The Black Tide (Outcast 3)

I swabbed the blood away then used the tweezers against the edges of the wound to widen it. That's when I spotted it—a small silver tube.

Though it was microscopic in size, it nevertheless looked to be the same type of device that had been used in me. I carefully pulled it free from her body then threw the entire thing as hard and as far as I could. It eventually buried itself in the leaf matter that was banked around an old elm's feet, lost from sight but not from memory.

I quickly sprayed the sealer onto Raela's foot to stop the bleeding, then wiped away the rest of the blood and hugged her close. Even as I whispered words of comfort, I hurriedly reattached her sling and the body armor. Crying or not, we had to move. The pursuit was now close enough that I could hear the different engine notes of the various vehicles; if I delayed much longer, they'd be on us.

I snapped the water bottle, guns, and remaining ammo clips to my utilities belt and then slung the rifle over my shoulder. As Raela's sobs quietened to hiccups, I set the remaining RTX and walked back to place it at the base of the old elm. Between it and the incendiary device, they should not only bring the old tree down but also start a fire big enough to cause problems for those who chased us.

I wrapped my arms around Raela and once again called to the darkness. It surged through me, but its force was muted, a warning I was very close to reaching the limits of my strength.

It didn't matter. Nothing did, as long as we escaped.

I flowed on through the night, keeping very close to the ground just in case my strength went. The old road grew ever steeper and narrower, and the roots of the trees that lined either side crept across its surface like thick wooden fingers. I had no idea where this road had once led, but it very obviously was no longer in use. Even the old barge, with its thick caterpillar tracks, would have had some trouble traversing the ever-growing wildness.

On and up I went, but the tiredness was growing and my particles were once again beginning to burn. I’d never really pushed myself to the utter end of my strength in this form—I'd never dared, as I'd always feared doing so would simply mean a loss of coherence. That rather than reforming and becoming flesh—as I did whenever light hit my shadowed form—my particles would simply unravel and float away, leaving me without the possibility of even a ghostly form.

Then, from behind, came a whoomp, and an orange glow suddenly lit the night sky. The RTX had just exploded. I spun around but couldn't really see anything through the thick scrub surrounding us, so I pushed up past the treetops into the starlit night.

To discover a huge swath of forest was now on fire.

The combination of the two bombs had obviously created a force far greater than I could ever have hoped for, and it surely would have taken out at least a good portion of the pursuit.

Would it be enough?

The pessimistic part of me said no.

I dropped back down and became flesh again, but my leg muscles gave way and I dropped to my knees, grunting as pain rippled up my spine.

Rhea help me, everything hurt.

I sucked in air, trying to at least ease the burning in my lungs. One thing was becoming very obvious: I couldn't go on for much longer. I just couldn't. Not without help.

I closed my eyes and called, with everything I had, for Cat and Bear. I had no idea if my two little ghosts would hear me from this distance, but I had to try. Though it was highly unlikely they’d provide much of a front against whatever force was still pursuing us, they could at least contact Jonas and get him out here. Ever since he and I had gone through the rift together, he'd been able to hear, if not converse with, them.

Raela somehow wriggled a hand free from the confines of the sling and armor, and gently patted my face. Once again it felt like she was comforting me—telling me that everything was going to be all right.

I smiled down at her. Saw her answering smile.

And knew in that instant I would not release her into the care of anyone else. That it had, indeed, been a foregone conclusion from the moment her tiny fingers had grabbed mine.

Somehow, someway, I would raise her.

If we survived the current situation, that was.

And that didn’t mean just this pursuit, but the whole matter of tracking down Ciara Dream and dealing with her mad scheme to give the wraiths and vamps light immunity. Until we found and destroyed both that final lab and her, her evil scheme was still very much in place and active.

I drew in another of those deep, somewhat shuddery breaths that did little to ease the pain or give me strength, and then pushed up and on. Progress was slow, though, and not just because of my weariness. The road was now so bad that I had to watch every step lest I stumble or fall.

The night rolled on. For a long time, there was little sound other than the chirruping of insects, the rustle of animals through the undergrowth, and the harsh rasp of my breathing. Raela was asleep, but she’d now gone quite a long time without any sustenance, and the fact she remained so quiet was beginning to worry me.

I trudged on, forcing one foot in front of another when all I wanted to do was stop and rest. But the stars were at least growing brighter and the scrub around me was beginning to thin, which meant that even though I couldn’t see the mountain’s ridge, it had to be getting closer.

Then, once again, came the sound I’d feared.

The hum of engines, closing in fast.

I cursed their persistence but didn’t call to the darkness or even increase my speed. Given the incline and instability of the road, I didn’t dare the latter, and I simply couldn’t risk using the last of my strength on becoming shadow until it was absolutely necessary.