Sonata in Orionis (Earth Song Cycle Book 2) Page 14

  “Oh, my God!” Minu exclaimed as the beast charged into view. It was at least ten meters long and easily weighed two tons. Its six squat legs propelled it along as it swung its snout from side to side to give its six eyes a better view of the terrain in front of it. Its mouth gaped open to taste the air.

  “Get the raft into the water!” Minu ordered, grabbing a spear from Aaron. He looked from her to the raft to the spear, obviously conflicted.

  “Let me hold it off,” he said, grabbing one of the other spears.

  “How am I supposed to get the raft in the water?” she demanded. “Think, damn it! You and Pip are stronger. Give the spears to Cherise and me, and we’ll keep the beast at bay.”

  “But you’re—”

  “What, girls? Do you think that’ll keep us from fighting? Use your head. You’ve been taking my orders for more than a week, trusting your life to me. So do what I say and put those muscles to use!” She snatched the spear from his hand and tossed it to Cherise, who caught it with practiced ease. The Kloth picked up speed. “Do it!”

  “Come on, Aaron!” Pip practically begged. “Do you want to die here?”

  “The four of us can’t kill a male that size,” Cherise told them, “but Minu and I can hold it off for a minute while you get the raft in the water.”

  “Shit!” Aaron snapped and reluctantly ran to help Pip. Minu took a deep breath and turned to meet her fate.

  The Kloth reached the pool two dozen meters away and skidded to a stop. It considered the obstacle, turning one way then the other. The canyon wall was on one side, the roaring river on the other.

  “They can’t swim,” Cherise told her as they tested their spears’ grip and watched in apprehension. “It might turn around if it doesn’t realize the water is shallow.” As they watched, it tried to do just that. The shore was only a few meters wide, and as the beast tried to turn its inflexible body around, it came face to face with the river. With a deafening roar of frustration, it launched itself toward them.

  Minu’s mouth fell open as the reptile cleared most of the pool in one incredible leap, its six legs churning on impact, sending rocks and water flying. The ground reverberated with a shuddering crash. As soon as it landed, it began racing toward them with increasing speed, like a boulder rolling down a hill.

  “How fast can they go?” Minu asked her.

  “Too fast,” Cherise said and threw her spear as hard as she could.

  The spears were far from perfect, but her throw was right on target. The spear landed just behind the monster’s head, buried a good half meter into the muscles. The beast continued on for a heart stopping second, before the pain registered. It stopped, shook its head, and roared.

  The Kloth was so close, the roar felt like a physical assault on their bodies. Minu saw every one of its serrated teeth. The joke about being swallowed whole wasn’t a legend. Kloth didn’t chew their food; they tore off chunks or swallowed it whole.

  The grunts and yells and the sound of shifting gravel told Minu the boys were wrestling the raft into the water. The Kloth seemed to notice them again, turning left, then right, giving both sets of eyes a good look. Blood ran in a small stream from the wound on its back, but it didn’t seem to be concerned as it took a step toward them. Cherise lunged at the beast with a fresh spear. With lighting fast reflexes, it bit down on the spear tip, and with one mighty flick of its head, catapulted her into the raging river.

  “Get her!” Minu screamed to the boys.

  “But what about you?” Aaron cried back.

  “I can swim, damn it. She might well drown, so get her!”

  Faced with one adversary, the Kloth didn’t hesitate. Sensing a meal, it lowered its head and charged. Its mouth was open slightly, ready to sweep her into its massive, unforgiving jaws. At that moment, she truly realized the mortal danger she’d been in since the beginning of the Trials. She could die now, a quick meal for a two-ton lizard. No matter how quickly a Chosen swept in on his Broomstick, it would be too late.

  “You won’t get me,” she snarled and dodged. Its jaws snapped closed on air, and Minu stabbed at one of its eyes with all her might. The fire-hardened spear tip skittered along the lizard’s armored hide, gouging deep into one of the less-protected folds of hide behind the eyes. The Kloth shook its head, widening the blood-pumping wound, and almost sent Minu to join Cherise in the water. She managed to hang on, but the spear broke with a loud pop, leaving a meter of wood dangling from the beast’s head.

