Authors: Lawna Mackie

Enchantment (77 page)

BOOK: Enchantment

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“Well,
how
are
y
ou going
to
get
out
of
the
pi
t
?
” Catz
a
sked. “You’re
going
to
help
m
e
.
”

“Cheating
isn’t
a
good
way
to
succeed.
A
nd
I
am
way
too
fond
of
being
clean.
Meeka,
what if
so
m
ebo
d
y
captured
y
ou
and
decided
to
keep
y
o
u
in
a
pit
like
thi
s
?
You’d
need
to
get
out.
I
w
on’t
alwa
y
s
be
there
with
y
o
u
.”

Meeka
didn’t
like
her
last
stat
e
m
ent.
Tears
c
a
m
e
to
her
e
y
es.
It
bothered
her
m
ore
than
the thought
of
being
captured,
but
she
couldn’t
think
about
it
right
then.

Get
out,
then
ask
her
what
she
meant.

The
walls
of
the
pit
rese
m
bled
a
cl
i
m
bing
wall,
but
the
stones
weren’t
defined.
It
w
a
s
dark, dank,
and
cold.
Meeka
wanted
out
of
here.
S
he
imagined
how
terrified
she
w
ould
be
if
this
were a
prison.

The
probl
e
m
was,
her
feet
were
m
ud
d
y
and
wet,
m
aking
her
slip
eve
r
y
time
she
started
to climb
the
wall.
“
Catz,
my
feet
are
too
slippe
r
y
to
cl
i
m
b
out
of
here,”
s
he
said
in
exasperation.

“Meeka,
are
y
o
u
not
capable
of
throwing
fire
balls
and
encasing
y
o
ur
bo
d
y
with
fl
a
m
es? Perhaps
y
o
u
m
ight
be
able
to
stea
d
y
y
o
urself
long
enough
on
a
rock
to
allow
y
o
ur
powe
r
s
to
dry
y
o
ur feet,
before
y
ou slip
back
into
the
m
ud each
t
i
m
e.”

“Easier
said
than
done.
I’ve
never
u
sed
my
abilit
i
es
unless
I
w
a
s
extr
e
m
el
y
e
m
o
t
ional
.
” “I
think
y
o
u better
start
practi
c
ing.”

Meeka
tried
a
few
t
i
m
es and
slipped
back
into
the
m
ud.
“
Catz,
I
can’t
do
this!”

“Real
l
y
?
The
Meeka
I
know
wouldn’t
give
up.
Since
w
hen
do
y
o
u
give
up
at
an
y
t
h
ing? Calm
y
o
urself, take
s
ome
deep
breaths,
and
speak
to
y
o
ur inner
power,”
Catz
instructed calm
l
y
.

Fr
u
strated,
she
did
as
Catz
suggested.
The
first
stone
w
a
s
quite
large,
enough
for
her
to
get her
feet
out
of
the
m
ud.
Precarious
l
y
balancing
on
the
stone,
Meeka
closed
her
e
y
e
s,
took
a breath,
and
slowed
her
breathing.

She
called
on
the
heat
beginning
to
fill
the
center
of
her
sto
m
ach.
Still
cal
m
,
Meeka
bec
a
m
e one
with
her
inner
self.
A
brillia
n
t
light
flowed
through
her
veins.
She
asked
for
the
heat
to
be generated
out
and
through
her
li
m
bs.
Like
watching
butterflies
w
h
i
m
sica
ll
y
fly
in
the
sum
m
e
r
s
un,
the
light
-
turned
-
to-war
m
th
s
pread
through
her
l
i
m
bs
while
s
he
continued
to
concentrate.

Satisfied,
Meeka
opened
her
e
y
es
and
looked
down
at
her
feet,
w
hich
were
now
d
r
y
. Careful
l
y
she
placed
one
foot
up
on
a
s
m
all piece
of
rock
and
reached
for
another
with
her
hand.

Meeka
scaled
to
the
top
edge,
grabbed
hold
of
a
vine
and
pulled
herself
back
to
the
surface. At
the
top,
s
he lay
face
-
down
and
let out
a
sigh
of
relief.

