Belly of the Beast by Warren Thomas (story books for 5 year olds txt) 📕

it a splendid idea, as did the Vikon couple, but Quinn disagreed. He feared such a ploy could easily get them all buried alive.

            That simple thought killed the idea for them all.

            They reached the end of the tunnel before anyone could come up with another tactic to stop or destroy their pursuit. The tunnel opened into a round chamber, with no other tunnels off it and no sign of a door. Its one distinguishing feature was a single thin support in its exact center.

            “Blessed Maag!” Armin said, turning to glare at Raven as she entered the chamber. “Now what? You’re the one who brought us here. Where’s the bloody exit?”

            Raven gave him a haughty look and stepped past them.

            “And you thought me an idiot,” she said.

            Without waiting for comment, Raven turned and kicked out at the base of the center support. She barely leapt out of the way before the ceiling came crashing down. Tane raced for the tunnel with the others, for once cursing just as furiously as Armin.

            “Come on back!” Raven called after them, way too cheerfully for Tane’s nerves. “The door’s open!”

            Tane led the way back, tentatively. Even with Joelle’s magically lit hand, they couldn’t see more that two arm-lengths through the dust swirling through the dank air. But just as he reached the chamber a gentle breeze hit Tane in the face. Another two steps brought him to the bottom of a pile of rubble, Raven’s footprints marking a trail up into dim light.

            Following Raven’s trail, he soon felt rain drops striking his face. Then he saw the forest canopy, dark and menacing against the raging storm above. They were deep within the forest, beside a swollen creek. The battle for Kestsax could just be heard in the distance.

            “You almost killed us with that...that...” Quinn stammered, too angry to speak coherently.

            “What’s the matter, lover?” Raven said. She arched a perfect black brow. “I’m getting real tired of being demeaned and insulted. You may not have much of an opinion of me, or my talents, but I have a knack for getting out of tight situations.”

            “I suspect you have a bigger knack for getting yourself into tight situations,” Quinn said.

            “Yes. Makes life interesting, don’t you think?” she said, smiling smugly.

            “Raven got us out of the city. End of discussion,” Tane said when he saw Armin prepared to enter the argument. “It doesn’t matter how. Or how dangerous it was. She did it, and I for one am grateful.”

            “Thank you,” Raven said, looking both uncomfortable and pleased at the same time.

            “You did good, Raven. Thank you,” Joelle said, surprising them all.

            “Whatever,” Armin said. “But it’s time we split up. I suggest we all head north, but to different cities.”

            “Good idea,” Joelle said. “Give the zombies four different trails to follow. That’ll give everyone a better chance of escaping.”

            “Three,” Raven said.

            “Pardon?” Joelle said.

            “I’m staying with Tane,” Raven said.

            “No,” Tane said, the vision of Dakar snapping Raven’s neck flashing before his mind’s eyes. “I have to go alone. I...I saw it in my dreams.”

            “No you didn’t,” Raven said, squeezing his shoulder. “Remember? You told me all your dreams in detail. I’m in every one of them. If I’m not there, fate has been changed and you might fail.”

            “But you die! All of you die!” Tane said, and instantly regretted it.

            “What better company to die in?” she said. “What better cause?”

            “She’s right,” Quinn said. “We’re all part of his prophesy. If we abandon him, then he may fail.”

            “And if he fails,” Joelle said. “Then we all perish, no matter how far away we run.”

            “I can’t let you,” Tane said. “Your deaths were senseless in my dreams. I could tell that no good came by them, that your deaths meant failure. So I think that means we have to split up.”

            Tane felt rather proud of himself with that statement. Right off the top of his head, too. And it was true. All of it. With each needless murder, he knew his cause was lost.

            “Where were we killed?” Raven asked. “The first part of the trip? The middle? The end?”

            Joelle looked up suddenly, understanding dawning.

            “Yes. That’s important, Tane. Think hard,” she urged.

            “Well...I’m never real good with the time line,” he said, tugging at his lower lip. “But something makes me believe it near the middle, perhaps earlier. Why?”

            “Because all of us are there in your dreams about the final fight, when you’re making those swords,” Joelle said.

            “Your sense of failure at our deaths during the dream was Kamain’s way of saying we all need to survive to the end of the trip,” Raven said. “I think. Of course, it might also just be a warning of the dangers of failure.”

            “Or of a possible fate if we make a wrong step,” Joelle said. Then she smiled warmly, “But, Tane, haven’t you learned yet? Fate isn’t written in stone.”

            “Knowing our fate allows us to take steps to avoid the nastier aspects of it,” Armin said.

            “I don’t like this,” Tane said, but unable to think of a reason they shouldn’t stick together. And in truth, he was greatly relieved to know he wouldn’t face Dakar alone. “I’ll never forgive myself if any of you are hurt or killed.”

            “Don’t concern yourself with us,” Raven said. “Everyone’s fate is their own concern, no one else’s. And that, my friend, is the will of the Gods.”

            “Now that we’ve settle that,” Quinn said, a bit agitated, “I think it best we’re gone before a zombie army starts gushing out of that tunnel.”

            A faint splashing sound echoed up to them, almost drowned out by the storm overhead. But it put a sense of urgency back into their lives.

            “Follow me,” Tane said, striking out away from the stream and deeper into the forest.

            “Where to?” Quinn asked. “Is this the