See part one for explanation and disclaimers. Hallmark & James Gurney still own the characters and I’m still not profiting from this. Hope you’re enjoying this. Still recommended for teens and up for action/violence and mild language.

12

Safety was close as the reach of Jack’s arm, if could only force himself to move. Karl and Marion and that scalie Keeper couldn’t make him go back to the pack if there was no faith stone. Jack had only to swing his arm, smash the crystal to pieces with the heavy statue in his hand, and any possibility of switching places with David would be gone. Still, Jack couldn’t do it.

On the other side of the door, Marion and Noree were taking turns knocking, saying words and making promises to which Jack paid no attention. “Jack, we know you’re frightened. I know what the Tohma Faiere showed you, but it will be all right. I promise,” the matriarch was pleading with him.

She could talk…she didn’t see what Jack had seen. She didn’t know what she was talking about, what she was asking of him.

“We’ll help you, Jack,” Noree added.

“You’ll help me? You won’t even remember me! And don’t tell me you know how I feel. You can’t possibly know. I’m not Jack Barrett. I don’t care what the freaky rock says!” he shot back.

Marion leaned her forehead against the door, trying to think of what to say to the frightened teenager. “Jack, I think I do understand. You were the Outsider, one of Dane’s pack, and David was a skybax rider. Somehow, the two of you came across the Tohma Faiere, read the inscription, and inadvertently switched lives…”

Romana Denison had been waiting, staying out of the way of the matriarch’s daughter and the Keeper for the moment. She was no more anxious than the rest of them to force open the door and drag Karl’s brother---or whoever the kid really was---out by force. Jack had already been traumatized by Frank’s abduction, and the skybax rider had no desire to make a bad situation worse, but this bit of news from Marion took her completely by surprise. Since Romana had brought Jack to the Sanctuary, there hadn’t been time for Marion to completely fill Romana in on what had happened. Romana had heard the abbreviated version of the story in the few minutes Karl had been talking privately to Jack. Marion had left out the part about David being a skybax rider completely. “What?”

“I understand why you’re afraid to go back to Dane’s pack. I’ve seen what he’s capable of…” Marion continued.

“No, you haven’t,” Jack informed her.

“David was one of ours?” Romana interrupted, stepping over to the door. That made some sense now that she thought about it. He could ride a wild skybax without training, which meant he had to be innately of the Sky. He’d been one of the Corps, one of their own. She had to have known him in the other lifetime; she knew every rider who’d ever ridden a skybax—past and present. It explained the strange feeling she had when---

Marion shook her head for ‘not now’. “I’ll explain after…”

“No, no,” Romana wanted clarification. “Wait a minute. The Tohma Faiere took one of a rider away and made him change places with an Outsider? David was one of ours?” The more she considered it, the more the idea upset her.

The matriarch tried to keep exasperation out of her tone, but she really didn’t need to have to deal with Romana and Jack’s tempers at the same time. “Karl figured it out. But---”

“Move.” Romana shoved past the matriarch’s daughter and the Keeper and banged heavily on the door. “Jack! Are you listening?”

Silence from the other side of the door answered the question for her.

“The Scotts are my friends—and whatever the Tohma Faiere did, they’re still your family in this timeline! Do you understand that? If you’re Jack Scott, that should matter to you. If you were in Dane’s pack, then you know that Payden is a very dangerous man, like David said. Right now, Karl and David are trying to save their father---your father---from him, and the only reason they have to be in danger right now is because you’ve locked yourself in that room with the faith stone to save yourself.” Romana ignored Marion disapproving look. They didn’t have time to treat Jack with kid’s gloves anymore. Time wasn’t on their side. “If you hadn’t, we could have switched things back without anyone risking their lives! Are you okay with that?”

“They were going to ditch me anyway.”

