Splinter (The Machinists Book 2) (27 page)

Allyn stopped at the front of the car, mirroring Maddox’s position. Maddox’s cuts and bruises made him more menacing, more human. The boulder of a man could bleed. He could be hurt. He could feel.

A soft murmur traveled through the mass of cops, and Allyn turned to see Kendyl approaching. She walked confidently with her back straight and chin held high. Her long hair blew radiantly in the gentle breeze, displaying her uninjured face. She stopped at Allyn’s shoulder and folded her arms. If Maddox was cool, Kendyl was ice, and her cold fury was directed squarely at the agent.

Maddox gaped. He uncrossed his arms and took a tentative step forward. His eyes narrowed as he fixed on Kendyl, obviously distrusting the truth of what he saw. Another door popped open, and Maddox’s surprise grew into something far more intense. He set his jaw and squared himself into a powerful stance, his knuckles whitening around the butt of his pistol. Allyn didn’t have to turn to know Nolan had stepped out.

The former agent joined Allyn and Kendyl, stopping at Allyn’s other shoulder. Allyn nodded to him, silently wishing Nolan had remained in the car. They had definitively drawn a line in the sand, and Nolan’s picking the side of the fugitive was a further slight to his former partner. If the growing rage on Maddox’s face was any indication, the situation had just grown more dangerous.

Jaxon appeared half a beat later, extending their line from three to four. And then to Allyn’s surprise, more filled in around him. Leira. Liam. Nyla. Ren. They poured in so quickly that Allyn couldn’t keep them all straight. Rory. Canary. Joyce. Andrew. Even Brandt, Juniette, and the other Hyland refugees. His friends. His Family. They had stood with him against Darian. They had defeated Lukas. And even in the certainty of defeat, at the end of their line, they remained together.

Not considering the unarmed people a threat, the police kept their guns raised but didn’t fire.

More magi slipped into position. They walked, limped, and hopped forward. Full strength, and wounded, the magi stood with him. They stretched from ditch to ditch, a single line of strength and purpose. Allyn met each one of their eyes, nodding with a silent appreciation. Then, as he felt the guns move from him to the others and the tension build to a crescendo, he took a purposeful stride forward.

“You really thought she was dead, didn’t you?” Allyn said. His words easily carried across the distance, cutting through the silence. “I know you’ve questioned my old coworkers and classmates and anyone else that might have had a passing knowledge of me, but if you knew anything about me, you’d know that there is nothing more important to me than family. What I did was for Kendyl. What I do now is for all of them.”

What he was about to do next defied reason. But with the recent display of solidarity, he dared to hope. He separated himself from the group—if it went badly, he didn’t want it causing death among those who’d bravely stood with him—and wielded.

Chapter 30

T
wenty-five guns whirled to focus strictly on Allyn. He anchored his feet to the cracked pavement, steeling himself against the sudden flutter in his chest. The coils dimmed slightly, though they were still a wonder to the unknowing eyes.

“Hold!” Maddox held a fist in the air.

Allyn took hold of his words, using them to flame his will. His legs trembled, and he felt as though he were about to topple off a cliff into a deep canyon.

Hold
, he repeated.
Hold.

“This only ends one way, Allyn,” Maddox bellowed over the crackling coils of electricity. “And that’s you coming with me.”

Allyn shook his head slowly. “I no longer believe that.”

Maddox’s eyebrows rose with surprise. “Really?” He held his arms out to his sides, gesturing to the tactical unit behind him. Most were outfitted in full riot gear comprised of Kevlar vests, thick padding over the arms and legs, and helmets with glass visors. The assortment of weapons drove the point home.

As if in a silent argument, the Family revealed their own powers. In a sharp contrast to the mechanical sounds of safeties and bullets being chambered, the magi call to action was organic. Fire sparking. Water gurgling. Air whooshing. And a new sound joined the others. Like a deep drum reverberating through a musical chorus, Nolan’s power hummed violently. The light began in his palms, stretched up to his elbows, and disappeared under his sleeve.

Allyn studied the officers. He heard more than a few gasps and curses, and the ones he could see wore disbelieving expressions—mouths agape, eyes wide in shock, confusion, and terror. Guns lowered as many took uneasy steps backward, and for a brief moment, Allyn believed their display was enough to break the force. But the most hardened of officers held it together. They showed little reaction—only a slight dip in their gun barrels or a thin parting of their lips as they exhaled—and their strength was enough to keep the force from breaking. As quickly as the shaken officers lost their composure, they regained it and formed back up in rank.

“We are not your enemy,” Allyn said. “But push us, and we can be.”

“You,” Maddox yelled back, “are a fugitive! A man who kidnapped his own sister. A man who killed too many of our finest.” The officers stiffened at this. “You
are
our enemy.”

“Listen to him, Maddox,” Nolan said. “He’s telling—”

“Do
not
speak to me!”

Nolan snapped his mouth shut and pursed his lips angrily. Allyn silently thanked him for it. Nolan’s intentions, however heroic, would only instigate matters further.

