Morning Rising (21 page)

“I had no idea,” he murmured. “Forgive me.”
His eyes were pleading when he looked up at her again.

“Sure.” Kara grabbed his arm and pulled him
to his feet. She didn’t have time to waste on proper respect. “We
have to get back to Inbetween. Demitar’s Strikers will take down
Morning and the others in minutes without our help.”

“As you wish, Guardian.” The man inclined his
head to Kara before he raised his sword and shouted an order.
“Follow her!”

Kara turned and faced the gate again. On this
side the blues that swirled to make up the gate were darker, some
almost black. After a quick breath, Kara stepped back into the
gate. Behind her, the soldiers filed through.

The other side seemed to come quicker this
time, and Kara was ready for it. She hit the ground running,
already throwing off Strikers with her mind. She scanned the fight
for Dylan, eyes roaming quickly over a dozen faces as the Day
King’s army swarmed out behind her. Ivy flew above Kara, in a
rolling air battle with two of the winged Strikers. She was
dangerously close to being pulled to the ground when one of the
winged Strikers took off to attack the newcomers, his wings spread
wider than Ivy’s. With the fight more evenly matched, Ivy began to
take the upper hand.

Baron and Fay were nowhere to be seen, but
Lockler was fighting with three Strikers. Each strike of their
blades bounced harmlessly off his skin as if it were armor. He was
holding his own, but with three of them against him he was finding
it hard to get the upper hand. The Day King’s soldiers dispersed
into the battle and Strikers appeared to meet them. Kara watched
with a heavy heart, worrying that they were already too late to
save Dylan.

Finally, Kara spotted her. Dylan was deep in
battle with Alster. There was a blistering burn across her cheek
where electricity had struck her, but she seemed to be faring well.
Kara watched as Dylan dodged most of his attacks and battered him
with her own combination of ice, fire, and wind. Another burst of
electricity burned Dylan across her shoulder. Anger bubbled up
inside Kara.

There was the sound of metal on metal, as
swords met wrist blades. Kara saw fire being thrown. The dark sky
lit up with flames and electricity as the air carried the cries of
those wounded and dying. A loud explosion rocked the battle as one
of the tents went up in flames, lighting the sky brighter than any
other night Inbetween. Soldiers and Strikers scattered as debris
rained down through the battle. Dylan glanced back with surprise,
ducking instinctively, and Alster saw his moment to strike.

Before Alster could gather his power, a
Striker barreled into Dylan. He took her to the ground, and they
rolled off into the fray. Alster watched them with an angry glare,
his energy fading. Kara pulled energy to her and sent Alster
hurtling into a boulder. The force would have snapped the back of
any average human. As Alster lay dazed at the base of the boulder,
Kara ran to him.

Alster laughed, coughing and bruised, as he
pushed himself slowly to his feet. He stumbled to one knee, unable
to stand. The battle seemed to fade for Kara; Alster was all she
saw. Alster put one hand to his chest and took a deep, shuddering
breath. Before Kara reached him, he was already drawing power to
himself again.

Kara wrapped her hands around Alster’s
throat, choking off his airway and feeling the energy crackle
around her hands. With more strength than she knew she had, Kara
pulled Alster to his feet and shoved him back against the boulder.
Unfocused energy exploded from Alster, prickling Kara’s skin and
heightening her senses. Kara put her face to Alster’s, close enough
to smell the raw iron stench of the blood running from the corner
of his lip.

“You are a vile man,” Kara spat the words
into his face. She pulled back and punched him across the jaw with
all her strength. The force sent Alster’s head cracking into the
boulder and split open Kara’s knuckles, but she barely noticed the
pain. Before she could pull back to hit him again, a chunk of rock
hit her in the back. Kara staggered and fell, the air knocked out
of her as pain ripped through her body.

Kara rolled to face her attacker, gathering
her energy. Demitar walked toward her. Pieces of rock as sharp as
shrapnel floated in front of him. His brown hair was matted against
his head with blood and dirt. Behind Demitar, Kara could see signs
of the battle turning in their favor as more Strikers fell beneath
the swords of the Day King’s army.

Dylan was deep in battle with a Striker. The
Striker was able pull vegetation from the dry earth and vines
wrapped up around Dylan’s legs, the thorns digging in deep. Dylan’s
legs were dripping with blood, but the Striker looked worse. He
bled from a head wound and one eye was swollen shut as Dylan’
assaulted him. Demitar focused on Kara.

