Callie, thankfully, hadn’t hesitated too long and was able to see just enough of Jonah and the bur to be able to follow. The trees and underbrush were so dense she didn’t know how Kane and Eliza would be able to follow if they couldn’t see her. She wasn’t hearing anything behind her now and the more she thought about it the harder it was to run and breathe.

  “Think about something else,” she silently said to herself as she picked up her pace to try to catch up to Josie.

  Callie knew she wasn’t a fast or even a good runner, but she was making progress catching up. It was getting hard for her to breath though, she hated running so much that she didn’t practice it often and usually avoided it at all costs. Still, she wasn’t losing the group she was following and that gave her something positive to think about through the burning in her chest.

  Callie’s motivation to continue running was waning at a steady pace as the sky around her got darker and darker and the electrical feeling on her skin got stronger. She was almost at the point of giving up when she saw the mass of the bur in front of her had stopped. Callie ran up next to Jonah and it took everything in her to stay on her feet. The one sport she had participated in through high school had taught her to put her arms up to help catch her breath. She used that technique now as she looked through the incredibly dim light for Josie. She saw her standing a few paces in front of Jonah, Zeus and the bur, looking up at the sky.

  Callie walked up to her daughter with her arms still raised above her head. She got onto her knees next to Josie so that her legs wouldn’t collapse on her. Callie dropped an arm and put her hand on Josie’s shoulder.

  “Josie?” Callie said looking at her daughter's face that showed little emotion as it looked up at the sky. That’s when Callie saw what almost looked like a faint rainbow of swirling colors on her daughter's face in the dark.

  Callie actually looked around and saw that everything in the dim light had a copious amount of colors swirling on all of their surfaces. It was so dim that if she hadn’t been focused on it she probably wouldn’t have seen it at all. They were on the edge of a clearing that looked like it was freshly made. There were trees down all around them, some of the trees and branches looked like they were dried out and brittle, so it was at least a couple days since they had been downed. Callie looked around some more, the trees weren’t cut, it looked like they had splintered a few inches above their bases. The only semi-vertical things in the area were saplings and the little shrubby undergrowth that normally would have been hidden by the large trees that were now on the ground.

  “Mom, that’s it,” Josie said, still looking up at the sky.

  Callie looked up and fell back onto her butt. They were nearly underneath the dark but lightning filled Rift opening. Callie wasn’t sure if she had made a noise or not, but she heard something coming up behind them. She looked over her shoulder seeing the bur coming up to stand next to Josie. It rubbed its head into Josie’s shoulder.

  “Mom, the baby is up there,” Josie said pointing.

  “How do you know?” Callie asked, still stunned at how close the opening was.

  “I can feel it,” Josie said, finally looking away from the opening, “I can feel it through its mom.”

  Jonah had walked up and was now standing just behind Callie and Josie. He put his hand on Josie’s other shoulder as the bur was still rubbing the other. Josie unconsciously picked up her hand and put it on the bur’s head and was gently petting it as she looked back up at the Rift.

  “Josie, we can’t get up there!” Callie quietly exclaimed, working to get herself back onto her knees.

  Josie looked down at her mom with a questioning look on her face. A half breath later her head snapped to her right as though she heard something. Jonah, seeing the reaction from Josie, instinctively pulled the girl closer to him so that she was hidden behind the bur. Callie scrambled to her feet seeing all this. She didn’t have a rifle like Kane had to defend them, she did have her pistol but Callie wasn’t sure if she should take it out or not.

  On the edge of the clearing a ways from them she saw the branches moving, it wasn’t a big movement like when the badger had come into the clearing. As Callie focused on the spot she saw a slight blue glow emanating just inside the treeline. She cast DETECT in the direction of the movement.

  “Shit,” Callie thought to herself as she looked around with her spell. Whatever was inside the treeline there were two of them. They had an orange color to them. That wasn’t good, but that wasn’t horrible either. At least they weren’t red.

  “Jonah, there are two, what are they?” Callie quietly asked, as she heard a low growl coming from Zeus behind her.

  Jonah was silent for a few moments as the movement in the trees continued. Callie could tell from her spell that whatever they were they were moving closer to them walking just inside the treeline trying to hide as they moved towards them.

  She heard Jonah sigh next to her, “Humanura.”

  “They don’t look friendly,” Callie whispered.

  Jonah looked down at her in confusion.

  “I have a spell that can detect things,” Callie quietly explained.

  Jonah just nodded then looked back at where the movement was, “Stay here.”

  Jonah walked from around the bur in the direction of the movement, petting and calming Zeus as he passed. As he came within a few steps of the treeline where the movement had stopped he stopped and stared into the treeline. After what felt like minutes, but was probably only seconds, a pair of humanura who looked the same age as Jonah walked out of the treeline. They stopped right at the treeline.

