Sonora: And The Eye of the Titans

by T. S. Hall

  The rest of the day was even more fun. They traveled around the mountain, making sure to ski on every run, even on the bunny hill. The end of the day was quickly approaching, but they wanted to take one more run. Allora hadn’t had a chance to ski through the trees, so about a quarter of the way down, she veered off the main path, skiing between two large pine trees and slicing through as if she were on a professional slalom course. The rest of the group pushed on ahead, assuming their friend would pop out below. Instead, Allora caught her pole on a branch, which swung her toward the trunk of a tree. She extended her right leg against the snow, turning her body to the left. She missed the tree, but her right ski clipped the trunk, sending her sideways into the powder. She screamed, which caused her friends to stop.

  “Allora!” Tanner yelled, hopping up the mountain as fast as he could. He stopped, and starting unfastening his board until he heard Allora yell back.

  “I’m fine,” she said, pulling herself up and walking up the hill toward her skis. “I just fell.”

  The sun was beginning to set along the western skyline, and the air began to get much colder. The light was fading, especially among the trees.

  Allora’s boot was almost clipped back into her binding when she heard a rustling coming from the trees. Her heart jumped, and a sense of alertness burst from her stomach and into her throat. She quickly put pressure down on her heel, and the sound of the boot clicking securely in the ski caused the rustling to stop. Allora looked through the trees, but she couldn’t see anything. She remained still, listening to the wind. Finally, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a large, furry creature peeking around a tree. “Sas?” Allora said in a loud whisper.

  The furry creature came out from behind the tree to reveal that he was, indeed, Sas. He slowly stepped forward.

  “What are you doing here? Someone might see you.”

  “I’m just checking up on you,” he said, uncharacteristically serious.

  Allora was puzzled. “How did you know where to find us? We didn’t tell anyone where we were going.”

  Sas moved even closer. “Never mind that. We have an emergency, and I’ll be needing you to give me the map,” he said flatly, offering her no explanation.

  Allora inched away, moving down the hill as Sas neared. She could tell something was wrong, and as he maneuvered through the trees, there was an odd energy about him. Allora pushed herself farther away from the oncoming creature, even though he looked like the friendly beast she knew. “Sas, you seem different.”

  The furry creature bellowed, “Give me the map!”

  As he approached, Allora realized his eyes were strangely unfamiliar, and her inner alarms screamed at her to run. “You… you’re not Sas!”

  Allora quickly pushed her pole into the snow and launched herself to the left of a tree as the creature leapt forward with its arms outstretched. The creature hit the tree Allora had avoided, knocking snow down on its head from the foliage above.

  Allora came screaming through the trees, trying to find Tanner and the others. “Go, Tanner!” she yelled. “Go!”

  Tanner put his board forward and pushed off.

  Seeing that he didn’t have any momentum, Allora extended her pole. “Grab it!”

  Tanner obeyed and grasped the pole. “What’s going on?” he said as Allora launched him down the mountain.

  Sas’s doppelganger exploded out of the trees, hurling itself toward them. Allora sliced with her ski, changing her direction to the left. Tanner looked backward, confused by what he saw. The creature looked exactly like Sas, but something about him was off. Allora sliced back to the right as the oncoming creature leapt to her position. Tanner carved on his board, cutting across to distract the creature. He launched himself over a jump as the creature dived to grab him.

  Meanwhile, Katie and Dax stood at the bottom of the run, next to the chairlift, waiting impatiently for their friends. As they unclipped themselves, they gazed up at the mountain and heard a familiar scream.

  “That was Allora,” Katie said, her expression quickly changing to fear and her face turning as white as the snow around them.

  The two siblings looked up the mountain and witnessed two small objects gliding down at an alarming speed.

  “Why are they going so fast?” Dax asked. “Are they racing or something?”

  Before Katie could come up with an answer, they looked on in horror as the furry pursuer flew into view. The two siblings couldn’t understand what they were looking at.

  Allora zoomed past the chairlift attendant, who was trying to close up the lift for the night.

