Children of the Archangels

CHAPTER 16: WHO WANTS YAK BELLY?

Luke thought his head was an anvil and the hammer of a yak's hoof was going to smash him into a flat piece of dough.

One second there was the cold wind and light from the white sun, hidden behind a layer of clouds. Then a curtain was pulled over the world and he was back in a shaded darkness with rays of light piercing through the curtain.

It took Luke a second to realize he was beneath the Zengan. That was the good news. The bad news was half his body was stuck in the Earth, nudged between a crack in the ground that the yak had probably created—and not to mention the smell of a sewer beneath this creature that probably never stepped foot in water in its lifetime.

Both of Luke's hands were stuck at his sides in the ground. He had to free them quick before either the beast moves away and he loses his opportunity to strike, or he gets driven into the Earth like a stake and suffers permanent brain damage at best.

Luke tried wiggling free, but the Zengan kept raising his front two legs off the ground and smashing the earth in front of Luke. It had its pros and cons. Con was the fear of dying of course. Pro, each time the beast struck the ground, it made it a bit easier for Luke to wiggle himself free since the ground cracked just a bit more with each slam the Zengan made.

As the Zengan rose from the ground and the curtain of hair along with it, he spotted Dean Ammon, with arms covered in thick layers of ice, having a sumo wrestling match with the beast. Luke wasn't sure if the Dean knew that he was beneath the Yak, but he hoped that the Dean could hold his ground.

The hooves slammed against the earth again. The rocks around him split a bit, just enough for Luke to wedge his elbow a bit higher. He scraped his arm against the rough edges of the stone. Come on, just a bit more.

Another slam and then Luke was able to break his left hand free, but as he did, a loose stone had wedged itself between where his hand had been, restricting him from setting free his right hand—the hand he needed to summon his finishing move: the undying sear.

As of now, he had only been able to summon the flame from his right hand. It was his dominant hand, the hand he wrote with, threw with, brushed with, and even peed with. But he had to try something.

He tried concentrating on summoning a flame in his left hand. He curled his hand, trying to generate warmth. But nothing. He snapped his fingers to try and ignite a spark. But nothing. He even tried blowing hot water vapor into his left hand. But nothing.

The Zengan bobbed its head and slammed its horn against Dean Ammon's abdomen. Luke heard the horn crack against icy hard skin, but even so, the strike was enough to throw the Dean off balance. He fell backwards and stumbled to regain his footing.

He was running out of time. Once the Zengan was able to get rid of the Dean from his path, he'll move, spot Luke, and then the Yak will play whack-a-mole with Luke's head.

Then Luke felt something different. His hand grazed against the fur of the yak and like touching a light switch on a cold winter's day, a spark ran down his left hand and sent a jolt throughout his body.

Usually, the static touch would be minuscule. It'd last a second and disappear. But this time, the tingly sensation lingered. Then it started to augment. It felt like his left hand was itchy, covered in a wool glove. In the darkness beneath the yak, he saw a white spark arch between his fingertips.

Then he heard it screech like a bird. His left hand was coated in an electric glove.

Whoa, Luke thought. He wasn't sure if he should freak out or geek out. This was both scary and fascinating at the same time. Being able to conjure fire was pretty awesome and unique.

But now lightning?

The Zengan rose up into the air as an arch of electricity gathered in Luke's hand. The rocks around him started to split some more. He nudged his way higher and higher and allowed gravity to do the rest.

Luke wasn't sure which was louder, his heart drumming in his ears, or the earthshaking cry of the yak who had an electric hand in its gut.

The creature rose again, lifting Luke out from the hole in the ground. Luke latched onto its fur with his now free hand and legs. He smeared his left hand around inside the creature and felt too many squishy things.

The yak started bucking as if some pest was riding on top of it. Luke lost his grip on the fur and latched onto something that felt like a mushy rope inside the yak. The yak took off forward, and Luke emerged out of the fur forest and back into the light.

Then the loud yak's bellow filled the air before the ground shook. Once Luke's eyes adjusted to the light, he realized that the Zengan was on the ground, finally subdued. In his left hand, still sparking with electricity was a brown rope—no, it had guck and tendons like a muscle.

Covered in dark orange yak guck, Luke held the brown rope in the air for the rest of the students and teachers who were staring at him. "Anyone want yak belly?"