Dreams of the Oracle

Chapter 35

He closed his eyes and felt pain pound into his forehead with the seemingly endless sound. Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. He couldn't see the Janin cover their ears and collapse to their knees before the Rashakas they had been fighting. Nor could her see the Rashakas turning towards the sound, oblivious to the weakness of their enemies. They looked towards the sound in reverence and awe.

Then it finally stopped.

Ashur's ears were ringing terribly as he slowly pulled his hands away. He suddenly realized that he was still screaming and he closed his mouth. A moment later he opened his eyes and pulled himself up to his knees. A high pitched tone rang through the insides of his ears. He blinked and looked out to see both Janin and Rashakas slowly recovering from the ordeal. He reached up and returned his right hand to the hilt of his dagger. He looked blinked again and tried to collect his scattered thoughts.

What in Hades was that?

* * *

Ravena was lying flat on her back in the mud. Rain and wind pelted her face. Mud and muddy water splattered across her body. She closed her eyes tightly as the sharp ringing in her ears refused to cease.

As she slowly gathered her thoughts the first thing she thought of was her weapon. Her mind went to her right hand and she smiled slightly at the realization that she was still holding it in a white knuckle grip. From there she did a quick inventory of the rest of her body. Satisfied, she opened her eyes.

Gray, cold, reality greeted her as her eyelids opened and she began to sit up. The ringing continued but it was only an annoyance. She brought herself slowly up to a crouching position. Mud was stained and splattered all over her.

She gave a venomous look towards the direction of that terrible sound. She knew exactly where it had come from. She knew exactly what it had come from. She knew and she was not pleased.

She looked down at her muddy clothes and arms and hands. Bitter anger coursed through her. She would kill it! She would kill that creature!

With an effort she tried to focus as the ringing in her ears grew less intense. She touched a muddy hand to her forehead and tried to massage away the headache that she knew was coming. The wind suddenly picked up and changed direction and raindrops began stinging her eyes and skin.

She crouched there in the wind and rain for a time. Then , she finally collected herself and began looking around for her would be victim. She turned to the spot where she had seen him before the noise. Her face contorted with rage when her eyes fell upon the empty patch of muddied ground.

She looked around desperately for a few seconds and then she spotted him. He was crouched low and heading towards one of the Rashakas. He was also more than fifty feet away and still moving. A glistening ray of morbid hope lit up her face. It wasn't too late! She held her weapon at her side and broke into a run.

* * *

Ashur walked quickly towards the massive shadow of the Rashaka. He shook his head to get the ringing to stop but it hung there nonetheless. He knew he had to move. The Rashakas didn't seem as harmed by the terrible noise as humans did but they were affected.

The one he was coming after had yet to attack. The Janin it faced, though Ashur couldn't see him, had apparently recovered enough to try and strike but the creature was only moving enough to keep itself from being struck down.

Ashur still kept his head down as he approached it and he didn't move quite too fast. He was right on top of it now. Rainwater shook from its fur as it moved. Ashur moved around with it so he could keep behind it. He didn't think it had seen him. This was it.