Sam woke up to the sound of an approaching car. He shivered as he sat up and looked around. It was no wonder why he was feeling so cold. The sun had set, and he was sleeping on the ground for some reason. Paws pattered against his clothes, and a damp ferret foot touched his face. Raindu stood atop Sam’s shoulder, the ferret’s head tilted in concern.
“I’m alright,” Sam said. He pulled on his shirt collar to look at his stiff shoulder. Clean bandages were wrapped around his wounds, and there was a similar stiffness in his leg. Sam released his shirt and looked at Raindu. “Did Wendy patch me up? Where is she?”
Raindu pointed, and Sam turned his head to follow the ferret’s toe. Wendy was sitting on a nearby rock. She was bundled up in multiple layers, and it was no wonder why Sam hadn’t seen her earlier. She was hunched over and shaped like a rock, her face barely visible underneath the hood she was wearing. The woman turned towards Sam, evidently having taken off her previous disguise. Her red pupils seemed to shine in the light as she made eye contact with Sam. “You’re awake?” she asked. She tossed a cold, brown chunk of something at him. “Eat.”
Sam caught the object before it hit the ground. It was firm, and it smelled pretty good. “What is this?” he asked.
“Have you already forgotten your deal with your ferret?” Wendy asked. “It’s dragonfly meat. I cooked it while you were sleeping.”
Sam stared at the piece of meat that had suddenly lost its fragrance. He glanced at Raindu; the ferret was staring at him with unblinking eyes. A sigh escaped from Sam’s mouth as he brought the piece of dragonfly meat up to his mouth and took a bite out of it. He chewed a few times before swallowing. It was dry, but honestly, it tasted better than the mass-produced meals he had to eat as a talentless.
Raindu’s tail drooped, and somehow, Sam got the sense the ferret was disappointed with his reaction. “What?” Sam asked. “You’re upset I can stomach it?”
Raindu grumbled before looking away, crossing its front legs over its chest. Sam ignored the pouting ferret and continued to chomp away at the chunk of dragonfly meat. He looked around as he chewed. The spectral jungle was quite far away, only visible on the horizon. Since they were in the wasteland, they were probably waiting for the driver to deliver the bags of candy necessary to fuel Raindu. Sam whispered to Raindu, “How long was I out?”
Raindu gestured with its front toes.
“Four hours?” Sam asked. “That’s not too bad.” They weren’t inside the spectral jungle for long. The driver should’ve still been pretty close when he received Wendy’s telepathic message. Then again, he did lose a bit of time thanks to the skintaker’s attack. Well, even if he had to wait a while, it was better than being inside the spectral jungle. It was bad enough when the sun was out, but now that it was almost pitch-black, the spectral jungle would’ve been a hundred times scarier. Sam turned his head towards Wendy. “Thanks for getting me out of there.”
Wendy grunted in response before fixing the garments she had used to bundle herself. A light flickered in the distance, and Wendy’s eyes lit up. “He’s here,” she said without bothering to get up. The lights grew in intensity, and the familiar rumble of a car engine sounded in Sam’s ears. After a minute, a car came to a halt in front of Wendy and Sam. The windows were tinted, making it impossible to see who was behind the wheel.
The car door opened, and the driver from before stepped out, still wearing a pair of sunglasses despite the lack of sun in the sky. “Hey,” he said and waved. “I hope I’m not too late.” He walked around to the back of the car and popped open its trunk. He retrieved one massive trash bag and threw it over using both his arms. “There’s enough candy in there to club a baby seal to death.”
Sam blinked and turned his head towards Wendy. “Is that one of Monarch’s well-documented calculations too?”
Wendy snorted. “No,” she said. “That is what happens when nepotism lands someone a job as a driver. They’re not professional.”
Sam blinked again. Now things made sense, why Wendy tolerated the driver’s behavior previously. “I see,” Sam said. He waved at the driver who was already getting back inside the car. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” the driver said and closed the door. Without saying anything else, he put the car in reverse, and the engine roared as he got the heck out of there.
