by Dyan Chick
With lightning speed, the wolf that had pinned me down lunged from me toward the new threat. I rolled away onto my side, holding my stomach to keep from throwing up from the pressure of the wolf using me as a launching pad to attack the other one. Jasper. The new wolf had to be Jasper. I needed to help him, but I was moving too slowly.
I rolled onto my stomach and pushed myself up to all fours so I could stand. A yelping sound came from where I had last seen the wolves, and I looked over to see one on top of the other, teeth pulling away a chunk of the other wolf's throat. Swallowing down the food that was trying to come back up, I turned away for a moment. That was not the kind of thing I could unsee.
When I turned back, Jasper was sitting on the ground, covered in blood, next to a dead wolf. I ran to him. "Are you okay?"
He wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. His other arm was covering his stomach. "I'll be fine."
I moved his arm off of his stomach to see a huge gash sliced from one side of his waist to the other. "We have to get you to a hospital. You'll lose too much blood."
"We heal quickly. Just need a few minutes." He covered his stomach again.
For the first time since entering the warehouse, I looked around. I'd walked into the middle of an all out battle. Wolves launched through the air, Sayges threw colored powder, lights flashed around me. I turned back to Jasper. "What happened?"
"It was an ambush," he said. "She was waiting for us, just like we were waiting for her. Guess she didn't care if she killed Brenon, after all."
"Where is he?" Adrenaline shot through me, and suddenly I no longer felt pain. I jumped to my feet. There was too much iron dust around. Was he protecting himself?
Jasper shook his head. "No idea." I came in when I heard the commotion. It was already in full swing when I arrived."
He pulled his arm away from his stomach, and I glanced down. There was a lot of blood, but I could no longer see his muscles. The skin looked mended. "You do heal fast."
"Told you," he said. "We need to get you out of here. That's what Brenon would want."
"No, I have to help. I'm not leaving here without him, without all of you."
"You two are going to be the death of me, you know that?" he said, standing.
"We're going to be the death of everyone if we don't find a way to stop this soon," I said.
Jasper followed me into the fray. I needed to find Maggie and get some of that iron powder. Terra was probably looking for me. If anyone had a shot at getting close enough to her to cause real damage, it was me.
I ducked under a flash of light that came out of nowhere and bumped into a Sayge with a mohawk that I didn't know. "Do you have any iron powder?"
Mohawk shook his head, then turned away, back to whatever he was doing.
Suddenly, Jasper pushed me, knocking me to the ground. I sat in shock for a moment as he turned into a wolf right in front of my eyes. Facing off against a massive, black beast that resembled more of a bear than a wolf. Was this Jack in his wolf form?
Scrambling to my feet, I took off at a run, not wanting to get in the middle of the fight and knowing that the best thing I could do to help Jasper was to end this.
Ahead of me, I saw the short black bob of Maggie's head, and I raced toward her, desperate to get my hands on some of the powder.
Breathing heavy, I arrived just as she pulled a dagger out of a wolf. The creature fell to its side, taking shallow, rattling breaths but not moving. She looked up from the dying wolf, blood splatters across her face. "What are you doing in here?"
"I need powder. Now! I told you to give me some earlier," I said.
"No, you need to leave. You're the only one who can open the gate. You want to piss off all the Fae who can't get back after we find the bitch and finish her off?"
I grabbed Maggie's upper arm and pulled her to the wall, out of the fight. "What do you mean find her?"
"As far as I know, nobody's seen Terra yet."
"Where the hell are Brenon and Gia?" I asked.
She shrugged, then lunged past me, letting out a war cry as she charged another wolf. I stood pressed against the wall, weaponless, powerless, and terrified. If Terra wasn't even here, what were we doing? Had she taken Brenon and Gia and left us to die?
Right as I was forcing myself to take deep breaths, I noticed a flash above me. Glancing up, my whole body tensed. Terra was standing on the balcony overlooking the whole warehouse. Her arms were spread wide, an arc of lighting radiating between them like an evil rainbow. Next to her, stood Gia, arms pressed firmly to her sides. Was she bound? I squinted, trying to see if Gia was unharmed. Before I could make it out, Terra released the lightning, sending it out into the crowd.
