Fearlings Three (The Fearlings Series Book 3) (10 page)

“There is nowhere we can hide,” Kynar says. He turns to Rob and stares at his Vaun. “There is only one way for survival.”

“What?” Rob asks.

“Trade,” Kynar says.

“Trade what?

“…myself for your free travel out of the city,” Kynar says.

“He will take you for your power Kynar,” Grandma says. “Then he will kill you.”

“I will give him reason not to end me,” Kynar says.

“What?” Rob says. He steps forward as Kynar rises straight up into the forming mist on the ceiling. “Don’t!”

Tom steps back as Kynar vanishes from vision. He looks to Grandma and Rob a few feet away. “What do we do?”

“Simple,” Grandma says. She smiles at her words as she says them. “We wait."

CHAPTER 24

Drawk stabs his weapon forward ending a Screamer, and then he turns and strikes another in the back before it attacks James. James turns and fires his last shot as the Screamer starts to stand. “Aaaaagh!” James swings the shotgun striking a Screamer in the back as it attacks Hydron.

Shanawl is much stronger and faster than the Screamers. She ends multiple Screamers with ease as she stabs her weapon and blasts others to the floor. She raises one arm and the floor beneath them turns to mist.

James, Drawk, Hydron, and Shanawl lower down into the mist along with multiple Screamers. They rise up in the middle of a long rectangular room. The smooth gray ceiling is twenty feet above them. James steps back as the three beings engage and quickly end the remaining Screamers.

In several sections along the wall, entrances fade open, and the Screamer Layvon enters with several larger Screamers behind him. Across the room several more appear.

“Can we beat them?” James asks.

“You are like your father,” Shanawl responds. Her tone shows no fear of the situation.

“Can we?”

“No,” Shanawl says. She raises her hand and aims her blaster at Layvon.

“Wait!” Layvon orders as he stops walking. The Screamers behind him obey. He speaks to the Allumns protecting the human. “Trade the Vaun and you shall live.”

“No!” Drawk roars.

“Leave!” Hydron says.

James stands in silence as he looks back to the Screamers slowly approaching from behind.

“Trade him for your ability to live,” Layvon says. He steps forward and speaks with cold calculation. “Decide!”

A thin blue mist appears beside Shanawl and the Allumn Ekabar fades into vision. His cloak hides his identity as he looks back to James between Hydron and Drawk. “Still being brave are you?”

“Now we can defeat them,” Shanawl says.

CHAPTER 25

In the safe area, Kynar stands by himself talking to the hooded Being that the Allumns fear.

“Allow their freedom through the city and I am yours,” Kynar says. “I will serve you.”

“You are already mine.”

“Not without struggle.”

“Your power weapons and your ending is what I desire. You cannot prevent me.”

“I know where there is one who carries life,” Kynar says. He knows that the being has interest in his words. “It is life that can aid you on your quest for revenge. Allow me to live, and my assistance you shall receive. With this life, I can travel you to a world that will lead you back to your own.”

Back in the dome room Rob, Grandma and Tom pace impatiently.

“He can’t do that,” Rob says. He does not like the idea of Kynar giving himself as a prisoner so they can be free. “No.”

“I do not believe we have a say in the decision,” Grandma says. “Kynar will do what he likes and we can only react.”

“He knows what he is doing doesn’t he?” Tom asks.

“I believe that he is always planning,” Grandma says. “They all are. It is their nature, their way of surviving.”

Kynar and the cloaked being finish their trade, “You and your weapons of power for their free passage through the city.”

“You will never have the weapons,” Kynar says. He stares up at the larger being. “I will create a route back to your world and I will give myself, but you shall never have the weapons. Make your decision!”

CHAPTER 26

The nineteen-year-old James watches as the Protectors and Ekabar end the attacking Screamers all around him. They leave only Layvon remaining. He stands twenty feet away and does not move. He sees the bodies of the Screamers on the floor at their feet but shows no concern.

“Why?” Layvon says to Ekabar. “You had free travel through the city. Why betray us now. Why help the Vaun?”

Ekabar turns to James for a second then back to Layvon as he answers. “I have grown fond of this one and I am curious.”

