“Care if I join you?” He sounded chipper. Maybe he’d forgiven her.
“Sure.” With this long line, she’d love the company.
“How’s our pyro? What’s he been up to?”
She mentally cringed. Not her favorite subject, especially with Caleb. “Doing something for Andre, I assume. Not sure. He stays pretty busy with Andre.”
Her best friend stared at her, seeing more than she wanted him to. “Things not going great? I thought once I left our crowded living space, you’d work stuff out.”
Becca kept her gaze on the neck of the man in front of her. “I’m not sure what’s happening between us, but I don’t feel like talking about it here.”
Caleb laughed quietly. “I bet everyone in here knows more than you do about it. These caves are only so big.”
“What?” Becca flashed him a worried look.
“Don’t worry about it.” He gave her a quick side hug. “It’s obvious how the two of you feel about each other. I used to think it had to do with your magic, some type of connection I couldn’t compete with. Just don’t be an idiot.”
Becca choked in surprise and covered it with a cough. “Thanks for that bit of sage advice. I’ll try not to be an idiot.” She was happy for Caleb’s support, even if she had her own doubts.
Navina popped up behind her. “Mind if I cut in?”
Grateful for the distraction, Becca ignored the glare of the woman behind her. “Go ahead. How’s training with Joshua going?”
Navina rolled her eyes. “He’s a pushover. Easier than you on your first day.”
“Ya’ never know. Give him a chance to catch up.”
The young girl grabbed a couple bowls. “Mom’s working late. I gotta take some food down to the nursery.”
“Tell her I said hi.”
“Will do.” Navina balanced the bowls and some rolls on a tray and headed off through the double doors.
Becca and Caleb grabbed their food and headed to the med unit. Liz slept soundly while Nikki cleaned Doc’s desk. He must have already headed down to dinner.
“How’s she been today?” Becca set the food down.
“Good.” Nikki smiled at Caleb before turning back to Becca. “She had a little broth for lunch.”
Elizabeth looked frail, sunken in. She needed more than broth and soup. They fed her intravenously as well. Doc planned on solids soon, hopefully very soon.
“We brought dinner,” Caleb said.
“Thanks. I have to finish a couple things first.” Nikki headed off to the back room.
Becca was glad to be done with their awkward flirting. She didn’t begrudge whatever they felt towards each other, but she was not in the mood.
She placed the soup down next to Elizabeth. Her sister stirred slightly. “You hungry, sis?”
Elizabeth cracked open her eyes and made some noise in the affirmative.
With Caleb’s help, they lifted the back side of the bed up and surrounded her with pillows. Elizabeth kept those green eyes open, though they still didn’t have the clarity they used to have. Becca fed her slowly.
Caleb ate quickly, almost looking disappointed. He had guard duty on the beach tonight and had to be there by seven. It was the first night Leon had put him on the rotation, and he couldn’t be late. She wished him well, and with one more glance at the back door, he left. Becca never said anything about his work with Leon, but it worried her.
With Caleb gone, Becca spoke to Elizabeth as she fed her. “I hope you like clam chowder. We never had seafood growing up, and now we live off the sea. Funny, huh? The large tuna are pretty good. Clams are still too slimy for me.”
While feeding her sister, Becca’s voice tightened, and guilt flooded over her. Had she done the right thing? The idea that Liz could be a vegetable the rest of her life haunted Becca constantly. Liz may never be herself again, and that meant Becca would still be responsible for killing her. She wondered if some part of Liz hated Becca for what she did.
“I’m sorry, Liz,” she whispered.
Elizabeth’s eyes widened, ringed with fear. “Fire.” The word sounded hoarse and broken.
Any hope that Liz might’ve been responding to her fled. She’d been talking about fire for days. They all assumed she was remembering the fire when they escaped Ryma’s estate.
Now, she clasped Becca’s hand. It had an urgency and life Becca had never seen from her sister.
