“Weird, weirder, and weirder still,” Jaden muttered as they left the library.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Kayla ground out. “Any ideas on what we should expect next?”
Jaden’s face darkened. His voice was grim when he answered. “I’m thinking the only thing we can really expect is the unexpected.”
Chapter Eighteen
The late afternoon air was heavy with the threat of rain. Once again, the sun had succumbed to the clouds, its vibrant light leached. The ensuing dimness created the illusion it was hours later than it really was. Jaden secured the book in his backpack and then steered Kayla toward his home, lost in thought as he contemplated the afternoon’s events. Kayla gave in and voiced the debate raging inside his head.
“Do you think Awena really knows something or were we just imagining that?”
“Oh, I don’t doubt she knows more than she’s telling us. We didn’t invent hearing her making that comment about the quill and ink or imagine any of the rest of it, from that printer not giving results, to her certain warning as we left about not losing the book. Then consider that comm-link that started beeping just as we were about to ask her what she meant about us not taking any ‘unnecessary chances.’ No, too many coincidences are no coincidence at all.”
“Maybe we should go back and insist on answers then! We have a huge information deficit in this . . . whatever this is. I hate to think what could happen without more insight.” Kayla shuddered.
“I agree. In fact, I’m wondering why we didn’t just stick around until she finished her call.”
“Hmm, me too. Did you feel she dismissed us? I mean, I know it was only fifteen minutes until closing, but that didn’t imply we had to leave right then, did it? It was more like she wanted us to leave without talking to her again.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly how I felt. Why do you think she did that?”
“Let’s go find out.”
Resolute, they executed a one-eighty and marched back to the library. They had just set foot on the path leading back to the immense square when Jaden felt it. From the way Kayla stiffened beside him, she had too—an overriding sense of impending doom. Jaden’s eyes flitted upward.
The Gaptor spiraled lazily above them, as if waiting for their recognition. Then, aware it had their attention, it spun from its languid loop, starting a steep, downward dive. For a few precious seconds, Jaden stood there, mesmerized by the evil emanating from the hulking beast, the malicious glare blazing from its oversized, ochre eyes.
Suddenly, the awful truth struck Jaden. The beast wasn’t slowing like it usually did. It was gaining momentum. With a rush of whirring wings, it swept the air toward them, its wicked, serrated beak bared in a snarl. Every millisecond sped the beast closer. With an earsplitting screech, it lunged the last few feet.
Jolted out of his passive stance, Jaden shoved Kayla to the ground, dropping beside her. The beast’s slashing beak narrowly missed carving his head in two. With an even more piercing screech, the tyrant screamed its annoyance at missing its target. Blasting past them, it drew its wings up at a bizarre angle, throwing its unwieldy frame into an upward trajectory. It gained altitude and then rounded on them again, preparing for a second dive-bomb descent.
Kayla shrieked. “It’s attacking us!”
“You think? We should get indoors.”
“Where?”
Jaden’s eyes skimmed the buildings behind them. The sole lit interior of the games store shone like a beacon. “There!” He pointed, relieved it was still open.
Kayla’s eyes tracked to the store. “Okay—” she began.
“Run!” Jaden yelled, leaping to his feet and snatching her hand. She was overthinking this. He had to get her indoors.
Kayla clung to his hand, sprinting after him. Despite this, Jaden could tell they wouldn’t be fast enough. The Gaptor was closing in at an alarming rate, and they were still ten paces from the door when it swooped again.
“Down!” Jaden hollered.
They hit the ground hard, their momentum increasing the force of the impact. Shoulders, knees, and elbows screamed painfully as they collided with the rigid concrete.
But the monster had anticipated this same tactic. With a spiteful flicker flaring in its flaming eyes, it hunched its wings, slowed its advance, and then dropped the few extra feet needed to reach its mark.
Realizing the beast was within striking distance, Jaden pushed Kayla’s head down and rolled on top of her, both to flatten her and cover her with his body, flinging up an arm at the last second to defend himself. It was a useless boundary, easily breached.
