“No fear,” Wreck whispers. “You’re stronger than them.”
I take a deep breath, calming myself, and rise to my feet. I’m back in the basement inside the master’s mansion, the place from my nightmares. There’s a large puddle of glistening blood on the floor. Gabriel grabs my ankle and I fall onto my hands and knees. I know he’s dead because my trophy knife protrudes from his back. I scream and kick him in the face. His head bounces backward, but his grip is still strong. He lunges forward, squashing me with his weight, and his hands squeeze my throat. I reach for his face, jabbing my thumbs into his eyes. He growls, baring his teeth, trying to bite my face like some kind of feral animal. I pull the knife from his back and stab him in the neck. He finally releases me and I push him off, scrambling to my feet.
I run toward the door. It’s locked. I kick it several times and it breaks open. I take a step into the hall of the mansion and freeze in shock. Topaz stands in my way, holding her detached head at her side. The eyes on the head move, watching me.
Not real, not real, not real…
I hear a chilling growling and three wolves attack, biting at my legs. The pain twists me around and I scream. I fall onto my back, brandishing my knife.
“Hold on,” somebody whispers into my ear.
I see Wreck’s glossy eyes in front of me again, can hear the beat of the drums, feel his hand squeezing mine.
What’s real and what’s not? I don’t remember.
My legs are broken. I crawl across the hall of the mansion, pulling myself forward on my arms. The pain is intense and I’m bleeding.
“You’re a rat!” Logan says, kneeling beside me. “You’re trash! A nobody.”
I flash my knife, slitting his throat. He collapses and I continue crawling. Amy now stands at the doorway, her face deathly pale, a round hole centered between her eyes.
“Amy! Help me!” I scream.
She opens the door. I crawl outside and drop into an endless ocean of garbage. Overhead, lightning strikes across black clouds. My body sinks into the trash. I’m drowning. I feel somebody’s hands grab my feet, pulling me down. I go under the surface, holding my breath and raising an arm above my head. My hand grips long soft fur. Something pulls me out from the garbage trap. Panting, I stare right into the eyes of a huge chimera.
“Thank you,” I whisper, patting the animal’s head. “I’m very sorry I had to kill you.”
The chimera lies down in front of me and I crawl onto its back, gripping its horns for balance. I whisper, “Please, take me to my spiritual guardian.”
The animal takes off. Everything darkens. I close my eyes, passing out, letting the chimera carry me.
When I come to, I’m inside a small shack, my legs no longer broken. A short thin woman stands in a corner, her back turned to me. She’s dressed in a black shirt and camo hunting pants, a sword in her hand. She turns to face me and I gasp, tears blurring my eyes.
“Mom! Is it really you?”
She hugs me tightly. I press my face into her chest, crying yet feeling relieved.
“I missed you so much,” I utter. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you. I think of you every day.”
She caresses my face, her touch soft and calming.
“Mom, who are you?” I whisper, looking her over. “Are you… Jingfay?”
“No,” she laughs, placing the sword into my hand. “I’m not Jingfay. But you are.”
“Me?” I pause, my thoughts racing. “How can I be her?”
“You must free your friends and follow Jingfay’s legacy. You must finish what she started.”
“But how can I do that?” I exclaim in desperation as her face begins fading. “I’m completely alone. I don’t know how I can do it on my own.”
“The high master will help you.”
“Samuel? What do you mean?”
The room becomes blurry.
“No!” I yell, clutching her arms. “Don’t leave me! Please let me stay with you!”
“Kora, wake up! That’s not our world.”
I realize I’m lying on my back on a hard surface. My eyes are closed and something heavy sits across my chest, suffocating me. I can’t fight it off because my body seems to be paralyzed. All I can manage is to let out a few miserable noises.
“Easy, you’re just experiencing temporary paralysis,” I hear Wreck’s voice. “It’s normal and will go away in a few minutes. Just relax. Breathe.”
I draw in a deep breath and open my eyes. I’m back in the cavern and Wreck sits beside me. I still feel like something is squeezing my ribcage, but the sensation is fading.
“Can you feel my touch?” Wreck asks, touching my hand. I can’t answer, so I just blink two times. “Good. Now, I want you to move your fingers.”
Slowly, I roll my hand into a fist.
“Great,” Wreck smiles. “You’ll be okay. Welcome back.”
Several minutes later I push myself up into a sitting position. Wreck watches something in the far side of the cavern, but when I follow his gaze I see nothing. He snaps out of his daze, wraps his arm around me for support and we head toward the entrance. My legs are wobbly and I can hardly walk.
Once outside, the rangers greet us with deafening shouts. Ignoring them, Wreck leads me into the woods. I feel disoriented, periodically passing out before floating back to reality again. We walk through the woods and then he carefully lowers me into cold water. I shudder and sit up abruptly, running my fingers through my wet hair. I find myself in
