Light Speed, Arkadie, L. [free ebooks for android txt] 📗

to study it. Thecreature has the body of a gigantic chameleon with scaly gray skin,a hunched back, and coiled tail. The heels of its two reptilianhind legs resemble that of a human but its toes are curved andclawed. The same goes for its arms which are reptile-like withhuman palms and clawed fingers. And then there’s the head: a crossbetween a tortoise and a man, with big white eyes that blinkrapidly, purple lips, and two holes right in the middle of its faceto breathe.

“I guess they’re not all wiped out,” Na’tawhispers, still marveling at the sight of the creature.

“Are they aggressive?” Chex asks with onehand already digging in his coat.

“No,” Na’ta whispers, taking care to keepthe volume of her voice low. “Not if we stay high.”

Suddenly, the Aarap curves its neck so farbackwards that the top of his scabby head touches his bulging spineand lets out an ear-piercing hiss, so loud that I have to cover myears with my hands.

Loud rumbling mixes with the creature’sshrill. Down below the ground starts to shake and, although we arein the air, the quake rattles us too.

Now I feel Chex’s hard body against my back.He’s holding tightly to me. Then, all at once, a vast number ofAarap creatures emerge from the depths of the salt crystal withtheir bulbous eyes fixed upon us.

The last thing I hear is Na’ta shoutingabove all the noise, “Let’s get out of here!” But now I’m coveredin some sort of web material that has me so bound I can’t struggleagainst it. Chex’s arms are no longer around me and I feel hisabsence.

I try to gather my bearings as I’m beingpulled downwards. Just when I think I should hit the surface, Idon’t. I’m unable to hear, see, or smell anything. I call the powerof the light to my command and force it out of every pore of mybody. I’m waiting for the light to devour this weapon of evil,freeing from me this wicked web which has me bound.

Ad’ru, stay calm, Na’ta says to metelepathically.

I can’t free myself… I try to squirmbut the web has me securely fastened within its grasp.

Finally, I’ve stopped descending and I’mlying down on a hard surface. The fibers binding me begin to unwinduntil my mouth is freed and then my eyes. I can see again. When therest of me has been liberated. I leap to my feet and press my backagainst Na’ta’s as we instinctively take a defensive stance. Scoresof the reptilian creatures encircle us, but they are split betweenwatching us and focusing on an enormous wall made of crystal wherewe can see two battles playing out on the surface of Zrr.

First, the Olligark have brought the opaquedarkness with them and it tries to shove the hazy daytime out ofexistence, but the light refuses to concede. Then, using theirstealthy arms, the Treesh are winding up a thick linked chain witha solid stone ball attached at the end of it to deliver blows tothe seemingly indestructible Olligark. If it weren’t for theirmethods, the solid pink, human-like Treesh would be easilyannihilated. They work in unison to bring the Olligarks to theirknees before delivering a deathblow to their heads. Yet, theOlligark are clearly winning. They fight with their skeletal handsand, once they clamp down on their opponent, they’re able to riptheir limbs apart, even those of the durable Treesh. Bubbling thickpurple blood and mammoth-sized bones coat the battlefield. It’ssheer violence. I turn my face because the sight is difficult toabsorb.

“The Ol,” an Aarap says, rolling thel in Ol “saw you through the eye of the world.” The creaturebuzzes; it’s not exactly speaking in Enu or English, but its wordsslither off its tongue in sharp hisses. “We honor our pact withthat of Benel. We protect you in Zrr.”

Na’ta cringes at the mention of our father’sprotection and asks, “The eye? The Zkr?” Her voice rings withcuriosity. “That means they lifted that from the Mtknv too.”

“Wait,” I nearly shout, suddenly realizingwe’re short one companion. “Where is Chex?” I twist and turn,searching frantically for him.

My pulse starts to race. I’m forced to gazeupon the violence and the slaughtering has not ceased. My eyesdesperately search for him in the mess of bones, blood, anddeath.

“He is vampire…” the Aarap begins in hisdecipherable hiss.

I’m hanging on his every buzz, wonderingwhere this explanation will lead when the Aarap’s scaly head fliesclean off its neck, hitting one of the crystal columns beforedropping to the floor.

All the Aarap cry out in an uproar that’s sodeafening it feels as if my head has split into two. To my left, Isee Chex standing over the headless creature, grasping a dagger ineach hand. And he’s not finished. He fixes his eyes on the nearestAarap and is on the verge of calling his reflexes in motion. He’squick. But for the grace of the Creator, I’m faster. I’m able toget in front of him and take him by his massive shoulder.

His eyes are glazed over as he curls hisneck to observe the grip I have on him. Before I can shout his nameover the incessant buzzing to get him to fully focus on me, heshoves me away. I’m flying through the air until my body stopsshort of hitting a column because Na’ta has caught me. At the sametime I see traces of Chex’s rapid speed as he evades the Aaraps’streaming web.

The Aaraps grow angrier, evident by theintolerable noise they’re making. But Chex is also mad. It is clearthe two factions will duel to the death. Without hesitation, I pullthe light out of me and fill this entire space with it. My powersobey me. The daggers drop out of Chex’s hands and clink against thedurable crystal. The Aaraps have stopped shooting theirconstraining string.

“What the hell just happened?” Na’tamutters.

She’s watching me closely; they all are. Iwalk over to the head Aarap. The lids of its eyes are stillblinking and there is no blood of any sort oozing out of thecleanly sliced wound. I bend over to pick up the head and take itover to the body of the creature, which is crumpled on the floor.Unlike the head, the