Skip: An Epic Science Fiction Fantasy Adventure Series (Book 2) by Perrin Briar

Author:Perrin Briar [Briar, Perrin]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2014-12-19T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Elian and Jera walked out of the protective ring of trees and hedges to the edge of the little grassy island. The strong wind had passed and the field was still. Elian and Jera covered their mouths with their tunics and began to cross the field.

“What exactly is a dragornet?” Elian said.

“It’s a four-inch long wasp with a dragon’s head and a sting in its tail capable of taking down a centaur.”

“Sorry I asked.”

“And we have to anger a whole hive of them.”

“Great.”

They crossed the field of Gap and entered the forest to the north. There was a large stagnant body of water with reeds and lily pads, a thick green goo on top.

“Fancy a swim?” Elian said.

Jera rolled her eyes.

“What the hell happened?” Elian said. “First we were out to save the world, the next we’re on pest control. What do you suppose this dragornet hive actually looks like? Have you ever seen one before?”

“Yes,” Jera said. “But only in pictures. It looks a little bit like that.”

She pointed to a huge grey construction that looked like it belonged on another planet. It hung from the overhang of a large tree. The hive was layered, a series of steps up to the wide middle and then narrow up to the top. A sticky membrane adhered the top of the hive to the cliff.

“How are we going to knock it down?” Jera said.

“The same way we used to knock them down when I was a kid.”

Elian picked up two long sticks and handed one to Jera. He scaled the trunk of the tree and kept an eye on the nest, and saw no movement. Jera stood underneath it with her stick held over her shoulder, her feet shoulder width apart, turned toward the purple field of Gap. It wasn’t far, but she was not used to swinging sticks around.

“This is such a bad idea,” Elian said.

He hesitated, lowering the stick before raising it again. He brought the stick to his right, and then swung it around and connected with the sticky membrane that affixed the nest to branch. It shuddered, and sent vibrations through the whole nest. There was a faint buzzing inside.

“You have to hit it harder!” Jera said.

“That’s easy for you to say!”

Elian brought the stick around and hit the sticky membrane again. The end of the stick got stuck. Elian had to tug on it to get it free.

“It’s not breaking!” Elian said.

A dragornet, as long as his thumb, and just as thick, climbed out of the hive, flexing its wings and making them vibrate. It moved its head left to right, its movements slow and dozy.

“Now that is a big bug,” Elian said, staring at the dragornet in horror.

Elian noticed the sticky substance caking the end of his stick. He had an idea. He released his knife from its sheath and pressed it into the sticky substance. He took careful aim and swung the stick.

The knife struck the membrane, severing it, and sent the nest plummeting down.

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