Cerberus shot up in size. He was now at least twelve feet tall, and almost as wide. Both heads were low and pointed forward as he scanned the greenery. I was just wondering what power he might have to destroy something like a forest, when I felt the pull on our power. My head spun around. Which of the girls was using her element?
Six faces were doing the same confused thing as I was. It wasn’t from the half-Walkers.
Heat drew my attention again, and I felt myself take a step back as flames shot out of Cerberus’ mouth. Dude, he was a hellhound, not a fire-breathing dragon. What the heck just happened? Then Lina and Apollo decided to shoot out their own set of flames. This three-attack began a circle of blue fire that surrounded the crack in the ground and forest which had emerged from it.
“Holy great suns of Crais,” Fury said, her tones breathless. “When they’re joined with us, they must be able to use our power.”
And use it they did. The sacred animals had much greater control over the elements than we did. They managed to make fire work between them, like a circle of death that linked all three and obliterated everything that lay in the middle.
Once the smoke had cleared, there was nothing left of the greenery, just a blackened pile of ash. The pull of power started again, and winds blew up to blast the ash away. Now they were using Delane’s ability.
I exchanged a look with the warrior-Walker and she nodded twice. We needed to take what we had just learned from our guides, and figure this out for ourselves. I had been saying it for a long time: the key to beating the Seventine was a strong bond between the half-Walkers. It was the most important weapon we had. I’d known it when Josian tried to keep us apart; it was the lalunas’ greatest fear for a reason.
If we managed to sync our powers then we had a chance. It was a small one, but better than nothing. I reached into the darkest recesses of my mind. It was time to imagine some of the creatures which haunted me. I was looking into my fears. Top of that list was the Seventine, of course, but we needed to work up to that. First: gangers and zombies. Then, with no more than a thought, a mass of tattoo-faced thugs and undead popped up into existence.
This world was both awesome and scary-as-heck.
Around us more fears were willed into existence and we were soon surrounded by a plethora of nasty-looking beings.
Okay, so we had our obstacles. Now we needed to figure out how to eliminate them.
Let’s start with everyone grasping your power and reeling it back. The storm was starting to rage again. I know it’s tempting to just throw everything at them at once, but let’s try our elements individually. I’ll act like the conductor in the center. Wait for my signal before attacking.
Someone needed to take the reins here, and the conduit was the natural conductor. I sensed no outright objections to my plan, which was the best I could hope for.
The first creatures we faced were zombies, which I knew from First World were not that difficult to kill. You simply needed to take their heads off. We didn’t have swords right then. The key was to figure this out using just our elements.
Eva, what are their weaknesses?
My voice snapped them all to attention. The Earth half did not hesitate. Her time on the streets of New York had her mind battle-ready.
Fire is number one. They’re quite flammable. And then decapitation. Most other injuries won’t weaken them, and they can regenerate anything but their heads. So don’t waste your time trying to maim them.
I was glad I’d checked, because these zombies seemed hardier than the ones we’d fought in the dark mountain.
Eva’s power is wicked and awesomesauce.
Fury had been spending way too much time with Lucy. That was something I would expect out of my pixie friend’s mouth. But she was right: it was wicked awesome.
Delane’s command rang out, cutting off any replies. We must all focus now. Focus is something we lack as a group and it’s a weakness for us. Abby’s our general. She’ll give the orders and we’ll follow them.
I could feel some dissension amongst the group. Most of these strong, independent females did not like to follow orders, but for now they knew Delane was right and did not argue.
If fire is a weakness then we’ll use Fury’s power for this one. We need to figure out how the sacred animals managed to share the one power between the three of them.
The zombies were advancing on us. We didn’t have much time.
Fury pulled on the collective power and shot the blue flames around. I sensed her focus as she tried to ‘share’ the flames with the other girls. The circle formed easily, but faded off just as fast. We didn’t know how to hold on to each other’s power.
Try the animals, Talina said. I think they can take on any or all of our powers.
Fury immediately changed her focus. Instead of trying to join her flames to the girls, she sent them down into Crete, and the moment it connected with her guide, he sent it across to the rest of us. The flames now linked all seven half-Walkers. I could literally feel the hot element of fire burning through my center.