AFrost

Chapter 259: Split of a second

Chapter 259: Split of a second


(...continued )


Roanoke’s body swelled.Intense darkness rippled outward forming the shape of a spear.


Jasper glanced sideways at Freya. The sand clung to her toes, her arms spread wide like a fragile shield...her eyes so bright, so gold...never left the monster.


Jasper’s throat ached. He almost croaked..."Freya... he is going to kill us.Isn’t he?"


"I told you not to be a scaredy cat, didn’t I?!" she snarled.Her lips peeled back, showing fangs too sharp for a child.


The spear hissed...then lunged.


It came down with a roar like thunder splitting bone.


Time fractured.


Jasper saw every grain of sand lift from the ground under the evil force.


He saw the black tip rush closer, closer, so fast he could see his own wide eyes reflected in it.


He could not breathe. His flame bent backwards against the wind of its descent. His lips moved on instinct...like a child’s last prayer...


"Mama... I am so sorry..."


Freya growled beside him, claws raised though her small arms shook. She shouted one last time. "NOT... TODAY, BOY! NOT TODAY. We are not going down without a fight."


But she was too small. They both were.


The spear was inches away.


And then the trees shook in the distance...


Several leaves split like screams. Branches cracked...thunderous...snapping under something massive.


Like a mini earthquake...


Then came the roar.


"RRRRRRAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"


Burning alive like a massive boar.


A blur of red burst through the bushes and the few scattered buildings ( beyond the actual dock and the market place which the Blackmoons had revamped).


Jasper’s eyes widened, frozen mid breath. His little heart stuttered.


" Orion Dada!!! " Jasper gasped.


His wolf was so huge it swallowed the horizon...his fur blazed crimson, every strand shimmering like fire caught in flesh. His fangs gnashed as he hurled himself forward, and then...


He slammed down before them.


The spear met him first.


The impact split the night... and his skin and fur.


Jasper’s ears rang with a sound like stone cracking, flesh tearing. Orion’s red wolf body jerked back, his massive chest pierced by the dark tip. Blood sprayed hot, burning the sand in crimson steam.


The children gasped together.


"NO!" Jasper’s voice shattered into the air.


Freya’s claws faltered, her golden eyes snapping wide.


Orion staggered but did not fall.


His muscles locked, every vein stretched taut.


He shoved himself further into the blow, taking it deeper...shielding them completely.


Jasper’s tiny fists shook. His tears poured hot down his cheeks, dripping onto the sand. His whole body screamed to run, but his feet would not move.


"Why... why would he...?" Freya’s voice was small, breaking. "He doesn’t even know us...do you..." She saw the distress in Jasper’s gaze. "Do you know him? "


"Orion Dada!!! Noooo! Get away... get away..." His little voice trembled.


The wolf’s growl rumbled low, torn with pain but unbroken. He turned his head, just enough to glance over his bleeding shoulder at them. His eyes burned hot, steady, unyielding.


He barked with his eyes... " KIDS! GET OUT OF HERE! GOOOO... " His gaze was gravel,blood shot... "You... are not dying on my watch...gooooo.Now."


Another spear stabbed into his flank.


His body jerked, claws carving deep trenches in the sand as he fought to stay upright. His snarl rattled through the children’s bones. Blood dripped from his jaws.


Jasper’s little hands flew to his mouth, muffling his sob. "Stop...! Please stop! He will die!" He tried to lung forward but Freya caught him by his collar.


" No!!! Let me go... he needs me! Orion Dada is bleeding... I need to help him! " Jasper thrashed and begged but Freya simply shoved him behind. " Stay put! It would be of no use if you die there too.Let me see if I can handle this...but you stay out of this...alright?"


Freya’s claws dug furrows into the sand. Her teeth sank into her lip until it bled. She shook her head violently, golden eyes locked on the target.


Roanoke’s whispers slithered, a thousand serpent like sneering voices trying to weaken their souls. "Ahhh... the red dog of Thorgar still breathes. Touching...touching...What a fool. Bleed for lambs who will never survive. Break yourself for nothing, big mutt?!"


