Somehow, I knew peril came — maybe the Symbio Magique within sensed it like a tremor in the force in the Star Wars flicks. Jumping up, I rushed outside past the confused expressions of those gathered. Adrenaline surged through my body and my heart raced, priming me for unknown danger.

"What troubles you, Micah?" Anara asked, coming to my side as the others joined us.

I spun around, first to the semi-circle of pink granite bluffs that framed the small green valley, and then to an expanse of flatlands beyond. Boulders and massive slabs of rock piled haphazardly just behind the cottage, long ago fallen away from the fractured bluff above. Finally, I looked up.

"That," I replied, pointing at a dark object in the sky. Coming closer and growing larger by the second, it looked like a condensed swirling mass of brown fibers, blazing a fiery yellow tail behind like a meteor, and roaring like a distant jet. "What is it?" By my reckoning, we had only seconds until it hit.

"A geokinetic attack!" my mother yelled over the growing noise. "And powerful."

"Shield!" Ferina shouted, taking charge. A glowing clear crystal pendent slid out of her robe as she lifted hands high. "Together." Strings of silvery magic burst from her fingertips.

The other woman joined, adding their magic threads, weaving a glowing, multi-colored dome above us and the cottage: purple threads from Anara; yellow from my mother, green from Myra, and blue from Ferina's companion, Ursa. Adam gathered his children into his arms and huddled protectively over them.

With a deep breath and a pounding heart, I begged the flame within to rise, to add its strength. "Now would be a good time," I muttered under my breath.

The magic attack hit the protective dome with a deafening kinetic whomp, and the sound reverberated off the bluffs. The ground trembled as if an earthquake, tossing us. Reaching, Anara and I steadied each other. The children in Adam's arms shrieked even as he whispered assurances to calm them.

Sparks and dazzling colors played across the protective dome as magic fought magic, both refusing to yield. Finding cracks in the shield, dark brown tendrils speared through, plunging into the ground like arrows.

For a brief moment, silence took hold, and eyes glanced at each other, unsure of what would follow. We did not wait long. With sharp rumbles, spires of crystalline rock shot up from the ground, twisting, reaching, snatching. My mother let out a yelp as a spire grabbed her leg. She spun and fired a kinetic blast, shattering it into shards, but two more took its place. The others fared no better, each fighting off grappling spires only to find more. It became apparent that this attack was meant to ensnare us.

"Adam!" Myra shouted rock encircled her husband and children. But caught within rocky grips herself, she could offer no help.

Fiery anger rose within me, and the flame flared. "No!" I yelled. Kneeling down, I pounded fists against the sandy ground.

Hazy, dark waves pulsed out from my point of impact. The spires shattered on contact, crackling like broken glass, then collapsing into piles of gravel while fine brown dust lingered in the air. Somehow, I had disrupted the geokinetic spell. Widened eyes turned toward me as I examined my hands. "Whoa..."

"Indeed, you are the Symbio Magique!" Ferina exclaimed with a grin, breaking the lingering silence. Her grin faded. "But if the Council launched the attack, their agents will not be far behind."

"We may find protection within the rocks." Adam suggested, pointing behind the cottage.

"Go!" Ferina ordered, gesturing.

True to her prediction, as we fled, two sparkling purple circles appeared behind us. Female agents poured from the portals, wearing the Amazon warrior-type outfits, followed by male guards clothed like Spartan warriors. Shouts rose, and many agents launched concentrated orbs of magic. They smashed against the granite like kinetic projectiles, spraying us with rock bits as we entered the boulder field. Targon flapped to a high rock and defiantly growled at our attackers before ducking down to Anara's side.

From positions behind boulders, Ferina and Ursa extended hands and fired back, sending rapid-fire kinetic blasts among the agents, scattering them. Thus, the battle lines were drawn.

Anara crouched beside me. Strangely, a clear crystalline shard at my feet caught my attention, and tingled in my hand as I picked it up.

"These cliffs are rich with Crystal," Adam explained. "Young witches sometimes come here to find their talisman." He ruffled the hair of the young girl huddled beside him. "Perhaps you, my dear daughter, shall find your special talisman in these hills someday. I would help you look." The girl grinned and visibly relaxed from her father's positive outlook.

I turned the crystal in my hand, admiring how it refracted the sunlight into many colors. As I squeezed, testing its hardness, the flame within me flashed, and the crystal shattered with a sharp crinkle into countless pieces, falling from my hand.

"How did you do that?" Adam asked, furrowing his brow. "They are the strongest of minerals."

