The Birdog whimpered nervously. One thing she knew right there: no more flying for today.
Watching the darkness above, Zolan felt distinctly chilled. He remembered what Valry had said about the evil covering this world. Was it this thing he was seeing that she had spoken of?
But something else about it made Zolan wrench inside; something he couldn't quite put his finger on.
Zolan tore his gaze away from the black slick and glanced around himself. To his left were the straggled ruins he had noticed earlier, clawing out of the ground and crumbling inland. Another bizarre tickle invaded Zolan's stomach as he watched the city; it was again another discomfiting feeling that he was loathe to analyze to deeply.
"Let's go," Zolan urged the Birdog with a pat to the head. The animal complied, though she lumbered along the rocky ground at a pace that made it clear she was in no hurry to get where she was going.
After several minutes, Zolan could understand why. For wherever the Birdog - and he - had been directed to travel in search of the mysterious Thalick, the destination appeared to lie somewhere under the approaching monster of black above.
* * *
She was alone once more.
The crowd of howling votaries had dispersed, presumably attending to the more important business the Resistor had alluded to. Valry awoke on her back and as she rolled over on her side, pain ripped into every part of her body. Screaming did not help; for only a choked gurgle escaped her tortured lips. Valry's rebirth to the Redeye form was almost complete; within hours she would become one of the horrible creatures she had up to now in her life hated more than anything. This blinding realization, even amidst the firebrand of agony raping her every tissue, filled Valry with such despair that she felt she would die within seconds.
This quick end would have been merciful; had she the strength, Valry knew she would have taken her own life rather than endure the agony of transformation which would shortly render her a raging, soulless entity of viciousness.
But death did not save her now. Only pain filled her universe.
Help me! she cried out silently in her mind. Save me from this fate; have I not suffered enough?
Valry called for Zolan again and again -- though she realized that unless she was once again free from her rotting shell, no further communication could take place with the alien Rzzdik.
Valry sat upright, convulsing as she twisted her head from side to side taking in her surroundings. They had not moved her; she was still on the large, marble slab inside a kind of enormous stadium. Her breathing was pneumonic, and each breath she took caused fire to sear her insides. Still, she remained sitting, groaning in a voice that was already far from human.
Something moved behind her. Valry chilled, sensing that the presence near her was malevolent. Had the Resistor returned to violate her further in some nameless fashion? She could not turn around herself suddenly; simple movement like blinking an eye echoed waves of agony throughout her entire, diseased system. Valry simply remained still, waiting for the intruder to approach her for better or worse.
The Redeye shuffled in front of Valry and just stared. It was a small vampire, probably the smallest Valry had ever seen before. Vague, feminine delineations could be discerned even under the fetid, loosely hanging rags the thing cloaked itself with, and Valry realized at once that she was staring at something far more monstrous than a genuine Redeye.
This poor, mutated bastardization before her had once been a human being, like herself. Valry could not hold back her own sobs; she was staring at a prime example of what she would shortly become after her metamorphosis was complete. The pseudo vampire continued staring at her, but did not make a move to attack. Perhaps, Valry thought, it had been instructed to simply guard her but not to feed. At last, as weeping only increased her internal agony, Valry calmed herself and returned the Redeye's horrible stare.
The vampire was more hideous to behold than an authentic Redeye; a crippled, oozing creation, it did not even possess the silky, almost snake-like grace and agility of the alien species. This pitiful abominable was simply a gnarled lump of scoured flesh that could barely move without stumbling. It had probably survived this long only due to the unwitting generosity of the other Redeyes; like a dying vulture, it most likely fed on the carrion of earlier kills -- or maybe, even on itself.
I'll be like that soon, Valry told herself soberly; a walking zombie, not dead or alive, but simply animated with the forces of grotesque evil. Valry collapsed on her back, and rolled her head to and fro on the stone bed. This is not supposed to be happening! My god, how will I be saved from this?
Suddenly, her hair was being stroked. The touch was infinitely gentle and caring, and even better, had momentarily distracted her from the raging pain that tore at her. Valry opened her eyes and looked at her strange, stroking Samaritan.
Two eyes burnt with an unearthly glow. The features of the face were exaggerated to bloatedness, and in some places, flesh was actually hanging off in strips and globules. The visage was horrifying to behold, but Valry lacked the strength to scream --or to even be afraid anymore. The vampire was not going to hurt her, Valry realized, but what it wanted from her was beyond her imagination. Maybe it recognized a future and fellow kin mate, Valry thought morbidly; could this be some kind of ghastly introduction, or propriety observed for new recruits? Growling and whimpering, the vampire seemed to be torn itself as to what should be done next.
All at once, Valry found herself being picked up and held. She was being carried away from the round stone which she had been resting on. A few seconds later, and a blast of damp air blew over her. Smell was a sensation that still remained, and judging from the putrid salt odor mixed with beached kelp. Valry knew she had been brought outside of the city again. Her head dangled in such a way so she could not glimpse the small vampire holding her, but in a few moments, this in- convenience no longer mattered.
Unconsciousness had returned, and Valry could feel the sensation of rising -- the initial stage of mortal breakaway she had experienced two times before. She would be free again for a brief time. She would use her time wisely.
