by Devyn Quinn
The ground beneath his feet began to shift, a great section of the earth peeling away from the bottom of the sea. Several miles wide and just as long, the newly forming landmass rose upward, breaking through the protective barrier of the shield. Tons of water fell away and they were suddenly under a clear blue sky. Gradually, the rumbling quieted. In the space of seconds an island had appeared, where before there had been nothing but mile after mile of water.
But it was far from over.
The scepter commenced to vibrate with a whining intensity. Then it screeched, and the deafening sound increased tenfold until the illumination emanating from the crystals exploded, stretching out into tentacles of multicolored light.
From all directions, Jake felt energy feeding into the atmosphere, causing it to expand. He scooted back several feet, stopping alongside a crumbling pillar as the luminous whirlwind drifted all around him.
The tendrils of light circled throughout the ruins. As the light brushed the crusted marble and pitted stone, a strange glowing vapor materialized, wiping away the decay of centuries within seconds.
Jake was awestruck by the vision, and dazzled by the sheer force of power Queen Magaera had unleashed. As the illumination and mist dissipated, his eyes widened. The restoration was complete.
As though taking a step through a rip in the fabric of time, the haven of Ishaldi stretched out around them. A series of temples and other buildings were surrounded by wide, perfectly paved pathways, green enclosed gardens, and tall, elaborately wrought fountains. Decorative statues and other ornamental items were perched among banks of flowering shrubs.
They stood in silence for some minutes, before anyone dared to interrupt the majesty of the moment.
“My God,” Jake breathed. “It’s like Eden.”
Scepter in hand, Queen Magaera dispassionately surveyed the world her people had been a part from for almost two thousand years. She moved to a rocky outcropping that overlooked the nearby shore. Below, the sea crashed into the newly formed impediment, relentless and insistent.
“There was a time when this great metropolis teemed with life,” she said, more to herself than anyone listening. “Our world is dying, but this one—” She made a wide gesture with her arm. “Given its resources, we can rebuild Ishaldi, make it even stronger.”
Jake trailed her toward the edge. Instead of thinking like a human, he had to think like a Mer. Had to be cold, hard, and impassive toward the lesser species, the humans. Nothing less would suit Queen Magaera’s megalomaniacal visions.
He made an imperative gesture. “We still need Tessa to gain control of the sea-gate,” he reminded her.
Queen Magaera spared him a brief glance. Her facial muscles were stiff, betraying no emotion. “I will have her soon enough.” A self-satisfied smile parted her lips. “There’s no place she can hide now on the face of this earth.”
Chapter 22
The barred door slid shut, lock clanging into place with a curious finality. She was alone.
Silence. The beating of her heart. Her thoughts were her own, images stealing through the dark corridors of her brain, distant voices calling in whispers, each vying for attention.
Gwen had poked at every nook and cranny of her cell, searching for a way out.
There wasn’t one.
She wondered how her sisters were doing, if they felt just as afraid and panicked as she did.
She tried to think of something comforting. Blake. Right behind her sisters, she wanted him to be all right.
She sat and leaned back against the wall. Her eyelids lowered. She felt a blur floating in front of her vision.
Her eyes snapped back open. She didn’t want to go to sleep. Not now.
But her exhausted body had other ideas.
She was on the verge of drifting off into a doze when heavy footsteps hurrying down the hall broke into her thoughts.
She had no idea how many hours she’d sat there. At least two, maybe more.
The cell door slid open.
Blake stepped into her cell. He nodded to the woman accompanying him. “Thank you, Agent Doyle,” he said briskly.
Doyle nodded. “Of course. Anything else I can do for you, sir?”
Blake raised a single brow. “If we could have a moment’s privacy, I would appreciate it.”
Agent Doyle glanced toward Gwen, then back toward Blake. She wavered a moment, then finally shook her head. “I’m not sure that’s a wise idea, sir.”
Blake’s face turned to stone. “If you won’t allow it as a courtesy, then I will make it an order,” he spat with a grimace of displeasure.
