Chapter 22

Sundar took a breath in an attempt to steady her nerves and failed miserably. The sun had not yet risen. They still had some time, but the morning air was still black and dismal as the night. The only sign of the incoming dawn was a faint paling of the sky. She did not feel at ease. With here were the Shaman, Rafiki and Makini. Yessen lay on the ground nearby, unconscious still. But the rest were very much awake and aware. Lukaan, Helio, Vitani, Kion, and Danyal. Jasiri and Zira were there too though they didn't' speak. Danyal finished his explanation.

"… that's why I am so convinced she can do it!" He told them all. Rafiki laid a hand on the lion's shoulder.

"Creating a breach in the skin of reality is no simple thing, young Danyal."

"She has done it before."
"As Rafiki understands it, Sundar reopened one that Marsade had already made. Picking open a closed wound. Yessen and I were only able to open ourselves by working together, and as you can see…" He trailed off, looking at his wounded brother. "It is no simple matter. Sundar has many things in common with the Shaman yet some things are very different. The greater part of each Shaman's staff is sealed away in their rod; Sundar possesses no such device." Rafiki warned her. The three rods they possessed as a group were laid out in front of them. Rafiki's, a carved stick, tipped with fruits and gourds and nuts. Yessen's, knobbed and knotted like the coiling branches of an ancient tree, brimming with life. Marsade's; black thornwood with a scorched burnt look, tipped with a thorn giving it the look of a spear. "There was a reason Marsade desired their power. Marsade can only create them alone because he possessed our slain brethren's power." Rafiki said.

"Do you think you could use it to create a gateway?" He asked her. Sundar looked at them uncertainly.

"I… don't think so! It's too big! Too much!" She said.

"Sundar you don't have to do this if you don't want to." Lukaan said. Vitani growled.

"We should at least make the attempt." Vitani said.

"If the power of the Shaman provides means to escape..." Zira agreed. "And since our resident fiercest is apparently powerless." She snarked. Kion shot her a dark look, but didn't argue. Sundar swallowed.

"Okay then. I'll try." She said. "What do I have to do?" She asked.

Sundar sat in front of Rafiki. He was not, in her opinion as skilled a teacher as Yessen. He occasionally spoke in gibberish and at one point looked as though he might swing his staff. He paced up and down as she sat with her eyes closed. Danyal and Helio remained nearby, looking agitated. Danyal had confidence in Sundar, but Helio looked sour as he always did when Sundar made use of her gifts. Light glowed around them, casting the shadows in the dim cave, making them and twist. Outside the sun was beginning to rise.

She groaned in frustration as she grappled with the power within her.

"Focus! Don't fight it! Guide it!" Rafiki told her. The words didn't mean anything to her. It didn't matter what she tried. It was like trying to grip a writhing fish.

Some distance away, Lukaan brooded and Vitani sat next to him. He didn't look as though he had gotten much sleep.

"Do you think your daughter will be able to save us again?" Vitani asked him. Lukaan sniffed.

"I have every confidence in her." He assured her. "Given the time she can accomplish anything. It's up to ensure she has it." He told her. Vitani sighed. The fight would be soon. That at least was something familiar to her. Vitani nodded. She sniffed the air. The other animals were awake now. Aware that Sundar was trying something, but not entirely sure what. Jasiri was padding up and down, looking anxious and occasionally throwing glances to Kion who stood next to Makini.

"You be careful, Makini." Kion told her, looking worried. She wasn't a fighter; she was a healer.

"You too, Kion." She said.

"I'll keep an eye on him!" Jasiri told her, flashing the monkey a grin.

The stillness in the air was quickly rising to a full tension.

"Protect that cave." Vitani commanded, fiercely. "At all costs. Protect that cave." She declared. The others nodded. Then the wind changed, and they could smell it on the air. Wilddogs, jackals, the beasts and minions of the Shai'tan. A horrible roar echoed through the air. The last of the animals crawled to their feet, expressions of anticipation, fear, anger, and rage upon each of their faces. Zira arched her back and had already unsheathed her claws. Her side was scarred over, yet she appeared healthy and able to fight. The lionesses were eager, though Almasi looked longingly at her cubs before moving over to the other fighters. The slaves formed small groups and pockets. The jaguar sisters and the panthers and were sharpening their claws, looking from one to the other in fearful excitement and the other fighters all roared and growled and hissed. Vitani looked at them all. Unbidden an old cry came to her lips.

