by MJ Fletcher
He moved naturally to the pounding rhythm and I moved right along with him. We got lost in the dance and though a small voice in my head warned me to run, I ignored it. His arms never left me; we twisted and turned in perfect precision as if we had practiced the steps repeatedly. I closed my eyes and cut loose, letting the music have its way with me... just as I was letting Nightshade do.
People moved out of our way, letting us have the floor to ourselves. I opened my eyes and once again I saw in his eyes what had made me think to run in the first place... passion, lust, hey, that would have been easier to deal with... but damn if I didn’t see something more, something that scared the hell out of me.
The other students stopped dancing and formed a circle around us watching as we continued to put on a display. My hair flew around my face, our bodies worked as one and the crowd swayed and moved to the exhilarating rhythm. It was pure magic. The music built to a climax and so did we, coming to rest against each other, our faces close and our breathing erratic. As the last note sounded, a cheer erupted from the crowd.
My eyes remained fixed on Nightshade. How was it that I always managed to lose myself around him? I couldn’t stand public displays like this and yet here I was after a notable one with him and I hadn’t even thought about it until this minute.
“Wow, that was—uh—quite a dance.” Faith stood a short distance from us.
Nightshade turned his face away from mine and took a deep breath before turning to Faith. “Yes, it was.”
“I was hoping to get the next dance.” She smiled at Nightshade and I looked from her to him and shook my head as if I was waking from a dream.
“He’s all yours.” I squirmed out of his arms and took off without once looking back. What the hell had I been thinking? Slade was probably furious with me for dancing so friendly with Nightshade.
Get a grip, Chloe that was more than a friendly dance you were enjoying and you know it.
Nothing like berating yourself but then I was sure Slade had a few choice things to say to me and I really didn’t need another fight over something so trivial right now when we had more important matters to worry about.
I made my way back to our table and was surprised to find Jess sitting there alone. Slade was nowhere to be found. Jess was poking at her food with her fork but making no attempt to eat it.
“Where’s Slade?”
“He and his Engineer friends left a while ago talking about some project.” Jess didn’t look at me and waved toward the only entrance and exit in the room. She kept assaulting her plate.
I sat down and glanced around the room hoping to see him and when I didn’t I assumed he must have gone off with his Engineer friends, so much for the dance being so important to him. I shook my head. He makes a big deal of coming here and then disappears on me. I turned back to Jess and placed my hand on hers. She finally stopped playing with her food and gave me a pathetic grin.
“He doesn’t seem very broken up about it, does he?” She gave a nod to the dance floor at Nightshade and Faith having a good time dancing.
I gave a cursory glance, not wanting to think about Nightshade right now. “What happened?”
“I told him what happened, though it wasn’t necessary, it seemed that Gavin had already told him all about it,” She sighed and her shoulders dropped.
“Now what?”
“He says he cares about me, always has, but he thinks we should remain friends, nothing more. I hate to admit it but he’s right. I wouldn’t have been kissing Gavin if I really loved Nightshade. But it still sucks.”
“I’m sorry.” I patted her hand not sure how else to comfort her.
“It’s okay. I’m sure he’ll have more girls than Faith lined up waiting for him soon enough now that I won’t be pining for him. Maybe now I can finally find myself a good guy.” She laughed, though it sounded more like a cry and I felt so bad for her.
“You’re going to have more guys than you can handle after you, Cuz.”
“Here’s hoping.” She grabbed her glass, toasting my words and took a sip.
I glanced to the side and saw that Nightshade and Faith were still dancing when suddenly the room shuddered and shook violently. I found myself grabbing the table and holding on for dear life. A booming sound echoed throughout the entire room and when the shaking finally stopped people were pulling themselves up off the floor and looking around dazed and confused.
“What the hell was that?” Jess asked, her hands trembling, though still locked on the table.
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.” I motioned Nightshade over and was frantically searching the room for Slade when another violent quake shook the room. The hairs on the back of my neck started rising and immense power began building around me.
“Masters!” Nightshade yelled as he ran toward us and I knew exactly what he was thinking... we both knew that power signature.
“I know,” I answered as he jumped over the table and landed beside Jess and I. The main doors of the hall began to glow scrolling through a multitude of colors form blue to crimson and even silver. The room warped, distorted, and exploded with screams of terror.
The room shifted violently as a portal ripped a hole in the doors and tore open. The power that burst from the opening was like staring into the sun. It must have taken dozens of First Kind working for days to override the portal from Paladin and hijack it this way. Brightness soon faded to a heavy darkness that made your skin crawl.
A shadowy figure stepped out of the portal, smiling as if already victorious and cast a searching eye around the room. He stopped when his eyes settled on me.
“Time’s up.”
Chapter 19
Status: Here we go again.
“Give us the Chronicle page now.” Caleb Darker stood, a shadow at the edge of the portal, waves of dark energy rolling out of the gaping hole. Students were still crying, others trembled and all backed away, from the man who in the last few weeks had become public enemy number one.
“I was hoping you had crawled away and died, Caleb,” I yelled and the room grew quiet.