“The only crime I’ve committed,” Allyn said, “was that I didn’t come to the police as soon as I should have. All of your other allegations are false. My sister stands here, unharmed, and she can verify everything I’ve said.”

Maddox only shook his head. “I don’t care if you’re guilty or not—that’s not my job. I exist to bring you in so others can decide. Of course, if it were up to me, I’d shoot you dead and be done with it. So tell your friends to back down before this thing turns ugly.”

Allyn didn’t know how much of Maddox’s bluster was rooted in truth, but he didn’t want to find out. He glanced uneasily at Jaxon. The enormous magi was the only person he’d ever met who was as stubborn as Maddox. He briefly met Allyn’s eye and cocked his head to the side, indicating for him to return to the magi line. Allyn retook his position between Nolan and Kendyl.

“Air,” Jaxon ordered in a voice that only his unit could hear. “Focus it on the front line. Nolan, I want you to hit the underside of the lead car. Wait for my order.”

“They’ll return fire,” Allyn said. Those around him wielding fire and water quickly switched to air.

“Aim to injure. Do not kill. We’re only trying to stall them.”

“We’ll be slaughtered,” Allyn continued.

Jaxon ignored him. “For those of you who cannot wield, make for the nearby vehicles and clear a path. Leira, Kendyl, go with Nyla and Liam. As soon as there is an opening, I need you leading the caravan through it. Joyce, you, too.”

“What’s it going to be, Allyn?” Maddox asked.

“The rest of you,” Jaxon said, “advance after the initial volley. As long as they have us at a distance, they hold the advantage. Close the gap. Fight together.”

“So be it,” Maddox bellowed. “Fi—”

“Now!”

The very air twisted around Allyn, and light
bent
as if he were seeing it through a glass. Before Jaxon finished sounding his order, the air exploded as every McCollum and Hyland magi acted as one.

Maddox was tossed off his feet and thrown backward into the windshield of one of the vehicles. Then as the second volley of air hit, like a muscle car with too much torque, the car flipped and tossed Maddox as if he were a boulder in a catapult. As the car crashed into the second row of vehicles, officers scrambled and dove to the pavement. Others watched in horror as the unseen force quickly savaged the front line of their unit.

Very few opened fire, and by the time they did, they were too late.

Maddox’s car went up in flames. Nolan’s energy charge ignited under the gas pan, throwing the vehicle fifteen feet into the air. It crashed to the asphalt, tires exploding, windows shattering, flames licking the undercarriage.

Jaxon led the magi unit forward, breaking for the first line of vehicles. A bullet zipped perilously close to Allyn’s ear, snapping him into action. He rushed forward and leaped over the hood of a vehicle. The officer on the ground was just getting to his feet. Allyn kicked him in the chest savagely. It was like kicking stone. He cried out, grasping the mirror of a nearby SUV to keep from collapsing. The officer rose to his feet, pulling his baton off his belt.

The officer swung ruthlessly, aiming for the biceps of the arm that held the mirror. Allyn let go just as the baton struck, ripping the mirror off the car. The officer whirled. Allyn lunged, and the tip of the baton sang through the air, narrowly missing his chin. The officer advanced, his left forearm held in front of him, nightstick at the ready.

Allyn wielded. The trickle of energy formed as a single coil of electricity around each arm, but it was enough to make the officer freeze. Allyn sprang forward and slapped the officer’s chest. The coils surged, wrapping around the officer like a whip. His knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, stunned. He didn’t move as the coils withdrew.

Blinding light filled Allyn’s vision, and he found himself curled on the ground, protecting his head. He hadn’t seen the second officer approach. The blows continued to rain down with a ferocious rhythm, striking Allyn’s arms, shoulders, and back. Allyn cried out and tried to roll away, but the space was too confined. He had nowhere to hide. The air cracked, and as quickly as the blows had begun, they ceased.

Allyn opened his eyes to find a powerful shadow standing over him. The second officer had fallen atop the first.

“Get up.” Jaxon’s gruff voice was pained and to the point, not one to be argued with.

Allyn winced as he uncurled, stretching beaten muscles against their will. By the time he rose to his feet, Jaxon was already gone. Allyn surveyed the scene. The first batch of police vehicles had already been moved, and the cargo vans screamed down the mountain road fast enough to bottom out as they hit the highway. Sparks flew out from the undercarriage of the lead van as it slid sideways onto smooth pavement. It teetered on two tires before crashing back down onto all four and jetting through the hole in the police defensive. The next two followed without the theatrics.

Allyn picked up the nearest baton. It was lighter than he would have imagined, balanced so that the tip was heavier, and made of aluminum. He wielded again, projecting the current into the nightstick. The coils snaked around the metal baton, and the grip grew warm in his hand.

The first officer he found was already in a heated battle with Rory. Allyn came from behind to strike a small swath of exposed skin under the base of the officer’s helmet. The officer went rigid, his chest arching forward, and Rory hit him with a concussion of air that sent him hurling into the driver’s-side door of a nearby SUV. Rory nodded his appreciation, and together, he and Allyn advanced.