  The three of them stared at each other, finally Jonah asked, “Propositum?”

  The pair looked at each other then the humanura with longer hair said, “Integrum fieri, we seek to be whole.”

  Jonah’s shoulders relaxed as he replied with, “Nam illuminatio est propositum. Josie, Callie, please come.”

  “Jonah, what did you say?” Josie asked as she stepped around the bur and moved towards Jonah.

  The pair of humanura gasped when they saw Josie, “Druid!” They said in wonderment.

  “Yes,” Jonah said to them as Josie approached, "Enlightenment is purpose. Only uncursed can say. Cursed do not believe.”

  The pair nodded sadly at the statement.

  “I am Samwell,” the long-haired humanura said, putting his hand on his chest and giving a small bow. Samwell was wearing a loosely fitting brown tunic that was slightly open at the neckline. The pants he wore were a slightly lighter brown and looked oversized for him. They were made of a similar linen-type fabric but looked more worn than his shirt. His skin was a similar green tone to Jonah’s but his eyes were a dark brown.

  “I am Gemlin,” the other said in a more feminine voice. Where Samwell’s long hair was flowing without restraint, Gremlin’s hair was tied back with a piece of string. Her skin tone was more human like with a yellow undertone, almost looking tan compared to Samwell. Her shirt was the same brown as Samwell’s but it was tighter around the body and at the elbows, it still was loose around her shoulders and upper arms though. Her pants were a similar dark brown but fit more like leggings than Samwell’s. There were symbols and characters lightly drawn onto her thighs. Gremlin had a leather tied belt around her waist that could barely be seen under her shirt. Both were wearing what almost looked like barefoot shoes, if Callie hadn’t known better she would have thought they were human from a sporting goods store. They seemed out of place on the otherwise very rustic looking outfits.

  “How come through Rift?” Jonah asked.

  “Hunting with seniores when attacked. Seniores ordered us hide,” Samwell started but stopped as his breath caught, though it was hard to tell if it was out of fear or sadness.

  “We not see Hunters or Frowlers,” Gremlin continued after a moment, “Seniores fell, then rose cursed. Seniores rose hands and iactus . . . human tongue . . . don’t know . . . “

  “Cast,” Jonah helped.

  Gemlin nodded, “Cast incantatio. Samwell grabbed hand and we fell.”

  Gremlin’s face was moist as she stopped talking. Samwell continued, “No know locus . . . spot? Try to get domus.”

  “Home, you want to go home,” Jonah said with a sigh of grief in his voice, “Seniores was mage.”

  “Yes, try hide need doceo. He found because me,” Samwell said, his head dropping as sadness could be heard in his voice.

  “Doceo?” Callie asked.

  Jonah looked, then back at the pair, “Show . . . teach, Samwell is discipulus, apprentice.”

  Callie nodded though she knew no one was looking at her. Jonah walked over to Samwell who still had his head bowed.

  “Not fault, all have propositum,” Jonah said as he gently put his hand on the slightly shorter humanura’s shoulder.

  “What propositum could be, we perditus!” Gemlin said as the sadness in her voice was replaced with anger.

  Josie took this moment to walk up to Gemlin and gently grabbed her hanging hand. Gemlin was startled but didn’t pull away. Her face relaxed a bit and she looked at Samwell. Samwell looked down at Josie and moved to kneel in front of Josie. He touched the top of Josie’s head.

  “Little druid, great potentia you have,” Samwell said, still resting his hand on Josie’s head.

  “She is my ward. I protect,” Jonah said.

  Samwell took his hand off Josie who was still looking up at Gemlin who was looking back down at her. He stood up and turned to Jonah.

  “How help?” Samwell asked.

  “I need to go to your grandpa,” Josie said, finally looking away from Gemlin. Gemlin immediately sank to the ground crying violently.

  Samwell’s jaw dropped as he looked down at Josie who was intently looking at the Rift.

  “Grandpa . . . grandpa is cursed!” Samwell said with shock in his voice.

  “Yes,” was all Josie said and then walked a few steps away and looked up at the Rift.

  “Josie, can’t go through Rift, not safe,” Jonah said, turning to look at her with a stunned look on his face as well.

  “Need to get to the grandpa,” Josie said again with even more emphasis.

  Callie looked from Josie to Jonah and then to the other two, “No Josie.”

  “I need to go to the Rift,” Josie said, finally looking away from the sky.

  “No!” Jonah and Callie said in unison.

  “Samwell, how do I get to the Rift?” Josie asked, ignoring them.

  “You can’t go!”

  “It is too dangerous!”

  “Not safe!”

  As Jonah and Callie protested and gave reasons not to do what Josie was asking for, Samwell was thinking with his arms crossed.

  “I can take you,” Samwell said.

  “No!” Callie shouted.

