“What is Hunter’s Night?” I asked, taking in the growing dot in the sky

  “It’s when hundreds of the Morgan attack at once, and the sky literally turns black as night,” Arriana replied gulping. Her hands were trembling.

  “We pray not to ever get caught up in one but it happens more often than not,” said Ilias standing much like Boulder would stand.

  “Whether we like it or not, it is upon us. We had best get ready. Niran can you build a protective sphere around the group while Atesh takes point? Boulder and Ruckus can protect the newcomers. Ilias and Pallas, you can take the other two sides while I take the back, “ said Nero.

  “What about me,” asked Arriana.

  “Your Highness will be with the human in the protection as water doesn’t harm these creatures,” replied Nero and Arriana breathed a sigh of relief and stepped into the circle of cloth Niran was making. Jonah stared transfixed at the growing dot.

  “I’m assuming these Morgan creatures are the ones Jonah and I encountered when we first got here,” I said and Ilias nodded.

  Maryanne: Is it me or is Jonah acting strange?

  Strength: Great! Soul-suckin monster bonanza comin up!

  Mark: It isn’t just you, Maryanne. He’s acting strange

  Jack: When is he not? He’s gotten really chummy with us lately. I’m waiting for the shoe to fall. If the shoe fits hehe

  Strength: Maryanne? Have you figured out where the creepy vibes are coming from?

  Maryanne: No, Strength and it's bothering me.

  Jack: They’re coming from the subconsciousness. We’ll likely have a new sister soon.

  Mark: Why do you say that Jack?

  Jack: Cause bro, the subconsciousness is in chaos. I went to visit it and there were several black orbs swirling inside, growing. We came out of orbs like that except for Maryanne.

  Maryanne: How many orbs were there?

  Jack: Seven.

  I bulked. Seven! Seven new voices were being born! I couldn’t handle this and so I turned to something I could. The danger we were facing was real and like everyone else, I wanted to keep my soul. Jonah seemed to be in a trance or reliving a memory of his. Whatever it was it had his utmost attention.

  Arriana was pacing around in our small circle while Niran painted symbols on the silk. Being in a life-and-death situation would probably cause me to have more voices. The stress was getting to me and I began to fidget with my ponytail. Jonah’s hand rested on my shoulder. I looked up into his eyes. A spot of red was growing around the pupils. Was that normal? I looked at Arriana’s eyes for a minute. She didn’t have it. Neither did the others.

  “Jonah, are you ok?” I whispered.

  He looked at me with uncertainty in his gaze before he answered. “I can see everyone’s heat signature. I don’t think my hearing comes from being a Kin either,” he muttered. His bangs covered his eyes momentarily and he moved his hand to move them. I caught his nails then. I took his hand and inspected them. The nails were longer and thicker like claws! I tugged at his hand.

  “Jonah! How long have you been going through this?” I asked worry darkening my tone.

  “The hearing was since I woke up. The rest has been gradual. We have been traveling for three days Myra.”

  “Is this because of the bird?”

  “Possibly. It could just be me. My dad wanted me enslaved. Maybe I’m a hybrid and this is what they’re afraid of?”

  I nodded and tugged him to me hugging him. Over three days now and I considered him somewhat of a friend now. I didn’t want to lose him to whatever this change was. He hugged back awkwardly as if he’d never hugged before and he probably hadn’t, his memories notwithstanding.

  We were in this together and we were going home together no matter what! Arriana made a gagging noise behind us and I turned a blind eye to her. I did let Jonah go. He had a serious look in his eyes.

  “If I…”

  I covered his mouth with my hand. “Don’t say it! You won’t. We’ll both be out of here, alive,” I said. His eyes narrowed and I felt something wet on my fingers. I tore my hand away and shook off the drool. “EWW! You licked me!”

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  “You didn’t give me a choice! Anyway, I promise not to die if you promise the same thing,” he said glaring.

  “Fine! I can’t believe you licked me,” I muttered wiping my hand on my jeans and glaring back.

  “I don’t like being silenced,” he muttered turning his eyes back to the sky. The dot had grown and I could make out a pair of wings now. Soon it would cover the sun. I noticed that Niran had finished and was chanting.

  “Opollemei, mother of all protect us from evil,” prayed Pallas as Ruckus and Boulder sharpened their spears. Ilias was making his own barrier spell and Atesh was following his lead.

  I gasped when a foamy bubble encased Jonah, Arriana, and I. It built on all sides at once and met in the center above our heads. It glowed violet. Jonah pressed his hand against it and shoved lightly. The material shifted under him and stretched but it didn’t break.

  “I thought it was supposed to be solid,” I muttered, poking the stretchy foam.

  Niran sighed. “It is. I don’t have the strength or control to make it solid. I’m just a Medium at best.”

  “Medium?” I asked raising my eyebrow.

  “Second class in rune mastery,” it wasn’t Niran that answered. I glanced at Jonah.

  “What?” .

  “How do you know that?” I asked, surprised that he knew anything about Sapherine. Maybe there was more truth to his missing memories than I thought.

  “In my memories. I was being taught runes by... someone. Anyway, if you swap the water symbols for Earth it should strengthen it,” he said poking the shield again. “You made a different kind of shield.”

  Niran’s eyes widened. “Of course! I accidentally made the foam bubble enchantment. Say, what level were you when you disappeared?”

