“
Look out! Get out of the
way!” Alexander yelled. He pointed at the river of lava.
Persephone and Dr. Stine
turned around and watched the lava ooze between a pair of boulders
and flow toward them. Dr. Stine clapped his hands and pointed at
the cave’s entrance. He guided Persephone, Angelique, Alexander,
and Razor into a cold, dark pit. They watched the lava engulf the
pterodactyl’s nest and incinerate Sorrow’s eggs.
“
I’m sorry that I was
stubborn about drinking the antidote. It won’t happen again. I’m
ashamed of myself right now,” Alexander said. He stuck out his
bottom lip and pouted while he crouched next to a pool of
water.
“
Don’t worry about it,
Alexander. We all make mistakes. Persephone knows what’s best for
you. Do what she says from now on and you’ll be fine,” Dr. Stine
said.
A brisk wind flowed into
the cave’s opening from outside. Huge wings flapped while a loud
screech echoed throughout the cave. Angelique screamed when a long
beak plunged into the cave and tried to impale her. The beak opened
wide, revealing rows of long, razor-sharp teeth. Sorrow’s yellow
eyes stared at them while the pterodactyl hovered above her ruined
eggs and mourned the death of her unborn babies. Fragments of eggs
and pterodactyl embryos sizzled. A boiling stream of lava swept
them away.
Sorrow aimed her long snout
at Dr. Stine and tried to pin him against a huge stalactite. He
tumbled to the ground and rolled on his back. Sorrow’s snout
shattered the stalactite and caused chunks of stone to roll down a
steep slope and tumble into the cave’s depths.
Everyone gasped and
screamed when the enormous jaws of the Tyrannosaurus rex clamped
down on Sorrow’s neck and decapitated the pterodactyl. Blood surged
from Sorrow’s neck and sprayed the cave’s walls. Persephone
shrieked when Sorrow’s snout landed on top of her feet. The
pterodactyl’s body dropped next to the river of lava. The sweet
scent of burnt flesh filled the air. The Tyrannosaurus lifted the
corpse off of the ground, shook it in its jaws, and carried it down
the pile of bones. When Dr. Stine realized the predator was gone,
he emerged from the cave. He noticed that they could hop across the
top of several boulders. The surface of the stones created a bridge
across the lava.
“
Is the T-rex gone? Where
did it go?” Angelique asked.
“
It carried Sorrow’s corpse
into the valley. We can climb toward Mount Zahn while it’s busy
feeding,” Dr. Stine said. He skipped across the tops of the
boulders and jumped onto solid ground on the other side of the lava
river. Stanley dived through the air, landed on Dr. Stine’s left
shoulder, and hooted in his ear.
Angelique crossed the lava
river first. She held Razor protectively against her breasts and
reached the other side without incident. Then she stood next to Dr.
Stine and watched Persephone and Alexander. Although the lava
surged and flowed faster, they skipped across the stones and
reached the other side before the lava engulfed the makeshift
bridge. Once they reached safety, they glanced toward the cave’s
opening and stared at Sorrow’s decapitated head. Tendons,
ligaments, broken bones, and shredded flesh glistened in the
moonlight. Sorrow’s dead eyes stared at the cave’s jagged
walls.
“
Let’s get out of here
before the T-rex comes back,” Dr. Stine said.
No one responded. They
followed Dr. Stine. He climbed the exposed discs of the
brontosaurus’ spinal column. Moments later, they hopped off of its
giant skull and approached a narrow path, which spiraled around the
bulk of Mount Zahn. They gazed up at the mountain’s narrow ledges
and high peaks. Then they climbed in silence.
An hour later, Dr. Stine
stepped to the edge of a steep cliff and watched the sun rise in
the eastern sky. Birds chirped, squirrels frolicked on the limbs of
trees, and a deer sprinted across a dirt path north of them. Oaks
and elms boasted yellow, red, and orange leaves. Behind them, the
rapids of a wide stream flowed across smooth rocks and under fallen
trees. Persephone walked toward the cliff, wrapped her left hand
around Dr. Stine’s right one, and admired the sunrise. Dr. Stine
leaned toward her and kissed her on her lips. Above them, a bald
eagle screeched as it soared through the sky.
“
Did Alexander drink
another potion? I’m worried about him. We can’t allow him to have
another relapse,” Dr. Stine said. He didn’t see the moon in the sky
and relaxed.
