chapter 37
The Louisiana clan stood fifty strong just across the field. The start of the attack came in the form of balls of lava. They were launched over the field like cannonballs, headed directly at the castle walls. But before they reached the Vyusher, the flames were suddenly doused.
Selene glanced at Ellie.
“Ramsey,” Ellie explained in one word.
Selene smiled. Ramsey was watching from inside the castle walls. They’d decided his power could be perceived as too offensive to have him in active battle. He hadn’t liked it but was happy he could still use his power when needed.
The Louisiana tribe didn’t wait. A terrible sound arose from behind them. Birds flew out of the surrounding woods. Suddenly trees and rocks were hurtling through the air, launched by a telekinetic. The projectiles weren’t even halfway across the field when Ellie thought, “Jason, you’re up.”
Jason, a young Vyusher whom Selene had known since he was a cub, crushed them into dust with a flick of his thoughts. Selene paused, impressed with the young man’s power and control.
She was just returning her attention back to the fight when her body was wracked by a horrible itching. It felt as though thousands of bugs were crawling beneath her skin, leaving a burning, tingling sensation in their wake. It took every ounce of her self-control to keep from doubling over at the sensation. At the same time, she was vaguely aware of a large mass of something large and gooey-looking heading their way.
The mass, which almost looked like a huge bubble of pink chewing gum, was almost upon them when it appeared to slam into something. Selene could barely focus, but it appeared as though the blob had hit an invisible unseen wall. It smeared out and upward, smoothing along whatever unseen force it’d encountered.
Griffin’s shield, Selene thought with relief as she saw the mass halted in its tracks. But her satisfaction was short lived. The urge to dig under her skin was becoming unbearable. She could see others around her scratching madly, drawing blood even. Somewhere in the recesses of her consciousness, she heard a sound like yelling, but the sensations consuming her body had her full attention.
Selene was just about the reach out with her power to turn it off at the source when she heard Ellie’s voice in her head.
“Resume your formations. Aid is here.”
A cooling sensation washed through her, calming her twitching nerves and leaving only blessed relief in its wake. A collective groan whipped through their ranks.
“What happened?” she thought to Ellie. At the same time, she searched for the mysterious blob, but it was gone.
“Hugh and Lila. I had to send Charlotte for them first. Someone over there has nerve control.”
As the Svatura and Vyusher collectively calmed, steadied themselves and regrouped, they turned their attention back to their attackers, only to realize that they were in a full-on sprint straight at them. The sight of fifty screaming warriors with murder in their eyes bearing down on her family reminded Selene of all the horrible battles she’d been part of over the years.
“Desmond,” Selene instructed Ellie.
“On it,” Ellie replied.
Instantly, all twenty of the Svatura and Vyusher turned invisible. There was no sound, no warning. Not even the shimmering that happens when a metamorph shifts. Just immediate nothingness.
“This feels so weird,” Ellie muttered beside her. “I can feel that I’m here, but I can’t see anything.”
“It is a little creepy,” Selene agreed. The sensation was almost claustrophobic in an odd way. She almost wanted to rip her body out of whatever was hiding it from her. No wonder Dez didn’t do this very often.
The Louisianans pulled up in surprise, but at an unseen order from their commander, continued their charge.
“Dang. Thought that would work,” Ellie muttered.
She tapped into Charlotte’s power and suddenly they stood on the other side of the attacking hoard, still invisible. Ellie had Dez lift the cloak he held over them all. A small sigh of liberation whispered through their group as visibility returned and they could see their own bodies once more. Apparently, Selene and Ellie weren’t the only ones uncomfortable with that sensation.
Their attackers kept running until they reached the spot where the Vyusher had just been standing. Finding nothing, some started to turn around, still searching. However, instead of everyone turning, another silent command had them running directly at the castle’s wall.
A terrible groan rose from the earth as Darius, another of Selene’s Vyusher, responded to Ellie’s command and wielded his gift. The very ground the Louisianans stood on began to shake and tremble, knocking some off their feet. A seam ripped through the land between them and the castle. Dirt and grass and rocks flew in all directions, covering their attackers in a fine layer of filth and opening a gaping chasm, halting their assault. The edge of the crevice closest to the Louisianans curled upward, guaranteeing no one fell into the void.
“Good thinking, Darius,” Selene thought, knowing Ellie would pass it on.
The southern tribe wheeled around and focused their charge back on the twenty. The metamorphs heading the pack shifted into their animal forms, and Selene could see two tigers, a bear, and an alligator.
All of the Vyusher instantly shifted to wolf form, a growl rumbling through their ranks, but the Cajun shifters continued their advance unimpeded.
“Stay in your forms. I’ll back you up. This one has me written all over it,” Ellie mentally relayed.
Ellie tapped into Amy, a young Vyusher with the ability to project thoughts as a voice for all to hear.
