Earth Shaker: A Fire Heart Novella (The Fire Heart Chronicles) Read online

  Earth Shaker

  A Fire Heart Chronicles Novella

  Juliana Haygert

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 by Juliana Haygert

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Manufactured in the United States of America.

  First Edition September 2018

  www.JulianaHaygert.com

  Edited by H. Danielle Crabtree

  Any trademark, service marks, product names, or names featured are the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if one of these terms is used.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Author’s Note

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Thank you

  About the Author

  Also by Juliana Haygert

  Author’s Note

  I hope you enjoy reading Earth Shaker! Note that even though this novella is a standalone, it’s best read before Sorrow Bringer, The Fire Heart Chronicles book 3.

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  1

  We had never seen so many of them in one place.

  The animals lay on the forest floor, in the harsh grass and against rough tree trunks. Like this, sprawled out and half-sleeping, they looked harmless, like oversized teddy bears. But their peaceful looks didn’t fool me.

  These animals were different in their behavior, their power, and their appearance. Their fur was pure white, and when the sun struck just right, it shimmered, like a beautiful iridescent pearl.

  And magic flowed through their veins.

  Magic more powerful than even mine.

  From here, crouched down behind bushes and trees atop a short hill, I could feel their power. It swelled up, washing over me like a wave, pressing me back like a thick wall, pushing against my magic.

  So, so powerful.

  That was why they weren’t safe here.

  Their hunters—our hunters—were coming.

  And I was here to stop them.

  “This is unusual,” Marko, my brother, said beside me. “The most we’ve seen were, what? Two? Three?”

  “Three,” Duke, my cousin, whispered.

  I had been with them then, but I remembered seeing only two in the cages back at our enclave. The other one had gotten away and had been captured by our enemies.

  “We’ll need to call for help.” I fished my cell phone from my pocket.

  Duke put a hand on my arm. “There’s no time for that, Cora. If the alchemists are in the area, we need to do this now.”

  I looked down at the clueless animals. Two lions, three wolves, one fox, two rabbits, and more. There were thirteen of them, and the most amazing thing was all them were sleeping close together, as if the rabbits weren’t afraid of the wolves eating them.

  That was one of the amazing things about heart animals. They were few and spread out, but when they came together, they didn’t behave like the natural food chain applied to them. Because it didn’t.

  “We need to go,” my brother said. “Now.”

  He was right, I knew that, but I sent a text to our father. Better safe than sorry.

  “I’ll let Wesh, Nico, and Hanzi know we’re ready.” Duke closed his eyes and used his powers. His special gift was telepathy. “He said to just say when.”

  On the horizon, the first orange rays of light peeked out.

  My brother looked at me. I nodded. Then, he turned to Duke. “When.”

  I stood and stretched my arms in front of me. I channeled my power and called to the earth. The ground shook for a moment, and then walls sprouted from the ground, surrounding the animals.

  The lions woke up with loud roars, the wolves scratched at the rising wall, the bunnies tried to jump over. My wall wouldn’t last long once the animals decided to use their magic to escape.

  “Go!” I barked.

  Marko and Duke sprang into action. On the other side of the valley, the brothers, Wesh and Nico, appeared first, followed by their cousin, Hanzi. The three of them advanced toward the animals as well.

  The bunnies stood on top of my wall. Hanzi sent a powerful rush of wind toward them, making them fall off the top of the wall.

  The animals rammed their cage.

  I grunted against the force.

  “Do it now!” I yelled.

  With another rush of wind, Hanzi sent our warriors to the top of the wall.

  My brother got the darts from his pocket. He opened his hand, palm up, and the darts flew toward the animals.

  Sensing it was coming, the animals scattered around their temporary prison. Usually, the darts hit most of the animals, but some, like the lions and wolves, needed more than one to go to sleep. From here, I couldn’t tell what was happening, though I felt their heavy, desperate footsteps on the ground, and their bodies slamming against my wall, looking for an exit.

  Then it happened. Surrounded by magic, one of them ran into the wall, and it broke. I staggered back, gawking at the huge white lion that emerged from the other side. It looked at me and bared its sharp teeth in a low growl.

  Shit.

  I channeled my power, ready to throw rock bullets at the lion—not to kill, but to hurt enough to make him stay away from me—or to make a huge wall, with me on top. The lion took one step toward me. I raised my hand and—

  Something slammed into me from the side, throwing me down and pinning me to the ground.

  I looked up at a figure with a shaved head, dark eyes, pale skin, and a mask covering the lower half of his face.

  An alchemist.

  I yelled and called on the earth. Rocks, the size of my fist, slammed into the alchemist’s head. Grunting, he raised his hands to protect himself, letting go of my arms. I kept sending rock after rock at him while I pushed him away and scrambled to my feet.

