Chapter 13 #2
Logan seemed to sense that something was wrong and bolted out of the chair, taking my other arm and supporting half my weight while Ethan just watched, as if utterly detached from what was going on around him.
Monique’s gaze was troubled, and I could tell she wanted to ask questions, but part of her held back. As if she knew she couldn’t afford to care—couldn’t extend herself further. Every bit of her heart was with her son, and if she gave away even one more piece of herself, she might fall apart.
“I’ll call you,” I told her, fumbling my words through lips so numb it would be a miracle if she understood me. “As soon as I know anything.”
And then I was stumbling down the stairs.
Out the door, to the curb. Being helped into the back seat of the car as I battled the chaos churning in my own head.
I still had no idea what was happening, but if anything, it was getting worse, threatening to pull me in, pull me under, and swallow up what little was left of my ability to think clearly.
But I couldn’t give in. I needed to remain alert and fully myself.
“Raine?” The voice sounded young and scared. I felt a hand on my arm. Turned my head. Somehow managed to focus on the face that swam in front of me.
“Logan.”
“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”
“Am,” I managed. “Don’t worry. This… it isn’t…”
I didn’t know how much was safe to tell him. The fewer people who knew about Callum the better, but Logan would find out sooner or later. And he needed to know I wasn’t going anywhere.
“It’s Callum,” I explained hoarsely. “He’s hurt. Poison.”
The grip on my arm tightened.
“Is he going to die?”
No. I wouldn’t allow it. But I was still fighting for words, so I shook my head.
“Are you going to die?”
The question was raw, vulnerable, unfiltered—trying to prepare himself for the worst.
So I fought for control and answered without the slightest wavering or doubt.
“Nope.” I even managed the tiniest hint of a smile. “Not today, kiddo.”
He took my hand in a trembling grip. “Promise?” This was no longer the cool, chill, rebellious teen, but a kid who was terrified to lose the sense of safety we’d worked so hard to build from the wreckage of our lives.
I couldn’t let that happen, so I squeezed his fingers and shut my eyes. “Promise.”
We pulled away from the curb, and Kira proceeded to break every speed limit in existence on her way towards The Assemblage.
She weaved through traffic like a racecar driver, somehow managing not to get pulled over or hit anyone.
So when she slammed on the brakes—sliding across the asphalt with a screech of protest from her tires—I assumed it was because we had arrived.
But when I opened my eyes…
She’d just made the left turn onto Sheridan and been forced to stop for pedestrians racing towards us down the middle of the street.
A railroad bridge crossed over Sheridan only a few yards ahead, and at least twenty or thirty people huddled beneath it, phones out, pointing at the sky.
Horns behind us were honking, but there was nowhere to go.
Our road ahead was blocked both by people on foot and—beyond the bridge—several abandoned cars skewed across lanes, their doors open, but with no drivers in sight.
“What in the world…” Kira pulled over to the side as far as she could before parking and looking back at me. “I’ll go check this out. You stay put.”
No. We could hear people screaming now, but it wasn’t much farther to Callum. Only a block. I could walk it.
“We stay together,” I whispered, and Logan swiftly agreed.
“I can help,” he said. “I don’t want you to leave us here.”
“Okay, then,” Kira said grimly. “But you’ll have to stay close. Keep up, and watch your back. Be ready to use your earth magic if you have to.”
He nodded, looking so serious and grown up it made my heart hurt.
Somehow, with Logan’s help, I made it out of the car and struggled to stay upright as the world tried to tilt sideways.
Inside was still a bizarrely chaotic mish-mash of emotions, but I refused to let the onslaught beat me.
I had people to protect. Callum might need me, and I couldn’t leave him like this.
So as I stood there in the midst of chaos, both within and without, I began to build a wall around the power surging wildly at my core. I built it high and firm, envisioning bricks stacking up as I blocked off that part of myself long enough to focus.
Somewhere up ahead, there was a threat to the people I cared about. Everyone around us was running from it, but it currently stood between me and where I needed to go.
Between me and Callum. Between me and The Portal.
So whatever this threat was, I was just going to have to deal with it.
“Uh, Raine?”
Logan still held my arm, but he’d taken a step back and was watching me with something more like uncertainty than concern.
I looked down. My hands were normal. My clothes were fine.
