by S. S. Segran
Within moments, the message was being relayed through the chaos at the site as the villagers shouted the warning to one another. With his insides roiling at the unraveling mission, Nageau looked toward the miners’ barracks and probed for Ashack’s mind. Do you have her?
Yes.
Is she alright?
She . . . she is unconscious, but I have ministered to her wound. Unfortunately, I am unable to extract the projectile on my own.
Nageau rested his fingers against his forehead, eyes closed, praying for his mate. After a moment of silence he said, Please inform me if she gets better or worse.
I will.
Nageau opened his eyes and scowled down at the beasts. Following his gaze, Kody said, “There has to be some way to kill them. They can withstand the darts, but a direct strike to their chest or heart might take them down.”
“That is probable, but it will be quite a task to get close enough to do that.”
“Then what else can we do?”
Nageau’s answer—if he had one—was cut short as one of the beasts broke away from the others and tore toward the two joint buildings where the sniper hid . . . and where Saiyu and Mariah were positioned.
The one-eyed villager from Saiyu’s group edged around the building, staying out of the sniper’s line of sight. He made eye contact with the Elder. Just as she gave him the go-ahead, he picked up a galloping sound. He reacted in a breath, nocking an arrow to his bow and facing the oncoming beast. He let the projectile fly and rapidly nocked another, firing several shots on target but failing to deter the creature.
With one last look at the Elder, the man dropped his bow and quiver, unsheathed his glistening hunting knife from his belt and charged at the beast, letting loose a manic war cry. He threw himself at the animal as it lunged at him and wrapped its massive paws around his head. The man let out a yell but plunged his knife into the beast’s side. The beast gave a rippling growl and thrust the villager to the ground, teeth and claws tearing away.
Saiyu hastily blocked the sight from Mariah. Mariah bit her knuckles, screaming silently. The Elder reached behind her to shake her apprentice’s arm and pointed to the door of the building.
With every sense heightened from the adrenaline rushing through her body, Mariah wiped her eyes dry and kept close to Saiyu as they reached the door.
Saiyu turned the knob but it was locked. Taking a step back, she kicked with all her might, aiming her foot just under the handle. The door cracked and flew off its hinges.
Rushing into the office to catch the sniper by surprise, they stopped cold when they saw a man with his weapon pointed at them. He was shorter than the Elder, with a mesomorphic build and wavy auburn hair that was a dusty mess. He had a prominent jaw line and his square face was set in a menacing expression.
In a deep baritone, he asked, “What? You thought you could just sneak up on me?”
55
Aari looked down at Tegan through the broken trap door in the ceiling as she stared at the beast clawing its way over the wall. “Tegan,” he hissed. “Tegan!”
She sprang to her feet, terror slashed across her face.
“Don’t move! I’ll cover you!”
She said nothing in response, keeping her eyes on the looming threat. Aari took a few breaths to slow the pounding of his heart and then focused. His friend shimmered, disappearing just as the beast pulled itself over the wall and landed in the kitchen.
Tegan watched, stiff with fear, as the creature prowled around. Its claws sounded like nails on a chalkboard as they dug into the broken concrete. Its dark yellow eyes were slits under a heavily creased brow and its elongated jaws parted, revealing teeth that looked capable of slicing flesh like scissors through paper.
Tegan clenched her shaking hands tightly, struggling to regain her cool. The beast raised its head to sniff the air. It smelled the girl but could not see her. It whined, frustrated, and stepped closer to Tegan. She found it difficult to stand her ground with the beast’s head nearly at her shoulder and its snout mere inches from her. She held her breath, ordering herself to resist breaking into a run.
Above her, Aari yelled and taunted the animal to divert its attention.
The beast whipped its head up, muzzle wrinkling when it spotted the boy’s head poking through the ceiling. Relinquishing its search for Tegan, the beast stalked past and leapt up onto the counter behind her. She turned to watch. It eyed Aari again and Tegan could have sworn it was giving him a baneful, murderous smile.
