into a giant hand, grasping the ones cloaked in black and throwing them into the maelstrom.
I was so intent on getting the images just right, I didn't realize at first when Ben's hands began to slip from mine. The note of panic in his voice stood in stark contrast to his earlier, calming whispers.
"Jayne!" he yelled sharply, his fingers only barely touching mine now.
I was startled out of my trip into la-la land. "What?!" I yelled, half-panicked and half-pissed. How am I supposed to concentrate when he keeps yelling at me?
"You're getting pulled away! What are you doing?!"
I grabbed for Ben's hands, only managing to get a hold of his fingertips, his palms having slipped from my grasp. I couldn't see him anymore, the space around me just a blur of blues and greens. As our contact lessened, so did the heat and wind from his elements. The roar of Earth and Water once again filled my ears, making it difficult to hear him.
"Take ... hand ... lose ...," he yelled.
I could only catch pieces of what he was saying and it wasn't making any sense. I let go of his right hand and used my now free hand to grip his other wrist, making it possible for me to more firmly seat my other hand in his left.
"I can't hear you, Ben! What are you saying?!"
"You ... wrong ... back!"
His hand jerked out of mine with no warning, sending me flying backwards to the ground. My elements cushioned my fall a bit, the shock to my backside not nearly as sharp as it should have been, but I was still stunned, now completely without Ben or his elements. I got up onto my knees, shaking my head to get it cleared. I knew I had to focus or something seriously bad was going to happen. I could feel it in my bones.
Focus, Jayne. Calm yourself. Pull the elements back in. Fight these demons with swords and dragonfire, not elements. It's too risky.
I called The Green back into me, forcing it to leave through my feet. It didn't go easily and seemed to almost have a mind of its own, needing to stay and whirl around in the forest. It was like a wild animal that had been let loose and didn't want to be bound again just yet. I ignored its nature and sent it back, along with Water. Luckily, the ley line I had tapped made the work much easier. It was like a deep chasm in the earth, like the Grand Canyon, only hidden below layers of forest floor. It swallowed the elements back up thirstily, leaving me once again alone. Just Jayne.
When the colors of my surroundings came back into focus and the leaves and branches fell to the ground, I was able to survey my success - or the damage. I wasn't sure which to call it, since I was alone now and couldn't tell if I'd sent anyone but myself anywhere. The weather had turned gray, and the forest looked like a disease had moved through it while I was under the influence of the elements.
"Ben?" I called out softly. "Dardennes? ... Anton? Are you guys here?"
From behind a tree walked a demon, his leather-like hide glistening with black goo I knew to be blood. He was coming towards me, so I grabbed my weapon, holding it out in front of me to discourage any funny business. But he walked right past where I was standing, paying me no mind, disappearing into the trees at my back without a roar or even a growl. I turned to watch him, my blood pressure going down only slightly when the danger had passed. Even though there was no bloody demon coming after me now, I still felt like something was really, really wrong here.
"I guess I goofed something up," I said out loud to the empty space around me. I tapped into the Earth element again, pulling some of The Green to me as a security blanket of sorts.
The moment it reached my chest, I flinched, sending it quickly away again. It slithered down into the Earth and left me thankfully alone. My heart was racing now, as my brain tried to compute what was happening. Something was wrong