“Do you think they took a plane?” Kevin bounced on the balls of his feet, looking more engaged than he had in a long time.
“Yeah, I do,” Lange answered.
I felt let down, furious, and frustrated all at the same time. We’d come so far to be stopped by a stupid plane.
“Why here?” Anna asked.
“What?” I asked absently, worrying about how we were going to find Ben.
“Why would they bring Ben all the way here, to a ghost town?” Anna waved her hand around the bleak landscape. “I mean, there had to be other places they could fly from, right? Closer to where they grabbed him? Why risk exposure by driving him all the way here?”
Zoe crouched down on her heels, peering up at us. “She’s got a point. They went to a lot of effort to bring him here.”
Suddenly, a strong force knocked me sprawling into the dirt. I lifted myself up to my knees, bracing my hands on the ground while I blinked grit from my eyes. Hurricane-force winds ripped through the air around me. I could barely see my cousins through the debris flying everywhere. Anna was face down on the ground with her arms shielding her head.
Kevin fell over me when he tried to stand up. He shouted something at me but all I heard was “shelter.”
Find shelter, good idea. I grabbed Anna, hauling her to her feet, where we leaned against each other, bracing ourselves against the wind. Kevin staggered to his feet and grabbed Anna’s other arm. I dug my heels into the ground to keep from flying away. Kevin’s mouth moved, but the wind ripped his words away. He gave up talking and started dragging us to the barn hangar.
Inside, we stumbled apart. Anna fell over and lay on the floor, gasping, while Kevin and I fought to close the large door. It wouldn’t budge against the years of piled-up debris. We backed away into the marginally calmer air inside of the barn. I took a shuddering breath and scanned the opening for Lange and Zoe, but they were gone.
I saw something more disturbing. Five figures walked towards the building, unbowed by the wind. Dust and hay shimmered around them as if an invisible barrier protected them. When they reached the opening, I saw they were all wearing masks over their faces. All I could see were their eyes – brown, blue, green. Each one had the same flat gaze, intent on us, not wavering, showing no mercy. Prickles of fear trickled down my spine.
I glanced at Kevin, noting his red eyes and dirt-streaked face, but he looked determined. We moved as one in front of Anna, protecting her from this new menace. I raised my hands defensively, ready to flame or freeze.
The five stopped at the entranceway, spreading out to block our escape. The person in the middle, a man, a woman – I couldn’t tell through the bulky coat and mask – raised a hand, palm open, and abruptly made a fist. The maelstrom stopped with a heart-pounding silence. I could hear my blood rushing in my ears, Kevin breathing hard next to me, and Anna whimpering behind us.
I barely had time to draw a full breath before the five menaces surged forward. I ducked, narrowly avoiding a hammer flying at my head. Aiming a stream of ice at the telekinetic that just missed, I yelled to Anna, “Hide, quickly!” She ducked behind a cabinet in the corner. The telekinetic sent a wrench after her, but I knocked it aside before hitting the telekinetic in the forehead with a ball of ice. He gave a guttural yell as he fell over, clutching his head.
Kevin bounced between attackers, sucker punching each one before jumping to the next. The leader, a weather maker, whipped up a tiny tornado and sent it at Kevin, knocking him into the wall of the hangar. For a moment, I thought Kevin would rally, but another attacker ran over and kicked my cousin in the head. Kevin slumped to the floor.
“No!” I shouted as I ran to Kevin’s side, shoving the kicker aside with flame-filled hands. I barely noticed the kicker yelling in shock at the heat. My focus was on finding out if Kevin was alive. My heart beat in my throat until I saw his chest rise and fall in a sharp breath.
I raised my head in time to see the weather maker and another attacker walk towards Anna’s hiding place while the others formed a loose arc around Kevin and me. Terror for Anna brought me to my feet; I could see her wide eyes as the two attackers approached. I tried to dodge around my band of attackers, but one of them sent a stream of fire at my arms. Really? A firestarter hitting another firestarter with fire? Fire couldn’t hurt me. I retaliated with my own flame, surprised when she screamed in pain, dropped to the ground and rolled to put out the flames on her leg.
