It’s getting dark when Ada finally says she has to go back home or risk being punished by her uncles even more. I reluctantly fetch her other clothes. I only met her today but already I consider her a friend. I show her out and wave goodbye, inviting her back whenever she can come. Her answer is non-commital, and I can only hope she’ll come back.

Trigger, Twila, and I cuddle into bed together a bit later, with me snuggled between them. I fall asleep slowly. My sleep schedule is messed up from my naps earlier and the time difference from the last world to this one. I do eventually sleep, though.

I sink down through the darkness, which seems to lighten slightly as I fall. As the sky around me lightens, however, acrid smoke hits the back of my throat, making me gag. Everything around me is hazy and I squint, trying to bring things into definition. Only as I see a building loom out of nowhere do I realize it's hazy with smoke, and not a problem with my eyes. All of a sudden I feel a sucking sensation and my body merges with another, hovering midair, and my thoughts are overtaken by someone else in a sudden rush.

There’s a cloud of smoke hanging over the entire sky. The sun is blotted out for as far as I can see and everything is a dark ominous gray. I shudder in horror. What could possess anyone to have done this? I allow my wings, body, and halo to glow with a strong golden light. It’ll make me a target, but I can take far more damage than any of the people of this world. I can’t imagine what they must have done to so anger the Lord Ruler of this galaxy that he would send the DoomBringer to make such an example of this world. I beat my wings harder, trying to rise high enough that I can see, but it’s hard with this much smoke. I send a wind swirling around me and before me, trying to clear enough that I can see. Luckily I don’t have to worry about smoke inhalation, between being able to hold my breath and being immune to poisons and allergies. Never mind how I’m able to be up here, though, it’s the why I’m here that’s important. Why, because the people on this world cried out, pleaded, indeed begged, for my help. I can’t not try. Which all means that I either need to find the DoomBringer and fight him, where I have no chance of winning, or almost no chance, or I try to save the people he’s attacking. It’s not even a choice. I just need to find them, now.

I swoop a bit lower, my wind still trying to clear the air enough for me to see the ground. I land briefly and take a few seconds to make a clone of myself. She won’t be able to fly, but I instruct her to gather as many people as she can towards the tallest building we can see. I fly a bit farther and do the same thing again, making six altogether in a rough circle before flying around myself and telling as many people as I can find, sending them to the building. I fly to a ledge that hangs out about two stories up on that same building and I stand there, waiting for all six of my clones to return. When they have, I gather the people, far fewer than I was hoping to find, less than a hundred I would say, into a huddled mass. I quickly cast a field of protection magic over them, then create an illusion with light magic over the top. My clones are still inside, and I slip inside as well and try to reassure the people that I can find that I’m here to help them and keep them safe. I tell them that if any of them want to leave, I’ll let them, but that I’ll do my best to protect them if they want to stay. I assume my clones told them this was optional, but I want to be sure. No one leaves, so I assume they are good. I give my clones instructions to keep them quiet and safe as much as possible, then draw my first clone aside. I quietly instruct her to vanish if the Doombringer comes so I can gain her memories if he is in a position to notice or threaten the people. She nods and agrees, and I slip back out.

I’ll find as many people as I can and try to hide them, but I remember the games I used to play, remember the way that guarding your flag only drew attention to it when the enemy didn’t yet know where it was, it was safer to stick close enough to be aware of it, but not so close that they could find it. Not yet. I wouldn’t hover over my safe zone like a beacon, not until I had to. I take a deep breath, then signal Twila with my mind. She tells me where she is, and I fly to her as fast as I can. This is where having portals, or being able to transport people through them would be so helpful. I could get some of these people off this world, instead of building flimsy magic shelters for them! Especially since the Doombringer can most likely sense magic. At least, that's the only explanation I've been able to come up with to explain how he finds those he was sent to destroy.

