by Wesley King
Thunderbolt had his arms folded across his chest, and he looked deeply troubled.
“Agreed,” Hayden said. “But a homing beacon would have done the trick.”
“Go check the ship,” Thunderbolt said, turning to the Flame.
The Flame hurried out the door, and Gali rushed out after him.
“I bet they’ll find a beacon somewhere on the Liberator’s hull,” Hayden said.
“Why didn’t you say anything before now?” Thunderbolt snapped.
“It just came to me,” Hayden replied. “I’m brilliant, but at a measured pace.”
“They could be outside right now,” Lana whispered.
“No,” Deanna said, “they aren’t in range. But Sam and I will go check with the amplifier.”
Thunderbolt watched as they hurried upstairs. “If Hayden’s right, we could have visitors as early as tonight.”
“We need to leave,” Jada said urgently.
“And go where?” Thunderbolt asked. “Maybe we should fight them here.”
“This isn’t the most defensible location,” Lana pointed out. “Leni could knock this place over in a second.”
“True,” Thunderbolt agreed, “but some of our more defensible bases have already been breached. Here, at least the other group can’t find us.”
“So what do we do?” Ceri asked.
“First, we have to confirm that there even is a tracking device,” Thunderbolt replied. “Then we wait to hear from Sam and Deanna before we decide whether to stay here or relocate.”
“I’m tired of running,” James muttered.
Thunderbolt glanced at him. “So am I,” he agreed.
They waited a minute or two longer, and then the front door swung open. The Flame marched in, holding a circular black device.
“Didn’t take long,” he said bitterly. “It was on the bottom.” He tossed the homing beacon on the floor and stamped on it. “They know we’re here.”
Everyone in the room stood up, except Hayden, who just sighed. “I hate being right all the time,” he said.
Deanna and Sam came back into the living room.
“Didn’t sense anyone in range,” Deanna said.
“So what now?” the Flame asked, turning to Thunderbolt. “They’ll come soon.”
Thunderbolt was silent for a moment. “Let them come.”
The other members all began talking among themselves.
“We’ll keep five on guard at all times,” Thunderbolt said over the noise. “Sam, Deanna, Sinio, Talia—one of you needs to be on the amplifier constantly. You may be able to overwhelm them when they get close. The first shift can eat now. I’m on guard. Flame, Gali, Hayden, and Sam, you’re with me. Let’s move!”
Hayden watched as everyone hurried in different directions. Lana and James looked down at him.
“Shouldn’t you be doing something?” Lana asked.
Hayden sighed again and tiredly climbed to his feet. “I wish they’d let us sleep a little longer. I have a feeling this is going to be a long night.”
28
JAMES ADJUSTED THE COLLAR OF HIS BORROWED FLEECE JACKET, PULLING IT UP to his chin. The night air was bitterly cold, and the breeze had become a fierce wind, piercing through to his bones. The moon was obscured by clouds, the darkness broken only by the light washing out from the windows of the house.
He had been called to relieve the first watch twenty minutes earlier, just as he’d been lying down to try to get a little more sleep. Ceri was head of this shift, and she’d sent him to the back of the house.
Figures, he thought sourly, send the new guy on the worst job.
Lana was pacing around out front, while Ceri and Jada were on either side. Sinio was currently manning the amplifier.
James huddled against the cold brick, scanning the field uselessly. He knew he was very exposed at the back, where there was the least amount of light. If Sinio didn’t warn him, someone could sneak within ten feet of him and he wouldn’t have a clue. James straightened up a little, unnerved. He supposed that’s why they’d given him the position: with his dense skin, he could best survive a surprise attack.
Finally, James decided to take a walk, both to wake himself up and to warm his freezing limbs. He walked a short ways out into the field and then paced back and forth, spotting Ceri and Jada. After a few minutes, he turned back to the wall. At least there was some shelter from the wind next to the house.
He was halfway there when he saw a shadow on the house move. He froze, and the shadow stopped. It was tucked against the base of the back wall, half-concealed in the long grass that ringed the house. James took another few steps, crouching low to the ground, and then stopped, waiting for movement. A moment later, the shadow moved again.
It crept below the edge of the illuminated kitchen window and then slowly eased upward, peering through the glass. James slunk forward, his muscles tensed and alert. As he neared the shadow, he began to pick up speed. He was about fifteen feet away when the shadow abruptly whirled around.
“They’re here!” James screamed, now that the surprise was gone.
Shouts filled the air and the Wraith exploded into action. He sprinted toward James with blinding speed and roundhouse-kicked him in the ribs. The blow was incredibly powerful, and James toppled sideways, landing face-first in the grass.
He hastily rolled to the side just as a foot stamped where his head had been. He looked up to see a man in a black uniform standing over him. Just then, an explosion lit up the night sky, and James felt intense heat press against his face. The Wraith tried to kick him in the face again, but James reached out and caught the boot. Then he wrenched the foot to the side and sent the man crashing to the ground.
James scrambled to his feet and saw that the back of the house had been blown apart. Flames sprouted out of the rubble. Ceri was grappling with another Wraith nearby. With a sudden twist, he threw her into the wall.
