New Sight (15 page)

“I know what a Jedi is,” Inez said, swatting his hand away.

Brady turned to Mark. “We could use Jedi names for the magic! Padawan, Jedi Knight, Jedi Master—stuff like that!”

Mark shook his head.

“There are more coming,” Kamau said, interrupting Brady before he could really get going.

Mark turned to Inez. “Are there any other ways out?”

“Just back through the storm drains.”

“Then that’s the way we go.” He pointed at the far corner. “Now.”

Lys jogged behind Brady, who led the way. Inez and Peter brought up the rear. The room began to tilt back and forth, and Lys almost lost her footing.

The magical buzz from a few moments earlier swung the other way—filling Lys with the gut-wrenching need to sit down and cry.

“I told you they’d bring us trouble,” Inez muttered to Peter as she strode toward the grate in the floor.

Peter shrugged. “We’ll be okay.”

“We’ll all be okay if we can get to the rendezvous point and meet whoever Mason sends to get us,” Mark said.

“Get over here,” Inez said. “I’m going to cut the power.”

Everyone hurried to comply, and just as the pounding on the doors down the hall began, the room went pitch black. Lys felt Kamau step closer. The sound of the grate being lifted squeaked in the silence, and Lys cringed.

“They’re coming through the second doors,” Kamau whispered.

“I’ll go first. The rest of you follow,” Inez said. Lys heard her jeans rubbing against the side of the grate, then the click as her boots hit the concrete below.

“I can’t see a thing,” Brady complained. “Where’s the hole?”

Lys looked around. She couldn’t see anything either. Wait. She’d been able to see in the tunnels before. It must have been magic. Taking a breath, Lys closed her eyes and willed the board into existence again. It jumped to life, clear and clean—ready for use. Lys opened a tiny hole and moved in front of it. Instead of concentrating on other people’s eyes, she tried to imagine what it would be like to see in the dark. When she opened her eyes, the pitch black room sat bathed in a dull gray. She could see. Not only that, the desire to cry was crowded out by a happy buzz.

“Right there,” she told Brady, taking his arm and steering him forward.

Lys didn’t need Kamau to tell them that one set of policemen had broken through the door. She heard the pounding right before the splintering of wood. “Go!” she whispered, putting Brady’s hand on the edge of the hole.

Brady didn’t even hesitate. He jumped down, landing right next to Inez.

“Have everyone jump, I’ll catch them,” he said.

“You can’t see,” Lys pointed out.

“Don’t need to see, now I can feel you guys moving around up there.”

Brady looked up and Lys could clearly see his swirling eyes. She glanced at Kamau and found his bright, silvery eyes focused on the hallway across the room.

“Mark,” Lys said, moving him forward. “Go.”

She didn’t bother to watch him drop. Footsteps sounded from down the hall, feet crunching on dirt and rocks from the cave in.

“Go,” Lys said, pushing Kamau forward.

Indistinct words came from the hall, following the flashlight.

“They’re looking for us,” he said.

“Just go!” Lys said, wondering if the gas station clerk had turned them in. Maybe Kamau’s little trick didn’t work as well as he thought.

“You should go first,” Kamau said.

Okay, Lys had to admit that the knight in shining armor routine made her weak in the knees, but now was not the time for chivalry.

“I can see, you can’t. Go.” She maneuvered him over to the hole, placing his toes on the edge.

He looked at her. Lys knew he couldn’t see her face, but his eyes bore right through hers.
Could
he see? She reached out to squeeze his hand, but before she got there another flashlight joined the first, and from the way the beam spread across the floor, Lys could tell the policemen were getting close. So instead, he got a nudge. He only hesitated for a heartbeat before he jumped.

Lys and Peter dove to the floor, narrowly avoiding the flashlight beam. A fresh set of officers hit the end of the hall—a different hall than the first set. And with them came a pair of men in black body armor. Lys felt Peter squirm beside her.

“What happened?” one of the officers asked.

“Quiet,” one of the men in armor said.

Betting against those helmets not being able to see in the dark would be a bad idea. She gently pushed Peter toward the hole. He started to army crawl his way backward.

Maybe she could distract them while Peter and the others got away. Lys steeled herself and prepared to jump up.

Peter beat her to it. Springing to his feet, he bounded away from Lys.

