Bill and Linda don’t wait for me to say it twice. With haste, they carry him toward the house and shut the door behind them. I have no time to linger. I have to get to the others.
My legs carry me as fast as they can to the Tower because I know that’s where Aaron will be. I rush through the bottom door and up the stairs. When I reach top room I’m breathless, but relieved to see Danny, Evelyn, and Aaron sitting in front of the radio talking to someone.
“…not as many as the herd at Salem, but plenty to have fun with.”
“How could that be possible?” Danny nearly yells.
“Trucks,” I say through labored breaths. “Trails of blood.”
“There’s blood all over the ground. It’s as if the greyskins are just following the scent.”
Aaron turns to look at me. “How did you know that?”
I nod at Evelyn. “I’ve learned a lot in the past few days.” I can feel blood drip out my nose, sliding to my shirt more easily because of my wet skin.
“What happened to you?” Evelyn said as she stepped up to me.
“I’m going up to the roof,” Aaron announced absently. “I’ve got to get the satellite working so we can see where these greyskins are coming in from.” On his way out, he smashes a big red button, sounding an alarm across the entire village.
Danny bends over and switches the microphone over to the village speaker system. “Attention,” he says. “Greyskins are coming, people. Get to your hiding spots and hold tight. If you’ve got a weapon, use it. If you don’t…I don’t know, do what you have to do.” He switches the microphone back to the radio. “Heather, get back here as fast as you can.”
“I’ll be there in a sec.”
“Commander Green,” I say to Evelyn. “He’s here. Invisibility.”isibilit
“Jeremiah’s hunter?” Danny asks.
I nod.
“We’re out of time,” Evelyn says. “If he’s been here any time at all he knows about Christopher.” She slaps a hand to her head. “That’s why the greyskins are here,” she says.
“What?”
“They are to keep us busy while Commander Green nabs Christopher and sneaks out. Do you know where he is?”
I take a step back and shut my eyes. I think of Christopher. He’s in a familiar place. He’s next to Sadie, Grandma, and Jake, and several other villagers. They’re in one of the tree houses. What are they doing there? People haven’t had enough time to get there since Danny’s announcement. I turn my vision to look over Christopher’s shoulder and can see Screven guards holding up machine guns, keeping them all inside. These are the same guards that we had locked in the bottom of the Tower, and these are all the villagers that have been missing since earlier this morning.
Commander Green, in full visibility, looks up at Christopher and whispers to one of the guards. My thoughts switch to Commander Green. Having been punched in the face by him, I know I’ll be able to follow him too.
“Get me a truck,” he says to the guard. He turns to another one closer to the tree house. “If anyone tries to move, shoot them unless it’s him.” He points directly at Christopher when he says this. “We don’t move until the greyskins get here. I’m taking him with me.”
I open my eyes. “They’re at the tree houses,” I say to Evelyn and Danny.
A loud crash bursts through the door as Aaron announces that he’s fixed the satellite. He rushes to the screen and flips a switch. It’s still a hazy mess when he first turns it on, but then he changes it to register heat. I gasp when I see hundreds of greyskins right on top of Springhill.
“They’re here!” Danny yells out.
“If only we’d gotten that wall built in time,” Aaron says.
“Well, there’s no time to waste,” Evelyn snaps, “Get out there and do what you all do best. We’ve seen bigger herds than this.”
Danny is already out the door. Aaron stands and reaches out to touch my cheek. His touch is always a comforting one, especially in the face of danger.
He takes a deep breath as he looks me in the eyes deeply.
I know what he wants to say. Part of me wants him to say it. I know that he wants to kiss me. Part of me wants him to.
He puts his hand behind my neck and pulls me forward. His lips touch my forehead and he pulls me in tighter. “Be careful out there,” he says.
I don’t want him to let go of me, but he has to. Without another look, he’s out the door.
“No time for greyskin fighting,” Evelyn says. “You’ve got to get Commander Green before he takes Christopher.”
I take a deep breath, trying to figure out exactly how this can be done.
