Lost Vegas Series

by Lizzy Ford

  “Tell me how to help,” Arthur said urgently to Tiana.

  “He is blocking them and widening the tear,” Tiana said. “I cannot stop the tear while he does this.” Her eyes were glazed, and Arthur sensed his sister was already close to spent.

  “It stands to reason he cannot defend himself and widen the tear, if you are fighting him,” he said. “If this were a typical battle, I would remove the greatest threat to you so that you can remove the greatest threat to us.”

  As she listened, her eyes went to their father. “You always know what to do.”

  Arthur was about to remind her he was all but helpless in a battle where he was neither the heir nor a skinwalker. Tiana walked away from him and lifted her arms. Hidden from view behind the skinwalkers, Arthur felt the energy coalesce and swirl around her before a blast of power rippled outward, ricocheting off buildings and shaking the earth.

  It knocked the three skinwalkers off their feet, earning her a glare from the tigress. Only then did Arthur see their father. She had flung him down the street. He was staggering to his feet, temporarily disabled.

  “Go,” she whispered to the skinwalkers. They needed no second encouragement and bolted towards their common enemy. Tiana sent another blast, this one better aimed, and it shoved their father even farther away.

  The buildings on either side of them imploded in a hail of dust and pebbles. The pyramid leaned and groaned, falling halfway into the hole with its tip propped up on the outer edge of the hole.

  The sight of their home on the brink of destruction caused both of them to pause. Tiana’s features were ashen.

  Arthur recovered first and nudged his sister. “Hurry. I will warn you if our father tries to attack again,” he said. “Pull the hole away from that direction first.” He pointed to the ward through which his uncle and Diving Eagle’s warriors were likely to come.

  Tiana returned to the edge of the tear between this world and the next and lifted her arms again.

  Arthur stood to the side, glancing between the skinwalkers and hole. The skinwalkers managed to pounce and begin mauling his father before Edwin Hanover repulsed them with his telekinesis. But they did not go far, as if he was weakening.

  The tear began to retreat towards its center, away from the forces of Simon and Diving Eagle. Arthur watched with no small amount of surprise. His sister, the sweet, naïve, tiny girl who barely survived this far, was more powerful than anyone he had met. Pride bubbled within him to know she was more special than he had originally believed.

  His eyes went to their father, who was climbing to his feet, bloodied and furious. Aveline loped back towards Tiana and resumed her protective stance in front of Arthur and Tiana. The other two skinwalkers remained down the street, pacing and stalking the Hanover leader.

  “Good!” he called to Tiana above the roaring wind being sucked into the hole. “Now, can you hold it there and put our father down again?”

  Tiana nodded and stepped back with one foot, until she was in a position to extend one arm towards their father. She knocked him back again. Before the skinwalkers could pounce, their father rebuffed them and sent several streaks of lightning arcing down the street towards Tiana. Aveline blocked the first and was knocked to the ground.

  Arthur tackled Tiana to the ground. Immediately, his head exploded into light and dark. Unable to identify whether her power, or the lightning had hit him, he rolled to the side and lay still. Pain pierced him and he fought to remain conscious.

  “Arthur!” Tiana cried.

  Arthur shook his head to clear his vision. She knelt beside him. Covered in dirt and mud, Aveline stood over him protectively.

  “I am well,” he said and forced a smile. He started to sit – and gasped as pain ricocheted within him. Warmth soaked his side, and he reached for the spot. His hand came away bloody.

  Tiana was gazing at him, stricken.

  “It is minor,” he assured her. “Go back to what you were doing. Stabilize the tear and disable our father so the skinwalkers can eliminate him.”

  She hesitated then stood, returning to her stance.

  Arthur did not let her see his grimace of pain. He tugged his shirt up and stared. His father had put a hole in his side, much larger than would be caused by a bullet. Blood poured down his leg and hip. He lowered the shirt.

  Aveline was watching him, understanding in her large eyes.

  Keep quiet. He directed the words towards her and indicated Tiana with a nod of his head.

