Chapter 12: Ambush
"Still nothing?"
Karl smiled grimly and nodded. Cherry growled in frustration. After hours of fruitless search and all they got to show for it was nothing! Nada, zilch, nil, nothing!
"Any luck?" Karl called to his brother.
David shook his head.
"This is hopeless!" Cherry almost screamed in frustration, "the farm is huge! I asked everybody! They haven't seen her at all!"
"We have to keep trying," David told her, "I know we haven't found anything but she has to be in the farm somewhere."
"We don't know that!" Cherry argued.
Surprisingly it was Karl who answered.
"Yes we do. There is no way out of the farm unless you travel through the Rainy Basin and there isn't a bus until tomorrow," Karl explained, "And Samantha wouldn't go willingly if you're right about the kidnapping."
"We'll search the farm one more time, okay?" David said looking at Cherry.
Cherry sighed.
"Fine, let's go."
~*~
Marion blinked in surprise as the door swung open.
"That's strange..." she murmured.
The door was usually locked. She stood there puzzling over it but remembered why she was here and her face hardened. Taking a deep breath she stepped into the silent room careful not to make a noise. In front of her stood a long flight of stairs, its steps twisting in every which way as it snaked towards the top of the tower. Carefully she stepped onto the first step and began her ascent to the top.
There. She had reached the top landing. In front of her stood another door. One simple piece of wood stood between her and her sister.
She walked up to it and pushed it open. She was hardly surprised this time when it swung open quietly.
"Samantha?" she called softly.
She stepped into the room.
"SAMANTHA!" she cried seeing her sister bound and gagged on the ground.
Lying beside her was another person only his or her face was turned away from her so she couldn't see who it was.
"Lily..." Marion murmured horrified as she knelt beside her friend.
Both of them seemed to be knocked out. Marion breathed a sigh of relief as she realised they were still breathing. They were all right. Marion fumbled with the knots on her sister's ropes as she tried to free her.
"Come on," she growled as she tried to pry the knots loose.
"How nice of you to join us," someone jeered behind her, its voice filled malice and scorn.
Marion whirled around.
"Who are you?" she asked gently, "Why did you kidnap my sister? If there is a problem I can help you."
The cloaked figure didn't bother to answer as he leapt at her. Marion scrambled backwards as the figure landed in front of her.
"CRACK!"
The back of her head smashed into the stone floor as she lost her balance and fell. Her vision turned black as the figure towered over her.
"One down, two to go..."
~*~
Cherry rubbed her temple. She was developing a headache by now.
=Must be stress= she thought ruefully as she glanced back towards the buildings.
"This is it! I'm going to see if Marion is okay," she muttered to herself as she walked away.
Cherry headed back towards the living quarters and stepped into the cool hallway, glad to be out of the sun. The hall was empty since everybody was outside enjoying the beautiful spring weather.
"Zippo, what are you doing?" she asked frowning as she saw the green stenonychosaurus.
"Marion's gone!" he exclaimed running to her, "I went to see the Matriarch and when I came back she was gone!"
26 who was standing beside him honked and chirped in distress.
"What do you mean someone was knocking?" Cherry demanded.
'Someone knocked on the door and she went out to see who it was!'
"She didn't come back in..."
'No.'
"Oh great. Now Marion is missing as well," she grumbled as she ran back to Marion's room.
She stopped seeing a piece of white paper lying on the ground.
"What's this?" she wondered as she bent down and picked it up.
She quickly scanned its contents and her face paled.
"What is it?" Zippo asked his voice filled with distress.
Cherry handed the note to him silently, her face grim, her eyes blazing with anger. Zippo's eyes widened as he read it. He opened his bill-like mouth to talk but no noise came out.
"Oh my..." he managed to choke out at last.
"Where's this Sunstone Tower?" Cherry wanted to know.
Zippo sighed.
"Each town or city has a sunstone as you know to keep away predator dinosaurs. The Earth Farm's sunstone is located on top of a tall building near the living quarters," Zippo explained, "But people rarely go there."
Cherry snatched the note from Zippo's hand and folded it.
"26, take this note and find Karl, quick," she commanded holding out the note.
26 snapped up the note with her beak-like mouth and dashed off trying to make her stubby legs run as fast as possible.
"What are we going to do?" Zippo asked, looking at Cherry's face, worried, "We've got to do something... we can't just..."
Cherry cut him off.
"We're going to the tower."
~*~
"I really think we should wait for Karl and David," Zippo whispered looking around nervously.
"It may be too late by then," Cherry said grimly, "We've got to act fast. Now be quiet."
Cherry pushed the door open. Zippo gasped in horror as he saw his Life Partner lay sprawled out on the ground. Cherry ran to her and knelt down beside her. Remembering something from her first-aid lessons back at high school she checked Marion's pulse.
"She's okay... just knocked out," Cherry murmured.
Cherry grimaced as she saw the ugly bruise hidden beneath Marion's thick brown hair.
=Hope she doesn't get a concussion=
"She's got a nasty bruise though," Cherry added carefully not to distress the already tense Zippo.
But Zippo was barely listening to her.
"The Sunstone is gone," he was really getting worked up now, "It's gone!"
