Dark Nebula (The Chronicles of Kerrigan)

by W. J. May

  Rae stood staring at the younger image of her father. She knew she had to do something. Thoughts tumbled around like clothes in a dryer. Why didn’t I see it sooner? Why didn’t I guess? What the heck’s his tatù? I should’ve listened to Julian.

  “I’ll give you credit for one thing, at least you have a bit of Dad in you,” Kraigan said. “You’re willing to go against Guilder and Privy Council rules to date a fellow tatù-ee.” He crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes mocking her. “Why so surprised? You didn’t think anyone could figure it out? It’s so obvious, it’s disgusting. But what I wanna know is; why choose a useless, weak tatù? I don’t get it. Your little fennec fox boy has become annoying.” He rolled his eyes and leaned against the doorframe. “Someone had to remove him from the equation. Him and his little right-hand fortune teller. Ponytail-boy is next.”

  He’s got Devon? So help me, I’ll fight to death to protect him. Rae snapped out of her frozen state and glared at him. “So help me, if you hurt Dev-”

  “What?” he sneered and then laughed. “You’re going to get me?” He wobbled his knees against each other and waved his arms in front of her. “I’m shaking in my boots, big sis.”

  “You used your tatù to trick me, my friends--”

  “Your friends?” He snorted. “The gas was meant for you, not Maria. And the same goes for the rigged doorframe. Both excellent plans, both blundered by idiots. It seems I have to do everything myself if I want it done right.”

  “Wait. What?” He’s responsible for hurting my friends? She scowled at him. “I trusted you. You are scum! You are nothing! A boy who barely knows how to use his tatù!” Even Rae flinched at the venom in her voice. “Where is Devon?”

  “Like I’m going to simply stand here and tell you…or even let you know if he’s alive,” he said but stopped mocking her and straightened, legs spread shoulder width apart.

  Rae searched thru her tatùs, searching for a specific gift. She found the hum she needed and grabbed his wrist in a vice like grip so he couldn’t break free. Staring at Kraigan’s shocked expression, she focused on finding Devon’s location through his thoughts, like she had done to Devon at the beginning of the year to see his room. “If you think Dad had powers,” she hissed. “You don’t even know the half of it. Whatever he had, I have his strength tenfold and I don’t need to retouch a freakin’ person to use their ability.” She tapped her forehead with her index finger. “It’s all in here for me to call on.” She dug deeper into Kraigan’s thoughts and found Devon.

  He was still alive, but it appeared barely. Beaten, blindfolded, and tied to a chair in a crappy motel about ten miles from Guilder. Using all her strength, Rae shoved Kraigan back and sent a gust of wind to knock him through her door and onto the hallway floor. His head bonked hard against the banister and he slumped to the floor.

  She took off running past him. Did I knock him out? He groaned, but strangely he didn’t pursue her.

  Chapter 23

  Terror

  Using a speed tatù, Rae raced down the stairs and barged through Aumbry House’s main doors. Julian’s car keys dug into her hip. Oblivious to the pain, she pulled them out and decided she would not hesitate to use Devon’s little Swiss Army knife, followed with a burst of wind, if Kraigan tried to follow her. He’s my brother. How did I not see this? I’m such an idiot!

  Dusk had set in. Rae flew across the sports field in moments and hit the fob the second she got close to the parked car. When the headlights flashed, she picked up more speed. Sliding to a stop, she yanked the door open and slid into the driver’s seat. To her relief, the car roared to life on the first try.

  Terrified Kraigan could be right behind her, she adjusted the rearview mirror and frantically searched the parking lot. Seeing no sign of him, she released the breath she held and concentrated on steering Julian’s sports car. She hadn’t driven since last summer in New York and she needed to concentrate. Focus, Rae. Focus.

  Gunning the gas harder than she meant to, she ground the clutch into first gear, then second and tore out of the parking lot. She drove through the narrow winding roads, wishing they were wider. She flipped her high beams on when she drove through the wooded areas near Guilder. Could she save Devon? What if I’m too late?

  Rain blurred the windshield.

