Crystal Keepers Read Free Page A

Cole rushed to his horse, flopped the saddle pad in place, heaved the saddle on top, cinched it, then hopped on one foot while hastily poking the other one at the stirrup. After several clumsy misses, Cole got his foot in place and mounted. Nearby, Dalton fumbled with the straps of his saddle as his horse stamped restively. Cole jumped down and joined his friend, securing the straps while Dalton held the bridle and calmed his horse.
    By the time Cole was back on his mare, the others had mounted up as well. Jepson waited nearby, unruffled by all the urgency.
    â€œGo back and check the way you came,” Skye told the butler. “Try to mislead anyone following you. Take them as far from us as possible.”
    â€œYou are not yet my mistress,” Jepson reminded her. “My instructions are to—”
    â€œDoesn’t matter,” Joe interrupted, pointing.
    Partially screened by shrubs and trees, at the far side of the brushy field, mounted shapes bobbed in the dimness. It took little more than a glance to see that the shadowy forms were riding hard in their direction.
    â€œEnforcers,” Cole said, a jolt of panic coursing through him.
    â€œLots of them,” Dalton added.
    Cole counted at least seven or eight. In Sambria they had encountered three Enforcers and defeated them. But last time Cole and his friends had better weapons and managed to surprise them. There were more Enforcers this time, and they looked ready to fight.
    â€œRide for the Lost Palace,” Skye urged. “Use the road. Jepson, you’ve served their purpose. Go home!”
    The others turned their horses and started riding hard toward the Red Road. Cole tugged the reins and nudged with his heels, but his horse held perfectly still. He kicked a little harder only to discover that the sides of his mare felt hard as a rock. A quick hand to the horse’s neck revealed the problem.
    His mount had turned to stone.

C HAPTER
    2
    RED GUARD
    T rying to collect his panicked thoughts, Cole slid off the stone horse, keeping the petrified animal between himself and the oncoming riders. His previous encounter with Enforcers had taught him that they had shaping abilities. In Elloweer that meant they were enchanters, capable of creating illusions and changing living things. Cole recalled the soldier, Russell, who had survived an encounter with Morgassa because an Enforcer had turned him to stone.
    That explained the fate of his horse.
    Dalton and the others were racing out of sight. The other horses all appeared to be fine. Cole was glad they were getting away but terrified at being left behind. Would his friends notice he wasn’t with them? How long before he became the next statue?
    Everything went dark. Cole blinked and strained his eyes, but there was absolutely no light. He could hear the thundering approach of the mounted Enforcers.
    Fear threatened to suffocate him. Fighting the impulseto run blindly, Cole battled to stay calm. The sudden blackness had to be some sort of illusion. He kept a hand on the stone horse to retain a sense of his location. The Enforcers pounded nearer.
    When they had fought Morgassa, wearing the animal masks had prevented her from working changings on them. If a mask could frustrate Morgassa, it should provide plenty of protection from the powers of some Enforcers.
    Reaching out in the blackness, Cole felt the saddle. None of the gear had turned to stone, which made sense, since changings only worked on living things. The mask was in a saddlebag on the other side of the petrified horse. To get it would mean exposing himself to the oncoming riders. Would the darkness hide him, or could they see through it? Maybe it wasn’t darkness. Maybe he had lost his sight.
    Cole ducked under his horse and blindly fumbled open the saddlebag. He yanked out the mask and hesitated for a second.
    The last time he wore the mask he had been terribly wounded by Morgassa. He had abandoned the mountain lion form on