Chapter 21
In the distance, the top of a large rock formation came into view. Only when they were even with it, at the crest of a small hill, did they recognize that the rocks were situated in a large "T" formation. Jason, relieved they were still headed in the right direction, focused on his teammates. Streams of sweat poured down the backs of both Rizzo and Billy. Without hydration, sooner rather than later, they would be hitting a wall. Something big moved. What had appeared to be large rocks or clusters of rocks, Jason realized, were actually massive animals. Heads down and grazing, they looked similar to bison, but larger. These animals had thick, fluffy, white sheep fur. Clearing the next hilltop, they discovered hundreds more of them—a massive herd grazing as far as the eye could see.
"What the hell," Billy said, dodging one of the animals. "Won't be able keep this pace up now, Cap."
Jason pointed. "Over there, to the right. Looks like a small river."
They altered direction, dodging several more of the large animals and bringing their run down to a slow jog. They walked the last few yards. Jason lowered to his knees and inspected the water. The last thing they needed was to get the trots from drinking contaminated water. It was more of a brook than a river. No more than six feet wide, but fairly deep. Lots of rocks and pebbles, and up the hillside there looked to be several small waterfalls.
“You going to stare at it all night, Cap, or you going to take a drink?” Billy asked Jason. He hadn’t hesitated before bringing his own cupped-hands up to his mouth to drink the water. Rizzo did the same … then smiled with relief.
“Nothing has ever tasted so fine, Cap,” Rizzo said smiling. “You forgot about your nanites, Captain?” Rizzo asked. “I think you’re safe.”
“Hadn’t thought of that—thanks.” Jason, too, began to drink.
Two minutes later they were jogging, then running again.
“So what are we looking for now?” Billy asked.
“Scorched earth, or a place where things won’t grow,” Rizzo answered.
They found it fifteen minutes later. The plains had flattened out and the grazing animals were nowhere to be seen. The grass-covered plains were gone, replaced by a near-perfect circle the size of a city block. The earth here was blackened and charred. They stopped running. Bent over, with hands on their knees, the three gasped to catch their breath. Jason knelt down and felt the charred soil with his fingertips.
“There’s nothing natural about this. Looks to me like something from a ship’s thrusters,” Jason said. He stood up and turned toward the tree line. “There’s a wide break in the trees. I think that’s where we’re supposed to go.”
Jason ran off in that direction. A moment later, Billy and Rizzo followed close on his heels. Several hundred yards into the forest, just as the Serapin leader had described, they found the other encampment. It had nearly the identical layout. A large stadium made from hewn and stacked logs stood to the right of the path. Several hundred of the two-man chariots were parked along the side of the structure. They reached the Serapin stables. Silently, they moved to the side of the first thatch-roofed structure.
“So, how do you tell a female Serapin from a male, anyway?” Billy asked in a whisper.
“Ricket told me the females have utters or teats down here, low on their bellies,” Rizzo whispered back, pointing to his own belly.
“So, how do we know where to find them?” Billy asked.
“The Serapin Queen will be kept isolated, in separate quarters, somewhere around here,” Jason replied.
Moving as quietly as possible and keeping low, the three SEALs scurried from one structure to the next. Similar to the stable area of the other encampment, these structures were also open at the front; multiple Serapin, curled up into tight balls upon hay-strewn floors, were seen sleeping.
After the twelfth structure, Billy whispered into Jason ear, "Cap, I don't see anything that looks like the Queen. These are all males."
"Let's skip over to the other side of that path." Jason gestured to another grouping of thatched structures in the distance. Jason led the way. Snap! Rizzo had stepped on a tree branch. Still out in the open with no place to hide, the three stopped in their tracks, motionless. Once they felt it was safe, they headed toward two small, and one slightly larger, structures. They split up, with Jason heading for the bigger structure. It was quickly apparent that Jason had hit pay dirt. He signaled for Billy and Rizzo to join him. Once at his side, Billy and Rizzo took turns peering around the corner into the corral's interior.
