The Mists

Chapter Twenty-Two; Hocus Pocus

Skyler glanced back at Jameson. He gave her exactly what she was looking for: a solemn but still encouraging nod. She sucked in a deep breath, remembering the creatures' reaction to the name of their precious weapon.

Skyler slowed to a stop, forcing the Mist leading her to turn. He faced her, a reverent curiosity flooding his face. The emotion made him seem so...human.

She looked down at him with respect, but not without authority, like an employer should look at a hard-working employee but rarely does. Skyler abruptly got down to her knees so that they would be closer to one another's eye level. She prayed that this would go well - otherwise, everything could end right here.

She couldn't help sneaking one last glance over to Jameson. Skyler now saw that everything had stopped around her, human or not. Her traveling companions knew she held their lives in her hands, but their expressions also showed how deeply they had come to trust her. When she looked at the Mists, Skyler saw only honor. They knew she had magic flowing within her. To everyone, she held some sort of power. At the moment, she was the most powerful person.

"I..." Skyler gripped the Mist's baby-sized twig hand as she stared into its deep solid green eyes. She kept her breath steady and voice strong. "We need the Sparth."

At first, there was absolutely no reaction. The Mists didn't move for a long moment. To Skyler and her friends, it appeared completely impassive. The other Mists almost seemed indifferent; half kept their attention on the prisoners, while the other half watched their leader and their beloved. Around them birds tweeted, and there was a slight breeze.

Then, the Mist turned away from Skyler, to her surprise. It looked at its followers and spouted a few commands (or so Skyler and the other figured based off his tone and their next actions). The rest of the Mists forced their prisoners to move. Jameson saw the space between him and Skyler expanding.

Why? Where are they taking us? he wondered before angrily-an emotion that came solely from fear-yelling, "What are you doing? Skyler!" He dared to press against the wall of Mist warriors.

All weapons pointed upwards now. The leader protectively stepped in front of Skyler, who was now on her feet. He said something to Skyler, but she could not comprehend. It was clear he didn't want to hurt her. But what about the others?

Skyler's fear made her stupid and goofily desperate. She grabbed the Mist's shoulder and spun him around. "What are you doing? Where are you taking them?"

The Mists saw the red-hot emotion growing in her. He could feel, too. It made him afraid, which caused him to stumbled backwards. But by then it was too late. The others had disappeared into the surrounding plants. The final few Mists disappeared then.

Skyler stared at the thick bushes and trees that had swallowed them. As she wondered what lay behind them, where her friends were, grisly images filled her mind. Her jaw was unhinged and her lips were parted, but no noise would come out. Her heart felt as if it was being squeezed by a furious beast, its claws digging in as its strength became overpowering.

Skyler fell back down to her knees and bent over, her forehead falling over her knees. She covered her eyes with her palms and began to sob. She felt herself lose all control as the emotions came flooding in. Fear was the strongest, as the images continued to bully her. Longing the second, as she selfishly wished they hadn't left her all alone. Regret the third, as she lamented over everything she still wanted to tell James.

She brushed what she first assumed to be a fallen leaf away, off her shoulder. However, as soon as her skin made contact, she realized it was the Mist. Skyler peered up, no longer feeling so powerful compared to this little creature. All it had to do was drag away those she loved.