  Momentarily confused by the stick waggling in front of its eyes, the Kloth shook its head and raised a front leg to claw at it. Minu snatched the last spear and turned to make sure the boys had launched the raft. She saw there was no sign of them, and almost lost her life.

  The Kloth clawed the spear loose and charged. She screamed and dodged left, swinging the spear like a baseball bat, but it rebounded off the Kloth’s head as it bit down on her right arm.

  The blinding explosion of pain made her scream. One of the bones in her forearm snapped, but something kept the creature from biting down with its full, bone-crushing force. She realized it was the spear, partially wedged in the corner of the Kloth’s mouth. Without that bit of wood, she’d have lost her arm.

  The Kloth shook its head, trying to rid itself of the spear while still tearing Minu’s arm off. It flung her, and she smashed into the rocky ground several meters away. A jolt of agony shot through her arm, keeping her from noticing any further wounds. In a second, the Kloth was on her, trying to finish the job. She did the only thing she could think of; she curled into a ball, her hands over her head.

  The Kloth bowled into her but failed to get its jaws around her body. Minu felt the razor-sharp teeth cut the flesh on her arms and the back of her shoulders. But instead of scooping her up, it shoved her around like a dog chasing a bone. With a crash, they collided with the massive pile of debris in the river.

  The impact pinned Minu under the Kloth’s jaws, just behind the snout. For some reason, though, the beast didn’t back up. It stood there, shaking its head from side to side and trying to bite her, but its lack of flexibility prevented it from getting her. Having a ton of smelly lizard slowly crush you into a rocky riverbank was no picnic, but it was better than being eaten. At least a little.

  Minu reached out with her left arm, trying to find something to hurt the Kloth. Her right arm was unresponsive and numb. She tried a stick, then a rock, but the monster’s hide was far too thick for it to notice her attacks. Then she felt something hot. It was the remainder of their fire, now nothing more than a few smoldering embers. She turned her head and saw a large branch nearby, still burning.

  Twice she tried to reach it, and both times the Kloth almost got her. On the third try, her hand closed around the branch. The Kloth tipped its head to bite her, but she rammed the branch into its gaping maw as hard and far as she could.

  The Kloth uttered an un-lizard-like high pitched scream and began thrashing around. Minu was afraid it was going to crush her to death, when she heard a loud, splintering crack and the Kloth rolled away. Minu stood on shaky legs, looked at her right arm, hanging limp at her side, and almost retched. It was torn to bloody shreds, and bones protruded in more than one place. There was enough blood soaking the rain-drenched riverbank to make it look like the floor of a slaughter house.

  She tried not to scream or cry, and felt dizzy from the loss of blood. With a ground-shaking rumble, the Kloth regained its feet and turned to face her. It seemed to be slowing. Was it finally tiring of the battle? Then she saw the real reason. A jagged tree trunk impaled the Kloth; broken remnants stuck out near its right front limbs. Minu’s burning branch to the mouth had given it the incentive it needed to break free. Blood fountained from the gaping wound, accounting for most of the blood on the ground; its blood was red, too.

  Despite the horrendous wound and blood loss, it wasn’t giving up; it was too stupid to know the extent of its injuries. It no longer had the strength to get its belly off the ground a
nd run, but it still managed to use its six powerful legs to move its hulking body toward her, dragging itself through mud and rocks. Minu backed up two steps and came up against the canyon wall. She had nowhere left to go. Sensing victory, the Kloth opened its jaws wide and readied itself to charge.

  Instead of charging, it screamed and spun around. Minu saw Gregg, a burning spear held high, as he nimbly jumped clear of the deadly sweeping tail and stabbed the beast’s lightly armored rear once more.

  “Run for the water while I deal with this bitch,” he yelled to her. The Kloth was only a few meters away but showed no interest in her as she staggered toward the river. Over and over, Gregg stabbed the beast, circling to keep it off guard. The technique, developed over centuries of fighting the scaly monsters, took advantage of their aversion to pain and their instinct to attack anything that moved. It wasn’t limber and, by forcing it to continually turn, he neutralized its deadly charge. All he had to do was wait for it to succumb to blood loss.

