Water Shaper (World Aflame) (26 page)

Abraxas looked to the diminutive Fire Lord. “Xander Sirocco had the audacity to try to kill me once before. Since then, I’ve made sure I’ve taken away everything he’s cared about. I want him dead, but I want him completely broken before he draws his last breath. This represents my final chance to take away everything he loves before I end his life.”

He looked toward the alleyway into which they had run. His long tongue emerged, and he ran it over his sharpened canines. “I’m going to savor the taste of desolation in his flesh.”

Abraxas felt the quick pull of his attention as the reptilian orb materialized above him.

“Follow them,” he told the warriors, “but don’t engage until I arrive.”

He felt like a rat in a maze. Xander followed Wilkes through the myriad of alleyways as they rushed toward his flat. He couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was happening far too easily. Fire Warriors had barred their way at every step through London. He refused to believe their group had somehow finally eluded them. It was only a matter of time until they reemerged.

Wilkes’ advice ran through his head. Xander hated Abraxas. The feelings burned him and made bile rise into his esophagus at just the thought of the General. He was sure that if they faced one another again, he’d kill Abraxas. Could he say the same thing about the other Fire Warriors, he wondered? If he had to, could he kill the other leather-clad warriors that were destroying London? It seemed like such an easy decision to say, “Yes,” as though it were an emotionless, clinical decision on his part. In reality, he knew that every Fire Warrior he met could be like Sammy—a person likely to be a victim of their circumstances. They couldn’t all be inherently evil. Some had to have the spark of compassion that Sammy bore. Killing them indiscriminately, even if that was what they intended with his friends, was a line in the sand he wasn’t sure he could cross.

They turned into an alleyway that opened onto another major road. The alley was narrow
—to the point their shoulders were practically brushing the brick walls. Wilkes slowed the group as they squeezed past a thin, metal trashcan. Xander held the lid closed, fearing it would rattle as it brushed against his jacket.

“We’re here,” Wilkes said, motioning toward the apartment building beside them. “Wait here.”

Wilkes leaned out and looked down the street, seemingly both unsurprised and disappointed when the road was clear in both directions. He slipped out of the alleyway and hurried to the front door. Reaching in his pocket, he fumbled with a set of keys as he searched for the right one to the building’s front door.

The lock clicked
open, and he pulled the door open with a soft squeak of metal on metal. Xander cringed from his place in the alley. Leaning slightly forward, he could see the Brit stepping into the doorway. Wilkes leaned out quickly and gave him a thumbs-up and smile before disappearing inside, pulling the door closed behind him.

Xander turned back to Sean and Jessica, who stood crammed into the narrow alley. He could barely see Jessica standing in the back of the group, her blond hair barely protruded around Sean’s wide head.

“So what now?” Sean asked. “Kind of sucks being stuck in here.”

“It shouldn’t take that long,” Xander said. “Just get comfortable.”

“Did he just tell us to get comfortable?” Jessica asked. “He does know I’m crammed in an alley so tight that I can’t turn around, even though I’m in the back of the group, and a Fire Warrior could be coming up behind me even as I’m sitting here—”

“Whoa,” Sean said, glancing over his shoulder. “You’re doing that panic attack, talking four thousand words per second, and not breathing thing.”

Jessica sighed a couple times as she calmed herself. “Maybe I wouldn’t feel so trapped in this alley if you weren’t carrying that stupid cricket bat around.”

Sean tried his best to see the bulky bat hanging at his side. “You mean old Peacebringer? I’d never leave her behind.”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “You named it? Wait, of course you named it.”

“Her full name is Peacebringer, Scourge of the Fire Caste,” he said with a broad smile.

Xander suppressed a laugh. He was glad that Sean’s natural defense mechanism was humor. It never let him get overwhelmed in a situation.

Their humorous interlude was quickly interrupted when a woman screamed from within the apartment building. With little more than a shared concerned look, the trio rushed out of the alley and up the stairs to the building’s front door.

