by Holly Martin
‘We need to get out of here,’ Trey said, as he joined the Guardians running towards me to get away from the fire.
I quickly reached out for the bond of Quinn and the Guardians that were in the corridor with me and slid us to the side of the pool.
I looked up in horror as flames consumed the corridor where I had spent the last year of my life. Most of the other parts of the fort were largely unaffected which made me think this was definitely not an accident. But my priority now was making sure that everyone in the fort was safe. I reached out for the bond of all the Guardians, the Guardlings and Cassidy, the fort’s Zeki and her daughter Freya and pulled them all to me.
Eli turned to me, he looked so angry that I nearly took a step back. I’d seen him angry at me on several occasions when something I had done had put my life at risk, but this was different.
‘This was an inside job, it has to be. The fire spread so quickly that some kind of accelerant or fuel had to have been sprayed or poured on the walls and floor. The only ones who would have access to the fort are Guardians so it has to be one of them,’ he said, in my head.
My heart leapt. I stared around at all the Guardians who were standing around me. It was hard to believe that one of these had wanted me dead. Although many of the Guardians that were now living at the fort were the ones that had left when I had broken the pledge, they had all returned to me which I had presumed was because they wanted to help and protect me again. It hadn’t occurred to me that some of them had come back because they were planning to kill me or deliver me to the Putarians.
I watched as the fort burned. What had been the point of the fire? If I had been fast enough I could have put the fire out. I could slide anywhere in the world at will. It was very unlikely it would have killed me or got anywhere near enough to hurt me. There was another reason and as Eli and Lucas scanned the area around us and their eyes settled on the darkness of the forest behind me, the blood in my veins turned to ice.
That had been the reason. Draw me out of the fort, get me in the open where I was vulnerable and then they would attack.
I whirled around in horror and the trees swished in the wind. My Guardians tensed and shifted closer around me, but which of them was moving closer because they had an ulterior motive? Should I leave, go somewhere safer? But who would I take with me? Who could I really trust?
I kept my eyes on the forest, waiting for an attack, I didn’t dare blink, I was too scared to breathe. But whether the Putarians hadn’t expected me to escape the fort with over three hundred Guardians around me and were now too scared to attack or whether there was no one waiting in the trees for me at all, I didn’t know, but no one appeared from the forest.
I hesitantly turned around to face the fort. The fire didn’t seem to be spreading to the lower part of the fort and it seemed to be dying out slightly near the top probably because there was nothing left for it to burn.
‘I need to stop the fire or there’ll be nowhere for any of us to sleep tonight,’ I said, quietly.
Eli nodded. ‘I’ll come with you.’
I slid us both to the main stairs that led up to the corridor as I could tell from the outside windows that that area hadn’t been affected.
As we landed, Seth landed by my side too, clearly not happy about being left behind. I could see that most of the fort hadn’t been affected at all, it literally was only my corridor and a small area outside of it, probably where the fire had started, reaffirming what Eli had said, this had definitely been done deliberately and by someone who lived here. But if they hadn’t wanted to kill me then had it simply been something malicious?
I moved upstairs and using my power poured water on everything that was still alight or smoking, though as I suspected there wasn’t much left to burn now. The fire had ripped through the corridor with such force that there was nothing left but a blackened and smouldering shell. Even the bedrooms had all been destroyed too.
I picked my way over the smoking wreck until I got to my room. The door was gone and the blackened remains of my bed was all that was left of the room. I felt sick. It was Christmas Day and although I hadn’t planned any big celebrations, I had hoped that me and Seth could have done something special. All that lay in ruins now.
‘None of it matters,’ Seth said. ‘Everyone is alive, you’re alive. That’s the only thing that matters.’
I nodded sadly. Although I had never really considered the fort as my home, it had been for the last year and now part of it was destroyed.
Lucas, Mason and Isaac appeared and I looked around at them. ‘Happy Christmas,’ I said, sadly.
