Chapter 6
P aige’s stomach turned as she imagined her own death. Would she starve? Be eaten by piranhas? No, probably a jaguar.
She covered her face with her hands and shook her head, letting out a muffled scream. “I can’t believe this. We jumped out of a plane, only to die on the ground. We would have been better off crashing. At least then they’d know where to find us.”
“Mmm, I don’t think so,” Dewey said.
Paige uncovered her face, staring up at the coy grin on Dewey’s lips. “Why? Is our plane somehow unfindable? Does it have a special magical shield or something?”
“No, I meant I don’t think we’ll die,” Dewey said.
Paige stared at him, blinking a few times. “Are you crazy? Did you hit your head?”
A puff of smoke escaped from Dewey’s nostrils as he frowned at her. “No.”
“Well, how do you expect we’ll live? I have zero skills in the wild. I can barely live in a city with food prepared for me.”
“I happen to know where we are,” Dewey said.
“Right, thousands of miles away from anywhere. We’ll never make it out of this jungle.” Paige slapped her hands against her forehead again, with a moan.
“Actually, we don’t have to go thousands of miles. I said we were miles from any known civilization.”
“What does that even mean?” Paige asked.
“I happen to know of a civilization that’s not far from here.”
Paige sat up, her eyes wide. “You do?”
Dewey nodded and raised his chin triumphantly.
“Oh, wait,” Paige asked as she slid her eyes from side to side, “it’s not like a civilization of jungle zombies that’ll eat us alive, right?”
“Jungle zombies?” Devon questioned.
Dewey thumbed toward her. “This is what I deal with daily.”
“What?” Paige asked.
“There are no such things are jungle zombies, Paige,” Devon said, offering her a smooth smile.
“Okay, sorry. Jungle mummies, how’s that?”
“Ehh, nope,” Dewey said.
“Whatever creature lives in the jungle and will kill us.”
“None of those,” Dewey answered, with a slice of his hand through the air. “I happen to know of a swell little village just upstream from here.” He crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. “My old town.”
Paige scrambled to her feet. “Your town? Like, where your parents are?”
“Yep.”
“OMG, do you think they’ll help us?”
“I’m pretty sure they will.” He shot a glance at Devon. “Well, maybe not him, but…”
Devon flung a hand in the air. “Hey, I just saved your life, are you serious?”
“My great-grandparents had a run-in with your clan. It wasn’t pretty. There was some suffering. If I were you, I’d keep my mouth shut about being Dominic Durand’s kid, pretty boy.”
Paige hurried to pull her backpack on, grasping at the straps. “I’m ready. Let’s go. Before something kills us.”
“You mean like the dreaded jungle golem?" Dewey asked, his eyes wide.
Paige's jaw fell open, and she wrinkled her nose. "The what?"
“Huge, stone-like bodies. Beady black eyes. Massive, razor-sharp teeth, capable of tearing flesh from bone. They can smell humans for miles. And their hunting cry is the stuff of nightmares.” Dewey narrowed his eyes at her as he shook his head.
Paige eyed the thick foliage around them. “Are-are they around here?”
Devon stood and shrugged on his backpack. “Sure, but wild jungle golems are scary. They’re pretty slow-moving, so you may be able to outrun them. It’s the jungle trolls you really need to worry about. Fast, mean, and deadly silent.”
Paige’s eyes went even wider and she poked at her glasses as she gulped. “Do-do-do they eat humans?”
“Oh, yes,” Dewey answered. “Human is considered a delicacy. A real prize for their village.”
A bird chirped overhead, and Paige snapped her gaze toward it, a terrified expression etched onto her features. “I think we should go as fast as we can to your village,” she whispered.
“I think that was just a bird,” Devon said.
“I don’t care what it was. If these jungle creatures are around, we should go. They can probably smell me from a mile away. They’re probably hunting me now. And if they’re not, what about the jungle cats?”
Devon stared at the ground, trying to hide his amusement.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” he said, flicking his gaze to the canopy of trees above them.
Dewey snickered, puckering his lips in an attempt to recover.
Paige stuck her hands on her hips. “Why are you laughing?”
“It’s nothing,” Devon said. “Let’s head out.”
“No. No, we’re not heading out until I know what you two find so funny.”
Dewey held back his laughter for another breath before a chuckle escaped him. He flung his arms in the air. “Oh, come on, Paige. Jungle golems?”