“Fire. Now.” She kept repeating the same words, over and over, her voice rising.
Nikki rushed over to Becca’s side. “Does she need something?”
“Not yet,” Becca said. “I want to figure out what she is saying.”
Liz continued to ramble. “Fire. Smokey, fire.” She began turning as if she wanted out of bed.
“Hold on, Liz.” Becca tried to restrain her.
“I’ll get her meds.” Nikki rushed to a cabinet.
Becca caught the faint smell of smoke in the air. Becca and Nikki turned to look at each other.
“You smell that?” Becca kept a hold on her panicked sister.
“Yes, but there can’t be a fire in here,” she said. “My father is a water mage, and we live next to the ocean. How could there be a fire?”
“We can discuss the improbability after we get out of here.” Becca grabbed an extra blanket to wrap her sister in. She would have to carry her. The beds were too wide to get through the halls quickly.
“Maybe someone started a fire in the training center, or Darion is working on a project. Could he have done this? This really shouldn’t be happening.” Despite Nikki’s words of denial, she began packing needed supplies into a huge bag.
Screams carried through the tunnels. This was happening whether Nikki believed it or not.
Becca pulled Liz into her arms. She was lighter than expected. “Just please tell me you have a back door to this place.”
CHAPTER 26
C aleb walked back and forth along the path leading up from the ocean, tightening his coat against the air. Its cold bite penetrated deep. He wondered if he’d ever get warm again. Maybe when summer came around. Until then, at least the cold kept him awake.
The loud crash of the waves blocked any other noise, so he continued to scan the cliff face. The moon shone bright, but shadows blended into the cliffside. He could make out the other guard, though, pacing back and forth on the mountainside. Ever since the last attack, Leon had added extra men to guard duty.
The wind picked up, and he braced against the side of the cliff. Small rocks and debris tumbled down, scattering dust on his head. Once the dirt settled, he scanned the darkness for any sign of others. He readied the rifle in his hand. Voices carried on the wind, so someone must’ve been above him. Leon had said they weren’t expecting any visitors tonight.
Caleb stepped back into the shadows. Hushed, urgent tones traveled down the cliff. With the noise of the ocean, they had to be close. He readied the rifle.
The wind screamed now, reverberating inside his mind. He shifted his feet to steady himself and glanced down at the ocean. The tide ran back out to sea at an alarming rate, exposing the wet sand below. Why would Andre open the lower entrances now?
Adrenaline raced through his veins. Wanting to notify the others, he considered giving a warning shot or lighting the flare in his pocket, but he didn’t want to give away the element of surprise. He almost lowered his gun to run back down and warn the others, but didn’t get the chance. Someone rounded the corner.
Protocol required visitors to announce themselves. Caleb initially decided to give this person a chance to explain why they were sneaking down the mountain in the middle of the night. But once the armed men rounded the corner, all sense of protocol and friendliness fled.
From the cover of darkness, Caleb shot the first man in the thigh. His conscience wouldn’t let him kill the man outright, and they may have information.
That was a mistake. The wizard hollered out in pain, and with a wave of his hand, Caleb flew over the edge.
He tumbled down the cliffside, reaching out for something to grab. Rocks scratched and clawed at his body. Finally, he clung to a plant of some kind, a root possibly. His breath came out in heavy gasps as he grappled for better leverage.
His hands and body ached as he fought against gravity, but he was alive and nothing felt broken. Turning to look below, he saw people streaming onto the beach. Yelling, he tried to tell them to leave, to warn of the danger ahead, but the waves carried his voice away. No one could hear him.
The sandy floor lay a good forty feet below. He had to make it.
He half slid, half clawed his way down the cliffside. More shots rang out from above. Caleb glanced at the people on the beach, who scattered, trying to find cover. Could they not hear the shots? The smell of smoke drifted on the air, and he realized they were trapped. He let go of the cliff, fell, and rolled into the sand.
