torg 03- The Nightmare Dream (18 page)

Shards of bone and bits of plant matter burst info the air, burying themselves deeply in the surprised soldier. He landed hard, rolled once, and lay still.

"A pain sack," Tal Tu said. "I should have warned you."

"What else haven't you told us?" Quin yelled, suddenly fearful that Tal Tu was a traitor.

Before the edeinos could answer, the second soldier screamed. Flailing tentacles dropped from a tree above him, wrapping around his neck and limbs. Quin fired two bursts from his uzi, aiming for the foliage that the tentacles emerged from. A moment after the machinegun fire cut through the leaves and branches, a body fell to the ground.

Sebastian ran over to the soldier and helped him pull free of the lifeless tentacles. Once he assured himself that the man was all right, Quin nudged the fallen body with the toe of his boot. It was a starfished-shaped creature with a hole in the center of its five radiating arms. The tentacles were attached to its underside. He gave it another nudge, making sure it was dead.

"A stalenger," Tal Tu said. "The restan scout. There should be four more."

"Four more of those?" Quin asked, quickly looking up in expectation of tentacles whipping out of the trees.

"No, four more in the group," Tal Tu clarified, "three edeinos and a benthe."

They continued up the hill, alert for any other traps or ambushes. Tal Tu took the lead, not only because he knew what to look for, but by being in front Quin was able to keep an eye on him. Even so, the next attack surprised even the edeinos. The assailant was hidden beneath a pile of grass and leaves, covered so well that it blended in with the landscape. It was an edeinos, roughly as large as Tal Tu, and it sprang from its hiding place as they walked past.

"Lover of dead things!" the edeinos screamed as it grappled with Tal Tu.

Tal Tu met the charge, getting his hands up to defend himself by the barest margin. "What a strange name for a gotak to call me," Tal Tu said quizzically. "Have you given up your own heathen ways?"

"I am a gotak because it pleases Baruk Kaah," the edeinos said. "For what reason do you commune with the dead of this world?"

"Because it is wrong to impose our ways on these folk. And because Baruk Kaah is an abomination to Lanala and the Living Land."

The gotak broke free of Tal Tu's grip, catching him in the gut with a clawed foot. As Tal Tu fell, the gotak moved to finish him, but Quin was there. He brought the uzi down in a vicious arc, catching the gotak on the side of its beaked head.

"Tal Tu, are you all right?" Quin started to ask, but the weight that fell on his shoulder cut off his words. It was a flesh-colored amoeba, about a foot in diameter, and it extended a pseudopod toward his face, touching the exposed skin of his cheek.

Revulsion filled Quin as he tried to shake the blob from him, but it was quickly replaced by a feeling of friendliness. Why was he afraid of the creature? he wondered. It wasn't hurting him. It was only touching him, a friendly gesture, and its touch was warm and comforting. In fact, it was so comforting that he felt like sitting down to rest...

Suddenly the pacifying feeling was gone. Tal Tu grabbed the blob in his clawed fist and squeezed, crushing the life from it. He hurled the remains away.

"What was that?" Quin asked as he shook himself. "It made me feel... things."

"That was a benthe, an emotions manipulator," Tal Tu said. "The benthe can read emotions, and they can also control them to a limited extent. We should hurry, Quin. There are still two defenders somewhere out here."

The three started up the hill again. They were almost to the top when a spear flew out of the clump of trees and buried itself in the remaining soldier. When the shaft hit, thorns sprouted from its previously smooth surface, causing additional damage to the soldier. He fell without even a moan to mark his passing.

Sebastian, angered over the loss of the two soldiers, prepared to charge up the hill, but Tal Tu held him back. "That is what they want you to do, Quin," the edeinos said. "Instead we must draw them out so that we may destroy the stelae."

"We don't even know where it is!" Quin screamed.

"There," Tal Tu said, pointing to the clump of trees on the top of the hill. "They have buried it there and grown the trees to hide it."

