Dead Hand of the Past

Into the Mist

33

The next morning before they went into the mist, Azakia went off by himself to pray for their safety during the time they would be in the mist. He prayed they would have guidance through the castle of spirits. He asked Souzousha to guided them and kept them on the right path. He had already read about what Ichiro, hadn't told them about in the mist. Not only had two of the maidens been injured and had to go through the castle wounded, but they had lost one of the men who had been a central part of their journey. The maidens of old had not been ten originally, they had been eleven. They had lost one in the mist. They had watched his very soul being sucked out of his body, and the mist consumed him. It ripped his flesh from his skeleton and then disappearing back into the mist.

No one said anything as they entered the mist. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts worried about what they would face. It was like walking into another dimension as soon as they entered the mist. They could not see anything behind them, and only the mist in front of them. It was cold and dreary, and each of them could feel the weight of despair settling about them.

After several hours of traveling in the mist, most of them began to let their guard down. Their thinking was nothing was going to happen. Kia even was relaxed. Lilla noted since she was sleeping within the necklace. Ichiro watched carefully. He knew the Mihstu was close. They were a part of the mist and practically invisible until they made themselves known. Lilla started to notice an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. The feeling came too late when out of the mist Kazuki felt the first slice of his arm with the razor-sharp talons of the Mihstu. It knocked him off his horse, and he lay there bleeding. Lilla dismounted to see if she heal Kazuki's wound but found her powers were gone. Her powers of healing did not work in the mist she would have to use the natural supplies she had gathered. She was able to stop the bleeding, but his body was becoming cold, and he was losing color.

Ichiro mobilized each of them around Kazuki and Lilla. They would need protection. Jaden and Azure were trying to use their powers against an invisible enemy. Parla sought to use her cloak of invisibility but she was not able to use this power. She decided to change into the Mihstu but was unable to. She had no magical defenses in the mist. Parla too was at the mercy of Jaden and Azure's powers unless she could find a spell in the book that would work in the mist.

Ichiro wanted Jaden to use the powers that she had been refining before entering the mist. He knew her powers might be their only hope. She had been using her skills to keep the Mishtu back. She dropped her body temperature and began to make the mist heavier. She was making the Mishtu more visible to them. It was when one of the four talons came out of the mist and grabbed hold of Saphira trying to squeeze out her life force. Jaden realize dropping the temp was not the answer. She was going to have to try something more drastic if she wanted to save Saphira and the others. She began to do something she had never tried before. She begins to radiate heat from her body throwing flames out into the mist at the Mihstu and at the one who was holding onto Saphira.

It was working the Mihstu were evaporating. Soon the monster loosened its grip on Saphira. She begins directing the heat at the other Mihstu in the area hoping they would stay away. When She had effectively vaporized the Mihstu they were able to move on. Ichiro felt Jaden should keep up the heat keeping them safe from any more Mihstu that might be living within the mist. He knew from experience the worst was not over, and they still had a few more obstacles to face.

Kazuki and Saphira were both weak from their attacks and Ichiro decided they should not ride alone. They hadn't brought a wagon with them, so he assigned Kazuki to ride with Parla and Saphira with Koria. He felt they would be much safer with them than on their own. He had to worry about Jaden too, how long could she keep up the high temperatures to keep them safe without causing her self-harm. He didn't have any answers only fears.