Xander grabbed the handle and turned, but it was locked and unyielding. He rattled the door futilely. Taking a step backward, he wanted to yell up to Wilkes but didn’t dare draw too much attention to themselves.

His eyes fell back to the door. He scratched his chin, wondering if he could create a bubble of air around the lock. With enough focus, he was sure he could crush the metal lock and get the door open.

A blur of movement startled Xander. The cricket back slammed into the door handle, breaking off the nearside part of the lock. Sean reached into the opening and pushed the rest of the lock through to the interior of the apartment. When he turned around, he came face to face with Xander’s disapproving look. Sean smiled sheepishly and shrugged, pointing to the cricket bat.

“Peacebringer,” he said. “What are you going to do, right?”

Xander slid his fingers through the hole left behind from the ruined lock and pulled the door outward. With a little pressure, it swung open. As they rushed into the apartment, Xander realized he had no idea what flat belonged to Wilkes. The scream sounded like it had come from the second floor, so he led the other two up the flight of stairs.

On the second landing, they found Wilkes tightly embracing a crying woman. Xander felt immediately embarrassed, mistaking Tamara’s obvious cry of joy for one of trouble.

Fresh tear lines streaked down the caramel skin and soaked into her copper-colored hair. Tamara pulled her face away from the crook of Wilkes’ neck and, for the first time, noticed the three odd white people standing awkwardly at the top of the stairs. She leapt back and started to scream again, but Wilkes quickly placed his hand over her mouth.

“It’s okay,
love,” he said. “They’re friends of mine.”

Xander could see her throat bob as she swallowed the scream. The British officer slowly removed his
hand, and she exhaled slowly.

“You’re friends of Bernard?” she asked meekly.

“Bernard?” Sean guffawed. “Your name is Bernard?”

Wilkes frowned. “I haven’t taken the option of shooting you off the table, Yank.”

Sean snorted again. “Getting shot would totally be worth it now, Bernard.”

Tamara surprised everyone by smiling. “These are the ones that helped you get back home?”

Wilkes shrugged as he cradled his rifle in his arms. “I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for these three. I owe them my life. We owe them our lives,” he corrected, “since they’re also going to get us all out of London.”

“Xander,” Xander said, offering his hand. Sean and Jessica quickly introduced themselves as well.

“I’m glad to meet you,” Tamara said, “but we can’t get out of London. We tried when those… things first showed up in the city.”

She paused and swallowed a welling of emotion. “Some people died. We had to run back to the flat. We’ve been hiding ever since.”

“Xander has a few, well, we’ll say he has some tricks up his sleeve to get us out of the city,” Wilkes said.

Tamara looked to Xander before returning her gaze to her husband. “How long until you’re ready to leave?”

“As soon as you’re packed. The sooner we can get out of the city, the better.”

Tamara stepped into the doorway of their apartment. “You had better all come inside. I can offer some tea and scones. We may be rationing
food, but that’s no reason to lose our general English hospitality.”

They entered the small apartment,
emerging into a busy living room. A few pieces of furniture sat against the walls. The floors were covered with miniature train sets and stuffed animals. Xander smiled at the scene, appreciating the small flash of innocence in the otherwise chaotic world beyond the blanket-covered windows just behind the playroom.

A young boy sat quietly beside a scale train set, gently gliding an engine back and forth over the smooth rail. A set of noise-suppressing headphones sat over his
ears, and he nodded along to a rhythm only he could hear. His back was to the front door, and he was blissfully unaware that anyone else had entered his personal world.

“Brandon?” Wilkes said softly as they closed the door behind them.

“I’ll get him,” Tamara said. She walked over behind the boy and placed a hand on his back, rubbing in a small circle between his shoulder blades. Brandon looked up and removed his headphones.

“Someone’s here to see you.” She pointed toward the door.

Brandon turned around, and his eyes widened in surprise at the sight of his father. “Daddy!”

