The dark was so black it felt like ink was dripping inside of her vision. Darker than black spots flitted about, promising Quinn there was something out there beyond them, beyond the pale light the glow of the tent put off. While Hal stood next to her and had only just spoken, the light around them sputtered, pluning both of them into darkness.
Quinn squeezed her eyes shut and counted to five. She knew that she needed to get her eyes more accustomed to the darkness that now surrounded her. But when she opened them, she realized she already was.
There was a strange film in front of her vision that gave everything a lighter feeling to it. As if she had night vision, which was news to her. She'd not realized dragons got it, or perhaps it was yet another application of the multiple affinities she possessed coming together to create the things she needed by combining multiple affinities.
She sighed.
When all this was over, she'd spend time researching just how her affinities worked, and how those of others did too. Surely she wasn't the only person whose powers decided to combine on their own.
"Quinn?" Hall asked his voice a whisper.
"Here." she replied even though she was quite certain that Hal had perfectly good night vision. How could you be a creature of a hellish planet if you couldn't see in the dark?
She wasn't scared at least.
Even though she could reach out past herself, and into the darkness beyond them, and was able to sense the multitude of different creatures who were apparently surrounding them. Quinn did not feel scared.
Nor was she close to panick.
In fact. She had this oddly prepared and calm sensation that washed over her. It came from within too, not from without and it made the feeling all the more serene for it. She took a deep breath, continuing to center herself and allowed for her senses to flow.
Since synchronizing with the Library again, her abilities had expanded, and this was a whole new set of sensations allowing her to tap into her surroundings and read them. From the flow of the igneous rock, and the formation of the rock all around them, to the inky creatures blipping in and out of sensation, Quinn could focus on everything.
Hal's thoughts brushed against her shielding, requesting permission to speak to her in a way their approaching ambushers wouldn't notice.
Do you think these were sent by D... him? She asked, almost forgetting and using Dravishk's name instead of keeping it silent.
Quinn wasn't precisely sure how she knew that Hal had moved. There was no sound, it was more of a sensation, a slight disturbance in the air around her that gave away he'd shifted his weight somewhat.
I would guess so. Perhaps not so much sent as an ambush, but as guards to hold up anyone getting close to the book and his sister perhaps?
That made so much more sense in Quinn's head. She didn't see how anyone could have known that they'd come here. How could they have anticipated that they'd locate the book precisely, and come here on this exact day. That makes a lot of sense. Sort of left here like an alarm then?
Hal shrugged, the air around Quinn rippling in response to his movements. It's likely. It's what I would do, and he was always similar to me in the way he approached things like this.
Quinn wasn't entirely sure what that told her about her uncle or about Hal, but she could dissect that later.
Even though it was pitch black and she could identify some of the forms and shapes as they approached her, she closed her eyes to be able to center herself, before opening them again. In doing so, she searched herself and found severeal different sight related affinities one of them that was nocturnal and its activation element was obviously engaged. Another few precious seconds as they were being approached, she sought out a targeting affinity.
One of the things she'd learned while while researching her own affinity was that the different aspects could be turned off and on and intermingled with aspects of other harmonious affinities. It was very rare that someone would have two affinities that didn't complement each other.
The revelation meant that she now understood how to combine and utilize more than one affinity at a time, blending them into a spirit of cooperation to give her the specific ability she needed for an exact task. At least, that's what she'd mostly done when she created hers while helping Eugea. It had just needed another little nudge and become something entirely its own, instead of just being a combination of two or three already existing ones.
And so, when she opened her eyes. Not only could Quinn see the ethereal shadow creaters meandering around in front of them, but she could also lock onto, target, and assess each of those creatures.
She smiled, slowly, and let her power wiggle all the way down to her fingertips. It made her feel alive, powerful, and confident.
Ahhhh you really are getting used to your powers now, aren't you little egg.
Quinn didn't dignify that with an answer, but she did smile, and she knew, because of what he was, that he'd be able to see that.
The next thing she knew was that Eric hovered next to them. His wings utterly silent as he did so, his eyes glowing a subdued red.
I'm guessing we won't have much time now? He said, shrugging his shoulders as he cracked his neck from side to side.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Mhm Hal answered. It is as you say.
Then we really should make the most of the time we have. Stop chattering. Quinn admonished as she stretched. Malakai stood to her right, his bow drawn a smile on his face. And she knew. She just knew that the damned elves could see in the bloody dark without having to do anything too crazy with their own vision. She could sense more than hear that Jasper stayed where she was, and knew, without having to review what she understood of that species, that Jasper didn't have any way to combat in the dark. Not given the size of her eyes... perhaps there were other uses for those, like seeing the threads of the things her magic could locate. That would make a lot more sense.
Let's do this then. She said, and moved out with Hal, Eric, and Malakai. For a moment she wondered where Geneva was, and then realized she stayed behind them, taking on the role of the healer because her aunt wasn't with them this time and it would be better for her to conserve her energy.
