Storm of Shadows (Lumineers 1)

CHAPTER 39: ESCAPE

Sharp knifing pain radiated through Tabby's leg, up to her thighs, hips, straight to her chest. She clenched her teeth, trying not to groan against each movement. Each new wave of discomfort. Navigating the palace with a bullet wound was excruciating. She forced herself to ignore it. To ignore the throbbing in her head from light pulling. She tried to keep her pulling to a minimum. And every other moment, she looked over her shoulder, willing Midnight to appear.

He didn't.

A fist clenched around her heart, squeezing tighter and tighter. A deep sense of fear burrowed into her bones, grating. She needed him to appear. Needed him to be safe. But if he wasn't here yet, if he hadn't caught up to them by now, it meant one thing. He was dead. That word, the finality of it, clanged in her head, making her wince. Everything in her wanted to turn back. To find him.

Only through sheer force, through years of brutal training, what it instilled in her, a will to survive, pushed her forward. That, and Steiner, who kept an uncomfortably strong grip on her as they moved through the palace. Doors loomed up before them, landing them in the gardens. Pounding footsteps followed behind. Palace guards hot on their heels.

"We have to hurry," Steiner gasped. He bled from several places, also wounded. Worse than her, since she hadn't healed all the wounds he'd taken in torture.

"Will you make it?" she asked, momentarily distracted from Midnight's absence by Steiner's state. "I can heal—"

"There's no time. Later. Come!"

She refused to accept Midnight's death. Refused because, if she thought of it, she might lose her motivation to survive. But even if he was—this was what he'd want for her. Safety. Freedom.

They raced towards the palace walls. Shouts sounded above and behind them. Guards spotted them, racing along to head them off. More riffle shots rang out. She swore and dodged, diving to the side, out of Steiner's grip. The stone paving had pain shooting up through her wrists. Nearby, the path erupted as bullets shattered the pavers.

The sun's rays were warm on her face. Focusing her intentions, she pulled her arm downward and swept it aside, similar to the burst she'd used in the dungeon. This one was more focused, spread over a smaller area. Light flared. Guards went flying. The bright burst was nearly blinding. She squinted against it, racing on. Her headache intensified, but not as much as she expected, as if pulling straight from the source was more pure and natural than anything from a prism.

"Thanks for the warning," Steiner grunted.

Six fallen guards. From the sound of it, more closed in behind them. "Close your eyes," she barked. She swept her arms out several more times. Focus, blast. Focus, blast. It didn't kill them, but it was enough to daze, confuse, and even stun.

"Stop them, you damn idiots!" A voice roared behind them. Edwin.

She faltered. What about Midnight? Was he there? She risked a glance, only to feel her heart drop. He wasn't there. He was dead, then.

Rifflefire sounded from all directions. They dropped to the ground, then jumped to their feet, sprinting on. "Hurry!" she hissed "Through the gate."

"I will kill him if you leave," Edwin shouted. His words made her falter as she processed the meaning. "If you go through that gate, you will never see him again!"

Breath catching, she jerked to a stop. Steiner grabbed her arm pulling her forward. "He's bluffing, Tabby. Remember your training. Harden your heart. You go back in there, he will kill us."

"We can't...we can't leave him," she hissed, grappling with her heart. But they had to—she knew they had to. Too many years of training. A few days of bliss with Midnight wasn't enough to change her. Besides, there was no guarantee he was still alive. No possible world where she could trust anything her father said.

"We will die if we go back," Steiner repeated. And of course, he was right. She knew in her bones that he was. "Midnight bought us time, Tabby. A precious price. Don't squander it."

Her heart shattered in her chest, broken into fragments like Nit's body. She would never forgive herself for this. Never.

The eastern gate loomed before them. She sent another blast, clearing a path near the portcullis, currently closed. This time, her headache left her head spining, dizzy. Pulling more light still, crying out against the pain, she sent it into the mechanism, had the lever revolving. The gate shot up into the ceiling. Guards nearby swore, running towards it to stop it. She sent another wave of light, knocking them back.

"Get them! Damned fools!" Edwin was roaring with fury.

She sensed a flash of light from Edwin before it reached them. Acting on instinct, she lifted a hand over her head, shot light backwards. She didn't look over her shoulder as she parried Edwin's attempt to knock them away from the gate. Her own concentrated beam of sunlight counteracted his attempt. He swore in fury. Steiner was all but dragging her along; she was too incensed to maneuver on her own.

Moments later, they raced beneath the archway. Then they were through. Right out into the open streets of Chroma, Edwin still hot on their heels. She glanced at the nearest building, spying a ladder in its alley. "Roofs. The roofs," she gasped.

Steiner gave her a grim nod. "Let's see if our High Mask will even bother keeping up."

And then they were off, racing into the depths of Chroma and away from the palace.