“Very funny, as I said your time is up. Give me the Chronicle page, there’s no rescue coming this time. We’ve broken the portal leading back to Paladin Academy. Do as I say or everyone here,” —he looked around the room and grinned as he announced their fate—“dies.” It had the desired effect, people began sobbing, others screamed, and some pleaded for mercy.
“Too bad, I didn’t happen to bring it to the dance. I mean how stupid are you to think that I would careless carry something like that around?” There I was doing it again, taking a bad situation and making it worse because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut and placate the slime-ball.
“That wise mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble.” Mom walked out of the portal behind Caleb and directly beside her was the man from the race that Nightshade had referred to as Charlie. Mom was dressed smartly in a navy blue business suit and white blouse, her skeleton key hanging openly around her neck.
“Mom.” I gritted my teeth in an effort to keep from letting loose on her.
“I gave you two weeks and that ended at midnight two minutes ago. Now deliver the page or I let Caleb do what he does best. Ask your friend over there,” —she pointed to Nightshade and smiled— “he has firsthand knowledge of Caleb’s talents.”
Nightshade jumped right up. “Talia Masters, I’ve heard a lot about you. They said you were the best Guilder in a generation.”
“That’s right and I know of you as well, boy... Nightshade, son of Eric Nightshade deceased. I hear you’re quite the rule-breaker. Why don’t you do the smart thing and convince my daughter to give me the page? You wouldn’t want her to end up like your girlfriend.” Mom’s smile remained fixed as her fingers glided over her skeleton key hanging at the end of her necklace.
“Not on your life, your daughter is too stubborn to do something as idiotic as follow a bunch of wanna be First Kind around. I guess she doesn’t get tha
t from you?” For once I was glad I wasn’t the one on the end of a Nightshade verbal assault.
“You’re right about something, Nightshade. I am the best Guilder in a generation and you should remember that.” Mom pulled her key from around her neck and it began pulsing with energy.
“You should realize it’s a new generation, lady, and I’m the best there is.” Nightshade swung his arm up creating an arc of crimson energy shielding us from the blunt force of the blast Mom sent our way.
“Great, now you’ve pissed her off.” I moved next to Nightshade and activated my own powers preparing myself for the coming battle.
“There’s no way out,” Faith cried as she and Jess joined us.
“What do we do?” Jess looked to me.
“Nightshade, you get Darker, Jess and I will see to my mom and Faith you’ll have to handle Charlie, are you up for that?” Faith trembled but nodded her head anyway.
Mom and the other First Kind were spreading out trying to box us in. The other students huddled in groups. A student on the far side near Caleb rushed him from behind and I wanted to warn him not to do anything... but it was too late. He raced toward Darker, his power flowing through a doorknob.
With nothing more than the wave of his hand, Caleb effortlessly sent him sailing into the wall with a sickening thud. The other students stared in disbelief, their mouths agape and all color draining from their faces. Any hope of them possibly helping us was cut to zero after they saw what Caleb was capable of with a simple wave of his hand.
“Our best, and possibly only bet, is to hold them off until someone at the Paladin Academy is able to break their portal.” It wasn’t much of a plan and even less of a chance that it would work. But at the moment, I couldn’t think of anything else.
“I’ve got an idea.” Nightshade smiled at me.
“I’m listening.”
“Do you trust me?” He wore that silly lopsided grin of his, which all but guaranteed that he was thinking something crazy.
“Yes.” Was that me who had just agreed before hearing more? What did it matter, it was already too late to question even the most ridiculous idea.
Nightshade pulled his shield up and the First Kind responded by creating their own defenses, assuming we were attacking. Then he ran onto the dance floor, his key shimmering in his hand as he let the energy build.
Nightshade’s advance spurred Darker into action. Blue streams of energy flowed behind him as he rushed with a satisfied grin to stop Nightshade. And I feared that he intended to finish what he had failed to do in the last battle... kill Nightshade.
Nightshade reached the middle of the dance floor and lifted his key high above his head, then swung down arcing it toward the floor and with tremendous force released the energy. The booming sound rippled quick and hard across the room knocking everyone off their feet. I scrambled to stand and saw Nightshade on his knees in the middle of the dance floor. Darker was only a few feet away stumbling to stand.
I kicked off my useless high heels and hopped over our table. Jumping over a huddled group of students, I let loose a wave of energy catching Darker off guard and sending him tumbling to the floor. I reached Nightshade and quickly slide my arm under his to help get him on his feet. I doubted he had any strength left after letting that much power out in one shot.
“You’re the best Guilder of your generation?” Mom laughed with a toss of her head as she approached. “You wasted all that power trying to open a portal when this room is locked down. What a fool.”
Nightshade raised his head, narrowed his eyes, and sneered at Mom. “Who said I was opening a portal.” At first I thought that someone had dropped a glass but then I realized the sound came from all around me.
Oh crap, no, I thought and looked down at the dance floor. It was splintering. Narrow lines spread out like a massive spider web that was growing larger and wider by the minute. It inched across the floor heading for the walls.