“Hey, who are you guys?” he yelled, waving his arms.

All eyes turned toward Peter. The police officers trained their flashlight beams on him, and his sprinting form moved in and out of the light as he ran.

“Freeze!” a police officer said, gun following Peter.

“That’s one of them,” a synthesized voice said from under a helmet.

The other figure in armor raised a weapon. It looked like a crossbow from the future. The figure pointed it right at Peter and pulled the trigger.

Lys found herself on her feet as the weapon fired, launching a large c-shaped projectile at Peter.

She tried to move, but something had a hold of her ankle. She tried to break free, but the scene around her seemed to slow. She saw Peter running, arms still waving. The projectile followed him. When it hit him, it clamped around Peter’s middle like a crazed Pac-Man, locking shut with a click.

White light burst from Peter, blinding Lys. A scream full of pain rang out. The ballroom filled with anguish as Lys cried out as well.

“No!”

But her cry got cut short. Someone grabbed her from behind, putting a hand over her mouth, and lifted her off her feet. Before she could begin to struggle in earnest, her captor jumped and they both went down the hole.

“They got Peter!” Brady whispered as they landed. He set Lys down.

“Go get him!” Inez said, panic in her voice.

“It’s the New,” Lys said. “They got him with some kind of weapon. It clamped around his stomach and then there was a bright light.” She could hear the hysteria in her own voice. Peter’s scream echoed down the hole.

“That’s a dog collar,” Mark said. Everyone turned to look at him even though they probably couldn’t see him.

“Dog collars don’t capture,” Mark said. “They kill.” The scream from above cut off.

Lys watched Inez’s eyes go wide. She shook her head and started to reach for the ladder.

Mark’s hand shot out and grabbed her. “He’s gone.”

“I have to go get him,” Inez said, trying to wrench her arm free.

The synthesized voice spoke. “He’s done.” A pause. “The rest of them can’t be far.”

Rage shot through Lys. They killed Peter? They really killed him? Then the realization hit—if she’d jumped up before him, she’d be dead.

It should have been her.

She turned to the ladder, ready to go up after Inez, but Brady grabbed her arm.

“We have to go,” Mark whispered.

Inez struggled, and Lys could see the tears in her eyes.

“Come on, you’ve got to get us out of here,” Brady said.

Footsteps approached from above. Brady shoved her to the front of the group. “Go!”

How could he be so callous?

“We’ll all die if we don’t move,” Mark said, his eyes traveling back up the hole. Lys could see the beams of the flashlights getting brighter.

Offense, attacking, they didn’t suit Lys’s style, but rage bubbled up from her gut, filling her with the desire to climb back up the ladder and face the men there. The fact that she’d never fought with anyone before in her life didn’t matter. She’d find a way to hurt them. Or worse.

“Come on,” Kamau said in a whisper. He reached out and took her hand. “You’re the only one who can get us out of here.”

Lys shook her head as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. She glanced around at the others. Mark still had Inez by the arm, and Brady’s face told Lys that he wanted to do the same thing she did.

But Mark said they’d killed Peter. It should have been her. She couldn’t let anyone else get hurt.

“This way,” she said, her voice barely audible. She stepped past Kamau. “Join hands, I’ll get us out of here.” The dark pressed down on her, and Lys felt a tug of emotional anguish coming from her heart. Instead of storm drain tunnels, Lys saw a burial chamber. Who would care if they died down here? Who would even know?

Kamau’s hand gave hers a squeeze, and Lys shook her head. They were not going to die down here. Not if she had anything to say about it.

She opted to stay on the ledge instead of climbing down into the channel. Ankle deep water still ran through it, and she thought they’d make more noise in the water. Lucky for them, the ceiling gave everyone plenty of head room. Moving as quickly as she dared, Lys took them to the end of the short tunnel and got them around the corner before halting.

“Which way?” Lys asked. She heard whispering behind her, but Lys didn’t listen. Instead she kept her head moving, making sure they were alone. If the New had found their way to the ballroom, then they might have someone down here. She’d never underestimate them again.

“Left,” Inez said in a harsh voice.

Lys started to walk, stepping as quietly as she could. Behind her Kamau moved like a ghost, not making a sound. She could hear the others scraping their feet and shifting their weight.

