The Games for Gaiathal (Part 3 of 'A Tale of People and Apples Trilogy')

Chapter 3: The Marvelous Maeve

"Out of the vehicle, now," The Bird Hunter said, dressed in his black and orange military uniform intended to mock Blackland, muscling his way through the thick green forest brush with a rifle shouldered.

The other Generals followed closely behind, rifles of their own, their demeanour identical, faces fierce.

With their hands in the air still in Maeve's vehicle, Maeve said to Goddard quietly, "Don't unbuckle."

Goddard couldn't argue as his eyes remained fixed on the approaching Generals, his tired arms frozen in the morning sun. The broken windshield of Maeve's machine miraculously healing, cracks receding, from Maeve's ingenuity, although as it finalized its fixing the Generals were as clear as day before them, which added a terrifying realness to their now dire situation.

"Give us the Dagger. Slowly. And you'll live," The General in dark brown and green said, Hibernation, his cape hugging tightly to his sturdy frame in the humidity of the forest, glaring eyes directed at Goddard.

The mighty mind of Maeve's was at work, and she called out to them, "I see you're all wearing the colours of each province. My passenger is an Orca, yet I see no gold nor blue among you. Seems to me you're all out of your jurisdiction, if you intend him harm."

Warrax the Warrior, donned in black and silver and responsible for the genocide of the Wolves, laughed and stopped in his waist high weeds. So too did his comrades in the pink sunlight which was able to creep its way through the green tops of trees.

"It appears I didn't do my job well enough, hence I am out of retirement. The Wolf I missed killed the Fisherman, and thus the filthy city Orcas live. Failures have consequences," He said, with a gruffness and callousness which frightened Goddard. "I'll kill the Wolves of the Sea in his honour. Including you, boy, and the Wolf that escaped my wrath."

Stopping their steady advance with her meticulous choice of words, and able to reveal their true intentions, Maeve quickly shot her hand to the dash of their vehicle and slammed her hand on a blue metal holographic sphere.

The Generals opened fire, but the hot metal they dispensed hit nothing but air. The red and white donned Poacher unfurled a larger weapon from his back.

The metal monster of a vehicle shot straight into the atmosphere with a force and quickness which pried downwards on both Maeve's and Goddard's shoulders, the machine easily overcoming gravity as they cleared the crowns of trees, levitating in place.

"Hang on," Maeve said, as she began fiddling with the metallic and bright and colourful dashboard of the vehicle, the engine beginning to whir, holograms with numbers and figures Goddard couldn't fathom projecting forth off the ship's dash.

Beep beep beep beep beep beep.

Before the less technologically savvy Orca tried to understand what the new sound from the vehicle he was seated in meant, Maeve swore under her breath. "This could get real bumpy. They have us locked."

The vehicle, now a hover craft, shot forth to the east and along the now green floor which were crowns of trees, cutting through clouds with quickness.

"What do you mean locked?"

Maeve began swerving, mashing more buttons, and to Goddards left and right, blinding red flares began jetting off into the white clouds, reducing them to nothing from the heat that they emitted.

Goddard flinched as a flare exploded, the impact transforming a cloud into an orb of orange and red and smoke.

"That's what I mean by locked," Maeve said, her hand tightly gripped on her wheel and her other hand continuing to tweak dials and levers. "Heat-guided missiles. My brother sending his regards. Gifts for his Generals."