Chapter 36
Holy.
Holy.
Holy.
Shit.
That was crazy.
Behind us is a fiery inferno, and cuddled up to me are six little kids.
When I look through the canvas Jeep walls, I see Donovan galloping beside us. Cosmo circles in the sky, breathing fire, his scales reflecting the orange glow.
How is any of this real?
No time to wonder that now. We’ve got to get out of here.
Will anyone survive that blaze?
Do I care?
No. I don’t. They can all burn in hell.
The Jeep swerves off the main track and into the trees. A little boy crawls even closer to my body and I wrap an arm around him. I wish I’d a dozen arms to hold all these babies close. But I can hold them close in a different way.
I close my eyes and focus on Lumina traveling out and filling the children with warmth and comfort. They won’t easily come out of their traumatized state, but this will at least help.
The vehicle bounces violently over the terrain but the lilac sparkles sooth the bumps.
—Rest, little ones, we’ve got you—
—What now?— Cosmo asks.
Alexis has it planned out, of course. —Donovan, go to the cabin. Can you grab Willow and the child, take them on your back?—
—Of course!—
—Then transport them to where we left the vehicles. Take the Range Rover and start heading north. Cosmo…land by the vehicles, grab the van and head this way. We’ll load the kids inside—
—And you?— I ask.
—I’ll stay behind with the third vehicle, take out anyone who escapes the compound—
—Alone? No, Alexis…—
—I’ll stay behind too— Cosmo’s voice. —I can incinerate any reinforcements they might have been able to call—
I guess that’s the plan then. I hate the idea of Alexis not coming with us, but I have to put the needs and safety of the kids first.
We all do.
—Watch my professor’s back, Cosmo…I’m going to hold you responsible if anything happens to him—
Donovan is already out of sight as Cosmo pitches at an angle then disappears behind the treeline.
After a few minutes, I hear a second vehicle over the roar of the engine.
—Guys?—
—It’s just Drakeward—
Then I see the white panel van emerging from a muddy track. Cosmo wrestles with the wheel over the deep ruts. We stop and then Cosmo leaps out and immediately shifts to dragon again. —I’m on aerial surveillance—
Ludo unlatches the Jeep tailgate, and picks up a child, Alexis follows suit. “Come on, kids, time to change vehicles. This one will be less drafty.”
I’m stiff as I get off the cold metal floor, the tiny girl clinging like a limpet to my hip.
Max is already in the box-truck, laying out the thick wool blankets and sleeping bags we’d bought with us. “Look how cozy this is,” I say to the battered group. Then another practical thought pops into my mind. “Who needs to pee before we set off?”
Only one hand raises, and the biggest boy in the group shyly shuffles forward. Max takes him by the hand. “I need to go too, let's find a bush.”
“Are you sure none of you need to go?” I ask.
I think they’re too far gone to answer, and truthfully, most of them have already peed their pants. “No problem. And in a few hours we’ll have you somewhere safe, where you can feel properly warm and dry.”
Max is quickly back with his charge. “I can drive, if you and Lu want to stay in the back with the kids.”
“Sounds good.” I pull Max into a hug, the warmth of his body so solid and reassuring.
He kisses the top of my head then releases me. “Time for us to hit the road, Sparkles.”
Max lowers the rolling door plunging me, Ludo and the children into the dim, muffled interior. Quickly, I add light globes to float above the kids. I make them a rainbow assortment of colors.
“Go!” Alexis yells, and I hear his hand slap against the metal siding. Once again, I feel the jerk and bounce of a vehicle struggling with the landscape beneath it.
“Hey, guys. I’m so proud of you all,” I see into the quiet. “And we haven’t had time for introductions yet, but my name is Theo, and this is my friend Ludo. We’re taking you to a safe place away from the scary people.”
None of the kids speak. They don't even cry. They just watch us with those hollow, haunted eyes that make my heart feel like it’s being run through a paper shredder.
—Wills, we’re moving…are you, Dono and the girl on the road?—
—Yes. We’ll meet you at the rendezvous point…stay safe—
—You too—
In the distance I hear an explosion.
—Be safe, everyone—
???
