by Kaitlyn Hoyt
I take a few steps to my right and watch as Zahtri takes a few steps to his left. We’re now moving in a circle. As long as he’s closer to the cliff’s edge…
Zahtri smiles at me before running straight at me. I’m not prepared for the sudden attack, so I don’t have time to move away. Zahtri’s movements are much quicker than any of the mages I’ve fought before. He barrels into me and knocks me to the ground again. My head instantly starts throbbing and my back aches from being slammed into the hard ground. He just had to choose a cliff, didn’t he? He couldn’t have chosen a soft grassy meadow?
Instantly, my magic shoots out of me and pushes Zahtri off of me. Look for weaknesses. That’s what Bragden taught me during our training sessions. My opponents are always going to be bigger than me, so I have to look for weaknesses. Zahtri stands up right as I bring my arms up. The liquid lightning shoots out of my palms and goes straight for his chest. With my hand out, I try to stand but dizziness overcomes me and I stumble to the side. He jumps to the side, but some of my magic hits him on the shoulder.
I catch Zahtri’s angered look right as my feet are lifted off the ground and I’m flying backward. Time seems to move in slow motion. Zahtri watches me as I’m thrust backward and land on the hard rocks, rolling three times before coming to a stop on my back. I can’t breathe and can’t hear through all the ringing in my ears. It sounds like I was suddenly transported to a busy, bustling city. There’s a lot of indiscernible noise around me. The world around me begins to spin as the clouds open up and rain down on me.
Everything goes black.
Colton
“We knew this would happen, Colton,” Liam yells as he starts fighting another Gadramick. There are less of them here now. A couple chose to leave after Ryanne attacked Dravin, but we’re still pretty close in numbers.
I elbow the man I’m fighting in the solar plexus and kick his temple when he doubles over. “I know, but I thought she’d still be here. I thought I’d be able to know if something happened to her. Right now, she’s fighting against Zahtri and none of us know what’s going on. What if she’s hurt? What if she needs help?”
“Trust her, Colton,” Natalie yells as she ducks a Gadramick’s punch. I hear someone scream to me left. I turn right as I see Emma unleash a whip on some unsuspecting Gadramicks. She sure is having fun with her new power.
Magic is flying around me in all directions. I see fire moving to my left, so Bragden and Incendia must be over there. Larkin transports in behind me and starts fighting a Gadramick.
“She has three people she can call if she needs help, Colton,” Natalie says and then screams as she flies across the field. Liam whips around and zeros in on the Gadramick who attacked his soulmate. Larkin and I step out of the way as Liam runs toward him. The man’s eyes widen as he tries to run, but Liam is quicker. Liam may not have Bragden’s size, but he’s much more intimidating and you don’t want to make him mad.
I rush over to Natalie, who’s still on the ground. I roll her over and she cries out in pain. At first, I don’t see any obvious injuries until I see the dark blood seeping through her black clothing.
“How-how bad is it?” she asks. I slowly lift the edge of her shirt up and try to keep my face calm. There’s a lot of blood coming from the wound. I look around the field. Both Logan and Liam are in the thick of the fight. There’s no way for them to get to her. Honestly, I don’t think she’ll be able to be healed by them anyway. The majority of them are using dark magic.
“It’s not that bad,” I tell her hoping to keep her calm. I need to move her out of the fighting and off to the side. Dr. Arden runs over to me and crouches down next to Natalie.
“I can help her,” he whispers as he looks around. He’s still working for Dravin; why would he try and help me? “You’re Ryanne’s soulmate. I can help.”
He’s doing this for Ryanne. I don’t know if I can fully trust him, but I do need his help on this. There’s nothing I can do and I know that Natalie won’t make it much longer. Dr. Arden bends down and picks her up. She bites her lip to keep from crying out. She’s in a lot of pain. Dr. Arden cradles her against his chest, before turning back to me. “Cover me,” he shouts as he starts walking toward the compound.
