My Ethereal Form

Chapter 6

Part 2

My Ethereal Form

His ensemble consisted of black long sleeves and silk training pants. His ominous eyes looked at me before looking around the room. He shook his head, his amused yellow eyes broadcasting his thoughts. He felt sorry for me. Xanth paused a few feet in front of me. His amber eyes hardening on me. He looked away. His eyes scanning the room as an intensely dark smile appeared on his face. "Is this the best you can up with? An ambush. Your team lurking in the shadows using you as a distraction. How pitiful." He casted those liquid brown eyes on me. Chills went down my spine. The hairs rising on the back of my neck as something in the depths of them lit with something sinister. My dragons slithered down my arms readying for what was to come. Xanth started circling me. I kept my eyes forward, careful to hide the anxious feeling rising in me. "I warned you this was your last chance and yet, you still disappoint me." Zaylee's lightning colored wavelength jumped as she spoke. "Almost there Mute. Just a few more seconds." I kept my face neutral as Xanth rounded to step in front of me. "Are you even listening to me?!" He peered down at me, contempt darkening the brown orbs. I took a few steps back and peered past him at Drakson who was now glancing around the room with a look of interest. An outline of a figure slid across the wall near him as Masha got into position.

"I'm ready, Mute." Kira noted over the length. The sound of her bowstring stretching filling the silent room.

"Ready." Zaylee answered. Xanth stiffened in front of me his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Now!" Then his eyes widened. Power surged across the room as the floor sizzled. Xanth had just enough time to jump back. He flipped up in the air. I crouched down and jumped as high as I could. My hand, reaching out to the ceiling above me. Daisha caught my hand using her giant wings to bring us to a ceiling banister. Kira launched an arrow in Xanth's direction. He only had a millisecond to counteract. Good. He twirled mid-air, the motion bringing him close to the weapons rack. Kira's arrow flew past his chest, embedding in the wall. It was only a second, but it was close. Keeping my eyes on Xanth, I watched as he crouched on the weapons rack peering down at the floor. Zaylee had filled the floor, and walls with an electric current to fry anyone, and anything. She could only hold for a few minutes, but a few minutes was all I needed. "This was your big idea to fill the floor with electricity." His eyes peered around the room. He now stood on the weapons rack. His eyes, already calculating his next move, but I could see something else that brought a smile to my face. He was worried. I flexed my hand, signaling Masha. The electricity on the walls spread apart as an outline of a figure flew across the walls. Xanth moved again away from that direction. Masha had just made it just in time to swipe at the air as Xanth flipped off the weapons rack. He whirled, but he had only a second to counteract before another one of Kira's arrows flew at him. He swiveled as it barely missed his cheek. He landed near the balcony, his hand gripping the railing for dear life. He flipped over it, landing on his feet. I tapped Daisha on her shoulder. She flapped her wings in the air gaining enough momentum to float in front of me. Her blue eyes grew bright as she grabbed my arm, throwing me. I used a rail connecting the ceiling banister push off as Daisha swung me hard enough to launch me at Xanth. I flew through the air, twisting and curling my body enough to pick up speed. The wind whipped through my hair, stinging my cheeks. I ignored it. My dragons transformed, turning into whips. Xanth had just enough time to move before they hit him. Instead, they wrapped around the banister. I landed in front of Xanth with a jarring force. I had just enough time to grit my teeth before Xanth swung at me. I dodged his fist quickly, backing away. My back hit the railing. A shocking pain raced up my spine. Xanth launched forward, swinging out a leg to knock me off balance. Still keeping a hold on the railing. I used my arms to butterfly kick in the air. My legs flew over my head as I flipped to the other side of the railing. Xanth dodged my next flying kick retaliating with a sidekick of his own. I twirled away, using the momentum to flip back over the railing. I dropped low using one of my whips. It barely grazed his feet before he slid back. He slid too far, and his shoulder smashed against the wall with a crack. He cried out as Zaylee's electricity shot through him. He quickly stepped to the side, his light eyes landing on me. I was wrong, Kira's arrow did graze him. Blood poured out of the open-cut across his cheek, and I watched as it sealed closed before my very eyes. He swiped at it, peering down at the blood crusting as his fingertips. His stone-like eyes, landing on me, blazing not with anger but with amusement. He glanced around at the electricity zapping around the room with interest while he clutched his arm. Zaylee electrified the rest of the room, making the railing and floor of the balcony the only haven. The corners of his mouth tipped up. "What gave it away?" I smiled at him.

My dragon hissed as I whipped it out. "Your body gave it away," Daisha answered as she and Kira landed next to me.

"Mute noticed the way your feet kept constant contact with the ground when you were about to fight us. I thought it was just how horrible we were for not being to knock you on your ass. Mute thought differently." Kira continued as she notched another arrow.

"It's the same way Mute can see in trees. The same way she could locate other team members by using the roots in the ground." Daisha interjected, squeezing her giant white wings back in. "You constantly had to keep your feet on the ground. Even though your eyes would look around the room. You were using your ability the whole time. The searching you did was only a ruse. It was not your eyes that could see us, but the way your feet felt out vibrations." Masha tuned in as she climbed the sides stopping to crouch on top.

"At first, we thought our problem was how to take it away, but Daisha thought differently. We didn't need to take it away, but instead distort and narrow it." Masha crouched lower. Her nails creating an eerie sound on the metal of the railings.

"Distorting your field of vision makes it harder for you to feel us coming, harder for you to anticipate our moves, and easier for us to take you down." Daisha finished. Xanth's eyes scanned us with a new purpose. His shoulder cracked as he shoved it back into place. His foot slid behind him as he got into his position. "Be that as it may, it still will not be that easy." Daisha continued a sly smirk cresting the edge of her lips.

"Good, I would be disappointed if it did." I flex my wrist, taking a few steps back. My dragon slid to the ground before curling around Masha's waist. The smile on Xanth's face dropped as his eyes grew dark. His ability back in full use. Masha launched forward. I gripped my dragon tighter, using Masha's momentum to glide across the ground. Xanth swung out a leg kicking Masha in her side before she could even swipe a claw. My dragon quickly returned to me as I skidded, using my other dragon to wrap around his ankle. Pushing my heels against the ground, I slid to a stop yanking hard enough to take out his legs from underneath him. Falling, Xanth used his trapped leg in retribution. Nearly slamming it in my face, I rolled to the side just in time. My dragon hissed as they returned to their normal length. Xanth quickly got to his feet at the same time I did. Xanth lurched forward first, and I expertly sidestepped him, using the railing to twirl in the air. I went for a sidekick, and he caught my foot against his chest and twisted. I cried out as he swerved, throwing me in the air. I flew through the air bracing myself to hit the ground. Instead, Masha caught me in her arms. We slid a few ways back, making room for someone else to step in. Xanth caught the arrow Kira launched at him in his fist. He tossed it aside. Daisha ran toward him, jumping in the air to deliver a spin kick.