Jaden howled as the monster’s razor sharp beak sliced through the thin skin of his forearm. Dark red blood spurted from the deep gash. Dazed, Jaden saw the mutant’s nasty grin as it swished past and lifted again.
Clutching his arm, Jaden slithered off Kayla, anxiously examining her for any sign of injury. She gaped, her expression shocked and disbelieving as she stared at the blood pulsing out of his arm in sync with his beating heart. Establishing she had come to no harm, he grunted, “Are you just going to stare, or do you plan on helping me?”
His words had the desired effect, snapping her out of her paralysis.
“Sorry, that looks awful!”
Somewhat detached, Jaden watched her head darting as she searched for something to bind the wound with. A movement overhead diverted his attention. The wretched predator was gearing up for a third attack. What’s wrong with it today? Is Kayla’s earlier hypothesis that it only attacks once we’ve received the medallions proving true?
Kayla must’ve seen the beast too. “Let’s get you inside.”
Jaden accepted her help rising to his feet, then her support as she led them toward the game store. They made it inside with only a second to spare. The fiend howled. With powerful thrusts of its odd wings, it veered sideways, narrowly avoiding smashing into the glass storefront. Nauseous, Jaden turned away to find the storekeeper hurrying toward them.
“Please, do you have a towel or something we can wrap this cut with?” Kayla asked.
The storekeeper ogled the ruby river streaming down Jaden’s arm and pooling in a sticky puddle on the floor. “Yeah, back there,” he motioned, gagging. Retreating, he disappeared into the backroom.
Kayla fidgeted while she waited for the storekeeper to return. Jaden’s own impatience was rising. What’s taking Horatio so long?
Horatio finally emerged, weighed down by a first aid kit, a gigantic jug of water, a basin, and an armful of towels. It was only when he set them down that he grasped who was bleeding all over his floor. “Jaden?”
“Hello, Horatio. Sorry about the mess. We’ll clean up later.”
“Dude, what happened? You scared me! I half expected some crazy person to run in after you wielding a bloody knife. Here, sit down,” he said, pushing a chair under Jaden.
“Long story,” Jaden said, sinking into the chair.
“Do you have any antiseptic?” Kayla interrupted. “There’s none in the box.”
“I’ll dig up more.” Horatio rushed away, and the back room, twenty paces away, swallowed him again.
Jaden stiffened when Kayla eased his arm up and set the empty basin underneath. Poised for pain, he hissed as she drizzled clean water from the jug over his wound, letting it wash away the blood and debris.
When the jug was empty, Kayla inspected the wound. Satisfied, she placed a piece of sterile gauze over the gash and then applied pressure. Jaden moaned.
Kayla grimaced. “Sorry, it’s necessary. How’re you holding up?”
“So-so. It hurts like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”
“I’ll bet. The cut’s deep, but not down to the bone. You’ll need skin adhesive.” Kayla was silent for a moment. Then, without warning, her demeanor morphed, and she blurted, “What were you going to tell that man?” Her voice rose in pitch, tinged with hysteria. “Or what are we going to tell anyone? That some apparition that’s invisible to everyone else a
ttacked us?”
Horatio barred Jaden’s answer when he reappeared brandishing a bottle of antiseptic. When he noticed Kayla still changing gauze and applying pressure, he placed the antiseptic on the floor next to the first aid kit.
Only vaguely aware of Horatio’s actions, Jaden’s eyes never left Kayla’s face. Her mouth set in a grim line. Although he didn’t know her that well, he bet it meant she had more to say on the subject. Plenty more. But she evidently wasn’t planning on saying any of it in front of Horatio.
Thanking Horatio, Kayla continued with her ministrations in silence until the bleeding slowed. By that time, the line had softened, replaced by a worried frown instead as her incredible eyes searched his face.
“What?” Jaden asked.
“Checking for signs of shock.”
“See any?” he asked, puzzled when she bit her lip. What’s that about? Is she trying not to laugh or biting back an angry response? But Kayla didn’t give him any clues, merely a quick shake of her head. Her expression remained annoyingly neutral as she expertly applied the antiseptic, covered the wound with sterile gauze, bound it up with a bandage, and then taped it securely.
