Scorpio Invasion by Alan Burt Akers Page B

rain would slash down in waterfalls that would engulf Niagara as Niagara would engulf a local trout stream. The trees to larboard formed a single floor of deep green. Occasional breaks occurred among that uniform bed of foliage. The coast formed either a series of curves where sandy beaches might afford good bathing, or stretched in a straight north south line where the waves broke remorselessly.
    Those trees, Rollo informed me, were probably the famous brellam trees. He’d studied natural history as one of the subjects in the very thorough Whonban educational process. That seductive witch Pynsi had a lot to answer for, by Krun!
    “They grow straight up and very tall. They spread wide branches and turn up their leaves in serried masses of cups. They prevent most of the rain and suns-light from falling to the surface, holding the liquid within their cellular structure. Consequently the ground beneath is relatively bare of lesser vegetation.”
    “Which would more than likely be parasitic.”
    “Of course, here in Chem. The brellam trees are peculiar to this coast. The slaptras and syatras lie more inland.”
    “I,” I said fervently, “do not wish to find them.”
    He made a grimace. “Quite.”
    Dots rose from the green carpet ahead of us. I peered under my hand.
    At my gesture, Rollo span about swiftly and stared forward. I felt the tenseness in him that made his body stiffen into immobility.
    “Now may Jallalak the Merciless be contumed!” His voice croaked. “Xichun!Damned xichun, flying to devour us!”
    The flying animals swarmed up from their aerial perches. Like wind-driven leaves they were upon us in mere moments. Bodies glinted green and gold with red-edged scales, deeply curved wings beat strongly, sinuous necks and whiplike tails gave them a long menacing outline that the small heads with jaws stuffed with needle teeth perfectly complemented. These flying lizards were the kings and queens of predators among the life-forms of the forest canopy. Now they wanted us for lunch.
    They were something like the xi of the Stratemsk. Iridescent wings fluttered about us. Tails lashed. Wedge-shaped heads darted forward.
    Yet — our shape must have puzzled them. We had no wings. What, their lizard brains must be asking, what have we here?
    They circled us, flying up and swooping down, around and around. Very soon they would dart in and seize their prey.
    “Now,” I told Rollo, “is your chance to act as a Bowman of Loh.”
    In this I was being heartless and cruel. Rollo did not know the ability of most vollers to outspeed most varieties of flying birds and animals. These xichun could probably keep up with us for a short time, and then, inevitably, muscles would tire and the voller would speed on. Still, he wanted to act as a brave adventuring Bowman of Loh. This was his chance.
    I give this explanation in all shame; and add that in just about the same heartbeat I recognized that meritorious though it might be to instruct this young tearaway in the rigors of the adventuring life, that could weigh as nothing beside the far more important consideration. By the sweet teachings of Opaz! I was actually contemplating shooting, killing and destroying living creatures merely to teach a young scamp a lesson!
    I tell you, in that moment, I, Dray Prescot, etc., etc., felt extraordinarily small. Tiny, by Krun!
    I shoved the controls over to full speed and full lift.
    We began to speed up and shoot up in the air.
    The xichun must have construed that movement as threatening them, for they chose that moment to attack. With a wild hissing and a massive beating of wings, they began their swooping onslaughts.
    “Here they come!” yelled Rollo.
    “Take the most threatening!” I bellowed back.
    He lifted his bow and let fly. He missed.
    “How can you shoot straight with the wind of this contraption? Every shaft will be blown aside!”
    “Allow for it. Like this.”
    My shaft took the leading xichun in the wingroot. He span about