Consuelo shivered as the shock began to set in. She was lying still in the tangled wreckage of the plane, and the fire was creeping nearer.
Groaning, she dragged a hand across her forehead and looked bitterly at her snapped leg, aware that it basically meant death. "Lord, help me," she murmured, trying to stagger to her feet. She failed, and she lost her footing with the other leg, skinning her elbows and bloodying her hands. She finally managed to grip a rock, and pulled herself to her feet.
She scanned the debris around her, and was relieved to see her bag safe and out of the fire area, almost within reach. She stretched out her arm, and looked around suddenly at the crackle from the bushes. Instantly stilled, she stared frantically from her bag to the bushes. She dove for her bag and a snarl echoed through the trees.
A blurred shape was racing across the flat area, and Consuelo saw the red glare in dozens of eyes, drawn by the stench of death. Hopelessly, she scrambled through her bag, and finally felt the cool kiss of metal against her blood-caked palms.
Mercilessly, they advanced, the veliocrapters' eyes watching her. To their utter amazement, the creature they hunted let loose a high-pitched bark and a puff of smoke coincided with a loud crack. The veliocrapters recoiled as one of their own hissed angrily and thrashed on the ground.
Consuelo raised the pistol again. She only had eleven shots left, but she had more ammunition in her bag -- that was why it was so heavy, not because of the books. The 12-shot Navy Revolving pistol was heavy, but her wrists were strong and her eye was steady. She squeezed off another shot before she grabbed two metal rods and tore some fabric from one of her skirts. Keeping a wary eye on the four remaining veliocraptors, she bound her leg with the skill of the Spanish and pulled herself to her feet.
A shout of alarm, and then a cry -- she sensed someone nearby and pivoted, gun raised. A boy of about sixteen crouched there, his eyes wary. He was gaunt and thin, but looked healthy otherwise. They stared at each other for a few minutes, and Consuelo didn't lower the gun. "Who - are - you?" she asked haltingly, and he looked at her, uncomprehending. It struck her that he looked Portugese.
"Hello? Quem são você?" she asked in halting portugese.
The boy perked up considerably. "Meu nome é Shad. Eu estou supondo que você veio no aço ardente do céu?" he asked, and she paused. She knew that he had called himself 'Shad', and that she came from . . . burning steel? From something. She gave up trying to translate.
"Você fala o inglês? Ou Espanhol?" the boy shook his head. "Vindo com mim. Seus amigos sairam mais cedo, nós terão que montar para ir rapidamente bastante." She didn't attempt to try and translate. She just followed him.
There was a snorting sound up ahead, and she saw him climb onto something big and heavy. He helped her up and then she realized that there were scales underneath her. Shocked, she tried to ask something, but gave up. Her leg throbbed terribly and all she wanted was to get someone to splint her leg.
Darkness shut around her as suddenly as a falling curtain -- there was virtually no twilight. She felt the warm throb under the cold metallic scales. She finally identified it as a scerapter, a quick - footed not unfriendly raptor that could be tamed, despite the normal differences and hunger for fresh meat.
She realized that she'd been asleep quite a while when she felt cold earth under her. She could see something flitting ahead of her, and groaned. More Veliocrapters she thought, and slid off the Scerapter, falling to the ground as soon as her good foot touched ground. There was the sound of muffled thuds, and a sharp crack or two.
Something loomed above her, and she shouted hoarsely. The Veliocrapters chose that moment to attack the main group. Pack instinct was strong, and she identified herself as a straggler. She snapped up her gun and her thumb fell on an empty chamber. Click. She turned it to a full chamber and held it in front of her as if it would ward the Veliocrapter away.
She fired, missed, and fired again. She scrambled away as a heavy leg shattered a limb off the tree behind her. Her hands shaking, she dropped the gun and picked it up, losing a shell. Trembling, she stood very still for a moment before she half - ran, half - staggered to the main group. Ethan and Dr. Grant were facing at least six of the dinos, and off to her left the Portugese boy's Scerapter was in a bloody battle with two more.
"Sella!" she half - turned towards Celene before her weakness rushed at her again, assailed her and overran her. She twitched for a moment, shuddered, then slid to the ground in a dark haze. Kathrina was rushing up also, from somewhere -- hem torn and a red stain on her arm.