"No!" I ran into the middle of the room, but it was too late, the electricity had already struck, and in a second, most of the people who were engaged in the battle were lying motionless on the cement floor. I was standing in the middle of a pile of bodies.
Chapter 22
Terra looked down at me, I swear she was smiling. Then, she and Gia were gone, leaving a dense gray smoke that settled in the air, masking the scene around me. My lungs constricted and my throat burned. Coughing, I carefully moved through the fallen, arms in front of me. I knew the wall had to be around here somewhere and when I found it, I could open the door to let the air clear.
My toes came into contact with something soft, and my stomach flipped as I realized it was a body. I wasn't able to identify if it was a wolf or one of our own through the haze. Tears streamed down my cheeks, a combination of watery eyes from the smoke and my heartbreak at the destruction left in Terra's wake.
Finally, I found a solid wall in front of me and I kept my fingers on it as I followed it toward what I hoped was the front door. After pausing a few times to cough, I finally felt a seam in the wall. Tracing along the seam, I felt hinges. Blindly, I continued along until I found the doorknob, then opened it.
A rush of fresh air hit me, and I inhaled, blinking against the cold air. I turned to the smoke, expecting to see it pulled toward the door. Instead, it hung there, unmoving. I heard other coughing and attempts to move around. We needed to tend to our injured, and we needed to get away from here before Terra returned. With the smoke, there was no way that was going to happen any time quickly.
Then I realized it must not be typical smoke. It had to be magic. I leaned against the door, so my body weight kept it propped open, then I closed my eyes, recalling the pencil and the rose. I hadn't needed words or a spell. I made magic happen with my mind. Thinking of the smoke, I pictured it weightless, wispy, like a fast moving cloud on a windy day. I imagined all of it blowing through the open door, dissolving into the night without a trace. Clearing my mind, I focused on the motion of it, what it would feel like if I were lighter, if I were the smoke.
I opened my eyes, and while the warehouse was still filled with gray smoke, it looked thinner. I took a breath in, noticing that I wasn't coughing this time. With a sweeping motion, I swung my arms toward the door, picturing the smoke taking the lead, and following my motion through the open door. To my surprise, it started to thin even more, dissolving in front of me. As the smoke dwindled, I could see it making its way through the door. It was doing as I commanded.
Finally, the room was free of the toxic fumes, and the true damage was crystal clear. My heart was heavy in my chest as I saw the remains of the ambush. We'd planned to do the same thing to Terra, but she'd anticipated it, and she was stronger.
At first glance, I seemed to be the only one standing in the room. I'd heard other survivors, I couldn't be the only one. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that one of the other doors was open. Whoever remained must have made their way out as the smoke cleared. There were so many who didn't make it. Were any of the fallen still alive? Did they need help?
My lower lip trembled as I walked into the crowd, looking for familiar faces. For Brenon. Where was he? I'd seen Gia with Terra, but not him. Had Terra taken him or had she alr
eady finished him off?
Where was my aunt? Or Maggie or Adam? Had Joe even come inside or had the Circus kept him safely away? I stopped in front of a fallen Sayge I didn't recognize and felt for a pulse. Nothing. I moved over to check the fallen wolf next to him. Nothing. Slowly, I made my way around the room, checking for survivors and hoping I wouldn't find Brenon or anyone else I'd come to care about among the fallen.
On the other side of the warehouse, another door opened and several people came running in. Performance or not, the flashy clothes told me they were members of the Circus. That's when I realized all the fallen were Sayge or wolf. The Circus had done their duty and stayed outside the doors. Now that it was over, they flooded in.
I balled my hands into fists, angry that they'd stayed outside and done nothing. My foot slid as I stepped onto a faint silvery powder and I recalled why they'd remained outside. The iron powder. The floor shimmered in a layer of the stuff. The Sayges had been using it during the fight. Had any of it hit Terra? Had it just not worked?
