by MJ Fletcher
“You will pay, little girl.” Her eyes darted down at her key and she gulped.
“I’m no little girl, and go for it.” I sneered and brought my whip up in a long arc. True’s hand shot out for her key... I was faster. I brought my whip down in a blazing trail of energy and cracked it across her back with a snapping sound that rattled the room. Her scream lasted a moment and then she collapsed to the floor.
When I saw that she wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon, I spun, ran and jumped over the broken remains of the table to get to Edgar. Nightshade and Charlie were still locked in battle and I ignored them. I had no doubt that Nightshade could hold his own. Books and bits of debris were lying all around Edgar and I tossed them aside to reach him. He was slouched over, his head hanging down. I grabbed his arm and pushed his head back and it rolled to the side. Blood dripped from his head and another thin line dribbled from the corner of his mouth.
“Edgar?” I shook him trying to revive him, my hands trembling.
“What?” the word bubbled out of his mouth weakly.
“Thank God. Can you move? We need to get the hell out of here.” I tried to lift him but he was dead weight. He grunted in pain as I pushed at him. “I’m sorry.”
“The book?” Edgar gasped.
“I don’t care about some stupid book; I have to get you out of here.” I tried to move him again and he grabbed my arm with such forced I stopped and looked at him.
“Get the book.” He was shaking and spoke through clenched teeth.
“Okay.” I nodded and turned to scan the room. Nightshade was pushing Charles back with a blistering attack. I glanced around searching for the book and saw it lying on the ground near the other half of the table I had destroyed. I patted Edgar on the arm to let him know I’d be right back, hopped up, and made a mad dash for the book. I slid to a stop and reached down grabbing it.
“You’ll never win, Nightshade,” Charles yelled. “You’re done; it’s over. It’s just a matter of time before we defeat all the Societies.”
“You think I care!” Nightshade seethed attacking Charles with such non-stop frenzy that he had difficulty defending himself.
“Join us,” Charles urged with a quiver.
“Join a traitor?” Nightshade spat. “Never!”
“It wasn’t my fault. Darker wasn’t supposed to hurt anyone. He killed Lauren, not me.” Charles’s powers were waning, his shields getting weaker while Nightshade grew stronger, his rage driving him to a new level of energy.
“Not your fault? They were your friends, you betrayed them. You told the First Kind where they were and what they found. What did you think would happen? That Darker would stroll in and pleasantly ask for what he wanted. You set them up to die. You might as well have killed Lauren yourself,” Nightshade roared, bringing his arm down to release a massive wave of crimson energy that crushed the remaining shield.
Charles collapsed to the ground, drained of all energy, gasping for breath. Nightshade walked calmly over to stand in front of him.
“You win.” Charles conceded and looked up at Nightshade. “Now what?”
“Now you pay.”
“You’re one of the good guys. You won’t harm me,” Charles snickered.
“Who said I was a good guy?” Damn, if his dead cold tone didn’t run a shiver up my spine.
Nightshade lifted his key and pointed it at Charlie’s head. His eyes went wide and his face drained of all color as wisps of energy crept toward him.
“You can’t!” Charles yelled.
“Yes, I can.” Nightshade smiled and none too pleasantly. The power wrapped around Charlie’s head the misty tendrils crawling into his mouth and ears and up his nostrils seeping into his skull. He tried to scream but all that came out was a choking noise and the sound of locks clicking around his head over and over. His entire body convulsed and Nightshade flicked his wrist and the energy vanished. Nightshade collapsed to the ground passing out.
Charles stared off into nothingness, his eyes blank and a line of drool dripping from his mouth. Whatever Nightshade had done; Charlie wasn’t there anymore.
I was so preoccupied with the fight I never felt the blast. The energy ripped into me knocking the wind from my lungs and smashing me to the ground. I could taste my own blood in my mouth and my side burned with pain from what I assumed was broken ribs.
“Times up, sweetheart.” My mother stood in the doorway her key extended toward me, tendrils of power floating around it. She walked into the room with a broad smile and stopped and looked down at the book, tucked against my side and probably the reason for the broken ribs. She leaned down and yanked it away from me not caring when I winced.
“What have we here?”
My eyes flared. How had I ever loved this woman? My hands shook but I was confident that I could grasp my doorknob and hoped that I had enough power left to create a shield.
I wanted her focus off the book so I said, “I won’t join you.” I tried to sound assertive but my chest was on fire and I feared that I had little fight left in me.
“So I see.” Mom looked around the room her eyes falling on True and Jasper. Then she turned to Nightshade and Charlie, her eyes went wide. “Well, well, I see that your friends aren’t all goodie two shoes.”
“You should talk.” Keep her talking, that was a plan and the only one I could think of. It would give the others enough time to get out of this place.
“You never answered my question. What is this?” She turned the book over in her hands.
“A souvenir.” I smiled.
“I’m sure.” She slid the book onto the lone, remaining table and stepped forward. “Now where is my artifact?”
“What artifact?” Every second I bought them was one step closer to survival for them.
“No games,” Mom warned, her energy shooting at me from her key.
