Venom and Song (2 page)

Kat Simonson:
Known for her constantly changing hairstyles and alternative music. Known in Allyra as Elven Lord Alreenia (Al-reen-ee-yuh), daughter of Beleg and Lord Kendie Hiddenblade.

Mr. James Spero:
English teacher at Jett's school in Greenville, North Carolina. He is assigned to protect Jett.

The Spider King:
The ruler of all Gwar, who harbors an ancient grudge against the Elves. Lives in Vesper Crag.

Sir Travin:
Clever warrior for the Elves.

Mr. Charles Wallace:
Kat's American history teacher who is assigned to protect her.

Warspiders:
Spiders that are so large they can be ridden like horses. Red Warspiders have lethal venom.

Wisps:
Enemies of old. Vapor-beings, shape shifters. Thought extinct. Only Holy Words and a weapon can kill one.

Kiri Lee Yuen:
Child prodigy cellist and violinist from Paris, France, whose adopted parents were killed by Wisps. Known in Allyra as Elven Lord Lothriel (Loth-ree-ell), daughter of Charad and Lord Simona Oakenflower.

Manaelkin Zoar:
Chief of the Elven High Council.

Principal Locations

ALLYRA

The world where the Elves, Gwar, and Spider King reside.

Locations on Allyra include:

Berinfell

The capital of the Elves, who once resided across the many continents of Allyra

Moon Hollow

The heavily forested home of the Gnomes in northern Allyra

Nightwish Caverns

A vast network of caverns beneath the Thousand-League Forest, used as an emergency home by the Elves of Berinfell

Terradym Fortress

Engineered and built by the Gnomes, this fortress holds a relic of great importance to the Elves

Vesper Crag

Volcanic home of the Spider King and his minions

Whitehall Castle

Ancient training facility for the Elves, far to the northwest of Berinfell

THIS SYMBOL
INDICATES
BONUS CONTENT
AT THE END OF THIS E-BOOK

1
The Dark Veil

FROM A rocky perch high on the Dark Veil in Allyra, a pair of narrow green eyes tracked the two lines of creatures racing ever closer. The eyes blinked with deliberate interest, pupils dilating to better ascertain what manner of prey drew near. The first group was far smaller than the second, and they stumbled along slowly. Wounded, perhaps. A shrill screech rang out, and a moment later the eyes were joined by another pair, and another, until the whole ridge of the mountain was aglow with bobbing eyes that flickered hungrily in the murky twilight. . . . There would be no better time. The creature launched itself off the ledge and emitted a shrill screech. It spread its wings and was joined by a cloud of its own kind. The creatures began to spiral down, soundless on the still air.

Guardmaster Olin Grimwarden stopped and passed back the order. “Hold.” Elf-to-Elf, the command traveled until the entire line came to a halt. Grimwarden, Elle Goldarrow, Flet Marshall Brynn, Regis, Nelly, Miss Finney, Mr. Spero, Anna, and Mr. Wallace silently formed a perimeter around the seven young lords. Edward, from Dalhousie Castle, kept a close watch out behind, covering their retreat.

Tommy felt a tap on his shoulder and jumped.

“Sorry, lad,” said Brynn. Tommy couldn't see her, just a phantom outline. She held something out. “Take these,” she said. “Grimwarden commands that you put them in your ears.”

Tommy felt something drop into his hand. There were two objects, both small and very spongy. “Earplugs . . . why?” he asked.

“It is litigen,” she said. “It grows on stumps and dead trees. But earplug is a good name.” Then Brynn was gone.

Grows on dead trees?
thought Tommy.
Great. And I have to stick it in my ears?

Tommy heard Sentinel Goldarrow's voice, “Grimwarden, you sly fox . . . at last I understand.”

At least someone understands something,
Tommy thought.

Mr. Wallace strained to see back through the Veil, but his eyes couldn't penetrate the gloom enough to tell if there was any movement or sign. But his hearing was better than the Elves', and he heard the faint rustle of many leather boots on stone. The Spider King's forces were coming . . . not far now.
Yes,
he thought, staring at Kat's silhouette,
during the melee she will breathe her last .
. .

Kat hated the earplugs. They made her want to jerk them out and scratch her ears. And from the sound of the grumbling thoughts whirling from the Elves around her, she wasn't the only one. She thought she heard Jimmy:
“Feel like I'm puttin' corks in me head!”
Another voice was Johnny's:
“Owww! Might as well stick an ear of corn in each ear
.
”
But those were the only two clear thoughts. The rest were muddled.
“How much” . . . “Veil is” . . . “the Gwar behind” . . . “Yes, during the” . . . “boots are too tight—”
but nothing Kat could make sense of. Soon, she gave up trying and just stared out into the murk.

Kiri Lee was the first to see it. Flickers of green twirled above them, swirling against the night sky like sparklers on the Fourth of July. The effect was more intriguing than startling, and all of the Seven found themselves entranced by the brilliant display of oddly twisting lights. “What—what are they?” she asked aloud.