The clouds break in front of me, between where I am and where Twila said she was, and I falter. The cloud break is like a spotlight, shining down a beam of sunlight, and it's too perfect, too round, too deliberate to be natural. I realize the clouds are circling the hole that’s letting the sunlight through, almost like a tornado, but not reaching down, just circling. I hesitate, then redouble my speed. I’m fairly certain about what will come through that portal in the clouds, and I'm not interested in standing around gaping when he does. I skirt around the beam of sunlight, unsure if the time it’ll take will be worth the added safety of not being directly underneath the Doombringer when he comes. I’m only half of the way past the spotlight when a dark shadow falls over it, flying down the break in the clouds, illuminated from behind. I guess it wasn’t worth the extra time after all. I can’t help the fear that strikes me, the way my wings falter for a moment, the way my pulse picks up until it’s thudding in my ears. He’s terrifying. Knowing what he can do, indeed, what he’s already done, I don’t blame the people of this world for screaming and fleeing in panic. Not that there’s anywhere safe. There’s no one below us now, though. It’s just me and him. And the glinting metal cameras that hover around him, a few remaining as others spread out to cover the world. I know what they’re for. To record footage of the Doombringer’s attack so it can be publicized everywhere. So everyone can know exactly what happens when a planet tries to defy the Lord Ruler. I shudder. Now I have a choice. I can stay and try to fight him, or I can leave and try to save more people. I hope it’s not just my cowardice speaking as I turn away from the Doombringer and fly as fast as I can to the next place I can guess people are.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

I reach where Twila said she would be, and nod at her as I touch down, stumbling a bit. She has found more people, and I quickly hide them the same way I hid the others. It would be so nice to have magic that would let me see around the world! I sigh and take off again, flying just under the layer of slowly swirling clouds, searching the ground below me. I fly back and forth, but I can’t find anyone else. I only have my eyes though, and I can’t see through roofs or walls. If people are hiding, I can only pray they’ll stay that way, even without my help. After another 10 passes over the city, I suck in a breath. One of the TV screens is flickering to life, and the Doombringer is pictured, and if I’m right, the building behind him and a little to the left, just barely framed in the shot, is the first one I sent people to. He’s talking, announcing something, but I don’t stay to listen. I fly there as fast as I can, my mind flooded with questions. Why has my clone not vanished so I could know he was there? Am I wrong about where the Doombringer is? Were they all killed flat out and she never had a chance? Was I wrong about the building?

I arrive and pull up short, my wings beating the air a few times to slow me down. I look around where the screen had shown the Doombringer and, sure enough, there is a swirling funnel of black clouds, leaving a golden shaft of light pointed directly at a black-robed figure, tall and commanding. He has no wings but floats effortlessly. He points at the ground, where my illusion is covering the group of people I left. A bolt of arcane magic flies from his hand and strikes my barrier. It dispels my illusion but my barrier manages to stay together, although it weakens significantly. I create an anti-magic field between my barrier and the Doombringer, hoping to stop or at least weaken any further magic attacks.

He blasts my field with repeated blasts so powerful that it takes all my strength to keep it up. My vision starts going dark with the extreme flow of power draining faster than I can keep up. I take a deep breath and draw on the reserve of power that I’ve been filling for months. I pour that extra strength into the anti-magic field, and once it’s strong enough it will take a great deal to destroy it, I finish by adding layer upon layer to the barrier shields around the group of people and myself. I don’t bother with the illusion again. He already knows where they are. The storm above us swirls darker and lightning begins to flash through the clouds, gathering strength and power. A bolt of lightning hits the ground near my barrier and I gulp. I know perfectly well that the DoomBringer doesn’t miss unless it’s on purpose. He’s taunting us, and I fight to keep my last meal down. I take a deep breath and begin to pull on my own nature ability, lessening the storm, redirecting the lightning to stop, avoid people, leave. He seems slightly startled by my progress and it takes him a minute to respond. I send a strong wind against the clouds, trying to blow them away. I don’t have nearly the strength or control the DoomBringer does though, and as he starts fighting against me, the storm grows more powerful. I pour all my effort into reversing the storm, making it retreat. It’s only when I feel a sharp pain in my side that I realize the Doom Bringer has been firing magic bolts at me and my shields have just failed. I quickly fling myself backward in the air, dodging the next strike as I frantically try to rework my shield and the one around the citizens of this world. The pain in my side has already stopped stinging as my skin reknits itself around the wound. I’m not immortal, but the regeneration keeps me alive through any but the most serious injuries. Once my shield is back up I decide it’s a losing battle. If I just play defense I’ll lose for sure. I sigh at the futility and desperation of my next act, and then, barely able to look, send a fireball straight at the Doombringer.