Island Shifters: Book 01 - An Oath of the Blood by Valerie Zambito

of the fire, and it was precisely this silence and tranquility that made the sudden, deafening scream that rent the air so terrifying.
    Beck dropped his bedroll and crouched, the earth stirring in response to his call. His friends soundlessly materialized at his side, the air around Airron shimmering and fire already called to Rogan’s palms.
    “Be alert!” shouted Beck to the legionnaires who he was surprised to see were already standing ready with whatever modest magic they had available to them.
    Dismore emerged from the trees tugging up his trousers. “What in the bloody hell was that?” he cursed. “Is everyone accounted for?”
    There was a hushed stir of activity as the legionnaires looked around, and then Jon Anders whispered urgently. “No, Commander, Heath is missing.”
    Beck held up his hand and then bent down to feel the ground. “Hold on! Someone approaches. Actually, several someones.”
    The legionnaires waited silently and then turned as one to the sound of movement Beck detected several moments before.
    Beck swallowed. He had heard the childhood stories of the notorious usurpers of Galen’s Pass, but the sight of the horde of tiny terrors prodding a bound and gagged Heath into the camp with spears was alarming nonetheless. The Halfies stood three to four feet tall with very muscular bodies like that of an adult human male. The strong bodies were at odds, though, with the cherub faces and curly, golden hair. From what Beck had been told, those angelic faces could turn wicked in an instant with their mean-spirited and spiteful antics. These little creatures were the reason that this beautiful region was off limits to most Pyraanians.
    “What is the meaning of this?” demanded Dismore, and the tallest Halfie came forward, dressed in a loincloth, his chest and feet bare.
    In a high-pitched voice, the Halfie said, “You shall not pass.” He gestured to his companions, and they pushed Heath forward until the legionnaire fell to the ground on his face. Rory Greeley and the earthshifter, Jon Anders, hurried over to untie Heath and help him to his feet.
    “Now you wait just a Highworld-forsaken minute here!” bellowed Dismore. “As you damn well know, we are the Northwatch Legion of Pyraan and we pass through here twice every two years.” Dismore looked around, “Where is Verdie Vee?”
    The Halfie recoiled slightly at the name. “Verdie is dead. I am the Tribe Leader now, and as such, I tell you that you shall not pass.”
    “We have always had passage before,” Dismore pointed out in frustration.
    The Tribe Leader nodded. “Yes, that is so, but the clouds portend great peril. When the clouds portend peril, humans are usually the cause. More specifically, magic users are normally the cause which, as I can see by the marks on your necks,” he squeaked, sweeping his arm around, “includes all of you.”
    Dismore threw up his hands. “Oh, for Highworld’s sake. Listen…. uh, what is your name?” he asked the Tribe Leader.
    “My name is Vinni Vee, Tribe Leader, Cloud Reader, son of Verdie, and you still shall not pass,” he replied. “Until the clouds are clear, my fighters will ensure that no human shall pass.” The Halfie tribe raised their spears and thumped them back on the ground in unison in an apparent show of support.
    Not all of the yells came from the Halfies in the camp, and Beck swung his head up to the mountain shelves, some of which were a hundred spans or more off the ground. In the moonlight, Beck could see howling Halfies, including women and children, crowding each side of the path. Most of the children also wore a single loincloth, and the women wore one shouldered, short tunics above the knee.
    All held a rock in their hands.
    “Hey, stop that!” screamed one of the legionnaires. Beck turned to see Halfie fighters sneaking up behind the legionnaires and poking them from behind with their sharp spears and then darting off again before the larger humans could grab for