Toxic Part One (Celestra Series Book 7) (30 page)

“What the hell?” he shouts, skidding on his knees beside me. “New strategy to distract the enemy?” He gawks at my lack of clothing before emitting a dirty grin. “I like your style, Messenger.”

“Give me your pants,” I shout over the scorching wind. My hair flies rampant and wild like a blaze.

Ellis doesn’t think twice. He jumps out of his jeans so fast you would think he were about to get lucky. He doesn’t think that, right?

He whips off his T-shirt and helps pull it over me, still warm and holding the scent from his skin. I step into his jeans and roll the waistband three times to secure them.

“Thank you!” I lean up and hug him. Not only is Ellis willing to fight for me, but the fact he’s doing so in his boxers is a testament of his devotion. “I owe you big time.”

“I’ll be sure to collect,” he says, picking up my hand and glancing out into the field where a few men wander about. “Where’s Gage?”

“I don’t know.” The last thing I remember was the heat rising in that hotel room. It was going to be
our
hotel room, the one from his vision a few months back, but my mother threw us into the faction war, securing the fact her daughter’s virginity lives to see another day.

“You don’t have shoes.” Ellis gapes as though I were thoughtless to arrive in hostile enemy territory without the proper accouterments.

“I’m fine,” I say, before he has a chance to pluck off his sneakers.

A surge of bodies infiltrate the area. My heart fills with dread as they jog up ahead, holding out long black rifles with what looks like bayonets embedded into the tips.

“Shit,” I hiss, trying to pull Ellis to the side. A familiar-looking boy smiles openly at me. He breaks free from the crowd to come over, and I recognize him from the last region. It’s Cooper.

He pants through a short-lived smile. “There’s an enclave of Counts migrating to the west of the forest. You have about five minutes,” he says out of breath. “This your friend?” He nods over at Ellis.

“Cooper, this is Ellis,” I say.

“Cooper Flanders.” He gives a quick nod. He examines Ellis with a puzzled look. Boxers aren’t exactly the right attire for a war, especially when that’s all you’re wearing. “What weapons do you have?”

“What’s it to you?” Ellis expands his chest like a chimp ready for an altercation.

“Relax, he’s with Celestra,” I say. “And, we don’t have any weapons.” Then it occurs to me, Gage is probably securing an entire arsenal right now.

Cooper leans in. “Let’s get you something to protect yourself with.” He places his hand gently on my elbow in an effort to get me to follow him, and Ellis steps between us.

“She has something to protect herself with—
me
. Get over there with your friends and we’ll catch up.”

Cooper winces at Ellis. I can tell he’s not all that convinced of his power to protect me. “Suit yourself. We’re circling around and planning an ambush. You have about two minutes before you’re caught in the crossfire.” He trots off and catches up with the last of the stragglers from his camp.

“Let’s go.” I try to yank him but he points down at the shoes he took off for me. His socks are muddied to the ankles. 

“Those things are huge, Ellis. You have boat feet. I’ll kill myself if I try to run in them.”

An explosion rockets through the pile of tree trunks behind us. A rumble ignites, and the logs tumble violently in our direction. We turn to run just as a dark sheath of wood envelops us from behind. It crushes our backs with its violent momentum, efficiently pinning the both of us.

“Ellis?” It comes out weak, using the last reserves from my lungs.

His blond hair glows like an ember against the dark canvas splayed out around him. Two oversized trunks crisscross over his back as though they were perfectly placed to secure him.

“I’m OK,” he groans. “Get Gage,” he can barely get the words out. Ellis is a lot of things but OK is not one of them.

I squirm and wiggle until I free myself from under the debris.

“Give me your hand,” I say, trying to push a log off him but it doesn’t budge. I twist it until it rolls in the opposite direction. “There,” I shout victoriously. Another trunk lies over his shoulders, and I push at it full force. Ellis lets out a groan that assures me it’s a lousy idea to continue with the rescue effort.

“Shit,” I seethe.

A strange light catches my attention. A flaming arrow, one, then three, then six—a multitude of them erupt over the horizon followed up by an entire throng of people—the Counts. They rain their fiery weapons over the sky and a few land in the pile of kindle that has Ellis trapped.

“No,” I say, struggling to pluck off the log. I can feel the skin on my palm burn as needlelike splinters dig into my flesh—blood trickles to my elbow from the gash on my right hand.