I brought my doorknob up and blocked it with a shield. It wasn’t my strongest shield, but it was enough to block the attack. I groaned as I struggled to get to my feet and square off with my own mother.
“Still have some fight in you I see.”
“Against you... always.”
“You’ve already lost. I offered you everything and this is how you repay me with a smart mouth? Your father’s done a poor job in teaching you manners.” She swung her key again, directing another bolt of energy to smash into my shield, cracking it.
“No, I learned how to be a disappointment from you, Mom.” I grinned and backed up, wanting to get nearer to my friends and away from her attacks.
“Tell me where the Artifact is now!” I stepped further back, passing one of the bookshelves that hung precariously from the wall. The couple of bolts holding it up were hanging by a thread.
Bolts. My mind raced and an idea quickly formed. I followed the line of the bookshelf up toward the ceiling and wondered if I would be able to access that part of me that was an Impossible Engineer. In my mind’s eye I could see the structure of the room, how it was crafted, and why. And I spotted where the fault existed. I dropped my shield and let my power flow.
“You think you can fight me and win?” Mom laughed and shook her head.
“I know I can.” I twisted swinging my whip to the side and cracking the wall behind the dangling bookshelf. The room shuddered and the bookshelf crashed to the ground with a resounding boom and shudder, sending dust and debris flying.
My mom coughed and sputtered, waving her hand in front of her. “That was your plan? How pathetic.” My mother started toward me and the room continued to shake.
“No, Mom this is my plan.” I turned and jumped as far away from her as I could as the shuddering grew louder and the whole room started to rumble. Stones in the wall shattered and a crack raced up it and along the ceiling. Everything shifted and the beams above crashed down cutting the room in half, debris and a good section of the floor above crashed down.
I scrambled to my feet and took a deep breath, grabbing my side in pain as I examined the wreckage
that divided my mother and me on opposite sides of the room. I wasn’t sticking around to find out how long it will take her to get through. I raced over to Nightshade who was finally gaining consciousness and shook him roughly.
“What?” He groaned and forced himself up to look around. “You did this?” He pointed to the rubble.
“Yes and no time to explain. We need to get out of here. Are you strong enough to carry Edgar?”
“Yeah.” Nightshade got up, shook his head to clear it and rushed to Edgar who was out cold. He easily hefted him over his shoulder.
I looked back and caught a glimpse of Charles slumped on his knees, a blank expression on his face and drool dripping down along his chin. “What did you do to him?”
Nightshade looked past me to Charles and sneered. “I locked him in his own mind to relive his worst memories over and over... forever.”
“That’s terrible.”
“He got off light for what he did,” Nightshade said without a trace of regret. “Now what’s the plan?”
“Can you get us to the hallway where you fought the gremlins, the one with the gears on the walls?” I asked, my eyes watching the settling debris for any signs of someone breaking through.
“Yup, follow me.” He kicked open the door and we ran from the room and hopefully toward an exit.
We entered the hallway to the sounds of shrill screams. No doubt Mom had set her goons on my friends again and I feared for their safety.
Nightshade didn’t wait, he ran at top speed and I did my best to keep up with him. With him weighted down with Edgar I was our only line of defense so I had my energy whip ready. We reached a set of stairs and Nightshade took them two at a time. Reaching a landing three flights down he kicked open another door and ran through.
The skin-crawling howls started immediately and seemed to resonate from everywhere. The sound of claws on stone jarred my senses as my mind raced with images of gremlins clawing along the walls toward us. A shadow moved to my right and I snapped the whip and the darkness screamed in pain as I hit a gremlin. I spun the whip from side to side trying to keep anything near us at bay.
“Just ahead,” Nightshade said.
I looked and was never so happy to see a hole in the wall where they must have created the explosion earlier. Nightshade jumped through the opening and I followed. A growl came from directly behind me and I spun in mid-leap and turned, cracking my whip and hitting the gremlin across the face. He screeched in agony and halted sharply when he realized he wouldn’t fit through the hole.
“The hallway is just down there.” Nightshade pointed but I was preoccupied with the pack of gremlins that had formed and hovered near the opening, their mouths dripping with saliva as they tried to shove their big bulks through the hole.
“Go,” I urged, “the others should be there. I’ll hold the gremlins off.”
Nightshade didn’t argue, his footfalls fading in the distance against the stone floor.
“Come on ugly.” I snapped the whip as one of the gremlins partially squeezed his body through, his massive clawed hands swinging out at me. My side burned so badly I thought someone was poking me with a hot branding iron. I wanted to crawl up in a ball and pass out but I couldn’t. I had to buy my friends as much time as possible.
I watched as the gremlins behind the one trying to get through the hole began shoving him and I knew it was only a matter of moments before the one got through and the others followed. And sure enough the big fellow came hurdling through the hole, its claws and teeth bared as it flew across the short space toward me.
Chapter 27
Status: Time to leave.
I swung my whip around catching the gremlin in the neck and knocking it to the side. My ribs flared with pain from twisting so hard and I dropped to my knees crying out. I had to get to my feet before the gremlin regained his footing and ripped me to pieces. Suddenly warm energy wrapped around me and I looked up and almost cried when I saw Jess standing over me, blocking us both with a shield.
