“My dear girl,” Gallardo said after a short, derisive snort. “We all have agendas. How messed up they appear is in the eye of the beholder. In my mind, you are the ones who are mistaken. You mean to destroy a being that has come up with a plan worthy of praise. Poor Mother Earth could do with a little help. She can’t defend herself from us, can’t shake us. Much like a dog can’t shake the fleas off its back. Akeelah’s plan is nothing but laudable, in my humble opinion. I can think of a few characters we could all do without.”
A cool breeze blew through the open door. Maven took another step, eyes trained on the knife, fear etched on his features.
God, we need to shut the door. We couldn’t let Gallardo leave, not with the knowledge he possessed. I wanted to tackle him, but he was a mountain of a man. It would probably take all three of us to manage it. Then there was the knife.
But maybe it didn’t have to come to violence. Maybe we could talk him out of it. I started to say something, but Abby spoke first.
“You’re insane. You’re actually going to help that witch.”
Gallardo made no response. He simply raised his eyebrows and held a hand up as if to say “guilty as charged.”
My mind reeled. This was my fault. I’d gone out looking for this man and brought him into this. I had to stop him.
“You’ll regret it,” Faris said.
Gallardo turned his cold gaze to Faris.
“You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” Faris continued. “That monster cannot be trusted. Don’t do anything rash. Whatever you expect to gain by helping her, you won’t get it. She has no regard for anyone but herself and her goal. Someone has to stop her, and we may be the only ones who can do it. Going to her is to tempt death.” Sincerity ran clear in Faris’s voice. Gallardo had to hear it.
I waited, holding my breath, as if releasing it would cancel out all hope of making him understand. He had to listen. He had to put the stupid knife down and hear reason. If he didn’t, he’d deserve whatever fate Akeelah would have in store for him.
The air seemed to crackle with the intensity of our electrified gazes. Abby had come away from the wall, apparently no longer scared of the knife. Faris stood next to me, shoulder to shoulder, rigid and expectant. Maven, closest to Gallardo, had his blue gaze nailed to the knife, his teeth working on his lower lip, betraying his concentration.
With a slow blink and a careless shrug, Gallardo showed us how much he thought of Faris’s warning. “There is a vanishing spell in case of an emergency. I’ll always have that up my sleeve.”
And just like that, I knew there was no talking him out if it. As if cut by the quick blade of a guillotine, the tension that had held us in place split in two, both halves dropping to the floor, leaving no doubt as to what we needed to do.
Maven moved first. He jumped forward as if ejected from a catapult, shoulders low like a linebacker ready to tackle his opponent. Gallardo reacted immediately, with reflexes too lithe for a man his size.
Without hesitation, he turned on Maven and stabbed.
40
Marielle
“No!” Abby screamed as Maven crashed into Gallardo, one hand around the larger man’s wrist, holding it back. The knife hovered above Maven’s face, trembling as they struggled.
Gallardo leaned forward, putting his weight into it. The knife inched closer toward my friend. Maven’s knees bent. His whole body shook with effort. Abby screamed again, a shriek of fear for Maven’s life, but also a war cry. She lunged forward, slammed against Gallardo’s side and practically bounced off.
It was my turn to tackle him. I aimed for his legs, hoping the three of us were enough to stop the hulking man, but just as I crashed into him, he took a step back. I hit only one of his legs. My bones rattled with the impact, but I wrapped my arms around his leg and held.
As I pulled, I caught a flash of Maven’s frantic blue eyes and red face.
If only Faris could help—give us super strength or something—but Gallardo had repudiated his magic, so there was nothing he could do besides cry out for help and growl in frustration when no one came to our aid.
Gallardo twisted his knife and slashed. Maven jumped back, retreating. Gallardo missed. Not knowing what else to do, I bit into his leg. He cried out. Abby came out of nowhere and, from the side, hit Gallardo’s arm. The knife flew from his hand and clattered to the floor. The mad doctor’s mouth twisted with fury. I pulled away as he readied to kick me and managed to get away.