Luck was with him as he found his gun several feet away. Someone shouted his name. He hurried to the other people. Leon stood out in the crowd.
“Wizards coming down the cliff,” he told Leon, almost crashing into him.
“And there’s smoke in the caves. Where is that damn pyro when we need him? Or my brother?”
“They’re dealing with the problem in there.” Jemi stood next to Leon.
“We’ll secure the beach, then. How many did you see?” Leon held a small automatic rifle that could pack a hell of a punch.
“I shot one, but there were at least three behind him. I didn’t get a good look before they tossed me over.”
Leon looked him over, his expression incredulous. “You must be a damn cat.” He motioned to the other men near him. “Let’s meet these bastards head-on.”
“Yes, sir.” This time there would be no warning shots. Caleb’s stomach dropped as a familiar form raced towards them.
Buried deep in the earth with a pile of ore and a handkerchief covering his mouth, Darion melted the last metal plate in this section. Smoke billowed in large clouds, burning his eyes. As he finished the spell, he turned towards the cave’s entrance to grab a gulp of air. Hot, sweaty, and tired, this was some of the hardest work he’d ever been asked to do that didn’t involve a demon. He loved it.
“Not bad,” he told himself.
Light steam with a touch of magic radiated off the thick metal wall, nothing too amazing but something that would cost a magician a small sacrifice to get through. Burnt metal assaulted his nose and throat. How did blacksmiths do it all day?
Done for the day, he grabbed his jacket. A layer of dirt or two covered him from head to toe, and he planned to wash up, grab some dinner, and find Becca. The idea of seeing her caused a smile to grow. With a lantern in one hand and thoughts of Becca floating around, he started back up to the main levels.
For the first time in a long time, thoughts of a future with Becca felt almost tangible. This community full of runaways might hold a place for them. Becca probably wouldn’t admit it, but he had watched her grow here, making friends and maybe even trusting some of these people. He may not agree with everything Andre did, but this community may be the closest they got to a home. He would talk to Becca soon.
When he hit the main level, smoke permeated the air. At first, he worried something went wrong with his work, but the smell wasn’t behind him and lacked the metal bite to it. He jogged towards the smell coming from the kitchens. Screams echoed in the distance, but he continued forward. Though the corridors were empty, he searched for any sign of Andre. He wouldn’t let this place burn.
Darion covered his mouth with a handkerchief and tried to search for the source of the fire. Now in the kitchen, the smoke burned his eyes. Searching for a flame, he quickly realized this wasn’t a normal fire. Someone was pumping smoke through the small air holes Andre used for ventilation. He pushed his magic out as far as he could, which would have been farther if he hadn’t been working for the past several hours, but he didn’t sense anything.
He headed toward the exit, scanning the door and rooms as he went along. His head started to spin, and he knew he had to get out. The other people must have already evacuated, probably onto the beach. His heart raced as he continued to search the rooms as he went. He prayed he wouldn’t find anyone, but he’d feel better knowing for sure that Becca was safe.
Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Navina.
“What are you doing? We have to go,” he shouted. His head pounded from lack of clean air.
“I couldn’t leave all of the cats to die.” The young girl shoved another cat into a large duffel bag, their cries carrying through the canvas. “They were hiding in the training room.”
He took the bag of cats from Navina and grabbed her arm. “We have to go now.”
She began coughing as they hurried from the room. They collided with Andre in the hall.
“Have you cleared the rooms behind you?” he asked Darion.
“Yes. We have to get to the beach.”
“Leon is handling the beach. We need to handle the problem on this end.” Andre then looked down, realizing Navina was still there. “Child, hurry to the others.”
Navina nodded, taking the bag from Darion before taking off.
Andre hurried back towards the kitchens. “They are using my vents to push in the smoke.”
Darion tried to talk, but began coughing. He struggled to think clearly. He had a shield up, but for some reason, it wasn’t working. Bent over coughing, tears streamed from his eyes.