  “I know what we need to do now! Mom, trust me, he said we will be okay!”

  “Josie, we can’t! What if we can’t get back!”

  “We can’t let them keep destroying each other!”

  “Josie! We need to go as a family!” Callie said in a futile attempt to convince her daughter they couldn’t go.

  Callie shrugged away the notification, she didn’t care about it, she needed to focus.

  “I can take plures . . . many,” Samwell said looking back and forth from Josie to Callie.

  “This is our home!” Callie said in near tears now realizing she was about to lose this argument and have to leave the world, literally, that she knew.

  “They will keep destroying. They won’t stop,” Josie said sadly looking back up at the Rift.

  “Who said it will be okay?” Jonah asked, finally realizing what Josie had said.

  “The druid, the grandpa,” Josie said.

  Jonah looked shocked and then started glaring at Samwell, “Your seniores was a druid!”

  “No!” Samwell retracted.

  “Mine is,” Gemlin said quietly with pain in her voice.

  “Where is he!” Jonah was nearly shaking with anger now. The anger Jonah was exhibiting made Zeus start growling again and raising his hackles.

  “He hid with us, but he didn’t take my hand. He left us,” Gemlin cried.

  Jonah calmed himself but only a little before asking, “Why he leave?”

  “He said they sequi . . . they go away, go with him. Seniores good at occultatio . . . hide,” Gemlin said stopping her crying for just a moment.

  “I have to find him, he said he will help us,” Josie said.

  “How will he help us? We don’t know that world! That world is at war, we can’t go,” Callie said, not ready to admit defeat. But also seeing her husband's stubbornness in the child in front of her.

  “Mom,” Josie sighed, sounding almost teenager-like despite her ten years, “You need to trust me.”

  Callie looked to Jonah hoping he would help her in the arguments. Jonah was looking at her but was glaring venomously at the pair of humanura who had shamed looks on their faces.

  “What doceo doing that you were found?” Jonah angrily asked Samwell.

  Samwell looked up at Jonah for a second and then bowed his head again, “Learn pugnator, fight, our gens . . . . Family almost gone. Need fight, need protect.”

  Callie saw the look on Jonah’s face soften a little. She had heard what Jacobus had said that his tribe, his family, had been wiped out. Jonah walked closer to Samwell and put his hand on the humanura’s shoulder. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something but then stopped and just stood there with his hand on the younger humanura.

  “Mom, we need to go,” Josie said, breaking the silence.

  ”Not without your father and sister,” Callie said, putting her foot down on this at least. Then she realized it had been long enough that Kane and Eliza should have made it to the clearing.

  ”Where are they?” Callie asked quietly.

  Jonah looked over at her, suddenly paying attention to her for the first time since the pair of humanura had appeared, “If need to go, then need to find. System say Rift change soon, need hurry before goes away.”

  Following Eliza, Kane would pause randomly and turn to face the shouts behind them expecting to see someone leveling a rifle at him or Eliza every time he turned. The shouting sounded like it was just a tree away, but the brush and trees they were going through were so thick they must be struggling to find them. Kane didn’t pause long, not wanting to lose Eliza as she ran.

  The brush was getting thicker and it seemed like they were moving more uphill than Kane had expected Callie and Josie to go. After maybe the sixth check behind him, he realized Eliza was slowing down, either from being tired or realizing she didn’t know where she was going, which Kane had figured out a few turns before they actually stopped. Kane put his hand quietly on her shoulder and motioned for her to get down. Eliza had a relieved look on her face as she sat down just in front of Kane. Kane turned around and scanned the area behind them. He didn’t hear shouting but he wasn’t sure if that was because they had given up or if they had finally decided to employ secrecy.

  Not seeing any immediate danger, Kane turned to his daughter and whispered “You don’t know where they went?”

  Tears showed in Eliza’s eyes as she nodded yes.

  ”It’s okay, we will find them, we just can’t get caught while we look for them,” Kane whispered.

  Kane thought for a moment in the silence of the forest and then whispered, “Eliza, do you have any spells that might help us find them?”

  Eliza thought for a moment and then her eyes glazed over like she was on a menu. Kane took the moment to scan the area again. Somehow the utter silence was beginning to unnerve him. He was finishing his scan and bringing his rifle back down with he heard the familiar *click* of a safety getting flipped. Kane quickly brought his rifle up and pointed it in the direction of the noise. At first he didn’t see anything but then the faintest gleam of faint light shining off of glass showed from a thick underbrush just down hill from them.