The hum of the van’s engine lulls the children to sleep, as we put miles between us and Windward Forest. Though every time we hit a pothole, the kids flinch in unison, even in their slumber.
It’s heartbreaking.
Ludo has his back resting against the side wall, a little girl asleep in his lap.
I don’t stop the Lumina flow. I let it bleed out of me in soft, rhythmic pulses. Slowly, the tallest boy crawls toward me. He doesn't say anything, just leans his body against mine. “You’re going to be alright,” I tell him.
The boy looks at me, then nods.
Something in me recognizes this boy as a leader. He reminds me of Alexis. “Can you help me with the other kids?” I ask. “They’ll trust you.”
He clears his throat a couple of times. “Yes. They’re scared.”
“I know, honey.” I pull him closer. “What’s your name?”
“M-Mika.”
“Welcome to the team, Mika. You’re very brave.”
He looks down, shamefaced. “No,” he whispers.
“Yes. Totally. You’re stepping up, and I know I can rely on you. Thank you for that.”
His back straightens, and his gaze moves around the van of broken children. Shuffling forward, he tucks a blanket around one of the little children. “I can do this.”
Tears prick in my eyes.
What a strong kid.
—How long to go, Max?—
—Ten minutes—
Finding the right place to meet had been a challenge. But finally Alexis had decided on a small gas station on a back road, which was open, unmanned, 24/7.
—Hey, Tee. Me and Wills are already there. We are parked at the back in the dark—
—Good to know. Thanks—
—The security cameras are focused on the pumps, not the parking lot. I’ll take them out now—
A few minutes later, the van comes to a smooth halt.
As Max rolls open the back door, the freezing air rushes in. The sky is already getting dark again.
I gently move the boy next to me, then pick my way through the sleeping bodies to get out.
The Range Rover is parked next to a dumpster, its lights off.
Donovan comes around the corner, holding a spray can and grinning. “Old school sabotage, no magic to lead back to us.”
My legs are shaking as I walk across the dirt and fling my arms around him. He immediately picks me up. I wrap my arms around his neck. “I wish Alexis and Cosmo were here already.”
“They won’t be long,” Donovan says. “Just breathe, Tee.”
“Yeah, I’ll keep breathing.”
Over his shoulder, I meet eyes with Willow. She is sitting in the back of the rover, holding the eleven-year-old girl in her arms.
I wriggle down and hustle over.
“Theo!” Willow looks up with relief. “You got them. You actually got them all. I’d hug you, but my arms are a little full.”
I give her a half-smile. “I’m not celebrating until we’re all reunited,” I say softly. “I don’t like that Alexis is still out of range for my telepathy.”
For a while we just stand in silence, exhausted, waiting and listening. The forest is too quiet. No engine noise. No beat of dragon wings.
“They’ll be here,” Max says, though his hand is white-knuckled on the van’s doorframe. “Alexis doesn't leave a job half-done. He’ll wait until he’s sure they’re all dead.”
Minutes tick by like hours.
I reach out with my mind, searching for the familiar connection with my professor.
Nothing.
“What time is it?” Donovan asks. The evening is now fully dark
“Nearly seven,” Max replies. “What a fucking day.”
Willow picks up the eleven year old into her arms. “Let’s put her with the others.”
“I’ll take her.” Max gently gathers up the child and takes her to the van.
“Hey, where’s Ludo?” Willow asks.
“He’s still in with the kids,” Max says. “Looks like he’s sleeping.”
I look around; we all look wrecked. “We should all rest when we can.”
“That’s probably not happening, Sparkles,” Max replies, cracking his neck and stretching.
“I’ll go seek out caffeine," Donovan says, heading towards the vending machine outside the small, shuttered store.
“No credit cards,” I call after him. We’ve had a big talk about not doing anything that will make us trackable. Donovan pulls a card from his back pocket and waves it in the air. It’s one of the prepaid anonymous cards Alexis picked up.
He’s back two minutes later. “Cash only. Anyone got some?”
We all come up empty, but Max grins. “I got this.”
I’m curious, so follow.
Maximus takes something out of his wallet and gets to work. Within a couple of minutes, the vending machine side panel comes loose.
