His run was interrupted abruptly when he came across the body of a leopard. It was not just lying before him on the ground but instead hanging from a tree, partly blocking his path. No wonder there were no other animals around. His mind also warned him of what could possibly have hung the carcass. Forcing that image from his mind, he kept moving.
Not long afterward, though, he came to a complete stop as he took in the sight of an entire pack of hyenas also hanging in the trees, almost in a straight line. This was not the work of some random predator higher up the food chain. They appeared to have been dead for some time. The Ursa was setting a trap, trying to rile up Kitai’s fear. And it was working.
He reached the base of the coal-black mountain without further incident, which was just fine by him. He forced himself to study the area before taking in the magnificent sight. There were hundreds of tiny lava rivers charging down the ebony slopes. Maybe it wasn’t so dormant after all.
Leaving the jungle behind for good, he hoped, he was stopped by a sound. He looked over his shoulder but saw nothing. Still, his flight-or-fight instincts said this was a good time for a jog. He kicked into high gear and began running up the black slope of the mountain.
Kilometers away, something made the motion sensor screen wake up and command Cypher’s attention. A new dot was moving toward Kitai’s blinking dot. There was no guessing what it could be, but without confirmation he merely told the holo image, “I have something moving toward you from the west… It has found you.” Like a good coach, Cypher talked to his holographic son, who was making good progress. Unable to help Kitai himself, he directed, “Go left, Kitai. You’ll save time. You’ll have a straight shot without having to go through any tunnels.”
He sighed as Kitai moved to his right.
“Damn it.”
Kitai bolted up the slope, fast and fluid. It was an easier climb than his last effort before flunking out of the Rangers. He figured Bo and Rayna and the others would be far behind him by now. He missed them as he scampered with confidence and soon was enveloped in the ionic cloud, white and thick, that was causing the interference. It consumed the upper portion of the mountain and changed everything. Kitai realized he was effectively blind and could not see a predator, native or alien, if it was farther than two meters away from him.
Kitai readjusted a handhold and then looked at his sleeve and saw that the smart fabric had altered color to jet-black and adopted the texture that would protect its wearer from most harm. Danger was nearby; he couldn’t see it, but he knew it was coming. He just didn’t know from where. He tried to penetrate the dense mist around him visually but saw nothing.
However, he heard scuttling, something nearing him. Instinctively, he withdrew his cutlass and activated it. He moved backward a few meters and found an entrance to a cave, something he had missed the first time he’d passed it.
The cave was all onyx. Kitai had never seen anything so dark yet so shiny. There were stalactites and stalagmites cluttering the cave, and that made maneuvering tricky. The growths appeared to be made entirely of diamonds, something Kitai had never heard of happening back home. He had no time to study the fascinating find, instead running into the depths of the cave. All that mattered right now was that the Ursa was here, hunting him. There had to be a way out, hadn’t there? He continued to move, trying to control the mounting panic in his chest, when he spotted a shaft of light dropping from a crevice in the cave’s ceiling. All he had to do was follow that and he’d exit the mountain, above the damned clouds, he hoped, and activate the beacon.
Such satisfying thoughts were banished when a terrifying, unearthly scream echoed off the crystalline walls. As the sound vanished, he could hear claws against crystal and stone. Viper had followed him into the cave. He had no choice but to go deeper and hope a second exit presented itself. One hand brushed against a stalagmite, and the sharp-edged diamond protuberances sliced into his palm. He needed speed but was forced to move carefully.
A second scream reminded him that there was no margin for caution. Recognizing there were no other exits evident, Kitai knew it was time to change strategy. He held the cutlass before him, uncertain how many of its different configurations he actually knew how to activate, let alone use. Instead of worrying about it, he found several stalagmites to hide behind, giving him a view of the entrance. His eyes rose to the shaft of light; he hoped he’d still have a chance to use that escape route.
Watching the crevice, he was interested in the mist that had seeped through from the clouds outside. As he studied it, he saw something unnatural move in the mist. Before he could react, the Ursa shifted from camouflage mode to its natural hideous form and hung from the ceiling. The beast let Kitai take in its powerful form before the hide shimmered and blended in with the rocky ceiling, disappearing once more. All Kitai could hear was its claws against the rock, moving away, toying with him, making him sweat with fear, turning Kitai into a tasty morsel.
He crouched low, trying to use the stalagmites as a shield.
Looking around, he saw that a large crystalline structure had fallen across two tremendous boulders, creating a crude bridge. Cautiously, Kitai moved under it slowly, seeking protection. Peeking out, he spotted dust drifting down from directly above his position. Without warning, the Ursa became visible and dropped the three meters separating them. It landed atop the crystal bridge, snarling and smelling awful. Kitai wanted to wretch but gritted his teeth and remained beneath the crystal, which was cracking from the impact and the weight of the beast. His fingers twitched, and the cutlass fell from his grasp.
As he looked once more at his opponent, there was a flash of hope when he saw that two shards of crystal had pierced the Ursa’s body, trapping it in place. Unfortunately, Kitai was similarly trapped as he tried to move only to discover that his foot was trapped underneath a shattered section of the crystal bridge. His boot protected his foot from injury, but he was still stuck and needed to free himself in a hurry. It would have been comical to be an observer watching the two life-forms struggle to dislodge themselves from the same predicament. Only it was not funny to Kitai. This was life or death, not just his but his father’s, too.
Worse, the Ursa had six limbs and was using several to try to pry itself free while one was pushing down, trying to crush Kitai’s foot. The human was fighting back, struggling to lever himself free, but was failing with every attempt. Done with the crystal, the Ursa’s free claw was now swiping the air before the teen’s face.
Suddenly the claw vanished, going to the aid of the other limbs in freeing the body, allowing Kitai the precious moments he needed to yank his foot away from the crystal chunks and roll free. Grabbing the cutlass, he spun about, ready to slay the impaled beast. Instead, he turned about and his weapon shook with the force of an incoming blow from the Ursa. It was powerful enough to send the human flying three meters backward into an outcropping. The air was expelled forcefully from his lungs as his back hit the rocks.
The impact dazed Kitai, who remained low, trying to absorb the pain throughout his body and regain his strength. As he gathered his energy, he watched with renewed terror as the Ursa pulled itself off the twin shafts of crystal, dark gray blood trailing from the wounds. Now free, it stood for a moment, seemingly checking its own limbs, letting the blood pool atop the crystal floor. Kitai had no choice but to run.
The Ursa was right behind him, roaring in pain and fury, hurting his ears. Energetically, Kitai leaped off the ground, propelled himself at an angle off the side of the cave, and flipped through the air to avoid fresh stalagmites and stalactites, hoping they would slow the beast. Instead, the charging creature shattered the crystal structures and kept running toward the cadet. And it was gaining.