Discovery at Nerwolix

by C. G. Coppola

  “That was the plan. Ever pay attention when Sampson talks?”

  “They’re not going to come from here,” he motions through the trees to the silent shore ahead. Everything sits quiet, still. It’s a few hours since dawn and the sky has just turned from pink to blue. “They’ll be going straight for the Hylas Mountains. That’s where Reuzkimpart sent his troops last time. That’s where they want to be.”

  “Yeah, but Hozfin already has some eyes out there,” I say. “In case they do come from here too, we need to know.”

  Walker shakes his head and turns around. He plants his hands on his hips and, facing the trees, lets out a deep, frustrated exhale. “We’re wasting our time.”

  “You waste it. We’ll watch the beach,” Reid looks around the group. “Everyone have their Brulilies and Traxpires?”

  All the Rogues and Pratt hold up their weapons.

  “Good,” Reid nods. “Now, if you see something—anything at all—do not shoot. Whistle the two- toned note we practiced to both of your neighbors and they’ll pass it along. We all need to be aware of what’s happening. Sampson doesn’t want us engaging, but if the Vermix is close enough—Walker said a ten foot radius—use the Brulily. Keep it quick and keep it silent. If something happens, if they spot you, then whip out the Traxpire and blow the fucker away. We clear?”

  Everyone nods.

  “Good. We’re going to spread out,” he points from one end of the long shore to the other. “I don’t want more than twenty-feet between everyone. Twenty five tops. Sight and sound are key. If I can’t see or hear you, I can’t help you and warn the others. Everyone got it?”

  The Rogues and Pratt nod.

  “Up the trees, mid-level or so as practiced. When you get there, send a quick whistle to both neighbors so they know your location. Alright,” he nods and with a look around us, rubs his hands. “Let’s make it happen.”

  Booker, Werzo, Jace and Walker head for the left flank while Tucker, Able, Pratt and I aim for the right, Reid keeping to the center of the shore. I head past Pratt and Able but as I reach for the last spot near the end of the shore, Tucker shakes his head.

  “I’ll take the edge,” he grasps one of the Yulu leaves and he’s up.

  I turn back and situating myself evenly between the Rogue Leader and Able, I find my own tree with a decent-sized branch about halfway up. From there I’ll be able to keep an eye on my portion of the beach and be close enough to the others to whistle if need be. Reaching for one of the same lime leaves, I grasp it and I go flying up. I slow about midway and once secure on the branch, I let it go.

  Everything is quiet. Still. I try looking for Tucker, squinting through the trees until I find him pacing a high level branch about thirty feet away. Letting out the low two-toned whistle, I wait for his response. A second later it’s reflected back to me. I can hear it, but just barely. Turning to the other side, I do the same thing. Finding Able a bit closer, I whistle and he mirrors it back. Okay. So now I know where my neighbors are and that I can hear them if something happens.

  I’ve probably been watching the beach for twenty minutes and everything is still quiet. Motionless. I decide to sit down with my back to the trunk and get comfortable. It could be a long day like this. Craning my neck, I look into the lime green canopy above, to all the tear-drop-shaped Yulus descending in various heights. I can’t see the sky anymore, though the sun is bright enough to light up the rounded bulbs. It’s mid morning—probably about ten o’clock.

  Last night when Reid and I got back to my home, I couldn’t sleep. We both stayed awake for a while, staring up at the wooden ceiling in silence. He fell asleep after a while, but I couldn’t. There was too much to think about, too much to go over. Like Hozfin wanting to attack Dellapalania. And Jothkore and Clarence leaving to inform the others. And Clarence himself… everything he told me…I still haven’t fully wrapped my mind around it. Around what it means. And we haven’t talked about it since. And then, going out to the Origin of the Gifts… what did that last part mean? About me having to leave the others behind? Where will I go? And to do what? And for how long? There are too many questions, too many things to think about and all I want is a moment to myself. I guess this is it. Now. Sitting up here in a tree, waiting for the Vermix invasion which may not happen today or here at all.

  Everything’s going so fast.

  I just need it to slow down.

  Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. Inhale and exhale. Inhale and exhale. Calming. Soothing. Another inhale and my body loosens, seizing the relaxation it so desperately needs. Exhale and my eye lids grow heavy, wanting to stay down. Another inhale and I slump back further, my fingers loosening around the Traxpire and Brulily. Exhale and my mind starts to go blank…white… into the quiet I’ve been craving...

  I jerk, hitting the trunk.

  How long was I out? Still grasping both weapons, I rub my eye, quickly searching. Nothing. Everything is still quiet. Motionless. I look to my right, trying to find Tucker when a soft two-toned whistles flies through the trees from my left. It’s almost unrecognizable, like the leaves giving off their own delicate chimes, but it’s what we practiced. I know that sound. Maybe Able is just wondering if I’ve awoken yet—seriously, how long was I out? Turning to locate him, I freeze immediately.

  Ahead on the ground, not more than a few feet from my tree, a group of Vermix move. Heart pounding, I do a quick count. Only six. Okay. Not bad. Six is not that bad. Softly, another whistle floats through the air and I look for Tucker again. But before I find him, I’m startled by another herd of Vermix. They silently meander through the trees, Traxpires drawn. I do another count. There are eight. Shit. What do we do? Take them out now? Or wait until they’re all here? Looking out to the shore, my heart stops.

  I can’t see the sand. It’s covered. Covered with Vermix, all waiting for the first round to finish combing the trees. Oh my God. There are only nine of us and there must be… hundreds of them. Maybe thousands. I gulp, trying to remember Reid’s instructions. If they’re close enough, use the Brulily, but if they see us, if they start attacking, whip out the Traxpire. But I can’t shoot them with the Brulily—not yet. That will give away my location and alarm the others that there’s something up in the trees. No, I can’t shoot them. Then what do I do?

  I need to tell Sampson.

  Closing my eyes, I try to concentrate, never having done this before. We should’ve practiced. Since finding out about my heritage, I should’ve insisted on practicing how to communicate, but I was too shell-shocked or something. I have to do it now.

  Sampson—it’s happening. They’ve landed. Can you hear me? Sampson, can you hear me?

  A moment passes.

  Yes, I can hear you, Fallon, his voice rings in my head. Are you all at the beach?

  Yes. They’re here. Thousands of them.

  Don’t engage. Quietly make your way back to the city. I’ll notify Hozfin and send the Zingfinolds out there.

  Sampson—there are so many. I can’t even see the beach.

  It’s alright; just make your way back here. I’m sending the Zingfinolds now. They’ll cut them off before the Vermix can advance to the city.

  Okay…

  I wish I had the same ability with the others, so that I could tell them Sampson is sending in the Zingfinolds. He wants us to return to the city and not to engage. The others know this. Maybe if I can show Tucker and Able that we’re meant to head back, they’ll understand. And Able can pass it along down the line. It’s the only way. Letting out a faint two-toned whistle, I focus on Tucker a ways down. The Vermix on the ground stop momentarily, looking around and then up. Cementing my back to the trunk, I hold still, trying to still my frantic pulse. After a second, the footsteps continue and I allow my head to roll to the right. I find Tucker immediately and he’s already pointing back toward the city. I nod and turn to the left. Able’s watching the ground, aiming his Traxpire as the Vermix move closer below us.

  I take a deep breath and
let out another whistle. Able’s head jerks up, but so do the Vermix and this time, with their weapons pointed. Stilling myself again, I gulp, locking eyes with the Rogue. Using my head, I indicate moving back, toward the city and he nods. Okay, good. He’ll be able to send the message down the line and silently, we’ll all be able to retreat.

  Quietly shifting to a stand, I tuck my Brulily in my jeans pocket and grasp the Traxpire in my left hand. In my right, I reach for one of the Yulus, readying myself to swing to another tree. But before I take off, a Traxpire explosion sounds in the distance down the left side of the beach.

  Another one goes off and suddenly, my blood runs cold.

  Chapter Nineteen: Arrival

  The Vermix on the ground scatter, Traxpires aimed high into the trees. I look off the branch and jerk back, the fiery bullet ripping past me. My heart races and I swallow my nerves, quickly trying to think. Sampson said not to engage but it’s already happening. Do I fight back or flee? And is fighting even an option? When we only have nine and they have… an entire army? Another explosion rips past the branch, shaking it.

  What do I do?