Maven charged again, angling his shoulder toward the Gallardo’s stomach. He slammed into the wall of flesh and wrapped his arms around a trunk-thick middle. Gallardo staggered slightly, but didn’t even lose his breath. He took Maven’s arms, peeled them away and threw him off to one side.
Abby attacked again, her little fists hitting his chest, like a two-year-old trying to beat on a gorilla. With a meaty hand, he grabbed her face and pushed her down to her knees. Her arms whirled like windmills unable to reach him.
I whizzed by Abby and went for Gallardo’s legs again and finally caught him off guard. He lost his balance and stumbled backward, hitting one of the still-closed double doors.
The jarring impact against his thick legs left me on the ground, blinking and trying to regain my bearings. Taking advantage to this, he pulled a leg back and threw a mean kick straight for my jaw.
“Marielle, watch out!” Faris cried out.
I turned, but just barely in time, and the side of Gallardo’s shoe still knocked my jaw. I cried out in pain. My mouth filled with blood.
Recovered, Maven slammed into Gallardo again and drove him against the door. Abby attacked, too, and dug her teeth into his forearm. Gallardo’s chest rumbled with rage and pain. He panted heavily, his face an ugly grimace. He seemed to be getting tired. It was now or never.
With all the strength I had left, I hurled myself against him. There was a groan of wood and then a crack. The door gave way and spilled us onto a cobblestone backyard, where we fell in a heap on top of each other. Abby and I rolled to the side and got to our feet, gasping for air.
Maven scrambled, climbed on top of the barrel-chested man and wrapped his hands around his neck. The older man seized Maven’s wrists and rolled. They switched places. One of his mallet-sized hands drew back and slammed against Maven’s jaw with bone cracking force. Blond hair whipped to one side as Maven’s head snapped with the impact. His eyes rolled, lost focus. He passed out.
Behind us, Faris growled in frustration. He had so much power and couldn’t do anything to help.
Short legs pumping, Abby ran to Gallardo, jumped on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. He stood up, legs apart with Maven, unconscious, between his feet. I moved closer, with the idea of kicking him where it would hurt the most. That had to be the only way to stop the monstrous beast. But, as I drew my foot back, Gallardo swung.
Abby’s feet flew wild.
A heavy combat boot caught me on the side of the head. The force of the blow made me sway and got my ears ringing. The small trees that dotted the courtyard spun, becoming black blobs against a dark gray sky. I staggered to one side. Faris caught me mid-fall and held me up. My vision blurred. My stomach rolled with sudden nausea.
Through a haze, I watched Gallardo unclasp Abby’s arms from around his neck and, still spinning, release her. Snarling like a feral cat, Abby went flying. She tumbled through the air, a light china doll on a doomed trajectory toward a wrought iron furniture set.
For a moment, it felt as if I were the one flying through the air. I tensed, bracing myself for the collision. Faris took a step forward, trembling. I put a hand on his arm. He could help Abby, catch her in an invisible mitten, and deposit her on the ground, unharmed. But Akeelah and her thugs were far more dangerous than a hard knock on the head.
Abby crashed on top of the round metal table and rolled off the edge. She groaned and curled inward, wrapping her arms around her stomach.
She’s fine. She’s fine, I assured myself, feeling
like a traitor for letting her take that hit.
My blurry gaze returned to Gallardo.
He shook himself, breathing heavily. Chest heaving up and down, he looked at us from under bushy eyebrows, eyes blazing with hatred. Sweat ran down his face. He wiped a large hand across his thick mustache.
Baring his teeth, he said, “You’ll pay for this.” He looked skyward, craning his neck. His eyes danced around as if looking for something. I didn’t have to think twice to know what he intended to do.
“We have to get out here,” I said in a hissing whisper.
Had it all been for naught? Did we have no hope of stopping Akeelah? That’s when it hit me. Quickly, I leaned toward Faris and whispered into his ear. Once I told him what we should do if Akeelah found us, he pulled away, looked deep into my eyes and nodded.
