"Amelia, time to go." Lorcan said, holding out his hand to her.
Wordlessly, she took it, and he helped her out of the SUV. "Can you run?" he asked.
She looked up at him and blinked.
"I'll take that as a no. Come on, sweetheart, let's get you to Quinn, he can help you get that magic under control. You'll feel more grounded then." Lorcan easily lifted her and began to run with his men down Lycaonia's cobblestone alleys.
Just a few days ago, her only concern had been whether or not she would have enough time to go shopping. Now, she had lost a friend and was being carried through what sounded like a war zone.
She looked ahead and saw unit warriors running toward them. They met up with their group and surrounded them, acting as an escort.
"We heard you were bringing in precious cargo," Ben said to Lorcan.
"Amelia needs Quinn, and Keelan... I don't think anything can be done for him. But I promised Aiden we'd try," Lorcan said.
The blond pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Gamma Kitten One, this is Adonis, have Foxy Boy on standby to receive Big Sister-Cousin, over."
"I really fucking hate that you got Adonis and I got Gamma Kitten One!" a male voice complained.
"Take it up with management," the blond said flippantly. "Over and out."
"Ben, who's Foxy Boy?" Lorcan asked as they ran.
"Quinn, that's the name Meryn gave him because his last name Foxglove."
"Gods, I can't imagine the call sign she's given me," Lorcan said.
"Lorelei," Ben said with a grin.
Lorcan grimaced. "I had to ask."
The group ran into the city square. Two warriors broke off to intercept four attacking ferals. Lorcan slowed down and finally stopped after they had gotten behind a tall barricade. He set her down on her feet. "You okay to stand?"
She nodded. All around her, the men started barking orders. Gunshots were almost non-stop, filling the air with the acrid smell of gunpowder.
"Gamma Kitten One, what happened to Key Largo? Why did he have to be carried into Council Manor, over?" Meryn's voice demanded to her left.
She watched as Sascha picked up his walkie-talkie. He took a deep breath. "We'll talk about it later, Menace, not over walkie-talkies."
"Let me talk to my big sister-cousin" Meryn ordered.
Sascha handed her the heavy black walkie-talkie.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Amelia nodded.
"I can see you nodding only because I'm peeping you out with my scope; you have to press the button to talk," Meryn said.
Amelia just stared down. She couldn't muster up the desire to speak.
"Gamma Kitten One, what's wrong with her!" Meryn sounded frantic.
Sascha gently took the walkie-talkie from her and looked up at the roof. "She went through a bit of an ordeal. We have, what in the hell is his call sign..."--Sascha scrunched up his face--"...Foxy Boy, that's right. We have Foxy Boy coming in to help her with her magic. She'll be okay, Menace, I promise."
"You better not be bullshitting me."
Sascha scowled up at the roof line. "Would I bullshit someone who's looking at me through the scope of a sniper rifle?"
"Good point. Menace over and out."
Sascha rolled his eyes and reattached the walkie-talkie to his belt. He steered Amelia over to the steps leading up to the Council Manor. "Let's head inside, Quinn will be here soon."
She nodded followed him docilely. With every step she took, the pressure built in her mind. All over her body, she began to feel cuts, broken bones, bullet wounds, and concussions. She staggered back causing Sascha to stop. "What's the matter?"
Mothers' fear for their children, fathers' impotent anger, children crying, all flowed through her as if the emotions were her own. Anger and fear flooded her heart.
"Gamma Kitten One, come in, over."
"Not a good time, Menace," she heard Sascha say.
"Make time. The ferals are congregating just outside the square. I think they are going to make one massive attack on the building." Meryn reported.
"Gamma Kitten One, this is Adonis. I can confirm that report. Also, the streets are empty. The ferals are no longer getting reinforcements, over."
"Attention all units, fall back to the Council Manor steps. All reconnaissance groups return to base."
Sascha turned to Amelia. "I have to go back."
She nodded. "Okay."
Sascha turned and ran back to the barricade, lifting his weapon. One by one, the unit warriors ran into the square from side streets and jumped the barricade to get in position.
Amelia took a step closer to the Manor. The emotions washed over her, but instead of drowning, she focused on her own anger. She turned the peoples' despair and fear into her own strength. When the dam burst inside her, she let it happen. The swirling confusion stopped, and there was only blessed emptiness. For once, her empathy would help, not hinder her.
She walked down the steps to the barricade. She watched the ferals begin to surge forward. She climbed the barricade and began to walk leisurely across the square, as if she was going from one shop to the next.
"Amelia!" she heard Meryn scream.
She stared at the approaching ferals. They were the ones stealing people's souls. They were hurting and killing innocent people. They were the ones that hurt her and killed Keelan. Calmly, she raised her right hand, her power hand, and for the first time in her entire life, she let her magic go.