  She resumed her defensive position. Arthur rose with effort, determined to help his sisters in what ways he could.

  Tiana was maintaining the hold on both her father and the tear – but gaining no real ground with either. Before he could advise her on how to change her tactic, Arthur found himself floating upward. He was not alone. Aveline lifted off the ground and began to thrash wildly. Down the street, the tigress skinwalker, who was closest to the Hanover chief, was midair as well.

  Aveline’s growl of frustration drew Tiana’s gaze, and she gasped.

  “Focus!” Arthur ordered her. “He is trying to distract you!”

  All three airborne people were tossed towards the center of the hole.

  Tiana’s attention shifted away from both her tasks. Arthur felt himself yanked away, back to safety, Aveline beside him. The tigress roared from her position midair above the gaping hole.

  Arthur’s feet touched the ground. He saw Tiana’s body shift as her power went from him to the tigress.

  Two more bolts of lightning smashed into Tiana, and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

  The tigress dropped and disappeared into the hole. Aveline gave a mournful cry.

  Arthur hurried to Tiana’s side, as did Aveline.

  How much longer can she do this? Aveline’s concern was one Arthur shared.

  “Just a little longer,” he replied. “She has no choice. My father will destroy the known world if she does not.” The hair on the back of his neck rose, tickling, and his instincts whispered a warning. Arthur knew the danger before he turned. He grabbed the pouch that had been positioned beside Tiana’s feet. It contained a knife and two pup. He gently pulled the pup speaking her name free.

  Arthur placed it on Tiana’s chest, and Aveline nuzzled it awake.

  “Work your magic, little guide,” he said to the pup. His words for Aveline were grimmer. “Wake her. Make sure she finishes this at any cost.” He grabbed the knife and tucked it between his belt and pants at the small of his back.

  Aveline looked up when he stood. You have no power, no weapons. What are you doing? She asked.

  “I am already dead, Avi,” he said and motioned to the wound in his side. “The least I can do is buy you both some time.” He paused. “I hope you can forgive me for not knowing you existed, for not taking care of you, and for treating you terribly when we first met. I am proud to have you as my sister.”

  Don’t go, Aveline answered.

  “He will kill you both if I don’t,” Arthur replied. “Wake her.”

  He turned towards their father and began to walk down the street. Black Wolf in his bear form lay unmoving at the foot of a building near Edwin, and Arthur swallowed hard. From an alley nearby, Chases Deer and Marshall stood. Arthur stretched his senses, feeling for the presences of his uncle’s men and praying this time, Simon would not fail him.

  Simon was close, along with Diving Eagle and hundreds of others. They were hidden behind the rows of buildings flanking the street. All the warriors and soldiers for a thousand miles could not defeat Edwin Hanover, but maybe they could distract him until Tiana had recovered.

  Arthur flung open his arms to show he was unarmed, doubting it mattered at this point.

  “Father,” he said, moving towards the man whose gaze fell on him without recognition. “Tiana is done. I can do nothing. If we surrender now, will you stop the tear before it destroys our city?”

  Edwin regarded Arthur for a long moment, as if debating whether he would attack or spea
k. As if sensing Arthur spoke the truth, he lowered his arms and took a step forward.

  “It is because of you I am doing this,” his father said. “You were meant to be my heir.”

  “I do not have that ability,” Arthur replied. “And Tiana is … weak, as you have always said.”

  “No Hanover dynasty, no city.”

  “It is not that simple!” Arthur exclaimed. From the corner of his eye, he saw Black Wolf stand and shake himself off. The skinwalker was bleeding and lethargic but on his feet, which was all Arthur cared about.

  Arthur moved closer to his father. He purposely kept his mind on Tiana and the city, in case his father’s gifts extended to mind reading.

  “Do you not care that you might destroy everything? This entire world?” he pressed.

  “We are not from this world, Arthur.”