I follow closely behind, fighting off any Gadramicks that try to move toward us. I don’t know how Dr. Arden knew I was there since I’m still invisible, but I’m grateful nonetheless. He turns toward me as we make it to the back door of the compound. I reach around him and open it up, letting him enter first. He rushes past me and starts running down the hallway.
Kicking open the doors to his lab, Jedrek places Natalie down on the table and rushes to the opposite side of the room. I think about Ryanne and slowly feel the invisibility melting away. Grabbing onto Natalie’s hand, I turn her head so she can look at me.
“You’re going to be okay, Natalie. I promise. You’re going to be fine.”
“I can’t feel my legs,” she whimpers. “Why can’t I feel my legs?”
I lean down and kiss her knuckles, choosing to not answer her question. “You’re going to be okay,” I repeat as she starts shaking. She’s so pale. I recognize this amount of paleness because I’ve seen it so many times on Ryanne. I look toward Dr. Arden, who’s frantically searching through his cabinet.
“Will you tell Liam that I love him?” she asks me.
“Natalie, you can tell him yourself. Nothing is going to happen to you.” I look toward Jedrek again knowing that I shouldn’t promise her that. I said the same thing to Ryanne before she died. She’s not going to make it much longer.
“Ahh, found it,” Jedrek says as he rushes toward the table. He briefly glances at me before looking down at her. “This is going to sting a little.” He turns toward me again, warning me. I tighten my grip on Natalie’s hand. I know that I’ll probably have to hold her down.
“What is that?” I ask as he uncaps the vial.
“It’s an antidote I made once I found out that Dravin and Zahtri were making weapons infused with dark magic. I thought they were going to use it on Ryanne. I promised her I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. I thought I could save her…” he trails off as he bends over Natalie, moving the fabric of her shirt out of the way. Natalie whimpers as the cold air touches her exposed skin.
She turns and looks at Dr. Arden, “Please make it stop,” she cries. I can see the unshed tears in her eyes. She knows that she’s dying because of this wound.
Colton, where’s Natalie? I jump and look around me, searching for Liam. Dr. Arden gives me a quizzical look before he takes the lid off the bottle and places it on the desk behind him. Beside the three of us, the room is empty, but I clearly just heard his voice.
Liam?
Where’s Natalie!
How are you talking to me?
I’m inside of your subconscious. Where is she?
I try to clear my mind. I don’t know if Liam can read my mind, but I need to remain calm. Natalie needs me to remain calm. I tighten my grip again as Dr. Arden lets the antidote fall from the pipette and onto Natalie’s skin. She tries to push away from both of us, but Dr. Arden puts pressure on her shoulders, while I lean against her legs, trying to calm her down. Her screams echo through the deserted hall, alerting everyone to our location.
She’s going to be fine. Do I just think it and he’ll hear it?
Going to be?
The wound instantly starts to fizz. It gathers on her skin until a black liquid starts seeping out beneath it. “Is that normal?”
“That’s the dark magic leaving her body,” he shouts as he puts more pressure on Natalie’s shoulders. I try to tune out the screaming. We’re helping her. She’s going to live because of this. It has to be done.
The black liquid stops flowing out from the wound, and now blood only remains. “I can attempt to staunch the blood flow, but she’s going to need to be healed.”
Liam, get Logan. Tell him to come into the compound and find the lab.
What’s
going on Colton? Is Natalie okay? I can hear the panic in Liam’s voice.
She’s going to be; just get Logan.
Natalie stops screaming and turns and looks at me. I try to smile at her and let her know that everything is going to be alright, but I know it comes out wrong. She’s sweating and still looks like death has a grip on her. I lean forward and push her hair off of her damp forehead. She attempts to smile, but it comes out as more of a grimace. She winces as Dr. Arden works on stopping the blood flow until Logan can get here.
“You’re going to be okay, Natalie.” I squeeze her hand. “Logan’s coming to heal you.” She still looks so pale. While Natalie tries to calm her labored breathing, I turn and watch Dr. Arden applies gauze to the wound.
“How? I know that he hit me with dark magic.”
“He had an antidote,” I say as I point to Dr. Arden. Natalie turns and looks at him.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“Don’t thank me. I’ve done nothing worth thanking.”
