Talent Storm (26 page)

She stood unmoving, her hands covering her mouth.

“Go,” I yelled.

She flinched before running.

The woman scrutinized Lilly before her cold eyes fixed back on me. She shrugged. “Then you die.”

Not having to worry about Lilly, I’d trash this woman. Feeling rejuvenated, I sprang into action. I flipped into the air in a large arc toward the mysterious woman. The wind streamed over my face, rippling my clothes as I soared through the air. An instant before landing, I swung Peacemaker to crush the life out of her.

She vanished in a puff of air. I gasped as the head of my mace crashed into the ground, spiraling out cracks and billowing up a plume of dust. My mouth dropped as I whipped my head around, left then right. Where did she go? I spun around, unable locate her. She was simply gone. All of a sudden, my ears popped as the air pressure increased behind me. I twisted around, swinging Peacemaker. She stood unmoving in its path. I smiled at my impending victory. An instant before my weapon struck, she was gone. The unimpeded momentum of my mace pulled me from my feet and spilled me on the ground. Teleportation? Impossible.

Dazed, I started to rise as a mass punched me back to the ground. The woman crouched on my chest, smiling. She struck at my neck with her left dagger. Instinctively, I lashed out mentally deflecting her strike. The blade pierced the ground an inch from my ear. She growled and swung her other dagger toward my head. My talent slammed into her chest. Her dagger flashed by, grazing my cheek just before she flew backward. I hurled Peacemaker with talent-enhanced strength toward the surprised woman. It smashed into her leg. She spun in the air before crashing to the ground, her arms sprawling. She screamed, clutching her leg and writhing.

I enveloped my body in radiant talent. With a thought, I rocketed forward, inches off the ground, mace raised and muscles tense. In a flash, she was gone. Instantly after, a weight settled on my back, and daggers punctured my shoulder through my leather armor. Before the blades sunk deep, my talent sparked, freezing them. The blood flow dried up as my wounds glowed green. If I hadn’t stemmed the bleeding, I’d surely die from my various wounds.

With a growl, I grabbed her off my back before slamming her to the ground with my enhanced muscles. She groaned and whipped one of her daggers at my chest. It cut like lightning through the air. Green talent lashed at the blade, smacking it aside, but the act drained more of my power. If I fatigued, I’d die.

I mentally tugged at her dagger and flung it back at her chest. She vanished in a puff before the dagger struck home. A garrote appeared around my neck. My hands shot up, my glowing fingers just slipping under the razor wire. My taut muscles and weakened talent strained against her pull. It wasn’t enough. I winced as the wire slowly bit into my flesh, threatening to sever my fingers and then veins and arteries.

Panic smacked me, destabilizing my focus further. I couldn’t win. Why did I tell Lilly to run? I needed her. An unexpected grunt sounded behind me, and the wire suddenly loosened, relieving my pain and fear. I spun around to see Lilly holding a chunk of concrete over the assassin’s limp body.

“You never listen to me,” I said. “Thank talent.”

She smiled despite the situation. My short sword hissed as I ripped it from its sheath to end the woman’s life. My blade froze in an orange haze, inches from her chest. My panic returned more forcefully as our hope of victory faded. She was telekinetic too.

The next thing I knew, I was flying through the air, my arms flailing wildly. The assassin flipped a knife at Lilly’s heart. I deflected it an instant before I smacked into a crumbling building. Luckily, my talent dampened the blow. Despite my pain, I popped up to my feet to check on Lilly and then escape.

She lay on the ground, clutching her bloody side. My heart lurched, and I struck at the assassin. A green burst knocked her down, giving me the chance I needed. Like lightning, I sprinted forward, scooped up Lilly and our supplies, and launched us over the buildings behind us. I sprinted down deserted streets, my adrenaline and fear lending me power. The mysterious woman didn’t appear as we turned down several more roads.

Eventually, Lilly moaned on my shoulder before saying, “I’ll forgive you for carrying me this time.”

I laughed and placed her down on the street.

“I’ll make us look like a couple of stray dogs, but we better move fast. I don’t know how long I can hold it. My wound is making it hard to concentrate.”

“Clever... as long as they don’t neuter strays around here.”

