Nyteria Rising (The Thirteenth Series Book 3) (11 page)

“It’s
full aliens
, and a lot of them all together.”

“When you say
full aliens
, are we talking prisoners like the bus driver I just left in the woods with the Novelia, or something else?”

“Something much worse. Our friends have found a way to allow the prisoners to use humans to revert to their natural forms. That’s probably why they have been so quiet, it would take a few days for them to transform.”

“Are you sure?”

“The Novelia can’t take on human form, they can’t tolerate large amounts of human DNA. So to get them into another vessel, you must cross them back to their closest alien form, and your dog seems to be the next best thing. So yes, I’m almost positive.”

“So, let me get this straight. We have a magical alignment predicted in 1645 coming, mixed with a mass of full aliens, and three dogs that could kill us with their spit? But why?” She placed the sandwich back on her plate, her appetite gone.

“Portals - ways to other planets or times,” suggested Shane. “I’m not a hundred percent sure yet. I was hoping to speak to Sam, but it seems he’s a little occupied at the minute.”

“I agree with Shane,” said Zac. “Plus when David got the first signal as we teleported home, they would have been able to track us down, which means they are probably on their way here now. They will also think that the Novelia have killed you, not knowing it was David.” Zac informed her. Susan gasped in the background.

“Too many facts Zac,” Val told him. He would never get subtle. “But let’s get ready for the fight.”

She hoped Zac was wrong, that Lailah had no idea where they were, but she knew better. She also knew that they would be coming for the Dellatrax thinking she was dead, and that some magical alignment that Lailah and Elizabeth had known about was happening and soon. The only problem was, she didn’t have the Dellatrax, and they still had no idea who did.

Belinda’s voice broke the uncomfortable silence in the kitchen, “Is that who I think it is?”

Val walked over to the window. “Well, unless you mistook Delta for the bin-man, I think it is. Belinda, now would be a good time to get a protection spell up and running.” Val’s helmet closed over her face and she dashed for the front door. They weren’t going to get in that easily. She was closely followed by Zac, Jason, Mike and Shane.

“Don’t forget it’s Yassmin!” Fran called as Val pulled the front door open to find herself in a western style standoff with her adversaries.

“Give us the Dellatrax and we will let you live. We know you have it,” Delta announced.

“Delta, leave now while you still have a chance.” Val’s sword slowly extended.

“Who are you and how do you know my name?” she demanded.

Val’s helmet sprung open. “Surprised to see me?”

“More disappointed you’re not dead, but look who went to town on her uniform. Get it from Pri-marni?” Delta faked nonchalance, but Val could tell they had genuinely expected to waltz in and get the books. Meanwhile, Daniel moved closer to Delta while on her other side, Lailah and Flo looked even more menacing - if that was possible.

Lailah’s expression was one of anger and hatred, even in Yassmin’s body with the long blond hair and blue eyes, she looked like a villain. “Magrafe... interesting. Kill her,” she ordered.

Val heard a noise in the distance like feet, mixed with hooves and howling. Quickly she stepped out in front of the others and, raising her hand, she created an impressive blue ball of fire. “If you want to try?”

Daniel raised a ball of energy but held it, as if unsure of what to do next.

“Do it! What are you waiting for?” Lailah yelled at him.

“Daniel wait, we don’t have our Dellatrax. You’re not going to win, and you need to know I’ve just comeback from spending time with Wendy.” His eyes twitched, like he had been knocked off track. “Yes, Wendy. She’s alive and living at the Prison. You could go and see her. I could take you there if you would just stop this madness.” The approaching noise was getting louder and Val could see that this was going nowhere.

Delta touched his arm in an attempt to refocus him. “Daniel, she’s lying. Eva told you Wendy’s dead. She’s the one you should trust, and you saw the signals from the Dellatrax. Now kill her.”

So they had been tracking them as Zac thought. Val, watching him closely, saw that Delta’s words had had the
desired effect on Daniel, who went from questioning the truth, back to being her potential killer. He lifted his hand and threw the ball of energy at her. But she had been prepared for it and was already running at him. His ball of energy missed her head by inches as she grabbed him and teleported them out.

She gave no thought to where they might end up, but just acted to protect her family. Their landing was hard, but she was lucky as her uniform protected her as they fell. She felt hard walls knocking her from left to right, then steps, down which she tumbled, unable to stop her jarring descent. Through the gloom she could just make out Daniel suffering the same fate a few yards ahead of her. Desperately she turned, dug her sword into the ground and gripped the edge of the next step with her fingers. Finally she managed to come to a halt. Jumping to her feet she saw Daniel was still rolling into the darkness. She ran after him, lifting her wrist to light the area.

It was clear that they were underground, and this place looked oddly familiar. Then it came to her. Of course! It was the cave passage in Devon from the landslide. Daniel’s body had finally come to a stop at the bottom of the steps. There was no movement. Val approached him cautiously, keeping her distance. It could be a trap; he could be tricking her into thinking he was out cold. She nudged him with the edge of her boot, her sword pointing at his neck. Nothing. She crouched, shining her light in his face and spotted the blood. It was seeping from his head, covering the ground, mixing with the mud. She felt for a pulse, it was slow, but at least he was still alive. She decided that she had to leave Daniel here. She knew that Lailah and the others didn’t have
powers like Daniel, but they were still dangerous and her first responsibility was to her family and friends.

