Wind, ice cold, blasted between the branches, stinging his eyes and tasting of winter. For an instant, Michael couldn’t see anything.
Then he heard the crack and split of another tree trunk.
Michael barely had time to drag Tyler out of the way before it crashed through their hideout. His heart slammed against his ribcage. He hadn’t even felt that tree pull loose from the ground.
This guy had a lot of power.
Fury flared. Michael sent more power into the earth, feeling his way through the soil. He picked three at random. The earth loosened and the trees began to fall.
The gun fired a third time.
This time Tyler shoved him sideways. They both crashed to the ground. Undergrowth swelled to offer cover. More trees fell, making the earth shake as they landed. The ground pulsed with power, with potential, and for the first time, Michael felt someone else’s Earth talent fighting against his.
It made him want to level this entire forest.
He pushed his fingers into the soil, stretching his abilities far and wide. He could bring every tree down. Trap anyone moving in undergrowth. Bury them alive if he wanted. Decompose the body before they’d even stopped breathing.
At one time, these thoughts would have terrified him.
Now, they reassured him.
The ground gave a small tremor, waiting for his order.
And then, for the first time, Michael felt malice through the earth. Footsteps. Someone moving toward them.
He told the trees to wait. “He’s on the ground,” he said to Tyler, his voice very soft.
Tyler’s voice was steady, focused. “Where?”
“There.” Michael nodded east. Another icy blast of wind tore through the trees, slicing through the undergrowth to find them. This time it stung his cheeks so violently that Michael could swear the air drew blood. He choked and tried to breathe, but the air hurt his lungs.
“Just one?” said Tyler.
“I don’t know.” The air felt thinner, and Michael gasped for a breath. His leafy barrier thickened, responding to his panic, creating an impenetrable wall.
“Could one Guide be this powerful?” choked Tyler. He wheezed a long breath. The edge of his lips had turned blue.
“I don’t know.” The last Guide to come to town hadn’t been alone. Michael spun in a circle, trying to determine the best direction to go. Power had his chest in a vise grip now, and lack of oxygen was making it tough to think.
Then his natural barrier began to wilt. Leaves and branches dried up and died, crumbling away from the stems. At first, Michael wanted to blame the cold air, but it happened so quickly that he knew they’d been found.
In a heartbeat, all of the undergrowth had wilted down to nothing, giving him a clear view of his surroundings. Michael couldn’t have felt more exposed if his clothes had melted away.
But he didn’t see anyone.
Then he saw the laserbeam again, and the tiny red light hit Tyler’s forehead.
Michael shoved him again. Hard.
Tyler cried out anyway. Blood found the earth.
“Shit,” said Michael. He gasped the word. Lack of oxygen wouldn’t let his thoughts organize. He grabbed Tyler’s arm and pulled. “Run,” he said. He had no idea where Tyler had been hit, but he found his feet. “Run! If you fall, you’re dead.”
Tyler took a few stumbling steps. He was wheezing, too, his face ghost white. Michael half dragged him toward the house, clambering over the trees that had fallen.
And then, suddenly, the leaves underfoot were on fire. Smoke surged from below, surrounding them with heat and darkness.
Michael swore again, looking for new escape.
“It’s me,” Tyler gasped. “My fire. I’ll hide myself.” He stumbled against Michael. His leg must have given out. “Let me go.”
“That’s not how I work, Tyler.” Michael tried to shift Tyler’s weight so he could support more of it, but Tyler went down on one knee. He put a hand against a tree.
The smoke had thickened into a black cloud behind them, but it didn’t offer Michael any confidence—especially when that icy wind sent the smoke scattering.
He felt more of Tyler’s blood hit the earth. Too much, too fast. That didn’t inspire confidence either.
“Where are you hit?” said Michael—but then he saw the wound, a long slice along the outside of Tyler’s thigh.
“I need five minutes,” Tyler said. “The fire will help—”
“If you think we have five minutes, you are out of your head.”
Tyler winced. The fire spread. “Just run, Merrick. I’ll be okay.”
“Would you shut up and try?” Michael got Tyler’s arm across his shoulder, and fought to drag him to his feet. “We need to run. Now.”
Cold steel touched the back of his neck. “No, you need to freeze. Right there.”
Shit. Michael froze. The voice sounded familiar, but—
“Hands on your head. Turn and face me.”
Michael let go of Tyler, who collapsed against a tree, though he managed to get his hands up.
Michael turned, his heart in his throat, certain he was living his last moments right here and now.
But he turned around and found himself face to face with Jack Faulkner. Hannah’s father.