They circled through the phalanx, overwhelming individual battles and gathering more magi into their rank. Slowly, the series of individual skirmishes became one large force picking off smaller ones. They were halfway through the phalanx when Allyn risked another glance toward the edge of the police presence. The hole in the police defensive was larger, and three more cargo vans zipped through. The rear van slowed, and four shadows broke from the battle and rushed for it. When the van sped away, the shadows were gone. The magi were fleeing. Risking another glance, Allyn saw why. Only a handful of the vans remained.

“We’re fleeing,” Allyn said.

Rory whipped his head around to watch the vans speed down the road. Less than a quarter mile away, brake lights flared, and two shadows emerged from the lead van to rush back toward the battle.

“They won’t leave without us,” Rory said. “We need to get the rest.”

“To me!” Allyn bellowed. “To me!” He held his baton in the air. The glowing metal was hot to the touch, and the red coils continued to rush around it in a twisted mess of raw power. “To me!”

A series of gunshots popped. Allyn ducked instinctively as metal around him clanged and sparked. A ricocheting bullet grazed his arm, and another glanced off his hip. On his stomach, Allyn peered under the vehicles, searching for his assailant.

A pair of glossy black loafers approached from the hollow center of the crescent, where Maddox had originally been.

Allyn growled, jumping to his feet. He wielded again—the electricity had winked out when he’d ducked—and flew around the vehicle.

Maddox, startled by the sudden movement, hesitated. Then realizing it was Allyn, he brought his gun up to fire. Allyn heaved the glowing baton. It spun through the air and struck Maddox’s gun hand.

A single shot rang off, fired harmlessly into the night.

Allyn was on him in less than a blink. He punched Maddox in the nose, then again just below the left eye. He brought a knee up, aiming for Maddox’s midsection, but missed, catching the bottom of Maddox’s hidden Kevlar vest.

Pain blossomed in Allyn’s knee. He tried to steady himself, but his leg collapsed, and he fell to the asphalt.

Maddox rebounded quicker than Allyn could have imagined. He rolled onto Allyn, grabbing him by the front of his shirt, and threw a softball-sized first into his face.

The stars returned. Another blow broke something in Allyn’s face.

Allyn went limp, no longer able to think, and coughed up copper-flavored blood.

Maddox let go of his shirt, and Allyn flopped to the ground. Maddox rose and didn’t see the jagged piece of ice streaking through the air toward him.

“No!”

A bright ball of light flew toward it, colliding with the ice blast in midair.
Crack!
Tiny ice bits and harmless droplets of water sprayed Maddox across the back.

Maddox spun.

Nolan emerged from the line of cars. His starched shirt was cut in half a dozen places and soaked in blood. Sweat and dirt streaked his face, but he strode forward with purpose.

Nolan saved Maddox.

Maddox scanned the ground hurriedly. His eyes found the gun. He looked at it, then at Nolan, as if doing the math to see if he could get to it quickly enough.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Nolan said. His hands were glowing.

Rory appeared behind Nolan, another ice blast forming in his hands.

Maddox saw it and retreated.

Nolan noticed the ice blast in Rory’s hands and rounded on the younger magi. “I said no!”

Rory looked at him, incredulous. “Why?”

“Because you don’t need to be become the person he fears. The person he believes you are.”

Rory’s face soured. “He tried to kill us.”

“And he likely succeeded with a few,” Nolan said. “But he didn’t do it out of hate or spite. He did it because he believed he was protecting his people. Are there any among us who wouldn’t have done the same?”

The remaining magi gathered in the hollowed space of the phalanx.
Is the battle over then?

No one answered Nolan’s question.

“I didn’t think so.” Nolan closed the gap between him and Maddox. He may have called for peace, but his arms continued to pulse with energy. “Allyn said that we are not his enemy. Let’s not dishonor that sentiment.”

“What do we do with him then?” Rory asked.

“We leave him.”

“What?” Rory bellowed. “He’ll come after us again.”

“Perhaps.” Nolan shrugged. “But if he does, the last memory he’ll have is an act of mercy. And that’s a powerful ally.”

A final form appeared from the line of cars. Broad and powerful, Jaxon walked with a significant limp. His leg was a bloody mess of fabric and torn flesh. Welts covered his exposed arms, where he had no doubt blocked baton strikes, and his expression was the kind that attempted to mask the pain but failed to do so.

Rory took one look at Jaxon and immediately looked away. Even Nolan seemed to shrink. There was little doubt who would make the final decision.

“
L
eave him,” Jaxon said in a tight voice.

Three hours removed from the battle, Allyn began to suspect that Jaxon wasn’t taking them to the Green Manor. His face was a swollen mess, and the pain hadn’t subsided in the least. He had a vague memory just before he’d lost consciousness of Jaxon ordering his clerics to heal the wounded police—but not his own force.