A solitary leaf hit the windscreen, then more followed... and more. We became encased in a cacophony of rustling activity as a flood of newly grown spring leaves and blossom huddled the car, blanketing it in a protective coating so thick that even if daylight had shone outside, it would have been unable to penetrate their depths. We flipped and bounced down the mountainside like an oversized goat, but finally, after countless moments, the car slid to a stop, and we rested as safe as we could within our protective cocoon.
“Summer,” Thomas said again when the car finally righted itself and we came to a stop at an angle. “You okay?”
I smiled and nodded, after sending my thanks to the trees who’d provided their foliage to aid us. The leaves dropped from the car and everything became eerily motionless. The only sound was the faint whisper of our fearful breath and an unhealthy rattling in the engine.
“It’s a good job the car was stationary when that thing hit. The fall would have been much worse had we been pushed off the road at fifty.” Thomas took a deep breath and unclipped our seatbelts. “We need to get out.”
He sat forward, and with the shifting of his weight, the car teetered as though on an edge.
“We have to be careful.” I was stating the obvious. Besides our precarious position, for now, we seemed to have left the mist behind, but that didn’t mean it, or whoever was behind it, wasn’t still out to kill us.
Thomas pulled at the handle of his door, it came off in his hand.
“Sorry, I should have warned you. I flushed our bodies with the strength of the oak.”
Thomas grinned and elbowed his door. It flew from its hinges and tumbled into an abyss.
“I guess we’re not getting out that way,” I said.
“We need to climb into the back and try to make it out the rear window.”
I agreed. After taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I wound the chair back as far as it would go into the recliner position and then rolled onto my front so I could crawl onto the back seat. Thomas copied my movements. The car rocked momentarily, but we seemed safe enough for now, especially with our combined weight now focused towards the back of the car.
Thomas gathered his hand in his jacket and punched the rear window. The glass shattered and made a loud popping sound as his hand went straight through, sending a spider web of cracks through the windscreen. He removed the webbed pieces and climbed through, reaching back to give me a hand. We sat half-leaning out the window with our feet on the rear bumper for a second.
“We jump together,” Thomas said. “On three. One, two...”
We both jumped on three, pushing away from the car. The car groaned as the weight of the engine overbalanced the front of the car and finally sent it over the cliff. Without the foliage to break its fall, it crashed and banged a riotous calamity we were powerless to stop. Sparks flared, and when the car finally reached the bottom of the mountain, flames feverishly licked at the engine until it became engulfed in fire.
“I guess we’re going car shopping,” Thomas said.
I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. My body was flush with the power of my magic, goose bumps rose on my flesh, but the rush of adrenaline had dissipated and left me shaken and badly in need of a cup of tea. Thomas wrapped me in his arms and pulled my head to his chest.
“We’re okay,” he said. “Everything’s fine.”
Chapter Eight
“Not yet.” I moved from Thomas’ arms and pointed up the mountain where the mist gathered.
“Is there anything you can do about it?” Thomas asked.
I explored the essence of the mist again. When I heard the hissing sound, I tried to latch on and trace its origins. The hissing coalesced in a central point. It became the faint whisper of an incantation. The words were strange to me, but it was unmistakable that more than one voice joined their power together to strengthen the spell.
All at once, a flare of energy exploded in my mind. I pushed it away, sending it spinning in all directions while strengthening the protective fort around my soul.
“You can’t hide from us,” a female voice said into the void between my physical body and hers. “We’re coming for you.”
“Not if I come for you first.” Magic roared through my veins and flew from my fingers like a cyclone. It gathered the mist, ripping it from the mountain and hurling it full force at those who created it. A shiver ran through me as all the air was sucked from my lungs.
The last thing I felt before I cut the connection to our attackers was their pained screams and frantic casting as they attempted to shield themselves from the magical backlash I’d sent their way. Magic always comes with a price, and if you lose control of your own spell, that price will knock you for six.
Thomas caught me when a sudden weakness flooded my core and buckled my knees.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I bought us some time.” Thomas helped me to the ground and I sat, recuperating for a few minutes.
“Do you know who attacked us?”
“Not a clue, but there were at least six magic users.”
“Six! Can you fight off six?”
I rose and looked around the mountain. In the absence of artificial light, my eyes had adapted to the darkness. It was the middle of the night, and despite the turmoil from earlier, an essence of peace emanated over the peak. Some would be drawn to the windy landscape, relatively untouched by human development, but I needed the gentle settling of the forest to feed my soul.
Through my magical vision, I searched for a beacon of energy that signalled the potential for safety. If we could find a copse to shelter in, we might stand a chance. The trees, who so readily lent me their aid when I needed it, dotted the landscape, but their distance was too great to provide me with more than a trickle of energy to replenish my power. My heart thundered at the miracle of their not only coming to our aid but also in reaching us so quickly.
“We need to find shelter,” I said, avoiding Thomas’ question. I’d used a lot of my stored energy. With trees to call on, I had no doubt in my ability to keep us safe, but this heather-strewn landscape might as well be barren. Wards protected us against any direct magical attack, and in a fist fight, I was sure we would prevail, but the assault on the car had proven there were other ways to attack us.
