Raccciman’s World

“Don't you consider playing with mortals rather childish?” a voice chimed from above me. I looked up and there were two goddess floating in midair above me, one with bright magic, and one with dark. But the spots were getting darker, and my head was spinning and I looked down. I still couldn't breathe.

“Are you well?” The wizard was still shaky, but I figure this time he was doing better nor me.

I thought I heard one lady saying to the other, “You can't tell me what to do!” but my ears were beginning to buzz, and I could feel the air pushing in on me. I was going to die. I always figured I would, but I guess I figured I'd die in winter, because Dame Larika who tends us streeties said how my weak lungs needed a warm house, and I wasn't going to find none. Dying of weak lungs, that was what anyone might do. It was most stupid to die for a wizard who couldn't do better for me than say ‘are you well?’

Finally, I drew breath. It rasped going in and sounded like a loose shutter in a wind storm, but I had air, and my hands tightened their grip. Then I started coughing, and my fingers slipped a bit more.

“Hang on!”

I hung. It didn't take schooling to figure out that! Above me the new goddess and the old goddess were standing staring at each other in mid air, while all about them in a tight little knot their magics poked at pushed at each-other, shadow dark, and shining bright, sending waves pushing outward like they was a stone dropped in a puddle. Beside them the wizard edged back to the far side of the cage, stumbling over Werin's limp figure.

I managed to suck in another breath and croak out “Rope!”

The cage jostled and swayed in the breeze from the magic battle, and Getuinskaff seemed to be having trouble getting at Werin's pack. Foggy wisps of magical spells pulled at me too, and I kept looking down at the ground below, and it seemed to get further and further away. So I'd close my eyes, until another wave of magic beat at me, and then I would look up in time to see more dark tendrils wrap around the second lady, and the look of glee on the first one's face made two broken legs seem like a good plan, and my fingers slipped more.