by Sadie Moss
We were strong, but Rain was winning.
The thought made my blood boil, and I renewed my struggles against the wind pressing me back. The pressure was so intense it stole the breath from my lungs and made my eyes water.
When Rain was a few feet from me, he raised a hand. A huge sword made of fire appeared in his grip, it’s hilt a shiny dark metal. The wind finally released me, and I fell to the floor, sucking in ragged breaths of air. The sharp toe of his dress shoe dug into my stomach as he kicked me. When I rolled over, his foot slammed into my chest, holding me down while he raised the flaming sword above me.
Before he could land a killing blow, dozens of small green balls of light surrounded him. They moved in unison, knocking Rain off his feet. The sword vanished as he toppled.
I blinked. Who the hell had done that? Jae? I’d never seen him use magic like that before.
The little balls of power were pressing against Rain’s attempts to rise. I scrambled up, glancing around the room. My jaw dropped.
Olene? And Noble!
The Resistance leader had joined Akio against Victor, and several other Resistance members fanned out behind them to fight the guards. But I couldn’t take my eyes off Olene. She strode forward, her hands whipping through the air in front of her, and as they did, the balls of light surrounding Rain moved at her command, beating against his body and keeping him off balance.
He crossed his arms over his chest, and a web of lightning surrounded his body. There was a pulse of electricity and the balls of power exploded outward. Olene fell back a step, but in a heartbeat she was on Rain again.
“Help your friends. I’ll hold him off!” Using the small green orbs as a battering ram, she drove Rain backward.
She didn’t have to tell me twice. I wasn’t sure what she was doing here, or why she had arrived with Noble. But with the extra firepower on our side, we actually had a chance.
I spun around, rushing back into the fray.
Corin’s shirt was singed, and Fen’s fur seemed to stand on end as they fought against Nicholas. The Gifted man threw bolt after bolt of lightning their way, keeping them on the defensive.
“Hey!” My voice cut across the noise of battle, and Nicholas’s head jerked my way.
Corin looked too, and as I ran, I flashed him our gesture for distraction and pointed to myself. His brow furrowed, and then he nodded. I hurled a ball of fire at Nicholas, forcing him to turn to deal with me. He blocked it with a bolt of white light, and I switched up my attack, throwing an ice spear at him.
His lightning exploded the ice with a crackling sound, and he cackled wildly. He was too busy laughing to notice Corin running up behind him. Corin leapt onto his back, sliding an arm around his throat and reaching around to shove a small vial into his mouth. Then he shoved his chin up, clamping his jaw shut.
The greasy-haired man choked and sputtered as I raced toward him, raising his hands to electrocute Corin. Before he could make contact, I launched myself into the air, using all of my forward momentum to land a punch on Nicholas’s face.
I felt his jaw break, along with the glass vial inside his mouth. His half-lidded eyes opened wide as iridescent black liquid dribbled down his chin. Nicholas’s mouth opened in an approximation of a scream, but nothing came out except black bubbles and a gurgling sound.
He fell to his knees, hands scrabbling at his throat, lightning spurting in small, weak bursts from his fingertips. Then he toppled over.
Corin’s eyes flashed with triumph and disgust as he gazed down at Nicholas. But they softened when they turned to me. “Thanks for having my back.”
I grinned fiercely. “Always.”
We didn’t have time to relish our victory though. A howl caught my attention, and I whirled around. Fenris, still in wolf form, was facing down several guards. More were appearing through the same door we’d entered from. Rain must’ve called for extra reinforcements.
Corin and I raced toward Fen.
“How many more potions do you have?” I called.
“Five!”
“Then we’d better make ’em count!”
We surged into the thick of the fight. I threw balls of fire, followed in quick succession by my daggers. The change from magic to nonmagical attacks put the guards off balance, and I managed to take two out quickly.
