the head with a staff. "Don't you ever do that again!"
She retreated a few steps, holding her skull. White-Lion didn't have that with her, she must have conjured it out of thin air. "Okay, okay! Just stop hitting me!"
White-Lion gave her an apologetic smile. "Aww, I'm sorry."
"No, I deserved that; I'm the one who should be sorry. But if you wanna whack someone, I think it should be those savages."
"What do you mean?"
"We came here ta get the Eye. I don't know about you, but I'm not goin' back empty handed. Whaddya say?"
White-Lion gave her a determined but mischievous leer. "Yeah, I hear you. Let's go kick butt, partner!"
She coughed at the monster bird, which hunkered down on its belly and extended one wing. They climbed onto its back, after which it stood up and with a ponderous flap rose into the air, heading back for the village.
"Team Girl, up and away!"
She crouched behind her. "Take us over the idol." She had to yell above the wind. "I'll get the Eye while you hold 'em off."
"Right!"
As they flew over the valley, she saw the idol of the Devourer coming up on their right. It had been carved from the granite cliff that formed an alcove around it. The lava pit sat some distance in front of it. As the bird swooped down, she saw a glimmer off its skull: that would be the Eye. She carefully edged down the bird's back to the base of its tail.
"Drop me off here!" She saw White-Lion's mane of gamboge hair nod, just before she coughed at the bird. It swung to the side and slowed as it soared over the statue. She lay on her stomach, slid backward, and dropped off.
Even at the relatively slow speed the bird flew, she hurtled towards the idol faster then she figured. She spread her arms and legs to slow herself down, but already she had fallen too low. As she plunged under the head, she reached out and grabbed the lower jaw. Somehow, she managed to hang on as she came wrenching to a stop, swinging back and forth. It felt like her arms were almost torn loose from her shoulders, but after a few moments she had recovered enough to scramble up into the mouth.
Squatting, she looked around. White-Lion and the monster bird came around to pass over the village, while the villagers rushed towards their idol, bent on trying to stop her. Standing as tall as she could manage in the cramped space, she reached out and took hold of the nose. She stepped off the tongue to dangle from the snout, then pulled herself up onto the bridge of the jaw. Half-way, she paused as she looked towards the face. A very pale ice-blue gem the size of a bowling ball had been set in the forehead between the stone eyes. Though faceted, it looked almost perfectly round. It winked at her in the bright sunlight, as if daring her to try to take it.
Standing up, she wobbled as she tried to get her footing. The narrow, rounded upper jaw felt treacherous, but at least the rock had been rough hewn, giving her some traction.
The bird soared past her. "Static-shock!" When she turned to look she saw sparks crackling between the villagers as they cried out in astonishment and hopped around, retreating back to the village.
"Serves you right for messing with Team Girl!" White-Lion yelled after them.
Eile couldn't help smiling. That spell was harmless, though the electrical shock smarted. They wouldn't soon forget it.
She turned back towards the idol's face and carefully made her way towards the Eye. She only got half-way, however, when a sharp, angry cry made her look up. A native, brandishing a club fitted with obsidian blades, flew over the statue's head and landed in front of her. Yelling and jabbering, he swung the club back and forth as he rushed at her.
"Waaah!" She tried to back away without losing her footing. She reached behind her right shoulder, and grabbed and pulled her sword from its scabbard. She then slashed with it as she tried to parry his attacks. He came at her in wild abandon, obvious to footing or balance, pushing her back towards the end of the snout. The speed and recklessness with which she had to defend herself almost made her lose her balance a few times. Then she realized that was exactly what he wanted, to keep her away from the Eye. Rage boiled up inside her: the damn bastard's trying ta kill me!
As if empowered by her anger, her sword ignited with an eldritch blue flame. She felt herself stabilized and buoyed up, as if she floated.
"Raaaauuugh!" She charged him. She parried his blows, sparks flying in all directions, as he retreated, a look of abject terror on his face. She pressed her attack, and he tried to block her slashes. She gripped her sword with both hands and swung in a wide arc, breaking his club just below the last row of blades. She raised her weapon above her head and bore down on him. He tossed away the handle, turned, and threw himself off the statue, screaming a wordless cry of fear.
