Jai'eesh felt the adrenaline surge through her blood as she fell, spreading herself out to catch as much air as possible to slow herself down a bit. A rock outcropping was coming up fast as Jai tried to aim herself at the very edge, and clipped it with her feet jumping off, slowing herself down just a hair as she aimed herself at the fast upcoming tree-line of the forest surrounding the city. The minute she hit the trees, she grabbed the nearest branch and used her momentum to flip and aim herself at a stronger branch underneath the first. The minute she landed she heard a loud crack as she quickly clung to the side of the tree and slid around to another nearby branch and rested there. The branch she had broken should have held her weight, but it was completely dry and dead. She quickly scanned the forest around her in mage sight and found that nearly all the trees were dead, their energy being sucked away into the heart of the city. She heard another groan from the branch she was on and took off through the trees at break-neck speed so she would only be on a branch for half a second. It was safer to stay in the trees, no matter how dangerous it was to take one wrong step and go crashing to the forest floor more than forty feet away, since the ground could be covered in traps, guards, or in these circumstances who knew what else.

Mr. S had taken the pause earlier to jump off her neck and scout ahead, and through their bond, she could «see» what he saw at the edges of her own mage-sight enhanced vision. Like all cats, he saw in black and white, but the depth was so clearly defined, he could see farther ahead than she ever could at night with her human eyes. Her mage-sight allowed her to see more of a «life-scape» than what S saw, the ley-lines and energy from the trees and plants that were still alive lit her way. However, in a dying forest such as this was, her mage-talent was directly connected with the Earth in total, making her not only see what was happening, but feel it too like it was being done to her own body. The stolen energy flowed along in sluggish and disgusting browns and yellows beneath her, as she felt hot bile rise in the back of her throat, her body becoming sick from just passing through. She did her best to push the sickening feeling away, focus on what she must do, but even the air itself felt like it was rotting and weighing her down.

The city was getting bigger and bigger through the trees, walls made of the same white rock as the mountainous barrier that surrounded the area, but pulsating with the ugly yellow-brown stolen life energy. She noticed that the edges of her vision, the sight was not one of the tree limbs anymore, but of the ground in a thicket next to the walls of the diseased city. Her bonded Nightmare wasn't too far ahead of her, and the way he kept scanning the area, he saw no guards in the area. When she finally reached his position, she lowered herself quickly and quietly to the ground without breaking a branch, which when she looked back to the tree, she noticed it was withered to the point of almost being snapped if a stiff wind blew. She had landed right next to S in the thicket, which was nothing more than a collection of dead bushes that didn't give much cover, but some was better than none. Sitting back on her heels and placing a hand on her sword, a mere thought towards the city gates signaled S to go ahead, his silver coat nearly invisible in the darkness of area.

He ran ahead, blending in easily with the shadows the huge stone buildings made against the insanely lit sky. He could feel Jai in his mind, watching through his eyes, and feeling her emotions as clear as a bell. She was nervous, chewing her lip again like she always did, but she was nervous more for him than for herself or the situation. He tried to send a reassuring feeling back to her, but he couldn't even muster one himself in a place like this. Suddenly he stopped, picking up on a faint sound, almost like a low humming. No, it wasn't humming. Nearly plastering himself to a low wall that framed one side of a huge street, he advanced cautiously as if he was stalking prey. After a few more feet he stopped dead, stunned by the sight that lay before him. He just sat there in the shadows dumbfounded, not even feeling his bonded move from her position to where he was until she scratched him on the head to wake him up from his stupor. He got up and rubbed himself against her leg for comfort. He looked back and still couldn't believe his yellow-green eyes.

There, not more than a few feet away was a beginning of a sea of humans, ranging from to the very young to the very old all prostrated on their stomachs towards the middle of the city. As if that sight wasn't enough, they were all emitting low moaning sounds like some deranged mantra. It was enough to make all the hair on his back stand on end, as he felt Jai's hair rise slightly on the back of her neck as if it was his own.

