“I think she’s still sleeping.” Brian opened his eyes wide, and blinked his eyelids rapidly, trying to get them to focus.
“She can’t be. Nobody could sleep through this ruckus.” Edward stepped around the shaman and poked his head into the other room. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Katie, horizontal on the mattress and facing the outer wall. For a split second, Edward wondered if she had died in her sleep, but then saw the slight rise and fall of her rib cage, indicating she was still breathing. The evidence before him forced Edward to consider if, while Katie underwent the accelerated aging process, she was having issues normally reserved for the elderly, like the loss of hearing.
Although the main chamber of the cabin sounded like it was in total chaos, Edward entered the bunkhouse and sat down on the bed next to Katie. As he tried to shake her to wakefulness, he realized she was going through another change. Her dark brown hair, which had been streaked with gray highlights when they entered the Outpost, was nearly as white as a ghost and seemed to have grown another few inches during her slumber. Shit! She’s already aging too quickly to keep track of, but is it possible that the process is even faster when she sleeps? Fearing his thoughts might have merit, he shook her so hard he nearly knocked her out of bed.
Groggily, she opened her eyes and groaned. “Is it time to get up already? I feel like I’ve barely slept a wink,” she protested in a sleep-slurred voice.
Edward propped her into a sitting position, then helped Katie to her feet. She wobbled unsteadily for a few seconds, leaning against him until she gained feeling in her extremities. The noises emanating from the other room alarmed him; it sounded as if the building was being ripped apart, causing a pit of dread in his stomach. Had the army of machines caught up to them while they attempted to sneak in a couple of hours of rest? Although he detested being anything but gentle with Katie, he took her arthritic, wrinkled hand in his and nearly dragged her into the main room. Julie was cowering in one corner, trembling like a petrified child. Brian, however, stood his ground in the center of the chamber, turning his head when he sensed Edward’s entrance. The shaman’s eyes were glazed over and milky-looking, but only half of what they had been when the group encountered the zombie hordes on future Earth.
The cracking sound of splintering wood was almost deafening, and when Edward quickly surveyed the situation, he saw why. The outer walls were buckling! Suddenly, his mind flashed back to being trapped in Katie's old house, reinforcing the terror he felt. Their current dilemma felt oddly similar, like the Outpost was somehow alive and trying to swallow them. “We need to get out of here,” he shouted, dragging Katie behind him like a rag doll. Edward stopped just long enough to collect Julie, then hurried toward the exit, hoping the shaman would be right on his heels.
As he reached out to interact with the strange doorknob, debris rained down from the ceiling. His eyes darted upward to assess the cause, and he saw the edges of the roof being peeled back, as if it was no more substantial than a child’s dollhouse. The massive beams splintered and cracked, showering them with sharp, needle-like slivers of wood. He expected to see hundreds of machines peering down on them from the fissure, but instead was thrown for a loop when several rope-like tentacles plunged through the opening. While he hastily pulled the women toward the floor to avoid being struck, Edward realized they were the vines that had previously appeared to be wrapped like snakes around the structure. Apparently, the jungle outside was more alive than he ever would have imagined!
Unlike the experience in Katie’s old house, however, Edward didn’t feel as helpless now that he was fighting a foe—albeit, one he had never encountered before—in his own world. Here, he had his magic at his disposal. From his crouched position, he relinquished his hold on the women and narrowed his eyelids in concentration, his palms growing hot within a fraction of a second and causing intense heat to radiate from his hands. Within moments, flames sprouted from his fingertips. Closing his eyes, he pictured an enormous fireball between his outstretched palms. When he opened them, a huge globe of fire—about three feet in diameter—hovered silently in the air directly before him, awaiting his final command.
Thrusting his palms outward, the giant ball of flame leapt toward its target, striking most, if not all, of the rope-like vines that had penetrated the roof. Unfortunately, the spell did not have the effect he was hoping for. As the fireball had streaked skyward, it'd done little to no damage. The threat remained, although most of the lively vines seemed to have at least been singed. Tendrils of damp smoke rose from their bark.