Rizzo made a face and mouthed the words, "Look at the size of that thing!"
Jason removed one of two things they had been allowed to bring along. At over six feet long, the belt had needed to be wrapped twice around Jason's waist. Ricket had convinced the Craing leader that without Traveler's belt and associated wristband, there was no chance of success. Jason flipped open the display he had secured to his own wrist. The return phase-shift coordinates had been entered at the other Craing encampment. Theoretically, all he had to do was position the belt around the Serapin Queen, confirm the coordinates, and, within twenty seconds, press the activate button. But several factors had complicated things. First was the sheer size of the animal. Easily two thousand pounds, she was a mass of flab and flopping teats. There was simply no way Traveler's belt would fit around that Serapin. Second, and of equal concern, the Queen had four baby Serapins suckling at her four teats. They took several steps backwards, away from the corral's opening.
"What do we do now, Cap?" Billy asked in a whisper.
"Nothing changes. At least she's sitting up. Here, hold this." Jason, handing the big belt to Billy, took both of its ends and secured them together by locking the clasp. "Think about it. All we have to do is get this belt around her head. Anything making physical contact with her will be phase-shifted over to the other camp."
"You're going to phase-shift the babies too?" Billy asked with a furrowed brow.
"Would you have me leave them here? They’d probably die," Jason replied.
Billy and Rizzo nodded, seeing the logic.
"I need one of you to sneak in there, drop this belt over her head, and quickly get the hell out of the way," Jason said, looking from one to the other. "I need a volunteer."
"I'll do it," Rizzo replied, but not happy about it.
"Excellent, Rizzo. Don't worry—that thing will be miles away before it wakes up," Jason said, giving Rizzo a reassuring look. Jason needed to get things moving along. Every extra second they took, Traveler's life became more in jeopardy.
Rizzo took the belt in both hands and held it out in front of himself. He made several practice throwing movements. Both Jason and Billy gave appreciative nods. A noise came from up the pathway. Two Craing sentries were making their way down the hill in their direction. Both had swords hung from scabbards at their hips and partially-shaved heads. Long braids fell below their shoulders.
"Hide," Jason needlessly whispered, and the three ducked behind the rear of the corral structure. The small warriors walked directly to the Queen's structure and looked in on her. Once satisfied all was fine, they moved on down the path and out of sight.
Jason hailed Ricket via his NanoCom.
“Go for Ricket,” came the mechanical voice.
“We’re just about ready here. Be prepared, she’s a lot bigger than other Serapins.”
“Understood,” Ricket replied. Jason cut the connection.
"You ready?" Jason whispered to Rizzo, double-checking the wristband coordinates one more time.
"I guess—sure. Ready as I'll ever be."
"Good. Let's do this," Jason said. He gestured for him to get going. Jason scurried over to the other side of the opening and peered into the corral. Billy took Jason’s place, and with his nod, Rizzo stepped into the Queen corral. Although the mother, the Queen, seemed to be asleep, the baby Serapins were not. Jason watched from behind, and off to the side, as Rizzo approached the Serapins. Rizzo forced himself to smile as four sets of eyes locked on him. With one exception, the young continued to nurse. Five feet away, a second young Serapin stopped nursing. Rizzo looked back over his shoulder; Jason waved him on to continue. At three feet from the Queen, all the young Serapins had stopped nursing and had brought their full attention up to Rizzo. A new sound, similar to purring but far louder, emanated from each of the young.
The Queen stirred. Not fully awake yet, but not asleep either. Rizzo brought the belt forward with his hands far apart in order to make its opening as wide as possible. Jason bit his lip. Why doesn’t he just throw the damn thing? The Queen opened her eyes. In the split second that it took for full consciousness to return and objects to come into focus, Rizzo threw the belt. But she was already on the move and trying to stand. The belt struck the Queen several inches beneath her lower jaw. With surprising speed and agility, she sprang up and forward, jaws opened wide—far wider than it would be necessary to engulf not only Rizzo’s head but his entire upper torso, as well. But Rizzo, feeling excruciating pain in his left calf, had bent over and reached for his leg. The Queen’s massive jaws and teeth snapped into empty air an inch above Rizzo’s head.
