“What did I tell you?” Patrick suddenly whispered in Avery’s ear. “Let him go or you’ll get hurt. Or do you need me to do it for you.”
“Shove off!” Avery swatted at him, wanting to reach out and hold Mason. Patrick’s arm still stood in the way. As if Mason realized this at the same time, he spoke suddenly.
“Let Avery go.”
Patrick defiantly squeezed her waist instead.
“Don’t be a sourpuss. She likes it.” He gave a snorting chuckle and pressed his lips into her hair.
Avery had half a mind to give him a nice magically charged shock but Mason reacted first. He strode up until the berth between them was tiny.
“She doesn’t. Let her go.” He raised his voice threateningly. Some purple bruises remained on his face from their earlier battle but everything in Mason’s crouched stance told that he was ready to fight again.
Patrick shut him down with one sentence.
“That’s not what I thought when we were making out earlier.”
Avery froze. Unsure she’d heard right, she replayed the words in her head. Patrick would go there. Patrick was trying to break them up. Mason’s green eyes hit her. She couldn’t think and the lack of reaction only made things worse. Silence was the only confirmation that Mason needed. Struck down twice in the same ten minutes, his face twisted and his eyes dropped. She’s hurt him, that much was absolutely clear, but she wasn’t sure what he’d do next.
“Let her go.” He said consistently. “Let her go or I’ll make you.”
“Mason, it’s not like that.” Avery finally bumbled. This time, she used the magic stirring in her blood to break Patrick’s grip. The harpie gave a shriek of protest when the electrical jolt hit him and he fell backwards. Free, Avery went for Mason.
She reached for his hands but he ripped backwards, away from her touch.
“Patrick of all people?” He spit out in disgust. The scandal on his face weighed just as heavily as the hurt.
“You don’t understand.” She insisted. “You weren’t there. And it’s not like you’re completely innocent.”
Maybe not the best approach but Avery didn’t deal well with the tightness of guilt. She didn’t manage to see Mason’s reaction.
The unmistakable shattering of glass rang out loudly behind them. Avery whirled, eyes first going to Patrick and Leela. The two stood in the same spot in the center of the hallway. The origin of the noise caught herattention next. Only ten feet away, against the wall next to Mason and Avery, a window had broken. Rain poured in and water already greedily soaked the carpet. The cold wisped in and with it came the howling wind.
Avery didn’t move, confused. But Mason did. He gave her a powerful shove in the center of her chest. Surprised and jolted, Avery went full force onto her backside. She slid across the carpet. Mason had backpedaled and that’s when she saw why.
Letting out a gurgled scream she pointed toward the window.
“The Band-- run!”
Twenty-One
The wind ripped through the window and rain rushed inside. Lightning flashed, flooding the room with half a second of brilliant blinding light. Avery hadn’t mistaken the shadow of harpies outside of the window. It had happened in slow motion. She’d screamed out to her companions and struggled to stand.
Then something small and glass came skidding through the window. It bounced off the carpet with a sharp pop. There was a lag. Caught in the moment, Avery looked on. It was an amulet, certainly, but she wasn’t prepared for what happened next.
It blew up. The ear splitting blare pierced the room. Green smoke exploded into the air. The room disappeared. Everything was smoky now. Only hints of shadows could be seen rushing into the room in sporadic, nearly invisible motions. Eyes burning, Avery couldn’t keep up with them.
Disoriented and panicked, Avery attempted to stumble to her feet. But her limbs wouldn’t obey correctly. Hands clasped over her ears, her balance refused to work. Staggering, her body hit the wall. Water splashed up under her feet and she kept slipping. The shrill noise from the amulet stopped. But Avery could hear nothing. The amulet was a concussion bomb. And it had worked.
Her heart pounded in her chest sending the waves of adrenaline through her veins. Everything in her body worked at once, telling her one thing: move. Using the new found energy, she did. She caught her balance on a wall. That’s when her hand nudged something warm and soft nearby. Using her hands as seeing eyes, she grabbed for it. That thing was a person and that person grabbed for her in return.