He shuddered and looked up at Jai, who was extremely focused on the sight trying to puzzle it out no doubt, -There isn't even a single guard anywhere.-

The minute he had mind-spoke the last word all his senses went off in alarm as he felt something watching them. Jai felt it too as she grabbed the cat and ducked into an alleyway that was right behind them and then peered around the edge of the corner to see what it was. The invisible gaze swept right past them, searching, but not pinpointing anything. He swore he felt confusion, but it could be coming from Jai or himself in actuality. He wasn't going to risk mind-speaking her again for the moment. The «gaze» or what felt like one swept by again, and this time he could actually feel the energy signature, it was just like his! Emitting a low hiss, he knew only one kind of creature that could produce that kind of energy and it had to be undead. True, he was undead as well a Nightmare was nothing more than a soul brought back across the brink by the power of love, thus forming a nearly unbreakable bond between the living bonder and the undead bondee. Whatever was looking for them was defiantly undead, Jai's thoughts confirmed it, but it was different than he, a full 180 from what he was. Then the sinking realization hit him. Just as he could sense them, only vaguely now, they (there was defiantly more than one now) could sense him as well. He struggled out of Jai's grasp and took his own look around the corner only to see two humanoid shadows wading through the prostrated people approaching their position.

Jai slowly stood up, still watching them from the corner of her eye, «No point in hiding now, they know we're here.»

S rarely spoke aloud, he could but didn't like the sound of his voice compared to his mind-voice, «They don't know ourrr exact position though, it would be wiserrr to surrrprrrise them,» he said in a whisper and cursed himself for drawing out his r's again.

Jai shook her head and jerked her head in the direction further down the alleyway. He turned his attention there and could feel another pair of the undead what-ever-they-were nearing the entrance to the other end of the alleyway. He saw Jai shrug and followed her out into the open like they were taking a Sunday stroll, he was in agreement that fighting in the open was better than fighting in that cramped side street, and at least they already knew the other pair was coming. The two figures stopped the minute they saw the duo enter the street, and just watched the odd pair approach them. The undead creatures were clearly once human in form, but they were covered from head to foot in flowing back robes, not one spot on them uncovered. Their auras clearly visible to his own undead eyes, was a sickly hue of dark browns and blues. They were not your average undead, of course saying undead were average was an oxymoron in itself.

The one to the right of the pair tilted it's head in a very unnatural way as a mind-voice brushed the duo's minds that almost made them flinch, -WHY DO YOU COME TO THIS PLACE.- it demanded in a soul shuddering voice.

Jai'eesh didn't answer, she didn't need to as she rested her left palm on top of the hilt of her sword. She let her body relax, as much as it could in a place where it felt like you were dying right along with it, and just lazily scanned the two creatures before her. They were powerful, she knew that and she was willing to bet that they had some equally powerful tricks up their sleeve. Whoever made these things did a good job, but they had one flaw. They were undead. She smiled slightly.

They needed no further hint, -ARE YOU THAT EAGER TO DIE?- and the abruptly started laughing.

Their laughter sounded like amplified fingernails on a black board with bad reverb thrown in. It was either meant to freak out their enemies, or they just really found fighting funny. Jai ignored it and watched them circle S and she warily. She was always told to strike quick and leave the opponent stunned which would give you the advantage, but she wanted to hang back with these things, something told her she wanted to watch what they could do before they saw what she was capable of.

She suddenly felt something grab her from behind as she saw three more of the creatures appear including the one holding her in a bear hug. The one that had been speaking to her rushed in for an attack as Jai quickly dropped her center of weight which loosened the thing's hold on her just enough for her to maneuver into it's own center of gravity. She then jabbed it hard with her elbows in what should have been its ribs, but the blow was only a diversionary tactic to get to her sword in time to draw it and run it straight through the on coming one. It stopped dead, the other too, giving her just enough time to withdraw the sword and slice through the midsection of the one holding her. Instantly, everything got deathly quite as the undead quit laughing and the prostrated city dwellers actually stopped moaning and looked up at the battle.