  “Whoa! Slow down!” He yelled.

  Tanner whizzed by at an equal speed, spraying the attendant with snow.

  The attendant was about to yell again, but a large, hairy arm launched him into the air, only to land right in front of Dax and Katie, stunned.

  “We gotta go… now!” Katie said, throwing her skis on the ground and clipping herself in. Dax took longer because he had a snowboard, so Katie left without him, slamming her poles into the snow to gain momentum.

  “Wait! I’m almost in,” he said, pulling the strap over his boot. “Hold on, Katie! Wait! Stop!”

  Katie didn’t listen and just pushed herself past the ski lift and down through the trees, in the direction the others had gone.

  Allora was dodging the creature’s every advance, and Tanner was doing the same, but they weren’t sure how they were going to escape.

  Tanner yelled over to Allora, “Can you shoot a hadron burst at it?”

  “I don’t think I can get a good shot off without falling down,” Allora replied, barely missing a tree branch.

  The snow beneath them became thicker, slowing their escape and allowing the pursuing creature to gain on them. They darted among the pines, making use of the only deterrent they had. Allora noticed a flattening surface at the bottom of the hill ahead, which opened into what looked like the bottom of a canyon.

  Inches from Allora, the creature pushed off the powdery snow, flying forward. Tanner had to move fast. He brought his right foot upward, catching the snow on the edge of his board. Then he made a diagonal cut sideways. The furry brown creature had Allora in its grasp when Tanner came soaring through the air, striking the creature on its side. It spun around in the air, crashed into the snow, and hit the base of a tree. Tanner tried to land on his board, but his balance was too lopsided, and he fell on his back and tumbled down the remaining incline. Allora also lost her balance and caught the sharp edge of her ski in the snow. The ski departed from her foot, and she followed Tanner as they both cascaded down the rest of the mountain in a flurry of white.

  The creature stuck its foot in the snow, corrected the direction of the rest of its body, and continued the pursuit. Allora and Tanner made it to the bottom of the mountain and managed to land on the flat surface, but they began sliding toward the middle of the wide opening. They tried to move, but the surface was completely iced over.

  “What do we do?” Allora yelled frantically, slipping on what seemed to be a frozen river.

  “You have to hit it with a burst now!” Tanner insisted.

  Allora tried to pull her hands up to focus, but she kept slipping, and the creature was almost upon them.

  “Allora!” Tanner yelled, just as the creature planted its feet and jumped in the air.

  The shadowy creature flew above the flat area, and the two waited for gravity to bring it down on top of them. Allora saw the panic in Tanner’s eyes as a brown blur flew through the air and hit the enemy creature roughly in its side. The two furry masses hit the surface with a mighty force; the impact sent shockwaves through the ground, and water exploded upward. Both creatures were knocked into the forest on the other side of the river and disappeared into the dense trees.

  The surface where Allora and Tanner lay broke apart like glass. Tanner instinctively grabbed Allora’s hand and pulled her up, then swung her body to the edge of the ice. Allora glided along the surface, knowing Tann
er had sacrificed himself. She screamed his name, but he fell out of view and into the cold river below. Allora ignored the screams coming from Katie, who was almost down the hill. Desperate to save Tanner, she hurried along the edge, looking for a stick or anything she could use to pull him out. She ran down the riverbank, sweeping the snow from the ice. Tanner had been pulled under the thick top layer of ice by the undercurrent, so she knew she had to act fast.

  Allora pulled all of her emotions into a central location, and her body exploded in fire, which escaped from her hands. A huge stream of flames glided along the ice, melting it instantly. Tanner came into view, his body bobbing in the river. The fire burned out, but Tanner still moved down the rapids uncontrollably. Allora couldn’t move her body, and when her legs failed her, she collapsed into the snow.

  Suddenly, something swam through the water down in the canyon below. Allora watched in shock and relief as Tanner’s body was lifted above the surface and moved upstream.

