Jack James and the Tribe of the Teddy Bear (38 page)

The stick creature raised its crude ax and, with a gruff, deliberate swing, mowed down a large section of forest. It grinned and tapped the side of the blade on its palm, all the while watching Jack and Takota.

Jack got even more nervous. “It’s gonna cut down this tree!”

“Not if I can help it!” Takota dropped from his perch, swinging on several branches. Within seconds, he stood on solid ground, growling at the wooden ogre. It returned the grumble, taking two steps closer. Takota flung into its gut. Like with the stick dwarf, he tore straight through, ejecting from the other side and catching himself on a cherry sapling.

The immense creature merely glanced at the void in its belly and made a low-pitched rumble of a laugh, dismissing the much smaller Takota with a wave.

The Tanakee set his sights, sprinted, then dove headlong toward his enemy. The wickerwork goliath swung its ax. Takota’s reflexes allowed him to avoid the blow. Instead, he latched onto the thing’s hands and began to gnaw, chew and rip at the roots and husks and stalks making up its forearms.

It howled and a cluster of finches whisked from the treetops. Using his powerful little jaws, Takota dug into the improvised tendons, forcing the ax from the wood creature’s grip.
Clank!
It fell against the boulders.

With its hands free, the monster shook its wrists, tossing Takota effortlessly.

“Whoooooooa!”
Takota soared through the air, landing in a pine tree not far from Jack. Displaying the aerobatics of a trapeze artist, he whipped up and over, plopping on the branch next to the boy.

The surly behemoth found its double-sided blade and once again set its focus on Jack and Takota. Jack shivered at the sound of its mud-clogged wail. It hurried to the base of their tree and swept hard, forcing the ax deep into the trunk. The towering timber rocked, shaking Jack nearly from his roost. Takota clung to him and dug his claws into the bark.

“Hold on!” he commanded

Jack surveyed and made a quick judgment where the tree would land. Behind them loomed a rocky embankment. Past that, only sky, and what looked to be a deadly drop into the Columbia River below.

Again and again the wooden troll sliced at the tree trunk, making a large, wedge-shaped void and exposing the tender inner layers of the living evergreen. The cedar made strange creaking noises. Jack’s pulse threatened to burst from his blood vessels. He felt Takota’s heart speeding, too.

SNAP!

The tree buckled. Jack cringed at the sound.

“We’re not gonna make it!”

“Yes we are! Just hold on. We’ll be okay,” Takota peered over the sheer drop. “I think.”

Jack felt the tree start to lean. He heard more crackling and snapping from below. The trunk splintered and began to drop. The stick beast bellowed with excitement, abandoning the ax and pushing to speed their fall.

Branches splintered and crashed through the forest canopy. The great conifer moaned. It dropped in seconds after taking decades to rise to its dizzying, former height. Clinging near the top, Jack filled with sorrow. He thanked the tree for its sacrifice, for providing them a safe haven. Then he felt his grip loosen.

A sudden jerk and the cedar hitched to a stop, its broken and twisted branches caught on the rocks at the brim of the cliff.

“It’s about time,” Takota grumbled.

“Maybe our luck will turn now,” Jack held tighter.

“Yeah,” answered Takota, he started crawling toward their attacker. “But sometimes you have to make your own good luck.”

“Where are you going!” Jack demanded.

“That thing’s gotta be stopped.”

Takota rushed and jumped at the wooden monster, but not before it kicked, sending the tree on a terminal slide.

“HELP!” Jack’s lungs nearly ruptured. Weightless, he yelled again. “HELP!”

“NO!” Takota scurried along the trunk of the falling timber, digging in with his claws and speeding toward Jack. The bent, heavily-foliaged branches prevented him from reaching the boy in time.

Jack held his breath. If he had to go, at least his last memory would be the feeling of flying, of weightlessness. He didn’t know where Takota went, lost him in the snarled limbs. Falling was all he knew now. Falling, falling, falling.