She stopped and watched him with a puzzled look. "Huh, that's been happenin' a lot lately." She shrugged and sheathed her sword.
She made her way to the Eye. A spear cracked against the statue's skull and she ducked out of reflex. Looking down, she saw a mob of villagers gathered around the base of the idol, shouting, shaking their fists at her, and waving their weapons. Several were already trying to climb the monument, knives clutched between their teeth.
White-Lion came winging by behind them and pointed at them with her staff. "Hives!"
Eile watched as, within seconds, the natives began scratching themselves, gently at first, but soon more furiously, until they could do nothing but try to relieve the powerful itch. Those who had started climbing towards her fell off one by one in quick succession as the need to scratch overpowered their righteous indignation.
White-Lion waved as the bird flew on, and she waved back before turning her attention to the Eye. The gem had been fitted into a socket and cemented in place by a crude mortar that had deteriorated over time. Grasping the Eye, she found it loose enough to move, though it still sat firmly in place. Taking White-Lion's dagger from her belt, she dug around the gem, chipping away at the binder. She had to work fast; the itching spell wouldn't last long. White-Lion had few defensive spells that did little or no harm, and Eile figured she had used them all up.
When she had removed as much of the mortar as she could reach, she slipped the dagger back into her belt and grasped the Eye with both hands, trying to turn it. She resisted the temptation to hit it with the pummel of her sword. Not knowing what kind of gem it might be, she couldn't chance it being fragile, but it wouldn't budge. Straining, she tried to rotate it first one direction, then the other, but it remained fixed in place. The mortar behind it must have been still fairly strong.
A shadow fell over her as the bird flew low above her head. "Hurry! They've almost reached you!"
Eile watched the bird recede over her shoulder, then looked back at gem, frustration growing within her. They weren't going to make it.
"Dammit!" She hit the Eye with her fist. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" She repeatedly struck the gem with each word. The third time she heard something crunched, and the Eye tilted forward and dropped out of the socket. Stunned, she lunged for it and caught it before it could drop off the idol.
Astonished, she held it in her hands, staring at it for a moment before erupting into a grin.
"Sweet!" Holding it over her head, she turned and shouted out over the valley. "I've got it!"
But White-Lion had disappeared.
"Aww, cripes!" At the same moment, she heard scrambling feet. Spinning around, she saw half a dozen natives climb over the top of the statue's head. As soon as they were on their feet, they took their knives out of the mouths and advanced towards her. She backed away from them in an anxious manner. She had to hold the Eye with two hands, which meant she couldn't use her sword, but she didn't want to throw it away after all she'd been through.
"BRAVEHEART!" Turning, she saw White-Lion flying towards her, the bird skimming just above the ground.
"Jump!" White-Lion waved with both arms back towards herself.
Eile didn't think twice. She bolted forward and took a leap off the idol's nose. She landed on the bird's back just behind its
neck, into White-Lion's waiting arms. Her momentum carried her onward and she crashed into her partner, knocking her backwards and landing on top of her. Somehow she kept hold of the gem.
White-Lion looked up at her with what she imagined was the same astonished look on her own face, but then she smiled, crinkled her eyes, and giggled.
"I think we should wait until we get home." She spoke in a mischievous tone.
Eile felt embarrassed. "Uh, yeah." She rolled off White-Lion and sat up. Her partner did the same, and looked at the Eye.
"You got it!"
She presented it to her. "Yeah, but it took some doin'."
White-Lion accepted it, then crawled behind the bird's head. She coughed instructions, it answered with a croak, and climbed as it veered to their left.
White-Lion kneeled, placing the gem in her lap. She came up behind her, wrapped her arms around her middle, and laid her chin on her shoulder.
"We should be home by nightfall," White-Lion said.
"Excellent." She looked down at the Eye. "So, what do we do with that thing now that we have it?"
"I'm sure we can find someone who'll buy it."
"Well, whatever we get for it, I hope it's enough ta compensate for our trouble."
"Uhm, I'm sorry I put us in danger."
"Aww, it's okay." She gave her a smooch on the cheek. "Besides, it beats stayin' home and foolin' around."
"Oh, yeah? We'll just see about that."
She grinned. Whenever White-Lion used