The PriZin of Zin (20 page)

Their screams became muffled and faint as they flew through absolute darkness, swallowed up in the pitch-black hole of this new world. Slamming into the dark, hard ground, three separate aftershocks rocked the earth beneath them, and then, nothing.

Let go and fly!

Chapter 28: Fly

Fly
[flahy]
verb, (used without object)

to move through the air using wings; to be carried through the air by the wind or any other
force
.

Day 1

She hit the ground hard. Without time or warning, Aeryn got slapped over and over again from all directions — hard. Her flesh stung. She gasped for breath. Aeryn tried to fight. Swinging her arms with all her might, she connected each time with hard, flying, creatures. All she could see was black. Pitch black.

She found a split second to gasp for air, and belted out an earth-shattering scream. All motion around her stopped. The darkness parted. When light streamed in, she saw them. One by one they landed in a circle around her. Aeryn looked to see giant Black Widow spiders surrounding her. Actually ‘giant’ didn’t describe them well enough. These wicked things were enormous — bodies the size of her head. There were hundreds of them. The pincers on their jaws clacked loudly, even though they dripped with saliva. Each was staring at her with glowing red eyes. Aeryn screamed again and backed away. Without thinking, she backed right into one that lunged at her head with its hungry jaws. She screamed again and jerked away, the spider missing her face by only millimeters.

Surrounded, the deadly creatures circled her, clacking, walking, stalking. There was no escape. When they moved, she screamed again, this time sending them back into flight. On each spider, black bat-like wings unfurled from each of the eight legs and flapped above its head. Wings spun, humming like a helicopter. One by one, they took off and hovered around her head, forcing her back to the ground. Aeryn started to cry. She knew she was going to die. They dive-bombed her again, slapping at her with their wings, keeping her crouched low, fighting them off with all her might.

The sky darkened. The hum grew louder. In the distance, Aeryn could see a dark swarm of something headed their way
.

Oh, no. More.

Trees and leaves around her shook with the deep intensity of vibrating air. One by one, the bat-spiders spun around, their backs to her, hovering. They, too, were waiting for yet another unseen enemy, one of greater importance than she at this moment. Aeryn sat breathless on the hard, cold ground. Fear within shook her from head to toe. Tears streamed down her face, yet she dared not move or scream. Who knew if what was coming was worse than what was already here.

The first one hit the ground at her feet; a long slender creature, resembling an arrow. Sleek, narrow, bright green in color, legs and wings tucked underneath for better aerodynamics. It stood and turned to face the enemy. Without warning, a second green arrow slammed down from the sky, this time knocking one of the spiders from the air at her feet. The two arrows maneuvered in on the spider. Their sleek green heads covered with eyes on all sides, they could watch for enemies from every direction. Brilliant purple eyes darted from side to side, as the eyes in front remained locked on their target.

The bat-spider flinched, and the arrows pounced. Both arrows wrestled the winged creature down with their own six muscular legs. The first arrow reared back and bit the head from the spider, dropping the lifeless corpse to the ground. The remaining flying spiders scattered.

Aeryn, eyes wide with terror, scooted back as far from these terrifying things as she could. The two green arrows clacked their mandibles toward the sky, and their waiting army. Arrows rained down around her, knocking down the bat-spiders as they came. As quickly as they hit the ground, black heads were bitten off and spat to the side, rolling alongside Aeryn as she fought to stay out of the way. Lifeless, blazing red eyes gazed upon her from the discarded heads. She tried to run, but again ran into the creatures continuing to rain down around her. Fighting for her freedom, she dodged each new enemy one at a time, swinging with all her might, and running when she could. The battle raging all around her, Aeryn zigged first one direction, then zagged another to get free from the carnage surrounding her. Breaking free, she ran as fast and as hard as she could into the forest where she was dumped. The hum of the attackers grew faint in the distance, yet still she ran on without slowing.

She ran until she could run no more.

Aeryn stopped to catch her breath. She turned back to see how far she’d gotten from the fight.

Safety
. She couldn’t see them, and she was pretty sure they couldn’t see her. Collapsing on the ground, Aeryn curled into a ball, wrapping her arms around her own shoulders, she cried.

Will I ever get out of here?

Where am I?

