by R. A. Gates
room and the only obvious exit was the
front doors, which the two men stood
next to. The only option available was
the back door through the kitchen that
every restaurant had.
“We need to sneak into the
kitchen and go out the back door.”
Garren narrowed his eyes and
stared her down for a few moments
before responding. “When we get out of
this, you're spilling your guts,” he said.
Since he wasn't specific on what
this was, she nodded in agreement. They
gathered their packs and threw some
money on the table to pay the bill. One
by one, they slipped out of the booth and
into the kitchen.
“Hey, you can't be back here,” a
guy in a white apron said as they
scurried past the large griddle.
“We just need your back door.
Angry ex-boyfriend,” she said.
“Yours, or his?” the cook asked,
pointing to Thane.
His jaw dropped open as she
pulled him along by the elbow. She
shouted out her thanks as they ran
through the door. They ducked behind a
station wagon parked next to the diner.
“Waiting another eleven hours
until Sharon can drive again is out of the
question. We need to leave now. Maybe
there’s a bus station nearby,” she said,
scanning the area.
“Let's try asking a clerk over
there.” Thane pointed to the nearest
motel across the lot. Not having a better
plan, she agreed and sprinted to the
building.
They ducked into the lobby,
setting off the little bell announcing their
entrance, and sat in the plastic chairs
sitting by the window. The blinds were
closed, so she peeked through to see if
the Eradicators followed them. Nope.
“Explain,” Garren said, standing
in front of her.
She sighed and turned around in
her seat to face him. “Explain what?
They're Eradicators and we have magic.
We're a threat to humanity.”
“But,
we are human,” Thane
said.
She shrugged and peeked back
out the window.
Garren narrowed his eyes and
stared at her. “You seem to agree with
their philosophy.”
Her whole body stiffened with
his accusation. She tried to hide it as she
schooled
her
face
to
a
neutral
expression. “I was just telling you who
they were. If you haven't forgotten, I'm
the one their looking for.”
“Yeah, why is that, exactly?”
“I already told you. Weren't you
listening? I'm a witch. They kill witches.
What other reason do they need?” Her
voice was getting increasingly louder the
madder she got.
Garren stood still, arms crossed
over his chest. The wheels turned in his
head and she wasn't sure if he knew she
was holding back or not.
Trying to ignore his scrutiny, she
went back to surveying out the window.
“I'll go talk to the lady at the
front desk,” Thane said and left.
“So, I'm guessing you've run into
these guys before.” Garren sat in the seat
next to her.
“No, I told you I've never seen
them before.”
“Not these two, but Eradicators,
before you moved to Salmagundi.”
If you only knew. “A few.”
“How did you know what they
were?”
What
is
with
the
twenty
questions? “I saw their tattoo. Each
Eradicator has a special mark that
enables them to sense magic.”
He nodded, taking in every word
she said. He leaned in closer. “What
kind of weapons do these guys use?”
She met his eyes and considered
feigning ignorance, but thought better of
it. Garren’s patience was already
wearing thin. “It depends upon what
they're hunting. Vampires die by a
wooden
stake
through
the
heart.
Werewolves are killed from silver and
fae by iron.”
“And wizards? Anything special
for us?”
“They believe that burning a
wizard after they're dead will destroy
their magic.”
“Barbarians,” Garren whispered,
and she had to agree.
“Okay,” Thane said as he
returned. “There's a bus station about a
mile east, along this road.”
“That takes us right past the
diner,” she said. “We can go behind, by
the dumpsters.”
Garren stood up, tucked his
dagger in his belt and headed to the
door. “Let's get going while they're busy
eating lunch.”
Thane and Ivy followed. She
secured the hood of her sweatshirt
around her head, making sure every
telltale curl was safely tucked away. Her
eyes shifted from left to right, watching
for any signs of danger like she was
trained to do years ago. As they passed
the dumpsters, there weren’t any signs of
the baby dragon. Maybe it left. Part of
her hoped it would stay with them,
despite the rampage Garren would
create.
You
can’t
save
everyone .
