Page 195 of Cerulean Truth
I shrugged. “That might be, though these last few seconds do suggest otherwise.”
He was fast, lunging to grab me, but I was quicker, hurling the scalpel his way while seizing another from the table. He instinctively ducked, narrowly avoiding the blade, and in that moment, I swiftly cut the ropes around my feet. As soon as I was free, I darted behind the table for cover.
I evaded his aggressive advances with ease, using the surgical tray as an improvised shield.
Still fearing for my life, I could feel the beginning of a familiar energy sizzling throughout my body. Damn it, whatever I did, I could not translate within these four walls. Thankfully, I relied more on my physical training anyway than on the low-energy hum I couldn’t quite reach just yet.
My arm is killing me, though.
Number Three came charging and I swiftly slid down, my right hand clutching on the scalpel as I did. With all my force, I slammed it into his kneecaps, causing him to buckle with a cry of pain. Seizing the moment, I followed up with a swift kick to his groin, shoving his balls so high he shrieked in agony.
As he doubled over, I moved on his back for the finishing blow, attempting to snap his neck. But he was stronger, pushingme off him with surprising strength. With a desperate scramble, he broke free and fled toward the door. Energized by a burst of adrenaline, I pursued him, my movements driven by a resolution to reclaim my freedom.
I ran out after him, finding myself in an empty corridor. I halted, contemplating my next move, while I marveled at the effectiveness of my training sessions with James. Our focus on escape scenarios, distraction techniques, and resourcefulness had prepared me for this very moment. Amidst all I felt for him (love, rage, disappointment, and about a thousand other feelings), it was mostly gratitude which flooded my system. He had turned my body into a killing machine, born from countless hours of practice and it had saved my life. For now.
“Fuck yeah,” I cursed. As a tribute to James.
I let the door fall shut, and slowly moved through the corridor. As I turned the corner, I found the third Radical standing and waiting for me. But it wasn’t just him; it was all of them—every one of fifteen Radicals, minus two dead ones. A quick scan of their faces taught me Logan wasn’t amongst them. But still, my heart pounded in my chest. Thirteen magi versus me.
Barely armed, I would have to move quickly, evade their translation, hope their interface was not that fast. I had trained with James, who possessed one of the fastest interfaces on Earth, so there was a chance I could do this.
There was also a good chance I’d die in the next few minutes.
As I tried to control my breathing, a surge of energy started to warm my insides, running through my veins.Yes. Guess their creepy sedation had finally worn off entirely.
I smiled. I was out of their creepy, sterile examination room, my translation was back, and I was terrified for my life. Thirteen raging magi, all poised to capture and experiment on me? They would die trying.
“Let’s do this,” I whispered.
FIFTY-FOUR
JAMES
She was nowhere to be found. I had combed through every damn corner of that house, and she was nowhere.
Screw the tight lids I'd kept on my anger and rage, forget the years of meticulous training, damn any illusion of control, and fuck my inhibitions.
I let it all out and I went fuckingferal.
By the time I came by, I’d destroyed most of Emma’s childhood home, and found Julian, wide-eyed and stunned, observing the chaos I'd wrought.
"Damn, you're really... explosive," he remarked, a mix of awe and concern in his voice.
I grabbed his throat, the anger pulsating through my veins.
"She's at Coastal!" he blurted out, desperately hoping that the information would act as a shield against me ripping his head off.
It worked.
I halted, the rage momentarily suspended. “How the fuck do you know that?”
"Being The Elder does have some perks, and I've been conducting peace negotiations over there in the last few months. They transported her from here to a hidden facility at Coastalthrough the Human World, moving solely with human forms of transportation. They thought they were clever, thinking we wouldn't be able to gather intel from the Human World, but I've been building connections on both sides for cycles," he explained hastily.
"Where?" I asked sharply, squeezing a little harder to motivate him answering more quickly.
He provided the address. I narrowed my eyes, caution evident in my tone. "You better be fucking sure about this."
He rolled his eyes at me. "Do you ever not swear?"
