Page 57 of Enchanted Hero
It only took a moment to realize his plan, but it was a moment too long. Alexander lunged through the door, slamming it shut behind him. Just as she splayed her hands on the smooth wood, a click sounded. She twisted the golden knob furiously, but it was hopeless.
Alexander had locked her in.
CHAPTER 10
There was no time to consider what could happen – whatwouldhappen – if someone saw him. No time to worry whether cameras were already pointed at the yacht. It would be a crash course in the impossible, with him the unwilling teacher. Yet as another scream pierced the air, there simply wasn’t a choice.
The distressed ship was now covered in flames, smoke pouring from its once pristine sides. Sirens sounded in the distance, but they were too far, and too slow. It was up to him.
“Everleigh is locked in my bedroom. Get the ship as far away as possible,” he instructed Dashal Bennet, captain of theWaterstoneand fellow member of the Incantare. “I’m going to teleport.” Alexander called his power. The world swirled in diamond sparkles.
“Stop!” Alexander halted as Carter appeared out of his own signature red mist. As head of security for the Incantare, he’d do anything to protect their secret, yet as a police officer, he safeguarded lives above all else. “I want to help.”
“The more people involved, the greater the risk of exposure.” Alexander rolled up his sleeves. “I’ll take care of the fire. Stay here with the captain and Everleigh.”
Carter grimaced, but didn’t argue. “At least put on a disguise. There’s no tornado here to shield you.”
He hesitated, then nodded. It might not prevent discovery, but a disguise would make it less inevitable. With a flick of his wrist, he was once again covered in black, including a mask that concealed his features. He called his magic, and the world disappeared.
An instant later, he arrived in afirestorm. He’d teleported to the interior to reduce the risk of being seen, into the heart of the scorching heat. Billows of white surrounded him, filling his nostrils, burning his lungs. He turned rapidly, yet the room was empty save for the noxious smoke. Crackling, splintering and shattering played a symphony of danger, as a scream pierced the air, louder than before, closer,desperate.
He lunged forward, to the door that led to the belly of the boat. Like ordinary humans, he was vulnerable to fire and smoke, although he healed far quicker. He called his power, creating a bubble of air around him. In an instant, the heat from the flames decreased to a gentle warmth.
Flames licked the world around him, devouring everything in their path, as he sprinted through a fractured doorway. Wood creaked and beams splintered as the shadow-drenched world turned even blacker. Fiery tendrils grasped at his bubble, hungry and demanding.
“Help us!” Voices screamed from down below, punctuated by raspy, guttural coughing. The boat listed from side to side as Alexander darted down a narrow staircase. The flames disappeared as he went; clearly, the fire had started on the upper decks and hadn’t reached the lower levels yet. The floor shook violently, like a raft on a stormy sea, as he reached a landing. He focused his superhuman hearing, narrowing on a single door, before shooting a ray of power at it, instantly shattering it into a thousand pieces. He discarded the bubble of air as he leapt through the portal.
A family was huddled on the floor, cowering in a rapidly-diminishing pocket of air. A man cuddled a crying little girl, while a woman held a tiny baby to her chest.
There was no time for explanations. “Let’s go!” Alexander shouted.
They stared in shock. He could teleport the whole family to safety if necessary, but that would result in inevitable exposure. If there was a way to save them without compromising his people, he would. “The door,” the man choked out. “It was melted closed. How? Who–”
“It’s open now.” Alexander helped him to his feet. “Let’s get your family out of here.”
The man nodded. Together he and Alexander assisted the others, as they raced against flames and ever-diminishing seconds. When the man turned toward the main staircase, Alexander stopped him. “It’s engulfed in fire. Is there another way to the deck?”
“Isn’t that how you came?” The man peered closer, before shaking his head. “There’s a back stairway.”
“Let’s go.”
Thankfully, the flames had yet to reach the back of the boat. The adults carried the two children up three flights, finally bursting into the star-studded night. The air was clear and sweet, as the smoke dispersed. The family beamed and smiled, yet Alexander’s relief fled.
A cacophony had overtaken the world.
The peace of earlier had vanished, yielding to a circus of lights, sounds and action. Siren-blaring boats rode the waves, as roaring helicopters soared through the sky, encircling the flaming ship. A police boat had attached itself to the side of the yacht, and rescuers were climbing the side two by two. In moments, they would reach the deck.
He had to leave –now.
“Is anyone else on the ship?” Alexander gestured toward the bridge. “A captain?”
The man immediately shook his head. “I helmed the ship. There’s no one else.”
Thank goodness. He’d made it in time, and the family would be all right. Yet now a different kind of danger threatened him, his secret and his people.
A chopper with a huge news logos blazed above, followed by a large black one that was clearly government. The family watched him closely, as if trying to see behind the mask. So did hundreds of people from other boats and the shore, many with binoculars and poised smartphones. No doubt dozens of cameras were trained on him this very moment.
“I don’t know how you did it, but thank you.” The man hugged his family close. “Who are you?”
