Chapter Twenty
“I’ve got the clearing in my sights.” Baird spoke into the com-link he wore clipped to his ear as he piloted the medium sized shuttle he’d gotten to replace the one Sylvan had crashed. The Master of Ships hadn’t been too happy about that—the tech that went into even the smallest and simplest Kindred craft was considerable and expensive. But Baird was a war hero with friends on the High Council—which was the only reason he was being allowed to fly down to Earth now when the whole planet was on lock down. The Council still weren’t sure exactly what was going on with the Scourge, but it seemed certain they’d developed some troubling new forms of technology which needed to be identified and either duplicated or destroyed.
“Hurry,” Deep’s voice said in his ear. “There’s a pack of urlich closing in on them right now.”
“I’ll come out swinging,” Baird promised. “I’ve got my blazer and I brought Sylvan’s too. I’m sure he’ll be glad to get it.”
Be careful! The new voice came not from the com-link but from inside his head. It was Olivia and she sounded worried.
I will be, Baird promised her. I’ll bring them both back safely. I promise, Lilenta.
Love you… The voice faded to a whisper in his mind as he got out of range. Even the mind-link forged when a Kindred bonded to his bride had some limits. Baird would have felt lonely without her soft voice but he didn’t have time. Sophia and Sylvan were in trouble. He just hoped he was in time to save them and keep his promise to his bride.
* * * * *
“Up the tree. Now!” Sylvan was already giving her a boost as he spoke.
Sophie gripped the rough bark tightly and scrambled with her bare feet against the side of the trunk. She winced as her hurt ankle chose that exact moment to twist the wrong way again, leaving it practically useless. Damn it—not now! Not when I have to climb! She did her best to get higher but the next available branch was far above her head and well out of reach. She tried to jump for it, landed wrong on the hurt ankle again and gasped in pain. In response, the slender branch supporting her weight shivered and gave an ominous creaking sound. It was then that she realized she was still alone in the tree.
“Sylvan?” she said anxiously, looking down at him. He was standing braced beneath the tree, half crouched with his arms spread, obviously ready for combat. Sophie was aghast. “Sylvan, what are you doing?” she demanded. “They’re coming—get up here!”
“That branch won’t hold my weight.” He didn’t look up as he spoke, still scanning for the impending threat.
“Then find another tree,” Sophie urged him. “Quick, while there’s still time.”
“No. I won’t leave you.”
“Sylvan, don’t be s—”
The words died in her mouth as the first of the urlich came into sight.
Sophie didn’t know what she’d been expecting—robot dogs with metal teeth maybe or something that was half alive and half machine—like that old movie, The Terminator. Instead she saw animals that were, well, just animals. In fact, they looked an awful lot like the Doberman which had chased her and Liv all those years ago. Except that they’re freaking huge!
They were as big as small horses and their cruel, pointed snouts were filled with razor sharp teeth, every one as long as Sylvan’s fangs. Aside from their size the only other unusual thing about them was their eyes.
They’re red, Sophie thought with a spasm of fear. Glowing red like coals.
“Get higher in the tree if you can,” Sylvan told her grimly, keeping his eyes glued to the largest urlich which seemed to be the leader. “They can’t climb but they can reach a good distance when they stand on their back paws.”
Sophie could see he was right. Standing on their hind paws, any one of the modified dogs would be well able to pluck her right out of the tree she was currently hiding in. And that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Because I can’t reach the next branch. And how the hell does Sylvan expect to fight them with no weapons?
Her answer came in the form of a low growl down at the base of the tree. As she had in the cabin, Sophia realized that the sound was coming from Sylvan, not the dogs. He was still crouched in a fighting stance and his fangs looked longer and sharper than she’d ever seen them. Just because he didn’t have a weapon in his hands didn’t mean he was unarmed. She had never seen him look more fierce, more threatening. But there are so many of them. And just one of him! A spasm of fear shot through her and then one of the animals leaped right at him.
Sophie bit her lip as Sylvan ran to meet the attack. She was certain the huge animal would rip out his throat and she wanted in the worst way to look away but she was mesmerized, her eyes glued to the action.
Sure enough the pointed snout full of teeth aimed right for the big warrior’s neck but at the last minute, Sylvan put his hands up. Not to protect his throat, though. Sophie watched in horror as he actually stuck both hands in the animal’s mouth. Oh my God, he’s going to lose all his fingers!
But before the urlich could clamp down, Sylvan had hold of its jaws and was prying them apart. Sophie could only imagine the sheer strength it took to hold such a huge, ferocious animal’s mouth open. But why is he doing it? What’s the point? True, it kept the urlich from biting but it seemed like there should be a better way to do that. What did Sylvan hope to accomplish?
A low whine was coming from the animal’s throat as Sylvan stretched its jaws wider and wider. And then he wrenched the entire head to one side and Sophie had the answer to her question. With a sharp cracking sound, the animal’s neck snapped and it fell in a limp heap at Sylvan’s feet.
Ugh! She flinched at the grizzly sound but there wasn’t time to freak out. Another urlich had launched itself at Sylvan. This one managed to avoid his hands and plow into him with enough force to take them both to the ground.
Sophie bit back a scream as she watched them roll over and over on the ground, the lethal jaws snapping inches from Sylvan’s face. The look on his chiseled features was grim and unyielding as he held the urlich off.
How can he fight up close like that? How long can he possibly hold it off? Suddenly the urlich went for Sylvan’s throat. But instead of his neck, the wickedly curving teeth found his bare shoulder. The beast ripped into him but Sylvan hardly seemed to notice. He shifted his grip and, in a gruesome example of role reversal, his fangs found the urlich’s throat instead. Then, with a quick, vicious jerking motion, he ripped it out.