As if everything was happening in slow motion, Jason watched as it transpired in a blur. Although it was apparent the belt never made it around the Queen’s neck, it had, somehow, gotten itself wrapped around one of her stubby arms. Jason pressed the button. Nothing. Jason cursed himself for forgetting that phase-shifting was a two-part sequence. He now had twenty seconds to activate the phase-shift. He pressed the button again. The Queen Serapin and three of her young disappeared. The fourth young Serapin was still present, its jaws firmly secured around Rizzo’s left calf. Both Billy and Jason reached Rizzo at the same time. Jason covered Rizzo’s mouth with a hand to stifle a scream he knew was coming. Billy, doing his best to pry the baby Serapin’s jaws apart, was not having any luck. Billy brought his hands down around the creature’s neck and squeezed. Crack.
“I guess that did it,” Billy said.
Upon closer inspection, Jason saw the bite on Rizzo’s calf wasn’t terrible. He’d need a few stitches, but he’d live. And most importantly, he’d be able to run.
“Good job, Rizzo,” Jason said, getting back to his feet. “You’ll be okay.”
Billy peeked out the corral structure, first looking left, then right. “I think it’s clear.”
Once they had cleared the tree line, Jason let himself somewhat relax. Then he heard new sounds from behind them. All three had heard these same sounds before—the sounds of Serapin- drawn chariots.
"So much for a clean getaway," Jason said, looking over his shoulder toward the tree line. "We've got two chariots, four Craing warriors, quarter of a mile back."
"Any ideas?" Billy asked.
"Yeah, make it to the rocks up ahead." The three picked up their pace. The sounds of the approaching chariots and yells from the approaching Craing warriors increased. It was clear they weren't going to make it to the rocks, not even close. The three SEALs slowed and separated. Turning to face their pursuers, they pulled their short swords. The approaching chariots were coming fast, close together, side-by-side. Each was pulled by a single Serapin—with one Craing at the reins and another poised to throw a spear. Jason had witnessed just how effective these Craing warriors were at bringing down their quarry. At thirty yards out, the first spear was thrown. Billy ducked to his left. The spear pierced the ground several inches from his feet. The chariots sped past and separated. Jason didn't wait for the second spear to be thrown. Earlier he'd noticed these stubby swords were fairly well-balanced between hilt and blade—workable. He flipped the weapon end over end and held it by its broad blade. With the closest chariot no more than ten yards out, Jason threw his sword. The Craing warrior’s spear was already in the air, headed for Jason. Caught spinning sideways, it glanced off his upper left arm, splitting the skin. Blood flowed. But Jason's sword had found its intended mark. The dead Craing warrior lay on the ground, sword buried to its hilt in the middle of his chest.
The chariots were circling again, one of which now had a single driver. Both chariots separated and then came back together and charged directly at Rizzo. He waited, and at the last moment jumped to his left. He’d waited too long. Although he’d gotten out of the way of the Serapin, the chariot hit Rizzo with a glancing blow to the head. Rizzo hit the ground and didn't get up. Jason and Billy retrieved two of the Craings’ thrown spears. Both made the split second decision to go for the Craing warrior at the reins, and with luck, the thousand-pound Serapins would veer away. Jason threw his spear and caught the closest, the single Craing driver, in his lower torso. The Craing fell to the ground and the unmanned chariot eventually rolled to a stop. The Serapin snorted and huffed, but seemed to have lost his willingness to run. The second chariot circled, then quickly closed in on Billy. He followed its movement, turning as it drew near. Billy threw his spear. It hit the Craing driver in the forehead, catapulting him end over end off the chariot and landing ten feet back. The remaining Craing warrior grabbed up the reins and circled the chariot in a tight circle, and charged again. But without gaining sufficient speed, Billy was able to not only dodge the chariot, but also grab on and pull himself aboard. In a blur, the Craing’s neck was snapped and his body tossed to the ground. Billy slowed the chariot and stepped off. The Serapin glanced back once, ran on for several more seconds, and finally came to a stop alongside the other Serapin.
