81292054e8541faf43d69c450d6ac971 by Keri Arthur

Author:Keri Arthur [Arthur, Keri]
Format: epub
Published: 2010-04-08T07:00:00+00:00

Inside the house, someone began screaming.

***

Kirby was halfway down the driveway when her vision blurred. Suddenly she was inside the house rather than outside. In the rear of the house, in a room warmed by the summer sun, a manarei was creeping towards its unknowing victim. Fear clutched her heart and squeezed tight, and for several seconds she couldn't even breathe.

Then she was running up the steps, fingers alive with energy that she launched at the front door. It crashed open, but the sound got lost in the highpitched screaming coming from the rear of the house—screaming that abruptly died. The glass surrounding the door shattered, sending deadly-looking slivers slicing through the air. She raised her hands to protect her face and ran through the entrance.

'Trina!" she screamed. The only reply was a whimper of fear—a sound she felt like echoing.

She pounded down the hall, her footsteps echoing on the wooden floors. Saw Trina on the kitchen floor, scrambling backwards, one arm bloodied and dangling uselessly.

Saw the manarei, claws gleaming a bloody red in the morning light streaming in through the kitchen windows.

"Hey, reptile," she shouted, sliding to a stop just inside the doorway. Its head snaked around, eyes narrowing when it saw her. She didn't give it time to 150

think or react but raised her hands and unleashed the fire. "Eat this!" Lightning netted the creature, surrounding it in a web of blue-white light and thrusting it back against the wall, away from Trina.

The smell of burning flesh filled the air. The creature howled, fighting the energy that held him captive. Pain shivered through her, adding fuel to her already agitated stomach. She'd never tried to hold the energy in a net before, had always used it as a weapon of attack rather than containment. But the energy itself couldn't kill a manarei. She'd learned that the hard way. Using it as a net was her only option, and it was tougher than she'd ever imagined it could be.

Sweat beaded her forehead, and the madmen in her head were beginning their pounding with renewed vigour. She wouldn't be able to hold the net for long, that was for sure.

She ran to Trina's side. Her face was pale, skin clammy, gray eyes more than a little vague as they met Kirby's.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice shrill, almost childlike.

"A friend from the past," Kirby said. Afriend you may not want to remember.

"Can you get up?"

Trina nodded, but her movements were weak, and she seemed unable to find any purchase on the floor tiles. Swearing softly, Kirby tucked her arms under the woman's shoulders and hauled her upright. Trina whimpered and went limp. Grunting under the sudden impact of her weight, Kirby gritted her teeth and struggled to keep them both upright.

The manarei's snarl made her look up. The net was flickering, its power fading. She reached desperately for more energy and for several seconds the net flared brightly. Then the pain in her head kicked in full strength, and the net continued to fade.

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