A particularly vicious elementalist drove me backward, using his fire to separate me from the others. I fought back with water, finally managing to bowl him over with a strong blast. His head struck the ground and his eyes rolled back. I leapt forward to deliver a finishing blow when movement in my periphery caught my attention.
It was Ivy.
The ghost raced toward me, heedless of the battle going on around—and sometimes through—her.
“Lana! Lana, come quick! I have to show you something.”
“Kinda busy right now, Ivy,” I panted, gesturing at the chaos around me.
A body lay a few feet from me. A woman. Blonde hair partially covered a face with delicate features.
My heart rising in my throat, I dashed over, smoothing the hair back to reveal Olene’s pale complexion. I felt for a pulse and found a weak but steady thrum. But if she had been fighting Rain….
I scanned the room, searching for the lanky mage’s brown and silver hair.
He was nowhere to be found.
“Shit. Where the hell is Rain?” I whispered.
Ivy crouched down beside me, her flapper dress and blonde bob looking out of place in this dingy cave. “That’s what I have to show you. I found the magic pulling machine. And Rain is turning it on.”
Chapter 24
Fear iced my skin.
“What?”
“He’s trying to do the pull now. It’s up there.” She pointed to the door at the top of one of the staircases along the wall. A glowing blue light emanated from the corridor beyond it.
“Show me,” I urged, scrambling to my feet. The fight still raged around me, but the noise of it seemed to dim as my focus narrowed. It was too soon for him to do the magic pull, wasn’t it? I thought the spell needed longer to recharge.
Ivy nodded fervently then rose and ran toward the staircase. I was a bit slower than her, since I actually had to dodge moving bodies and projectiles instead of passing right through them. She trotted quickly up the stairs, although her feet never actually touched the steps. I took them two at a time after her, my lungs burning and my body aching with exhaustion.
I’d never used this much magic all at once before, and I hadn’t realized what a physical toll it would take. I felt like I’d just run up a mountain while being pelted with rocks.
Actually, that was a fairly accurate description of my night so far.
At the top of the stairs, Ivy turned into a long corridor. It was illuminated by glowing blue lights, and it wound around in a tight spiral, moving upward at a steep angle. As I ran, I reached for the communication charm on my earring. I needed to tell Noble and the others where I was—where Rain was.
But my hand closed around bare earlobe. I cursed. The fucking earring must’ve fallen off when Rain pinned me to the wall with wind. My footsteps slowed as I fought an internal war with myself. I wanted to go back, to tell someone what was happening, but I wasn’t sure I could spare the precious seconds.
Mind made up, I put on a burst of speed, sprinting after Ivy.
I had to stop Rain.
Careful not to trip, I brought my focus inward, mentally erasing the image of myself. It was entirely possible Rain had a charm like most of the guards at the People’s Palace wore that would allow him to see through an invisibility spell. But it was worth trying, at least.
“Ivy!” I hissed, my breath coming in sharp gasps. “Can you make yourself less visible?”
She turned back to me, her eyes finding mine immediately. Apparently, ghosts weren’t fooled by invisibility spells.
“Oh, yes!” A few seconds later, she faded from view almost entirely. I could see an outline of her form if I look
ed closely, but it was nearly indistinguishable. “How’s this?”
“Good,” I muttered. “Just stick close to me so I don’t lose you, okay?”
“I will.” A shiver of cold raced up my arm as she brushed against me.
Finally, the corridor leveled out, and a door appeared at the end of it. It stood slightly ajar, just wide enough that if I exhaled all the air from my lungs, I could slip through without touching it.
Ivy passed right through the wood, and a moment later, her face flickered into view through the crack. “He’s distracted. Quick! Follow me.”
Her voice was so low I had to strain to hear it. Making my body as thin as possible, I slid through the opening in the door. Another cold brush of her hand pulled my attention, and she led me toward a stout pillar at the side of the room. I ducked behind it, peering out slowly into the large space.
Rain moved quickly around the room, flipping switches and sending small jolts of electricity into parts of his machine. Jonas stood to one side, watching anxiously.
