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As if in response to Langlis’ urging, four figures appeared, seemingly out of thin air. Two stood in front of Ansley and her mates, the other two behind. All four were dressed in long, dark gray cloaks similar to the one Langlis was wearing. Their images wavered and no hint of a face could be detected within the darkness inside their hoods.
Wraiths.
She wasn’t sure who had whispered the thought but uncertainty spiraled up through her as she heard the word. She had no idea what or who the wraiths were, so she was pretty sure the fear was not hers.
Her mates moved into a protective stance, keeping Langlis at their backs. Ansley joined them, mirroring their stance so they protected their target but also protected each other.
Ansley focused inward without losing track of her surroundings. Jobek dilated the soul bond and Tandor filled it with raw energy. They would not strike first, but they would defend themselves and their target.
“Aito, get us out of here, now!” Jobek ordered.
Ansley felt the disconcerting pull of the teleportation device, but the sensation ceased long before her body dematerialized.
“I can’t get a lock, sir,” Aito’s urgent voice came over general comms.
Shit.The wraiths must be blocking the signal somehow, preventing Aito from streaming them out. They might not have fired a shot, but trapping them here was a form of aggression.
“Back them off,” Jobek ordered, clearly agreeing with her assessment.
Without hesitation, Ansley formed a pile of fire pellets and flung them at one wraith, then threw a large ball at another. Both extinguished the fire as if it were nothing and Ansley felt her confidence slip. Those were her two best weapons.
Refusing to let the setback shake her, she searched for a strategic pivot. If they weren’t impressed by fire, perhaps another element would have more effect.
Water won’t work, Tandor warned.Wraiths are born of water.
That only left earth and they had not yet experimented with Houkdi energy.
Are you empathic?Langlis wanted to know.
Had she guessed what the long pause meant or could she hear Ansley’s thoughts? Ansley was working on shielding her mind but she wasn’t there yet.My mates are, Ansley told her.
Empathy can be a weapon, Langlis urged.Gather emotions and push them into their minds, the more forcefully the better.
Ansley had never heard of such a thing, but the wraiths were closing in. They didn’t move in the conventional sense, but each time she blinked her eyes they were a bit closer.
It’s worth a try. We’ll feed you emotions, Tandor said.Shove them toward the wraiths with all your strength.
Her mind was suddenly inundated with feelings: fear, anger, grief, and pain all twisted into a disorienting muddle. She waited until her psyche could take no more, then forced the emotions outward in all directions. The wraiths cried out and clutched their heads, but so did all the people around them.
Jobek grabbed Ansley by the wrist, Tandor grabbed Langlis, and they sprinted for the end of the row. One of the wraiths recovered before they reached the wide perpendicular aisles, so they darted down the narrow space between two booths. They turned left and found their way blocked again.
Afraid and desperate to escape the persistent creatures, Ansley instinctively slammed energy into the ground. The seismic wave knocked the wraith off his feet. His hood fell back, revealing the male within the cloak. Well into his middle years, with sparse salt and pepper hair, the wraith looked stunned and out of breath.
“You’re not nearly as scary without your costume,” she told him and knocked him flat with another pulse of energy.
Suddenly her flesh began to tingle, but the familiar sucking sensation was welcome this time. The market faded and then their ship came into focus a moment later.
“Hyperspace, now!” Jobek ordered, not willing to risk that the wraiths had ships stashed somewhere.
Before Aito could execute the order, one of the wraiths appeared clinging to the front of the ship.
“What the fuck?” the pilot muttered.
Ansley agreed. They were halfway to outer space. How the hell had the wraith gotten up here?
The wraith balled up his fist and slammed it into the transparent panel directly in front of the pilot. Aito sent the ship into a tight barrel roll but the wraith seemed unaffected by the maneuver. Sharply banked turns were just as useless as everything else the pilot tried. The wraith continued to punch away at the panel, but whatever it was made of held firm.
“Launch,” Tandor urged. “He’llFlowback to the planet or die. It’s his choice!”
