This had been such a nice dream, too. Peaceful. And then a new presence had stained her mind with off-copper light and malice, and she and Coromotto had scrambled to their feet, memories of an ancient ship-killer suddenly as fresh as if the Pirate's Swoop siege had been broken just yesterday.
Then two wolves are running towards the commotion, off in the shallows a few islands away. Wings would be faster, but she can only go as speedily as her wolf-self can run. Their ears pick up the distant cries of two-leggers and their animal-selves, and Coromotto says, "Johnny," just as Daine's eyes - hawk-shaped for sharper vision - pick out the familiar face of the woman from the last dream, the one who had never seen a proper forest before. She's fighting it, the great beast in the water, but her weapons won't be enough.
As the four little bodies are slammed into the water's surface, Daine and Coromotto arrive. She's human-shaped again, slogging into the cool salt water until it's past her knees. Her magic flares, kindled by the waves. Beside her, Coromotto snarls. But her face is calm, almost impassive, as she shuts her eyes and sends herself out, copper-threaded awareness rocketing through the seething waves and straight into the alien body of the kraken.
Alien-ish. Not alien enough to resist her.
"STOP!" she orders. Her shout is nothing against the howls of the beast and the roiling of the water, but it's her magic that matters. It doesn't want to listen, it's hurt, it's furious - but her friends are hurt, and she is furious, too. She sinks to her knees, immersing her body to the chin. Coromotto presses himself against her side, a steady growl rumbling in his chest.
She didn't have to get rid of the last kraken. She wasn't sure if she could.
Well, she'll just have to get rid of this one. There are no other mages to do it for her. Gritting her teeth, Daine clamps down on the beast.
It shrieks. Tentacles twitch as it fights her control, struggling as if she's thrown a net over it. Leave be, she says - scolds, almost, as if it's a dog in the rubbish bin. I won't ask so nicely again.
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Then two wolves are running towards the commotion, off in the shallows a few islands away. Wings would be faster, but she can only go as speedily as her wolf-self can run. Their ears pick up the distant cries of two-leggers and their animal-selves, and Coromotto says, "Johnny," just as Daine's eyes - hawk-shaped for sharper vision - pick out the familiar face of the woman from the last dream, the one who had never seen a proper forest before. She's fighting it, the great beast in the water, but her weapons won't be enough.
As the four little bodies are slammed into the water's surface, Daine and Coromotto arrive. She's human-shaped again, slogging into the cool salt water until it's past her knees. Her magic flares, kindled by the waves. Beside her, Coromotto snarls. But her face is calm, almost impassive, as she shuts her eyes and sends herself out, copper-threaded awareness rocketing through the seething waves and straight into the alien body of the kraken.
Alien-ish. Not alien enough to resist her.
"STOP!" she orders. Her shout is nothing against the howls of the beast and the roiling of the water, but it's her magic that matters. It doesn't want to listen, it's hurt, it's furious - but her friends are hurt, and she is furious, too. She sinks to her knees, immersing her body to the chin. Coromotto presses himself against her side, a steady growl rumbling in his chest.
She didn't have to get rid of the last kraken. She wasn't sure if she could.
Well, she'll just have to get rid of this one. There are no other mages to do it for her. Gritting her teeth, Daine clamps down on the beast.
It shrieks. Tentacles twitch as it fights her control, struggling as if she's thrown a net over it. Leave be, she says - scolds, almost, as if it's a dog in the rubbish bin. I won't ask so nicely again.