Okay, file that away to think about later when not fighting for my life and that of my friend. Not all firestarters could absorb fire as I could. I staggered when another attacker kicked me in the legs, but I managed to stay upright and break through the supernormal fence, my focus on saving Anna.
The weather maker sent a burst of wind at me, knocking me down. I didn’t waste time attacking back; I jumped to my feet and ran forward. The other attacker with the weather maker spun around, letting out a piercing yell that resounded through my head. Great, a banshee. Anna clutched her ears, bringing them away covered in blood. She was crying, her sobs louder to me than anything else in the hangar. The banshee stood over her, mouth open, drawing breath for another screech. I knew enough about a banshee’s abilities to know the cry could kill if aimed at someone at close range. Desperate to save my friend before her brain turned to mush, I aimed a stream of fire at the banshee, but the weather maker sent a gust of wind that put out the fire. I sent out flame after flame, each one stopped by gusts of wind. The banshee glanced at me with a taunting expression before yanking Anna to her feet by her hair.
I didn’t waste breath yelling. I ran forward, drawing flame to my hands, fighting through the wind whipping around me. I heard shouting behind me, but nothing mattered except saving Anna. The weather maker appeared in front of me, but a well-aimed kick knocked the supernormal aside and briefly stopped the awful wind. I reach the banshee and shot a tiny but effective stream of fire at his throat. He let go of Anna, who fell to her knees and started crawling away, still sobbing, while the banshee clutched at his neck. I gasped, relieved to have stopped that attack. I had hardly felt relief before the weather maker grabbed Anna, hands on either side of her head, holding her above the ground. Her feet dangled, thrashing for footing.
“Let her go!” I yelled, holding up my hands outlined in flames.
“No.” The one-word answer, delivered in a cold, harsh, woman’s voice, offered no room for negotiation. She held Anna like a shield in front of her so I couldn’t fire on her.
I jerked with surprise when Kevin appeared in front of me, kicking the weather maker between her legs. He caught Anna, pulling her aside while I faced the rapidly-recovering attacker.
The woman didn’t hesitate, sending a whirlwind at me at the same time I aimed a stream of fire at her feet. The wind picked up the fire, turning it into a firestorm, whipping it hotter and hotter so even I stepped back from the intensity. The fire whirlwind turned back on the weather maker as she frantically tried to escape it. Wincing from the heat, I tried to reach through the inferno to pull her out, but she backed away, mouth open in a scream lost in the fury of the flames, her clothes already burned through, and her skin starting to crisp. I gagged as the wind wafted the smell of burning flesh. I saw her face revealed as the mask burned away, her skin briefly white before reddening with flames, her black hair turning to ashes, and her blue eyes still cold with hate. The impression of a beautiful woman was soon marred by the scorched figure falling in front of me. The whirlwind faded away, taking the flames and the smell of charred body with it. As the sound of the wind faded, her screams echoed around the hangar before ending with a gurgle.
I gaped at the burned husk of a woman, shocked by what I’d done. My fire had killed someone. For moment, it didn’t matter that she’d been trying to kill Anna. All I could see was the weathermaker’s final glare as the flames engulfed her face.
Then Anna’s arms went around me and I felt a little bit better. Even so, I closed my eyes and saw the woman’s last momen
ts replaying in my head.
“Ollie?” Kevin’s voice broke through my wallowing. “It’s not over.”
My eyes snapped open and I gently pulled myself from Anna’s embrace. Kevin stood beside us, facing the rest of the attackers. As I got to my feet, they surged forward, with the telekinetic in the lead, swinging a lead pipe at Kevin, knocking him out too quickly for Kevin to react. Anna slumped to the floor, hit by the same pipe, blood trickling from the cut in her head to join the streaks of blood from her ears that were drying on her cheeks. I braced myself for the attack by the pipe, but my head snapped forward when something heavy hit me from behind. I fell to my hands and knees, blinking against encroaching darkness. As I lost the fight to stay conscious, I heard someone say in a fierce voice, “Grab ’em up. We gotta get out of here.”
