Wyvern and Company

by Suttle, Connie

  "If you don't want to go, Merrill will come," Mom said.

  "Then take Merrill. See if Mack wishes to go," Dad growled. He wasn't happy about the whole thing, but he didn't want to argue about it with Mom.

  "Good." Mom handed the phone to me and stalked out of the room.

  "Uh, hi, Mrs. Allen," I croaked into Dad's cell phone. "I think we're coming to get you in a few."

  * * *

  "Are those warheads ready to go?" The General asked.

  "They are," Acrimus bowed his head respectfully.

  "I find it humorous that they were never checked after their rediscovery at the military base," the General chuckled. "So easy to substitute the inner workings of more, shall we say, deadly explosives? I love the idea of hitting Texas and Oklahoma with ranos missiles instead of nuclear bombs."

  "They'll be obliterated—we have enough warheads for that," Acrimus agreed. "Now that our servant is dead in Texas, there's no real need to preserve the state. Oklahoma, well, we know something is there, through the Elemaiya. We just don't know what it is. Nevertheless, we'll take two states with eight birds, eh?"

  "Two for Oklahoma, six for Texas," the General agreed. "Time may be short—I anticipate moving when the woman and her child are eliminated."

  "The opportunity has arrived, according to Calhoun," Acrimus reported the mindspeech he'd just received. "I hear they've left their protected compound. How fortunate that Thorsten can retain his blameless state in this and remain in his position over the others. It is only a matter of time before the entire race is gone."

  "Fortunate, indeed," the General nodded.

  * * *

  Justin's Journal

  Merrill drove Dad's SUV with Mack in the front passenger seat. Mom, Darzi and Mrs. Allen sat in the second row; Gina and I sat in the little-used third row on our way to the mall.

  Mack was happy to get out of the house, I could tell—I guess he'd felt like a caged wolf since Memphis.

  Merrill was happy to get out, too—even if he seldom did anything as mundane as going to a mall.

  His clothes sure didn't come from any mall. Dad said Merrill shopped at exclusive clothiers in Britain. He had good taste, too, although he wasn't nearly as stiff and unrelenting as Dad was about what he wore.

  I'd seen Merrill in jeans when he fought spawn. I'd seldom seen Dad in jeans, he never wore T-shirts and getting him into athletic shoes took an act of congress. To top it off, he never, ever wanted to wear shorts. Swim trunks was the closest he'd come, and he really didn't like those, either.

  That's where I was—holding Gina's hand and thinking about Dad's aversion to any clothing that rose above his ankles when Merrill pulled up at a stoplight on the way to the mall.

  The earthquake came first, and it was the worst one I'd ever experienced.

  * * *

  "Our targets are locked. Turn the keys and begin the countdown," the silo commanders spoke.

  * * *

  Justin's Journal

  I'd only seen photographs before.

  This was the reality. While the ground shook about us, fissures began opening in the streets, with concrete and debris falling into deep crevices. People screamed and attempted to escape their vehicles the moment they realized what was happening.

  That was a mistake.

  Following the appearance of the giant, copper serpent on a street corner not far from our house, spawn began crawling from the fissures opening in the streets, moving as swiftly as angry insects when their nest has been disturbed.

  Those spawn fell on any brave enough to leave their cars behind and run. Other cars, still occupied, fell into the gaping holes opening beneath them with a crash. Gina screamed beside me when a truck close by burst into flames as it was swallowed by still-shaking ground.

  Shining, copper scales glinted in the sun as the serpent watched spawn devour fleeing humans. Everything about them is poisonous. Scales, teeth, spikes, all of it, I recalled. Some people ran right past the Ra'Ak. A few ran into him, likely dooming themselves with the poison on his scales.

  He paid them little mind.

  The Ra'Ak hadn't come for them.

  He'd come for us.

  If I'd bothered to Look right then, I still wouldn't have seen the giant serpent. Something blocked his presence—whether from inside or outside his body, I had no clue.

  Mom did what she could, telling Gina and Mrs. Allen to wait until we were out of the vehicle before getting out behind us—so we could protect them. We were forced to get out, after all—a crevice had opened in front of the SUV and we'd fall into it if we didn't leave the vehicle behind. That meant that Merrill, Darzi, Mack and I would face the worst monster we'd ever seen while trying to save our lives.