She placed her hand on my shoulder. “Can you walk?”
I nodded and with her hand beneath my arm she helped me up and we walked backwards keeping our eyes on the gremlin, Jess’ shield protecting us.
She stopped as we entered the long hallway with the door at the end. “Go ahead, I’ll be right there.” I hobbled off, though glanced back to see Jess create a permanent shield barrier for the hallway. It would hold off the gremlins, though it wouldn’t last as long under a First Kind attack.
I reached the ancient door, pushed it open and stepped into the room. It was large with gears rising out of the floor and all around the walls that led up to a large doorway also rising out of the ground and secured by clamps. Slade was on his knees inspecting it, Val had Edgar’s head resting in her lap and Nightshade knelt beside them.
“Are you okay?” Faith rushed up to me and I placed my hand on her shoulder and shook my head. She helped me to sit down and when Jess entered the room, she headed straight for me.
“Faith, go add some Doorknob Society defenses to the hallway. If Slade can’t make the portal work we need to be able to defend this room.” She jerked her hand toward the door she had left open. I could see clearly down the hallway, shields of shimmering crimson dotted the full length of the corridor. At the very end gremlins were crawling over one another scratching and clawing at the defenses. Faith turned to me and I nodded.
Faith walked off and energy rushed through me as she activated her doorknob.
“How are you?” Jess leaned over brushing my hair out of my face.
“Broken ribs I think and pretty bruised up. Edgar is hurt bad. We need to get out of here.” I said hoping for good news.
“Slade is working on it. He says the portal is functional but he isn’t sure how to activate it and if he does, he’s not sure if it will open up anywhere that we can go.” She sighed.
“Edgar wants to talk to you.” Nightshade stood over us.
“Okay.” I winced as I went to stand and Jess helped me up.
“I’ll help you with defenses.” Nightshade offered and he and Jess walked toward the hallway.
I limped over to Edgar and Val and leaned against the wall for support so that I could slide down to sit next to them. Val looked up at me her eyes red from crying as she stroked Edgar’s hair. His eyes were closed, his breathing heavy.
“I’m here, Edgar.” I reached out wrapping my hand around his. He squeezed it and was only able to open one eye.
“Did you get the book?” he winced.
I lowered my head and sighed. “I’m sorry Edgar, I had it but mom attacked me and I lost it.” He tightened his grip on my hand.
“You have to get out of here and then get it back. Promise me.”
“We’re all getting out of here and you’re going to help me get it back.” Tears welled up in my eyes but I fought them not wanting him to see how upset I was.
“With everything we’ve been through we had to lose eventually, Chloe. The odds were always against us and it’s just my time.” He coughed and his body shook. Val cried and rested a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“No it’s not,” I said adamantly. “And don’t you give up. We’re getting out of here.”
“Promise me.” He turned his head, his one eye focused directly on me.
“Only if you promise me you won’t give up.”
“You are so stubborn.”
“That shouldn’t be anything new to you. Now promise me or you don’t get your promise. And you’re just as stubborn about seeing that we get that book.”
“You’re right... I promise.”
“Finally, now give me time with my girlfriend.” He smiled up at Val and she smiled back leaning down and kissing him gently on the lips.
“Sure.” I struggled to stand and walked over to the portal and Slade. He was on his back crawling under the bottom of the door and running his hands all along it. I was fighting back the tears in my eyes, angry that we were stuck in this d
amn building.
“Is it going to work?” I asked needing to hear good news.
“It’s functional; I don’t understand why it won’t activate.” He pulled himself out from under the door and sat up.
“You can’t just flip the switch?” I squeezed my arm against my side trying to stop the throbbing pain.
“That’s the odd part. It seems like I found the ignition sequence but it isn’t responding. It’s as if it needs something else.” He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair.
“If only we had the directions.” I kicked at the floor.
“Damn it.” Slade jumped up and ran to the side of the portal and flicked some switches.
“What?” I walked around to where he was standing and glanced at the console and its many levers and dials and a pad to depress to activate it.
“You’re right,” he said shaking his head in disbelief.
“About what?”
“Directions, it needs directions. I should have thought of it. It’s not activating because it needs to know where to open to. It can only be activated by a mapmaker.” He looked over to Edgar lying on the floor.
I followed his glance and shook my head. “He’s too weak, it could kill him.”
“We don’t have any other options.”
I gritted my teeth, maybe I could do it. I am a Polymorph. But I had never studied with the Mapmakers. I could access Impossible Engineer powers because I had trained with them. I doubted I could have any effect on the portal.
“Damn!”
“You want me to talk to him?” Slade offered.
“No, I’ll do it.” I walked back to Edgar. Val leaned over him her lips near his ear and giggling.
“Edgar, it’s time to keep that promise,” He turned his head. “Slade figured out how to make it work.”
“That’s great so we can get out here right?” Val was smiling.
“Someone has to activate it and tell it where to open,” I said.
“You need a Mapmaker.” Edgar coughed.
“Yes.”
“Wait a second, what‘s going on?” Val asked nervously looking back and forth between us.