by B. C. Harris
As I watch Radwin, I have another idea. “Could we use sensergy to tell Frank what we want her to do?”
“Kabingas are not very good at using sensergy,” Radwin say, “so I don’t think that would work.”
“Tarcharon is approaching,” Jamie says with concern.
I turn in time to see Tarcharon leaping onto our cart like a hungry lizard.
“As you may have noticed,” he begins in a coarse voice,” the path through the mountains is about to get much narrower. I noticed from a distance that you all have sudden energy. I’m not sure what you might be up to, but if anything unusual occurs within your cage, I have instructed my guards to hurt whoever they please.”
Tarcharon looks angrily at me.
“Do you understand what I am saying?” he says as though he’s spitting poison.
I nod slightly, but I force myself to act as though he no longer scares me.
Has Tarcharon seen Frank? Is that what he’s talking about?
Tarcharon bends over until his face is less than a hand’s length away from mine. The only thing separating us is the solid glass-like wall of our cage.
Jasmin is grinning with attitude at Tarcharon. She is provoking him in the same manner that an obnoxious student might test a teacher.
Tarcharon’s face is red with anger.
As he turns away from us and leaps off the cart, he barks some words to his guards.
The guards begin to salivate. They look eager to harm us.
With the guards watching for us to make a mistake, it will be impossible to use acting to tell Frank what we want her to do. If we do anything unusual, we are going to pay the price.
“Don’t pay any attention to Tarcharon,” Jasmin says. “There must be some way that we can communicate with Frank.”
A shiver runs down my spine as I realize that the guards are keeping their focus on me more than any of my friends. As I think about this further, I wonder if this could help us. If I can keep the guards looking at me, one of my friends might be able to find a way to signal Frank to get my emerald.
Turning to my friends, I say, “The guards are closely watching me. I’m going to walk around. As they watch me, see if you can develop a plan for sending a message to Frank.
In the cramped cage I take a few steps here or there, gazing at the soldiers and their weapons, and looking throughout the canyon and into the mountains.
I feel like I have a hundred eyes watching me, which I guess is probably true.
My friends are whispering to each other.
The canyon is getting significantly narrower. The walls of the mountains are closing in on us. Soon the army will be sandwiched in between the high walls of the mountains on either side of the slender valley. As I look from the valley to the mountains, there are numerous flashes of color in the mountains in front of us.
I step towards my friends who are sitting on the floor. Bending over, I whisper, “There are a bunch of kabingas in the mountains where the valley gets narrower.”
- 40 -
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
It doesn’t take very long for me to see fifteen to twenty kabingas moving around in the mountains. Although it’s difficult to imagine Frank and the other kabingas fighting against the Shadite army, perhaps they have a plan to rescue us.
I’m surprised that the Shadite soldiers haven’t noticed the kabingas. Perhaps they’re so focused on their destination that they don’t bother looking up into the mountains. Of course, another possibility is simply that the Shadites think that the kabingas are harmless inhabitants of the mountains. Whatever the reason, the soldiers don’t appear to have any interest in them.
The canyon narrows dramatically once again slightly ahead of us. A massive number of weapons have already entered this constricted passage between the high mountains. The large trucks filled with the ammunition and explosive are beginning to enter the narrow passage. We are following the trucks. Behind us is an army that stretches further than I can see.
I scan the mountains above the canyon. Frank and the other kabingas have disappeared.
As I look at my friends, I catch the concern on their faces. Like me, they must have realized that the kabingas have vanished. Remembering that kabingas can synthate, I wonder if Frank and the other kabingas have altered their colors and skin surfaces to blend in perfectly with the rock outcroppings in the mountains.
As my mind wanders, home seems to be a dream from some other life. If we find a way to escape this danger and get safely back home, it’s going to be a long time before I use my emerald again. I don’t know if I could handle another adventure like this.
I think of my father. Although he’s been largely absent from my mind during the past few days, my intuition tells me that he’s somehow connected to the emerald. For a few seconds, I even entertain a thought of him leading an army to defeat the Shadites
I’m startled from my musings when I realize we are close to entering the narrow passage between the mountains. I tremble with fear as I wonder if the lake where Lattisan is located is at the end of this constricted canyon.
Once again, I look high into the mountains as I search for Frank and the other kabingas. I’m desperate to find them again. When I do, I know that we have to risk trying to signal Frank to get my emerald. We have to find a way to stop the Shadites from attacking Lattisan.
“We’ve got to do something,” I say to no one in particular.
“I agree,” Jasmin replies, making no effort to keep her voice down. “Even if you lead Tarcharon directly to Lattisan, he’s still going to kill all of us after he gets what he wants.”
“Any thoughts on what we can do?” Michael asks.
I notice that the guards are looking at me with growing suspicion.
“We need to do something to force the guards to open our cage,” Jamie says. “Once the door is open, if we cause a commotion, Radwin could escape.”
“And Tarcharon will inflict his punishment on the rest of us,” I counter.
“Don’t worry about me,” Jasmin says. “I can look after myself.”
“Me too,” says Jamie.
“I’ll be okay,” says Michael.
Jasmin leaps across the cage and begins to pound on the front of our cage with her fists.