"I don't know," I answered. "I just--"

"Watch out!" Anara shouted, pulling me aside.

Adam did the same with his children as a boulder crashed against the rocks above and rolled between us. I peeked over the flat rock-slab that sheltered us. A red-haired agent stood beside the cottage, telekinetically flinging boulders at us. Brown streamers swirled out from her hands as she magically lifted another rock above her head, then launched it like a mortar. It smashed down to my right, forcing my mother to jump aside.

"These damn witches are seriously pissing me off!" I growled.

Adam covered his son's ears while shooting me a narrow-eyed glance. "Language, Micah."

"Sorry," I replied, pinching my lips together.

I turned my attention back to the rock-flinging agent in the distance. "I wonder..." As she weaved her magic around another boulder and lifted it high above her head, I held my breath, extended a finger, and focused, willing the Symbio inside me to reach out. The agent's brown magic streamers shattered with sharp cracks. With no force holding the boulder aloft, it fell, smashing on her head. She crumpled to the ground, laying limp beside the boulder.

Gotta love gravity.

As the battle continued, it became apparent that we were outgunned, or rather, out-magicked. A fireball arced across the sky. But before it struck, my mother waved her arm, shooting out glowing yellow threads, transforming the fireball into countless red sparkles as if a fireworks display. I jumped aside, pulling Anara with me as they rained down on us.

"Anara!" Ferina shouted from behind a rock pile. "An exit is needed."

Firming her lips, Anara rose and circled her hands. Purple magic burst out, forming into a ring, the beginning of a portal. But then, a blonde-haired agent jumped up behind us with face contorted in battle rage. I recognized her — Xena, the one who arrested Anara and me.

Twirling her hand, her blue crystal glowed, and a tight swirl of air like a mini-tornado gusted against Anara and me, shoving us toward the rocks. I pulled Anara against me, holding her as my back slammed into the hard surface, pushing the air from my lungs with a grunt. Pain radiated from my ribs as I slumped down.

Leaping closer, guided by an air blast, Xena shot out glowing blue strands from her hands, weaving them together into a long, shimmering whip. Before Anara could react, Xena slashed the whip forward, wrapping it around Anara's waist and pulling tight. Anara trembled and let out a pained cry as Xena yanked her to the ground.

With a growl, I dived forward to grab the whip. The magic tingled in my hand, sending sparks up my arm, and the Symbio flared with anger at the imposition. The magic shattered, and a recoil force blasted back at Xena with a sharp boom. Wide-eyed, Xena tumbled back against the rocks from the force.

But she was not done. Yelling a battle cry, Xena jumped up again. I gulped as a blazing sword of magical energy extended from one hand. Narrowed eyes focused on me, she stepped forward to strike me down. But from behind a nearby boulder, Adam leaped forward and landed a hard right-hook worthy of a professional boxer against her left cheek. At first staggering, Xena's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed to the ground.

I grinned and cast Adam a mock salute. "Now, that's kinetic!" He grinned in return.

Helping Anara stand, I said, "Okay, do your thing."

The remaining agents pressed forward with the soldiers close behind, rapid-firing condensed orbs of magic. We ducked down as the kinetic salvos rained down on us, blasting off bits of rock.

Anara grimaced as a portal ring formed, then collapsed with a pop, again and again. "I cannot hold it," she gasped. "There is too much magical interference! I need but a moment of peace."

Standing as tall as I dared under the barrage, I yelled out to the others, "Listen! Let's coordinate a push so Anara can form a portal."

"A kinetic pulse, yes," my mother clarified.

"Leverage the Symbio Magique to maximize power," I said. "Together then?"

"Together!" Ferina barked, narrowing her eyes as the witches crouched with hands extended. "On my count — three, two, one..."

I extended my arms and willed the Symbio to enhance. It did. The women, except for Anara, jumped up and shot a wide, shimmering pulse of kinetic energy like a shock wave. The pulse rolled over the agents and soldiers, sending them tumbling backwards across the rocky ground. Thunder echoed off the surrounding bluffs. As the dust settled, additional collateral damage became apparent. The pulse had uprooted trees, pushed down a section of wall, and broken windows in the cottage.

Huddled with his children, Adam caught my eye and muttered, "Outstanding."

Turning around, I bowed with a melodramatic extended arm. "My dear Anara, you have your moment."

Grinning, she stood tall and twirled her hands. Purple threads came together to weave a circle, sparkling as it expanded. With a nod from Anara, we rushed through, one-by-one.