  I looked up and gasped.

  There were alchemists everywhere. My brother was fighting three at the same time. The others weren’t faring any better.. Even the animals were now fighting the alchemists.

  We were screwed.

  In my shock, my magic faded and the alchemist rose. A shadow appeared in his hand, forming a long line. The shadow solidified, becoming a sharp blade. Thankfully, I hadn’t had many encounters with alchemists in my eighteen years, but I had felt the sharp sting of their daggers before. And I had learned they were skilled fighters.

  He lunged at me. I stomped my foot on the ground. The earth moved—a rectangle jutted out in a diagonal path, hitting the alchemist hard and fast in the stomach. The man stumbled backward, a hand hovering over his middle.

  “You insolent bitch,” he snarled.

  I loved it when they called me n
ames.

  The alchemist grabbed a vial from the thick belt around his waist. He threw it at me. I knew better than to stand there, so I jumped back, trying to avoid whatever was in that vial. He threw another vial. And another vial. And another.

  I kept moving backwards, away from the rest of the fight.

  We were in my play field and I wouldn’t lose to this guy.

  I stomped my foot on the ground. It shook before a hole appeared right under the alchemist. With a surprised scream, the man fell inside the hole. I stomped the ground again and the hole tightened around him, leaving only his head visible. Without help and the necessary tools, this alchemist was down for the count.

  I raced back to the fight.

  My brother had two opponents now, but he was limping and blood trickled down his left leg. Duke and Hanzi were still fighting. Wesh and Nico were nowhere to be seen. The animals fought too, though I could see a fox and a rabbit down.

  Gritting my teeth, I raced into the fight.

  In front of me, five alchemists fought a lion and a wolf.

  Rocks flew in front of me, hitting the alchemists fast. The men turned toward me. The lion clawed one of the alchemists in the back, sending the man to the ground, never to get up. The wolf closed its jaws around an alchemist’s neck, taking him down. And the third one raised his arms to shield himself from my rocks. With a snarl, he extended one arm and summoned his shadow dagger.

  He threw it at me.

  I moved, but not fast enough. The dagger pierced my shoulder. Pain exploded, and I let out a howl as I fell to my knees, gripping my shoulder.

  “Cora!” My brother screamed.

  Pain spread. I closed my eyes, inhaled deeply, wrapped my hand around the shadow dagger—it stung to the touch—and pulled it out. I gasped when it was gone, but the pain reared. I took another lungful of air and stood.

  The last two alchemists had taken advantage of the distraction and killed the wolf. They had the limping lion cornered now. The alchemists took their time raising their daggers and taunting the poor hurt animal.

  My anger spiked.

  I opened my hand and rocks floated to me. They melded together, forming a long lance. Before they knew what was happening, I threw the lance at one of the alchemists. The man dropped to his knees, the blade jutting out through his chest.

  I called the lance, and it flew back to me. I held it as the other alchemist turned to me, his shadow dagger raised.

  He came at me. I shortened my lance, creating a sword. Though, I didn’t play fair. What was the advantage of having awesome powers if I didn’t use them?

  I stomped the ground and four walls rose up to the alchemist’s chest, caging him in. Then, I pushed my rock sword into his chest.

  I dropped my hands and stepped back, shocked.

  I had been in a few fights with alchemists before, but I had never killed any. That was my brother’s or my father’s or any other warrior’s business.

  And I had just killed two. My first kills.

  I looked down at my hands, which suddenly seemed foreign to me, and I stepped back again, right into something.

  “Gotcha,” a shrill voice whispered in my ear. Arms closed around me and a shadow dagger appeared in front of my chest.

  The alchemist poised the tip of the sword right over my heart. I sucked in a sharp breath and forced my brain to think.

  Then the lion was in front of us. Bleeding and hurt, but still menacing. It growled.

  The alchemist pointed his dagger at the lion. “You die first.” The alchemist shifted me to his side, his grip still tight, and advanced on the lion.

  I called on the earth. The ground moved and shackles appeared around the alchemist’s feet, linking him to the ground, and around his wrists. He let go of the shadow dagger, and it disappeared before it could hit the ground.

  With a roar, the lion jumped on the alchemist. I turned my face, not wanting that image locked in my memory.

  I glanced around; the battle had faded. Most of the alchemists were down, and the few that were still alive were under the watchful eyes of Hanzi. My brother and Duke rounded up the animals, the ones that had survived the attack.

  Its jaw stained by blood, the white lion stood by my side, watching the field where a massacre had just happened. The other lion was right in the middle, unmoving.

  I rested my hand on the lion’s head. “I’m sorry.”

