Familiar Territory

by Sam Cheever

  I frowned. Glancing around the space, I realized I was surrounded by the things, as well as a variety of actual palm trees whose branches fluttered high above my head. Humid warmth baked me, bringing about my own dew that sprang up to cover my face and moisten my palms. The place smelled verdant and clean, with a tang of salt water in the distance.

  Above my head a bright sun burned yellow and hot, surrounded by a pretty blue sky filled with wispy clouds.

  “What the...?”

  The scream sounded again and I looked up as something huge and colorful dove toward my head. The bird’s enormous hooked beak clacked in warning as it passed within inches of my no doubt tangled red head. A large, shiny glop of something hit the ground an inch from my big toe.

  The huge bird spread its wings and they looked to be twenty feet across. Its clawed feet were bigger than my head and looked deadly enough to kill. The monster-sized parrot didn’t slow or turn back. I got the distinct impression it was running from something. But what would a bird bigger than me be running from?

  Unfortunately, I was about to find out.

  The ground shuddered beneath my feet. The sun disappeared behind a dense gray cloud and I shivered as the breeze sliding through the vegetation turned cold and sour with menace. All around me, moist green plants shivered and bent, flinging drops of water into the air as they sprang back behind the wind.

  My ears popped and there was no sound. I could still see the movement around me, feel the change in the weather, but it was like I was in a bubble.

  Apart from it all.

  Into the sudden silence, a new sound emerged. It was nothing I could identify. There was a heaviness to it...an ever-changing presence that affected everything in its path but seemed to touch nothing at all.

  I focused hard and finally realized what I was hearing. It was the meaty sound of something being dragged across the ground.

  The room grew even darker...so dark I could no longer make out distinct shapes. Only movement permeated my sudden blindness.

  And there was a lot of that.

  A harsh breeze carried with it the rancid stench of something I didn’t recognize. I sent out my senses to search for it and found it much too quickly.

  Right behind me.

  Sucking in a terrified gasp, I whipped around to face whatever stalked me, my heart pounding. A round, brown object slammed into me, hitting me hard, right in my gut.

  A coconut.

  Agony flared as the hairy missile thumped to the ground.

  I tried to breathe around the pain but no air would come. My screeching attempts to pull air into my lungs sounded terrifyingly loud in the ominous silence.

  My knees buckled and I went down.

  The hiss was loud...drawn out and terrifying. A silvery arrow flashed downward from the darkened sky and I thought it was lightning.

  It wasn’t lightning.

  I scanned a gaze upward. Way, way, up, to the spot where the cloud blocked the sun, I swallowed hard, my eyes going wide.

  Two bright yellow orbs stared down at me, lidless and dead. The gaze was coldly calculating, assessing, like a lion considering the best way to devour its prey. And as it slowly lowered toward the ground I realized two things that made my blood run cold.

  One, that was no cloud blocking the sun.

  And two, if I didn’t start running right that minute, I was about to become monster kibble.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  WHY DID IT HAVE TO be a snake? I hated snakes. I was terrified of them. Especially when they had heads that were ten feet wide. With a head that big I could only imagine how big the thing’s body was. Suddenly the frantic movement of the plants as far as my eye could see made perfect sense.

  The monster was all around me. Coiled.

  And, unless I totally missed my guess, I was standing dead center of the coil.

  Just flaming craptastic!

  The eyes narrowed slightly, the head shooting up, and I realized it was about to strike. I dove into the underbrush and yanked my energy forward, quickly morphing into my cat just as the massive fangs ripped into the ground where I’d been standing. All around me the vegetation thrashed and bent as the thing’s dense length snapped around.

  A tree crashed down in front of me and I leapt sideways, taking off in a new direction.

  Another tree collapsed, landing just inches behind me and flinging coconut cannon balls into the surrounding greenery.

  The vegetation just ahead split and a nasty looking wild pig dashed out, tusks glistening with something I didn’t want to identify.

