Chapter 12

The Wicked Sister? Who was the Wicked Sister? What did she want with the earth? All those questions ran through Sara's mind. She released the small alien-shaped humanoid and never took her eyes off Mr. Angles. "Who is the wicked sister."

Ishtrath shivered and shook his head, "The wicked sister is the selfish one, Akkadia. She desires dominion over all. Xorag and Daenerys teamed up to banish her."

Mr. Angles nodded, "The other ancients let her grow in power. She was the first to discover this dimension. She saw this universe teeming with life and claimed it for herself."

The true horror of the elder gods struck Sara down. They were children fighting over the shiniest toy in the store. The thought made her existence small. The enormity of the task at hand crushed her. "What are we supposed to do? Why did the wicked sister go unchecked?"

"They were busy with another plane of existence. I think the elders got bored with it..." Mr. Angles scratched his head, "I can't remember if they destroyed the alternate realm."

Sara shoved Istrath, "How can you be so calm. Bring back Liam..."

"Liam doesn't wish to be in control right now."

"Your lying." Sara didn't want to believe the demon. She missed the safety of ignorance. There was a simplicity in being a werewolf.

Ishtrath shook his head and said, "Liam understands what's at stake." The demon reached out to touch Sara. The glowing eyes faded, and Liam's kindness returned. His eyes watched her with love and devotion.

Liam raised Sara's hand to his lips and kissed it. "Sara, we don't have time to worry about every little thing the elder gods are doing behind our backs. Take this challenge one inch at a time, and we will prevail."

Sara pulled Liam in and softly kissed his lips. Her face was ablaze in sweet embarrassment and shy ecstasy. "Can you stay for a while longer?"

"I'm sorry," Liam stroked her cheek. "Ishtrath has crucial things to accomplish. I promise we'll talk more after we get through this."

Sara watched the humanity fade from Liam's eyes as the demonic Ishtrath took over, and the inhuman glow surrounded Liam's body once more. "I will not harm Liam, I promise," Ishtrath turned back to Dawn and Mr. Angles, who were in deep conversation.

Dawn scowled at Mr. Angles. "Why do you think the Wicked Sister tapped someone on the shoulder? I think we'd know if an ignorant acquired eldritch power."

"Xorag tapped me on the shoulder. Daenerys sent you after Sara. We can assume Wicked Sister chose someone." Mr. Angles grinned toward Dawn. "I think it makes the game more interesting."

"Where should we start looking?" Sara wanted to plug her ears and hide from the world. She knew Liam would press on despite the grim circumstances. "Do you know if the Silent Fangs are serving Xorag?"

Mr. Angles shrugged, "The scientists never tell the rats about the maze. They expect the rodents to figure it out."

"We'll carry on toward our destination," Dawn shoved the green humanoids aside. "Aliens, really?"

"A man's got to eat," Mr. Angles said. He stood at the top of the stairs, "I'd help, but this form has a limited range."

"Keep us posted."

Sarah hopped in the driver's seat and took a deep breath. Ishtrath took the backseat, and Dawn rode shotgun. "I know this is a lot, but the planet is one second away from ruin, with or without the elder's help." Dawn's harsh tone struck her ears like a knife.

"Are we that bad?"

"It's the nature of all life. That includes the realm of elders." Dawn clapped her hands, "We'll visit the elder realm. We can survive the aether. We might find out something useful."

"I agree," Ishtrash shouted from the backseat. "We need to know what the Wicked Sister wants with this world."

"Can it be much worse than Xorag or Daenerys?" Sara said as they pulled out of the driveway.

***

Sleep refused to visit Sara that night. The loud snores from Liam drifted out the door. Dawn and Sara occupied chairs on either side of the door. "Okay, what do you know about the Wicked Sister, and does she have a name."

Dawn leaned back and leaned the Ivory staff against the wall. "The Wicked sister is the most chaotic. Daenerys and Xorag always have one eye on her. She refused to be named anything else."

"Wow, so she chose Wicked Sister?"

"yes."

"I wonder what her interest in this planet is."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sara poured two fingers of whiskey into an icy glass. The first sip slid down her throat like silk.

"I have an idea, but we don't have proof."

"Care to share?"

"Not until I have some evidence. I can't have you falling apart." Dawn shivered and said, "I'll say Akkadia makes her siblings look cute and cuddly."

"Do we still need the key creatures?"

Dawn chuckled, "It's imperative we still find them. We can't enter the elder realm without them." The cheer creaked when she rose. "It's time for me to sleep." She stretched her arms and yawned back to her molars.

"What do you think we'll find in Green Bank?" Sara couldn't help but ask. Their mission seemed fraught with peril at the start. Now it wandered into the realm of the impossible.

***

Greenbank didn't feel right. A sour smell filled the air and curled the nose hairs. The lupine senses usually recovered quickly, but the bitterness never got easier to bear. Sara felt exposed

Liam shook his head, "Is it just me, or does this place feel weird?" He raised his head skyward, "Ishtrath says he can sense eldritch energy.

"Hmph," Dawn scoffed, "A child could sense that. Our job is to find the source before the problem gets out of hand. Eldritch enregy has a way of warping things around it."

"Ishtrath seems to think The Silent Fangs are responsible," Liam said as he touched a plant. He snapped off a branch, and blood squirted onto his hand. "I think he is wrong."

"How does Eldritch Energy transform anything?" Sara snapped another branch. Another spurt of blood followed.

Dawn ran her hand down the vile blooms attached to the bush, "Think of Eldritch energy as a catalyst of change. It taps the potential of a particular species and then twists it to survive the elder realm." She gripped a branch, and a line of void flame ran down the smooth bark. "The trick is to route it out before it gets worse."

Sara clenched her fist and nodded, "Let's get to the bottom of this."