Chapter 10: Over the Hills and Through the Corn, to the 6th Kingdom We Go
As Skae and I fled over the grassy hills, I looked back and saw a creature on the roof of the barn take flight. To my horror, so did a number of shapes from the charred buildings. In all, it looked like there were nine creatures following us. In the distance, I could hear their shrill, keening cries.
"Skae," I panted, my breathing ragged, "Are those Dragons?" She shook her head, panting as well.
"Nay. They're too small and thin to be adults, and even the younglins are bulkier than those things!" At the bottom of the hill we had just descended was a field of corn. The two of us dodged into the tall stalks, catching our breath for a moment. Lena stuck her head out of the haversack, mewing loudly.
"Ssshhh!" I hissed, clamping my hand over her mouth. "We can't let them catch us!" I slowly let go of her mouth, and she didn't mew again, merely sticking her head back in the bag.
Skae and I watched as the creatures flew over the hill, landing in a field nearby. I could now tell that they were indeed nine distinct breeds of the same kind of creature. The first to land was long and skinny, and a deep shade of blue. It had a tassel of fur on its tail tip, and a patch of it on its chest. It looked like the one I had seen in the barn. Following soon after it was a sand colored one, easily the smallest, just barely larger than a wolf. Its toes were long and thin, with webs going between them Next was a red one, the largest yet with outlandishly gigantic claws, a spike on its nose, and sharp, daggerlike teeth. Landing next to it was the largest of the group (Elephant size), a brown reptile with skin that looked as if it was made out of rock. It made a crackling sound as it came down, and when it scratched itself, gravel fell to the ground. The strangest by far was the one to descend next. The creature appeared to be constantly shifting colors, fading in and out of visibility. I had trouble gaging its size, but it seemed to be right in the middle of the scale. Looking at its eyes, which were always visible, I could see a certain glimmer that suggested it was powerfully cunning. Next was a purple, serpentine one that looked to be more of a snake with wings and limbs than a dragon, or whatever these things were. I could see that it had two long fangs. The last three were some of the most intriguing. First was a pure white one, with icicle-like protrusions sticking from its body. Its skin was clear, and I could see its organs moving beneath its transparent scales. The next, at the size of a rhinoceros, looked like it was made of a multitude of metallic ores, and seemed to have molten metal running along the course of its body. By looking at its eyes, I could tell that it was blind, although it had large webbed ears to compensate. The last one chilled me to the bone. It was black as midnight, shadows swirling around it and making it difficult to tell what its shape was. All I could discern was that on its tail tip was a black, shiny orb, and that its head was long and thin, the back adorned with large ears…
Once they were all on the ground, the shadowy one let out a long, high-pitched hiss. The rest turned to it, apparently awaiting a command. It cocked its ears, listening for something. After a moment, it let out a shrill cry that hurt my ears. It lasted for a full minute before it stopped. The creature waited, watching the cornfield. When it decided that nothing had changed, it let out another high-pitched hiss to the others and took flight. They followed, flying over the next hill. Skae let out her breath in a long whoosh, holding a hand to her chest.
"Ach, I doon't knoo what those beasties are a'wantin' us fer, but I'm mighty glad they didn't find us! Didjya see the size o' that big metal brute? He looked like he could swallow the both of us in a single bite, and still have room fer a cow!" I nodded, shivering slightly and thinking of the long cry of the shadowy reptile.
"Well, we'd best get away from here, 'tis not safe in the 4th Kingdom anymore. We'll make fer the west, where the coast is. Just remember to stay in the corn along the way, and we should avoid those monstrosities. You got your breath back, Melody?" I nodded, my breathing having slowed down somewhat.
"Alright then lass, stay close and follow me." Skae disappeared into the corn, and I followed her, still unable to rid myself of the chill the shadow had left behind.
(Psst! I have a secret! Pics of the Wyverns (That's what they're called) are at http: - Good luck figuring out which is which ;))