Mrs. Dupont laughed. “Oh, but you are lucky—very lucky—lucky that I’ve finally found you.”
“What? What is that supposed to mean? We’ve never even met before?” Zoey hated the triumphant look in her crazy cat’s eyes. What was it that she knew?
Mrs. Dupont smiled at Zoey’s distress.
“I’ve been searching for you for fourteen years. Elizabeth thought she could hide you from me, but she was wrong—and now I’ve found you.”
The puzzle of Zoey’s life started to make sense. Her mother hadn’t abandoned her—she had hidden her away in the orphanage to save her from this woman and the Alpha Nation. But why was she so important—what did Mrs. Dupont want with her? And if Elizabeth Steele was her mother, then who was her father?
Mrs. Dupont nodded to Nazar, and together they pressed down on the interlopers with their thumbs. The cubes began to glow with a brilliant white light.
Zoey had to act now. She looked around the roof for something to help her. She could see Caution High Voltage written in bold red letters on a large metal panel that was fastened to the side of the air conditioning unit on the opposite side of the roof. It gave her an idea.
Movement caught her eye. Tristan and Simon dodged behind the other air conditioners. They were alive. Simon held her golden boomerang in his hand. She made sure Mrs. Dupont and Nazar hadn’t seen them, pressed her finger to her lips, and motioned for them to come closer.
They made it to the air conditioning unit closest to her. She met Tristan’s eyes for a second, and ignoring the weird feeling she felt in her chest, she pointed to their slingshots, and to Mrs. Dupont and Nazar. Then she pointed to the panel with the high voltage sign. She sucked at charades. She hoped they understood.
They both nodded—thank God.
Tristan and Simon aimed their slingshots, but the roof trembled, and they lost their balance for a moment.
A shadow passed above them. Zoey looked up.
Thunder boomed and lightning turned the sky into daylight. Zoey thought her eyes were playing tricks on her—a black line appeared in the sky above them. The line got bigger and bigger, until it was like a second black horizon line across the London sky. She watched in horror. The line widened, like a giant movie screen unfurling, until it became a giant black rectangle.
And then she saw something that made her blood freeze.
Inside the rectangle was another world, a red world of wind and rain and fire. An otherworldly landscape of vast deserts spread out for miles inside the rectangle. She could see giant volcanic mountains billowing brilliant red smoke over a blanched plain. Black ash rained down, and plumes of smoke and steam rose from the burning ground.
And then she saw tens of thousands of evil looking mystics charging through the smoke towards the mouth of the portal.
It was a savage army of giants with three heads, mutated humanoids with animal limbs, and decomposed human-like undead running with their rotting limbs falling behind them. Creatures like mummified corpses ran towards her with their skin hanging in loose folds from their bodies. An immense translucent worm with two ominously long tentacles slithered to the mouth of the portal beside hundreds of monstrous spiders with small humanlike arms below their mandibles. Creatures that resembled gigantic floating eyeballs shot out towards her followed by skeletal humanoids clad in metal armor riding on huge flies.
The creatures clawed savagely at each other, racing to enter her world before the portal closed. Their numbers overwhelmed her. No one could defeat such an army. The howling mystics cascaded down into the streets of London like a tidal wave.
Mrs. Dupont laughed triumphantly. She lifted the interloper above her head like an offering to a God. Her twisted features were contorted in madness.
Zoey signaled to Tristan and Simon. They took aim and fired.
A metal ball hit Mrs. Dupont on the side of her temple. She crumpled to the ground, and her interloper slipped from her hands and dropped to the ground.
Nazar was struck in the back of the neck, and he stumbled to one knee—but he still hung to the interloper.
Zoey staggered forward, the adrenaline in her veins feeding her with renewed energy. Every step was agonizing, but she forced herself to ignore the pain and strained on. Roars erupted above her as more hostile mystics surged towards the portal, but she didn’t look up.
