Flare of Promise (AMT #4)

by Jessie Donovan

Not that she had time to gloat. In the next instant, the guard regained his composure and moved to the side. Petra took a step to her right and the guard matched it. As they continued circling one another, Petra scanned for weaknesses. Each second she spent with the guard in front of her was another second the magic user’s life might be in danger.

  However, the guard was in prime physical condition and didn’t appear to have any injuries. Petra had a few tricks up her sleeves, but as she noted the silence from behind her, she had an idea. Millie must have her prisoners contained. For the first time in years, Petra was going to count on someone having her back. She only hoped Millie pulled through.

  Petra stopped and raised a hand out, with her palm upwards. “Stop right there or I’ll use my own magic. Given how you’ve been protecting the elemental earth user, I’m sure you know what type of destruction I can cause.”

  The guard cocked his head. “Then prove it.”

  She raised her voice and hoped Millie would hear her. “I’m warning you. I control lightning and electricity. Come any closer, and you’ll feel a jolt like you’ve never felt before.”

  Ignoring her, the guard charged. Petra did a back flip and rolled a few feet away. “Millie. Now.”

  Petra landed on her back as Millie ran out of the forest and discharged her stun guns. The guard barely had time to do more than blink before both cartridges hit their target and zapped the man full of electricity. He dropped like a stone and twitched a few times before going still.

  Jumping to her feet, she ran up to where Millie was flipping the guy over. Petra murmured, “Thanks.”

  Millie winked. “No problem. I love tying up big, buff guys. Now, go. A woman’s life depends on us.”

  With a nod, Petra ran to the ladder and jumped up. She climbed it quickly, as if fire were creeping upward, under her feet. She made it to the drawbridge platform just as the guard came out carrying an unconscious woman wearing a hospital gown.

  He met her eyes and moved so that he held the woman over the side. “Step any closer and I’ll drop her.”

  Since the drawbridge was at least thirty feet above the grass, the magic user would most likely die if she fell.

  Petra stood her ground. Maybe reason would work with the guard. “There’s no way for you to escape. If you go back into the structure, you’ll cook. If you jump, you’ll probably break your neck. And I’m blocking the exit. But if you surrender, I can at least ensure you’ll live.”

  The guard’s gaze flicked behind her and back. “You’re wrong.”

  Petra opened her mouth but the guard charged. She half-expected him to toss the magic user off the bridge. Instead, he tossed her at Petra. She caught the slight woman, but lost her balance.

  Unable to regain her footing, Petra made a split-second decision. She used every muscle in her body to toss the woman back onto the bridge. The action caused Petra to push back and fall over the side.

  As she fell, Will’s face flashed before her eyes. Petra’s only regret was not telling Will she still loved him.

  The regret didn’t last long. Her leg bashed against the smaller platform below and pain shot through her body. She barely had time to scream before the world went black.

  Chapter Ten

  Will crept up toward the battle scene bit by bit until he was only a few feet from the tree line. He barely had time to stare in wonder at the giant column of flame before the figures on the drawbridge above caught his eye.

  Leyna stood about eight feet away from a man carrying an unconscious person.

  Even knowing Leyna could more than take care of herself, his heart beat double-time. He should be up there, helping her.

  And yet, he was stuck hiding in the forest. Clenching his fingers, Will decided he would do whatever it took to be able to fight at Leyna’s side in the future. He’d thought he’d failed her two years ago. He never wanted to experience that feeling again.

  In the next beat, the man above rushed and tossed his burden at Leyna. While it had to be less than a second, Leyna stumbling and finally tossing the woman onto the bridge played out in slow motion.

  Then he watched Leyna fall.

  Not caring about his life or Jaxton’s bloody plan, he rushed out of the trees. Leyna’s leg smacked against the lower platform and she screamed.

  He pumped his legs harder.

  But no matter how fast he ran, Will would never be able to catch her.

  Right before Leyna made contact with the ground, a cyclone of fire appeared under her body. While the force of the spin didn’t stop her descent and Leyna crashed to the ground, it might have just slowed her down enough to save her life.