Lucas hugged me to him, just as Trey arrived too. I smiled at him and then pulled the rest of the outer guard and Quinn to me too. If we were going to leave then they would come too.
‘Do we have any idea who did this?’ I said, pulling away from Lucas.
Eli shook his head. ‘There are over three hundred Guardians in the fort, it could be anyone.’
‘Well we’d be better off leaving them then. We’ll take everyone here and we’ll find a house somewhere. At least then I’ll know that no one is going to stick a knife in my back when I’m not looking.’
‘Having three hundred Guardians here is a good thing. None of them are directly responsible for your protection, they are here to guard the fort. I’m not going to turn my back on that level of protection just because there might be one amongst them that is planning your demise.’
‘I don’t trust any of them,’ Quinn said.
‘They can’t get near you, they know that,’ Eli said.
‘Which is why they started the fire to draw me out into the open.’
Eli frowned and I knew that thought had occurred to him too.
‘I still think we should leave. Twelve Guardians that are loyal to me are better than hundreds that aren’t. Besides after that attack in the woods yesterday, the Putarians clearly know we are here,’ I said.
‘Eve, why don’t you get some rest. There’s a corridor further down the fort that’s not in use, we could relocate there, at least for tonight,’ Trey suggested, gently. ‘Then tomorrow we can discuss if relocating somewhere other than the fort would be a good idea or not and where we could move to if we are going to move. You’ve been working so hard over the last few weeks, and your prophecies aren’t helping you to get much sleep either. Rest tonight and we can discuss it in the morning.’
I knew Trey was right. I was exhausted and I knew I wasn’t going to make any good decisions in my tired and emotional state.
I looked at Eli and he nodded. ‘That’s a good idea.’
I followed them all down the stairs and I saw the other Guardians coming back in from outside, walking past me to get to their rooms. I stared at them wondering who had betrayed me. I knew so many of them by name now. Could it really be someone I had talked and laughed with?
When we reached the corridor, some of the outer guard filtered off to different bedrooms. They had all been working hard helping me with my training too, we all needed a break. The last room in the corridor was left to me, as it had been in the old corridor. The bed didn’t have any bedding on but there was a few blankets on top of the drawers. It didn’t matter though, Seth was with me and he was the only thing I needed to sleep.
‘We’ll be outside,’ Lucas said and left us alone.
The room had a large balcony overlooking the mountains and I wandered outside to look at the snow-capped view. It was silent outside, the world as far as the eye could see was covered in a snowy blanket. Everyone else was sleeping and soon they would wake up to presents and celebrations. I just wanted one day when my life wasn’t threatened.
I walked back into my room and closed and locked the door behind me. Seth was waiting for me on the bed and when I lay down next to him with my head on his chest, he pulled a blanket over us both.
‘Just one more week and it will all be over,’ Seth said, kissing my head.
I wove my fingers into his T-shirt. What Set
h had said before was true. We were both alive and as long as he was OK, then nothing else mattered. I closed my eyes and I was determined I would dream of a happy future with him where there was no one trying to kill me.
*
Loud shouts woke me from my dreams. I sat up, trying to clear my brain of sleep so I could figure out what was going on. It sounded like a fight, roars of anger and pain came from the corridor outside. Seth was already on his feet and running for the door.
‘Seth, no!’ I said, scrabbling to my feet, I couldn’t bear to have Seth go and join the fight too.
But he was already in Guardian mode. ‘Eve, stay here.’
I grabbed his arm and tried another tack. ‘Please stay, what if they get in here, I need you here.’ I needed him with me so I could shield and protect him.
Seth kissed my forehead. ‘They won’t get anywhere near you baby, now please stay here.’ And he was gone.
I ran to the door after him. I could fight too, I could fight with my powers, it would all be over very quickly then. But before I even got that far, the window smashed and a Deus was standing before me. It had to be a Deus, the intense grass green eyes, the huge size. He had clearly somehow climbed or jumped up onto the balcony and then smashed through the glass door. And he wasn’t alone, others were climbing up behind him. The first one advanced towards me, pulling a knife from his belt.