  Minu wasn’t paying attention to her footing and tripped over a loose branch. She sprawled in the water and landed on her mangled arm, letting out a strangled scream as the pain returned with a vengeance. Dimly, she heard the battle shift and, without looking, knew the Kloth was coming after her.

  Minu craned her neck and saw it was only a few meters away. Gregg tried desperately to stab its behind to distract it, but that didn’t deter the Kloth this time. Blood dripping, mouth gaping, lower jaw scraping the gravel-covered ground, it prepared to scoop Minu up.

  Ignoring her pain and mustering the last dregs of her strength, she rolled to her right. The Kloth snapped at her head and missed. It skidded in the loose gravel and slid into the water head first, roaring in protest. It tried to turn around, but the water buoyed it up, and it couldn’t find traction with its front legs. Instead, the current pulled it away from shore.

  Minu struggled to her feet and watched the monster drift away. She turned to Gregg and, despite her pain, she smiled. He smiled back, but his face suddenly turned to horror. The Kloth’s massive tail swung out and hit her. She felt a bone break, as the blow landed full force against her chest, lofting her into the air and spinning her into the water halfway across the river. Instantly, the powerful current swept her away.

  The cool water helped clear her head, but it also revealed the extent of her injuries. Her mangled right arm was useless, and every time she tried to move her left, agony shot through her shoulders. A broken collar bone, she thought, as she struggled to kick her way to the surface. She heard a gurgled roar nearby, but the fate of the Kloth was no longer of any concern to her.

  The water swept her around the bend. Branches from the huge piles of debris clawed at her. She heard Gregg calling her name, then her head smashed into a rock. Her struggles subsided in a flash of light. Drowning’s not a bad way to die, she thought as she sank below the waves. It was better than being eaten by a giant lizard.

  * * * * *

  Chapter 13

  Julast 14th, 514 AE

  Unknown River, Desert Tribe Territory

  As Minu opened her eyes, she tried to remember where she was. She was lying on something hard, and the sun was beating down on her face. She wondered why she wasn’t hurting, but when she tried to lift her right arm to shield her eyes from the sun, the pain returned like a lightning bolt. “Oh God,” she moaned and began coughing. It was so painful, she nearly lost consciousness again. She added a broken rib to her list of injuries.

  “Be easy,” Cherise’s gentle voice whispered in her ear, “we’ve got you now.”

  Minu opened her eyes and saw the worried look on her friend’s face. They were floating on the raft they’d built to escape the Kloth. “Did you come back for me?”

  “Once they fished me out of the water, Pip snared a rock with some rope,” Cherise told her. She looked at Pip who shrugged and smiled. “We floated there, listening to you fight the Kloth. Why didn’t you jump in the water?”

  “It cornered me,” Minu said, sitting up with Cherise’s help. “Are you okay?” she asked her friend. “What about Gregg?”

  Cherise’s eyes shone, and she gently touched Minu’s face. “My dear friend, listen to you. You’re beat to a pulp, but you’re worried about us.” The others shook their heads. “Gregg is fine.” She pointed and Minu turned to see him standing on the surface of the water, floating along like an apparition.

  “How?” she asked. The river shifted, and she realized he was riding on the Kloth’s body, floating beside them in the current.

  “It’s too dangerous to try and swim in this current, so we’re biding our time.” Minu nodded and tried to wave at Gregg. The grinding agony in her broken collar bone made her gasp in pain, and she gave up. “Don’t worry, he knows you’re fine.”

  “He saved my life.”

  “I know,” Cherise said, pride glowing in her eyes as she looked at Gregg. “And you saved us. That was the most amazing display of courage I’ve ever seen.”

  “It’s what friends do.” Despite the pain, she gave them each a small hug, wishing she could hug Gregg, as well. “So, what now?”

  “We float for a while,” said Pip.

  “At least until the canyon widens, and we have somewhere to land,” Aaron added.