"Ara." A breathless Evangeline caught up with me. "Where is he?"
She didn't need to explain who she was trying to find, she was searching for the same person I was looking for. I shook my head. "I don't know. I haven't seen him since he left to join you. But I did see Gia with Terra. She took off, and I think she took Gia with her."
From somewhere behind me, I heard a groan. I perked up, was it possible that in this destruction, there was someone alive? Spinning around, I turned in the direction of the sound, then glanced back at Evangeline. "Help look for survivors. We need to get all the injured to safety."
For once, she didn't argue with me. She turned and headed toward the other Circus members who had entered the room.
I continued on toward where I had heard the sound. "If you're hurt and you need help, speak up if you can. I'll get you help. You're going to be okay."
My heart thumped in my chest. I needed to find someone alive in this mess. It couldn't end like this. There needed to be something I could do to help.
My breath hitched as I noticed the familiar dark hair. Brenon was sprawled out on the ground on the other side of the warehouse. Leaping over a dead wolf, I ran to him. Please be alive. Please be alive.
I dropped to my knees in front of him, noticing the ground covered in blue iron dust. He'd been exposed to it at the very least, possibly even hit by the dust. Thankful for the gloves, I brushed as much of it as I could away from him, then removed the gloves and tossed them away from us.
I placed my fingers on his neck, out of habit to feel for a pulse, then remembered that he wouldn't have one. Brushing his hair back, I leaned my face over his. "Brenon?"
His eyes fluttered but didn't open and he let out a low groan. He was alive. A rush of energy surged through me. I had to get him out of here, I had to help him. "Evangeline! Miles! Someone come quick. Brenon needs help."
Within seconds, several members of the circus were next to me and they lifted the Ringmaster from the ground. Miles and Evangeline watched the progress.
"Be careful with him," I called out after them.
"They'll take good care of him," Evangeline said.
Miles put his hand on my shoulder. "Go with him."
"Someone has to finish here. We need to check for any other survivors I said." Inside, I was screaming. All I wanted to do was follow Brenon, but I was the only Sayge here at the moment. "My aunt, my friends."
"Joe's with Goldie, on the train," Miles said. "Evangeline and I will finish up here."
"What?" Evangeline glared at Miles. "I'm going with Brenon."
"No." Miles shook his head. "You're not. Ara's got this. Let her go."
Evangeline's ears flattened against her head and her nose twitched. "Fine. What are you waiting for? Go, Ara."
I didn't need to be told twice. The group carrying Brenon had already left the warehouse and I hurried to catch up to them. Wherever he was going, I wanted to go with him. I needed to see if he was going to be okay, I had to help, somehow. My throat stung as I fought against the dark thoughts that swirled around my mind. What would I do if he didn't wake up?
As I crossed into the cool night air, I caught sight of the people carrying Brenon as they paused in front of a car. The flash of a lighter being lit caught my eye. "Mike, wait for me."
Mike blew a cloud of smoke into the air and waved me over, then turned to the group. "Make room for her, she's in back with him."
I slid into the back seat, and then they carefully lowered Brenon in behind me. I cradled his head in my lap, smoothing his hair. I didn't even look up from him when the car's engine roared to life. After a few minutes of driving, the familiar pulling sensation tugged at my insides and I felt like I was being sucked through a straw as the world went black for a moment. When we came out on the other side, I looked back down and saw green eyes staring up at me. "You're alive."
Relief, as I'd never felt before, sent me straight to tears. I couldn't control the trembling of my lower lip or the laughter that slipped out. I was hysterical and happy. I leaned down, kissing his forehead, and hugging his head with my arms. "You're alive."
He reached a hand up and brushed his fingers against my cheek before wincing in pain.
"Shh, don't worry, I'm going to take care of you," I said.
He nodded, then closed his eyes again. I ran my fingers through his hair, then wiped the tears from my cheeks. I knew my feelings were strong for the Ringmaster, but it was at that moment that I realized I'd fallen for him completely. There was nothing I wouldn't do for him.