Then the world went dark.
Chapter 29
Flashes of images and sounds pierced the darkness, and then mercifully faded away. After a while, I realized I dangled upside down over someone’s shoulder, carried along with nauseatingly jolting strides. A cloth covered my head and voices murmured around me. Slowly I remembered – Ben’s capture, following his trail to Andrews, the ambush, Anna in danger, the woman dying in fire, the final blow. I squeezed my eyes against tears of remorse.
Fear for myself mingled with fear for the others. Were Anna and Kevin prisoners as well? Were they nearby? I strained to hear if others were being carried around me, but I couldn’t tell over the clopping footsteps of my captor. Where were Zoe and Lange? They’d disappeared when the wind started. Were they prisoners somewhere? I hoped someone had gotten away to tell the ‘rents where we were.
Suddenly, the strides stopped and my carrier flung me down on my back. I hit the cold, hard surface with a grunt. Rough hands grabbed my arms, easily resisting my weak struggles and strapping down my arms and legs with quick, effective movements.
Then there was silence, broken only by light breathing from two, no three, people around me. No one spoke, and I was too shocked and scared to break the engulfing quiet.
I jerked in my restraints when a door slammed open. Heavy steps came towards me and a hand grabbed the cloth around my head and yanked it away. I shivered and blinked in the strong light. I was in a white, sterile room lined with equipment; my bed was an examination table under harsh lights.
A short, lithe man stepped into my line of vision. He wore a gray sweater with dark pants. The sweater complimented his ashy hair worn in a Caesar cut.
I blinked at him, dazed and confused by his appearance. I’d expected someone more menacing, not this man who looked like an accountant. He simply smiled back with a benign expression, though I saw something sinister in his eyes.
He glanced to one side when the door opened again, his smile widening. His gaze tracked the newcomer for a moment before turning back to stare avidly at me.
When Emma stepped in front of the man, I gave a sharp gasp. My cousin’s mouth twisted into a triumphant smile, but her eyes were bitter as she spoke. “Hello, Olivia. Welcome to Mountain of Ash.”
About the Author
Growing up in Fort Worth, Texas, LeeAnn Elwood McLennan was always looking for any opportunity to read – under the covers in bed, in the car, and in class using the book hidden in the textbook trick. When her father introduced her to sci-fi/fantasy through a book of short stories from Astounding Stories, she was captivated by the possibilities in every word, and her daydreams involved other worlds, magical powers, and time travel. Despite graduating from Clemson University with a degree in English, LeeAnn has spent her career working in computer engineering related fields. She lives in Portland, OR with her husband, Andy, and two cats (number of cats subject to change at any moment).
Special Thanks
To my amazing writing group – Warren Easley, Alison Jakel, Janice Maxson, Debby Dodds, and Lisa Alber – thank you for your subtle and not-so-subtle suggestions. To the ladies in Emily Whitman’s amazing writing workshop – Suzanne Goddyn, Kylie Schachte, Elena Wiesenthal, Dolores Maggiore, Mary Rose, Lori Ubell, and Susanne Franks – thank you for your varied perspectives. You’re all amazing writers who make me a better writer.
Since it has been far too long since I was a fourteen-year-old girl, many thanks to Alexandra Fig for answering my questions about what it’s like to be a teenager in Portland. Even if she’s no longer a teenager in Portland and is now a brilliant college student.
Thank you to Benjamin and Paige Gorman and all the folks at Not a Pipe Publishing for taking a chance on my series and for giving me the opportunity to tell Olivia’s story to a larger audience!
Thank you to the dedicated editors Paula Hampton, Madeleine Hannah and Brionna Poppitz for giving Root the once (or twice) over. I’m grateful for the time and effort spent on my words!