She grunted a laugh. “It’s hardly the time for jokes.”

A twinge of pain spiked in my shoulder. Oh. “You know they probably tracked the blood from my shoulder to our hide out. We should have covered our tracks better.”

“Hmm. I guess almost dying made us careless. Another mistake like that might be our last.”

I pulled her off to the side. “Let’s avoid the same mistake by bandaging our wounds now.”

I removed our med pack. She lowered herself to the ground before unfastening her leather armor. After she placed it down, she pulled her blood soaked shirt over her head, exposing her naked chest.

My heart fluttered, but I focused on the gash that marred her side. Fortunately it was shallow; her armor had done its job even though my talent had partially failed her. I quickly bandaged the wound to stem the flow of blood. “Now that we're not laying bread crumbs, it will make covering our tracks easier.”

She smirked. “At least we found our way back to grandmother's house.”

“Too bad the witch was waiting for us,” I said remembering the tale from my childhood. I offered my hand and pulled Lilly to her feet.

“What about your wounds?” she asked as she pulled her shirt over her head.

“I have enough energy to hold them closed until we’re safer. We better get moving. I’ll lay a false trail, then we’ll go.”

After I completed the ruse, we continued in the opposite direction, careful to leave no sign of our true path. We jogged for a few miles, turning several times until I thought that we were far enough away. The neighborhood we stopped in was either sparsely populated or full of cautious people, hiding in their homes. Both possibilities worked for me; we couldn’t risk being seen.

The neighborhood’s small houses lined both sides of the streets in closely packed rows. Several were boarded up, looking abandoned. All were in disrepair. Rotting wood was coated with faded, chipped paint. Metal mailboxes and doorknobs were rusted orange. The weed-riddled yards were covered in trash. I wouldn’t want to live here, but it was the perfect place to avoid trouble. Now we just had to find the right house.

We slowed to a walk, and I scanned the area. Four houses looked abandoned. We set off to explore each one. We set off to explore each one. Approaching the first one, we circled the perimeter. After we found an uncovered window, I peered inside. I grimaced as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. Refuse and animal feces lined the floor. A raccoon darted across the room into the corner. I turned back to Lilly and shook my head. Perspiration ran down her red cheeks. Since I did most of the running, I could only assume her illusions were straining her talent.

“We're almost there. Just hold on for a few more minutes.” I hoped my words would bolster her strength.

“I could do this for days,” she said between gritted teeth.

“Let’s not push it.”

We hurried over to the next house. Its glass windows were intact, boding well for us. I peeked into one of them, smiling when I saw that the house was empty. I faced Lilly. She breathed hard and fast, her wet hair plastered to her forehead.

“It’s good. Can you change the illusion to make us invisible? I know that it's harder, but it would look better than a couple of mutts breaking into a house.”

She nodded before furrowing her sweaty brow.

I immediately reached to open the window. “Locked.” Damn.

Knowing we had limited time, I rooted around in my pack for the crow bar. I breathed out with a huff when I couldn’t find it. Wait. What an idiot I was. I should just use my talent. Cursing my stupidity, I focused on the lock, turning it aside before lifting the window. I took Lilly’s hand to help her inside. After I threw my pack in, I climbed over the sill. Lilly leaned against the wall, perspiration dripping down her rosy face.

“You did great, Honey,” I said.

She smiled in-between quick breaths. I let her rest as I laid out our supplies. When the task was completed, I shuffled to Lilly's side, my legs sore from the run. The smell of her musk stirred my desire. She had pulled off her armor, exposing her sweat soaked shirt. It clung tightly to her body outlining her full breasts. Her cheeks were flushed, adding to her beauty. Even battle weary, she was the most attractive woman I’d ever seen. Staring into her midnight eyes, I was entranced. I wanted to kiss her. Instead, I retrieved the canteen of water to clean her wounds and help her rehydrate.

I handed her the canteen, and she smiled. “You want to kiss me don’t you?”

She was good. After a drink of water, she leaned over, placing her hands on my cheeks. Her silky lips met mine as she kissed me softly. After the kiss, she pulled back, her dimpled smile returning.

“I'll give you a rain check for more,” she said with a wink.

A grin stretched on my face. “Shouldn't I earn some kind of interest though?”

