I gasped at the sheer opulence of the hall. The cave walls shone like blue diamonds and were lined with mirrors. The ceiling was one big mirror and the floor was polished blue stone. On the floor were three concentric circles of runes and there was more writing up the walls. This was either the creature summoning room or where they made the creatures. Jonah was studying the runes and shaking his head.

  “There’s a lot of pain that goes into making those creatures,” he said tracing a matrix. “This is for breaking a Kin’s mind. Torture.”

  “We can agree that the council isn’t nice and fluffy,” I muttered, gazing at the six thrones standing in front of the audience hall. Why were there six if the council was five? I felt a deep cold enter my bones and I shivered. I wasn’t the only one to feel it as Datha and Nero turned to face a pale Arriana.

  They’re here,” she whispered.

  Time and space bent and the council came to like bad TV reception.

  Aithne smiled. “You’re not going anywhere,” she said as the council became corporeal.

  Arriana cried and raced towards her mother. “ Mom, I’m not with them! They tortured me and made me come!” she cried and I sighed.

  Jonah huffed. “So much for letting her be our spokesperson,” he muttered, and I nodded. She came of her violation and she was tossing her team to the dogs? Yeah real nice leader you got there. Misty shook in my arms as she caught sight of Medina who smiled at the girl.

  “I see my creature somehow came undone,” she said, and then she turned to Misty and crooned. “You were one of my best. Don’t worry soon you’ll be back where you belong.”

  “Over my dead body,” I said, holding Misty’s shaking frame closer to me. I swept her up in my arms and glared at Medina.

  Arriana smirked. “The behemoth can undo your magic, Auntie. She can transform the creatures back to themselves,” she said, and I smirked waving at an incensed Aithne.

  “Is there nothing you can’t do?” she whined.

  “I’ve never tried to raise the dead. I’m sure there must be many here,” I said.

  Medina cleared her throat. “Let’s not be hasty. All we want is you. The rest of your friends can go free.”

  “And what would you do to me, “ I asked.

  A little man with a long beard answered. “I need your soul,” and a bright light filled the room, blinding me. When it had disappeared a tall, lithe, dark-skinned male with long dark hair in a braid stood where the old man had. He smirked. It reminded me of Mige at his most mischievous.

  Jonah’s eyes narrowed. “I had a vision of you with a golden ball and Myra’s dead body. That isn’t going to happen,” he said, and the man laughed.

  “I am a god, little boy. There isn’t a thing you can do to me,” he said.

  Maryanne: This is bad. I don’t think we can fight a god!

  Strength: Shit just got real

  Mark: Yeah, real bad!

  Jessica: Surely there’s a way to kick his ass?

  Roy: I seriously doubt that Jess

  Siren: I doubt we can hypnotize a god

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  Preacher: I think my power is the most useful against him

  Benny: No! Mine is! We can leave for Earth! We freed the slaves!

  Sympathy: But we haven’t freed the children!

  Leslie: Children first!

  Jack: We have a major problem. He can probably see through shadows too.

  I’m glad we’re on the same page again but you aren’t exactly helping me now!

  Jack: What do you want us to do? We can’t fight a god!

  Maryanne: Jack is right

  Strength: We should at least try for our friends!

  Mark: How?

  Jessica: Do something fatty!

  Roy: Yeah I’m tired of coming up with the plans.

  Siren: Use your brain fat ass

  Preacher: There is only one God!

  Sympathy: We need to at least get away from him.

  Leslie: yup!

  Jack: Shut it and let me think!

  I kept my eyes on the man as Jonah summoned some wind and stepped back. I heard him chant and a blinding light shot from his hands towards the man. He lifted his arm and blocked. A large gash was made but he didn’t wince and before our eyes, it healed. Yeah, we were in trouble.

  “My turn,” he said pointing a finger at Nero who gasped and shook before facing us and shooting violet ether shots at me. I dodged but Nero was faster and kicked my side. I gasped and held my bruised ribs. He hit hard! Jonah ran to intercept but the man raised a barrier between me and the rest so only Nero could reach me. I straightened and summoned Ether to me before blasting Nero. If I wanted to survive I was going to have to play on his playing field. Time and space bent in front of him and absorbed the blasts before he was on me again with greater force. I dodged his fists and closed the distance when he kicked as I remembered Mige saying once that it limited a kicker if I did that. That’s all I could do, run around in circles and avoid most of his hits. Some still landed and those few crippled me further as they were in my already bruised side. I wasn’t a fighter but I did know how to punch and I did so. One landed on his nose.

  “Sorry Nere,” I muttered as he stumbled backward, eyes runny. He couldn’t see my ether shot racing towards him and I hoped I didn’t harm him too badly but like before a time rift opened and swallowed the blast before it reached him. He bit his finger and ran the blood over a tattoo he had. It was fascinating and disgusting watching the skin stretch and fold backwards to reveal an interdimensional pocket where he took out two buzzing violet rings.

  “Shit! Run Myra!” shouted Jonah.

  Nero pointed the rings at me and they buzzed to life lifting and sparking and I knew to run. The violet rings shot round orbs at me that like homing missiles, followed me everywhere! I raised off the ground and began to fly while raising roots to collide with the orbs. They exploded behind me but more were made. I circled around and shot ether sots at the last few that were following me. They exploded but the explosions linked and I had to drop and cover myself as the whole barrier shook.

  I coughed and couldn’t cover myself as Nero appeared from the smoke, and punched me before roundhousing me to the ground. I laid there out of breath and unmoving. Nero yanked my hair and head up and placed one of the violet rings against my neck. I felt how sharp they were. I gulped and then I disappeared from sight hoping to fool Nero. I yanked my hair out of his grasp and ran away. How did one fight a seasoned fighter with no training? I couldn’t keep this up.

  Maryanne: You need to break the connection between Nero and the man! I can see it!

  Strength: That’s going to be hard to do Maryanne!

  Mark: Yes it is

  Jessica: We’re getting our butt whipped out there

  Roy: All our power and she still doesn’t know how to use more than one simutaniously!

  Siren: She’ll learn or die

  Preacher: Use mine!

  Benny: You’ve already used mine use his!

  Sympathy: That God would have blocked his thoughts to us if he was smart so I’m useless

  Leslie: Don’t feel bad Sympathy!

  Jack: We’re invisible right now but Nero is smart. He’ll find us. Let us go to the shadows. Use Preacher’s powers like you did on the creatures to immobilize him and use Maryanne’s power on him to break the spell. Then we can think of what to do.

  I nodded and went to the shadows where everything took a monochromatic view. I wondered if Jonah saw this when he went into the shadows. I peeked from the shadows and saw the thread that tied Nero to the man like some string puppet! I would free my friend but how would I stop a god? I would think of that later. Nero had zoomed in on my location somehow and surrounded me with buzzing orbs of violet light. I reappeared and the orbs flew at me.

  I let Preacher’s power come forward and sent it at the orbs freezing them in place and shooting them back at Nero who opened time rifts to swallow the explosions. I should have thought of that before. Too late. I ran at Nero surprising him and let my orange power surround him like I did the creatures. Then I pressed a glowing hand to his forehead. He slumped unconscious and I sighed. I turned my back and glared at the man who was not there anymore. I felt a sharp jab through my chest and gasped as a violet ring poked through my front. I collapsed and glanced at Nero who was staring confused with a bloody ring in his hand.