New Sight (16 page)

Her fingers inched toward Inez’s eyes. Her nails cut in the other girl’s cheeks. Hands held her back, Lys could only move in slow motion. But it was enough. She moved steadily closer. The fear in Inez’s eyes goaded Lys on. To have someone fear you was almost as intoxicating as satisfying the Need.

So close, just an inch more and she would have them—she licked her lips in anticipation . . . and then she was being flung up and away.

She hit the rock wall hard, cracking her head and seeing black spots. She slid down, landing unsteadily on her feet.

“Keep her back!” a voice yelled, breaking the spell.

Lys gasped, but couldn’t breathe. However, she could see. She could see blood on her hands.

“Grab them!”

Lys convulsed. Spasms of pain and fear lanced through her limbs, causing her to go to her knees.

Kamau arrived, hands groping in the dark to brush her arms, but he didn’t have to hold her. She curled into a ball and started to sob as she continued to twitch. Lys couldn’t live like this—didn’t want to continue existing.

“Please,” she sobbed as Kamau knelt down next to her. “Let me die.”

“You’re not going to die,” Kamau said.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I couldn’t stop myself.”

“It’s not you, just don’t move,” she heard him say.

All thought, all reason was gone. Her world shattered around her. Lys truly wanted to die.

And then it went away. Not just the relief of shedding tears, or the release of adrenaline, but the feeling evaporated. Her sobbing stopped, but the shaking didn’t.

“That’s better,” Mark said. She felt another hand on her shoulder. “Come on, Lys, calm down.”

Calm down? She’d just tried to kill someone! And she’d wanted to do it. She curled into a tighter ball. Lys tried to shut out the world.

“Don’t do that,” Mark said. “Kamau, talk to her. Give me a second.”

What would Kamau think of her? Even in her own eyes, Lys knew she was a monster.

“Shhh,” Kamau said, rubbing her back. “You’re okay.”

Lys shook her head. First she got Peter killed, and now she’d attacked Inez. “Just leave me here.”

“That’s awfully dramatic,” Kamau said.

“Please.”

“No,” Kamau said.

She heard Mark coming back. “Here,” he said. A moment later Lys felt another jolt of electricity, and her mind cleared. She unclenched her arms from around her knees.

“Better?” he asked.

Lys opened her eyes and slowly raised her head. Kamau tugged her into a sitting position. “How’s your head?” he asked.

The throbbing there paled in comparison to the roller coaster her emotions were on.

She made the mistake of looking down at her hands. Blood covered her palms, and she could feel chunks of flesh under her nails.

Revulsion filled Lys and she tried to back away from her own hands, running into the wall. Her hands! She’d tried to kill someone.

“It’s okay,” Mark said, grabbing her wrists. “It’s okay, everyone is fine.”

“No,” she whispered. “No, I . . .”

“It was Inez’s magic. She lost control. It’s not your fault.”

Lys felt herself balanced on the edge of a knife. Part of her wanted to believe Mark’s words, but the other part of her wanted to revel in her attempt to get Inez’s eyes. Two sides of her fought for control, and she didn’t know which one would win.

“We need to go,” Brady said.

Lys looked over and saw Brady kneeling next to Inez, who had her face in her hands.

“Someone’s coming,” Brady said. “I can feel them.”

“Come on,” Mark said as he and Kamau pulled Lys to her feet. “I’d love to let you rest, but we have to go.”

Before anyone could move, splashing came from two of the tunnels, and six members of the New appeared, running right at them.

Chapter 19

Mark turned
first, blue light flaring from his hands.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” one of the New said. “Electricity in water? Doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

Lights turned on from six points, and Lys blinked, trying to get her vision to adjust.

Brady stood, but one of the New had a gun leveled at Inez’s head.

“No one move. Hands up and open. Don’t make me collar you,” the synthesized voice said.

Inez stiffened, and started to stand, but the man with the gun proved faster.

Lys screamed.

The gun didn’t launch another collar. Instead a dart flew from it, burying itself into Inez’s shoulder. She stopped mid-stride and spun around. Brady caught her twitching form before she hit the stone floor.