Sam watched for a bit before opening the trash bag. There were bags upon bags of candy within. Honestly, more than one baby seal could be clubbed to death with the amount of candy inside. Sam rummaged through the bag, but he didn’t even get past the top layer before the whole thing vanished, a very smug ferret replacing the bag in Sam’s vision.
“Alright,” Wendy said, turning to look at the ferret. “You were paid. Now, do what you’ve been told.”
Raindu turned its head towards the spectral jungle. Since it was night, only the glinting of the moonlight off the cobwebs in the canopy could be seen. The ferret took one look before shaking its head. It gestured with its paws before turning towards Sam. Sam sighed before saying to Wendy, “He said he needs to get his rest to perform at his best. Since you paid him so well, he obviously has to put in his best effort. He’ll go tomorrow when the sun is out because he’ll be in his optimal state then, and it’s not because he’s afraid of the dark; though, it wouldn’t be unreasonable if he was, which he isn’t.”
Raindu swiped at Sam’s shin and snarled. It wasn’t necessary to include that last statement, was it?
Wendy nodded. “I wasn’t telling you to put the controlling device in the dragonfly right away,” she said. “I was just reminding you of your obligations. Now, get some rest.”
Sam stared at Wendy, who was all bundled up, looking warm and toasty. Then, he looked down at himself. Beyond his clothes, there was the bare, cold, heat-sapping ground. Granted, his clothes were made of Monarch’s specially developed materials, allowing him to stay warm despite the bug guts still layering his body. Sam glanced at Raindu, the ferret sparkling clean. Raindu blinked its beady eyes at Sam and waved. A sigh escaped from Sam’s mouth; the ferret cleaned itself, but it had no obligation to clean Sam as well. Sam’s eyes shifted from the ferret, to the ground, and back to Wendy, his brow furrowing.
“I asked the driver to pick up some camping supplies too,” Wendy said. “They were probably in the bag your ferret took.”
Sam stopped trying to come up with a respectful, coherent sentence in his head and exhaled before gesturing out towards the ferret with his palm facing up. Raindu reached into its fur and pulled out a packaged tent, placing it in Sam’s hand and letting go immediately. Sam’s eyes widened as he staggered forward from the weight of the object, grabbing it with his other hand to steady himself. “Rude,” Sam said to the ferret before looking down at the bag the tent was compressed in. There were a series of instructions written on it. Sam pursed his lips before sitting down. He placed the bag down behind himself and lay down, using it as a pillow.
“What are you doing?” Wendy asked, her head turning to look at him. It was impossible to see if her body had moved thanks to the layers she was using to cover herself.
“Getting some rest,” Sam said, his cheeks burning. Yes, he was a little embarrassed, but at the same time, he was right. “By the time I finished setting up this tent, it’d already be day, so I decided to use it as a pillow instead.” He continued before giving Wendy a chance to comment. “Are you cold? You seem to be wearing a lot.”
“Maybe I’m setting a trap for someone,” Wendy said. “If they think I’m weak to the cold, they’ll be in for a rude surprise if I’ve been faking it.”
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Sam raised an eyebrow. “Are you always playing these mind games?” he asked.
“It’s hard to survive if you aren’t,” Wendy said. “Think things you don’t actually mean. Do things you think you won’t. Present your weaknesses as strengths. I’ve warned you of mind readers.”
Sam scratched his head. It wasn’t the bag pillow making him itch. Was someone reading his mind right now? His head was tingly. He turned to the side, making eye contact with Raindu. The ferret shook its head. How would it have time to read his mind when it was busy inspecting its treats? Sam exhaled before staring up at the sky. He had known it before, the sky was full of stars, but this was his first time seeing so many of them at once. Within the city, the light pollution blotted out the sky, hiding the stars from view. Sam yawned, more tired than he expected to be. He stared at the stars until they turned into a blur. Fatigue swept over him, and his eyes shut. After a few seconds, soft snores rang out of his mouth.
Wendy stared at Sam, and Raindu noticed her gaze. The ferret climbed on top of Sam’s chest and parked itself there, sitting down and curling up. It kept its beady eyes trained on Wendy, ready to defend Sam in case she decided to do anything to him—pretending as if it wouldn’t run away at the first hint of danger.