"Grown the ...? Those trees are almost full grown! There's no way ..."

"Quin, the gotak can call on miracles just as any Jakatt can. Plant growth is one of the more frequently granted gifts of Lanala. You must draw the two gotaks out of hiding and keep them busy while I retrieve the stelae."

Sebastian agreed, and continued his charge up the hill. He made it only a few yards, however, when the grass beneath him reached up and tangled around his feet and ankles. He went down face first, and the uzi clattered away as he tried to protect himself. He managed to get his arms in front of him, but he still had the air

knocked out of him when he hit the ground.

He lay still for a moment, not only to catch his breath but to see if the gotaks would make an appearance. He wasn't disappointed. Two edeinos emerged from the cluster of trees. One carried a spear, the other had only its claws. They advanced, and he slowly reached for the .357 at his side. He closed his hand around the familiar shape of its handle, then slowly drew it from its holster.

Two more yards closer, then Quin rolled to his knees, ripping away the grass that still clung to his feet, and fired three shots into the spear-carrying edeinos. Before he could get off a shot at the other one, a wave of energy rolled over him, knocking him back down. When he pulled himself up, the gotak was much closer, almost within arms reach.

"Did you feel that, dead one?" the gotak asked. "That was the life of Lanala filling your world. Now your dead weapon will not work. Your soldiers are finished. This area now belongs to Baruk Kaah!"

Quin felt the savage call of the Living Land course through his body. The gotak spoke true. They were too late. The primitive reality was upon them, all because he had been a little too slow. He turned the .357 around, holding it like a small club so that he didn't have to face the larger edeinos with just his bear hands.

"Quin!" Tal Tu called from the top of the hill. He held an oval package made of vines and leaves above his head. Waves of barely visible energy broke against Tal Tu and the sack, seemingly drawn to the thing. Of course, Quin realized, that was the stelae!

"A grenade!" Tal Tu called. "Quickly before the reality sets!"

"No!" the gotak raged, turning away from Quin and charging toward Tal Tu. Tal Tu threw the sack at the

gotak and leaped clear.

Quin, meanwhile, automatically reached for one of the grenades hanging at his belt. He did not even give thought to the possibility that it would not work. He grasped it, pulled the ring, and tossed it.

Quin had barely hit the ground when he heard the explosion.

57

At the storm front, Major Covent watched as the glowing wall of energy rolled out of the boundary of cloud and rain. It passed through his troops, and many of the weapons stopped spitting death at the edeinos. It passed over his position, and his jeep's engine conked out. This was it, he realized. The primitive reality had overtaken them. This was a Dead Zone now. He had to get the troops out of here before they were cut down by the claws and spears and swords of their attackers.

Then, as suddenly as it came, Covent felt the wave of energy roll back upon itself. Guns everywhere began firing again, slicing through the ranks of confused invaders. Sebastian must have done it, he thought! That meant the lizards had no hope of winning this area, at least not until they placed another stelae. The edeinos realized it, too, and they were soon fighting each other to get back behind the wall of storm.

58

Eddie Paragon ran with the others, seeking to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the explosives Decker had set. Running at the front of the group was Kurst, pushing through the thick mist of the edeinos homeworld like a swimmer through water. Behind him was Julie Boot, struggling to keep the shapeshifter in sight. Andrew Jackson Decker was beside her, moving with the grace of a natural athlete. Paragon envied his strength. Paragon himself was holding up the rear, but already his lungs were heaving with exertion and his sides ached. The climb had been hard, and now they were running for their lives. Paragon always considered himself in decent shape, but compared to Decker and Kurst, he was an invalid.

Paragon paused, resting his hands on his knees as he gasped for air. The mist was heavy, hot and thick with water, and it made his chest hurt when he breathed it. He looked at his watch. Five minutes had passed. The bomb would explode in another five minutes, when the timer reached zero.

Or would it?