Many, many thanks to Randy Kintz for the gorgeous cover—it’s so beautiful and sinister. And so far it’s my favorite cover of all my books.
To my sister, Sally Beezley, her husband Mark, and their son William Maxwell, for your encouragement.
To my mother, Ann Elwood: Thank you for installing and supporting my love of reading. It was heavenly to grow up as the kid of reading teacher!
To my father, William Elwood: Thank for introducing me to science fiction and fantasy books! I wish you were around to read my stories.
To my husband, Andy McLennan: I’m grateful every day that you’re in my life.
Also Available from Not a Pipe Publishing
Daughter of Magic
by
Karen Eisenbrey
Luskell has been dreaming about dead people.
Her parents may be the two most powerful wizards in the country, but Luskell doesn't have any magic of her own, so she's stuck spending a summer with her grandmother in the small town of Deep River where her father is the hometown hero. Then the dead start to visit her dreams with mysterious messages. In a secret pact with her friends Jagryn and Laki, Luskell begins to teach herself magic and discovers an apparently bottomless well of untapped power. But before she has control over this ability, her dead grandfather appears with a dire warning. With no way to send word to her parents, Luskell and her friends mount a daring rescue. Can they get to the capital in time to save the country ... and her parents' lives?
"Touching, tender, and blazing with brilliance."
-M. K. Martin, author of Survivors' Club
Wherever Fine Books Are Sold
Also Available from Not a Pipe Publishing
Harriet has to start at a new school. Switching schools is always rough, but it's harder for her because The Corporation got her dad fired and tossed her mom into jail. For decades, The Corporation has been using schools to make sure everyone does what they're told. But there's something strange going on at Harriet's new school. If she can just crack the code, she might learn how to fight back!
“Benjamin Gorman's Corporate High School is a must-read for anyone interested in joining the fight to save public education. We proudly proclaim this book as badass and spot on about the fight to save the foundation of our democracy - strong public education for all.”
-Marla Kilfoyle
General Manager
Badass Teachers Association
Click HERE to get Corporate High School on Kindle now!
Also Available from Not a Pipe Publishing
Shadow Girl
by
Kate Ristau
Áine lives in the light, but she is haunted by darkness, and when her fey powers blaze out of control, she escapes into the Shadowlands. But she cannot outrun her past. Fire fey and a rising darkness threaten the light, burning a path across the veil. Her fiery dreams come to life, and with the help of Hennessy, an uninhibited Irish girl, Áine dives into the flames to discover who she truly is. Her mother burned to keep her secret safe, and now Áine wields the deadly Eta. She must learn to fight in the shadows — or die in the flames.
This is not a fairy tale.
“A fun, engaging, and unique
magical adventure.”
-Jen Violi, author of Putting Makeup on Dead People
Click HERE to get Shadow Girl on Kindle now!
Also Available from Not a Pipe Publishing
The Staff of Fire and Bone
by
Mikko Azul
This sweeping, exciting high fantasy epic tells the story of Cédron Varakas, already isolated as the Regent’s son, who has a Shäeli demon for a mother. Approaching manhood, his demonic powers manifest. Blamed for the earth shakes ripping through the land, Cédron races against time to find the real cause of the destruction. He must become a hero or join the great demon and embrace his true heritage.
“…a thrilling tale of a misfit with a destiny to save the world of Muralia--and the power to destroy it… And the staff of the title? The most shocking and beautiful magical object I have encountered in 40+ years as a fantasy reader."
-Karen Eisenbrey,
author of Daughter of Magic
Get The Staff of Fire and Bone on Kindle now!
Also Available from Not a Pipe Publishing
Going
Green
by
Heather S. Ransom
In the future, the color of your skin lets everyone know who you are. Those who “go Green” become walking GMOs with plant chloroplasts in their cells who no longer need to eat. Life is good. People are happy.
Root Page 25