Me too. Like, in RoE, what she smashes Leaf or Talon or Matilda! I have some suspicions that a specific one of those three will get smashed because of her role...
The rumbling vibrations sent the whole valley quaking, the ear-shattering boom echoed for miles. Trees trembled in their roots, snow slid off their branches. A flock of birds flew away from the forest, crying out in panic.
The tower shuddered and bounced off the ground, sending dirt of stone flying. Liana stumbled, and Cole pulled her her feet. They clasped hands tightly and ran even faster, their hearts in their mouths. Behind them the ground groaned, and the tower tumbled and rolled behind them. It flew through the air, then fell again, shaking the earth violently.
Matilda, Philip, Liana, and Cole raced down the slope and leapt over several boulders sitting at the bottom of the valley. The crashing building roared behind them, trees were torn out of the earth and flung through the air. The tower cracked and sent a shower of stone raining down on the escapees. It followed them like a groaning monster, shaking the valley with its impacts.
Matilda stumbled and fell, crying out in pain. She slid in the wet dirt, then slowed to a stop. Cole and the others turned back for her and tried to help her up.
"You mouse-brains!" She hissed through her pain. "Leave me! Go, go now!"
"We're not leaving you!" Liana cried out fiercely.
"You stupid, stupid kids!" Matilda shrieked under the roar of the tumbling tower. The storm of crumbling stone surrounded them, it was all they could hear. It drowned out everything until all Cole could hear was the pounding of his heart. He, Philip and Liana crouched to the ground beside Matilda and shut their eyes, awaiting their fate.
The monster of stone shook the ground beneath Cole, making his very bones shudder. The shadow of the tower fell over them, and the wall of stone fell upon its prey.
Cole willed the very earth under him to shield him and everyone else, desperately willed the dirt to spring upwards and form a wall around the group. A fiery energy burned in his muscles, but he thought it was just the adrenaline.
Face pressed to the cold, damp earth, fingernails digging into his palms, the world around him shattering in noise and sound, Cole shut his eyes tight and awaited his fate.
The monstrous structure boomed in his ears, shaking the earth. Suddenly the earth by his head shuddered strangely, and something writhed out of the ground. Cole didn't care what it was, he was about to smash. The tower crashed upon them, then...
....It hit a mound of earth shielding the group and flew into the forest behind them, crushing trees and sending snow flying. All the world trembled and shuddered, and in the distance birds shrieked. The broken tower got caught in the thick of the snowy trees, and fell still, branches and trunks snapping under its weight.
All they could hear now was a peaceful breath of wind.
Trembling, Cole slowly sat up and surveyed his surroundings. The tower lay in the midst of the forest, crushing trees ad dead undergrowth under its weight. A mound of dirt that wasn't there before was sitting before the group, forming a small, sturdy wall that the tumbling tower had bounced off on.
Cole and Matilda looked at each other. A question on his lips, Cole opened his mouth.
"That wasn't me, kid." Matilda said quietly.
Philip and Liana sat up and looked at the two, faces pale and bodies quivering from shock.
Matilda raised an eyebrow at Cole. "That was a different sort of magic."
Chapter 14: Rage of the Fire and Winter of Red Snow
Before Cole could ask what the witch meant, something from the interior of the tower lying among the trees rumbled ominously.
Matilda's mouth set into a hard, grim line. "That better not be what I think it--"
A fiery explosion burst from the inside of the crumbling tower. Trees bent under the impact, and the sky lit up in orange flames. The group ducked down, feeling the heat even from where they lay. Fire licked the sides of trees, and a rank, putrid stench rose from the interior of the shattered building.
"What--?!" Philip cried out against the roar of the flames.
"It looks like a place where those gangsters kept illegal explosives!" Matilda shouted. "The spell or the tumble or both must have disturbed them!" Wincing in pain, she struggled to her feet and cried. "We need to run, now!"
"Aw, come on!" Philip groaned, but was obliged to run for his life. Cole and Liana sprang up and helped Matilda to her feet. She suddenly cried out when her body twisted, but she growled. "Never mind, never mind, I'm fine!" Grimacing, she clutched the bleeding area at her side, but forced herself to run into the trees, away from the growing fire. "The horses are this way! Hurry, chop-chop!"
Their muscles burned, their legs ached, their wounds stung, their bruises throbbed, their throats stung, but they forced themselves to run into the thick of the snowy forest, kicking up clumps of powdered snow. Behind them the fire hissed and roared, and flames licked the sides of trees, burning fast. Cole hoped that the snow would hinder the growth of the fire.
The sun setting behind the forest cast spooky, red light throughout the rolling land, and the flames bursting through the woods only enhanced it, giving the world a dangerous red glow. Birds, snow hares, mice, the like fled the burning woods, passing the travelers stumbling in the snow, all trying to escape the flames.