  Katie finally made it to Allora, who was getting back enough energy to lift herself up. Tanner was limp, but his body drifted on top of the water, and he finally came to rest on the bank, right in front of the two wide-eyed girls.

  At that point, a creature pulled its head out of the water with the sunset to its back. The creature moved out of the water and out of the glare of the setting sun. Once the two girls were able to see, they looked upon the strange creature with amazement. It was a humanoid figure with the skin of a jellyfish, and its eyes were mesmerizing, bright crystal blue, with no iris. It stepped onto the snow bank and knelt down next to Tanner. “He isn’t breathing,” the jellyfish man said in a deep, calming voice. It then put its hand on Tanner’s chest and closed its eyes. Its body began to glow blue, and blue veins covered it, pulsating and glowing in the dimming light of the sun. The blue veins began to snake their way toward the creature’s heart, then into its hand with a jolt.

  Tanner’s body pulled upward, and he arched his back as if he’d just been shocked. A second later, he opened his eyes and pulled himself to a seated position, coughing up water.

  Allora and Katie jumped on him, and his shivering body convulsed as they held him. Allora took off her coat and nodding to Katie to do the same. Both girls ignored the creature standing in the water to their left and were more intent on pulling Tanner’s freezing clothes from his shivering body. He was in his boxers when Dax came crashing through the snow above them.

  “Hey!” Dax yelled, falling face-first into the snow bank. “Where is he? I’ll kill him.”

  “Too little too late,” Katie said, taking off her coat. “You missed it.”

  Dax pulled his head out of the snow to see a nearly nude Tanner in front of him and realized the girls were also pulling off their clothes. “Whoa, man. Am I interrupting something here? I can come back,” Dax said in his usual joking manner, unaware of what had just happened.

  “Shut up, you idiot, and help us warm him up,” Katie yelled at her brother as she pulled her jacket over Tanner’s arm. “He fell in the water, under the ice.”

  Hearing the seriousness in his sister’s tone, Dax pulled of his boots and pants. “I don’t think he’ll fit in those, sis,” Dax said, handing his ski pants to Katie.

  Katie sneered at her brother and snatched them quickly.

  Even after he was fully clothed in dry garment donations, Tanner couldn’t stop trembling. “Th-thank y-y-you,” he said, his teeth chattering.

  Dax finally noticed the jellyfish creature quietly standing on the edge of the river. “Uh, what’s with the creature from the Ice Lagoon over there?” he whispered, pointing at it with his thumb. “Who is he?”

  Katie opened her mouth, but she couldn’t get any words out before a brown, furry creature leapt over the river, right at the group. Everyone except Tanner, who was still shivering, immediately jumped into the defensive stances Aunt May had so expertly trained them to use. Allora created a ball of purple of hadrons in her hand. She felt a cold yet soothing hand upon her wrist and looked over her shoulder at the jellyfish man.

  “It’s all right,” the creature said in a soft but powerful voice. “I believe that’s only your friend, Sas.”

  “How do you know for sure?” Allora asked.

  “Trust me. I know.”

  Allora still wasn’t sure. The Bigfoot standing in front of her looked exactly like the brutal creature who’d attacked her in the woods. As she looked into its face, though, she recognized the emotions of worry and fear, and she knew she was looking at Sas. Allora put down her hand, and the ball of hadrons disappeared, sending a shower of sparks down to the snow.

  Sas moved with purpose, unlike Allora had ever seen before. “Is Tanner all right?” he asked, stepping onto the bank where they stood.

  The creature stepped forward. “For now, but we must get him to a safe, warm location soon.”

  “Thank you, Baymar,” Sas replied.

  “Baymar?” Allora asked realizing that it was the creature who had helped her escape the ropes at summer camp.

  “Can you create a short portal?” Sas asked. “I’m afraid I’m far too drained to summon one up.”

  Baymar thought for a brief moment. “Only one for the river’s edge, the only spot my eye can conceive that is close enough to town.”

  “That will have to do then,” Sas said. “We have to get out of here. That shifter is hurt, but he will definitely be back.”

