“Is it really possible to do that?”
Mr. M stopped and stared at Jaden, the others were a good two hundred feet back. “Yes. Yes it is. It’s not pretty to witness either. Other’s with a lot less have it done to them they’re reduced to nothing, even death. This group is fast and swift and I’m embarrassed to have been associated with them.”
Harley and Jaden caught up. Brendan was lagging behind with Kayla. Two wounded souls coming up the rear. Chase stopped just short of the office and hid behind a soda machine. The rest of them continued to the far side of the street. Chase was grateful they were on the ground floor. He watched the car, the gas began to flow and the fireball was centered exactly to its target. Harley was good. The car went up in a ball of fire. The explosion was loud. Chase held up his hand and concentrated force in waves toward the heat.
The rooms all opened. Chases’ parents ran out of their room. Chase waited until they were distracted and running toward the car and he ran into the room. Lyla was sitting in a chair gagged and tied up. He picked her up in his arms and ran out the door. He turned right to dodge behind the wall but a familiar man was there, the janitor from school. He ran around the office and bolted for the street.
Kayla put her hands out and swirled dirt in a cyclone to obscure their vision. Chase made it to the others and laid Lyla on the grass. He untied her arms and undid the tie for her mouth.
“I can’t help. They drugged me.”
“Drugged you? Not a spell?”
“No. They said it would be too easy for me to break.” Lyla slumped back down on the grass. “I’m so tired.” Her left eye had swollen shut.
Chase stood and turned. He was really pissed. He threw a force of energy at the crowd of onlookers. He could see a group of people gathering. The re-enforcements for his parents had showed up. He was angry beyond reason. Chase threw a force of power at the crowd so strong it shattered all the hotel windows. Most were thrown against the building. By throwing his energy, Chase blew away the dust storm as well. They were exposed. Kayla moved the smoke between them. Harley gathered a fireball and hurled it toward the group.
Kayla reached behind her and a quiver of arrows appeared. Chase made a tree topple in front of them, Jaden flicked his fingers forward and a ring of blades few from his hands. Brendan drew a blade out of the air, circled it in an ark over his head. It broke apart into four section and small daggers flew at the crowd.
Kayla aimed an arrow at a woman advancing on Harley, the arrow struck the woman’s leg and she went down. A man dressed in black came at Brendan with a long sword. Brendan’s arm was sliced but just a little. Harley threw a fireball at the man in black, his chest erupted with fire. Brendan stood up and nodded at Harley as a thank you.
Jaden threw a blade ring at a woman advancing through the fog of smoke. It was Emily Fountaine. She dropped, her arm had been hit. Jaden stopped and stared at Mr. Fountaine. He ran to his wife’s side.
“You have no idea what you’re up against Jaden. We’re just a small group, there are thousands more, and they’re all headed here for her.”
Chase stopped hurling objects and stared at his father. “How could you?”
“Don’t be so melodramatic, Chase. We have big plans for….” He stopped talking and stared at Chase’s arm. “What?”
“Yeah, I was under your nose the whole time.” Before he could react to Chase’s words, Chase threw energy at them so hard it blew them past the hotel. While Chase had been distracted by his parents, the large group had doubled. Harley couldn’t throw fireballs fast enough, Brendan was standing guard in front of her making no progress with his sword. Mr. M was kneeling next to Jaden, who had been struck in the arm and Kayla was firing arrow after arrow but missed as many as she landed.
Just behind Chase, Lyla had gathered enough energy to stand. Chase turned just in time to see a lethal spell in the form of a bolt of energy hit her square in the chest. Chase lowered his hand and ducked. The area looked to be in slow motion. Everyone ran for Lyla. Chase didn’t remember moving his feet but somehow he ended up at Lyla first. Chase scooped her up off the ground and her head fell back, hair grazing the ground.
“Lyla!” Chase screamed. The others stood guard, forming a semi-circle in front of the two. Jaden wielding his blades, blood dripping down his arm. Harley throwing flames out as fast as she could, Brendan threw daggers. The assault came at them more fierce than before. More of the opposition was gathering. Chase buried his face into Lyla’s hair, he felt her power draining and used it, he thought of a chain broken then mended. At the bottom of the chain was a heart, her heart. He filled it with power, emotion and need. The need he had for her to live. It was a spell older than the heavens. Chase held Lyla tight. A beam of light shot out of him like a sonic boom. Everyone was knocked off their feet.
The area was silent. Leaves fell from the trees, dust came down and settled. Harley stood up. She had hit her head against Brendan’s. “Christ you have a hard head.” She rubbed where they hit each other.
“You okay?” Brendan sat up a few feet away from where he had been. Harley was draped across him. He looked around. Jaden was standing, Kayla was on her knees, Brendan followed Jaden’s gaze. Chase and Lyla were gone.
Jaden ran over to where they had been. A black scorch mark made a perfect outline of their bodies. Jaden looked around, the opposition was leaving. Jaden looked at Brendan and walked back to him. “They’re gone. Brendan, they’re gone.” He rubbed his eyes. Tears ran down his face. “Where did they go? They’re gone!”
Brendan, Harley and Kayla joined Jaden at the spot. Harley bent down and inspected the ground. “No sign of their death Jaden, I don’t think they’re dead.”
