Aurora Rising (14 page)

Ultin threw back his head and laughed. “Just because you can’t handle it.”

Rori became aware of curious looks as they moved through the crowd. As if noticing the same thing, Tankin spoke up. “We’d better split up a bit. We’re starting to draw attention.”

With a silent command, Cassie and Bass peeled off. Keyen took Rori’s hand and led her off at a different angle.

“Having a good time?” Keyen lowered his head toward her.

“Yes.” She met his gaze.

“Good, because I’m still kind of wishing we were on the beach.” He winked and the action took her breath.

Heat radiated off Keyen a second before he backed it off. For a minute, the crowd around them was forgotten, and she was lost in his amber eyes. Her heart rate increased. Keyen’s thumb brushed over the pulse point on her wrist as if to check on it. The corners of his lips rose in acknowledgement.

Then someone bumped into Rori’s back, and she fell against Keyen’s chest. His arms came up around her, and she found herself sheltered against his body. His head lowered and Rori responded tilting her head up. At the last second, a burst of fireworks on the stage had them breaking apart.

“Man, and I was trying to help,” Tankin said.

“Thanks, we are trying to keep this to ourselves,” Keyen looked back at him.

“Like that’s going to happen,” the big man scoffed. “Come on, we found a good spot over here, out of the way but with a prime view and sound.”

“Am I going to be able to hear when we leave?” Keyen sent him a sour look.

Tankin just laughed, leading them to a small platform where equipment for videoing the crowd was placed. “What do you think? Prime, huh. Bass ran into a friend who’s on staff. She said we could hang out up there with her.”

“Not exactly inconspicuous, but we’ll have a great view. Why not.” Keyen motioned Rori to the ladder first and they climbed up to the others.

They were listening to the second band when Rori’s attention slipped out to the crowd. Waves of pleasure wafted up to her. She was feeling happy and relaxed when the spike of maliciousness hit her like a knife slicing deep.

Her gasp was loud enough that everyone turned her direction.

“What is it?” Keyen reached for her, taking her arm as she swayed.

“Something’s wrong,” the words made it out as a whisper. “Someone … evil. Drasc! He’s here.”

Cassie turned toward them. “All these people.” The anguish she was picking up from Rori registered on her face and was mirrored by Bass who, with the rest of the team, was already scanning the crowd.

Keyen realized even he could feel Rori’s unease. “Can you find him?” He ignored the emotion.

She shook her head.

“Rori, you have to tamp down.” Keyen tried to draw her attention.

“What?” She looked up, anxiety formed creases on her brow.

“You’re projecting.”

“I…” She stopped then started again. “He doesn’t care if he kills everyone here.” Even as the words made it out, the sense of fear she was sending ended and she straightened. Back in control, she continued to search the crowd as she talked. “He’s planning to hurt a lot of people. He wants to. He wants to show his power.” Her gaze moved toward the stage on the far side. Everyone else followed her.

Keyen scanned faces as his attention divided. “Link open, command center.” The acknowledgement was hardly there before he started. “We need full deployment at the festival. Orn’s team, our gear and Mass Med.”

“Orn’s team’s already out, structure failure in Taeleese. A sled with your gear being deployed and med.” The reply came immediately followed by Manning Hiymm’s voice cutting in.

“Keyen, what’s happening?”

“Rori’s detected Drasc Creed here at the festival.”

“She’s certain?” Hiymm asked but there was no doubt in his tone.

Before he could answer, Rori did. “Oh yes. The malice off him is so strong it’s unmistakable. There’s an unhealthy hum in the air.” Her voice was steadier now but the expression on her face was no less intent.

Keyen didn’t doubt her and Hiymm must not have either. “Full team deployment,” Hiymm ordered.

Keyen joined in the search, feeling his own sense of frustration. Several thousand people packed the area just in front of the stage area and that wasn’t counting those milling around the concessions and at the other stages. Finding Drasc would be like finding a diamond in a puddle of broken glass. But Rori was focused on the one area so that’s where they would start.

Tension rose with the crescendo of the music.

“Whatever happens, it’s going to be big,” Rori said in a hushed voice. Before she could say more, fireworks burst up from the stage with the last beat of the music followed by a bigger explosion that rocked the ground. All the remaining fireworks in the area detonated at once.

The music ended but the noise level grew. Screams of excitement turned to fear.

The platform they were on shook and swayed, knocking Sansa, Bass, Cassie and Ultin’s friend to their knees. Ultin, standing close to the edge, was thrown over. Only his quick reflexes and hours of training enabled him to catch a support rod to break his fall. Keyen caught Rori’s arm as she almost followed Ultin over the side. He grabbed a piece of bolted down equipment to steady them.