Will Hunter save me, like always?

Where is Daddy?

Did he get away from the monster yet?

Aeryn waited for what seemed an eternity. The sounds of battle had long since waned, as had her tears and her strength. It was clear that no one else was going to come to her. No one could save her now. Wherever Ian and Hunter were, they were not able to help her. She would have to find them, instead. She was on her own.

Standing and brushing herself off, she looked around. Looking back from where she had come, she shook her head.

Nope. Not that way
.

Aeryn looked the opposite direction. The forest was so dark and dense she was not able to see through the leaves.

Nope. Not that way, either.

Off to her side, there was a slight hum. Not the hum of battle wings that she’d heard before, though. This was musical. Straining her ears to hear, Aeryn was enchanted by the melody. She took her first step that direction, then froze. There was a familiar clacking sound that locked her in place. Turning back to see, Aeryn screamed.

Two green arrows right behind her grabbed her by the arms and whisked her away toward the treetops.

Bursting though the dense leafy cover and into the blue sky above, Aeryn was flown by the two long, green, angular creatures over the tops of the trees. Kicking and screaming, squirming and wiggling, all did no good. The things held tight to each of her arms. Sweeping across the forest’s roof, they slowed very close to the edge of the tree line, dove sharply down, thrusting back through the dense cover, making an abrupt landing on top of the highest tree. Her arms released, Aeryn fell against the branches, clutching them with both arms and legs to keep from falling straight through. Steadying herself, she rose to see the green arrows shoot back up to the treetops in the forest around her. There, they took their place with the others; on guard, surrounding her. Pushing up to a sitting position, Aeryn spun to see that they were all around her, hundreds of them, all high above her head. But something was odd. If they were guarding her, they should be facing her. They were all facing outward. She wasn’t being guarded— she was being protected.

From what? 

Chapter 29: Feather

feath·er [feth
-er]
noun

One of
the
horny
structures
forming the principal covering of birds, consisting typically of a hard, tubular portion
attached
to
the
body and tapering into a thinner, stem-like portion bearing a series of slender, barbed processes that
interlock
to
form a flat structure on each side.

Wasting no time, Aeryn began to shinny down the tree. Sliding from one branch to another, the silky smoothness of the leaves brushed against her arms and face, tickling her chin with each touch. Still scared and angry, she batted the branches out of her way as she continued her trek down the tree. The branches were not cooperating, though. Each time she would push one out of the way, it would swing back and brush her face and neck, tickling her again. Aeryn stopped and scratched her face. Something wasn’t right. She surveyed her surroundings.

Trees.

Forest.

She blinked hard.

“Is that?” Aeryn rubbed her eyes. “A tree house?”

She blinked hard again. Trying to focus through the distance, she narrowed her gaze.

Black hair, huge limbs, could it be?

“No. Not possible. They don’t exist. Bigfoot isn’t real.”

She turned back to her own predicament.

Back down the tree she descended, and was tickled again.

Tickled? These leaves are awfully soft.

With a single finger, she reached out and stroked the closest green leaf in front of her. The silken threads separated rhythmically with her touch, and deftly slid back into place after her finger had gone.

It’s not a leaf. It’s a feather!

Aeryn twisted her head in all directions. Feathers covered the tree on every branch. Fluttering ever so slightly in the wind, it looked to her as though the branches were floating in the air, soaring almost.

A single green arrow descended to the neighboring tree, level with her, its many eyes staying focused on her every second. Aeryn snapped out of her amazement, and continued her downward spiral. Round and round the trunk, she descended, branch by soft fluffy branch, reaching the bottom.

Aeryn froze.

She stared at the ground under her tree, then at the ground under the other trees around her.

How?

What?

This doesn’t make any sense.

Still a good five to six feet up in the air, the tree trunks did not touch the ground. They actually were floating—soaring, all on their own. The branches fluttered ever so slightly in the faint breeze; the movement so slight and so graceful, she had barely noticed.

How am I gonna get down?

She looked again at the feathery leaves apparently keeping them in the air. Aeryn reached out and plucked one.

