Chapter Sixty-Three
The Mother of the tiny elephants raised her trumpeting nose
and blew hard. The tribe behind her did likewise and the corridor filled with
the sound of tiny trumpet like sounds tearing through the air.
The Dragon Snake put on the brakes, catching itself between
the walls, its eyes going wide with terror as the tiny swarm of elephants,
still trumpeting charged it.
"This is ridiculous!" Nanny said. "They're
all going to die!"
Samuel noticed the platform was still intact and hurried
over to it.
He righted it, then turned it about so it was facing the
Dragon Snake.
"Jimbo, feed the snake!"
"I beg your pardon!" Jimbo roared indignantly.
Then he saw what Samuel was planning.
"Sure thing, Boss." He snapped next, then he ran
after the elephants, catching up to them, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"You two crazy!" Nanny screamed. "It's going
to eat him for a snack and then come for us!"
Samuel smiled, then engaged the platform. It took him a few
moments to master its controls, then he flung it forward.
The Dragon Snake overcame its fear of the tiny things
charging it, and then it opened its mouth wide again. It slithered forward
rapidly, frothing at the mouth.
Jimbo braked, then threw himself flat to the floor as he
felt something approaching from behind.
Samuel flew overhead on the platform, gaining speed.
"Come on, baby!" Samuel urged the platform as it
moved faster and faster.
The Dragon Snake's attention went to Samuel, just as he
leaped from the platform and hit the floor rolling. But it was too late to close its jaws. The
platform flew into his mouth and kept on going down into its throat.
The Dragon Snake made a horrible roar that ended in a
choking sound, then it coiled upwards,
banging its head against the ceiling,
trying to dislodge the platform from its throat.
Smarn and Robin stepped in front of Nanny.
Robin raised his bow and fired first one arrow, then another
rapidly.
One struck the snake in its throat and another in its other
eye.
The Dragon Snake tried to roar again, but only succeeded in
lodging the platform deeper in its throat, blocking its air passage. It struggled
mightily to breathe, flailing about.
Samuel jumped to his feet and urged the tiny elephants to
follow him. They stood their ground.
The Dragon Snake fell back down, almost smashing into the
elephants, just inches shy of them, sending a cloud of dust into the air.
Samuel ran up to his friends.
The Mother elephant raised her trunk in triump and
trumpeted. The others followed, then they all turned around and headed back to
the humans.
"Well, that should do it for now." Robin said with
a grin. "I suggest we make ourselves scarce before they figure out we're
the reason for their pet's death."
They ran back through the side door that Robin and Smarn had
come through, elephants and all, making a strange scene to the few soldiers who
were heading down the side corridor to stop them.
This time the Mother elephant didn't stop. She rammed the
nearest of the guards, goring him with her horns.
Before the other could do anything, Smarn smashed him into
the air, sending him sailing backwards.
Robin bashed the gored guard in the head with the butt of
his knife, dropping him like a stone.
Then they cut into a new corridor, dashed about twenty yards
to the sound of new soldiers coming loudly behind them and entered a hanger, where numbers of flying vessels
were anchored.
One was disgorging soldiers. They saw Robin and his friends
and raised the alarm.
Robin fired arrow after arrow, dropping the men before they
could fire.
When the last had fallen, Robin turned to Samuel. "Our
ride awaits us."
They rushed into the ship, helping the tiny elephants mount
the stairway until all were inside. They slammed the door shut, just as dozens
of soldiers entered the hanger, firing their weapons. Energy beams splashed
along the outer hall, but did no significant damage, as Robin and Smarn settled
into the cockpit.
Robin looked over at Smarn. "Your turn, Little
Smarn."
"Smarn!" Smarn replied, then delicately began
manipulating the controls, until the air ship floated several feet above the
ground, then turned on its axis, facing the other end of the hanger.
"Hold onto something!" Robin warned Samuel and his
friends. "It might get a bit rough from here!"
Smarn jammed a control on the floor with his right foot and
the air ship shot for the opening, amidst a volley of energy blasts behind them.
"We have to get to safety before they can follow
us." Robin explained. "
They shout out the opening.
That was when Samuel and his friends realized they were
inside the Floating City. The air ship spun to the left and they could see how
small and insignificant the ship was next to the huge floating city.
"Smarn!" Smarn swore as the craft began to wobble
uncertainly.
Robin looked at him. "Stabilize!"
"Not know how."
Robin swore. "Now you tell me! I thought you knew how
to fly these things."
"Smarn never said he could fly it all the way. Just fly
it part of the way."
Robin cursed, then looked at the others as the ship began
losing altitude and hurtling towards a vast range of mountains below, thickly
forested. "Hold on, this is going to be a rough landing!"
Smarn looked at the controls and flipped a switch. The ship
turned upside down and everyone tumbled to the ceiling.
Elephants and people screamed and trumpeted as they tried to
get back on their feet, panic and fear gripping the cockpit.
Samuel looked over at Jimbo. "You all right?"
"Do I look all right?"
Jimbo gripped a chair, then put an arm about Nanny. She
shoved him off. "I can handle this."
She gripped him with both arms.
He laughed.
She punched him and that was the last thing she did before
the air ship crashed.
