With one of my hands, I was holding Blade’s forehead back, barely keeping his teeth from puncturing the skin on my shoulder. I needed to do something and quick. The only thing I could think of was to turn invisible, but that would render me useless. The sharp spike of teeth grazed my skin.
Be invisible, I began to think, but just then I saw Christian sprinting through the smoke toward me.
Blade must have noticed too, because his head came up, and his grip relaxed as if he were going to move away, but he didn’t have time. Christian dropped to his knees and slid along the marbled floor while I ducked. From behind his back, Christian withdrew a long knife and sliced Blade’s head off, covering me in dust and ash.
“That was for Britt,” I whispered.
Christian scrambled over to me. “Are you okay?”
I opened my mouth to answer but was interrupted by the sound of clapping. We both turned around. Cyrus was standing in the doorway, looking down on us with a tight smile. “Who says chivalry is dead?” He looked up and gave a low whistle. Three Vykens, one of them Eira, stopped fighting and followed him out the door.
Christian started after them. I took hold of his arm. “What are you doing?” I said.
“I’m going to finish this.” He shook free of my grip.
“No! Christian, you can’t. He’s too powerful.”
Christian looked back at me. “I have to try. If I don’t, he’ll only hurt more people.” His shoulders slumped, and he looked so very tired. “I love you, Llona.” He turned and rushed out the door.
“Christian!” I struggled to get up but fell back down again when my injured leg gave out. I frantically looked around for Liam. He wasn’t far away, battling two Vykens. He seemed to be winning the battle.
“Liam!” I yelled. “I need you!”
He glanced over at me between blows, and then spun, turning himself into a small, yet powerful, whirlwind. It knocked the two Vykens into the wall. Liam rushed to me. “What is it?” he said out of breath.
“Christian went after Cyrus. You have to stop him.” I was pulling on his arm, half begging and half trying to get myself into a standing position.
“You’re hurt,” he said and helped me to stand.
“Just go after him!”
He glanced around, his face saddened by what he saw. “I can’t. I’m needed here.”
“Please. I’m begging you, Liam. Christian can’t face him alone.”
I looked behind him. The two Vykens who had crashed into the wall were now beating down the door to the kitchen. Every other second or so, the door would flicker with Light. Like the rest of us, the Auras were growing tired.
Liam saw what I was looking at. “I’m sorry, Llona. Christian’s on his own.” He sprinted away.
“Liam, no! Please!” The words stung my throat.
Liam didn’t turn back.
Using every ounce of strength and willpower I had left, I forced myself to take a step toward the door. A biting pain shot up my leg and into the rest of my body until it rattled my brain. I fought a wave of nausea and took another step. And then another. I paused when I reached May. She was still out, but at least she was breathing steady. I continued on, my steps quickening just a little. I think the numbness in my heart was spreading to my limbs. First Sophie and now Christian.
I went outside and was shocked by what I saw. Part of the lawn looked like bombs had gone off; chunks of grass laid upside down, and deep, uneven holes almost made the lawn impassable. I stumbled my way through the great mounds, following the destruction.
The sky looked swollen and bruised. It’s dark purples and grays screamed rain, making me think the sky was in as much pain as I was.
Beneath my feet, the earth rumbled and I almost fell. Cyrus. I’d never seen such destruction before. I looked up ahead. The carnage seemed to go around the corner of the building and to the front of the school. I hurried faster. The sounds of my ragged breathing reminded me of the panic attack I’d had the day my father died. Tears stung my eyes. I blinked through them. Don’t panic. Move faster.
I turned the corner.
And fell to my knees.
The sky released its pain.
Mine would forever remain.
Christian was standing thirty yards away, his head lowered. Blood covered the side of his head, neck, right shoulder, and arm. Drops of it dripped from his fingers, staining the ground red. The rain pouring from above only made the crimson puddle bigger.
But this wasn’t what frightened me. It was the wall of dirt, at least ten feet high, rushing toward Christian from the side. He didn’t seem to see it.
