She paused, biting her lip, torn about what to do. The urgency of her Cat's Eye, or her meeting with Crash? If she went to Crash, they could both stand against the threat, but could she afford the delay? What if lives were in danger? The hotel and docks were far behind her, back the way she had come. What if it's Burn or Laina? What if Volcrian had found them? The city guard? Finally, her Cat's Eye forced her into motion, and she turned back to the alleys. Crash would just have to wait.
Sora ran up the street, sensing she was getting close. The Cat's Eye's call was becoming stronger, the ringing more persistent in her ears. Chills ran across her skin, wracking her body, her muscles on the verge of cramping.
The buildings were starting to look familiar. Panting, she felt the pit of her stomach fill with dread. Her eyes shot up to a nearby roof, and recognition struck her. It was the same roof that she and Crash had jumped from that morning.
Panic. Hardly able to breathe, Sora leapt up onto a pile of crates, latched onto the roof's gutter, and pulled herself frantically on top of the roof. The tiles were slick, but she found her balance quickly. Once she was standing, she turned and looked around in all directions. The jingling in her ears had reached a fever pitch. She wanted to scream at the necklace to be quiet—she kept listening for the sound of voices, perhaps screams, but the Cat's Eye drowned out everything.
Finally, she spotted a dark shape moving quickly across the rooftops. It didn't appear to be jumping or running.... It moved at impossible speeds toward a tall building. She recognized the Dracians' hideout. Her heart lurched, and she realized that the shape wasn't human, nor one of the races, nor even a living creature. Dear gods, she thought desperately. It can't be. Another one, already?
A wave of fear and memories rushed through her; suddenly she stood in the fields again, staring up at that dark shadow, its sword poised to strike. The wraith had skewered her through the ribs. She almost died.
Another one, she thought. It's here. Now. It had taken an entire year... but finally, the second wraith had found them. The thought of facing her own mortality again was terrifying.
She could still see the wraith. It was still a speck across the rooftops. It had paused outside of the Dracians' hideout and hadn't noticed her yet. It hovered close to the tall building, flickering about the air like a massive fly, bobbing and shifting. Every brush of wind seemed to flow through the apparition, blowing it around like smoke.
When they fought the last wraith, it had been like fighting mist; their weapons had whisked right through it, striking nothing. That was a chilling thought. Her companions would be helpless against it.
The creature was hesitating. It was trying to find Burn and Laina. She assumed it could sense that they were close... but it still couldn't see them. What had the High Priestess said? They're not that smart. Still several streets away from the creature, Sora started to run with new determination, ignoring her fear, focusing on the memory of Dorian's dead body. She couldn't allow any more of her friends to die. She leapt from roof to roof, past spiraling chimneys and skylights, barely glancing at the tile below her.
As she ran, the wind seemed to pick up, as if urging her to move faster. The clouds swirled angrily. They were still dark and heavy with rain, but now they were shifting, moving at a speed faster than natural. The wind tossed her hair into her face, stinging her eyes. Black clouds crowded the sky above the Dracians' hideout, growing darker and darker, even as she looked. They twisted faster and faster, as though stirred by some giant invisible hand.
Then a twinge shot through her, an electric shock, spurred by her Cat's Eye. Sora stopped in her tracks. Stunned, she stared upward at the sky.
The clouds were beginning to form into a shape. A tornado? No, larger than that... impossible.... She gasped.
It was a head. Some sort of beast... a horse...? No, a dragon's head.
Magic.
Sora had never seen or heard anything like it. The massive jaws of the dragon reached down from the clouds, made solely of mist and vapor, so lifelike that she imagined scales. Her mouth hung open.
The giant stretched its jaws wide and roared. Rrrruuuuuummmm! It sounded like a hurricane, like the wind howling across a barren field. There was a crash of thunder; lightning crackled around its jaws. Then the monstrous cloud dragon dove at the roof, straight at the wraith, a thousand times larger than its black-robed prey.