The question struck Paragon like a bolt of lightning. Would the bomb explode? They were in edeinos reality now, in a world where nothing more advanced than simple spears seemed to function, except for a select few who were able to make higher technology operate — like Kurst, Decker, and Julie. And himself.

Paragon turned back to stare into the mist. He willed it to part, to allow him a clear line of sight back to the bridgehead. But the wall of mist remained. Could Decker's will or whatever it was about him that made the technology of Earth work here in this primitive realm reach across distance? Or had the timer stopped as soon as they had left it, like the stalled automobiles he had encountered on his trip across the country with Baruk Kaah? There was only one way to be sure.

Eddie Paragon dropped his pack to the ground, then started back into the mist.

59

The ravagon found the jeep at the base of the jungle bridge. It had been abandoned, its occupants long gone. With controlled rage, the ravagon ripped the metal hood from the front of the vehicle and tossed it as far as he could. He heard the satisfying thunk as it landed some distance away. Then he forced himself to calm down. If they had left the vehicle, then they were on foot now. With his powerful wings, the ravagon would be able to catch up with them easily. All he had to do was determine the path they had taken.

The ravagon let his senses stretch out, seeking any clue as to the direction the stormers had fled. After a few moments, he had his answer. Despite the obviousness of it, they had climbed the maelstrom bridge. How unimaginative, the ravagon thought. With a great flap of batlike wings, the ravagon flew up the bridge toward Takta Ker.

"What are you after, Eddie Paragon?" the ravagon asked, trying to find motives to attach to the actions of the Earth singer and his companions. "Why did you return to the Living Land? You were free, safe. You should have stayed that way."

At the top of the bridge, the ravagon sensed a device that was alien to Takta Ker. He found it nestled within the vines and branches at the bridgehead. It had a display of numbers that were counting down, but he had no other clue as to what the device was for. He had even less of a clue as to why it was working at all. This was the primitive realm, and the axioms did not support technology such as this counting device. The numbers reached zero as he watched, counting the seconds down to their end, but nothing happened.

"Just what I figured," Eddie Paragon said as he emerged from the mist some distance from the bridgehead. He was panting, tired from running. His clothes were drenched with sweat, and he looked used up, finished.

The ravagon grinned. "It is good that you have come to me, Paragon," the ravagon said, folding his wings about his large chest. "I will end your life quickly. It will be a much more merciful death than the one the edeinos would offer you."

"You don't understand," Eddie said, wiping sweat from his eyes and smiling back at the demonkind. "Decker was able to get the timer to work, but without him to keep the reality of Earth up, the second action couldn't take place."

Puzzled, the ravagon tilted his long head and regarded the singer. "What second action? What are you talking about?"

"Simple," Paragon explained. "The timer has reached zero. Now all we need is for someone to apply a little Earth reality so the explosive reaction can be triggered. I guess you don't come from a reality that can support the complicated technology. Too bad."

"Explosive reaction?" the ravagon asked. "Is this device some sort of bomb?"

"Bingo," Eddie said. "Give the ravagon a cigar. I wonder how close I have to get to let it finish its job?"

Then, without any further conversation, Eddie Paragon walked forward to find out.

60

"Ace, Eddie's gone!" Julie yelled as they ducked behind a large boulder to protect themselves from the coming blast.

The three had run the last distance in silence, not even realizing that Eddie Paragon was no longer with them. Now Julie, Decker and Kurst were hiding low behind the boulder, hoping they were far enough from the explosives to survive the expected explosion.

"Kurst, can you sense him nearby?" Decker asked frantically as he checked his watch.

"No," the shapeshifter said. "But the mist plays tricks even on my senses. It is the nature of the world. He could be a few feet away, or he could be even farther."

"Damn," Ace cursed. "Where is he?" He checked his watch, noting that the watch's timer he had set to correspond with the bomb's timer had reached zero. "And where's the explosion? It should have gone off by now."