“Yes, it seems you’ve won, doesn’t it?”
Demitar sneered, sparing a quick glance at the battle behind him.
“I can handle that, I really can. What I can’t handle is some snot
nosed changeling getting the better of me.”

“It wasn’t hard.” Kara winced. Pain sang
through her back and, for a moment, she thought it was broken. When
she found she could move her arms and legs, she figured it wasn’t.
Demitar’s black eyes narrowed. He took a step forward, closing the
distance between them.

“Kill her,” Alster wheezed from where he had
fallen to the ground.

Alster was in worse shape than Kara. Blood
ran freely from his nose and lip, erasing all remaining traces of
the composed grandfather. He sat against the boulder in too much
pain to push himself to his feet. Anger clouded Alster’s face as he
looked up at Demitar with eager eyes, anticipating whatever
violence Demitar planned.

“Quiet.” Without taking his eyes from Kara,
Demitar flicked his wrist at Alster. A sharp sliver of rock sliced
through Alster’s throat.

Alster sputtered, but couldn’t form words as
he clutched his throat. Blood sprayed from between Alster’s
fingers. Kara scrambled backwards and closer to Demitar as the
blood splashed over her. She shoved herself to her feet even though
it sent pain screaming through her spine.

“Yes, Alster betrayed you for the promise of
a measly piece of land to call his own,” Demitar continued. He
twirled the stones lazily in the air as he spoke. “He wasted his
life trying to find you and Morning for nothing. He was painfully
easy to bribe into spying on his nephew.” Demitar smirked.

“Not much to brag about is it?” Kara asked,
even though it hurt to talk. She tried to gather her strength. The
energy dripped into Kara, a slow trickle instead of a raging tide.
It wasn’t enough.

“Insolent,” Demitar sneered. “You will not
live to have your precious Morning.” Demitar waved his hand and
sent the sharp stones at Kara. Most bounced harmlessly against the
invisible barrier she erected, but the barrier was too weak to
hold. One stone found its target. It sliced painfully through the
side of Kara’s thigh, but did no real damage. The pain seemed to
clear her head; she felt the energy flowing into her again.

There was no waiting after that. Demitar
threw everything he had at Kara. It took all of her concentration
to fend off his attacks. Occasionally she would muster the energy
to deflect one of his rocks back at him. He tossed them aside
without thought. After the first burst of energy, Kara found it
harder and harder to keep drawing in the energy she needed to
defend herself. Minute by minute, Kara’s energy drained as she
fought to stay alive.

Demitar pulled the ground up under Kara. For
a moment, she was able to keep her balance. Another jerk of the
earth and Kara fell hard, her body screamed with pain at the
impact. Every movement and jar of the earth under Kara sent pain
racing through her spine. Kara covered herself in a shield and
forced herself to her feet. Demitar sent another rain of stones at
her. The shield dropped.

With her back and thigh throbbing and her
strength dwindling, Kara knew she was done for. Demitar wasn’t
slowing down, and it was all she could do to keep fending off his
attacks. Each stone came closer, before she could deflect it.

Kara focused on pulling a small shield in
front of her. The energy around her seemed sluggish and hard to
grasp, but Kara managed to pull a small amount to her. A volley of
rocks bounced harmlessly off the shield, but it dropped all the
same. She didn’t see the slab of rock falling from above.

The rock cracked into Kara’s skull and she
stumbled to her knees. Dizzy and losing focus, Kara gently dabbed
her head where the rock had hit. Warm blood coated her hand.
Gravity overwhelmed Kara. She fell to her knees, and then to her
side as the earth rocked under her. She watched in a daze as
Demitar strode toward her.

“This is where you belong, changeling.”
Demitar glared over Kara. He nudged her with the toe of his boot.
“You are beneath me and you are beneath Morning.” At the edge of
her vision, Kara saw Demitar lift the boulder she’d sent Alster
flying against. Her eyelids fluttered shut.

“Demitar,” Dylan’s voice broke into Kara’s
hazy thoughts, and she forced her eyes open. Demitar let the rock
drop back into place as he turned to face Dylan.