“Keep your wits about you, Mora,” Evelyn says. “If you can’t see him, look through his eyes.”
She reaches under the console and pulls out a small box. Opening the box, she pulls out a pistol and makes her way to the door. “Go.”
Nodding to her, I run down the stairs and finally make it to the outside of the Tower. Greyskins are rushing through the parts of the wall that aren’t finished yet. Danny stands ready with a giant limb he must have broken off from a tree. Suddenly, Heather is standing right next to him, knives ready. Aaron stands about twenty feet from the others. The thunder is deafening as deafens he calls multiple lightning bolts into his chest. It’s a bright spectacle that draws most of the greyskins toward him. Other villagers that hadn’t been trapped by the Screven guards come out with whatever kind of weapon they can. The people of Springhill are no strangers to these attacks.
Evelyn pulls back the hammer on her pistol and looks back at me. “Go!” she yells.
I take off in a sprint, feeling guilty that I’m not staying behind to fight with the others. Several of the greyskins charge after me as I run. Heather cuts three of them down as they run in my path. Aaron blasts one with a bolt and then fries it right behind me. I run as fast as my legs will carry me until I’m temporarily out of reach of the greyskin herd.
I shut my eyes, searching for Green. He’s on the radio.
“…you to repeat what you said,” Green demands.
“I said the Greyskins are too thick here. We can’t get the vehicle out there without leading them to you.”
Green swears loudly. He looks up at the tree house and tells a guard to get Christopher and bring him down. A guard points a gun at him and he does as he’s told.
“The girl, the old lady, and boy too,” Green says.
My heart sinks. He’s got Grandma, Jake, Sadie, and Christopher out of the tree house at gunpoint. Anger boils within me. Opening my eyes, I begin another sprint for the tree houses. It doesn’t take me long to get there and I stop in my tracks when I see guards on all sides of the group. Two of them take aim at me while the others train their sights on Grandma, Jake, and Sadie.
Commander Green stands to the side with a grin on his face. “You can’t win here, so don’t even try.”
“Let them go,” I tell him.
“I know how dear to you your family is,” Green says. “Sweet nights of sleeping in the same bed, cooking lunches together. It’s all so touching.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing, though it makes too much sense.
“I feared that I might have given myself away with my footprints of blood in the back of your truck, but I don’t think anyone ever noticed,” he says. “Doesn’t seem anything is going your way. Jeremiah told me your friend, Connor, joined with our side. Telling all kinds of secrets.”
The sound of Connor’s name causes me to pause. “What?”
Green smiles. “That’s right. Connor isn’t so loyal to you anymore. I’m sure Jeremiah will get what he needs from him, then kill him.”
So Green didn’t hear the part about Connor faking it. It lets me know that he’s at least alright for now.
“I’m warning you to let them all go,” I say.
With a thought, I force the guards to hold the guns at their own necks. Instantly, Green disappears.
“Get to the house!” I s
cream to the others. In the same moment, I rip the guns from the soldier’s hands and smash them into their heads, dropping them to the ground. Maybe I should have made them shoot themselves because they will be greyskin food anyway. I look in every direction for a sign of Green as Grandma, Jake, and Sadie run toward my house. Christopher runs up to me.
“I can help you,” he says. “I can fight.”
“Get out of here!” I yell. “This is about you, go!”
Something invisible smashes into Christopher and knocks him to the ground. I try to push Green away from us, but I see nothing. Suddenly I feel a sharp pain in my arm. When I look down, I find a gaping knife wound. I duck down quickly, hoping that whatever might be coming my way misses me. I flail mye. I fla arms until I feel fabric on my palms. I grab hold of the invisible guard uniform, turn toward it and shove with everything my mental ability will allow.