Cherry glanced over at where Zippo was standing. Sticking out of the ground, in the middle of room was a stone pillar. Intricate carvings decorated the pillar, the work of craftsmen many years ago. Some kind of metal wrought in the shape of three claws was built into the top of the pillar. Cherry guessed the claws held the sunstone in place and as Zippo had said it held nothing.
Hidden partially by the pillar were two more people. Cherry rushed to them and was relieved to see they were both okay.
"Lily and Samantha are here as well," Cherry called, "Hey Zippo. How can we get them out of here?"
"You can't."
That didn't sound like Zippo's voice.
"You're not going anywhere."
The door slammed shut as Cherry peered over the pillar. Standing in the doorway, blocking their exit stood a forbidding cloaked figure.
"Oh sugar..."
~*~
26 stumbled over the uneven ground and refused to slow down. She had to get this message to her Life Partner as soon as possible.
Most people thought that 26, being an infant, wasn't very intelligent. Well, they were just plain wrong. Chasmosaurus were gifted with a natural curiosity and a desire to learn. Although 26 was young, she was very aware of what was going on around her.
Marion was in trouble. So was Samantha. And somebody else was in danger as well. And if 26 was right Cherry and Zippo were heading into trouble.
Right now 26 held the life of five people in her young paws. Talk about pressure. 26 honked and chirp in anger as she stumbled once again. But this time before she fell she caught sight of two familiar faces.
26 honked loudly trying to catch their attention. One of them turned around.
"26!" Karl ran to his Life Partner and helped her up, "What's wrong? Why are you running?"
26 gently rammed her beak into Karl's arm. Karl saw the note in her jaws and frowned.
"Hey David!" he called, "26's got a note!"
David walked over as Karl grabbed the note and read it. His face turned from shock to anger as he finished and handed the note to his brother. David sucked in his breath as he read the contents.
26 honked and chirped hurriedly trying to get her message across to Karl.
Karl stared at her in horror.
"Cherry and Zippo went to the tower?"
26 whistled her replied. Karl gritted his teeth and exchanged looks with his brother.
"We have to get there now."
~*~
The winds whistled in their ears as they flapped their long leathery wings wearily. Speed was of the essence. They were to go stealthily. Longwing had pounded that idea into their heads. He would not accept failure. They had to do the job well or face the consequences.
It was do or die.
~*~
"Oh sugar..." Cherry muttered.
The cloaked figure leapt at Zippo first but somehow the stenonychosaurus managed to weave his way around him. The figure grunted in surprise as its fingers met with empty air. Judging by the body's build and the figure's voice, Cherry guessed it was a man. With an angry shout he whirled around again to face Zippo.
Cherry wasn't sure. But even with his face hidden within the shadows of the hood Cherry felt rather than saw the malicious smile on his face.
"Oh god..." she muttered as she realised what he was planning.
He reached down and grabbed a fistful of Marion's hair.
"If you don't give yourself up..." the man laughed, "then this little girl is going to have a tragic ending to her short life."
Zippo gasped in shock and the man took advantage leaping at him. Cherry leapt out from behind the stone pillar and tackled the man around his waist.
With a grunt of surprise, he crashed into the ground again. Cherry got up instantly and moved into a fighter's stance. The man hauled himself up with difficulty, panting heavily.
"What is one little girl going to do to me?" the man demanded.
"This."
Cherry rushed at him and faked with a punch to his left. Instantly his arm came up to block her but Cherry nailed him with her right.
"I'll let you in on a little secret," Cherry told him as she kicked his knee viciously, "I do judo."
Cherry aimed a kick at his other knee but he was too fast. He grabbed her leg as Cherry struggled to free herself.
"I think you'll die first," he said nastily twisting her leg sharply. Cherry yelped in pain and increased her struggles.
"Get away from her!" a familiar voice cried.
The man dropped her leg in surprise as Cherry fell to the floor, seeing who it was she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Jeez, you couldn't come any quicker could you?" she snapped trying to hide her pain.
"How about thanks for coming to save me?" Karl shot back, angrily.
The man growled in frustration and rushed at the boys swinging his fists around. His plan may have worked if it wasn't for a certain chasmosaurus getting in the way. With an angry shout he toppled over as 26 honked in glee. With a sickening crunch his face met with the hard stone floor. Cherry winced as the man hauled himself up with difficulty. He was gasping for breath as he clutched the knee Cherry had kicked. With his hood slightly askew, Cherry could see the man's nose, which was pouring with blood.
"You think you can win?" the man snarled even through his pain as blood dripped onto the floor, "You may be able to defeat me but you'll never defeat the Master!"
"FACE HIS WRATH!" he yelled laughing dementedly.
As though in response three ear-piercing screeches resounded through the farm outside. Cherry dashed to the window, hobbling slightly. The leg the stranger had grabbed was still a bit sore.
"Oh..." Cherry muttered a curse as David joined her by the window.
Three pterandons came into view as the people below screamed in horror. It was utter chaos as each person tried to find shelter against the swooping dinosaurs. David stuck two of his finger in his mouth and let out a piercing whistle.
"What's the point of that?" Cherry asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Freefall."