<meta name="LineWrap" content="true"><TITLE>SR_Bk1 0157</TITLE><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0158.txt">Next (Page 158)</A><BR><P><P>As they gained altitude and speed with great rapidity, Ferrajalt grabbed Treyess around the waist, reflexively. It felt good to be so close to her.<P><P>"Take it easy kid!" she said. "I know what I'm doing!"<P><P>And with a laugh, Treyess poured on the power and they soared skyward at a steep angle. Ferrajalt grabbed tighter--he wondered if that's why Treyess was flying so crazy.<P><P>Treyess's long blond hair was whipping in the Prince's face, and he breathed in the clean smell of it. Then he exhaled and leaned into Treyess a little more. He was thinking, this is love--this is really love!<P><P>He thought, without her helmet, all he'd be seeing was hair. A universe of Treyess hair...<P><P>But his pleasant thoughts were interrupted by the mammoth structure they had spied from the Warhome--it was now directly beneath them and to the right.<P><P>"You wanna check that out?" Ferrajalt yelled against the wind, but then he realized that there was a communication system in the helmets.<P><P>"Ouch! You don't have to yell! But yeah--let's see what it is!"<P><P>Treyess steered the biplane into a spiral descent, and approached the huge structure.<P><P>"This thing is so fun to fly!" she said. "And, I mean, like you said, we're not leaving this place without our Warhome!"<P><P>"No way," Ferrajalt said, and he had a flash sequence of images of himself and Treyess sharing the Warhome as a loving couple. But once again, these tender, electrifying thoughts were interrupted by the brutal reality of their surroundings.<P><P>The thing in front of them was gigantic. It looked like a cross between a mountain, an unfinished skyscraper, and an enormous thorn bush. The lighting as it was, it was hard to make out details.<P><P>"What the fuck is it?" Ferrajalt asked.<P><P>"An adventure?" Treyess responded.<P><P>Prince Ferrajalt held tightly onto Treyess Arcomany as she flew their little biplane into the heart of the massive, horrific structure.<P><P>"I can't tell!" Ferrajalt said. "Are we gonna hit it--or is there space inside it?"<P><P>"I don't know!" Treyess said. "But the instruments are showing a bunch of entryways--I'm gonna take the best-looking one."<P><P>"Okay."<P><P>So they flew into a gaping hole in the side of the thing, and were inside. As soon as they entered, a battery of spotlights on the biplane kicked in and lit the dark, twisted spaces around them. They were in some sort of main corridor, with jagged bramblelike protrusions coming from all angles.<P><P>"Uh... Ferrajalt... All sorts of decisions up ahead. What should we do?"<P><P>"What do you mean?"<P><P>"The display--it shows a bunch of branchings up ahead."<P><P>"Well, try and take the biggest one!"<P><P>"Okay, I'll try, Prince."<P><P>As Treyess steered the plane toward the largest of the upcoming passageways, something came briefly into view. It was a scene, only visible for a second or two. It was tough to tell which direction it came from, or if they were seeing something real or projected, but see it they did.<P><P>What they saw was a dog and a rabbit fighting. It was a nice, well groomed dog, a collie, which looked like it would have been a fine family companion in other circumstances. Here, it was frightful, teeth bared, in a rage, full of fear and assault. The rabbit was a little gray fellow, unassuming, but clearly possessing more ferocity than was readily apparent.<P><P>It was a horrible, frightening scene. The two animals were consumed with the passion of their struggle, each wanting nothing more than to kill the other, each fearing it would fall to the other at any moment.<P><P>Both Treyess and Ferrajalt were sobered by the image. Sobered, and drained--feeling like they'd just woken up from a particularly nasty nightmare, all shaken and paranoid.<P><P>"Treyess! Did you see that!"<P><P>"Uhh... Yes Prince, I did."<P><P>"What the hell was that?"<P><P>"I don't know--a dog and a rabbit--fighting.<BR><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0158.txt">Next (Page 158)</A>