  Kane took aim at the spot he thought he saw the gleam and fired. Eliza let out a scream next to him. Birds suddenly flew up making an enormous racket to his left but Kane didn’t leave his sights. He saw the gleam fall and something hit the ground. As the *thump* came he grabbed Eliza’s shoulder and pushed her to the ground. As he did he felt something skim the top of his hand. Despite the pain, he turned his rifle and aimed it in the direction of where the object could have come from. Kane saw the soldier and took his shot. He must have just grazed the guy's shoulder because he didn’t fall but he did scream. Kane aimed again and shot again. The second shot dropped the soldier mid-scream.

  Kane heard shouting from further down the hill. It sounded like they had split up trying to find them and hearing the shots they were coming back together and heading straight for them. Kane grabbed Eliza by the collar and got her to her feet. She was holding her hands over her ears. Kane saw her stuffed animal on the ground. He grabbed it and put it in her arms.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  ”We have to go,” Kane said to his daughter and motioned behind her. He wanted her to go more across the terrain, not up the mountain. It was already a challenge, they didn’t need the extra obstacle. Crying Eliza took off in the direction Kane had motioned her to go.

  Kane followed trying not to make noise and thankful Eliza was making minimal noise as well. The underbrush had thinned out enough that they could move a little easier. Kane knew that also meant the people pursuing them could also move more easily. He started doing his periodic checks again. He heard the shouting turn to screaming and insults, they must have found the two bodies.

  Taking the gamble, Kane tapped Eliza’s shoulder and motioned for her to go at an angle downhill but still forward. Eliza nodded hugging her stuffed animal a little closer and started moving downhill at the angle Kane had pointed out to her. The sky was getting darker, it was growing harder to see Eliza in front of him. Kane was debating having her stop when they came to a small clearing. I wasn’t very big, maybe four grown men could lay down comfortably in it. But it was something.

  Kane motioned for Eliza to sit next to a downed tree to their right just on the edge of the clearing. The shouts had stopped behind them. That was concerning to Kane, realizing it probably meant they had split up again and were looking for them still.

  “Eliza, did you find a spell?” Kane whispered sitting next to his daughter against the tree trunk trying to catch his breath as he grabbed out some gauze to wrap his hand. It didn’t look like he had actually been hit but the assumed bullet had ripped up the top of his hand as it went past.

  ”Yes,” Eliza whispered sheepishly.

  ”What did you find?” Kane asked quietly but a little annoyed she didn’t just tell him.

  ”FAMILIAR?”

  ”What is that?”

  ”I can pick an animal to help me,” Eliza said quietly, looking down at her stuffed animal. It was a teddy bear Callie and he picked out for her for her first birthday.

  ”What can you pick?”

  “I was thinking a hawk, it can fly and look for them,” Eliza whispered looking back up at her dad and then up at the sky, “Dad, is that the Rift?”

  Kane looked up to where she was looking, it looked level with them, but he could see into it like it was above them. It was also slightly to their left like they had passed it. He could see the lightning inside the opening.

  ”Yeah,” was all Kane could think to say.

  ”FAMILIAR . . . Hawk,” Eliza said, casting her spell. A silver-grey hawk with black accents appeared on the ground in front of her. Eliza let out a small happy giggle.

  Kane couldn’t help but smile. Even in this horrible experience his daughter found something that made her smile and even giggle.

  “I’m going to call it Silver,” Eliza said quietly but with a lot of enthusiasm.

  “Shit,” Kane thought as the notification appeared in his vision. He didn’t know what it meant, but he felt the urgency to find the rest of his family even more. He shook his head making the notification disappear and focused back on Eliza and the hawk on her arm.

  “Okay,” Kane whispered to his daughter, “Can you send it to look for your mom and sister?”

  ”Silver,” Callie started quietly and then commanded the hawk to look for her mom and sister. She must have had the same notification.

  The hawk let out a small squawk and then took off. It circled above them once and then started expanding its radius with each full circle. Kane and Eliza sat there and watched the hawk for a few minutes. Then Kane heard the noise of someone walking to their left down the mountain. Kane brought his rifle up and started scanning the area where he thought the person or thing was walking. Eliza slumped to the ground next to him and covered her ears while holding her stuffed animal in the crook of one of her arms.

  Kane got the first soldier in his sights. He contemplated taking the shot since the guy wasn’t looking at them. But when he thought about it, there had to be at least a second soldier. Kane scanned the area around the soldier. After doing two ever widening scans while keeping an eye on the soldier he knew was there he found the second. That soldier, whether he knew it or not, was walking towards the clearing. Kane took a quick look at the other soldier who had stopped but was looking away from them still.

  Kane switched back to the soldier walking towards him. He glanced down at Eliza who had her eyes shut and was still holding her ears. He lined up his shot again and took it. The soldier dropped immediately with a bullet between his eyes. Kane quickly switched to the other soldier. The man had turned and had his rifle up looking for where the shot had come from.

