Returned (43 page)

“Tabitha, Melitta has disarmed.”

“Copy that,” Tabitha responded.

Cora heard a screech and turned to see Melitta jump at her almost catlike, her perfect face ugly with rage. Cora held the tornado firmly around her, telling it to pick up speed, to protect her. It roared. She felt the burst against her element as Melitta hit her. She closed her eyes half expecting Melitta to get through but the wind continued to whirl around her. Cora pushed it to become faster and watched as Melitta was sucked into the tornado and carried away. She rushed over to Ember.

“Her power has gone,” Ember whispered sadly.

Cora felt sick. This was her fault. Clio had lost a huge part of herself trying to save her, trying to save Jack. Cora held back a shiver as a low white cloud started creeping in, burying Clio underneath it.

“I will put her somewhere safe, she isn’t conscious right now.”

She nodded just as she heard a growl come from behind her. She spun around, her heart in her throat.

             
Ayden appeared out of nowhere and popped into four.  He, all of them, grabbed Akina. Her wild orange hair was moving at a rapid speed as she struggled against his strong hold. Snakes of white slithered around all the Aydens’ feet making their way up his legs, tangling him. The lower part of his body was looking like a mummy. As the tendrils crawled around his chest, they tightened. She heard his intake of breath. She had to do something.

             
She lurched towards him but didn't have a game plan. She just needed to get them off him. As she ran, Tabitha rushed from the woods with her hands outstretched. The white strands shrivelled, hissing as the warmth touched them.  She grinned as the pressure built within her. Her element was ready to be unleashed. 

“Jack,” she whispered.

He began lifting the others but he left Cora for last. Akina looked at her, her blue eyes unfocused with rage. Jack lifted her just as a huge tornado burst out of her. He knew her better than she thought.

             
Akina’s mist swirled, a huge cloud blocking their view. Thunder boomed around them feeding off her anger. Lighting flashed across the bed of the woods. She took this moment to look down at her leg. Her jeans were ripped where the lightning bolt had seared through it, the blood around the area had dried clinging to her jeans. The skin looked disfigured, areas of it clumping. Her stomach rolled. She looked away as Jack took her hand.

             
As they landed Cora saw a bobbing head. Her breath caught.

“Clio.”

Ember ran to Cora and held her arm. A second later Ember’s head fell down to her chest. Within seconds Ember lifted her head again.

“She’s not where I left her.”

Varick appeared from behind a tree with a huge grin spread across his face. At that moment Cora saw Clio. She was searching for them, clearly disorientated. She had no way of defending herself.

“Oh my God.” She pointed to where Clio was wondering aimlessly.

Ember's head dropped to her chest in the same instant that Varick lifted his hands. Cora watched unable to do anything as the lightning bolt, so quick, so clean, sliced straight through Clio. She screamed as a lifeless Clio fell to the floor. Ember had reached her but she was too late. Her scream cut off as she choked on the bile rising in her throat. Jack came running up to her. Ember projected back into her body and ran to Clio.

“Shit,” Jack whispered as he pulled her into him.

She couldn't hold back the rush of bile. She moved away from him and threw up. The smell of burning flesh hit her making her stomach roll again. Eli, screaming with rage, had begun his attack on Varick who had taken cover once again. Large pieces of wood flew above her head. Cora recognised them as parts of Jack’s decking. They took cover as the blocks smacked against the ground. Eli was seriously pissed.  Several posts boomed and exploded against trees. Water smashed against trunks in the hope that Varick was behind one of them. The deadly sunset caught Cora's attention, she turned; her breath stopped in her lungs. Melitta was heading towards Tabitha, and Tabitha hadn't seen her.