Chapter 23
After what felt like the longest few minutes of my life, the car came to a stop, and the door was pulled open. Miles stared down at me. "How's he doing?"
"He opened his eyes for a second, and he's made a few noises, but not much else." Carefully, I lifted Brenon off of me and positioned myself under his shoulders to help guide him out of the car.
Miles held him in his arms like a child despite the fact that Brenon wasn't a small man. He just looked small compared to Miles.
"I thought you were staying with Evangeline," I said. "Did you find any other survivors?"
He frowned. "One or two. The rest had already fled. They should be at Kay's."
I wanted to check on the Sayges and my aunt. But I had to know if Brenon was going to be okay first. I told myself there was nothing I could do to help there. I was needed here.
I followed Miles to the train, among a rush of people who were flooding the tracks from multiple cars that had shown up since we arrived. Where had they all come from? Had the Circus had these cars all along?
"Ara!" I turned at the sound of my name.
Some of the tension I was holding left as Joe crashed into me, pulling me into a hug. A second later, Goldie slammed into us, the two of them squishing me between them for a long moment before letting go.
"You okay? I heard what happened. Goldie and I were here using this crazy communication system they have to monitor it all." Joe looked around. "Where's your aunt? And the others?"
My stomach tightened as guilt settled inside me. "I don't know. Miles said the survivors went back to Aunt Kay's."
"We can contact them for you," Joe said. "There's this mailbox thing and special paper, come on, I'll show you."
I glanced behind me. Miles had vanished inside the train with Brenon, and I felt like every bit of me was fighting the urge to be in there with him. I looked back at Joe. "Can you check for me? I want to see if Brenon's okay."
Goldie grabbed my arm. "What happened?"
"Iron dust," I said.
She let go of my arm, then pushed me. "Go. We got this."
"Thanks." I turned and ran toward the train before Joe could say anything. If Brenon was waking up right now, I wanted to be there. If there was any way my magic could help, I wanted to do something. Could they give him the orange drink he'd given me to help me feel better? What was the cure for something that was so dangerous to Fae?
&nbs
p; When I entered the train car, my breath caught as I saw the sprawled out form of Brenon on his simple bed. Miles sat in a chair next to him and stood when I walked in.
"Anything?" I asked.
Miles shook his head. "Not yet."
I walked over to the bed and knelt down on the ground. Brenon looked like he was asleep. I rested my hand on top of his, and silently willed him to open his eyes. "Is there anything I can do?"
"We have to wait for it to leave his system. I don't know how much got in there, but he's not dead yet, so that gives us hope that he'll pull through."
"How long do we wait?" My insides squirmed at the thought of not being able to do anything. I hated feeling so helpless.
"Ara?"
I turned to see Evangeline standing in the doorway. "I brought you some company and some news."
Behind her, I could see Joe and Goldie waiting. Had they reached my aunt? "What news?"
"Your Aunt Kay is fine, but the Sayges are done with us. They lost a lot of people. They won't help us anymore." Evangeline stepped into the room and moved aside so Joe and Goldie could pass.
"It was a nice try, and I don't blame you if you want to go back to the Sayges," Evangeline said.
I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to get a read on her. Did she want me to leave? Was I going to have to deal with her jealousy around Brenon? I shook my head. "I'm not going anywhere, and you know that. What are you trying to pull here?"
For the first time, I saw a flicker of weakness in Evangeline's usually impassive expression. She looked hurt. "I'm not trying to pull anything. You showed great strength today, and I don't want you to leave."
"I don't understand you at all." Evangeline had been more of a mystery to me than Brenon at times. She seemed to dislike me but wouldn't risk upsetting him. What was it about me that made her so upset.
"I know I come across stern, but I don't know any other way. I want you to stay here. You make Brenon happy, and he deserves to be happy. But so do you, and if going to your family is what you need, I want you to do that. I don't want you to feel trapped."