The creature bunched its muscles and leapt toward Aari. It scratched the ceiling beside him but wasn’t able to make it through the trap door and fell back. It was back on its paws in a split second and hopped back onto the counter.
Aari knew the beast wouldn’t give up until it got a kill. “Tegan, I can’t keep this up,” he called out, voice trembling. “This freak’s gonna eat my face if I don’t pull back. You need to hide somewhere—quickly!”
Still shielded from view, Tegan hurried toward a stainless-steel storage cabinet on the other side of the kitchen. She eased the door open and a mountain of canned food crashed to the ground around her. The racket caused both her and Aari to cringe.
The creature twisted around, taking in the opened door and spilled cans, its head tilted to one side. For a heartbeat, neither the humans nor the beast made a move. Then the creature sniffed the air once more and scented Tegan. Losing interest in Aari, it crept along the wide countertop toward the cabinet. As it prepared to jump down, the door of the cabinet slammed shut.
Provoked by the noise, the beast hurled itself at the cabinet and brought it crashing to the floor. The seven-foot tall steel container lay flat on the ground with Tegan trapped inside, yelling. Hearing her, the animal went into overdrive. It assaulted the cabinet savagely, looking for a way to get in. Its claws scraped the material, leaving deep gouges in the metal.
Tegan could hear the grating and shouted for help. Aari wracked his brain for a solution and, though he knew he wasn’t fully trained, wanted to attempt something. He honed in on the cabinet. The long steel box pulsated for a few seconds before vanishing—leaving Tegan completely visible.
Tegan, on her stomach, could see the floor practically under her nose and the whole kitchen around her, yet when she reached out, her hand hit an invisible barrier. Realizing she was still in the cabinet, she muttered, “This is so weird.”
Above her, the beast went berserk. It could clearly see the girl but every time it tried to pounce or bite her, it hit an invisible obstruction. It seemed to be standing on thin air even though it could feel a solid object under its paws. Enraged, it hopped up and down along the cabinet, ravenous for a kill.
Tegan heard the beast and turned her head to look over her shoulder. She saw the creature staring down at her with its lips curled, saliva dripping from its jaws. She shrieked. “What are you doing, Aari?”
“I’m sorry!” he yelled. “I tried, but I can’t cover both inanimate and animate objects at the same time! Would you like me to let go?”
“Yes please!”
As soon as the cabinet reappeared, the beast rammed it with its head. Inside, Tegan let loose a barrage of screams. The beast tried to bite through the cabinet but its teeth slid off the smooth surface. Jumping off, it searched for an angle to chomp down. When it found a corner, it crunched the steel with its powerful jaws.
Tegan, ears ringing with all the commotion, traced the source of the newest noise. Two curved fangs suddenly pierced through the corner of the cabinet. They quickly disappeared, leaving behind a pair of holes. Light from the kitchen shone through them.
Aari quickly took stock of his options, then called out to his friend. “Teegs, I want you to listen carefully! I think I figured a way out, but you need to calm down. Focus, alright? You gotta make a mindlink for support. We can’t do this on our own.”
Her muffled voice shouted back. “Oh, yeah, sure! Not like I’m freaking out or anything over here!”
“You gotta do
it, Tegan!”
Hearing Aari’s voice, the beast left the cabinet and leapt back onto the counter. Aari groaned. “The thing’s coming for me again. I’ll keep it distracted. Link now!”
As the beast slithered along the counter, it met Aari’s gaze, making the boy shudder. It lowered itself, cropped tail flicking, then sprang. Aari pulled back in the nick of time. Just before the beast’s large head shot through the trap door, a shadow flitted across Aari’s sight and a screech echoed in the kitchen.
The creature dropped to the ground. It heard the powerful flap of wings and as it spun around to look, the talons of an enormous golden eagle sank into its muzzle and ripped upward, tearing the flesh, barely missing the beast’s eyes. The beast brayed and leapt at the bird as she took off through an opening in the damaged roof.
