“I want you gone,” the alien female shouted. Her calm vanished and anger caused her hair to flow out around her as if caught in a powerful wind. “This is my dream, and you don’t belong in it. Get out!”
The beast’s roar was earsplitting, causing Dawn to cry out and slap her hands over her ears to block out the sound. The whole world seemed to reverberate with the power of its scream. But the female didn’t back down. She took another step forward instead.
“Silence!”
Suddenly, the beast’s voice was gone. The creature stood there dumbfounded, opening and closing its mouth to no avail.
“You’re doing it!” Dawn cheered, feeling the first rush of hope take flight inside her.
The Vartik saw an opening and took it. He leaped onto the creature’s back and looped his arms around its neck, squeezing with all his might. The monster fought back, sinking thick claws into Z’s arms down to the bone.
“No!” Dawn screamed as the creature dislodged Z, flinging him across the chamber and into the fog. She ran after the Vartik, terrified that the impact would have ended him. Reaching the area where she’d seen him land, she searched for him, panic increasing as she found nothing but fog and empty ground.
“Z!” she shouted. “Where are you?! Z!”
He was nowhere to be found. Turning around, she caught sight of the beast’s face. Yellow eyes filled with amusement as the creature started to smile.