FIFTY-ONE

LIZ KEPT AN EYE ON CHEYTON as he ran straight at them, though he moved so fast, tracking him was difficult. He stopped to study her and Lily, then snapped his attention to Enola. He threw himself onto the side of her cage and began pulling. The heavy mesh trembled, but didn’t bend. He breathed deep, gathering strength for his next attempt, when a sudden, scorching burst knocked him to the floor on his stomach.

“Cheyton!”

Davos’ wicked laughter superseded Enola’s cry. “Good try, little one. I admire your passion. You’ll make a wonderful addition to my personal service.”

“I’ll never serve you!” Cheyton got up and flew toward Davos at ground level. The Nagas stepped aside and the Tanakee miss by inches. Cheyton rolled and jumped to a stop.

Davos fired another wave from his hovering sphere, slamming Cheyton in the shoulders and sending him down again.

“Fighting me is useless. You cannot win,” he jerked and the orb blasted Cheyton against the concrete wall.

“NO!” Enola banged on her fortified prison. The thick metal remained firm. Puffing, she reared back to the far end of the cage, gathered herself, and sprinted. Two steps and she vanished. Liz was astonished. Then Enola reappeared, crashing hard against the bars.

Davos nodded. “You can see her cage is quite secure. We’ve electro magnetized the metal to a resonance that inhibits dimensional travel. Even if she could control her power, she wouldn’t be able to get out. It doesn’t stop those repulsive love flames of hers, though. But, still, we have her trapped.”

Cheyton glared at his adversary. His eyes then shot to Enola and widened. Again he squinted as Davos continued.

“We will find a way to get to her. Sooner or later, we will overcome her little spell, and we will implant the control chip in her brain. It’s either that, or we will destroy her trying.”

“NEVER!” Cheyton disappeared in a ripple of light. It lasted a fraction of a second, and he moved just a few yards, but he did it. After rematerializing, he seemed shocked, staring at his feet, hands, arms. Then he refocused on Davos, squinted, and vanished again. When he came back, he was closer to his foe. He did it once more and came nearer yet. The last time he tried it, though, Davos caught him with a crackling bolt of electric fire. Trapped in midflight, Cheyton dangled, helpless.

“Do you see yourself?” Davos asked. “Do you see what Eteea does? It teases you with promises, let’s you get yourself into life or death encounters, and doesn’t even give you your full abilities!”

He flung his glowing projection. Cheyton tumbled over and over, hitting the floor, then the wall, then the floor again. He unraveled slowly, groaning in pain.

“You may be able to use your powers, but not well enough,” Davos said. “Eteea won’t let you. How does that make you feel? All you believe in, the very deity your species has revered and worshiped for millennia is now turning its back on you. Maybe you
are
worthless! Maybe I
should
do as the other Nagas wish, and destroy you all!”

He pointed his hands at Enola. Cheyton puffed up and darted at him in a silent slipstream, almost imperceptible to the human eye. He landed on Davos’ back and grabbed him by the chin, twisting and crackling the bones. Instead of his neck breaking, Davos spun his head toward Cheyton slowly. Liz felt a twinge in her gut, like witnessing a fatal car wreck.

Cheyton pushed away and bounced to his feet. He stood at a distance, watching while Davos corrected his unnatural appearance. The popping and crunching was audible even from where Liz sat.

Before his opponent recovered completely, Cheyton struck his legs, pitching him over. Davos hit the floor and his body split apart, a flock of ghastly, airborne serpents taking its place. They divided into groups, flew several yards, then came together again, returning to Davos’ human form. He raised his hands and conjured his powerful sphere. It sent a blinding beam, surrounding and holding Cheyton in place.

Davos edged closer, meeting him face-to-face. “There
is
something you can do to save your precious Enola.”

Savage stepped in, holding a rifle to his chest. Cheyton glanced at him, then at Davos.

