“Indeed, it did not.”

  “You’re awfully calm about this.”

  “So are you. Why would that be?” Charles remarks in response to her statement.

  “They’re safe, at least for now. Do you think we can bring this Burned One back to Neil’s tragic passing?”

  “I beg your forgiveness, Amber, but do you think that will be enough. Neil’s body may be bound to that pce, but an elemental doesn’t need to follow these same rulings.”

  “What about containing it’s spirit in a rock or some item that reflects its natural element?”

  “The one who freed the elemental knows of this – our pn must remain the same.”

  Charles is continuing to weave through the air, dodging the bolts of fire that roar through the air.

  “Why? Why continue with that pn?”

  “Because, as much work as this devious vixen has done, Neil’s body is still bound to his passing pce, it cannot undo that.” Charles Derhert is still piloting Amber’s body. “Vukosava is not the only one that bears a mark in this nd, where one wolf goes, others follow. The forest is home to them.”

  “We make the elemental an easy target.”

  “Yes, it has not yet been given the means to shed its mortal body and recim its full power.”

  “We’re not even facing it at full strength?”

  “If we were, the results would be disastrous.” Charles pauses for a moment. “Are you ready now?”

  -

  Vukosava looks up to see Amber falling through the air, with eerie grace and style. She’s got her heart in her mouth, but there is nothing she can do from down here.

  A howl goes through the park, deep and resonating. It’s a pack. Vukosava can see them in the distant horizon, figures moving through the darkness, the wilderness. It doesn’t feel threatening or horrifying in any way – it’s as if they’re greeting her, as if she is one of them. This tender feeling that is springing out of her chest is comforting.

  A voice speaks to her out of the darkness. “You’ve done well, young wolf.”

  -

  “We need to let her know that we’re here.” Nathen is looking up into the sky, seeing Amber and the fiery monster going at it. It’s a merry-go-round of death and destruction, one wrong move and there friend plummets to her death. They’re in position, but there is no way to alert her. At least, not easily.

  “Well, professor, do you have an idea?” Harley snaps angrily.

  “I have a couple, but they’re not very good ones.”

  “Are you saying that to bullshit me or do you actually have something?”

  “The ride is still operational, right?”

  “You’re going to turn it on and alert the fming banshee?”

  “Unless you have a better idea, Amber’s got her hands full dodging that thing.”

  “He speaks the truth.”

  Harley can hear the pitter-patter of footsteps going around the grounds, a childlike voice belonging to a young boy that could be no older than five years old. It sends a chill down her spine that shakes her like a rag doll – internally and externally.

  “The one who hears, and the one who sees.” The girl is here too. Great, absolutely bloody fantastic, Harley thinks to herself.

  “Do you want to join us? We want to py.”

  “We’re going to have to politely decline.” Nathen manages to keep his voice level.

  “Oh, that’s no fun. Come on, it’s not going to take long if you’re fast.”

  “Will you help us?” Harley didn’t have the patience to deal with this sort of thing.

  “That depends. What sweet can you give us?”

  “Who was the one who set you free?”

  “Oh, we were already ‘free’, we just wanted to have some fun.” The boy chuckles.

  “If that’s true, having the elemental burn everything down wouldn’t be a good idea.” Nathen is bargaining with them.

  The boy and girl speak in unison, still invisible to their eyes. “That is true.”

  “So, why don’t you throw us a bone?” Harley asks.

  “We could do that – but that depends on whether you’re fun or not.”

  Nathen turns to Harley. “Let’s just do there game.”

  “Are you kidding, we don’t have time for that. That fming lunatic is going to kill our friends!”

  “Maybe these two can py with us.” Nathen points out. He’s not going on much, but with the situation at hand any help is good help. “No harm, no foul.”

  Harley wants to strangle him, but this does make logical sense. “Fine.”

  She can feel a cold hand, childlike and delicate wrap around her fingers. It’s something that she did with her mum so long ago, as a young flower as she put it. It’s a painful memory of a better time in her life, before everything went wrong.

  “Yes.” The girl says. “Pain and loss – it’s still so fresh.”

  As they approach one of the main bathrooms in the park, that is when she can see them, a boy without eyes, and a girl without ears. There are no obvious signs of them being torn away or gouged out. It’s an eerie sight, they resemble mannequins, their skin is pasty and their features were fine. They are like fresh white cy, not yet pced in a kelm.

