crossed the yard. He grabbed Mia and helped her over. “Run.”
Ryleigh landed behind her.
Jackson vaulted over. “You have to open a portal, Ryleigh.” He didn’t even sound winded. How was that possible?
Ryleigh couldn’t breathe. Her lungs were on fire, and the stitch in her side would soon incapacitate her.
Snorts and grunts filled the night, moving ever closer in the darkness.
They couldn’t outrun these things.
Her heart was about to burst.
“Hurry, Ryleigh. I’m scared.” Mia’s sobs tore through Ryleigh’s soul.
She weaved through a neighbor’s yard, hopped a split rail fence, and tripped over a sandbox. She stumbled but managed to stay on her feet.
The strange sounds grew louder.
Ryleigh risked a quick glance over her shoulder. Two savages were almost on them. She had to do something.
Jackson stopped, turned, and braced himself to fight. “Keep running, get Mia out of here.”
Ryleigh stopped a few feet past him. There was no point in running. She bent over and put her hands on her knees, struggled to regulate her breathing.
They couldn’t outrun these things. There was no way.
The savages were big, clumsy, and probably stupid, but they were also fast, extremely fast. They had to be from another world. No other explanation made sense.
They were almost on Jackson.
He stood his ground, ready to fight these things to defend her and Mia, give them a chance to get away.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and struggled to focus on the image of Cymmera she’d formed in her mind.
The sounds of battle reached her, interfered with her attempts to concentrate. She forced them ruthlessly aside.
Dead trees, barren land, dark, dreary, bleak. She clasped her hands together. Raised them above her head. A tingle, like static electricity, inundated her system. It began in her chest then arced down her arms and into her hands. When the prickle reached her fingertips, and she could no longer restrain the energy she held there, she ripped her hands apart and tore a hole in the air before her.
She froze, shocked. Her mouth hung open. Her eyes wide. She couldn’t even blink.
“Go, go, go.” The urgency in Jackson’s voice broke the spell.
He grabbed Mia around the waist and ran toward the portal with her. He grabbed Ryleigh’s arm and pulled her through with them then shoved her to the ground. They went down in a heap, but he managed to roll backward with Mia, dragging Ryleigh behind them, and plunging them into complete blackness.
Ryleigh struggled.
Jackson held her in an iron grip. He lay atop the two girls as the sound of a stampede thundered above them.
“Get them, you morons.” Daygan’s irate command thundered through the portal, drowning out the sound of a dozen or more savages pounding into Cymmera.
Then, silence.
Ryleigh stopped fighting and peeked out from beneath Jackson’s arm.
The savages continued to run full speed without ever looking back.
“Burn it to the ground.” Daygan’s voice drifted to them from what sounded like a great distance, followed by the smell of smoke.
Horror clenched Ryleigh’s gut. No.
Jackson sat up. “Are you all right?” A dim light returned to the world as the portal closed above them. “Are you hurt?” He frantically examined Mia, who sobbed uncontrollably. Apparently satisfied she was just upset, not hurt, he turned to Ryleigh.
“I just need to sit a minute and breathe.” She inched closer to Mia, pulled the younger girl into an embrace. “It’s over now.” She looked to Jackson for confirmation.
“Don’t worry. They won’t come back. Savages are strong, fast, and obedient. Geniuses they’re not. They’ll keep running after us until Cymmeran soldiers stop them or Daygan calls them back.”
“Why didn’t they see us?” Ryleigh rubbed circles on Mia’s back, tried to soothe her.
“When my brother and I were kids, we used to play hide and seek between the realms. One day I tripped going through the portal and fell.
Ryleigh landed behind her.
Jackson vaulted over. “You have to open a portal, Ryleigh.” He didn’t even sound winded. How was that possible?
Ryleigh couldn’t breathe. Her lungs were on fire, and the stitch in her side would soon incapacitate her.
Snorts and grunts filled the night, moving ever closer in the darkness.
They couldn’t outrun these things.
Her heart was about to burst.
“Hurry, Ryleigh. I’m scared.” Mia’s sobs tore through Ryleigh’s soul.
She weaved through a neighbor’s yard, hopped a split rail fence, and tripped over a sandbox. She stumbled but managed to stay on her feet.
The strange sounds grew louder.
Ryleigh risked a quick glance over her shoulder. Two savages were almost on them. She had to do something.
Jackson stopped, turned, and braced himself to fight. “Keep running, get Mia out of here.”
Ryleigh stopped a few feet past him. There was no point in running. She bent over and put her hands on her knees, struggled to regulate her breathing.
They couldn’t outrun these things. There was no way.
The savages were big, clumsy, and probably stupid, but they were also fast, extremely fast. They had to be from another world. No other explanation made sense.
They were almost on Jackson.
He stood his ground, ready to fight these things to defend her and Mia, give them a chance to get away.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and struggled to focus on the image of Cymmera she’d formed in her mind.
The sounds of battle reached her, interfered with her attempts to concentrate. She forced them ruthlessly aside.
Dead trees, barren land, dark, dreary, bleak. She clasped her hands together. Raised them above her head. A tingle, like static electricity, inundated her system. It began in her chest then arced down her arms and into her hands. When the prickle reached her fingertips, and she could no longer restrain the energy she held there, she ripped her hands apart and tore a hole in the air before her.
She froze, shocked. Her mouth hung open. Her eyes wide. She couldn’t even blink.
“Go, go, go.” The urgency in Jackson’s voice broke the spell.
He grabbed Mia around the waist and ran toward the portal with her. He grabbed Ryleigh’s arm and pulled her through with them then shoved her to the ground. They went down in a heap, but he managed to roll backward with Mia, dragging Ryleigh behind them, and plunging them into complete blackness.
Ryleigh struggled.
Jackson held her in an iron grip. He lay atop the two girls as the sound of a stampede thundered above them.
“Get them, you morons.” Daygan’s irate command thundered through the portal, drowning out the sound of a dozen or more savages pounding into Cymmera.
Then, silence.
Ryleigh stopped fighting and peeked out from beneath Jackson’s arm.
The savages continued to run full speed without ever looking back.
“Burn it to the ground.” Daygan’s voice drifted to them from what sounded like a great distance, followed by the smell of smoke.
Horror clenched Ryleigh’s gut. No.
Jackson sat up. “Are you all right?” A dim light returned to the world as the portal closed above them. “Are you hurt?” He frantically examined Mia, who sobbed uncontrollably. Apparently satisfied she was just upset, not hurt, he turned to Ryleigh.
“I just need to sit a minute and breathe.” She inched closer to Mia, pulled the younger girl into an embrace. “It’s over now.” She looked to Jackson for confirmation.
“Don’t worry. They won’t come back. Savages are strong, fast, and obedient. Geniuses they’re not. They’ll keep running after us until Cymmeran soldiers stop them or Daygan calls them back.”
“Why didn’t they see us?” Ryleigh rubbed circles on Mia’s back, tried to soothe her.
“When my brother and I were kids, we used to play hide and seek between the realms. One day I tripped going through the portal and fell.
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