“This will have to do for now,” Kayla murmured, propping Jaden’s arm up against the wingback section of his chair so it was elevated.
“You look like you’ve done this before,” Horatio said.
“Picked it up along the way,” Kayla replied.
Kayla’s skill had even impressed Jaden, but after her oblique answer, he knew better than to ask questions in front of Horatio. The man might get ideas and start asking some of his own, ones they couldn’t answer.
Kayla leaned back on her haunches and smiled up at him. Despite his pain, Jaden didn’t miss the fatigue clouding those striking green eyes. Abruptly, they widened, an instant before he registered the earsplitting screech.
Both teens jerked, their heads swiveling towards the door. The beast was heading straight for the storefront window, looking like it planned to crash through. But we’re safe here, aren’t we?
Then Jaden saw it. Barely slowing its pace, the beast stretched its odd wingtips horizontally. As if by magic, the tips drew back, and bright, shiny extensions appeared.
Kayla recoiled, repulsed. She had seen them too. The anomalies extended, fringing the wings with menacing metal ends. Fully exposed at last, Jaden and Kayla saw the tips for what they were—knives of cold, polished steel, just like the pictures in the book. Kayla’s gasp echoed Jaden’s own.
Horatio, neither deaf nor blind to their panic, expressed his confusion. “What are you looking at?”
Jaden couldn’t answer, and neither could Kayla. She was just as fixated on the Gaptor’s wings. Each wickedly sharp blade was barbed at its extremity. Only when Horatio repeated his question did Jaden register. He was still waiting for an answer.
“You wouldn’t believe us if we told you,” Jaden whispered.
Horatio opened his mouth to ask another question. Before he uttered a syllable, the Gaptor turned the cutting edges of its wings and slashed sadistically at the window. It exploded in a million sparkling shards of glass.
They dove under the checkout counter. Glass rained down, tinkling as it hit the slate floor, splintering further and scattering countless cruel crystals. The clamorous clinking ceased, and an eerie silence descended.
Next to Jaden, Kayla squirmed. He put a hand on her arm to still her. Kayla covered his hand with her own and squeezed gently, garnering his attention. She gestured with two fingers from her eyes to the noise behind them, signaling she intended sneaking a peek past the counter.
Before Jaden could stop her, Kayla leaned forward to poke her nose out. A gigantic stinger swished past her face and sent her scuttling back into the dark depths under the counter.
Witnessing the near miss, Jaden’s heart stopped for a second. Aware only of his need to protect her, Jaden yanked Kayla into his arms, shielding her body with his own as best as he could in the confined space. Although he would normally shy away from such close contact, Kayla welcomed the comfort of his arms, evidenced by the way she burrowed into his shoulder. Jaden couldn’t say he wasn’t happy. Tucking her closer, they huddled together. Jaden found solace in her safety.
The hard-shelled tail swept a path of destruction through the store as the beast sought its prey. Muttering when he heard the shelves smashing to the floor, Horatio made to leave the safety of the counter’s protective cocoon. Jaden reached out his good arm and tugged him back so forcefully that Horatio toppled over, then sat where he’d fallen, dazed, staring at them. His shocked silence didn’t last.
Anger painted his face with a bright red veneer. “What in blazes is going on out there?”
Putting up a placating hand, Jaden said, “Horatio, please, be quiet, or it’ll hear you and find us.”
Horatio’s temper fizzled and died like fire hitting ice water. The man could see the terror printed unmistakably on both teens’ faces, and his confusion switched to apprehension. Apparently, he’d reached the conclusion that something dreadful was out there.
“Look,” Horatio tried again. “Why don’t you attempt describing what’s out there that’s scaring you so much?”
A lengthy silence ensued. Should I answer? After Kayla’s outburst earlier, he didn’t think she would tolerate him sharing details. Horatio’s face reddened again, and Jaden squeezed Kayla’s arm gently to get her attention.
