Discovery at Nerwolix by C.G. Coppola Read Free Book Online Page B

“You’ll only die. Sampson wouldn’t want
that. We need to get you out of here.”
    “But—”
    “Sampson is a Fychu. He will be fine.”
    “What about Blovid? And Vix and Qippert?” I
ask. “He’s not even fully healed.”
    “We need to get you off planet. If you stay,
you will be killed. If the others are captured, they’ll be
interrogated and tried as traitors.”
    A crunching sounds down the side of the
mountain and we all turn with our Traxpires, ready. But it’s a
smaller, familiar Dofinike with the same circle with alternating
dots on his upper chest. He stumbles closer, Clarence taking off up
the steep slope to help him.
    Throwing Qippert’s arm over his hardened
shelled shoulders, Clarence brings him back to us. “What
happened?”
    “The Fychu said to get off planet immediately ,” Qippert cups his side, to his wound that has
reopened. “He said he would meet us at Nerwolix.”
    “And Blovid? Vix?”
    “They are holding their own…” he exhales,
“for now…”
    “We must go!” a familiar female voice calls
from above. “NOW! They are coming!” Vix races down the slope,
eyeing an unconscious Able over Booker’s shoulder as she reaches
us. “I will take these two. Hurry,” she turns to Clarence. “Sympse
and Blovid are right behind me.”
    Vix and both Rogues disappear just as two
Dofinikes reach the top of the slope where Vix was mere seconds
ago.
    “Oh thank God,” I exhale.
    “Hurry,” Clarence has us all form a circle
as Sampson and Blovid race closer, a hoard of snarling Vermix on
their trail. “Ready?”
    “GO!” Sampson calls, disappearing
mid-run.
    Right behind him, Blovid does the same.
    Reid squeezes my hand and the familiar wind
whips under my feet. But just as the purple fogginess rises,
something hard knocks into me, separating me from the group. I lose
touch with Reid’s hand and fall to the snow under the hard body of
a Vermix. Over his shoulder, Reid’s eyes bulge, his guttural shout
reaching the top of his lungs just as the circle disappears.
    “ NO!”
Chapter Four: Vermix Lair
    Shit .
    A set of talons grip my neck, securing me to
the wet, white ground as something happens down at my ankles. I
can’t think. I can’t concentrate. My heart is pounding too hard in
my chest and all I’m aware of is one thing.
    I’m alone.
    I gasp for air but the talons pinch my
throat, making it hard to breathe. I tug at them but it does no
good and swiftly, my hands are stretched above my head, bound like
my ankles. How did this happen? I was with Reid and the others only
seconds ago and now they’re gone. And I’m still here.
    Alone.
    The Vermix releases his hold and suddenly
I’m being tugged forward. They’re taking me somewhere. Probably
back to Dellapalania to kill me in front of the Vermix, as some
sort of morale boost. I have to get out of this. I have to escape,
but I’m by myself. And against how many?
    I’m not even sure.
    Trying to sit up, I scan the thick herd
surrounding me. There must be two dozen Vermix. Maybe more. But I
only have a second to look. Talons come flying across my face and
everything goes black.
     
     
    ***
     
     
    When we are we returning?
    The Supreme Leader wishes for our patience.
He will return when he is ready.
    What do we do with her until then?
    Keep her where she is.
    She will try to escape.
    Then she will die sooner.
    My eyelids hurt too much to open, my face
still stinging from something. But what? And I’m dizzy. And my
entire body aches. What happened? Racing through the last few
details, I try to piece the blurriness and pain into something I
remember. But it’s all fog. All confusion.
    Concentrate, Fallon. What do you
remember?
    We arrived on Larupip…we met up with Blovid…
then… there was an ambush of blue creatures. Pweboles. And we
followed them out. We were looking for—
    My eyes shoot open, everything rushing back
in a sudden flood of ghastly images. The attack, the near-escape,
but me—I didn’t make it. I