“You give him false value,” Layvon says. He looks to James as he speaks. “Know this human, in our worlds; it is we that have the value. You are an acceptable loss.” Several loud screaming roars erupt from all around and he laughs a cold shallow laugh. “You cannot escape.”

James and the others watch as dozens of Screamers enter the room from all around them.

“You are inaccurate as always,” Ekabar says. “We shall pass without harm.”

The Screamers stop walking towards them. A loud low pitch voice interrupts all movement and echoes throughout the room. “Allow them to pass.”

James stares around the room and sees the Screamers begin to exit. He looks back to Layvon. The Screamer is gone.

“What happened?” James asks.

“A trade,” Ekabar says. He turns and walks to the smaller human.

“What do you mean trade?” James asks. “What trade?”

“You shall learn all,” Ekabar says. A thin air of blue mist begins to fade around Ekabar as he finishes. “Elsewhere I must travel. Stay brave.” His words whisper away as he vanishes from sight.

A second later the floor mists beneath them and Grandma, Tom and Rob rise up through the floor.

“Dad…?” James asks. His eyes tear as he steps forward. His dad looks the same as he did the day he was taken, “You’re alive.”

“Son,” Rob cries. He reaches out and grabs his boy. “Holy son of Mary you’ve grown. Look at you. You’re a man.” He hugs James tighter.

“Is mom with you?” James asks. He sees the look on his dad’s face; he knows the answer, which causes his eyes to tear.

“Kynar traded himself,” Grandma says to Shanawl.

“What do you mean?” James says. He steps back away from his dad and stares at the hooded protectors.

“We must leave,” Hydron says.

“Travel us out of the city,” Drawk says.

CHAPTER 27

The hall is a large round hall that leads up to a wide oval opening that exits the city of Typol. The mist appears on the floor several yards away from the opening.

Grandma, Rob, James and Tom rise up through the mist with Drawk, Hydron and Shanawl standing in front of them. The three large beings turn to the humans.

“This way,” Hydron says. He turns and starts them up the hall toward the exit.

“Can we save my mom,” James asks.

“I do not know,” Shanawl says.

“We will do all that we can,” Drawk says.

As they near the exit, a thick red light shines into the hall.

“We have to save her,” James says. He stares at the back of Hydron and Drawk expecting replies.

Rob and Tom do not join the conversation. They near the exit behind the protectors and their eyes widen as they leave the city. They stop just outside the hall, stunned by what they see.

“Oh my…” Rob struggles to find his words.

The three large beings turn around and face the humans. Simultaneously their cloaks retract up and fade into their backs revealing their true identity. They stare with intensity as the human’s eyes widen from surprise.

“You…you,” is all Tom can say.

Grandma smiles, she has seen her protector before and this is no surprise to her. She speaks with calm and focus to relax the others. “Different aren’t they?”

“What do we do now?” Rob asks.

“Now,” Shanawl says. “We start a new adventure.”

EPILOGUE

It has been one year since James, Rachel, and Jeff, were taken. Stewart, Rick and the Professor have spent that year looking for Rachel’s father. Without her, they have had a hard time contacting him. It is the middle of the day and the sun shines bright in the clear sky. Stewart, Rick and the Professor stand around a picnic table at a park. They look to each other with intensity and purpose as the Professor shares his information.

“Really…?” Stewart asks. He doesn’t like the information because he knows what it means. “We have to go to Alaska to find Rachel’s dad?”

“That is where he is,” Professor says, “in that glass house of his.” He smiles. “The night will not visit there for the next twenty-five days.”

“And that’s the only place that he will meet us?” Stewart asks, “Nowhere else?”

“No, no, no,” Professor says. “He will only meet there and our time is limited.”

“And we are sure that he knows more,” Stewart asks.

“No,” Professor says. “We are never sure of anything.” His tone is sad. “Rachel’s last words were ‘my father’.”

“Then that’s where we go,” Stewart says. He gets quick images of his friend flashing throughout his thoughts. “If he knows anything then we need to know it too.”

“This time,” Rick interrupts, “he will tell us everything.”

The End

A story by Michael Edward

Note from M.E.

“The Fearlings Series”
has cross over characters who tie into “Worlds Colliding”. “W.C.” is a story that will bring the survivors from “Promises”, “Enter Sandman”, “Fearlings” and “The Beginning of the End” together for their final adventure.