Fearlings Three (The Fearlings Series Book 3) (9 page)

“Jeff!” Rick yells as he charges helplessly down the street after his friend. He yells to Sevol. “Help him!”

“Cannot reach.”

Rick runs as fast as he can, but within seconds, the image of his friend and the Molawners fade from vision. He slows his run to a stop as he yells out, “No!” He turns to Sevol. “We have to go after him!”

“We cannot,” Sevol says.

“No!” Rick yells. “No! No!”

CHAPTER 20

In the back yard, the protectors Drawk and Hydron do nothing. They stand on the patio looking down as their Vaun James walks with Ekabar toward the darkness.

The Allumn Ocyrul slams Rachel and her protector Teelah into the sidewall of the house as they attempt to reach James. The Allumn turns to see Stewart stand then start around the house. He does not want the human to reach his friend.

“James!” Stewart yells as he rounds the corner of the house, “Stop!”

Julie hesitates as she aims the flashlight and the weapon at the vanishing Ocyrul. She sees Rachel and the protector starting to stand.

“James!” Stewart yells, as he watches his friend and Ekabar fade from vision into the darkness of the night. “No!” He turns back to the patio as Hydron and Drawk are fading from vision. “Take me with you!”

Julie runs to stop beside her son as the protectors disappear. She scans to the back yard and sees no sign of James. “Where is he?”

“He’s gone. He went without us!”

“No,” Rachel says in a defeated tone. Her protector Teelah stands beside her.

“He should have waited!” Stewart complains in anger. “He should have waited!” He turns to Teelah and walks to stop several feet away from the tall shadowy image. “Take us there!”

“Cannot.”

“Take us there!” Stewart demands. He doesn’t want to hear anything else. “You have to!”

“I am not connected to his world,” Teelah says.

“I don’t care!” Stewart says.

“She cannot Stewart,” the Professor says as he walks around the corner of the house. He speaks with sadness in his tone. “She cannot no matter how many times you ask her. Teelah is not attached to the same world.” He walks past the Vaun to the young Stewart.

“What world is she from?” Stewart says as he wipes his tearing eyes. “Can we go there?”

The large shadowy image of Ocyrul fades into vision standing behind Rachel and her protector. He reaches out and grabs Teelah and Rachel by the back of their necks. “She is from my world!”

Julie turns as fast as she can, aiming the weapon, but she is too slow.

Ocyrul steps back several feet. He is more powerful than the Molawners and Fearlings. He can exit the world without distance from the humans. He lifts Rachel up in front of him so the human cannot fire her weapon without striking her friend.

Rachel stares at her friends and speaks two words, “My father.” Her voice fades with her as they disappear into the darkness of the night.

“Rachel!” Julie cries.

“They are both gone,” Professor says.

“Can we help them?” Stewart asks. He walks past his crying mom to the older man and speaks with panic and sadness. “Can we help them?”

“I do not know.”

CHAPTER 21

In Ciren, far below in the city of Typol, within the protection of the safe area, Rob talks to Tom. Grandma stands several feet away listening.

“You were taken by the Screamers and then traded to Shanawl?” Rob asks. He doesn’t understand. “Why did they do that?”

“This world is different,” Grandma says. She walks around the two men and stops. She takes a breath then sits down on the smooth black floor. “They trade for almost everything and they do not care who they are trading with as long as they get value for their goods.”

Tom has not been with Shanawl as long as Grandma has. He still wears the clothes he was taken in. He nods with a smile. “Yeah like when do Rob and I get a cool cloak and one of those weapons?”

“What is that weapon you used?” Rob asks.

“Blaster,” Grandma says.

“Blaster…?” Rob asks. He shakes his head at the name, “Nothing cool, just a blaster?”

An area of mist appears on the floor and the cloaked Kynar rises up a few feet away from the humans. “Yes, a Blaster. And they are a common trade just outside the city.”

“I want one,” Tom says.

“Soon we will leave the city and we will get you properly armed and clothed,” Kynar says. “Maybe we will arm you with a weapon of similarity but more powerful. Maybe we will do that.”

“Are we supposed to wait here, and for how long?” Tom asks. He stops and takes a deep breath to focus. He looks away from Kynar and turns to Rob. He speaks in a sad tone. “Stewart…James. Tell me about them.” Tom has never met his son Stewart or Rob’s son James. He was taken before the kids were born.

