by John Corwin
"The magic bullet." Percival looked at my dangling leg. "When I healed him, I detected residual active magic. A bullet spell usually dissolves on impact."
Max groaned. "You mean the kinetic bullet carried a tracker spell?"
"It's the only answer." Percival tapped his chin. "The wards must have dissolved the bindings, but the spell hadn't fully faded by the time I inspected the wound. That would definitely explain it."
"So they can't track us anymore?" I asked.
He shook his head. "No, the tracker spell is gone. I'm sure of it."
Stan piloted his carpet closer and scanned me with his wand. "You're clean, Conrad."
I didn't feel clean. I felt awful and dirty. "I led those people to your home, Stan. I've ruined everything."
The old man patted my shoulder. "You're not to blame, son. It could've happened to anyone."
"If they tracked Conrad, why did it take them three days to come for us?" Max said.
"I don't know," Stan said. "I also don't understand why they'd come at us in broad daylight."
"The wards would've warned us even at night," Natalia said. "They probably didn't expect to find a barricaded safe house. They probably thought they'd find us unprotected somewhere."
"True." Stan's lips pressed together. "It's likely the wards dissolved the tracker spell before it gave them a specific location. Probably took them a few days to narrow it down."
"All those wards probably stood out like a beacon to them," Percival said. "Once they found it, they came back with reinforcements."
"I never thought about it that way." Stan shook his head slowly. "The very thing meant to protect us gave us away."
Percival shrugged. "Well, now that we've solved the mystery, perhaps we should flee."
"Yeah, let's go!" Ivy looked up and the carpet jetted toward the hole in the roof. We zipped into open air behind the cover of a small hill. Stan and Natalia appeared a moment later, followed by the others.
"This way." Stan directed his carpet toward a patch of woods.
We kept low and followed him. Off in the distance, sunlight glinted off the roof of a silver pickup truck headed in the direction of the house. It was too far away to make out the occupants, but my stomach twisted when I realized who it might be.
I gripped Ivy's arm. "Is that Galfandor and Asha?"
She narrowed her eyes and peered at the car. "Oh no. It is them!"
I'd completely forgotten about them, and now they were headed straight into a trap. The truck screeched to a stop a few dozen yards from the wrecked Range Rover and made a U-turn on the narrow road. Tires squealed and the engine roared.
Wooden hooves clopped on gravel. The wandslingers, Garkin, and the posse had them in their sights. Despite the head start, the golem horses chewed up the distance between them and their quarry.
"We've got to help." I took out my wand. "Ivy, you steer, and I'll fire."
Ivy clapped her hands together. "Blast 'em good, Conrad!"
"We're right behind you," Ambria called.
Max reached into his side satchel and withdrew small yellow marbles. "Those golem horses are no match for banana peel!"
Ambria groaned. "That's a terrible name for a potion."
"No, it's not." Max changed from a cross-legged position to his knees for better balance. "Just get me in front of them."
"We'll pace you and lay down covering fire," Stan said.
I nodded. "Let's go."
Ivy swooped down toward the road. The posse was too absorbed in the chase to see us coming. All except for Garkin. The magitsu master jumped up in his saddle and balanced on his feet, a thick staff in his hand.
I turned to Max. "Get Garkin first!"
"Got it!" Max gripped two potion balls in his hand and cocked his arm back. "Get me closer."
I fired a storm of kinetic bullets at Garkin, missing by a wide margin since my target was moving so fast. I switched to, Electro, a lightning spell I'd programmed into my arcwand. Bolts of electricity rained down in the path of the posse. Garkin snarled and threw up a shield to divert my attacks, giving Ambria a chance to fly over them without return fire.
Max threw two potion balls in front of the galloping horses. A bright yellow slick carpeted the gravel road in seconds, but Talbot, Delilah, and those at the head of the group had time to dodge. Garkin's wooden horse wasn't quick enough. Its hooves lost traction and the golem spun off the road. Garkin vaulted from its back and landed safely on the road, but his magical beast smashed into a barbed wire fence and rolled into a tangle. Several of the blooded went down with their steeds. Wood cracked and splintered, leaving most of them on foot.
