Page 63
flared in my eyes, blocking the view of the house, as sharp pain seared my back. Not good.
“Julie, we have to go.”
She hit the wall with her back. “You’re like them. Like the People.”
“No. Completely different.”Exactly like the People. I’m so like the People, that if you knew, you’d run away screaming. “We have to go, Julie. We can’t stay here. There might be more of these things out there and we have a busted door and a busted ward on the window. We’ve got to go.”
She shook her head.
The pain sliced my spine in half, wringing tears from my eyes. I couldn’t remember the last time something had hurt so much. I forced my voice to go soft. “Julie, I’m still me. I swear to you I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe. But now we have to run, before he comes back with more of those reeve things. Come on, sweetheart. Come on out. Please.”
She swallowed and took my hand. I helped her from under the table.
“That’s my girl. Come.”
“What kind of magic was that?”
“The forbidden kind. You can never tell anyone I used it or I’ll be in trouble.” The power words commanded the magic itself. They were primal words. It wasn’t enough to know them, one had to own them and there were no do-overs: one conquered them or died. The most accomplished mages had two or three. I had six and I didn’t want to explain why. They were my weapon of last resort.
“Your back…”
“I know.”
There was only one place within reach that offered stronger protection than my apartment: the Order.
Under the Order lay the vault. Its wards were impenetrable, and its armored door would take a focused fire from a howitzer to break.
I tried the phone. Still out. There would be no pickup for us from the Order.
A fifteen-minute run separated us from the Order’s building. Twenty with the kid in tow. Piece of cake. I could do this. I just needed something to dull the pain. Just for a little bit. And then I’d be fine.
There was a regeneration kit in the bathroom. I took a step toward the door. A streak of heat ran up my spine and exploded into a jagged hot pain in the base of my neck. It ripped at my bones, twisted my tendons, and dragged me down to my knees. I hit the floor hard, dug my saber into the wood, and clung to it, struggling to stay upright. I had a kid to protect.
The room melted out of focus. The walls sprouted fuzz and bent, like waves threatening to drown me. I smelled my own blood. Julie grabbed my arm and sobbed. “You gotta get up. Come on! Don’t you die!
Don’t die!”
“It will be okay,” I whispered. “It will be okay.”