Dewk usually stick to the southern district. I'm glad he made it here too. He's a kind man, just a little humdrum now that I remember. He mostly tended the gardens and such around that part of the city.

He went over and released the other one stationed there.

They both froze.

The other guy stopped chanting, he froze. His head turned slowly before he said anything. "They're breaking the barrier!"

Cursed daggers, there are kids in here!

Elaheh hurried across the room to Mother. "Sarilda, you have to raise the Insula Sentinels! Keep it simple and say: The calcines return."

The Sentinels! They're the elite, almost as strong as the elders. I bet that's what Quain would've done next—awaken them; they can stop this. It isn't right, he shouldn't be dead! He was only about seventy... why'd our old god forsake us and take away our gift? Guttery excuse for a soiled god, you couldn't even keep us safe! Bah!

The temple quaked and rocked as she grappled with the edge of a cot. The evil spirits crowded around the temple, spit dribbled past their long teeth that foamed past its lipless mouth.

No more. I don't want to see anymore, hear anymore.

They went to the edge of the shield and pulled up to their full height by the priests. They leaned forward, teeth gleaming, as they roared in his face.

Lighting forked near the line of calcines but instead of frying the vile things it missed them by inches.

Elaheh and mother came beside her, and their complexions emptied like paint from a jar.

"Most of the men are gone, it's just us and a handful of priests, Elaheh said. "Call a spirit, will you do that for us?"

Merryn bllinked. The spirits sometimes don't come to me, the last time I tried, he wouldn't do anything. He just ended up staring at everyone, something wasn't right inside. She rubbed her arm. "I'm not really good at this yet."

Elaheh took both her hands and held them. "We don't have many options left if this doesn't work..." She coughed and cleared her throat. "Then it'll be up to Sarilda. So many have left us, so many injured and dying. Please Merryn. Try."

"I don't know if it'll work. I don't know anything..." I do want to do something, but what if I fail?

Elaheh frowned, the soft wrinkles on her face practically covered her eyes. She let go of Merryn's hands as Mother stepped beside them.

"I know you too well. You think you'll fail again, so why even try?"

Merryn looked away. I always fail, eventually.

Mother grabbed her by both shoulders and shook her lightly. "Look at me!"

The voices in the temple stopped everyone, and everyone turned to watch. Most weren't outright staring, but made busy movements while their eyes flickered up on occasion.

A softness settled into her face, contrasting with the wolfish glint in her eyes. "That's not a good enough reason to give up, you've got to trust in the gods and in yourself.

"My powers don't always work, mom! They just stop! I can't! What if I make it worse?"

Elaheh nodded. "Give it a go."

A nausea wrapped around her stomach and spiraled though her body, she groaned. I can't do this. She held her stomach.

She shrugged. "Try. The worst that can happen is that you fail. We're already flamed for the goose anyway."

I'm going to lose my lunch. Crouching down, she swept away some dust on the floor. It's easier to crouch than to stand right now. The shades if the past appeared, each one lighting up a umpteen amount through air, as they circled about her, with a hand, she reached out, pushing aside the others; searching. Aetae's shade thrummed louder then the rest the last remnant of a proud warrior.

She yanked it.

"Aetae, hark hear me! Elaema watches and protects. Will you hear this prayer and head my call?" Please come right this time, don't be so empty...

A tiny gray breeze blew around her, it spun off between her and her mother. It condensed taking a wispy thin shape. His wispy spirit thin, his features faint as a wish.

"What need of this hour?" His voice was soft and light.

She gasped. He came! I didn't mess it up!

Mother motioned for her to answer.

"Grant us speed." She peeked at mother, who gave a slight nod.

"The icy touch of death spreads faster than fear; may you be fleet-footed as such," he said. He neared, his lightest touch sent frost that raced up from her arm and spread in record time to the rest of her body, covering her in a thin film of ice that, while it felt cool wasn't freezing.

He touched Mother. She shivered, and bowed. "Grateful."

He held up three translucent fingers. Three more times before the payment after that, each time would have a cost. Most who called the spirits tried to avoid ever using up more than two, as the cost past that was severe, taking several years off ones' life.

She walked up between the priests. "Open it."

Merryn went over and put a hand on her forearm. "Sacrifice?" That can't be it.

"No angel, a mad dash." She looked at each priest and then spoke. "Once they were out, put it back up, and quick! You got that? Slam it hard."

His wide gray eyes, nearly blue, darkened; they set off his otherwise dull and thin face. He worked his mouth for a bit. "I don't like this."

He tilted his head back, clenched his jaw, and sucked in a breath. "They got my aunt. And here I am doing nothing but putting this shield up!" His voice strangled in on itself and cut near the end.

"Bullshit. Don't let guilt and sorrow nick at your common sense. "Without your and the others' efforts, we'd have perished by now."

He bowed his head, then looked up, stiffened his back, and snapped his feet together. "Right!"

I've never seen her like this before; it's like she can make people less broken or something.

The temple rocked on its foundations, and this time most adults joined in with the children with their shouts and cries.

Oh–no, oh–no, oh–no, oh–no! Falling on her stomach, the air smacked out of her lungs in a gust. The stone floor cropped up at an angle. Everything there, along with part of the pillars, rolled down to a corner.

Claws clanked on all sides around the temple, unseen.

A piller section separated from the structure and crushed the mass of cots. The metal groned as it twisted and warped.

The section slowed, wobbled, and fell flat.