A ball of fire nearly took out Demitar, but
he dodged at the last second. The flames crashed harmlessly into
the earth. Painfully, Kara sat up and pushed herself backwards,
trying to get out of the range of fire. She looked around, looking
for Dylan. Kara needed to see Dylan; she needed to know she wasn’t
imagining this.

Dylan stood ready, a dozen feet back, her
clothing torn from battle and her body cut and bruised. Wind tossed
Dylan’s long hair around her shoulders. Kara had never seen anyone
so beautiful in her life. Dylan raised a questioning eyebrow at
Demitar and called a small fireball into existence in the palm of
her hand.

“Why fight with her then, if she is so
beneath you?” Dylan asked, tossing the fireball from hand to hand.
Kara hoped Dylan had half the confidence she was displaying. “It’s
me you want, isn’t it? Or are you afraid you can’t take me now that
you no longer have me strung out?”

“You’re nothing more than a foolish child,”
Demitar said. A wide grin crossed his features. He stalked slowly
away from Kara.

Kara sighed thankfully and let herself relax.
She drooped to the ground, wincing as the small movement sent pain
exploding through her skull. Kara felt herself losing consciousness
and she struggled to stay aware, to see the battle around her.
Demitar stopped walking, still a good eight feet from Dylan, as if
wary of getting closer.

“Power means nothing if you can’t control
it,” Demitar said. He pulled up a half dozen fist sized rocks,
floating them at chest level. “You sully yourself with this girl.
She weakens you.”

Dylan threw the fireball. Demitar ducked away
from it, then sent the rocks barreling back at her. The last one
shattered the ice wall Dylan raised to protect herself. Dylan
rolled away while Demitar raised spikes from the earth. From above,
sharp points of ice rained down on Demitar. When one impaled his
shoulder, he roared in pain and his attacks stopped.

Demitar pulled the ice from his shoulder and
let out a gasp of pain as blood streamed from the wound. His arm
hung uselessly at his side and he clutched his shoulder with his
other hand. Dylan pushed herself to her feet, gathering her energy
for another attack. Without Demitar’s constant attacks, she was
free to load up on energy for her next attack. She began to walk
toward Demitar.

Flush with her short victory, Dylan didn’t
see the boulder rolling toward her. Kara tried to call out, but her
voice only came out a whisper. Demitar was still looking helpless,
but a small smirk warned Dylan that something wasn’t right. She
stopped walking. Dylan heard the rumble of the earth and glanced
over her shoulder. The boulder was only a few feet away. Dylan
jumped away at the last minute. The boulder caught Dylan’s
shoulder, bruising her and throwing her off balance. She barely
avoided the next rain of stones Demitar sent at her.

Dylan caught hold of the largest of the rocks
with the wind and whipped it back at Demitar, who neatly dodged it.
He turned to watch it land harmlessly behind him. He smiled.

“You can’t even command all your powers yet?
You are nothing without all four strengths.” Laughing in victory,
Demitar turned back to Dylan.

There were three sickening thuds as the wrist
blades of three of Demitar’s own Strikers buried deep into his
stomach, chest, and finally, skull. In Kara’s half-conscious state,
she saw the surprise register in his face. Demitar stepped back.
His hands flopped helplessly at the blades, trying to pull them
out. Red stains formed around the blades before Demitar collapsed
to his knees. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a thin trickle
of blood rolled out.

Dylan strode toward him. Burns and cuts
covered her, but if she was in any pain, she wasn’t showing it. She
squatted and gripped Demitar by the shoulder.

“I am everything,” Dylan said. She squeezed
his shoulder tightly, her fingers digging in deep. Through her own
pain, Kara heard Demitar let out a cry of agony. “You’re the one
who sullied yourself with your search for power. This ends today,
because that girl-” Dylan glanced at Kara, “that common girl was
able to save me from you.”

Dylan let go and stepped back, allowing
Demitar to fall to his side. He was dead before he hit the earth;
his eyes stared lifelessly into the distance. Blood began to pool
under him. The dirt reddened to sticky mud.

“Kara?” Dylan was at Kara’s side immediately.
“Don’t move too much.” That wasn’t very hard for Kara. Every time
she moved it felt like the earth was writhing beneath her. Her head
spun in pain and awe as she stared at Dylan. The power Dylan
displayed was stunning, and her anger was a little scary.