  Fifty feet, from snout to tail, he roared at us as we opened doors slowly and stepped from the car, his fangs too many to count and dripping with venom. Teeth or spike injuries can be fatal if they're not treated immediately after the Ra'Ak dies.

  The worst poison of all—teeth or spikes. I saw the spikes, then—the Ra'Ak's tail whipped about, knocking cars across multiple lanes of traffic before falling into widening cracks. Mack cringed; the monster's roar was deafening.

  Behind me, Gina screamed again.

  I go, Darzi spoke into my mind. Stop bombs. Have to. No choice.

  He disappeared, causing Mack to shout his name. We needed the tough, lion snake shapeshifter.

  There were three of us left, now, to combat a Ra'Ak and too many spawn to count.

  I've already tried to send mindspeech, Mom informed me. It's bouncing back, just as it did for you in Florida. I think our Ra'Ak friend, there, was Sirenali when he was turned. He's keeping everything blocked. We're on our own, honey.

  The SUV dropped into the crevice with a crash behind me, its horn blaring relentlessly as Gina and Mrs. Allen screamed.

  * * *

  "Mr. President, sir, there are six warbirds heading toward Texas, and another two toward Oklahoma," the Chief of Staff interrupted a meeting to inform the President.

  "What the hell is going on?" The President stood, demanding answers.

  "I don't know. There are no communications getting through to the silos. Sir, there's something else you need to know," the Chief of Staff said.

  "What's that?"

  "Those bombs have been altered."

  "What?"

  "I only have sketchy information, from photographs taken by our Air Force jets," the Chief of Staff replied. "But our experts confirm this—the guidance system is different and they can't explain it. It's likely these substituted bombs are much more dangerous than the original warheads. We have no idea who is responsible, or what we're about to be hit with, Mr. President. If we fire on them while in midair, we could cause Armageddon."

  "How much time do we have?" The President asked.

  "As of now, less than ten minutes. If these are nuclear, the fallout alone can kill millions."

  * * *

  Justin's Journal

  Mack fought his way out of his clothes and became wolf. Merrill's claws and fangs were already out. I had no choice—the wyvern told me so.

  When Gina screamed again behind us, I imagined she was terrified of the Ra'Ak and the spawn closing in on us. She wasn't alone—I was terrified, too.

  What I didn't expect was what happened when the giant serpent lunged toward Merrill, who was doing his best to stand between it and Mom.

  Merrill's spelled ring blasted the Ra'Ak backward when it activated, the Ra'Ak's head jerking back as if it had been punched on the snout by a giant hand.

  Anybody else might have gone down right then and not gotten up again.

  It was merely the opening volley for a Ra'Ak, as it turns out, who snapped back at Merrill so fast it was blinding. If he hadn't been vampire, he'd have died.

  * * *

  Adam's Journal

  Mindspeech from Darzi might have been the last thing I expected. Not only did he send words, he sent images, forcing me to my feet so fast it mig
ht make anyone else dizzy.

  Dragon and Lion, who'd been discussing the current state of affairs with me by the pool, were included in the lion snake's sendings.

  Without a word, all of us folded space to an intersection in Fresno, where things had already gone critical. There we found Kiarra, Gina and Marie Allen, Mack's wolf, Justin's wyvern and Merrill, whose claws and fangs were evident, standing on an island of concrete.

  Around them lay a deep, rough fissure filled with spawn, wrecked vehicles and fire. "There's a shield up," Dragon growled.

  He was right. It was as if someone had dumped a huge, impermeable glass bowl on top of that island, trapping all of them inside with a Ra'Ak.

  Outside the bowl, spawn raced after humans attempting to run away. I nodded to Dragon and Lion—if we combined our energy, perhaps we could penetrate the shield. I was terrified that my family would die while I watched, helpless to do anything but weep.

  * * *

  Darzi's Journal

  Nenzi best at fixing machines. I not as good. Still know some things. Look. Find Ranos missiles inside bombs. Not good. I have to fix.

  Fast.