The oversized nest we’re trapped in lights up like a tinderbox. An inferno comes from nothing, and soon, the entire ethereal plane glows in an amber frenzy.

“Skyla, get out!” Ellis howls.

I glance up at the war raging in front of us. The Counts have paused from their revelry, surprised by the Celestra fighters converging on them from behind. Gage leads the assault, wielding a crossbow.

I give a labored groan as I push, channeling all of my anger toward Demetri and the Counts until the log over Ellis finally gives. An ember lands on my scalp, sending a sharp pain that begs for me to stomp it out. A wall of fire comes at the two of us—the heat sears over my flesh before the flames ever touch me.

“I got it.” Ellis helps push the beam off and spins from underneath. He tackles me and rolls us over the muddied soil.

Gage comes in and swoops me up. He yanks Ellis to his feet with the strength of a lion before running us out into the open field away from the wall of flames. It’s only then I notice my back was on fire, that Ellis’s hair is singed on one side.

“You’re bleeding.” Gage pulls my hand forward. His face bleaches white at the sight of the crimson tracks running down my arm.

“It’s just a cut. Where’s the orator?”

“Haven’t seen him.”

“Hurt my fucking back.” Ellis barely gets the words out as he straightens.

An arrow slices through the narrow gap between Gage and me.

We glance over at its origin and find Chloe and Nat elbow to elbow. Behind them, an entire mob of people enliven in a fury and most of those are cut and bleeding. I scan the area for Cooper.

Another arrow slices by.

Ellis pulls us to the ground, and we roll over to the giant inferno.

You know you’re in deep shit when only a wall of fire can protect you. But not even the prehistoric danger of fire is enough to eliminate the threat of Chloe Bishop.

“Let’s get to the woods.” Gage darts a finger toward the murky shroud that lies behind the first few trees. “Ellis, go left.” Gage shouts as if this were the football field.

Ellis breaks off and Gage scoops me into his arms. The fighting has dissipated, leaving the ground soaked in crimson, as injured bodies lie scattered around. How the hell are we supposed to know who’s Celestra and who’s not?

An explosion rockets to our left, detonating into a mushroom cloud of sulfuric gasses.

Gage jostles me through a veil of smoke so thick it strangles out any hope of taking a breath. It stings our eyes shut, rendering us blind in this heated mess. Gage trips and I sail out of his arms, landing with a thud, face-first, against a jagged rock.

“Shit,” I whimper, touching the fresh cut on my cheek. I keep low to the ground where the smoke is thin and crawl until I hit the first set of pines.

I take in the frail air, choking on the fumes as I pan the vicinity for Gage or Ellis.

A hard slap ignites across my face as a stone depresses itself just below my left eye. Footsteps enliven the earth and I glance back to find Chloe thundering in this direction.

My knees buckle as I stagger to my bloodied feet. The whites of Chloe’s eyes glint through the shadows. Her mouth is opened and laughing. I don’t hang around for the Bishop show. Instead, I run like hell, deep in the thicket.

I have no Gage or Ellis or weaponry to help fight against the menace that is Chloe.

The only thing left is rage.

And I’m damn sure that’s enough.

Chapter 43

Killing Fields

Time stands still. The forest dampens with the sound of screaming, the thunder of warfare just beyond its borders. I can hear Chloe breathing as the faction war flares around us. She doesn’t bother to soften her footsteps—just keeps barreling toward me.

My feet sting, my muscles ache. The air thins out. The long tendrils of smoke dissipate to nothing in this region of the woods. 

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” Chloe chants like a schoolgirl as if this were some innocent playground game. “I’ve got a treat for you.” She taunts as though I were an animal. “Don’t you want to know what it is?” Her voice is close enough to touch. Her breath curls in vapors around the fat trunk of a spruce.

I take a step back and trip over a branch, landing flat on my ass.

Shit.

Everything in me is on fire, my joints grind as I rise to my feet. I suck in a sharp breath as a cut pronounces itself under my right heel.

“Here you are.” Chloe stains the shadows with her wicked frame. A silver chain dangles from her left hand. The protective hedge swings like a pendulum with its filigree, round as a silver dollar. The blue stone glitters in the center. “Shall we make a game of it? You can chase me, or I can toss it in the air and we’ll see who catches it.”

“I’ve already been taken by the Counts. It’s no use to me.”