  The guy was turning too much for Kane to feel comfortable taking a headshot like the previous guy, so he lined up for a chest shot. Kane took the shot just as the guy turned like he was going to continue walking. The shot went through the guy's upper arm and into his chest. The soldier didn’t immediately drop like his compatriot, he did however curl over in pain. The bullet must have exited through part of his chest because as he bent over blood spurt from his chest almost like it was a Japanese anime. The soldier let out a gurgled scream and then fully collapsed over onto the ground.

  Kane tapped Eliza on the arm, “Time to move again,” he whispered.

  Eliza nodded from the ground and rolled over to get up. Kane heard a little bit of shouting coming from behind them and more uphill from them. That left going downhill again. Kane motioned in the direction he wanted Eliza to go and she took off in that direction. He could tell she was getting tired.

  They had maybe moved a hundred yards downhill past the clearing when Eliza suddenly stopped. Kane took a step in front of her and saw her eyes were glazed over. Her eyes suddenly cleared as Kane heard voices in the area of the clearing they had left. Eliza looked behind her then looked to her left and suddenly took off at a quick but quiet pace. Kane, stunned, but followed her. When the voices were a comfortable way away he tapped her on the shoulder.

  ”What happened?” Kane whispered.

  ”Silver found them, he told me where to go,” Eliza whispered back, not slowing her pace but Kane could hear the tiredness in her voice.

  Kane nodded and turned to do a quick scan and then he followed her. To Kane it seemed like they were going in a big zig zag. Eliza stopped a couple of times, her eyes glazing over just for them to clear a half breath later and she was off in a new direction. After what felt like a half hour they came to what seemed like a clearing, but it was filled with fallen trees like something had knocked them over. The trunks were splintered from a great force.

  ”Mom!” Eliza suddenly screamed. Kane looked up to see Callie and Josie and Jonah on the other side of the big clearing. There were two other humanura with them. Kane took a breath of relief seeing them. Eliza took off running in their direction, Kane was about to yell to her when he heard the first shot. Eliza dropped behind a fallen tree. Kane screamed, he couldn’t tell if she was hit or if she had just ducked. Another shot rang out and the wood of a tree closer to Callie and Josie splintered.

  Kane saw Jonah grab Josie and run to the treeline. Zeus’s frantic barking cutting through the gunshots. Kane turned to where he thought he heard the gun shots come from. He didn’t see anything but he heard a noise behind him. He leaped over the tree trunk just in front of him, feeling every ounce of pain from his damaged hand as he put it on the trunk to help him leap over. He had unconsciously been tuning out the pain. As his feet landed on the other side of the massive trunk and tried to duck behind it he felt the splintering of the trunk from a bullet where his hand had just been.

  Kane swore silently to himself as he squatted behind the tree. He heard another rifle go off and saw it hit a tree trunk to his front and left. He put up his arm to block the splintered wood from hitting his face. He felt the wood painfully go into his wrist. He heard screams and crying from the other side of the clearing.

  He needed to move but to where, there was a maze of tree trunks between him and where he saw Eliza go down. Kane looked up into the sky not sure where else to look and saw the silver hawk circling above them. Kane decided to take the hawk as a sign Eliza was still alive. He started looking around, another bullet hit the trunk to his left, but the area to his right was open. He moved along the tree trunk, trying to keep his head and body below the top edge. Kane found an opening to move to his left.

  Kane made his way through the maze trying to keep his orientation so he could get to where Eliza might be. As he moved he could hear more gun shots. He was making one of the countless right turns around a tree trunk when he felt the heat of fire go over his head. It was like a sheet of fire flew over him. The heat made Kane catch his breath. He sat down checking that he wasn’t on fire himself.

  He took a relieved breath that he wasn’t on fire but Kane was still hearing the gunshots hitting off wood to his left and right. Kane looked up at the dark sky. As he did, the silver hawk fell and disappeared. Kane couldn’t help himself and screamed in fear thinking for sure something had happened to Eliza. Splintering wood came from all around him as the soldiers changed their aim points to where his scream had come from.

  Kane ducked, getting hit from all sides by the splintering wood. He took a quick look to his right and left trying to figure out where to go. He had to be close to where he had seen Eliza go down. Seeing a small opening to his left, Kane got into a hunched position and ran to the opening. He got there three steps later, the opening was barely wide enough for him to get through but there was a larger opening across from it giving a clear line of sight to any soldiers who were standing on the other side. Kane wasn’t sure if there were any soldiers but he had to take the chance and go through. He had to get to Eliza.

  Kane leaped through the opening as he felt something hit his right calf. He grunted in pain falling to the ground just on the other side of the opening. A hail of bullets splintered the wood around him. As quickly as the hailstorm had begun it stopped. Kane heard shouting from various angles, but one word stood out “reloading”.

