Escape from Eden (Original Series book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

carefully across a thick limb, the closest one to her. She is sitting on the base of a broken branch, one arm wrapped tightly around the trunk, the other pressed protectively to her chest. Tears streak a path through dirt smudged on her face.
    “You okay?” I ask.
    “I think so.”
    “Where’s your partner?”
    Her eyes close tight. “The tortiz attacked us in the forest. Aleron tried to fight it off, but—” she inhales a shaky breath. “I don’t think he made it. That thing tossed him into the trees, and I ran.”
    I touch her lightly on the shoulder. “We’ll look for him. Maybe he’s okay.”
    Just then the nearly ten-foot long, spiny tail of the tortiz smashes into the tree, knocking me off balance, and I slip. A branch hits me in the back and another scrapes the side of my face. At the last second, I catch myself on a limb.
    “Quit messing around!” Link says to me just as he dives out of the way of the tortiz’s heavy tail.
    I wait for the tortiz to pass beneath me before I drop to the ground to retrieve my spear.
    “I can’t get at its eyes,” he says. He’s crouched low, shuffling his feet back and forth as he tries to maneuver into position, but no matter where he goes, the tortiz turns its body so it can have a better angle to get at Link with its tail. It swings now, barely missing him when he rolls across the ground.
    I sprint toward the back of the tortiz. When I am close enough, I stab at the thick shell. The tip of the spear doesn’t even leave a mark, but it does get its attention. The tail whips my way, but I dodge it and whirl around in the opposite direction.
    While I’m keeping it busy, Link tosses his spear. It hits just above the creature’s eye. Link curses, then curses louder when the tortiz lunges for him. With no way to defend himself, Link darts into the forest. The tortiz, who is snorting and spitting, gives chase.
    I race after them, knowing I need to be faster. Pumping my arms, I leap over a fallen tree. The tortiz’s tail bounces in front of me, crushing everything it touches. When its tail lifts, I push as hard as I can and sprint beneath it until I’m running parallel with the beast. One misstep and I will be stomped to death.
    Just before I’m pinned between a wide tree and the great beast’s side, I reach up and take hold of one of the foot-long spikes on the tortiz’s body. I use my momentum to swing up on top of its back, mindful of the spear in my other hand. As steady as I can, I use the spikes as foot holds and crawl my way toward its head.
    “You’re going to get yourself killed!” Link yells.
    "Stating the obvious isn't helping!" I yell back. When I near the tortiz’s neck, I attempt to sit up, but this is hardly a smooth ride, and I almost fall. Whatever I do, it’s going to have to be quick.
    I grip the spear tightly and, while holding onto a spike with my other hand, maneuver into a crouched position. As soon as there’s a break in the limbs above, I straighten and shove the spear directly into its large right eye. It lets out what sounds like an almost human scream that makes me want to cover my ears, but I’ve lost my balance and am falling to the ground.
    Before I hit bottom, the tortiz turns its head directly into me and bounces me back into the air. I reach upward, grasping at whatever I can, but I only come up with a handful of leaves. On my way back down, I hit the top of the creature; one of its spikes pierces my side. I cry out and push myself away, only to end up bouncing down its shell. Before I’m sucked beneath him where I’m sure to be trampled, I take hold of another spike.
    My body continually slams against the tortiz as it presses forward, but at a much slower pace. I won’t be able to hold on much longer. The pain in my ribs is severe, and I can’t breathe.
    “Hold on!” Link says and snaps off a nearby limb in passing. He runs in front of the tortiz, then turns around and plants his feet, the long stick in his hands. His