“Ea
s
y
as
pie
?
”
Catz
sat
with
her
tail
swishing
back
and
forth.

When
she
final
l
y
stu
m
b
led
out
at
the
other
end,
Meeka
wasn’t
sure
how
long
it
had
taken her
to
co
m
p
le
t
e
the
course.
She’d
climbed
up
vines,
fallen
d
o
wn
hills,
swam
across
a
river
and, of
course,
escaped
a
m
ud
pit.
She
couldn’t
believe
what
she
had
just
gone
through.
It
w
a
s
a
full- fledged
j
u
ngle
back
there,
co
m
p
l
ete
with
a
river,
w
hich
y
o
u’d
never
know
from
where
s
he
stood right
now.
She
stared
d
o
wn
at
her
bod
y
.
She
w
a
s
quite
litera
ll
y
plastered
with
m
ud
and
dirt,
and her
hair
m
ust rese
m
b
l
e
a
rat’s n
e
st.
So
m
uch
for
using
her
bo
d
y
as
a
w
eapon against
K
errigan.

Clap.
Clap.
Clap.

It
was
the
first
noise
she’d
heard
since
co
m
ing out
of
the
retched
jungle. Kerrigan
and
Str
y
ker strolled
towards
her.

“Congrats,
Meeka.”
Str
y
k
e
r
grinned.
“We
were
going
to
make
bets
y
o
u’d
never
finish
the course.
We
thought
the
pit
would
have
finished
y
ou before
y
o
u got
too
far.”

“Very
funn
y
,” Meeka
replied
with
no
hu
m
or
in
her
voice. “It
took
y
o
u too
long,”
Kerrigan
stated.

Meeka
snarled
at
hi
m
. “W
h
y
don’t
y
o
u go
dr
o
wn
y
o
u
rself in
the
river
back
there
?
”

“Well,
I’m
s
ure
y
o
u’
r
e
war
m
ed
up
now,
a
n
y
w
a
y
.
Are
y
ou
ready
to
start
with
the
rest
of
the training,”
St
r
y
k
er
asked.

Meeka’s
te
m
p
er
was
revved
up
again.
“Bring
it
on.”

“Good.
You
and
I
s
parred
quite
a
bit
y
e
s
t
erd
a
y
,
so
tod
a
y
I’d
like
y
ou
to
train
with
Kerrigan, and
I’ll
guide
y
ou
along
the
w
a
y to
help
i
m
pro
v
e
y
o
u
r
skills.
We’ll
start
in
the
center
field.”
The three
of
them
m
ade
their
w
a
y
across
the
gr
a
ss
with
Catz
on
their
heels. “Begin
w
hen
y
o
u are
both
rea
d
y
,
” St
r
y
k
er
said.

“I’m
rea
d
y
if
pret
t
y
b
o
y
is,”
Meeka
taunted.

Kerrigan
w
a
s
so
quick,
she
didn’t
even
see
it
co
m
ing
as
he
reached
out
with
one
long
leg and
swept
her
feet
out
from
under
her.
With a
thump
,
she
landed
on
her
butt.

“You’re
not
rea
d
y
.
”

The
fight
was
on,
and
Meeka
swore
silent
l
y
,
she’d
p
a
y
him
back
for
the
underhanded
trick.

They
were
caught
up
in
a
warrior’s
dance,
thrusting,
slashing,
blocking,
and
tu
m
b
l
ing.
S
he w
a
s
holding
her
own.
Kerrigan
delivered
blow
after
blow.
S
he
s
hould
have
been
knocked
her
to her
knees,
but
s
he
blocked
and
struck
back.

Str
y
k
e
r
whistled
s
harp
l
y
.
Gradual
l
y
,
the
two
c
a
m
e
to
a
halt,
laboring
for
breath.

“I
didn’t
think
y
ou
two
were
ene
m
ies,
but
the
w
a
y
y
o
u
’re
fighting,
I’d
gue
s
s
y
ou
were,” Str
y
k
e
r
co
m
me
n
ted,
a
clear
j
ab
at
Kerrigan.
“
Perhaps
she
could
take
over
y
o
ur
j
o
b
as
the Enforcer.”