Her broken arm seared in pain as she picked up Mrs. Dupont’s interloper. Then she shuffled towards Nazar. She kicked his hand awkwardly, and the interloper fell from of his grip. She clasped both interlopers clumsily to her chest and hobbled as fast as she could towards the other side of the roof.
“STOP HER!” bellowed Mrs. Dupont.
Nazar was on his feet. And faster than she would have liked, he was nearly upon her.
Zoey shuffled towards the high voltage sign. She could feel Nazar reaching out behind her, about to grab her. Simon and Tristan fired at Nazar, but he ducked and the metal balls rocketed off the roof. They shot at him again, hitting him in the chest and arm with satisfying cracks—but he kept coming.
Just as Zoey’s energy was about to run out, she reached the electrical panel.
“God, I hope this works.”
She kicked it open. Blue sparks shot at her, and she jumped back. Electric charges danced dangerously around the wires like venomous snakes.
She swallowed hard. “Here goes nothing.”
“NO!” screamed Mrs. Dupont. “STOP HER! KILL HER!”
Zoey tossed the cubes onto the wires, just as Nazar’s hands wrapped around her neck. She opened her mouth to scream, but Nazar squeezed harder, and she felt her last breath escape. She knew she was going to die.
She thought she heard Tristan calling her name. It sounded like she was underwater. Her arms hung at her sides like dead branches. She looked away from Nazar’s murderous smile and caught sight of the interlopers. For a second nothing happened. Then the blue electric current coiled around them, and the interlopers’ lights grew steadily brighter, until they were both white hot. Then they exploded.
The force of the blow caught Zoey in the chest. She and Nazar flew into the air. He lost his grip on her, and she drew in a desperate breath. She crashed brutally into the wall on the edge of the roof and felt something snap. She couldn’t feel her legs or her arms, and warm liquid seeped from the back of her head. Her ears rang, and she knew was dying. Her body was broken.
With the last of her strength she watched the portal shimmer and split apart. Like a mist blowing in the wind, the black rectangle flickered and disappeared. The last things she saw were the angry faces of the mystics staring down at her from above.
She closed her eyes and let the darkness take her.
Chapter 22
Payback
Buildings burned. Mystic and human bodies littered the streets of London. The air was hot and Zoey fought to breathe in the hot smoky air. Mutes ran screaming past her as they tried to escape their invisible enemies. Zoey watched a giant flying insect swoop down on them as they crowded the narrow streets. They couldn’t fight back. They couldn’t see the threat.
But Zoey could see the creatures. She had to help.
A blast of blue light hit the giant insect, and it crashed into the window of a burning building. A group of humans who could see them fought the creatures. All was not lost.
“Zoey.”
Zoey turned and followed the voice.
A woman with long fire-red hair stood in the middle of the street. Her hair and her emerald eyes were just like Zoey’s. She waved at Zoey, and Zoey waved back. She recognized the woman immediately, and as she moved towards her, her mother smiled.
And then someone appeared behind her mother—the woman in a hat with a face like a cat—she sneered at Zoey with a look that chilled her to the bone.
But before she could reach her mother, a black line formed in the air right above them and grew steadily larger until it was the size of a door. The cat-woman took her mother by the hand, and before Zoey could react, the
y both flew into the air and disappeared through the black doorway.
“NO!” Zoey ran to the spot, but they were gone.
Zoey woke with a start.
As she focused, she realized she was in a single bed with white linens. She blinked the fuzziness from her eyes and looked around. She was in a large room with three other single beds. It looked like hospital with white walls and the smell of disinfectant. Her lids were heavy like she had slept for months. Her right arm was in a baby-blue sling, and she had a jumbo headache.
She felt a presence with her in the room and turned to see who was there. Aria smiled at her. With effort, Zoey pulled herself to a sitting position.
“Aria,” her voice cracked, like she hadn’t used it in weeks. “What happened? How did I get here?”
