Taz gloated. “Perfect!”
Her reaction was as unexpected as the abrupt lurch to bypass another gigantic rock. Kayla curled her fingers tighter, her knuckles white with the effort. She was sure she would never walk again, convinced her knees would never unwind from their current locked position. And if she clenched her teeth any harder, she might break her jaw. Striving to forget her discomfort, she sneaked another peek backward and caught Jaden and Han clearing the rocky crag with ease.
But the Gaptor was so close. He lumbered around the ridge, his ungainly form not designed for such precise flying. Before anything happened, Kayla knew he’d made a mistake. His turn was too tight. With a hideous screeching sound, his wing tips scraped the surface of the jutting boulder, the slight nudge affecting his stability. The Gaptor’s huge frame pitched awkwardly in the opposite direction as he battled to counteract the fluctuation generated by the impact.
Kayla suddenly understood what the bats were up to. They really meant to roll their tormentor into the cliffs. “Nice thinking,” she cooed in Taz’s ear as Taz propelled them onward. “It almost worked on that last ridge. Let’s not miss on the next one.”
Taz rumbled agreement, her wings straining under Kayla when she dived under the next obstacle. Shifting with her glider’s motion, Kayla negotiated the rapid change in direction. They cleared the rocky barrier, rolling up and out of the curve, then burst from the valley into the wide, open air. Unnerved, Kayla whipped her head around, scanning for shelter. But there was nothing. How are we going to protect ourselves now?
Maybe the ridge we just negotiated will bring the Gaptor down. Kayla swiveled on Taz’s back, eager to confirm her theory. Han and Jaden streaked around the ridge. With bated breath, she waited for the Gaptor. She wasn’t the only one.
Noticing Kayla’s attention was on what was behind him, Jaden likewise turned to look. With their eyes glued to the ridge, they shifted their weight to accommodate the familiar motion of the bats looping up and curling around. The four of them now faced their opponent head on, albeit from a higher elevation.
The Gaptor lurched into view, navigating the outcropping. Distracted by the bats hovering overhead, he lifted his head, making his body tilt infinitesimally. The minute adjustment crashed his wing into the unyielding barrier with a harsh, resounding crack.
Kayla observed the ensuing mayhem with glee. The Gaptor’s wing crumpled as it encountered the hurdle, slamming the Gaptor into the cliff face. The impact whipped the Gaptor’s stinger over its head, the beast’s momentum somersaulting the cumbersome frame over its tail, so it came full circle and bashed into the rocky face again. The Gaptor hung there, suspended for an instant, before dropping straight down.
Jaden whooped. “Yeah!”
“Way to go!” Kayla told the bats.
But Taz’s grim face had Kayla reining in her jubilation. Peering down, she found the Gaptor reeling out of its downward spiral, maniacally flapping its scraggly wings. Scraggly but powerful, Kayla thought. The Gaptor dragged himself from the perilous descent and gained altitude. “He’s back in business!” Kayla yelled.
The warning was unnecessary. The bats were already reentering the valley for a second run-through in the opposite direction. Jaden and Han led this time, and Kayla watched in admiration as they swooped and curled around the rocky protrusions effortlessly, marveling yet again at their grace and speed.
Despite this, Kayla couldn’t quell the gnawing anxiety that it wouldn’t be enough. Worse, she hadn’t heard the metallic scrape of the Gaptor’s wings against the cliffs even once yet. Was he was getting the hang of this and navigating the tight turns more effectively? With the end of the valley in sight, they would soon lose the cover of the cliffs, making them vulnerable once again.
Taz must’ve been thinking the same thing. With a shrill whistle, she signaled Han. “We need to find cover.”
“You don’t say! Just where would you suggest we find it?” Han barked.
“What about one of the caves in the cliff?” Jaden asked.
The bats cocked their heads, evaluating his proposal. An abundance of openings roomy enough to accommodate them beaded the cliff face. The trick was finding a cave roomy enough for them to squeeze into but too small to allow the Gaptor entry. In addition, it would have to be deep enough to house the four of them while still keeping them beyond the reach of the Gaptor’s talons and tail. Assessing each cave’s depth was nigh impossible as they sped past the shadowed openings. And yet . . .