"For the Pridelands!" She roared. The other animals cheered and they spread out into the tree line. They were fewer in number and already they could hear the forces of the Shai'tan moving. When Vitani and the lionesses had moved, Inti looked around and nodded at Koron. The cubs had remained in the cave where Sundar was focusing.

"We should be out there!" Inti growled.

"Too right!" Koron replied, baring his teeth. Danyal glared at them.

"Vitani said-"

"Technically speaking, Vitani didn't say nothing, Lukaan did. Lukaan isn't our King…" Sara pointed out. Danyal glared at them.

"What are you…" The two male cubs darted out the entrance of the cave and Danyal growled in terror.

"No!" He called after them. Only Sara looked back.

"Good luck Danyal! Don't die!" She shouted, as the three cubs ran off into craggy rocks to join the fight. They had fought in the pits. Fought each other. They longed to fight someone who actually deserved it. Danyal cursed and made as if to follow. Helio snarled but shook his head.

"No! Danyal – I can't fight many alone and if Sundar is killed those cubs are dead anyway! You can help them more here!" He pointed out. Danyal roared in anger at their foolishness then began pacing up and down. Rafiki made no sign of having heard them. He was changing tact.

Yessen's staff lay in front of her. She reached out and closed her paw around it, and almost gasped at what she felt.

"Listen to Rafiki's voice, Sundar. Daughter of Lukaan. Listen to the earth. Find that balance. Find that sense. Find the part of the world that speak to you. Marsade hears the shrieks in the flames. In the Sun. Warmth and light were his domain until he forsook them for shadow and blood. Yessen listens to the earth. To the ground. Connecting all things. Rocks and dusts, leaves, plants, nature, and stone. The worm which writhes and coiled beneath the dirt, the ant which digs and mines. At the peak of his power, he can feel the turn of the earth as it spins through space, with us as tiny lifeforms clutching to its surface like drops of dew on a blade of grass." As he spoke, the visions of the world around her seemed to fall away and Sundar's gaze was filled with only his voice. She could hear Yessen's voice. She could remember his words. What he had spoken to her, days before in one of their many lessons.

"Do you feel them? Moving in the dust? Footsteps echoing around you. Shifts in the dirt and soil… Deeper… deeper… look down, into the depths of the earth… caverns and caves… miles and miles and miles of stone… rigid and firm, the weight of the earth on its back. The mountains, the pillars of the sky… the stones and gems and metals beneath the earth… can you sense them? There at the edge of your senses… pockets, like seeds in a fruit of minerals and gems… crystals of light and wonder. And deeper… darker… move down… move down and away… leave the surface world behind you with all its distractions and its cares… move beneath the crust of the earth… to the raging ocean of fire below…" Sundar felt her perceptions shift and she gave a deep intake of breath. "I can feel it." She said.

"Feel the weight and pressure and heat… the raging heat below. Feel it! That is beneath your paws every time you move. Feel the cataclysmic shifts of the great continents of rock above… feel the forces and the powers at work… when they clash… feel the quakes and tremors beneath! When they split, feel the rush of power, and shifts of heat! That is the earth, Sundar. That is what is beneath you. That is the Earth." He said.

"Its not mine." She whispered.

"Then don't fight it. Find the part that is." Rafiki told her. Sundar leaned back, her eyes closed. She could feel something else. The twist of the air currents. The movement of the earth. The flash of energy. Her heart beating behind her eyes. The breath of the people around her. The pounding of the blood in her ears. In Danyal's. In Helio's. The dew on the stray blade of grass that pierced the rocky hard ground.

"I feel it. Feel it all. It's everywhere. Like a song. A harmony." She whispered.

"Yes!" Rafiki said. "Don't lose it!"

"It's like drinking lightning! Feasting on thunder!" She said in amazement.

Then he handed over Marsade's staff. Sundar eyed it distastefully. Particularly the spike at the tip where she guessed many had died. She sighed. Then she took the staff and another set of forces filled her senses.

