Returned (42 page)

             
Regret, a huge ball of it formed and tightened in the pit of her stomach. She desperately hoped she would see them again. She didn’t want eternal blackness. She couldn’t handle the possibility that the last time she’d seen the ones she loved was actually the
last
time.

             
Her fate was laid out in front of her; one never had the opportunity to see this fate. It wasn’t exactly sat on a pretty silver platter; but it was here, banging on the door whilst grinning menacingly at her meek attempt to escape. Was her name on some list along with the method of her death? Or was it like a sick sort of lucky dip; run over by a bus, stabbed or shot. Did the boss of fate make sure there was a set date, a set time for you to die? If her name was on some sort of stupid death list what could she do other than tell it to take a good long jump off a cliff because she wasn't ready?  A person could change their fate, right? Well, she hoped so; otherwise what would be the point of all of this? They would all die and it wouldn’t change anything, it would add nothing. That was the worst kind of death in her opinion, one that lacked a reason, a purpose. Not that death as a whole was acceptable. It wasn’t.

             
She could only guess from
the louder punch of feet in the hard ground that it would be seconds before this stranger reached her and pulled her back into their death embrace. Her heart tightened making her breath hitch and stall in her lungs. She couldn't do this; she couldn't handle the loss of a life she would never live. Who could? She felt overwhelming bouts of grief and sickness when she thought about the people she would leave behind.

             
Shaking her head, she concentrated on the task at hand, how much time did she have tonight before death took her? Would she scream? Fight back? She knew what they had come to do; she could only pray they did it quickly.

The signal fired.

             
A huge, bright white firework exploded in the night sky. Birds flocked from the trees, manically fluttering to escape the vibrations and sound. The boom rang deep in the woods temporarily drowning the sound of the blood pumping around her head.  The white gleam from the firework worked as it should, showing her the path she should take. How the hell had the commoners not seen a firework like that?

             
She found the training area and sprinted with every bit of energy she had left. Candles instantly lit the area. The warm glow sent much needed heat into her body. The flickers of light cast shadows among the trees; she wasn’t going to think about the fact that she hated shadows right now.  Even though the trees looked like scary, tall, misshapen beasts making their way towards her with arms as long as the Westminster tower.

             
She felt the powerful urge to run and hide, cowering behind a tree. The knot of fear and desperation tightened deep in her stomach, her breath hitched as her chest heaved against the chains of panic tightly bound around it. She couldn’t run. Closing her eyes, she searched within herself for the strength and the power to finish it; she needed to stop this threat before it killed everyone she loved. The united sound of crunching, twigs snapping, feet marching together reverberated within the dark woods, the sound bouncing at all angles. She was covered and there was no escape. Her heart jumped, her breath quickened puffing white mist in front of her face. The crunching sound abruptly stopped followed by absolute silence. A hushed stillness fell over the woods.

             
Holding her breath, it
was
rather distracting when she was panting like a dog, she listened.  An eerie stillness consumed her, her jelly legs were stronger, and anger created a heat in her gut. The icy fear that played along her spine like the keys on a piano remained, as did the frantic flapping of her heart. But she was ready.

             
Varick was the first to emerge out of the prison of trees. His black hair mixed with the black of the night made it look like his head was floating. His pure black eyes popped out against the stark white of his face. Cora could sense their excitement buzz in the air. A small smile travelled on his lips before they pulled straight. He stood looking rather proud. Of course he would be. He was getting what he wanted. A good fight. Their deaths.

“Cora Hunt, it is so lovely that we should meet
again
.”

His voice, certain words dripping with exaggerated power, made her skin crawl.

“I don’t recall ever meeting you before. Anything that lacks interest I tend to push to one side. I wouldn't want something so useless cluttering important space in my head.”

She didn’t have a clue where this strength had come from. She personally thought the words would come out all shaky and broken.

“That’s my girl,” Jack whispered in her ear.

Heat and confidence rushed through her at the sound of his voice.

“By the way, you’ve got my name wrong.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. From this moment I will be known as Cora Device.”

“I see. Like mother, like daughter.” He nodded his head. “You also appear to be a trouble maker-”

“I’m no such thing,” she snapped.

She moved her body, angling it subtly, ready for an attack. The air around them stilled. Varick stepped a little closer. The candle light flickered across his face emphasising his features.

“You prove my point exactly.”

A flicker of lightning struck the ground near her feet. She stood her ground, braced for whatever came next. If the next bolt struck her dead, then so be it.

“Bloody hell, let me down there Tabitha!” Jack growled.

“No, Jack,” Ayden hissed.

Varick stood with a smile on his face; he looked like a smiling corpse.

“I see,” he said happily.

             
Another lightning bolt flew across the distance between them branching out and narrowly missing her. He wanted her to run but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. The wind whipped around her waiting for an instruction. Screw it, he'd snapped a few times. It was her turn. She threw it at him, the difference being she actually hit him. He stumbled, unprepared, but remained standing.

“Where are the others?” Jack asked someone above.

“They are here,” Ember replied.

She tensed even though she knew they were here. She hated thinking of what was waiting in the dark. Before Varick could respond Melitta appeared.

“Hello, Cora,” she greeted, her thick Scottish accent catching Cora by surprise.