  Releasing the leaf, I secure both hands on my gun and carefully peer over the edge. Three Vermix ascend the tree, racing up the trunk toward me. Taking aim, I focus on the closest one, on the green patch in the center of his head. I pull the trigger and he falls back, landing on the last one and the two hit to the ground with a thunderous smack. The second races faster and I aim for the same spot, pulling the trigger again. But as he falls to the ground, another five have ascended in his place. Before I have time to calculate if I’ll even be able to shoot them all down, a deep growling emits from the other side of the tree and just as I turn, a snarling, yellow-eyed Dofinike appears. He’s about to lunge for me but I pull the trigger again and he flies backward.

  Tucking my Traxpire into my left hand, I grab for the Yulu again. I need to get off of here. Now. Just as the other Vermix reach my branch, I take off in a swing to another tree, one closer to the city. Securing myself, I spin and find my previous spot is now covered with Vermix, all yellow eyes locked on me. I start firing at them before peeking over the branch. More have ascended, racing up the trunk toward me. Shit. I won’t be able to stay in one place very long. Glancing around, I try searching for the others but I can’t find them. I hear them—hear their Traxpires going off in the distance. Unless those are the Vermix… No—I can’t think like that. Pratt and the Rogues are smart enough to keep moving, keep swinging in closer to the city. We just need to keep going. Need to keep moving—

  My Traxpire is knocked from my hand. An enormous Dofinike stands over me and in my moment of surprise, he grips his talons around my neck. My heart stops, fear choking me until I hear a scream in the distance. Pratt. The fear turns to anger and then rage. Reaching into my other pocket, I yank free the small blade that Reid insisted I carry and I jab it straight into the soft patch of the Vermix’s belly. His eyes widen just as I yank it free and stab him again and again and again. He’s still holding me but his grip loosens. I’m able to get a little air into my lungs now and he releases me completely, holding his stomach. Right before he flails backward, he shoves his talons into my chest with a snarl, pushing me off the branch too.

  I’m falling, my arms up and reaching, trying to grab something—anything. I hit the Yulus all around me, crashing through them like different layers of round rubber, trying to clasp one. Just one. That’s all I need. Somehow I manage, gripping a Yulu and yanking it hard, I’m suddenly soaring the other way, back through the lime green lush. Everything is happening too quickly. I don’t have my Traxpire and I’ve lost the little blade. It fell somewhere below, into the sea of Vermix that are swiftly climbing every tree in this forest. Where are the others? And what do I do now?

  Still soaring, I tug on the leaf when I finally pass the mid-level branches. I’m higher than the Vermix, who seem to be keeping to the ground or just above it. I should probably head back for the city up here, where the Vermix probably won’t go. They can climb, but the chances that they’ll chase me all the way—

  A flash of orange light rips past me, searing the trunk by my head. I follow its source and find a herd of Vermix atop the same height branches, a few trees away. Holy shit. One launches itself for me, but I swing to the next tree, securing myself quickly. How did this happen? There are too many of them. And the others… where are the others?

  “Fallon!” Able calls a few trees down. His eyes are wide and alarmed, his finger pointing. “Behind you!”

  I turn to find a Vermix soaring toward me, his Traxpire out. I don’t have time to think. I don’t have time to do anything. My heart has stopped, my body refusing to move as I brace myself for the brutal impact. Except, at the last second, an orange blast rips through his chest and he tumbles back to the ground below.

  Walker is here, on the branch with me, one arm on a Yulu and the other grasping his Traxpire. “Fallon! You okay?”

  I nod, still expecting to be hit. “I… I lost my gun. And my blade.”

  “Here,” he hands me a small knife. “We’ll get you another Traxpire.”

  I take it, still trying to understand the last few minutes, trying to remember everything that happened. There’s a whole army of Vermix and they’re invading the trees down here by the shore. I heard Pratt scream but I don’t know where she is. I don’t know where anyone is other than Able and Walker. I turn to him. “Pratt… I heard Pratt.”

  “You did,” he fires the Traxpire at two more leaping Vermix before winding his hand around my waist. “Hold on, we need to get off this branch.”