“Your hair,” he said. “And your eyes.”
I reached up to touch my hair and found that it had lifted away from my head. Power crackled between the strands and buzzed against my fingertips. And my eyes? Probably glowing with magic, the same way Idrians’ did when they used their power.
Worrying? Yes, but that was a problem for future me.
“Let’s go see what’s wrong,” I said, and my voice… It sounded deeper, stronger, wilder. As if oceans crashed and roared somewhere within my chest.
I didn’t have time to wonder what it meant. I just stepped forward and pressed through the crowd, brushing past terrified humans huddled together in fear of whatever awaited us.
Kira walked beside me, her own eyes glowing furious amber, and behind us were Logan and Ethan.
I distantly recalled Kes’s warning—that she had no idea what Ethan’s magic would do if we were threatened—but it was too late to send him away.
Too late to do anything but move forward and deal with the consequences as they came.
Moving together, we reached the edge of the huddled crowd, moved out from under the shadow of the railroad bridge, and looked up…
…and saw the threat plummeting out of the sky directly towards us.
Huge. Dark. Unstoppable. Winged and taloned, with its mouth agape, ready to spew fire.
I froze. Unable to believe what I was seeing.
It couldn’t be.
He would never, no matter what happened…
Someone screamed from up ahead, a cry of horror and devastation that pierced my heart and left me reeling.
“Callum, no!”
I threw myself to the side, covering Logan with my own body as a jet of brilliant fire shot from the mouth of the colossal black dragon. It roared over our heads and splashed off the railroad bridge, setting trees and weeds ablaze.
Behind us, Ethan still hadn’t moved, as if he simply didn’t register the danger. He watched the dragon circle, arms hanging loosely by his sides, just as they had that day when he called up the tornado and nearly killed me with its deadly winds.
I had to hope that his magic was still drained enough for him to contain it. If he lost control again here, there was no telling how many would die.
My gaze shifted back to Kira, but she was already gone. She’d acted swiftly in response to the threat, shifting to her dragon and taking to the sky, leaving a pile of shredded clothing behind. Hoping that she could stop her brother before he did anything he would regret.
This must be what I’d felt—that overwhelming storm of emotions had been the poison overriding his mind and will. Driving him to shift and attack.
But how could this have happened with Ryker and Angelica watching over him? They would never have let him leave the building. And if he’d just shifted without warning…
I glanced down the street as the dragon circled overhead, banking sharply to dive back towards Sheridan.
No, The Assemblage was still intact. The top of the building was visible from where I was standing, without even a broken window in evidence. There was no way Callum had gone full dragon while still inside.
Something wasn’t right here.
“Logan.”
He wobbled to his feet and came to stand beside me.
“Can you earth-travel?” The most powerful earth elementals could open up the ground and move through it—like a fish swimming through open water. I knew Logan had been learning, but I wasn’t sure how far he’d progressed.
“I can’t,” he said, looking angry and ashamed. “Not yet.”
“Hey.”
He glanced at me, eyes wide.
“Don’t be down on yourself. It’s okay you haven’t got it down yet. But I bet you can make a barrier if you need to. Use the earth to block the flames. If the dragon comes back, you can use that to protect yourself and Ethan.”
“I can protect myself.” Ethan’s voice was surprisingly clear and a little sharp. “And I can deal with the dragon, too. As long as you aren’t too afraid of what might happen.”
“No!” I was probably a little too loud. “No more tornadoes, okay? We can’t risk it here.” And his other elemental powers weren’t likely to be much help against an airborne dragon.
Not to mention, I needed this dragon to live.
“We have to try to talk to him.”
“Look out!” Logan screamed, just as the dragon swooped overhead, drew up, hovered, and shot a jet of fire at the street.
It impacted with a whoosh and a roar, and I covered my face with my arms as the asphalt buckled beneath the onslaught of heat.
We needed cover, but this bridge was going to turn into a death trap if we couldn’t draw the dragon away.
And in order to do that…
I glanced up just as a shimmering bronze missile dove out of the sky and hit the black dragon broadside, drawing a hiss of pain.
His head whipped around, searching for his assailant, and I screamed Kira’s name…
But she’d already darted away, with an agility the larger dragon could not match.
Robbed of his vengeance, the black dragon turned as he hovered, eyes slitted, looking for a new target.