Sophie’s breath caught in her throat as a spray of blackish-red blood fountained up from the dying urlich . A few droplets spattered her bare feet, hot and thick and slimy. And then Sylvan was up again and ready to face the next attacker.
She stared at him in awe. His jaw and chest were smeared with the urlich’s slick, black blood and he was bleeding heavily from the wound on his shoulder. But his face showed no signs of pain—only a fierce, animalistic determination to kill all the attackers or die trying.
It’s because he’s defending me, Sophie realized as she watched the four remaining urlich, including the large one that appeared to be the leader, circle her tree where Sylvan was still standing guard. He’s willing to die for me—to die protecting me, just like he said. What’s so special about me? What did I do to inspire such loyalty? Such…love? And will all that emotion really just disappear when we get back to the ship? If we get back to the ship? She didn’t have long to wonder because suddenly everything happened at once.
Up until now the urlich had been coming one by one as though trying to test Sylvan’s strength. Now the lead urlich barked out several sharp, short commands and the four remaining animals launched themselves at the base of the tree at once.
Sophie gasped as their heavy bodies hit the trunk, shaking the entire tree and nearly dislodging her completely. Only by wrapping her arms around the tree and holding on desperately was she able to keep her place. She couldn’t see what was happening to Sylvan—he seemed to be buried under a mound of snarling, snapping bodies. In the mean time, the urlich leader was up on her hind paws, snapping at Sophie’s unprotected ankles.
This is it, she thought desperately as she tried to avoid those razor sharp jaws. In a minute this thing is going to grab me by the leg and drag me out of the tree. I don’t know why the Scourge want me but it looks like they don’t care if I get to their ship in one piece or not. They’ll take me away and I’ll never get to see anyone I love again. Liv or Kat or Sylvan…
She didn’t have time to wonder why she’d added the big warrior’s name to her list of loved ones. It didn’t matter anyhow. He was probably dead—as dead as she herself was going to be once the Scourge were through with her.
Hot, fetid breath bathed her bare legs and she tried to dance away again, out of the reach of the snapping jaws. Her bad ankle gave a warning twinge and Sophie gasped in pain. Hanging on to the rough bark of the tree, she tried to kick out at her attacker, to fend it off, but the movement caused another excruciating bolt in her twisted ankle. Before she could try again, teeth as sharp as razors were closing around her leg. Sophie felt an agonizing pain as they bit and pierced deep, gripping the meat of her knee and lower leg. The large female urlich growled low in her throat and began to pull, trying to dislodge her prey from the tree.
Me, I’m the prey, Sophie thought. Oh my God, no…no! Slowly but surely her fingers were being pried from their grip on the rough bark. Hot rivulets of blood were pouring down her leg. The pain was incredible, enormous as the giant, sharp teeth dug deeper into her tender flesh. GodohGod…hurts! Hurts so much!
Then suddenly there was a sizzling sound and some of the pressure eased. The pain was still terrible but at least she was no longer being pulled out of the tree. Sophie opened her eyes which had been clenched shut and couldn’t hold back a scream. The lead urlich’s teeth were still buried in her leg, its long, ugly head attached to her, but the rest of its body was gone—sheared clean away as though cut off by a knife or a sword. Or a blow torch, she thought wildly. My God, look at it—it’s smoking!
It was true—the stump of the animal’s neck was steaming as though it had just been cauterized by the world’s biggest surgical instrument. The sickening stench of burned hair and cooked flesh coming from it made her want to gag but she had no time to be sick. With trembling fingers she reached out and pried at the razor sharp teeth. She was afraid that the jaws, clenched tight in death, would never let go. But at last she managed to lever them open and the smoking head dropped away, leaving nothing but gaping puncture wounds to remind her of its owner.
She heard another sizzling sound and then another. Looking at the ground below her, she saw that the two urlich on top of Sylvan had been reduced to a pile of smoking chunks. She had no idea what was happening until she saw Baird charge in with a gun-like weapon in his fist. Sophie had never been so glad to see her new brother-in-law in her life.
“Baird?” she gasped and he nodded at her briefly.
“Where’s Sylvan? Did he get out or is he still under these two?” He nodded at the mess under her tree.
“I didn’t see if he got out or not. Oh God, Baird. I don’t know if he’s…still alive.” She choked on the last words, feeling sick and faint. Sylvan, she thought, as fear took her by the throat. Oh Sylvan, please don’t be dead. Please, please don’t. Even if this is the end for us and you won’t care any more once we’re back at the ship, please don’t be gone for good.
She was about to dissolve into tears when the gruesome pile of urlich parts shivered and heaved. Sylvan sat up, pushing them out of the way. He looked like a survivor from a zombie movie, more dead than alive, but he was still moving and that was enough for Sophie.
He’s all right. Oh, thank God, he’s all right. Suddenly she was literally faint with relief. Or maybe it was blood loss. The deep wounds in her calf were pumping out streams of crimson which was trickling down her bare leg to patter on the ground below. Just watching it was making her feel…so…dizzy.
She tried to hold on to the tree but the world was spinning in a giddy arc, threatening to throw her down at any minute. “Sylvan,” she muttered, not even sure if she was talking aloud or if the words were all in her head. “Sylvan, I—”
Then she felt herself falling. Gonna hurt when I land. The ground is so hard… But someone caught her before she reached it. Strong arms held her tight and someone whispered in her ear, “Safe now. You’re safe, Talana.”
Sophie opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. Blackness ate the world and she remembered no more.