“It might work,” Taz conceded. “Keep your eyes peeled for something suitable. We’ll probably have to pass back to access it—there isn’t enough time with the Gaptor so close to us now.”
They barreled onward, the bats avoiding the unforgiving outcroppings and the teens peering into every passing cave.
“There’s one,” Jaden shouted, pointing back at a cave. “Confirm it’ll work,” he told Kayla.
Kayla eyed the cave as she and Taz drew level with the opening. The mouth was the perfect size, and the small sliver of fading sunshine leaning into it hinted at a deeper passageway. “Yup, I think it’ll work!”
“Let’s hope it does,” Taz muttered, concentrating on skirting the outcropping blocking their path.
As Kayla twisted, accommodating Taz’s movement, she spotted the Gaptor behind them and cursed. She should’ve thought to check on the Gaptor’s pursuit earlier. “Taz, we have a problem. The Gaptor’s figured out your strategy; he’s flying wide of the rocks. He’s gaining on us.”
Taz bent her head and squinted under her long, graceful body to verify the accuracy of Kayla’s statement. “Han, turn! Head back to that cave—right now!”
Han obeyed immediately. He tilted up and curled, executing a perfect roll over Taz and Kayla’s heads. But he was too late.
The Gaptor streaked forward, aiming for the narrow gap between the two pairs. The blades on his wingtips were extended and spinning, his ochre eyes blazing as he smelled victory.
Kayla wasn’t the only one paying attention. Taz’s peripheral vision must’ve detected the movement. She reflexively twisted into a downward spiral, negating the Gaptor’s attempt to take both pairs out with one strike.
Kayla smiled grimly at the Gaptor’s momentary distress caused by Taz’s unexpected move. But her smile was short-lived. After the briefest pause, the Gaptor swung away from them toward Jaden and Han, now the closer targets.
Barely breathing, Kayla was frantic about the boys. The Gaptor had them in his sights, a mean expression on his ugly mug. She shivered. She didn’t want to think about what he would do if he caught them. She couldn’t do this without Jaden. He was the one who made all this insanity bearable.
Kayla remembered the last time she and Jaden had been close—when he held her hand at his home before his mother’s startling revelations. Contact she had savored because of the lack thereof since he’d reciprocated her withdrawal at his gran’s.
Even if she couldn’t have him as something more, Kayla still missed him as a friend. Lacking even friendship, there were neither casual hugs nor comforting handholding. No contact of any kind. And now there was a very real chance the contact they’d shared in his room would be her last meaningful moment with him. Kayla shook her head. No, I can’t think like that. Han and Jaden will pull through. They have to.
Chapter Six
“Hold your breath,” Han ordered.
Jaden didn’t argue, barely complying before Han accelerated so violently Jaden’s head swam. His hands scrambled for purchase as he fought to stay on the hurtling bat. Clenching his knees, trying to flatten himself against Han, Jaden closed his eyes against the wind battering his eyelids shut.
But it was worse with his eyes closed. He could feel both the tremendous speed and his own lack of control more acutely. Losing his sight also meant he couldn’t tell how far away the Gaptor was. Blood pounded in his head. His chest was about ready to explode. Wondering how much longer he would have to hold his breath, he felt Han slow.
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Gulping air, Jaden opened his eyes, scanning the heavens for the Gaptor. Finding him took only an instant, his bulk impossible to miss. The Gaptor had dropped back a good distance, but to Jaden’s chagrin, the monster was closing in again. Rapidly.
“What’s the plan?” Jaden wheezed, keen to help in any way he could.
“I truly don’t know,” Han snapped. “We can’t keep up these bursts of speed forever, and unless we find shelter soon, we’re toast.”
“What about the cave I pointed out earlier?”
“Getting back there is the challenge. In case you hadn’t noticed, the Gaptor’s between us and that cave.”
“Maybe that was his plan.”
“Unlikely. He’s not too bright—more brawn than brain. Don’t give him more credit than he deserves.”
Han’s comment sparked an idea in Jaden’s mind. If what Han said was true, and Jaden had no reason to believe it wasn’t, they might escape if they outsmarted the brute. “What about trying to roll under him, toward the cliff face? He might overshoot the mark trying to catch us and crash into the cliff.”
