Chương 70: Final Run

"Ok, it seems like we're past the stampede," Sol explained.

"But I think we're still in the Scior loop zone. Can you give me a path to the shore I can share? I'm almost out of Life techniques, so Róise will be cut off soon." Miriam squinted into the thick trees of the jungle. No creatures had run through past the vine tangle, so the thick canopy was hurting her line of sight.

"I think… do you see that really thick tree there, with the hollow cut out of it? That's the next marker. But I can't make out anything past it."

"Yes, I can see it. Maybe I can walk there and meet with you, get the next few markers then tell Róise." Sol looked nervous.

"I'm worried. This is taking too long." He pointed back behind them where the stampede had cleared all the trees.

"The smoke is… wait, I think it's really… Miriam!" Miriam turned and saw the Fáelad. The wolf was tearing through the trees, creating a smoking ruin where he charged. Flames poured from his fur, and the earth churned where his claws ripped through. He would be on them in minutes.

"Tell Róise and go back to Cormac," Miriam said.

"Only one marker left - away from that!" She leaped from the tree and began to run as fast as she could. Róise waited nervously at the vine tangle, her eye still on the rabbit creature. It had not attacked so far, but it was clearly getting impatient.

"Sorry," she said.

"I need to wait for my friend. Do you think the smell of the smoke is getting stronger?" The rabbit nodded. Then Sol burst into being and shouted "Róise! Cian is coming fast, just run away from him towards the shore, gotta help Cormac, bye!" He vanished in less than one breath. Róise blinked. Then she looked behind her. Black smoke and burning green eyes.

"Shit!" She jumped down to the ground lightly and began to run as fast as her Fourth legs could take her. Not two steps behind her was the rabbit creature with the axe, keeping pace. She felt the cold sting of panic in her throat. How in the hell would Cormac get away? ✧✧✧ Cormac was twiddling his thumbs again, hanging out by the vine tangle. So far this part of the journey had been very anti-climactic - just sitting in trees, waiting for Sol. He counted. He had sat for a while in that tree.

Well, the stampede had destroyed that tree. But then he spent time in that tree over there. That tree - that one was more of a quick break, and then they moved over to this one. Sol emerged into the world with a gasping breath, grabbing Cormac's shoulder and pointing.

"Look!" Cormac looked.

"Oh, Bodac! Now I wish it was boring again."

"Move!" Sol shouted. Cormac looked at Sol and nodded. The former ship was powerful in his own right, but not physically.

"Hold on to me." Sol squawked as Cormac grabbed him around the waist and leaped down from the tree. Cormac screamed as he wrenched his knee, but he ignored the pain to keep running. He didn't let Sol go - even on the ground, the Fourth would quickly leave him behind.

"You don't have to do this!" Sol said, his voice shaking with every bounce.

"I can just clear my fórsa!" Cormac shook his head.

"Pretty sure Cian's everywhere." Sol frowned. He might be right. ✧✧✧ Miriam didn't have time to wonder at the fact that none of the high-Ring monsters the jungle post-Scior was supposed to have accosted her. She just assumed that, like all the other creatures who were likely burned to death now, they were simply running for their lives. The jungle seemed endless, but she always knew the right way, and eventually she emerged onto a wide sandy beach.

There were dots of sandy walkways to what seemed to be an actual landmass a mile or so into the water. Walking on those sandy dunes, one by one, were the Láthair Maol villagers. They walked as if they were experiencing the world for the first time… which she supposed they were. Their eyes always looking up and around, leading to frequent stumbles and domino-toppling as the line bunched up. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

There were still at least a hundred villagers waiting on the beach. Some were sitting in meditative poses as they absorbed the material fórsa. Some were just waiting to be issued theirs impatiently. Luíseach seemed to have taken on the role of coordinator - Miriam had no doubt she planned to be the last off the island. Also huddled to the side were the group of Wisps. They had material fórsa clenched in their hands, but so far they hadn't absorbed it.

"Luíseach! We have to hurry, Cian is - " Miriam bounded up to the villager, but at a certain point on the beach it was like she'd hit a wall. She fell backwards, holding her face where it had smacked into the invisible barrier.

"What the hell is this?" The head Wisp walked forward.

"We sensed it, but it didn't affect us, so we didn't care. It's not Cian's." Miriam stood and pressed her hand to the place in the air that still had drops of her amber blood floating on it. Her hand buzzed unpleasantly when he pressed against it.