“Okay,” Thomas said, choosing to ignore my omission, though it was clear he knew we were screwed. “I’ve checked the mobile and there’s not even an emergency signal. The mountains must be blocking us from all cell towers. This peak is taller than the others, but even if we climb, we might not get a clear line and signal.”
“But there’s a chance we will?” I asked.
“There’s a chance.”
“Then we have to try.”
As we walked, I reflected on how cut off we were. Not through our lack of ability to contact the outside world, but through the lack of trees. As a Rune Witch, I was reliant on their energy, and I couldn’t think of a place in Wales that would render me more cut off from my powers. Given the small amount of energy trickling in over the distance, I estimated it would be three days before my stores were full, and those would soon be depleted if I needed to use them.
A buzzard mewed and circled overhead, a sight I expect was all too common over the open ground where they favoured to hunt. However, I could tell without even trying that this buzzard was no ordinary bird. Even if you discount the fact that buzzards are not nocturnal, a strange energy emanated from the creature that belied its appearance. The image I saw with my eyes was at odds with the presence I felt in my heart. This was no bird.
Whatever creature it was had to be a lookout for those who attacked us. I stood taller, unwilling to display any weakness under its gaze.
Let them watch.
With defiance in mind, I climbed the hillside and walked across jagged rocks choked with grass with a renewed sense of purpose.
“Why warn us?” I asked Thomas, after a moment.
He stood and looked at m
e with puzzle in his eyes.
“Rhys,” I said by way of explanation. “He told Leah that he would die if we didn’t come for him, but also warned us that we might not make it back. Why would he warn us of his trap?”
“Why are you assuming it’s his trap?”
“What else could it be? Nobody lives here.”
The buzzard lighted on the ground a distance to my left. I felt its presence like a solid form as big as a bus, much larger than the image it projected. I wondered if its vast presence was a reflection of the power it held or of the true size of the creature beneath the glamour. Maybe it was both.
I grabbed Thomas’ arm and turned him away from the bird. “No trees grow here,” I said. “Do you seriously believe this whole thing isn’t a setup just for us?”
“Of course, it is, but that doesn’t mean Rhys is to blame. So far, nothing has happened to make us doubt the story he told his wife. For now, we operate under the premise that Rhys is still out there, he is still in danger, and the Tylwyth Teg he works for is still manipulating all our actions. We stick to the plan and find Rhys. We can evaluate our situation and decide our next course of action after that.”
I huffed out a breath. Thomas was right and I needed to adopt his optimism. I may be cut off from trees and the lifeblood they provide me, but I still had some stores. If the mobile failed and we couldn’t reach help, we were only around ten miles from the next town. On this terrain, at night, that might take a good three or four hours to walk, but it was certainly doable, and in the warm spring air not unpleasant.
I glanced at the buzzard, who still eyed us quizzically. It couldn’t have been affected by the magical backlash I sent towards our attackers. If the others had recovered as quickly, I had no doubt we’d be facing a fresh onslaught by now. As it stood, the only magic I sensed in the air belonged to me and the bird.
I pushed down the questions that raged inside me (What was the creature, why didn’t it attack?) and focused on the belief we still had time before a further magical onslaught would come. Although, that raised the further question of exactly how much time we had.
The night wore on painfully slow. It seemed to take forever to make any headway. If indeed any headway was being made. My legs felt like led with each tiresome step.
Thomas pointed up the mountain. “We’ll head for that ridge,” he said, and I was relieved to note it seemed the easiest to reach. “We should be able to get a clear view over the national park. With any luck, we’ll also be in clear range of a cell tower.”
“Where’s the but?” I asked, noting the wary tone in his voice.
Thomas sighed. “There’s only an easy route so far up, we’ll need to climb around two-thirds of the way.”
I looked again at the peak. It wasn’t too steep and there appeared to be plenty of places for hand and foot holds, but we didn’t have any experience in climbing, nor any safety equipment. Plus, it was dark.
“You lead the way,” I said, “and I’ll provide the light.”
“Maybe it would be best for me to climb alone. We don’t know if this is going to work, and you may need to conserve your power.”
I shook my head and smiled. “Are we really going through this again?” I asked. “Besides the fact that you need light to climb, which means I have to go whereas you do not, neither of us are willing to stay and wait for the other to return. So, once again, it’s pointless suggesting one of us remains.”
Thomas gave me a squeezy hug. “Okay,” he said. “In it together. I’ll stop suggesting otherwise.” He pulled away and looked at the cliff before turning back. “Although, point of fact,” he said. “Unless you’ve somehow developed the ability to use a mobile phone and your magic no longer sets you at odds with the technology, I think you need me on the climb as much as I need you.”
“Smarty-pants.” I scrunched my nose at him. He was right, of course, technology and I did not mix. If the phone was going to work at all, it would be for Thomas.
“It looks pretty high,” I said when we finally stood beneath the rocky tump.
“You can still stay here and wait while I climb,” Thomas suggested.
