“I know you were being sarcastic just then, but you might actually be on to something,” Zeriel said. “Back on Calliope, we often communicate with the sea life. We use sounds, though. Only sounds. We don’t project physical feelings.”
I took a deep breath, realizing that I was smiling as I stared at the whales, who were busy looping underwater and sending their songs our way. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s coming from them,” I murmured.
Ben put his arm around my shoulders, and I responded by resting my arm around his waist. He looked at me and smiled.
“You know, I’ve noticed something about the animals here, on Strava,” he said. “It’s like their bodies are perfectly adapted to help them blend in with their environment. These creatures can hide as the perfect predator. For instance, those big turquoise cats back on the island and our singing whales over there. While some creatures can perfectly hide from predators—the little fish here, for example,” he added, pointing to our right. “Strava’s nature is prone to creating intelligent life, it seems, in one form or another.”
“It also seems poised to create survivors and fighters,” I replied, then exhaled. “Like those flashing creatures.”
He nodded. “Yes. But nothing is indestructible or undefeatable. We just need to find their weak spots. All creatures have weak spots,” he said, then pointed at the whales again. “Look at them. They’re so big and slow. It would be easy for the likes of us to capture them, if we wanted to.” He directed my focus to a large group of small fish. “Imagine netting those little things. Easy breezy.”
“Okay, and how do you think we can stop those flashing bastards?” Dmitri asked, smirking.
“That’s what we need to find out, through observation,” Ben replied, brimming with confidence. “We’ve had a few minutes down here to observe the fish and the whales to posit some scenarios, haven’t we?”
We all nodded, which prompted Ben to cock his head to one side.
“And we can all agree that we were too busy surviving to properly observe those flashing creatures, right?” he added.
Again, we all nodded, like kids in a classroom interacting with our teacher. I had to admit, bringing Ben with us was, by far, the best decision I’d made regarding this mission. Not only were his fae abilities needed, but his experience was crucial. What Vesta put forward through sheer monstrous talent and her versatility in manipulating all four elements, Ben made up for through his raw firepower and the things he’d seen and lived through over the years. Though I wouldn’t have said it out loud, Vesta was more talented as a fae than my brother. However, she lacked his wisdom. Only time and living could give her that.
In this case, I agreed with Ben completely. We hadn’t had the time to properly observe the hostiles. We’d been too busy not getting our asses fried, after all. Keeping a stealthy position and investigating that colosseum seemed like a good way to start. There were clues everywhere. We just needed to recognize them.
“Ben is right,” Ridan said.
“And that’s something I do enjoy hearing more often than not,” Ben quipped, making me chuckle.
“Thing is, because we don’t know anything about the enemy, it’s easy for one or more of us to get discouraged, especially when the enemy seems to be more powerful than anything we’ve encountered so far,” Ridan replied, walking alongside Ben and me as we advanced underwater. Behind us, Nevis released the ice, maintaining our air pocket.
A plethora of fish swam with us, on both sides. Their round little eyes seemed fixed on us. I couldn’t really blame them. We were the strangers poking through their oceanic home. Somewhere farther to our right and above, by one of the islands, turquoise felines jumped into the water, going deep as they searched for fish. That bluish coat of fur definitely came in handy, as they swiped at a nearby bank, then went back to the surface with mouthfuls of fresh fish struggling against their enormous fangs. We were lucky that the ocean bed wasn’t too deep, since there were so many underground mountains whose tips formed thousands of islands, close to one another, on the surface. I was particularly fortunate, just like Elonora, to be a vampire—my predator sight allowed me the pleasure of seeing those felines as they tried to blend in.
“But we cannot allow ourselves any kind of dismay. Not at this point in time,” Ridan added. “Yes, they tore through Nevis’s Dhaxanian frost, even though we thought they couldn’t. And yes, they broke down Kale’s swamp witch charms like they were chalk scribbles. But that doesn’t mean we’re done and over with here. Not at all.”