"Yes!" Max pumped a fist.
Silver bullets zinged past him as the posse turned its attention to him. Max yelped and toppled backward. A bullet ripped a hole through the carpet and Max fell with a startled shout.
"No, Max!" Ambria reached for his outstretched hand, but missed.
Percival's carpet swooped down. Nightliss reached out and caught Max before he hit the ground. The carpet sagged, losing altitude from the extra weight.
Ivy whooped.
"The carpet can't hold him!" Percival pulled up on the front end of the rug, as if that would do anything to stop their spiraling descent.
Kinetic bullets whizzed past. Ambria cast a shield to deflect them, but it wouldn't hold for long. I fired lightning bolts back at them. Without Garkin to shield them, the battle mages and wandslingers scattered to avoid the attacks.
Asha leaned out from the passenger side of the truck and fired a sizzling orange beam. It struck a mage in the chest. The man cried out and fell from his horse, chest smoking. The golem horse slowed to a stop and stood in place while the rest of the posse skirted around it. Talbot and Delilah unloaded a volley back at Asha. The rear window exploded. Tires popped, and metal pinged.
Delilah flicked her wand in a pattern I recognized from the encounter at the university. She smirked up at Max who still danged from the edge of Percival's carpet. "Dodge this, you little turd!" Glowing white energy wove into a missile the size of her wand and rocketed toward the carpet.
Sizzling red light zapped from Stan's wand, but missed the projectile. I fired, but my shot flew wide and hit the smoke trailing behind it. Ambria flashed beneath Max and spun to a halt. "Drop down!"
Max gulped and let go. One leg slipped off Ambria's carpet, but he grabbed the edges and pulled himself up. Ambria took the carpet into a steep dive. Now freed of the extra weight, Percival's carpet climbed upward. The magic missile veered after him, gathering speed and gaining.
He dodged left and right in a serpentine pattern, outrunning the missile, but unable to get it off his tail. "It's after me!" he cried. "What do I do?"
"Keep running!" Ivy screamed.
Percival aimed for the trees.
The rear tires on the pickup blew. The vehicle skidded off the road and into the ditch.
Talbot laughed. "Got 'em!"
They surrounded the truck and I had no choice but to stop firing for fear I might hit Asha or Galfandor. Ivy pulled back to a safe distance and the others drifted around us, faces tight with anxiety.
"What do we do?" Ambria said.
"We just have to attack them all at once," Ivy said.
"No, we might hit Asha and Galfandor." Stan frowned and looked back down the road. Garkin and his people were nearly half a mile away and walking toward us. "I might have an idea."
One of the mages jumped off his horse and jerked open the passenger door. His jubilant smile faded. "It's empty!"
Talbot chuckled. "I doubt it." He picked up a rock and threw it inside the door.
I couldn't see what happened, but heard a grunt of pain. They must have camouflaged.
Orange light blasted the mage nearest the door. He screamed and went down.
Talbot and Delilah aimed their wands at the pickup. "Cease fire and give yourselves up."
Asha emerged first, hands up, and Galfandor struggled out behind her. Blood staine
d the shoulder of his robes.
Talbot pulled Asha toward him and put his wand to her head. "Well, now. It seems we have something you might want, little Conrad."
My heart palpitated with terror at the thought of losing Asha. I can't lose my sister!
Ivy gripped my hand. "Stay calm, Conrad. We'll figure this out."
"What do you want, Talbot?" I shouted in a hoarse voice.
He chuckled. "Why, all of you, of course." He nodded toward me. "Victus is paying well to get his trophies back."
"Are you calling me a trophy?" Ivy shouted. "I'll blast you to cinders when I get my powers back!"
Talbot smirked. "Yeah, well, that ain't gonna happen, princess. Why don't you climb down off that carpet and park your cute little behind on one of these horses?"
Asha bared her teeth. "Don't do it, Conrad! Get out of here before Garkin catches up."
I looked back down the road and saw the bearded man walking stiffly down the road. We had a few minutes to make a decision, but I couldn't imagine leaving Asha in the clutches of these mercenaries.
