Chapter 21

Ray looked up from the Chorton at the form that had arisen behind it. A look of concern crossed his face, then the Chorton was attacking him. He was managing to keep the first one back, but then the second decided to join in. That’s when Ray watched as the powerful form grabbed the leaping second Chorton and snapped it in half as easily as if it were snapping a pretzel. Immediately, the first screamed and flew through the wall. Ray was so tired he had to rest but felt as if he weighed a ton.

The powerful form tried to reach Ray, but he wasn’t seeing too well and thought it was another attack. He kept his protection up. The bad thing was the other being was trying to help him, and Ray had exhausted almost all his energy fighting off the Chorton. Now he was about to fade and knew he was dead if he failed. Reaching to his body, he managed to touch the arm, momentarily getting a jolt but not enough to defeat what he was seeing.

Ray, he suddenly heard Nali in his head. Let go. I will help you, but you must let go. You will expire if you do not re-enter your corporeal form very soon. Please let go. Elizabeth is with me; we will help you.

Ray was too tired to argue, too tired to fight anymore, just too damn tired. He let go and felt himself scooped up and placed on his body. Slowly, very slowly, he felt himself slip into it. Then he was all the way in as the sweet darkness took him.

Elizabeth was trembling; Nali had damn near scared the shit out of her when she leapt out of Elizabeth’s body, dragging Elizabeth with her. Then they had both almost melted together and formed a new, much more powerful form. Calming, Elizabeth realized why Nali had done it. She would have too, had she been able to move as fast as Nali. Now they both were returning to her body, but for some reason, Elizabeth thought something was different about Nali. Then she remembered something that Nali had said.

“I have been in contact with you and Ray for so long that I am finally starting to convert to what I want to be. It won’t take much longer now, then I’ll have a real surprise for the both of you!” Looking hard at the almost human-looking Nali, Elizabeth couldn’t imagine what Nali had meant.

Back in the body, they both kept a close eye on Ray. They had to make sure he survived; their own lives depended so much on him. As Nali had hinted, she and Ray were now joined in more ways than one, as were he and Elizabeth, also as Nali and Elizabeth were to each other. Their attention snapped back to Ray when they heard him moan slightly.

Ray was having a hard time in his body. He was starting to spend more and more time away from it—too much, in fact. This time had been the closest he’d been to not making it in time. Though he was back within it, things didn’t feel right. He needed to wake up and start moving around before his body became so rigid he might never move again.

Clawing his way to the surface, he let out a moan from the supreme effort he was having to make just to reach the surface. Finally, after what felt like years, he managed to open his eyes. “How long?” he heard his slurred words come out.

“From what I saw, it has been two days. We have to go back tomorrow to work. Are you starting to feel any better?” Elizabeth asked him as soon as he’d spoken.

“Some,” he slurred out. “I need to get up and start moving again. I feel so weak I might need your help.” Ray tried to sit up and fell back, becoming dizzier than he had been, a groan escaping his lips.

“You need to rest and regain your soul energy, as you solid forms call it.” Ray heard Nali say. Funny, he thought, her voice was becoming more and more distinct from Elizabeth’s. Then he shook his head; he had to be imagining it.