Green crashes into the tree and in a break of concentration, falls to the ground completely exposed. I run up to him and plant my foot into his stomach. He reaches out and grabs my arm, yanking me to the ground. He pulls his arms around my neck, his fingers in front of my face. I reach out my jaw and bite him as hard as I can. The taste of blood fills my mouth as he lets out a scream and releases his grip. I spit out a large chunk of his skin and see that he’s dropped his knife to the ground. Both of us dive for it, but I grab it first and he lands on top of me. With a thought, I fling him off of me and to the ground.
I look back at Christopher. “Get to the house!”
He doesn’t hesitate this time as he turns and runs. Greyskins are getting closer to us now, but I can see ahead that villagers are coming down from the tree houses. Most take the downed soldiers’ guns and head straight for the greyskins as some stay behind in the safety of the trees.
All of this feels too familiar. All of this feels too much like the day I lost my parents. Only this day, I am determined to be on the winning side, and so will my family.
Green stares at me from the ground, breathing hard. “Why do you think you can beat Jeremiah?” he asks. “He is so much more powerful than you. Others have tried in the past. All have failed.”
I grip the knife tighter in my hand. I have no desire to talk to Commander Green. “You’re on the losing side, Commander.”
He looks at the knife in my hands and shakes his head. “I don’t think so.” With that, he disappears. Fear grips me. Fighting while unable to see my enemy is something I’ve never had to face before today. I can hear him shuffling all around me, but I can’t get a fix on where he is.
I think of Evelyn and what she told me in the Tower. If you can’t see him, look through his eyes.
If I can’t see him, then I don’t need my eyes at all. The moment the thought enters my mind, I shut my eyes, focusing everything on Green. I instantly see myself, standing directly in front of him.
A sharp pain cuts through my lips and I know it’s his fist. I’m knocked backward. Another hit, this time in my rib
s. It’s so hard to keep my eyes closed. I swing the knife in every direction, trying to cut him, to kill him.
Another punch to my kidney sends me to my knees. Next, his knee lands directly in the middle of my chest. The knife flies out of my hand and I go to the ground hard. The wind is knocked out of me and I can barely move. The rain splashes my face as I look to the sky. Is this it? Am I about to be killed? I’ve felt like this before. Completely helpless. Last time, I had Connor to bail me out. Last time I wasn’t completely alone.
I can hear shots and thunder in the distance. I almost smile thinking about how amazing the other Starborn fighters must be doing. If I’ve ever needed their help, it’s now. I close my eyes again. From the view I can tell that Green is standing directly to my right and he isn’t moving.
This is it.
My eyes open wide but I don’t move. With a fleeting thought, the knife on the ground to my left is floating in the air. Then, with the speed of a bullet, I send it sailing to my right.
Green appears right before my eyes with a look of shock on his face. The knife is protruding from his chest and he falls to the ground. I know this is my chance, so I jump up with whatever strength I have left and grab the handle of the knife. I pull it from his chest and he reaches up toreaches grab my wrist. He twists it around and punches me again in the face another time. Again I fall back, but I’m fully aware of Green as he’s running away from me and toward the Tower.
At least he’s running away from my family and Christopher. I shut my eyes and seek out Jake. I’m shocked to see that the house is already being attacked on all sides by the greyskins. They must have followed my family there.
When I open my eyes I can see Green flicker in and out of visibility, his concentration wrecked by the knife wound I gave him. I’ve got no time to run after him now. I pick up the bloodied knife from the ground. I’ve got to stop the greyskins from eating my family.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The greyskins are still clawing in through gaps in the village wall. Even though there are Starborns here to help fight, it doesn’t change the fact that people still die in these attacks. I’m forced to ignore the death of people that I’ve known since I was a small child. I had sent my family to the house, but if I don’t get to them now, there’s no telling what might happen.
Three of the undead run toward me, so I send two flying and my knife into the forehead of the other. Calling the knife back to my hand, I run toward the house. Guns blast all around me. Greyskins fall and villagers cry out with fresh bites and scratches, which will end their lives within a day. I try not to think about them. I try to stay focused, but it’s impossible when death is all around me.