  Panic swirled as the pig ran right at me, but as I leapt up onto a gnarled tree and scrambled upward, the thing ran mindlessly onward as if it hadn’t even seen me.

  A beat later I heard its scream as it presumably met the snake.

  I shuddered, climbing faster. Usually getting higher made me feel safe, but I couldn’t escape the feeling of being shepherded to a specific place. Especially as the tree I was climbing shuddered and started to fall.

  As it crashed downward I leapt to the next tree in the line, risking a quick look back to find part of the snake’s thick, black body coiled around the tree I’d left behind. As I watched in horror, the enormous tree was pulled from the ground, thick roots and all, and flung in my direction.

  I couldn’t outrun the monstrous snake. It was too big, too comfortable in its surroundings. Panic made a sour taste in my mouth. My heart beat painfully against my chest. My breath stuttered from between trembling lips. I slammed to a stop as the giant head appeared just above the tree, glowing eyes searching the area for me. Pressing against the trunk, I tried to make myself small and prayed the thing couldn’t hear my heart pounding.

  A forked tongue as wide as my arm slithered out from between yellow, scaled lips, testing the air to find me. I closed my eyes and tried to come up with a plan.

  I could try to mask my presence with a cloaking spell. But magic leaves behind a distinct signature that could be traced. I didn’t know if a magical snake monster could sense magic. If it could, it would be like coating myself with a tasty brown sauce for the snake’s pleasure.

  I could keep running, hoping I’d get really lucky. So far luck was not my lady. If I could find a doorway out of the current horror show maybe I’d have a chance. Looking around, I saw nothing resembling a door. As far as I could tell I’d dropped into a prehistoric world with no exit.

  The forked appendage slipped through the densely leaved branch over my head and passed within inches of my shoulder. I cowered against the trunk and held my breath.

  Far down below me, wide leaves shifted as the thing’s coils tightened. I couldn’t escape the feeling that the snake knew exactly where I was and was just playing with me.

  The tree shuddered violently and I nearly fell off. I sounded a panicked yowl before I could squelch it, my claws digging deeply into the hard wood.

  The tree shuddered again and I looked down as the snake’s enormous black body slithered around the trunk and wrenched, shifting the dirt at its base. I was seconds away from having the tree literally yanked out from under me.

  I held on as the tree was juddered several more times, my claws aching from the effort. I had to move, but I had no idea where.

  There were no trees close enough to leap to. Finally, as the tree convulsed so violently it dislodged my rear claws and left me hanging, I realized I had only one choice. I sent energy into my front claws and used it to pull myself back up onto the tree and then, as it started to rip from the soil, scampered toward the ground as fast as I could. Gritting my teeth, tasting fear like acid in my throat, I leapt onto the meaty coils and sprang off before the snake could loosen itself and grab hold. I hit the torn ground and pushed off even as the soil slipped away from my claws, plunging back into the shivering vegetation at full speed.

  A soft rattling sound was all the warning I got that the tail was coming my way. It slashed past my nose, barely missing me, and immediately swung back and smacked me har
d in the back. I flew into the air, heading directly for a thick palm with ragged, painfully sharp bark.

  I braced myself, knowing it was going to hurt, a lot, when I hit.

  Eyes squeezed closed, I slammed into something hard. Strangely it didn’t hurt as much as I’d expected. In fact it felt kind of leathery. And smelled like...

  Sulfur!

  I opened my eyes and looked up, up, up into a demonic countenance, the fierce red gaze blazing like fire in a handsome black face. A thick cap of shiny black hair swept away from the well-known face and caressed a pair of very sharp horns before falling in perfect waves down the back of Brock’s perfect head.

  He had to be ten feet tall in his current form.

  He held a clawed, black finger up to his lips and shoved me behind him. “Stay here,” he growled before taking off at a run. He leapt into the air and thirty-foot-wide, jagged-edged wings unfurled from his back, pounding rhythmically as he rose above the trees.

