Kiora felt ridiculous as she stepped towards the tree. “I know what you are, and I know you have Emane. Let him go.”
The tree shuddered and began to change. For a second she thought she saw Emane’s face in there. Then he was gone. The tree didn’t shift as Drustan did. She would have been prepared for that. Instead the branches popped into a black swirling cloud, whipping and whirling around her. Kiora took a startled step backwards. The cloud collapsed in on itself, smaller and smaller. Suddenly it exploded into an Aktoowa, three times the size of the one they had already met. Kiora screamed, stumbling back. The bird screeched, drowning out whatever it was that Drustan shouted. Taking advantage of Kiora’s fear, the bird quickly nipped her arm, its sharp beak drawing blood.
She looked down at her arm in shock. Maybe Drustan was wrong. Maybe this really was a Shapeshifter. The Aktoowa moved towards her again and Kiora reacted, throwing a bolt of magic. She sent the bird flying into a tree.
“Kiora! It has Emane,” Drustan shouted. “Stop. It’s not real, Kiora, it’s not real.” Drustan tried to run to her, but the Aktoowa had already gained its footing and was coming at her again.
Kiora couldn’t hit it with magic or she would hit Emane. She had to convince herself to stop believing what she was seeing. The bird lunged at her again. Despite her best effort not to, she jumped back in fear, and again the bird drew blood. Kiora gasped in pain, her hand flying to her new injury.
Drustan cursed loudly before morphing into an Aktoowa of matching size. He jumped between Kiora and the Illusionist, biting at it.
“I can not defeat this by myself,” Drustan yelled between attacks. “As long as you believe what you are seeing it will get stronger.”
Easier said than done. She dropped her face into her hands. Nothing about this animal seemed like an illusion. When Drustan clipped the Aktoowa with the back of his wing she heard the collision. And her arm was still bleeding in two places. She held her head, trying to force her brain to ignore the throbbing in her arm. “It’s not real, it’s not real.” Kiora repeated the mantra over and over to herself. But she could still hear the battle raging, undoing any progress she thought she had made.
“Kiora, you had better figure this out,” Drustan yelled at her. “Or I am gong to accidentally kill Emane.”
“It’s not real. It’s not real,” Kiora repeated even louder, wrapping her arms around her head.
“Oh, that is enough,” Drustan bellowed.
Kiora peeked out to watch Drustan morphing into a very large, very thick man. The Giant grabbed the Aktoowa and pulled it down to the ground with a thud that shook the dirt beneath her feet. Wrapping his arms and legs around the bird, Drustan secured it. The Aktoowa kicked and flayed its legs, sharp claws flashing dangerously in Kiora’s direction.
“Come on, Kiora,” Drustan yelled at her as he struggled against the Aktoowa. “The only way it is going to give Emane back is if you take him.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” Kiora yelled in frustration, dropping her arms to her sides. “I don’t even know where he is.”
“Kiora—” Drustan grunted. “Listen to me carefully. You need to reach in and take Emane’s hand. He is in here somewhere.”
“Reach in?” she squeaked. “You mean, in its mouth?”
“No!” The bird thrashed and Drustan almost lost his grip. He wrapped his arms back around it, clasping his hands together over its chest. “In the middle.”
Kiora walked hesitantly over to the Aktoowa. She could hear the rustle of the feathers under Drustan’s grasp and its ragged breathing through the sharp beak. Kiora could still feel where that beak had opened her skin. Closing her eyes, Kiora shoved her fist into its chest. It thudded as it connected with the bird, who shrieked in response.
Drustan was livid. “Damn it, Kiora,” he yelled over the Aktoowa’s shoulder. “There is no faking this! This is not real—the only thing making it real is you. Save your Protector or we might as well go home. If you can’t handle an Illusionist, there is nothing in this land you can handle.”
His words stung and Kiora blinked back tears, swallowing the lump in her throat. She had to do this. Gritting her teeth she held out her hand to the bird. “This is not real, this is not real,”