Orion spat blood into the ground, his body trembling but still standing. His eyes never wavered as his body slowly morphed back... he was losing blood at an alarming rate.


He glanced back at Freya and smiled just once.Then turning back at Roanoke..."If I must bleed," he growled, "let it be for them."


Jasper’s heart pounded so hard it hurt. He clutched Freya’s arm, his voice too small...cracking, desperate.


"Freya... I don’t... I don’t want him to die for us.Let’s jump in. I need to save Orion Dada. Please..."


She blinked furiously, her claws curling tighter, shoulders shaking.


"Then... then we have to be brave enough to stand with him. We can’t just cry like idiots..." Her voice broke, tears choking her too as she saw the man struggling. " You take the left. I will take the right... Goooo!"


Jasper swallowed hard, his chest on fire. His flames flickered alive again, blue sparks twitching between his little fists. He clenched them tighter, wiping his tears with the back of his sleeve.


His voice rose louder than before." You will pay for hurting my Orion Dada..."


Freya’s lips curled again, " NOW!"


Jasper’s small legs pushed off the sand.


Brilliant blue fire flared brighter than ever before. The air rippled with heat around his fists as he charged forward faster than a dart.


Freya was right on the opposite side...her claws snapped in the air as she growled.


Roanoke’s head tilted in eerie amusement at the sight of the two children daring to challenge. "Puppies yapping at a serpent? What utter fools!!!"


But his laugh cut short.


Jasper’s flame ignited the air between them with a sudden ’whoomph’.


It conjured a wall of light that forced Roanoke to squint. Freya darted in low, slicing across his shins with surprising speed.


He snarled, reeling half a step back. Just enough.


"GOOD JOB,KIDS! Now back off...its time for some serious pest control!!!"


Orion staggered forward through the blood and the sand, seizing the moment.


His claws lashed upward, ripping across the shaft of the spear still lodged in his chest. With a roar, he snapped it in half, black splinters flying.


Jasper leapt high, blue fire coiling around his fist. He slammed it into Roanoke’s elbow joint, and for the first time...the monster flinched.


A hiss of pain escaped the darkness. It was evident he was furious.


"You...insolent little rats!" Roanoke’s many voices thundered, overlapping in fury.


Freya lunged this time.


Jasper’s chest heaved, his fire spilling out wilder than he had ever known. He shoved his little palms forward. "STAY AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!"


The blast struck Roanoke full in the chest.


The shockwave rattled the broken docks and sent sand streaming in spirals.


For a single heartbeat...Roanoke staggered... and fell.


Orion, chest bleeding, muscles shredded, found his moment... shifting back with the last ounce of his strength.


His wolf eyes burned as he surged upright, wrapping both massive arms around the monster’s middle.


"Aaaaaagrhhh!!!"


With a guttural roar, he heaved Roanoke off the ground, slamming him into the sand so hard the beach itself shook with recurring tremors.


Jasper and Freya stood panting, their small frames quivering from their efforts...their eyes wild with new found courage... for a few fleeting moments it did feel like the tides had turned. But then...


"Freeyaaaa!"


A scream tore across the other end... too desperate... almost breaking.


Their heads snapped towards the sound.Freya’s little heart leapt in her chest as she found Lyla rushing towards them.


She stumbled from between the shattered planks of the old dock...hair wild, face streaked with sweat and tears.


She was gasping, clutching her ribs as if she had run the whole way barefoot over fire. Her gaze was wide with terror.


"My Freya!!" Her hand outstretched as if her will alone could drag her back to safety.


The world seemed to pause.


Even Orion’s eyes flicked towards the reunion.


But in that breath of distraction...


The darkness beneath Roanoke surged like a living sea.


Tendrils lashed upward. Black, writhing, vicious beasts...


"NO!!!!" Jasper screamed, spinning back.


But it was too late.


They speared through Orion’s ribs, piercing his heart.