He jumped up from his spot and rushed toward his father. Wilkes quickly handed his rifle to Jessica before the boy crashed into his legs.
He slid to his knees and tightly embraced the boy. Xander politely looked away as he noticed tears streaming down the officer’s face.

“I missed you, buddy,” Wilkes said as they finally separated. “You been a good boy for your mum?”

Brandon nodded, and his eyes drifted to the other strangers. “There are a lot of bad men outside.”

Wilkes
smiled, but Xander could see the sadness behind it. “I know. Don’t worry. You don’t have to be a big man much longer. We’re leaving the city.”

Brandon lit up. “You promise?”

“Of course, buddy. I’d never lie to you.”

“Did you all want tea?” Tamara asked from the kitchen.

“No thank you, ma’am,” Xander said. “I think we’d rather just be getting on our way.”

Sean and Jessica nodded eagerly.

“Do you need any help with your bags?” Xander asked, hoping to speed the process along. Despite not seeing Fire Warriors recently, he could feel the nooses tightening around their necks. If there were a chance they had honestly escaped the Fire Caste, what they were doing next would draw their attention all over again. They couldn’t get out of the apartment soon enough.

“No,” she said, emerging from the kitchen with a single backpack slung over her shoulder. “We’re packing a little light for the trip.”

Xander looked over to Wilkes, who ran his hand through his son’s hair. The Brit smiled wistfully as he looked around the cramped London flat.

“You okay?”

Wilkes looked over at him and chuckled softly to himself. “This has been our home for a long time. We bought it right after we got married. This is the only home Brandon’s ever known. It’s just a little sad to know we’ll probably never see it again.”

Xander thought back to his parent’s house in White Halls. He had shared so many of his first memories in the
drafty, two-story home. It was the only home he’d ever known, until his parents were killed and it burned to the ground. The ache in his chest still felt like a fresh wound, and his heart went out to the Brit.

“Do you want a moment?” he asked. “We can wait outside.”

Wilkes shook his head and slipped his hand across Brandon’s shoulder. Tamara walked over, and he took her hand with his free one. “No. It’s been a good run, but it’s time to say our farewells. Home is wherever my family is anyway, right? We’ll find somewhere new just as soon as we’re out of London.”

He let Tamara take
Brandon, and he retrieved his rifle from Jessica. “All right, Yank. It’s time for you to work your magic.”

What Sammy saw mirrored that of the giant orb hanging above the ruins of London. It looked down on General Abraxas, who stood confidently amidst the debris of a collapsed building.

“
What do you have to report?
” the Fire Elemental said, its voice filling the air.

Abraxas smiled, revealing the pointed teeth. “Xander Sirocco is on the run.”

“
Why is he not dead yet?
” the Elemental replied, clearly unhappy with his response.

Abraxas’ smile faltered for a second. Sammy could swear the man wanted to chew on the inside of his cheek nervously. She almost wished he would. She’d gladly watch his sharpened teeth chew through the soft lining of his cheeks.

“He has friends with him, but they seem to be searching for more. If he has anyone else that could threaten our mission, I wanted them all together so we can kill them all at once. It seemed… tactical.”

Sammy hated the sound of the man’s voice but hated what he was saying even worse. If Xander had friends with him, then it would be Sean and Jessica. She couldn’t imagine him leaving them behind, even if it meant taking them into the heart of the besieged London. Though Sammy didn’t see eye to eye with Jessica, she didn’t want any of his friends killed any more than she wanted to see Xander hurt.

Though she couldn’t turn the eye, its large orb offered a panoramic view of the area around her. She hoped Xander was far away, and getting further away while they kept General Abraxas distracted. Even so, she had hoped to catch sight of him. They hadn’t seen each other since he had yelled at her, sending her away. She didn’t even know if he was still mad about her revealing that her father was Lord Balor. She hoped not. Despite his irritation, she had to believe that he still loved her as she loved him. It would have been wonderful to tell him as much, but she didn’t have enough control over her body yet to risk getting close to him.