  He reached her side. A quick check revealed a bone sticking out of her lower leg. Since fixing her leg would mean nothing if she were dead, Will placed two fingers at her carotid artery. While faint, Leyna still had a pulse.

  Quickly checking her head, there was a blow at the back and a lot of blood. It was entirely possible the wound could kill her.

  If he didn’t do something, his Leyna could die.

  Placing his hands on her head, Will closed his eyes. Each beat of her heart was a tap against his skin. He imagined the bone reknitting in her skull, any swelling going down, and all hemorrhaging ceasing.

  Over and over he imagined her brain whole, pink, and free of any bruising or bleeding. He was concentrating so deeply that it took him a second to realize Leyna’s heart had stopped beating. Opening his eyes, he barely noticed the faint glow around Leyna’s body. Moving his hands to her heart, he pressed against her chest to begin CPR. All the while, he switched the image in his head to one of a steadily beating heart.

  Leyna’s torso jolted with some unseen force and then again. Will moved to breathe air into her lungs when a faint thumping reverberated throughout his body.

  Checking her pulse, Leyna’s heart beat again.

  Will barely had time to acknowledge the relief that coursed through his body. His eyes were heavy, drooping from exhaustion. However, he tried to concentrate again. Even if he burned out from overusing his magic, it would be worth it if Leyna lived.

  Just as he started to reimagine his Leyna whole and hearty again, a faint orange blaze mingled with the green light. He looked up at Kiarra’s weak voice as she said, “Let me help. Tell me where she’s hurt.”

  His curiosity wanted to know how an elemental fire user could help, but he didn’t have time. He’d take whatever he could get. “She hit her head and might have hemorrhaging. While her broken leg looks worse, if we can’t ensure she’s free of brain trauma, she might not wake up.”

  Kiarra nodded and the orange glow intensified. She answered, “I’m not at full strength, so we’re going to have to work on this together. I’ll have to stop if I think I’m going to pass out, though. You need to do the same.”

  Rather than argue the point, Will nodded. However, if it took his life to save Leyna’s, he would give it gladly. “Right, then imagine a brain, pink, healthy, and free of injury in three, two, one, now.”

  Will kept his eyes open as he focused on healing his Leyna. The green-gold light coursed over and caressed her body. With each second that passed, her heartbeat grew stronger.

  Unaware of how much time had passed, the orange light faded from Leyna’s body. Looking up, Kiarra was rubbing her eyes. Before he could ask, the woman said, “I’ve reached my limit, Will. I think she’s out of danger. That’s the best we can hope for.”

  Millie walked up to them. “Jax and I have held out as long as we can, but one of the guards escaped. We need to move if we want a chance to leave here alive.”

  His concentration broken, Will’s green light faded from Leyna’s body. She breathed steadily and her heart pumped at a regular rhythm. He had no idea if he and Kiarra had managed to save her from the worst of it, but he couldn’t confirm that until he had access to advanced medical equipment to check the state of her brain and other injuries.

  A quick glance told him that Leyna’s leg was still broken; the bo
ne jutting out of her skin had to be painful. Will wasn’t a medical doctor, but he needed to try to set it before moving her or she might lose the leg. He said to Millie, “Give me another minute. I need to set this.” He motioned toward Leyna’s upper body. “Hold her down, just in case. I can’t afford for her to move or she may never walk on her own again.”

  Kiarra stood up slowly. “While you two do that, I’m going to check with Jaxton and the status of our helicopter.”

  Barely nodding, Will moved to Leyna’s leg. The break was bad and setting the bone sticking out of her skin would be difficult. On top of that, Will had only helped set a broken bone as a student.

  Taking a deep breath, he pushed aside his worry. The longer the jagged bone was outside the body, the greater chance of infection or any number of other problems.

  However, before he could do more than study Leyna’s broken bone, Millie sat across from him and pointed toward Leyna’s head. “You hold her down. I’m trained as a field medic. And doctor you may be, but your expression tells me you don’t know what the bloody hell you’re doing.”

  He met Millie’s eyes. “Have you set a broken bone like this before?”