Aria placed a left hand gently on hers, while her three other hands rested on her hips. “Take it easy, Zoey. You were hurt really badly. I don’t want you to overexert yourself. You’re safe and in the medical bay back at the hive.”
And then the events with the interlopers came back to her like a slap in the face. She tried to breathe normally.
“Are Tristan and Simon okay? They were on the roof with me. I don’t remember what happened to them after I blacked out. Are they safe?”
“Yes,” said Aria, calmly. “They’re both fine.”
Zoey let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Thank God. How long have I been here? I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck.”
“About a week. You injured your back badly, and you suffered a concussion. You’ll have to stay here for a while, I’m afraid.”
“That explains the massive headache—it’s like someone hit me over the head with a baseball bat.”
Zoey struggled to remember what had happened. Where were Mrs. Dupont and Nazar?
“I remember being choked before the explosion, and then I hit a wall. But the rest is such a blur—do you know what happened? Are the interlopers destroyed?”
“Yes, thanks to you.” Agent Barnes entered the room on crutches. He gave her the biggest smile.
Zoey’s grin matched his. “You’re okay! I can’t believe it!”
Agent Barnes hopped over to the side of her bed. “I’m a little broken here and there, but I’ll live.”
“I was so worried,” said Zoey trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. “I didn’t want to leave you there—I felt terrible.”
“You did what I told you to do,” said Agent Barnes. “You did what was necessary—you destroyed the interlopers—which was far more important than saving my life. You saved us all, Zoey. You did it.”
Zoey’s face was suddenly hot and her ears burned. She smiled awkwardly. “So what happened? What happened after I blacked out?”
“Well,” began Agent Barnes, “more backup teams were sent in, when I and the other agents didn’t report back. Communications were down at headquarters because all the mirror-ports had been destroyed, so they used the backdoors to get in.”
Zoey nodded. “Like the fake window on the top floor of Parrods.”
Agent Barnes smiled. “Yes, among others. They had been installed years ago for emergencies like this. Unfortunately the help came too late, and most of the damage had already been done. They arrived at Headquarters, only to find the bodies of the dead agents. There were no signs of the Alphas anywhere.”
Zoey’s eyes widened. “But they were there—we saw them! They shot at us! And there was a woman with a red globe—she killed people by scaring them to death with it. I saw her use it on a man, and he died of fright, I swear.”
“I believe you,” said Agent Barnes.
“When they found me I told them about you—and about Agent Stokes. They helped me to the roof where I found Tristan and Simon watching over you.”
He beamed at her. “They told me what you did, and I saw the pieces of the interlopers. I’d never thought of an electrical charge. That was very clever of you, Zoey.”
Zoey felt heat rise to her face. “It was nothing.”
“It was far from nothing. You stopped the most dangerous mystics from crossing over.”
Zoey bit her lip and shook her head.
“Not all of them. I remember seeing a lot of really big and nasty looking ones get through the portal. They were angry and vengeful, like they couldn’t wait to start killing people. I couldn’t tell you how many exactly, but there were lots.”
“The agency is preparing to deal with them,” said Agent Barnes. “Lots is a lot better than hundreds of thousands. You closed the portal just in time. We’re not sure what kind of mystics got through, and I’m sure management will be very interested in what you have to tell them, once you’re feeling better.”
A shiver ran along Zoey’s shoulders. “So, are Mrs. Dupont and Nazar in custody?”
For a moment Agent Barnes said nothing, then with a serious look on his face he said, “There was only the body of Agent Stokes. Mrs. Dupont and her ally were long gone when we got there. They must have fled after you destroyed the interlopers.”
“She’s going to try again, you know,” said Zoey angrily. “The woman’s insane. She wants to destroy all the agencies and to rule this world like the Originals did—whatever that means. The woman’s a freak.”
Zoey thought about asking Agent Barnes why Mrs. Dupont had been searching for her for fourteen years—and how she had known that Zoey had the ability to influence her destination when she transported through the mirror ports. But at the last second she decided not to. She wanted to learn more about her skills before she said anything to anyone. Maybe if she found her mother, she would learn more.