“It just means we need to dig a little deeper until we find their weak spots,” Elonora interjected, staring ahead. Ridan nodded, giving her a friendly smile. “I agree. It’s easy to succumb to despair. We shouldn’t. It’s too early to give up.”
“I don’t think any of us are giving up,” Dmitri chimed in. “It’s just that we’ve never dealt with a situation like this. I guess we’re not used to having our asses handed to us anymore.”
“And that’s not a good thing,” I replied, finally seeing where Ridan, Ben, and Elonora were going with this. “We need to sharpen our skills and improve our approach, that’s all.”
“Remember when Harper first described the daemons to us?” Elonora asked, giving me a sideways glance. “They all thought the daemons were practically death itself, impossible to defeat. Until they figured out that they were using modified swamp witch spells to keep themselves invisible. Once they got that out of the way, the rules of the game changed.”
I found myself nodding, remembering all the anecdotes that Harper and her team had brought back from Neraka. They’d experienced a form of hell out there. Their lessons were ours to learn, too.
“The daemons can bleed and die, like the rest of us,” I said.
“It’s all in the weak spot. We all have one. For some of us, it’s physical. For others, it might be magical. And for many, it’s an emotional link to someone or something,” Ben said. “But we all have something that could take us down. It’s how all the universes work. I think it’s an absolute law of nature and the cosmos.”
We were starting to ascend, and the ocean waters turned lighter. I instinctively pulled my hood and mask on, then readied my goggles. Based on how bright it was up on the surface, dawn had already broken. Elonora covered herself up as well, then exhaled.
“There’s still so much we don’t know,” she said, her voice low.
“We do know there’s a weird friggin’ structure up there!” Dmitri replied. “And we also know there’s someone in there. I mean, that’s what you saw, right, Lenny?”
Elonora nodded. Dmitri grinned and put his arm around her shoulder. They’d played together since they were kids. Had Elonora not been born out of Ash and Ruby’s love, she would’ve certainly worked as a Blackhall, too.
“Yup,” Elonora muttered. “There was definitely someone up there.”
“Gah, what I wouldn’t give to have eyesight as good as yours.” Dmitri sighed.
“Hey, you’re half wolf. Your eyesight is on point!” Elonora retorted.
“Yeah, but I can’t see through stuff like you.”
Nevis gave them a brief sideways glance. I noticed the muscle ticking in his jaw, but he quickly turned his head and settled his focus back on what lay ahead.
Just then, the ice above Dmitri’s head cracked, and water shot through in a thin jet, hissing as it nearly drilled through his head.
“What the hell, man?” Elonora burst out, while Dmitri wiped the water from his face and ruffled hair.
“Pardon me,” Nevis replied flatly, without looking at either of them. He then lifted his right hand, wiggling his fingers until the crack was fully sealed. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“It’s okay.” Dmitri chuckled. “The water pressure was fantastic. I’m thinking of upgrading my shower to those levels!”
Vesta cleared her throat, stifling a grin. “We’re almost there,” she said.
As our tunnel under the water opened onto the
beach, Elonora scanned the surrounding area with her True Sight. I watched her expression as she moved her head around, paying attention to the slightest change.
“The waters are clear,” she murmured. “The sky above, too.”
“The whole four-mile radius?” I asked.
She nodded slowly, then frowned as she looked straight ahead. “Something’s moving in the jungle beyond the beach,” she replied. “I can see the colosseum from here. But I don’t think we’re alone.”
As soon as our feet touched the dry sand and Nevis melted his Dhaxanian ice away, my instincts went on high alert. Judging by the looks on the others’ faces, they were equally amped up with adrenaline.
“Can you see what they are?” Ben asked Elonora.
She shook her head. “They’re moving fast, though not as fast as the flashes in the sky. Plus, they’re on the ground, not flying. They’re in the woods, darting around.”
“How many?” I replied.
