Crystal Keepers Read Free Page B

the brink of death. Might the mountain lion have recovered somewhat? Could it already be dead? What if the mountain lion form was still horribly injured? If that was the case, Cole supposed he could quickly take the mask off again.
    As he placed the mask over his face, a flurry of disorienting sensations overwhelmed him. Cole tipped, spun, and grew.
    Suddenly Cole stood on four paws. He felt balanced, and calmer. The new form was familiar and most welcome. With his heightened hearing and smell, Cole knew the position of each of the oncoming riders. Their mounts smelled peculiar.Cole could sense they had been changed. No natural horses were so large and strong.
    It felt as if his previous injuries had never occurred. No soreness lingered. Cole supposed that made sense—when wearing the mask, he was the cougar. It didn’t exist elsewhere. The wounded mountain lion had been erased the instant he removed the mask. When he put the mask back on, it had changed him into a healthy mountain lion, not a wounded one. That meant he could heal any injury to his cougar form simply by taking the mask off and replacing it! He wished he had known that when they fought Morgassa.
    Cole’s first instinct was to attack the riders. But what about his friends? They needed to know the masks were safe to use. Jace’s wolf and Skye’s bear had been badly wounded as well. If they hesitated to put on the masks, the Enforcers might work changings on them.
    Powerful paws pulling at the ground, Cole bolted after his friends, thrilled by the rapid acceleration. He rushed ahead low and fast, muscles churning. No regular mountain lion was this large and strong. No ordinary mountain lion was this fast. Cole knew from experience that he could maintain a full sprint all day without tiring.
    Cole swiftly exited the dark patch and once again could add sight to his other senses. Glancing back, he saw a black sphere that reflected no moonlight concealing his stone horse and the surrounding area. The Enforcers rode hard, but despite the impressive speed of their enhanced mounts, Cole was faster than them. Leafy forms of shrubs and trees whipped by as he plunged forward through the gloom.
    Before long, Cole reached the Red Road. Benefiting from a head start, his friends galloped away on the smooth pavement. All except one. Dalton had halted his horse and was looking back. He waved when he saw Cole.
    Cole dashed to Dalton. He was glad his friend had noticed him missing, but stopping his horse had put Dalton in greater peril. The Enforcers were close behind.
    â€œPut on your mask,” Cole cried. “It’s your best protection.”
    Dalton started digging in his saddlebag. Cole did his best not to notice how tasty his friend and his horse smelled.
    With the Enforcers closing in, Cole sprinted past Dalton. It didn’t take him long to catch up to the others. The Enforcers would soon overtake their ordinary horses without much trouble.
    â€œUse the masks!” Cole called. “Our animal forms aren’t hurt!”
    Looking back, Cole saw a dark sphere where Dalton had been. Cole slowed and was about to turn back when a huge bull charged out of the blackness.
    Cole let his friend catch up, then rushed to rejoin the others. While still riding, they were putting on their masks. Tumbling from her horse, Skye became a huge, shaggy bear. Jace transformed into an enormous wolf. As Mira reached into her saddlebag, her horse slowed and turned to stone beneath her. Cole and Dalton stopped to stay with her.
    Mira put on her mask and dropped to the ground as a bighorn sheep. After reining in his horse, Joe was the last to change form. He hadn’t worn a mask before, so he used Twitch’s eagle.
    Everything went dark again. Growling, Cole spun to face the Enforcers. Sound and smell told him exactly where the nearest horse was charging. Attacking low, Cole dove into the legs, biting down with his powerful jaws and swiping with his claws.