Fractured Soul (33 page)

Another splintering sound, just as loud as the other, drew my attention behind me. May and Dr. Han were slowly backing away from the rear door. I went to them, hands ready to blast whatever came in.

“We can’t use fire in here,” Dr. Han panted. “We’ll burn the place down.”

I glanced toward the kitchen; the last of the girls were going through. “May, go with Kiera, please.”

“I’m staying with you,” she said.

There wasn’t time to argue. The back door flew open, and four Vykens came through it. One of them was Eira, the Vyken who could produce ice. I blasted her with a steady stream of Light, but she avoided it by creating a wall of ice in front of her. She escaped around it and darted to the side, her sights set on the Auras escaping into the kitchen.

I turned my attention to the other Vykens and blasted each one, temporarily dazing them. Dr. Han attacked the first one. He was an incredible fighter, spinning, jumping, and kicking like a ninja warrior. In less than a minute he managed to get behind a Vyken and snap his neck. The Vyken fell to the ground, not dead, but in pain and waiting for his body to heal. Dr. Han didn’t give him the chance. He withdrew what looked like a pocketknife from inside his jacket pocket.

I didn’t get to see how Dr. Han finished him off; I was too busy tossing Light at the other two. One of them broke away and, faster than either May or I could move, bolted behind May and wrapped his arms around her chest. May grunted and gasped for breath.

I turned just in time to dodge a blow from Blade. I wasn’t even sure where he’d come from. I spun away from him and jumped behind the Vyken gripping May and wrapped my hands around his face. I jerked his head back at the same time Light flowed from me to him. He exploded within a few seconds, but this gave Blade enough time to kick me hard in the leg. Something inside it snapped. I hoped it wasn’t a bone, but the moment I put weight on it, I knew it was. I collapsed in agonizing pain. May fell too, gasping for air.

Blade jumped onto my stomach. May saw and struggled to her feet. I wished she would’ve stayed, but I couldn’t tell her this because I was too busy feeling a meaty fist smash repeatedly into my face. The pain was severe. I blocked what I could, and even tried to get in my own punches, but it was useless. Fighting on my back wasn’t going to work.

Just then May jumped onto Blade’s back and turned her hands a fire red. Before it could have any effect, he snapped his elbow back, hitting her square in the face. She fell to the side of us, unconscious.

I stared at May, then turned to Blade. “You’re so dead.” I clasped my hands together and brought them up on his nose hard. It spurted with blood. My fists opened and Light shot out, but Blade had seen it coming. He rolled off me.

I tried to sit up, but the pain in my leg slowed me down, giving Blade enough time to get behind me. He jerked my head back hard, splitting my vision. I tried to summon Light to my palms, but they sparked and fizzled like an empty lighter.

Focus!
I yelled at myself.

While I fought to keep his face away from my neck, time slowed. Through blurry vision I saw the chaos around me. Dr. Han was to my left, fighting two Vykens. A fire was spreading up the wall next to him, filling the room with smoke. The twins and a few of the Guardians were each battling one, sometimes two, Vykens. I watched in horror as a Vyken stabbed a Guardian in the chest.

Where was Christian?

In my attempt to locate him, I saw Liam fighting near the kitchen door. The door was lit up by a bright glowing light, and on the floor in front of it were two young Auran girls. They weren’t moving. I was numb to it all. The only thing I felt was a deep throbbing pain pulsing from my leg. I’d gladly feel this over anything else.

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.

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.”