Warmth around her. The heat of each living thing. The blood throughout her own body. She felt the same forces below the earth's crust again, though it was more distant yet blindingly powerful. She cast her gaze above her and almost shouted in surprise at the huge well of power above her head. The sun, coming over the horizon filled her new sense of vision. It was a blinding sphere of raw energy. Blasts of power echoed from its core as the building blocks of nature formed in its heart. The magnificent rhythms of energy like a heartbeat to creation.

"How… there is too much… far too much! I'd burst! I'd burn up!" She said.

"No. You have this, Sundar. I believe in you." Danyal assured her. She heard his voice, and relaxed slightly.

Vitani watched her allies move together for a moment. Ahead of her, she could see movement beyond the edge of the canyon. Their scent betrayed them as jackals. They growled excitedly, itching for the inevitable order. She swallowed briefly. Damu stood next to her and shifted uncomfortably.

"So. When was the last time we fought like this?" She said, quietly. Vitani thought back.

"If you don't count the ambush at the Night Pride?" She asked her. "Pride Rock's fall…" She whispered. Before they had focused on running. They had always fought with the intention to flee, to slow down their pursuers and sneak away. It had been an age since they had been fighting without an obvious escape clear to them. She steadied her breathing, recalling her mother's training. Damu watched her and then nodded where at the very front of their groups, Zira stood, her eyes like points of flame. She was at the front of a group of cheetahs and her eyes were narrow, piercing, watching intently for any movement.

"Do you think we have a chance?" Damu asked her. Vitani cocked her head.

"There's always a chance…" Kion told her, firmly from her other side. He nodded to the two of them. Then, with a great roar, the first pack of jackals burst from over the canyon edge towards them, snarling, barking, growling, and screeching as they did so.

There was no declaration of war, no final offer of surrender. As soon as they laid eyes on the Pridelanders, they fell upon them in a flurry of tooth and claw. The savage fighters gave a wild roar and responded in kind. For many they had lingered beneath the surface of the earth for moons. But in the last few days they had tasted freedom and they were not inclined to relinquish its sweetness. Rei, one of the panthers, gave a cry of jubilation as he threw himself at the nearest jackal and clawed at its face. The seething mass of fur and blood was intoxicating, as familiar senses and urges washed over Vitani. Years of her mother's brutal training came back to her. She was and always had been, prepared for war. She struck out, and as blood ran it broke free from her.

"Slay them! Slay them all!" Vitani howled, her own anger bursting through her like flames, her emotions becoming a weapon with which to slay her enemies as her mother had taught her. Hearing her cry Zira crouched, a cruel smile on her lips, as one jackal leapt at her and she leapt into the air, twisting as she did so. Both sets of claws arced through the air as she twisted, scything into the canine at colossal speed. The dog gave a yelp and died as they cut through its flesh. It's corpse landed on the dust with a dry thump and she was already moving, twisting, lashing out at the Jackals exposed flanks as they ran past her, her claws becoming blades through the air, cutting and whirling indiscriminately. Not every blow killed the creature outright, but enough found their target to send blood spraying and jackals reeling. Zira's tongue flicked out and her eyes dilated into a familiar bloodlust. Then her jaws snapped closed around the neck of another. She jerked and twisted, as with a crack the jackal's neck snapped. She roared in anger, her mouth filling with the bitter, metallic taste of blood, her breathing heavy. Vitani could not afford to stare, but in a moment all the Pridelands were reminded of the truth of the name Devilqueen. The only one who came even close to her savagery was Jasiri. Kion's hyena friend unleashed a laugh and darted between the jackals with reckless abandon, biting at their sides and limbs as they ran past, snaking between them. The noise was deafening.

