Page 143 of Visions & Shadows

The trees around us are bending severely, taking heavy strain from the wind. Pieces of debris slam hard into my body.

“Where are you?” I cry.

“By the waterfall!” she shouts, sounding closer.

My eyes finally begin to adjust to the darkness, and I catch sight ofmovement to my right. “I see something and really hope it’s you. Can you see me?”

“Yes! Yes, I see you!” She cries with relief drenching her words.

“Thank God!” Using every bit of power I have, I push myself up off the grass.

I don’t know where the strength comes from, but I need to get to Sky. She is all that matters now.

When she sees me, she starts to cry, her small frame trembling violently. “You came for me. You didn’t forget me,” she cries and grabs hold of me so tightly I almost lose my balance. “You really came for me.”

“I’ve got her,” Raighne says as he turns so she can climb onto his back. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Don’t let go of Raighne,” I tell her before I fight my way back into the pool.

I swallow some of the muddy water as I fight to keep my head above it. The wind is making the water’s surface turbulent, and I’m quickly growing tired.

We’re almost to the curtain when I hear a deafening roar.

“Jesus, what’s that?” I ask.

“Tsunami,” Sky screams. “Faster. It’s coming!”

Ice ripples through my body, and fear settles hard in the pit of my stomach. I glance over my shoulder, and my eyes jump from Sky’s terrified face to the colossal wall of water rushing toward us like a dark shadow, crushing trees and everything else in its path.

Oh. My. God.

“Move, Raighne!” I shout, waiting for them to get in front of me.

He powers through the water and reaches the curtain first.

“Go,” I gasp. “I’m right behind you.”

With a mass of pure destruction coming directly at us, my heart beats wildly in my chest as I fight my way through the pool.

Just as Raighne shifts through the curtain, the water around me starts to rise.

Shit!

A smaller wave hits me, carrying me forward, and I quickly think ofthe waterfall in Ireland as I slam into the curtain.

Water propels me forward, hurling me into the air before I crash painfully hard into a boulder. The air is knocked from my lungs as I roll off the boulder and slam into the footpath around the pool of the waterfall. I skid over the rough surface for a few more feet before coming to a groaning standstill. It feels as if my right arm has been torn off.

I lie still while gasping for air as I stare up at the clear sky.

Holy shit.

“Alchera,” I hear Brenna call out, but I don’t have the strength to lift my head.

“What the fuck?” Doug gasps. “Make this make sense.”

I hear Jason talk to Doug, but I can’t focus on what they’re saying because the pain increases tenfold in my body.

“I’m here.”Raighne drops to his knees beside me, and when his hands fold around my arm, a cry rips free from me. Shivering uncontrollably, I glance down only to see a bone protruding from my arm, and almost pass out at the sight.

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