Chapter 18
Croco had just fallen asleep when all of a sudden, he woke up for no apparent reason. Something inside him told him that things were not right and he got up and walked around the inside of the hall, looking at the paintings and other pieces of artwork that had been assembled. Still, that didn't put him at ease, so he decided to take a short walk. He quietly made his way to the main door as to not wake anyone, but there was nobody around the main doors to wake up, so he pushed them open with great force.
As soon as he stepped outside, Croco felt the wind throw him back against the doors hard. The force of impact knocked him out, but only for a brief second as he was able to awaken and rub his eyes. The wind kept howling and then out of nowhere came a young woman, dressed in the uniform of an Apprentice Skybax rider. She approached Croco as he looked on in horror. He didn't believe in ghosts but reasoned that it was one and was petrified.
"What...what do you want?!" he finally choked out. The girl, with what appeared to be deep cuts on her throat and wrists, approached with a purpose and grabbed him by the throat.
"You know what you did!" she screamed, "Why did you do this to me?!?" Croco, not giving an inch, stood up to engage the apparition.
"Did what?!?" he demanded loudly. The girl told him how she was driven to insanity and about how she died. The wind started to ease up and just as rapidly as she came in, the girl disappeared instantly. Horrified to the fullest extend that he could be, Croco raced back inside...not back to his own bed, but to the visitor's section and straight into the room that Nobby was in. He threw his arms around her, which startled the old triceratops awake.
"What is it Croco?" she asked groggily. Croco told her every detail about the girl and what happened. Nobby dismissed it as a nightmare and went back to sleep. But he pleaded with her that it indeed really happen and still she didn't believe, telling him to forget about it and go back to sleep. Croco tried to fall asleep, but the visions that appeared before him in the courtyard wouldn't go away, and even after he closed his eyes he still couldn't rest.
When they awoke for breakfast the next morning, Brock could immediately tell that there was something wrong with Croco. Usually one of the first ones up, Croco didn't awake until everybody had long finished breakfast. And when he did finally get up, Mira was by his side.
"What's the matter Croco? You look like you seen a ghost," she asked sarcastically. Croco grabbed her by the collar.
"I did see a ghost!!!" he screamed, "She was wearing a Skybax rider uniform and grabbed me by the throat and asked me if I had done something to her!!!" He demonstrated how she grabbed him on Mira, who was more than unwilling to participate.
"Ha! So it is true then!" someone shouted. It was Cassie. "You said you saw the ghost of a female Skybax rider last night, didn'tcha Croco?" Croco nodded. "Did she have cut marks on her wrists and neck?" He nodded again. "And was her uniform torn up around the middle?" Once again he nodded and Cassie approached him.
"Croco..." she said in disbelief, "...what I'm about to tell you will likely scare you...but you were visited by the spirit of the Trickmaster last night. Last night was the one year anniversary of her death." It didn't scare Croco, but rather deeply confused him.
"The Trickmaster...who in the world is that?" he asked. Cassie plopped up on the bed next to him and tried to remember the story. She sighed and perked up when she finally remembered it.
"According to the legend..." she started, "...a young dolphinback named Abbie landed here about four or five years ago and she decided to become a Skybax rider much like you do. When she got to Canyon City, she met a young man and another dolphinback and they became friends." Everybody was in the room and they listened intently to the story, deeply intrigued.
"But then one day, the young man forced Abbie to mate with him against her will and when she told everyone about it, they just said she took a fall and didn't believe her. However, she was able to put it aside to earn her Apprenticeship and she became a stunt pilot with her mount named Brightwing. Still, the memories of that terrible day ate at her and when Abbie finally met the one who did that to her, she took him out into the Basin and hung him over a tree for the wild raptors. Then Abbie also died that night, but she died by her own hand...that's where the marks on her neck and wrists come from. They say that on January 9th...the very night she died...that when the wind picks up, she is calling out for justice against the one who caused her to take her life." All were in shock over the story that Cassie had told, but Croco wanted some answers.
"That's...very interesting," he said, "but why did she come after me?" Cassie explained that the person who raped Abbie looked very similar to him in appearance. They all had questions, specifically about Abbie and Brightwing, and Cassie was happy to answer them all. But Croco left the room in disbelief over the fact that out of all the people in Dinotopia, the spirit of a Skybax rider who was raped, then committed suicide shortly after still puzzled him as he went off to the dining hall to share his story, still in his pajamas.
When he did tell his tale, Croco was met with skepticism, but pleaded that everything that happened was true. Some believed him, but most of the scholars dismissed it as a simple nightmare. After Croco finished his meal, he grumbled off as he went back into his room to change into his clothes. But he will never forget that night for as long as he lived...the night the Trickmaster came calling for him. Croco continued on with his day without incident and went to bed in a realative calm, but still the thoughts of the disturbing events that happened the night before crossed his mind as he dozed off to sleep for the night.