THIRTY-NINE
Purged of pain, Valry's life-force could now marshal thought and action together effectively. Important questions needed to be answered quickly: What last devious plan had the Resistor employed? Where had the thousands of screaming Redeyes disappeared to so suddenly? And, most importantly, had Zolan Rzzdik been able to contact Thalick and warn him of the danger from the desert?
Valry could not gauge now, for all of her admirable power, how long she had remained in the City. She guessed only a few hours. Banking on this likelihood, she assumed that wherever the Redeye horde had disappeared to, it could not have traveled too far from the city. Besides, she had the terrible inkling that the Resistor's final piece of business was dangerously predictable.
There was no longer a day or night over the land now. The Dark was a sheet of black over the sky. In a blinding flash of revelation, though, Valry understood how that menace was soon to be overcome. Many things suddenly seemed to make sense now; slowly, the puzzle was coming together. With a profound sensation of relief, Valry turned her attention briefly to the small vampire cradling her body on the beach. The thing had moved with surprising speed through the pummeled streets and buildings where only hours before, thousands of demonic residents had been congregated. But now, Valry could detect only the she-Redeyes presence near the city. It was as if the entire city had been evacuated.
The tingling sensation of growing power filled Valry's consciousness; soon, there would be no limit to what she could achieve. But at the same time, an inner voice chided her gently that such forces were to be utilized only sparingly. It was an effective reminder, for she had briefly entertained the notion of destroying the she-vampire that had abducted her body, and was now scurrying awkwardly on the beach below.
The light of wisdom and compassion, however, that was slowly melting away all mortal residue, all human in
klings, restrained her from taking any offensive action. Besides, deep within the still vital, amazed and gentle part of Valry Phillips, there was something else that kept her from blasting the pathetic little vampire out of existence. Intrigued by this curious change of attitude for one of the beasts she had once sworn she would have killed unhesitatingly, Valry decided to switch her focus away from the monster and proceed with more important business. Leaving the Redeye to make its sluggish way across the beach, Valry soared over the wind and surveyed the earth below.
She could see that Zolan and the Birdog had already commenced their journey; the animal's cave was vacant, save four sleeping fledglings nestled in a corner. She would follow the Birddog’s trail, but first she needed to discover something far more important: the location of the Redeye horde. No doubt, the Resistor was leading his substantial army toward the desert, to rendezvous with small contingent of surviving vampires that had boldly followed the Stinger tribe to its new sanctuary. Yet, something more devious was brewing; Valry knew that even with his army of several thousand strong, the Resistor would have great difficulty in overcoming the Stinger defense posture -- especially with the advance notification received of the desert vampires, thanks to her father. By the time the sea city army linked up with weakened desert division, the Thelericks would have already moved half the tribe out of the valley. Based on these obvious assumptions, Valry was convinced that the Resistor must be holding a trump card somewhere else.
Within seconds, she was hovering over the crater valley the Resistor was leading his forces through. She could spot the demon king at the head of the horde, perched aboard a particularly large Jumper. Valry understood that his physical presence here in no way limited his scope of influence; like herself, and perhaps more so at the moment, the Resistor could be many places at the same time. Valry was confident that this was actually the case.
Silently, like ghosts, the vampires and rats shuffled through the crater, their horrible eyes providing the only glow of light underneath the pervasive Dark. Valry watched the great numbers approach the opposite slopes, and then begin ascending it. A better tactical approach would have been to attack through the narrow passes she and Thalick had used earlier to hunt Fuzzies, and later, track Zolan's spacecraft to the sea. The evident fact that the horde was being deliberately lead away from this advantage, more than confirmed Valry's suspicions that the Resistor had a more powerful ploy in mind.
The Redeyes were only two hours from the desert, perhaps another hour after that before they met their exhausted companions which Phillips had discovered. Valry followed the horde closely until a new distraction entered her focus. Very distant, what Valry could now see on all horizons made her soul grow cold.
The Resistor was indeed clever; this final operation of his had not been planned carelessly.
Miles beyond the desert vampires location and advancing steadily was a large body of black and red. Valry estimated that this new, previously undetected army of vampires exceeded two million. Throwing her advanced senses out as far as she dared, Valry now understood what was happening.
Every Redeye on the continent had been beckoned - no, drafted for this final siege against the Stinger tribe. The Stingers were about to be terribly tricked. Thinking that the desert vampires were part of the foolhardy band of earlier pursuers, the Thelericks had not taken into account that perhaps they were merely part of an advanced scouting party for a much larger force. Valry herself had not seen this possibility. Why had so much been denied her in the way of foresight?
As she regarded the ocean of death on the horizon, Valry became aware that her time was extremely limited. Already, the irritating tugging sensation was beginning which indicated to her that yet one more return to her decaying exterior would be necessary.
Racing to the tribe valley, Valry spotted Thalick and three other Stingers near the stream. She regarded the frenzy of activity around them; apparently, preparations were being made for the incoming attack. Relieved, Valry attempted to communicate with her friend.