             
Cora pulled her power just as Ayden, one of them, intercepted, cutting her off. He struggled to stay out her grasp. Cora held her breath as she saw Melitta's fingers brush against his clothes. Pulling the wind to her, Cora threw it towards Melitta praying that it would knock her off balance long enough for Ayden to regain the upper hand. Melitta stumbled. Cora used this weakness and attacked her again. Jack must have influenced the lift as Melitta seemed to really fly. Melitta screeched before she hit the tree with a deafening thud.

             
In the next second Ember popped up behind her and grabbed her neck. Cora gasped expecting Ember’s powers to vanish. Ember forced her to stand even though the woman was unconscious. Melitta stood with her hair hanging in front of her face. Lightning flew across the air, striking the ground angrily. With a flick of her hands, Cora heard the bones snap in Melitta’s neck and the heavy thud as her body hit the floor.

             
Varick charged at them and Jack surged forward to meet him half way. Jack used his hand and pushed his element. It latched onto Varick flipping him in the air. He spun around several times before crashing into the floor. Electricity buzzed in the air, bright blue lines of death narrowly missing Jack. She surged forward to help Jack and felt her legs pulled from under her.

             
Tendrils of snow white mist wrapped themselves tightly around her legs. She sucked in air feeling the hard ground jab at her ribs. The cold mist moved around her body grinding against her bones, creating a cold so deep she feared she would never be warm again. She wriggled trying desperately to get out of it. She clawed at the ground but couldn’t get away from it. The mist wrapped around her arm restricting any further movement. It clung to her, tightening. Pins and needles struck up and down her arm. She could feel the strain against her bone, could almost hear it groan under the pressure. She held her breath as a loud snap exploded. She screamed as her vision spotted with black dots.

             
She could hear the commotion; Jack’s cry rang in her ears. There was grunting and shouting. Jack was trying to get to her. The mist had travelled the full length of her body. She was cocooned. Akina's face was going to be the last she saw. Bracing herself and making damn sure she kept her eyes open, she waited for death.

             
She heard a battle cry and Akina’s body weight was thrown off her. Tabitha’s hand shot to the middle of her chest and the explosion of heat made her sigh. The deathly wisps thawed, melting into a pool of water around her. Her arm hung limp and detached from her body. Before she could gather her bearings, she heard a grunt come from behind her and turned to see that Akina had jumped on Tabitha's back. Tabitha spun around and lifted her hands to Akina’s face. Akina's scream made her cringe. The smell of burning flesh drifted across to her. Cora saw something glint in the candle light. Akina’s hand moved to the front of Tabitha’s neck. In it, she held a knife.

“Jack!!”

She lifted her good hand and flicked it, the wind did nothing. It was paralysed, her fear rendering it useless. She watched helplessly as the knife dug into Tabitha’s neck and moved across it in one final sweep. Red liquid seeped out spilling along the cream of her neck. She hurled the wind trying with all her might to make Akina fly. Akina had her knife positioned ready to go at Tabitha again. Cora pushed her element focusing on that hand. Her knife hand was pushed aside.

“Jack!!”

Jack’s power mingled with hers and she watched as Akina flew in the air away from Tabitha. Tabitha stumbled towards her as the neat red line continued gushing blood. Her arm screamed at her as she caught Tabitha but she didn’t care. She moved Tabitha hands which were fluttering around her neck and tried to look at the wound. She cried in relief when she realised the cut wasn't as bad as she thought. She was bloody thankful it took more than one sweep of a sharp knife to kill someone.

             
Tabitha's body stiffened bringing Cora's attention to her right. Akina was charging towards them. She was waving the knife in her hand having found it. Cora could see the cold, deadly white wisps swirling at her feet. They pulsed ready to attack.

“Enough!”

Cora jumped at the sound of the voice. A smile spread across Akina’s charred face. Varick sauntered
away from Jack and Clay
as Jack moved towards her. Tabitha slowly stood up next to her as Ayden ripped some of his shirt and tied it around her neck.

             
She looked towards the trees waiting for him to appear. She didn't have to wait long. Evander emerged from the darkness, his white hair flapped in the wind she'd conjured. She heard a yelp and watched as Ayden, all eight of him, stuck together in a tight bind.

