by Wendy Knight
"Okay Hunter," Shelley, Hunter’s mom, said briskly through the phone, "I'm ready. But why way out here? And do you have any idea how dark it is in the middle of New Mexico this time of night?"
"Yeah Mom, that's the plan. Now promise me, you open this portal and get out of there. Run as fast as you can and don't look back." Hunter’s voice was deadly serious.
"But I want to see you! It's been so long,” she objected. When Hunter had been chosen as Shane’s Guard, he had lost all contact with his family, or at least, he should have. But he still called and sent letters as often as he could.
Shane could hear her sadness through the phone. “The area is dangerous, Mrs. Millen. But I promise you Hunter will come to see you all as soon as we’re through here.”
Will’s head jerked up. “Tell her to move,” he whispered urgently.
Hunter clapped his hand over the receiver and looked at Will like he had lost his mind. “What?”
“Tell her to move. Dani said they took her family. They could do the same thing to Hunter’s family to get him to cooperate. She needs to come to the colony. She could be in trouble.” Will leaned forward, his eyes intent.
“Hey, Mom, can you grab the rest of the kids? Things aren’t going well… I know you believe in the war and all—”
“I don’t believe in the war, Hunter. I believe in you.”
Hunter closed his eyes, fighting some emotion he may or may not have known existed before this point. “Then believe me when I say you could all be in trouble. Get the family and come to this Renegade Colony we’ve been living at. They’ll keep you safe,” he said, his voice strained. He hadn’t even thought about the trouble his own family was in. What kind of a son did that make him? Shane watched him, fingers drumming against his black pants. Shane didn’t know his family. He never had. He had been raised by the Council and boarding school teachers. Charity was the only constant in his life until Hunter had come along.
But Shane knew how much Hunter loved his family, and he must know how awful Hunter felt right now.
“Okay Hunter. I’ll do it. I’ll go get them as soon as you come through,” Shelley said, without more than a moment’s hesitation. “Ready?”
“Ready,” Hunter said. He glanced at Will and Shane, both standing restlessly next to him, dressed all in the same black combat gear he was wearing.
In a fluid movement they had the portal open.
"Now, Shell. Run, now!" Shane said as he jumped through the doorway first.
Although Hunter’s mother nodded, she still hesitated, waiting until Hunter came through. Standing on her toes, she gave Hunter a brief kiss and patted his cheek, just once, before turning and jogging away.
The red desert was hidden in the night. There was hardly any moon, and even the billions of stars didn’t give enough light to see much of the stark New Mexico beauty.
"Ready?" Shane turned to the other two. Hunter still watched his mother run in the opposite direction, but one last, long look and he turned to Shane. He and Will both nodded, faces determined. Together they stepped through the portal, melting into the shadows on the other side. Will's hand flew through the night, red flames melting the air, and pushed a shroud spell toward both of them, letting one also settle on himself. Shane wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but an Edren shroud felt just like a Carules shroud.
The building in front of them didn't look like much. Lights set into the bushes lit the place up, showing a one-story squat, square red brick building. No windows, except for the small squares in the double doors at the front entrance. It might as well be a government office building or something. Not a holding cell for the most dangerous warrior to ever fight in this stupid war, Shane thought, frowning.
They advanced silently on the building, walking shoulder to shoulder, but someone was watching for them. Carules warriors piled out the doors, throwing spells. Hunter and Will broke off to the sides, shoving spells back at them, taking down everything in their path. Shane stormed the front door. He could see the guard on the inside, clicking the lock into place, his face smug.
Furious, Shane flung his hand out. Sharp blue flames exploded toward the door, blasting it inward and knocking the guard into the wall. He slumped to the floor and lay unmoving as Shane stepped over him, Will and Hunter at his back.
Alarms sounded as red light flashed through the building. Another guard stood behind a window, a phone to his ear.
"Stop! Stop!" he screamed. Seeing he had their full attention, his eyes lit up with unmistakable cruelty. "If you ever want to see your cousin again, turn around and walk out of here." He waved the phone at them like it was a weapon they should fear.