Then she saw him. In the middle of the windstorm stood Jacques, arms raised, a tight expression on his face, on a roof opposite the dark specter. The wraith held a long, black spear in its gloved hand; a dark aura seemed to cover the weapon, fading unnaturally into the air. She remembered her conversation with the Priestess. Could it be the second weapon of the Dark God?
If so, then she needed to get her hands on it... somehow....
Jacques' voice reached her faintly above the thrashing storm. "Wind Dragon! Hear me!" he called. His arms started to glow with silver light. The wind whipped into a cyclone around him.
With a roar of climactic fury, the dragon dove upon the wraith, spewing forth crackling webs of lightning. The wraith held its ground, moving the spear in front of itself. The impact of the two magicks sent a shockwave across the surrounding houses; Sora's legs gave out. She fell down so hard on the roof, she could feel it from her fingertips to her toes. Even her Cat's Eye seemed stunned.
The wraith suddenly flickered out of existence and reappeared on another rooftop, out of reach of the dragon. Then it raised its spear at the giant head, and a stream of black fire poured from the point. It hit the beast's muzzle. The blackness spiraled around the dragon's head like a ribbon of night, bending the glorious horns downward, continuing its way up the neck and into the sky.
The giant beast let out a roar that shook the house beneath her. She could hear the sound of glass shattering, of tiles shaking and sliding to the ground. People stopped on the streets and stared, pointing, screaming, running into their houses or toward the docks.
The dragon tried to break free from the black fire, but it was overwhelmed. The black fire engulfed it, like a python squeezing the life from its prey. Lightning overflowed from the dragon's mouth like blood, creating a sight so spectacular that Sora had to close her eyes—she thought she would go blind.
The wraith let out an ear-splitting shriek. Then the dragon's mouth shut with a snap.
It vanished in a puff of vapor.
Sora stared up at the sky, stunned. Then her eyes fell on Jacques in disbelief. The Dracian swayed for a moment on his distant rooftop, then abruptly fell backwards, apparently in a faint. Or was he dead? He must have expended a lot of energy to create such a spectacle. She didn't know what kind of toll that would take on him.
Sora was filled with cold certainty. They're going to die if I don't do something, she realized. The wraith was too powerful, the Wolfy magic aided by the touch of the Dark God. It was too intricate for the Dracians' spells....
Another figure appeared on a roof nearby, and Sora recognized Tristan. He was only a few leaps away, and she headed in his direction, forcing her legs to work. She reached his side within a minute, but he was turned away from her, focused on the wraith, a bow and arrow in his hand. She could see that his arms were trembling. He was shaking too hard to aim.
"D-did you s-see that?" he stuttered in disbelief. "It j-just d-destroyed the d-dragon." He swallowed and cursed again, trying to sight down his trembling bow.
Sora moved on impulse. She had no words for him, but she could feel the Cat's Eye gathering itself, prepared for the challenge. She reached over and grabbed the bow, pulling the weapon easily from his grasp.
"Stand aside," she said through gritted teeth, her eyes burning. "I can do this."
Sora had only held a bow once in her life. She had never actually shot one, but at the moment she was filled with grim confidence. Her Cat's Eye would guide her; her father's spirit and the souls of countless warriors would steady her hand. With a cold glint in her eye, she drew back the bow and sighted her ta
rget.
The wraith flickered in the air, dodging left and right, but she watched it with a steady eye. It paused momentarily, and that was all she needed. She let loose the arrow, uttering a silent prayer to the Goddess.
Her aim was true. She shot the apparition straight through the back.
Tristan let out a cry of amazement, but Sora didn't stop to congratulate herself. The arrow sailed through the creature, as though it were nothing but air, and buried itself in the slanting roof, wedged between two tiles. She had known this would happen; she had only wanted to get the creature's attention, to distract it from Jacques.
It whirled around, facing her, nothing but darkness under its hood.
Sora dropped the bow and retrieved her staff. Then she threw herself to the next roof, and the next, until she was near the Dracians' hideout with the wraith. She landed in front of the apparition. It hissed viciously.
"Sora! No!" she heard on the wind. She glanced up to see Burn and Laina watching from a window, shock on their faces.