  I stood at the base of the palm tree in shocked silence. I’d never seen Brock in his demonic form and was surprised that he was still strangely beautiful and utterly terrifying at the same time.

  What was he doing there? And how had he found me? But more importantly, what the heck was he going to do about the enormous pair of future snakeskin boots that was stalking me?

  Quick as a wink, I got my answer.

  The snake’s massive head whipped out, mouth spread wide, and snatched Brock out of the air. His ten-foot length and much of his wingspan disappeared inside the thing’s maw.

  I gave a scream, stepping forward in panic. I reached out an arm and realized with a start that I’d returned to my human form without realizing it. Sometimes when I panicked I leaked magic and things happened that I didn’t plan.

  I’d suffered pre-mature magiculation.

  How embarrassing.

  High above my head the battle raged. Brock had managed to release his arms and the snake’s head was whipping from side to side as the Demon shot fire toward its eyes and clawed at the flesh enfolding him. I stood in a horrified trance, unable to move as Brock fought a battle for his life. It seemed there should be something I could do to help. But I had no idea what.

  Then it hit me. What Brock needed was a distraction. I could certainly do that.

  I started to run, forcing my feet to move directly toward the snake. As I got closer my sightlines changed. Because of the denseness of the vegetation surrounding its coils, I lost sight of the rampaging monster for a moment. But I could see the trees wobbling and going down under the thing’s weight, so I headed for the devastation.

  I knew I was close when a loud scraping sound erupted behind me. I turned just in time to see a palm tree sliding across the broken and mashed greenery, directly at me.

  I leapt off the ground, barely clearing the huge tree, and landed behind the meaty band of the snake’s tail, which was propelling it.

  A flash of insight filled my brain and I knew what to do.

  Lifting my hands, I focused on the tree, and shot a bolt of pure, white energy into it. The palm flared brightly and burst into flame, the supercharged blaze licking hungrily over the monster’s black flesh.

  The creature stilled, the jungle going silent for just a beat, and then stiffened. The tail lifted high above my head and crashed down mere inches away. I started to run as it lifted again.

  The world exploded around me. Chunks of leaves and tree detonated into the air, sliced my skin and speckled the surrounding area.

  I ran as fast as I could, blindly shoving through wet leaves and leaping broken brush in a frantic attempt to escape the thrashing monster.

  Above it all was a strange hissing sound, like the air being released from a giant dirigible. My lungs seized over the sulfur stench. Brock’s wings once again beat the air high above my head. I was happy, he’d gotten free.

  But I had a new problem.

  As I ran pell-mell through the prehistoric nightmare, something dropped heavily between two trees directly ahead.

  Its eyes blazing with rage.

  Its deadly lips slipping open to test the air between us with a slimy tongue.

  The thing focused its wrath on me.

  A huge form lowered from the sky between me and the snake. Brock’s back was to me, his wings lazily drubbing the air, and his body was hard with tension. He didn’t turn as he spoke in my mind. Get out of here, LA.

  I’m not leaving you alone with this thing.

  You need to go.

  I won’t.

  His sigh filled my brain, throbbing with frustration. Damn stubborn Familiar.

  Whatever. Just tell me what to do.

  I already did. But you won’t listen. So at least go hide somewhere so I can concentrate on kicking this thing’s...well it doesn’t actually have an ass does it?

  I chuckled darkly. It’s all ass, except for the head and that rattly thing on the end of its tail.

  The snake’s tongue shot toward Brock and he sliced energy over it, cutting off the last five feet.

  The monster’s head twisted upward, clearly incensed, and then slammed down in front of Brock, sending him flying.

  Brock!

  Go, LA!

  I started to object. I never got the chance. A rectangle of light opened up behind me and, before I could even turn to see what it was, a pair of hands grabbed my shoulders and yanked me through the opening.