Shaking off the pain from its fresh wounds, the animal’s ragged breathing filled the kitchen. Before it could regain its composure, Akira reappeared and struck the beast on its face once more.
Instead of fleeing through the roof again, the eagle glided low, taunting the creature as she flew through the dining area and out the demolished main entrance. The ploy worked. The beast left its quarries in the kitchen and took off after the eagle.
Aari sat back, pulling his head to his knees. Once he’d caught his breath, he made sure the beast was truly gone before lowering his legs through the ceiling and swinging down.
He ran to the toppled cabinet and struggled with it before at last turning it onto its side. He pulled the door open and Tegan crawled out. He helped her up and, as she lurched toward him, he hugged her tight.
She pulled back after a few moments and wiped her cheeks dry. “We’re still alive?” she asked, half whispering, half laughing.
Aari laughed as well, letting out his pent-up fear. “Yes, we are.”
“You did good back there.”
“Yeah. You too.” He stopped to listen to the sounds of gunfire and shouting. He glanced at Tegan and she nodded. They climbed over the broken wall and cautiously made their way out of the mess hall.
Standing in the shadow of the big man, Tayoka irked his beefy opponent simply with his mischievous appearance. The giant clearly detested the Elder’s brazen look and sought to wipe it off his face. He threw a straight punch but Tayoka was ready. He bent over backwards until his back was parallel with the ground. The giant took in the older man’s elasticity with disbelief.
As Tayoka righted himself, the giant delivered several rapid left-and-right blows. The Elder dodged them with ease as well, swiftly weaving from side to side.
The big man stepped back, face as dark as a thunderstorm, then lashed out with a spinning back kick. Tayoka bent back again but this time into a bridge position. As the giant’s leg swung past, pulling his body around, Tayoka tucked his legs toward his chest. Using his arms like loaded springs, he kicked out and caught the giant squarely, sending him tumbling a few feet away.
The big man lumbered to his feet; the Elder could see the sheer incredulity on his face.
The giant looked past Tayoka at the pistol several yards behind him, then charged at the Elder as if the other man was a matador and he was the bull. Tayoka didn’t blink as the giant came closer. Balancing his stance, he waited until his rival was close enough before stooping low. As the other man’s legs connected with Tayoka’s shoulder, the Elder quickly straightened and, using the bigger man’s momentum, flipped him over his shoulder.
The giant crash-landed beside his pistol, groaning. When he saw the Elder approach, he snatched the gun and aimed it. Tayoka halted in his tracks, eyes trained on the barrel as a bullet shot out. He ducked, the bullet rocketing over his head, then sprinted toward the giant. Another two rounds were fired but Tayoka deftly sidestepped, never once breaking his stride.
The giant began to back up, unable to comprehend how any human being could dodge what should have been direct hits. He kept firing, flabbergasted but unyielding.
At the speed he was moving, the world slowed down for Tayoka. The bullets racing toward him seemed to travel at a fraction of their actual velocity and he easily avoided them.
Upon reaching his opponent he grabbed the man’s neck and, leveraging the thrust he had built, lifted and hurled the titan off the ground. The airborne man flipped in midflight and hurtled through the window of the medical building.
There was a moment of stillness. Tayoka, on his toes, waited for the giant to charge at him again but there was no movement.
The Elder crept toward the building and saw part of the other man’s limp body on the floor; he was out cold. Tayoka pulled an active vine from his belt to tie him up.
Movement in the corner of his eye made him look up. A large, jagged piece of glass precariously attached to the top of the windowpane was beginning to come loose. Tayoka tried to run to the unconscious man but it was too late; the glass plummeted toward the giant’s head.
The Elder turned away, swinging the rope in his hand. Suspecting that there would be no need for the active vine any longer, he left the scene.
Nageau and his team steadily picked off the remaining workers; most were down for the count while a few others still tromped around, brandishing weapons they took from their immobilized comrades.
The Elder rubbed his temples. The villagers were in a position to win—if only the beasts could be taken out of the picture. Nageau could hardly watch as two of the animals tore a woman apart. Although the team shot a few arrows at them, the beasts neither fell nor weakened.
