Thankfully it was late enough that the South Boston streets weren’t congested and the Malibu crossed over into Milton in a matter of minutes. However, even as we approached, drawing within a few blocks of the retrofitted high school building, I could see the soft, amber glow in the distance. Against the darkness of night, the low, undulating halo signaled something on fire.
“Are we too late? Tell me we’re not too late!” Indigo inched forward in the passenger seat, her nails dug into the vinyl. Sammy was in the back, leaned forward, looking between us, through the windshield. If I knew the ex-cop like I thought I did, he was likely armed, though if we were facing off against the bounty hunter and some of his Realm Walker buddies, I wasn’t sure how well a Glock would even fare.
Smoke filled the air as we drove closer, a fog settling low to the ground. Pedestrian traffic increased, several of them moving further from the location of the fire ahead, a few holding hands over their mouths, coughing wildly. At least a couple were wide-eyed, glancing anxiously over their shoulders as if trying to escape from something. A burst of purple light splashed against the skyline, a stray magic projectile hurtling upwards and erupting like fireworks.
“I’m stopping here.” I slammed on the brakes and brought the Chevy Malibu to a shuddering halt a block away from where the shelter was located. Smoke thickened in the air and somewhere nearby sirens roared, approaching fire trucks bleating their shrill warning calls. “Don’t get mixed up in this,” I almost shouted as I turned to Indigo and Sammy. “See if you can find Daniel. That’s it. You see a crazy cowboy looking guy in a trench coat, you run the other direction, understood?”
Sammy and Indigo both nodded.
“I’m serious.”
“We get it,” Indigo replied.
“Meet back here in an hour— no matter what— or who— we find.”
“One hour,” Sammy agreed.
I fixed them both with one last stare, then pushed myself out of the driver’s seat of the car and charged down the sidewalk. I carried either Firestarter or Christine with me everywhere these days and I tried to carry The Stand, my shield dagger, when I thought there was danger. Tonight had just been about dinner at Indigo’s place, however— so the pair of Firestarter and Christine were all I had. Christine was nested in a sheath at my hip, while Firestarter resided in a slim-fit boot holster, a new item I’d purchased at the local Cabela’s but hadn’t had a chance to actually field test yet.
Smoke rammed its fingers deep in my nostrils, clawing its way down my throat and squeezed my lungs as I ran. Then, the ground shook. A sudden explosion roared from just ahead, a flare of light shooting chunks of brickwork debris into the air. I threw myself to the side of a nearby building, flattening myself against it as broken rubble scattered along the sidewalk just before me, pelting the ground and breaking apart.
I pushed off from the wall and moved back onto the sidewalk, running forward. Just ahead, I could see the facade of the building that had once been the shelter, fractured lines carved along the exterior brick, windows shattered, a spew of broken rocks covered the sidewalk and the street. Dark smoke churned from the wreckage of the building, darkened figures emerging, arms over their eyes as they coughed out lungsful of smoke.
Somewhere in the wreckage, I heard the anguished howl of an animal, the primal, desperate sound echoed skyward.
“Daniel.” I took another step forward as another figure burst from the flames. Stumbling backwards, my eyes adjusted as I saw the centaur land on the street, hooves striking asphalt as it wheeled left, the human top half gaping in shock at its surroundings. I lifted my hand toward it. “It’s okay. I’m here to help!”
The four-legged creature took an uncertain step backwards, its human head shaking uncertainly. Engines roared from behind me, headlights splashing across the row of buildings across the street. With a twisting lurch, the centaur angled away, then sprang into the shadows, vanishing among an abrupt clop of horse hooves. I looked over my shoulder and saw the approach of several vehicles hurtling down the streets to my rear. My heart raced as I kept myself flat against the brick wall.
Even just by their headlights and the swift blur of motion I could see that they were a mixture of dark colored vans and SUVs. It hadn’t taken long for Fenric to get word that something hairy was happening, which meant I had even less time than I thought.
Slipping Christine free from her sheath, I turned and sprinted toward the building, fully engulfed in a roaring wall of fire. I swiped the blade, reciting the silent spell and a gust of force rushed free from the blade, knocking flames aside and creating a small gap that I charged through, moving into the building’s interior. There was still smoke crawling along the walls, a blistering heat all around me, but the actual fire seemed to be relegated to the exterior— at least for now.
I dashed down the hallway, running as fast as my legs could carry me, so fast I didn’t even see the figure sprint out from an adjoining hallway. Bonnie ran headlong into me, the two of us colliding clumsily. I crashed into the wall to my left but remained upright and grasped Bonnie before she could fall.
“Bonnie!”
She coughed and gasped, pressing a closed fist to her chest.
“Who is it?”
She gasped, trying to form words, but struggling to do anything more than wheeze.
“Tall, dark and ugly? Cowboy hat and trench coat?”
She nodded meekly, tears streaming from her eyes.
“Where is he?”
“In— inside. After— after Daniel.”
“Is Daniel okay?”
“I— I don’t— I can’t—” she coughed a ragged cough which buckled her knees. I barely kept her from falling.
“Go outside,” I said, gesturing toward the door I’d entered from. “Turn left. Go down the street until you find the Chevy Malibu. That’s mine. Wait there for me.”
She shook her head. “The— the others. Fae. Centaur— they’re all— they’re in—”
“The centaur is out. He escaped, I saw him. I can’t vouch for the others, but you can’t save them if you die from smoke inhalation, all right? You need to get out!”