  * * *

  Adam's Journal

  We threw our best at it, and even attempted to come from beneath the concrete. The shield was a sphere we couldn't damage or destroy. Mindspeech was useless as I watched Merrill, with blinding speed, whirl around the Ra'Ak's torso so swiftly he left gaping wounds and strings of cuts upon the serpent's body.

  Merrill had no shielding capability. If he allowed any of the Ra'Ak's greenish blood to touch his skin, he'd be poisoned by it. He was there, protecting Kiarra and the others with everything he had. That should be me. I was equipped to handle the monster, after all.

  Kiarra had pushed Marie and Gina as tightly against the side of the bubble shield as she could, to keep them out of harm's way. For the moment, Merrill kept the monster occupied. The moment he tired, he'd be dead.

  The moment he tired, they'd all be dead.

  * * *

  Justin's Journal

  Things might move as fast as Merrill in the movies or in a few cartoons I'd seen. I never imagined seeing it in person, under such dire circumstances.

  The Ra'Ak snapped repeatedly at Merrill, but his teeth always closed on empty air—where Merrill had been less than a blink before.

  What would happen when Merrill tired?

  He'd die.

  The Ra'Ak wanted all of us dead, that was plain to see, he was merely waiting for the right moment to take Merrill, thinking the rest of us would be easy targets.

  Merrill had one spelled stone in his ring, and it had already emptied itself.

  Mom had two stones in the earrings she wore.

  Mack and I wore wristwatches with a dozen stones fixed to the bands. What would that do to the Ra'Ak?

  Could we get Merrill safely away so we could attack the monster?

  A part of me realized that Mack and I would likely die attacking a powerful Ra'Ak. The thing was—if we took it down with us, the trade would be worth it. Our lives for his.

  Dude, Mack's mindspeech came. You thinking what I'm thinking?

  At least the nearby mindspeech worked, just as it had in Florida.

  If you're thinking of jumping that thing to activate our spelled watches, then yes.

  You know what that means?

  Yeah. Take him down, man. Whatever it takes.

  Exactly. You think we can get Merrill out of the way first?

  I'm not sure we have time. Let me send mindspeech. See what he says.

  I sent mindspeech to a vampire flying so fast around a Ra'Ak's body, he was a blur.

  Don't wait, Justin. Attack now, Merrill replied.

  He was tiring, and only the force of his will kept him moving so swiftly.

  Let's go. My wyvern nodded to Mack's wolf. Together, we leapt toward the enemy.

  * * *

  Adam's Journal

  I'd seen Dragon use the same tactics before, only he could shield his teeth, tongue and mouth from Ra'Ak blood and poison when he did it.

  Justin and Mack, almost without warning, leapt on the monster, their teeth fastening on the serpent's throat, just below the head. Merrill stopped still and buried all ten claws into the creature—to the tips of his fingers and past that, I think.

  That's when two dozen Grey House jewels activated, causing the explosion inside the bubble shield and spewing huge chunks of Ra'Ak dust against the surface. I screamed my fear and sadness to the world as I watched the shield fall with the Ra'Ak.

  Everything inside the perimeter was covered in Ra'Ak dust and unmoving.

  * * *

  Darzi's Journal

  Tiny seconds. All I had. Used them.

  Changed insides to harmless.

  Nenzi be proud.

  * * *

  "Impact in ten seconds, Mr. President."

  "Nine."

  "Eight."

  "Seven."

  "Six."

  "Five."

  "Four."

  "Three."

  "Two."

  "One."

  Chapter 18

  "What the hell?" The President stood, watching in disbelief as warhead after warhead hit the ground across two states, bounced, broke apart and threw up sprays of dirt, rock and debris before the pieces came to rest.

  A few of those pieces lay on the lawns of the capitals in Oklahoma and Texas.

  Rescue workers and military vehicles were on the way, with everyone dressed in haz-mat suits, but they weren't needed.

  "What the bloody hell," the President repeated wearily before dropping onto his chair with a sigh.

  * * *

  Adam's Journal

  "Adam?" Dragon's hand dropped to my shoulder. I realized then that I sat on a tiny pier of concrete in the middle of what used to be a busy Fresno intersection.

