Wings Of A Phranoy

by Stacy Lee

  ****

  “Sam! Xavier! Wake up! They’re coming!” Axel’s cry wakes me from a deep sleep. Instantly I shove the power away from me, making a barrier at the edges of our grassy circle.

  “If there are more than ten that’s not going to hold long.” I warn the boys as they ready for battle. I had depleted some of the energy while I slept and there wasn’t near as much to draw from than there had been when I first laid down.

  “I couldn’t tell. I only heard them running, can’t see them in the dark.” He says as he fastens his sword belt.

  “Are you sure they were coming here?” I ask. I had an idea but if they weren’t coming for us it would give off our position.

  “Yes.” About that time a Ranoy runs smack into my shield then falls backwards. I hadn’t added in the protection as I was afraid it would drain too much power from me and deplete the supply faster.

  “Close your eyes.” I say loud enough for only the boys to hear. With a thought I steady the image of what I want done then throw a sphere into the sky as far as I can. Once I think it’s as high as it will go I make it burst with light, showing us the area. “Open them!” I cry before the light has a chance to fade completely. There are at least a dozen Ranoy standing around the edges of my shield with more behind them.

  “That’s more than ten.” Xavier states flatly.

  “Yep, it sure is. I can’t make the shield much wider but I need to get to the sand. Watch my back.” I tell them as I creep towards the edge of the barrier. Once I feel the sand under my feet I look back at them. “When I pull the sands power, the shield is going to drop. Be prepared to fight.” I receive a nod from both who are on either side of me, swords and daggers drawn, ready for action. With a steadying breath I will the shield to stay as I push the calming energy away then immediately grab the red. It surges forth coalescing in the palms of my hands within seconds of pulling it in. The barrier only stays for another minute before it falls. The moment it does the Ranoy surge forward.

  The boys engage the first two with loud clashes of metal as I pull my hand back and throw a golf ball sized sphere at the closest Ranoy. It embeds in his chest then explodes sending him up in ash. For a second the battle pauses as the Ranoy take in this new development. Not stopping the flow I get two more shots off and the boys remove a head each before the Ranoy begin to fight back once more. As quickly as a sphere forms in my palm I throw it taking out the Ranoy furthest away from the boys. I didn’t want to accidently disturb them with the blasts. Slowly the numbers dwindle.

  “Behind you Sam!” At Xavier’s cry I spin coming face to face with a huge Ranoy. His ugly mouth twists into what I believe is a smile showing off his jagged teeth. His arms snake out, grabbing my waist in a painful grip. He was to close for me to blow up so with little else in my head other than getting away, I grab his wrists and send power coursing through him. He lets go with a horrid bellow, his arms smoking. With him now a step away I make a smaller sphere and throw it while I step back. He explodes immediately knocking me to the ground.

  A hand grabs me under my arm and pulls me to my feet. Turning I gather the power ready to blast another bad guy when at the last minute I see Xavier let go of me and engage another Ranoy. Whoa, close call. I almost fried him. Turning back to the fight I realize the only two left were the ones the boys fought. Sneaking around behind the one Axel had I wait for him to pull his sword back then grab the Ranoy’s waist letting the power flow. He screams in pain arching his back and forgetting about the Phranoy with a sword in front of him. I step back and yell to Axel.

  “Now.” He runs the Ranoy through then beheads it, killing it. I turn to help Xavier right as he swings his sword around and decapitates his opponent. Spinning in a circle I look for more we had missed that could jump out of the dark. Letting go of the raging energy I step back into the grass and call the calming balm to me. The bruises at my waist heal immediately. Repeating my earlier actions I toss a light in the air illuminating the area. Nothing but dead Ranoy remain.

  “Anyone hurt?” I ask when I’m sure the fight is over.

  “Not me.” Axel replies while he starts to gather our things. Xavier stays quiet. I turn to him to see him sitting on the ground holding his side. His breathing was coming in short pants and his face seemed to white. I kneel beside him and pull his hand away revealing a large gash across his side. “Do you trust me?” I ask looking at him just under his eyes.

  “Yes.” His voice says yes but his tone says maybe.

  “Hold still. I’m going to try something.” I say quietly and as confidently as I can. Pulling more of the soothing energy into my system I picture what I want to do in my head. With shaking hands I lay them over his wound then let the energy slowly release. When a relieved sigh comes from him I know it’s working. I let the power do its thing till it returns to me on its own. I pull my hands back and smile. His wound was healed. With a silent thank you I send the power back into the earth.

  “I have said it before and I will say it again. You are amazing.” Xavier says in awe as he examines his now healed side.

  “I didn’t do it, the energy did.” I shrug not comfortable with his praise. He pulls me into his arms then slips his glasses on. Cupping my cheek he looks down at me, his pride flowing over me.

  “It is you who wields the power. You who tells it what to do. You did it, whether you take the credit or not. You are amazing, Samantha.” He reiterates. Caring comingles with his pride before another emotion begins to become evident. He quickly breaks the contact and sits me back on the ground then rips off the glasses. That is the second time that emotion has crept up and he has pulled away both times. He doesn’t keep contact long enough for me to figure out what it is though. However I’m not stupid enough not to guess what it is and why he didn’t want me to know. Still, it bothered me.

  “Well, I think we need to get going. It will be daylight in a few hours. We should be okay to fly in the desert at night. No mountain peaks to run into.” Axel grins at me. I only nod to him then stand, still confused about Xavier’s reluctance to let me feel him completely. That thought makes me halt. I was the one refusing the bond. Why should he trust me with his feelings when I wouldn’t commit to him? If I was in his place I wouldn’t either. Feeling better about the situation I let it go and let Xavier lift me into the air leaving the dead Ranoy behind.