Before the Storm

by Claire Ashgrove

  My heart lodged in my throat. Too stunned to move, I gawked. What the hell was he doing? He’d break a leg…if he was lucky.

  But to my absolute astonishment, as he cleared another foot, his body eased to a stop. He hovered, mid-air, his hair blowing around his head as if some breeze flooded up from the bottom of the cavern. He let out a laugh, as if he was actually enjoying the situation.

  When my shock wore off, the soft sound of someone murmuring filled my ears. I glanced to my right, where Spring stood, her eyes closed as she chanted beneath her breath. So that explained the breeze. But the faith Leaf had to have in her to take such a risk… I shook my head. Must have something to do with being twins. I couldn’t imagine ever trusting anyone so much.

  Slowly, Leaf descended until his knees dangled in front of Marcus’s face. “I’ll take him off your hands.”

  With a half-grin, Marcus passed Kale into Leaf’s outstretched arms. The combined weight dropped Leaf even lower, and for a moment, I questioned whether he’d manage to lift them both up. But I should have known better. Spring’s words increased in volume, and Leaf inched upward once again. Bit by bit, he elevated to the ridge.

  When the toe of his boots touched the edge of the rock, he heaved his body forward onto the landing. Spring broke her evidential trance and jogged for the ladder. Marcus nudged me after her.

  Behind us, the snarls and howls grew closer.

  All fear I’d initially experienced over the ladder vanished as I hauled myself up, hand-over-hand. I forced myself not to look down, not to look up. Merely kept my eyes level, waiting for the rungs to give way to the spikes that secured the twisty length.

  When they did, I pushed up and rolled away, panting. My heart was racing, my head in a frantic whirl, and I felt like I’d just run a marathon…through sand. But I’d made it. We all had. And escape was just a few hundred feet away. Judging from the surrounding silence on this higher level, we wouldn’t have to fight our way to freedom either.

  Marcus’s fingers wrapped around my wrist, and with one determined yank, he hauled me to my feet. “Come on, ace. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  “I couldn’t agree with you more.” For the first time in what felt like days, a smile pulled at my mouth.

  “You got him?” Marcus asked Leaf.

  “Yeah. We’re good.” He strode ahead, his gait more swagger than determined march.

  Marcus leaned in close to my ear. “He doesn’t like me much.”

  I cocked an eyebrow.

  But Spring cut off whatever Marcus might have said by bolting after her brother. Marcus struck off on a jog that I struggled to keep up with. Damn his long legs.

  “Are the others coming?” I asked Spring as I caught up to her side.

  “Yeah. Or they will be. I signaled to Sevrin. They know we’re out.”

  “So…” I glanced around at the quiet cavern. “It’s over? We’re free?”

  Her grin set off a solitary dimple in her right cheek. “It’s never over. But for now, it’s at a lull.” She grabbed my elbow and quickened her pace. “Come on. We need to get Kale back.”

  We tracked the others down the tunnels, curving back around to the main entrance. I couldn’t shake the surreal feeling that clung to my shoulders. This felt too easy. Why wasn’t my uncle guarding the entrance? Unless the camarilla had thwarted every strategy he employed—which I assumed could be possible—he knew we wanted out. Someone should be here waiting for us. A whole hell of a lot of someones.

  But no, as we emerged from the corridor and sunlight cascaded through the iron gates, those gates stood wide open. Not a single soul, living or dead, lay in wait. We walked outside, into a clear blue sky and the merry song of birds.

  A shiver rolled down my spine. I tugged at Marcus’s elbow, dragging him to a stop. “This doesn’t feel right.”

  He glanced over my head at the entrance, then looked up to the surrounding cliffs. His serious expression and the thoughtful glint in his eyes told me he shared the same thoughts.

  “Trap?” I whispered, instinctively whirling to face the entrance. My hand fell to the dagger in the small of my back, and I took two backward steps.

  Marcus shook his head subtly. He too watched the gates. From deep within the mines, another resounding boom shook the ground, but no demons rushed out. No horrific beings poured down from the surrounding rock.

  Something moved inside the recessed entry, and Marcus stiffened. I tugged the knife free, clasped it tight in front of me. Then let go as three Tolvenar warriors jogged outside. They hurried over to Spring and Leaf, who stood several paces away, gesturing animatedly at the entrance.

