Perception (Dream Warriors Book 2)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

JIRI – SOMEWHERE DEEP IN THE DAINTREE RAINFOREST

Our quarry had navigated the worn track curving through The Daintree Rainforest almost twenty-four hours ago. Mud deposits, scuffs and frayed bark scarred the outer shells of fallen tree trunks scattered across the natural pathway, a visible indicator of human disturbance. Twigs, brittle and dark in colouration, calculated the passage of time since they snapped underfoot.

We waded through a slow flowing creek. Disturbed sediment clouded the shallower waters, exposing the exact location a sizeable group exited onto the opposite bank. Footprints indented in the saturated mud signposted their direction of travel.

I detected at least seven different imprints. One particular set measured smaller compared to the others. Raymond's description of the two missing women advocated their owner.

Lifen.

The first forty-eight hours were vital after a person went missing. Although I'd picked up a cold trail at the crime scene, the longer we took to find the girls, the less likely the law of averages permitted a positive outcome.

Torrential rain drove me and my best friend Jalun inside a musty cave, the entrance hidden amongst creeping vines, halting our progress. The only consolation, the kidnappers also had no other choice than to wait out the severe weather system.

Unless you've camped in the wilderness, it's difficult to describe an accurate definition of pitch black. Free of artificial lighting, dense vegetation obscured the stars and the moon. Darkness consumed your sight and nothing but the sound of your own heartbeat verified the truth of your existence. But Jalun and I weren't human. We were enhanced creatures designed to survive the natural environment of Northern Queensland.

After dusk, the forest came alive with the eerie echo of screeches and croaks. Although accustomed to the crazy call of Nature, I fretted whilst we waited out the storm, desperate to return to what I did best.

Tracking.

Every instinct I possessed screamed a warning about the urgency of catching up with the missing girls, and fast.

Time's running out.

Whatever the outcome, without legitimate closure, Jalun would forever blame himself for events leading up to the rape and murder of Klara Draeger and the subsequent abduction of Lifen Chun and Jessica Dabrowski. All three women volunteered at the Tropical Research Centre in Cape Tribulation, the same organisation as his girl, Rayne MacAulay. Loyal to the core, he considered it was his responsibility to keep them safe because of their close connection to his woman.

I sensed not all was right in their world.

A relationship with another species rarely permitted a smooth transition. But I hoped they'd sort out their differences, because I liked Rayne. She had an exquisite quality about her which complimented Jalun. And I believed the spirits of our ancestors ordained their relationship long ago. A time in history before man endangered the continuing survival of all living things and set humanity on a one-way path to self-destruction.

The moment the rain eased, we travelled throughout the night, eager to gain ground. Jalun walked in my footsteps, primed and alert for a potential attack. Born a prince of the Wundu Warra, he possessed the strength of our royal ancestors, even if he lacked the skills of a seasoned warrior. Secure in the knowledge he had my back, I focussed my attention on finding the two missing graduates.

At one point, I thought our quarry travelled towards Upper Daintree Road in the west, but at the last moment they veered north. Swathed in thick, treacherous vegetation, my familiarity with the Daintree terrain equalled no other. Subtle markers found in the brush directed a seasoned tracker to specific places, but I could also call upon an unprecedented instinct inherited from my ancestors that allowed me to hunt down any living organism.