“Um… Maybe a dozen, from what I can see now,” she said. “Could be more. They’re humanoids, for sure, covered in fur and leaves. I’ll need to get closer to get a better look.”
Kailani gasped. “What if it’s Derek and the others? If they, too, have encountered the flashes, they could be using natural camouflage to hide themselves.”
The suggestion alone was enough to send my heart racing. The thought of seeing my parents now was all the fire I needed to take down anything that stood in my way. As much as I’d tried to keep my cool, the simple mention of my parents maybe being nearby was enough to make me unravel. It took a lot of self-control to keep my head clear and calculate our next steps.
Given our previous experience with the newly discovered locals, we had to tread carefully. Our lives pretty much depended on it.
Kailani
(Granddaughter of Corrine and Ibrahim)
We left the beach and entered the deep jungle unraveling toward the diamond colosseum. We had to stay away from clear spaces in general, since the last thing we wanted at this point was to be seen. Elonora took five minutes to syphon some energy off Ridan, completely ignoring Nevis’s previous offer. Something was sparking between her and the Dhaxanian prince, but this was neither the time nor the place to delve into it.
Elonora stayed at the front with Nevis, Ben, and Rose, leading the way through the thick jungle. Vesta, Zeriel, and Ridan were at the back, doing their best to make sure we weren’t followed. Dmitri, Hunter, and I were in the middle. I watched the sides, while Dmitri and Hunter sniffed the air.
The jungle was beautiful, much like the one on Noagh, with heavy tree crowns and a plethora of colorful flowers blossoming all over. Animals roamed through it in all shapes and sizes, from bright green insects to large turquoise feline predators. Multicolored primates hung out in the trees, and sand-colored deer grazed in the small clearings nearby, their ears moving whenever there was a sound—an insect chirping, a branch breaking, or a small rodent squeaking.
Strava’s wildlife was superb. I would’ve loved nothing more than to spend some time studying and documenting every species around here, but we were pressed for more than just time.
“The jungle itself is about two, maybe three miles wide, and circular,” Elonora said quietly, looking around. There was tension in her shoulders, noticeable from her stiffened frame. “And there are definitely more than just animals in here.”
“Can you see the humanoids any better?” Rose asked.
Elonora shook her head. “They’re either moving too fast, or they’re really well camouflaged. They’re doing their damned best to stay out of sight.”
“Well, in their defense, if my planet were suddenly the subject of interest for a bunch of strangers from outer space, I’d be wary of letting myself be seen, too,” Dmitri replied, his nostrils flaring. “That lemony scent we caught before is present, but stronger.”
“There’s that hint of ammonia, too, but it’s fading fast,” Hunter added.
“So the pod creatures are here,” I concluded. “Maybe they’re the same ones that Elonora is seeing in the jungle?”
“Could be,” Ben replied. “But then that leaves us with a troubling question.”
“What are those flashing creatures, if they’re not from the pods?” Rose murmured.
Elonora came to a sudden halt, putting her arms out to stop Ben, Rose, and Nevis from going ahead. Her gaze was fixed on the ground, which was covered in moss and fallen leaves.
“Stand back,” she whispered, then crouched to get a better look at whatever she’d seen.
“What is it?” Rose asked.
“Not sure yet,” Elonora replied, then slowly lifted a leaf, then another, tossing them aside until she revealed a strange contraption made of weirdly elastic wood and leather strings. “Ah. Looks familiar, in a way. Not that I’ve seen it before, but I think I know what it does.”
She grabbed a stick off the ground and used it to poke the center of the device. She jumped back as two arches lined with sharp wooden teeth suddenly came out from both sides and snapped shut in front of her.
“A trap,” Dmitri said. “A friggin’ trap!”
Elonora nodded, then moved around the closed trap, analyzing its every part and feature. “It’s relatively complex, too. It’s meant for big animals. These teeth are big and sharp enough to maim. Whatever gets caught in this will not survive, even if nobody comes to retrieve it. One can easily bleed out in this thing.”
