can feel her here.” She touched her chest, and then moved to her head. “And here.”
“It is incredible,” I agreed.