“Did you pick the lock?”
“I’ve so many talents you’ve yet to experience, Sparkles. I’m extremely dextrous.” He winks.
I shake my head, smiling, as I help him empty the machine of candy and drinks.
“We’ll send cash anonymously to pay for it all,” he tells me. “Not fair to dick over the little guys.”
“I like this side of you,” I tell him.
“My breaking and entering side?”
“No, the Maximus who thinks about people that others overlook. The little guys.” With my shirt front filled up with gummy bears and chocolate, I move closer and stand on my toes to kiss him, a shiver running down my spine as the Lumina surges between us.
“For you, Sparkles, I’ll always be Robin Hood.” He inhales deeply. “Gods, you always smell so good, like sex and glitter.”
“You’re crazy, I smell like smoke and sweat, plus I’m pretty sure I’ve been peed on by at least two of the kids.”
“Yeah, that’s less sexy. But talking of the kids, let's go deliver treats. Sometimes a candy bar can make everything so much better.”
Everything in the back of the van is quiet. “Hey, Lu?” I tiptoe through the sleeping forms, then gently shake his shoulder.
His body slumps to one side.
My heart stops beating and I drop to my knees. “Lu?” I hiss, running a hand across his forehead, then grabbing his wrist.
—Something's wrong…— I scream out to our link.
Max and Donovan are there in a flash. Their arrival wakes the kids and some start to sob. I drag in a ragged breath and try to calm myself.
“Unconscious,” I whisper. Donovan kneels beside me while Max invites the kids to the end of the van, tempting them with soda.
Only a few go to him.
“What’s going on?” Willow asks, climbing in as well. “Shit, what happened to him?”
I push Lumina in as fast as I can, but after continuously trying to energy-feed the children I’m almost tapped out.
Donovan raises a hand; it’s sticky and red. “He’s been shot in his thigh—lost a lot of blood.”
Willow grabs the scarf from around her neck. “Bind it tightly, we have to stop the bleeding. Press hard.”
How did I not know he was hurt? I failed him and now he’s bleeding out in a cold, rusty metal box.
“Fuck,” Donovan mutters. “Does anyone know any healing spells? Wait, Tee, can’t you do it? You fixed me…”
“When we had sex, not really a possibility right now,” I reply. But nonetheless, I press myself up close to Lu, wind my arms around him and nuzzle.
“Where the fuck is Alexis?” Max whispers furiously. “They should be here by now. Can you reach him, Theo?”
—Alexis?—
Still nothing.
“You’ve tried his cell?” I ask.
“There’s no signal. I can run up the ridge and try there?” Max says while stripping off his shirt and handing it to Donovan.
Dono adds the material to the scarf, in an attempt to staunch the wound.
“I think we need to get going,” Willow says, straightening up. “This is more than we can handle, but my aunt can help him.”
“Your aunt is five hours away, Wills.”
“All the more reason to start driving. Alexis and Cosmo are big boys, they’ll follow on when they can.”
I look at Ludo’s face, pale and bloodless. “Yes, you’re right. Max, go fill the SUV. Dono, you drive us over to the pumps too.”
Taking charge makes me feel calmer.
“Don’t you dare leave me,” I murmur to Ludo, pressing my lips to his cold ones. “You come back to me, you hear?”
The van lurches slightly as Donovan gets us moving. Willow hustles the kids away from the open back. “Snuggle up to the cab wall, kids, then I'll pass out some food.”
“I hungry,” one little voice replies.
I hold onto Ludo as we come to a stop again. Five minutes later, Donovan looks in. “We’re gassed up and ready.”
Willow and I meet eyes, then I turn back to Donovan. “You know the route?”
“It’s programmed into the GPS. I’ll go as fast as I can without breaking any speed laws.” His eyes are filled with worry. “I’ll get us there safely, Tee.”
“I trust you.”
He pulls down the door, and I hear the snick as he secures the latch. Willow loses her balance as we pull back onto the highway, almost squashing a kid. “Sorry, lovey.”
It’s the boy with long dark hair. His wide eyes are glued to Ludo. “Will he be OK?”
“He will be,” I tell him. “We all will be.”