bite-sized piece missing from his middle. When Hiero had stuck his knife through the empty space, the man came right to. Nephys had no idea what else to do in this situation but to play along and try to get her to listen. The hard part was finding a way to enter the woman’s one-sided conversation.
“Look, we are here to help you…” Nephys began awkwardly.
“I was driving when…out of nowhere!...was this boy …what on earth was a boy doing on the highway in the middle of the night?!!” She was rambling.
“I know this will be hard, but you need to listen to me,” Nephys tried to implore the lady, but she just continued her ranting; she was in shock.
“I must have been thrown from the car, but I can’t find her anywhere, so she must be up there still.”
“Look, I know this is hard, but…wait… her? ” Nephys asked carefully.
“Yes, HER! My daughter. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!!” the woman screamed frantically, and just then a chill wind blew through Nephys. Shades were coming.
“I’ve looked all around, but I can’t find her! She must still be in the car!”
No wonder the woman was still in a state of denial; she was searching for her daughter and was still attached to the thought that she might be alive.
“Fhween,” Hiero hooted impatiently. Nephys glanced either way and then closed his eyes. In his Death Sight he could see dozens of shades slowly approaching, though still a few hundred yards off. He looked up to the strange vehicle, which was now like glass to his sight, but no soul flame was in the metal wreck. He opened his eyes again. Even from this short use they were dimmer.
“Your daughter isn’t in the…the thing up there…Now I know this must be hard, but we can’t wait, we must go…”
“What? What do you mean? Have you seen her?”
“Well no…” Nephys began, but the woman wouldn’t let him finish.
“Then how can you be certain she isn’t in the car?!” she said angrily gesturing at the metal thing in the tree.
Nephys had no easy answer for her. Trying to explain the Death Sight to her in her condition would be worse than useless.
“Look,” Nephys said exasperated, “if I can prove that your daughter isn’t in that…car…then will you go with us?”
She looked at him oddly, but was silent. Her eyes seemed to alight on the gash on his neck, but she closed her eyes and shook off whatever recognition had touched her.
“Yes,” she said tentatively, “I’ll go…but please hurry.”
Nephys nodded once at her and then turned to Hiero and raised his eyebrows at him while he tilted his head towards the tree.
“Fwhooont,” Hiero completely deflated, the pipes on his back laid down nearly flat.
“Don’t give me that!! I’m not the one that dragged us out here!! I can’t get up that tree and we need to get out of here and…”
“FHWEEM!” Hiero cut him off and was already thrashing ahead to the tree. Using the butcher knife like a pick, he clawed up to the wreck with remarkable speed. The woman moved aside as he passed and stared at him as if he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. As Hiero stabbed at the glass and metal, she narrowed her eyes at him uncertain of what she was looking at. Whether she thought he was a trained monkey, or a rescue dog, or a hunchback dwarf, Nephys couldn’t tell, but she was so desperate to find her daughter she didn’t care.
Hiero began wrenching doors and parts off the wreck, raining them down below with little regard to who was underneath them. Nephys reached forward and pulled the woman out of the way. With great dispatch, Hiero passed through the whole vehicle, finally emerging from the gaping hole where the door had been and gave a short, flat hoot.
“Nothing there,” Nephys said, turning to face the woman, “Now we really need to be going.”
Nephys had turned to go and Hiero had already dropped to the damp ground beside him with a splash when the woman spoke.
“No,” she said in a
“Look, we are here to help you…” Nephys began awkwardly.
“I was driving when…out of nowhere!...was this boy …what on earth was a boy doing on the highway in the middle of the night?!!” She was rambling.
“I know this will be hard, but you need to listen to me,” Nephys tried to implore the lady, but she just continued her ranting; she was in shock.
“I must have been thrown from the car, but I can’t find her anywhere, so she must be up there still.”
“Look, I know this is hard, but…wait… her? ” Nephys asked carefully.
“Yes, HER! My daughter. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!!” the woman screamed frantically, and just then a chill wind blew through Nephys. Shades were coming.
“I’ve looked all around, but I can’t find her! She must still be in the car!”
No wonder the woman was still in a state of denial; she was searching for her daughter and was still attached to the thought that she might be alive.
“Fhween,” Hiero hooted impatiently. Nephys glanced either way and then closed his eyes. In his Death Sight he could see dozens of shades slowly approaching, though still a few hundred yards off. He looked up to the strange vehicle, which was now like glass to his sight, but no soul flame was in the metal wreck. He opened his eyes again. Even from this short use they were dimmer.
“Your daughter isn’t in the…the thing up there…Now I know this must be hard, but we can’t wait, we must go…”
“What? What do you mean? Have you seen her?”
“Well no…” Nephys began, but the woman wouldn’t let him finish.
“Then how can you be certain she isn’t in the car?!” she said angrily gesturing at the metal thing in the tree.
Nephys had no easy answer for her. Trying to explain the Death Sight to her in her condition would be worse than useless.
“Look,” Nephys said exasperated, “if I can prove that your daughter isn’t in that…car…then will you go with us?”
She looked at him oddly, but was silent. Her eyes seemed to alight on the gash on his neck, but she closed her eyes and shook off whatever recognition had touched her.
“Yes,” she said tentatively, “I’ll go…but please hurry.”
Nephys nodded once at her and then turned to Hiero and raised his eyebrows at him while he tilted his head towards the tree.
“Fwhooont,” Hiero completely deflated, the pipes on his back laid down nearly flat.
“Don’t give me that!! I’m not the one that dragged us out here!! I can’t get up that tree and we need to get out of here and…”
“FHWEEM!” Hiero cut him off and was already thrashing ahead to the tree. Using the butcher knife like a pick, he clawed up to the wreck with remarkable speed. The woman moved aside as he passed and stared at him as if he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. As Hiero stabbed at the glass and metal, she narrowed her eyes at him uncertain of what she was looking at. Whether she thought he was a trained monkey, or a rescue dog, or a hunchback dwarf, Nephys couldn’t tell, but she was so desperate to find her daughter she didn’t care.
Hiero began wrenching doors and parts off the wreck, raining them down below with little regard to who was underneath them. Nephys reached forward and pulled the woman out of the way. With great dispatch, Hiero passed through the whole vehicle, finally emerging from the gaping hole where the door had been and gave a short, flat hoot.
“Nothing there,” Nephys said, turning to face the woman, “Now we really need to be going.”
Nephys had turned to go and Hiero had already dropped to the damp ground beside him with a splash when the woman spoke.
“No,” she said in a
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