They’re Here

Glad you could join us for the next present episode of Elliot’s Adventures. If you’re new here, you can catch up by returning to the beginning, and reading really fast…

Dawn’s tender light bled across a sky of beating wings streaking, diving, charging crimson, brown, and gray toward the Hive, glinting off the snapping, stabbing beaks, battling members of both Aero Squadrons and the Hive Elite, ripping at the Queen’s home, skewering the drones who shielded its narrow entrance and swarmed to fight them off.

Trevor vanished into the melee yelling something Barry couldn’t make out beneath the buzzing-squawking din tumbling overhead that muffled but didn’t mask the tearing, shredding rasps that screamed the inexorable destruction of Fen’s soul.

Barry’s heart ached with desire to slash the attackers from the air himself. Instead, he bellowed his rage, vaulting onto the back of an unsuspecting Creeper five times his size chomping a hapless bee who had escaped being snagged mid-air only to be knocked through the commotion to the ground.

With one hand, the Knight reached across the Creeper’s face to yank his jaw sideways and snap his life in two.

Fury drove him forward. Again and again, Barry thrashed his way across the Hive’s fallen, wounding, killing, or evading the enemy, leaving behind a trail of blackened blood and body parts. He hoped Trevor had been as lucky.

Crashing to the ground in front of him, a frantic flutter of feathers tried to right itself. Barry shook off his surprise and jumped onto its upturned belly, pushing its kicking, taloned feet down with his mighty legs, pinning its wings with his hands, jerking his head from side to side to avoid its jabbing bill.

Now what? he thought, and the answer landed with a flapping smack to spread two rubbery fan-shaped feet across the bird’s wings so Knight Barry could strike it dead.

“See?” Trevor laughed, “I brought you a present! Knocked him right outta the sky.”

But the enemy Flyers who had noticed, weren’t laughing. A swirling whoosh swelled and thickened above them, gaining speed as it shot toward them like a spear.

To be continued. . .

Previously, on Elliot’s Adventures ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Next time . . .

Author: Sue Ranscht

Having survived valve repair surgery and an experimental cardiac bypass at age 5, three years before it was an accepted medical procedure, Susan grew into the size of her overworked and enlarged heart. Maybe she thought she had enough to give it away -- twice. Both times, she had to retrieve the shattered pieces and puzzle them back together. She thanks her Dad for the only advice of his she ever followed to the letter: "Never get married. Learn to take care of yourself." So of course she is a writer. Susan has co-written a YA SciFi novel, and has three more novels in various stages of evolution. She's had several short stories published in other people's anthologies, some of which were contest-related. Let her tell you a story... View all posts by Sue Ranscht