Chapter 8This time I was ready for the pull at my solar plexus. It was like a carnival ride—you'd ridden it a hundred times but never quite became used to it. It happened almost instantly. One second I was in my bedroom, the next I was standing outdoors on a brick street in a village. The sky was gray like molten silver. The air heavy with… what was that acrid scent again? Two children darted across my vision, yelling, “Watch out, lady!” They giggled and ran through a crowd of people who stared at me.
Someone from the crowd shouted, “Watch out!”
At the same moment, the ground rumbled beneath my feet. A deafening sound whooshed and chugged close by, and filled my ears. An intense sensation filled my body. Heavy smoke made my eyes water. The hairs on the back of my neck rose.
Confused, I