Quickly trying to figure out his next move, Edward latched onto the first idea that came to him. If fire had little to no effect, than maybe the opposite would work. He closed his eyelids again, concentrating on summoning a spell that would hopefully get them out of this predicament. He felt the immediate temperature change in the air around him as his hands turned bitterly cold. When he opened his eyes, he saw Brian lying on the floor. Feeling like an idiot for not warning the shaman of the impending fireball, all Edward could do was hope he hadn’t killed him by accident. He’d caused enough pain and death for his friends, and didn’t want anyone else’s demise on his conscience. After a moment of hesitation, he let out his breath and twisted his palms outward. The air around them turned an icy blue for a few seconds as the blast of cold filled the room. Eagerly, everyone’s eyes turned to see what kind of effect the spell had on the vines.
Edward was the first to breathe a sigh of relief. “It worked,” he stated softly, as if in awe of his own power. For the time being, the threat had passed. The rope-like tentacles were frozen solid, looking like enormous icicles hanging from the gutters of a house in the dead of winter.
Rising to his feet, Edward helped the women from the floor and crossed the room to check on Brian, who hadn’t moved yet. As he approached the motionless shaman, he began to hear the sound of chattering teeth. Edward’s lips curled up in a smile as he realized his friend was alive. “Thank the gods that I didn’t kill you,” he whispered, kneeling on the floor beside Brian.
Although it was unlikely any of them would need such a thing, especially since they were traveling in a much warmer climate these days, Edward hurried to the bunkhouse and gathered a few of the coarse, wool blankets from the beds. He walked back into the half destroyed main room of the structure with his bounty, and draped one of them over Brian to warm him. As he gazed across the chamber toward Katie and Julie, he noticed that they were shivering as well. Their condition was probably caused more by shock than anything else, though. Even so, he strolled over to where the stood and swaddled them with the rough material.
Thinking that they were safe for the time being, Edward ushered everyone outside. Oddly enough, even after most of the Outpost had been torn apart, the exit door was still intact and working perfectly. Amber could just barely be seen hiding amongst the jungle trees surrounding the perimeter of the building. However, the first light of dawn was starting to illuminate the sky, and her glowing form was beginning to fade. It wouldn’t be long before their guide disappeared again, leaving them to find their own way south since Skarr was still gone as well. At least they had a mechanical horse at their disposal. Although, with Katie’s rapidly deteriorating condition, Edward might have to consider using the machine to travel more swiftly toward the Throne of the Gods, which meant separating themselves from Brian and Julie. It was not something he wanted to do, unless there was no other choice.
Once everyone had warmed sufficiently, they shed their woolen shrouds and stored them behind the breastplate of the metallic beast. Edward helped Katie to the creature’s back and turned to the others. “Just to be on the safe side, I’m going to ride with her for now so I can make certain she doesn’t fall off.” He paused briefly, noting Brian and Julie’s reactions. While they didn’t object, it was obvious that they were weary and didn’t really want to walk. “We’ll switch off and take turns riding with Katie once in a while. That way, we will all have a chance to re
st our legs.” Hopefully, the situation doesn’t demand that we split up, he thought, exhaling a heavy sigh through his nose.
After climbing into the saddle, Edward opened his mouth to say something more, but was interrupted by a tremendous roar. The sound emanated from the north, and as one they turned their eyes in that direction. Seconds later, a billowing cloud of flame rose above the treetops, temporarily brightening the sky and causing Julie to shiver all over again. She never thought she would see something like that in person, especially not in a place like this. To her, it looked like the mushroom cloud of a nuclear explosion.