“Despite what you think, you’re a good man, Dr. Arden. I can tell,” Natalie tells him. I know that she’s using her powers to sense his emotions and intentions. “You have a good heart. You were just thrown into bad circumstances. Ryanne understands.”
Dr. Arden applies more pressure to the wound. Natalie winces, but doesn’t say anything. He briefly looks away from the gauze and looks toward Natalie. “I just wish I could have proven myself to her.”
“You have. Don’t worry about that.”
The doors to the lab slam open as Logan rushes into the room. His eyes widen when he looks at Natalie. I step to the side, but keep a hold on Natalie’s hand. Dr. Arden stops applying pressure to the wound and gives Logan some room to work.
With his eyes downcast, I finally get a good look at him. Ryanne does look a lot like him. They share the same dark curly hair, the light eyes. Ryanne’s eyes are slightly larger and her nose is smaller, but it’s obvious he’s her father. I can see the same determination and sadness in both of their eyes. I wonder where Ryanne gets her small stature from. I don’t think her mom was short…
“Thank you, Logan,” Natalie says as she sits up and hugs him.
“Are you okay? Do you feel fine?” he asks her. “Liam is attacking anyone that comes near him because he has no idea what going on with you. He’s worried and taking it out on everyone.”
“I’m fine. Come on. Let’s go.”
“You should rest, Natalie,” Logan says.
“No. Liam is still out there fighting and while that is good, I need to let him know I’m fine. Also, Ryanne doesn’t get a chance to rest. We need to keep going for her. She’s fighting for her life right now, and I’m not going to rest while she’s still out there. I’ll rest when she’s back here safe.”
I smile at Natalie, proud. I even see the grateful expression on Dr. Arden’s face. “How much of that antidote do you have left?” I ask him.
“A couple more drops. I’ll help where I can, Colton.” I reach down and help Natalie stand up.
She looks down at her stomach. “Hmm…I didn’t like that.”
“Most people don’t like dying,” I tell her. “I wouldn’t make a habit of it.”
She smiles at me and starts walking toward the door. Logan follows after her. I turn around when I feel a hand on my arm. I glance down and follow the hand to a body. “Please keep her safe, Colton. Do what I can’t,” Jedrek tells me.
“I’m trying my best. She’s not making it easy though.”
“She’s just like her mom,” he says with a sad smile. “I’m glad she found you all. I’ve heard about what Dravin has done to her. Do not hesitate to kill him.”
I wish there was a way to break the bond, so he wouldn’t die if something happens to Dravin. I don’t want to see him die, but I know Dravin needs to be stopped. Dr. Arden has already accepted that he’s going to die today, so I nod. It’s a shame Ryanne never got to know this man better. Based on the look on her expression when they spoke earlier, I know she wishes she had the chance. Instead of answering him, I turn to leave the room. There’s nothing I can say that will make this situation any better.
Throwing open the back door of the compound, Natalie steps out and looks for Liam. I can see him in the back, taking on three men.
Liam? I have no idea how this mind communication of his works, but it’s actually kind of helpful. It explains so much. Liam and Bragden would always give each other these glances and I just thought since they were brothers, they understood each other more. Bragden’s probably the only person who knew about Liam’s extra power. I don’t think he ever told Ryanne. Natalie hasn’t spotted him yet, so I point her in the right direction.
Is she okay? Liam asks as he knocks out the men he’s fighting with. He turns and looks toward the compound doors. Natalie smiles widely at him when their eyes meet, and Liam starts to make his way over to us.
“You ready?” Natalie looks up at me and asks. I look at the field in front of us. Everyone is still fighting. Magic is flying in all directions. I can see Tom, Colin, and Vincent standing in the middle of the field, fighting in a circle. David and Emma are fighting beside Bragden and Incendia. They are blasting fire at anyone who steps too close to them.