Doyle snapped to attention. “Of course. Let me know when you’re ready to go.” She quickly stepped out of the cell, shutting the door behind her.
Gwen watched the brief exchange with some curiosity. She’d never seen Blake throw his weight around or give a single order. As he’d explained it, he was simply assigned to act as a liaison between the Mer and the compound’s scientists. If he had any rank, he’d never pulled it before.
There was something different about him, though, a subtle change in his bearing. He was standing ramrod straight and had spoken to the female agent with a brisk, snappy voice. It was a tone that said people had better listen up. He clearly wasn’t taking any bullshit from anyone. She liked it.
Gwen tried to smile. “I don’t guess you’ve come to tell me we’re going to get out of here.” Her voice quavered ever so slightly.
Frowning, Blake shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “So?”
Irritation twisted his features. “The compound is on total lockdown,” he informed her. “No one gets in. Or out.”
She glanced around the small cell. “I think I’ve figured out that much.”
He tried to explain. “When people get scared they lash out in the wrong ways. I’m afraid government and intelligence don’t go together.”
The last ember of hope burning in her heart faded. Damn. “That’s something I’ve suspected for a long time.” With an unexpected move, Blake crossed the brief distance separating them. Gathering her up in his arms, he pressed his lips to her forehead. “You know I couldn’t stay away.”
She recoiled. “Please, don’t touch me.”
Blake pulled back, giving a hollow-eyed, grim frown. “You don’t trust me.”
Gwen’s nostrils flared. “No. Every time I think I trust you, something worse happens.”
“I’ve done everything I can,” he started to say in his own defense.
Gwen shook her head in regret. She desperately wanted to believe him, but felt he’d always give his allegiance to the government he served. “It’s not enough,” she countered angrily. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
He gazed back at her in consternation, as if the future had suddenly turned into a black hole. “You’re angry,” he said. “I understand.”
“Anger doesn’t begin to describe how I feel right now, Blake.”
Lifting her leg, she showed him her ankle. “Look here.” She stared straight into his eyes. “If they think we’re going to get aggressive, they can shock us.”
Blake swore as he examined the hateful device. Anger stormed his expressive face. “This is a travesty.” It was clearly an obstacle he hadn’t been expecting. “You don’t deserve to be treated like an animal.”
Stomach churning, Gwen tugged her cuff back down. “They don’t see us as human.”
Blake rose to his feet. “They’re wrong.”
She shrugged. “Nothing you can do to change their minds.”
Blake shook his head, bringing a tumble of hair onto his pale forehead. He flicked the strands to move them out of his eyes as walked to the cell door. “Yeah. Well, we’ll see.” He rapped a fist against the metal. “Agent Doyle, could you come in here, please?”
The cell door immediately slid open. Doyle slipped under the threshold. “Yes, sir?” she inquired, with no small suggestions of annoyance.
Blake nodded toward Gwen. “Take that goddamned thing off her leg.” His teeth were clenched so tightly with anger that he could barely get the words out.
Doyle wavered. “I’m sorry, sir,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. “We’re under strict orders to make sure she is confined and controlled at all times.”
Blake didn’t hesitate. He gave the recalcitrant agent another glare. “Maybe this will help change your mind.” His voice had the sound of metal scraping stone. Hand snaking under his jacket, he slid his weapon out of its holster.
Doyle made a quick lunge for the security panel embedded near the door.
Blake smoothly caught her arm and slammed her back against the wall. He pointed his weapon directly at her head. “Don’t move, don’t scream, or it’ll be the last thing you ever do.”
Hardly able to believe her eyes, Gwen immediately froze in her place. It looked like the man had just lost every marble in his head. Surely he didn’t really believe he could break her out of a high-security facility all by himself. “What are you d-doing?”
