Kascadia

Kascadia

By Mandy Egglestone

Copyright 2011 Mandy Egglestone

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

CHAPTER 1

‘Help! Help me! Hell… p!’

Descat’s cries echoed in the distance as he soared high into the sky. Suspended by a set of razor sharp talons hooked beneath his belt he was dangling helplessly at the end of them like a puppet. He was being dragged from his homeland against his will and he was at the mercy of his captor, screaming as loud as he could and struggling with all of his might for release but he was rapidly disappearing from view.

It was a struggle for him to keep his eyes open as the sun rose and daylight rapidly replaced the darkness. Kascadia his homeland was somewhere far down below him. It was becoming further and further away, quickly fading into the distance and what lay ahead filled Descat with dread.

Had anyone seen him being dragged off into the sky? Had anyone heard his cries? He had no idea. All he knew with certainty was he was on his own now, struggling for his life and he was frightened, very frightened.

Descat had been rudely awoken from his deep sleep on that fateful night by a strange noise. He had been sleeping peacefully, alone in his room, when a noise had jolted him abruptly from his dreams. He had opened his eyes and for a moment or two he had stayed silent and motionless, completely disorientated. Had he been dreaming?

He had sat up bolt upright in his bed and struggled to come to his senses, his ears straining hard to listen. He had heard the noise again and it was becoming much clearer and louder. He had not been dreaming.

He needed to know what was making the noise. Curiosity and an inner dread had compelled him to investigate. In the darkness of the cave he had hurriedly grabbed his clothes and dressed as quickly as he could in the darkness. Feeling groggy he had rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his fists and squinted to get a better view. Darkness was his comfort zone it suited his eyes.

He had left the safety of his bedchamber and headed off in the direction of the disturbance, feeling apprehensive about what he might encounter. Butterflies danced in his stomach with the rush of adrenaline that pumped around his body. He had crept cautiously along following the direction of a loud scratching and tearing noise but suddenly the noise had changed to a distinct high-pitched piercing cry familiar to Descat. The hairs on his neck had prickled as the realisation of what was making the noise had hit him. He had moved in the direction of the commotion as quickly and silently as he could, sensing all was not well.

A Shrill birdlike cawing sound had rung in the air but Descat had known it wasn’t the noise of birds. It was the sound of Repteags and Repteags were Kascadia’s enemies.

They were winged creatures covered in a dark green scaly leathery skin. They had heads that looked far too big for their slim bodies and pointed beak like mouths that when closed hid a double layer of razor sharp teeth. They had long powerful tails like a reptile. With one mighty swipe they could knock you flat on your back. Huge forked tongues slithered in and out of their mouths and their giant four toed feet with sharp talons for nails hung menacingly down in a curve.

Descat had realised the Repteags were very close and he had squatted down trying to decide his next move. With the realisation of what lay ahead he had awoken fully now and had become more than a little bit worried. With daylight fast approaching he had known soon he wouldn’t be able to see too clearly and in his haste his protective glasses had been left behind.

His hand had instinctively felt for the star shaped pendant he always wore. He kept it out of sight, hidden beneath his tunic. He always felt less afraid when he touched it. He held it whenever he was worried or frightened and as he had sensed danger ahead of him he was both worried and frightened now. Holding the pendant gave him both strength and courage. He had been in desperate need of courage and he had hoped he wouldn’t need strength. The pendant had been a gift from his father. Both he and his brother had identical ones. They were the last things their father had given to them as he lay on his deathbed. Descat felt close to his father whenever he touched the pendant and he never took it off.

Descat had continued to follow in the direction of the noise and as he had got nearer to where the sound of the Repteags was coming from he had crouched as low as he could. As he had done so he had realised how a mouse felt when it was evading a cat. He too had felt as small and as timid as a mouse and he had known he was no match for a Repteags powerful body. They had finely tuned senses that homed in on their enemies and Descat needed to keep out of their sight. Repteags didn’t usually come this close, not at night time and although he had known the sun would soon begin to rise bringing with it the safety of daylight Descat had been more than a little curious to know why they had ventured so close.

During daylight hours Repteags soared high in the sky, their eagle eyes detecting the movement of a beetle crawling along the ground. The slow quiet movement of a slithering snake, winding its way along, barely audible to the human ear was like music to them, a dinner bell signalling lunch. Repteags hunted for food by day and slept at night but on that fateful night they had taken both Descat and Kascadia by surprise.

Descat hadn’t known what to do. He had guessed the Repteags were hovering in the sky outside. Their loud screeching had signalled their presence to him. As the sun had risen he had been temporarily blinded but he had sensed they were out there, searching for easy prey, swooping and diving and daring to come nearer and nearer.

One false move was all it had taken. Descat toppled over from his hunched position. He had moved a foot that had gone into the cramp, stumbled forward and knocked hard against a rock. The rock had fallen, making a loud crashing noise. He had lurched forward trying to correct his balance and had rolled right into sight, out of the open doorway that exited the caves. He had tumbled down the cut out stone steps and found himself in a heap half on one step and half on another. He had bumped his head and it hurt. That was all it had taken. The Repteags had been alerted and had turned sharply around sensing an easy meal. Descat disorientated by the fall had panicked. In that instant the Repteags had forced their way through the Skynet, which had been Descat’s only protection and one of them had hooked him from behind with its long talons, locking them under his belt, dragging him off through the hole in the net. Kascadia’s defence system had failed. A huge Skynet built to protect the Kascadian people had proved to be useless and its people were left feeling frightened and vulnerable.

By day the Skynet had kept the Repteag’s out. Their failed attempts at clawing ferociously at the net and getting nowhere had seen their attacks lessen. By day some would return hoping to try their luck but the attacks were now few and far between. By night no one knew when or where they might attack. Until now night attacks had also been rare but now it was a problem and it was a problem that needed serious thought.

Why had the Repteags started to hunt at night? As the sun set and the dark sky was lit by only the moon the Repteag’s always retreated, heading back to their own territory, to sleep off their last meal and gather strength to hunt again when the sun rose. Now they were hunting at night. Could this be a one off? Kascadia had never encountered this before.

The Skynet had been created to protect Kascadia by the founders of their land and until now it had been very effective. It was a huge web woven by hand from thread supplied by the Silver Lady Spider that inhabits the land of Kascadia. The spider grows inside a cocoon of thick silvery thread, when it matures it hatches from one end leaving the cocoon behind, providing an endless supply of thread that was woven to form Kascadia’s protective Skynet.

The woven Skynet was suspended above and around the land of Kascadia, keeping the Repteags out but allowing the rain and sunlight to come in. Moisture from the rain and the mist from the waterfall kept the net sticky. The stickiness stopped the Repteags in their tracks. Their feet stuck in the net as they landed on it, like flies landing on a toffee paper. They flapped their wings and desperately struggled to break free. Reluctantly they had to admit they were defeated and retreat into the sky with their tails between their legs. The odd one or two still tried their luck when they were particularly hungry but none had been successful until now.

The Skynet had lost its stickiness on the night of the Repteags nocturnal attack and the attack had been successful. But how had the Repteags known that? How had they discovered that the net wasn’t