  A few moments later, Gerard stumbled out, supported on the arms of Beth and another man I didn’t recognize, but whom I presumed was Sevrin. Gerard looked weak, but I observed no particular injury.

  Not until he turned around. And when he did, I sucked in a sharp breath. His entire back side was charred and black. Where the blackened edges of his burned clothing met exposed flesh, his skin was raw and bleeding.

  “Jesus,” I muttered.

  “Fire,” Marcus explained. “Must have got caught by a shard. Doesn’t look bad enough to be an orb.”

  “Doesn’t look bad enough?” My voice rose incredulously. “It’s a miracle he’s walking.”

  Marcus shook his head. “He’s seen worse. Much worse.”

  I shuddered again. But before I could say anything more, Beth turned, and her stare locked on me. Her eyes narrowed. Her chin lifted. And her mouth tightened into a severe, harsh line.

  She marched past the camarilla members surrounding her on a direct trajectory toward me.

  Halfway across the entrance of the mine, a blast of thick shadows knocked her to the ground.

  Chaos erupted.

  Shouts broke out as the camarilla members tried to regroup. From the mines, thundering footsteps echoed. Marcus jerked me sideways, half-dragging me toward the cover of an overhanging rock. He shoved me roughly under, then bolted to where Leaf had laid Kale on the ground. As Leaf rushed forward, side-by-side with Spring, hurrying to Beth’s unmoving form, an array of color wove through their fingertips.

  Marcus scooped Kale up, dashed back to where I crouched, and placed him by my feet. “Stay put.”

  With that, he charged into the growing nucleus of attack. I lost sight of him as a dozen or more ghostly specters poured from the mine entrance.

  I would have stayed. I wouldn’t have moved, and would have been all too happy to let the others handle fighting given my weakened state. But Marcus’s order proved impossible. On the specters’ heels—granted, they didn’t really have any—a big hairy thing that looked like a rhino had its way with a dog, charged from the mine entrance. It made a lumbering right turn…and headed straight for me.

  “Shit,” I mumbled beneath my breath.

  Scrambling sideways, I clutched my knife in a death grip. I might not be able to fight the damned thing, but I could distract it until someone else could. If nothing else, I could divert it from Kale.

  From ten feet away, it leapt into the air.

  Dumbstruck, I gaped. That kind of creature was not supposed to have incredible agility. Physics would never allow it.

  As it’s massive shadow descended over me, I shook off my stupor and managed to hurl myself sideways. My shoulder hit the ground, jarring the air of my lungs. Gasping, I rolled.

  Two fat paws pinned my left arm to the ground.

  Something wet dripped onto my face.

  I looked up, into fat jowls and razor-sharp teeth that were exposed in a vicious snarl. Fuck me.

  I had to get up. Up on my feet. Protect my neck. Get this damned beast off me!

  Instinct claimed me. There was no skill, no strategy. I struck. I slashed. Whatever I could connect with. I didn’t feel the blood fall on my skin. Didn’t taste it when it splattered across my mouth. All I knew was that if I didn’t get out from under this beast, I’d
never get up again.

  Teeth raked across my arm, scored in deep. I cried out against the pain. Twisting the best I could, I jerked the knife across my body and drove it down hard on the creature’s snout. Bone grated against the blade. It recoiled with a combined yelp and growl.

  Before it could rush in and grab me again, I scrambled another foot sideways and managed to set one knee on the ground.

  But I was too slow. Or maybe it was too fast. As I pushed to my feet, it lunged for my knees. The impact drove me backward once more, landing me flat on the dirt. Only this time, I held distinct advantage.

  The beast’s own momentum had worked against it. Instead of the teeth and thick skull that hovered over me before, I stared into the soft underside of its massive belly. Just above my head, its ribs spread like an umbrella.

  I summoned every bit of strength I possessed and shoved the knife just beneath its breastbone. Blood gushed forth, pouring down my hand and making my fingers slick. The creature arched backward, an enraged growl tearing from its throat. But I pushed again, thrusting my knife in another few inches.

  With a drawn-out, echoing groan, it went still.