“Christian!” I yelled. Cyrus was off to the side, his hands outstretched as he controlled the moving wall of earth. Next to him were Jackson and Eira, but no Sophie. Where was she?
Christian slowly looked up at me, eyes empty. Like the dead.
I forced myself up and began to run despite the pain. Two Vykens I hadn’t noticed before sprinted toward me from behind Christian. I shot a spray of Light from each palm, hitting them both in the chest. The force of it was enough to knock them back several yards into the side of the school where they fell limp. I turned to Cyrus and shot at him, but Eira produced a wall of ice in front of them that I couldn’t penetrate.
The moving wall of earth was almost to Christian. “Move!” I screamed, but he just stood there. Why wasn’t he moving?
I was almost to him but realized I still wasn’t going to make it in time. I shot one more blast of Light. It hit Christian in the chest and began to lift him into the air and back. He’ll be okay, I told myself. Christian will live. I almost smiled.
Out of nowhere another wall of dirt rose behind him, stopping his body from moving out of the way. He bounced off it and fell to the ground. At the last second his head raised and our eyes met. The rushing wall of dirt crashed down upon him, sending a spray of dust into the air despite the rain.
I ran into the dirty mist and began to dig. “No, no, no. Please, no!” I dug fast, reaching into the ground as far as I could. Tears and rain fell from my cheeks. Any second now I’d feel an arm, a leg, his hair, anything to hold onto. I called to him with my mind and prayed for a response.
Using both my arms, I shoved dirt aside, back and forth, pushing the growing mud away. Upheaved roots and broken tree limbs thwarted my efforts by tearing at my skin and nails. I gritted my teeth and swiped my rain-soaked hair from my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt. If I could just find him, give him all of my Light to save him. Oh, Christian, please!
I continued to dig until something hard crashed against the side of my head. I fell over onto my back and blinked into the rain, but my fingers kept moving through the earth, still searching. Must find Christian.
A Vyken’s dark form stepped over me, and he held something shiny in his hands. I tried to focus on it, but my head was spinning. Whether from his presence or the fact that he’d just bashed my head, I couldn’t be sure. The Vyken knelt down beside me and laughed. It was Jameson. He raised the object; rain slid down its silver edge.
Even though I was on my back, I kept digging, both hands clawing into the earth and bringing up handfuls of only dirt. No Christian.
Jameson brought down the knife, but before it could pierce my heart, I rolled to the side. Jameson’s knife plunged into the ground. I swung my good leg around hard and brought it down on his spine, making him collapse to the ground. I scurried onto his back and screamed as I took hold of his head and snapped it back hard. Light filled my arms and hands and spread to Jameson until his head burst into a million pieces, followed by the rest of his body.
With Jameson no longer under me, I fell to the ground and blinked rain from my eyes. And something warm. A drop of dark blood fell from my cheek. I continued to dig. At least I think my fingers were moving. I felt nothing, and I was struggling just to remain conscious.
I stopped only when I heard my name. A faint whisper. Christian!
“Llona.” The voice was louder. I raised
my head. It was Cyrus, still standing next to the school. “Join us,” he said.
Anger rose inside me, but it wasn’t like before, not dark and demanding. It was only the overwhelming urge to stop the pain and suffering of my friends. To stop anyone else from dying, and to repay what he did to Britt. I raised my hand and flung it forward. A single ball of Light, full of every emotion inside me, left my palm, fast and furious.
Before I lost consciousness, I saw it smash through the wall of ice Eira had created and continue on its path toward Cyrus, but at the last second, he took hold of Eira and jerked her in front of him. The ball of Light hit her between the eyes, and she exploded into dust.
FORTY-ONE
Lights flashed. I opened my eyes and closed them. I was so tired. My body was being carried. I opened my eyes again, but they closed just as quickly. Liam was carrying me.
“She’s coming to,” Liam said.