  Squeezing him, we take off for another tree, swinging closer to Able who is shooting at the impending Vermix climbing up the trunk of his. He shoots a few times then switches to the other side, firing off a few more rounds. Walker and I land just two trees away and he’s already taking aim at the Dofinikes racing up our trunk. I don’t have a Traxpire—just the small blade—so I can’t really do anything to help. Why oh why did I have to drop it?

  Something grazes my leg and I fall back, nearly off the branch. But before going over, I grip the edge of the wood, holding on as I watch a Vermix climb up.

  “Walker!” I scream, using all my strength to hoist myself up. He turns, looking for me first, but finds the Vermix. He shoots him just as another Dofinike pulls himself up and I call again, “Behind you!”

  With his back turned, he takes care of the second Vermix and I manage to hoist myself back onto the branch. I only have a moment to breathe before a set of black talons digs into the wood. On instinct I grab the blade and jam it into the green claw. A hiss of pain emits as his head and chest appear, a set of loathing yellow eyes glaring into mine. But I don’t give him a second. I jab the blade though his neck over and over. His eyes widen and then roll back. Before he falls, I reach for his Traxpire and grabbing it, I snatch it back to my chest.

  Finally!

  “Fallon,” Walker calls, “we’ve got to move!”

  I jump to my feet and with the gun in my right hand, I wrap my other around Walker’s neck. Holding me by my waist, he takes off, swinging us to another tree. Able is doing the same thing, flying back for the city but this may not do any good any longer. There are just too many Vermix. And there’s only the nine of us.

  “Tell me Pratt’s okay,” I say, just as we land on a branch, Walker reaching for a new Yulu.

  “That I know. They spotted Jace when he was trying to notify Werzo. He shot at them before I could tell him to use the Brulily.”

  “What good would that do?”

  “There were only three. The others might not have noticed. But he fired his Traxpire and the whole thing was blown,” Walker swings us to another branch. “But Pratt shot hers too, giving away her position. They started in for her.”

  “Do you know… is she…?”

  “Rox got her. As long as they’re still moving, she’s fine.”

  Able is swinging parallel to us, back towards the city
. But he’s the only one I can find. Tucker disappeared somewhere behind us and I haven’t seen or heard anything from anyone else.

  “What about the others? Do you know?”

  Walker shakes his head. “They’re retreating—they should be at least,” he reaches for another leaf. “I tried to do an estimate of how many Vermix landed…”

  “And?” I ask, mid-swing.

  He exhales. “From my calculations… could be about five thousand.”

  “Five thousand?” I gasp as another orange blast flies ahead. We both duck and in that moment of surprise, a Vermix leaps on the branch, knocking Walker to his back, separating us. He advances while Walker reaches for his Traxpire, trying to aim it in time. Focusing on the Dofinike’s three red lines, I pull the trigger, shooting an orange blast right through the back of his neck. He falls to the side, revealing a shocked but smiling Walker. But then his glee fades. He starts to reach out but I don’t see it in time—the Vermix who has launched himself at me. It happens in slow motion, the snarling and narrowed yellow eyes, aimed to knock me from the branch. I brace myself for the impact and this time it hits, like a boulder slamming into me, the branch is gone. Only air and layers of the lime green Yulus surround me as I tumble back into nothing.

  Somewhere in the distance above, Walker is calling my name. But it’s so high up already, nearly to the top of the tree. Where I was only seconds ago. But I’m all the way down here, passing the Vermix who scale the trees with ease. I’m going to hit the ground any second. I know it. And I’ll be dead. Dead unless I can slow myself, unless I can stop myself from breaking on the ground. I need to reach out like I did before. I need to find a Yulu, another branch—something to hold on to. With my hands out, my fingers reach, trying to find the something I need to save myself. But I’m almost there. Any second now and it will be too late.

  Please… please let this not be the end.

  Something hard grips my wrist.

  I stop with a jerk, pain shooting up my arm. It reverberates through my body, but I know I’m not crushed. I didn’t hit the ground. I’m suspended about ten feet from it and panting out the fear of nearly being flattened, I look up to find Booker with a finger over his mouth. He drops it and points one way. Low hisses and murmurs sound from behind a wall of rustling Yulus. There must be a small herd of Dofinikes moving through the trees, passing in and out of the low-hanging lime leaves. Looking back to Booker, he silently tugs me up and onto the branch with him.