"Victus wants me more than anyone else," I said. "I'll exchange myself for Galfandor and Asha. Otherwise, we leave and you get nothing."
"These two are worth a pretty penny, but you're right." Talbot glanced sideways at Delilah. "The boy is worth ten times more."
"I'll take that deal," Delilah said. "We can always hunt down the rest of them later."
"True." Talbot nodded and turned back to me. "Just come on down and we'll let your friends go." He flashed his teeth. "Promise."
"No!" Ambria flew her carpet next to mine and grabbed my arm. "I won't let you do it."
"Don't do it!" Asha shouted.
Galfandor struggled uselessly in their grasp. "Fly away, now, Conrad. Don't believe them."
"My word is good," Talbot said in a hurt tone. "I will honor any deal I make."
"How do I know I can trust you?" I said.
"It doesn't matter." Ambria's grip tightened on my arm. "I won't let you go. If you even try, I'll go with you."
"I won't let you go either," Ivy said.
Max nodded. "Me either."
I lowered my voice so it wouldn't carry. "I can't leave Asha and Galfandor."
I heard shouting behind me. "Someone help me!"
I spun and saw Percival flying at top speed from the forest, the magic missile still hot on his tail. Nightliss crouched behind him, eyes wide.
Talbot shook his head and chuckled. "I told you not to fire that damned spell."
"It'll be a hoot when it hits them," Delilah said.
"Yeah, but you'll damage the merchandise." Talbot sighed.
The missile trailed the carpet by maybe ten yards, slowly closing the gap. I thought back to when Delilah fired the missile. It hadn't followed Max when he jumped, which meant it was probably homing in on the carpet and not the people.
"Get me to that carpet," I told Ivy.
"You got it." She leaned forward and our carpet zipped on an intercept course. We pulled even and paced Percival.
I held out a hand to Nightliss. "Trade places with me."
"But the missile—"
"Do it now!" I grabbed her hand and pulled her over, stepping across to the vacated spot.
Percival looked back at me. "What are you doing?"
"Get on behind Nightliss." I nudged him.
"But the carpet can't handle three people."
"It's better than blowing up with this one." I grabbed his sleeve. "Do it."
"Justin, what are you doing?" Ivy said.
My forehead pinched in confusion. "Justin?"
"Oh, I mean—" Ivy shook her head. "I'm sorry, I keep having flashbacks. This feels so familiar."
I grabbed Percival. "Go, now!"
The healer gave me a worried look, then stepped over to the pacing carpet.
Freed of the extra weight, my carpet gained speed, but not enough to outrun the magic missile for long. I veered in a circle and looked down at Talbot. "Hey, you want me? Fine. I'll come to you." I dove straight at them.
The smirks on Talbot's and Delilah's faces turned upside down in a heartbeat.
I raised a fist. "You won't have any of us, you bounty-hunting bastards!"
Talbot held up his wand and opened fire. "You crazy son of a bitch!"
Delilah jerked his arm down. "Don't kill him, you fool! We won't get a bounty!"
I bared my teeth in a grin. Wind whistled past my ears and the ground rushed to claim me. The posse scattered in all directions, the golem horses galloping at breakneck speed away from Talbot and Delilah.
"You'll kill yourself and your friends!" Talbot shouted.
I raised a fist. "Better dead than prisoners!"
Delilah spun her horse and urged it away from Asha and Galfandor. Talbot cast a confused look after her then took off in pursuit, leaving my friends standing next to the truck. I took the carpet lower, aimed it toward the fleeing pair, and rolled off the side. I landed just past the barbed wire fence and at the top of the grassy ditch, rolling down the slope into the tall weeds. I came to a hard stop against the opposite bank.
The breath whooshed from my lungs. I sucked desperately for air. Hands hooked into my armpits and pulled me up to my feet.
"I've got you, Conrad," Asha said.
She pulled me back up the bank toward the fence. An explosion rocked the air as the missile caught up with the carpet. Talbot and the rest of his scattered posse spun back toward us.
Talbot laughed. "You got balls, boy, I'll give you that. But it ain't gonna change the outcome." He spun his golem horse toward us and charged.
We were grounded with nowhere to run.
