Darion appeared to get the idea and slowed slightly.
She kept her voice low but sharp. “Don’t ever do that again.” Now that they were safe, the volatile emotions from the fight came flooding back.
“What?” He actually looked confused.
“Ask me to stay behind. We’ve been in tough spots before, and probably will be again.” She gripped her bag and struggled to keep her voice steady. “But don’t ever order me to stay behind again. First, I won’t do it.”
“Yeah, I noticed.”
“Second, we’re in this together. I’m not weak. We fight together. We...” She almost said die together, but couldn’t let the words out for fear of jinxing things. “We stick together. Got it?”
Darion leaned over and bumped her with his shoulder. “Got it.”
She nodded, glad to have a clear understanding. This was how the problems with their previous relationship had started. He’d said he was trying to protect her when he lied about having magic and his involvement with the coven. He needed to understand she wasn’t looking to be his protector but his partner.
“You two done back there?” Leon turned. “And here I thought we were in a hurry.”
They picked up their pace and caught up to the others. Becca already missed Darion’s touch.
Coming up alongside Leon, she asked, “Are we really going to follow Peter all the way to Ryma’s? That’s more than a three-day hike. He couldn’t have walked the whole way either.”
“No. Peter’s gone. We need to decide our next course. I only say ‘we’ because it depends on you, Becca.”
“Me?” Becca never thought he cared a bit for her opinions.
“If we press forward to Ryma’s city, we should get there by tomorrow, and our contact will have information. But if Peter gets there first, there may be a surprise waiting for us. Or we can go get the needed medical supplies that may keep your sister unconscious but demon-possessed for another week. If she lasts another week.”
“How can we get there in a day?” There was no way they could travel that fast on foot.
“We can get there by morning,” Leon assured her without really answering. “Do we chance the city? If we don’t make it back, she’ll probably die.”
“Or do we return to the caves and keep her alive, but sacrifice our chance in finding how to get rid of the demon?” Darion asked.
Becca realized there really wasn’t a choice because there might not be another chance to get this book. “Let’s go. Show us what chariot is taking us to the city.” She wasn’t sure what lay ahead, but they wouldn’t find anything helpful behind them.
CHAPTER 14
C aleb followed Nikki’s tight shoulders and brisk pace down the tunnels. She hadn’t said a word since they’d left Andre. Not that Caleb was too happy at being left behind either. Once it had been Becca and Caleb, and they worked well together. Now? Well, the only reason he agreed to stay behind was because he trusted Darion to watch Becca’s back. Otherwise, no way would he have let her go.
He slowed as the turn for his dorms and the cafeteria approached.
Several feet ahead, Nikki stopped and turned to him. “What?”
“This is my stop.”
Confusion crossed her brow as if her mind was elsewhere. “Yeah, okay.”
“Hey, do you need any help in the hospital? I have nothing to do for the rest of the night. I can fold towels, clean bedpans, that kind of fun stuff.” He hated to ask, but he didn’t want to face a night of sitting on his bunk worrying.
She gave him a surprised look. “Man, you must be desperate. Come on. Doc probably has something for us to do.” Her steps lightened slightly. Maybe she needed a distraction as well. “If nothing else, I could always use someone to practice stitches on.”
“Never took you for a sadist.”
“You never know.” Her lips twitched slightly. “You’d be much more fun than oranges.”
“Oranges?” His voice rose in excitement. He could almost smell the clean citrus flavor. “You guys get oranges?”
“When they’re around. They’re not as good as a human patient, but they’re the closest thing we can find around here.”
He loved oranges, had even dreamed about them now and then. His father would sometimes bring one back from trading in the city. Caleb usually found one in his stocking every Christmas morning growing up. “Do you have any now?”
“Yeah. We should get our first batch in time for the party.”
“Party?”
“Christmas or whatever you want to call it.” She started back down to the hospital. “We’ll have a party next week for Christmas. It’s nothing big. Dancing, a small tree. There isn’t much in the way of gifts.”
“The idea of Christmas is just...” His mind traveled to home, and his throat tightened as he thought about the holidays without his parents.
“You okay?” Nikki paused with a hand on the door to the hospital.
“Yeah. Fine.” He chased away the memories that would only bring heartache. “Let’s get to work.”
They entered the medical unit.
“Hey, Doc,” Caleb said.
“Didn’t think I’d see you two back so soon.” He was filing papers in a cabinet. “Nikki can be quite convincing when getting her way.”
“Not convincing enough. I even got Caleb kicked off the trip,” Nikki said.
“I wanted to see if you needed any help in here.” Caleb was grateful to find the beds empty. He was joking earlier about the bedpans.
Doc set down his papers and ran a hand through the red wavy mess on top of his head. “Their loss is our gain. If you want to finish filing these reports from last year, that would be perfect. I need to check up on the Thompson boy with croup.”
“You still haven’t finished filing those? You told me you had them done.” Nikki placed her hands on her hips like she was scolding a child, not her boss.
“I finished the reports, but never filed them. You weren’t specific.” He grabbed his leather medical bag and headed towards the door. “I know, I know, I’m a mess. What would you do without me?” He left with a smile on his face.
