amazing, Sela!"
He pulled his hands from the staff and wrapped his arms around his sister. She felt lucky to have a second chance with her family. Sharing her power made it feel like an infinitely more impressive accomplishment.
"You did great, brother." Sela looked down to see the street dwellers who hadn't run in terror attempting to look down into the portal. "Now comes the fun part."
A growling noise from the other side of the gateway was loud enough to reach them all the way at the top of the tower. It sent most of the people below running for their lives. When the snarling noise stopped, the car that had gone through the portal shot into the air much higher than the adjacent buildings and came crashing down on the sidewalk. The driver and passenger were gone. In their place was a trail of broken glass and a streak of dark red. The good Samaritans who tried to rescue the car were nowhere to be seen, either.
After a moment or two of stunned silence, three hairy beasts emerged from the portal. As tall as the Draconfolk but twice as intimidating, the wolf-like creatures looked like they were all fur and teeth, though the latter part was what did most of the scaring. The blood from their afternoon snack trickled from their mouths. The three monsters surveyed their surroundings and let out a street-shaking howl in unison.
"Wow!" Cal's mouth was wide open. "I've never seen a Lychos up close."
Sela tapped her brother on the chest. "I wouldn't recommend it. I still have a scar from the last time I did."
As the siblings spoke far above the ground, the Lychos had done enough howling. All three dashed in different directions. For creatures of such size, their speed was impressive. One Lychos snatched up a short-skirted sorority girl from a pack of her friends. Another took an older man who couldn't get away fast enough. The third one took the father of the family the Fortbrights had watched earlier. The girl screamed the loudest of the three, though it was difficult to hear through the rest of the havoc. Once the Lychos had their prey, they ran off together toward the wooded side of the street and dashed into the forest.
"They make quick work." Cal put his hand back on the staff. "Should we let out any more?"
Sela shook her head and reached toward the portal. The gateway made the sound of electricity running through a circuit as it closed in on itself. It only took a couple of seconds for the car-sized hole to disappear, leaving a pristine street beneath it.
"That's all he wants," Sela said. "Enough to make the news, but not enough to destroy a town."
She tapped the staff into the church one more time. Sela concentrated on the air beneath them and a portal big enough for two opened by their feet.
"Was it worth it?" Cal's eyes were fixed on the blue hole below. "Learning how to do this? To create portals between worlds?"
Sela looked down to see the mother holding her toddler, both of them sobbing.
"It's been a gift and a curse." She took her brother's hand. "But now that we're back together – now that we're a family again – I think it was a good tradeoff."
Her brother grinned. "Race you to the hole."
Before Sela could react, her brother had already leapt inside.
She shook her head. "Little brothers."
Sela placed her staff back into place and let herself fall inside the portal. High above the terrorized streets, the blue gateway closed into nothingness.
Chapter 19
Erica watched as Ted scribbled notes feverishly during the last half of English class. It wasn't that the teacher's lecture was all that interesting. The period had been typical first-day stuff with a reading list, what activities made up the final grade and general getting-to-know-each-other activities. Ted pushed his pencil so hard against his notebook that Erica wondered if it would leave a mark on the desk below. Part of her wanted to reach over and stop him. She didn't like the look in his eyes of half anger and half fear. It couldn't be
He pulled his hands from the staff and wrapped his arms around his sister. She felt lucky to have a second chance with her family. Sharing her power made it feel like an infinitely more impressive accomplishment.
"You did great, brother." Sela looked down to see the street dwellers who hadn't run in terror attempting to look down into the portal. "Now comes the fun part."
A growling noise from the other side of the gateway was loud enough to reach them all the way at the top of the tower. It sent most of the people below running for their lives. When the snarling noise stopped, the car that had gone through the portal shot into the air much higher than the adjacent buildings and came crashing down on the sidewalk. The driver and passenger were gone. In their place was a trail of broken glass and a streak of dark red. The good Samaritans who tried to rescue the car were nowhere to be seen, either.
After a moment or two of stunned silence, three hairy beasts emerged from the portal. As tall as the Draconfolk but twice as intimidating, the wolf-like creatures looked like they were all fur and teeth, though the latter part was what did most of the scaring. The blood from their afternoon snack trickled from their mouths. The three monsters surveyed their surroundings and let out a street-shaking howl in unison.
"Wow!" Cal's mouth was wide open. "I've never seen a Lychos up close."
Sela tapped her brother on the chest. "I wouldn't recommend it. I still have a scar from the last time I did."
As the siblings spoke far above the ground, the Lychos had done enough howling. All three dashed in different directions. For creatures of such size, their speed was impressive. One Lychos snatched up a short-skirted sorority girl from a pack of her friends. Another took an older man who couldn't get away fast enough. The third one took the father of the family the Fortbrights had watched earlier. The girl screamed the loudest of the three, though it was difficult to hear through the rest of the havoc. Once the Lychos had their prey, they ran off together toward the wooded side of the street and dashed into the forest.
"They make quick work." Cal put his hand back on the staff. "Should we let out any more?"
Sela shook her head and reached toward the portal. The gateway made the sound of electricity running through a circuit as it closed in on itself. It only took a couple of seconds for the car-sized hole to disappear, leaving a pristine street beneath it.
"That's all he wants," Sela said. "Enough to make the news, but not enough to destroy a town."
She tapped the staff into the church one more time. Sela concentrated on the air beneath them and a portal big enough for two opened by their feet.
"Was it worth it?" Cal's eyes were fixed on the blue hole below. "Learning how to do this? To create portals between worlds?"
Sela looked down to see the mother holding her toddler, both of them sobbing.
"It's been a gift and a curse." She took her brother's hand. "But now that we're back together – now that we're a family again – I think it was a good tradeoff."
Her brother grinned. "Race you to the hole."
Before Sela could react, her brother had already leapt inside.
She shook her head. "Little brothers."
Sela placed her staff back into place and let herself fall inside the portal. High above the terrorized streets, the blue gateway closed into nothingness.
Chapter 19
Erica watched as Ted scribbled notes feverishly during the last half of English class. It wasn't that the teacher's lecture was all that interesting. The period had been typical first-day stuff with a reading list, what activities made up the final grade and general getting-to-know-each-other activities. Ted pushed his pencil so hard against his notebook that Erica wondered if it would leave a mark on the desk below. Part of her wanted to reach over and stop him. She didn't like the look in his eyes of half anger and half fear. It couldn't be
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