  “Catch us.” The boy commands, his tiny mouth uttering words far too rich for one of his age. “One truth cannot be applied to everything.”

  “A game of catch, how on earth are we supposed to find you?” Harley asks angrily.

  “You need more than your eyes and ears to find us.” The girl points out.

  They scamper off. Nathen and Harley are left standing alone in the darkness of the park.

  “You got any bright ideas of what they mean by that bullshit?” Harley asks.

  “There’s something called the third eye.” Nathen recounts the information quickly as they scan their surroundings. “It’s associated with intuition and insight; you achieve a higher consciousness. You can perceive things that you are not able to do with your mortal senses, it’s a gateway to spiritual understanding and awareness.”

  “You think that we can unlock that right now?”

  “I don’t know, but if we’re clear on our intentions that could help us find them.”

  “So, we put all of our eggs in the one basket, is that it?” Harley snaps.

  “It’s not like we have many other options, either we get these two entities on our side, or we can try and fend an elemental off with our fists.” Nathen is taking in a deep breath. “That thing will not give us the chance of opening a portal and sending it home. At this stage, we can still defeat it but give this thing time to fully focus and it can fully shed its mortal constraints.”

  “So, time is not something we have!”

  “I understand your point, Harley, but we need help. Those watchers are capable of putting up a fight, besides if that thing burns everything down, there are no links that bind the other entities to this pce.”

  “Okay, okay, what’s the pn?”

  “Direct your mind towards one reality.”

  “Have you been experimenting with this?” Harley can see Nathen’s brow furrowing. “Right, right, no distracting questions.”

  “Centre yourself, find peace.”

  Harley wants to retort bitterly and not go along with the stupid procedure. But Amber’s not going to be able to run from it forever – eventually her creative reserves and Charles’ ability to fuel it with power is going to burn out. What the fuck is peace? What could it possibly do for someone like her? She didn’t have the time or patience for this metaphorical bullshit. But her friends don’t have the time for her to be throwing a tantrum. She needs to do this.

  She visualizes a peaceful environment – a time far from now that would bring her blood pressure down. It’s mum and dad down on the beach, sitting on a towel whilst a young girl runs off into the water, squealing and jumping for joy.

  “Emotions are strong – yes. Better still the memories that go with them.” She can’t find the source of the voice, but as she looks into this vision of the past. She can see the brightness of the scenery fading away, as if the world is done with bright paint and they’re rapidly being watered down. There sharpness and vibrancy fading as the silhouette of the young female watcher makes her way out of the rippling tides. “They give you strength, but most of all, direction.”

  Harley is standing in her bittersweet memory, well within her own mind. “Are you helping or hindering?”

  “A peculiar question.” The girl frolics over, her eyes completely bck and void of pupils.

  “Are you going to keep talking in riddles?” Harley can see her mum and dad fading into the background. She can hear the surf crashing onto the rocks and the port, the people celebrating the good, clear day.

  “The riddle is you.” The girl points out. “Unless you figure yourself out, there will not be another meeting between friends.”

  “You’re right.” Harley takes in a calming breath. “The truth is – I know what this is. My mum spoke about the dangers of it, the threat it could pose.”

  “Oh, what a sweet thing she was. You see, Harley, the game stays the same.”

  “Why are you doing this to us?”

  “Because we can’t lose our pyground.” The girl says with a deep smile. It’s like starring into a mirror of her young days. “We wouldn’t stick around if you people weren’t much fun.”

  “That’s what we are to you – entertainment?” Harley blusters angrily.

  “What are you to the firecracker?” The girl jokes pyfully. “The Burned One seems you as invaders, interlopers on its rightful nd.”

  “It’ll evict us permanently.”

  “Yes. Your friend has already found my twin – his crity is astounding.”

  Harley sighs heavily, of course it’d be easy for someone like Nathen.

  “I see. You are envious of him. Of his simple and unextruded life.”

  “You can’t read my mind.”

  The childlike Harley takes her hand. “Is that so?”

  It’s hand is cold to the touch, it might look alive but there is no warmth beneath its cylike skin. She is guiding the older Harley towards a spot by the rocky outcrop where the tin and wooden boats set off into the sea, where fishermen tend to their lines and try and reign in their prizes. It’s a nice spot, with the wind going through their hair, a gentle sunset warms Harley.

  “That’s it, rex. You don’t need your eyes to see this.”

  It’s trippy as fuck, but that’s the thing with this side of the world. The weird and wacky is normal.