“No one else moves unless I tell them to,” the figure in the lead said. “If you do exactly what I say, we won’t have any more unfortunate accidents.”

Lys glared at the man. She could feel his eyes on her through the helmet. She tried to redirect her magic from seeing in the dark to looking through people’s eyes, but got nothing from him. Either magic didn’t go through the helmets, or she’d reached her limit.

The other five members of the New spread out, each taking one of the magic users. The leader grabbed Lys roughly by the arm and dragged her into the middle of the channel. The others got the same treatment. As soon as the man touched her, Lys felt her connection to magic cut off.

“Now, we’re all going to go up to the surface. I don’t want any trouble.” He emphasized this by shoving the barrel of his gun hard into the base of Lys’s neck. “I’ll just use this one to make sure the rest of you behave.” He pushed her forward. “Move.”

Every inch of Lys shook and trembled. She stepped forward and didn’t know if she’d be able to shift her weight from one foot to the other. The ankle deep water threatened to sweep her away, and if not for the iron grip around her arm, Lys would have gone down.

The man who shot Inez shoved Brady away and hauled Inez to her feet. The other girl stumbled, shaking her head. Lys couldn’t keep an eye on her because her escort led her out first.

With the bobbing lights, they moved much faster. Lys trudged forward, the barrel of the gun still at the back of her neck. The process of thinking didn’t exist—her brain felt disconnected, and she could barely manage putting one foot in front of the other. She tried to stop looking at her hands. Blood dried on her fingertips, and she could still feel chunks of Inez’ skin beneath her nails. A shudder joined the shaking and she wondered what would happen if she threw up. Would they shoot her? Or let her drown in her own vomit and the four inches of water at her feet?

Light—real light—began to tease her eyes. After going around two more corners, Lys could see even without her magic. The man holding her arm led them to a ladder.

“You first,” he said, releasing Lys.

Not knowing what else to do, Lys reached out a shaking hand and started to climb. It took her three tries to get her foot on the second rung, and when someone reached down and drew her out of the hole she almost didn’t care that he wore black armor.

“Here she is,” a voice said from under the helmet. “I knew they were down there. Where’s our boy?”

Lys shrugged away from the man, getting her arms out of his grasp. She watched as the leader of the men climbed up the ladder. Without one of them touching her, she felt her magic stir. It pulsed, bowing the barrier that held it back. But Lys didn’t want the magic. Not this time.

With a thought, she allowed the Need to resurface. It writhed, angry at having been denied Inez’s eyes. Lys let it fill her as the others climbed out of the hole. Inez slumped to the ground, dazed. Just as Brady stood up, Lys willed the Need to take control. Red fury burned before her eyes, and Lys knew just where to direct it.

The leader from the tunnels, and the man who helped Lys out of the hole, stood conversing. One of them took his helmet off, revealing Jed underneath. Good enough.

She locked gazes with Brady, who must have been thinking along the same lines. He smiled as she turned.

Lys let out a scream and ran at the two men. The Need saw Jed’s eyes and filled Lys with a desire she could not control. And instead of trying to hold back, she reveled in it.

The world slowed as she got closer. Jed turned in surprise while the leader brought his weapon up. Five steps away. Three. Two. The gun fired, and she screamed.

Only nothing hit her. Instead, something hit the gun and tossed it through the air.

She kept running. If they planned to kill her, she would give them an easy target. If not, they’d hesitate. Either way, they had to go through her to get to the others.

Jed seemed surprised when Lys kept coming, and even more unhinged when she started clawing for his eyes. His big hands couldn’t contain her wiry arms. People started to yell around her, but Lys ignored them. She focused on Jed’s clear, blue eyes and let the Need do its thing.

The sheer fact that Lys wanted what the Need did made things so much easier. She ground her teeth together as she kept trying to get around his arms to his face. Only a few inches remained. She had him!

Then the wind got knocked out of her. She felt a screaming pain in her ribs, and she flew backward, hitting the ground with a hard thud.