Marion heard uncertainty in the boy’s tone. Maybe Romana had started to get through to him. “That’s now how it is, Jack. You’re right, there are no guarantees we’ll remember this timeline, but I know if there’s any way that we can remember, none of us will ‘ditch’ you. You aren’t expendable to us, Jack, leave of all to your—to the Scotts. We do care what happens to you, and I’m sure Karl already told you that. Why do you think Karl and David were hesitant to go through with switching back? Why do you think they wanted you to know the truth? We could have performed the ritual and never told you about the possible consequences, but they wouldn’t have let us. We care what happens to you. I don’t know what else to say to make you believe that.”

Silence again.

Romana tried again, discipline making her be patient with the boy despite her impulse to knock down the door. “There are other repercussions, Jack. All you’re thinking about is yourself. You don’t want to go back now that you’ve got a life you like better—nevermind if David gets stuck with your old life. If you’re okay with that, then think about this: What if there are more people than just you and the Scotts who were affected by this switch? David was meant to be a skybax rider…do you have any idea how many people live or die by the actions or lack of actions of one skybax rider? It was one skybax rider who got the sunstone replaced in the middle of that carnosaur rampage. One. You ought to know…it was Karl.”

Jack did remember that…they had found sunstones in the cave with their father. Karl had jumped on Pterra and flown one sunstone back to Waterfall City, put it in the tower, and the carnosaur rampage had ended just this side of too late…

A blue vision swam through Jack’s mind. He saw himself and Dane pack watching the rampage from their hiding place in the hills side. They had been too caught up in trying to survive to know the details of what happened in Waterfall City. All Jack knew was that, miraculously, the sunstone had come back to life and frightened away the pteranodons and T-Rexes. It wasn’t until a later visit to the Scott tavern that Frank had off-handedly mentioned that his son had been the one to fly the sunstone back to Waterfall City. His son, David.

Romana persisted, “No one else could have reached that tower. If that hadn’t happened, who knows if anyone on Dinotopia would have survived? What about Jack Barrett? You were with the packs how long in the real timeline? All your life? David was there a few months in this timeline. Jack Barrett’s absence from the pack could mean your friends in the pack were affected. What if they died because you weren’t around to save them? What if you forgot them?”

She was wrong. Jack Barrett had never saved anyone in his lifetime. Dane and Payden had taught the pack to never put themselves in harm’s way for anyone. You never risked your life. ‘Scalies don’t have friends…neither do you. Live by their rules and you’ll survive.’ Jack remembered Dane saying that. Jack’s few friends, Dayel included, had died with him unable---even unwilling---to lift a finger. Fear of Dane and Payden’s reprisal was stronger than the desire to risk his life going to anyone’s rescue. Frank Scott was the only person on the island who acted like he cared if Jack lived or died…the closest thing Jack Barrett had to a friend…

…and here Jack was again. His ‘friend’ who had looked out for him and never ditched him in either timeline---now his family—was in mortal danger and Jack Scott had done exactly what Jack Barrett had been trained to do: Taken himself out of harm’s way. Saved himself and left his family to the predators. Payden would kill the Scotts and Jack would be safe. The difference now was that Jack Barrett had never been ashamed of self-preservation the way Jack Scott was at that moment.

“Everyone has a place that they’re meant to be in this world, Jack. Everyone has a destiny…even if we don’t like it. I believe that. If you want to prove that you aren’t Jack Barrett, then stop acting like him. Take responsibility for what’s happened and help us fix this before it’s too late,” Romana finished.

Frank’s voice echoed in Jack’s mind: Don’t give me excuses. You take responsibility for your own actions.

The sound of a crash, like pottery or rock dashed against the wall, from inside Jack’s room filled Marion, Romana, and Noree with sudden dread. It was Marion who found her voice first. She pounded on the door, “Jack? What was that sound? Did you…?”