“I’m sorry, I thought you were protected.” Andre put a hand on his back and spoke a spell.
It felt as if a cold glass of water had been poured over his head, and a protective bubble floated around him. He sucked in the clean air, and his head cleared.
“We need to keep moving,” Andre told him and continued forward.
Darion started up again. He kept coughing on and off, his lungs trying to rid themselves of the toxic fumes.
They hurried past the kitchen to the back of the compound.
“Do you feel them? The magicians doing this?” Andre obviously could.
“No.” He shook his head, ashamed to admit how weak he was right now.
They passed the turn for the women’s dorms, and Andre stopped, put his hand on the wall, and the world began to shake.
Darion reached for the wall for support. The floor trembled under his feet. Dust and rocks showered Andre, but he stood firm. It lasted for several minutes. Darion tried to use his magic to feel what was happening, but there was too much power swirling around. Whoever was above them was fighting back.
Finally, Andre stepped back, and the trembling stopped. “I can’t get to them without drowning everyone else on the beach or tearing off half of the cliff face.”
“The beach.” Panic pushed through Darion. If these people knew so much about the vents, they might know about the escape route.
“The beach.” Andre nodded, and they broke out into a run.
Once Becca had tucked Elizabeth and Nikki into an alcove, far enough from the entrance that the wind carried the smoke away, she hurried to where she’d spotted Leon. He spoke to Caleb and Jemi with a gun in his hand. They were going to fight. Trapped on the beach, they had no other choice, and they needed Becca’s help, whether they admitted it or not. She heard her name as she approached, and Leon glanced her way.
Caleb turned to her. “Is there any way I can convince you to stay behind? Watch over Elizabeth and the others?”
She didn’t even bother answering that ridiculous question. She’d fought next to Caleb for the past two months, getting out of scraps and surviving the wild. No one would watch his back as well as she could, and he knew it.
“Can you follow orders?” Leon asked.
She squashed the urge to say, “only if they aren’t stupid,” because that wouldn’t have helped her case. “Yes,” she answered instead.
“How good are your shields?”
“All right. They’re not my specialty.”
/> “Yeah, thought so.” He gave commands to the people surrounding them. Jemi and the majority of the other wizards stayed on the beach, focusing on strengthening their defenses. After handpicking several men to go with him, he turned to Becca. “Keep your shields high, and subdue all you can.”
“Of course.” She planned on focusing on defensive magic. It took a lot of energy to influence a man, and with so many people around, it was hard to grasp a consciousness and hold on to it, especially without getting killed herself. Before they left, she had to ask, “Where’s Darion?”
“Inside with Andre.” Leon gave the group one more glance. “Let’s head out.”
Becca nodded and tried not to think of Darion, not that it worked. Illogical feelings that once again he’d chosen to go with Andre and leave her behind flitted in the back of her mind. They both had jobs to do, and worrying about something she couldn’t control wouldn’t help anyone. Darion would be safe, especially with Andre. Moving through the sand, she kept close to Caleb and focused on what she could do.
“You ready?” His arm brushed hers. It was a familiar comfort.
She nodded.
They kept a fast pace towards the cliffside. Several feet before they reached the start of the trail, Becca spotted them. There had to be ten to twenty of them scattered up the side of the mountain. A scream sounded behind them, followed by gunfire. Whoever these men were, they didn’t need to get close to inflict harm.
“Don’t look back,” Leon ordered. “Just kill the bastards in front of us.”
“Up there.” Becca pointed up to a group of men trying to blend with the shadows. More shots echoed through the night.
Becca strengthened her magical shield, while Caleb and the other men took a knee and aimed. Gunfire rang in her ears. Reaching out with her magic, she prodded at the minds of the men. The first two were well protected. Before she could go any farther, someone attacked her shields. She focused on building up her walls. Sweat gathered at her temples by the time Leon issued the next order.
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