Thirteen (Otherworld 13)

"It wasn't your fault," I said quickly. "Whoever gave you the drugs is to blame. And our friend is fine. But there are other kids out here. Your friends maybe. They got the same drugs. I'm going to take you someplace safe and--"

The forest erupted as five kids swarmed in, surrounding us. I grabbed the girl and pulled her against me. My fingers flew up in a knockback, but the girl yelped and flung herself away, disrupting my spell.

"Leave me alone," she said. "These are my--"

One of the kids let out a banshee howl and flew at the girl, his hands curved into claws. I pulled her out of the way just in time and kicked, catching him in the thigh. He crumpled, gnashing his teeth, lips drawn back in a grotesque, inhuman snarl.

The others hovered there, circling us, growling and eyeing the fallen boy, uncertain.

"Mickie," the girl said. "It's me, Sara."

He pushed to his feet, lips still drawn back. His dark eyes flickered, then flashed orange. Sara stumbled back against me. I put my arm around her and held her there.

"It's okay," I murmured. "It's the drugs." I glanced over at Mom. "Can we dispel them?"

"Not without the ritual." She hefted her sword. "Or this."

"You kill the children if you use that," the boy--Mickie--said. He was no more than fourteen, with a scarred lip and uneven cornrows. The oldest of them. The others watched him, waiting for a signal.

"Okay," Mom said to the boy. "So I can't use the sword. I saw what you did to that guy in the motel. I'm not stupid enough to fight the lot of you. So, if you let my daughter and the little girl go--"

Mickie cut her off with a sneering laugh. "You think the Tengu are fools? You would not give yourself to us so easily. We will not let your daughter go. They say she is valuable, too. You will wait here with us until the necromancer is found. Then you will come with us or we kill all the children. One by one, we kill them."

The girl started to scream. It took me a moment to realize why. I guess that's what comes from living my life--I hear a threat and it rolls off me until there's a good reason to suspect it may be serious.

I put my arm around the girl as Mom pretended to negotiate with the leader.

"He--he said--" Sara's thin body shook so much she could barely get the words out. "He's going to kill us. Mickie's going to kill us."

"He doesn't mean it. It's the drugs. We won't let anyone hurt you."

"I want to go," she whispered. "Please, can you make them let me go?"

"Just hold on."

"I know how to . . ." She whispered something I couldn't catch, her voice too clogged with tears and snuffles.

I bent down. "What's that?"

"I said I know a way we can . . ."

She motioned me down so she could whisper in my ear. I leaned over.

"We can--"

She grabbed my hair and sank her teeth into my neck, just above the bandage. I flung her away. She stumbled back. A flap of my skin hung from her teeth. Blood dripped down her chin. Her eyes flashed orange.

I lunged, grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and threw her toward the others just as the boy behind me charged. Mom slammed him with a knockback that sent him flying sideways. I grabbed his arm and yanked him aside, giving us a clear path out.

When a girl tried to run in front of us, Mom hit her with an energy bolt that dropped her, howling and clasping her stomach. Another raced forward. Mom brandished her sword.

"You don't think I'll use this to protect my daughter?" she said. "Try me."

They stopped. The one behind her crept forward. My hand shot out. A knockback spell hit the kid so hard he sailed into a tree.

"Go, Savannah," Mom said, her gaze on the kids. "Use your sensing spell to find Jaime, then get out of here."

"I--"