She was not surprised, however, to find that she still mysteriously was unable to make contact with the Stinger. Once again, her only go-between in this new, lightweight stage of hers, was Zolan Rzzdik. Valry did not waste time speculating on the reasons for this discouraging anomaly; it was now time to use the considerable power at her disposal in a way that would assure attracting attention.
* * *
Thalick hovered silently over Phillips, while Green Belly administered a careful shot of venom into the injured man's left thigh. The hideous stump that used to be the astronaut's arm lay carelessly wrapped in a patch of fuzzy fur, while the rest of his body was intermittently swathed in dirty rags of canvas. Phillips winced as the Stinger's lance penetrated the muscle, and then immediately started to shake uncontrollably. Pulling the flimsy wraps around himself, the man then curled up into a ball for warmth.
The blood loss had been tremendous, and both Thalick and Green Belly agreed that Phillips would probably not survive the night.
Thalick had returned to the tribe encampment only minutes after Green Belly and the wounded Phillips. While Green Belly had expressed profound disappointment in losing such a valuable human, Thalick was reacting with considerably more emotion. So disturbing were the Sentinel's transmissions that Green Belly dismissed himself from Thalick's presence, leaving the lead Stinger alone with his respected colleague. It had been a day of incredible tragedy for Thalick. Valry's disappearance coupled with Phillips fatal encounter with the resurfaced Redeyes of the desert had left Thalick sublimely agitated. So alien was the Sentinel's behavior that the other Stingers simply isolated themselves away from him. The madness that Thalick was exhibiting was not unlike that which possessed the Thelerick world countless centuries earlier, just before its destruction. It made the Stingers fearful. In this dire time of emergency when all forces would be needed to protect the tribe, the Sentinel was exhibiting extraordinarily non-Thelerick responses to conditions around him.
While they had expressed disappointment in losing Valry earlier, and now Phillips, the Stingers could not fathom Thalick's excessive anguish over the matter. Thalick did not attempt to allay their fears; he continued hovering over the trembling figure of Phillips, clearly troubled and ill-at ease.
The nine other Stingers busied themselves assisting those humans strong enough to hew wood, carry stones and pack tents. Per Phillips instructions before his shock settled in, the tribe was constructing a firebreak from the rubbery material of the nearby mutant forest. For an hour before he collapsed, Phillips directed the tribesmen to set to work cutting up trees, while instructing the forewarned Stingers of the need to initiate an immediate evacuation from the valley. Thalick had returned to confirm the necessity for such action. Now, the valley was a buzzing center of movement, with Stinger and man working side by side in an attempt to deter the greatest threat to their survival yet.
"Thalick," Phillips suddenly gurgled from beneath his canvas blankets.
The Sentinel positioned himself so as to make eye contact.
"Valry," Phillips said weakly, "Where...where is she?"
It was a question that further aggravated Thalick's own torment regarding the girl's disappearance. Hissing loudly, he gave Phillips the rare honor of direct communication.
PHILLIPS. VALRY -- VALRY GONE
Phillips shook his head. "Please. She's not … dead?"
Thalick clipped his claws together in a gesture of severe discomfort.
NO. VALRY GONE. NOT DEAD
Phillips did not speak for several seconds. He did not seem disappointed with Thalick's answer, nor aggravated by its brevity. His expression was one of simple resignation.
"Will I see her again?"
Thalick remained silent. Phillips began to nod out then pass into unconsciousness a second later. From out of the darkness, two large men moved in and lifted the old man off the ground. Phillips was carried back to his tent, while Thalick followed several feet behind.
Momentarily stultified, Thalick simply looked at the valley around him, now lighted up by torchlight. Somewhere out there was his Valry, alive or dead, and he couldn't lift a claw to help her. For his responsibilities now lay with his own kind and their efforts in preserving the great many lives depending them.
Such sobering thoughts brought Thalick out of his temporary doldrums. Surveying the valley perimeter, he mapped out what action would need to be taken in the next few hours.
Green Belly would spearhead the duty of transporting the sick and wounded up the giant peak backing the valley. With luck, by the time the first attack commenced, many of the tribes people would be a thousand feet above the actual battleground. Thalick and the other Stingers would position themselves at the mouth of the valley to meet the full force of the enemy. If, as he suspected, there were only a few hundred vampires remaining in the desert, the engagement would be brief and decisive. Regardless, the fight would be a dangerous one, and the chance that a few Jumpers and Redeyes sneaked past the front would mean catastrophe for any member in the tribe not safely on the mountain slope with Green Belly.
When the Redeyes would actually choose to attack was a difficult prediction to make. The main body of the force which Green Belly and Phillips had collided with ten miles from the valley had been moving at about two miles an hour. Three hours had elapsed since Phillips had returned with the Stinger, which meant that the Redeyes had probably come over five miles. Though it was tempting to engage the Redeyes in the open space of desert, Thalick and the other Stingers had agreed that an offensive in this manner would have been a wasted effort. There was too much room for the speedy Redeyes and Jumpers to maneuver in; and speed was not one of the Stingers' greatest assets. Though they were not personally jeopardized by either Jumper or Redeye, the Stingers realized that even ten or twenty of the monsters slipping past their scrutiny could spell disaster for the defenseless tribesman.
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