Cora remembered what Ember had said about her being a white flag in the middle of all this. If anyone could find peace, it was her.

“Hello, Melitta.” She tried to sound equally calm.

The wind snaked around her calming to a soft breeze. She watched Melitta and Varick exchange a glance. There was something in that glance that made her back stiffen. There would be no small talk.

“Hi,” Ayden announced as he came bounding up with a huge smile on his face.

He was waving at them like they were long lost friends. Because she knew him so well she could see that his body was alert but his eyes conveyed nothing but warmth, a false kind of warmth.

“Welcome, Ayden, it’s been too long,” Melitta spoke.

“Well, I did actually think it was time to meet you again,” he smiled pleasantly.

What?
Ayden had spoken with them before, why hadn't he mentioned anything? Keeping the shock off her face, she listened to their conversation.

“When was it last, 1724?”

“Yes, around then. I recall you setting fire to a farmers crops and dancing naked there. Isn’t that right?” Melitta picked up her hand and started looking at her nails, a bored expression pasted on her face, the pout on her lips childish.

“Yes,” he said and chuckled. “Those were the days. I would say you look well, but... you don’t.”

Melitta dropped her hand and hissed in anger. A flash of lightning struck a nearby tree. It exploded sending pieces of bark flying through the air. Another flicker struck her left leg. The pain shocked the breath out of her. She fell to the floor panting and holding her singed leg. She gagged as the smell of burnt flesh hit her nose.

“That’s it!” Jack shouted.

Through the blur of tears she saw Melitta walking towards them. Ember’s voice sounded in her ear.

“Do not let her touch you!”

Cora looked across and flung her energy. Melitta flew to the side landing on the floor. Her eyes were wide in anger.

She'd pissed off the white flag. There was no going back now.

             
She pushed her body to stand despite her left leg screaming at her. She had felt pain before, she could handle this. Before she had time to think of her next move, mini waves of pure white rolled in. Her feet disappeared underneath the low clouds. Akina popped out from behind a tree and moved slowly towards them. The mist rose and as it did, Akina rose with it. She was walking on top of the mist.

“Now!” Tabitha cried into the ear pieces.

THE SNARLING FACE OF DEATH

Jack landed softly on the ground next to her; an instant later a bolt of lightning struck the ground inches from his head.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he placed his hands on her face to stop her from looking at the wound.

She nodded trying not to think about the pain as it throbbed in time with the rapid beat of her heart.

             
She heard a pop and looked over Jack’s shoulder as Ayden became four. The mist continued to rise, slithering up her body as it tried to consume her. She had never been a claustrophobic person but this was beginning to panic her. She was struggling to breathe, the fear of it covering her face was becoming too much. Jack disappeared for a second making her heart thump harder. His head came back up, his eyes latching onto hers, instantly calming her.

“Get under the mist,” he instructed. 

They ducked crawling on their knees trying to find a safe place. She cried out as the pain in her leg intensified. They reached a nearby tree and huddled together.

“Tab, where are you?”

“I’m just coming up around the north side of the circle. How is your leg?”

“It could be worse.”

“I’m going to freeze. Everyone, stop moving,” she whispered into the ear piece.

             
The first cracking sound made her smile. The mist slowed to a crawl until it eventually stopped, creaking under the pressure of the cold air. Akina growled and locked eyes with her as she slipped on the ice rink. Melitta was held in the ice, one move and the jagged edges would penetrate her.

             
The ground shook as Varick built an electrical current to the point where it cackled, almost laughing at her attempt to stop them. The static sound was deafening, the colour of the sparks a bright blue. Varick's body pulsed, visibly vibrating. It only took seconds and the ice completely shattered, falling to the floor. Akina started sprinting towards her.

“Clay!” she shouted.

The water bounded in. How one man could have that much strength she really couldn’t begin to describe. She knew what it felt like as she watched Akina struggle against the current. Varick remained stood, his blue thread dug deep into the ground. If her science was correct surely he should be toast around about now?

“The water!” Tabitha called.

She felt the pull as her feet lifted off the floor. Blue blood vessels ran through the water. They had nearly killed themselves. She gathered a mini tornado and pushed it from her, watching as it sucked up the water and splattered it in every direction.

             
A barrage of trunks, thick branches and rocks flew through the air. Cora added a little more power behind the bags watching as one connected with Melitta’s head. She had been balancing in a tree, now she had the satisfaction of watching her tumble to the floor.

             
As their feet touched ground she could see the ripple from Clio's power. The trees swayed, roots groaned. She turned in time to see Varick running towards Tabitha, an angry snarl fixed on his death white face. Tabitha was ready and blew fire at Varick who in return struck her foot with a quick zap of electricity. Tabitha could blow fire? Clay caught Tabitha as she stumbled on her injured foot. The wind scurried around Cora, waiting. She gathered it and pushed it from her. It picked Varick up and she threw him as hard as she could.

             
She turned and saw Clio who was unaware that Melitta was running directly towards her. Cora sucked in a breath to warn her but there wasn’t enough time. If she screamed Clio would be distracted by her. Either way she was going to be touched. Cora held her breath as the contact was made. Clio screamed. Cora ran as Clio dropped heavily to the ground. Melitta gave a tiny wave with the tips of her fingers before she smiled and disappeared. Ember popped up beside Clio and quickly picked her up.