“That was your idea?” I whispered to Nightshade and he smiled as if proud of himself.
“You’re insane; we’ll all die.” Mom’s face heated with anger.
What choice did I have? I had to finish what Nightshade started. “I figure one more good blast of portal energy should do it.” I lifted my hand clenched tight around my doorknob that glowed a vibrant blue. “Leave now.”
“You won’t do it, I know you too well.” Mom looked me dead in the eye and smiled, sure of herself.
“You knew the cute, innocent little girl who worshipped you. But me? You have no idea who I am or what I’m capable of. You want to try me, go right ahead. I’d rather everyone in this room die than have you get your hands on that page.” It was my turn to look her dead in the eye and I didn’t blink.
“Darker, Charles lets go, it seems my daughter has grown up.” She turned to leave.
“No, I say we end this now,” Darker snarled like a dog eager to attack. His eyes never left Nightshade as he waited for the command to kill.
“Well, Caleb, you don’t get to make that choice. We’re leaving now.” Mom walked to the portal, Charlie jumping through first and Darker skulking behind after him. She turned back and looked directly at me and warned. “This isn’t over, Chloe.”
She stepped through and the portal began to dissolve after her. The students in the room let out a collective sigh of relief as Jess and Faith ran to join us. The sound of splintering glass followed them.
“This room has maybe a few minutes left before it completely falls apart.” Jess motioned to the spidery lines chomping away at the glass.
“Once their portal closed will the Academy be able to reopen the original one?” Faith looked to me as if I had the answer.
Edgar would know the answer and I wished he was here, though not really. At least he would survive and protect the Chronicle page from my mom.
I did the only thing I could do... I took a guess in hopes of reassuring everyone. “I think so.” Nightshade gave my arm a squeeze before letting go of it, having regained his strength.
“And if it doesn’t?” Jess asked.
“Then we all die in the vacuum of space.” Nightshade pointed out.
Great, what everyone knew but really didn’t want to hear. Hearing it made it all too possible. “Okay let’s get everyone away from the worst cracks and gather them around the doorway,” I said, setting everyone to work in hopes of a rescue. “When the portal opens back up I want to get everyone moving through it quickly.”
Faith and Jess both moved swiftly gathering up groups of students and moving them closer to the portal. Nightshade and I both stepped away from the dance floor which was ground zero for the damage.
“Think we’ll make it?” I asked Nightshade quietly.
“We have a better chance with this scenario than the one with your mom and that’s what I was hoping for.”
“By the way the next time you want to go suicidal do me a favor and warn me first.” I punched him in the shoulder, though I much rather would have hugged him.
“Now where is the fun in that?”
My classmates stood huddled close to the door as we watched the last pulses of energy from the First Kind portal disappear. Once it did I reached out and grabbed the door turning the knob to open it. Nothing happened. I reached out with my senses but didn’t feel even a trickle of portal energy. It was as if the space had become a void. Crap, we’re in trouble, I thought.
“It’s not working is it?” Faith asked, trembling from head to toe.
“No, but let me try to open a portal.” I sent a surge of energy out attempting to access the doorway and open a portal to somewhere, anywhere else but here. My power consumed the door and beyond it I hit a void. I couldn’t access any portal, it was as if I was pounding against a cement wall. I let go of the knob drawing my powers back into me.
“That’s not good.” Nightshade had a penchant for being blunt when sometimes tact was called for.
“What are we going to do?” one of the students shouted.
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“We’re all going to die,” yelled another, which got everyone worked up and I couldn’t blame them since there was a good chance we were going to die.
“You killed us all, Nightshade,” one of them screamed and Nightshade swerved around ready to let the kid have it, but I grabbed his arm.
“He saved you.” I raised my voice but didn’t yell. Tension was high enough. “If you think for one minute they would have let any of you live, you’re idiots. You’re meaningless to them. They would have killed all of us and thought nothing of it. Nightshade gave you all a chance to live, maybe a small one but it’s better than nothing.” I wondered then what a death would feel like being sucked out into space but quickly dismissed it. I wasn’t dead yet and I refused to lose hope.
The splinters began to crack and pop and any minute the glass would shatter and there’d be no more floor or walls. I watched in fascination and horror as death approached with each crack while we could do nothing but wait.
Jess moved to stand beside me, her body shaking uncontrollably. I turned to her and she reached out, grabbing me and hugging me close.
“I love you, Cuz,” she whispered.
“I love you too,” I said quietly as we continued to hug each other. Jess buried her head in my shoulder and I turned my head to look at Nightshade standing to my other side. He was watching the glass snap with an odd expression on his face, almost as if he couldn’t believe it was happening. I stretched my hand out to him. He looked down at it and then back at me. His hand wrapped tightly around mine and he pulled Jess and I to him and smothered us in his arms.
“No matter what happens, hold on. Don’t let go,” he said and we both nodded and leaned against him as tightly as we could.
His familiar scent drifted around me and I breathed it in and closed my eyes. I wished we were back in the desert, just the two of us gazing at the stars way up in the sky, happy together with no complications in sight.