A rib cracked on impact. Lights danced before her eyes, and she couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

Tears of pain streamed down her face. Screaming filled the air around her, and after a moment someone grabbed her hand.

“Lys?” Kamau’s face came into view.

Lys opened her mouth to reply, but still couldn’t breathe.

“Can you get up?” His words slurred together in her mind. She shook her head.

“We need to move,” he said, grabbing her hand and tugging her up.

Lys cried out, the sudden change in position releasing her lungs. A ripping pain filled her right side, but she didn’t have time to think about it. Kamau pulled her to her feet and started to lead her toward the others. She stumbled, trying to keep up.

Around her lay a dusty field covered by used cars. A black van sat with its doors open, one more member of the New inside.

Only a few feet separated them from the others when a loud pop sounded, and Lys saw a net fly out of the end of Jed’s gun. Brady dodged behind a car so quickly that Lys could swear she didn’t even see him move. A second pop followed, and Mark had to dive out of the way. The net grazed him, but he didn’t get caught up in it. Still, he fell, hitting the ground hard, rolling away with a grimace of pain on his face.

The two armored men advanced.

Mark rose to his hands and knees. Brady tossed a piece of metal at their assailants. It bounced off harmlessly as one of the men turned on Brady.

“Move!” Kamau said, pushing everyone apart. They scattered, and the small harpoon-ish looking projectile that came from the gun rocketed through them, sticking in the ground a few yards behind.

“What is that?” Lys asked, crouching behind a car with Kamau.

“I don’t think we want to know,” Kamau said.

Jed held up his hand and his two cohorts stopped.

“We’re not here to hurt you,” he said, the same look of disdain on his face as he’d had in Doyle’s office. “If you come quietly, we promise that no harm will come to you.”

“You’re full if it, Jed,” Mark said, stumbling to his feet.

Jed’s eyes turned to Mark and a dark smile creased his lips. “It’ll be a pleasure taking you in.”

“Right, like that’s going to happen.” Mark shook his head. Lys could hear the bravado wavering as Mark took a step forward. “Why don’t you and your boys back off and let us be on our way. We already took care of your little friends.”

Jed snorted. “I don’t think so.” He glanced around. “You’re outnumbered, and I’m pretty sure these kids don’t have any idea what they’re really dealing with.”

“All they need to know is that you’re trying to kill them.”

“Would I do that?” Jed asked, placing a hand on his chest.

Lys watched the exchange. The two men looked like gunslingers from an old western movie, faced off with nothing in between them. Only Mark didn’t have a gun. Still, Jed hesitated. Why?

A flicker of movement caught Lys’s attention, and she saw the two armored men turn their guns on Mark.

“Yeah, mate, you would.” Mark’s hand came up just as Jed’s gun did. Jed fired and Mark shot blue light from his palms, creating a visible shield in front of himself. The net hit the shield, spread out, twitched, and fell to the ground.

The other two fired as well, but Mark threw himself backward, landing hard again.

Lys got to her hands and knees and crawled with Kamau to where Inez waited behind a car. She didn’t want to make herself a target, and she didn’t have anything to offer a real fight. Her ribs protested, and she could feel herself getting lightheaded. She risked a look back.

Brady appeared, crouching in front of Mark, his hands kneading the dirt like dough. He grabbed the ground like a rug and raised his hands. The earth came up and Brady flicked it like a towel. A wave rolled toward Jed. He tried to get out of the way, but Lys watched as he rose to the top of the wave and then down the back side.

The two men in armor converged on Brady. He squat down, grabbed clods of dirt as big as his head and threw them across his body, each hitting a man in armor in the chest. They both flew back, landing thirty feet away on the ground.

“Brady!” Mark yelled. “That’s enough!”

Lys turned her attention back to Brady. He knelt down, his hands still kneading the ground. Only now they were in elbow deep.

“It feels so good,” Brady said. “This is awesome!”

“Hey!” Mark said, moving toward Brady. “Cut it off now. We need to go.”

“Okay, okay,” Brady said. He tried to pull his hands free, but wasn’t able to.