“Are we being hunted?” I found myself asking.
Elonora looked at me, then scanned our surroundings again. The color drained from her face. “I don’t think so,” she breathed. “They’re stopping. They’re watching us. They heard the snap, but they’re not making a move.”
“What do you see?” Ben replied.
“Six of them. About our height, on average, though a couple of them are taller. Males and females. They’re definitely humanoids,” Elonora said. “Two legs and arms, the whole package. Plus some weird features, though they do their best to hide them under their cloaks of fur or leaves.”
“What do you mean by weird features?” I muttered, then took out my binoculars and followed her stunned gaze. “Oh. That’s what you mean.”
I understood her awe then. Two of the creatures had large swaths of reptilian skin, much like the Lamias back on Calliope, but the scales were bigger and were metallic blue. Three of them had animal horns growing out of their shoulders, and, despite their headcovers, I could see one coming out of each forehead, longer and curved upward.
“See the one in turquoise fur?” I added, keeping my voice low and focusing on the sixth creature.
“Yeah,” Elonora said quietly, while the others took out their binoculars to look.
“That’s not a cover,” I replied. “It’s growing on her skin.”
Rose gasped as she laid eyes on them through the binocular lenses. “They’re watching us.”
“Well, we’re watching them. I think they’re curious,” Dmitri said.
“Would it be wise to approach them?” Rose replied.
I frowned, my heart skipping several beats. My instincts were telling me to be extra cautious. In fact, every fiber in my body was stiff, and all I could think of was what spell to use to defend myself and my group. This encounter was only going to go one of two ways—it would either be peaceful or bloody. Based on previous experience with the locals, the latter was more of a possibility than the former.
“I don’t think so,” Elonora said. “I can’t see their expressions. They’re wearing something, I think coconut shells of some kind, to partially or fully cover their faces.”
“Yeah, you don’t do that unless you don’t want anyone recognizing you,” I muttered.
“So, what the hell do we do?” Dmitri whispered.
Elonora pointed ahead, though she kept her eyes on the six creatures. They were about two hundred yards away to our right. “We keep moving,” she said. “And we watch out for them and others. They’re not the only ones arou
nd.”
We did just that. We advanced carefully through the jungle, while Elonora continued to scan our surroundings. We watched our backs as well, and when the creatures were too far away we used our binoculars to track them.
“They’re keeping their distance, but they’re following us,” Hunter said.
“Three more to the left. Sixty yards,” Dmitri announced.
I could see them clearly between the trees. They walked and watched us at the same time, keeping up with our moderate speed. Elonora stopped again, prompting us all to come to a halt, once more.
“Look down,” she said.
We did. A thin string stretched just five inches off the ground. Another trap.
“It’s a trigger,” Rose whispered, following the string. It connected two trees on both sides of the path. Up above, a large tree trunk with thick spikes had been settled horizontally, ready to come down and crush us if the string was pushed. “I can’t help but wonder if all this is for us or for the wild animals.”
“Don’t you think they would’ve attacked by the first trap, if they were out to get us?” Hunter replied.
“Maybe they’re testing us,” Nevis offered. “Looking to see how clever and cautious we are, before they attack us.”
“Your optimism is a breath of fresh air, I swear,” Zeriel muttered.
“They could be gauging our reactions and behavior. Maybe they’re trying to figure out what we are and what we want from them,” Rose replied.
“The lemony scent is getting stronger, by the way,” Dmitri chimed in.
Rose sighed. “Yeah, even I can smell it. They’re getting closer.”
“The ones we’re seeing are keeping their distance,” Elonora said. “So, there must be others nearby; I just can’t see them. They’re probably well cloaked, blending in with the jungle and standing still whenever I look around. I must be confusing them with the trees or the bushes.”
“Yeah, that’s not a good thing,” Dmitri replied. “It means they’re highly evolved and extremely good at stalking their prey before they pounce.”