  Time slowed to a crawl, though only seconds passed. But in that slight fraction, I realized if I didn’t move, three hundred pounds or more would come crashing onto me. I reached down deep for my remaining strength, brought my feet up, and shoved them into its belly. At the same time I arced my body sideways, and when the creature collapsed, only one leg remained beneath it.

  I huffed out a hard breath and dropped the knife. For several seconds, I allowed myself to just sit and decompress, let my heart slow down and the adrenaline pass. But the sounds of fighting intruded on my sense of victory, and gradually I lifted my head to take stock of my surroundings. Marcus battled it out, hand-to-hand, with a decomposing man who reminded me of the guards. Spring and Leaf fought beside each other, both clearly overtaking some creature whose face pulled back in the same frightful way my mother’s had. I couldn’t see Beth, or Gerard, or any of the others, but a dust-cloud in the center of the clearing indicated a melee.

  I looked to where I’d left Kale and let out another relieved breath to find him still lying beneath the rocky cover, seemingly undiscovered.

  With no immediate threat lurking nearby, I tugged on my leg, intending to go back to Kale as Marcus had ordered. But no matter how I twisted and pushed, my foot was stuck fast. Lodged beneath hide as thick as an elephant’s and as hairy as Sheepdog. Three hundred pounds had been an underestimate—the thing weighed an easy ton.

  “Son…of a…bitch!” I swore between each futile jerk to dislodge my foot, then gave up and thumped a fist on its lifeless body. From knee down, I was pinned to the ground. The only option would be to somehow get Marcus’s attention. He was closest to me.

  I maneuvered myself onto my good leg, lifting up the best I could so he might see me over the hulking carcass. I watched the flash of his knife, the fluid way he arced his arm, somehow managing to deflect his attacker’s blows while still managing to land a few well-timed strikes of his own.

  It was over in minutes. He jerked his arm, twisted his elbow just-so, and sank the long blade into his opponent’s jugular. As the body dropped, Marcus shoved it away.

  I opened my mouth to call out to him. But movement in my peripheral vision drew my attention. I turned, and my blood ran cold.

  Standing just outside the entrance, my uncle lifted his hands skyward. Lightning crackled from the cloudless sky, reaching down to fill his fingertips and illuminate the length of his arms. He curled his palms toward each other in a gesture I immediately recognized—gathering the energy.

  “Marcus!” I shouted.

  He marched toward the cluster of combatants, clearly not hearing me.

  Panic infused me. I jerked on my leg, desperate now to gain my freedom. I had to do something. Warn them. I was the only one who evidently had seen him appear.

  He drew his hands down, focused them on the center of the melee. Electricity jumped off his fingers, bounced between his palms. It formed an orb more dense than any I’d encountered. More power than I’d seen even Kale summon.

  More power than the red-gold energy I called that sent the ginormous demon to another plane.

  “Marcus!” I bellowed again.

  But he was too far away. He stepped into the fray and jabbed his knife into a skeleton-like back. Once more, I shoved on the beast that trapped my leg.

  Across the way, my uncle turned his palms outward, tipping them so the orb could spill free. It rolled off his hands.

  “No!” Without thinking, I threw my hands in front of me. I hadn’t even realized my own magic had risen, or so much of it. A massive field of white fog barreled forth, surging toward the unprotected spot where my uncle stood.

  He turned. His fingers stretched toward me. Surprise crossed his face for the briefest of instants, and then, a smile twisted his mouth.

  Horrified, I stared as that blue-white orb hurtled off his hands, barreling straight for me. The atmosphere snapped with its release, filling the clearing with a ear-splitting crack. From the corner of my eye, I saw Marcus whip around.

  In the next instant, white-hot fire engulfed me. It seared beneath my skin and rolled through my veins, making it feel like my blood had begun to boil. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. My body convulsed. Thoughts disassociated as my heart lurched into an erratic rhythm. My back arched so severely, my leg pulled free. As the power ripped through me, I jerked forward like a discarded rag doll.

  The last thing I saw was Leaf and Spring moving forward together. From their palms, crystalline white energy poured free in two identical beams. Then everything went black.

