Prodigy Returns (book 3)

Chapter Forty-One

Approaching a natural rock formation that resembled the Stone Forest of Kunming, Alex and Olivia entered with a sense of wonder. Neither one of them had seen such spectacular beauty. The limestone formations erected from the ground and towered over them like petrified trees. Their heads craned up as they meandered through, staring at the magnificent structures. Every so often they would see carvings in the stone from some ancient alien language. They had no idea if it was a welcoming or warning, but regardless it was fascinating to look at.

The mountain ridge was at least a two-day hike away so Alex and Olivia hunkered down in the stone forest before the sun set.

"Are you having fun so far?" Alex asked.

"Yeah," Olivia replied, focusing her attention on her meal.

Alex looked down and noticed Olivia had a scrape on her wrist. She was about to comment on it until something much more alarming caught her attention.

"Sweetie, why are you not wearing your bracelet?" Alex asked, trying to mask the panic in her voice. By now, the sun was setting and it would get dark soon. There was no way they would be able to make it back to the cave.

"I don't know," Olivia said, not the least bit concerned that without her bracelet, the two were exposed to the bots.

"Here, honey," Alex said, removing her necklace and placing it around her sister's tiny neck, "put this on. Don't lose this, okay? As long as you wear it, it will keep you safe."

"What about you?"

Alex didn't have an answer to that question, but figured the bots wouldn't come until the next day at least. She had been without the Jacey stone before and survived. In the morning, she would head back to the rock where Olivia was climbing and look for her bracelet. The last five hours of hiking were a waste, but it was the only way that they could continue on without risking exposure.

Just then, a rock tumbled down not too far from their camp. Alex immediately shot up and looked around, but it was too dark to see. For the next several minutes, Alex could not relax. Although they were both under a force field, it didn't seem to do much for Alex's anxiety about the situation.

"Alex, are you looking for something?" Olivia asked.

"No, honey. I'm just stretching my legs. Why don't you lay down and try to get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us."

Alex stood on guard throughout the night, holding a large blaster. Killer robots were just one of her concerns. There were undoubtedly lots of creatures that could attack her and her sister. What made it even worse was that there were lots of places within the stone forest that a creature could hide and sneak up on them. In those moments, Alex's only thoughts were about keeping her sister safe.

Unbeknownst to Alex, a swarm of black panther-like creatures encircled her and her sleeping sister. The powerful shoulders gyrated as the cats stalked closer. Once within striking range, the lead cat lunged at the girls. Just as Alex was beginning to dose off, she heard the loud growl as the cat bounced off the invisible force field. Startled, Alex jumped up and accidentally tripped over her pack. Now face down in the dirt and unsure what was happening, she looked up at the glowing red eyes and sharp fangs. It was then when she realized she was no longer inside the protective barrier. She immediately sprang to her feet and tried to get back inside the field, but she too was blocked out and completely vulnerable.

Before her eyes could even adjust, she took off running. She leapt over a small boulder and slipped through a tiny crack in another two pillars. She could hear the beasts approaching from behind and could practically feel their breath on the back of her neck.