“Not the best idea, but better than anything I can think of,” Han said. “Get ready to hold your breath again. I must speed up to shoot past him.”
Han’s tone suggested he wasn’t sure if even that would be enough. Jaden scanned the area, searching for Taz and Kayla. They had disappeared. Where did they go?
“Here we go,” Han warned.
The dive was extreme. Jaden’s stomach contents shot into his throat, rebelling against the precipitous drop. Swallowing the bile, Jaden concentrated as Han’s muscles bunched under him, preparing for the roll to scoop them under the Gaptor and around the rock that jutted out in front of them. Han started the roll, and their world tipped upside down.
Wham! As something hit them with incredible force, it almost catapulted Jaden off of Han. Desperately grasping at the fur slipping through his fingers, Jaden braced his knees and scrambled to stay on.
Above their inverted position, the colossal, unmistakable shape of the Gaptor loomed. Like some revolting apparition, it hung there, the beast’s putrid odor assailing Jaden’s nose. The stench made him register the Gaptor was too close.
Jaden tried making sense of it. Abruptly, the Gaptor separated from them. Jaden’s eyes latched onto its glinting talons, wickedly curved. And dripping. Thin streams of red blood flowed past Jaden’s face as Han flipped out of the roll, bringing appalling comprehension.
“Han, you’re hurt!”
Their sickening sway toward the cliff was answer enough. Han had no hold on their direction. They would crash into the very part of the cliff they had planned for the Gaptor if they didn’t change course—right now! Frantic, Jaden leaned away from the swiftly approaching rock wall, hoping his weight shift would help Han alter their course. Han groaned in pain.
“Don’t pull like that,” Han hissed. Nevertheless, they tilted away from the cliff a split second before slamming into it, staggering back out toward the center of the valley.
“Sorry,” Jaden murmured, wincing as he thought of Han’s injury. Scanning for their foe, Jaden found him above them and to their left, close to the cliffs. Jaden blinked, sure his eyes were deceiving him. The Gaptor was out of control. Han must’ve managed a swipe at him—either that or the effort of drawing first blood had unbalanced the giant. The Gaptor wheeled closer and closer to the cliff, running out of space to squirm away.
A crashing boom reverberated up and down the valley as the Gaptor collided with the rock. Sparks flew where the massive wings scraped down the rock face, and a terrible, shrill scraping sound drilled into Jaden’s brain every time the Gaptor’s scaly skin scuffed the cliff.
Han didn’t wait for the final scene. He slowly curled back toward the cliff face and picked up speed, aiming for the cave Jaden had pointed out earlier.
Jaden watched the Gaptor until it slipped out of sight behind a curve. Disappointed he hadn’t witnessed it smashing into the desert floor, Jaden turned his attention back to their destination. Beneath him, Han’s muscles trembled as his glider valiantly strived to maintain a level path.
“Han, will you make the cave? How are those gashes?”
“Scratches.” Han shrugged, then hissed at the pain the movement incited. “They’ll keep.”
Opening his mouth to contradict Han, Jaden halted when Taz and Kayla slipped out of a cave ahead of them. Switching to berating them instead, Jaden shouted, “Nice of you to join us! Han’s hurt. Is that cave deep enough for all of us?”
Kayla’s face blanched. “Jaden, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he yelled. “Will that cave work?”
“No, it’s not deep enough. We haven’t found one yet! While the Gaptor was chasing you, we were checking caves. But it’s . . . look out!”
At her shriek, Han angled them sideways. Jaden stayed on. Barely. Blast! The Gaptor’s right behind us again. Why won’t he quit? But that wasn’t Jaden’s only concern. Through his knees, clamped tightly around Han’s chest, he felt a drag on the bat’s powerful muscles. Han was fading. Why can’t the monster chase Taz and Kayla for a bit? The question brought clarity.
When the bats careened in to rescue them from the butte, their first question was what the teens had done to attract the Gaptor to them like a heat-seeking missile. They’d guessed the sonic boom when they “removed” the second relic stone—or was that sound the noise the stones made when bonding together? Whichever, the Gaptor evidently knew what that sound signified. He’s after the relic stones!
