The Omega Children - The Return of the Marauders (A young adult fiction best seller): An Action Adventure Mystery by Shane Mason Read Free Book Online

crisp eyes and spied the small party of people weaving, like disjointed dots, up to the low pass of the Giant’s Arm Chair.
     
    ***
     
    Melaleuca grabbed Lexington’s hand, squeezed it and shot her an awkward smile. She could feel Lexington’s resistance but they had to move. Up ahead she watched Argus stumble and disappear over the low pass.
    Half pulling Lexington behind her she soon crested the pass. A howling wind smacked into her with a startling suddenness. She fought for her footing, released Lexington’s hand and Lexington tumbled backwards.
    Ari and Quixote stood a few feet below her and leant into the wind, arms outstretched, laughing and pretending to fly.
    Dry barren hills dropped away from Melaleuca, sloping down in rough ridges and gullies to the valley floor a great distance below. A giant marshy swamp spread along the entire valley, and mushy pools and reeds stretched as far as she could see.
    Argus struggled back up to the pass and shouted over the wind, ‘MOVE! WHERE THE HELL IS THE OTHER ONE?’
    Melaleuca turned back. Lexington lay amongst the tussock and stared back at the tree line mesmerised.
    What is she analysing now?
    A lone attacker moved amongst the trees and appeared to stare up at them. Melaleuca dropped between the tussock bushes leaving Argus confused. She pointed to the trees and he dived to the ground as well, though he stood out as a strange bump against the skyline.
    ‘Lex. Crawl back and get the others.’
    Lexington held the attacker in her gaze and said, ‘Is this what you saw? Did he kill ─ ’
    ‘Lex! After. Go and get the boys.’
    She turned to go but before she could leave Ari and Quixote tumbled down the hill, and upon seeing Lexington’s confused appearance, Ari said, ‘We saw Argus drop and figured something was up.’
    ‘Well done,’ Melaleuca said. ‘Listen, here’s what we are going to do.’
     
    They huddled as she explained the plan.
     
    Argus’s body almost refused to stand up. Pain seemed to shoot everywhere. He didn’t care about the cousins, but he had never failed a mission. A strength of pride surged through his arms and he pushed his body part way up and blinked the sweat and gunk from his eyes.
    Oh no! What are they...
    Argus watched Quixote leap up and run to the right, and Melaleuca and Ari slide forward as the attacker spotted Quixote. Instead of running toward Quixote the attacker slipped into the woods and disappeared from sight.
    Argus stood up and dashed down towards Melaleuca. Bloody fools.
     
    Melaleuca peered through the tussock ready to attack but the attacker had gone. Before she could speak to Ari, Argus appeared above her and gripped her clothing, hauling her to her feet. Lexington appeared behind him.
    ‘What the hell are you doing?’ Argus yelled.
    Ari launched himself into Argus and shouted, ‘Unhand her.’
    Argus stumbled backwards and then slapped his own forehead in frustration.
    ‘That was a scout! A scout get it! Now he has gone back to tell the others. And guess what will happen then?’
    Melaleuca brushed her clothes off where Argus had grabbed her.
    ‘You understand little of how we work.’
    Argus threw his hands up. ‘Now the whole bloody army will descend upon us.’
    ‘Then we have to stop him,’ Ari said.
    ‘Stop him! How? Right now he is ripping through that forest, the same one we took our time coming up, back to his men. You want to run into them as well. Sheeessshh!’
    ‘Enough,’ Melaleuca said. ‘Let’s just go then, away, the other direction. Quixote, Ari. Let’s go.’
    Lexington tapped her head as they walked back uphill toward her.
    ‘Perhaps someone made a wrong decision?’
    Everything Lexington wanted to say to Melaleuca, Melaleuca could see written on Lexington’s face, and the words, “take counsel” from Lexington came back to her. She ignored her want to put Lexington in her place, choosing instead to head back up to the pass.
    Over the pass Melaleuca stopped and waited for Argus