“I wouldn’t recommend that, boys,” she called.
Ellie moved out in front of her allies and shifted in rapid succession, showing the metamorphs exactly what she could do. Her form blurred with mirage-like waves and where Ellie had once stood, first there was a falcon, then a wolf, and then a jaguar, and then Ellie in human form again, hands on her hips and head tilted to the side. While the fighters descending on them slowed slightly at this display, they still didn’t stop. With a shake of her head, Ellie flashed a grin and then revealed her most terrifying form.
Her body appeared to shimmer in mirage-like waves, wavering as if the air around her was distorting. In a motion so rapid it was almost unrecognizable, flesh became shining obsidian scales. Her massive form shot up through the air to tower over the puny humans below. Flashes of whip-like tail, razor-sharp claws, and powerful jaws would intimidate the bravest of any Svatura or Vyusher. Her awesome wings folded neatly behind her, and violet-blue fire burned in her eyes.
The dragon lowered her head to ground level, turning it to the side to watch the Louisiana tribe with an unblinking eye. Tapping into Amy’s power again, Ellie projected her thoughts, which came out sounding a little like Ellie’s voice but with deep, smoky edges.
“Do you seriously want to take me on?” she asked.
The Louisianans stopped in their tracks. Only great fools with a death wish would be willing to take on a dragon.
With a satisfied snort, smoke trailing out of her nostrils and curling into the air, Ellie shifted back to human and rejoined her friends.
“I really hate it when people make me do that. None of this would be necessary if they’d just give us a chance to explain some things.” Ellie spoke to Selene in a conversational voice but continued using Amy’s projection so that everyone could still hear her.
Alex chuckled. Even Selene had to contain a smile.
As no further action came from the Louisianans, Selene started to feel a little edgy. She couldn’t see any particular power being used, but their stillness made her nervous. Just as she caught the blink of a small glow, she heard Griffin’s voice.
“Toxins,” he said. Ellie was projecting his thoughts throughout their ranks, and she felt them all shift at the word.
“What do you mean?” Dez’s thoughts came through loud and clear.
“There’s an invisible cloud of toxic gas headed right for you.”
Meagan, another Vyusher, reacted without Ellie or Selene even having to tell her. The air around them stirred, and then with a great gusting whoosh and a sound like thunder, she pushed all of the molecules of air up high into the stratosphere. She didn’t create a total vacuum where she’d sucked out the air, although she did have that ability and knew better than anyone the awful consequences that could bring. But Selene did feel light-headed for a moment, as if she couldn’t suck enough oxygen into her lungs. Dark spots popped into her vision, but the moment swiftly passed as clean air moved to fill in the void.
But the whooshing sound didn’t stop. Clouds gathered, dark and ferocious. With a sound like a freight train, a funnel of a tornado appeared, swirling and extending down like a snake. The second it hit the ground, dirt and debris were sucked up into it, turning the white cloud black in an instant. It turned and tracked right for Selene’s band of defenders. A ripple of tension ran through the group as they watched the monstrosity of nature bear down on them.
Alex stepped forward. He reached out his hands and froze the tornado in its path. It hovered where it was, still churning and making a terrible racket, but no longer moving forward. Slowly, as if he were freezing one particle at a time, the twister ceased its spinning and broke up as it lost its momentum.
Selene glanced at Alex, impressed. He turned and gave Ellie a cheeky wink and resumed his place beside her.
In the silence of the tornado’s demise, a loud murmur arose from the Louisiana clan. Marcus stepped forward.
“Robichaux!” he called out.
Selene frowned. “That seems an odd—”
She paused mid-sentence as Alex broke ranks and walked out to the middle of the field, meeting Marcus half-way. She glanced at Ellie, who shrugged back, a smug smile starting to form on her face. Ellie considerately allowed everyone to hear the conversation through their link and Griffin’s mind reading ability.
“I was once called Robichaux. Who’s asking?” Alex said as he approached the man.
“You’re not Rene Robichaux. He’s the only man I’ve ever seen with that power.”
“He was my grandfather,” Alex replied.
“You’re Alex?” The man was obviously taken aback.
Alex nodded.
“Rene was a good friend at one time. How did you end up fighting with the Vyusher?” Marcus mused.
“That’s a long story, my friend. But if you take Selene up on her original offer, you will see. My soon-to-be wife and her brother, who are not Vyusher but Svatura, will be the ones showing you.”
There was a lengthy pause. Rather than watching their adversaries, Selene watched Ellie, who was concentrating intently.
“We have a telepath with a very specific skill in our group,” Marcus said. “Would you be willing to let her check and make sure that you are not brainwashed or otherwise mentally compromised?”
“Absolutely. If it stops this conflict and saves lives, she can check anyone in our group that she wishes.”