“Leela!” She shouted with recognition but couldn’t hear her own words. Everything sounded stuffy and unreal. She struggled to hold on. The girl’s face, mere inches away, was masked in the fog. The smoke was unbelievably thick and just as suffocating.
Still, Avery dug her fingers in and gave the girl a tug. Leela followed willingly. Avery originally intended to go for the hall, but now she wasn’t entirely sure where the hall was. Her internal compass kept spinning off kilter.
The seconds blew by. Avery knew she shouldn’t hesitate-- those shadows had to be the Band. They had to move. But without any sense of the world, it was difficult. Leela actually reacted first. The girl must have reached out and touched the wall because she gave Avery a tug. Following in suit-- with the simple but brilliant idea-- Avery pushed them forward along the wall.
Knowing the place well, she knew it’d lead them to the hall. Just a short distance from where the wall turned and there’d be the doors to the library, likely where everyone would meet. The short distance took an agonizingly long time. They had to do baby steps and swayed always one inch away from falling. Leela’s hand dug into Avery’s and they kept each other balanced. They crossed the hall.
The ground trembled with a sharp crash. Avery couldn’t tell who or what was going on. Her eyes kept moving, but still at a visual disadvantage, she forced on blindly. Avery’s hands out, she found the knob and opened the door. The green gas was sparse inside and the library offered a wonderful breath of fresh air. Stumbling inside, Avery sealed the door shut behind them.
A head popped up from the other side of the library. Avery saw Samuel, hovering behind some shelves. The old harpie weaved out into the open upon sight of them. But other than that, the library was empty. No Mason in sight. Avery bit her lip until the pain helped her focus on the moment at hand.
The ringing in Avery’s ears finally ceased. She could hear muffled sounds again. It was sufficient to understand words and Avery found herself unbelievably grateful for it.
“What’s going on?” Samuel demanded.
“They’re here.” Avery didn’t specify but didn’t have to. “Have you seen Mason or anyone else?”
The old harpie shook his head in a quick jerky motion.
“I don’t know. I don’t. But they did this. They separated us-- they have us on the run!” The old harpie was half way squawking. His eyes were darting towards the doors, the ceilings, and the shadows in the corners. He held the wooden spear in shaking palms.
“Calm down. We’re okay.” Avery offered but she couldn’t be calm herself. Body running on high alert, her breath came fast and blood hurried through her veins. She couldn’t have calmed down if she wanted to, but determined to keep a level head, she repeated it. “Calm down. We wait for them. They’ll show up.”
“The Band might show up first.” Samuel countered immediately.
Avery pressed her hands into her hair. They’d had a plan to stand them off in the library but Mason, Adalyn, and Patrick weren’t even here. They couldn’t hold the place alone. Avery scrambled to think of another plan.
“True. But if the blare hit them too, then they’ll be just as confused as us. We can use it to escape!” She decided.
She looked toward Samuel and the old harpie gave a firm, agreeing nod. Reassured, Avery waved them forward and went for the door. It opened just before she got there. A harpie came in and their group slid to a stop. More human than bird, the creature was buff and heavy with wing
s left folded behind his back. Eyes sharp and narrowed, he spotted them instantly.
Thundering forward, he charged immediately.
The group backpedaled but he was on them. He struck Leela first. In one swift motion, the small girl went flying backwards and collided with a book shelf. The impact caused books and wood to rain down. Leela disappeared from sight.
Avery ran at him-- a stupid move but she needed to be close for the magic to work. Still taller than her, his long arms intercepted her first. She never had the chance to get a grip on him. Before the magic even sparked in her chest, he dropped her. She fell onto the floor. The monster raised his foot, ready to slam down. Avery rolled. The strike barely missed-- slamming onto the carpet with what could have been a fatal hit.
Avery rushed to stand but quickness wasn’t in her favor. Just as she crouched, the harpie grabbed her again. This time, he hefted her like he had Leela and threw her into the collection of chairs. Avery didn’t take the spill gracefully. Unprepared to catch her landing, she smashed into the wood furniture with an agonizing blow. Her world blurred.