“Give yourself to us. Freely. Without struggle,” he laughed. “Even without all your abilities, you put up a good fight. But I can help you reach your full potential. With my technology, I can help you bring out your inner Eteea.”

Davos raised a flawless eyebrow. Cheyton studied the electrostatic field surrounding him. He sneered and exposed his fangs. With a gruff growl, he pushed his arms out slowly, freeing himself from Davos’ magical grip.

He dropped to his feet then charged at the wicked shapeshifter, pushing him against the wall so hard the concrete cracked. During the collision, Davos again shattered into a menagerie of aerial reptiles. The creatures retreated, only to once more take the shape of a man steps away.

Davos looked self-satisfied. “You can’t defeat me. If you don’t submit, we
will
find a way to enslave Enola.”

Cheyton lowered his fists. He sighed sullenly at the floor.

Davos glided toward him.

“Tell me. How does it feel when Eteea is surging through you, and then is stripped away?”

Cheyton stood silent, alternating between Enola and Davos.

“Doesn’t a warrior deserve to be treated with respect? You were given a duty. To protect. To defend. But you weren’t given the proper tools to carry out that duty. That’s what your treasured Eteea does to you, starves you of your power, teases you with it.”

Davos crouched, contorting his body in ways a human never could.

“I can help you,” he said in Cheyton’s ear. “I have the technology that will enable you to be free from any limitation placed on your power. You will finally be the warrior you were meant to be.”

He straightened from his bent, twisted position.

“The choice is yours. Yield to me, and become the most powerful warrior the universe has ever seen. Then your beloved Enola will be saved. I’ll even let her human friends live, too,” he squinted. “Refuse and she will die. And so will all your pathetic friends.”

Cheyton glared. Then he looked at Enola and his face softened.

“Cheyton! You can’t possibly be considering this!”

“It’s the only way to save you!”

“That’s not true! My powers are growing! So are yours! We can fight him! And if we can’t do it alone, the others are coming! Ayita and Pud and Takota—they’re coming to help us!”

He turned his back in disgust.

“Don’t give up now, Cheyton!” she begged. “Don’t take the easy way out!”

“Easy! You think this is easy? I’m not taking the easy way out, Enola. It’s the only way. Can’t you see that? Can’t you see you’re the only thing that matters to me?”

Enola let her eyes descend to her feet.

“So, your decision has been made?” Davos moved closer to Cheyton. He nodded and Savage aimed the rifle.

Cheyton looked at Enola. “If I do this, you’ll let her go?”

“I give you my word,” Davos raised his right hand. Thin, scaly serpents formed his fingers. “After you let us implant the control device, I’ll set them all free.”

Cheyton locked onto his enemy. “And what happens to me?”

“As I said, you will receive access to your hidden potential. No more barriers, no more tantalizing you with just a taste of your capabilities. You will take your place among the greatest names in the universe as one of the mightiest warriors ever to live. What more could you want?”

“I meant what happens?
To
me?”

Davos permitted a grin to cross his lips. “You’ll serve me, of course. With you leading my personal guard, I will become the most feared, most respected, most powerful of all the Nagas.”

Cheyton faced Enola. “I don’t care about any of that. I just want her safe.”

“She will be. I assure you.”

Davos waved his hand. Savage stepped nearer, holding his eye above the sights of his rifle.

Cheyton warned, “You better not be lying to me! Enola better be let go or, I promise, I
will
find a way to get back at you!”

Cheyton took a deep breath and faced Savage. He gave Enola one more long, affectionate stare. She wept, leaning against the steel encasement, her flames exploding again and again as she begged him not to let Davos go through with his terrible plan.

“Do what you have to do,” Cheyton said.

Savage steadied his weapon. With a squeeze of his finger, the gun popped a round. A bright orange dart stuck into Cheyton’s leg, striking a contrast against the silver part of his silver and black coat.

“I can tell you right now, you’re gonna need more than one of those things,” he growled. Savage struck him with an additional dart, then another.