[b][i]Chapter Two[/i][/b] [right]10.[/right]

	“Did you kill it?” Cole grunted as he picked himself up from the soggy ground. His eyes darted all around him, anxiously searching for any further danger. Mud clung to his clothes, making him incredibly uncomfortable. Relentlessly, the rain continued to beat down on them.

	“Not quite,” DIllon said solemnly as he trudged back over to Jenna. “That spell alone couldn’t kill more than a sewer rat, much less an enormous Hell Hound. Especially coming from a novice wizard.”

	Cole stared at his brother as the words ran around in his mind, “Spells? Wizards? [i]Hell Hounds[/i]?” He shook his head, attention then turned to his sister as she lay in the muck. “Is she okay?”

	Dillon gathered Jenna in his arms, ignoring the mess of leaves and grass and dirt. Now, he was shivering from the cold and rain. He put a cold hand against her forehead and sighed, “She’ll be fine. She needs lots of rest right now.”

	“I think we all do,” Cole said as he approached his brother from behind and rested a hand upon his shoulder. “Let’s get home. Penny’s still there.”

	When they arrived home, the mess of mud upon the floor didn’t seem important to them. Their main concern was getting clean and warm. Dillon gently woke Jenna and helped her to a tub of warm water. He couldn’t suppress the awkward feeling that came over him as he assisted his sister in removing her clothes and climbing into the bath. Her mind was fuzzy and her entire body felt weak and achy. She muttered a vague thank you to her brother before he shut the bathroom door and left her alone.

	The water relaxed her muscles and seemed to calm her aching bones. She felt a million years older than she really was. Her mind continuously wandered to the strange dreams she’d had, from the odd baby “eagle” to healing Dillon after he’d been attacked by that beast. Never before had she experienced such odd and vivid dreams. She thought about this as she slowly scrubbed her skin with a cloth, freeing her body of the dirt and grime.

	Her eyes were heavier when she dragged herself out of the tub than when she’d first gotten in. She pulled a towel off of its shelf and dried herself off, then wrapped it around her body securely.

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