  “Which flippin’ switch turns the wipers on?” She screamed at the car. She tried a button and swore when the sunroof began opening and rain poured in. Hitting the button beside it, she closed it up and tried the next switch. Musty outside air began blowing through the vents. “Bugger!” She moved the turn signal lever up and down, backwards and forwards. All she got was flickering blinkers and high beams. The car slid sideways on a bend and she had to throw both hands back at ten and two on the wheel to regain control. Finally seeing a little wiper on a knob near the right side, she turned it and got them going.

  Her knuckles were white against the steering wheel. She focused on maintaining control of the powerful sportster and switching gears as quickly as possible. She hoped Julian wouldn’t mind replacing the worn out clutch by the time she finished driving. She drove as fast as she dared, terrified that she would lose control and roll the car.

  Rae’s jaw clenched so hard she felt like her jaw might shatter eventually. Maybe she should have called for backup, maybe called Julian or Carter. How? She hadn’t considered grabbing her cell phone when Kraigan revealed who he was. It’s obvious he hates me. Whatever he’s said, it doesn’t matter now. It was all an act. Everything. She couldn’t shake the shock of his words. Focus, Rae. How do you get a hold of Julian, or Carter?

  The dean said Carter left this morning. Who could she contact? She had no idea where the Privy Council met, so that was out. She forced herself to concentrate on the wet road. At last the forest gave way to suburban life.

  Continually checking her rearview mirror to see if anyone followed her, Rae’s shoulder muscles began to burn. Where’s Kraigan? The maniac had something planned. Right now she still had to find her way to the hotel—motel—whatever the Fiddler’s Roof was.

  She rushed along the cobblestone streets towards the motel near the outskirts of town. Devon, I’m coming. She sent the thought to him. Her breath caught: she could contact Julian or Carter the same way. Pulling the car to the side of the road, she flipped switches till the hazard lights came on. She let the car idle and, in frustration, pounded the leather console with her fist. Rae knew she didn’t have time to pitch a fit, but it felt so good to release a little pent up stress. She needed that before trying Maria’s Telepathy.

  Closing her eyes, she focused on Julian’s face and sent the message. Julian, it’s Rae. I’m heading to Fiddler on the Roof Motel. Devon’s being held there. Please come. Devon’s in terrible shape. I’m going in—he can’t wait.

  Rae frantically searched the inside of the car. She flipped open the glove compartment and middle console, hoping to find Julian’s cell. She noticed a black electronic object in the holder beside her seat and grabbed it. “Usable,” she muttered when she realized it wasn’t a phone but one of those freeze guns they trained with. She tossed it on the passenger seat. She might need it later.

  Hand on the gearshift, she paused and sent a similar message to Carter. She didn’t know if the messages would send since she had no clue where they were. Any other time she had used this tatù, she had known exactly where the person was. Plus they’d never been very far away. With tires skidding back onto the road, she took the roundabout like a champion racer and turned left towards the motel on the hill, roaring into the parking lot.

  Rae stomped on the brake pedal, tires screeching as the car lurched to a stop. She yanked out the keys and gripped Devon’s knife. About to run for the lobby, she leaned back in the car and grabbed the freeze taser. She shoved it into the back pocket of her jeans. She would bloody use the taser with the little Swiss Army knife on the motel manager if he didn’t cooperate.

  Charging through the entrance doors, she went straight for t
he check-in desk. A greasy-haired attendant covered in normal, human tattoos, was the only occupant of the lobby, which reeked of cheap, stale cigarette smoke,

  “My boyfr—b-brother—” she thought fast. “He checked in a room here. Which one is it? My dad’s on his way and is gonna kill him.”

  “Lady, I can’t just hand that information out. How do I know he’s your brother? Not some two-timing boyfriend? Or maybe you’ve got some sugar-daddy pissed off at you.”

  Nice, five-star quality motel. “Fine.” She stomped around the raised reception counter and grabbed the check-in book laying on the desk directly behind it. Motel’s too flippin’ old to even check in by computer.

  “Hey,” slick-boy said. “You can’t come back here.”

  Rae waved a hand at him, sending him flying into a chair with a gust of wind. She didn’t give a toss what the Privy Council or any other tatù-rule-abiding citizen thought. Her focus was on Devon.