She struggled to right herself but her head had taken another hit. The surrounding library kept bouncing around in her vision. Nothing seeming upright and she couldn’t stand. That’s when the harpie grabbed for her ankle. Catching it, he gave her another heft. Dragged off the wreckage, Avery flopped in the air. She needed to get a hold of him. Just a touch of her hands and she could zap him into oblivion. But that was exactly what this harpie seemed to be avoiding. Everything he did was minimal touching. And now, strung up by her ankle, she still couldn’t reach him.
The harpie freed a blade from his belt. Long and deadly, it glinted in the light. Avery saw it even through the distortion in her vision, and with it, her heart skipped a beat. All that training. All that magic. And she’d die from a single harpie nobody.
Avery screamed when he swung. But the impact she’d expected never came. In the same second, the harpie staggered backward. His grip loosened and Avery hit the floor. She straightened up, quickly realizing the attack had been interrupted. Samuel had jumped on the attacking harpie. From behind, he jabbed the harpie with a spear. The harpie had gone staggering. Samuel had saved her-- he was fighting the harpie off.
But then it became clear that age and strength weren’t on his side. The attacking harpie broke free. He turned on Samuel and it happened in a flash. Blade free, he stabbed. The knife made contact with a sickening crunch. It kept moving so rapidly, it landed three more blows to Samuel’s chest before Avery could even react.
Rushing, Avery jumped on the attacking harpie. Snagging both wings, she tore back and released the full spark of magic from her body. The electrical current surged downward and made contact with the attacking harpie’s body. He roared. The knife fell from his hands and he staggered backwards. Beefy arms swung around, trying to free himself but his own wings were in the way.
Avery stayed back, pinned behind his wings and shoulder blades while laying the energy on him like a tidal wave. Finally it was too much for him. The harpie let out an ear-piercing screech and crumbled to the floor. Avery fell back behind him. Heart threatening to beat out of her chest, she corrected herself.
A clatter from the back of the room drew her attention. Swinging into a crouch, she readied herself for another attack. It was only Leela, clearing the junk off of herself and struggling to stand. A few purple bruises now decorated her face but she moved without any clear pain. Sputtering and coughing, she freed herself and stood.
“Did he just try to kill us?” Her wide brown eyes were glued on the harpie’s still form.
“He never stopped trying to kill us! None of them will.”
Leela’s face changed. Pale, shaking, and holding herself, it was clear that Leela finally believed her. Avery opened her mouth but a sick gasp caught her attention. Remembering Samuel, she whirled.
The old harpie had collapsed not far from the place of attack. For the first time the extent of his injuries was clear. Four separate deep stab wounds marred his chest and torso with splotches of dark red. His white shirt had been soaked with blood. He rasped. The half cough sounded wet. Shaking hands held out, he reached for Avery.
She didn’t react at first, frozen and glued to the floor. His hands curled and cradled. Crimson spurts of blood trickled over his chapped lips and his hand kept reaching.
“Avery!” Leela’s voice suddenly snapped Avery out of the daze.
Reanimating, she rushed to the harpie’s side. His crooked wings twitched behind him, his mangled legs splayed before him, and his arm kept still over the wounds. Hazel eyes darting, she didn’t know where to start.
Finally moving, Avery yanked her sweater free. The itchy material wasn’t big but she wrapped it into a ball to apply pressure to the wounds. But the damage was too much. She couldn’t fix this. Coldness washed through her veins. Avery couldn’t fix this and Samuel was going to die. Samuel’s fingers snagged the cuff of her shirt and attempted to bring her closer. Avery leaned in, heart thundering and feeling sick.
“Please.” He coughed painfully. “Please. It’s up to you now. Mason is the only one left to take the throne. Get him to the island. Get him home.”
She grabbed his hand and held it.
“I will. I’ll find a way.”
