Hyacinth (23 page)

“On it,” Ellie
replied.

Instantly, all
twenty of the
Svatura
and Vyusher turned invisible. There was no sound,
no warning. Not even the shimmering that happens when a metamorph shifts. Just
immediate nothingness.

“This feels so
weird,” Ellie muttered beside her. “I can feel that I’m here, but I can’t see
anything.”

“It is a little
creepy,” Selene agreed. The sensation was almost claustrophobic in an odd way.
She almost wanted to rip her body out of whatever was hiding it from her. No
wonder Dez didn’t do this very often.

The Louisianans
pulled up in surprise, but at an unseen order from their commander, continued
their charge.

“Dang. Thought
that would work,” Ellie muttered.

She tapped into
Charlotte’s power and suddenly they stood on the other side of the attacking
hoard, still invisible. Ellie had Dez lift the cloak he held over them all. A
small sigh of liberation whispered through their group as visibility returned
and they could see their own bodies once more. Apparently, Selene and Ellie
weren’t the only ones uncomfortable with that sensation.

Their attackers
kept running until they reached the spot where the Vyusher had just been
standing. Finding nothing, some started to turn around, still searching. However,
instead of everyone turning, another silent command had them running directly
at the castle’s wall.

A terrible groan
rose from the earth as Darius, another of Selene’s Vyusher, responded to
Ellie’s command and wielded his gift. The very ground the Louisianans stood on
began to shake and tremble, knocking some off their feet. A seam ripped through
the land between them and the castle. Dirt and grass and rocks flew in all
directions, covering their attackers in a fine layer of filth and opening a
gaping chasm, halting their assault. The edge of the crevice closest to the
Louisianans curled upward, guaranteeing no one fell into the void.

“Good thinking,
Darius,”
Selene thought, knowing Ellie would pass it on.

The southern
tribe wheeled around and focused their charge back on the twenty. The
metamorphs heading the pack shifted into their animal forms, and Selene could
see two tigers, a bear, and an alligator.

All of the
Vyusher instantly shifted to wolf form, a growl rumbling through their ranks,
but the Cajun shifters continued their advance unimpeded.

“Stay in your
forms. I’ll back you up. This one has me written all over it,”
Ellie mentally
relayed.

Ellie tapped
into Amy, a young Vyusher with the ability to project thoughts as a voice for
all to hear.

“I wouldn’t
recommend that, boys,” she called.

Ellie moved out
in front of her allies and shifted in rapid succession, showing the metamorphs
exactly what she could do. Her form blurred with mirage-like waves and where
Ellie had once stood, first there was a falcon, then a wolf, and then a jaguar,
and then Ellie in human form again, hands on her hips and head tilted to the
side. While the fighters descending on them slowed slightly at this display,
they still didn’t stop. With a shake of her head, Ellie flashed a grin and then
revealed her most terrifying form.

Her body
appeared to shimmer in mirage-like waves, wavering as if the air around her was
distorting. In a motion so rapid
it was almost unrecognizable, flesh became shining obsidian scales. Her massive
form shot up through the air to tower over the puny humans below. Flashes of
whip-like tail, razor-sharp claws, and powerful jaws would intimidate the
bravest of any
Svatura
or Vyusher. Her awesome wings folded neatly
behind her, and violet-blue fire burned in her eyes.

The dragon
lowered her head to ground level, turning it to the side to watch the Louisiana
tribe with an unblinking eye. Tapping into Amy’s power again, Ellie projected
her thoughts, which came out sounding a little like Ellie’s voice but with
deep, smoky edges.

“Do you
seriously want to take me on?” she asked.

The Louisianans
stopped in their tracks. Only great fools with a death wish would be willing to
take on a dragon.

With a satisfied
snort, smoke trailing out of her nostrils and curling into the air, Ellie
shifted back to human and rejoined her friends.

“I really hate
it when people make me do that. None of this would be necessary if they’d just
give us a chance to explain some things.” Ellie spoke to Selene in a
conversational voice but continued using Amy’s projection so that everyone
could still hear her.

Alex chuckled.
Even Selene had to contain a smile.

As no further
action came from the Louisianans, Selene started to feel a little edgy. She
couldn’t see any particular power being used, but their stillness made her
nervous. Just as she caught the blink of a small glow, she heard Griffin’s
voice.

“Toxins,”
he said. Ellie
was projecting his thoughts throughout their ranks, and she felt them all shift
at the word.

“What do you
mean?” Dez’s thoughts came through loud and clear.

“There’s an
invisible cloud of toxic gas headed right for you.”

Meagan, another
Vyusher, reacted without Ellie or Selene even having to tell her. The air
around them stirred, and then with a great gusting whoosh and a sound like
thunder, she pushed all of the molecules of air up high into the stratosphere. She
didn’t create a total vacuum where she’d sucked out the air, although she did
have that ability and knew better than anyone the awful consequences that could
bring. But Selene did feel light-headed for a moment, as if she couldn’t suck
enough oxygen into her lungs. Dark spots popped into her vision, but the moment
swiftly passed as clean air moved to fill in the void.

But the
whooshing sound didn’t stop. Clouds gathered, dark and ferocious. With a sound
like a freight train, a funnel of a tornado appeared, swirling and extending
down like a snake. The second it hit the ground, dirt and debris were sucked up
into it, turning the white cloud black in an instant. It turned and tracked
right for Selene’s band of defenders. A ripple of tension ran through the group
as they watched the monstrosity of nature bear down on them.

Alex stepped
forward. He reached out his hands and froze the tornado in its path. It hovered
where it was, still churning and making a terrible racket, but no longer moving
forward. Slowly, as if he were freezing one particle at a time, the twister
ceased its spinning and broke up as it lost its momentum.