One of the guards grunts at us.
The menacing guard jumps onto our wagon. He begins to point angrily at Jasmin.
“Looks like we’ve got company,” Jamie says, “and he doesn’t look very happy.”
I’m not sure about this plan. While it is possible that Radwin might escape, there is no doubt in my mind that Tarcharon will inflict severe pain on my friends, possibly even killing some of them.
Jasmin starts to make faces at the guard who is getting angrier.
A second, and then a third guard, jump onto our wagon. They snarl at us. They begin to pound on the walls of our cage in anger.
Our wagon is rocking back and forth. I wonder what would happen if it collapses.
Michael joins Jasmin at the front wall. He begins to mimic the irate face of one of the guards.
“Now, we’ve upset them,” I say.
“Good,” Jasmin replies. “Keep it up. Make them open the cage. We’re going to die anyways, so let’s at least die fighting.”
In spite of the furious guards striking our cage, Jasmin remains calm like she was when we were attacked by the chromidians back in the jungle. She stares at the biggest guard in a manner that suggests she’d love to fight him.
The beast opposite Jasmin is enraged. He stomps up and down so hard that I think he is going to crash through the floor of our cart.
“Come and get us, you dumb creatures,” Jamie shouts as he raises his fists at the guards.
Drew looks like he is going to explode although he’s still sitting on the floor of the cage.
I start to pound my fists on the transparent wall of the cage. It feels like I’m striking steel.
I scream, “Where’s Tarcharon the big coward? Whe
re’s the big baby?”
Radwin is darting furiously around the cage as though is he preparing to launch himself out of the cage should the door open.
“Tarcharon, you’re a coward!” I shout.
“Oh, am I?” a terrifying voice responds.
I didn’t see him jumping onto our wagon.
I step back in fear.
My friends continue taunting the guards as though they could care less about the arrival of Tarcharon.
Tarcharon’s face is filled with rage. His eyes are bulging. His muscles are stretching the seams of his trench coat. His neck swells. Saliva drips from his thick lips.
He opens the cage door.
Perhaps we were a little braver when there was a thick wall separating us from the guards. Now that the cage door is open, our situation has changed. We nervously step to the back of the cage.
Suddenly Squirt pokes his head out of one of Tarcharon’s pockets.
Tarcharon growls with fury as he reaches for me.
Unexpectedly, Drew charges Tarcharon.
In the same way that a person might swat a pesky fly, Tarcharon knocks Drew off the wagon.
“You big loser,” Jasmin says to Tarcharon.
As he reaches for her, she spins in mid-air and drives the side of her foot into his nose. A spatter of blood from his nose hits the side of our cage.
As Tarcharon grabs his nose, Radwin escapes from our cage.
Tarcharon goes crazy at the sight of Radwin leaving. He unravels his whip. Just before he unleashes it, Jasmin flies through the air and kicks the back of Tarcharon’s head. The blow is enough to knock him off balance. By the time he recovers, Radwin is gone.
Jasmin spins and tries another kick, but this time Tarcharon is ready. He blocks the kick, grabs her long hair, and throws her off the cart.
Tarcharon angrily turns back to the cage. Before I can react, he snatches me. He lifts me high in the air and begins to shake me.
Squirt comes out of nowhere to leap onto Tarcharon’s head. Before Tarcharon can react, Squirt begins clawing at the repulsive creature’s eyes.
Tarcharon’s massive hands drop me as he tries to catch Squirt. I fall off the wagon.
Tarcharon tries to protect his eyes, but Squirt is already clawing at his neck. No matter how quickly Tarcharon moves, Squirt is faster. The little purple zakabibble is everywhere, biting the crazed creature’s ears and neck, but especially clawing away at his eyes.
The guards try to help Tarcharon, but it’s no use; Squirt is too fast for all of them. Confusion runs rampant as Tarcharon is unable to grab the tiny zakabibble. Squirt keeps biting and clawing his face, neck, and eyes.
Suddenly, one of the guards shouts, “Look!”
I look in the direction where the guard is pointing.
I see what has caught his attention. In the mountains the kabingas are throwing something. They are throwing rocks.
“Blast them out of the mountains,” Tarcharon commands, momentarily forgetting about my friends and me.
Before any of the soldiers can react, there is an increasing roar coming from high in the mountains. My brain quickly computes what is happening. The rocks that are being thrown by the kabingas are causing other rocks in the mountains to become dislodged. An avalanche of rocks is starting to fall.
“The ammunition trucks!” Michael exclaims as though he’s announcing our deaths.
As I look in the direction of the ammunition trucks, I see that the rocks from the mountains are beginning to fall on them. It is only a matter of time before one of the trucks explodes.
“Oh no,” Michael shouts. “One of the trucks is on fire.”
I locate a rising plume of black smoke, realizing the end is near.
“It’s going to blow up!” Jamie says incredulously.
Once one truck explodes, the complete line of trucks will detonate. No one has to tell me that such a series of explosions would kill everyone in this valley.
I’m frozen in terror trying to decide what to do next. All around us, a mass of panicking soldiers are pushing, shoving, and beginning to fight each other as they attempt to flee from the ammunition trucks. Even Tarcharon has vanished.
