Water Shaper (World Aflame) (16 page)

As he glanced down again, he noticed the footprints beyond the store’s entrance were misshapen, as though the edges had been smeared by a second pair of boots.

“What’s wrong?” Sean whispered.

“It looks like two sets of prints, almost like someone was following him or—”

The realization struck Xander at the same moment his heart skipped a beat. “—or he doubled back.”

Wilkes stepped out of the shadows of Selfridges and punched Xander hard in the jaw. Xander’s knees went weak as the world spun around him. He didn’t realize he was falling over until he saw the sidewalk rushing up at him.

Sean tackled the
officer, but Wilkes shifted his weight and sent the heavyset man sliding across the sidewalk. Sean finally came to rest in front of the broken display window, in a pile of broken mannequins pieces and metal clothing rods.

“I told you to go home,” Wilkes said. “What do you think you’re doing here?”

Xander rotated his jaw as the spots stopped dancing in his vision. He couldn’t remember the last time he’s been punched that hard. Jessica offered him a hand, but Wilkes pushed her aside.

“No, you don’t get up,” he said, pointing at Xander. His rifle dangled from a sling over his shoulder. “You stay right there and tell me what you think you were doing?”

“We’re trying to help you,” Xander said as he sat up.

“I told you last
night, and I’ll tell you again. I don’t need your help.”

Xander felt anger boiling within him. It seemed like every time he offered to help people, it backfired on him. He was growing tired of being pushed around by people who thought themselves superior.

The wind kicked up suddenly around them, swirling madly and throwing ash high into the air. Jessica stepped back slowly, leaving plenty of space between herself and the Brit. Wilkes looked around in surprise at the sudden gust of wind that pulled angrily at his clothes. His hand closed around his rifle as it banged against his leg. As he looked down at Xander, he was surprised to see the college student’s eyes consumed by brilliant white light.

Wilkes started to pull up his
rifle, but the wind howled defiantly. It slammed into him, ripping the rifle from his grip, and tossing him ten feet backward. He slammed painfully into the locked doors of Selfridges where he was pinned, his feet dangling a foot above the sidewalk.

Xander casually climbed to his feet while maintaining the powerful wind. It moaned as it poured around the pillared edges of the long building, responding to his call.

He stepped in front of Wilkes and stared at him through his glowing eyes.

“You don’t need our help?” Xander asked, throwing his arms above his head with dramatic affect. “Look at you. You don’t even know what you’re up against. You don’t even know what’s really going on in London, much less the rest of the world. You’re so arrogant, cocky, rude, and condescending. Open your eyes and realize that you need our help whether you like it or not.”

Wilkes didn’t reply. He hung against the building with his mouth slightly agape as he stared in fear at the possessed man in front of him.

“I’m going to let you down now,” Xander said, as he seemed to regain some semblance of control. “If you so much as mouth off to me or act like you’re going to use that gun on me, I’m going to grab you, fly you up into low orbit, and leave you there. Do I make myself clear?”

Wilkes nodded slowly, as much as the wind would allow him. With a disappointing sigh, the wind died and the officer slid heavily down to the sidewalk.

Standing
up slowly, he watched Xander warily. He brushed off the accumulated ash on his pants and shirt, slowly walking over to retrieve his gun.

“I don’t need your help,” Wilkes said sourly. “I can manage this on my own. You said it yourself. I have a
gun, and they’re not bulletproof.”

Xander shook his head. The brilliant light faded from his eyes. “You don’t get it. There’s thousands of Fire Warriors in the city. Exactly how many bullets do you have?”

The Leftenant didn’t reply, but Xander could see the hurt in the proud man’s face.

“I didn’t think so,” Xander said softly.

Wilkes looked past Xander, and his hand tightened on his rifle. He started to raise it, but Xander knew it wasn’t because of him. He spun and saw a Fire Warrior leap onto the hood of a parked car.

The warrior’s eyes burned with
anger, and he opened his mouth. Flames rolled from his throat, dancing around the roof of his mouth. Xander raised his hands but knew he wasn’t going to be quick enough to stop the Fire Warrior from breathing fire onto the group.

Sean stepped beside the car and swung a metal pole, catching the Fire Warrior just above his knees. The force of the swing knocked his legs out from underneath him. The warrior’s legs flew out behind
him, and he slammed face first into the hood of the car. He limply rolled off the hood and slumped onto the asphalt.

Sean spun angrily on the rest of the stunned group. He looked at the metal pole in his hand. It was bent at an odd angle from the impact. He tossed it at Xander, who was too surprised to move. It bounced off his chest and clattered onto the ground.

“Are you two out of your minds?” Sean asked. “Have you forgotten where we are? Your little display of machismo is going to bring every Fire Warrior in the area crashing down on our heads.”

He walked past the two men and took Jessica by the hand, leading her toward the broken storefront window.

“Next time you two want to find out who’s the bigger man, pull out a ruler and measure them like normal people.”

He and Jessica climbed through the broken display window and disappeared into Selfridges. The other two looked at one another and shook their heads.

“What did he mean about bringing them all down on us?” Wilkes asked as Sean and Jessica disappeared.

“Later,” Xander said guiltily.

Wilkes gestured toward the other two. “You’re right, they are pretty tough.”

Xander shrugged. “Told you so.”

