Thirteen (Otherworld 13)

He passed me and continued walking, cutting through the chaos, lawyers and guards tripping out of his path, Sierra falling in behind him as they left by the rear door.

I looked over at Sean, kneeling on the floor with his grandfather's--our grandfather's--body. I took a step toward them. A hand caught my arm. Startled, I turned to see Adam, as if he'd been there all along, right behind me.

"You can't," he whispered. "I know you want to go to him, but you need to get out of here. Now."

I looked at the door. As soon as I did, Josef's voice boomed through the room. "Arrest her. She brought Balaam here. She did this."

There were only three uninjured guards left in the room. They seemed to have stayed put out of shock, not loyalty, but Josef's words snapped them out of it. All three turned to me. And in all three pairs of eyes I saw fresh purpose--something they could do, an action they could take, a punishment that could be inflicted.

I glanced at Sean, but he hadn't heard, too wrapped up in his grief. Adam took my arm. I shook him off and started for the door myself. The guards closed in. I slammed one with a knockback. Another dove at me. Adam grabbed him and the guy screamed in pain. Adam tossed him aside and we broke into a run for the door.

I was reaching for the handle when the door flew open. There stood one of the intra-Cabal guards, his gun rising.

"By order of the--"

A blur of motion behind the guard. Hands lifted him and threw him into the room, Adam and I ducking out of the way. Then hands grabbed me so fast I didn't see who it was and I lifted my fingers for a knockback.

"Hit me with that spell and it'll be the last time I save you," Clay growled.

He yanked me into the hall. Elena pulled Adam through, then they slammed the door and Lucas spell-locked it.

I stood there, panting like I'd just run ten miles. A half-dozen bodies littered the corridor. Some unconscious. A couple dead. One of the dead men looked as if he'd been trampled. Elena's hair was half yanked from her ponytail and a scratch bisected her cheek. Clay had bruises rising on his face and was wincing as he stretched his bad arm. Lucas's suit jacket lay on the floor and his white shirt was smattered with blood, more dripping from his nose.

I imag

ined the scene out here when the screaming started inside--Elena, Clay, and Lucas fighting to get in as everyone else fought to get out.

"Thomas," I said. "Balaam killed--"

"Explain later," Elena said. "From those footsteps I hear, we're about to get hit by the second wave."

The first guard rounded the corner before she had even finished speaking. He leveled his gun. Lucas hit him with a knockback and Clay dove in to take him out. I stopped the second guy with a binding spell. It snapped before I released it, but there was enough time for Elena to send the guy flying. She threw me his gun. Clay kicked the other one our way.

I caught the first gun and stared at it a second before turning it around, finger going to the trigger--

Adam plucked it out of my hands.

"Close quarters," he said.

In other words, not the place to learn how to shoot. He threw open the nearest door. Office storage. Now gun storage.

I was kicking in the second gun when two guards came running from the other end of the hall.

"Adam!" Elena shouted.

"See 'em!" he called back. "Lucas, can you--"

"I have this side. Savannah, cover Ad--" He stopped and turned to look at me. "Sorry, I forgot--"

"My knockback works."

"Best thing anyway. Conserve your power."

How many times had I heard that? If I was fighting alongside Adam, I should throw our assailants off balance with knockbacks while Adam launched the frontal attacks, as Lucas had done with Clay.

Had I ever actually done it? Of course not. I had to be on the front line. Even if it meant I probably made the fight tougher for Adam.

Spell-casters were ranged attack experts. I'd played enough video games to know that. This was the first time I actually did it in real life.