Laina screamed, "Run! Get away from it!"
Ignoring their warnings, she gripped her Cat's Eye and closed her eyes for the briefest of seconds. Protect me, she thought, and a feeling of power surged through her. She grabbed a dagger from her belt and dropped into a fighting stance, facing the wraith. It jabbed at her menacingly with its spear.
"Sora! What are you doing?" Jacques yelled. She didn't turn to look at him. At least he was still alive.
"Don't worry!" She yelled, more to convince herself than anyone else. "I've got it all under control!" Hopefully.
The wraith attacked without warning, throwing itself at her with such force that she flew off her feet. She crashed backward, landing hard on the roof. It took her a moment to realize that she hadn't actually been hit; at the last moment, her Cat's Eye had drawn up a shield to protect her. The stone flickered quietly, a rim of green light.
As a result of the shield, the specter was hit with a backlash of its own power, and an inhuman scream pierced the air. Sora leapt to her feet. The wraith recovered in seconds and was ready for her. This time, it was on guard.
It stabbed at her, tendrils of dark energy rising from the spear. Sora dodged each swipe of the weapon, her body moving with unaccustomed grace. She flowed around each jab, easily anticipating the creature's attacks. Then the wraith faked a left and stabbed to the right, so quickly that even the spirits in her Cat's Eye couldn't keep up. The spear struck Sora's shield, but this time, a little magical shock ran through her. When she hit the ground, she was paralyzed for a few seconds.
The necklace was fast losing strength. She could sense that the next hit would be the last one her Cat's Eye would be able to take. Whatever kept the stone from absorbing the wraith's magic was also working its way through her shield. Dead spirits, she thought. The creature wasn't entirely magic....
Sora rolled to her feet and dodged another attack, whirling to one side. The spear came again out of nowhere, but she deflected it with her staff, sending a shower of sparks in all directions. They continued moving across the roof and back again. She tried to think of a strategy. She needed to make her necklace stronger, feed it more magic so it could overcome the wraith's defenses... but how? She racked her brain, trying to think of what little she knew about the stone.
They're all relying on me, she thought, the faces of her friends swimming in her vision. What if I fail? What will happen to them?
And what about Crash? she thought suddenly. Was he still waiting for her at the hotel, expecting her to arrive, wondering why she was late...?
The thought of him was like a touchstone—it gave her courage. And quietly, a plan formed in her mind. Desperate, perhaps, but it was all she could think of.
"Jacques! Tristan!" she called out. "When I give the word, attack me with all of your magic!"
"What?" Jacques asked incredulously, yelling above the wind. The black crow fluttered around his head, squawking in alarm. Although the dragon was gone, the storm still circled above them, threatening to pour down at any second. "Attack you? I think not!"
"Trust me, just do it!" Sora leapt as the spear whizzed past her, then dove as it came back around again. Then the wraith flickered, disappearing from in front of her, vanishing like smoke. Damn. It had shifted again. She turned, frantic, her heart racing. Where had it gone?
Her senses strained. She listened desperately, trying to see in all directions at once.
Then the spear came swinging out of nowhere, and she dodged. Barely.
The wraith was behind her now. She turned to face it, stumbling across the roof. She felt tired, weaker, the creature more fierce in its attacks.
This is pointless. I can't win like this. Her Cat's Eye needed more power, and she was going to supply it.
Panting and sweating, Sora ducked another swing and leapt back a yard; the spear barely missed her magical shield, which now flashed and danced like a flickering candle. She was off-balance, distracted, suddenly overwhelmed by the wraith's attacks. The next blow hit the forcefield with a resounding crack!
The Cat's Eye's defenses shattered, disintegrating into the air.
“Now!” she screamed. “Hit me now!”
Wham! Sora didn't know where it came from, or from whom, but a force of magic suddenly struck her from behind. Fire, she thought. It must be Tristan. Red flames engulfed her, covering her body, racing over her skin—but none of it touched her. Instead, the necklace gave out a fierce, melodic chime, and sucked up the magic like water. It drank and drank....She felt life surge into the stone....
