The Ominous Eye by Tracey Hecht

Author:Tracey Hecht
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9781944020040
Publisher: Fabled Films Press
Published: 2016-08-22T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

HALT!

With her heart pounding hard in her chest, Dawn raced toward the boulder and bounded up its steep side. At the top, perched on a narrow ledge, was Polyphema—front eyes closed, third eye pulsing and twitching.

“What have you done with the birds?” Dawn demanded. She reared up to her full height.

The tuatara winked open a single dark eye. She looked at Dawn, glanced down below at the net, and then closed her eyelid once again. She was in no rush.

Dawn growled. “We don’t have time for this! Where are they?”

“Apologies,” the tuatara said at last. “My visions cannot be disrupted.”

“Where are the birds?” she repeated. “Where have you sent them?”

Polyphema tilted her head. “Why, I’ve sent them nowhere.” She opened her eyes, and Dawn saw them twinkle. “They’re here. Can’t you see?” The tuatara bent her angular face over the edge of the rock and gestured down toward the net. “They’ve done a marvelous job. Simply marvelous.”

Dawn peered out at the scene below. She could see that work was well underway, despite Bismark’s—or Polyphema’s—perfectionism. The net’s final knots were being tied, and the second layer of vines was starting to be woven in. “Those are the jerboas,” she snapped. “I asked you about the—” The fox’s voice trailed off. She saw that in certain spots, even where there were no jerboas, the net seemed to be moving as if stirred by an invisible force. But there was no wind blowing. She squinted and saw a tiny orange beak grab the end of a vine, pull it under, and wrap it back around.

Dawn suddenly understood, and the knowledge hit her like a tidal wave. “They’re under the net,” she said softly, afraid to believe the words she was speaking. Her horrified eyes met Polyphema’s. “What have you done?”

The tuatara looked back, unflinching. “I have done what I must,” she replied.

Dawn felt her heart pound in her chest. She had to get down there immediately. She had to do something. The fox spun away, but a low chuckle stopped her in her tracks.

“Go ahead.” The reptile sneered. “Do your best. Take charge.” The tuatara’s lips spread in a mocking grin. “No one will listen. Why would they? Why would they defy me when I have the power to see what you can’t?”

Dawn slowly took a step back.

“Look at you. You’re all alone.” Polyphema glanced left and right, and then shrugged. “Even your friends aren’t here. How did that happen? Did I steal them away?”

A fire blazed in Dawn’s chest. She could feel the burn of anger in her legs, her stomach, her eyes. Every instinct in her body was telling her to pounce. But she held herself back. She could not waste another moment. And so, the fox scrambled down the slope of the rock and raced full-speed toward the crater.

When she arrived, she leaped onto the net, tugging the vines with her teeth, desperate to untie the knots. She heard urgent voices around her, but Dawn shut them out. The fox pulled with all her might.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.