Chapter 7

They pass Turpin, then the first moon, and the second and arrive at the third moon as big as Pluto. Max begins rounding the planet.

"Hmm. A little more level with the Southern Hemisphere."

Max lowers the ship slightly and they practically complete the circle before the find it.

"Oh crap!"

"Got it!" Zylis says,

She switches her controls from copilot to pilot and throws the ship and backward and dives straight into the black hole.

"This is gonna get weird!" Megan shouts,

Sure enough, the hole is tiny, but they somehow manage to fit in. The aircraft seems to stretch everything.

Max gags for a moment as he feels his stomach turn over.

"It'll pass." Megan says

But even she sounds like she's disoriented.

"Ugh-d-do not...ugh, puke on my ship!"

Finally they come through and everything slowly comes back together.

Megan leans against the wall, Zylis is groaning and Max forces himself up, out of his seat and throws himself against the wall, groaning.

"You alright?" Megan says heavily,

He shakes his head, Zylis looks back, "Do not throw up." She mutters,

Megan glances at her with an ever so slight glint of frustration in her eyes. "Don't say anything, you could have warned us about that!" She says,

Zylis turns forward again and whines, letting her head hang.

"I know. It had been so long, I didn't remember until we saw it. I was afraid you'd want to turn back if I said it when I realized."

Zylis breathes heavily as Max begins regaining his composure. She looks at Megan, "I hate you." She mutters,

"I understand her logic. She hasn't seen Max in a very long time, for all she knows, you could have wanted to turn back. And a warning wouldn't help my-"

"Shut up Kiara!"

"Zylis. Take it down a notch. Okay?" Max says aggressively,

She rolls her eyes, "Zylis, I know you hate her, but can we please just try to get along? When this is over, I doubt you'll have to see her again."

Zylis looks at Max and then at Megan. She looks back at Max and then plops down in her seat.

"Sit down." Zylis mutters loud enough for them to hear,

"Curious." Kiara says to herself,

They fly the ship to a white and blue planet and touch down on its surface near a town. They walk off and walk from a cliff side to the town.

"You guys are going to to love these people...." she stops and stares,

"Her heart rate is racing." Kiara quickly says before someone else breaks the silence,

"They aren't out." Megan mutters,

"What?" Zylis asks,

"It's way too early for them to be asleep."

"Are you sure?" Zylis asks,

"They need two hours of sleep, they are a VERY lively people." Megan whispers,

"Max, I see foot prints by the hut 2 o'clock."

They hurry over to the hut, Zylis walks in, Megan stands in the doorway while Max looks at the tracks on the side of the hut.

Soon Zylis and Megan walk over to him. Max looks up at them.

"Empty. Like...everyone left."

"Would they be afraid of the Genka's?"

"Not like this. They wouldn't up and leave. Not unless the Genka's found this place."

"If they did, this place would be in ruins."

"Exactly." Zylis says,

"I'm going to head to the king's hut." Megan says,

"We're coming." Zylis says,

"You go. I'll catch up."

They look at each other and frown, "Max?"

"This isn't Genka. But I'm not so sure it's Atalipi either."

"What do you mean?"

"See the small mark there? That's from a claw. Kiara said Atalipi are humanoid aliens."

"Something else is here?"

"Probably...I want you two to find the people or find out where they went."

"Wait you're hunting it alone?" Zylis asks,

"I'm a lot more capable than you think Zylis. They are the priority. I want to see what this thing is and where it is."

"Ugh. I hate the idea of splitting up."

"Relax Megan. It'll be fine."

They hesitantly agree, Zylis and Megan hurry off towards the chiefs hut.

"You know what it is, don't you?"

"Yeah I do."

"....You sent them away so we can be bait."

****

"Here it i...."

They stare in shock at the blood circle drawn in the dirt, it is like something from the stories of magic. It's massive and filled with crisscrossing lines.

"What is that?"

Megan pulls a handle from her back and flicks open the sword's blade. "Step only where I step. Do you understand me?"

Zylis looks at the circle and back at the back of Megan's head. Megan takes a breath and slowly steps into the humongous circle, avoiding the lines.

"What is this?"

"Focus Zylis. I'll tell you after, where. I. Step."

Zylis folds her spider legs in and carefully follows Megan.

"Can't you go faster?" Zylis asks,

They've almost made it to the center. Megan grunts.

"No, I can't. A misstep will send us into another dimension."

Zylis narrows her eyes, "You little hunhrit. You actually got me all scared because of magic?"

Megan looks back, "Believe it or not Zylis, it's real. I'm trying to save you here."

"Gaschafin! You're lying Megan! What's your angle huh!? You get a ride out of watching others fall!? I'm sure it's quite the story, I made this stupid arachnid girl my slave, had her dance for me."

"Would you shut up!? I'm sorry for whatever my people did to you Zylis, I truly am. I. Am. Not. My. People. I could have not told you a thing! You'd be sucked into some other dimension and never be heard of in this one again!"

Zylis clenches her fists, "You expect me to believe magic is real?"

"Believe what you want. Do what you want. Just don't get me killed along with you."

Megan finally finds the place and steps forward and continues. "You are either a liar. Or insane." She says as they step out onto the other side of the circle,

"Yet you followed me through the circle."

"You are a nothing Sylvie. Don't forget that."

"We're going there? You're just angry because Max gives me the attention and not you." Megan says,

Zylis holds up her spider legs, ready to strike her. Megan scoffs, "Go on! Hit me! I'll hit back harder and I'll be sure to show you, that you are beneath me. That's what you want isn't it? For me to become the monster you always have known I was?"

Zylis breathes heavily, honestly deciding if she should kill her or not.

"Do it. And you'll lose. I'm not the enemy. Get over it. We don't live in the past, live in the present."

"Shut up."

"You act like I'm some demon here to rip everything you love away from you."

"You already did! Your people took everything from me!" She spits,

She launches herself at Megan, they roll back onto the dirt. Megan knees her side and rolls on top of her. She clasps her hands together in a big fist and drops it fast onto Zylis's head. She punches her again in the face and pins her arms and legs.

"Enou-guh!"

Pain explodes into her back. Zylis throws Megan off and rises to her feet.

"You are going to betray us! You're going to use us and kill us all! All you Sylvie do is slaughter! When you're done you slaughter more!"

Megan whines, hot blood soaks her torso and mouth. She coughs and spits blood onto the dirt.

Megan looks up at Zylis, terror in her eyes. "Z-Zylis." She mutters,

She falls to her side and crawls to the hut's wall whining and crying from the pain. She waits.

Zylis starts advancing on her prey. "You're scum Sylvie. And I will not let you betray me and belittle me! You are the poison of this universe!"

Megan then noticed it in her eyes, they are red. Her race doesn't allow color change of the eyes. What the heck?

Wait. Wait. A bit closer. Now!

Megan, with all her strength and speed that she can muster, she rolls away and behind Zylis as Zylis penetrates the wall with all four of her stinger legs.

Megan slaps a stun button on her, electricity shoots into her, causing Zylis to scream loud in pain. Louder than she ever should have. Megan was right. Mind control. That scream was the real Zylis, fighting back.

Megan grabs the back of Zylis's head and slams it into the wall, again, again. And again, finally knocking her out.

Megan moves under Zylis's arms, in between Zylis's limp body and the wall. Megan awkwardly stands Zylis up and puts her foot against her stomach, Megan jumps and kicks hard with both feet at Zylis's stomach. Megan screams out as they both fall to the ground, unconscious.