A small boy to my left tries to fight off a greyskin with nothing more than a sharp stick. He stabs it once in the side, but the greyskin is relentless. The boy drops the stick and falls into a puddle of mud. I throw my knife as hard as I can, guiding its trajectory with my mind. It sails directly into the back of the greyskin’s head and it falls to the ground.
“Get to the tree houses,” I yell at the boy, running towards him. Through tears he nods at me and takes off in a run.
I wipe the rain from my eyes and bend over to rip out the knife. When I look up, across the way, I see the house. My stomach lurches at the sight of twenty or more greyskins trying to claw their way in. Nearly all of the windows are shattered. I see Bill point the barrel of a shotgun out the window and fire, but it only takes out one of them. The others must be inside pushing against the door.
In a rage, I run through the muddy, blood-filled street toward my house. I can’t help but scream as I bowl them over like wind through a giant pile of leaves. The door crashes open in the assault and several of the greyskins tear into the house only to be met by a wave of shotgun shells. But that doesn’t stop another group from piling in on top of the others.
Hearing the screams from Grandma and Jake, I turn back and reach out into the air like I’m grabbing someone by the collar and pull. The few greyskins fly backward towards me and I make sure my knife lands in each of their skulls before they hit the mud. I run into the house, hoping no one has been bitten.
“Is everyone okay?” I ask, standing in the doorway. I see Austin spread on the table, still breathing but looking bad. Bill and Linda nod at me.
Christopher reaches out and grabs my arm. Within a few seconds, the knife wound that Green had given me is gone.
“Thanks,” I tell him, truly grateful.
“No one was bitten,” Christopher says, wincing at the new pain in his arm. “But we are not safe here.”
“I know,” I say. “You’ve got to get to the tree houses. They are safe for now. I want all of you to follow me befo…” I’m stopped short by a pair of hands that grab me by the hair and pull me backward and to the rain-drenched ground. Before I even know what’s happening, at least three greyskins are on top of me. My brain feels jostled and it’s hard to determine where my enemies are. I feel a pain in my side, and hope that
I haven’t been bitten or scratched. With a scream, I throw the greyskins off me.
They fly to the side and Bill takes two of them out with his shotgun while I slice through the third’s brain. I grab my side in pain, but I refuse to look at it. I quickly turn so no one else will notice. I hope they haven’t. Maybe I just rolled over onto something sharp. Could be nothing.
I pull myself up and fling the mud from my fingertips.
I look at Bill and Christopher. “You two need to help carry Austin and follow the rest of us to the tree houses.” The two of them nod as Linda, Sadie, Grandma, and Jake walk up next to me.
Jake meets my gaze and I can’t help but let my eyes fill with tears. “I told you I wouldn’t let anything happen to you,” I say.
He reaches out and hugs me tightly. I welcome it, but I grit my teeth when a sharp pain runs up and down my side. I tousle his hair and begin marching toward the tree houses when Bill and Christopher come up, holding an unconscious Austin.
The group follows close behind me as we make our way to safety. I’m forced to use my abilities to fling objects at greyskins, throw my knife, and clear paths as we jog. When we finally get to the tree houses, Bill is the first one up as Christopher helps him get Austin inside. Most of the fighting is near the Tower. I wonder how the others are doing, but I don’t have time to close my eyes and watch. I hope Green hasn’t killed any of them.
A group of greyskins has spotted us as Sadie makes her way up the ladder. I stand in front of the others as Jake starts to climb next. Once Linda and Grandma are to the top, the greyskins are nearly on me. With a thought, two of them bash their heads together with a force strong enough to crack their skulls. I throw my knife through the eye of one, and as it falls to the ground I pick the other one up and launch it headfirst into a tree.
I look up at the others.
“You’re staying with us, Mora,” Grandma says. “You’ve got to.”
Flashbacks pound in my mind of the time when my mother had begged me to stay in the tree house instead of trying to help my father. I had said no to them before. I had gone out anyway. It had been the worst decision of my life.
The Starborn Saga (Books 1, 2, & 3) Page 43