In one fluid movement, Hunter bashed his hand through the window, grabbing the phone out of the man's hand and hitting the speaker button. "You listen to me, Charles." He hissed as Shane and Will went after the guard who scrabbled against the far wall as fast as he could. "If Charity has even a hangnail, we'll come after you, and it will not be pleasant. Do you understand me? We are coming after you next, and she better be as unharmed as she was when she went to bed last night. Got that?"
"Hunter, it doesn't have to be this way. Tell Shane to kill the Prodigy, and your sweet little Charity can come home," Charles said, his voice smooth, unafraid. He was confident that Shane would do what he wanted. After all, he always had before.
"You have over twenty Carules warriors outside this prison who are already dead.” Hunter paused as Shane hit the guard with a lirik, and the guard’s screams tore the air. Hunter continued, “Do you hear the screams? Do you hear them dying? You're next, Charles." Furious, Hunter slammed the receiver into the countertop, watching in satisfaction as it shattered into pieces just as the hallways filled with more warriors.
Shane and Will, standing in front of him, started throwing spells, their blue and red flames mixing and twisting together. “Will, take that hall. Hunter, that one. I’ll watch your backs,” Shane directed. Will sprinted down his hallway.
Hunter took the other one, throwing spells as the warriors came after him, burning spell after spell with all the fury he had locked away inside him. Shane could feel his anger — at the war, at losing Charity, at Ari being locked away and tortured. Shane’s jaw dropped as Hunter stopped throwing spells and dove, tackling the next Carules to come around the corner and punching him out cold. Hunter jumped to his feet, chest heaving, waiting, the sirens blaring, but no more warriors came.
“I’ve got your back,” Shane murmured as he threw another spell, hitting a Carules guard. Most of them had gone after Will, and Shane knew he only had seconds before Will would be overpowered. “Hunter, hurry!” he yelled.
Hunter loped down the hall. On the inside, the place didn’t look like a tame office building anymore. On either side it was a prison, cold and forbidding, bars on all the doors and concrete floors. "Ari!" He yelled. No answer, but they both heard whimpering from the far end.
Shane’s heart was in his throat as he raced down the hallway after Hunter, skidding to a stop at the last cell, where a woman who looked just like an older version of Dani crouched in the shadows, her arms around a broken and bruised little boy. A man Shane assumed to be Dani's father lay sprawled next to them, unconscious.
"Don't worry. We're going to get you out of here," Hunter promised, leaning on the bars. He looked desperately for a key, but saw none.
“They— they used him to make her cooperate.” The woman’s voice was more like a croak. She didn’t raise her eyes from her little boy.
"Dani? I know, but she’s okay. And we’ll get him fixed up. I need to find a key," Hunter said, distracted as his eyes swept frantically for any sign of a key.
“No, not Dani. Th-the Edren. The tall one…”
Shane’s breath caught in his throat. Ari
An explosion rocked the building. “Will!” Shane spun toward the entrance. “Hunter, can you handle this?”
“I got this!” Hunter turned back to the cell. “I’m going to find a key. I
’ll be right back!” he yelled over his shoulder as he raced back down the hall.
****
Shane sprinted after Will, attacking the Carules that stood between them. Next to him, Will fought like a madman. Their spells all worked together, twisting and winding through each other, becoming even more powerful.
More frightening.
Shane could feel the flames pulling at him, feeding on his rage, exploding from his fingers in devastating waves. The Carules warriors had no chance, and yet still they came, more and more, attacking from behind and in front. Will spun around, moving backward as he shoved spell after spell at them, spells Shane had never seen before.
Guards fell. Shane stepped over lifeless bodies as they moved down the hall. He burned liriks into the air and threw them with such force they knocked the guard in front of him backward, the spell enveloping three more warriors at once. They lay, smoking, but unmoving. Shane, in his fury, didn’t spare them a second glance.
Thick smoke filled the hallway and flames licked the ceiling. The soldiers started running, trying to escape the inferno.