He twirled in the air with another belly laugh. Devon joined in with a quiet chuckle, his dimples creasing the stubble on his cheeks.
“What?” Paige asked, her brow furrowing.
Dewey slapped his knee as he floated in the air. “I bet you think they hoard gold.”
Devon’s laughter grew louder with the statement. “Huge, stone-like bodies with beady eyes.”
“Razor-sharp teeth,” Dewey squealed. He waved a hand in the air before he clapped Devon on the back. “Not better than the fast, mean jungle trolls.”
Paige pressed her lips together in a thin line. “I’m assuming none of those things are real.”
Devon coughed out a few more chuckles. “No.”
Paige swiped Dewey’s tiny backpack from the ground. “Well, that’s very funny. A real hoot. Make fun of the new girl who doesn’t know if there are jungle mummies or whatever.”
Dewey shrugged. “I’m sorry, Paige. It’s just too easy.”
Devon sobered. “Yeah, sorry, Paige. Really. There are no such things as jungle golems or trolls. We will, however, need to be careful of the wild cats. And the jungle harpies.”
“Right,” Paige said, tossing the bag at Dewey and tugging her straps down to raise her own pack. “Jungle harpies. Terrifying winged creatures, right? Long claws. Big teeth. Pointy ears. Really horrific, I’m sure.”
Dewey shrugged on his backpack. “Someone’s been doing a little bit of homework.”
Paige rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. Like I believe you two after all that nonsense about the non-existent creatures.”
“I’m serious,” Devon answered. “There really are jungle harpies.”
“Sure there are,” Paige said, with a roll of her eyes. “You know, enough with all the fake information. My head is swimming already with all this magic stuff going on, and all the creatures. The last thing I need is false information.”
“Ah, Paige–” Devon said, with a wrinkle of his nose.
“No! Enough, Devon. Enough with your excuses, and your apologies.”
“But Paige–” Dewey tried, splaying his paws out to the sides.
“I said no!” Paige interrupted. “Let’s just get our stuff and get to your parents. I’d really like to be out of the jungle–”
Her words cut off as she spun. Her jaw dropped open as she slow-blinked once to make sure her eyes did not deceive her. Her heart skipped a beat before it ramped to pound against her ribs. Her throat went dry.
She studied the massive feather-covered bird legs in front of her with another sluggish blink.
Her eyes rose to take in the feathers that rose up the creature’s midriff.
A human top started where the feathers ended.
Paige’s eyes continued their slow rise to take in the woman towering over her.
Pointed ears poked out from her flowing blonde hair.
Claws extended from the back of her hands past her fingernails.
Large colorful wings poked from her back.
She stared down at Paige with rainbow eyes, cocking her head like a bird to study her.
“OMG,” Paige whispered as she backed up. She bumped into Devon, coming to a halt as she stared with parted lips. “What the hell is that?”
“Jungle harpy. I tried to tell you.”
“Twice,” Dewey hissed. “We tried to tell you twice.”
“How was I supposed to know you were serious? You two jokesters and your fake creatures. I couldn’t have guessed this one was real!”
The harpy flicked her light hair over her shoulder and scratched at the ground with her clawed foot.
“Should we say something to her?” Paige asked.
Dewey shrugged. “Like what? Please don’t offer her gold. They don’t hoard gold.”
Paige wrinkled her nose at him before she stepped forward, adjusting her glasses. “Hi, Ms.Harpy, ma’am.”
The harpy cocked her head again, sticking her chin forward to study Paige.
“Ah, my name is Paige Turner, and we just fell from a plane. It was crashing, so we jumped out. We’re just heading to the dragon village, and we’ll be out of your feathers in no time.”
The harpy’s rainbow eyes sparkled as her full pink lips turned up at the corners. Paige matched her expression, smiling up at the creature.
“Human,” she said in a lilting tone.
“Yes,” Paige said, with a nod. “I’m human. Just a regular gal who jumped out of a plane and needs the dragons to help her out of the jungle.”
The harpy’s lips parted, the slight grin staying on her face as her tongue clicked inside her mouth. “Human.”
“Right. I’m human,” Paige said, lifting one shoulder and grinning.
“Uh, Paige, I think we should go,” Dewey said.
“Yeah, I’m with Dewey,” Devon added, his eyes trained on the large bird-woman.
Paige glanced over her shoulder at them. “Right.” She twisted back to face the harpy. “Well, we’ve got to be going. It’s been really nice meeting you. I–”
Fingers wrapped around her arm and tugged her back, interrupting her words. “Like now,” Devon growled in her ear.