  Into a different kind of hell.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  I HIT A LONG FORM THAT was icy cold to the touch and wrapped in something rough and sticky. I jerked away, whipping around to see what I needed to kill. Rotating violently from my touch, a mummy-shaped form hung by a long, hairy string from the rafters. The thing was shaped like a banana, narrow on both ends and wider in the middle. With a horrified twitch I realized the rough wrap was slightly translucent. If I looked really hard I could just make out the long, bony shapes of fingers. A moment later I realized two slender arms were crossed over a flattened chest and my gaze lifted slowly, even as I took a step back, my heart pounding with dread.

  A pair of pale blue eyes stared back at me, unblinking. I gave a horrified shout and stumbled backward, only to come up against another cocoon. Yelping, I dodged sideways and hit another. I ping ponged my way down an entire line of the things before I found the courage to stand still and breathe through the horrified slamming of my heart against my ribs.

  I recognized a few of the faces behind the webbing that held them in a deathly grip. They were some of the missing familiars. Some I barely knew. Some I considered friends. But as realization hit, how well I knew them didn’t matter. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I feared they wouldn’t be coming home. Not now. Not ever again.

  A soft flare of light drew my attention to the back of the long, dimly lit room. Glancing upward, I realized I had to be on the top floor of the building, in an attic-like space. I briefly wondered what had happened to Posh. I also wondered if she’d been the one to yank me out of the prehistoric room.

  Then it hit me. What if I was in another make-believe place? One fashioned after a grisly horror movie like revenge of the pod people or something? Hope surged. Maybe my friends weren’t dead after all. Maybe what I was seeing wasn’t any more real than the snake monster had been.

  But even as I had the thought I knew... real or not...that snake had been extremely dangerous. And if it had killed Brock or me, we’d be just as dead as if we’d been transported back in time to the age of the dinosaurs and met up with a snake as big as my house.

  Hot tears slipped down my cheeks. No. My friends were gone. And if my mother and Celeste were there, they were probably gone too.

  That thought made my knees buckle and I almost went down. I suddenly couldn’t breathe. I’d be all alone in the world. What would I do? Suddenly my life-long disdain for my family’s occupation seemed petty and stupid. I’d spent precious years pushing my family away when I should have been embracing them. I’d lost so much time.

>   And I’d never get it back.

  A wave of nausea passed through me. The sickness was so violent it doubled me over and left me retching. What had I done?

  The enormity of my mistake took the strength from my legs and they buckled. I hit the floor, my head smacking hard against the gritty wood. The pain was a distant burden, muffled by my misery. At first it didn’t occur to me that my reaction was extreme...that my total incapacitation was unequal to the situation. Yes, my family might be gone. But I didn’t know that for sure. And if they weren’t then curling up into the fetal position on the floor wasn’t going to help me get them back.

  But the reasonable thoughts bumped up against my misery and I couldn’t quite grab hold. The agony was overwhelming. It seeped, thick and dark, through my veins and hardened, denying any other emotion passage.

  It was like a living wall of dread, impermeable and hot. A sizzling attack that left behind only pain and destruction. And it smelled of sulfur...

  Wait...

  Sulfur?

  I stirred, trying to concentrate on a thought that was beginning to take shape. Sulfur meant magic. Someone had hexed me. Someone had taken over my will.

  I thought of Tabby...of Posh’s description of that last time she’d seen her friend. I wondered if she’d experienced something similar.

  Pressing my hands against the filthy wood, I tried to push myself off the floor. My muscles were like water and my arms collapsed beneath me. Tears leaked from my eyes but I recognized them for what they were. Proof of my frustration. Somewhere deep inside my mind I knew what was happening to me. But I seemed unable to stop it.

  I tried to drag my magic forward. All I managed was a weak fizzle of yellow light. I thought about my cat form but, other than a deep ache in my nailbeds that signaled the start of my claws, nothing happened.