I reached out for my powers and let fire shoot from my hands, but the first Deus was too quick, and ducked and rolled on the floor to avoid my beam. He quickly scrabbled to his feet, a lot closer to me and then jumped through the air towards me, but I was faster this time, as I shot another beam of fire from my hands, burning him to dust before he could land.
But the second Deus was already running towards me, closely followed by three others. I filled myself with my power and quickly shot out more beams of fire, taking out the first three, but the fourth was fast and he was suddenly standing before me, as he lunged at me with his knife, I kicked the knife out of his hand, but with one furious sweep of his arm, I was thrown into the wall, and with almost sick precision, another knife came flying through the air, and pinned me to the wall, impaling me through my shoulder, leaving my feet dangling in the air.
Chapter 7
I screamed in pain, but I had no time to focus on this, as he advanced towards me, and to my horror more were climbing up onto the balcony, a steady stream of super strength men ready to kill me. In a furious, agony filled rage, I pulled all my power, pulled everything I had and a wall of white fire erupted from me, burning them all to dust. The smoke, the dust, covered the room in a blanket of smog and I had no way of knowing whether there were more coming for me or not. I quickly shielded myself, something I should have done to start off with.
The smog slowly cleared, falling softly to the floor or drifting out the window and I could see I was alone. I could also see I had completely destroyed the room, the bed, the walls, the cupboards, the drawers, had all been reduced to charred remains. But I couldn’t care about that now, as agony flooded through my body.
Shouts still came from outside in the corridor but less of them now. One side was definitely winning, I just hoped it was mine.
I reached out for Seth and pulled him to me. He arrived furious, plunging a knife through the air, obviously missing his intended target. When he realised I had pulled him, he rounded on me angry that I had called him away from the fight, but then he saw me, pinned to the wall. His face quickly turned to one of horror, he dropped the knife and was at my side instantly.
‘Eve…’
‘Seth, get me a chair to stand on, my weight is pulling me down, it’s ripping my shoulder apart,’ I groaned.
Seth immediately wrapped his arms round my legs and gently took my weight, releasing the pressure on the knife. But the pain was still immense.
I put my hand on Seth’s shoulder, gripping it tightly with the pain. ‘Shall I pull it out?’ I asked.
Seth pulled a face, but nodded.
With shaking hands, I fumbled round trying to get a grip on the handle. But it had gone through me with such force, that most of the knife was in the wall behind me. It wouldn’t shift.
I shook my head at Seth.
Seth gently wrapped my legs round his waist, barely jostling me at all, and held me against the wall with his weight.
‘This is going to hurt baby, but I’ll try to be quick,’ Seth said.
I nodded, gripping tightly with my legs
He put one hand firmly against my shoulder holding me tight against the wall, and took hold of the handle. He looked around the knife, judging the angle which it went in and then in a blur he pulled it out in one swift movement. I roared as the burning pain, sliced through my flesh, my muscles, my skin, my bone, and slumped against Seth. Still with my legs wrapped round him, he moved quickly to the adjoining bathroom and then lay me on the floor, where I released my hold on him. I could still here the distant sounds of fighting coming from the corridor, but why did it sound so far away, like it was coming from outside now. But as the bathroom swirled round Seth as he leaned over me, tearing my T-shirt away from the wound, I realised that I was on the verge of passing out. I had to focus.
I dug my fingers tightly into Seth’s shirt, focussing on the feel of the material. ‘Who was it? The Putarians?’
‘I think so, a bunch of Deus we’ve never seen before.’
‘Were any of ours fighting against us?’
He shook his head. Well that was something at least.
‘Can you heal yourself? Or I can try to get Cassidy up here, if she can get through the fight.’
‘Are our side winning?’ I asked, trying to focus on anything but the pain.
He grinned at me. ‘Of course.’
