Page 35 of Woven Souls

“Theo just signaled we’re in trouble.”

Viktor’s words cause my stomach to sink. Fredrick may have made it so that the monsters from the Third Realm are no longer after me, but now I have his brother’s curse to worry about. We hardly get a few feet before the ground beneath us rumbles. People down the street scream as the shaking grows stronger. Car alarms go off, and cracks form in the cement under my feet. I look over my shoulder, searching for the cause of the disturbance.

Down at the far end of the street comes an Utikyie. Its black armor doesn’t seem to reflect any of the city lights as it takes another step towards us. Rushing around its feet come a surge of demons. They run down the street and crawl along the side of the shop buildings and restaurants. Their shrieks of terror spark a new wave of panic around me and Viktor. People knock into us as they rush by. A car coming down the street loses control as they try to maneuver around the stampede of people. It slams into a fire hydrant. Water explodes into the air.

It's chaos.

“Come on!” Viktor urges.

“We have to get rid of—”

“Not here!” He tugs my hand. “Not with so many humans around.”

He’s right. I know that, but still, how can I run away while I watch demons maul innocent humans? My heart races as the spirits around us scream right along with the living, unable to help. It’s so loud it’s nearly deafening. Viktor pulls me alongside him, his pace picking up. I can walk in heels but running is completely out of the question. I tug him to a stop so I can kick them off and carry them.

“Willow!” someone yells as I straighten.

Viktor and I turn around as one. Fredrick stands a few feet away from us. In one hand is the knife Viktor stabbed him with. In the other is a ball of flames the size of a soft ball. In all the chaos, the humans don’t seem to notice. But the spirits near him cringe away.

“Get back here,” he orders. “And give me your powers.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” I call back pleasantly, as Viktor pulls me behind him. “That seems like a really great idea, let me just confer with—”

“Run, Willow. I’ll hold him back,” Viktor hisses.

Fredrick notices the protective stance and laughs.

“Do you think you can stop me, Fae? I’d love to see you try.”

The warlock throws his ball of fire at us. Viktor twists, grabbing me and taking me to the ground. As it flies over our heads, the ball explodes. Neither of us expect the blast or the heat that comes with it. I press myself into the ground, and Viktor tucks his head into my neck as he holds onto me. The explosion is so hot a car nearby explodes, too. I scream as glass flies everywhere.

Viktor’s weight disappears, and suddenly he’s dragging me back up to my feet. Another ball of flames flies by but goes wide. It hits the side of a building. The people rushing out of it stand no chance of surviving as the spelled flames erupt. The building collapses and the rubble burns.

“Oh my—”

“Don’t look. Come on,” Viktor urges.

But when I try to run, glass shards burrow into my bare feet. Viktor notices immediately. He lifts me into his arms with ease and takes off towards the end of the street. The car waiting for us is gone. The driver probably took one look at the stampede of people and decided to cut his losses. So Viktor just runs with everyone else.

Over his shoulder, I see Fredrick chasing after us. Demons pass him, their red eyes pinned on me as they come charging forward.

“Viktor—”

“I can hear them,” he assures me.

“Maybe run faster?”

Viktor doesn’t say anything, but he does pick up the pace. I’m impressed. It’s not like I’m a feather, but he runs up the street without breaking a sweat. I do notice, however, that he stumbles a few times over his own feet. Is he having a hard time with his eyes?

“Viktor, remember when I used my power so you can see the world differently? I’m going to help do that for you now.”

I don’t give Viktor the chance to protest. My power drips down onto Viktor’s skin around his neck first and seeps into his pores. Rather than argue or tell me to stop, Viktor closes his eyes and accepts the help.

Complimentsandacceptance? Man, maybe I should get stabbed more often if it means getting treated better by these Ghosts. Well,ex-Ghosts.

Viktor’s gait becomes smoother at once. He must have been working hard not to stumble because now his stride is longer and more confident. Viktor leaps over objects and twists out of the way of falling debris as well as if his eyes were open. Honestly, I’m impressed. It must be nice to have super Fae senses that increase tenfold when one falls to the wayside.

A demon lunges for us. Gritting my teeth, I let my power flood my veins. As I’m about to take care of the threat, something drops from the sky and tackles it to the ground. The two shapes roll before the demon goes limp. A hooded man leaps to his feet and kicks the creature. Then, he looks up at our retreating figure.

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