I tried to speak. Christian. Someone had to help Christian.
“What is it, Llona?” Liam said.
I tried again. “Christian.” I couldn’t hear my own voice, but Liam heard.
“They’re looking for him,” he said.
“Under dirt,” I said. It hurt to speak, but not physically.
Liam paused, listening to my silent pleas. “We’ll find him.” A second later I heard him say to someone else, “Tell them to look under the dirt where we found Llona.”
Liam continued carrying me.
“Hang on, Llona,” I heard May say from somewhere close by. “We’re taking you to the nurse. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
Lost blood meant I’d need blood. I began to struggle. “No! No blood,” I said, my eyes opening and closing.
“Let us worry about that,” Liam said. “We’ll make sure it’s safe.”
Before I fell unconscious again, I said, “Get Kiera.”
* * * * *
I’m not sure what time it was when I woke, but it was dark. But not as dark as I felt. I blinked at the blackened window and tried to figure out where I was. By the tan decor and floral bedspread I knew I was still in Lucent. I rolled over and grunted when pain shot up my leg.
“You’re awake,” May said. She was sitting at the foot of the bed. Her left eye was black and blue, and her hands were bandaged.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded, just barely. “I’ll be fine.”
“What time is it?” I asked, wincing from the pain of speaking. By how tight the skin felt on my face, I knew it must be swollen.
“Almost midnight.” She sounded exhausted.
“Where am I?”
May looked around. Her good eye was red and puffy, like she’d been crying. “One of the bedrooms. The nurse’s office is just around the corner. She’s attending to others right now.”
A lump formed in my throat. “How many were injured?”
“Several Guardians, a few Lizens, and, the last I heard, twelve girls. The ones who were in their rooms when the attack began.”
I hated asking the next question. “How many died?”
May paused. “Five Guardians, two Lizens, and three Auras, but six are missing. There wasn’t enough time to get to the girls who weren’t at the movie.”
I rolled onto my back and pulled the covers up to my chin. I was so cold. “How’s Liam? Kiera?” I said, but it came out a whisper.
“They’re both fine.”
I felt her place another blanket on top of me. “And Arik and Aaron? Dr. Han?”
“They’ll survive.”
“And Sophie?”
She swallowed hard. “Still missing.”
There was still one more person I needed to ask about, but I couldn’t bring myself to say his name.
May touched my shoulder lightly and said in a quiet voice, “We found him, Llona. I’m so sorry. He didn’t make it.”
I sucked in air, but my lungs wouldn’t expand fully. My breathing quickened, cold, short breaths, and the whole world began to spin. “May?” I gripped her arm tightly, looking for an anchor.
“I, I don’t know what to say,” she stuttered, and then she began to cry. Tears I didn’t know I had left joined hers. I stared at the ceiling, gasping for air.
“I don’t know how,” May said, “but we’ll get through this. You’ll get through this.”
I tried to nod, but I don’t think I did. How could I get through this?
A soft knock at the door made me wipe at my eyes. The door opened. Liam stuck his head in. “Can I come in for a minute?”
May sniffed and stood up. “Of course.” She looked at me. “I’m going to go get Tessa and Kiera. They wanted to know when you woke up.”
“Thanks, May,” I said.
As soon as she was gone, Liam moved to the side of my bed. His dark hair looked crusted and matted. By the red smear on his cheek, it was probably from blood. I also noticed he was limping. “You look terrible,” he said. “How do you feel?”
I didn’t answer him, but my chin quivered when I said, “Why didn’t you help him?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, then, “A choice had to be made.”
I exhaled. The air barely passed through my tight chest. “I don’t know how to get through this.”
Liam looped his finger through the chain on my neck. He pulled it out of the blankets and stared at the ring the chain held. “Christian gave this to you, didn’t he?”
I nodded.
“The symbols. Tell me what it means.”
My chin quivered. “Endure to the end.”
He let go of the necklace. “That’s how you’ll deal.”
