by C. Litka
04
The narrow rift we'd chosen proved to be a one way street. We followed its twisting and turning course without coming upon any opening wide enough to turn and continue on our way across the grain of the jungle for several hours. It was very slow going, and rather claustrophobic as the vines were constantly brushed along the netting. Now and again, we needed to stop to allow Py to climb out with a machete in hand to hack through one of the thicker vines that had snagged our wing and/or rudder. He was good at it - it often took only a couple of blows to clear the tangle.
'Keep an eye out for snakes,' I called out to him. 'You too.' This to Naylea in the bow.
'Litang...' she sighed, shaking her head without turning around.
'You never know - there could be more than birds, bugs and lizards lurking in these vines. You don't see our brave dragons out there now, do you?'
They each turned to give me a one-eyed look and a low growl.
'Right,' I said. 'Go on out and lead the way, girls.'
They growled louder - but didn't move.
'I suggest that you find a larger space to sail through, now that we've shaken off the talon-hawks,' said Naylea. 'Then you wouldn't have to worry so much about lurking snakes.'
'Great idea,' I said, 'Seeing that you're our pilot, be sure to point it out to me when you find one.'
Py grinned, apparently viewing this semi-domestic squabble as a promising sign for the romantic end to my quest that he considered the only acceptable end of this adventure.
We had been pushing our way through the vines, at a walking pace, for the better part of two hours, before it began to grow lighter ahead. A few minutes later, we slipped out into a long, but narrow clearing amongst great trunks of twisted vines. I let out a sigh of relief. Too soon. I should've known - naming names.
It must have been resting in the tangle of vines beneath our hull, because we never saw it. Not until it attacked. The boat gave a tremendous lurch, throwing us against the netting. We yelled and hissed as something very large and emerald green appeared along side the boat, and then began to swirl around us - a swiftly flowing river of deep green scale-like feathers. Its body, the size of a good sized tree trunk, was encircling and engulfing the boat - tossing us this way and that, as the coils multiplied, aft to bow.
I caught a momentary glimpse of the creature's large head as it swiftly and silently wrapped itself around the boat. It opened its mouth wide; a mouth full of little teeth. Its small eyes glittered greedily, framed by a feathered scarlet mane. It had the boat in its coils within seconds and then it began to tighten them.
The boat groaned and creaked - and then let out a series of explosive cracks as it was twisted and crushed out of shape. The overhead frame cracked and buckled as it was being squeezed by the great coils of the serpent. Thrown away from the helm, I scrambled back to reach the steam valve to stop the engine. But I was too late. The propeller cowling buckled, and with a grinding scream, the propeller shattered in a burst of splinters and stopped - as did the little engine in a loud rattle and a violent lurch, shooting hot steam in every direction. I managed to open the escape valve on the boiler before being driven back by the scalding cloud of steam from a broken line.
Looking forward, the boat was a dark, distorted tunnel, that was shrinking as the powerful coils crushed the boat. My shipmates were dark shadows against the only light left - an opening at the bow of the boat where the coils left off to hold the giant head of the serpent/snake that was staring at us with its mouth wide open.
And then there was an explosive flash of blue light, blinding me.
Naylea was dealing with the serpent.
'Must've had a thick skull,' she muttered, as it's death convulsion twisted the boat almost in half, the crunching overhead ribs driving me into the shallow hollow of the boat's hull.
And then there was a moment of pure silence.
'Litang,' said Naylea, quietly. 'I'm holding you directly responsible for this snake.'
I opened my mouth to protest. And then closed it again. Naming names - what could I say?
'You are alright back there?'
'Aye, a bit scalded.' Waves of pain were now coming from my hand. 'But alive. Everyone else okay?'
'A bit sore, but otherwise fine?' said Py
The two dragons barked a tentative "yes".
Looking at the steaming wreck of "my" poor engine, I quietly muttered a suitable epitaph for it and my small command - once more in spaceer Unity Standard. 'What are we going to do now?' I asked aloud after I had expressed my dark, heartfelt, feelings.
'I think we're going to have to walk the rest of the way,' replied Naylea, brightly.
Yes. No doubt about that. But to where?