Blake snagged Doyle’s weapon, disarming her. Pulling her away from the wall, he shoved her toward Gwen. “We’ve got less than ten minutes before they figure out something’s gone wrong and cut off my access.” He pulled his startled colleague away from the wall, shoving her toward Gwen. “Get that thing off her ankle,” he ordered.
Doyle stumbled, dropping to her knees. “It’ll never work,” she spat. “This place is already on lockdown.”
Blake gave her a little prod. “That’s why we’re going to need a little Mercraft.”
Gwen shook off her lethargy. Blake was going to give her the chance to run. It was totally insane, maybe even a suicidal choice.
She decided to take it.
She stuck out her ankle. “Let’s go,” she urged.
Doyle unlocked the device. “It’s done.”
Gwen gave Blake a hard look. “No going back now.”
“Not likely.” Snagging Doyle’s cuffs off her utility belt, Blake tossed them toward Gwen. “Put those on, but make sure you can get your wrists out.”
Gwen slid the cuffs on, locking them loosely. “What are we going to do?”
Blake yanked Agent Doyle to her feet. “We’re going to take a little walk to the other side of the guard’s station.” He turned to Gwen. “When we reach it, can you give them enough of a blast to knock them out?”
Gwen nodded. “I think so.” At least she hoped she could.
Doyle dug in her heels. “You won’t make me a part of this.”
Blake prodded her with the barrel of his gun. “I’ll use it if I have to,” he warned. “And at this point I don’t think I’ve got anything to lose.”
They hustled out into the corridor.
An elevator stood a few strides beyond the door of the cell. Security cameras recorded activity from every angle.
Everything seemed to move with glacial slowness as the metal doors clanged shut.
Gwen flexed her fingers, readying herself for the confrontation. She wished she had a few big crystals to power up on. Since she didn’t, she’d have to make do with her soul-stone and her own inner energies.
The doors slid open.
Doyle saw her chance, bolting ahead of them with lightning speed. “Whittaker’s turned!” she screamed at the agents manning the monitors. “They’re trying to escape!”
The startled men jumped to their feet, reaching for their weapons.
In a split second, Gwen tossed off the cuffs to free her hands. Without even stopping to think about what she was doing, she threw up her hands, sending out a blaze of energy that sizzled all the way up her fingers.
Zapped by an invisible force, the men went flying backward. Hitting the wall behind them, the two half-conscious agents slid to the floor like sacks full of potatoes.
The effort of sending out so much energy so fast nearly made her knees buckle. She struggled to stay on her feet.
In her dazed state, it seemed others were passing her by, a wild mass of lights and voices. She vaguely realized it was Whittaker tussling with Agent Doyle.
Grabbing Doyle’s right wrist, Blake twisted it with the intent of taking her to the floor in a hammerlock.
Trained in hand-to-hand combat herself, Doyle pivoted. Her left hand swung out with the intent of delivering a forward punch.
Blake blocked the blow coming toward his face. He was equally skilled, and much bigger and stronger than Doyle.
“Sorry I have to do this,” he panted, smacking the hapless agent upside the head with the butt of his gun.
Breath whooshing past her lips, Doyle dropped. She lay, unmoving.
Heart pounding like a jackhammer, Gwen looked at the downed agents. They lay stretched on their backs, eyes closed. By the goddess, they looked so fragile.
“Did I . . . ?” The rest of her question stuck in her suddenly dry throat.
Blake quickly checked their vital stats. “They’re still breathing,” he panted, fishing their weapons and badges out of their pockets. “You did good.” He tucked the extra guns in the waistband of his slacks. “Let’s go get your sisters. We’ve got only a few more minutes before all hell breaks loose.”
Chapter 23
It was going to be touch and go as they bolted toward the exit of the prisoners’ station. Driven by sheer determination, Blake waved for everyone to follow him. He’d taken them out the back ways, intending to lead them toward a part of the parking area hidden behind the north wing of the building.
Now that the breach had been detected, agents were beginning to swarm the area. Outside, two security agents ran toward them with guns drawn. A burst of bullets riddled the air around their bodies. Clearly the agents had their instructions: Shoot to kill.