***
Sam had a long dream, but he didn’t remember what it was about. It felt important though. Clearly, it wasn’t important enough to remember. Sam sat up and looked around, the sun shining in his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the rushing of the wind. The next thing he noticed was the surface underneath his butt. His eyes widened, and he let out a shriek.
“What? What’s wrong?” Wendy’s voice asked from behind Sam, barely audible over the relentless thumping sounds caused by the flapping of wings.
Sam swallowed and looked around again. He must’ve been dreaming, of course. Why else would he be on the back of a giant, drooping dragonfly? Last night, he slept on solid ground; it didn’t make any sense for him to wake up in the sky.
“While you were sleeping, Raindu got tired of waiting and planted the controlling device inside of this dragonfly’s brain,” Wendy said. “It won’t live very long, but it’ll get us to our destination.” She stared back at Sam as he presented her with his perfected, blank-stare technique. “You’re a heavy sleeper. Have you been to a doctor recently? It might be a symptom of an undiagnosed medical condition.”
Sam blinked, turning his head to the side where he found Raindu sitting on its rump, snacking on a lollipop. “Did you have a tough time?” Sam asked, causing the ferret to shake its head. It turned away from Sam, eating away at its candy. Evidently, the sweet was taking up all its focus. Sam glanced down at the back of the giant dragonfly. There wasn’t much space on it to move around, so he kept still lest he accidentally do something stupid and fall off. He turned his head towards Wendy. “How does this controlling device work? Do graylings and dragonflies have the same kind of brain?”
“I don’t know the science behind it,” Wendy said. “The engineers tell me how to use it, and that’s good enough for me.” She stared at Sam. “Don’t you have difficulty reading?”
Sam pursed his lips. What did his slow reading ability have to do with his curiosity, huh? He shook his head. “So, uh, how safe is this?” he asked and gestured at the dragonfly. His voice was being drowned out by the beating of the dragonfly’s wings.
“We don’t have seatbelts,” Wendy said. “But even if you fall, those webs in the canopy will catch you.”
Sam leaned over to take a look at the canopy down below. He instantly regretted it. He didn’t have the chance to find out when he was a talentless, but now, he definitely knew he had a fear of heights. His palms were slick with sweat, and if his socks hadn’t been developed by Monarch’s state-of-the-art technology, they would’ve been damp too. He shuddered and stared at his feet, making sure the insect’s back filled up his whole vision.
“Hold on tight,” Wendy said, causing Sam to furrow his brow. What was he supposed to hold onto? Why did he have to hold on?
Sam’s eyes widened as a gust of wind buffeted him as the dragonfly’s speed increased. He tumbled over backwards while yelling, but instead of falling off, he collided against something soft: Wendy’s torso. Sam looked up into Wendy’s eyes before looking down at where she was connected to the dragonfly. She was sitting as if she were riding a horse. Wendy stared down at Sam for a bit before raising her head to look ahead once more.
Sam gulped and scrambled to sit upright, but every time he grabbed the insect’s squishy back, it slipped out of his fingers, the strong winds blowing against him not helping either. No matter how hard or embarrassingly he struggled, he couldn’t support himself without Wendy’s help, not when the insect was traveling this fast. Sam furrowed his brows and stared at Raindu, who was having no problem snacking on a lollipop while remaining in place. The ferret was pressed against the insect’s back, its body streamlined. Raindu noticed Sam looking, and the ferret released one leg to wave at him.
Sam took in a deep breath and positioned himself like a koala hugging a tree. He crawled up the insect’s body, his eyes lighting up when he actually got a proper grip. Slowly, he shifted his weight from limb to limb, crawling against the wind to eventually reach Raindu’s side. The ferret’s eyes lit up, and it patted Sam’s head before offering him an unwrapped lollipop.