  Kane took advantage of the moment and swung his rifle and part of himself back through the opening he had just come from. He immediately saw a soldier mid-magazine reload. Kane didn’t hesitate. He took aim and fired. The soldier dropped instantly. Kane looked around, there had to be more. He saw another soldier pulling the charging handle back on his rifle. Kane knew he didn’t have a good shot, but he took it anyway. He hit the soldier in the shoulder. The soldier doubled over dropping his rifle in the process screaming as he went down. Kane didn’t wait to take a second shot, he looked around quickly. He spotted another soldier bringing his rifle up to aim, not at Kane but something, or someone, further to Kane’s left. Kane took aim and shot, he missed the soldier. The guy turned towards Kane which gave Kane just enough time to aim again and hit his mark. The soldier dropped just as fast as the first.

  Kane took another quick look, not seeing anyone else but hearing gun fire to his right, he retreated back into the gap and sat with his back to the tree trunk. He looked right and left trying to find an opening. The gap he had flung himself into was a space just big enough for three men to sit in side by side. And the only out was the gap he had come in through. Kane silently cursed himself. In desperation he looked around again. The area where two tree trunks met to his right, was covered in dried evergreen needles but it looked like it had a low spot he could hop over.

  Kane took another quick look through the gap and not seeing any immediate danger, and still hearing the screams of pain from the soldier he had shot in the shoulder, he did a hunched over run to the low spot. He paused waiting to hear gunshots, not hearing any in his immediate vicinity he decided to peek over the edge of the tree trunks to see what he would be flinging himself into. Somehow the area on the other side of the trunk was darker, Kane must have looked for a little too long because he felt a gunshot whiz by him before he heard it. He ducked back down seeing the branches above him moving from an impact.

  Kane took a breath, he didn’t have a choice, he had to go through this gap or go back the way he came. He couldn’t go back, he needed to keep moving forward. Kane steeled his breath and his nerves and launched himself over the low spot. The pain in his right calf seared from the pressure of launch.

  Kane landed on the other side with a splash. The reason the area had been darker was that there was a layer of water in a low spot. Kane got to his hand and knees using his right hand to keep his rifle out of the water. Kane’s front side was completely soaked and he was kneeling in about an inch of frigid water.

  Kane looked up and saw Eliza’s teddy bear half sticking out of the water on some muddy earth. Kane scrambled over the stuffed animal. He grabbed and clung to the animal. But where was Eliza? Kane put the stuffed animal out at arms length and examined the toy. The light was so dim Kane couldn’t tell if the bear was just wet or if there was something else on it. Kane took a sniff trying to determine if he could smell blood. It just smelt damp. Kane looked around the opening he was in. He saw there was a gap in some trees just ahead of him, and there in the dim light he saw marks like someone had moved through the mud.

  Kane nearly cried out in joy, that had to be Eliza! He stuffed the bear into his plated vest and moved towards the gap. He heard two gunners somewhere in front of him going back and forth taking shots, almost like what they called ‘talking the guns’ when they were using machine guns during his military days. Kane could also hear cries to his right but he couldn’t tell if they were from soldiers or from his family.

  Then Kane had a thought, he had to have picked some spell that would be helpful at a time like this. Kane opened up his menu and turned to his spell menu. He ignored the notification saying he had leveled up, now wasn’t the time for him to go through that process. As he scrolled he saw something he hadn’t paid much attention to but after Eliza using her FAMILIAR spell, Kane couldn’t help but want to try it.

  “SUMMON BEAST!” Kane enthusiastically whispered.

  Kane thought, what should he pick, it didn’t specify.

  “Eagle,” Kane finally said. A semi-translucent blue glowing form of a bald eagle appeared on the ground in front of Kane. Kane smiled seeing the creature.

  “Attack,” Kane commanded, pointing to where the gunfire was coming from.

  The eagle let out a scream and took off flying in the direction that Kane had pointed. Kane couldn’t tell where the eagle was flying unlike what it had seemed Eliza had. Kane was actually okay with that, it gave him the focus he needed to follow the marks on the ground to where he would hopefully find Eliza.

  Kane heard screams from at least one of the soldiers in front of him as one of the guns fell silent. The other he could hear was still firing but not at a good rhythm like before. Kane shook his head, time to focus. He started following the scuff marks in the dirt. Through the maze he went again, after at least a half dozen turns Kane came to an area like the gap that he had gotten shot in. Maybe five men could sit comfortably in this gap, so it was a little bigger. But Kane could see the little foot prints and hand marks were all over the small cleared area. Almost like Eliza couldn’t decide where to go.

