Page 99 of Rising

As the chaos continued, a figure entered the room, my head snapping to watch with horror as their attention narrowed in on Reina who was unaware of the incoming threat. Her body gave out against her will seconds before the man made contact. Before he could strike, Alexiares stepped in. Crossing the room swiftly, he swiped his knife across the man’s throat, turning to engage with the next who’d come full speed from behind. He fell too, Alexiares’ knife plunging into his torso instinctively, twisting it as he dragged it clean across, gutting him without having taken his eyes from Reina.

In a fit of rage, Moe charged towards the last attacker to enter the room, killing him with a swift blow. Seth narrowly missed the flying head as he managed to get on top of the man who’d had him in a chokehold, wrestling him out the room. The air was now silent except for the sounds of heavy breathing and a small whimper of pain as Reina woke up, grabbing the part of her head that had hit the wall when she fell. Her eyes were wide with fear and shock as they moved from Alexiares, then back at me.

Alexiares wiped his knife on his pants, a wild shimmer in his eyes, sparkling as he surveyed the carnage around him. Slowly, he examined my face, gauging my reaction to his savage display.

I took his knife, wiping the rest of the blood on my own pants before handing it back to him. “Red’s my favorite color.”

* * *

There wasn’tmuch for us to grab as we scrambled from the room, sprinting down the center of the road not caring as the darkness of the night closed in. I thought I was hallucinating the first moments of hearing it, kept running thinking the blood was rushing through my ears. It wasn’t until he looked back at me that I knew we were in for some shit.

It’d been years since I’d last heard the sound of a truck. The roads hadn’t been cleared enough in California for you to get anywhere far without being stuck. Vehicles became an endeavor to worry about years down the line as we’d gotten settled.

Two headlights shined less than a quarter of a mile away, there was no running. There wasn’t anywhere else to go, and if the cluster of armed individuals on the back were any indication, running wouldn’t matter. You can’t outrun a bullet.

“My God,” Reina mumbled, slowing to a walk.

My heart thudded against my chest. “I think it’s fair to say our luck has run out.”

The truck skidded to a stop fifty feet away. A group of six masked and armed men jumped out, weapons raised and trained on each one of us. Not counting the driver and passenger who had two pistols each pointed at my and Seth’s heads. They knew who we were all right.

“Hands stay up! Drop the weapons!”

There were no weapons to drop, we hadn’t had time to raise them at the speed the truck had barreled towards us. And by the time we realized the situation we were in, we’d quickly understood magic would make no difference. We could blaze our way out of this one, but what happens when they send the next.

My eyes squinted as I peered into the distance, another vehicle headed this way confirmed my thoughts. The butt of a gun smacked into my temple and I tried not to laugh at the irony. It was the same spot that had marked the shit show this journey would end in.

My vision was blurry but I understood whoever stood behind me was talking to me, “If I see even a tinge of magic in your hands, I’ll blow their fucking heads off.”

Someone stopped in front of me, powder blowing into my face. I knew what it was before Reina whimpered, “It’s gone, my magic’s gone again.”

The headlights became dark as a black hood yanked over my face, a needle pinched into my back, and time became non-existent.

Amaia

They’d tossed us into the back of the truck, stuffed in close, guns pressed into my side. Assuming I would be dumb enough to try something in my current condition.Where could I go?I laughed, wanting to ask them out loud, a jab in my rib telling me I best not.

My eyes burned as the hood was removed, and I blinked rapidly adjusting to the blinding light.When did we get here? I couldn’t tell. We’d been driving for awhile, but it had to be Duluth. It was the only thing that made sense. The truck had come from the opposite direction of St. Cloud. There had been no uniforms.

St. Cloud soldiers always wore uniforms, Alexiares hadn’t taken his off once he’d gotten there. They were expected to wear it each time they left their homes, he’d explained. It’d been part of his initial shock at The Compound. Everyone wore what they pleased as long as it didn’t hinder them from their work.

Sure, my soldiers had a standard uniform when they left our walls, but inside, when they trained, practicality was key. I only encouraged what they trained in to be similar to what they’d be expected to fight in. Most had caught on. Anything they wore outside of their duties was none of my concern.

The care of the holding room they’d kept us mirrored nothing in St. Cloud, either. It wasn’t anything fancy, but the fear of keeling over from black mold no longer existed. We were all here, unharmed and alive. The hoods had been removed and now, we were left to wait. The blinding lights and no windows, left us unable to determine what time it was or how much had passed. Intentional, for sure.

It became clear that no one would be coming anytime soon, sleep claiming us all one by one. I awoke to Seth pacing, his boots separating from their sole, jeans ragged. The faces of Moe and Reina defeated. If my own appearance resembled theirs, I found it surprising we’d been recognizable at all. Had I seen us from their point of view, I would have shot first, questioned if we were Pansie or a person later.

Moe’s braid was matted with blood, hair bunched at the top tangled in guck. Dirt caked around her eyes and her pants had sliced open at the knee as she leaned against the wall. Reina’s condition wasn’t much better, long gone without a hair tie. Her brown hair resembled a nest made of straw, cheeks stained red from tears that had stopped falling hours ago.

Alexiares stood a few feet away, picking at his nails, his eyes unreadable. They hadn’t taken his rings, not that it mattered without access to our magic. Seth stopped pacing, frozen in his steps, watching the door. It opened. A woman my age walked in followed by an older man in his midforties, salt and pepper hair flaking his harsh features.

I rushed forward, fingers wrapping around the bars, yanking them with significant force. “What the hell is going on?”

Her wavy red hair framed her delicate face, the dark circles beneath her eyes betraying the youth that lay beneath. She unlocked the cell doors, unafraid to approach and press her hands into my chest. “Settle down. You’re not exactly in the position to make demands.”

The man who’d entered with her stood under the threshold. I looked around at the walls. Without windows there’d be no way to tell, but something told me we were heavily guarded.

I smacked her hand away, pushing into her space. “We had a deal, Sloan.”

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