Damu and Almasi fought with less success, but equal vigor, determination and anger becoming a source of power for the two pridesisters. A pair of wilddogs leapt at Damu who backed away, trying to keep her eyes on both at once. Almasi lunged forwards at her adversity who turned tail and ran backwards intending to circle back in search of easier, smaller prey. Damu snarled in defiance, then bit forwards, grabbing one wilddog by the throat. It growled in pain and fear as her grip tightened and she swung the dog like a club into the second, sending them rolling into a pile of flesh, snapping bone and spraying blood, before they were swiftly set upon by the jaguar sisters, Karrina and Darrina, who tore at the immobilized dogs. One slashed at her with deadly precision, only narrowly missing by a hair's breadth. The other biting downwards with great power and landed her blow. Teeth scrapped through bone and into marrow. They were not the largest creatures there. Not by a long shot. Inti and Koron weaved around, diving under the blows of wilddogs and jackals to strike upwards at the exposed chest and stomach when they overextended their reach, causing pain, frustration and in some cases, mortal injuries when Koron ripped out a set of vital organs as the dog in question still breathed. Vitani almost screamed when she saw that the cubs had disobeyed orders, but she was too preoccupied to pay them any more mind.

That was only the first wave. The most savage and bloodthirsty of the jackals. Now came the rest. Now advanced the skilled killers, the stalkers, and duelists with enough sense to wait their turn in a pitched battle. Those whom had flourished under the Shai'tan fight pits, hunting and killing for the Shai'tan, putting their skills to good and effective use. These were the victors of the fight for survival and three of them attacked Vitani. The world descended into chaotic madness.

Two of the creatures struck at her in synchronization and Vitani stumbled attempting to both give ground and protect her flanks. With both paws preoccupied, the third leapt straight over her defenses and bit into her neck, causing her to scream in pain, as row upon row of serrated teeth seared into her. She shook, trying to dislodge the offending wilddog, but only succeeded in helping it tear deeper, its grip was tight. It bit down harder, sending spasms of pain through her, only to be redoubled as she slipped up and the second wilddog moved under her clawed forearm and struck at her flank. Overburdened and in pain, Vitani stumbled to the ground and the third wilddog moved in to bite out her neck. Vitani roared. She would not be outdone here! She would not be defeated. With supreme effort, she reached above her and stabbed a five clawed paw into the back of the wilddog on her neck.

"Garrah!" Her paw tightened into a fist and she pulled the dog, howling, as its screaming caused it to let go of its bite. Her shoulder free, she rolled, her other claw launching out and swiping at the other dogs' legs, sending it sprawling. Vitani pressed forwards, biting at it, as it dragged itself away fearfully. Her other paw tightened still further and she felt her claws brush against spine as the dog on her claws went limp. Shaking the body from her blades, she stood up, shaken and advanced on the other two, the lesser wounded, still watching carefully, the more seriously injured looking nervous. She roared and struck out. They both split, attempting to flee. She felt a rush of fury her eyes narrowing. The blood pounded in her head.

One feinted and ran past her, towards another target, only to be almost decapitated by Almasi, who span and struck out with both paws. The second tried to arc to the left and howled as Vitani's jaws closed around its back. Vitani lifted it into the air and with another spray of blood, her jaws sank another inch into the dog, who stiffened and died. Slash. Slice. Claw. She pulled free of carnage. It was like rising above water and breathing in air, before submerging again.

Looking around her, Vitani was almost overcome by the stench of blood. Beside her, Almasi had taken a serious blow to the head and blood was pouring down the side of her face where an open wound leaked more blood. Damu was walking with a limp were a set of bitemarks lashed her rear leg and Zira bleed from several parts of her body, though much of the gore on her was not her own.

The battle continued. Vitani gasped in surprise and managed five steps before a second wilddog climbed a rock and jumped a good foot from the rocks onto Karina's back from behind her. Her cries of pain distracted Darina long enough for a jackal she was fighting to snap its jaws around a swath of flesh, tearing several ribbons of skin from her back, before she responded and was able to sever the windpipe of her attacker. Karina screamed in agony and collapsed, before Makini was there, spinning her staff with such force it struck the wilddog and sent it flying. When had Rafiki found the time to teach her that? She was sure she hadn't known such things in the time before the Shai'tan. She moved past and knelt by Karina, trying to stem the bleed. Unconscious or dead? She couldn't tell from where she was standing and had to move fast to avoid the attack of another group of jackals.

"Kion! I need help here!" She called out, and dragged her form away from where the fighting was fiercest. Before the end, Vitani was sure they would all need her aid.