The room was big, though nowhere near as cavernous as the space below us where the battle still raged. It had a high, domed ceiling with a small hole in the center. The night sky and stars were visible outside. We must be near the mountain’s peak.
I didn’t linger on that thought, because my attention was immediately taken up by the contents of the room. Set along one wall, the metal platform with the prongs sticking out of it held the magic from Rain’s first pull. The dense ball of power glowed, pulsing with energy.
A large device dominated the center of the room. Rain’s magic pulling machine was simple and almost beautiful, comprised of a shining metal platform topped by curved pieces of metal. The pieces created an orb, which was suspended by a thick arm that arced up from the base. A small ball of light glowed inside the orb.
Several feet away from the contraption, a figure sat slumped and still in a chair.
Eben Knowles.
His dark skin was ashen, and though his eyes were open, he didn’t seem to be truly seeing anything. A thin ribbon of drool slid from the corner of his mouth.
Pity and revulsion roiled my stomach at the sight of him. If this was what Rain’s new machine did to its victims, death might be a better option.
I almost jumped when Rain himself stepped forward and hauled Eben from the chair. He tossed the once-Gifted man aside, and Eben gave no resistance. When he hit the floor, he crawled dazedly away. Rain kicked away the chair Eben had been sitting in. His movements were forceful and jerky, and I couldn’t tell if it was from adrenaline or fear or the massive amounts of power surging through his body.
Rain crossed over to a large stand and picked up a crystal almost twelve inches in diameter, lifting the heavy jewel reverently.
When Rain turned back, Jonas stepped forward, his brows pinched. “Are you sure this is wise?”
“Of course I am.” Rain sneered at the other man, stepping around him and depositing the crystal in the same spot where the chair had been. It hovered several feet off the ground, glittering in the light. “I’ve worked toward this moment for years. I won’t let another Lockwood stop me. This time it will work. It’s already working.”
“But you said yourself the spell needs time to recharge! You just did the pull on Eben. You need to give it more time.”
“I don’t have more time!” Rain rounded on him, nostrils flaring. “That bitch took all my time! I have no choice. And it will work. It just might not be as stable as I’d hoped.”
“Meaning what?” Jonas’s voice was hard, and he moved back into Rain’s path. “Will people die again?”
Rain stopped, his body growing stock-still. He tilted his head at Jonas. “They may. Why?”
Jae’s father licked his lips, seeming to be fighting some internal battle. Finally, he squared his shoulders. “Then I can’t let you do this. That was not what we agreed on.”
A ghost of a smile flitted over Rain’s lips. He chuckled, his raspy voice making it sound almost like a wheeze. “When will people realize they need to stop saying that to me?”
Jonas shook his head. “I’m sorry. I am on your side, Rain. We can find another way. We—”
“There is no other way!” Rain screamed, spittle flying from his mouth. His hands flew to Jonas’s neck. Jonas jerked back, but he was too late. Electric white light burst from Rain’s thin fingers as he squeezed.
I drew back behind the pillar, not wanting to witness what came next. I wasn’t sorry the world would be rid of Jonas, even if he had tried to do one semi-decent thing in the end. And I was relieved in a way that Jae wouldn’t have to be the one to kill him. But as much as I hated the man, his resemblance to Jae made my heart hurt. I couldn’t watch his death.
A moment later, Ivy’s soft, sad voice came in my ear. “It’s over.”
Heart thundering in my chest, I peeked back out into the room. Rain dropped Jonas’s limp body. Small streaks of blood trailed from the dead man’s eyes. The savagery that had overtaken Rain’s face a moment ago faded, and he brushed his hands off on his suit jacket.
“There really is no other way,” he said softly, seeming almost apologetic.
Gods, this guy is fucking insane.
And he was about to unleash the Great Death all over again, leaving an untold number of Gifted and Touched people dead or brain-dead while he rose to almost godlike power.