As she banged with her fist, the door suddenly swung open. She had to pull her arm back to avoid hitting Jack in the face. He stood in the doorway, the Tohma Faiere clutched in his outstretched hand…undamaged. Piece of the stone Sentinel statue were scattered across the floor of the room. They’d been sent flying when the small statue had impacted against the wall when Jack vented his fear and frustration by throwing it.

“I broke your statue,” the boy apologized before offering the faith stone to Marion. Fear shown in his pallor and wide eyes. Romana took the meteorite before the boy had a change of heart. She nodded her approval, put a hand on his shoulder to offer her support.

For her part, Marion drew the teenager into an embrace, offering what reassurance she could through the contact and through her own empathic ability. “Jack, thank you.

*

“Nice place. Where’s Payden hiding Dad? Camp Crystal Lake?” The forest around them gave Karl the creeps. He knew they were deep in carnosaur territory, but he’d lost his bearings. He was used to traveling by skybaxes and almost never ventured into predator country. They’d had to come by boat. It wasn’t safe for Pterra here, even in the daylight, and Barrett was sure that Payden would kill Dad at the first sign of a skybax approaching. Karl had to lie in the bottom of the boat underneath a blanket just in case Payden was watching from the shadows…and there were countless shadows in the forest after dark.

“Next best thing to it,” David confirmed. “This is Dane and Payden’s playground.” The last time he’d been to the hunting grounds was the day of the first sunstone failure, the day he had rescued both Marion and Freefall from Dane’s pack. That day promised to be a cakewalk compared to this night.

David climbed out of the boat and surveyed the surrounding forest with a foreboding that told him he was likely about to walk his last mile. He knew Payden wouldn’t go to the dramatic lengths of dragging David all the way out here to kill him. Borale’s preference would have been to creep up on Barrett while he slept and slit his throat. That meant David had Dane to thank for this trip down memory lane. Gabriel’s sense of ‘justice’ would demand that David die at the sight of his betrayal of the pack leader---right here at the hunting grounds.

David warned Karl, “Watch out for snares, tripwires, pits, T-Rex…just be careful. Don’t screw around or do anything stupid out here….”

Karl made a face. “What did I tell you about the ‘big brother’ lectures? I’m still a skybax rider for now. I do know a little about carnosaur territory.”

“Like the fact that you should avoid it?”

“Just tell me the plan before some guy in a goalie mask pops out of the bushes, Barrett.”

David momentarily wondered how his life had grown so progressively bizarre that he’d gone from dodging skybax riders to having one as his back up against Payden in less than twelve hours. He hoped he wasn’t making a mistake believing the ‘topians or trusting Karl Scott. “Payden’s plan is to bring me here, make me trade myself for Fr---Dad, kill me, and call it a day.”

“But he’ll definitely let Dad go?”

David shrugged. “I said Payden wouldn’t kill him. I have no idea if he’ll let him go.”

“Wait a second---”

“Will you listen?!” David snapped. “Payden knows you know Fr—Dad was kidnapped, but he doesn’t know that you know where to find him. He knows I wouldn’t help skybax riders, so he won’t be expecting you here. Stay out of his sight whatever you do. I’ll try to get him to let Fr—Dad—go. If I can’t, I’ll try to get him someplace safe at least, into one of the pits if I can.”

“What good will that do?”

“The pits have iron gates over them. They can usually withstand the predators for a little while, long enough for you to come in and get Fr—Dad---out. The gates open downward when there’s enough weight to trigger them. They close automatically and lock when the scalie falls inside, so be careful you don’t get locked in.”

“Okay, so if Dad’s in the pit, where will you be?”

“Don’t worry about me. Get Fr—Dad—out of carnie territory as fast as you can.”

He was still expecting to die, and Karl knew it. Karl had no intention of letting it get that far. He wasn’t about to get into a boat and leave David behind, and he was pretty sure that Dad wouldn’t either. “No can do.”

“I know this territory, Scott. I can take care of myself.”