Despite her best efforts, Matilda kept staggering, her injury caused her a great deal of pain, though she wouldn't admit it. Finally Philip and Cole drew her arms around their shoulders and half-dragged her up the snowy slopes, despite her furious protests. They stumbled up the mountain, aware of the fire growing in the valley below. Gasping for breath, lungs burning, they dodged past naked trees and half-buried boulders peeking out from the snow. The climb up the treacherous slopes were agonizingly slow, despite their best efforts to go as fast as possible. The fire raged below, hungry to burn.
They darted through the snow and between the trees, scaling rocky cliffsides and steep slopes. They climbed above the fire, and the smoke drifting in the cold evening wind caught up to the travelers, making them cough and their eyes water. It seemed like an eternity of frantic running, climbing, and cursing under one's breath whenever they stubbed their feet on a rock hidden under the snow. Their bodies ached and throbbed, but they pressed onward, determined to stay ahead of the fire.
At one point they scrambled up a steep slope nearby the edge of the mountain. A gorge of dizzying height sprawled below the exhausted travelers, a long way to fall if one slipped. Down below a dark plume of smoke rose from the snow-capped trees, orange flames just barely visible. Philip and Cole staggered under Matilda's weight, gasping for breath and sweating. Her face pale and strained, Matilda rasped. "We're nearly there, just a little further..."
A shriek split the air, and Cole whipped around to see Liana slipping down the snowy cliffside. Fatigue had made her careless, and she didn't feel the earth sloping away until it was too late.
Before Philip realized what was happening, Cole leapt for Liana and snatched her flailing arm in the nick of time. Philip cried out in shock. Her weight pulled Cole to the ground, and he received a face full of snow while clutching her hand. She scrabbled at the muddy slope, struggling to find a foothold whilst hanging over the gorge. To her credit she didn't panic, though swinging over a yawning abyss you can't even see must have been terrifying.
Grunting, Cole pulled her back onto the cliffside, and they collapsed into the snow, panting.
"Liana!" Philip called out, still supporting Matilda. "Are you all right?!"
"Just dandy." She gasped.
"Great, now let's keep moving!" Matilda growled. "We can thank each other for saving each other's lives later!"
Finally, they reached the grove of trees where the horses were waiting.
When they reached the snowy clearing, Philip breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally!"
"If you think we're here to rest, you've got another think coming!" Matilda snapped. "We need to get on those horses and get the brick out of here, fast!"
"What?!" All Cole wanted to do was to find a bundle of clothes and blankets and sleep for a day. He thought once they escaped the fire, they would be able to rest for at least a few minutes. "Why do we have to keep moving?" He protested. "We're out of danger now!"
"That's what you think." The witch grunted and limped away from the boys and toward Bucephalus. The tall black stallion snorted uneasily at the scent of blood from Matilda. "These mountains are now crawling with bandits, and I want to be on the outskirts of Stixx before somebody catches us." Wincing in pain, she swung herself up onto the saddle. "We can take a shortcut over Skincrawler Gorge."
The other teenagers followed suit, and once in the saddle Philip asked. "Is there a bridge or something? At the gorge, I mean."
"Nope. We'll have to jump over it."
Cole and Philip gaped at her. "Are you serious--?!"
"Yahh!" Matilda spurred her horse to a canter, and the others followed suit, wondering if her wound had addled her brain.
The horses, whom were standing tied to a tree for at least a couple of hours doing nothing, were only too happy to burst into a gallop. They raced between snowy trees and bounded through snowdrifts, following Matilda and hoping she knew where she was going. Aquilla ran close by Bucephalus while Traveler and Shauntel took up the rear, kicking up white puffs of snow as they galloped across the mountain.
Cold mountain wind and icy snow lashed at Cole's bare face and hands, freezing the skin. He ignored his bruises and cuts, concentrating only on getting out of the mountain in one piece. As the horses raced across the uneven slopes and forestland, he hoped they wouldn't run into angry bandits who sought revenge.
The horses nearly ran over the small group of bandits saddling their horses in the thick of the forest. The sight was so unexpected for both sides everyone was shouting in shock and trying to calm the panicking horses. Matilda ignored the gangsters' shocked and angry cries and raced past them, with the teens close behind. When the bewildered bandits realized who had just passed them, they swung themselves onto their saddles and set out in hot pursuit, wielding gleaming blades and loaded rifles.
When Philip looked back to see the gang pursuing them, he groaned. "Aw, come on! Don't we get a break?!"
"They'll break your bones if you don't break a leg!" Matilda shouted over the thunder of hooves.
