Space Angels: find the Gift (complete)

ЄD0Ɲ: Ŧhe Ɗ£Ş£ŔŦ ~ Chapter Twenty-three

Seraphim Landing Zone ~Ŧhe Ɗ£Ş£ŔŦ

23 – The monster in the grave (1459 wds)

Sofiel chased the golden rod across the undulating dunes, marvelling at its speed. It raced over the sands, deeper and deeper into the empty desert. Flying at top speed like this, in the unyielding heat and glare, caused Sofiel's wings to ache. Her Far Sight tracked its progress ahead – she would have lost it otherwise – until it slowed and came to an abrupt stop, hovering over a pile of rocks stacked in a deep hollow.

When she arrived, her narrator spoke. "It has slipped under the stones, Sofiel. This is the grave of a dead Edon. Caring for the dead is the seventh of Edon's virtues. Do not disrespect this and dislodge the stones. You must morph into a tiny creature and crawl through the cracks."

Sofiel wondered why the rod was attracted to this place.  She knew little of death - nobody in the Palace had died during her short lifetime and she'd expected no one would - but perhaps death on other planets was normal and commonplace. This pile of stones in the middle of a desolate wilderness touched her somehow - it felt sacred - and apprehension crept over her at entering the Edon's grave.

She knew she could contact Borak or any of her cadre but also knew they were all busy with their own important tasks. She understood too, that, as the youngest cadre member, they were protecting her from the harsh realities of a cruel universe. She wasn't sure if that was very helpful now, but she had to be brave.

She'd selected five tiny Edon Quintessences from the catalogue of creatures, now deciding on an insect also found on Kaelestia - a scarab beetle - and swallowed a changeling token. She eyed her shiny armour; marvelled at her six legs, each moving in a synchronised scuttle. She slipped under the rock pile.

It was cooler inside and she was surprised how well she could see in the darkness. She crawled through slim gaps between the rocks, edging downward until she reached a void.

"This Edon was buried in a hurry, Sofiel," said her narrator. "A hole has been dug in the sand for the body and the rocks were added afterward."

"This Edon must've been a good person. Maybe the golden rod is attracted to goodness...do you think the rod is the Gift?"

"According to the latest updates it is a piece of the Gift - there are three parts to it – we must retrieve this one."

She could see a glow ahead – the rod's golden radiance lit her way. She crawled along a blanched-white thighbone. She saw a cavern entrance in the distance, its curved ceiling formed by the Edon's ribs, and hovering within was the shining rod, spinning slowly where the Edon's heart once was. She crept over each vertebra, one by one. In the distance she noted a spindly line of bones scattered left and right at the skeleton's shoulder and it seemed to be headless. She paused in puzzlement. A whoosh of air sounded a few steps ahead, followed by a clicking sound. A huge pair of orange claws swung out of the shadows snapping at the air in front of her position – if she hadn't paused...

"Beware Sofiel! You must avoid this creature's pincers – they could slice through your host's armour with ease and its tail contains deadly venom."

She dodged another swipe but lost her balance and fell forwards into the soft sand. Her narrator fed information into her brain – it had identified the predator from its latent pheromones – she was lucky: if she'd landed on her back, there was little chance she'd right herself before the creature found her. It could see well with its five eyes and would paralyse her with a toxic sting from its deadly tail; vicious claws would then tear her to pieces. She began to burrow furiously into the sand ignoring the creature's looming shadow dancing around the chamber, thrown by the light of the golden rod. At last, she uncovered a gap in the dead Edon's backbone and slipped through. She felt the vibration of her foe's landing, but turning, only saw blackness.