The section slid further down the hall, pushing the beds with it. On standing she managed to keep her footing on the elevated floor while pushing back at the mass. Leave us alone! The kids are crying, the adults torn apart, my teacher is... I wish I could stop this.

An icy cold frosted over her heart, she shivered clutching her chest. Breathe, just breathe. Right.

She pushed it back. The elders—why'd he turn them around like that? I don't want to go back out there, but we can't stay in here.

"Mom!" Her arms burned and twitched; it was pretty heavy! Something like this wouldn't take her out. She called her again, louder.

"This is giving me a headache!" Mom grunted and helped her push, the mass went at a sideways cockeyed angle that mushed into a crumpled semi-corner.

"Don't you think..."

"Right."

They both went back over to the priests. Mother motioned to them both. "Take it down, before they turn this temple into a tomb.

The one on the right sighed as he dropped his hands, as did the other.

Mom clasped her hand, and dashed outside, dragging her with. "Put it up!"

With a deep whoosh it went back up, covering the whole temple and ebbing into transparency.

They hovered around, sticking to the shadows under trees, beside buildings, and other shady spots.

This might not have been the brightest thing to do. "Mom, do you have some kind of plan?" I can't do much my training. It just started last month, I can't seal them, could I? Well, if I could, it wouldn't do much anyway as it's too slow! Think, think, think! She pressed the sides of her temple.

"Hurry, go back to the elders, before the spell wears off."

She stared at her for longer than was polite. "They'll rip us to shreds." She swallowed the big dry lump her tongue had become.

She smirked, that contrasting gentle—yet hardness crossed her face. "It'll be fine go on, most won't be able to even catch up."

"Why can't they just leave us alone?" Merryn mashed her fists together and tilted her head back, the burring in her eyes returning. Why, I'm almost twenty, only fifty more short (forever) years, and I'll be an adult; don't act like a big baby. She sniffed. Not one tear. Not one stupid big baby tear, everyone else is hurt, quit being selfish!

Family suicide is what this is. Her brows drooped down enough to make them ache.

Mother scowled back while pointing in the direction of the elders. "Just go, trust me."

She groaned. Those were always the two worst words ever.

Breaking into a run, she sprinted down the middle of the street, with every step her heart beat in unison. The Calcine ever the more shadowy hugged the edges of the buildings. The lighting above crackled, and thinned pulling back on itself, as if exhausted. I want this to end too.

"Don't slow down!" She patted Merryn's back, then pointed afar. "Almost there, you can see the pillars again."

The tops of the pillars rose over the houses and disappeared-reappeared through the trees, as she ran. Legs warmed and burned. Keep up the pace. Swerve around the almost too, close shadowy areas. Keep up with Mom.

Tapping. Over yonder on the side, on the left, and above More tapp-tap-tapping.

"Ignore them, they're trying to distract you, it's alright, keep going." Mother patted her arm while keeping pace. Her chest heaved, her breaths more rapid.

That's right, she and father would often go outside and hunt them, so she would know.

Merryn came to a dead stop where a small outlook tower and a building were, and the shadows converged.

Several of the creatures clustered together; they stretched their arms to follow the path of crisscrossing shadows.

Just in time, she hopped back, narrowly avoiding them.

Their eyeless heads tilted, following them to the end of the shadows' edge.

A flat hisss wound its way out of their mouths.

The sun set lower in the sky. It wasn't dark yet, but it wouldn't be much longer, what with the shadows growing longer until all touched until the last light severed.

Mother stopped and brushed her long blue hair back while looking off in the distance. "I do not want to do this. If I mess up, go too far back, if I don't keep I on one spot, it'll be worse than what the calcines can do."

"I don't understand."

"Too much history to explain it all." She moved closer to the cluster of the devilish things . "I'm an adept, and when it's time for the White adept to recoup and awaken, I'll take their place." Smooth as agile as a falcon, she dropped down and slapped both palms onto the ground.

The ground shuttered, turning beneath them into a rotted and crumbling mess.

In they fell, no time to scream or claw to creep they fell into a hole so deep that light seemed to be eaten in it with a blaring roar.

The trees they hid under grew several feet in height. The branches reached high into the sky, exploding with foliage. The trunks thickened and widened. Grass, weeds, and flowers exploded in length, almost as tall as mother's crouched form.

She panted a river of sweat down her back, the fabric clung tight. Her hair was a sticky mess on her neck. An exhale, her fingers flexed and clenched, and she shook them out, rubbing them.

The earth around the hole crumbled inward, the tree groaned and creaked as it fell in.

Airy moans bellowed from the depths.

Merryn helped her stand. I've never seen her so determined and strong, was she always like this and I never noticed?

"That should help us pass though." Her legs wobbled as she stepped over the curb. "Are you ready?"

Her hands folded together, as tight as she could. Nope, not ready. Not at all. But I'm going to do it anyway. Besides, I can't let her go alone. "Eh." Meryn shrugged and caught up with her.

They crossed over to that ever-ending street; the elders place didn't seem so far before as it did now.

The sun sat at no more than half a palm's width from the horizon, and the chill air dipped even lower.

She breathed in deeply. A mistake. The cold air immediately chilled her head, followed by a sharp stab of a headache. The barrier wavered like a shimmering heat haze in the distance.

At least the monsters were more shy about tailing us. They hissed at mother but stayed a respectable fifteen feet away.

"That wasn't too hard." Mother bent over, collecting her breaths. I didn't realize how badly that spell taxed her. Sometimes Elaema demanded more, praise to her that she didn't this time.