  Baymar nodded, then swirled his hands, pulling up the water beneath his feet. All around them the water shot up, as if it were a marionette being pulled by a puppeteer. Baymar tucked in his hands, then thrust them out toward the bank of the river. The snow swirled around, as if in a blender, then pulled itself to the middle of the circle.

  “Everyone through the portal now,” Sas said.

  They picked Tanner up and dragged him to the portal, then jumped in. They could feel their bodies being sucked through the snow bank. They popped out in the river, and the water was freezing. Tanner was now in agonizing pain from the reintroduction to the piercing cold water. Allora held him, but she slipped on the rocks. Dax caught both of them, and they all made it onto the riverbank, without Sas and Baymar, who hadn’t come with them. Allora knew where they were, as it was the same location she went to whenever she was upset. They made their way up through the forest and back onto the familiar street.

  The walk back to her house was long because they had to drag Tanner’s weak, shivering body with them. Finally, they arrived at Allora’s house and crashed through the front door in exhaustion.

  Seventeen

  AFTERMATH

  “What the hell happened now?” Aunt May asked as they landed on the floor at her feet.

  Too tired to speak, they sprawled on the carpet gasping for air. They were soaking wet, half-dressed in their ski clothes.

  Milly sprinted down the hall, followed closely by Bell, and her eyes darted back and forth, contemplating the scene. “Tell me you were not up at that mountain,” Milly said sternly, standing over her daughter with her hands on her hips.

  Allora had more pressing issues to deal with. “No time, Mom. We were attacked. Tanner… river… hypothermic…” Allora stuttered between shivers and breaths.

  Milly turned from a mother to a barking general within seconds. “Dax, take Tanner into Allora’s room and strip him down. Allora, you and Katie get the blankets from the cabinets in the hallway to cover him up. May, go get the mirror glue from your room, and you know what to do with it. Bell, put some hot water on the stove.” Without any questions or further argument, they all moved quickly. “There are three showers in this house, so use them after you’ve done what I told you. Then I want to see all of you out here in the living room. You have a lot of explaining to do.”

  Milly went about making a large fire while everyone did exactly as she had instructed. Dax was able to get Tanner under the sheets while his body convulsed. The girls put the blankets over him, and then went to the showers to warm themselves. Bell made tea
, then went to Allora’s room to spoon-feed the warm liquid to Tanner. Milly walked into the room minutes later, carrying a red bottle. Tanner’s skin was pale blue, and he was still shivering, even with six blankets over him. Milly grabbed the spoon from Bell and poured the contents of the red bottle into it. Red, yellow, and orange poured from the bottle, swirling around magically. Milly fed Tanner from the spoon, and instantly Tanner’s skin turned the colors of the liquid, then returned to its normal shade. He stopped shivering, turned his head, and fell asleep.

  Bell’s mouth was wide open in amazement as Milly displayed the bottle to her daughter.

  “Fire juice. Your aunt made it years ago. It’s pretty potent stuff,” Milly said, getting up from the bed.

  “No way! What is it made of?” Bell asked, completely consumed by curiosity.

  “Mainly dragon saliva. You’d have to ask your aunt what the rest of the ingredients are,” Milly replied.

  “Dragon saliva!” Bell exclaimed, giddy with excitement.

  “In Sonora, dragons are pets. They are not as big as the ones you’ve seen in storybooks and movies. They are about the same size as an average dog,” Milly explained.

  “Cool! Can we get one?” Bell asked as Milly went to the kitchen to pour tea for everyone else.

  Allora turned on the faucet, shivering as she sat down in the tub, too exhausted to stand. Beads of warm water hit her face, stinging her skin as she sat with her arms around her knees. Now, in the safety of her home, she could reflect on the past few hours. Her mind raced as she thought about the power that had come from within her. The amazing display of fire had been exhilarating, but she couldn’t get over the powerlessness she felt afterward. The terror of watching Tanner’s body floating down the river had almost been too much. Tears escaped from her eyes, but she couldn’t distinguish them from the water streaming down her face.