“
Kill them all,
” the Elemental said flatly, “
but don’t fail me. I know you pursue them for personal reasons. Don’t let yourself be blinded by your goals. If you fail me, I’ll make sure I flay you alive.
”

Abraxas shook his head. “I won’t fail you. I’ll see him and everyone around him dead.”

“
Contact me when the deed is done.
”

With that final dismissal, the Fire Elemental withdrew its awareness from before the General. The city of London swam in Sammy’s vision before she felt herself yanked back toward Los Angeles. The world spun past her as she was pulled back to the dragon’s body, still perched precariously atop the high-rise apartment.

“
He’s going to kill your lover,
” the Elemental remarked, knowing Sammy was listening to everything it said.

“You don’t know Xander,” Sammy replied. “He’s going to kill you.”

The dragon laughed at her. “
If he kills me, he kills you as well.
”

Sammy scowled, wishing she could make the facial expressions to match her mood. “I’m ready to die, especially if it stops you. Can you say the same?”

The Fire Elemental swung its head, scanning the city below it. It seemed that the conversation was barely recognized as a nuisance. “
I won’t die. General Abraxas will kill him long before he and I have to face one another.
”

“And if he kills Abraxas instead?”

The Elemental stopped moving and craned its long neck, staring across the cityscape. “
Then I’ll kill him myself. He only has the power of the Wind Elemental now, and Wind doesn’t stand a chance against me. For whatever reason, Water didn’t give up her power to him. He’s already lost before we face one another.
”

Sammy huffed. “He’ll get the Water Elemental’s power. You don’t know him like I do. If he’s in London, he’s there for a reason. And after he gets the Water Elemental’s power, he’ll find the Earth Elemental and get that power. Then he’ll be more than strong enough to kill you.”

The Fire Elemental fell silent. It looked out across the city but didn’t seem to focus on anything in particular.

“You have nothing to say?” Sammy goaded. “I look forward to him wiping the floor with you.”

“
I grow tired of this conversation. General Abraxas won’t fail me, and I’ll make sure you see your lover’s head mounted on my wall before I find a way to destroy you, too.
”

Before Sammy could reply, the dragon leapt from the rooftop and swooped back toward the fighting in the streets below.

Wilkes took Tamara’s hand as they paused before the apartment building’s main door, turning her toward him.

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

Tamara nodded. “Of course.” She looked toward the other three, all of whom seemed nervous with the conversation. “What’s going on, Bernard?”

Wilkes cleared his throat. “Xander’s going to get us all out of here,
love, but we’re not taking a car, a plane, the tube, or a boat.”

His wife furrowed her brow. “What are you talking about? You’re starting to scare me.”

“Xander has powers, like the men out on the street… but different. It’s going to freak you out just a bit when it starts but, trust me, he’s one of the good guys.”

Tamara looked skeptically toward the Wind Warrior, who tried his best to smile disarmingly. She quickly turned back to her husband.

“If you trust him,” she said, “then so do I.”

Wilkes looked to Xander and nodded. Xander led the way out of the apartment, easily pushing through the door Sean had broken during their grand entrance. His heart raced as the door swung open with a faint creak. He figured this would be the time the Fire Warriors would spring their trap. They had been left
alone long enough for his group to begin to hope there was a chance for escape. If it were up to him—and he were far more twisted and malicious than he really was—he would have surrounded the apartment building with their army of warriors.

When the door swung open, Xander stared out onto the same empty street they’d seen when they first arrived. He let out
the breath he’d been holding nervously.

They rushed down the few stairs that led to the sidewalk. Xander slipped between two parked cars and stepped into the middle of the abandoned street. The others crowded nearby with Wilkes pulling his family in closely.

Xander turned and looked at his group. Even if there were Fire Warriors waiting to ambush them, it wouldn’t matter soon. They would soon be airborne and since the Fire Caste couldn’t fly, they’d soon be out of their reach forever.

He caught sight of Brandon’s nervous expression as he stared at the odd collection of Americans. Xander knelt down beside Brandon and smiled. A faint breeze trickled around them, tugging at their jackets.

