Chapter 26
It was a barren craggy field of rocks. There were no plants, and no sun. There was fog that clung low to the ground. You couldn't see through it. It almost seemed as if it was clinging to the craggy rocks so that it wouldn't fall through them.
Alanna drew her sword. The ringing sound echoed into the silence until the fog swallowed it. Next to Alanna, on her right, George picked up a sharp rock and looked around with his Sight for something to throw it at. Nawat drew his sword. Aly searched the fog with her Sight for the Trickster or the Graveyard Hag. Daine stood still, listening for something with ears more acute than a humans. Numair Gift shimmered around his fisted hands.
Something was about to happen. The tension was singing through the air.
Suddenly, an inhuman wail cut through the heavy silence, shattering the fog and forcing it back from the epicenter. The fog rippled back into place quickly, but the course had already been set. The six humans moved slowly forward, toward the wail, alert for danger at all sides.
What they weren't prepared for, was the ground crumbling beneath them. Numair fell into a hole a split second before Alanna did. George threw his rock away and dove for his wife's arm. He managed to grab it, but couldn't keep his own balance. He was saved from sliding in by Nawat, who jumped and landed on the lower half of George's body, pinning him there. Nawat tried to shift to pull both Alanna and George back up without losing his grip on George's legs.
Daine had dived for Numair's arm. She shifted into a bear for the extra strength to pull him up. Aly rushed over and grabbed his other arm. Together, bear-Daine and Aly pulled Numair back onto solid ground. "My Gift," he gasped. "It's not as strong as it normally is."
Numair looked at his hands and Aly scrambled away and went to help Nawat and her father. George and Nawat had just about pulled Alanna up when Aly came to help them. "I would say that I need to be more careful about where I step," Alanna said, "But I don't think I can."
"Come on, Mother. We can make it. We'll just have to be more careful." Aly said. She stood and started walking again, carefully feeling the ground before she stepped on it. Nawat quickly followed her example. Daine switched to a bird form and flew above Numair.
Oh, this is silly, dears.
"Mom?" asked Daine. She had fallen out of the air when it had started to speak.
Of course. Now that you're here, we can do a little more to help you. Everyone we can muster together will try to put you closer to where the Trickster and the Graveyard Hag are fighting. You're almost out of time.
"Thank you," Aly said softly.
There was a soft glow, like a god disappearing from their realm to reappear in the human realm, and suddenly, the six of them could see two giant forms fighting within a swirling tornado.
"How do we get in?" asked George.
"I do not think flying would be a good idea," Nawat said.
"I don't have enough Gift to do a single thing." Numair said tiredly.
Alanna took off her empty sheath and threw it to the ground. "Why don't we just walk in?" she asked.
"That doesn't look like a good idea." Daine said.
"Nothing I do looks like a good idea. Let's try walking into it." And with that, Alanna the Lioness marched right up to the edge of the tornado and stepped in.
Daine took a deep breath, and said, "Like the dragons." Then she too marched up to the tornado, stopped, turned to glare at Numair, and then stepped in. George and Numair shook their heads and followed their wives. Nawat and Aly looked at each other, clasped hands, and then ran into the tornado.
Happy Hanukkah!!
Piroko Hatake