Athena’s words came back to her. She
hated that the werewolf was right. She
pushed down the seed of guilt that
always popped up whenever she thought
of the poor creature all alone in the
world thanks to her. She needed to focus
on getting away from the Eradicators.
When they stepped onto the main
road without being seen, she let out a
large sigh. “Wow, those guys suck.”
Garren grabbed her by the elbow
and jerked her forward. “Not so much.”
She followed his gaze behind her
to see the two men hurry out of the diner
doors. The bald one scanned all around,
but stopped when he saw them.
“Run!” she yelled and took off
like a shot. A railroad crossing stood in
the distance and a sign for the train/bus
station let her know they were heading
the right way. But now that the
Eradicators knew where they were, she
wasn't sure that was still the best plan of
action. There was nothing but nature
between the truck stop and the bus
station down the road. The trees in this
area had thinned out and didn't provide
many hiding places.
She glanced back a couple times
to see the witch hunters pursuing on foot,
and gaining ground. Fear and adrenaline
/>
propelled her faster. Being an athlete,
Garren was faring well. Thane on the
other hand, needed help. He was already
panting and they still had a long distance
to go. It was only a matter of time before
the Eradicators caught up.
The afternoon train rolled closer
as it whistled its warning. An idea
popped in her head. “We need to beat
that train.”
Thane shook his head as he ran.
“Can't… make it,” he said between
breaths. Suddenly, the back of his coat
pulled up. His stride doubled in length
as he raced to the tracks. The rise and
fall of wings sounded above them.
“Hurry, Sparky!”
The train sped toward the
intersection. The crossing guards were
already down, red lights flashing. They
were cutting it close. Too close. Would
they make it? Garren had crossed but she
and Thane were still about twenty feet
away. The engineer blew the whistle
like crazy, telling them not to chance it,
but it was too late now.
The dragon helped Thane cross
ahead of her. With a final push, she
leaped over the tracks, arms stretched
out in front of her like she was a
superhero in flight. A cape would be
awesome right now.
And then, she fell, face first into
the dirt, just as the train passed. She laid
still, every cell in her body screaming in
pain. Each heavy exhale kicked up dirt
and dust that clouded her face. The loud
roar of the train filled her ears as the
ground thundered beneath her. She
barely heard the footsteps before they
were right next to her. Garren and Thane
grabbed her under her arms and pulled
her up.
She groaned. “That was close.”
“Can you walk?” Garren asked.
She took a couple steps, bent her
knees and rotated her ankles to evaluate
the damage. “Yeah, but we don't have
much time. We need to hide and then
attack.”
“An ambush,” Thane said.
Garren scoffed. “We can’t hide
from them. They’ll feel our magic.”
She touched the stone hiding
under her shirt. Had it been long enough
since she used it the night before? The
gem was already a light blue. Hopefully
it would last long enough to catch the
Eradicators by surprise.
She pulled the sapphire out to
show the others. “I can hide our magic
for maybe ten minutes, but we have to
stay close together.”
Thane’s eyes widened as he
gazed at the stone. “Did you get that at
Irene’s?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
On one side of the road was the
bus depot. A two story wooden building
with a wrap-around porch, it was
probably built during the days of the
Wild West. She wouldn’t be surprised if
it was converted from an old saloon.
Across from the depot was a sparse
forest of tall pine trees. She had quickly
contemplated hiding around the bus
station, but there were too many Banes.
Instead, they took off running to the
seclusion of the woods.
“You two stay behind me,”
Garren whispered as they ducked behind
a thick tree. Thane didn’t argue with his
stepbrother, but instead climbed up the
tree like it was a well-rehearsed routine.
He crouched on a lower branch and
surveyed the surrounding area. Garren
pushed her to hide by a prickly bush next
to the tree.
“Please, please will you do me a
favor and stay here? Thane and I will
take care of these guys. We know what
we’re doing.”
Yeah, right. She pressed her lips
into a thin line to keep from calling him
out on his chauvinistic attitude. She
huffed like a fighting bull as she sat and
grinded her teeth in agitation. She was
an excellent fighter, better than those
two. Oh, well. Saving their butts when
they found themselves over their heads
would be her contribution. She pulled
out her dagger and waited. Through the
branches, she watched the caboose cross
the road. The two Eradicators darted
across the tracks as soon as it was clear.