  Jonah's eyes scrunched a bit and he shook his head. “Can’t remember,” he said poking at the shield. “You made a solid foam enchantment though so I guess you can make the other one with the corrections.”

  Niran nodded and began rewriting the long chain of symbols again. This time when he chanted a bright purple flash overtook my senses and then a crystal enclosure was around us. Jonah tapped it and nodded.

  “This is what I remember in the water with the sharks before we were sucked into a black hole,” he said.

  “How? There’s no magic on Earth unless it came from you accidentally?” I said glaring at him.

  “I didn’t have magic on Earth and I didn’t remember my past either so runes were out. I swear we didn’t land here because of me!” he said.

  I bit my lip and nodded. We would already be home if that was the case unless he didn’t know how to return us.

  Maryanne: I’m not so sure he doesn’t know how to get back

  Strength: Yeah, if he did get us here he should get us home then

  Mark: I concur.

  Jack: Am I the only voice of reason? The dude’s innocent. Boy was that like saying the sky is green! He’s going through a change and I don’t think he likes it either.

  Maryanne: Jack is right for once. Jonah isn’t capable of this.

  Strength: Ya sure Maryanne? The dude’s capable of anything.

  Mark: Narcissist remember?

  Maryanne: Not this. He’s screwed too right now and I don’t think he’s a Narcissist. An arrogant egoist SOB but not the whole nine yards. I’ve been watching him and he has some emotions deep deep deeeeep down.

  Yeah, fear and arrogance so far, although he has kept to the truce and he has shown he is human. He still only cares about himself and is pretty selfish but at least he isn’t my sworn enemy and is protecting me. He might change some along our journey who knows? I didn’t trust him completely though. There were things about me that he was better off not knowing. If the time came then I’d tell him til then...I’d keep my mouth shut.

  Maryanne: That is a wise decision

  Strength: Yeah!

  Mark: I agree

  Jack: Sure sure.

  The sky soon grew dark enough that it seemed as if evening was upon us even if my watch said it was ten in the morning. As it grew darker Niran and Atesh lit up like torches. The fire danced against their skin and lit the darkness around us. I remember these things hid in the shadows.

  Nero and Pallas lit up the dark with a strange violet aura around them. Ruckus and Boulder glowed brown and melted into the shadows but their spears glinted in the firelight. Ilias glowed a ghastly white and even Arriana was glowing a calming sapphire. I turned to Jonah who gazed calmly at a shadow.

  “They’re out there. I can sense them,” he said. This meant he could see their heat signatures and saw the clearest of us probably, but instead of offering to help he stood there glaring at the darkness. I sighed. Well if this meant he was a hybrid, then he would have given himself away. I guess I could understand that. We needed one of us free to talk to the council and they clearly wouldn’t listen to me, a human.

  There was a collective breath before Ilias fingered an arrow and shot into the shadows. A cry was heard. From the shadows emerged a big pterodactyl, an arrow through its eyes. Formless shadows merged and the group began to move, arrows and spears clashed with shadows and terrifying cries screeched through the air.

  I screamed as one of the pterodactyls scratched at the glass. Jonah looked halfway between amused and annoyed, and a blade of wind decimated the pterodactyl. I remembered his hearing and smiled sheepishly. Arriana stood on the far side trembling in fear and muttering prayers. I turned to the battle. Niran and Atesh were torching the pterodactyls, while Ilias ran shooting arrows into them with great accuracy. Spears glinted and disappeared in the shadows, giving me a glimpse at Ruckus and Boulder.

  Pallas and Nero were working in tandem by blasting the pterodactyls with purple blasts, that would encase them and crush them to the size of a marble. Even Jonah would use his wind to dissect the creatures. Arriana screamed and I turned to see the biggest Pterodactyl ever, fly into our shield and break it into a million crystal fragments. Jonah and I ducked, and I watched as the creature scooped Arriana in its claws and began to take off.

  Deep in the subconsciousness two cocoons blasted open and two figures shook off the black goop of the subconsciousness.

  “Guess it's time to play,” said a red-haired female that looked suspiciously like Arriana.

  “Let’s join the party then,” said a male Myra.

  The female glowed white and the male a deep red. Together they fed their power into the subconsciousness and laughed.

  Maryanne gasped as she began glowing green and black

  Strength glowed blue

  Mark glowed brown

  And Jack melted into the shadows.

  I gasped as my voices screamed and I was flooded with a powerful sensation. It filled me to the brim, and steam began to come off my skin. Jonah let go and stared. “Myra?” he asked eyes wide as I burst into flame, while wind surrounded me. I faced the pterodactyl and faded out of existence, becoming the very air, and reappearing just as it was about to take Arriana. Filling my fists with fire, I punched the pterodactyl and shoved fire into its eyes. It cried and let Arriana go a few feet above the ground. I didn’t pay attention.

  I kicked out with all my strength, adding more fire to the pterodactyl. Jonah floated to me and made many, different, tiny cuts into the Pterodactyl’s wings, shredding them. It came down with a horrendous cry. We landed and faced the large creature. I summoned fire and blasted it. Fire ate through it from beak to tail, eating it till a pile of ash was all that remained. I stood with my hand on my knees, heaving, and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. The darkness slowly began to fade until the sky was blue again.