Page 99 of Between Soul and Vessel
“Oh fuck,” Kaleb muttered under his breath, voicing what we all were thinking.
The giant roared as he threw the mass of land at us.
“Hold on!” Artemesia yelled as she pushed Vatara to her limits. She flapped her wings faster and faster. I peered behind us, my eyes stretching wide—
We weren’t goingto make it.
Get up,commanded a voice as strong as steel. A voice from my memories—Ezra.Now fight for him, child, with everything you have.Those were the same words she had said to me when Kaleb got lost in the blizzard. I looked at Kaleb. I knew what I had to do.
I leapt to my feet, core contracting, muscles firing as I kept my balance.
Time almost seemed to pause.
Just as I could feel the water molecules in the air, I could feel something else—the life force of the trees, the warmth of the ground. My fingers tingled, a new power forming—no, not forming,awakening. It came from some deep, forgotten crevice within, something that had been there all along, just hidden.
I leaned into it, and like a powerful wave, it swept over me, dragging me down in its immense power.
Light illuminated from me, encasing my body in a bright, white glow. A mighty roar passed my lips as I thrust my arms into the air, raising my bident above my head, my hair floating around me.
The ground groaned. Then, it heeded my command.
Trees, stones, clay, and earth shot into the sky, formingmountains, made by my own will. Like a mighty fist, they smashed into the soil-crafted asteroid and sent it careening off course, obliterating the riders caught in its destructive path.
“Holy shit,” Kaleb spoke in a stunned voice as the mass sailed over us, blotting out the light of the moon.
My legs trembled, my hair fell, and the light emittedfrom me wicked out.
I collapsed back down, panting as my lungs cried out for air as if I had been holding my breath, even though I hadn’t. My body felt weak, zapped for energy. Like a well, drained of water, albeit I could feel the droplets slowly starting to trickle back in.
“Sage, you justmademountains,” Artemesia whispered in wonder.
“Fucking mountains!” Kaleb exclaimed.
In the land mass’s wake, the current it created was so strong that it sucked Vatara in, sending us into a spiral. I let go of my bident and held onto Vatara for dear life. Kaleb and I screamed, while Artemesia desperately tried to correct us.
The world went around and around and—oh gods. Like a butter churn, my stomach rolled, the contents working their way up my esophagus.
Finally, we quit spinning, but the damage had already been done.
“I’m going to be sick.” I covered my mouth.
“Don’t you dare puke on her again,” Artemesia hissed with disdain, having all but forgotten the miracle I’d performed a few seconds ago, thus saving our lives.
“Or me,” Kaleb interjected.
Apparently, he had too.Ungrateful siblings.
“You two suck,” I groaned, fighting another wave of nausea. When I felt the acidic contents of my stomach start to glob up on the back of my tongue, I leaned over to the side.
“No!” Kaleb cried out.
But it was too late—I hurled my guts like a cat evicting hairballs. Yes, with ans. One after another. Some of it landed on Vatara’s side, the chunks sticking to her fur. Some of it landed, well, I don’t know where it landed.
She let out an insulted screech. I couldn’t blame her. I would feel the same way if things were reversed.
“Sorry, Vatara,” I wheezed, my eyes stinging. Creator above, that stunk.
“Sage,” Kaleb said, voice flatter than roadkill.