  Millie didn’t miss a beat. “More than a few times. Now, hold her down. We don’t have much time.”

  Not having a choice but to trust the woman he’d met the day before, Will moved to hold down Leyna’s shoulders.

  Millie took hold of Leyna’s leg above and below the break. She murmured, “Three, two, one,” and jerked the bone into place. Even unconscious, Leyna’s body twitched. Without any drugs, he couldn’t imagine the pain. It was a blessing she was out cold.

  Ripping off his shirt, he pointed to Millie. “We need two straight sticks.”

  Millie raised an eyebrow, but went without another word. Her silence worried him. He would probably pay for it later.

  However, he pushed aside his concerns to take advantage of his moment of privacy.

  Will caressed Leyna’s cheek. “After all of this trouble, you’d better wake up, Leyna Grunwald. And not just because I want you to live. No, we’re also going to start over and I’m going to woo you all over again. I love you, Leyna.”

  Leyna remained silent, of course.

  Millie raced back and picked up Will’s shirt. “I’ll do it.”

  As Millie used his shirt and the sticks to secure Leyna’s leg, the faint whir of helicopter blades neared.

  Millie tied her final knot and waved in the direction of the sound. “Our pilots will be here soon. I need to help Jax with the prisoners, so you’re in charge of Petra. Be careful when you move her.”

  Nodding, Will looked back to Leyna’s body. Her face was pale and her brows furrowed.

  He would do anything to have her glare at him again.

  Lightly brushing her jaw, he willed for her to be okay.

  The sound of the helicopter grew louder and for once in his life, he was impatient to board one of the blasted things. Even if he had to dangle below the bloody machine to give Leyna enough room to be transported to a hospital, he’d do it. He’d spent too much time being angry at both himself and Leyna. All he wanted to do was have another chance.