“I don’t know if I can.” Sophie was missing, and Christian was gone. The blankets on top of me provided no warmth.
“You will. In time.”
I turned to him. “How can you be so sure?”
Liam crossed the room to the door and looked out its window into the hall. Finally, he turned around. His green eyes were glassy, like a stone at the bottom of a lake. “A long time ago, Vykens held me captive and made me watch as they killed my parents, my two younger sisters, and,” he swallowed and adjusted his jaw, “my wife. We’d only been married for three days. I know about loss, Llona. I know what it feels like to wish for the worse kind of torture over what you’re feeling now. But it gets better. Duller anyway, with time.”
My eyelids drooped, and my chest felt like it was collapsing within itself. “Why? Why so much sorrow?”
“I asked myself that same question every day for over a hundred years, and you know what I came up with?”
I shook my head and wiped at my eyes.
“Nothing. There’s no reason for it. Horrible, unexplainable things happen all the time.”
“How do people go on?”
He looked steadily into my eyes. “They find a purpose. Mine was helping others through the Deific. Doing what I could to make the world less miserable for everyone else.”
A knock on the door interrupted him.
When Liam opened the door, Tessa and Kiera rushed to the bed and hugged me. They looked good, no injuries. For that, I was grateful. May stood behind them, her lips tightened together.
“Are you okay?” Tessa asked.
“I will be,” I said, my eyes meeting Liam’s behind them. “I think.”
The door was still open, and Dr. Han came into the room. He closed the door.
“Where’s Sophie?” I asked right away. “Please tell me you know something.”
Dr. Han looked at Liam, and I noticed the girls had tensed. “What?” I said.
“The Deific is looking for her,” Liam said.
Dr. Han moved next to him. “I’ll admit they don’t have much to go on, but it’s still early. Every man available is helping. We’ll find her.”
“And Jackson? Cyrus?”
Liam bristled. “They got away, but we got a few of the other Guardians who had turned. They were the ones rounding up the girls left in the school.”
“I have to ask, Llona,�
�� Dr. Han said. “What happened outside the school?”
I stared at the dirt beneath my fingernails. “Christian fought Cyrus. I didn’t see it though. Only saw Cyrus bury him.” I swallowed and nearly choked. “I tried to save him, but he was too far under. Then Jameson attacked me. I killed him.” If I had said this last week, I would’ve been thrilled, reveled in the fact, but I felt no joy now. Only sadness.
The room was quiet until Dr. Han crossed the room to my bed. “I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to get Sophie back and make sure Cyrus pays for his crimes, but, please, right now focus on getting better. How’s your leg?”
May touched my arm with her bandaged hand.
I looked at Dr. Han, shaking my head. “There’s so much more to worry about than my dumb leg. It will be fine, but who knows if Sophie or the other Auran girls will be.”
“Getting them back is our top priority,” he said. “And, starting immediately, things are going to change around here. The pills, for example. The Deific has already replaced them with a placebo. Within a month, the girls should be back to normal.”
“Why a placebo?” I said. “Just cut them off. Tell them everything that’s been going on. Tell them how they’ve all been fooled. Tell them their true potential!”
Dr. Han was shaking his head. “Change takes time. We have to ease them into this or no one will believe us. Remember, Llona, this has been the Auran way of life for decades.” He glanced back at Liam, then to me. “But I want your help to change it. I need someone who can help Auras find the strength they once had. I need you, Llona.”
“To do what?” I looked at the girls. Tessa and Kiera were both smiling, but May still looked sad.
“I want you to teach. This fall I’m going to introduce some new classes. One of them will be teaching Auras to fight. We won’t call it that, of course. We’ll have to be very subtle.”
“Even after what just happened? Aren’t the Auras, the Council, up in arms about this?”
“The Council is divided. An emergency meeting has been scheduled to decide how to proceed. With your help, I hope to change their way of thinking. Help them to see the power within them.”
Fractured Soul Page 27