"Stay together" Vitani called over the din of snarls and roars. "We've become to spread out! Pull back together, or they'll rip us apart from all sides!" Vitani called. Zira's eyes flickered at the voice of her daughter and she was able to move away in an instant, her bloodlust not affecting her mind or efficiency in the least.

Kion let out a roar.

"Twende kiboko!" Kion roared a familiar battle cry and slammed into ground. There was a sickening crack as the creature's neck was forced back, further than it could go, and it dropped down to the ground, dead. "To Vitani!" He called out. "Lukaan!"

The animals pulled closer together again, the Jackals advanced further, a group of five made as if to go for Vitani, recognizing her command as being from one in authority, only to be blocked by Yoddha and Bhaala leading the asiatic lioness with fury. If the jackals had not been joined by another trio of wilddogs, they would have been turned into mincemeat within seconds.

The stench of the battle of overpowering. It permeated her nostrils and she could even taste the blood in the air with her tongue. Her heart beat faster than it ever had and she moved with deadly finesse and grace. It had to be enough. Vitani leapt through the air, feeling the wind rush past as she landed to the side of a jackal engrossed in his duel with Lukaan. Two claws strikes and two deadly blows to the neck later, the jackal shuffled from its mortal coil with decidedly less grace and finesse. Vitani roared at the ensuing jackals, which were beginning to slow.

"Vitani!" Lukaan warned, as a jackal leapt at her. Vitani turned in surprise and Lukaan pushed his way forwards, but it was Harten who reached her first, slicing one Jackal out of the air and to the dust even as a second flew over its brethren's cadaver to fasten a jaw around her neck. The Lioness was several times the size of Jackal and she thrashed at it, but the Jackal in question jerked and ripped a chunk of flesh from her throat. Harten shouted, but the sound was muffled by a spray of blood. She tried to fend off the Jackal with one paw, while pressing another to her throat, but the blood leaked from between her claws as she fell to the ground. Sensing a weakness, several more wilddog pressed their advantage and bit and clawed at the fallen lioness. Bhaala let out a scream of loss as she did so.

"Harten! No!" Lukaan shouted in anguish, as he too saw his Pridesister go down. His flurry of claws sliced clean through two and deep into a third jackal, before the remaining jackals retreated. Vitani cursed, as more blood pooled around the lioness. Lukaan fought on, though Vitani knew with a sinking feeling in her stomach, that it was too late to save her, if she was not dead already. With a jump, she realized she had not seen the cubs, but a quick look saw them to the far right of the combat. Inti and Koron, Sara and Calin in pairs and moving as a team, taking down the wilddogs a pair at a time, their experiences in the pits of Golgorath giving them both the skills and inclination to bring down their foes effectively, if not cleanly. One of them snapped at Koron, grazing his ear, taking the tiniest of cut from the edge. Instead of crying out, he smiled, as Inti used the opening to cut through the neck of the wilddog, his tiny teeth puncturing the windpipe with formidable force. When he ripped away, the dog collapsed. He spat out blood.

Vitani looked around in panic, but it was impossible to track her Pridesisters, her friends, the slaves, the jackals, the wilddogs and defend herself. They killed several dogs, but most of them escaped with minor wounds, trading blow for blow and withdrawing, only to attack a short while later when they had recovered their strength. The Pridelanders with far less numbers, had no such benefit.

"Pull together to protect your flanks! Jackals, circle round and strike from all sides!" A voice boomed over the din and with a sudden dread, Vitani spotted Asamode, the first of the two Shai'tan standing at the back. She saw him and his accursed single eye. Damu swore and looked at Vitani.

"Do we go after him?" She asked, over the din. Vitani shook her head. They couldn't get close. Not whilst the Shai'tan himself was content to sit back and command his troops, without partaking in the battle. By his side, a tigon stood, patiently waiting for a command to attack. The second beast was nowhere to be seen, nor was Rish'ut. They couldn't be far. Lukaan swiped at a wilddog, the largest of the lions raining down blow upon blow on wilddog and jackal. His claws moved through one's flesh with an eerie ease, flaking the air with droplets of ruby. He panted, his strength leaving him. Lukaan gazed at Asamode, his expression hardening. Asamode's eyes widened.

