Chapter 74 #3
Nora’s heart raced. She had felt this once before. On a cold beach, when she’d spotted a small pale foot between adults who were trying to save a life that had already been lost. She had felt helpless, confused, and stupid.
But right now, she was none of those things.
Iver was already reaching for Nora, but she was quicker.
On some wild impulse, Nora grabbed Iver’s hand and yanked one of his claw tips from the glove. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly.
Before Iver could respond, she drove the long needle into his leg, through the shot Airik had already made, since it clearly hadn’t been a lethal spot. She tore the fabric mask from around his neck.
“Fuck!” Iver let her go, grabbing his leg—enough time for Nora to get up and out of his reach.
Suppressing the urge to throw up, she took the gun from Torren’s hand, thankful he was still warm. If he had felt cold—like Theo had that day on the beach—she would’ve collapsed, and Airik still needed her.
Both Airik and Xallix were locked together. In a brutal attempt to subdue Airik, Xallix dropped his head, trying to rip out Airik’s throat with his teeth. Airik yelled as he pushed back, his eyes on Nora as she approached from the side.
She wasn’t sure if Xallix sensed what had occurred, but his body flexed as he tried to close the small gap between the kudra’s tip and Airik’s chest.
Airik gasped as he watched her, blue tears streaking down the sides of his face.
Xallix was as trapped as he was. Nora had seen the suit’s strength before when it had almost broken Airik’s bones.
If he let go of Airik, he’d be dead with a knife buried in his neck.
Whatever metal the knife was made of was not repelled by the suit.
His fingers did not function—she could hear the gears whirring, trying to work—so the kudra was stuck in his hand, unable to break it or let go. He could do nothing.
She came close, her arm shaking as she raised the heavy gun, aiming at Xallix’s chest. He still hadn’t noticed her. She could do this. She could save Airik. She clenched the cloth mask in her other hand—why had she picked it up?—and fired.
The charge hit Xallix, but the suit dispersed the plasma. Its light was gone in an instant with no effect.
Fuck.
Xallix’s head whipped toward her, rows of teeth bared. He reared back to bite, but Airik dragged him back. To Nora’s horror, he was bringing the kudra closer to his chest to protect her.
No more time to think. This was why she’d gotten the cloth, she realized. Joe’s lessons on being prepared had finally stuck, and in the back of her mind, she must’ve known the gun wouldn’t work. She tossed it aside, then let the cloth unfurl from her fist.
From the moment Nora had opened her eyes in this new world, Airik had been her light. She wanted a universe where he existed. There was no existence she wanted at all if he was not in it.
Using the cloth, Nora reached between both men and plucked the spike from Xallix’s hand. She held it up, shocked at her own bravery. It was searingly hot, keeping her stunned and still. “I did it—”
Xallix let out a loud screech. In a move only a man already condemned to death would do, he swung toward Nora, releasing Airik’s armed hand.
With no chance to process, her ears popped as a hard blow crushed her raised hands against her face. She heard something shatter like icicles breaking off a roof’s edge and falling to the ground.
Don’t breathe.
She held her breath, but that didn’t stop it. With a burning tingle, she felt it as the fine powder seeped into her nose and mouth. It tasted like chocolate.
Don’t breathe, and you’ll be fine.
Her hands shook, no longer the color of her skin but covered in glowing yellow powder.
Don’t breathe. Don’t breathe. Don’t breathe.
Oh god, was she drowning?
Airik’s voice—a pained sound she wished she hadn’t heard—rang through the hall, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw birds fly from the field into the sky.
Survival overtook logic, and she gasped for air, but she choked halfway through the first breath. Little magical clouds puffed all around her before sinking to the ground, not really a danger to anyone else.
Airik let out a strangled noise that startled both Nora and Xallix. He dragged his knife across Xallix’s neck. Gurgling, Xallix fell sideways, clutching his throat.
If there was blood—more of it than what covered the floor—Nora didn’t see it.
Her eyes were on Airik.
“Sweet…” she whispered, unable to finish the word, but he’d understand. The grasp of something endless closed on her. But she needed his hands to touch her once more before it took her wholly.
Someone grabbed her by the back of her shirt and threw her to the ground.
Why did everything have to hurt? Why was everyone in this world so harsh? How would she survive it?
You didn’t, little girl. You won’t.
She opened her mouth to complain, but water surged into her mouth, nose, eyes, and ears.
Water all around her, filling her lungs.
There was no point in getting up because her muscles were dying. She could already feel them fraying.
“Keep her down,” she heard Iver say. “I…I don’t think it was too much.”