"It must be something King Cianán is doing."

"King Cianán?" The Wisp's eyebrows shop up to a comically high angle.

"The Eternal King is here?"

"I think it's a projection," Miriam said absently, running her hands over the barrier.

"But gods! If he can do this through a projection…" She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"Alby," the Wisp answered.

"Alby. Why haven't your people left yet?" Strangely the Wisp looked embarrassed.

"It ain't nothin'. We heard what was happening and we thought… maybe we could help." Miriam's jaw dropped.

"You want to help?"

"Hey, we ain't been nothin's but helpful!"

"You stabbed me." Alby shrugged.

"Just saying hello, is all." Miriam looked at all the villagers.

"Everyone. Cian is coming. The Fáelad is coming. We have to hurry off the beach! Everyone, go as fast as you -" With a roar, a tentacled cat leaped over her head onto the beach, bounding for the water.

"Poor bastard," Alby said. When it hit the wet sand, the cat quickly disintegrated. He just flaked away into ash and was gone, rapidly filling pawprints the only remnant. Miriam swallowed.

"Everyone needs to hurry!"

"We can't yet," Alby said.

"We got a little surprise set up. Won't be able to do it if we make the conversion first."

"You…" Miriam finally got it.

"You want to try to capture Cian!"

"Hey!" Alby said defensively.

"It worked on that ogre man didn't it? With proof in our hands how could we leave the island before we find out if it would have worked on the intended target? That's generations of research wasted if we just buggered off." Miriam considered.

"If you can hold Cian… maybe…" Róise burst out of the jungle, running at a breakneck pace, nearly stumbling when her feet sunk into sand.

"Miriam!"

"Róise!" Miriam was already creating a vine spear.

"Behind you!"

"No! No, wait! He and I… we have a deal." Róise put herself between Miriam and the rabbit, who was holding his axe in striking position.

"He doesn't attack me, I lead him out." Miriam shook her head.

"Nothing makes sense anymore. Watch out here… there's a barrier."

"A what?" Róise felt along the air.

"Is this new? Cian never said anything about this."

"I think it's from King Cianán." Miriam sighed.

"It seems that he doesn't want us to leave."

"Oh. So we're dead then," Róise said, sinking wearily to the sand.

"Róise? Do you care if your rabbit friend disintegrates? He's walking towards the water," Miriam said in a low tone.

"We saw a cat run through. They just… fall apart."

"Wait!" Róise called to the rabbit.

"If you go out there without absorbing material fórsa, you'll die." The rabbit stopped still, his head turning to look at Róise. Róise inclined her head to Luíseach.

"Give him one of mine." Luíseach shrugged.

"I don't actually see whoever it is you're talking about. But here." She tossed a sphere to Róise, who in turn tossed it to the rabbit. He began staring it at initensely.

"Just absorb it!" Róise called. The rabbit seemed confused for a moment, then nodded slowly. Cormac burst out of the jungle, hauling Sol under his arm like a sack of potatoes.

"He's coming up fast behind us!" Sol yelled.

"You can let me down now!"

"How are you so heavy?" Cormac panted, letting Sol drop to the sand. Cormac was sweating visibly and his right leg was shaking badly.

"Hey, I used to be a hundred-foot ship," Sol said.

"Do you have any idea how much weight I've lost?" Miriam burst out laughing uncontrollably. Cormac followed soon after, and Róise couldn't help but join in.

"Hey," she said.

"If we're going to die, let's do it on a joke." Then the Fáelad stepped out of the jungle. Cormac tried to run to the water, but smacked on the barrier.

"What the hell is this?" The wolf walked slowly now, his flaming paws creating puddles of molten glass in the beach. His low growl shook the trees. Villagers poured out onto the walkways now, while others furiously tried to absorb the material fórsa. The Wisps all had expectant grins on their faces and not a single one took a step off of the beach. The wolf kept advancing. Then Miriam noticed two Wisps hidden among the trees. Their clothes were singed - they'd clearly been hiding as the wolf sauntered past.

What seemed completely undamaged were the lanterns they held, each glowing with a different colored light. Now that she was looking for them, she noticed the others - lanterns hidden by stray leaves or half buried in sand. All in a circle that would be perfectly completed… if there were just two more placed just behind the wolf. Miriam turned to Alby.

"You need more time?" Alby's grin faltered.

"As much as you can get." The Wisps placed the two lanterns and the lights began to connect. The wolf roared and Miriam rushed up to meet it.