Commanding the Wretch

"Work with me," I whispered.

I brought out the Wretch, and I hit the nearest building, shattering the wood exterior.

I remained where I was, feeling that fluttery panic feeling again, tinged with the heavy feeling that always came with the Wretch. I used the moment to retrieve my metal mask and don it.

I reached out in the direction of the shattered wood, and I grabbed one lengthy piece. "Arm yourself," I said, my voice muffled by the mask.

The wretch reached out for other chunks of the wall. It bit into them, drummed them with impacts that made the whole building complain, and shredded solid struts with fingernails, punches, and kicks.

I canceled the field, then brought it out again. I seized another long bit of wood, a supporting beam, and hauled on it. The Wretch hit it, and broke it at the base. I stumbled as it came free.

One-handed, using only my regular strength, I tossed the three feet of two-by-four up.

The Wretch caught it.

They were getting closer. I could hear them.

My heart sank as the Wretch gripped the two-by-four so hard it splintered and broke at the middle.

"Use it as a weapon," I said.

There was no indication the Wretch heard.

The pair were making their approach. The guy had one glowing circle on his mask, now, and a crescent moon of manifested power-canceling energy that he held like a sword.

The smoke woman unleashed her power on me. I charged in, crashing into it, and shattered the first ten feet.

The Wretch threw the two feet of two-by-four, or it let go of the piece as it dissipated.

The block of wood hit the masked woman in the face hard enough to knock her off of her feet and break the horn at the right side of her her chin. The smoke ceased flowing, and the forms went still.

- Shadow 5.11