“Uh,” he tugged again with the same result. “I don’t know what . . .” Brady lunged forward, like something had grabbed him from beneath the ground.

The dirt around Lys started to shake and jump. She got to her feet and stepped back. The ground gave way, sucking her down like a whirlpool. One leg went in to her upper thigh. She screamed.

Inez backed away.

Lys’s other leg began to sink as well. Clawing at the dirt, she tried to stop herself from being inhaled by the ground. Rocks scraped at her through the thin pants, and she felt a scream of pure terror rising from her lungs. The smell of the dark engulfed her, and Lys clawed faster, trying to stop from sinking. Her breath became shallow, and she felt the world closing in around her. Not the dark. Please, not again.

Just as her hips passed into the dirt, a strong hand reached out and grabbed hers.

“Hold on,” Kamau said. His other hand clung onto a car bumper.

Lys couldn’t speak. She just kept struggling.

“Brady!” Mark bellowed. “Cut it off!”

“I can’t,” Brady said, fear rising in his voice. “It won’t let me.”

Mark growled and ran toward Brady. He started to sink, and was up to his knees before he leaned down and touched the ground around him. Brady’s vortex hit a chunk of solid stone where Mark stood. The earth beneath Lys solidified, holding her fast.

Lys watched as a wave of earth came from under Brady’s hands. It crackled and groaned as the ground pitched and rose, coming straight for them. Cars slid aside, metal hitting metal.

Lys couldn’t move. Kamau struggled in vain to pull her out.

“Go!” Lys said, shoving Kamau away.

Before he could argue, Mark stepped in front of them. He thrust his hands into the oncoming wave, and it crashed against him, the middle of it falling. The edges kept going. One of them just missed Kamau and took out a line of cars. The other hit Inez straight on. She rolled to the top of it and got bucked off, flying through the air. She screamed.

“Inez!” Lys said. She looked at Brady. “Brady, you have to stop!” She glanced at Kamau. “Can you help him?”

“I got it,” Mark said, literally pulling the ground up in front of another wave and stopping it. Mark ran to Brady and touched him on the side of the neck. Lys saw a familiar flash of light and Brady collapsed.

“Are you hurt?” Kamau asked.

“I’m fine.” Lys shook her head. “Where is Inez?” Kamau looked in the direction Inez had gone. “Go look for her!”

Kamau jumped to comply. Lys tried to wiggle free, but to no avail. She’d let her friends bury her under the sand at the beach a few times; it had taken her quite a while to get out of it. That paled in comparison to this.

“Inez is hurt!” Kamau said.

Mark swore. “Is anyone else hurt?”

“No, just stuck,” Lys answered, her voice trembling. She heard Brady groan.

“What happened?” Brady asked.

“You lost control,” Mark snapped. “I told you not to mess with it. Now stay there while I go check on Inez. Don’t even think about using.”

“Inez?” Brady’s voice was small, desperate.

“You hurt her,” Mark said. “Let me go take a look.”

“But I . . . I didn’t mean to.” Brady stammered, stumbling to his feet.

Lys cranked her whole body around in order to see Inez. Her middle wailed in protest. Kamau and Mark knelt next to Inez. Brady fell to his hands and knees. Lys thought she could hear him crying.

“Is she okay?” Brady asked, pleading.

“She’s breathing,” Kamau said. “I don’t see any blood, but I’d bet her arm is broken.”

“Her arm?”

“Nothing we can do about that here,” Mark shook his head. “I’m no healer.”

“We need to splint it,” Kamau advised.

Brady continued to babble; Lys couldn’t make out his words.

A black van came around the far corner of the lot.

“We have company,” she yelled.

Everyone looked up. Mark swore again.

“Get her behind that trailer,” Mark ordered Kamau and Brady. “Lys, what’s wrong with you?”

“My legs are stuck,” she said, trying again to pull herself free. And it felt like someone had punched her in the ribs.

“I can fix that.” Mark ran over and placed a hand on each side of her leg. “Grab my shoulder and pull yourself out just as soon as the dirt is loose enough.”