Lightning Game (GhostWalkers 17)

Diego, he’s going to attack with a lightning strike. Rubin crouched in place. Keep your eyes on him at all times. Don’t let him escape. I’ll take care of the lightning.

He worried about sending telepathic warnings to Jonquille. That involved using energy and it could enable that hunter to pinpoint her. Still. He knew she had strong protective instincts, just as he did. Just as Diego did. Their enemy had been after her, using the clouds he’d seeded to try to draw her out. Don’t answer me, Jonquille, and don’t move. Let me take care of this.

Lightning crackled, lighting up the bottoms of the clouds in forks, sizzling and building the negative charges, attracting the positive charges in the ground. Rubin couldn’t imagine the pull on Jonquille’s body from the clouds and the ground both. He couldn’t spare a glance in her direction. He couldn’t look to see where the enemy was. The lightning strike would happen so fast even the human eye couldn’t follow it, but his body’s electrical perception and the hairs on his body would be able to act as a tracking system and trigger an interception. He needed to deflect the strike and keep it from hitting anywhere near his brother.

The buildup was shockingly fast. Now. He warned his brother. The light would be so bright after the dark of the night that it would hurt his eyesight. Diego would have to close his eyes against the flash and then open them to catch the movement of their enemy, who would take the opportunity to make a jump for another tree.

Rubin triggered his own electrical response, directing it precisely at the lead stroke that ran from cloud toward ground, so that it hit with deadly accuracy. Rubin was up and running, leaping over rotting tree trunks to cover as much ground as he could, heedless of the dense brush and the startled animals rushing before him. He heard Diego’s rifle but didn’t dare take his eyes from the clouds, where the charges were building faster and stronger.

He hunkered down as his body hairs rose. Incoming. Eyes, he warned his brother. Diego had gotten off a shot, but he hadn’t hit their enemy, which was nearly unheard of. Their opponent was brutally fast.

Several jagged bolts of lightning struck like swords at a location not too distant from Rubin, where he suspected Diego was hunkering down. Rubin had been expecting the retaliation and he triggered his own response in anticipation, his electrical charges knocking the rods sideways, away from Diego. It wouldn’t be long before the squirrel man would decide to take his next shot at him.

Immediately he was up and running again, toward the location the enemy had been in. Again, Diego’s rifle sounded off. This time, there was a loud crack and a splintering sound as a branch gave way. Diego pulled the trigger again.

I didn’t get a clean hit, but he’s down.

He’s fast. Rubin didn’t slow down, although knowing his opponent was wounded didn’t make him happy. He was a mountain man, a hunter. He knew to be cautious when tracking a wounded animal into the bush. Wait for me. I’ve got your six.

Rubin kept moving fast. He had pinpointed his brother’s location by their telepathic communication. His brother was on the move but at a much slower, cautious pace. Coming behind him and off to his left, but keeping the same speed, he felt the static electricity that could only signal Jonquille moving through the brush as well. She was silent, not disturbing leaves or branches, not stepping on anything that would snap under her weight.

The ground was wet, so that meant one could step in unseen puddles. Sound carried at night, even ragged breathing, but the splash in a puddle would instantly give away position even in the thick brush to an experienced hunter. But Jonquille made no sound. Had it not been for the static charges on his body, he would never have known she was close to him.

He’s in the tree branches, can’t get a bead on him. I hit him. There’s blood on the leaves.

Stay still, Jonquille. He’s going to strike at Diego.

I can feel it. She sounded very calm. I can steal his lead. I’m ground. Once I do, I can strike at him if you direct it.

The charge was building fast. It was not only fast, but Rubin could tell their opponent meant to blast the entire area so he could get away. The hunter knew he was in trouble and had to get out under cover of the ferocious lightning storm.

Now, Rubin directed, orchestrating their own strike.

Jonquille was magnificent. Both Rubin and Diego could feel the staggering power of her enhancement as her electrical charges burst from her, rising up to meet the jolting forks descending like swords from the clouds. At the same time, Rubin took aim for the tree where the wounded hunter was lodged, and as Jonquille connected, so did he.