Blake raised his own weapon, returning their volley with a few shots of his own. He wasn’t intending to do more than wound, aiming for legs and vulnerable knee-caps. One agent fell, and then another.
He pulled the trigger again. It clicked uselessly. Damn. Out of ammo. He tossed his service weapon aside and reached for one of the guns he’d stolen.
Addison Lonike eyed his puny stash. “That all you got?” she demanded.
Blake shot a glance her way. “Can’t say I really thought this thing through,” he admitted as they skidded around a corner only to be greeted by another fast burst of gunfire.
Kenneth gave him a look. “Shit, toss me one of those and I’ll help you out.”
Blake eyed him. “You know how to use one of these?”
Tessa peeked around the corner. A single shot caused her to pull back. “Geez, I could sure use my Ri’kah about now,” she grumbled. “Nice of you guys to take everything away from us.”
Pressed against the wall, Gwen reached for the pendant hanging around her neck. “We’re not totally without resources.”
Addison nodded. “We can throw up a shield.”
Blake gauged the distance to the parking lot. When he’d rolled up to the facility, he’d had only the vaguest plan in mind. He wasn’t even sure he’d have the nerve to go through with the idea of busting out of the complex.
One look at Gwen’s face had made the decision for him. Right now they were running on a wing and a prayer. There was no way he could walk out of that cell and leave her behind. It just wasn’t going to happen.
Another burst of gunfire filled the air around them. Clouds looming overhead had sank to the ground after dusk, wrapping everything in a fine, misty cloak. The cold drizzle chilled.
Blake clenched his teeth. To get to the vehicle, they’d have to break from cover and make a dash across open pavement.
He ducked back behind cover. The dampness on his brow wasn’t just from the rain. His underarms were hot and wet. He hoped he hadn’t just led these people to their own executions.
“We’re going to have to make a run for it.” He glanced from face to face. “It looks like they’ve pretty much got us surrounded. Now would be the time to surrender.”
Reaching for Tessa’s hand, Kenneth was the first to shake his head. “I’m not going back in that fucking cell and neither is my wife.”
Tessa nodded her concurrence. “We’ve fought our way out of worse places than this.”
Addison squared her shoulders. “I’m good to go.”
Blake looked to Gwen. He wondered if there would ever be a time when he could hold her in his arms again.
He hoped so.
His gaze locked with hers. “You in?”
Pale faced, she nodded. A glimmer of hope lit her sparkling green eyes. “I have been from the beginning,” she reminded him through a wry smile.
He nodded. “Good.” In for a penny, in for a pound.
Another burst of gunfire interrupted the lull. A couple of bullets whizzed past Blake’s head, close enough to split the air by his left ear. He winced. Another inch and his brains would be splattered all over.
Blake eyed one of the dark sedans, then Kenneth. “Ready to run?”
Gwen stepped up. “If we pull together, we can shield you and Ken.”
Blake didn’t relish the idea of letting a few women shield him. Not that he had any choice. “You sure you can do it?”
Tessa nodded. “We can do this.”
“Piece of cake,” Addison chimed in.
The sisters linked hands.
“Let’s go,” Tessa said.
Breath catching in his throat, Blake silently prayed the sisters could handle it. If it didn’t work, they were finished.
From out of nowhere, darkness swept around him, cocooning him in an airless void.
At first Blake wasn’t sure what surrounded him. It was a blur of light, rapidly shifting shape and brightening as it settled into place. He could no longer see the parking lot, or even the ground beneath his own feet. The manifestation of pure glimmering light dominated his vision.
The sisters stood in the heart of the luminance.
Gwen smiled. “Follow us.”
Terrified by the inexplicable illumination, agents responded with a barrage of shots. The bullets simply bounced harmlessly off the light.
Without quite knowing how his feet were carrying his weight, Blake scuttled toward the vehicle. Relief gripped him as he slid behind the wheel.
