Page 96 of Outcast Fae
My only chance was to keep him from shifting and get the upper hand before he saw it coming.
I tried to look scared and submissive as I extended my hands in the air. Was it convincing? He seemed to believe it as he stepped closer.
“Drop the stick,” he said about the baton in my hand.
Reluctantly, I let it go. It clattered against the tile at my feet with a wooden sound. I kept my eyes on Silver Bear.
“Why don’t you let me go?” I said. “I know you truly want to help people. You can help me by letting me escape.”
Silver Bear smiled, showing yellow teeth. “I’ve been around you kids long enough to know you never change. Even if you do get out, you’ll re-offend in a month or year. It doesn’t matter what I do. You’ll end up in jail or worse. No, it’s better if you stay locked up. That way you can’t hurt anyone else.”
He took another step closer.
“Do you really believe that?” I said, wanting to keep him talking. “You think there’s no way for someone to change?”
“Oh, maybe in a blue moon a kid can change, but only if they have good family support, something I know you don’t have. Not after Ponomarenko destroyed your land and people. I know that some say what he did was wrong, poisoning all of Faerie and all, but really, I think he did us all a favor.”
An evil smile cut across his face like a slash as he watched me for a reaction. Was he trying to goad me into doing something stupid? I thought perhaps he was.
I stayed still, not reacting as he took another step closer and drew out a pair of plastic cuffs. “What The Bane did was horrible,” I said.
“Or maybe what The Bane did was what we’d all been thinking should’ve been done all along.” He sneered as he closed the gap between us.
I stood perfectly still as his right hand grabbed my wrist and his left brought the plastic cuffs up. Resisting the urge to lash out, I gave him a second to think he had me before quickly twisting my arm out of his grip. As I got free, I whirled on him, brought the heel of my palm up, and smashed it into his nose.
The crunch of the cartilage and the sharp yelp of pain let me know I’d hit my target perfectly, but I didn’t have time to survey the damage. Reaching down, I fumbled for the baton at my feet, grabbed it, and came up swinging.
Silver Bear was bent over, his hands pressed to his injured nose, so my first blow bashed into his elbow. It was not where I’d been aiming and no help to incapacitate him, but I followed it with a downward blow that caught his skull. There was another crack, followed by a cry of pain. Silver Bear staggered, hitting the wall and smearing blood down it.
There was blood on his hands, face, and shirt from his nose and some dripping on the floor. The smell of it stuck in my nostrils reminding me what was at stake.
Before he could even stand up, I hit him again. This time, it was a body blow, aiming for his kidneys. It connected with an awfulwhump.
He howled again, but the sound was different this time. The howl turned into a growl as his shape began to change. He grew taller and broader, his clothes ripping. His head enlarged and his jaw elongated.
He was shifting. If I didn’t stop him now, I never would.
I raised the baton to hit him again, but now all I could spot was a giant expanse of white fur. With a mighty roar, the white beast turned on me.
He was horrible, teeth and claws, round black eyes that were unforgiving. He opened his maw and roared, flinging spittle on me as I tried desperately to think of what to do. His girth blocked the whole hallway so there was no fleeing back toward Meadow Song. I could run in the other direction, but I knew that would lead me back into the arms of the guards we’d just eluded.
Before I could even make a choice, a huge paw cut through the air. It hit me on the side and sent me flying into the wall. I smashed against the hallway and crumpled down, my senses jarred and my vision blurred. I fought to stay conscious as I lay there, curled into a ball. The bear let out another deafening roar.
Ears ringing, I lifted my head. Pain throbbed from both sides of my body—where the bear hit me and where I’d hit the wall. I fought to stand, even as my legs threatened to give out. Using the wall, I pushed up, still holding the baton.
The bear grabbed the baton in its teeth, snapping it like a twig. Two pieces fell to the floor at my feet. I stared at them. That weapon was my only hope, the last thing standing between me and capture. I dropped to my knees, a sob echoing in the hallway. My shoulders sagged, and my head bowed.
The bear, sensing his victory, dropped to all fours, grumbling and snuffling. He’d won and he knew it. I could almost hear his bear laughter, but there was one thing he didn’t know.
Fae Warriors didn’t give up so easily.
My hand inched toward one broken end of the baton and closed around it. The piece was ragged and sharp, tapering to a point on one end like a stake.
In one motion, I stood and brought my arm upward, stabbing the vicious end of the baton up through the bear's neck and into his head.
With his eyes level to mine, I saw the moment of surprise as the baton cut through his flesh and into his brain.
He’d underestimated me. Many had. Many regretted it.
