Ree felt, more than actually heard, the crack of thunder. As the boat pulled away from the island, Athena, Brigid, and Hecate watched. Their eyes tense and serious. Brigid held a bow at her side while both Hecate and Athena clasped their hands in front of them. Ree looked away from them and toward Savannah. The goddesses couldn’t help them now. It was up to Ree to do what needed to be done.
The ride to the coast was long and cold. The winds whipped the surf against their hull and sprayed them all with fine mist. Paden moved closer to Ree, his warmth helping to keep her centered and not get lost in her thoughts. No one said a word as the sky turned from red and orange to purple. When the coast came into view, the trees were black with shadows, street lights glittering like fireflies in the distance.
Ree could sense the darklings that lined the nearby docks and had gathered in places she and her friends had used to dock in the past, but Roland never stopped. The closer they got to the city, the more darklings Ree felt gathered together. Without stopping, Roland pushed on until Ree could feel them nearing the historic district. The boats containing Niall, Met, and the other Guardians sped up and took the lead. Ree looked at Paden and Roland, wondering if this had been discussed at some point, but neither made an indication either way.
When Roland slowed the boat, Ree frowned at the dock. There was one darkling, sitting on the edge. His les legs swinging back and forth above the water as if he didn’t have a care in the world. It didn’t take Ree long to understand why he seemed so nonchalant. A piercing whistle drew more darklings from the shadows. In less time than it took Ree to understand what was truly happening, she had erected shields over boats.
Arrows bounced off of her green energy and fell into the water. The darklings weren’t very organized in their attack, despite having a lookout. Met’s calm voice drifted over the water to Ree’s ears, drawing her attention. She had a bow at the ready, arrow knocked and ready to fly.
“On my mark, Ree!” The Guardian stood at the front of her boat, her feet in a steady stance. As the darklings’ arrows fell harmlessly away, an amused snort reached Ree’s ears. “Now!”
Ree dropped her shield immediately and watched as Met’s arrows flew like lightning bolts to strike their targets. There wasn’t time to try and turn any of them, to see if being a darkling was something they had chosen or been forced into. At this point, the only thing she and the other Guardians could do was focus on surviving and helping those that couldn’t on their own.
In a matter of moments all of the darklings had been dispatched. Roland slid the boat next to the dock, and Weylin quickly tied it down and ran down the dock toward the trees. Ree and Paden were next, the others following close behind. The sound of sirens and the smell of smoke filled the early evening air.
“We need to get to the school as quickly as possible and with as little attention as possible.” Ree looked at Paden and Roland, but it was Magda who spoke up.
“A distraction would be good. I looked at the map you had in the office.” Her eyebrows drew together as she mentally went over the details. “What if we hit the houses around one of the nightclubs? Let them believe we’ve targeted the wrong place.”
“Could work.” Roland nodded his head.
“Okay. Hit the ones closest to the boats, but let us get a head start.” Ree started to head down the road.
“What about people that are being attacked? Do you want us to split up and try to corral some of the worst offenders?” Niall looked at Ree through hair that hid his eyes.
“Sounds good.” Ree looked at everyone. “You guys are on your own. Draw their attention away from the college and protect those you can.” Ree started walking backward down the street. “Take care of each other.”
The streets were eerily quiet. Only the sound of the occasional siren or fire alarm seemed to pierce the cloud of silence. The group had fallen into their running pattern without thought. It felt natural and easy, moving like one organism as they slid though the shadows and through people’s backyards. Ree concentrated on the darklings that seemed to be patrolling the streets, steering their group away from any that could be avoided. When it wasn’t possible to move around one of the looting darklings, someone would make quick work of the problem.
Ree could feel the frustration of her friends mounting with each kill. None of them liked killing the darklings, but accepted that there wasn’t another solution. Ree refused to use the power until she had no other options. When they neared the school center, Ree noticed the flyers for the special effects convention lying on the ground or taped to the old-timey light poles. When a cop car turned the corner onto the square they were surveying, the group ducked into an empty coffee shop. The door was hanging open and several of the windows had been broken, obviously a casualty of the looting that had taken place through the city.
