Page 28 of Wings of Lies
The squeezing pressure came back, along with the needles. Luckily there were no flames. Yet. But with no other option, Ibeggedmyself to find the live wire beneath it all.
“Ready?”
I nodded, squeezing my free hand into a tight fist.
He took a step.
We luscelered.
In the deepening shadows of the forest, we sprinted faster than the human eye, driven by the urgency to avoid lightning strikes. Oliver released me once he realized I could keep pace.
Pressurized energy filled every cell in my body, moving my feet in impossible ways. I glanced down to make sure my feet touched the ground, wanting to laugh at the thrill of it but stopped by the needle-like stabs of my power and a powerful gust of wind pushing against our speed.
“Faster! We need to outrun them.” The rushing wind weakened Oliver’s voice.
“Who are they?” I jumped over a fallen log with no conscious effort.
“They’re called Powers, elemental—” A boom of thunder covered his voice.
“What?” I screamed.
“Elemental angels!”
My steps faltered. “Why are we running from angels?”Weren’t we on the same side? What was I even thinking? Were there sides?
“Well, I don’t think they want to talk. Watch out!” Oliver grabbed my arm, yanking me to the side and out of the path of another incoming lightning bolt.
Blood rushed from my face. The pressure under my skin increased, pushing my legs faster. Not once did my legs falter or slow down. But I knew the foreboding drain was coming. It was just a matter of when.
We covered miles and miles of terrain. They never showed themselves, but their powers over the turbulent weather never ceased.
Moisture thickened the air as the clouds overhead turned black.
That couldn’t be good.
Drops of rain fell, pelting our bodies. Oliver cursed up a storm. My legs trembled, longing to collapse under the relentless assault. I had no doubt we’d both find welts once we stopped.
“Keep going, Lucy! Don’t stop!” Oliver yelled, noticing my slowing pace.
It was smart on their part. The lightning bolts we dodged. But with a downpour, we couldn’t.
I put on a burst of speed, ducking my head. The faster we moved, the lighter the drops became—a good sign. But the numbness that crept into my feet wasn’t.
I glanced at Oliver, and we shared a smile. He even gave a cocky wink. We were losing them. Then the ground shook, and trees groaned. Oliver’s smug expression dropped as he lost his footing and collided headfirst into a nearby trunk.
I stumbled over the rippling earth to his sprawled body. “Oliver!” I used all my body weight to turn him over, feet slipping in the mud. He groaned. Blood dripped down from a gash on his forehead. “Are you okay?”
The earth steadied, the whooshing of leaves settled, and my quick breaths filled the eerie quiet. I looked around, searching between trunks for movement.
“There’s no way we lost them,” I whispered, looking down at Oliver. His eyes were closed. “Oliver,” I said. “Oliver!” I shook his shoulder. “Shit.”
He was still breathing but unresponsive. I whipped off my pack, searching for something to hold against his head. Toilet paper would work.
Water seeped into my joggers as I kneeled next to him, putting pressure on his wound. I panned between his rising chest and the quiet forest. The stillness poked at my nerves. I didn’t see anyone. I didn’t hear anyone. But it would be foolish to think we lost them.
A couple of yards away, thick bushes jutted from the mud. If I managed to drag Oliver over there, we could hide ourselves behind them.
A strange sensation crawled up my legs when I grabbed his arm. The throbbing of my welts dulled, and sand replaced my blood, weighing me down.Not now.I squeezed my eyelids shut, holding back tears of frustration. The energy I used was exacting its toll.
