Lavender had only ever heard of bears.

  Fur covered monsters of superhuman strength that could kill a man in seconds. Never could she have imagined what stood before her, though. Ten feet tall, with spikes ridging the beast’s spine, it had scabs covering massive amounts of its body where fur struggled to grow in sparse tufts.

  Radiation sickness has warped all life this far out that has survived Zemmal explained, sensing her distraction.

  “Look out, he’s going to charge!” Brute’s voice bellowed in her mind.

  Her eyes flashed into focus on the bear. More comfortable with her magic, she reached for it instinctively.

  With precision she sent the hottest ball of flame towards the diseased creature that she could muster. She watched as the direct hit was shaken off like water off Brute’s coat.

  “Guys, why didn’t that work!? What the hell is this thing?” Lavender yelled as she rolled herself out of the bear’s path.

  It barreled forward, and changed direction, its behemoth body bearing down on Lavender. Faster than its large size would suggest. Lavender caught a glimpse of iridescence before Zemmal’s body crashed into the beast from the right, throwing it off course.

  You’re going to need something stronger than fire this time, Little Flame. Something meant to destroy. You must strike it with your lightning! Zemmal’s order was clear and final.

  Lavender had no choice. She plunged into the place in herself where she knew her magic dwelled, searching for something more than the rage the fire produced.

  She searched for destruction.

  What she found was that beyond the fire, there was something that sizzled in her grasps.

  “I think I have ahold of it!”

  Lavender took mental hold of the crackling energy she now possessed, opened her eyes, and took aim.

  This time, the arc of lightning hit its target; obliterating the bear’s left side. She stared in silent disbelief.

  “Well done, Lav! I knew you had it in you” Brute practically gushed. “You’re beginning to control more aspects of your magic. Whoa…easy now.”

  Lavender was swaying in place, dazed. Words were barely registering in her consciousness.

  It is a stronger type of magic. It will leave you feeling more drained until you are used to its flow Zemmal’s voice was soothing against the splitting of her skull. The pulse in her temples ebbed. Just rest now. You will need your strength.

  “…you…you saved me”

  I returned a favor. Nothing more.

  With that Lavender faded into the inky pool of sleep.

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  She found herself back in the endless black void. It was less cold this time. More inviting.

  Lavender did not dare move. Felt the eyes upon her.

  She spun in place and found what a part of her knew she would. Eyes, startingly familiar. One purple, one green. Glowing with an unsettling intensity.

  Her eyes. No, not hers. Like hers. Breath left her lungs and did not immediately return.

  “Oh, yes. Yes, this is excellent. You’re right on time. But of course, you are, aren’t you, pet?” The voice filled Lavender’s head, yet she knew it also filled the void. Real.

  Female, with a soft pitch and warm comfort. The voice wrapped around Lavender and she began to ease. Began to breath again.

  “There you go, no need to be frightened. I’m not in the business of harming unprovoked.”

  A playfulness crept into the woman’s tone. Lavender admitted to herself aloud what her heart already knew: “Zemmal’s mother.”

  “Well, who else would be visiting your subconscious, dear? I’m merely here to express my gratitude for your service to my Zemmal, and to say hello. We’ll meet in person. In time.”

  “You’re just as vague as the boys. I see where they get it from.”

  “Such spunk! I love it,” crooned the voice. “Well, I must be off. Things to do. Places to be. You understand.”

  “Wait! Who are you? Why do you want to meet me so badly?”

  As Lavender spoke the words, she could already feel the presence was gone. All that was left was the gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her something terrible waited. Watched.

  This time, when she awoke in the quiet blanket of night, she remembered.

  By the time light began to pepper the forest floor, Brute and Zemmal had begun to shake off the remnants of sleep.

  “Is the meat safe to eat? Our supplies are running low and we haven’t had a real meal in days,” Lavender inquired to no one in particular.

  It may not taste the best, but if we char it, we should be able to consume without worry, Zemmal responded. Tiredness still lingered in his voice.

  Lavender nodded and silently began cleaning the carcass. She was grateful that it was her knife she had on her when they had left that morning to hunt. Though she missed her father’s gun. There had been no time to retrieve it, but Lavender had recently felt the pangs of loss once again.

  Her hands worked deftly with the meat. Quartering the hind, then creating strips. There was a considerable rock with a flat surface nearby.

  “Will you do the honors, Zemmal? Your flame is still superior to mine.”

  You still doubt yourself, Little Flame. But very well, Zemmal conceded. Unhinging his great jaw, a ball of blue flame could be seen forming in the back of his throat.

  With one quick burst fire consumed the strips that had been carefully laid out upon the stone. Charred, indeed.

  “You’re right. Maybe I should trust myself a little more.”

  “Oh, come on, Lav. It’s better than nothing. Eat up. We’ve still got a long journey.” Brute was ever encouraging.

  Lavender ate in contemplative quiet. She considered telling her companions about having met ‘Mother’. Considered that they already knew.

  “What’s on your mind? I can tell, something is bothering you. Was it your visit last night?”

  There was her answer. She was getting tired of being the last to know.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I was thinking about my encounter last night. And how sick I am of you two leaving me in the dark,” Lavender’s voice dripped with disapproval.

  “Okay, so we DID know about her plan to visit you, but would you have behaved any differently if you had known?” Brute’s voice was almost accusatory.

  Lavender opened her mouth to respond and then closed it. No, she probably would not have behaved any differently. For better or worse they were a team right now, and she needed to trust them. They needed to trust her, too.

  “Listen. You can’t continue to keep secrets from me. I am not a child, or a pawn, and I deserve to know the same as you.” She had abided by their rules and given no problems. Now she’d had enough.

  We understand your frustration, Little Flame. However, we are under orders of our own, so we may only share what we are permitted to. Try to understand we are doing all we can. Despite the firm tone, Zemmal was apologetic.

  “We’ll do our best to be as open as we can, okay?” Brute assured.

  She was not.

  “Come on. If you’re both finished, something tells me we still have a long way to go.” There was a finality in her voice that discouraged response.

  Lavender gathered what little they had. This included the new rations of meat preserved with salt. Keeping their strength up was going to be paramount, she suspected.

  They set off again into the unknown. Unknown, at least, to Lavender.