Spirit Stories: Blaze #5

Hello jammers, and a merry Christmas Eve to you all!  

Before I begin on the conclusion of Lis's tale (don't worry, you'll still see her around- just not quite as much), I'd like to give a little shout-out to carouselcrazy, the creator of Frosta! Thank you for finding me and letting me know ^-^

Let's get started! Sorry to leave you hanging off a cliff last time :P

Lis stared, wide-eyed, at the black sea of swirling tentacles surrounding her.  I can’t fight them all, she realized.  One, sure.  Two, maybe.  But more than a hundred?  Despair made her heart sink low.  This is the end.  Her thoughts were bleak.  As the phantoms crept nearer, she held her head high, her eyes fixed on the dark clouds near the horizon.

“Charge!”

A scream pierced her ears, and Lis looked down, startled, as Frosta hurtled up the hill towards the phantoms, armed with her bow and arrow.  Behind her was almost the entire town, armed with everything from serving forks to torches.  Lis gaped, not believing her eyes.  How had Frosta managed to rally the entire town?  Before, they had been too frightened to even look at her.  

The phantoms turned around, caught by surprise.  It seemed clear that they had never experienced anything close to a rebellion.  In that moment, the townsfolk reached them, and Lis’s whole world exploded.  

After a moment of hesitation, Lis found Frosta, who was battling two phantoms at once with a fierce expression on her face.  As they both spun towards her from opposite directions.  Frosta shot one arrow towards one, then another towards the second.  They both hit their mark and the arrows sucked out the phantoms’ electricity before they slumped to the ground.  Frosta, composed, leant over to pick up her arrows.

It was then that Lis saw a phantom floating towards her.  “No!”  With a blood-curdling cry, Lis tumbled down the hill and swung her sword just in time.  As the phantom fell down the hill, Frosta spun around and saw what had happened.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“No.  Thank you,” whispered Lis.  “It must’ve taken a true leader to rally these animals like that.   Frosta blushed.  “It was nothing.”

“I know it was much more than that.”  

Frosta smiled, and they leapt into battle together, Frosta launching arrows while Lis swung her blade.  

“So, did you get what you came for?”  Frosta called as she watched her arrow fly through the air.

“Yes!”  Lis hit the phantom with her sword.

“Then go!”  Frosta turned to face Lis, urgency in her eyes.  

“But I- I can’t leave-” Lis sputtered.

“Go!  This is why we’re doing this.  Don’t let yourself get caught!”  

Lis gave in.  “Alright.  You will all be greatly rewarded,” she assured Frosta.  “I’ll make sure of that.”

“I know you will.  Now run!”

Lis whirled around and stumbled down the hill, darting between phantoms and animals in battle.  She looked down and saw her hooves fade from sight.  Tentatively. she reached her hoof toward a small grey fox.  Rather than going through, her hoof touched him lightly, and he spun around in bewilderment.  So she could not walk through objects when she was invisible.

Lis continued her scramble down the hill, avoiding all in her path.  Finally, she saw the well in front of which she had been transported.  It was glowing green, like a portal, and she sprinted towards it.  

As she ran, Lis noticed herself started to become visible again.  She ran faster as phantoms around her identified her as the one who had broken into the palace and started towards her.  Narrowing her eyes, she saw a phantom coming to cut her off.  

Lis closed her eyes.  Any time now.  She still was visible.  She imagined her sister.  The fire.  She felt herself start to choke up and, when she opened her eyes, she was invisible.  

Lis managed to evade the phantom and throw herself into the portal.  She caught a last glimpse of the phantoms looking around, confused, before she felt the strange stretching motion of portals.

Lis thumped onto the ground.  There were sounds, and talking, and then running and someone standing over her, and then she was being moved and everything was black.

* * *

Lis stood uncertainly over Greely’s bedside.  He was lying on his side, brow creased even in sleep.  She held the small crystal in her mouth, and she set in a small nick in his armor.

Greely’s eyes flickered open and he turned and found her.  He seemed to understand immediately what had happened, and his eyes found the crystal in his armor.

“Thank you.”  The words seemed to pain him, and whether it was from a dry throat or inflated pride Lis couldn’t tell.  

“No, it- it was my duty.”

“You could have refused,” Greely said with a knowing look in his eye.

Lis felt her cheeks grow hot.  She was struck dumb, and had no idea what to say.

“So,” she started, after the silence grew uncomfortable.  To her, at least.  Greely seemed to be studying her without the least concern.

“You’re wondering what’s next?  Well, I can tell that you know the phantoms’ plans.  To weed out the alphas.  You, whether you like it or not, are now our best chance at stopping them.”

“So… what do I do?”

“First, you need training.  I’m sure all of the alphas will be pleased to help you.”

“All?’  Lis already felt dazed from meeting two.  

Greely ignored her.  “I’m sure you know by now that there are more like you.  We’ve sent some, and you are the only one to come back.”

Lis shivered.

“You will be our recruiter.  After you train, it will be your task to assemble the rest of your team.”

Lis lifted her chin, the importance of the task weighing down on her.  She needed to choose wisely.  

She had changed from the deer she once was.

She had confidence in herself.

I can do this.

Merry Christmas, and happy winter!