And their own Prodigy.
Suddenly alone, Shane scanned the hallway. Metal doors lined each side, six in all.
He raced down the hall, screaming Ari's name.
"They're all locked!" Will yelled as he pounded on the doors.
Shane didn't hesitate. "Will, find her!" he yelled, the fire roaring around them.
Will met his eyes, nodded once. He jogged up and down the hall, his hands tracing the doors on either side. He stopped at the second door, shaking hands lying flat against the hot surface. "This one," he said hoarsely.
Shane nodded and raced to meet him in front of it. "Ari, get away from the door!" Shane yelled, hoping she heard him. He threw out his hands, blue flames shooting from his fingers and blasting into the door. It bent, groaning and shrieking, but it held.
“Again!” Next to him, Will threw the same spell, flames mixing and twisting with Shane’s, creating a dark purple glow. The door erupted into a metal inferno, the pieces melting before they even hit the ground.
Shane exploded through the ruined frame, Will behind him.
Ari sat in the corner, her legs pulled up to her chest, her forehead resting on her knees. Slowly, she raised her head, and Shane bit back a cry of rage. Her hair was a tangled mass of curls and matted blood. Both eyes were swollen shut, black bruises making her face almost unrecognizable. Her shirt was torn, long gashes laced with dry blood crisscrossing their way down her back.
Her wrists had both been slit, and pools of blood ran down her legs, surrounding her on the floor. And yet, she lived, enough that she could raise her head, letting it fall against the wall behind her. "Shane?" Her voice was a rasping whisper.
"What have they done?" Shane moaned, sliding to his knees next to her.
"Will?"
"I'm here too, baby sister. Just hold on, we'll get you out of here." He was ripping the sleeves from his shirt, and Shane did the same, using the material to bandage her wrists.
A huge form appeared in the doorway, barely visible through the thick smoke. "Did you find her?" Hunter shouted, trying to be heard over the roaring flames. The fire was licking the ceiling, trying to slither inside.
"Yeah. We've got to get her out of here!" Will finished tying her other wrist as Shane hefted her into his arms. They raced into the hall as the ceiling crashed down around them.
"I found Dani's family. I sent them out already," Hunter said, coughing, as they ran, choking on smoke. Ari lay unmoving in Shane's arms, her head bumping against his chest. What if this is how I kill her? By trying to save her? Shane thought, horror driving its way through his heart. But he didn't stop, instead skidding around the corner. The doors were just ahead of them, but the smoke was thicker here.
In front of him, Hunter lowered his head and rushed the flames like a bull. Will glanced at him and away and they both burst headlong into the fire.
And out the other side.
The air was cool, and Shane fell to his knees, choking as hot tears rolled down his cheeks. Will lay on his back next to him, gasping for air. Hunter was still on his feet, but coughing hysterically.
Ari moaned, and Shane put his forehead to hers. "It's okay. You're okay now," he murmured, or at least tried to, around coughing and hacking. She nodded, letting her head fall against his chest.
Nearby, the family Hunter said was Dani's huddled against the red New Mexico sand, watching them, waiting to see if they were another threat. Will dug his phone out of his pocket, hit speed dial. He coughed into the phone, and then traced a spell into the air in front of him. A saldepement spell bloomed to life, and Carules and Edren Renegades poured through, swarming Dani’s family and then Will, helping them through the portal. Hunter followed, leaning on a man nearly as big as he was.
Shane wouldn't let Ari go. “No!” He growled, hugging her tighter as two of the Renegades pulled on his arms. Giving up, they hefted him to his feet, supporting his weight as he shuffled forward.
As soon as they got through the portal, healers took over, drawing spells on their chests and foreheads. Able to breathe, Shane carried Ari down the hall to her room, followed by at least ten healers. He shoved them away. "I've got this!" He laid her gently on the bed, wincing as she gasped against the pain when the cool sheets touched her torn back.
The healers stumbled back, all of them, surprised at the ferocity in his voice.