  Taking Leyna’s hand, Will kept guard over his woman and hoped he had the opportunity to do so.

  ~~~

  Millie Ward watched as the helicopter landed in a nearby clearing. She shouted to her brother at her side, “Did the pilots see any trouble coming our way?”

  Jaxton shook his head. “Not yet. But with that guard missing, it’s probable. We need to get out of here as soon as possible.”

  She looked down at the tan face of the elemental magic user who was probably the Earth Talent. “What are we going to do about her? As much as I hate to drug the poor dear, if she wakes up while we’re in flight, she’ll panic and possibly kill us all.”

  Kiarra leaned forward from Jaxton’s other side. “We’ll keep her sedated until we reach the UK. Once there, we’ll talk with Marco and Darius and come up with a plan.”

  Darius Williams and Marco Alvarez were Elemental Masters. While they still had to keep their hands toward the east and west, respectively, to use their magic, they had far more training and knowledge about using elemental magic than most. They also had contacts and might be able to reach out to an Earth Master to help the woman learn to control her abilities.

  Millie shifted her gaze to Kiarra. “Marco and Darius are great and all, but I think you’ll be the biggest help, Kiarra.”

  Kiarra had once been a prisoner inside the AMT. She’d been experimented on and used as a guinea pig. At least, until Jaxton had rescued her.

  Kiarra nodded. “I’m going to try my best. However, convincing Neena to keep me home for a while is going to be a chore.”

  Jaxton jumped in. “I don’t know about that. If this woman is indeed the Earth Talent, Neena will do quite a bit to get her on DEFEND’s side.”

  “I hope so,” Kiarra answered. “This woman has probably gone through hell. I can’t even imagine what the AMT researchers would’ve done to me if they’d known I was a Talent.”

  Jaxton wrapped an arm around Kiarra’s shoulders and squeezed. “You can thank me for rescuing you later, love.”

  Kiarra rolled her eyes just as the helicopter touched down. Jaxton waved toward the prisoners tied up on the ground. “I need one of the pilots to help me. Kiarra, go fetch one of them. Millie, tell Evans to bring your friend.”

  Without a word, Millie raced back to Will Evans.

  The man was holding Petra gently and stroking her cheek. Millie hesitated a second. Only because the pair would never have a chance to hash things out if they didn’t get Petra to a hospital ASAP did Millie jog the rest of the way up to them. “Come. The helicopter is waiting.”

  Will delicately maneuvered Petra into his arms and stood up. Trusting him to follow, Millie headed back toward the helicopter.

  Jaxton already had most of the prisoners inside the chopper. Millie climbed in and turned to help Will guide Petra inside. Once Will was sitting down on the ground, he leaned Petra against his chest with her legs straight in front of her. No doubt, the ride would jar her legs, but at least they would be somewhat stable, especially with Will’s long legs on either side of hers.

  Kiarra sat in the corner seat with the elemental earth user leaning against her. Four prisoners were tied up and stashed toward the back. Jaxton loaded the last one and climbed in. Shutting the door, the chopper took off.

  As they started moving, Millie’s gut told her it’d been too easy.

  Peering out the window, she didn’t see anything. Nor did she until the helicopter lurched and Millie nearly lost her seat. “What the bloody hell was that?”

  Jaxton put his finger to his ear and listened to the pilots before relaying the information. “There are two helicopters pursuing us. That was a warning shot.”

  Millie frowned. “They wouldn’t shoot us down, though, because the woman is too valuable. Still, what’s the plan, brother?”

  He looked to Kiarra. “I know you’re close to burnout, but do you have a few shots of fire left in you?”

  Kiarra answered, “It’s not like I have a choice. Still, I need to know where before I attempt it. Once I pass out, I won’t be a help to anyone.”

  Jaxton turned and made his way to the cockpit to ask for their pursuers’ positions. Millie looked to Kiarra. “Are you sure you can handle this, Kiarra? You being unconscious isn’t ideal.”

  “I know, but I’m the only one with any sort of combat magic. I think in the future, I’m going to require Neena to have two or three magic users on each high-profile mission.”

  Before Millie could reply, Jaxton was back. “There’s a helicopter on each side. They keep switching who is closer and who is behind. Probably to avoid both being hit.”

  Kiarra smiled. “Well, the tactic isn’t going to make much difference for my fire. They clearly don’t understand how elemental magic is fueled by particles in the air.”

  Jaxton re
plied, “Exactly. I’m guessing they don’t have much experience with elemental magic in combat operations.”

  Kiarra slid out of her seat and rearranged the magic user at her side. “But I need your touch, Jaxton, or I’m not going to be able to do much more than one blast of fire.”

  Jaxton moved to Kiarra’s side and looked over his shoulder. Just as he opened his mouth, the helicopter jerked to the side. Both of them smacked against one of the helicopter’s doors before regaining their balance.

  Millie looked around and spotted a rope. Tossing it at the pair, she said, “I never thought I’d be telling my brother this, but tie yourselves up. Just keep the kinky stuff for later.”

  Jaxton sighed and secured both himself and Kiarra before tying the other end of the rope to a bar on the side. “I hope everyone is strapped in.”

  Millie finished securing the cargo net in the back portion, to ensure the prisoners wouldn’t fall to their deaths. A quick glance showed that Will was in a chair with Petra turned to the side. Her legs were balancing on the arm of the adjacent chair. While not ideal, it would do.

  Strapping herself in, Millie nodded. “Go get them, you two.”

  Kiarra opened the side door and wind whipped through the small space. It was bloody freezing.

  Squinting her eyes, Millie watched as Kiarra summoned a flame to her palm and shot it out the side. No sooner had she attempted to repeat the process when a mixture of rain and snow pelted sideways, into the helicopter. It wasn’t winter; something was off.

  The helicopter rolled to the side for a split second before righting itself. Kiarra banged her head against the doorframe and Jaxton had to hold tight to keep from falling.

  “Kiarra? Are you okay?” Millie asked.

  Just as Kiarra was about to reply, the helicopter lurched again. This time, Jaxton’s ironclad grip kept them in place.

  He poked his head outside for a second and quickly treated. “They’re switching positions again, love. It’s now or never. Are you ready?”

  “As much as I’ll ever be.” Kiarra rubbed her temple a second before standing tall. “I wish there was another way to stop them. Regardless of who they are, I hate killing anyone.”