Quickly, she activated the stone,
rendering the immediate area around her
magically invisible.
This better work.
The Eradicators slowed down
their run to a walk as they approached
their hiding spot. She held her breath as
she strained to hear their whispered
conversation over the blood pounding in
her ears.
They couldn’t have been more
than a few years older than she was,
somewhere in their early twenties. Both
Red and Baldy had the typical weapons
attached to their belts holding up their
worn-out jeans: a dagger, wood and iron
stakes. Various tattoos spilled down the
Baldy’s arms and covered his neck.
Red stepped away and strolled
to the old building. She smiled. They
were making this easier for them. She
poked Garren in the leg and pointed to
the vulnerable Eradicator in the middle
of the street, about thirty feet away. He
waved her away like an annoying insect.
Relinquishing control of such a
stressful situation was difficult enough
for her, but to be dismissed like that…
her nails dug into her palm as she
clenched her fists. She poked Garren
again, harder.
“Do something,” she whispered.
“Shhh!” Garren glared over his
shoulder before bending over to pick up
a stone about the size of a marble. He
peered around the tree, and before she
realized his plan, he flung the rock right
at the Eradicator.
“Son of a bitch!” the hunter
cursed under his breath, almost too low
for her to hear.
She peeked through the leaves to
see where he was hit. Panic slammed
into her chest. Where did he go? Garren
stood stiff as a board against the tree, his
head tilted up. Above on a branch,
Thane touched random places on his
arms and face like a third base coach.
Apparently the two stepbrothers had
their own method of communication. She
was impressed, and annoyed. She hated
being out of the loop.
Garren brushed his hair from his
eyes, pointed to her and then to an
unspecific spot deep in the forest. She
wasn’t sure if he wanted her to bunt or
steal home. When she didn’t move, he
repeated the pointing, only with bigger,
sharper motions.
“Run,” he mouthed silently.
Is he serious? Her eyes
widened
as she realized she was either being
used as bait or they truly thought she’d
be in the way. Either way, it stung.
As she scanned the area for a
new hiding spot, he touched her
shoulder. When she met his eyes, she
was taken aback by the almost pleading
quality she found in them.
“Trust me,” he mouthed.
Could she?
Yes.
Three trees standing in a row off
in the distance became her focus. Garren
may have had the personality of a
strutting peacock, but when it really
mattered she could trust him with her
life.
She bolted. Ducking and dodging
low-hanging limbs, she ran through the
forest.
“There you are,” a voice
shouted.
Her heart lurched in her chest .
Don’t look back.
Heavy boots crunching dead
leaves and sticks grew louder and faster.
Then, a loud thud was followed by a
muffled, angry cry. Only when she
reached the trees did she glance back.
Blood flowed from Baldy’s nose as he
pounded against an invisible wall.
The corner of her mouth quirked
up into a crooked smile. Garren released
his shield and then slammed the
Eradicator with it over and over.
“Is that all you got?” he taunted
as he cornered the man against a tree
with his magical barrier. He was having
way too much fun. She chuckled when
Garren used his shield to lift the man in
the air as if riding an elevator, and then
dropped him.
Wow, that’s hot!
She was so lost in her gawking
that she barely registered the tingling in
her wrist. The sapphire was clear.
Uh oh. She spun around just in
time to block the fist speeding at her
head. The red-head didn’t hesitate in his
attack.
Her
body
responded
automatically; as if it hadn’t been over a
year since she’d fought in hand to hand
combat. Of course, she wasn’t as strong
or precise as she once was, but she
managed. His long limbs beat her in
reach, but her smaller size helped with
speed. She needed to wear him out
before she had a chance of beating him.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Ivy.
Rousseau just wants to talk to you,” he
said as he threw a left hook she easily
dodged.
If he thought mentioning that
person would garner her cooperation, he
was an idiot. The leader of the
Eradicators was no friend of hers.
“Do I look stupid to you?” she
asked as she ducked under his swing and