“Sansa,” Keyen’s command was unnecessary as, even from her knees Sansa gathered her talent to dampen the air around the largest concentration of fireworks shooting sparks into the crowd.

Tankin grabbed Ultin, hauling him back up as a burst of fire blasted above Tankin’s head.

“That’s not me,” Ultin yelled, as he dropped to the platform followed by Tankin.

Keyen pulled Rori to the ground. Another ball of fire hit the equipment above them, blowing it off the platform in a burst of flames.

“We have to get off of here.” There was no need for Keyen to say they were under attack. “Tank, Bass, Cassie, go and take her with you.” He motioned to the recording tech. “Rori try to cover them. Sansa stay with the fires,” Keyen yelled to be heard over the screams from the crowd and then only the aid of their communicators in their IPIs let him be heard.

Keyen moved to the edge with Ultin to find where the attack was coming from. Tankin gripped the sides of the ladder and, locking his feet on the outside of it, slid down. Cassie moved the tech into position to follow him. A ball of fire shot toward them. Rori’s shield intersected it a few feet from the tech and the fire burst apart, but the tech, startled by the explosion, lost her hold and fell. A scream didn’t even make it out of her mouth before Tankin plucked her out of the air. Cassie went next, ignoring the blast against Rori’s shield. Bass didn’t hesitate following his sister down.

Keyen flinched when a fire ball exploded in the air over his head as it connected with one from Ultin.

“This guy’s good,” Ultin yelled.

“Can you handle him?” Keyen shouted back. Not waiting for the nod that he knew would be there if he looked. “Rori, the crowd, you’ve got to calm them.” There was no questioning her either.

Below them screams drowned out all other sound. Panicked people pushed and shoved, trying to flee but with no conscious thought of where to go. Keyen didn’t want to think of people being trampled in the confusion. He felt the soothing waves wash over as Rori sent out calmness. He didn’t know how she managed.

“Sansa,” Keyen barked her name and the woman went over the edge. Ultin followed without waiting.

Below them the crowd quieted.

“Go.” He grabbed Rori’s arm propelling her to the ladder. Rori was just going over the edge when a burst of energy scored the ground near Keyen’s foot. “They’ve changed to pulse lasers. Everyone careful,” he yelled, wishing he had his own laser.

Another burst hit dangerously close to Rori but she retained her hold. Keyen caught a panel leaning against the platform with his mind, raising it to shield her for her continued descent. As soon as her feet touched the ground, he raised the shield, sliding down the ladder as Tankin had.

He reached the ground, catching Rori’s hand to pull her out of the main throng of people fleeing the area. Though no longer panicked, the crowd was in a highly unstable emotional state that wouldn’t take much to stampede them again.

“Can you keep it up?” The words hardly left Keyen’s mouth when another explosion rocked the stage area. Plumes of smoke and debris shot into the air. People began to scream again, but above the roar came the grind of metal ripping apart pierced the air. In stunned shock, all eyes went to the stage in time to see the massive frame holding the screen and columns of huge speakers sway and topple.

Rori cried out and Keyen felt the air around him shift and surge, rolling out toward the stage. Rori groaned but Keyen couldn’t take his eyes off the area in front as the enormous structure caught and held in the air, stretched over the crowd.

“Raebent hues.” Ultin’s expression of amazement came over the open comm.

“Let’s go. She can’t hold that forever,” Keyen yelled.

Tankin voiced amazement but no one answered.

Keyen locked on the first speaker lifting it free with his mind, lowering it safely to the ground. Bass and Cassie started doing the same with another. The rest of the team helped the security people, and others who hadn’t panicked, move people out from under the hanging mass. With the largest loose items free Keyen concentrated on the metal frame trying to take as much weight as he could. Again the twins joined him, and to his side he heard Rori sigh in relief.

With the area cleared, they started to lower the frame works. It was still two meters from the ground when a laser blast almost cut down Bass and Cassie. Only the energy bolt from Ultin intersecting it saved them, but with their concentration broken on one side, it slammed to the ground with earth shuddering force.

Keyen groaned at trying to hold his side, lowering it more gently to the ground. Fatigue swamped his body, but he pushed it back, doing a quick check on his team. Tankin was not in sight. Cassie and Bass were on the far side helping several injured people to shelter. Sansa struggled to handle fires that dotted the area.

Out of the corner of his eye, Keyen saw a man carrying a child go down under the feet of the crowd and locked on him with his mind, lifting him out of the crowd. The man staggered as his feet touched the ground but remained upright.