  They worked together, using their meager medical supplies to patch up Minu’s arm and other injuries as well as they could. A short time later, the Kloth corpse drifted close enough for Gregg to jump onto the raft. It rocked precariously when he landed. Their combined weight made it ride low in the water, and one side or the other constantly dipped below the surface.

  As they drifted onward, the current calmed. Cherise and Gregg steered the raft with the improvised tiller and a pair of spears. Despite her pain, Minu drifted off into a fitful sleep.

  When she awoke, she felt a cool breeze on her face. Despite her wounds, the nap had refreshed her. They’d left the whitewater behind and now floated in a considerably wider basin with walls only a dozen meters high. They were finally nearing the end of the canyon. She glanced around; everyone else had fallen asleep. Pip, using a pack as a pillow, snored quietly. Aaron lay next to Minu; he’d obviously been watching her sleep before succumbing himself. On the other side of the raft, Cherise slept with her head tucked into the crook of Gregg’s arm. She could also see the Kloth corpse floating alongside, secured to the raft with rope.

  Minu wiggled closer to Aaron, who sleepily offered his arm as a pillow. She gratefully accepted the spot and sighed contentedly. In a few moments she was once again asleep.

  The next time she woke, it was night. Her shoulders and arm felt numb; they’d given her the last of the painkillers while she slept. The cool breeze had turned chilly. They’d left the canyon behind and were floating slowly among jumbled boulders. She wondered if the rocks were the remnants of ancient catastrophic flooding. She shivered at the thought of being in that deep gorge when boulders came tumbling down like a waterfall. What she could glimpse of the landscape was harsh and barren. They were re-entering the desert, and it was time to make plans.

  Minu sat up painfully, cradling her arm. Blood had soaked through the bandages, and any attempt to move her fingers or wrist resulted in instant agony. Worse, she could see the skin under the bandages was bright red and swollen. Gregg had warned them that Kloth bites usually became infected, and they had no antibiotics. “I’m going to cost us a win,” she whispered as she examined the bloody bandages. At least she still had feeling in her arm, and Cherise said she hadn’t severed any tendons.

  Something caught her attention. Remus sat just over the lower horizon, partly covered by scattered clouds, so there was little light. Minu peered into the darkness, surveying the bank. What she’d thought was a tree trunk turned out to be a man standing on a rock a few meters ahead. They were drifting quite close to the shore. “Now,” she heard someone say, and the man leaped at the raft.

  “Shit!” Minu yelled and instinctively rolled away. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to rol
l to. Instead, she plunked right into the river. With her weight gone, the side of the raft tipped up toward the jumper. The man landed on the edge, his bulk slamming into the raft and instantly reversing the tip, catapulting almost everyone into the air, over his head.

  Pip, who’d been lying in the center, was the only one left on the raft. He jolted awake, eyes wide with terror. The raft continued to flip, and the man who’d landed on the edge slipped feet first into the water. A second later, the raft hit him square on the head with bone-crushing force. As the raft finished flipping, Pip found himself underwater at the center of the raft.

  The water was shallower than Minu had expected, and her knees hit the rocky bottom almost immediately. She found purchase against the gradual current and pushed up to the surface, a meter over her head. As she broke through, she coughed out water and tried to figure out what was going on.

  The raft drifted away, and the man who’d jumped on it clung limply to the side, barely conscious. On the shore, Minu saw people fighting, arms and legs flailing as they rolled around on the rocky soil. She struggled in the dim light to see who they were and began to kick toward shore. She assumed at least one of them was a friend who might need help. Swimming with one arm, even in the slight current, was slow going, but with some frantic paddling, she managed to reach the shore. As she kicked, she passed the rock from which they’d been ambushed. She should have looked up.

  “Ouch!” she cried as someone grabbed a handful of her hair and dragged her from the water. She screamed and tried to reach her assailant. Some of the hair tore painfully from her head as her attacker pulled her up onto the rock. An arm went around her neck, putting her in a choke hold that made her broken collarbone grind. She screamed in pain, but the scream was cut short when the arm crushed her windpipe.