I closed my eyes and tried to focus my healing powers on my wound, but the blackness of unconsciousness was creeping over me.
I felt Seth lean over me, his warm breath on my face and then a soft kiss on my lips. As soon as his lips met mine, my powers bubbled through me as they always did, making me more alert and aware of what was going on around me. I opened my eyes and stared into his and a slight smile spread on his lips. He knew exactly what he was doing.
I let my healing powers flow through me, closing the wound and replenishing the lost blood and slowly I felt better and stronger.
Seth helped me up and I walked back into the bedroom just as my personal guard burst in. There wasn’t a scratch on them.
‘Where’s Quinn?’ I asked, suddenly alarmed by his absence.
‘He’s just gone to get changed,’ Lucas said and I knew what that meant, my guard were not the only ones fighting to protect me. There had been a bear or a lion out there too.
‘You never should have left her alone,’ Eli said to Seth. ‘She’s supposed to have a Guardian with her at all times, you left her unprotected. She would never have got hurt if you were in here.’
‘There’s no point blaming Seth,’ I said. ‘They should never have got this close. What the hell happened? There’s supposed to be three hundred Guardians protecting the fort, how did they get in?’
It wasn’t fair to blame my Guardians but after the other recent threats to my life, I was getting understandably frustrated. The Putarians were clearly getting desperate.
Eli’s face said it all though. For them to get this close, they had to have had some inside help. And then a sick realisation hit me. The fire had been started deliberately so I would have to relocate to a different more vulnerable part of the fort.
Whoever had orchestrated this attack knew we would most likely relocate here as it was the only corridor not in use and large enough to take all of my personal guard and outer guard. There were never going to attack me when I had been standing near the forest, there had been too many Guardians around me then to stop them. The plan had always been to lead an attack on the fort as a distraction while the Deus came through the back door to get me.
I looked at Lucas and I knew he thought the same.
‘This is ridiculous,’ I said as Quinn burst into the room.
‘Are you OK?’ he asked, clearly noting the sheer amount of blood over my clothes.
I nodded and he sighed with relief.
My outer guard came into the room, obviously to check I was OK or to be kept up to date on the latest plan.
‘What are we going to do?’ I asked.
‘I don’t think we should stay here,’ Seth said. ‘We can go somewhere smaller, it’d be easier to protect.’
‘Or maybe we should get rid of anyone not in the personal or outer guard,’ Trey suggested. ‘Get rid of any potential threat.’
‘That doesn’t help if the threat is one of the outer guard though, or even her personal guard for that matter,’ Isaac said. ‘All that would achieve is getting rid of three hundred Guardians who would help to protect her from them.’
‘It’s not anyone from the personal or outer guard,’ Seth said, looking around at them all. ‘I trust everyone here.’
‘Seth the only person I completely trust with her safety is you,’ Isaac said. ‘Loyalties can change. Almost anyone can be bought for the right price.’
I glanced around the room knowing there was no one there that I couldn’t trust one hundred percent. The outer guard were the only ones that had stayed when I had broken the bonds on me. They had shown loyalty beyond anyone else. I looked at Rhesa, knowing she had risked her life for me to help me escape from Adam. I glanced at Trey, Seth’s brother. I hadn’t known him long but I trusted him completely and so did Seth and Eli.
‘I trust these guys,’ I protested.
‘Don’t.’ Isaac said as he moved to the window to inspect the damage the Putarians had done.
I ignored his doom and gloom attitude. It was bad enough that there had been one or two Guardians in the fort with me who had betrayed me. I wasn’t going to point the finger of doubt at my friends and those who I trusted the most.
I looked back at Eli. ‘If you want to leave then we’ll leave. I’ll do whatever you think is best,’ I said.
Eli looked around the devastation of the room, the broken windows, the layer of ash that coated the floor after I had let my powers rip through it. He looked at the bodies of those that had been sent to kill me with disgust and he sighed. It was getting harder and harder to keep me safe, I knew that.