Sitting next to him, Kody looked away, fingers digging into the dirt. As he cursed the creatures, the sound of an aircraft in the distance reached his ears. Sharing questioning looks with Nageau, he quirked his head to listen better. Understandably, the others didn’t notice the sound and loaded their crossbows to continue their assault.
Nageau tilted his head as well. “Tell me where you think the sound is coming from, youngling,” he said.
Kody pointed right, shielding his eyes from the rising sun.
The sound grew steadily louder, and less than a minute later an enormous aircraft rose into view, approaching the mining site. It hovered a hundred feet below the team’s vantage point and about three hundred feet above the landing pad. Kody gasped at the Osprey as it hung in midair, his dread growing.
The co-pilot in the cockpit took in the devastation below. “Looks like a war zone down there!” he exclaimed.
“Got that right.” The pilot was equally surprised by the scene. “I guess the guy really wasn’t exaggerating when he said his operation was in trouble.”
“There’s only one reason anyone would want to hire people with our kind of record.” The co-pilot inspected the site. “I wonder how this started.”
“It doesn’t matter how it started. We’re going to finish it.” The pilot yelled for the third crewmember to get into position. The man nodded and gripped the 50-caliber M2 machine gun attached to the loading ramp as it was lowered. The pilot turned the Osprey around to give the gunner a view of the site.
“You see ’em?” the pilot asked.
“Swing around a little more!” the gunner called. “Need a better angle!”
“Roger that!”
The gunner looked around, picking out potential targets as the pilot unwittingly flew the plane closer to where Nageau’s team was situated. He settled for mowing down three natives grappling with a couple of workers just outside the entrance to the mine tunnel.
One of Nageau’s men dropped his crossbow as he watched the three villagers being gunned down. “Brother!” he screamed as the second man was obliterated by the massive rounds from the plane’s weapon. “Brother!”
Kody quailed at the uncontrollable anguish in the man’s voice. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. I want to get out of here, I want to get out of here.
Had he looked behind him, he would have noticed rage distorting the villager’s face. Something had snapped in the man as he watched his brother’s final
moments. He retreated as far back as he could and, with a burst of power, sprinted with incredible speed toward the edge of the peak and leapt off before anyone could stop him.
Soaring through the air with the velocity he’d gained, he closed in on the hovering plane and landed on the large horizontal stabilizer before falling onto the ramp. Whipping out his hunting knife, he charged at the gunner like a madman.
The gunner turned his weapon and instinctively fired. He watched the villager collapse and roll down the ramp out of the plane, then released his grip on the trigger. He was speechless. How anyone could have gotten onto the plane was beyond him.
The pilot called to him. “Hey, bozo! Keep that thing going! They’re all running for cover!”
As the gunner again placed his hands on the machine gun, a series of clink-clanking sounds caught his attention. He frowned. What on earth was going on? Then an arrow whizzed past him, nearly embedding itself into his shoulder.
“I can’t believe it!” the co-pilot exclaimed. “Tenacious bunch, aren’t they?”
“Tenacious bunch of lunatics, you mean,” shouted the gunner as more arrows clanked inside the aircraft. When a third nearly struck him, he yelled, “I’m in their line of fire! I need some cover!”
No sooner were the words out of his mouth than an arrow was shot clear through his neck. He fell over, writhing. The co-pilot looked back, wondering why the firing had stopped again, then saw the gunner.
“Ay dios mio,” he seethed. He quickly unbuckled himself and left his seat. “Ron’s down! I’m gonna go check on him!”
“Get on the gun!” the pilot shouted. “I’ll reduce our altitude to give you better firing solution!”
“Copy that!” his counterpart answered as he checked on the gunner. Realizing it was too late to save him, the co-pilot took up his post behind the gun, resolving to avenge his fallen comrade.
56
Jag tied up a worker he’d just tangled with and laid the man down by the side of the miners’ barracks. He stepped back to observe his handiwork when he heard a click and felt something press against the back of his head.