  Flipping through the names on the list, she caught sight of Kraigan’s name. He even wrote like her father. The ledger stated he had checked in three days ago and was in room 142. “Thanks.” She dashed out of the lobby, letting ol’ slick continue to sit with his mouth hanging open.

  Outside in the cool air, she closed her eyes and paused to see if she sensed any tatùs around her. Nothing. No tatù bad guy seemed to be lurking in the shadows or hiding behind a car.

  The first hum of a tatù hit her just outside room 142. There were two tatùs inside, one of them Devon. Calling on the wind tatù, Rae leaned against the door and pushed. It burst from its hinges and went crashing to the floor, her along with it. She scrambled to her feet, adrenaline making her fight or flight reaction scream inside her, as she looked around, trying to come up with a plan on the fly.

  She froze. Devon sat blindfolded and tied to a metal chair. No, not tied, bound with ropes thicker than his arms. He wore jeans but no shirt, socks or shoes. His head lay limply to the side, his nose cut underneath, possibly broken for all she could tell. Both his lips were cut open with old and new blood dripping from them. Bruises and cuts covered his bare body. There was more black and blue than the white of his skin. His arms were tied behind the back of the chair, one of his shoulders hanging grotesquely wrong. Rae swallowed the bile in her throat, afraid she would vomit. “Devon,” she whispered.

  A stranger, not much older than Rae, stepped forward and blocked her view of Devon. The tall, hard-faced blond had a black, badly swollen eye. Rae hoped it was courtesy of Devon. Good for you baby!

  “Well, lookie here. Look what the frat-boy dragged in.” He punched a fist into his open palm. “If it isn’t the infamous Rae Kerrigan.”

  Rae stared at the guy’s bloodied fists and then up his arm to his tatù. An ear with a bunch of circles surrounded it. She spread her feet shoulder-width apart and hissed, “Randy.” He was obviously Kraigan’s buddy—and Anna’s brother. Rae took in his large, bulky size and wished momentarily she had someone with her. What was she going to do? Shape-shift into an eagle and fly around Goliath? Too bad she didn’t have a sling and some pebbles.

  “Kraigan’s told me so much about you.” The giant jerked his head towards Devon’s unconscious form. “Your friend here hasn’t said much, especially in the past hour.” He shrugged his massive shoulders and let out a low, frightening laugh.

  “Untie him.” She mentally ran through the tatùs she would be able to use against Randy.

  “Or what? Tiny thing like you can’t do much damage. Maybe I should tie you to the bed and you can wake your boyfriend up with your cries of pleasure.” He made a lewd gesture with his hips.

  Anger boiled through her veins and made her see red. “You’re making a big mistake…”

  “You’re trying to threaten me?” He hooted. “Kraigan’s got your tatù in the bag, honey.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Try me. I’ll give you the first shot for free.”

  Kraigan’s got nothing on me. He can shift into someone else. Big deal. The mocking on Randy’s face was too much. Using Molly’s electricity tatù, she sent a bolt straight at his massive figure. Not enough to kill him, but strong enough he stumbled backwards and fell into the cheap coffee table. A pitcher of water tipped over on him as he crashed to the ground. Rae pulled her fingers back from the electricity just as the current started zapping. The smell of burnt flesh wafted into the air. Out. She had knocked him out. Or rather, he had pretty much knocked himself out. Move, Rae! Don’t waste time! If he wakes and attacks you’re so screwed.

  Terrified, Rae looked from Randy’s slightly twitching body to Devon’s unconscious one. She leapt over the now-unmoving Randy and using Nicholas’ MacGyver tatù, began working the crazy knots at the back of the chair. Devon slumped forward and groaned but didn’t wake up.

  Rae began to panic. Frantic thoughts sped through her mind. Kraigan’ll be coming, probably bringing others. Where’s Carter? Julian? Randy wouldn’t stay down forever. She heard his labored breathing and coming to noises. When she glanced at him, his head rolled and his eyes moved rapidly behind his closed lids.

  Tears coursed down her cheeks. Devon, you need to wake up! I can’t do this by myself. Come on. You can hear me…please! If only her healing tatù worked on other people instead of just herself. “Crap, crap, crap.” She looked around for something to drag him on. She needed to bring the car to the room.