“Then where are they? How did he do that?”
“How did he throw you a few months ago? How did he read our mind? How did he feel Lyla? Chase has gifts dude. We all underestimated how powerful he’s become.”
Mr. M staggered over to them. “They’re leaving.” He collapsed on the ground.
Jaden inspected him. “It’s a spell. He’ll be okay in a minute.”
Kayla came over and placed a hand on his chest that left a glowing impression. The print sunk into his chest. Mr. M opened his eyes and stared up at Kayla. “Thank you. It’s nice to know someone was paying attention in my class.” He looked around. “Where’s Chase? Where’s Lyla?”
“Dad, that boom was Chase. They’re gone.”
“What?”
“They’re gone. We don’t know where.”
“Not dead.”
Everyone looked around at each other. They couldn’t say for sure. Kayla spoke up. “I don’t think so Mr. M, I was watching, I think he just kind of teleported somewhere. But I don’t know about Lyla, she was pretty lifeless.”
“Without Lyla there wouldn’t be a Chase.” Mr. M stood. “Let’s get back before police arrive.”
They loaded the car and pulled out of there. They entered Mr. M’s house around two a.m. All of them sat around the table and went over it again.
“You said you found no sign of them? Just a black outline?”
Harley took the lead. “Yes. I don’t believe they’re dead. I think they’re just gone.”
“Then this is what we’ll do. We hold a funeral for both of them.” Mr. M had to stop and wipe his eyes. “Then as soon as you can, I want you to scour the books.
“No.” Harley stood in front of everyone staring at Mr. M. “It’s enough of the books, we leave.”
“It’s too dangerous, Harley!”
“Do you think what Chase has been through these past few months isn’t? We owe it to him and Lyla to find out where they went. Lyla was in bad shape. What happens to Chase if Lyla dies? Death?”
Mr. M looked up. “Yes.”
“Then we leave as soon as possible. Where is the closest Charmed help-house?”
“Tallahassee.”
“Then we start there.”
The funeral was one of the largest Lakeland had seen. Mr. M kn
ew it was because of the word spreading about their powers. Curiosity brought enough Charmed to the city to overload the tiny community.
The caskets were closed. Mr. M didn’t think he was fooling anyone but it was worth a shot.
Chase’s parent’s went up to the casket and made a show of grieving. Mr. M met them on their way back to their seat. “I suggest you two exit Lakeland. Tales of what you’ve done are spreading. If we weren’t in front of so many people I’d kill you myself. Right now.”
Mr. Fountaine swallowed hard. He took his wife by the arm and steered her away from Mr. M.
The next day, the four of them made preparations to leave.
“You’re sure you have everything? The locator? Tent? Food? Car?”
“Yes Mr. M, of course we do.” Brendan was trying to ease his stress but it wasn’t working.
They filed into Jaden’s truck. Jaden lowered his voice, “Dad, I’ll bring them back.”
Mr. M looked up, patted him on the shoulder, tears in his eyes. “I know. I can’t help but worry.”
“I’m glad you’re here in case they show up.” Jaden broke off, tears forming again. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
“Take care Jaden, call in Tallahassee, after your meeting at the house. Remember not to give anything away. How is your arm?”
Jaden looked down at his bandaged shoulder. “It’ll heal, it wasn’t that bad. I’ll call as soon as I get there.” He hugged his father, got into the truck, adjusted the rearview mirror and looked at everyone. He put the truck in gear and got out of there.
They didn’t know what they would find but all of them held out hope.
“Alright guys, to Tallahassee.” Jaden looked around him, these people were family and with any luck, he would find Chase and Lyla and they would be complete again.
Epilogue
“Sir, there’s someone at the gate.”
A large man with warm eyes the color of honey rose from his place by the fire.
“Are they friend or foe?”
“A man and woman, the woman appears to be hurt.”
“Well for heaven’s sake, let them in.”
The large man stood, towering large frame in the cozy space. He took the paper he received about the death of the young couple and threw it in the fire. It’s a pity, he thought. They could have turned the archaic world they all lived in upside-down. It was needed. He looked at the picture of his own partner, Madeleine, they could never marry. It would mean death for her. Children were out as well, but it had been a good life because they were together.
The young man returned. “Sir, I put them in the closest room.”
“Thank you, Sebastian.” He watched the young man go down the hallway, his long hair moving with his walk. He would have to talk to him about cutting his hair.
He walked to the room they reserved for the sick. He stopped in the doorway. A young man was sitting on the bed cradling a woman who was clearly hurt. They couldn’t have been more than eighteen, he thought. His eyes flashed to the young man’s arm, the wicked lines running up and down that matched his partners.
He came into the room with a fluid motion that belied his size and shut the door quickly. He held his hand out. “Tom Henderson, at your service.”
The young man shook his hand. “Chase.” He looked down at the girl in his arms. “Chase and Lyla Fountaine.”
About the Author
Dianne Nutting grew up in the Pacific Northwest, but now lives in sunny Lakeland, Florida with her family. When she’s not carting kids off to various sporting events, she does voiceovers for companies from her home studio. For upcoming stories and to see what she’s up to in Florida, follow Dianne on: www.dnutting.blogspot.com
Hurricane (The Charmed) Page 13