Energy bursts from pulse lasers sparked randomly in the area. Keyen became aware of people screaming and crying. He also felt the soothing touch from Rori float out over the crowd as she tried to keep their panic down so they could be evacuated to safety.

He soaked up a little comfort and followed her energy patterns back to her. He located her behind a downed section of speaker about ten meters away. A girl about sixteen clung to her. Rori motioned to the girl who shook her head. Rori said something then motioned again giving the girl a little push. This time the girl obeyed. Stumbling, she ran. Keyen didn’t have to see Rori’s shield to know the minute it went up, protecting the girl and a dozen others who took the opportunity to run at the same time. Blasts peppered the shield, looking like a set of miniature fireworks going off. Using the shield for his own cover, he ran to another spot giving him a better view.

Whoever they were facing had the high ground and cover of trees on the park’s hillside that backed the stage. To get to them they would have to cross the open square, working their way over and around the debris. Unfortunately, barriers and buildings hemmed them in on all sides.

“Sled’s here with our gear.” Tankin’s voice came over the comm.

Keyen gave a verbal acknowledgement, but his attention was centered on where most of the laser fire was coming from. He calculated three positions, and each spot had to have at least two to three people. When flames shot up in a column in the middle of the square, he added the pyro to the count of adversaries. Keyen ignored the flames knowing Ultin would draw the heat out of it, effectively killing it before returning to help Sansa take care of the hot spots from the initial explosion.

Keyen started to go for a different location but held up as Tankin reached him with his utility vest.

“Thought you might want this.” The big man had already donned his. “This is Rori’s. The sled driver is taking the others theirs. Med-techs are set up in the street around the corner. They have their hands full already but at least they seem to be out of danger there. We’ve got to get these guys though. Got a plan?”

“Not one I’m really happy with. But as you say, we’ve got to get these guys and quickly. There are just too many people here.”

“And like Rori said, they don’t seem to care how many get hurt.”

Keyen nodded, calling up his link to the others. “Sansa, you stay back and try to get all these fires under control before something blows up big time again. Cassie and Bass, I want you two,” he addressed the twins, “to try working to the position on the far left.” He focused on the spot, giving them a visual. “There are at least two in there. Ultin, you and Tank take the nest high up on the right. I think that’s where the pyro’s located. Rori and I are taking the middle. Let’s throw everything we’ve got at them and see what we can flush out. Just be careful. They might be using lasers now, but we know they have a whole other bag of tricks.”

There was only a brief acknowledgement, and they all started working their way forward much like they did in the training room. Tankin’s initial route took him to Rori to drop off her vest before curving off toward Ultin. The fire power they were facing was intense but at least they were now equally armed.

Keyen motioned for Rori to remain while he made a run for the edge of the downed platform. He hadn’t even covered a third of the distance when Rori’s shield intercepted a laser blast that he’d missed. He jerked but didn’t break his stride knowing none of the sparks would touch him. He, nor Rori, now worried about her ability to shield. It was as natural to her as breathing.

Going down into a slide which carried him to the edge of the platform, he took a second to survey the area before signaling Rori to move to her next position. As soon as she moved, he caught the glint of a laser sighting in on her. Before the person had a chance to fire, Keyen focused, locking onto the gun, pulling it toward him. With a cry, a man came flying out from behind a tree. As the man lost his grip on the gun, he was flung a good four meters. The assailant tumbled over and over until he came to rest in a motionless heap at the bottom of the hill.

Keyen paid him no more attention. He scanned for another visual to lock on. When he couldn’t pinpoint anything, he fastened on a piece of debris and sent it into some brush where he knew attackers were hiding. He felt the impact as another mind locked on the section of scaffolding. The other person was strong but not strong enough to push it away, just deflect its course so it landed harmlessly to the side.

Keyen locked onto another piece throwing it at the same location as he sighted in with his laser. He fired then jerked back as a laser blast barely missed his head. Forced down by a shower of sparks, he dove for better cover while searching for the sniper that almost took him out.

He dodged again as he caught sight of the man on the edge of a building trying to get another shot at him. Keyen dove for cover and as he came to a stop, flat on the ground, he started firing, cutting bursts along the top of the building until he saw the man pitch forward off the roof.

Keyen ignored the fall, turning his attention back to the hillside and the attackers there. He saw two fireballs intersect and knew Ultin was in battle with the other pyro. Taking a second, he pulled up the locations of the others. Sansa had contained the fires and was now with Cassie and Bass working their way to the attackers on the far side.