  The lion let out a sharp growl, then marched to the other side of the valley, where the truck was parked. My brother readied a dart, but it wasn’t necessary. The lion marched past him and into the back of the truck.

  My brother stared at the lion with wide eyes. Duke shrugged, also surprised.

  After the lion stepped into one of the cages, my brother looked from Duke to me. “Where are Wesh and Nico?”

  “I haven’t seen them since the middle of the fight,” I said, glancing around.

  “I’ll try contacting them.” Duke closed his eyes and called for them in his mind. After a moment, he opened his eyes again. “They aren’t answering.”

  A knot appeared between my brother’s brows. “Do you always feel a person’s mind? Even when they are sleeping?”

  Duke paled. “Yes, I can feel the presence of a person’s mind even when I’m not allowed in.” He paused. “Even when they are sleeping.”

  I gasped. “Are you saying you can’t feel them?”

  He nodded.

  My brother picked up his sword and rushed toward the last three alchemists. Tied with special ropes, they were kneeling in front of Hanzi, who kept a strong wind revolving around them, like a barrier.

  “Where are our friends?” he shouted, pushing the tip of his blade into an alchemist’s neck.

  The alchemist didn’t say anything. He didn’t move or blink or even breathed. These men were trained to remain cool the entire time, which was annoying.

  “I’ll repeat once more.” Marko pressed the sword farther. A tiny red spot appeared at the alchemists exposed neck. “Where are our friends?”

  The man said nothing. With a growl, my brother slashed the man’s neck. I turned my face away and only heard the dull thud of the man’s body hitting the ground.

  “Did you see what I did to your friend?” Marko put his blade to the next alchemist’s throat. “Start talking.”

  The alchemist could have passed as a statue. My brother yelled his questions once more, to no avail. He killed the man and moved on to the third and final alchemist.

  “Marko,” Hanzi started. Marko turned enrage eyes to Hanzi. “He won’t say anything. Not here, not now. You know that. Better take him with us and try later.”

  “That might be too late,” Marko muttered.

  “It’s the only chance we have,” Hanzi said.

  Duke put a hand on Marko’s shoulder. “Hanzi and Cora will drive the animals and the alchemist home, while you and I stay and look for Wesh and Nico. Okay?”

  “No way,” Hanzi protested. “They are my cousins. I want to search for them myself.”

  “I want to stay too,” I said.

  Duke shook his head. “Marko and I are the strongest of the warriors. We’ll go search, and you two go home.”

  Marko turned his red-rage eyes to me. “Don’t even think about disobeying my orders, Cora. You and Hanzi make sure this vermin is locked away properly, and take care of the animals. We’ll be there soon.” He used his commander voice—loud and resolute.

  My brother was the leader of the warriors, and I was one of the youngest recruits and the only girl. I had to listen to him and do what he told me to or, according to our father, I would be out of the warrior group faster than I could blink.

  I sighed. “Okay.”

  A flash of relief crossed his face. Marko and Hanzi carried the alchemist to the truck and locked him in one of the reinforced cages. Then, he halted in front of me.

  I reached for him and held his hand. “Don’t take too long.”

  “We won’t.” He squeezed my hand. “No
w go.”

  He nodded to Duke and the two of them ran off, disappearing between the trees.

  I let out a long breath. “Good luck.”

  2

  As tziganes, we couldn’t live with gadjos or regular gypsies, because we had real magic and we were hunted. We were stronger together—and hidden—which was why we lived in enclaves.

  Our enclave was small. We had only ninety-eight tziganes living here, but it was one of the most beautiful enclaves I had ever seen. Not that I had seen many enclaves, but I couldn’t imagine a more charming place.

  It was deep in the forests of Maine, near the border with Canada, surrounded by Golden Horehound, a golden shrub that obscured our power and made it hard for anyone to locate us.

  The houses, white or beige with terracotta roofs, stretched over a hill. Wide stone paths wound around the houses, leading to the top of the hill, where the main square was located—a large open area with stone benches and a small fountain. Across the main square were the administrative buildings—the elder’s council room, the rom baro’s meeting room, the prison, the infirmary, the school.

  Hanzi drove the truck through the back gates.

  My father and Danior—his brother and the enclave’s rom baro—were waiting for us when we arrived.

  They stared at the truck, worry stamped in their eyes.

  “What happened?” my father asked. “Where are the others?”

  I hopped out of the truck. “We were attacked, dat.” My father’s eyes ran from my head down to my toes, and back. Then he saw the thick blood already drying on my shoulder.

  He clutched my arm, hovering over me like a mother hen. “How bad was it?”

  “We caught them,” I said, my voice low. “We have one of them in a cage, we’re hoping someone can make him talk.” Alchemists talked a lot, but only when they had the advantage. Under pressure or torture? It had never happened before.