Everyone kept quiet as the police cruiser slowly made a loop around the square before heading to the next block. Ree knelt behind an overturned table, her fingers rubbing the hilt of her sword. Paden crouched next to her, his green eyes sliding around the empty room.
“It will be dark soon.” Roland’s quiet voice rumbled through the room.
“What’s the plan, Kemo Sabe?” Weylin moved so he could see Ree.
“We need to get in…” Ree trailed off and looked out the window. The silver glow from her eyes reflected off of some of the shattered glass on the floor. “We have company.”
A group of darklings were walking down the road, the leader sniffing the air as he followed their trail. She wasn’t sure if he knew who he was following or if he was just looking for trouble, but there was no mistaking that he was after Ree and her friends.
Ree pulled her power in and concentrated on getting rid of her glowing eyes. There was no reason to announce the Alastriana was in town. The darkling smiled when he stopped outside of the coffee shop, and his pasty skin and black eyes made Ree cringe. He wasn’t far from turning; Ree could smell the death coming from him even from where she sat upwind, the light of his soul, weak and flickering.
“Come out, come out.” The darklings behind the sickly-thin man chuckled. One of them picked up a rock from the curb and threw it at the broken window. The remaining glass shattered, crashing to the ground in a sound that seemed much louder in the silence of the city.
Roland stood up from where he had been crouching. He bared his fangs and hissed. “Leave, unless you want to replace my dinner.”
“My apologies… Dark One. I smelled something off and came to investigate.” He edged closer to the building. While his hand was blocked from Roland’s view, Ree saw him twitch his fingers at the other darklings in a signal to run.
Before anyone else could move, Ree stood from her spot and threw the knives she had in reach. There was a sickening thunk as the blades found their mark. The flash of more blades flying from the other corner of the room pinned the darklings Ree couldn’t see.
The ringleader didn’t waste time retreating. Bryce was out of his hiding spot immediately, grabbing the darkling by the back of his shirt and spinning him against the brick exterior of the building. Hissing, the darkling scrambled against the wall, trying to free himself from Bryce’s grip.
“Ree?” Bryce looked at her and nodded to the darkling.
Ree looked at the darkling and contemplated for just a moment. Unfortunately the sound of running feet made up her mind. “Do it.”
Bryce made it quick and painless, but Ree would always remember the look on her friend’s face as he snapped the darkling’s neck; disgust and pity warred violently, leaving him to look almost depraved. Ree shivered once, but put away her thoughts. Drawing her sword, she moved from behind the table went to retrieve some of her throwing knives. Darklings were coming from every street, somehow alerted to their presence.
“Operation Sneaky doesn’t seem to be going so well.” Weylin scooted one of the darklings out of the way with his foot.
“Time to move on to Operation Make an Entrance, then.” Ree looked at her friends. “The sun is down and I can feel the Dark Ones waking. Our window is gone. Now we just get in there and raise hell.”
“I like it.” Weylin pursed his lips and nodded his head once.
“You know how I like to make an entrance.” Juliette tossed her knife in the air before catching it and sliding it back into her sleeve.
“Where do we go, Ree?” Paden looked down at her, his eyebrows pulled together. “Can you sense where Tristan is in the building?”
Ree looked at the building and squinted while trying to figure out just where Tristan would have bunkered down. “There’s a big concentration of Dark Ones in the center of the building. A large classroom, maybe. “
“Then let’s go.” Paden moved for the door, Ree quick on his heels. As the darklings neared, their greed and excitement was thick in the air.
“Where are the cops when we need them?” Weylin huffed under his breath.
“Fastest route possible, Ree.” Roland moved behind her, shielding her back as the darklings rushed forward.
“Seriously? Do they not get they don’t have a chance?” Juliette brushed the hair out of her eyes and glared at the people coming their way.
Ree looked over her shoulder at the twenty or so people coming from a back alley and back to the people walking down the empty road. Kneeling down, she put one hand on the ground and pushed the power into the earth. It flared out from their group like a tidal wave, the pavement pitched and rolled, the wave growing larger as the power flew toward the approaching groups. Most of the darklings that were in the earlier stages of the transformation were knocked off their feet or sent scrambling out of the way. The darklings that were a little faster or stronger jumped over the first wave and came on.