They bounded through the forest, dodging trees and disturbing the powdered snow. Behind them the bandits spurred their horses and aimed their rifles at their prey. Gunshots split the air, echoing throughout the mountains. Panicked birds flew away, disturbed by the noise.
Cole instinctively ducked, and wished he had a weapon. Neither he, Philip, or Liana were armed, and Cole doubted Matilda had the strength to shoot spells at the men; it was a miracle she was riding this fast, what with her wound.
The riders galloped into an area with fewer trees and ducked into a small valley, the banks rising just a little over their heads. Snow, earth, trees, rocks flashed by Cole's vision, Shauntel ran and snorted beneath him, and Cole became one with the horse, both bodies moving in motion with one another. The dark brown horse kicked up clouds of snow and bits of dirt. Despite the thunder of hooves, the loudest thing Cole heard was the pounding of his own heart.
One of the cloaked bandits, riding on a mare with a sand-colored coat, bounded away from the others and found himself riding alongside Cole. Lungs burning, the latter glanced to the left and saw the gangster aiming a gun at him.
Cole ducked, and the man fired. The bullet boomed over his head, making his ears ring.
We've got to lose these guys! Cole grit his teeth, feeling Shauntel's black mane lash at his face. He caught sight of an oak tree up ahead, and without thinking, he reached out and caught a brittle branch in one hand as he passed the tree. With a loud snap he wrenched the limb off the oak and swung it at the bandit, shouting. "Chew on this, cowboy!"
The man didn't see the limb coming until it was too late. Cole whacked the wood over his head, and the man tumbled to the snow behind his horse. Gripping the branch, Cole laughed out loud, suddenly feeling jubilant. He looked back and saw the other bandits riding past their fallen comrade, looking furious.
One down, four to go. He thought grimly.
The riders raced out of the little valley and climbed a small slope, passing spindly trees. Aquilla stumbled; it wasn't a bad trip, just a small one, but it was enough for one of the gangsters to get close to Liana. Brandishing a sword, he swung at the girl, but missed by a hair. Liana's scarred face looked grim and determined; she knew that one of their assailants was very close to catching her.
Cole's heart was in his mouth as he watched the bandit swing his sword again. The blade slashed at the girl's arm, and she cried out. Cole felt a burst of fury, but before he could avenge Liana, her horse leaned over and bit the bandit in the leg. Shocked, the man lost balance and fell out of the saddle, sending a cloud of snow spraying into the air. His horse flicked its tail and kept running, not caring about his master.
Grinning, Cole looked at Liana and shouted over the thunder of hooves. "That was awesome!" Liana glanced in his direction and laughed jubilantly.
Philip laughed too, which was why he didn't see a tree with a low bough straight in front of him. Cole caught sight of the hanging limb and called out. "Philip, duck!"
"Duck? Where? There aren't any--"
The tree's branch whacked Philip in the head. "Ohh, that kind of duck!"
Gunshots from behind silenced their laughter though, and they concentrated on riding as fast as they could.
While hunching over in the saddle to keep clear of flying bullets, Cole was dimly aware of Matilda's dark stain growing, and saw that one side of her shirt, leggings, and even the boots were soaked in red. One of her bare arms looked as if she had spilled ketchup on it. Her back was to him, so he couldn't see her face.
Shauntel snorted when another bullet whizzed by his ear. One of the enemy riders bounded closer to Cole, kicking his horse like a maniac. The man snarled and waved a rifle at his direction, trying to ride and shoot at the same time. Cole tried to fend him off with the brittle branch, but the bandit wasn't close enough for Cole to hit him. The man fired a wild shot in the boy's direction. Cole glared and waved the stick at him, trying to smack the guy upside the head.
Just when the gangster had the barrel aimed at Cole's head, a cooking pan flew out of nowhere and smacked the guy in the face. With a yell the bandit fell off the saddle and was left behind in the snow. Cole looked to see where the flying pan had come from and saw Philip riding ahead of him, grinning cheekily. He held a saddlebag as he rode, and Cole realized he must have grabbed the pan and thrown it at Cole's attacker. He grinned broadly in thanks, and Philip winked back at him.
Two left. Cole thought grimly.
The six horses burst out of the forest and bounded across the snow, headed toward a flatter area of the mountains where only a few trees stood and the land rolled like a calm ocean. Matilda rode up a shallow slope, heading upwards. Cole couldn't see what was at the top of the low hill, save for the fiery evening sky, which was darkening quickly. Even though there was about 2% chance of anyone actually hitting anything, the bandits still shot at their fleeing targets.
When they were halfway up the smooth slope, Matilda suddenly spun in her seat, holding her wand.
Don't worry, I won't disappear again for at least a week. 