We could actually do this. I look to my left, toward the platform. Dravin is using his power on mages who attempt to fight him. Natasha is standing beside him, defending him by asphyxiating people, but her eyes are scanning the crowd. If we’re going to stop him, it’s going to have to be a team effort. Liam punches a man and rushes the rest of the way to Natalie. He runs into her and picks her off the ground. Natalie laughs and wraps her arms around his neck. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt?”
“No, Dr. Arden and Logan healed me,” she says into his neck. “I’m good.”
“Dr. Arden?” Liam asks as he places Natalie back down on the ground. I unsheathe my sword and look toward the field.
“He saved her, Liam. Now, let’s get this over with.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
I’m swaying. I’ve never been on a boat before, but I imagine this is what it feels like. My head rolls to the side, and I smell the salt from the water and can hear it crashing against the shore. Maybe I am on a boat. I could get lost in this feeling. I have no control of what’s going on with my body at this moment, and since I don’t have my anchor, I’m floating away at sea.
When my head rolls back, I jolt awake. I see the dark clouds above me and Zahtri to my right. What is going on? I groan as I grab my head.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
“Solving our issue,” he answers without looking at me.
I turn to the left and see Zahtri slowly walking toward the edge of the cliff. I’m not on a boat; Zahtri is carrying me. I gasp as I attempt to get out of his arms, but he tightens his grip, holding me in place. I literally cannot move.
“This is how you want this to end?” I shout at him.
“No, but I need to get back to the field. I need to rally my men and stop all the mages. To do that, I need you out of the picture.”
“Then let’s fight. Let’s fight like everyone in that field, Zahtri.” I say as he stops on the edge of the cliff. I can feel the blood dripping down the side of my face from a cut above my eyebrow.
“It didn’t have to be like this, Ryanne. You chose this.”
I try to call my magic to me, but I can’t. What is he doing?
“I told you that you weren’t strong enough, darling. You did pretty well for a little while. Kudos for that. But I’m done playing games.”
The drop looks much longer now than it did before when I glanced down the cliff’s edge. I start fighting against Zahtri again, but it’s useless. There’s nothing I can do against him. My heart is pounding against my chest; I’m sure that he can hear its obnoxious beat. There’s no way out of this. I can’t use my magic, and in a battle of physical strength, Zahtri has me beat by a long shot. I didn’t see any weakness in his fighting earlier. T
here’s nothing I can do.
This can’t be it. It’s not supposed to end like this.
So don’t let it. I try to keep my body slack so Zahtri doesn’t sense anything.
Claire?
Use your resources, Ryanne.
What does that even mean?
Zahtri stops at the edge of the cliff. The breeze is blowing my hair in all directions. Use my resources. My resources…? What the heck does that even mean?
“It’s a shame,” Zahtri whispers. He glances down at me and shakes his head as he throws me off the edge. I scream as I flip through the air, hurtling toward the rocky water below.
My resources. I have resources?
I have resources.
“Larkin!” I scream.
If he doesn’t come…like right now, I’m dead. I feel arms wrap around my waist. I close my eyes. I hope that I didn’t just get us both killed.
I stop screaming as my back slams into the ground. The arms around my waist disappear and I roll, crashing into multiple people. A large person falls on top of me, knocking any last breath I had left in me out. I don’t even have enough energy in me to push him or her off of me. My eyes close and I start to lose consciousness yet again.
Colton
I run past Liam and Natalie and head toward Larkin and Kyril. We need all the people out here that we can get. I step behind a Gadramick and kick him behind the knees. As he falls to the ground, I kick him in the temple, knocking him out. I step up to Larkin right as he disappears. I turn toward Kyril who shrugs, unsure of where he went. Bragden and Incendia move toward us, closing the circle we’ve created in the middle of the field.
I’m amazed at how much everyone has come together the past couple of days for this moment. When we needed everyone the most, they came together. We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without them. Even mages who didn’t know each other a few days ago are now working together to ensure everyone makes it out of this alive.
I reach out and punch a man as I hear a scream echo from behind me. I kick him in the gut and push him backward as I turn around. Larkin lands flat on his back in the grass behind me and a girl lands on the ground beside him and rolls to the side, knocking into David. He attempts to move back, but he loses his balance and falls on top of her.