  A moan brought her thoughts to an abrupt halt. She knelt in front of him and gently, but firmly shook his shoulders. “Dev, come on. We gotta get out of here.”

  “Uhhmmmm—” Devon’s eyes fluttered open and then closed, remaining shut. However, he reached for Rae and groaned as he leaned forward, almost falling out of his chair.

  Rae grabbed him by his waist. Devon flinched and a guttural cry broke from his throat. Tears coursed down Rae’s face. She got herself positioned under his good arm and pushed upwards. “Focus,” she whispered, not sure if she was talking to Devon or herself.

  Devon’s eyes opened a smidge. He managed a small smile through the swelling and bruises. “I’m back, for the moment.” His voice was a hoarse whisper. He looked at Randy still lying on the floor. “Nice job, ‘ancy pan’s. Let’s go.” He dropped his good arm around Rae’s shoulders and together they slowly stood up. “Just take it a bit easy.”

  “I will.” A small surge of hope flowed through her. She half dragged him the next few steps. She gasped when Randy the giant sat up and growled at them. If he swung his arm around, he would probably knock both of them over.

  “Wh-wh-where da ya—” he stuttered, “goin’?”

  With her free hand, Rae reached into her back pocket and flipped the taser on. She zapped his shoulder and couldn’t help feeling satisfied to see his eyes go round with fear as his body fell back to the floor with a thud.

  “What the–?” he squealed.

  Rae got Devon to the door and propped him against it. Dashing back to Randy, she zapped him again and again, hoping it might make the freezing last longer. She even hit him with the taser in different locations, thinking that might work as well. The guy was massive. How did these things work again? Thirty seconds a freeze? Well, they’d better add up, not coincide.

  Running back to Devon, she slipped under his good shoulder and bore as much of his weight as she could. “Use your tatù so we can get to the car faster. It’s gonna hurt like crazy but just focus. We need to get in the car without you passing out.”

  “I’ll try.” He swallowed painfully. “We need to find Carter and get to the Privy Chambers.” He’s slipping in and out of consciousness. “The Oratory. We gotta get downstairs fast…Need the wood carving women—”

  What? Devon wasn’t making any sense so she knew she wasn’t going to get an explanation. No time to waste. “Let’s go.” Rae’s heart switched from over-its-speed-limit to erratic. Devon needed a hospital, not Carter or the damn Privy Council.

  Using more stumble than speed, they managed to get to the car. It felt like forever before she helped
Devon into the passenger’s seat and clicked his seat belt. She raced around to the driver’s side and jumped into the seat. Gunning the engine, she shifted into drive. She began to panic when she drove past the room of the motel.

  Through the shattered doorway, she saw Randy sitting on the floor, talking into his cell phone. Turning to Devon’s slumped body leaning against the seat belt strap, she felt a terror that made her blood run cold. Too scared to check the rearview mirror, she sped out of the parking lot and headed back towards Guilder.

  What had Devon been mumbling? The carving women? The Oratory? The secret room—

  A glimmer of a plan began forming in her mind. With it came the only hope to be had.

  Chapter 24

  Inner Terror

  The silence in the car grew unbearable. Her own worry stifled her. Devon leaned against the seat belt, passed out. Rae concentrated on staying on the road and seeing through the rain. She stared ahead, then at Devon and then in the rearview mirror. She swore when she missed the turn on the roundabout to bring them back to Guilder.

  Circling again, she dropped the car into a lower gear. Headlights beamed in her eyes as a car pulled out, missing her by mere inches. The car shifted in behind her. Her breath froze in her throat when she caught a glimpse of the driver.

  Randy. Glaring from behind the wheel.

  Tires squealed as Rae slammed on the gas and shifted into high gear. The car shot down the next road. She didn’t need to check the rearview mirror; she sensed how close Randy was. His headlights bounced from the uneven road and flashed off her side mirrors.

  Returning her focus to the road ahead, the steering wheel almost jumped out of her hand when Randy’s car hit her bumper. She couldn’t even see his headlights in the mirror. A loud honking broke the silence of the night. He kept a hand on his horn and continued to follow. The noise abruptly stopped when his car swerved and fought to stay on the road.