Just as James started running to help her, a sharp kick struck the back of his knee and his leg buckled. He landed in a crouch, then turned and plowed into the man’s stomach. They both landed in a heap, with James on top. The Wraith tried to throw him off, but James was faster. He punched him across the chin and the man’s head snapped back into the grass. When he tried to get up again, James punched him one last time, and he finally went limp.
James sprinted around the house, staying clear of the billowing flames, and saw that Lana and Jada were locked in combat with one of the attackers. There was a blinding flash as lightning leapt through the air. Thunderbolt was shouting orders from the porch.
James raced toward Lana, but something crimson sped past him and exploded into the side of the house, blowing him off his feet.
He hit the ground hard and rolled into the field. James saw another Wraith emerging from the darkness, a huge rocket launcher propped against his shoulder. The man lifted the weapon to fire again, but it was suddenly ripped from his hands.
The man hurtled toward James, as if pulled by an invisible string. James jumped to his feet and swung a vicious uppercut directly into the helpless man’s chin, sending him flying into a backflip. He landed flat on his stomach, unconscious.
James rubbed his knuckles and turned to Hayden. “Thanks.”
“Anytime!” Hayden yelled as he ran toward Lana.
James hurried after him.
* * *
Lana swung at the strange man’s head, but he ducked out of the way with unnerving speed and kicked her in the stomach. As she flew backward, she saw Jada launch herself at the attacker, her red hair streaming behind her.
Lana hit the ground and rolled onto her feet again. She took a moment to analyze her surroundings. Most of the League members were outside now, including Thunderbolt and his wolf, and there were shadowy figures scattered across the property. She had seen at least two of them make it inside the house after the first explosion.
She heard a gasp of pain and spun around to see Jada collapse to her knees. Lana balled her hands i
nto fists and charged. The tall, muscular man’s clean-shaven face registered no emotion; even his dark eyes were vacant. The man stepped out of her way and tried to smash her in the back with his elbow. Lana narrowly avoided the blow and then countered with a sweeping kick at his legs, which he jumped over with ease. He was still in midair when an invisible force sent him spinning into the field.
Lana glanced back and saw James and Hayden running toward her. She nodded at them and turned back to the Wraith, who was barely visible in the darkness about thirty feet away. She saw his arm move and realized too late that he was grabbing something.
A red blast lanced out toward Hayden. James shoved him to the grass just in time and took the shot in the chest himself. He gasped in pain and fell to the ground, motionless.
Lana turned and sprinted at the man. He fired again, and she ducked as the red blast sizzled past her head. He shifted his aim, but his weapon was knocked aside at the last moment and the shot went careening into the darkness. Lana jumped, sailing ten feet through the air, and kicked him in the side of the head. He spun under the force of the impact and then lay there.
Lana hurried back. Thunderbolt was still shouting commands and threats, and Lana saw one of his blue bursts of lightning connect with an attacker. Wolf chased down another Wraith nearby and let loose a piercing yelp as he was kicked in the ribs.
Lana reached Hayden, who was pulling a grimacing James to his feet.
“That was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen,” Hayden said.
“Are you all right?” Lana asked James, staring at the scorch wound on his chest.
The shot had burned a sizable hole in his shirt, but the skin underneath just looked very red and swollen, like a bad sunburn.
“No problem,” James said, though he sounded a little strained. “Where’s Sam?”
Lana’s eyes went immediately to the burning house. “Oh no,” she whispered.
* * *
Sam crawled along the floor, staying below the thick smoke in the hallway. His hands were covered in soot, and he guessed that the rest of him was as well. He’d been lying in bed when the explosion tore through the back of the house, and he’d fallen onto the floor and smacked his head on the hardwood.
Worse still, he could sense that Deanna was hurt.
Sam had just reached the stairs when he felt a stab of pain emanating nearby. He glanced back and saw a closed door near the end of the hallway. Someone was hurt on the other side. Biting his lip, he scrambled toward it on all fours and pushed open the door.
The wall on the far side of the room was completely gone and exposed to the night air. Squinting through the blast of cold wind that blew past him as he opened the door, Sam spotted a trail of blood leading across the room.
Talia was being dragged toward the destroyed wall by an expressionless man in black. She was matted in blood and looked only partly conscious.
The man looked up and met Sam’s eyes.
Sam instinctively launched a mental attack. But to his horror, it passed right around the Wraith, as if he wasn’t even there. Sam tried again, but there was nothing.
The man released Talia’s arm and let her drop to the floor. Sam clambered to his feet, holding his breath against the thick smoke that was collecting around his face. He was only two steps into the hallway when his feet were kicked out from under him.
Sam pitched forward and slammed into the floor. Pain raced up his body. He rolled onto his back and saw the Wraith step toward him, wrapped in smoke. The Wraith pulled a weapon out of his belt.
This is it, Sam thought. He knew that he was about to die.
But then a massive blast of fire hit the man’s stomach, sending him flying down the hallway. The tremendous heat forced Sam to close his eyes, and when he opened them again, the Flame was standing over him, holding his side. Blood seeped through his fingers.
“We need to get out,” he wheezed.
