My fireswords disappeared, and she toppled to the ground. “No,” I mouthed, running to her. Her head hit the floor with a sickening thud. I dived down, and wrapped my arms around her. Warm blood pulsed against my body.
I wasn’t sure how long I lay there, unthinking, my mind clogged with fog. I didn’t even react to running footsteps that passed close by. After a while, her body felt cold, and I stood. I didn’t look down at her face.
My feet had taken several steps away when my mind began to work again; I needed to retrieve the summoning crystal. I remembered where it had fallen, and looked for it.
Then I remembered the footsteps I’d ignored. Someone else had taken it.
Chapter 28
Thursday 20:05
I ran through the door where I’d last seen Doctor Kressan. Florence and Jo stood arguing outside Ally’s cell.
“Did one of you two take the summoning crystal?” I asked.
Florence shook her head.
“Rune, what is wrong?” Jo asked.
“Nothing. It must have been Doctor Kressan who took it. I have to find her.”
Florence grabbed my arm as I passed her. “Rune, wait, what is it?”
“Nothing.”
Florence reached up and squeezed my shoulder. “Your T-shirt is soaked in blood and tears are streaming down your face.”
“They are?” I wiped my cheeks. “I have to go after Doctor Kressan.”
Florence didn’t let go of my shoulder. “She ran past me quite a while ago. There’s a good chance the doctor is long gone. Tell me what happened.”
I covered my face with my hands. “She’s dead.” My voice was a whisper.
“How?” Florence asked.
“I killed her.” I threw her arm off me. “I’m a murderer.”
I dodged past Florence, but Jo stopped me. “You can’t beat yourself up over what happened.” She gave me a quick hug. “You are a good person. I’m sure you did what you had to.”
“We are thinking of releasing Dennis and Ally,” Florence said.
“You can’t do that,” I said.
“It’s wrong to keep them locked up,” Florence said. “They haven’t done anything wrong.”
“They are dangerous,” I said. “Think about what Katie did to Alex.” Director Wells had chosen three damaged children. Hadn’t he said that Dennis displayed psychotic tendencies?
Jo gripped my forearm. “Some say that the John Collier Prison will be for all shades. They are all dangerous right?”
I shook my head. “It’s not going to be like that.”
“I hope not,” Jo said. “But this is the same. We can’t justify locking up Ally and Dennis because they might be dangerous.”
“You are right. Let them go.” I moved past Jo. “I have to find Doctor Kressan.” I hurried down the corridors, quickly arriving at the main entrance. The doors were wide open. Would there be anyone left in Gorlam’s once Ally and Dennis were freed, I wondered. Maybe it was for the best if the place closed down. I dashed down into the parking lot, seeking any sign of movement. Only three cars remained in the whole lot. Florence had been right—Doctor Kressan was long gone.
I figured I should head back inside. The police had to be called, and we’d have to deal with the aftermath, explain all the dead bodies. I remembered the feeling of Sash’s warm blood engulfing me. A sob choked itself out of my throat, and I ran along the grass toward the trees where I’d hidden my scooter.
I had to get away.
Chapter 29
Thursday 21:00
I paused at the entrance of Ten-two, and leaned my forehead against the door. I still couldn’t process what I done.
You had no choice, Jerome thought.
Shut up. It’s your fault. You made me do it, I thought back.
That was unfair, but I didn’t care. I pushed open the door, with every intention of running straight up to my room, diving on my bed, and crying into my bedclothes all night long, perhaps longer. Maybe forever. Instead, the murmur of voices drew me into living room.
“Dude,” Pete said.
“Dude.” Tyler stood up.
“I've never received two dudes before, what does it mean?” I asked.
“You’re Buffy,” Tyler said.
“No. I’m not.”
“Jo told us all about you just after you ran out,” Tyler said.
“She also told us about Alex,” Pete said “Did you rescue him?”
“Of course he rescued him,” Tyler said. “Buffy never fails. Everyone knows that.”
“I’m not Buffy. Stop saying that. As for Alex...” I remembered his naked body huddled up in a corner. “He was kind of saved.”
“If Rune’s Buffy, then who are we?” Tyler asked.
“Dude, obviously you’re Willow and I’m Xander,” Pete said.
“How come I always end up being the girl in these scenarios?” Tyler asked.
“Dude, I’d love to be Willow. A cute redhead like that. You’re lucky. I’m just too masculine. It has to be this way,” Pete said.
“You two are idiots.” I couldn’t fashion a grin for their antics; the darkness inside was too much. I let my head fall forward. I didn’t know how to deal with what I had done.
“She never had it easy, you know.”
I looked up to see Pete studying me closely. “Huh.”
“Buffy,” Pete said. “She died twice, and that wasn’t even the worse of it.”
“I don’t know what I could have done differently,” I said.
“Sometimes it’s lonely,” Pete said. “If you truly are like the Buffy character, despite everyone else around, in the end you stand alone.”
“What am I supposed to do when things go wrong?” I asked.
“You just have to get on with it,” Pete said. “What else is there?”
I leaned my head back against the headrest of the sofa, letting the rest of Pete’s words filter over my head. Given what I was, and what was happening in the world, nothing was going to come easy for me.
I had to become stronger.
Harder.
Further Information
Keep an eye out for Fire Soldiers, Book 3 in the series, which will be released in early 2017.
If you’d like to read the full story of how Rune met Jo and Alex and first discovered his magic, you’ll have to read the prequel Fire Starter.
My name is Rune and I didn't start the fire.
However, I've been accused by the orphaned children of the couple who died in the inferno, and I have to clear my name.
My memory of that night is fuzzy. I don’t believe in magic or the supernatural, but what happened defies normal explanation. Whatever I discover, nothing will be the same again.
It’s only available by signing up to my mailing list. See below:
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Get Fire Starter, plus prequels to two other series: http://davidjnormoyle.com/sent-readers-list/
Author’s Note
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this story. Consider leaving a review on your favorite book site. I always love to hear from readers so send an email ([email protected]) or message me on FACEBOOK if you want to get in contact.
To discover more about me and my books, check out my WEBSITE
COPYRIGHT
FIRE SUMMONING
Copyright © 2016 by David J. Normoyle
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover Art © 2016 by Rebecca Frank http://bookcovers.rebeccafrank.design/
First eBook edition: November 2016
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www.davidjnormoyle.com
Fire Summoning (The Sentinels Book 2) Page 18