The branch she sat on jerked, knocking her off balance. A shriek pierced the air, with the surrounding trees joining in. The entire tree began to shudder and shake like a flapping of wings. Aeryn’s branch jerked up, then down, back up, and back down. The movements were so violent, that she held on for dear life, wanting only to cover her ears from the painful shrieking from the tree’s trunk. The flapping branches jerked more and more angrily, flopping Aeryn around the tree bottom as though she were a feather herself.

She screamed. Losing grip of the branch, Aeryn slipped. The branch flapped again, and she was hurled once more through the air, landing hard on her back six feet down on the hard ground. When air found her lungs, she sucked in to bellow out a big scream, but stopped. The entire forest flapped their branches, elevating even higher, and flew away; leaving her once again facing the bat-spiders, now crawling toward her over the barren ground.

The clacking of their mandibles grew louder. Inching closer, this time the bat-spiders chose to stalk her rather than a full on frontal assault. Aeryn sucked in a deep breath. She scooted up onto all fours and faced them. The oncoming hoard split, surrounding her. Keeping their distance, their red eyes scanning the horizon for signs of their own predators, the fiends cautiously moved forward, encircling her. Keeping a conservative margin between them, the pitch black beasts circled, spinning around, watching from all directions; above, behind, and below. Moving around, but not advancing, they circled until Aeryn felt dizzy, nausea beginning to rise in the back of her throat. Wings appeared, yet they did not take flight. They simply stretched out their legs, primed and ready for any attack that may occur.

The clacking grew louder. Aeryn spun, and spun again, making sure she was not being attacked from the rear. Her mind raced and her head spun. Around and around she turned on her hands and knees, keeping an eye on all the creatures, or as many of them as she could at any one time. Still, the clacking intensified.

Under her, the ground began to shake and roll. She swallowed hard to keep her growing sobs down.

Another earthquake.

She didn’t think she could take any more. Where were Hunter and Ian? Why hadn’t they rescued her? Where was her father?

“Help! Someone, please!” she screamed.

The earth shook harder. Spider-bats backed away, enlarging the circle. Dirt rumbled and fell away, a large mound arising in front of her. Taller and taller it grew, bursting upwards like the beginnings of a new volcano. Reaching its peak, the top blew off in an explosion of dirt and rocks. Aeryn crouched down, covering her head, trying to deflect the debris that now showered her at the base of the mound. When the dust settled, she raised her head, staring.

The huge iron vehicle balanced precariously atop the shifting mound of dirt. Giant drill bit spinning on the front, its tip still dropped fresh bits of the earth it had just tunneled through. On the side was an emblem, a medieval metal shield with iron aircraft wings jutting out both sides. Next to the picture, a motto. Smeared with fresh dirt, dented and scraped by the rocks beneath the earth’s surface, the words were slightly marred, but still clearly readable:
Iron Lightning, Thunder of Doom.

The door opened up and a helmet popped out. “You coming?”

Aeryn stared, fear so deep she could not move. The clacking of the bats intensified. They rushed her from all sides. A siren blared from the military machine. A loud click unlocked side panels. Two wings shot out like a switchblade, piercing the air sharply. They sounded like a sword being unsheathed.

“Now!” the helmet yelled.

Aeryn rolled up onto her feet and ran up the small hill, clacking close behind. At the top of the heap, an iron-covered hand shot out, grabbing the back of her clothing and pulling her inside the metal caged cockpit. The door slammed behind her. Spider-bats slammed into the door behind her, covering the vehicle, their mandibles tapping against the glass of the windshield. Small cracks appeared and chips of glass began to fall away.

“They’re getting in!” she screamed.

“Get your seatbelt on!”

Aeryn sat down and grabbed the belt. Hands shaking badly, she was not able to click the ends together. Afraid not to have it on, she took the two pieces and tied them in a knot around her waist. Once secured, the pilot engaged the controls, lifted the vehicle, hovered over the ground, and lurched forward at lightning speed. Spider-bats flew from the winged fuselage, littering the ground below. She watched with a mix of both relief and rising panic as they ascended higher and higher into the air, above the floating trees and the volcano top.

Reaching one gloved hand to his head, the pilot clicked the latch, releasing his visor. It hissed loudly, released, and flipped up, revealing a smiling face underneath.

“Ryder, ma’am, Iron, Corporal. Pleased to meet you.”