Chapter Twelve–THE TRAITOR’S CREATURE

 

 

The monster snapped at Yu and Face. Incisors the size of battle daggers sliced the air a micron away from their skins. Ari’s friends looked at the beast and laughed.

As he came to, Ari numbly realized they were safely behind a force field. They could watch with scientific detachment, even amusement, as the huge lumbering beast wore itself down, biting on nothing, lashing out with great three-nailed claws at the invisible shield.

Ari turned to Yu, a big grin on his face. "I could almost feel his teeth! How did you find me?”

"Face found you and led me to you."

"Good old Face. What is that bruiser anyway?"

"It’s more of a crusher, I’d say. A Carnotaurus. These days they’re only found on the big continent to the North."

"Then what’s it doing here?"

"You said you wanted more risks. Your wish was honored."

Face alluded to last night's conversation. "He used to have a home on Atlantis, but he refused to live with technology, so he had to go."

The beast was confused by the shield. His horned head scythed back and forth, its evil-toothed smile now harmless. It lashed out uselessly again and again.

Yu felt sorry for the exhausted creature. "He can't hurt us now. Stand perfectly still. They can barely see immobile objects. If he doesn't see anything move he'll go and stop working himself up."

After a final display of power, accompanied by bellowing that echoed through the Red Planethes, the creature ambled off. His ponderous toes pounded the earth long after he finally disappeared into the foliage.

Yu turned to Ari. "You know what this means."

"Yes. The smartest thing the Atlantian Council ever did was assigned a Yutan to every Leader."

Yu's appreciative grin quickly faded. "It also means the Ancient Ones are on to us."

Ari nodded. “Then there is a traitor on the Council.”

Suddenly Ari felt it! Although exhausted from the experience, he felt an unaccustomed and unwanted power growing inside him. Overwhelming at first, his mind was strangely clearer than before, his body more powerful. Strange bursts of thoughts ran through his mind. At first it was so clear, that all things are connected, accepting fate the chosen must rise full circle. Then, as quickly as this theme began it subsided and vanished. For a moment, Ari felt a new birthright propagating from within. A birthright he may not be able to control nor care to.