  "We've checked the rubble. There's nothing there," he said.

  "No," I moaned, dropping my face into shaking hands.

  They were gone. All gone.

  Dragon dropped to the concrete beside me and brushed tears away. The chop-chop of a helicopter sounded in the distance. To my ears, it appeared to be having mechanical problems. Probably a poorly maintained news chopper, coming to record the grisly wreckage for six o'clock entertainment.

  "The spawn disappeared—when the Ra'Ak dusted," Lion sat on my other side, his boots scraping against damaged concrete as he settled there. Pain was etched across his face as he studied the scene before us.

  "Bombs gone," Darzi said, appearing before us. "Find Larentii. Need."

  "Are you hurt? What bombs?" Dragon croaked. Darzi didn't look injured, but in my numbed state, what did I know?

  "Ranos missiles, like nuclear bombs. Enemy try to kill Texas. Oklahoma. Cannot say why."

  "They were sending bombs at the same time they attacked here?" Lion asked, shaking his head.

  "Yes. Exact."

  "Holy, fucking hell," I mumbled. My profanity was the proper response, there just wasn't any feeling behind it—I was too numb.

  "Why do we need the Larentii? To see how we failed in all this?" Dragon shook his head.

  "To fix. Heal. They come."

  * * *

  Justin's Journal

  I didn't have enough power to fold space a second time. Likely, it was the Ra'Ak poison coursing through my body. I felt it—knew it was there. Still I flew, my wings making an uneven noise as I carried the bubble containing Mom, Mrs. Allen, Gina, Mack and Merrill back from Yosemite.

  I'd folded there earlier, when the Ra'Ak exploded—the location was still fresh in my mind and was an almost automatic destination when it became necessary to find one. If I hadn't folded away, the Ra'Ak's dusting could have killed me.

  The bubble I gripped carefully in my claws? That's what Mom's earrings had done at the last, when the Ra'Ak dusted—protected the others, encasing them in a small bubble shield.

  I'd had a shield for my body—I learned that at the last, but didn
't think fast enough to shield my teeth and tongue.

  That's how the poison entered my body.

  Mack and Merrill were in the same boat—the three of us were dying after coming in contact with the Ra'Ak. Mom wept as she held both of them close; I gripped the bubble tighter in my claws, hoping to land in Fresno before I lost consciousness and fell out of the sky.

  I could see Dad, Lion, Dragon and Darzi in the distance as my flight wobbled. Struggling to remain aloft, I worked to glide the last few hundred feet.

  Somehow, it had been possible to fold space out of the Ra'Ak's shield, just not inside it. Like one-way glass or something.

  The Ra'Ak planned to get away like that, after he killed the rest of us. It ended up just the opposite, except three of us would still die.

  With limited knowledge of Ra'Ak poison, I had no idea how much time we had left.

  I don't remember touching the ground.

  * * *

  Adam's Journal

  Justin crashed onto the street behind us while Lion, Dragon and I threw shields to cushion the landing.

  What appeared next I may never have an explanation for.

  Pheligar arrived, with an army of Larentii. All I recalled later was a sea of tall, blue men as bodies were lifted and folded away, including mine.

  * * *

  Kifirin

  More than twelve thousand spawn, all obsessed by a Ra'Ak who'd been Sirenali, once. Those spawn would carry their obsessions until they died.

  I watched them, now—they'd scattered across the wasted landscape that had once been Tiralia.

  This was the proper place for them. I held shields about myself—even I wouldn't risk the poisoned air about the planet. The spawn had no such capability and would die within a day.

  It was fitting. They were more than dangerous, and I wanted none of them to fall into other enemy hands. I'd gotten permission from the one who owned the planet to place these here, so they would no longer trouble anyone by their existence.

  My word is law, she'd said. As is mine, I'd responded.

  * * *

  Justin's Journal

  "Where's Gina?"

  Those were the first words I spoke when I opened my eyes.

  "She's at home—she and her mother weren't hurt," Mom said, taking my hand. "Justin, she, uh, saw your wyvern."

  "So?" I croaked. I was thirsty and dry as a Nevada desert. Still, I wanted to know about my girl, first. Explanations concerning my miraculous recovery could wait until later.