Whooosh! She was hit from the other side, a blast of wind more than natural. Jacques was adding his own magic to the mix. Sora fell to her knees, stunned, her body overcome by the intense energy. The Cat's Eye buzzed at her neck, trembling as it absorbed the new magic, eagerly recharging.
Nothing left for it, she thought, forcing herself to climb back to her feet. The wraith hovered a few feet away, observing her, put off by the sudden surge of energy.
Sora took a deep breath. "Come on, is that all you've got?" she taunted loudly. Her hair kept blowing into her face, obscuring her vision. "You're pathetic! I suppose Volcrian just made you out of weak blood, huh?" She tried to think of another insult for the wraith, but couldn't.
Amazingly enough, it worked—much better than she thought it would. The wraith threw back its head and screamed an ear-shattering note to the sky, then lowered its spear. The tip was inches from her chest.
A ray of black fire shot out of the spear's tip and hit Sora's outer shield. The force of the blow shattered the barrier like glass. Despite the cries of horror from the spectators, Sora had been prepared for this, and reached out, grabbing onto the end of the spear. She focused on channeling all of the magic into her Cat's Eye.
It was not clean magic. The power from the Dracians felt cool and clear, like spring water. The wraith's magic was like vinegar. Her muscles burned and a sour taste filled her mouth.
With a gasp, she whispered, "Now!"
The Cat's Eye let out a burst of power, sending a bolt of energy up Sora's arms, through the spear and into the wraith.
She could feel the four magicks twisting, flowing through her, mixing like a torrential river. She was being sucked down by an undertow. The roof melted beneath her, the sky bled into the ground; all she could see was the spear and the wraith and endless streams upon streams of color.... She wanted to scream, but her voice would not work and her body... her body was... gone....
Then—a roar. Monstrously loud. Out of the corner of her eye, Sora saw something shooting toward her. It was a wave of absolute darkness, a pitch-black tunnel. It approached her like a charging horse, and she thought she saw the vague outline of some unknown creature... something with giant wings... and horns....
The tunnel engulfed her.
Spinning....
A loud screech, like the cry of a dying animal.
The ground rolled.
* * *
A raindrop hi
t her face.
More raindrops. Her eyes were wide open.
She blinked.
Had it been a second? An hour?
What was she staring at? The sky?
Voices were yelling, strangely dim, and then there were live bodies all around her.
Laina, crying and hugging her. Burn holding both her and Laina, and Tristan and Jacques down on their knees, patting her arms....
“We got the spear!” Laina was saying excitedly, a long piece of black wood in her hands. Sora vaguely recognized the creature's weapon; the shaft was gone, just like on the rapier, leaving only the spearhead behind. She wanted to feel relieved at this—two weapons collected, one to go—but really, she was just tired. She almost rolled over and fell asleep. Then another raindrop hit and she jolted back to herself, as though pulled down from a cloud. “W-what... what was it?"
"A wraith, you silly girl! Another wraith! What would we do without you, Sora!" Burn shouted.
"No, Burn, the magic.” She tried to grab his arm, but she felt heavy and awkward. "Didn't you see the blackness? What was it?"
"Ach, my girl, you're talking nonsense," said Jacques in confusion.
"No, there was something else...."
"Sora!" someone yelled.
The two Dracians were shoved out of the way. Crash took their place and grabbed her by the shoulders, running his hands down her arms. She felt warmth seep through her at the contact. “Are you wounded?”
"No,” she said, shocked at that truth. She was untouched, except for her exhaustion.
Crash leaned over her, looking more worried then she had ever seen him. Then Sora refocused her eyes. There was a... shadow around him, dark against the air....
Reaching up, she tried to touch the darkness, but her hand went right through it. Then the aura dissipated, as though it had never been there.
"Sora? Are you all right?" Laina asked, staring at her raised hand.
"Maybe not...." Sora frowned. "Sorry, my vision is still blurry." Crash was sweating. She had never seen him sweat before. And no, it wasn't drops of rain. "You're drenched," she said, trying to sit up, only to have both Burn and Crash push her back down.