A Circuit of Time: Book Two of Spark (A MPHFPC Fanfiction)

Chapter Twelve

"Nothing really happens when Caul touched it. He just couldn't get past it." Emma said.

"Yeah, but Caul isn't exactly human at that point. What if that happen?" Olive pointed at a corner. There was a burned corpse of the creature with bat wings they saw earlier.

"We don't have a choice." Miss Bittern said, and before Olive could stop her, she put her hands on the green energy.

The wall of green light shimmered. It didn't disappear, but fortunately didn't burn Miss Bittern to the death either. The ymbryne then started chanting in Old Peculiar and pushed against the green energy.

The light flickered violently for a few seconds and then disappeared.

The room was illuminated by a mixture of sunlight that shone through multiple bird sized openings on the ceiling and a teal glow from the stone basins carved straight out of the walls.

In the middle of the room, pausing with green energy, was a nest made of living vines.

Inside it was the skeleton of a giant bird submerged in glowing cyan liquid.

The Mother of Birds was here.

*

Ethan threw their last grenade at enemy soldiers. The explosion shook the very ground he stood.

He was on his last magazine. John and Blanche didn't have much ammo left either.

"We need to move." John said, "Someone need to tell the others that creepy woman is coming for them."

"How much bullets do you have?" Ethan asked.

"My rifle is out." Blanche answered.

"I have maybe five rounds left." John said.

"We can't keep doing this forever," Ethan said, "I will go out and draw their fire. When they're focusing on me, you two run back the way we came and go warn Olive."

Before the other two could protest, they heard shouts and gunshots, this time quieter but more powerful. Then there came the sound of bodies dropping to the ground, presumably dead.

"No survivors." A male voice said.

"Good." A female voice replied, "Petrel, lead the way."

Who is that?

Ethan wanted to take a look at the newcomers, but he could sense an oppressive, almost suffocating atmosphere setting in, suppressing such impulse.

"Ethan?" John whispered, "What are we gonna do?"

"We should..." Ethan stopped, the oppressive feeling was becoming so thick and stifling he could hardly speak.

"Ethan?" Blanche asked, her voice full of concern and alarm.

He took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the silence that was being forced onto him, "Okay, we stick to the plan. I distract them, you two go find Olive."

"You could be killed!" Blanche protested.

"We don't have a choice!" Ethan replied, "It's either this or let them reach the Suul."

"Shh!" John shushed them. "Listen!"

"Stop." They heard a distorted voice ordered. "They are here somewhere. Find them."

"With all due respect, sir, we can't waste any more time," the female voice argued, "Francesca or Valeria may have found the Suul by now. How about sending one or two of your hollows after them and we go find the Suul directly?"