Chapter 26
She probably wouldn’t have a better opportunity than she had right now. If she risked getting any closer, the army of machines would almost certainly spot her. Skarr inhaled as deeply as her lungs would allow, held her breath for a moment, then opened her jaws wide and pushed the air from her body in one enormous gust. A wide stream of fire belched from her maw, extending for over a hundred feet. As soon as the flames left her mouth, the metallic regiment turned as if it were one giant creature. With the brightness of the blast traveling quicker than the physical aspect of the cone of blistering heat, the machines had no time to react.
Before the metal sentinels could launch a counter attack, or sidestep the massive fireball, a great many of them turned to blackened husks. Those unfortunate enough to be caught within the radius of the dragon’s molten breath crumbled uselessly to the jungle floor, their outer armor scorched by the intense heat, and the wires of their inner workings smoldering or fused together.
Skarr snapped her jaws closed and surveyed the damage she’d caused, scrutinizing every movement in order to determine if another flaming volley was necessary. Despite the humid dampness of the jungle, many of the surrounding trees burned like giant torches. At least, for the time being, the army of machines would find it difficult to hide from her wrath. Not that hiding from her was high on their list of priorities.
The enormous, troll-like sentinels at the rear of the formation spun to face the dragon, stomping with renewed purpose toward the new enemy. The skittering mass of tiny drones near Verin wheeled around, the metallic beetles surging forward. Although they wouldn’t be able to match the speed of the larger machines, they could change the tide of the fight in the Black Knight’s favor by incapacitating their enemy if the first wave could manage to injure the dragon. Then, they would rip the flesh from the creature’s bones as they’d done with the smaller beast a short while ago.
Too late, Skarr realized that her attack wasn’t enough to disable her enemies, or cause them to flee. As she drew in another breath, one of the gargantuan humanoid machines smashed its fist into her skull with a tremendous, arcing blow, the force of which whipped her head to the left. Before she had a chance to gather her wits and defend herself, another of the giants managed to get its hands on one of her outstretched wings. With a swift upward jerk, it ripped a long gash in the webbing of the appendage, eliciting a roar of agony.
Despite her thirst for revenge, the pain was a wake-up call. There was no way she was going to win this fight from the ground. Perhaps Sygax had made a similar error in judgment. One thing was certain, though. She wouldn’t be able to avenge the youngster if the machines got the better of her. She needed to swing the battle back in her favor. Before any further damage could be wrought upon her only means of escape, Skarr extended her wings fully and exerted a powerful, downward stroke, vaulting herself into the air. The turbulence didn’t budge her enemies, but at least now she was out of their reach. She wasn’t sure how long she could maintain flight, however, because of the damage she’d sustained to her wing. The excruciating pain was well beyond any she had ever felt before.
Skarr hovered over the remainder of the metallic regiment to the best of her ability. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to maintain her position for long, she inhaled as deeply as she could manage. Although she hadn’t been struck in the body, pain radiated outward from her wings and caused her massive frame to ache. The agony coursing through Skarr told her that she would only get one chance. Concentrating on her aim to the best of her ability, she opened her maw wide and spewed forth a column of flame that lit up the jungle, the pillar of fire likely visible for miles.
When the blaze emanating from her mouth had run its course, she didn’t stick around to survey the damage she’d wrought on the machines. Instead, Skarr beat her wings in a furious attempt to gain altitude, desperately hoping she would be able to maintain flight long enough to reach the party to the south. If she was going to die, she couldn’t allow her body to succumb to death until after she’d spoken to the wizard and apprised him of what he was up against.
***
For a few seconds, all any of them could do was to stare northward. Their jaws hung open, astonished by the conflagration that brightened the early morning sky. None of them spoke, knowing that in all likelihood it was a blaze caused by Skarr. Or so they hoped. They didn’t want to consider the alternative: that the ancient dragon had run into trouble and the flames were a sign of her destruction.
“You don’t think—” Katie began.
“Don’t say it,” Edward interrupted quietly, shaking his head. “I know it should go without saying, but I would like everyone to keep their voices down. I want to be able to hear Skarr if she cries out for help.” Another blaze erupted in the distance, yet it was much shorter and less intense than the previous one.