“Well, at least for now, we can take comfort in knowing she won’t be trying anything for a while,” said Agent Barnes.
“What about the other interlopers?” said Zoey suddenly. “I know there are others—she might go after them to finish what she started.”
Agent Barnes smiled. “Don’t worry, they’re safe.”
“Safer than before?” she said and raised an eyebrow.
“Let us hope so,” answered Agent Barnes.
Tristan and Simon came to visit her every day at lunchtime. And even though her heart still skipped a beat when she saw Tristan, she was very glad he visited. Soon it was just like old times. Unfortunately her ribs felt like they were ripping apart from the inside when Simon made her laugh, so the nurse told them to leave her alone to heal. Although her ribs still felt like they were on fire, she finally felt well enough to be out and about, and she left the medical bay to meet with management.
But there was something she needed to do first. And it would only require a few minutes.
Simon and Tristan were waiting for her outside. Although the fluffs of snow that had fallen the night before melted in the sun, she could feel that winter was finally on its way. Her sneakers crunched under the wet leaves, and she wrapped her new wool toggle coat around herself more tightly to keep the cold from coming in.
“Is everything set?” she asked, as she neared Simon and Tristan.
“Yup,” said Simon beaming mischievously. “This is going to be the best day of my life.”
“Is he here?” Zoey searched the grounds. Most of the operatives were out enjoying the afternoon sun.
“He’s right over there,” answered Tristan.
Zoey followed his gaze and smiled.
Stuart King stood inside a circle of his cronies, proudly putting on a show. Claudia was there, too, flipping her long brown hair over her shoulders and laughing at everything Stuart said. It was perfect.
“Let’s do this.” Zoey felt the blood pump in her veins as she and her friends advanced towards Stuart. They stopped and stood just close enough to be in earshot. She smiled at Tristan and gave Simon a nod.
“Hey, Stewie,” Simon called loudly. He waited for Stuart and his friends to turn around.
“What do you get when you mix a king with a moron? Give up? A kingdumb!”
Stuart glowered at him.
“What’s the matter, Stewie,” said Simon innocently. “Can’t take a joke? Did we hurt your royal feelings? Are you too sensitive to take a joke? Well, at least now you’ve got some color on your face. Between you and me—that white vampire look you had going, wasn’t really working.”
Stuart scowled again.
Zoey pulled a large golden bracelet set with precious stones from the folds of her jacket. She admired it on her wrist, and the sun’s rays reflected myriads of colors onto her face. She lifted it up for all to see.
Stuart reached out and grabbed the bracelet.
“Give it back.” Zoey stepped up to Stuart, scowling.
Stuart smiled and twirled the bracelet in his hand.
“There’s no way a Drifter could afford this.”
He inspected the bracelet more closely. “It’s real. You stole it, didn’t you? Wait till the agents hear about this—their precious little orphan is a thief. They’ll send you away for good this time.”
“I didn’t steal it. It’s been in my family for years. Give it back.”
Zoey reached out to grab the bracelet, but Stuart laughed and twisted away from her.
“No. I think I’ll keep it for now,” he said. “Your days are numbered, Drifter. Go back to the streets where you belong.”
With a flick of her long hair, Claudia took the bracelet from Stuart and inspected it. She smiled and handed it back to him. She moved towards Tristan.
“Still think she’s all that great, Tristan? We all know she’s a liar, and now we have proof that’s she’s also a thief. How can you even like her?”
When Tristan didn’t answer she turned away from him angrily.
“Come on,” said Stuart turning away, “let’s go show this to Agent Ward. I’m sure she’ll love to hear where we got it.”
“Wait!” Zoey stepped forward. “I’ll fight you for it. If you win, you can do whatever you want with it. You can go tell the entire agency that I’m a thief. But if I win, I get the bracelet back.”
Mystics 3-Book Collection Page 25