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Its breath comes in long wheezes. It sounds like wind through the hollow of a tree, but I know it's breath because I smell it. It doesn’t smell like the breeze. It smells like gods don't have mouthwash or floss.
Or, at least this god doesn't.
"Hi, are you the mountain god?"
My voice comes out squeaky. My throat tries to close up, like I don't need to breathe or swallow, or do anything except hide or die.
And boy do Ifeellike I should hide. Something that big, moving towards me, everything in me screams to get the heck out of the way, find somewhere to crouch. Or run screaming from the caves and tell the Nightshade clan they can kiss my tush.
"I'm just going to go overherefor a sec. We'll chat when you get up the slope."
I duck back and crouch behind a boulder. I can't help it.
When I pictured this moment earlier, I thought I'd be here justoverflowingwith confidence. Arms out, fearless. Like when you ride a roller coaster. You know you're notreallygoing to die, so it doesn't feel as scary.
This feels like maybe I could die.
There's a long, slow descent into the depths, and the thing crawls up it, slow and steady. It moves like a barge on a deep river. The first thing I see clearly are six claws hooking a huge boulder. Then it heaves itself up and over, and the face comes into view.
It's aguy.
Okay, not exactly a guy. It has a guy's face. Just a round, sort of chubby guy's face. Moss grows across the skin, and the whole thing is tinged green. But there's a nose and a mouth, and two huge green eyes sparkling at me.
He grunts as he pulls the rest of his massive bulk up behind him. One of his back feet scrapes a boulder the size of a Winnebago and it tips and crashes down into the cave behind him with a deafeningbang. Everything shakes. Dust trails down from the ceiling.
I hadn't considered I could die just from the mountain god beingclumsy, but here we are.
"M-mountain god? Are you the--"
"Yeah."
His voice comes out like a whale yawning. Deep and powerful, but slow and super calm. If he read me a story, I'd fall asleep super quick.
The mountain god's body, now that I see it, is really interesting. Lots of plants grow on him. I see moss and lichen and ferns. It's all growing in a matted pelt of fur longer than the hair on my head. His legs are long and lanky, and end not in toes or fingers, but in long claws, like a sloth. Each of them is as thick as my leg and worn round and smooth, presumably from pulling him around these caves all the time. And maybe from digging, too.
I note everything I can. I'm supposed to report all this to Rasmussen when I get back.
"Come on out," he drawls. "I won't hurt you."
I've gottenreallycomfortable behind the rocks, but I know that's not how this works, so I come out. This is Faerie, and everyone has really loose ideas of when to wear clothes and what to cover. When in Rome and all that jazz.
The mountain god looks at me, both of his huge eyes moving on their own, disconnected from each other. It feels like I'm being scanned on theinside, like he's got X-ray vision and he's checking out my organs or my bones or something. I feel tingles and weirdness pulsing through me.
He smiles, and seeing a human smile and human teeth that size is justweird. Bile rises in my throat as I watch him.
"Can you...like, move both eyes together? I'm having trouble following. Do I look inthiseye, or theotherone? You know?"
His eyes snap together and focus on mine. Hard. I try to stare back, just as hard. Then I decide to test something.
Can you read my mind?
"You're wondering if I can read minds."
Oh, crap. Crap crap crap.
"Humans...are simple creatures. I can’t read minds, but I can read your future. Your energy, your life. I’ve known tens of thousands of your kind. I remember when you had more hair. When you left the jungles and learned to walk. I know your kindintimately. Now, you have only a few patches of hair left. Someday, your kind will be entirely bald, I suppose. Naked as a mole rat."
For some wild reason, his mention of a mole rat makes me think of Rasmussen.