Eventually they had to step down into the water. Lys felt her heart pounding, and her hand became clammy in Kamau’s. Every scrape they made and every slosh of water caused Lys to jump.

Fear had become commonplace for her over the past few weeks, but this time she found that her body’s reaction to fear started to interfere with the little control she had over her magic. She had to concentrate to keep the world gray instead of having it plunge back into the darkness. Half of her still wanted to go back and attack the New while the other half of her wanted to let the magic wash over her like water at the beach.

They came to a four-way intersection and Lys stopped.

“There are four tunnels here. Which way?”

“We should get above ground soon,” Mark said.

Lys opened her mouth to ask why, but Inez’s voice interrupted her.

“Let me go!”

“Inez,” Brady said, “he’s gone. If you go back, you’ll get killed, too.”

Lys turned to look at them. Brady had Inez’s hand, but she was trying to wriggle free.

“What if I don’t care?” Inez asked, glaring in Brady’s general direction. Her eyes started to swirl red.

“We care,” he said.

“I don’t care if you care.” She blinked, the red orbs disappearing for a moment. “Let me go.”

The look on Brady’s face changed, and Lys saw Brady’s eyes go wide. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Just let me go.”

Mark let go of Kamau’s hand and turned back toward Inez.

“Inez, stop it,” he said.

Brady jerked back, throwing Inez’s arm away from him. “Fine! Go do whatever you want.”

Inez didn’t say anything. She started sloshing away.

“Stop her,” Mark said.

“Inez,” Lys said, going after the other girl, who climbed up on the ledge. “Stop. Please.” When Lys caught up, she reached out and grabbed Inez by the arm.

Inez turned. “Don’t touch me, princess.”

“Come on,” Lys started.

“Let me go!” Inez screamed, the words reverberating through the tunnel, shattering the quiet dripping of water.

“No.” Lys didn’t know where it came from, but she wasn’t about to move for Inez. “And don’t call me princess.”

Inez laughed, a harsh sound that grated like rock on rock. “Why not, princess? That’s what you are. A spoiled, rich girl. A princess in a castle with servants to do your every bidding.”

“You don’t even know me.” Lys glared. She felt the Need stirring, fighting its way through the magic.

“And you don’t know me.” Inez said. “Now get out of my way.” One hand came up and began to pry Lys’s fingers off her arm.

“You can’t go back there,” Lys said. “You’ll end up like Peter.”

“Never mention his name,” Inez said, growling. “You don’t deserve to even speak his name.”

Something warm and wet hit Lys right below the eye. She reached up a trembling hand, and the world stood still for a heartbeat.

Inez spit on her. Her. What had she ever done to deserve that? What had she ever done to deserve any of this? The precarious balance in her mind tilted dangerously to one side, and Lys felt the darkness and the Need barreling to the forefront of her conscious.

In an instant, faster than she thought she could move, she was reaching for Inez’s face, clawing for flesh and hoping for blood.

Lys felt nothing but pure hate. The Need blossomed anew, bigger, meaner, and more terrifying than ever before. Adrenaline fueled her actions, and she knew that she could kill Inez. She could take the other girl’s eyes for her own and then kill her. The thought didn’t bother her; it exhilarated her—drew her in, seduced her, and caused her to act.

Inez screamed, but not in terror. In fury. She tried to grab Lys’s hands, but Lys twisted away. Before she could reach Inez’s eyes, Lys felt a kick to her thigh. Her leg exploded in pain, and then went numb, causing her to stumble.

Lys held on to Inez for support, the other girl keeping her upright. Inez finally got Lys’s hands off her face, and she tried to hold Lys’s wrists.

Being an only child, and a girl, Lys’s dad made sure she could defend herself. She’d taken a year of self-defense classes, and while she wasn’t proficient at anything, she did remember a few moves. Lys twisted her hands out of Inez’s grasp, easily pulling free. Then she stepped back and kicked Inez as hard as she could in the stomach.

Inez stumbled backward, hitting the ledge and rolling off. She landed in the channel with a splash. Lys didn’t give her a chance to recover. She sprung down after Inez, going for her eyes.

Voices yelled. Someone’s hands tried pry the two girls apart. Lys ignored them. She would get to them in a minute—Inez was first. Everything and everyone else sat outside her rage, but they would get their turn.