By Jane Maree
Youâd think that meeting a dog made of stars and an old friend of my parents would prepare me for anything. But I still gape when the glowing, nebulous portal appears. Auburn and purple swirl together in a maelstrom of color suspended in the air.
Major turns, hand at his wristwatchâwhich somehow conjured that⊠thingâand lifts his eyebrows. âNever seen a portal, Kieffer?â
Closing my mouth before I make too much of a fool of myself, I hope my shrug looks casual. âI just assumed weâd be taking a ship.â
Not even the bigwigs in the Nova Alliance have access to teleportation tech, and theyâre some of the richest humans this side of the galaxy.
It seems my new partner is more impressive than his old trench coat and ragged hair betrays. Wish I could say the same for myself.
The star-dog, all glittering coat and laughing eyes, looks at Major hopefully, even though his master canât see him like I can. Thatâs my only claim to impressivenessâthe ability to see an invisible dog.
So helpful.
The man grunts. âYes, you can go first.â
âMe?â I balk.
âI was talking to Kip.â
I file away Majorâs invisible-dog communication skills for future reference as Kip bounds past his master and vanishes through the whirlpooling portal.
Major gestures for me to go next. âItâs perfectly safe.â
Despite my dry mouth, I pretend to be cocky as ever. âGuess you donât wanna kill your brand-new partner, eh?â
âWeâre not partners.â Major lifts one eyebrow. âAt best, youâre an assistant.â
Great. âAssistantâ sounds far too expendable. But I had already agreed to repay the favor my late father owed, and I wonât go back on my word so quickly.
âCome on, Jesse, you can do this,â I mutter, then shut my eyes, and step through.
I plummet. Itâs just the teleporting. Itâs meant to feel like this.
The rush of wind steals my breath, and I peek at the inside of the portal as it whisks me to another world.
A landscape of red dirt, gray stone, and bold, purple trees spreads out below. Mountain crags stand up like teeth, and a white cloud drifts lazily by.
Iâm freefalling through the air, straight toward those stony peaks.
I scream.
Something grabs the back of my coat. I struggle, but the shoulder seam starts to rip, and I freeze.
Movement draws my attention sideways, and my jaw drops again.
Kipâhappy-go-lucky as everâdangles from the claws of an eagle with more scales than feathers, except on its huge rust-colored wings. The monsterâs head is lizard-like, but for the hooked beak as big as Kipâs body. I peer over my own shoulder and my heart drops.
Itâs an eaglesaurus. Dragogle. Dragon-please-donât-eat-me-eagle.
Gray stone closes in, but just as I brace myself for the final impact, we skim over the peak and rush down into a valley. Gray blurs into red and purple. We bank sharply, leaving my stomach behind, and the ground surges up.
I hit the dirt, tumbling head-over-heels until I pitch against a tree trunk. My body groans in protest, and I stare numbly up at a canopy of purple flowers.
Kip leaps onto my chest and I groan as he licks my chin.
âGet off.â Pushing away Kipâs cold nose, I stagger upright.
Dropping from another eagle-monsterâs claws, Major hits the ground running, easing off his speed, then closes the final few paces between us.
âYou couldâve warned me.â I pant. âSome partner you are.â
âAlready told you, weâre not partners. Besides, the dreagles wouldnât let you fall to your death. Unless I asked them to.â His lips twitch, which is Majorâs version of a chuckle.
I huff and turn my attention to our surroundings.
Purple blossoms drape each tree; fallen petals pool beneath sprawling boughs. Ant mounds rise more than ten feet high, and stiff tufts of grass poke up here and there across the rock-strewn ground.
âWhat is this place?â
Major taps several buttons on his watch. âThe land of the Harbingers.â
Harbingers? Thatâs more ominous than dreagles.
Major seems unconcerned. Iâm starting to wonder why he hired me. I can see an invisible dog, breathe in space, and tell a good lie, but what does a guy like him need any of that for?
I turn toward Kip as the dog shakes himself furiously, sending tiny motes of starlight scattering. A couple gleaming red specks fling off too, and I frown.
Glowing ants crawl over Kipâs starry fur. I flick a couple off, then spot a trail marching toward us from one of the huge red mounds.
A chill traces my spine. âMajorâŠ?â
âWhat?â
Canât he see the ants? They must be invisible too. Seeing an invisible star-dog is one thing, but glowing red ants seem worse. A lot worse.
My palm suddenly burns like fire. I yell, smacking off the offending insect. âFlaminâ ants!â
Majorâs eyes widen. âRun.â
He sprints toward the mountains. I book it after him, Kip on my heels.
Buzzing fills the air, and I glance back. A red cloud rises from the ant mound. I almost face-plant. âThey can fly?!â
âCome on!â Major vanishes beyond a boulder.
I tumble down a stony gully after him. âWeâve got to keep going!â I turn, expecting to see the mass of ants descending upon us.
âThey canât follow us onto the stone.â Interest sparks in Majorâs eyes. âDid you say ants?â
Kip snaps a last insect off his coat, and I sag against the rocks, nodding. âRed and glowing. Couldnât you see?â
âOnly hear them. Thatâs how Iâve escaped them previously.â
Swallowing the pain from the burning welt on my hand, I wink at Major. âGood thing I warned you early, huh? Seemed pretty aggressive today.â
Major grunts noncommittally and gestures along the gully. âCome on and meet the rest of my team.â
âOur team, you mean. Because weâre partners.â
Major rolls his eyes, but thereâs more humor than annoyance now. âKeep dreaming, Kieffer.â
Very creative and I’d love to know where this story is going. Love it!
Thank you so much!! đđ
ok, you’ve set the table, and i can smell the tasty appetizers… what’s next?
Stay tuned⊠there may or may not be more. đđ So glad you enjoyed!
What a delightful read! The descriptions of the scenery and creatures were great. And Iove Kip the star-dog!
Thank you!!! Your kind words mean so much! đđ„°đ
AAAaaaugh!!!
LITERAL FIRE ANTS!
Interplanetary travel never looked so scary. LOLOLOL
HAHA Right?! Thanks so much for reading!
Oh my. I wouldn’t want to be stranded on that planet. đ I love this!
Me neither. Unless I had Jesse and Major on my side, haha! Thank you!!