“Not if Payden kills you, you can’t. I’m supposed to take off with Dad and say ‘Sorry about your luck’? What the hell is that? I’ll put Dad in the boat, and then you and I can double-team Payden. Agreed?” Karl insisted. “Where are you going to be?”

It wasn’t going to do David much good to argue. In either timeline, Karl was a mule when he wanted to be. He pointed to a trail only just visible in the moonlight. “There’s a pit trap down that path near the foot of the hill. I’m pretty sure that’s where Payden will want to kill me.”

Karl raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Dane lost most of his hand at that pit because of me and he has a warped sense of poetic justice, that’s why,” David explained.

“How do I get there without Payden seeing me?”

“A hundred yards up the path, there’s a sidetrail on the left. It circles around the pit and then back to the main trail. That’s how Gabriel and Payden avoid their own traps.” David drew a sketch of the paths in the sand. “Follow the sidetrail, then doubleback along the main path, and you should come up on Payden from behind. And if you could manage to not make any noise, that would really be helpful.”

“How am I supposed to walk on branches and leafs without making noise?”

Barrett grinned, “That’s your problem.”

“That’s helpful, thanks.” Karl was still shaking his head as Barrett started for the main path. “Hey, Barrett?”

David paused.

“Good luck, bro.” Then Karl raced down the sidetrail and was gone.

Barrett stood there. Those three words echoed in his mind. Blue visions answered the simple statement…

“I want him back here now!” Frank’s roar was audible as David made his way down the hall to the chamber where the Mayor would be waiting. He didn’t have to ask who his father was hacked off at. His father had sent a message demanding that David return to Waterfall City the night before. Frank and Karl were bailing, had some half-assed idea about crossing the Razor Reef by boat, and David was expected to go with them.

David had agonized over it for the entire night, not sleeping at all, torn between loyalty to his family and his place on Dinotopia. The sunstones were failing again and no one knew why. Pteranodons and T-Rex were going to be in Waterfall City before the end of the day. Mayor Waldo needed every rider that he could get to hold off the carnosaurs while the city was evacuated. It came down to the fact that David had committed himself to the Corps, to being one of those riders. Maybe Dad and Karl couldn’t understand that kind of responsibility or why the Corps was important to him, but, by the time dawn arrived, David had made up his mind to stay and fight with the other Dinotopians.

He was right in predicting that Frank would go ballistic.

He was wrong about Karl.

In the middle of Frank’s rants and threats to get David to bail with them, Karl had walked across the room and shocked David by hugging him in a gesture of unconditional trust…and for good-bye. “Good luck, bro.”

David was having a déjà vu and it had nothing to do with knowing he’d walked this same path—or rather ran---months earlier when Dane had been on his heels. It was more blue images, resurfacing with growing intensity as he pushed through the trees and brush. Bit by bit the memory had slowly been returning since Karl’s parting words on the riverbank moments earlier…

David was running through the forest, spurred on by the sounds of a scream. He recognized that shout, knew the voice, and that made him run with all the speed he could despite the pain of pteranodon scratches across his chest and a limp from a pretty banged up leg. He had an even fainter memory of the sunstone failure, the pteranodons swarming into the cities, a dogfight between Freefall and several pteranodons, and the subsequent plunge from the sky that had resulted in the injuries. David didn’t care. His worry was finding the direction from which that familiar scream had originated…

He’d been searching since the farmer had walked into the makeshift hospital tent Rosemary had set up. She’d informed David that the farmer had a message for him. Disoriented and flat on his back recovering from the dogfight and the crash, David hadn’t known what to make of that news. An official message from Oonu or the corps should have been delivered by another rider or a messenger bird and no one else would be sending him a message. Marion was safely off with the other refugees, hiding from the swarms and packs of carnosaurs invading the cities. Romana was here in the camp with David, waiting just outside the tent, and Dad and Karl would be halfway to the Razor Reef by now…

“From who?” David had asked.

“Your father,” the farmer had smiled.

David wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen Dad’s distinctive, messy scrawl on a small scrap of paper the farmer carried. The farmer had insisted Frank write it down---carrying a message from the father of the heroic Scott brothers was too important for the old man to chance forgetting a single word:

“David—

Karl’s mad as hell we’re leaving without you. He’d been on my ass about it since we hiked out of Waterfall City this morning. You boys are both mules when you want to be. I guess you get that from me—I don’t think there’s another word for a man who’d stick to a trip like this with everyone telling him he’s a fool…including his own son. Maybe I am a fool. I don’t know. Truth is, you were always the one in the family with the common sense, and the sense of right and wrong. You were always a good kid, David, but I didn’t realize until you made your choice this morning that you’ve become a good man sometime when I wasn’t looking. I hope I had something to do with that. I did the best I could when you boys were growing up, but I know I wasn’t around as much as you would have liked and I know I made a million mistakes along the way. I didn’t always take the things that were important to you as seriously as I should have…not even this Skybax Corps thing. I always know what to say to Karl, but with you I put my foot in my mouth so much that I must have a size eleven shoe print on my tongue by now. Maybe that’s the reason you and I weren’t as close as I wish we’d been. I wish there was time left to talk to you about all this in person, for us to become friend. I just want you to know, whatever happens, that I’m sorry I spent our last conversation yelling at you when what I should have said was this: I love you, son, and I’m proud of you.”

David Scott had been stunned by the message at the time. He hadn’t been prepared to hear those words or for the feelings the simple note had dredged up. Even David Barrett now froze, halfway up the forest trail, his breath suddenly caught tightly in his throat and those emotions assaulted him anew. His vision blurred, and he brushed impatiently at his eyes. He didn’t have time for this…

The memory wouldn’t let go. Barrett walked faster, pushing through the brush roughly (there was no point in trying to sneak when Payden knew full well he was coming) as if he could outrun the vision.

David Scott had acted. As soon as he read the words, he knew he had made a mistake letting Dad and Karl go. He belonged with his family. He had to find them. However important it was to be part of the Corps and Dinotopia, his family was more important.

His family.

David had searched the coast for any sign of Dad or Karl. At first, he’d found Marion, only just in time to save her from an oversized crocodile-like dinosaur. He’d escaped with her to higher ground and the meager cover of the forest. It was there, hiding among the trees, that Marion had dashed any hopes of finding his brother or father with her story of how the boat carrying her and the Scotts capsized in the thunderstorm. David had been angry at their stubborn insistence on trying to cross the reef, angry that they had almost gotten Marion killed by dragging her along against her will, and almost ill with disappointment and grief that he’d missed his last chance to say what he needed to say to Dad and Karl. David’s despair was made worse know that he and Marion were probably going to be dead, too, before the day was over. With pteranodons and T-Rex on rampages and the sunstones out of commission, the forest wouldn’t hide them from predators for long.

Then he’d heard the scream.

David Barrett’s sense of déjà vu grew even stronger as he made his way along the path. Even his limp was similar to David Scott’s. Unconsciously, Barrett’s pace increased as he moved until he was almost running the way David Scott had run in the vision.

David had run as fast as his battered leg would allow, pushing through branches and brush in the direction of the scream. The scream was Frank Scott’s, and David found his father pinned by a hunting trap that had closed its steel jaws around his leg. Karl was trying to free him from its grip. They looked like they’d been through a wringer, and he must have looked just as bad, for Karl had stopped his efforts to free their Dad long enough to worry over his brother’s injuries. Dad forgot about his own damaged leg long enough to hug David. But they were both alive and that was all that mattered to David…

David stepped off the trail into a clearing and found an eerily similar scene: Dad was snared in another hunter’s trap. He hung, unconscious, from a rope that was slung over a thick branch. Standing by the off-worlder, staying carefully out of Frank’s reach, was Payden Borale.

*

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