“Talia’s in there,” Sam managed, pointing at the open door.
The Flame nodded, and together they collected Talia from the burning room, hoisting her up between them. With an extremely labored effort, they carried her to the stairs. Sam felt her weight pressing down on him, his head swimming in the smoke. The Flame looked like he was about to collapse at any moment.
Somehow, they reached the bottom of the stairs and dragged her toward the front door. They had almost made it when Lana, Hayden, and James sprinted inside.
“You all right?” Lana asked.
“Yeah,” Sam replied weakly. “Help the others. Deanna and Lyle are in there.”
Lana and Hayden raced toward the kitchen, while James scooped up Talia easily and carried her out. Sam and the Flame shuffled after him, barely staying on their feet.
“I’m going to get the others,” James said to them, and raced back inside. “Stay with her.”
Sam fell to his knees, and the Flame collapsed beside him.
“Thanks for saving me,” Sam said. “We need to bandage your side.”
“Yeah,” he replied faintly.
Sam moved the Flame’s hand and saw that a piece of shattered brick had wedged itself into his skin. Blood was flowing freely from the wound. Sam pressed both his hands against it, trying to staunch the flow, but it had little effect. He looked around frantically.
There was a flash as Thunderbolt sent another burst of lightning at a departing Wraith.
“Help me!” Sam shouted.
Thunderbolt hurried over, his eyes still darting to the shadows around them. He bent over to take a closer look at the Flame’s wound.
“Press your shirt against it as tightly as you can,” he ordered. “I’ll get the first aid supplies in the Defender.”
He raced off toward the barn. Sam took off his shirt and pressed it against the wound, but that was quickly sopping with blood as well. Slowly, the others began streaming out of the house, Lana holding up a limping, soot-covered Deanna and James helping Lyle, who looked dazed. Hayden was close behind, floating two others with him, including one of the unconscious attackers.
They all gathered around Sam, lying the injured on the grass, and watched in silence as the black smoke disappeared into the night.
29
THE IRON DOOR SWUNG OPEN, FLOODING THE SHADOWY CELL WITH LIGHT. Emily instinctively covered her face. She’d just been sitting there, staring at the wall while Blue slept restlessly beside her. Blue slept more and more as the days wore on in the darkness, and she was constantly shivering and weak. Emily was worried about her. If they didn’t get out of the cell soon, Blue might not get out at all.
Veridus stepped inside and shut the door. She wore the same black uniform she had the first time they’d met her and her hair was tied back in a ponytail.
“I don’t have much time,” Veridus said, glancing at the still-sleeping Blue. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to get to you for a few days. My brother was keeping a watchful eye on me. I believe he suspects something. But he’s away for the moment, so this is the first chance I’ve gotten to come see you.”
Emily raised her eyebrows. “Won’t the guards tell him?”
She shook her head. “I have full rights to come here. Technically, I’m second-in-command. But they wouldn’t support me in a rebellion. They owe him too much.”
“Because of their powers?”
“Yes. They were all specially chosen and taken from unsatisfactory lives. I regret not allowing him to grant me the same. Perhaps then I would have had the strength to challenge him.”
“He won’t let you have powers?” Emily asked.
“No, not anymore. As I said, I believe he distrusts me. But I know he’s offered them to you.”
Emily remained silent for a moment, studying this strange girl in front of her. She was again struck by her flawless beauty. She seemed almost too perfect. Her almond skin didn’t have a single blemish, her lips were perfectly sculpted, and her body was both curvaceous and toned. But it was her piercing, forest green eyes that Emily found so bizarre:
they were extremely vivid and seemed to just be a monotone ring of color around her pupils.
“He did,” Emily said slowly. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“What happened to your brother?” Emily asked. “Did he used to look like you?”
She sighed. “He was attacked a long time ago. He was severely wounded, to the point of death, but he was saved by a friend. He could heal his wounds, but he chooses not to. He wears them to remember how he was wronged, I think. I’ve asked him to reconsider, but he will not. He looked like me once, when we were younger.” Her voice became soft. “Those days are long past.”
“I wondered,” Emily said, still watching her closely, “though his wounds don’t look like any scars I’ve ever seen. What about his eyes?”
“His eyes were once green like mine,” Veridus said, “but after the attack, they changed. I can’t say that I understand completely what happened to him.”
“Who attacked him?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I wish I had more answers for you. But we need to get—”
“Was it the Vindico?” Emily interjected.
“No, I don’t think so. His motives aren’t vengeance. I know that. There is something else he wants.”
“I wish I knew what,” Emily said. There was something nagging at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t place it. “He said he might tell me if I went through with the transformation.” Then she realized who Veridus looked like. “You know who you remind me of?”
Veridus seemed taken aback. “Who?”
“Avaria. Do you know what she looks like?”
“Yes,” she replied. “I haven’t seen her in a very long time, though.”
“You know her?” Emily asked, surprised.
“Yes. To my own misfortune,” she said. “I’m sorry, but we must speak quickly. My brother will be back soon. Are you considering the transformation?”
Emily hesitated. “Considering, yes. But I haven’t made a decision.”