  “Our family came here for a reason, did they not?” Arthur countered. “We have killed so many to ensure our dynasty here on this world. You cannot expect me to believe you would give up this easily. Please reconsider -”

  “I will not!” Edwin boomed.

  Arthur’s instincts whispered an instant before he saw the movement in his peripheral. His father felt it as well, and they turned simultaneously.

  A flurry of arrows and gunshots rang out, smashing into the protective bubble around Edwin. The Hanover leader slammed the warriors belonging to Simon and Diving Eagle into a building and then lifted them into the air, hurling them towards the hole.

  Black Wolf slammed into Edwin from behind, driving the Hanover leader to the ground. Lightning erupted from Edwin in response. It passed through the skinwalker and smashed erratically into the surroundings, into buildings, soldiers and the sky. Fire shot through Arthur once again before he was able to dive to the ground. He lay still, panting. His ears rang and his body twitched from the power his father flung in an effort to dislodge the skinwalker.

  “Arthur!” The voice was distant, from somewhere in the darkness swallowing his mind. He saw the blurry face of Marshall bent over him, while Chases Deer stood guard. Marshall dragged him into the relative safety of an alley. “Stay with me!”

  Arthur could not move for a long moment. At last, he managed to roll onto his stomach and planted his palms into the pool of blood forming within him.

  Come out, Hanover. The voice of Black Wolf was loud in his mind.

  Arthur grimaced. He wanted to fall into unconsciousness, to let his battered body rest.

  It is time you pay the price for the deal we made, Black Wolf continued.

  “Help me up,” Arthur said, dazed.

  “You need a healer!” Chases Deer snapped.

  Arthur drew the knife from the small of his back and forced himself to his feet. He wobbled, unable to see straight and uncertain his body would carry him back out into the street.

  “What are you doing?” Marshall gripped his arm to halt his staggering walk.

  “Tiana needs help,” Arthur replied and yanked away. The movement sent him careening into the wall.

  “You are in no position … Arthur! Arthur!”

  “Stay here,” Arthur replied.

  Ignoring them, Arthur barreled recklessly into the street once more. The skinwalker was down again and struggling to rise. No one but Aveline stood between Tiana and their father, who appeared to be in little better shape than Arthur.

  Arthur had always known Black Wolf would demand a price for the favor he asked of him weeks ago. He never expected to be happy to repay the favor, and he never guessed he would do so while saving the lives of his sisters as well as the skinwalker.

  Arthur reached the middle of the street and tossed his head back. How had he never noticed how blue the sky was in morning?

  “Father!” he shouted.

  Edwin whirled to face Arthur once more.

  In the background, Arthur saw Aveline helping Tiana up. Tiana leaned heavily against the panther, and Arthur wished with all his heart that he was enough to distract his father.

  Arthur pulled out the knife. “Let’s finish this! You and me. Right here!”

  “I am finished with you, Arthur!” came the cold response.

  Arthur braced himself for the lightning, hoping he was far enough gone not to feel it when it hit. Two strikes burnt through him, and his mouth fell open in silent agony. Every nerve ending was on fire, every drop of blood screaming.

  He dropped to his knees, the knife sliding from his hand.

  Take him down, he said, hoping Aveline or Tiana or the skinwalker – or all of them – heard him.

  Blackness swallowed his mind.

  Arthur fell to the ground.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Tiana stood in shock as her brother dropped. Her mind was slow from the blows, her body aching and too hot.

  Arthur. Aveline’s mournful thought was accompanied by a soft purr.

  Arthur’s presence disappeared from Tiana’s mind, indicating he no longer lived. She stood in disbelief, unable to process what she had seen.

  Her father turned away from Arthur’s lifeless body without a flicker of concern for his son.

  Her uncle’s army, along with Diving Eagle’s warriors, poured out from their hiding places behind the buildings and into the street behind Edwin. Diving Eagle was not among them. She had his presence marked in her mind, so she could track him without thought. He and quite a few others were moving towards them from a different direction, near the edge of the tear.

  Marshall emerged from an alley and went to Arthur. He gently maneuvered her brother’s body to see if Arthur still lived then lowered his head in silent prayer.

