[Galaxy Of Fear] - 12(18)

“Where are you going?” Galt asked. “The feast is just about to begin!”

He held the pot under Zak’s nose. It was full of a bubbling brown broth in which floated ribbons of fat and large chunks of meat. The delicious smell rising out of the pot made Zak’s stomach rumble, and he realized that he hadn’t eaten all day.

“Come on,” Tash said, tugging at his arm. “We can eat when we get back.”

“Maybe just a taste,” said Zak, reaching to dip his finger into the broth.

“Let’s go!” Tash urged, pulled him away. Zak cast one longing look back at the untasted food and then turned away.

He led Tash and the two smugglers in the same direction he’d gone before. At least, he thought it was the same. There was no stone path to guide them, and the ground seemed to shift and drift in the murky swamp water. The plants-especially the giant gnarlwood trees-all looked exactly alike. The trees had massive roots that grew above the surface. The roots were taller than the smugglers, and looked like pillars holding up the giant trees.

Not pillars, Zak thought as they walked right under one of the huge, curving roots. More like lots of twisted, knobby legs. Did that mean the trees could walk?

“So what’s this little creature look like again?” one of the smugglers asked, resting his blaster rifle on his shoulder.

Zak described Yoda’s wrinkled, greenish skin, pointed ears, and tufts of wiry gray hair.

The other smuggler laughed. “Sounds like your mother-in-law, Traut!”

The smuggler with the blaster rifle grunted. “This Yoda sounds better-looking.”

“You’re married?” Zak asked. “I didn’t think smugglers got married.”

“Sure,” Traut said. He held up his left hand. On the second to last finger was a silver ring. It was called a promise ring, and meant he had promised himself to someone special. He smiled at Zak. “You think smugglers can’t fall in love?”

Zak was about to respond when Traut’s eyes went wide, staring in sheer terror at something over Zak’s shoulder.

Zak forced himself to turn around. Then he saw it, too.

There was a giant spider standing right behind him.





CHAPTER 11


The spider was white and almost four meters tall. Its eight knobby legs were bent into vicious hooks. It bobbed up and down on those legs, then lunged forward to pounce on its prey.

Zak jumped back just in time and the spider’s pincerlike mouth bit into the soggy ground.

“There’s more of them!” Traut yelled.

All around them, giant white spiders crawled out of the shadows beneath the gnarltrees. Their hundreds of

scurrying

feet

made

an

eerie thudathudathudathudathuda sound on the carpet of moss that covered the ground, and their jaws clacked hungrily.

The smugglers fired their blasters. Chunks of white flesh blew off the nearest spider, and thick green liquid, almost like sap, splashed out of the wound. The spider squealed, but instead of backing off, it charged forward.

“Blow off its legs!” Traut yelled.

The two smugglers poured blaster fire at the oncoming creature. The firestorm was so loud Zak and Tash clapped their hands over their ears to shut out the scream of energy bolts and the shrieks of the wounded spider. Bits and pieces of spider legs flew in all directions, and with a final squeal the spider fell to the ground.

At least a dozen more scurried forward.

“Back up!” Traut ordered. He pushed Zak and Tash behind him and moved away from the spiders. But after only a few steps, Zak felt his back pressed against the cold bark of a gnarltree.

“So much for our retreat,” Traut groaned. He looked at the tree. There was a hole in the bark large enough for a small human to pass through. Some tree-dwelling creature had carved a home in the gnarltree. “You two!” He pointed at Zak and Tash. “In there!”

The smugglers lifted Zak and Tash and slid them one at a time into the hole. But as soon as the two armed men had turned their backs, the spiders charged. Through the open hole, Zak saw the smugglers turn and open fire. The nearest spider blew apart, and a knobby leg flew through the air toward the hole. Zak ducked as spider pieces spattered against the tree.

Zak and Tash huddled together in their dank hiding place as the sound of clacking spider jaws, blaster fire, and screams continued outside.

Then all sound stopped with terrible suddenness.

Zak and Tash looked at each other in the gloom of their hiding place.

“Are they-?” Tash started to ask.

A voice came from outside. It was Traut’s voice, ragged and tired. “Who’s there? Who are you?” he shouted angrily. Then his voice calmed down. “Oh, it’s you. We were just-agghhh!”