"Well, Lion! I see you've met your match at last! Didn't I say it was futile to resist the Shai'tan? Didn't I say that you should have joined with the Imperium? Yet, because of you and your kind's foolishness, all the Asiatic Prides had to suffer. You set quite a poor example." Asamode said. Lukaan raged at him but Asamode only laughed. Then another wave of wilddogs collided with the group and Rish'ut and his second tigon approached and joined them at the outcrop of rocks where they stood, surveying the battle, watching as more and more of the dogs arrived, replacing the exhausted and wounded. Asamode tensed and looked to Rish'ut.

"Please, if you would be so kind as to take command? I have unfinished business…" He said. Rish'ut grinned and nodded.

"Gladley… All jackals, return to the second rank! Wilddogs, push harder, strike as one!"

With that, Asamode leapt from the rocks and made with all haste towards Lukaan, who growled and roared in defiance. Vitani flinched.

"Lukaan!" She shouted, but he either did not hear, or was too maddened by Harten's demise to listen. Alone, he would fall in moments. "Almasi, Kion! With me!" She shouted and without checking to see if they followed. She jumped down and made to where the two males where fighting.

Where the wilddogs fought with fury and viciousness, Asamode fought with the same cold skill Vitani and seen in the other Shai'tan she had fought, both Sekhmet and Rish'ut. Like Rish'ut's cold anger and Sekhmet's wrath however, he had his own style and focus in the fight. The muscles and ripples along Asamode's form coiled and moved, pulsing with force. His single eyed vision gave him a lopsided focus. She weaved and moved with speed and finesse she had yet to see in a Shai'tan. When Lukaan came within range, he unleashed a flurry of blows which found their mark. And ten lines of scarlet burst into glorious being on Lukaan's snow white fur. The old lion shouted and bit at the Shai'tan, who writhed like a serpent and suddenly was out of range. Then he planted a well-placed kick into his stomach and sent him crashing to the ground.

Then Vitani was there, flying through the air to land beside Lukaan and her own claws flashed in the morning sunlight. Asamode backed away quickly as her blows found their mark, but the wounds they opened were shallow. So too however, were the injuries on Lukaan's body and he rose to stand beside her, shaking and blood flowing, yet not incapacitated. Then they were joined by Almasi, the mother's own claws raking into flesh which seemed to dematerialize into thin air as the Shai'tan danced around them with an unnatural speed. It would be a mistake to assume that his size meant he was slow. He was fast. He circled the three and within moments, they had crowded together, protecting each other's flanks, eyes wary and hearts pounding. Then, he lashed out, striking. Lukaan, Almasi, Vitani, Lukaan, Almasi, Vitani, Lukaan, Almasi, Vitani. He struck out, then moved on and struck at the other, before they had the chance to respond. Then Kion was there, and four lions spread out around him. Asamode gave a cruel chuckle.

Vitani growled in anger as more and more blows flew at them. Then, she struck out, her own claws catching the tiger in the face. He roared in pain, as Lukaan capitalized and bit forwards, teeth slicing into flesh. He fell to the ground, claws dragging Lukaan with him and then they rolled along, putting distance between Vitani and Lukaan, before the Shai'tan righted itself and succeeded to pin the smaller lion. His claws seemed to extend a further inch.

"I have wanted this for a while Lukaan. The last Male Asiatic." He did not draw out Lukaan's death with speeches of sermons or unwise monologues. With a manic laugh, he simply swung with his claws, down, down, slicing through skin, flesh, muscle and bone, spilling blood out onto the surrounding ground.

Or he would have, should the blow have made contact. With a yell though, a scarred form moved through the blood sodden clearing, crashed into the side of the tiger, and sent him flying from the White lion's body, who rose, panting, shaking, then darted to Vitani and Damu, preparing to face the Shai'tan again as a three. The Shai'tan climbed to his feet and stared at the one who had thwarted his attempt on Lukaan's life.

"You again!" He seethed. Kion was standing there, defending his friends.

"Me." Kion replied, simply. The Pridelands former fiercest was there too. Asamode narrowed his singular eye.