She looked pleadingly at me, her fingers clawed into the loose fabric of my own coat. Her eyes watered, her lips quivering like she was trying to speak.
“It’s okay. I’ll save whoever I can. Just— go.”
She finally nodded and loosened her grip on my collar, then stepped away, turned and jogged back toward the exit. The smoke was even thicker than it had been, a clotted curtain of dull gray. Plaster was buckling and bubbling, the heat starting to cook the walls from the inside out, but the fire had still not broken loose and the air was still at least somewhat breathable. There was another lupine howl from up ahead and I drew a breath, then took off again into a run.
Up ahead, one hallway intersected another and I angled right, forcing my way through the heat. The wall to my right shuddered, the entire building felt as though it was breaking apart. An explosion of shattered sheet rock broke loose and scattered across the hallway as Daniel surged forward, landing on all fours, having just broken through the wall to my right.
His dark fur was littered with sheet rock dust, his claws dug into the floor as he wheeled toward me, back arched. Green eyes glared angrily, his dark lips pulled into a feral snarl.
“Daniel! It’s me. It’s Gus!” I drew my knife back angling it behind me so I could hold out my bare hand in a calming gesture. The Lycan growled angrily, muscles taut and spine rigid.
“Dan, it’s me!”
A growl resonated deep within the beast’s throat as it paced back and around, turning, keeping its snarling maw pointed at me. I glanced behind me, looking through the ragged hole left in the sheet rock.
“Come on. Let’s get you out of here!” I took a cautious step forward, but Dan made no indication he had any interest in following. His claws dug deeper into the floor, then his eyes darted left, toward the hole he’d torn in the wall. I swiveled, but just a moment too late. The figure flew at me, a shadowed leap, the tails of his coat spreading like flapping wings. Before I could brace myself, the bounty hunter struck me headlong in a powerful tackle, knocking me against the wall at my back. I hit the ground hard, barely rolling with the impact, the wind stabbing from my lungs.
“You again?” The bounty hunter drew upright, snapping his jacket behind his firm stance, revealing a pistol holstered at his waist. Dan lurked behind him but made no sign of attacking.
“Androse,” I snarled in reply.
“Do I know you?”
I managed to crawl to my feet, using the wall next to me for support. “You will.” Christine was in my right hand and I dropped back into a fighting stance, squaring off against the man with the cowboy hat and elaborate, jagged scar running down his face. “Dan,” I hissed. “Run.”
#
Pain exploded in my ribs as Lucas Androse drove forward, hammering a powerful fist into my side. For a moment, the blinding white burst of raw agony shouted out the rest of the world and my head flung back, bouncing from the wall behind me. He followed up with another blow, and I barely slipped my head out of the way, his second punch crashing into sheet rock and spraying my cheek with a cloud of dust and plaster.
Somehow, I clawed my thoughts together and gathered them up, whispering the incantation and slashing forward with Christine, unleashing a burst of force from the blade’s wake. It struck Androse in the chest and threw him backwards, sending him sprawling through the hole Daniel had burst from. I leaped after him, charging across the hall and into the next room over, then swung my knife again, shooting another magical burst of hurricane wind. Lucas dodged right, already recovered, the invisible blast ripping chunks from the wall behind him, horse-kicking a crater into the wall. He moved with lightning precision, attacking my arm with a swift one-two strike, elbow, then wrist, the knife springing from my fingers, the lower half of my arm gone suddenly numb.
Another fist rammed my stomach, the linguine and sauce churning in my guts as I doubled over, knees buckled. I barely blocked another blow, and even deflecting the punch sent me to my knees. Androse’s jacket swung from his body in a flap of thick fabric, his fingers clawing for the handle of his pistol. Down on my knees, I groped for Firestarter and hooked it free of my boot sheath, chanting the ancient language of my ancestors. A rocket burst of flame ripped upward, arcing between me and the bounty hunter, a surge of hot air and roiling smoke scorching the ceiling. He wheeled left, throwing up his hand, growling in rage as he barely avoided the sudden upward thrust of a fireball.
He lunged, a boot shooting forward, and kicked me in the chest, which threw me back. My legs struck the broken chunk of wall behind me and I went over, turning as I hit the ground with my shoulder. I rolled, clambering up onto my feet, trying to come around into a battle ready stance. The pistol had been drawn, the old school six-shooter pointed in my direction. Somewhere within the surrounding rooms I heard crashing foot falls and shouting voices, men and women running all around us. His fingerless gloves coiled around the handle of the pistol, which resembled a revolver, but had certain enhancements. Mechanical adjustments built into and around the weapon’s shape, a permeating, azure glow pulsed from within it.
“You’ve gotten in my way one too many times, friend.”
Both knives rested on the floor, one at my feet, one several feet away in the adjoining room. With the knives in my hand, I was capable of all manner of things. Without them, I found myself disturbingly helpless.
I tried to remember those few lessons I’d had with Loren, the gentle instructions, the helpful guidance she’d provided. What had she said— it was like having a conversation with—
He fired the pistol and I felt the sudden slam of the magical projectile pierce my chest, my beige coat fluttering wildly with the impact. White heat punched into me, rippling throughout my body, clamping rigid, sharpened claws into my coiled muscles, holding them taut and still.
Breath caught in my throat and lungs, pushing me backwards. I lost my balance and went down sprawling, hitting the floor, darkness already seeping at the corners of my vision. I could almost feel the world slipping away, my tenuous grasp on life and reality loosening, even as my vision clouded and darkened and I fell, unhindered, plummeting into the dark pit of oblivion.