After a quick look for other Fire Warriors, they hurried to catch up with the others.

In spite of the broken display windows along the front of Selfridges, the interior of the store was in surprisingly good condition. Xander eyed the racks of clothes that were still untouched by the chaos and destruction that occurred outside.

Wilkes let Xander enter before standing against the wall and peering out toward the street. The smoke hung heavy in the air and wafted in through the open windows. He blinked heavily from where the soot was mixing with the sweat on his skin and running into his eyes. Wiping his eyes absently, he immediately regretted it when he realized all he had successfully done was to grind the filth further into his eyes.

He blinked rapidly, letting his tears wash away the pollution. As his vision cleared, he caught movement in the street. A small group of leather-clad men and women walked between the parked cars. They looked from side to side, clearly searching for something.

Wilkes stepped away from the window and grabbed both Jessica and Sean by their arms, pulling them further into the store. He wordlessly motioned for Xander to follow, and they hurried far from the dim glow of light from the open window.

The depths of the store were eerie without power. Emergency
bulbs illuminated regions haphazardly, spilling pools of light over random racks of clothes and tall aisles of assorted household goods. In between those bright pools were inky black stretches, mazes of clothes and mannequins, half racks of towels and shirts, followed by long stretches of plates and appliances. It was a labyrinth of home care and high fashion made sinister by the lack of light.

“Check inside,” a voice called from the window. The sound carried through the vacant store, bouncing around the aisles as it chased after the retreating group.

Flames illuminated the front of the store as a pair of Fire Warriors stepped through the shattered window. Glass crunched beneath their boots as they stopped just inside and scanned the expansive dark store.

Wilkes pulled the trio into a men’s clothing section. Long suits hung to the floor like
curtains, and he pulled them down behind the racks. The Brit pulled his rifle to his shoulder and quietly ejected the magazine. He counted the rounds still loaded inside. Satisfied, he slid it back into place with a gentle click.

Xander looked over at him sternly and shook his head. No matter how much his wind powers attracted the Fire Caste, a gunshot would be just as likely to draw every Fire Warrior in the area. Their best bet of escaping was to stay as quiet as possible and hope they passed them by.

A flash of flames burst from the hands of one of the warriors, shattering a nearby mannequin. The melted remains of the plastic figure skittered across the floor. The flesh colored mannequin bubbled and blackened from the heat. One of the arms came to rest beside Sean, who reached out and gently pushed it away from the flammable clothing.

“What’s wrong with you?” one of the Fire Warriors asked.

“Leave me be. I thought I saw someone,” the mannequin-slayer replied.

“I’ll leave you be,” the first said, “but you’d be a fool to think that General Abraxas would be so lenient.”

The name struck Xander like a hammer, knocking the wind from him. Abraxas was supposed to be dead, or at least had been that way the last time he had seen him burning and running into the woods. His surprise boiled into fury at the thought that the Fire Warrior was still alive. He had killed Xander’s parents and grandfather. If he was leading the Fire Warriors in London, then Xander knew he’d kill him.

He shifted suddenly and bumped into the clothing rack. The metal rods rattled against the hangars. Even as quiet as it was, it was noticeable in the silent department store.

Jessica put her hand on Xander’s arm and squeezed tightly, letting her nails dig into his arm. His rage was apparent, and the last thing she needed was him having an episode and drawing unwanted attention.

“What was that?” a Fire Warrior asked.

Xander bit his bottom lip and silently swore for being so stupid. This was the exact behavior Jessica had berated him for when they were flying to London. He had let emotions override his common sense. If he had just stayed quiet, there was almost no chance that the Fire Warriors would have found them in such a large department store. Now, the best-case scenario was that the two Fire Warriors at the window would search the entire store. Worst-case scenario was that they would go get the rest of the Fire Warriors, and Xander’s group would be badly outnumbered.

“Someone’s here,” the other Fire Warrior replied. “Go get the others.”

Xander scowled. Though he didn’t want to use his powers again, he didn’t know if there’d be much of an option.

Wilkes knelt behind his rack of clothing and made eye contact with Xander. Xander furrowed his brow in confusion until he saw the Leftenant clench the pistol grip of his rifle tightly. He shook his
head, but Wilkes didn’t seem to be paying attention.

“Stay here,” Wilkes whispered. “Don’t follow me this time. I mean it. Stay here.”

“Wilkes,” Xander said.

He wasn’t able to finish his argument with the British officer before the man jumped to his feet and sprinted across the store. When he was into the next section of the store, he ran his arm along a row of dishes, knocking them to the floor. They crashed loudly, shattering on the hard floor.

The rack of dishes behind Wilkes exploded as a fireball struck it. Flying ceramic struck the back of his vest but didn’t slow him as he ran deeper into the gloomy darkness of the store, searching for another exit to the building.

A jet of flame carved into the nearby racks of clothing, igniting the fabric. The hanging shirts erupted in flames and thick smoke filled the aisles. Wilkes gritted his teeth and ran on deeper into the store.

The Fire Warriors howled as they pursued the fleeing officer. Flames leapt from their hands, striking the objects around him. They ran after him, growing further and further away from Xander, Sean, and Jessica.

Xander heard the voices and yelling receding until the entire store was once again blanketed in silence. Lights flickered from the smoldering clothes across the
store, but the fire was already dying out without spreading very far.