  Kane looked around trying to find a gap like he had previously. He saw a low spot that he could potentially jump over at about the 2 o’clock from where he had entered. He started to head to the low spot, but as he did an area to his left caught his eye. A small tunnel-like spot was created by at least two trees falling on each other. Kane took a look at the low spot and then back at the tunnel. Eliza wouldn’t have climbed over something if there were gunshots, so he went over to the tunnel. Sure enough there was what looked like sliding and digging marks under those trees. Kane poked his head into the gap, it wasn’t nearly big enough for him to go through, and it was a bit longer than what it had initially looked like but the sliding and digging marks went all the way through and it was somehow brighter on the other side.

  Kane brought himself back out of the tunnel. He realized the gunfire had completely stopped now. Even Zeus’s barking, which had been near constant during the gun fight, was now silent. Kane looked again at the low spot. He could easily get over it but that wasn’t the way Eliza had gone. It went almost the exact opposite direction in fact. Kane looked above and around the tunnel. He had to risk it, he had to go over the trees if he wanted to keep following his daughter.

  Kane thought for a moment, the minute he was seen climbing over the trees he could be shot. He thought about sending out a distraction but what could he send that wouldn’t alert them right away. Then he looked back down at the tunnel, and then at his rifle. He wouldn’t be trying to shoot anything while he was climbing. He took the sling off and put his rifle on the ground by the tunnel entrance. Leaning down he shoved with all he could and sent the rifle through the tunnel. He wasn’t sure but light touched the muzzle of the rifle on the other side, that was the best he could do. He couldn’t reach it from his end now so no choice now, he had to get across.

  Kane steeled his breath again, looked up at the tree trunk. Kane took a deep breath, got off his knees and leaped over the first tree trunk scrambling to get across what was maybe four tree trunks.

  On the third tree trunk he heard, “DAD!”

  Kane recognized the voice, it was Josie. Kane hopped to the fourth tree trunk and down into the small cleared area on the other side. He quickly found the tunnel and grabbed his rifle. He sat down with his back against the tree next to the tunnel trying to calm his breath. He had made it, his calf was absolutely killing him now. He looked down and a slow trick of blood was coming from the side of his leg. Kane put the sling of his gun on his shoulder and reached into a pocket on his vest. He had put an Israeli compression bandage in there just in case. He was thanking his past self as he wrapped it around his wound. He knew he may bleed through and that it wasn’t a permanent fix, and he needed to get to his kids. Josie sounded so close.

  After applying the bandage, Kane looked around and saw there was an easy gap to his front right. The ground was covered in needle debris here so he couldn’t tell if there were any foot prints or not, but that was the only logical place Eliza would have gone through. As Kane was moving through the gap, his eagle flew down and landed on his backpack. Kane half smiled as he briefly looked over his shoulder at the creature.

  From that gap, Kane found another. And then there was another. Three more gaps later he came to an area where there were no more downed trees. Kane didn’t go all the way through the gap, he looked around first with his rifle up, scouting.

  “DAD!” Josie called from in front of him. Kane couldn’t see anything but a lot of undergrowth. He took another look to his right and left and then stood up to move into the underbrush.

  As he passed the first layer he saw a soldier laying on the ground, its eyes wide open but with the glazed look of death. Kane stepped over the body and went two more paces. Before he could take a third he was struck on his right side by a small body.

  Kane looked down and Eliza was hugging him, her face buried into the side of his armor plated vest. Kane nearly collapsed to the ground from relief at seeing her. He could feel through the layers on his side that she was crying. Kane let his rifle hang by its sling and wrapped his arms around his daughter, the tears falling from his own eyes.

  Kane didn’t realize he had shut his eyes until he felt small arms wrap around his left side. A little nose pressed itself into Kane’s shoulder. Kane opened his eyes and saw Josie with tears streaming down her face. Kane shifted his left arm so he could wrap it around Josie tightly.

  Kane let the moments pass. He heard footsteps coming towards them, he had looked up just enough to see that it was Callie, with Zeus, and Jonah. He closed his eyes again and just took in the moment and the fact both of his girls were alive.

  “Can’t stay here,” Jonah said after what felt like a lifetime but also not long enough for Kane, “They will send more.”

  Kane looked up, “Yes they will. Where do we go from here?”

  “The Rift,” Josie said through tears.

  “What!?” Kane let go over his daughters, he couldn’t believe what she had just said.

  “Dad, I know what to do, and he is waiting,” Josie said, pointing up at the Rift.

  Kane looked up seeing the closeness of the Rift and the lightning within it. His breath caught, “How the hell are we getting in there?” Kane didn’t realize he had whispered that part out loud.

  “Samwell,” Jonah said, but they couldn’t tell if it was an answer to Kane’s quiet question or an ushering for the young humanura to come closer.

  Kane brought his rifle up as Samwell came out from behind some trees followed by Gemlin. Samwell, seeing the rifle aimed at him, immediately put up his arms, not in a surrender gesture but out to his sides making his body a small ‘t’.

  “Friend,” Jonah said gently, touching the top of the barrel to lower it.

