Carpathian 23 - Dark Storm

that there is only one.
    Gary is correct. You possess the other half of my soul. You are the keeper of my heart.
    Again, she felt that wave of heat rush over her. How do you know?
    I know. He spoke with that same confidence.
    How will I know?
    This time she felt his smile, his joy. I will share my mind with you. Court you. Persuade you. I can be quite charming when
     necessary.
    Without warning, goose bumps prickled across Riley’s arms. The smile faded from her
     face. She turned instinctively toward the trail the search party had returned from.
     The smell of rotting vegetation, one of the jungle’s inescapable aromas, seemed stronger
     than usual. She realized the song from the plants and earth she had heard since waking
     had changed, becoming discordant.
    Mitro is attacking, Dax told her. Do not fear. You are safe. He sounded certain, but she wasn’t feeling it.
    “Safe? I’ve seen what he can do. I’ve felt it. And what do you mean he’s attacking?
     From where? How?” She gestured to Jubal and Gary, mouthing “Mitro is attacking.”
    It’s nothing I cannot stop. He is simply trying to weaken me by forcing me to protect
     this village while the sun is still up. A group of men and women he has corrupted
     are moving toward us. You have the ability to track them through the earth if you
     so choose.
    “They’re coming,” she told Gary and Jubal. “Men and women under Mitro’s power.”
    Gary ran toward the big tent without a word. Jubal gave her a pat on the shoulder
     and turned to shout commands in the local dialect. The entire camp erupted with activity,
     men gathering weapons and preparing for a fight, women hustling children to safety.
    “What should I do?” She felt the rush in her body, but was at a loss at what to do
     about it.
    Stay close to the center of camp. And breathe, sivamet .
    She felt like an idiot, but she took a moment and tried to calm down.
    Good, remember, I will always be with you. I won’t let any harm come to you. She felt invisible arms wrap around her, and the taint of evil washed away, replaced
     with warm strength. I can sense Mitro’s puppets coming from the neighboring village, but I want you to
     try and “feel” them. Then we will set a defensive perimeter. Dax showed an image of her sliding her hands in the ground.
    Riley knelt down. When she put her hands in the earth before, she’d felt compelled,
     like the earth itself was asking her to communicate. This time, she was the one doing
     the asking. She wasn’t sure she really knew what to do—or that she could even do it.
     Taking a breath, she put her hands together as if she was going to dive into a pool
     and slowly pushed her fingers down into the earth.
    The packed soil shifted, loosening so that her hands plunged in with ease. Surprise
     gave way to exhilaration as her world changed again. The song of the earth was strong
     and rich. It hummed up her arms, through her veins and along her nerve endings, a
     harmonious vibration that filled her with a sense of vast, ancient power and limitless
     strength. She closed her eyes, sitting back on her heels and savoring the sensation.
    Use what the earth offers, Dax advised. Stretch out your senses.
    There was nothing on earth not connected to it. She had the wild idea that she could
     even sense what was happening on the other side of the world, if she tried hard enough.
     As it was, however, she confined herself to a slightly less grandiose effort. Instead
     of the world, she reached out to the earth nearby. Her awareness radiated out to all
     corners of the camp and then beyond, moving through the sandy soil of the rain forest
     until she located the group moving with deadly purpose toward the camp.
    “Dear God.” She could feel the misery, the rage, the evil taint that clung to them
     like a foul muck.
    Riley, remember you’re in control. Your job is to gather information. We need to see
     how many people are coming, and what sort of surprises Mitro has in store for us.
     You’re doing great.
    Riley steeled herself and tried to look at the mob. In her mind’s eye, she saw the
     top of a recently shaved head bobbing in front of her. Then another head, this one
     covered in bloody scratch marks that were already bubbling with infection. She was
     looking through the eyes of a tree frog, watching as the mob passed by below his perch
     in the branches.
    Frustrated that she couldn’t make out more, she pushed out with her power. Her hands
     sank