Ayden struggled against the invisible hold but the more he struggled the more they crushed each other. Ayden bellowed in pain.

“Stop!” she yelled at Evander.

The wind picked up, she was a second away from unleashing it when Jack flew back slamming heavily into a tree.

“Jack!” she screamed.

Jack cursed and pushed against the tree. He moved his chest which instantly hit the rough bark making him wince in pain. She moved to help him but was stopped as Clay flew back and slammed against a tree. She turned to face Evander, waiting for the force to throw her next.

“Can you only fight when you have the men wrapped up against the trees?” she mocked.

“What a big strong man you are!” Jack sneered and then paid the price as his body was pushed further into the bark making him cry out.

Flames erupted around them creating a semi circle, a shield. Tabitha grabbed her good hand and they stood together.

“So be it,” he spoke. His voice was barely a whisper but they heard it.

             
A figure hurtled at considerable speed towards a tree not far from them; it hit the bark with a sickening thud. Cora heard a muffled scream of pain. Cora’s heart stopped beating as her lungs expelled much needed oxygen.

She screamed but her legs refused to move, refused to run. How could she help her mother?

             
Evander glided towards
her mother and moved her hair.
Her mother's wide eyes found her, her muffled cries incoherent because of the cloth in her mouth. Ayden roared. Her ears should have been bleeding with the noise but they were deaf, her world was falling to pieces.  

“No!”

She turned as Jack and Ayden struggled like madmen against the hold on their bodies. Tabitha was trying to move but she was fighting against the hold. Ember appeared to be paralysed. Why was she the only one who could move? Did he find pleasure in this sick game?

“This could have been very different, Cora.” He shook his head.  “You could have done something-”

“We had no chance!” she screeched, her voice breaking under the strain.

“We all have chances, Cora. Take this woman, your mother, for example. She had a chance to escape this predicament. She would have been safe if only you had turned around when you ran to this little training area.”

Her heart dropped to her feet.

“Do you usually run from your mother?”

“I wasn't...”

“You were running away from your mother. She was so close to reaching you, so close,” he said. “But you continued running.”

She was dizzy, sick with grief. The stranger behind her, nearly grabbing her, had been her mother? If she'd stopped, turned, her mother wouldn't be here. The blood rushed to her head, pounding in her ears. She charged at him but her feet were knocked from under her. She hit the floor and quickly scrambled back up. Before she could run to her mother a heavy weight dropped on her body making her scream. She was pushed down to the ground; her rib cage crushed against the hard ground. She pushed harder, her hands trying to force her body from the floor.

             
Tabitha suddenly ran towards her mother with fire balls flying from her hands. Evander laughed, completely unaffected, Tabitha flew at a great speed hitting the ground behind her. She screamed in anger. Ayden was still struggling against the hold, his screams heartbreaking. She pushed against the force adamant he would not touch her mother.

             
She forced the wind to attack him and watched as he smiled and slammed the wind into the ground, the earth vibrated beneath her. The wind didn't even touch him.

“Don't touch her, you arsehole!” she roared and pushed again trying so hard to get up.

“
Tsk Tsk,
Cora. Please respect your elders. Didn't your mother teach you manners?” Evander advanced closer to her mother.

“Don't touch her!” she screamed and fought against his hold on her. “We've done nothing wrong!”

“We will not have a repeat of history. Your mother paid the price and you must too.”

“My mother didn't do anything wrong. We have the proof,” she cried.

“Everything you know is lies. We know the truth.”

Pressure smashed her body hard into the ground; she pushed the wind from her as the crack of thunder boomed above them.  The sudden gush of wind made him stumble but he remained on his feet. She’d made him stumble, she could do it again. She pushed and this time Evander barely stood. Her body ached and protested but she would not stop. Forcing power into her body she pushed with all her might.