Guardians Book One - Magic Rising

Chapter Thirteen

Shield your mind! Lady's advice rang through Kath's thoughts but that was easier said than done when massive hooves were bearing down on you. Kath cursed and rolled; the hooves glanced off her back, shredding her T shirt and bouncing off the breastplate.

It was huge, and hideous; human faces twisted in terror leered out from its skin, bulging and writhing as the creature moved. Kath recognised for a moment the face of the boy who'd sat next to her on the Tube, the boy who'd dreamed of flying. Its flanks were drenched with sweat and sheen; its teeth were sharp and pointed, snapping at her.

She closed her eyes, and instantly knew it was a mistake.

Once again the station faded away and this time, as her heart stalled, she knew this was her own memory.

"Kathleen! Think of Ben. Look after him, he's your brother, put him first. He's got the county mathematics finals this week and you know he gets tired, stop taking him on these stupid adventures, don't be irresponsible!" Her mother's face was creased with disapproval, but Kath took her brother's hand anyway and pulled him into the woods behind her.

"We need you to help look after him!" her father bellowed after her. The trees of the woods curled down like claws above them, and Ben's little face was wide with amazement, but Kath had run ahead and when she turned back, he was gone. The looming trees grasped down, branches clutching at her sleeves, preventing her running back to find him, and her parents were screaming.

"He could have hurt himself! How could you, Kathleen? Ben matters, Ben's important..."

"Don't you even touch her!" Lady's furious scream brought her back to reality — she'd caught the Mare's hoof on her gauntleted arm, stabbing her sword into the bunched muscle above the knee joint, pushing the Mare back and away from Kath. The monster shrieked, lashing its flailing hoof and catching Lady's face; she'd lifted her sword again but not quickly enough to stop it tearing down her cheek.

Kath scrambled back, grabbing the edge of the platform and boosting herself up onto it, forcing her mind to empty. Shield it. I can do this. She inhaled and willed herself to be calm.

And suddenly, she could see — no, See — the lines of magic in the air, the path the Mare was taking, See the power emanating from it, like vapour trails from a 'plane.

"It's going left," she yelled, and Lady was ready this time; wiping the blood away with the back of her gloved hand she thrust the sword into the Mare's shoulder joint, making it shriek and stumble, the air around it shimmering.  Pes thrust his staff at the monster's hindquarters; where it touched glowed a fierce green and sickening gangrenous patches started to boil up on the Mare's skin. It spun and slashed its vicious teeth at him, but Lady flew in front of him, her eyes blazing, pushing him back and and smashing one mailed fist into the Mare's forehead; the thin bone crunched and the creature staggered back again, stunned.

"It's not that solid," Kath whispered. "It relies on its illusions..." Her fingers twitched, and she suddenly realised she was still clutching the little pistol, the aquamarine in the handle shimmering. Wounded and enraged, the Night Mare was rearing, its head scraping the low curved ceiling. Lady stood under it, her stance balanced and ready for its descent, attracting its attention away from Pes — and Kath herself. Kath's fingers tightened on the gun. She could feel the Mare scraping at the edges of her mind — at all their minds — seeking a way in, but they were all blocking it now, far too effectively. Whatever power it was drawing from the dreams of the sleeping Tube passengers clearly wasn't enough.

The Mare came crashing down, and it was an easy job for Lady to slide aside and drive her sword through its chest, toppling it. Breathless, Kath raised the gun, flicked off the catch and fired into its head, once, twice, thrice.

The first shot missed — the bullet ricocheting off a tile somewhere — but the second and third hit it in the temple and muzzle. Screaming, the Mare's body started to blur again; Lady sprung forward, tugging her own gun free from her thigh pouch and firing right down into its forehead and whatever lay beneath. Kath could sense as much as see the creature's awareness fading, its body clouding and fading into the air, leaving nothing behind but the three of them panting, staring. Kath sank limply down to the platform.

Lady sprinted over and vaulted herself up beside Kath, offering her a hand up. Kath wasn't proud; she took it gratefully and allowed Lady to pull her up.

"We must hurry to the train before everyone awakes," said Lady, but her voice had none of its earlier sharpness; she was eyeing Kath with something thoughtful in her face, now.

"Your face..." said Kath, and Lady rubbed the scratch as they slid off the platform onto the tracks. Kath was impressed her legs were still working at all; she ached, all over, and she wasn't sure she could pry the gun lose from her fingers, either.

"It is nothing," she said, but Pes had joined them.

"Don't give me that," he said, and motioned Kath to step back.

"No time..." Lady held up a hand to stop him, but he shook his head, and she relented, tilting her head towards him. Pes pulled off one of his white gloves and held his blotchy, boiled hand up to Lady's face, his long fingers a hair's breadth from touching her. Kath felt the air thicken again, and right before her eyes, the scratch started to pull and knit together, fading away as if it had never been. Lady and Pes were very carefully avoiding each other's gazes, but Lady's eyes, fixed on the ground, were soft, and Pes' cheeks were pink.

"Magic," Kath murmured, and they both started, as if they'd forgotten she was there.

"I...I can allow small healings," said Pes, moistening his lips and replacing his glove.

"We...we must collect the luggage...before they wake..." Lady straightened, turned on her heel and hurried away down the tunnel. Pes paused, and with a brief, unreadable smile for Kath, followed her.

Kath trudged off in their wake, her mind whirling with a thousand thoughts. Is it dead, the Guardian? What...are the people OK? What was I Seeing?

Above her, the cables of the Tube started to spark back into life again.

"Mind the gap," the announcer boomed down the tunnel after their retreating figures.