She teleported out and arrived outside Sam’s house to find that Lailah and her followers had gone.

“VAL!” The urgent shout came from behind her. She spun to see Jason and Fran leaning over Shane’s still body. She started to run and had almost reached them when she was suddenly struck from the side by a massive blow; it was how she imagined it must feel to be hit by a car. Her head shook. Her helmet covering her like a safety airbag going off as she hit the ground, skidding three or four feet on the concrete. The pain was intense and the thing that had hit her was now coving her whole body, panting on her, steaming her visor. Her sword retracted as she used both hands desperately to fight it off. Scrambling backward, she attempted to get up, but the alien beast wasn’t going to let her go that easily. It grabbed her with its huge gaping mouth and started to shake her like a rag doll. Her uniform hardened in an attempt to protect her. She could only see blurry images of the others as she put her hand out to grab what she could just make out as an ear. She ripped at it aggressively and the creature cried out in pain and shrank back long enough for her to get to her feet again. What was it? And were there more? She didn’t have to wait for answers: a group of alien beasts leaped down the drive towards Sam’s house, bouncing off the parked cars and jumping hedge rows as they came.

She ran back towards the door. “Get back inside!” she called to the others. Zac already had the door open as something resembling a lizard threw itself onto Jason’s back. Mike beat at it with his fists until it released him, scrambling away over the hedge. Val grabbed
Shane’s arm; he was still unconscious on the ground. With Zac dragging him by his jacket, they hauled him towards the house. They still had a couple of metres to go when a smaller figure grabbed at his leg. Fran ran to help, and they managed to pull Shane through the door. Val turned swiftly, her sword extending at lightning speed, she stunned the stumpy, elf-like creature and kicked it away from the entrance.

How could this be happening? She heard a large bang as another alien with huge hooves charged the doorway. She crouched over Shane’s body, hoping her suit would also protect him. The creature raised its front legs and came down with tremendous force. Its hooves made contact, but not with Val; instead it appeared to hit a barrier of bright red light. It recoiled in pain.

Another one attempted the same and received the same jolt, howling in anger. They couldn’t get in. Val looked around to see what had created the barrier and saw Belinda standing by the door, chanting, her lips were moving in a stream of words that Val couldn’t comprehend. As they pulled Shane fully inside, Belinda, poised in the doorway, raised her right arm and cried, “So mote it be!” The door slammed shut in the aliens’ faces.

Val glanced down at her uniform and knew that the stuff all over her was Shane’s blood. “MUM!” she called out. Susan was already there, knelt down at Shane’s side. She started to carefully pull at his top.

Jason, still half-stunned by the attack, stood by the wall, covered in his dad’s blood, his face ashen.

Pumped up with the adrenaline flowing through her veins, and full of fear for Shane, Val headed towards the door once more. Zac followed her. “Where are you going?” he asked her.

“I don’t know. Where did they all go? Look what they’ve done to Shane! They’ll pay for that!” She moved backwards and forwards like a caged lion as three more aliens attempted, but failed, to get in at the hall window.

“They didn’t; it was Daniel. When he missed you the energy ball hit Shane.” he grabbed her arm making her stand still. “Where’s Daniel?”

“I left him in Devon. He’s injured, out cold, he won’t be going anywhere.”

“Go and get him,” Zac ordered.

“No, look what he did to Shane.”

“Val, go and get him. You have no choice; it’s your duty.”

She stood her ground as her dad came over. “Where’s the boy?” Mike asked.

“Mike, Daniel is wounded and your daughter is refusing to fetch him.”

“But Dad, he hurt Shane. Shouldn’t we be concentrating on him?” Her voice trembled with anger.

“That boy is just a child and we need to help him as well. Valerie, please go and get him, quickly.” Mike’s tone was firm.

Val couldn’t fight with her dad, not when he spoke to her like that. “Fine.”

When Val returned with Daniel, Belinda and Fran were still in the hallway, helping Susan tend to Shane amid a litter of first aid packs and bloodied dressings. Val struggled to support the unconscious Daniel and Zac and Mike hurried to take him off her, laying him on the floor. Shane now lay next to the boy who had wounded him so badly.

“Val, it’s not good, we need help. Go and get your uncle Julian.”

“Are you serious, Mum? Why not get them to a hospital?”

“And tell them what? Here are two alien attack victims. One of those attackers was my daughter, please arrest her now! And dissect her while you’re at it!”

“Ok, I’m going.”

She had been to her uncle’s surgery several times over the years for one thing or another, but this was going to be interesting. She teleported into the toilet opposite his office, praying no one was in there. She was lucky. She pulled the door ajar. The surgery was shut and there was an elderly lady vacuuming the waiting room, but that was it. At that moment her uncle came out of his consulting room. Val did her best to look as if she really had been using the facilities and plastered a smile on her face. “Val, what are you doing here? I had a really odd call from your mother the other day… what are you wearing?” His normally jovial expression was quickly replaced by a look of confusion.

“I need your help. This’ll make no sense, just hold on.” She grabbed his arm and they were a blue spark.

Her uncle staggered several times and was deftly caught by Mike, who smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Hello, Julian. We’ve got a bit of a problem here and we need your help.”