“
Yes, I offered a flask to
him earlier. He didn’t resist. He knows what will happen if he
refuses to take his medicine,” Persephone said. She glanced over
her shoulder to make sure Alexander wasn’t eavesdropping. She
smiled when she realized that he was sitting on a tree stump on the
other side of the trail. The boy threw pine cones and watched Razor
catch them in midair. Razor barked while Alexander
laughed.
“
Good. Do you think
Angelique is okay? She’s been very quiet since Sorrow. I hope she’s
in shock over what’s happened. Maybe she’s just homesick,” Dr.
Stine said.
Persephone scanned the path
and located Angelique, who stood on a wood bridge and watched the
fast-moving rapids of the stream. Angelique smiled when a large
bass jumped out of the rapids, flipped through the air, and
splashed back into the water. Then she peeled her dress away from
her mechanical heart and analyzed the numbers on the display.
Persephone glanced away when Angelique focused her attention on Dr.
Stine.
“
I’m not sure. I think our
experience in The Valley of Fire might’ve startled her. To be
honest, I haven’t recovered from witnessing Sorrow’s decapitation.
It’s not something that’s easy to forget,” Persephone said. A cool
breeze caused orange and yellow leaves to glide from tree limbs and
swirl around her before they drifted to the ground.
Angelique strolled toward
them slowly. She smiled when rays of sunlight penetrated the limbs
of trees and shined on her face. Beyond the edge of the cliff, a
wide forest extended toward a white, sandy beach. To the east of
the beach, the roofs and spires of a village rose into the sky.
About a mile into the ocean, the stone walls of Thames Keep rose
from the dense forests of Cadaver Island. Angelique’s left hand
touched her heart.
Then she pointed at the
island and said: “We can finally see our destination! Zachary is
there, Dr. Stine. I think he’s going to die if we don’t reach him
in time. I know he’ll be found guilty of espionage and witchcraft.
If we don’t get to the castle soon, he’ll be decapitated by a
guillotine. I can’t imagine living without him. He’s the only man
I’ve ever loved.” She focused her attention on the ramparts, clock
tower, and pinnacle of Thames Keep. When she imagined Zachary in
the castle’s dungeon, she prayed for him.
“
Try to focus on positive
things. We’ve reached Mount Zahn and we’ll enter the labyrinth of
Polinus soon. And we have spare battery packs!” Persephone
said.
“
I know. But when I think
about Zachary, I can’t help but get upset. If he dies, I won’t care
about my battery pack anymore. I just want to be with him. I love
him so much,” Angelique said. She lifted her hands into the air and
pretended to touch Thames Keep. She hoped Zachary could sense her
presence.
“
I’m glad you mentioned the
battery pack. Razor needs to test the spare pack we found in The
Valley of Fire. Hopefully it’ll provide a substantial amount of
hours. If so, I’ll go ahead and switch them now,” Dr. Stine said. A
smile crept across Angelique’s face.
A yellow-and-black
butterfly fluttered in front of them while they stood in silence.
Their muscles relaxed while they listened to the trickling water of
the flowing stream. Dr. Stine startled Persephone and Angelique
when he gasped and pointed at an object in the ocean to the west of
Cadaver Island. They cupped their hands around their eyes to block
out the sunlight and get a better view. Even from miles away, they
observed the white, torn sails and the seaweed-covered deck of
Reverend Stark’s ghost ship. They caught a glimpse of Reverend
Stark’s long, red cloak as he strolled across the ship’s deck. They
watched the ghost ship careen toward Cadaver Island at a slow,
steady pace.
Dr. Stine shivered and
gooseflesh spread across his skin. He strolled away from the cliff,
looked at Alexander, and said, “We’re running out of time. He’s
coming for the boy.”
Fifteen minutes later, the
group approached a wide, semicircular, stone alcove. An eroded
chunk of rock extended outward from the side of the mountain and
formed a partial roof above a floor of pine needles and fallen
leaves. Thick vines, boasting green, shiny leaves, spread across
the protrusion and dangled in the air. Lichen and moss grew on the
alcove’s walls. Angelique realized it was time to rest when Dr.