“The economy is not what it used to be. You'll have to make due.”

I shrugged. “A kiss from you equals a thousand from anyone else.”

She blushed before looking away. She turned back, her eyes crinkling from her smile. “Yours are worth at least two.”

“What? Two?”

“Maybe three,” she said.

I grumbled, turning away.

“Just kidding. You’re kisses are unparalleled.”

I met her eyes and beamed at her. “Huh, that I can live with. Let’s get you out of your shirt to change these bandages.”

“Is that the only reason you want me out of my shirt?”

“There may be a few other advantages.”

She lifted her arms up, allowing me to pull the T-shirt over her head. I strained to be professional while acting as a medic. Failing, I glanced at the smooth skin of her exposed chest before steeling myself. I forced my eyes back up.

She squinted, then smiled. “Remember what you’re doing here.”

“Admiring you?”

“That’s a given, but healing me is the main goal.”

“Oh yeah.”

I removed her bandages before cleaning her cut. She clenched her jaw as the alcohol stung her wounds. After re-bandaging them, I found her a spare shirt. When she put it on, I exhaled, realizing I was holding my breath.

She then cleaned and bandaged my wounds. It was a long process, but a necessary one. Infection was deadly. After surviving the attack by that woman, it would be a sad way to die.

“That woman was so powerful,” Lilly said, seeming to read my thoughts again. “I've never even heard of talent teleportation. On top of that, she was also a telekinetic. Who do you think she was?”

I shrugged my sore shoulders. “She called herself a grand duke. I guess she works under Goldwater. I never heard of teleportation talent either. We're going to have to alert the Coalition when we return.”

“I hope that we don't run into others as tough as her. I started to run like you said but then worried that she was going to kill you. I couldn't leave.”

“I’m sure glad you didn’t. Sometimes I overestimate my abilities. She was clearly superior. If not for your well timed hit, I was dead.”

She frowned before tearing up.

“I’m all right, we’ll make it out of here yet,” I said putting my arm around her. “Let’s just finish up this last mission and then leave. The military can handle these freaks.”

After the debacle, we’d have to take another day to prepare. Plus it’d give us a chance to sleep in and recuperate our weary bodies. I wished that we had more time to heal, but we were near the invasion deadline.

☼☼☼

In Grand Duke Nieri’s Palace

Eris Horn walked into Nieri’s living room with a slight limp. Her head was lowered, and she wrung her hands. She wore her dark cloak with the hood pulled down, exposing her young, pretty face. The fabric of her pants was torn on one of her legs.

“Hello William,” she said.

Grand Duke Nieri sat on a plush blue couch with his fingers entwined, wearing a red silk robe. Large paintings of men in heroic stances hung on the walls. Most of the men had barred muscular chests and stomachs.

Nieri waved to the woman. “Come have a seat Eris.”
I don’t have all day,
he thought
.
“Tell me what’s going on.”

Eris chewed her bright red lower lip as she ambled over to the couch. She sat, adjusted her cloak, and turned toward Nieri. “If anything ever happened to me, would make sure my children are cared for?”

“Of course.”
I would dump them off at the nearest whorehouse.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, trying to sound like he cared.

Her head bobbed absently. “I knew I could count on you. I failed to catch the man Goldwater wanted. I nearly had him, but he was too slippery. I know that Goldwater can be ruthless at times, but I love him. You know we’ve been sleeping together. Right?”

Nieri winced, his pinched features tightening. “Yes, you’ve told me.”

“Do you think he loves me?” she asked with hope filled green eyes as she chewed her fingernails.

Nieri smiled warmly.
What a disgusting habit that is.
“I see the way he looks at you. He loves you.”
You’re such a fool to think he loves you. He couldn’t love anyone.

She clutched her hands to her chest. “Even though he never says it, I knew it. So he wouldn’t possibly hurt me if I reported to him then, right?”

“You’ll be fine,” he said, patting her leg, his gold ring glinting in the light. “He not only loves you, but he sticks by his followers.”

She breathed out a sigh of relief, and a smile sprouted on her face. “Great! That’s a relief. Well, I’ll see you again soon and thanks. I can always count on you. I’m going to visit my kids and then report to Goldwater.”