  Thirty-seven

  The crackle and spit of a fire woke me from nightmares of death and dying. I groggily opened my eyes, blinking against the unexpected light. I was warm and comfortable. No pain radiated through my shoulder. The rest of my body no longer seized in agony. Disoriented, I pushed to an elbow and glanced around. I lay in the small cave Kale, Marcus, and I had occupied the night before we entered the Yaksini mines. Blankets covered my torn and bloody clothes, telling me I’d not dreamt the encounter with the rhino-dog or the last confrontation with my uncle. But how had I gotten here? What happened to everyone else?

  Where was Kale?

  As panic threatened to suffocate me, I pushed onto my elbows and searched the flickering shadows for a familiar face.

  Across from the fire, Marcus set a mug he’d been holding down and started to rise. As our gaze connected, he lowered himself back onto a log. “You’re awake,” he observed.

  “How did…I get here? What happened? Where is everyone?” Kale. I struggled to free myself from the covers. “Where’s Kale?”

  “Relax.” Marcus gestured to my left then picked up his mug. “He’s here. Everyone is reasonably okay.”

  Reasonably? If that was the case, why was Kale still with us and not back at the camarilla? I swiveled to look at him, and to my surprise, my entire body relaxed. His bare shoulders rose and fell steadily beneath a heavy blanket as he slumbered. His color looked much better now, almost normal. And the sheen of perspiration that had covered his body no longer clung to his skin.

  In that split second of time, as relief flooded my veins, the entirety of what had happened pummeled into me. He’d come after me, even when I left him behind. He’d come to my rescue with my mother…

  Oh, God. Mom. Closing my eyes to rising tears, I blocked the image of my mother’s body. A sense of loss engulfed me for the first time. I’d found her, only to do the unthinkable. She’d brought me into this world, and demon or not, I’d killed her.

  To protect Kale. Who wouldn’t be fighting for his life if it weren’t for my stubbornness.

  I cleared my throat, unable to deal with the reality and turned to Marcus, blocking it out. “What happened?” I asked again. I couldn’t dwell on the events. If I did, they’d eat me
alive.

  “What do you remember?” Marcus asked quietly.

  “The rhino-dog.”

  “Corvit.” He wrinkled his nose. “Nasty things.”

  So that’s what a corvit was. A shudder rolled through me. I never wanted to run into one of those creatures again. I frowned, struggling to remember. “Spring and Leaf—my uncle threw a lightning orb at me.”

  Marcus nodded. “They didn’t kill him.”

  No, I hadn’t suspected they might. If they were capable of destroying him, they would have done so a long time ago. Sighing, I leaned back down on my makeshift pallet.

  “They did manage to occupy him long enough I could get you and Kale out. Beth and Gerard made it out also. Allen retreated inside, and the rest felt it wasn’t the best idea to pursue.”

  “Beth is okay?” Despite everything, hope flooded my question. I didn’t like her, but she had helped to rescue me. I didn’t want to be responsible for her death.

  “Yeah, she’s fine. We lost Sevrin.”

  I closed my eyes to a pull of sorrow. “Leaf and Spring?” Please let them be okay.

  “Probably setting foot inside the camarilla now.”

  Nodding, I opened my eyes to look at the high stone ceiling. A man had died because of my choices. Others were injured. Kale…

  I pushed upright again, twisted to face Kale, and reached out to run my hand over his shoulder. His skin was warm to the touch. Tiny scrapes covered what I could see, but the gashes I remembered were no longer present.

  “Did you heal him more?” So he was capable of tending Kale. But why hadn’t he done so earlier? It didn’t make sense.

  Marcus tossed a twig onto the fire. “A little. His body’s healed itself some as well. But he needs more than he or I am capable of. Leaf’s tonic is most likely what’s keeping him with us.”

  “Then why isn’t he with them?”

  “No time. I had to get you both away. It wasn’t safe for them to follow, not knowing if your uncle might pursue. We agreed I’d take him back to the camarilla with you.”

  Again I smoothed my hand over Kale’s shoulder, reached up and gently brushed away the hair that clung to his stubbly cheek. My heart swelled with emotion I hadn’t realized was possible. Every argument we’d had seemed insignificant in the face of almost losing him. “Why can’t you heal him?”