I felt Kassie's warning and hesitated while trying to think of an appropriate answer.
Another man spoke up.
'They said that the creatures attacked incredibly fast.'
'This is why these shields are being put in place at all the outlying villages and towns.' Kassie smiled thinly, indicating the end of the conversation.
Everyone focused on digging, and I began to tease Broen again, hoping to lighten the air.
'C'mon, Broen, you're slowing down.'
'Not at all, Your Highness. I didn't want you to feel inferior.'
Those around us gasped, but I just laughed.
'Don't tempt me, Broen, otherwise I'll leave you for dead.'
'A thousand apologies, Highness.'
Kassie exchanged an amused look with Elder Taine as Cat and Broen bantered, and the children re-appeared with jugs of water. Everyone made the most of the water break. Loi, Sian, and Citaan came over.
The villagers chatted to Cat, and Citaan introduced her friends to Kassie, Loi, and Sian. As they conversed, a weird feeling began to prickle at Kassie's energy. She shrugged and rolled her shoulders, watching the girls to see if they had noticed anything.
They don't appear to have noticed, she thought. Maybe I've pinched a nerve with all the digging.
Y'len had a firm grip on my hand, tugging for my attention as I spoke to Citaan's friends. I didn't ignore her, but I've never really liked to be interrupted, so I waited until there was a pause in the conversation before turning to her.
'Yes, Y'len?'
'Did you enjoy the water? We added ginger, it means you won't get sick.'
I grinned and assured her I had, listening as she rambled away, intent on keeping my attention. When a villager began to speak to me, I gave Y'len a firm look and she fell silent, waiting for me to finish.
This time, when I looked down to her, she was staring into the sky. I followed her line of sight.
'Is it going to rain?' she sounded disappointed. 'We can still swim in the rain, right?'
The dense black cloud on the horizon didn't look promising and I went to answer but stopped as a strange feeling seemed to prickle over my skin.
The four women paused in the midst of their conversations, and Citaan followed their gaze to the black cloud steadily approaching the village. It didn't move like a normal cloud. Citaan began to feel nervous. The air went tense around them, and she realized it was Kassie, reaching out with her gift. Then everything snapped into action.
'Get inside!' Kassie roared.
Citaan dropped her tools and grabbed the nearest child, racing for the village hall, aware of all those around her doing the same thing. Men flanked both doors, pulling people in and a woman reached for the child in her arms. The little boy kicked, and she released him to the woman as men began to usher everyone to the back of the hall. Citaan shook off the hands that pushed.
'No! I'm staying here.'
No one argued. She wedged herself next to the window closest to the door, where she could still see the girls. Loi had her back to the hall and was glowing an intense green. There was a strange shimmer past the window, and Citaan realized that Loi was shielding the hall with her gift. The last of the villagers jammed into the hall. The men at the doors slammed them shut, sliding huge bolts across. Already the room was stuffy with heat and the sense of fear and apprehension.
An eerie silence settled over the hall as they all waited and listened. Men watched the sky, but Citaan kept her gaze locked on Cat, Sian, and Kass still out there by the freshly turned earth. The three of them stood ready, hands loose at their sides, with their gifts flowing about them.
They hit hard and fast.
There was a flash of black before the first thing swooped in and snatched my ankle, wrenching me high into the air. Hanging upside down, I saw a glimpse of Sian fighting and a flash of energy from Kassie. Then more creatures dived at me, and all I saw were mouths full of long, needle-like teeth. I screamed, hurling my arms out releasing a ring of fire, and whatever had my ankle let go.
Awful shrieks filled the air as I plummeted toward the ground, and I got a slightly better look at them before I was caught by an arm and wrenched up again.
The creatures were at least as big as me, with huge bat-like wings and gelatinous black skin. The talons of the creature