They tensely remained silent, refusing to turn their eyes from the north. The four of them grew even more anxious when the flames diminished to the degree that they only provided the barest hint of illumination. They continued to strain their eyes and ears to no avail. The jungle was ominously quiet, almost as if they had all gone deaf. Each of them waited, holding their breath and hoping to witness another sign that the mythical beast was still among the living.
When fifteen minutes had passed and the persisting silence became too much to bear, Edward sighed and turned to face his comrades with a grim expression. “I hate to say it, but I think Skarr has perished. I really doubt that we’ll see her again.” A tear leaked from the corner of his eye and he hung his head in sadness. His proclamation weighed heavily on the rest of the group, and although none of them were willing to give up just yet, they kept their opinions to themselves.
Fearing that Edward was right, each of them silently mourned the loss of their greatest ally. Julie was the first to break from the sorrow of the moment, wiping the moisture from her bloodshot eyes and glancing toward her best friend. She quickly lost interest in the dragon’s probable plight, Katie’s long gray hair and wrinkled skin reminding her of the urgent need for divine intervention on her behalf. Julie reached out and touched the wizard’s boot to get his attention. “I don’t want to downplay the loss of Skarr, but we have more immediate concerns.”
Confusion bloomed on Edward’s features, and his eyebrows were drawn downward. For a second, Julie thought he was going to scold her for being insensitive, so she hiked her thumb toward Katie. His intense scowl softened as the realization of what the blonde woman had suggested became apparent. Now he felt like an idiot. How could I have forgotten about Katie? “You’re right, of course. Getting to the Throne of the Gods, and hopefully enlisting their aid to cure Katie, is more important than anything else right now. Once the curse is lifted, and she returns to her proper age, we can take more time to mourn the loss of Skarr.”
***
As they pushed southward through the jungle, it was difficult to maintain a pace that satisfied Edward, especially since Brian and Julie were forced to walk. Not having a second steed for them to ride made progress seem excruciatingly slow. To make matters worse, once the sun had crested the horizon, the heat and humidity had increased nearly tenfold.
Even though he was frustrated by the delay, Edward brought the mechanical horse to a stop in order to allow the others a brief chance to rest their aching legs and feet. It wouldn’t do him any good if they were too weary t
o finish the journey. In unison, Brian and Julie sat down on the damp jungle floor, slipping off their footwear and massaging their sweaty feet. While she worked her fingers over her slick toes, Julie closed her eyes, as if the sensation was nearly orgasmic.
After a half an hour of rest, Edward was anxious to get moving again. As soon as everyone was ready, he pushed the control lever of his steed forward. Not long after they resumed their trek southward, brief gusts of wind penetrated the canopy above. However, it was no ordinary breeze. Edward distinctly heard the heavy whoosh of wings. Excitedly, he turned toward the others. “Is it just me, or did you hear that, too?”
“Oh, we heard it all right,” Brian replied, glancing at the blonde woman beside him, an ear-to-ear grin suffusing his pale features.
Julie could barely restrain her happiness. If she was right, not only was the dragon alive, she wouldn’t have to walk for much longer. She was tempted to call out to the beast, but was too excited to form the creature’s name on her lips. When the dragon did not stop, her shoulders sagged. “She probably couldn’t see us,” Julie announced, suddenly feeling energetic enough to chase after Skarr no matter how much her feet wanted no part of such an excursion.
Before Edward could open his mouth, the young blonde had dashed by and was already starting to disappear in the dense foliage. He laughed as the shaman raised his palms to the sky and shrugged his shoulders. “I’d venture to say that Julie’s a bit excited.”
“You think?” Edward couldn’t restrain his own grin, chuckling softly as he urged his mount after the young woman. Although he initially found the situation a tad comical, his mirth quickly soured as an unexpected memory surfaced: the vision of a similar instance, in which Katie was now paying the price for. Hopefully, he could catch up to Julie before she tempted fate to do something far worse to her.
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