“He’s our only hope now. I charge you to keep him alive. And tell my daughter-“ He coughed again and then Samuel’s body suddenly quaked. Trembling and writhing, he fell back. Wings giving out under him, his body hit the ground limply. The wounds kept bleeding and the crimson soaked the carpet. Samuel didn’t move again. His pupils were fixed and dilated.
Samuel was dead.
“Avery, come on.” Leela had snuck up behind her at some point. “Avery, its time to go.”
The words went ignored. All Avery could hear was a loud buzzing in her skull. Avery still held the bloody sweater, hovering at the side of an immobile corpse. She couldn’t react. She didn’t know how. Avery had never really seen someone die before. And not like this. Not to save her life. He didn’t even finish talking. What was she supposed to tell Adalyn? Adalyn would never get to know what her father wanted now. Horror sinking in, Avery shook and couldn’t stop. Tears jerked at her eyes but she didn’t cry. She was too panicked to cry, too panicked to think.
“Avery, he’s gone.” Leela said again but this time the girl’s voice ripped Avery from the stupor.
With it, Avery whirled on her, a flash of white rage hitting just behind her eyelids. Samuel had died because of Mikhail. Samuel had died because of the harpie Leela was just so in love with. That rage tripled in seconds. But when Avery caught Leela’s eyes, all that rage had faded away. Leela, small and shaking, blinked tears from her wet, wide eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Avery.” She repeated, “But we have to go or they’ll come for us next.”
The anger had dissipated leaving only a hole in her chest. Avery numbly nodded because Samuel was already dead and Leela was absolutely right.
Twenty-Two
Covering Samuel’s body with a jacket didn’t seem like an appropriate funeral but giving the old harpie some type of closure made Avery feel better. Having torn her sweater up, she’d closed his eyes and placed the thin fabric to cover his face. Limp and calm now, he could have been sleeping. But the knot in Avery’s gut didn’t go away.
“We can come back for him.” Avery said more to herself than Leela, but the girl still nodded sympathetically upon hearing it.
“It’s okay. We can come back when it’s over.”
Swiping at her dry eyes, Avery nodded.
“Yea, I guess we should go.” Avery’s voice broke and suddenly eager to move, she hurried to the exit with Leela tailing her. They had to go back into the fog as Avery knew no other way to escape in the windowless room. At least the green gas had dissipated a bit and only still floated in thick, dark clouds around the ceiling. Avery pressed a finger to her lips for Leela to see just before she turned the knob. The lock slid out of
place and the door inched open.
The springs squealed. Avery slowed. Her blood pounded in her ears so loudly she could barely tell her own heartbeat from the noise outside. It was absolutely imperative no one see them. The knot in Avery’s gut reminded her that they couldn’t fight their way out twice.
Door open, they crept out into the hall. The area seemed clear and remained quiet, but remnants of an earlier battle decorated the area. Wallpaper had been forcibly torn off, carpets were spotted with dirt and blood, and talon marks marred the door frames. It had to have happened quickly—immediately after the concussion bomb.
Avery’s lips pressed together. The fight already went down but where did that put Mason?
One hand linked with Leela’s they skulked down the hall weaving through the corridors. The only exit Avery knew about was at the very end but she’d gladly jump through the first window to avoid the well guarded door.
Footsteps suddenly cracked down the hallway. Avery froze and forced Leela still. Hearing them coming up around the corner, Avery gave Leela a shove towards the nearest door. Leela caught the knob and opened it swiftly. The room was dark and enveloped in shadows but they slipped inside. Clearing the wall, they slammed their backs against it before staggering in blind.
“Close the door!” Leela hissed but it was too late. The footsteps were too close.
They stomped down the hall just outside and stopped. Avery stole a glimpse outside. Rafael stood nearby. The harpie wielded a blade but his eyes weren’t set their way. He did a meticulous survey of the area. Heart skipping a beat, Avery slapped a hand over her mouth and muffled her heavy breathing.
He lingered. Just when Avery thought he’d move, Leela suddenly did. The girl sprung up and made for the exit.
“What are you doing? No!” Avery hissed a second too late. Leela was already out there.
Grounded Page 17
