better.
Ms. Michelle frowned. The white man in her shop was making a mess, moving things around where she'd meticulously arranged them on the shelves, neat and orderly.
"Look with your eyes, not your hands," she admonished.
Kerrick found one particularly powerful talisman- a shell necklace. Whoever had enchanted it had poured several years worth of energy into the item. It was almost enough for him to fly.
"Is this all you have?" He asked, turning to face the owner of the shop.
Ms. Michelle knew right away when she looked into the man's dead eyes this was no regular customer. She clutched at a pendant around her own neck. "No- no, I think you need to leave, sir."
Kerrick drained the last of the energy from the necklace and dropped it to the floor. He stood a little straighter now. His chest wounds were fully healed. His limbs felt strong again.
"Nothing in the back?" he asked, moving closer.
Ms. Michelle was scared now. More scared than the prospect of marriage and two children had been to her when she first predicted her own future so many years ago. When she was still in college.
"Step back, boy!" she said, holding her pendant out, away from her neck, its chain stretched tight. The crystal of the pendant glowed brightly.
Clint Kerrick's eyes flicked down to the crystal and he licked his dry lips. "Yes- that will do nicely..."
In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance between them and grabbed the crystal. The purple light emanating from the crystal faded, then flared back in Clint's eyes as he stood still, holding the crystal.
Ms. Michelle was horrified. The white, bearded man with the dead eyes was draining her family's pendant of generations of energy. She opened her mouth to speak, to unleash a spell against him.
Clint held a finger to his lips with his free hand, motioning for Michelle to be quiet. Then he twisted his other hand, tightening the chain around her neck. He jerked his hand up, above her head and in one fluid motion lifted Ms. Michelle off the floor.
The witch felt her neck close off and she grabbed at the chain now suffocating her. She noticed the white man's eyes had stopped glowing now, as he held her, one-armed, above the floor.
The kicking of Michelle's feet slowed, then stopped. Her eyes rolled up in her head. Before her life ended, she had two final thoughts. First, that it hadn't been such a good idea to hang the family pendant from an unbreakable chain. Secondly, that she should have stayed in school and gotten that law degree after all.
***
Josie carefully pushed Jimmy into the hangar, steering his wheelchair around the rows and rows of tables set up, covered with personal items and corpses in body bags- all recovered from the Chickamauga massacre.
Victor was standing near a body, carefully holding first one item then another. He was still in his black combat fatigues, the sleeves rolled up, but he had discarded his weapons and gear.
"Jimmy!" the stone soldier said, grinning as the couple approached. "You feeling better?"
Jimmy shrugged. "I'm still low on fluids, and they're making me take it easy in this thing for a while." He slapped the arms of the wheelchair for emphasis.
"So... is this permanent?" Victor asked.
"You mean being skin and bones again?" Jimmy sighed. "No idea. Colonel hasn't answered that one yet."
"Find anything yet?" Josie asked, nodding to the personal items on the table. It was a collection of watches, wallets, hats and other items the many people at Chickamauga had on their persons when they were wounded or killed by the spectral army.
"Same old thing," Victor said, then checked his watch. "Crap. They're already starting."
Victor turned and stepped away quickly, toward a large command tent set up in the rear of the hangar. Josie pushed Jimmy along, keeping up with him.
Inside the tent, they found Kenslir standing before a large table, covered with maps and photos. Captain Smith was seated next to him, then Agent Keegan, Dr. Olson and the
Ms. Michelle frowned. The white man in her shop was making a mess, moving things around where she'd meticulously arranged them on the shelves, neat and orderly.
"Look with your eyes, not your hands," she admonished.
Kerrick found one particularly powerful talisman- a shell necklace. Whoever had enchanted it had poured several years worth of energy into the item. It was almost enough for him to fly.
"Is this all you have?" He asked, turning to face the owner of the shop.
Ms. Michelle knew right away when she looked into the man's dead eyes this was no regular customer. She clutched at a pendant around her own neck. "No- no, I think you need to leave, sir."
Kerrick drained the last of the energy from the necklace and dropped it to the floor. He stood a little straighter now. His chest wounds were fully healed. His limbs felt strong again.
"Nothing in the back?" he asked, moving closer.
Ms. Michelle was scared now. More scared than the prospect of marriage and two children had been to her when she first predicted her own future so many years ago. When she was still in college.
"Step back, boy!" she said, holding her pendant out, away from her neck, its chain stretched tight. The crystal of the pendant glowed brightly.
Clint Kerrick's eyes flicked down to the crystal and he licked his dry lips. "Yes- that will do nicely..."
In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance between them and grabbed the crystal. The purple light emanating from the crystal faded, then flared back in Clint's eyes as he stood still, holding the crystal.
Ms. Michelle was horrified. The white, bearded man with the dead eyes was draining her family's pendant of generations of energy. She opened her mouth to speak, to unleash a spell against him.
Clint held a finger to his lips with his free hand, motioning for Michelle to be quiet. Then he twisted his other hand, tightening the chain around her neck. He jerked his hand up, above her head and in one fluid motion lifted Ms. Michelle off the floor.
The witch felt her neck close off and she grabbed at the chain now suffocating her. She noticed the white man's eyes had stopped glowing now, as he held her, one-armed, above the floor.
The kicking of Michelle's feet slowed, then stopped. Her eyes rolled up in her head. Before her life ended, she had two final thoughts. First, that it hadn't been such a good idea to hang the family pendant from an unbreakable chain. Secondly, that she should have stayed in school and gotten that law degree after all.
***
Josie carefully pushed Jimmy into the hangar, steering his wheelchair around the rows and rows of tables set up, covered with personal items and corpses in body bags- all recovered from the Chickamauga massacre.
Victor was standing near a body, carefully holding first one item then another. He was still in his black combat fatigues, the sleeves rolled up, but he had discarded his weapons and gear.
"Jimmy!" the stone soldier said, grinning as the couple approached. "You feeling better?"
Jimmy shrugged. "I'm still low on fluids, and they're making me take it easy in this thing for a while." He slapped the arms of the wheelchair for emphasis.
"So... is this permanent?" Victor asked.
"You mean being skin and bones again?" Jimmy sighed. "No idea. Colonel hasn't answered that one yet."
"Find anything yet?" Josie asked, nodding to the personal items on the table. It was a collection of watches, wallets, hats and other items the many people at Chickamauga had on their persons when they were wounded or killed by the spectral army.
"Same old thing," Victor said, then checked his watch. "Crap. They're already starting."
Victor turned and stepped away quickly, toward a large command tent set up in the rear of the hangar. Josie pushed Jimmy along, keeping up with him.
Inside the tent, they found Kenslir standing before a large table, covered with maps and photos. Captain Smith was seated next to him, then Agent Keegan, Dr. Olson and the
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