“Kayla,” Jaden yelled, “I think the Gaptor’s after the relic stones. Han’s losing blood. We need a break. Fly past, and I’ll toss the rings to you.”
Kayla acknowledged with a curt nod. Jaden waited, annoyed when he spotted Taz and Kayla in hurried conversation. He was too far away to hear. About to yell at them to hurry, he sagged in relief when they lifted higher and angled outward. They must’ve agreed an overhead pass would be best. Jaden tugged the rings off his finger, ready to throw them to the girls as they flew by.
As Jaden waited, he spotted the Gaptor limping back toward them. Why won’t the wretched beast just die? Judging distances, Jaden worried he and Han wouldn’t make it to the safety of a cave. Then he realized that, instead of making a beeline for their position, the Gaptor was curving off to the right, away from the cliff. What’s he up to now? Han figured it out before he did.
“He’s trying to separate us from the girls. Jaden, you need to toss those rings!”
Jaden faltered. The girls were still too far away. “What if I miss? He’ll grab them!”
“Jaden, have you ever seen Taz not catch something of value? Throw them! Now!”
Jaden wavered only a second before obeying. The girls had closed the distance enough to intercept the rings before the Gaptor. He bent his arm, preparing to pitch the precious artifacts. “Kayla, here they come!”
Jaden hurled the rings. As they left his hand, he feared he’d waited too long. Will the delay cost us?
Time slowed like action in a slow-motion replay, except this wasn’t a replay. The rings tumbled through the air, and the Gaptor put on a sudden burst of speed. As it passed, its sharp, sword-like beak slashed through Han’s left wing. Powerless, sickened, Jaden watched Han’s filmy wing membrane shredding, heard his bat’s low moan of pain, and felt the abrupt loss of control as Han toppled sideways.
Grabbing at Han’s fur as they spiraled earthward, Jaden was aware of the Gaptor above them, racing for the rings. He lifted his head. The girls plummeted down, plucking the relic stones out of the air right from under the Gaptor’s beak.
Delight coursed through Jaden as the girls shot past the Gaptor in their almost ninety-degree dive. Taz angled them out of the perilous descent and swooped under Han, slowing as she circled. Then she rose slowly, perhaps intending to support Han and somehow slow the boys’ sickening spin toward the desert floor.
Gazing at the girls, Jaden lost his grip and hi
s hand floated in front of his face. He stared dumbly at the ring on his finger. The ring? Impossible! He had watched the rings, twisting through the air. But staring at the relic stone, he realized what the difference was. There was only one ring on his finger. Huh, imagine that, he thought dully. I figured out how to separate them. But Jaden was having trouble concentrating. The dizzying descent was making him nauseous.
A movement between them and the girls snagged his attention. The Gaptor slid between the two pairs of bats and humans—again. He’s getting in the way. He'll stop the girls from helping us! Jaden moaned with frustration.
The blast knocked his knees free and lifted the lower half of his body off Han’s back. If it hadn’t been for his one hand still clinging to Han for dear life, the impact would’ve knocked Jaden free. Crashing back down, Jaden squinted to see what had happened, but the sky was unbearably bright, blinding him.
The supersonic boom cracking the air was even worse. Jaden didn’t know whether to hang onto Han or protect his eardrums. Then he forgot his dilemma when the light dimmed. An electric sizzle of glowing, white current burned between him and Kayla—the rings were emitting some sort of beam.
The Gaptor floated feebly into the current. Brilliant white light briefly outlined the monster’s body. Then it stiffened, gave a blood-curdling screech, turned crispy, and disappeared in a puff of ash.
Jaden blinked. Am I imagining this? But when his vision cleared, the acrid smell of burned flesh was all that remained of their nemesis.
Opening his mouth for a victory shout, Jaden crashed back to reality—literally. Without the threat of the Gaptor to distract him, events shifted back to real time. No more slow-mo freefall. Instead, the ground rushed up to greet them way too enthusiastically. Jaden registered Kayla’s shouting, but he couldn’t distinguish her words above the roar of the wind in his ears. No doubt about it; they were going down. And there was nothing he could do.
Chapter Seven
Destiny Series Boxed Set Page 32