Reading the question in his eyes, she took the initiative and answered Horatio, her voice tremulous and barely above a whisper. “It’s something only Jaden and I can see. Like a shared hallucination. It finds us wherever we go. I can’t even describe what it is because it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before. In fact, it’s a massive beast so atrocious, it makes your worst nightmare insignificant by comparison, if you can even imagine that. We don’t know why it’s only visible to us, but believe me it’s there. And today, it’s out for our blood.”
If she had been a world-class actress, Kayla’s tone could not have conveyed more horror or hopelessness. Her words had the desired effect. Horatio stiffened, sensing their dread as tangibly as if it were his own. “So, this . . . thing that’s out there, it’s dangerous then?”
Pointing at Jaden’s arm, Kayla spat. “Well, it did that, didn’t it? And it broke a plate-glass window with only its wings—or are you going to tell me that was single-pane, unreinforced glass?”
Horatio’s face paled. “It broke the window with its wings? What sort of bird has wings that can break glass?”
Jaden scowled. “Not any kind you want to see in your lifetime.”
The crashing cut off. Hardly daring to believe the beast had left, they stared at one another. Then the scraping started, reminding Jaden of the sound he had heard when he had first encountered the Gaptor up on the Shadow Mountains. The abrasive dragging, worse than old-fashioned chalk squealing against an equally ancient chalkboard, caused every nerve in every tooth to cringe in agony. Even Horatio was not spared the dissonance, covering his ears to block the relentless shrieking.
Jaden tried to work out what the tyrant was up to now. It must’ve decided it couldn’t reach them with its tail. Then an image flashed into his mind from the book: the Gaptor clawing at the window of Gedrin’s house, trying to get inside. Jaden shivered. Is the beast making a larger opening so it can enter the store? Should I tell Kayla?
Jaden was pressing his lips to her ear to whisper when the strident grating petered out. The three of them waited with bated breath for some new form of torture, but after five minutes of total silence, they cautiously crept out from under the counter.
His arms freed from holding Kayla, Jaden felt inexplicably empty. All he wanted to do was pull her back to him again. Having her tucked safely under his arm had felt so right. But he couldn’t give a reason to make that wish a reality without also giving her ideas he was unwilling to entertain. Sighing at what could not be, Jaden glanced anxiously around the store. He didn’t want Kayla anywhere ne
ar that thing.
Chapter Nineteen
There was no sign of the monster, only the havoc it had wreaked. Shelves lay jumbled across the floor, games were strewn to all corners, and deep grooves rimmed the window, confirming Jaden’s suspicion that the beast had tried to claw its way inside. Jaden surveyed the chaos, wishing he had not brought trouble on his friend.
Jaden sighed. “I’m so sorry, Horatio. We’ll help you clean this up.”
But Horatio was shaking his head, his eyes glued to the mini crevasses made by the creature’s claws. “Nah, uh, if that thing’s after you, it’ll come back. And I’m no hero. I don’t want to face whatever claws gouged those holes. My insurance will cover my losses, but it can’t cover losing you or having to explain why you disappeared inside my store. I think it’s best if you two head on home. You’ll probably be safer there.”
“Are you sure?” Jaden began, but Horatio just shook his head more vigorously.
“Dude, I don’t know what’s chasing you, but after what she said, I don’t want to know. Go on home and get that cut glued up. Do you want me to call you a ride?” Horatio was in a rush to get rid of them.
Jaden ignored his haste, belatedly aware that in all the commotion, he had forgotten to introduce Kayla. “Thanks, friend, but no, Kayla has a ’pod we can remote here. And since I didn’t do this earlier, Horatio, meet Kayla. Kayla, meet Horatio.”
They shook hands, exchanging bleak smiles.
Kayla hurried to add her own apologies. “We’re sorry for all the trouble. If there’s anything we can do to help, please, let us know.”
Horatio rubbed his head and forced a smile as he tried to make light of the situation. “You could tell my insurance a small hurricane blew through here, breaking the window and tossing my stock.”
Kayla’s smile was as tenuous as Jaden’s own. Gesturing toward the smashed window, Jaden asked, “What are you going to do about that opening tonight?”
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