Chapter 12
I finally gulped a full breath of air. "The woods. Go."
Galfandor pushed down on the barbed wire with his hand so we could climb over it. Face white with pain, he lifted his legs over the fence and clamped his hand back over his injured shoulder. We ran for the woods while Stan and the others laid down cover fire from overhead.
The posse fired back, magic bullets rippling through the air, forcing Stan to call for a retreat. The woods were too far away, and even if we reached them, what then? Talbot would just follow us in and track us down. Galfandor staggered and went to his knees. I tried to help him up, but he was too heavy.
"Leave me," he groaned. "Lost too much blood."
"No!" I tugged on him in vain. "Get up and run!"
"I can't, boy." Galfandor wheezed. "Save yourself."
I looked back and saw the golem horses vaulting the fence. Talbot and Delilah grinned with glee, wands leveled toward us while their posse fired volleys into the air to drive away Stan and the others.
A massive beam of white energy, ultraviolet ripples coiling around it, burned a smoking trench in the field between us and Talbot's people. They cried out in surprise, pulling back on the reigns of their wooden horses. Another beam incinerated one of the mages and his golem steed before he could even scream.
A single large carpet drifted over the trees, bearing the Fallen. Purah held up her hand. A ball of white flame danced around it like a miniature sun. "You would do well to leave these people alone, for I shall not allow them harm." Her voice boomed across the field, amplified by magic.
Gallifer wove strands of ultraviolet and white into a great sphere and fired it at the posse. They scattered like smoke in the wind, shouting in fear. The sphere smashed into the ground, leaving behind a crater. I spotted Garkin in the distance, standing still and looking up at the Seraphim. I couldn't see his face, but imagined even he felt fear at this sight.
I felt intense relief. They didn't abandon us. And we'd just added immense firepower to our underdog group.
"They came back!" Ivy clapped her hands. "Let's go blast the baddies!"
The high-capacity carpet drifted down to hover a few feet off the ground.
"Thank you." I dropped to the ground next to Galfandor.
Percival jumped off the overburdened carpet with Ivy an
d Nightliss, casting daggers with his eyes at the Fallen. "You knocked me out and took my potion!"
Sithain ignored him and stepped off the carpet next to the wounded old man. She pressed her hand to his shoulder and closed her eyes. Galfandor gasped. Ice crystals frosted his skin. He cried out and just as suddenly slumped.
"I have mended the wound," Sithain said. "But he must rest."
Percival's eyes went wide. "How did you do that? Can you teach me?"
"Mortals cannot channel," Purah said. "It is beyond you."
Percival glowered. "Well, that's insulting."
"We thought you'd left us," I said. "Why did you steal the potion from Percival?"
"We are not without honor and mercy," Gallifer said. "We used the potion to heal ourselves. Since you saved us from Victus, we have in turn saved you from his minions."
"Consider the debt paid." Sithain got back on her carpet. "We have been away from our realm too long and must return."
"But you promised to help me reach Seraphina." I turned to Purah. "Does your word mean nothing?"
Purah paused for a long moment. "Very well. I promised you, and so it will be. First, we must recover the modified Chalon we use to make portals in Voltis."
"Voltis?" Ambria frowned. "What in the world is that?"
"It is an interdimensional storm that touches all realms—the fringe of the only fragment of the original Earth left after the Sundering." Purah gazed at the fleeing mages racing for a portal in the field to the south of us. "Here in Eden, it is small. In Seraphina it is massive."
I still had no idea what she was talking about. "Once you retrieve your Chalon, you can take us to Seraphina?"
"Yes." She turned her gaze back to me. "We have long traveled the realms, collecting what interests us and living among the denizens to amuse ourselves."
Nightliss held up a hand. "Where is the rest of the potion?"
Gallifer shook his head somberly. "When I took the potion, the memory flood seized me before I could put down the vial. It fell and broke."
"No!" Percival ran a hand down his face. "It'll take me another week to make a new batch."
Nightliss frowned. "Can you heal me and Ivy?"
Purah shook her head. "The memory blocks use demon magic—very difficult to counter without extensive study. The potion works better."