  You must end this, Aveline told her with a nudge. No matter who he kills. Your father will destroy the lives of everyone.

  Tiana blinked out of her shock, unaware of the tears on her cheeks. Air thrashed around her as it was sucked into the hole behind her, which was growing again. But the tear between worlds no longer mattered. She replayed Arthur’s death in her mind, over and over.

  Take him out, Tiana! Aveline yelled into her mind. She took off at a lope and then a sprint, headed toward their father.

  “Wait …” Tiana called. Her limbs were heavy as she took a step forward, her mind slow to understand the world. Everything around her appeared to speed up, while she struggled to keep up let alone react. Her surroundings took on a surreal feeling, and she began to wonder if this were a vision or dream. If it were real, would she not feel pain and loss and sorrow? Would she not be able to act instead of watch?

  Aveline raced towards their father, only to be repulsed and flung into the air once more and thrown towards the hole. The panther disappeared, following her mother into the void. Aveline’s presence disappeared from Tiana’s mind.

  Tiana observed without comprehending what she saw.

  Sensing the attackers gathering behind him, Edwin turned to confront the men with a sneer, ignoring the caged skinwalker waiting to end him.

  Tiana closed her eyes and then opened them. Half the army was in the air, flying towards the void. They disappeared into the widening tear, their energies gone from her mind as well. The pyramid that had been her home listed and then toppled into the hole, followed by several more buildings. An entire ward. More soldiers.

  I cannot do this. Tiana was sinking into herself, imploding. Ready to hide forever in her room. More lives disappeared from her mind. She closed her eyes and willed herself to awaken from the nightmare.

  “Tiana!” someone gripped her arms.

  She looked up into Diving Eagle’s face, barely recognizing him. He assessed her quickly then withdrew a knife and took her arm, turning the soft underside towards the sky.

  Hot, sharp pain sliced through her denial and shock. She drew a breath, unable to recall when she had last noticed the feel of air in her lungs. His scent reached her senses next: sweat, man, leather.

  Diving Eagle lowered the bloodied knife. He released her arm and cupped her cheek with his free hand. In that moment, he was all that seemed
real, his warm touch, the roughness of his calloused hand, the intensity of his gaze, and how, even now standing beside the abyss, he was not afraid.

  “While it is true I am here as a duty to my people, I am also here because … my heart tells me I belong here. With you.” Did he say the words aloud, or had she read them from his mind? “Fight, Tiana. Only you can do this.”

  Hot tears filled her eyes. The trickle of reality turned into a flood: the whirlwind of air, energy radiating from the tear, staggering sorrow, images of those she loved dying, screams as her father struck down more of his opponents. Pain. Fear.

  Fury stronger than anything she had ever felt before.

  Wiping her eyes, Tiana turned away from Diving Eagle and singled out her father among the many forms down the street. She did not try to fight his energy this time and instead, did as she had done when she arrived to the city. She formed a dome over him and him alone, cutting off his ability to harm anyone. She started down the street, intent on finishing him, as Arthur had told her to, when the faint presence of Diving Eagle vanished suddenly from her mind.

  Tiana whirled. The tear had widened, following her, and swallowed the Native warrior and street in her wake.

  Agony twisted her gut when she began to feel all she had lost, and she froze, gazing into the void following her. It had expanded in three other directions into the neighboring wards and took up nearly half the city. Arthur, Aveline, Diving Eagle and countless others had already given their lives so that she had the chance to act. She squeezed blood from the arm Diving Eagle had cut until new pain pierced her thoughts.

  Why did his loss hurt as much as Arthur’s and Aveline’s? She had always admired him for his bravery, strength, and courage. Was there more to what she felt? Was her destiny intertwined with his, as much as hers had been with Arthur’s and Aveline’s?

  Did it matter when the world was collapsing around her?

  A heavy paw rested on her shoulders.

  You are weak. I can channel power into you, Black Wolf said into her mind.