Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
My heart jolts.
Fire.
That means there’s life.
I steer Betty that way. As we circle over the hilltop, I suck in a breath. A village of crude wooden houses on stilts stands in a clearing, their scrawny thatch roofs like cone beacons in the midst of the jungle. Meat skewered onto sticks is roasting over a fire in the center of the space. The smell of barbecued chicken reaches my nostrils, reminding me of the meal my kidnappers fed me after abducting me.
Five Phaelix sit around the fire, poking at the coals with sticks. They look up when Betty crosses the clearing, their bulging eyes narrowed. Jumping to their feet, they speak excitedly in their guttural language, but I have no idea what they’re saying. They can’t see me because they’re looking directly up. All that should be visible to them is the underside of Betty’s belly.
One of them bends down and picks up a long stick with a spiked end. He holds it in the air, ready to launch it, but we’re too high for Betty to get hit.
Okay, so I need some kind of leverage or bribe to convince these dudes to portal me back to Earth. I have to think about that.
Just as I’m about to fly us out of here, I spot movement on one of the decks of the stilted houses. The door opens, and a Phaelix with a basket in his arms steps out. Another with a spiked stick exits. He turns back toward the door and shouts in an angry tone while waving at the clearing with his stick and slicing his hand through the air as if he’s telling someone to hurry up.
The two Phaelix on the deck steal glances at Betty. A third appears at the doorstep, holding something that resembles a slingshot in one hand and a big rock in the other.
They must think Betty is circling them to pick one of them off the ground as a meal, and that slingshot is their best chance at protecting themselves. A hit to the head could be fatal.
I’m about to hightail it to safety when someone else stumbles through the door, someone with blond hair.
Holy cow.
It’s not a Phaelix. It’s a woman. She screams and hangs back, trying to duck into the house, but the Phaelix with the stick grabs her wrist and pulls her roughly onto the deck before pushing her toward a rope ladder. She screams again, lifting her dirt-streaked face toward the sky. Her clothes are in tatters, and her arms and legs are so filthy they look brown.
Hold on.
I know that face.
Oh, my god.
It’s the woman from the slave barge, the one who spoke to me in English with a British accent.
The Phaelix leading the party drops his basket to the ground. It lands with a thud, sending a cloud of dust into the air. He barks out something to the others before climbing swiftly down the ropes. The Phaelix with the stick shoves the woman toward the ladder, inviting even louder screams. The one with the slingshot takes up a position on the deck and fixes a menacing gaze on Betty.
The leader snatches up his basket and turns it over next to the fire. A heap of rocks falls at his feet. Ammunition. It looks as if they may try to stone poor Betty to death if they can’t get her with a single rock from the slingshot.
By now, the woman and the Phaelix with the stick have also climbed down the ladder. The Phaelix grips the woman’s arm and drags her a short distance away before forcing her onto her knees. Her sobs and pleas have no effect on him as he points the stick at her and tells her in his rough accent, “Shut up, slave.”
It’s a trap. They’re using the woman as bait to lure Betty closer. They have no qualms about sacrificing a slave, turning her into dinosaur meat to save their own skins, or I should say, scales.
Bastards.
I steer off to the right and land behind a hill where we’re hidden from sight.
“Go home,” I tell Betty, giving her a quick hug before clambering off her back and jumping to the ground.
There’s no way I’m allowing them to hurt her. I also don’t want to give Betty a chance to be tempted by the human meat waiting for her in the clearing. She may be as tame as a poodle with me, but I haven’t had a chance to test the extent of my power yet. Betty remains a wild animal, and a dangerous, giant predator at that.
She tilts her head.
“Go on,” I urge.
She’s hesitant, but I can always call her back if I need her. However, if my plan works, I’ll be on Earth before sunset.
Fuck.
I may never see Betty again.
I won’t be able to explore this parallel world and its dinosaurs.