“Hi, Brandon. My name is Xander. Have you ever been on an airplane before?”

The boy looked to his mother, who nodded that it was okay to answer. Brandon looked back to Xander and nodded.

“Great. Did you enjoy flying?”

Brandon nodded again.

“Do you want to do it again?”

The boy stared and Xander,
wide-eyed with curiosity. Xander rolled his fingers toward him and pulled more of the wind around their group. It coalesced beneath the British family, buoying them like a pillow slipped beneath their feet.

Tamara let out a stifled yelp of surprise as their feet left the ground. They hovered only a few inches from the asphalt but both mother and son pinwheeled their arms for stability as though they might pitch backward.

“Bernard?” Tamara asked. Brandon, in contrast, smiled broadly and laughed to himself.

“It’s okay,” Wilkes said. “He’s a good man. This is how he’s going to get us out of the city.”

Xander stood and ran his hand across Brandon’s head before turning back to the others. He summoned more of the wind, which sighed as it poured through the empty street. Soon the whole group was levitating in the air a foot off the ground.

“Do I need to hold onto you or something?” Tamara asked as she clutched to her son and husband like a lifeline.

“No,” Xander said. “I’ll do all the work. You all just need to enjoy the ride.”

He turned
around, and his smile faded. Despite his bravado, he knew they needed to hurry. Even if they had miraculously eluded the Fire Warriors earlier, using his powers would be like lighting a torch in a cave. It would draw a lot of unwanted attention.

Xander kicked off the
ground, and they began rising quickly into the air. He had to get out of between the tall buildings before he’d be able to maneuver and pick up any speed. Once he cleared the rooftops, he knew they’d be able to hit supersonic speeds and leave London—and all of England—far behind.

The pain that slammed into his gut shouldn’t have been unexpected, but it made him flinch. Their ascent
faltered, and the whole group hovered just a little more than a story off the ground.

“Xander?” Jessica asked.

“He’s here,” Xander said in a panic. “Abraxas is here.”

The group turned their eyes skyward just as the flaming wings emerged from over the nearest rooftop. Abraxas swooped down, impossibly fast, and slammed his feet into Xander’s back. The force of the impact drove the air from Xander’s lungs and broke his concentration. The pocket of air keeping them aloft
dissipated, and they dropped toward the asphalt road below. At the last moment, Xander summoned a cushion of air that padded their fall. They struck the pressurized air but it only slowed their descent. The landing on the road was still far rougher than he would have liked, and his shoulder ached as he quickly climbed to his feet.

He launched back into the air immediately, leaving the others on the ground. Without the others, Xander was far quicker. Even so, he only made it level with the roofs of the nearby buildings before Abraxas reemerged. He came at Xander from a different angle this time. The Wind Warrior tried to defend
himself, but the General broke through his meager wind wall as though it didn’t exist. The bald man’s fist caught Xander in the chin as he flew past, and his fiery wings ran dangerously close to his arms.

Lights danced in Xander’s vision from the
strike, and he rocked backward. His body arched in the air, and he began falling back to the ground headfirst. He shook his head, and the wind whipped around him again. Striking the ground hard, his hip dragged along the ground as he tumbled sideways. He came to a rest a couple feet away from his impact, resting face down on the asphalt.

For a long moment he just stayed down, letting the aches and pains settle over his body. He could hear Brandon
crying, and Tamara eagerly trying to soothe him. Xander cursed himself for being so naïve. Abraxas let them get to the flat, knowing he’d have the upper hand. Without the extra people with him, the Fire Warrior was far quicker and more maneuverable. Coupled with the tall buildings, Xander had little chance to clear the buildings before the General attacked him again.

“Xander,” Jessica and Sean cried together as they rushed over to his side.

Before they could reach him, he pushed himself off the ground and sat back on his knees. He had to run a hand over his face to push his dark hair aside. Running a frustrated hand over his face, he felt the days of beard growth on his cheeks.