“Let’s go.” Ree stood up, grabbed one of her knives and threw it at an approaching darkling as she sprinted for the front door of the building.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ree skidded to a halt, looked at the chains on the double doors of the building, and took a deep breath. There was no light emanating from the building; nothing but darkness, the foreign feel of cold, soulless Dark Ones, and the crackling power that announced the presence of at least one god. All of this ended tonight. One way or the other, things would be decided.
Paden looked over at her and nodded his head. It was time and everyone was ready. She looked at her friends and felt her mouth pull back in a grin of pride. These were the people that had stood by her from the very beginning. They all wore fierce expressions, intent on taking down their enemies and Ree was grateful they were on her side. No more waiting for the right moment, no more hiding what she was capable of, and no more running from what must be done.
There was no use in trying to sneak into the building. The Dark Ones would have been able to sense her at this point. Turning to look at the entry, Ree lifted her hands and unleashed her power, sending the doors flying off their hinges and down the hall, gouging chunks of plaster as they tumbled. Each of her friends let out a war cry, and Ree felt her own voice lift in unison. In no time, they had crossed the threshold of the building and were shooting down the long hallway. Dark Ones came from shadowed corners, offices, and classrooms. Ree let the power rush ahead of her, shoving the crumpled doors even farther down the hallway, and obliterating the Dark Ones directly in her path.
Her friends fought and killed the enemies that came from the darkness with deadly quickness. The sound of the Dark Ones hissing and growling filled the corridor and combined with the sound of weapons meeting flesh. By the time they reached the doors to the large auditorium in the center of the building many of Ree’s friends had blood splashed across their clothes or faces. There was no denying the ferocity of the group. Thankfully, none looked to have taken any damage. Ree could feel the black hole of ice that meant Tristan was awake and waiting for her. Looking at the doors, Ree held her sword in her right hand, letting it angle away from her body and pointing it toward the floor. She sent the power whirling away from her, and the loose hair around her face whipped forward angrily as the power slammed the doors open to reveal a large room, lit only by the moon filtering through the skylights.
Tristan was standing on the stage between Loki and Ares, his face set in a dark look. Ree’s heart squeezed at the familiar face and she tried to remind herself that he wasn’t her brother any longer. He clapped three times before taking a step toward Ree. “So, you’ve come to try to kill me.”
“I’m here to end this war.” Ree let the power flare out around her so that the green light slid along the floor in all directions.
“You think this is about a war?” Della stepped into view. She was lurking near the shadows of the stage, her elegant face wreathed in amusement. “This is about a brother and sister set against each other. About one embracing a new way of life, while the other clings to the past.”
“This is about you setting my brother against me. About you killing everyone on this planet or making them cattle. This is much bigger than Tristan and me.” Ree’s anger had the power swirling around her feet. “I know enough of the situation to understand he made his choice. He isn’t my brother any longer. He’s merely your pawn.”
“I’m no one’s pawn, Ree.” Tristan stepped gracefully off of the stage to land in the aisle directly in front of her. Something felt different about his energy. Instead of being the cold, empty spot most Dark One’s generated, power crackled along his edges, like frozen lightning.
Ree’s eyes darted to the gods still standing on the stage. Ares was glaring at her with hatred, but Loki wore his customary look of amusement, his blond hair glowing an eerie silver-white in the moonlight. Off to the side of the stage was someone Ree hadn’t thought about much over the last few days. Shannon leaned against the chest of Michael. Her hair was lank, her cheeks hollow, and her dark eyes rimmed in red. Michael’s mouth was open just enough to let his curved fangs peek out, pressing over his bottom lip. He snarled at Ree and she had to squash the desire to kill him right then.
“Who gave you the toothpick?” Tristan looked at the sword Ree gripped. “Paden, you’re doing a terrible job of keeping her safe. She’s so clumsy she’ll probably cut off her own foot.” Tristan laughed, his face transforming into something closer to what Ree remembered from when he was alive. There was a flash of something warm from the corner Shannon and Michael were standing in and Ree couldn’t help but let her eyes dart in that direction. The black of Shannon’s eyes had diminished and Ree was surprised by the love the girl felt when looking at her brother.