Page 13 of Veras
Striped and deadly, it glided toward him. Mottled blues with veins of gold, it had rows of leathery wings that stuck out on the sides of its body. But the wings were stubby against its sleek body.
Veras braced himself on the tips of his toes, not moving a single bit.
The monster opened its mouth and about fifty spiked tongues undulated inside its impossibly large mouth.
Ay Dios.I gasped when it brushed past Veras.
Instantly, its eyeless head swung toward me, and it launched forward.
“Truena!” Veras screamed.
I dove down and heard the sound of the spiky tongues ramming into the bark of the tree. It struck again, and I rolled before its tongues passed to the side of me. Bluish saliva splashed on my arm.
It burned like acid, but I held back a scream.
Veras roared and sprang forward, jumping on its back. He pinned his wings down and pummeled its head with a rock. The monster’s spiked tongue released, but they couldn’t angle toward Veras. The knife-like tongues were its only defense mechanism, so once Veras tackled it, it took seconds for him to bash in its skull.
Menos mal! Thank God for Veras.
He kicked away the dead body and rushed over to me, falling to his knees. His hands shook. He patted my face and asked, “Truena, are you hurt?”
“I-I’m fine.” Despite my words, I dove into his arms and attached myself to his chest like a burr. “What was that thing?”
“It is calledarbeluc.They are common in the jungles. We got quite lucky.”
“Lucky? How?” I pulled back and winced when my arm bumped against him.
“This was a baby.” His eyes narrowed in that intense swirly way of his. “Why do you hold your arm so?”
Now that he’d pointed it out, the pain hit me tenfold. Why did it always work that way? “The snake-thing’s saliva dripped on me.” I glanced down and almost fainted. There was a hole in my skin, and it was growing fast. “Holy shit!”
“Why did you not tell me immediately? You say you don’t want me to read your mind, yet you don’t tell me things. Communicate!” He looked around. “We can’t stay here. Where there is onearbeluc,there are many. They nest in the trees, and he might be from a newly hatched swarm. It’s why it attacked so slowly. Come.”
Slowly? I asked myself in a daze, a little light-headed as we rose.
“You said you werefine! Did you lie? Does this word have a double meaning somehow?” He scooped me into his arms and ran full force through the jungle.
I expected to see the sharp spikes protruding from his elbow embedded in my skin from the way he held me, but I watched, fascinated, as they lengthened and wrapped around his biceps. The ones down his spine grew around his waist.
Or maybe the poison had psychedelic properties because I was tripping balls. The colors of the surrounding landscape glowed neon. Plus, my arm must be all better. Didn’t even hurt anymore.
“Truena. Stay with me. Please.” Veras’ voice broke.
I wanted to pat his chest, hisreallywarm and glistening chest, glittering from the mist that rose from him.Love that stuff.
“As soon as we are safe, I will heal you. You will live!” he screamed into the jungle.
Such a drama queen. Not wanting to interrupt his moment, my tongue may have snuck out. To take a taste. Of his delicious skin.
“Take what you need. I give freely.” He clutched me to him.
We came upon a much larger version of the floating platform from the arena—a large rectangle made from the same translucent material. Veras jumped on it, and his feet sank into the buttery metal. The tattoo on his arm glowed, and flashing lights and symbols surrounded us. Seconds after he stepped onto the rectangle, we shot into the air.
Veras laid me down on the floor and swept his hands around in a crazy arc, manipulating the holographic panel toward the front of the transport. A force field grew over our heads, like a coffin.
Oddly, I wasn’t freaked out. I felt safe.
“This will hurt. I must remove the poison, or it will rot out your arm. The venom from the babies is even more powerful than the adults.” He held my arm so gently. “Close your eyes, little General.”