  Kane looked from Jonah to Callie. Callie for her part nodded but a solemn almost sad expression was on her face. Kane looked back at Jonah, a giant question mark on his face.

  “We need to go,” Callie said quietly but with great sadness in her voice.

  “This is crazy! We are not going through this Rift thing!” Kane exclaimed.

  “Dad, we have to help, I know what to do,” Josie said, hugging her dad again.

  “No! No! This is our world, this is where we stay!” Kane said.

  “Dad . . . I know what to do. We can close it,” Josie said, “The grandpa is waiting for us," Kane looked stunned down at his daughter who hugged his side again. Kane looked up at Jonah. Jonah had a great sadness across his lowered face, this did not reassure Kane.

  “No, I don’t care who is waiting. We can not and ARE NOT going through the Rift," Kane said, trying to put his foot down. He looked around at the sad faces of Callie, Jonah, the two humanuras, then he looked down at Eliza. Eliza was the only one who didn’t look sad. She reached out and grabbed his hand still looking at him with questions written on her face but not sadness.

  “Dad,” Josie said sadly, “please.”

  “Jonah?” Kane said, looking from Josie to him.

  “I don’t want Josie to go, harder to protect her and Eliza. But we need to close Rift. More will keep coming if not closed,” Jonah looked up and said, but when he was done he dropped his face again.

  Kane took another look around the group, “No, I can’t risk my family more.”

  “Dad,” Eliza said as she tugged on his hand a little, “we need to help.”

  Kane looked stunned down at his daughter. The daughter that not moments before he thought he had lost forever. The daughter that had made her way on her own back to her mom and sister. And to safety.

  “No, Eliza, I can’t,” Kane’s breath caught in his chest, “I thought I lost you. I can’t risk losing you, either of you again.”

  “Dad, we need to help. Josie can do this,” Eliza said, dropping Kane’s hand and hugging him again.

  Tears started streaming down Kane’s face, but his face showed a mixture of anger and sadness. Kane looked at Jonah and then at the two humanura.

  “What about them,” Kane asked, anger in his voice.

  “Samwell is taking us,” Callie said.

  “I am going, it is my grandpa,” Gemlin said.

  “I don’t know who either one of you are. I don’t trust either of you,” Kane snarled.

  Samwell and Gemlin looked at each other, fear in their eyes. Then they looked at Jonah.

  “Gemlin and Samwell,” Jonah said as though that was the solution to Kane’s comment.

  “I don’t give a fuck,” Kane said still looking at the two of them.

  Jonah raised his head and looked deep into Kane’s face, “They are not cursed, they are not Frowlers.”

  “I don’t give a fuck,” Kane repeated but slower with deliberate emphasis and space between the words, “Can they protect my family? The girl is bleeding so obviously not.”

  “You are bleeding,” Gemlin retorted her own anger showing her in voice, and she added just loud enough for him to hear, “Fatuus.”

  Jonah’s face went from looking solemn to stunned as he looked from Kane to Gemlin. Kane caught the look as a half smile appeared on his face. The smile didn’t mask the anger in his eyes though.

  “And?” Kane said.

  “And fatuus, you bleed, I bleed, we both still stand,” Gemlin said, anger still in her voice but slightly eased.

  “Stand together?” Kane asked, though it wasn’t really a question.

  The anger in Gemlin’s face changed to confusion then to surprise as she looked from Kane to Jonah and then back to Kane.

  “Simul . . . together,” Gemlin nodded.

  “I still don’t like this,” Kane said, turning to Jonah, anger still etched on Kane’s face, “Will we make it back?”

  Jonah looked to Samwell, “If can, then will. But incertus . . . no know.”

  Kane, who was still hugging his daughters on either side of him, nodded, “Do we have a choice?”

  Jonah took a step closer to Kane, “No.”

  Kane looked down at his daughters who now had their faces buried in his sides. Then he looked at his wife who had silent tears running down her face and her arms were crossed in front of her, almost like she was trying to give herself a hug.

  “When?” Kane asked.

  Samwell stepped up next to Jonah, “Now, longer wait, more chance Frowlers and Hunters on other side. And Rift to change, need go now.”

  Kane nodded, “Callie . . . come here.”

  Kane let go of his daughters and hugged his wife as she stepped into his arms. She didn’t uncross her arms as she did though. Kane could feel her shoulders shaking silently as he wrapped his arms around her. She didn’t let go of herself but fully leaned into him.

  “We will be okay, we have to be,” Kane whispered into her ear. Callie nodded into his shoulder, not lifting her head.

  Samwell slowly started to chant something. He was chanting it quiet enough that Kane could tell that words were coming out but not loud enough that he could understand what Samwell was saying. Having spent enough time with Jonah, Kane assumed it was probably Latin and he wouldn’t understand it even if he could hear it.