Sam’s expression darkened, but he took the lollipop anyway. He stuffed it in his mouth and raised an eyebrow. The candy was at the perfect level of sweetness; it was no wonder why Wendy always carried some around with her. His brow furrowed. Were these steroids? No, it couldn’t be, right? He had seen some brand-name candies in the trash bag before Raindu had stored the whole thing away. Monarch didn’t develop candy as far as he knew.
Sam turned his head towards Wendy. “How are you holding on?” he asked. A furrow appeared on his brow as he noticed the stream of blood leaving Wendy’s nose. Thanks to the wind, it blew across her cheek, into her hair, and out behind onto the trees below.
“After a few weeks of steroids and training, you’ll be fit enough to ride one of these without an issue,” Wendy said, acting as if she hadn’t seen Sam struggle to move for the past several minutes. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cotton ball. Without hesitation, she stuffed it up her nose, the cotton ball never straying from target despite the strong gusts. She frowned and leaned to the left. Not long after, the dragonfly tilted its body. A few sticky white strands flew through the air to the right of the dragonfly, striking where the bug would’ve been if it hadn’t changed course.
Sam blinked at the sudden ambush. “Didn’t you say dragonflies were the apex predators?” he asked. “Why are spiders trying to shoot us down?”
“Maybe we look like an easy target because we’re alone and flying slower than giant dragonflies usually do,” Wendy said before shrugging. She leaned over. “I’m not sure if those are even spiders. There’s still a lot of species waiting to be documented. Hold on tighter.”
Wendy’s voice seemed to flow against the wind, her words perfectly clear in his ears. Sam took in a deep breath and hugged the back of the giant dragonfly. It increased its speed, accelerating forward, the dragonfly’s massive body jiggling and wiggling as it strained its wings. The vibrations from the dragonfly’s back caused Sam’s insides to churn, but a chilling sensation surged out from near his crotch and enveloped his body, masking the vibrations as if it were absorbing them. As he held on, the chilling sensation’s pulse replaced the vibrations, condensing them into itself. Sam’s nausea subsided, and gripping the dragonfly felt easier than before as if the chilling pulsation was sending strength to his fatigued limbs.
Raindu chattered from up ahead, and a lollipop slid across the dragonfly’s back from the ferret’s paw to Sam’s face. It struck his forehead before sliding off. Wendy leaned over to the side and stretched out her arm, catching the piece of candy moments before it’d be lost forever.
“How is it?” Wendy asked as she unwrapped the lollipop and stuck it into her mouth. “If you can adapt to riding this, there won’t be many things you’ll have troubling riding in the future.”
Sam blinked before keeping his mouth shut about the chilling sensation. He had a feeling most people, even awakeners, didn’t have root chakras that could convert nausea-inducing movements into a feeling of stability and strength. It most likely had something to do with Raindu, and as Wendy had said, it was better to keep his talents a secret. Then again, maybe this was normal? Whatever the case, Sam knew he needed more information related to chakras. “I’m hanging in there,” Sam said, unsure if Wendy could hear his voice over the rushing of the wind. “How much longer do we have to go?”
“Over twenty-four hours,” Wendy said, “not including the breaks we’re going to take.”
Sam swallowed back his words. Over twenty-four hours of hugging a giant dragonfly? At least it sounded like there’d be meal and bathroom breaks, but still, even with the chilling pulsation coming from his root chakra, it wasn’t comfortable. If he slipped, he’d have to rely on Raindu or Wendy to save him from plummeting into the spectral jungle. Sam let out a sigh. “Gee, sounds like fun.”
“At least you’re not driving,” Wendy said.
Sam glanced at Wendy and her bloody nose. “Are you going to be alright?”
Wendy snorted. “Worry about yourself first,” she said. She bit off the candy part of the lollipop and spat the stick over the side of the dragonfly. “Make sure Raindu is obedient by the time we get there. We don’t want him running off and stealing things that’ll alert the reptilians of our plan.”
“You hear that, Raindu?” Sam asked, turning to look at the ferret. It was too busy eating candy to listen. Even if the next twenty-four hours weren’t going to be spent on a giant dragonfly’s back, Sam had a feeling he had a tough day ahead.