And then there was a piercing hoot from above them and Quinn grinned.
Aradie was an owl after all. And night hunting was kinda her thing.
Don't you dare use your magic. Quinn said to Malakai.
You're not the first person to tell me that. And I'm not that stupid. He sounded irritated and yet at the same time sort of resigned to the fact that everyone kept checking on him
Quinn moved out from where they stood at the entrance to their tent, her vision focused on the shadow figures that were finally upon her camp. Light cut through shadow the best, and that was what she used. Pin pointed beams of light, shot out of her fingers with ease, targeting with her visual guidance system. She didn't miss a one, blowing them apart in the center of their chests. The darkness scattered as a strange moan filled the air with every single one she hit.
She could feel the breeze around them picking up, and it concerned her, but not in the way it usually would have. She wasn't worried about getting trampled or blown away. Applying gravity to her own footprints, she did the same with those of her team. Not to weigh them down as they walked, but to give them purchase where their feet ended up hitting the ground. She grinned when it worked, and the first gust tried to blow her away.
Not to mention the pleased exclamations coming from her team when they too weren't budged by the wind.
Her scales flashed as something hit her arm, the only indication that something had tried to cut her or hit her. She frowned as she looked down, and then realized about twenty feet away there were several of the shadow creatures firing at her. It didn't even require communication with Aradie for the owl to dive bomb them.
Quinn grinned, pulling on a little more energy to make her light brighter, to chase away the shadows with more gusto.
Beside her Eric shot lava at so many, hot and burning bright, while the satyr through fire. Both of those attacks held enough light to rip their opponents apart with a few shots aimed at them. It wasn't the pinpointed brilliance that Quinn shot at them, but it served its purpose, just like Aradie's laser eyes.
On the other side of her Malakai engaged his arrows, shooting from his vantage point with light based shafts.
At first Quinn thought it was going well. Almost too well though.
It didn't seem difficult at all to cut through them, to smite them all down with light.
Slowly but surely she realized there were so many of them, she didn't know if even she had the energy to keep this fight up. And that did give her a flash of concern.
She began to pull the ambient energy into her again, to distribute from it to all of her team, to fuel them so they wouldn't run out. Not to mention transforming it into a minor healing wave. Just ever so subtly, to help with fatigue and regeneration.
Quinn glanced around, double checking on her team with the overlay she had from the system and her affinities. It told her the current state of their bodies and the wear and tear the fight was taking on all of them. It showed her elements of concern, levels of energy, mana, and fatigue.
She blinked solemnly, taking in the information like it wasn't trying to overload her brain. Drawing it in, she catalogued it as fast as her mind tricks would let her. There was so much to take in on this battlefield.
So much she needed to understand.
Her blitzes of light began to flow together until she felt like that was all she did. Checking on her wards, checking on her shielding over her friends and making sure they had all the regeneration and healing she could contribute.
Yet something niggled at the back of her mind, like she'd forgotten something important.
Something imperative even.
And that's when she remembered that she had.
This whole area has been inundated with an illusion, hasn't it? She asked, because she needed to verify something she knew Hal had told her wasn't happening earlier.
She could practically hear him frown.
Son of a...
There, she'd known it. Something had twisted their perceptions when shadows could be powerful. During the day when shadows gave you a different reality. Where they stretched so far over a village and yet somehow too an entire day of travel at around twenty miles an hour to get to?
Nope. Something didn't add up there.
Simple physics.
Hal groaned. I'm sorry. I should have been more suspicious. We were even in the shade of the mountain the entire afternoon. But it never got closer.
What do you mean?" Geneva asked as she cast a heal yet again on Malakai who seemed to be cut up by some very strange ribbon attack. Unlike Quinn, the imp, and the satyr, Malakai wasn't able to kill things as quickly and had slowly been more overwhelmed than the rest of them.
It means this... it's all been one absolutely huge illusion.
Quinn knew he was right, and now she needed the telltale signs. They were indeed in the shadow of the mountain, but if the indications were right, and she was quite certain they were. This alarm hadn't been placed by their enemies. Or at least, she really hoped it hadn't.
No.
This trap, this alarm... it had been placed by her aunt. Because the overwhelming presence was beginning to push down on Quinn's senses.
"Clever little thing..." The voice did not sound friendly. But it also held no animosity. Just abject boredom.
The shadow creatures slunk back behind what appeared to be a very large, and very shadow driven bulk.
A massive head leaned down, and two huge silver eyes, like the moons Quinn thought she saw in the sky earlier, blinked at her and her companions. The ridges along the top of the dragons' head glistened black in the actual moonlight and Quinn found herself holding her breath as the nostrils huffed, breathing in and out.
The voice was a low alto and resonated through to her bones. "Now perhaps you'd like to tell me, why you smell awfully like my sister and yet don't look one bit like her."