On the trail ahead, she made outa shadowy figure coming closer and she called out breathlessly.“Who’s there?”
“Erling.”
“Thank God!” Toemeka ran overto him. “Michio needs help. They’re trying to kill him.”
When she reached Erling, he swunghis fist toward her face. Reacting from years of training, she duckedout of the way. He swung again. She jumped back awkwardly with thebaby on her back and his fist grazed her chin. She cried out in pain,backing away from him. “Condor’s blood, Erling! What’s wrongwith you?”
A cloud moved away from one ofthe moons and a shaft of light hit Erling’s face. His eyes wereglazed and vacant. “Oh no!” Toemeka gasped. Seetva’staken control of him. Sheplunged off the trail. As she pushed through the dense undergrowth,she heard twigs breaking behind her as Erling charged after her. Herheart pounded so loudly it reminded her of drums beating. The bar onthe baby carrier snagged on a tree branch. Toemeka slipped off thebaby carrier and set it on the ground with the stand out to keep itupright. Baymond started crying again.
“Shh, don’t cry,” shewhispered, squatting in front of him. “Please be quiet.” Sheheard a branch snap and swung around to see Erling standing a fewfeet away. He grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet.
“Erling, it’s me, Toemeka,”she pleaded.
He dragged her back through thebrush to the trail. “You belong to Seetva,” he said in anunnatural voice. “Start walking.”
“I can’t leave Baymond.”Inwardly she left Michio’s side, where he still battled theirenemies, and started searching for Erling’s Light Body.
“Move,” said Erling.
“Erling, wake up. Don’t letSeetva control you. You’re stronger than she is.” She sent loveto him on many different levels.
His fist swung toward her faceagain. Toemeka swung her forearm upward, blocking the blow. Then shegrabbed his arm and pulled him forward and down, tripping him as shedid. He grabbed her as he started to fall, bringing her down withhim.
Inwardly, the bond of lovebetween them led her to him and she found Erling in the astral world.She saw a dark cloud of energy surrounding him and forced her waythrough it.
Outwardly, Erling flipped Toemekaoff and they continued to wrestle. She noticed he seemed to fightwithout a will of his own and wasn’t as quick or skilled as usual.With her knowledge of his fighting method, she was able to hold herown despite his larger build. Continuing to operate in dualconsciousness, she perceived that the dark energy surrounding him wasfrom Seetva’s spell. “Erling, you have Master Bakka’sprotection. Seetva can’t control you.” She focused on pure,unconditional love and an opening gradually appeared in the darkenergy. Inwardly Erling tore through the gap and soared free.
Outwardly, Erling gained theupper hand and held her down with his body weight. His fist flewtoward her face. Too winded to move, she tensed anticipating theblow. At the last second, his fist hit the ground next to her headwith deadly impact.
“What’s going on?” heasked, confused, and moved to help her up. “Did I hurt you?”
“You were under Seetva’scontrol. Seetva, Cadmus and Zanton are attacking Michio. We must gohelp him.” Baymond’s cries pierced the air and Toemeka gasped,“Baymond!”
She pushed her way through thedark bushes, moving toward the sound of her baby’s cries. Shereached him and kissed his soft cheek before putting the carrier backon. When she arose, she saw Erling followed her.
“You brought Baymond?”
“I didn’t know what else todo. I couldn’t leave him home alone and I knew Michio was in mortaldanger. I contacted Captain Zachary, but we can’t wait for him tofind us. We have to save Michio.” Toemeka led Erling through thewoods to the place where she’d left Michio. When they reached themoonlit clearing, they found Michio backed up against a tree,fighting Cadmus and Zanton with his death sword. Erling suddenly wentrigid, his eyes blank, and he roughly grabbed Toemeka, pulling hertoward Seetva.
“Let go!” Toemeka cried,terrified Erling was under Seetva’s influence again. She struggledas Seetva walked toward them.
“This is better than I planned.You’ve captured Toemeka,” Seetva said, slashing a death swordtoward her.
Erling sprang at Seetva, grabbedher arm and twisted it. The sword dropped to the ground. Seetvaroared like a demon and sent a wave of negative power at Erling. Helost his hold on her and staggered back as if from a physical blow.
Seetva’s eyes held fire as shechanged her shape into that of a large black beast. She pounced onErling, knocking him to the ground. Her claws ripped at his flesh andher vicious fangs tried to tear out his throat.
Toemeka drew her knife andplunged it into the beast’s back. The creature roared and turnedits red, deadly eyes on Toemeka. She froze, terror pulsing throughher. Erling drew his knife and slashed it across the beast’sthroat. Blood sprayed and the creature collapsed on the ground. Asthe beast’s blood flowed out, its form shifted back to Seetva.
Erling grabbed the sword from theground and charged at Zanton, who swung away from Michio and metErling’s sword with his own. The two deadly weapons clashed againsteach another.
“You’ve killed Seetva!”Zanton yelled, slashing his sword at Erling. “For that you die!”
Now fighting one-on-one, Michiobattled Cadmus with renewed energy.
Toemeka heard the sound ofspacecraft and looked up to see it landing near her and Michio’shome. Thank God, she thought, pulling out her communicator to contactZac.
Suddenly, from thin air, anenormous, black swirling mass of energy appeared before her. Itformed into the shape of a fanged, black-haired beast.
“Michio!” she screamed. Sheran over to where she’d dropped her blaster searched for it in thedim light. Finally recovering it, she aimed and fired at thecreature. It grew larger.
Both Michio and Erling turnedtoward her. Erling swung his death sword at the beast and it grewlarger still.
“Don’t!” yelled Michio.“Surround yourself with love.”
Cadmus and Zanton turned and raninto the woods in two different directions.
Toemeka heard Michio’s words,but they didn’t make sense. In her panicked state, she kept firingher blaster.
The monster became larger andeven more powerful. Its form was fluid and kept changing, taking onthe shapes of various monsters she’d encountered in her
