Yaliana

Chapter 1 Yaliana looked out on the dense jungle below, ever watchful for pterodactyls. A faint whistling noise sounded nearby, and Yaliana identified it as a pterodactyl call. She raised her head and scanned the sky. For a moment, she saw nothing. “Pterodactyl overhead!” came a shout. A moment later, the alarms sounded, warning anyone in the compound below to get under cover of one of the concrete bunkers. Yaliana drew her saber. She flicked a switch, and the metal blade erupted in a shower of sparks as it lit up with electricity. A pterodactyl swooped down from overhead, its deep cawing a warning of its impending attack. Its leathery wings spread wide, backlit against the sun. Yaliana raised her weapon, ready to defend herself if it became necessary. Gevery and his squad lined up along the wall, drawing energy rifles. Gevery made a motion, and the squad began firing on the pterodactyl. Its body and head were covered in dense bone-like armour resistant to energy bolts. It made them difficult to kill, which was why Yaliana readied herself to attack with her saber. “It’s closing fast!” yelled Gevery. It came closer and closer, swooping in, its long beak filled with huge, jagged teeth. Yaliana raised her weapon. The creature crashed into the wires running along the top of the wall, and the wires sparked wildly. The pterodactyl used its claws to climb over them without much trouble. Gevery’s squad opened fire on the ptero, but the bolts bounced harmlessly off its boney armour, showing just how ineffective their weapons were against it. Yaliana slashed with her sword, but it didn’t do anything except make a hollow thumping noise against the armour. She swung again, barely grazing the dark burn marks on the armour where Gevery’s squad had hit the creature. Yaliana stabbed at it, looking for a gap in its armour, then slashed at its vulnerable wings, scoring them with long cuts that sizzled with energy. The pterodactyl screeched in pain and bit its arms. Its teeth scraped along its black armour. The awful noise made Yaliana’s ears throb. As she fought the creature, Gevery’s squad came up behind it. Its back was hard to reach from their position. The creature whirled around to face them, screeching. That left its back to Yaliana, so she sank her blade into the pterodactyl’s leathery flesh. The creature screamed as the weapon pierced it, then turned to face her, dragging her weapon out of her hands. Without a melee weapon, she drew her energy rifle. It wouldn’t do much good, even at this range. Possibly if she hit it directly in the eye, but great bone ridges partially hid them, making it difficult. Gevery and his squad stabbed at the pterodactyl’s back, and once again, it turned on them. Some of the knights were left in the same predicament as Yaliana. With the creature’s back facing her, Yaliana leapt as high as her heavy armour would let her and landed on its back. She bore down on one of the squad’s swords that had stuck there, and the weapon sank deep into the pterodactyl’s body. The creature collapsed, leaving its back open to attack. Gevery’s squad joined Yaliana in stabbing the pterodactyl until it quit moving and squawking. They heaved the carcass into the courtyard, because some of the people in the compound liked to make things out of the bone armour and tough leather. Of course, they cleaned it thoroughly of the thick and potent stench. Yaliana took off her helmet to wipe sweat from her brow. Her tight, black curls were damp, and she looked forward to a shower. Gevery removed his helmet as well, and grinned, his generous mouth curved upward. “We got another one, Yaliana,” he said triumphantly. “We’ll get a pay raise out of this one, surely.” “With any hope,” Yaliana said, smiling back. “That was a tough one.” “Must have been an older creature. The young ones have less armour.” “Shift change is soon. Let’s go. We’ve earned it.”