“Geez, okay,” Paige said, wrenching her arm free from his grasp as they hurried away from the harpy.
Paige glanced backward at the large bird-like woman. She flapped her wings and threw her head back, letting out a piercing, bird-like call.
Paige clapped her hands over her ears. “Ah, wow, that’s really shrill.”
“Also dangerous,” Dewey answered.
Paige shot him a glance as he landed on her shoulder. “Dangerous?”
“She’s calling for backup,” Devon said as they hurried through the thick vegetation.
“Backup? We didn’t threaten her.”
“We’re in her territory. Her hunting grounds. And now she wants us.”
“Wants us for what?” Paige asked in a shrill voice.
“To eat,” Dewey said. “Humans are a delicacy.”
“What?” Paige shrieked as she quickened her steps.
The earsplitting squawks continued behind them. Leaves rustled overhead. Shadows blocked out the rising sun.
Paige and Devon broke into a run, doing their best to hasten through the jungle. The strong wind gusted past Paige, blowing her hair around wildly. She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes going wide as she spotted the harpy hovering above her.
“Get away from me, you stupid bird!”
“Wow, Paige, I’m sure that’ll scare her.”
“Shut up, Dewey, I’m doing the best I can,” Paige huffed out as she continued to dodge trees and leaves, trying to keep up with Devon.
“Come on, Paige! Hurry!” he shouted over his shoulder.
“I’m trying, I’m trying! Can’t you go all beast mode on her?”
“A one-on-one fight with a jungle harpy? That’s a fight I may not win,” Devon said, shoving back a large leaf and slipping between two tree trunks.
Paige paused, arching an eyebrow. “Really?”
The short delay proved disastrous. The large, winged harpy descended like a brick, blocking the space between the trees and cutting off her path to Devon.
“Paige!” Devon shouted as the harpy lunged toward her.
Paige danced back a few steps, evading her grasp. The creature swiped at her. Her pointed, claw-like fingernails scratched Paige’s forearm, drawing blood.
“Ouch,” Paige cried as she stumbled back a few more steps. Dewey fluttered into the air, with a snarl. He growled and hissed at the harpy as she charged forward.
“Leave me alone, you oversized Big Bird!” Paige scooped a stick from the ground and tossed it at the creature.
Dewey spit out a tiny flame, singeing the edge of the harpy’s feathers. She glanced down, tilting her head as her rainbow eyes studied the scorched tips. She raised her gaze to Dewey, her lips curling with displeasure.
She scratched at the ground with her clawed foot, her razor-sharp fingernails spreading wide as she prepared to attack the tiny dragon.
“Yikes!” Dewey answered, flying randomly around as she lunged at him. “Wrong move.”
“Leave him be!” Paige screamed, launching branches and rocks at the creature. A small stone pelted her large wing, and she twisted to face Paige with a growl.
“Yeah, that’s right. Pick on someone half your size instead of a tenth, you big bully.”
The harpy’s nose wrinkled as she bared her sharp fangs with a hiss .
“Uhh,” Paige groaned as she searched the ground for another stone. She scooped one up and lobbed it overhand at the harpy. It struck the creature in the face, glancing off her cheek and slicing it open. Rainbow blood spilled down her flesh.
The tiny injury enraged the creature. She howled into the sky before setting her sights on Paige again.
“Now, you made her mad,” Dewey said.
“Where’s Devon and his muscles when you need him?” Paige cried as she tried to find another weapon or path to escape.
The harpy stamped a clawed foot toward Paige and swiped at her. She danced backward, smacking into a large, unwavering object behind her. Paige reached behind her, grabbing hold of the object that prevented her from moving. Her eyes widened as her fingertips detected feathers.
“Ah, Paige,” Dewey said.
Paige scrunched her face as she realized another harpy blocked any escape to the rear.
She slid her eyes sideways, lunging toward an opening in the trees.
The original harpy slashed at her again.
This time, the claw on the back of the harpy’s human-like hand snagged her shirt.
The creature lifted her off the ground, dangling her in the air.
Paige kicked her feet, trying to tear herself free. She tugged at her shirt around the claw as the harpy brought her closer to her face.
Paige’s lower lip trembled as she stared into the oversized, rainbow eyes. The harpy’s lips curled up on the edges as she spoke one word that made Paige’s heart stop.
“Mine.”