"I find you tiresome." He said. The four of them arrayed against him. He couldn't keep all of them in his limited vision. They fanned out, and he growled in frustration. Vitani scythed at him and he grunted as she drew blood. He clawed at Almasi and Damu but they danced back. He edged backwards, looking over his shoulder. Then he threw back his head and shouted at the top of his voice, old words that made no sense them. Words of a tongue that they did not know, but that which Marsade had taught him. They carried no power by themselves, but to the creature's, they reacted to the words. To the commands they had been taught with pain and with fire to obey. At his command, the nearest tigon's eyes dilated and suddenly its rage seemed to triple. Without words, it lunged towards them, thundering with immense speed. The dogs and jackals parted to allow it passage through. Or tried to. One was too slow and its claws severed its spinal cord, without even breaking pace. it moved over to Asamode, the tiger grinning openly as the tigon approached. The four lions backed away from the beast.

"This is more like it." He said. "Now the true test begins…" He said.

"I… I can feel the power. It's like a well of water." Sundar said. "It's like my own power but greater… like a lake compared to a stream. It isn't just greater it feels further away… distant. Like a well of water somehow frozen. I can sense it – reach it… but I can't USE the damned thing!" She shouted in frustration. Yessen nodded.

"You are rebelling against it." He told her, gently. "You need to let go of your fears."
"Right now I am more scared that I'll let everyone down!"

"It feels unnatural to you."

"Unnatural? I'd kiss a fish right now to save us, no matter how unnatural it was!" Sundar said angrily, frustrated at what she saw as a lack of progress. Danyal nudged Helio.

"See, now your chance!" He said flippantly. Helio glared at him.

"Jokes? Really? Right now?" He asked. Danyal sighed.

"Sorry. I am just nervous. I should be doing something… Not just sitting here." He said. Helio shrugged, keeping his own attention at the task at hand. Rafiki was frowning.

"Sit back. Think of yourself, Sundar. You might be the first new Shaman. How does that make you feel?" He asked her gently.

"It… I…" She trailed off. "It frightens me." She admitted.

"That's why you keep pulling back. You are afraid of your own power. Afraid of yourself. You keep pulling back at the last moment." Rafiki told her.

"How do I stop?" She begged him. "I want to save us! I need to! What do I need to do?" She begged him.

"You need to stop pandering around." A voice said. The others jumped and saw Yessen. The baboon was hunched over, and coughed. He gave a moan, and stared at Rafiki, looked past him to the sounds of the battle ongoing outside, at Sundar as she sat on the dirty cave floor and at the three rods between them, jutting out of the ground.

"Hmm." He said. He didn't sound impressed.

"Yessen!" Sundar gasped in relief. "You're awake!"

"Yes. I wish I wasn't. My head is killing me. That was very foolish of me. Nearly burnt myself out entirely." He said. "Did we get there?" He asked.

"Yes." Helio said dryly. "Now we'd like to get away again. If you please." He said.

"Hrhm." He looked at her. "Then what's keeping you?" He asked her.

"I can't! I can't move that much power at once."

"Can't or won't?"

"Yessen this is no time for cryptic remarks." Danyal said. Yessen held up a hand and Danyal blinked.

"This is my area of expertise, not yours boy. When I need a warlord dropped from a large height, I'll call for you." He said. Helio made a choking noise that might have been him trying not to laugh. Danyal went pink. He turned and faced Sundar.

"You have the power. You can feel it. Its there. At your clawtips. Use it." He commanded her. Sundar stared at her.

"What if I can't?" She asked him.

"Then we'll all die horribly, so how about you do?" He suggested. She stared at him. Closed her eyes, and breathed out. "That's it." He said. "Feel the earth. The air. The waters. Let it speak to you. Then command it." He told her.

"I'm trying."

"That's your first mistake. Stop doing that, and instead do the thing that you want to do." She grunted. Then the light around her lit up again. Stronger this time. She didn't pull back. She didn't flinch away. She grasped the power in her mind and held it like a writhing serpent. It flooded through her, and all she knew was light.

The world fell away.

And instead, all she could see was dismal grey. She looked around, and instead of the cave, she could see nothing but a world of dismal twilight.