As the rocks continue to pound down from the mountains, I know we have to escape.
All of a sudden, there’s a flurry of colorful creatures flying around us.
It’s Radwin, along with Frank and several other kabingas.
“Jump on our backs!” Frank yells. “We can save you!”
In the chaos that is occurring, no one notices as we leap onto the kabingas. As I wrap my arms around Frank, something grabs my arm. I turn, thinking that Tarcharon has returned, but instead I find a grinning Squirt who jumps onto my shoulders.
Frank quickly rises into the air. My friends are gripping the backs of the other kabingas.
My mind is wracked with horror. Can we get out of the valley before the ammunition trucks explode?
- 41 -
THE EXPLOSION
Clutching the back of the kabingas, we fly higher and higher. I grip Frank as tightly as I can, realizing that if I fall off her I will plunge to my death.
Below us is a scene of panic. Soldiers are crushing each other in an attempt to get far away from the ammunition trucks, especially the truck that is on fire.
Once the truck explodes, it will set off a chain reaction causing all the ammunition trucks to blow up. We have to get out of the area before the blast occurs. We have to get as high as possible into the mountains to avoid being swallowed up by the impending explosion.
Suddenly, an incredible series of blasts rocks the mountains. A blinding light of fire fills the canyon below us. It’s as though a violent earthquake is tearing the mountains apart. The mountains around us begin to crumble as though a giant has stepped on them.
Ferocious winds from the blast hit us like a runaway train. I hold onto Frank for my life as we’re sent spinning out of control in the upward surge from the explosion. We’re being pushed and pulled in every possible direction. The heat from the blast below us is searing. The noise from the explosion and the mountains breaking apart is deafening.
After what seems like forever, we stop spinning. We stop rising and falling. Frank is now flying in one direction instead of the heart-pounding rollercoaster rush of twists and turns we had been experiencing.
I open my eyes.
Through the smoke and dust, I get the occasional glimpse of the valley below us. There are no signs of Tarcharon and his army. It’s as though an earthquake has swallowed them.
I shudder, remembering my friends. Did they all escape?
I look around; there is a group of kabingas flying not too far away.
As though Frank understands my thoughts, she picks up speed as she races towards the other kabingas.
Once we reach the kabingas, I see Radwin blinking his lights in celebration. Jamie is raising one of his arms in victory as his other arm clutches the back of a bright green kabinga with yellow polka-dots. Michael is on another kabinga. Drew is on a kabinga with blue spots. Not too far away from him, Jasmin has both her arms wrapped around the neck of a kabinga with bright purple polka-dots. Jasmin’s smile of happiness portrays what we’re all feeling.
I hug Frank with every ounce of my strength.
“Frank, you saved us. How did you ever know where to find us?”
“Actually, I didn’t, “Frank replies. “After the attack by the chromidians a couple of days ago, you disappeared through the third door. Jasper, Casper, Gasper and I decided to wait until you returned from your mission to Shade, but you never came back.”
“And we thought you were dead,” I say, my voice cracking with emotion at the realization that we’re all alive.
“Yesterday,” Frank continues, “we heard a huge noise. When we went to explore what it was, we discovered that the Shadite army was coming out of a tunnel in the mountains. Eventually I saw the cage. When I realized that you and your friends were trapped inside the cage, I knew we h
ad to find a way to save you.”
“A large group of other kabingas who live in the mountains joined us as we followed you, but we couldn’t figure out how to rescue you,” Frank says. “Today, when we noticed that the canyon became very narrow, we wondered if we could create some problems by throwing rocks. We were hoping that we might be able to save you in the resulting confusion. We had no idea that the rocks would cause a rockslide and an explosion.”
Radwin, flying nearby, joins the conversation.
“After I escaped from the cage,” he says, “I flew to Frank and the other kabingas. When I saw that one of the ammunition trucks was on fire and that the Shadite army was beginning to run in all directions, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to lead Frank and some other kabingas back to rescue you.”
“You all did an incredible job,” I gush with praise. “You’re all heroes. We’re finally safe. Tarcharon and his army have been defeated.
Lattisan is safe.
We will be able to return home.
I’ve never felt so happy in my entire life. Tears of joy begin to stream down my cheeks.
In spite of my delight, something is not quite right, but I can’t put my finger on what it is. There is too much celebrating going on around me for me to realize the obvious.
Then it hits me.
I no longer feel a tiny creature’s paws digging into my shoulders. Frantically, I touch my shoulders and my back.
Squirt is missing.
- 42 -
A GREAT CELEBRATION
“Tonight we want to celebrate a great victory, a victory that has saved Lattisan,” Capurni proudly announces.
I look around me. There are thousands of Lattisan inhabitants who have gathered in this incredible underwater world to celebrate our conquest of the Shadite army. Seated on a stage beside me are Jasmin, Michael, Jamie, Drew, Radwin, Frank and a multitude of other kabingas.
This afternoon after we returned to Lattisan, Capurni ensured that our clothes and our cuts and bruises were repaired using technology that was beyond my comprehension. Now, we look as fresh as the moment we first arrived in Lattisan.