I ignored his words, gathered an iota of magic to create a light, and climbed. After a few moments, I began to feel better about the whole endeavour. There were good grips for my hands and solid placements for my feet. Thomas followed behind, and together, we steadily climbed straight up.
We were maybe a third of the way to the top when I felt the air change and sensed the build-up of magic. The air thrummed and became a vast throbbing beast.
“What is it?” Thomas asked.
“Trouble,” I said.
I looked above at the distance we still had left to travel. Too Far! We’d have to climb back down. I didn’t know what was coming, but it was clear something was. I advised Thomas of our predicament and he agreed the best course of action would be to return to the base of the tump. We were sitting ducks, clinging desperately to the side of a cliff.
The attack came seconds later when a rock exploded next to my head with an almighty crack. I glanced around and saw others lifting in the air. They were only small, but even a small stone can prove deadly when fired with enough force.
Drawing on the limited resources contained within my Mulin tattoo, I called on the power of the vine to enhance my psychic eye and protect us. The best I managed was a primitive shield surrounding both Thomas’ head and my own.
“We have to hurry,” I shouted.
With my psychic eye, I tried to trace our attackers again. As before, I sensed their presence some distance to the north, but this time, I lacked the power needed to retaliate.
“Summer, move.” Thomas’ voice brought me out of my trance, and I realised I’d frozen.
He was back on solid footing, but I remained a good twenty feet from the ground. I took a deep breath and started to move, but my head snapped forward from the impact of a stone on my shield and smashed into the rock face. My head remained damage free, but I lost my footing. For a few awful seconds, I hung from my bare hands, desperately trying to find an outcropping for my foot. More stones exploded and boomed around me. One hit my shoulder, but I clung to the cliff with all my might.
“Move your right foot about two inches to the left.” Worry tinged Thomas’ voice.
I did as he instructed, found a purchase for my foot, and started climbing down again.
“Summer.”
I looked at Thomas, shocked by the tone of his voice. Tired of playing with small stones, our unseen attackers were once again working on their mist. It circled behind Thomas, gathering to create a solid form. It began to swirl, and a sudden light-headedness came over me.
“I’m coming up.”
“No, no. I’m coming down. I am.”
I climbed down the rocks as swiftly as I could, moving one foot and one hand at a time. When I glanced over my shoulder, I saw Thomas pacing below, and the mist swirling faster and faster as though creating a mini tornado.
“You have to jump,” Thomas shouted.
“Jump, are you mad?”
“Damn it, Summer, jump!”
I wanted to shout back to tell him that everything would be fine. With our wards the mist couldn’t hurt us, but with my magical sight, I saw the hundreds of stones gathered in its depths.
The air whooshed around me, flapping my hair into my face. It was now or never. I took a deep breath and leapt.
I landed unsteadily. My left foot twisted beneath me. Thomas ran to my side, gathering me in his arms.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
“Not majorly, but my ankle.”
Thomas looked at my leg. “We have to try and move, do you think you can make it?”
Make it where? The question remained unasked in the air between us. Even if we had anywhere to run, it was too late now; the mist was moving, thundering through the air like a giant wave about to crash on the shore.
Thomas pulled me closer, shielding my body with his own. I se
nt what power I could to create my own shield for him in return, although I had little faith it would hold against the barrage of rocks that were coming our way.
I closed my eyes, listening to the roaring movement that sounded like a low flying jet, and waited for impact.
The buzzard mewed, breaking through the barrage of sound like cannon-fire. I glanced towards the sound and saw it swoop down in front in the mist. It turned its back on the approaching onslaught and spread its wings. A great roar emanated from its belly.
“Is that...?” Thomas and I stood and watched as the mist hit an invisible monster shaped form, easily thirty feet wide.
“I have no idea.”
Chapter Nine
The mist outlined the form of wings whilst the rocks, carried within it, smashed into an invisible barrier, exploding into tiny fragments from the impact.
The air shimmered before us and the illusion of the buzzard fell away to reveal a dragon. It looked at us with eyes split by vertical slits positioned in a head crowned with neck frills and large spikes. It turned to the mist and roared. Fire sprung from its mouth and burnt away the last remaining particles.
Thomas and I stood still for a second, completely dumbfounded. The dragon shifted. That’s the only way to describe what happened. Before, when it changed from a buzzard, it was as though an illusion fell away and the creature’s true form was revealed. This time, the dragon seemed to meld into human form. A naked human form. A man, around the same height as Thomas, walked towards us. He was broad. Not chunky, but well defined and muscular. I cleared my throat and glanced away, unsure where to look.
“I have no idea what the hell is going on,” he said. “But I aim to find out. You two are coming with me.”
“Thank you for your help,” Thomas managed to say while words had completely left me. I had no idea what was going on. Dragons, along with unicorns, were creatures I’d consigned to actual myth. This dragon-human shifter should not be possible. Should not exist. Although, he clearly did.
“I’m Summer, Summer Daniels, and this is Thomas,” I said, finding my voice but feeling very stupid in the process.
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