Ark - Survivors Lost In Time Book 2- Time of Thieves

Day Ten

Three more days of trying to hide my cracking psyche, I still could not get Cradix's memory to leave me alone. No matter what I did or where I was his blue eyes still haunted me, his laughter still followed me, his touch... I rubbed the back of my neck, I could still feel it. I was on patrol again as it was so often in my mornings. I pulled the reigns up harshly causing Firewing to screech in outrage. My eyes turned north seeing a cloud of smoke rising in the distance.

"What is going on?" I whispered.

"Fang," Steven's voice echoed through the air from above me, I looked up, Steven, Squirrel and Jmac all sat on their argies, "Come on we got word from Vixxy, there is an attack on the Ascendants, she invited us to come and oversee so we can get orders for a rebuild, if we'd like," Steven laughed, we headed towards the column of smoke.

We landed on a rock spire to overlook the battle below. We left our argies a safe distance away and ventured to the edge to watch. Squirrel and I stood back while Jmac and Steven knelt on the edge eagerly watching the Ascendants fend off the tribe Iwu. Screams and roars filled the air. Blasts rocked the air, sending shock waves up and over our roost. One Iwu soldier brought his pteranodon up towards us, a gun in his hands, about to attack when an Ascendant shot him down with a cannon blast. The shock wave caused Steven and Jmac to slide backwards towards Squirrel and I.

"Well, that was too close for comfort," Cradix whispered in my ear. "You guys should really move," He said, a breeze brushed through my hair.

"I think we should move," I said, Squirrel glanced over at me, his arms crossed over his chest, he nodded.

"I agree, that Iwu thought that we were one of his enemy, we should move." He waved to Jmac and Steven. "Let's go," Squirrel pulled me back to our Argentavis. Another shock wave swept over the ledge.

"I hate to agre' wit' the scrawny Squirrel but, I think it's time ta' go." Jmac cried, as he fell to his knees and crawled through the dust to his bird. We all hopped on our birds and climbed up to a higher altitude to watch the raid. I pulled out my sketch book from Firewing's saddle bag and recorded the scene below. The seven Iwu members and their beasts lawfully attacking the walls of the Ascendants. Half a dozen trebuchets flung boulders over the wall at the enemy, and the Ascendants shot back with their own weapons.

We had to scatter as a trebuchet broke and the rock it had been hurling spun towards us along with the heavy wooden arm of the trebuchet. A glint caught my eye right before the crack of a gunshot. Someone was shooting at us, the shot barely missed Squirrel's argy Faris, he whirled away.

"Okay so we are not allowed to observe this battle apparently, let's go." Squirrel yelled over the explosions below. Faris turned away and headed back home, Steven and Jmac behind him, Firewing turned to follow them.

I heard the massive bang, of a cannon and turned to see the devastation below. My jaw went slack and my eyes widened as I saw the massive iron slug flying towards me. I was not ready to die again; I did not want to lose Firewing. Firewing was flung sideways, as the slug hit something a few feet from us, the shock wave was so powerful I almost fell from the saddle, but we were alive, I looked where the slug had exploded, a great figure, with broad shoulders, thick black hair, and rippling muscle stood in the air his arms out to protect me, he looked over his shoulder, his blue eyes sparkling, he grinned and vanished. Just another illusion, I growled to myself and spurred Firewing after the rest of the tribe. We were flying out of the water, towards Tropical North, the Shadow Knights home. Squirrel led us in a wide arc around their island and south towards home. I veered off towards the Shadow Knights home, I had to speak with Vixxy.

I steered Firewing through the Shadow Knight defenses and landed her at their inner gate, I jumped out of the saddle and marched to the gate. I slammed my fist against the dark wood, it echoed out across the yard beyond. I heard boots clamoring on the other side of the gate, and rifles being loading on the ramparts above me. I looked up and saw Sneaky, along with a handful of other men I did not recognize.