Selene glanced
at Alex, impressed. He turned and gave Ellie a cheeky wink and resumed his
place beside her.

In the silence
of the tornado’s demise, a loud murmur arose from the Louisiana clan. Marcus
stepped forward.

“Robichaux!” he called
out.

Selene frowned. “That
seems an odd—”

She paused
mid-sentence as Alex broke ranks and walked out to the middle of the field,
meeting Marcus half-way. She glanced at Ellie, who shrugged back, a smug smile
starting to form on her face. Ellie considerately allowed everyone to hear the
conversation through their link and Griffin’s mind reading ability.

“I was once
called Robichaux. Who’s asking?” Alex said as he approached the man.

“You’re not Rene
Robichaux. He’s the only man I’ve ever seen with that power.”

“He was my
grandfather,” Alex replied.

“
You’re Alex
?”
The man was obviously taken aback.

Alex nodded.

“Rene was a good
friend at one time. How did you end up fighting with the Vyusher?” Marcus
mused.

“That’s a long
story, my friend. But if you take Selene up on her original offer, you will
see. My soon-to-be wife and her brother, who are not Vyusher but
Svatura
,
will be the ones showing you.”

There was a
lengthy pause. Rather than watching their adversaries, Selene watched Ellie,
who was concentrating intently.

“We have a
telepath with a very specific skill in our group,” Marcus said. “Would you be
willing to let her check and make sure that you are not brainwashed or
otherwise mentally compromised?”

“Absolutely. If
it stops this conflict and saves lives, she can check anyone in our group that
she wishes.”

Selene stood
beside the rest of the Vyusher, desperately trying to hold her anxiety in check
as she watched Ellie, Griffin, and Lila. The Louisiana clan had only allowed
Svatura
near them. No Vyusher. The group across the field stood connected through an interlocking
network of hands in hands or on shoulders and backs. Heads were bowed and eyes were
closed as they watched what Ellie had to show them, using Lila’s gift so they
would know that what they were seeing was the truth. They’d been standing there
a good thirty minutes so far.

“Is she showing
them the entire history of the
Svatura
over there?” Desmond muttered in
her ear.

Selene grinned.
“It
is
a really long story,” she reminded him.

“Huh,” he
grunted. “So are you finally talking to me now?”

She cast him a
sideways glance. “I guess so.”

“You know
nothing my father suggested was my idea, right?” he pressed.

She sighed.
“Yes, Desmond. I believe you.”

Selene almost
jumped when she heard Griffin’s voice.
“Selene, we need you. They’re ready
to let you tell your side of the story.”

“Are you sure?
Is that a good idea?”
Selene worried back, remaining where she was.

“Hey. Stop
canoodling with Dez and trust me.”

Selene squared
her shoulders and started across the field. A smile played at her lips.
“Did
you really just say canoodle?”

A deep chuckle
sounded through their mental link, sending shivers skittering across her skin.
“Technically,
I thought it,”
he replied.

Ellie released
Griffin’s hand so Selene could join them.

“Show them
exactly what you’ve showed us,” Ellie said to her. With a nod and a deep
breath, Selene did exactly that.

As she
concentrated through the memories and the images and feelings, Selene suddenly
felt, just for a split second, as though she was the one controlling all the
powers, rather than Ellie. A starburst of colors – purple, blue, red, and
yellow– flashed before her eyes and quickly disappeared. Cracking open one eye,
she looked over at Ellie, who was watching her closely with a frown.

“
Keep going
,”
Ellie instructed telepathically.

Selene closed her
eyes again and wrapped up the last of the memories she felt were important to
share. When she was finally done, she opened her eyes and focused on Marcus.

“
Did that
help? Do they understand
?” she thought at Ellie and Griffin.

“I’d like a
moment to confer with my people,” Marcus said before they had a chance to
respond.

“Of course,”
Ellie and Selene both murmured. They backed away, giving the Louisiana clan
some space.

Ellie put a hand
on Selene’s.
“Your eyes look like mine when I’m going dragon, all blue
flames.”
She tapped into Griffin’s telepathy and kept her comments between
them in their thoughts.

“Wow! Yours are
a freaky hot-pink. Is that how my eyes look when I use my powers?”

“Only when
you’re doing something big, I think. But did you feel that odd moment back
there? I can’t even describe it.”

“Yes. I felt
something odd, but it was too fast—”

“Yeah. I
wonder…”

“What’re you two
doing?” Griffin interrupted.

Selene folded
her hands as she returned to watching the Louisianans debate their options.
“What do you think?” she asked, nodding toward them.

Griffin stuffed
his hands in his pockets. “It’s hard to tell. I deliberately stayed out of
their minds. I didn’t want to be accused of interfering with their true
opinions.” He glanced at her briefly before turning his attention back to the
group. “It’s a compelling story, Selene. And they seem to be reasonable people.
Have some faith.”

Selene’s lips
twisted. “Faith is not a strength of mine,” she muttered to herself.

She didn’t think
anyone had heard her until Griffin edged a little closer behind her. “Are you
so sure?” he whispered in her ear.

Resisting the
urge to lean back just slightly, she whispered back, “What do you mean?”

“Only someone
with a great deal of faith would’ve relocated herself so close to the people
who had a right to hold a grudge.”

Selene wasn’t
quite sure how to take that but decided to go with a positive spin. “I think that
was more desperation than faith,” she responded dryly.

She straightened
as Marcus turned and walked toward them. Selene went to meet him, flanked by
Ellie and Griffin.