Just my freaking luck it hasn’t worked that way.
But who would talk to me if I was dead? And why did he sound so familiar?
God?
If so, then surely I wouldn’t get a house call; I’d never even believed in him.
‘Violet, I don’t want to have to slap you. Open your damn eyes!’
Definitely not God.
My eyes fluttered. The lighting was dim and my face felt badly swollen. Slowly, the person standing over me came into view.
There was more banging, louder this time. I couldn’t work out if it was coming from my mind.
‘Phoenix?’ I croaked.
‘Concentrate,’ he said. ‘This is very important. Can you understand me?’
I tried to nod. I was alive.
‘Good. Good,’ he soothed, as if encouraging us both. ‘Violet, you need to heal yourself. Dapper’s power isn’t going to cut it and I can’t help you until you’re strong. Jesus,’ he sighed. ‘We have to do this now or I never will. Do you hear?’
‘Children?’ I whispered, concentrating on simply breathing through the extraordinary pain. Coming to terms with dying was one thing, coming to terms with surviving in the face of so much awfulness, knowing if I recovered I’d have to relive over and over all that had happened was … earth-shattering.
Phoenix’s expression softened.
‘You saved seventy-one.’ His voice held a strange kind of bewilderment. ‘Dapper and Onyx are making sure they get back to the Academy safely. I … I don’t know how you did it, but you stayed conscious through it all. I monitored your heartbeat the entire time, waiting for you to pass out, but you just kept going. When you finally closed your eyes, Lilith was sure you were dead, but I healed your wounds and Lincoln sent you the last of his strength. It was enough to keep you alive. She forced me to shoot you with another few arrows, but you didn’t stop breathing and she refused to let you have an unconscious death. She saw it as a waste. So she sent you away until you could be returned to her so she could kill you herself. I got you out of there, but this is only temporary and we don’t have much time. Violet, you need to help me.’
I was confused, trying to process all I had just heard. And the banging was getting more insistent. ‘Banging?’ I asked.
Phoenix shook his head urgently. ‘Don’t worry about that. We need to do this now!’
‘Do … what?’
I still couldn’t believe I was alive.
How did I survive seventy-one arrows?
Just the thought brought the pain back – pain I never believed I would have to remember.
‘Concentrate,’ Phoenix demanded. ‘You need to heal your wounds. I need you as strong as possible otherwise I can’t help.’
‘I don’t … understand,’ I said, struggling to speak.
He put a hand on my shoulder. ‘I’ll explain everything later. You have to trust me.’
The banging persisted and I realised now that there were other sounds too. There were people shouting from far away – people who I knew.
I remembered Lincoln’s request. I felt him through our bond despite my weakness, and his. He was still alive. I felt the small flare through our connection – he knew I was thinking of him. He was willing me on. I remembered the promise I’d made to him that I would trust Phoenix.
I nodded and closed my eyes, concentrating on my abilities, calling them up. They were sluggish and tired, but my power slowly built and started to work its way through my body, healing the worst of the injuries. I could feel Lincoln adding his own power and I tried to block him so that he kept what I knew he would need, but it took a while before I was strong enough to effectively push him away.
Finally, I opened my eyes again. ‘It’s okay,’ I said. ‘I’m starting to feel better.’
Phoenix nodded, his expression now closed off.
‘What next?’ I asked, looking around. We were back at Evelyn’s cabin, in the basement. ‘Where’s Lincoln?’
‘He’s still there.’
‘And Evelyn?’
Phoenix just nodded.
I sighed. ‘What about the kids?’
‘She let Onyx take the seventy-one, but she still has almost thirty locked up and she’s already planning to go after more.’
‘Who else is here?’ I asked, things becoming clearer. The banging I’d heard was coming from the other side of the basement door.
He shrugged. ‘The whole damn gang by now. We don’t have long before they figure a way through.’
Why is he keeping them out?
‘So we’re going back, right? We have to get the rest of those kids out of there,’ I said.
Phoenix shook his head slowly. ‘There’s something else we have to do first.’
‘What?’
What could possibly be more important?
‘It’s better if you don’t ask.’
On his last word, Phoenix was on top of me, straddling and holding me down. I was helpless to stop him, my strength no match for his. My eyes went wide when his hand closed over my mouth and nose.