Whispering softly to himself, Rain fetched a large vial from a work table near the wall and walked back over to his machine. He uncorked the bottle and poured its contents over the crystal. The liquid was viscous and almost clear, running slowly down over each facet of the crystal, coating the entire thing.
He stepped back, raising his hands toward the large metal pieces of his machine. Lightning flared from his palms, but before he could unleash it, I dashed out from behind the pillar.
Twin flames burst from my hands, flying toward his back.
He spun, expanding the electricity between his hands to create a shield. My fireballs slammed into it and exploded in a burst of light.
Rain’s lips pulled back from his teeth in a horrible impression of a smile. “Decided to come out of hiding, did you, Miss Lockwood? I suppose that makes you braver than your father. He tried to sneak past me, to destroy my life’s work without even having the decency to look me in the eye first.”
“Yeah, because you’re the best judge of decency,” I shot back, letting my invisibility illusion drop. It obviously hadn’t stopped him from seeing me, and although it didn’t take much energy to maintain, I needed to save every bit of power I had left.
Rain must’ve read my thoughts, because the bags under his eyes crinkled as he smirked. “Tired?”
“No.” I glared at him, trying to form some plan of attack. I wouldn’t stand a chance against him toe-to-toe, so I needed to find some way to surprise him, to put him off balance.
“Liar.” He raised his hands, looking almost euphoric as a web of lightning surrounded his body, encasing him in a protective shell. The flaming sword appeared in his hands again, making him look like some kind of vengeful angel. “You should try power, Miss Lockwood. There’s really nothing quite like it.”
His glowing, electrified form advanced toward me.
Chapter 25
It took everything I had not to turn tail and run.
I’d never been afraid of a fight—but I’d never fought a glowing white monster with a blade made of fire before.
Pivoting, I threw a burst of flame toward the goo-covered crystal in the middle of the room. But Rain swung his sword in a wide arc, and my fire veered off course, careening toward his weapon. The sword absorbed the flickering orange light, pulsing as it seemed to glow even brighter.
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
With a growl of frustration, I reached out with my magic, trying to move the crystal through levitation. It wouldn’t budge. Rain advanced toward me, sword raised. I shot a spear of ice toward him, but he cleaved through it, the heat of the blade redu
cing the weapon to mist.
He lunged toward me, stabbing for my abdomen, and I jumped back. I avoided the strike by several inches, but sweat broke out on my brow at the blazing inferno of heat the weapon radiated.
Breath heaving, I forced a blast of air toward Rain, driving him backward. He let the lightning shield drop before he slammed into the base of his machine, the sword disappearing from his hands.
Ha! He didn’t want to risk damaging his precious contraption.
Taking advantage of that weakness, I pressed forward, using the wind to keep him pinned. I threw a dagger at him, and it crossed into the path of the wind as it flew toward him. The gust sped it up but knocked it off course too. The blade clipped his arm, tearing a hole in his suit. Blood welled, staining the dark gray fabric a reddish-black.
The wind weakened as my strength ebbed, and Rain ducked to the side. I drew my other blade, heart thrumming so fast I couldn’t distinguish the individual beats. Rain summoned his sword again, swinging wildly as he stepped forward. I raised my blade to block his, but as soon as they connected, the metal of my dagger began to melt. Globs of hot steel fell on my forearm, and I screamed in pain, dropping the handle.
His blade continued its arc, and I twisted, falling to the floor.
I had no more means to block his sword. My feet scrabbled against the smooth stone floor as I pushed myself away from him on my back. I felt for my thigh sheaths, desperate for any kind of weapon. One, at least, wouldn’t be coming back at all. Where was the other?
Desperate, I shot a ball of fire at him, but the flame was weak. His sword gobbled it up immediately, pulsing with power.
Godsdamn it. Everything I did seemed to make him stronger.
In another two steps, he stood above me, his face a mask of triumph. For the second time today, he raised his sword for the killing strike.