Jason raced toward Rizzo, but slowed when he saw that he was alert and up on his elbows looking around.
"Have a nice nap?" Jason asked, but was relieved the young SEAL hadn't been killed.
The Serapins were getting agitated. Drool streamed from their mouths, and their heads turned in the direction of their fallen drivers’ bodies.
"When in Rome," Billy said, shrugging his shoulders.
"I guess," Jason replied.
They fetched up and unceremoniously deposited the dead Craing at the feet of the two Serapins. The bodies were ripped and torn in a blur. Sounds of snapping bones and frenzied biting and chewing continued as if the two Serapins were competing with each other for every scrap of meat. Finished, they continued to snap angrily at each other.
Jason turned away and looked toward the tree line. Six more chariots and twelve Craing warriors were headed in their direction.
"Rizzo, you're with me, hop in," Jason said. "We need to go. Right now!"
Jason took up the reins of his Serapin, stole one more glance over his shoulder, and snapped the straps against the Serapin's hindquarters. The beast leapt forward, quickly running at a full gallop. Billy, close behind, pulled even with Jason and Rizzo. If they hadn't been fleeing for their lives, Jason would have enjoyed this. Looking to his left, he noticed Billy, at the reins of his own chariot, was smiling.
"They're gaining on us, Cap," Rizzo yelled into his ear. Billy had pulled farther ahead, but neither was going fast enough to outrun them. They'd passed the big "T" shaped rock, as well as the winding river. Another look over his shoulder and Jason knew they wouldn't make it to the entrance to the other Craing encampment in time. Both of their chariots had slowed under their weight. Only halfway up the hill, the Serapins were struggling. Jason’s mind flashed with images of his own body being thrown at the feet of a group of hungry Serapins. He snapped the reins again, then again, harder. He could hear the sounds of the six approaching Serapins and their chariots. A spear streaked by, inches from his head. "Shit!" Jason veered his chariot to the right. More spears streaked by. Jason’s Serapin was huffing and puffing, its pace slowing even more. He peered over his shoulder again—he counted twelve warriors, or was it ten? Up ahead Jason saw that the crest of the hill was finally in sight. Billy’s Serapin had begun to slow as well and was unresponsive to Billy’s continuous snapping of the reins. Two arrows pierced the inside of Jason’s chariot, missing his legs by inches. Three more arrows flew by, imbedding themselves in the hindquarters of his Serapin. The beast reared up and spun its head, frantically biting at the protruding arrows caught in its flank. The Serapin stumbled, then fell to the ground, dead. Chariots closed in around Jason, Craing warrior screams of triumph filled the air. Billy was out of his chariot, rushing to join Jason and Rizzo. Together, they’d make their last stand.
But it wasn't Billy’s approach that had caught Jason's attention. Confused, what he saw didn't register at first. Then it did. Orion. Magnificent Orion standing tall at the crest of the hill—the muzzle of her multi-gun pointing back in their direction. She ran forward. Now, close enough to see the expression on her face, she was clearly angry. Her weapon flashed, and the ground erupted all around them. One by one, the Craing warriors took the brunt of her continuous fire. The few Craing that had survived her initial barrage had circled back and quickly fled the way they had come. A handful of abandoned chariots lingered nearby. Billy, Jason and Rizzo took the reins of their own chariots. As Billy approached the crest of the hill, he slowed, and without missing a beat, Orion jumped on next to him. All three chariots picked up speed on the far side of the hill—halfway down, they changed direction toward the small break in the trees.