“Oh, stupid, stupid Skyla,” Chloe sings. “They can’t take you anywhere, harm you, or siphon the blood out of you if you’re wearing this. Don’t you know any of the rules?”

I may not know the rules, but I damn well know Chloe. This is just another lasso she’s luring me into.

I make my way past her, unable to take my eyes off her lunacy. Chloe and I have a history in a dark forest much like this one, and that scenario didn’t end well for her in particular.

A fiery sting rakes up my leg with every step I take and I try to ignore it. Instead, I scan the landscape with my peripheral vision for Gage or Ellis but something tells me I should be looking for a stick to put Chloe’s eye out with.

Chloe comes in close. She takes a step in toward me as if she’s about to whisper in my ear, pinning my back against an evergreen in the process.

A line of pain rips through my thigh. I glance down to find a seam of blood erupting like a flare.

“
Oh
, I’m so sorry.” A serrated knife with a curved blade takes up the space between us. “Did I knick you?” She gives it in a heated whisper as her aggression boils over. “It’s sort of reminiscent of those long gashes you inflicted on me before you buried the spirit sword into my back.” She steps into my chest. “Do you remember? You handed me over to Ezrina—you let the Counts have their way with me. I guess karma’s a real bitch—isn’t it, Skyla?”

“It should be
you
they’re sucking dry.” I shove her hard in the chest. “It should be you and
only
you in those tunnels. I don’t get what vendetta you’ve had against me or my family before we ever set foot on Paragon, but I’m betting it has something to do with the fact you were rejected by more than just Gage.”

Chloe winces as though I hit the “discard” nail on the head.

“Hit close to home, did I?” I hold back a laugh. “What I want to know is, who would be stupid enough to consider you in the first place.”

Chloe ignites a slap across my already swollen cheek, and my lip splits down the center, leaving a seam of blood to salt my tongue.

“Maybe you should ask your mother, Skyla. Or doesn’t she love you enough to let you in on all our faction-centered secrets?”

The ethereal plane shakes. The ground trembles in a violent earthquake. A loud tearing sound fills the thicket as tree roots rip straight from the soil. Chloe falls backward and sends her knife sailing to my feet.

I swipe the blade off the ground, my blood still slicked along the sides. The shaking ceases to a light rumble as I scan the area for the protective hedge.

“Right here.” She waves it at me as if reading my mind.

A male voice cries out in pain from the clearing, and I recognize it distinctly as Logan. 

“I could have you, Chloe.” I take a step forward and jab at her stomach with the tip of the blade. “This knife could share our blood. Isn’t that romantic?” I taunt while slicing a gash into the bottom of her shirt. Logan groans in the distance and splits my attention. “Right now, I’d rather save a friend,” I say, speeding out of the woods.

“Skyla!” Logan shouts as I crest the edge of the tree line.

“I’m coming,” I say, bolting over to him. Logan lies shirtless, his chest washed in crimson. His face is covered with soot; both his hands are cut and bleeding. “What happened?” I pant, examining the deep lacerations over his flesh. They make my wounds look like scratches from a kitten.

“Landed in a thorn bush,” he says sarcastically while glancing back at a crowd of people draped with black vests as they make their way through the clearing. Heavy weaponry dangles from their hands. By the looks of their well-rationed artillery, they’re most likely not Celestra.

But Logan is hurt and I doubt a thorn bush had anything to do with it. He has a hole just below his ribcage where an arrow had dug in, and a clean slice down the back of his shoulder that’s gapping a good few inches, leaving the muscle exposed underneath. What hurts most is the people who inflicted these wounds were either Noster or Celestra. Everyone’s bought into the fact that Logan is the enemy.

“Are you OK?” He pulls my hair back—leans in until his nose touches mine.

I nod as I bring my lips to his cheek. “You’re here,” I marvel.

“Are you kidding? Not even Ezrina could keep me away.” He coughs. “Here, take this.” He pulls a dull black gun out of his pocket. The barrel is round and fat. It looks slightly deformed, not real, like maybe he yanked it off a video game in the arcade. “Shoots darts loaded with toxins. It’ll knock out an elephant for a good half hour—more than enough time to get you out of danger.”
They can’t see me with you,
he presses in a heated kiss against my temple. “I gotta go.” He takes a step away and holds my hand as far as our fingers will allow before taking off beyond the thicket. Chloe calls after him and runs off in the same direction.