Stine stepped off of the path, plucked tree branches from the
forest floor, and created a pile of timber beneath the alcove’s
ceiling. When Dr. Stine snapped his fingers and pointed at Razor,
the dog exhaled a breath of fire. Moments later, branches popped
and snapped while flames licked the air. Dr. Stine sat Indian style
in front of the fire and motioned for the others to join him.
Angelique complied reluctantly while the others found a place to
sit.
“
Why are we stopping?
Reverend Stark is nearby and Zachary needs help. Also, I won’t be
comfortable until I know that my battery pack will last a whole
year. This is a bad time to take a break,” she said. Persephone and
Alexander nodded in agreement.
Dr. Stine reached into his
pocket and removed one of the spare battery packs. He knew he’d
located the right one when he noticed scorch marks and ash on the
surface of the device. He whistled at Razor. The dog wagged his
tail and his ears perked up. Dr. Stine said, “Come here, boy. I
need to find out how much time this battery pack will give
us!”
Razor barked, jumped over
the bulk of a fallen tree, and sat down. Dr. Stine depressed a
small lever between Razor’s shoulders, which caused a pair of metal
hooks to rise from the dog’s matted fur. Dr. Stine matched the
positive and negative ends of the battery pack with markings on the
corresponding hooks. After he placed the battery pack between the
hooks, sparks radiated from Razor’s back while the dog’s eyes
rolled into the back of his head. Razor grunted and whimpered while
electricity flowed through his body from head to tail. When the
test concluded, Razor barked and licked Dr. Stine’s left hand.
Moments later, Razor’s mouth opened wide and his tongue dangled
from between his teeth. A masculine, computerized voice spoke in a
clear, monotone voice: “The estimated life of the battery pack is
21 hours, 18 minutes, and 5 seconds.” Dr. Stine plucked the battery
pack from between the metal hooks, which slid down into Razor’s
back. The dog darted toward the exposed roots of an elm tree and
chased a squirrel.
“
Twenty-one hours is a long
time. Maybe you should go ahead and switch the battery packs now.
We might not have time to do it later,” Persephone said.
“
She’s right, Dr. Stine.
We’ve found a calm, peaceful place. When we climber higher, we
might run into trouble. I think it’s smart to go ahead and do it
now. I know we’re not in the sterile environment of your office,
but we’ll have to work with what we’ve got,” Angelique said. She
walked toward the stone alcove and examined the ground.
“
I agree with both of you.
But I must admit that I’m worried about whether or not microscopic
organisms will infiltrate your body while I’m performing the
procedure. Also, keep in mind that you’ll bleed, and there are
predators nearby that will smell your blood. If you’re willing to
take a chance, I’ll perform the procedure,” Dr. Stine
said.
“
I don’t care. I want peace
of mind. Let’s get it over with,” Angelique said.
“
Persephone, do you have
any empty flasks? I’m going to need water from the stream. Also, if
you have a spare healing potion, that would be great,” Dr. Stine
said.
Persephone opened her
satchel and scanned its contents. She smiled and removed two empty
flasks from a leather pouch. Then she searched a different
compartment and removed a glass container of red fluid. She
strolled toward Dr. Stine, kissed him on the left side of his neck,
and placed the items in the outstretched palm of his right
hand.
“
Thank you, darling. You’re
a godsend,” Dr. Stine said. He strolled toward the stream, pulled
corks out of the empty flasks, and submerged them into the cold
water. After water filled the flasks, he removed them from the
stream and returned to the alcove. Then he located a soft bed of
fallen leaves. Angelique knew what he wanted her to do. She bent
her knees, rolled onto the leaves, and stared at the stone roof of
the alcove.
“
If you don’t like the
sight of blood, Alexander, I suggest that you look the other way,”
Dr. Stine said. Persephone giggled. Angelique closed her eyes and
clenched her fists.
“
Blood doesn’t bother me. I
want to watch,” Alexander said.
Dr. Stine tried to relax.
He wiped ash and scorch marks off of the battery pack. He removed
the straps of Angelique’s dress from her shoulders, pulled the
dress down, and glanced at Alexander when Angelique’s breasts and
mechanical heart were exposed. The boy’s eyes widened and a
mischievous smile formed on his face. Dr. Stine felt dirty and
ashamed when the wrist of his left arm brushed against Angelique’s
nipples. She twitched on the ground and said: “Hurry up, Dr. Stine.
I’m not enjoying this at all.”