Croco had just fallen asleep when all of a sudden, he woke up for no apparent reason. Something inside him told him that things were not right and he got up and walked around the inside of the hall, looking at the paintings and other pieces of artwork that had been assembled. Still, that didn't put him at ease, so he decided to take a short walk. He quietly made his way to the main door as to not wake anyone, but there was nobody around the main doors to wake up, so he pushed them open with great force.
As soon as he stepped outside, Croco felt the wind throw him back against the doors hard. The force of impact knocked him out, but only for a brief second as he was able to awaken and rub his eyes. The wind kept howling and then out of nowhere came a young woman, dressed in the uniform of an Apprentice Skybax rider. She approached Croco as he looked on in horror. He didn't believe in ghosts but reasoned that it was one and was petrified.
"What...what do you want?!" he finally choked out. The girl, with what appeared to be deep cuts on her throat and wrists, approached with a purpose and grabbed him by the throat.
"You know what you did!" she screamed, "Why did you do this to me?!?" Croco, not giving an inch, stood up to engage the apparition.
"Did what?!?" he demanded loudly. The girl told him how she was driven to insanity and about how she died. The wind started to ease up and just as rapidly as she came in, the girl disappeared instantly. Horrified to the fullest extend that he could be, Croco raced back inside...not back to his own bed, but to the visitor's section and straight into the room that Nobby was in. He threw his arms around her, which startled the old triceratops awake.
"What is it Croco?" she asked groggily. Croco told her every detail about the girl and what happened. Nobby dismissed it as a nightmare and went back to sleep. But he pleaded with her that it indeed really happen and still she didn't believe, telling him to forget about it and go back to sleep. Croco tried to fall asleep, but the visions that appeared before him in the courtyard wouldn't go away, and even after he closed his eyes he still couldn't rest.
When they awoke for breakfast the next morning, Brock could immediately tell that there was something wrong with Croco. Usually one of the first ones up, Croco didn't awake until everybody had long finished breakfast. And when he did finally get up, Mira was by his side.
"What's the matter Croco? You look like you seen a ghost," she asked sarcastically. Croco grabbed her by the collar.
"I did see a ghost!!!" he screamed, "She was wearing a Skybax rider uniform and grabbed me by the throat and asked me if I had done something to her!!!" He demonstrated how she grabbed him on Mira, who was more than unwilling to participate.
"Ha! So it is true then!" someone shouted. It was Cassie. "You said you saw the ghost of a female Skybax rider last night, didn'tcha Croco?" Croco nodded. "Did she have cut marks on her wrists and neck?" He nodded again. "And was her uniform torn up around the middle?" Once again he nodded and Cassie approached him.
"Croco..." she said in disbelief, "...what I'm about to tell you will likely scare you...but you were visited by the spirit of the Trickmaster last night. Last night was the one year anniversary of her death." It didn't scare Croco, but rather deeply confused him.
"The Trickmaster...who in the world is that?" he asked. Cassie plopped up on the bed next to him and tried to remember the story. She sighed and perked up when she finally remembered it.
"According to the legend..." she started, "...a young dolphinback named Abbie landed here about four or five years ago and she decided to become a Skybax rider much like you do. When she got to Canyon City, she met a young man and another dolphinback and they became friends." Everybody was in the room and they listened intently to the story, deeply intrigued.
"But then one day, the young man forced Abbie to mate with him against her will and when she told everyone about it, they just said she took a fall and didn't believe her. However, she was able to put it aside to earn her Apprenticeship and she became a stunt pilot with her mount named Brightwing. Still, the memories of that terrible day ate at her and when Abbie finally met the one who did that to her, she took him out into the Basin and hung him over a tree for the wild raptors. Then Abbie also died that night, but she died by her own hand...that's where the marks on her neck and wrists come from. They say that on January 9th...the very night she died...that when the wind picks up, she is calling out for justice against the one who caused her to take her life." All were in shock over the story that Cassie had told, but Croco wanted some answers.
"That's...very interesting," he said, "but why did she come after me?" Cassie explained that the person who raped Abbie looked very similar to him in appearance. They all had questions, specifically about Abbie and Brightwing, and Cassie was happy to answer them all. But Croco left the room in disbelief over the fact that out of all the people in Dinotopia, the spirit of a Skybax rider who was raped, then committed suicide shortly after still puzzled him as he went off to the dining hall to share his story, still in his pajamas.
When he did tell his tale, Croco was met with skepticism, but pleaded that everything that happened was true. Some believed him, but most of the scholars dismissed it as a simple nightmare. After Croco finished his meal, he grumbled off as he went back into his room to change into his clothes. But he will never forget that night for as long as he lived...the night the Trickmaster came calling for him. Croco continued on with his day without incident and went to bed in a realative calm, but still the thoughts of the disturbing events that happened the night before crossed his mind as he dozed off to sleep for the night.