“You should see them,” Rob smiles, “they are just like us.”

“His mom…?” Tom asks. “How’s Julie?”

“She’s tough,” Rob says. He thinks about Ann and about what he plans on doing. Shanawl and Kynar have told them that they will try to go after her, but right now, they have to stay within the city. He is trying everything he can to stay calm. Talking to Tom is helping.

“She got a man?”

“No,” Rob says.

“That is what you two choose to talk about?” Grandma asks as she approaches from behind. “Stick men in a world where they can die at any second and they still maintain their foolish pride.”

Rob half smiles but he keeps thinking about what they said earlier, about his son. “Where is Shanawl?”

As if on command, Shanawl rises up from the floor to stand several feet behind them. She speaks with command in her tone. “He is nearing.”

“James?” Rob asks.

“No,” Kynar interrupts his Vaun. “Another.”

“What?” Rob asks, “Who?”

“It is his war.” Shanawl says. “He is the one who hunts us for our power.”

“He is who we flee from,” Kynar says. He watches his Vaun turn to face him.

“Can you defeat him?” Rob asks.

“No.”

“Your son,” Shanawl says. She knows that she has the humans’ attention. “He travels here now.”

“We have to help him,” Rob says. His tone shows his desperation and determination. “Kynar we have to help him.”

“We shall go,” Shanawl says nodding to Grandma.

“I’m going too,” Rob says.

“Me too,” Tom says.

“No,” Grandma says. “We are staying here.” She speaks to them in a tone they are familiar with, a tone that tells them that they do not have a choice. “You two have no weapons and it will be harder for them to protect us all. We stay here with Kynar. That is what we need to do. Shanawl will get your son.”

CHAPTER 22

James fades through the black air and is standing in the middle of a large circular room. The ceiling is thirty feet high and has small red crystals scattered throughout that project the light that allows vision. He holds his shotgun tight as he stares around the room.

Drawk and Hydron stand several feet behind the human. Their hooded cloaks hide their identity from his vision. They can sense that they have no time to stand there.

“We have to leave, James.” Hydron demands.

Loud screaming roars erupt from around the room as several entrances fade through the walls. They have nowhere to go. The Screamers charge from all angles rushing towards them fast.

“Holy…” James says as he raises his shotgun not sure where to aim. “What? What do we do?”

“Prepare,” Drawk says. He and Hydron simultaneously reach back and draw their weapons. They position James between them as they ready for the charging Screamers.

“There’s too many of them!” James yells.

“Yes,” Drawk says.

“Ready,” Hydron says.

“Aaaaagh!” James yells. He fires, the attack blasts two Screamers to the ground and James turns firing again.

Hydron steps forward and stabs his weapon in and out of a Screamer, and then he spins around stabbing another.

Drawk knocks a Screamers’ arms up then stabs the weapon in and out then Drawk turns to engage another.

A thin mist appears on the ceiling above the fight. A second later, Shanawl lowers down to land beside James. She fires her blaster exploding into the attacking Screamers, knocking multiple Screamers to the floor.

A Screamer reaches James and grabs him from the back. Before the Screamer can finish his attack, Shanawl blasts him sideways a few feet away.

CHAPTER 23

In the safe area, Rob and Tom pace anxiously as they wait for Shanawl. Grandma stands beside Kynar while both are scanning the area.

“He has armies of armies under his power,” Kynar says. “Their numbers are immeasurable and no world will be able to defend against them.” He stops and stares up.

At the top of the dome shaped room, a loud low pitch roar erupts. A second later a thin blue pillar of light shines down.

“He’s here,” Kynar says. His tone is calm as he stares up to the light. “You have to hide.”

“Where…?” Rob asks.

“Below,” Kynar says. The floor mists, allowing the four of them to lower down and land in a small circular room. The outer walls are white. The floor and ceiling are the smooth black surface of the city.

“What’s going on?” Rob asks. He looks to Grandma for answers like he used to before she was taken.

Grandma looks to the cloaked Kynar. She speaks with determination. “Will he find us?”

“Yes,” Kynar says.

“Let’s get out of here,” Tom says. He scans the walls and sees no sign of an exit. “Make one of those doors appear or something.”