“Kyrin,” Goldarrow whispered. “Death callers.”

“Death callers?” Tommy had overheard. He joined them in looking up at the myriad of tiny green lights, getting closer now. “Um . . .”

“I'm not sure what you would compare them to,” she said. “Large bats? Maybe something of a raven, too. They are night feeders with sharp beaks and long daggerlike forefingers at midwing, but their scream—that is the most dangerous thing.”

“Ah, the earplugs!” said Kat.

“Yes,” Goldarrow explained. “It will not drown out the pull of their wailing completely, but it will muffle the effects. Keep your head. They will be here soon.”

“Should I ready my bow?” Tommy asked.

“Yes,” answered Grimwarden. “But not for the Kyrin.”

Tommy looked back toward the entrance to the Veil in vain.

“The enemy is coming,” Grimwarden explained. “And they are coming with great stealth.”

“What are we going to—?” Johnny started to ask.

“Be silent!” commanded Grimwarden. Then softly said, “Please, lord, remain silent. I need to time this exactly. Lord Jimmy, how close?”

“Not yet!” Jimmy said. The other lords turned to stare at Jimmy, but he was just one of many shadowy shapes.

Tommy watched the beady-green eyes descending closer and closer.
What is Grimwarden waiting for?
The wait was excruciating, the silence maddening until . . .

They all heard it . . . a high-pitched ringing that rose and fell in increasing swells of volume. As it grew louder, all made sure their earplugs were in place. Tommy felt something odd on his skin, kind of like pressure, kind of like electricity. It rapidly became uncomfortable, and pressure grew in Tommy's ears.

“Hold on!” Grimwarden shouted. “Jimmy?!”

“Almost there!” he cried, clutching his head from the throbbing pain. He wasn't exactly sure how his gift worked yet, but he prayed it wouldn't fail him now.

The Kyrin scream affected all of the young lords. Jett laid Autumn down and covered her ears with his large hands, but that left his ears exposed. He gritted his teeth. Kiri Lee winced as the sound took on more than just a spine-tingling jolt down her neck; within her mind's eye she saw jagged shards of glass splintering outward, each drawing blood from the skin of a dark sky.

“Come on!” Grimwarden growled. “Closer! Closer!”

Jimmy fell to his knees. “Just . . . a . . . few . . . more . . . seconds . . .
ahh
!”

Miss Finney dropped down to his side.

Lightning streaked overhead, cutting through the Veil with a brief but powerful flash of white light, giving the Seven their first look at the green-eyed beasts circling just overhead.

Featherless bodies with stretched flaps of black skin along the wing, the Kyrin resembled a bat more than a bird. But their heads were shaped like those of large crows. Luminous green eyes bulged on either side of their thick, razor-sharp beaks. And, with wings extended, their long fingers protruded like thorns on each wing. Their flickering green eyes had a dizzying effect as layer upon layer of the creatures drifted down, the night air now a swirling emerald vortex.

“Now!!” Jimmy screamed.

“Archers, FIRE!!” Grimwarden cried out as he began waving a long torch above his head like a madman. Quickly he slammed the torch to the ground again and again until it was extinguished.

Other fiery lights appeared in the distance. Too many to count. They streaked into the sky high over the Elves. A few struck the Kyrin cloud, but most continued their flight toward the Veil. Suddenly the Kyrins' deafening wails stopped as a battalion of Elven archers' flaming arrows found their marks on the approaching Gwar raiders. Then the Kyrin began a strange warble as the entire mass of green-eyed creatures swooped over the Elves and raced away toward the fires lighting the Gwar.

“The Kyrin are attracted to fire,” said Grimwarden. “Thanks to Jimmy's timing and my hidden archers, we'll let the Gwar play with the Kyrin for a bit.” He turned to see just how many Gwar had skirted the Kyrin attack and made for their position now. “Elven host, DRAW—YOUR—BLADES!!”

At their commander's summons, all the archers drew their blades and streamed out from their hiding places. Tommy couldn't believe how many there were. In a flash, they raced by the young lords and engaged the Gwar.

Grimwarden turned and quickly surveyed the Seven Lords who had journeyed from Earth to Allyra only hours before. The youths had surprised Grimwarden with their endurance, having survived not only the battle in Scotland but also the trip through the portal . . . a grueling ordeal for anyone—especially the first time. The screams of the Kyrin had lost much of their intensity in the maelstrom of clashing Elves and Gwar, and Grimwarden motioned for all to remove their earplugs. “Again we have a temporary advantage, but the Gwar will be on us swiftly. Prepare your weapons . . . your gifts. We may need to fight our way out of the pass. Jett, you have carried Autumn long enough. Let the healer Claris take her ahead of us, where it will be safer. We will need your strength here.”

Though Jett would have carried Autumn all day, he didn't argue. He wanted to fight for his new friends . . . new family. As he gently placed Autumn in Claris's arms, Autumn whispered, “Thank you.”

“Thank me by getting well,” Jett said.

Johnny took his sister's hand. “I'll be right behind you,” he said. “Soon as we finish here.”