"Good grief, Shane, they're just trying to help." Ari groaned. Shane's eye brows shot up in surprise.
"Your Council is disappointed that they can't kill me," she said with a pained smile despite her cracked, bleeding lips.
"I'm going to heal you, Ari. But I need your help. You can't fight me."
She nodded as her eyes slid closed.
“Hold on, Ari. Just hold on.” Shane whispered.
Shane worked for hours, healing the worst of her wounds first and then moving on to the less-threatening ones, until she shook him off, telling him she was fine. The bruising had faded, the cuts healed, but she was covered in scars.
"You can't heal her completely. She won't let you," Will said from the doorway where he'd been watching, unwilling to leave her again.
"You're wasting your strength. Were you able to fix Charity's arm?" Ari asked, tentatively stretching her neck from side to side.
Shane looked at Will, alarmed. "Ari, we don't know where Charity is being held." Will came further into the room and took her hand.
"What? You came after me and just left her there?" Ari screeched, jerking her hand away from Will and shoving herself up in the bed. Her hands knit in the sheets as she swayed, the blood draining from her face.
Hunter, suddenly just there, said, "We needed to save you so you could help us save her, Ari. Stop freaking out." Shane had to look closely to see the panic still racing through Hunter's eyes and evident in his balled, white-knuckled fists.
Ari shoved viciously at the blankets tangled around her legs. "Oh no you didn't." She hauled herself to her feet, by what looked to be sheer force of will. "We're going after her. Now," she said, her voice flat and angry, her dark brown eyes spitting flames.
"Ari, we don't know where she is." Shane ran a shaking hand through his hair. He was exhausted. Between the battle and the hours of trying to heal her, every ounce of energy he’d had was gone. And his cousin was still out there. Somewhere.
"Well I do. I heard the Council talking about it while they were…” She hesitated, pain flashing across her face. “…with me." She smothered it, glancing away from them.
"The Edrens believe I'm dead. The battle to end the war is going to happen any time. Both sides are gathering their forces. The Council will have Charity there, to make sure you do your part and kill me," she said through gritted teeth.
"Where at?" Will asked.
She met his eyes, and Shane could swear Will read the answer there before she said just one word, sending chills of horror down Shane’s spine.
/>
"Adlington."
Chapter Twenty-Four
"We don't have a plan," Hunter pointed out as they waited for Shane to burn a saldepement.
"Of course we do. Go in there and kill anything that gets in our way," Ari said. She was so focused on the battle ahead, she had a hard time remembering the rest of them were even there.
"Okay, Ari, I’m thinking that you are so focused on saving Charity right now that you may have lost sight of the big picture." Will put a hand on her arm.
Will continued, his voice urgent and strained. "But this is it. The battle to end all battles, so to speak. The Edrens think this is their last stand. The Carules think they've won. Everyone believes you're dead but the Council, and they're waiting for you to show up so they can force Shane to kill you. Once you step through that portal, you're gonna have a whole world of people out for your blood.” He nodded at Shane. “Both of you."
Ari's face lit up, and she felt the manic energy running just under the surface. "Then we need to show them that I'm still alive. And we need to show them that the Prodigies are not going to end this stupid war for them. That’s a decision they have to make on their own."
"What?" Hunter’s brow furrowed as he glanced back at Shane's saldepement. It was just shimmering to life in front of them. There wasn't much time.
"Look, everyone is fighting. Why? They're waiting for us to kill each other. If we show them that isn't going to happen, they'll lose their reason for fighting. Right?" Ari asked in a rush, her eyes widening as she peered through the portal.
"It's a war zone through there," Shane said without looking at them, his voice grim.
"Yeah it is. Let's go. People are dying!" Ari yelled as she hurtled through the shimmering doorway.
"We need to find the Council. Get Charity to safety, and then we'll have to get my Grandfather and your Council to declare a truce," Ari yelled over the roar of the battlefield. Screaming. The screaming tore at her ears. And the spells, when they clashed, were like armor upon armor. In the thousands of battles she’d been in, she’d never seen something like this.