Her two previous attackers both dropped to their knees, and then started screaming and thrashing violently as they started to dissipate like ash in wind. When the people around them saw this, they instantly were on their feet, screaming and running away from the scene as fast as they possibly could. The mass mob was the perfect distraction that a huge humanoid cat-creature took to attack the one coming in on her left, taking it out in one fell pounce, while she quickly side-stepped as a spear when whistling by where she had been. The undead with the spear quickly danced out of her sword's reach, only to find the huge cat-creature right behind it. It quickly thrust the spear where the cat-creature was, only to find it had instead skewered the other undead that was apparently trying to attack the cat-creature from the other side killing it. It too died like the others when Jai's blade sliced the undead's head cleanly off. Jai then whirled around in a circle coming back to back with the cat-creature studying the area for any more attackers.

-They're still around, but they're not attacking,- Mr. S said as he let himself melt back into his normal house-cat size, -Seems they don't like playing with us.-

«They don't like being the prey when they're used to being the unstoppable hunters.» Jai muttered as she slid her blade back in its scabbard, «'Common, we'd better use this to our advantage and get to the portal before they decide they'd like to try their luck again.»

-What did you just say?-

«I said we need to get outta here and reach the portal to Out- What the hell?» Jai's face screwed into a mask of confusion.

-Must be some more of Gaia's orders are resurfacing in your memory.-

Jai again became agitated due to the fact she did not one, like the fact she was running blind in a dangerous situation and two, her only source of information was coming to her when she least expected it. If it came to her even a hair to late, it could mean her life. Shoving the thought aside to be pondered upon later when things weren't trying to kill her she took off down the now empty street towards the large temple. Bile once again rose in her mouth, the sides of her tongue tingling in objection as her body re-doubled its efforts in emptying her stomach as they neared the source of the coalescing energy. Jai still felt like she was being watched, as all her senses were gathering in information that conflicted with each other. She saw nothing, yet heard moaning reverberating off the alley walls that connected with the main street. Her nose was assaulted with scents of fear, pain, and anguish as well as the most unexpected scents of pleasure and ecstasy. The air tasted of oil with bile mixed in. This place was insane to say the least!

They finally reached the giant plaza that surrounded the temple. The place was bathed in an odd twilight, making it easy for Jai to make out the details of the plaza and the temple. The plaza was paved in stones fitted so well together that she doubted she could even get a razor between where the rocks met. She had heard of only one other place in the world that had this kind a paving and it was half a world away in the mountains of South America. The temple ahead was just as confusing in its architecture as the plaza, the thing look like it was a carbon copy of Athena's Temple in Greece. Yet instead of a triangular top, it was flat with mosaics of demons and other monsters around the edge done in more of a Syrian style. In front of the complex was a very strange altar, adorned by a huge golden skull. She couldn't see inside the temple, but then she really didn't need to because he destination was right on the temple's front steps.

There a literal rip in time and space sat, looking very much like someone tore air open like ripping a page out of a book. The edges glowed in a sickly hue; yellow-greens and browns swirled about like it was a festering wound. It was about four times the size of a person across and at least ten feet tall and still growing from the rate at which it was pulling in the stolen life energy from miles around. Jai cautiously approached the singularity as S jumped up on her shoulder.

-They're still here, but they won't move in on us.- S said as he looked slowly around the deathly still plaza.

Jai's attention switched to where her bonded was looking, through their linked vision she could «see» the rest of the plaza as S looked around it. She was all to aware of the sense of being «watched,» but the sensation doubled as she joined her sixth sense in with the Nightmare cat's. They - the undead creatures like the ones they had faced earlier were everywhere, watching the pair intently. Just as S said, they stayed still, maintaining their view, but not daring to get any closer.

-It's you and my sword. I think they don't know what to make of us. We're not their everyday kind of prey.-

The view at the edge of her vision dimmed as S narrowed his eyes, -It seems they've never encountered a soul-blade or a Nightmare before. Or, they're waiting for something.-

-We'd better get moving before they try to attack again. There's enough to overwhelm us, but I'd rather not give them the chance.-

-Onto the breech?- S asked.

Jai'eesh nodded grimly and walked straight into the sickening blackness of the rift.

Author : Lauren Marie Kottke

Creation date: 2002-4-29-12-29

Modification date: 2003-9-14-17-2