“Hey,” Gallardo shouted as he noticed us. “You,” he said, shaking a finger at us as if we were naughty children. He smiled wickedly, then shouted at the top of his lungs, head thrown back toward the heavens. “Come and find us, Akeelah! We are here! I have the knowledge you seek!”
41
Marielle
As Gallardo’s gruff shout echoed through the courtyard, Faris and I stood hand in hand, looking up at the night sky, feeling as if we were holding our beating hearts between our clasped palms.
I held my breath, frozen. Nothing happened. The night was still for a moment, then a light came on in one of the hostel windows. Someone shouted in Italian and, by the tone, it had to be something ugly.
Faris shook himself. My lungs unlocked and started to pump. We couldn’t stand here waiting to see if Akeelah would respond to Gallardo’s call.
“Get Abby,” Faris said, pointing a finger toward the small shape under the shadow of the patio table. I ran to her while he hurried to Maven’s side.
“C’mon, Abby. Let get out of here.” She blinked up at me from the ground. She looked dazed and unfit to go anywhere. Quickly, I slipped my hands under her arms and dragged her back toward the room.
A loud boom sounded overhead, like a supersonic plane breaking the sound barrier.
“Akeelah,” Faris said between clenched teeth, kneeling next to Maven.
Gallardo laughed in delight and searched the sky.
Faris hauled Maven to his feet. “Wake up,” he ordered. Maven’s eyes snapped open. He blinked several times. “You’re fine. Get ready to leave.” Faris turned his attention to Abby and me.
Abby frowned and shook her head. “What the . . . ?” She righted herself without my help.
The cut inside my mouth disappeared and the side of my head stopped hurting. My gaze flicked to Faris’s. He nodded. He’d used his magic to heal us.
I pulled Abby along, but froze when a giant, shimmering sphere fell from the sky and crashed onto the courtyard. Cobblestones flew in every direction. A wild wind blew like a tornado. My hair whipped in all directions. Metal furniture slid out of the way, rattling and scratching the stone floor. Gallardo backed away, a forearm in front of his face, clothes flapping behind him.
The massive orb churned with electricity, glowing and cracking. I squinted through my wind-whipped hair, clutching Abby’s arm.
Slowly, the haze of dust and electricity around the sphere dissipated. I blinked slowly, sure that when I opened my eyes again, Akeelah would be standing in front of me.
But I was wrong.
My hair went still. I blinked my eyes open to find the courtyard gone and, in its place: two elevators, both open.
“Get in,” Faris ordered, pushing us into the one on the left. As we filed in, he hurried inside the other one.
“Faris!” I stopped, panic surging in my chest. I wasn’t getting separated from him. Not ever again. I started toward him, but he was quickly in and out—only stopping to punch one of the buttons.
“Decoy,” he said, practically picking me up to deposit me next to Abby and Maven, who stood dumbfounded, inspecting the straps around their shoulders and the helmets strapped to their heads.
“Oh, shit!” Abby exclaimed. She looked at Maven, then at me, making me realize there were things strapped to my own back and head as well as Faris’s.
“Parachutes?” Maven said, the word a scared squeak.
“The other elevator is going down. We’re going up,” Faris pressed the right-most button at the top of the panel. It lit up reading 163.
I blinked at the little screen above the elevator door. It read 161, which apparently was the floor on which we’d materialized. Abby swallowed audibly. Maven cursed under his breath. A few seconds later, there was a ding. The doors opened.
God, where are we?!
I racked my brain and remembered hearing the Willis Tower in Chicago has 108 floors. But 163? What building has that many floors? And on which side of the world?
Before I could come up with an answer, Faris rushed out of the elevator. We followed him and met with a dark night sky sprinkled with stars. A jumping platform waited for us. Something Faris must have planted there with the same burst of magic that had transported us from Venice, had lined up the elevator, had provided the gear, and God knew what else.
We climbed onto the platform and followed the narrow metal plank to the very end. The wind blew with a deafening roar, even through my helmet. Faris indicated the goggles at our necks and put his on. I did likewise, hands shaking. Faris mimed something. He tapped his head and shook a finger at us, then made a plunging motion with his hand.
Don’t think. Just jump.