“Ugghh, that man. I think he relies on me because he knows if he puts something off long enough, I’ll do it.”
Caleb grinned. “I think he knows you well.” Then he picked up the papers with large black names printed on the top.
She glared at him.
He smiled. “You’re a doer, Nikki. There’s nothing wrong with that. You can’t always fix the rest of the lazy bums out there.”
She extended his arm and took half of the papers. “Great. I’ll be picking up after people forever.”
“Nah, you’ll be in charge one day. Like your dad.”
“If he has his way, I’ll never leave the med unit.” A frown tightened her forehead. “You really think so?”
“I do. But until then, get to work.”
They worked together in comfortable silence filing papers, then organizing the supply closet in the back. When they finished, Caleb stood to stretch, his back sore from bending Nikki took out her ponytail and then gathered it back up to retie it. The witch light softened her features. Her beauty shone through, even while cleaning.
She noticed him staring. “You ready for a break yet? Maybe scrounge up some tea or something?”
“Yeah,” he said and then reprimanded himself. He needed to keep his thoughts in check before they got him in trouble.
He followed her towards the back of the med unit for drinks when someone came in. At first, Caleb thought it was Doc coming back from his checkup. Nikki turned around and started to say something. Words were lost, and the cleaning rag she held in her hand dropped to the ground. Doc wasn’t alone.
Jemi and Doc rushed in with Marcus hanging on their shoulders. Blood covered his clothes. Nikki rushed to grab a tray of medical supplies while they lifted the man onto the nearest bed.
“What happened? Are the others okay?” Caleb’s voice rose, demanding
an answer.
Doc continued talking over him, barking orders at Nikki for supplies and waving people out of his way.
Jemi backed up, her face tense. “He was conscious until we made it inside.”
“I’m going to find Becca and the others.” Caleb headed to the exit. Forget Andre’s orders. They were now short two people, and they needed him.
Jemi locked onto his arm and took a deep breath. Some of the lines in her face relaxed. She finally opened her eyes and let go of him. “Sorry about that. I’ve been so connected to Marcus who is in a lot of pain. It helps to get a different perspective.”
Caleb didn’t care about her magic; he cared about his friends. “They are down a man and a witch. They’ll need me.”
“No. They’re fine and probably long gone by now.”
“So what do we do? Just wait?” Caleb flexed his hands. He didn’t know if he could do that.
A fierce determination burned in Jemi’s eyes. “No. You train. You learn. You fight. So next time we’re out there, this isn’t you.”
After hours of racing down the freeway in the dark of night, piled in a camo jeep, Becca assumed they had to be near the city. They kept all the lights off, and Becca prayed they didn’t hit an animal. Leon and Alex took turns driving through the night while Becca slept in broken intervals.
Finally, Leon turned off the highway. Becca’s body strained against her seat belt as they bounced along the forest floor. Her heart leapt as they headed towards a grove of trees and bushes. She closed her eyes in reflex and gripped the hand rails, but Leon turned the jeep quickly and they dropped into a small cave-like opening.
The engine cut out, and silence settled into the dark. They didn’t waste time getting out of the jeep and readying to go.
“Come on, we still have a few miles to hike before we reach town. Leave the packs. Only take necessities.” Leon jumped out of the jeep, took the large gun from his hip, and placed it in his bag. He removed a couple knives and hid them on his body.
Ryma didn’t allow guns into his city, and the consequence was steep: death. Magicians could fight against guns, if a wizard’s defenses were up. If not, they usually didn’t have enough time to react.
Becca noticed Leon hiding a smaller gun inside his boot. She had a knife on her belt, but her back-up blade went swimming when they first came to the rebels’ hideout. “Do you have an extra blade?”
“You know how to use one?” Leon asked.
“You can find out right now, if you want.” She was tired and cranky, ready to strike out. A knife fight with Leon might help. He’d probably win, but she’d hold her own for a little while.
“We don’t have time. Caleb said you could handle yourself.” He handed her a long, dark blade.
“Glad you approve.”
Before Leon could retort, Darion interrupted. “Do you know where Richard lives?”
“Andre gave me directions. We’ll enter from the east.”
“Really?” Becca wondered when Andre had last gone to the city since he seemed like the type to be content to hide out by the seashore for the rest of his life.
“We really do try to keep up with intelligence, to protect ourselves.”
“When did Andre come to the city?” Darion asked. “I have a hard time seeing Ryma being okay with that.”
“Over ten years ago. Andre can conceal what he is.” Leon zipped up his jacket. “Come on, grab some nearby shrubs.”
The four of them placed shrubs and plants near the back of the jeep to camouflage it. Becca stepped back to examine their handiwork and was impressed. This small cavern concealed most of the jeep, and unless someone walked into it, they wouldn’t see it.
“Let’s do this.” Alex turned and started through the forest.
The rest of them followed. Leon constantly scanned the horizon. Becca tied her hair back into a braid and focused on where she was stepping. She wished she had dressed warmer. She wore the same pair of boots that had brought her this far, but her jacket wasn’t much help. However, her jacket would blend in once they hit the city.