Thinking wouldn’t save us. Akeelah would be on our trail any second, we had to jump.
Heart in my throat, I watched Faris get to the very edge of the platform and jump without preamble. I hesitated for only an instant, because what else was there to do but jump? Besides, I would take my chances with Faris any day. I trusted him completely and would follow him to the end of the world. Fear of heights or anything else meant nothing compared to that.
I looked back at Abby and Maven, gave them a oh-well shrug—even when inside I was screaming holy-crap—and plunged head first after Faris.
I fought the urge to shut my eyes. A fierce, cold wind buffeted my cheeks, making me feel like a bulldog. An endless night appeared to rush upward as I fell. Adrenaline coursed through my body, filling me with a strange euphoric sensation. I wanted to laugh and cry and whoop all at the same time.
When I came to my senses, I spotted a huge, illuminated body of water that looked as big as a lake, but couldn’t be—not with its perfect blue color and interesting shape. Around it, there were many tall buildings and barely any flat land. Impossibly, my heart hammered faster and harder. What if I fell in the water? What if I crashed into one of the buildings?
Frantically, I searched for Faris. I spotted him, a dark shape barely perceptible against the night sky. Slowly, I aimed my body in his direction, changing my course little by little. I thought of Abby and Maven and prayed they were behind us.
I continued to fall and fall and fall. An eternity passed and, for a panicked second, I imagined the ground stretching away, a mirage I would never reach.
Finally, I caught sight of Faris’s parachute unfolding. It was black—not like the bright colored ones we’d used at New River Gorge—and well camouflaged against the night.
I waited a couple of seconds before deploying my own parachute. I pulled the cord with a confident tug, trusting Faris would intervene if anything went wrong. In spite of that, my stomach clenched as the straps bit into my body. There was a loud snap that caused my heart to falter. The sounds made me imagine Akeelah dropping from the sky in a ball of hellish fire. I shook the idea away.
As I gently floated toward the ground, my thoughts alternated between hopeful and nightmarish.
We’ll make it.
Akeelah will catch us.
Just shut up! We’ll make it.
Feeling like a bipolar mess, I looked up, trying to spot Abby and Maven, but all I saw was my own black parachute and the many cords keeping me tethered to
it.
I turned my eyes to the ground again and spotted Faris landing in the middle of a parking lot, the reflective body of water to his right. As he touched the ground, he ran a couple of steps, gathered his parachute out of the way and turned to wait for me. I maneuvered myself into position using the steering lines, glad I’d had some practice just a few days ago.
I was only twenty feet from the ground when a gust of wind got under me and tipped one side of my parachute. Faris tried to catch me, but I overshot him and came to a crashing halt on the other side of him, painfully jamming my legs against the ground. An electric jolt traveled up my back, making me feel as if I would snap in two. Cringing from pain, I rolled to one side like a heavy lump.
In an instant, Faris was at my side, deftly undoing the parachute. “Are you okay?” He asked, eyes wide with worry.
“I—I don’t know. I think so.” The pain in my legs came and went in waves, but it didn’t feel as if anything was broken. Reminded of my friends, I snapped up, propping myself on one elbow. “Abby! Maven!” I pointed at their descending figures, relieved to see they had made the jump.
Maven hit the ground first. He didn’t land smoothly either, but had the presence of mind to tuck his legs and roll as soon his tennis shoes touched the asphalt. Abby alighted like a feather and ran a little ways as her chute flattened to the ground.
She punched the air. “That was freakin’ awesome!” she exclaimed in a contained shout, though it was obvious she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs.
Faris helped me to my feet and pressed me tight against him for a moment before letting me go. Then, turning toward a row of parked cars, he took something out of his pocket and pointed it at a black SUV. The back popped open.
Abby made a “can be you believe this shit?” face. I wondered how long this car had been stashed here, how much preparation Faris had gone through to ensure my safety. At the thought, my stomach did a little flip. Maybe there was a deranged Djinn trying to get me killed, but by God, someone loved me the way everyone deserves to be loved.
One Wish Away: Djinn Empire Complete Series Page 51