It felt good to hike, to wake up her tired muscles. By the time they made it to the gate, the sun was peeking through the trees.
The city had several points of entry, but the rest of the city limits were given an invisible border built with magic. It helped Ryma control who came and went.
Darion caught Becca’s attention and mouthed, “You okay?”
Becca nodded and turned to the gate. A nervous energy pulsed through her body. She had been to a couple of other cities since they had been on the run, but not this city with a host of memories and people who wanted to kill them. Those memories haunted her. Eight years ago, she came to the city by herself for the first time. Young and alone, she’d been a target. But she survived then, and she’d do it again.
She glanced at Darion. His hair had grown from their time on the run, now brushing his ears. He met her eyes, and for the first time, she wished she had Jemi’s powers to read others’ thoughts.
“Maybe we should have disguised ourselves,” she said. He was too recognizable, beautifully recognizable to her.
“We’ll blend. Always have.”
Alex yanked off his cap and tossed it at Darion. “She has a point.”
Darion shoved it on his head. It helped, but probably not enough. Darion and Becca had spent years living in the city, under the radar, but now, with the price on their heads as a motivator, betraying eyes would be everywhere.
Several guards stood ready at the gate. Ryma must have increased security after the attack. The only plus was more guards possibly meant they were inexperienced.
A tall guard with freshly slicked back hair stepped in front of Leon. “State your business.”
“Trade.” Leon’s voice kept its usual annoyed edge. “I have a business partner waiting for me.”
“Who?”
“John.” He didn’t bat an eyelash.
The guard looked their group over, his gaze resting on Leon and the bandage on his temple. Several other people approached behind them.
“Go on.” The guard waved them on.
After passing through the gate, Becca had to ask, “How long have you known this John?”
“There’s a John in every city.” Leon kept walking.
There were several more security guards positioned within the walls. Becca slid her hand in her pocket to grip her knife. The cold steel gave her comfort. She focused on her defenses, too, building up a magical wall in her mind to protect herself.
“Stop, you four,” someone shouted behind them.
“Let me talk this time.” Becca kept her voice quiet. “I have more contacts in the city besides John.”
“We could run,” Alex suggested. “Get lost in the crowd.”
“I’ll set a distraction.” Darion eyed a tower in the distance.
Becca turned around to greet the two oncoming guards. “Give me a chance, but be prepared.” If they had to run, they may not have time to find Richard before they’d have to leave.
“You have two minutes,” Leon mumbled.
A witch approached, her face weathered and worn from years of city living. “We didn’t get your names.”
Traces of magic pushed at Becca’s defenses, but she smiled back.
“Blake,” Darion said. “I went to school here, and I’m coming back with friends for business.”
“And you?” The witch watched Becca closely, ignoring Darion and Leon.
“Terry.” Becca gave the name of an old friend.
Alex and Leon gave their real names, which surprised Becca until she remembered Alex had no defenses, so the closer he stuck to the truth the better. The witch didn’t speak for a moment, but studied Becca with a cold detachment.
“We came up for some trading,” Becca offered.
The witch hollered to the men behind her. “Something isn’t right. Come with me, and we’ll check your papers.”
“I don’t think so.” Darion stepped in b
etween them.
Becca put a hand on his shoulder. She wanted to push him out of the way, but instead, she combined their power, readying to fight their way out.
“Darling,” someone shouted nearby. “What took you so long?”
At the sight of her old crime boss, Becca faltered for a moment, unable to complete the spell. His tattooed face had thinned, and his eyes were dark with more than makeup. Becca couldn’t imagine what brought him here. His place was miles from here.
“Did you get my supplies?” Nikko demanded, ignoring the witch seething behind him. When she remained mute, he snapped, “Well, did you?”
“Yeah. I thought we were meeting at John’s.” It was the first thing that popped into her head. Stupid Leon with his Johns.
“We can talk on the way. There’s still a lot to gather for market next week.” He turned back to the witch. “Don’t you have a dog to neuter or something?”
“Watch yourself.” She spit out the last word.
“Or what?” He straightened, the boss Becca knew emerging. “Ryma will take my business, my money, and force me to work with worthless scum. Too late.”
He grabbed Becca’s arm and strode away from the gate. “We don’t have long, Becca.”
“Okay,” she mumbled, still in shock from seeing Nikko out in daylight. The last time she saw him, he turned her over to her uncle, the crazy magician. Conflicted emotions battled for space.
Darion stayed close to her side, while Leon and Alex muttered behind them.
Nikko shot Darion a look. “You need to get out of here fast. There is a hefty price on your pretty recognizable head.”
Darion bristled. “We know.”
“Simmer down, pyro. You’re at the top of the list. It’s only because these guards are inbred idiots that you got this far.”
“What are you doing here?” Becca shook off Nikko’s grip. “Are you a regular on the coven payroll now?”
“Long story. Ryma’s tightening his reins on the city, and I got recruited.”
“Why don’t you leave?”
“Not so easy, but I’m still running things now and then. The black market is still alive, barely, but alive. You need to disguise yourself. I never thought you were so dense, girl. I taught you better.”
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