Star Kissed

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

They wove once more through the warriors of the rebellion who hadn’t yet been issued the same orders to run that Pinal was following. Mandy stayed close to Cesar, sensing Urik’s urgency without understanding it.

“Faster, faster,” Urik said. He grabbed her arm and yanked her away from Cesar, heading in a different direction. “Order a complete, immediate evacuation!” he bellowed.

Unable to see who he addressed, Mandy felt like a rag doll as he all but dragged her through a gate. She lost sight of Cesar and almost refused to move but was barely able to stay on her feet with the forward momentum of Urik propelling her onward.

She looked back once, trying to find Cesar again.

Blue-green smoke billowed out of the building, the plume moving steadily and quickly through the courtyard towards the surrounding streets.

“Focus!” Urik barked, yanking her arm.

She stumbled and caught herself, concentrating on placing her feet. Urik was of a mind to drag her if she didn’t pay attention.

They ran past the barricade surrounding the two blocks where Urik’s men were stationed. He gave arm signals she didn’t understand, and those at the edge of the blockade scattered. The moment Urik set foot outside the heavily guarded area, lights flashed by them.

Mandy struggled to figure out what they were. Urik’s grip on her arm was solid, and he slowed, deftly maneuvering through light flashes that left her half-blind and reeling. She fell, unable to keep up with his lightening quick maneuvers. He caught her, spun and snatched her arm, racing along once more.

Mandy stopped trying to control her body, instead concentrating on reading his. When he ducked, so did she. When he twisted his body, she mirrored his movement. She tripped, and he jerked her against him, whirling so quickly, she was dizzy.

They hit the ground, Mandy clutched in his arms. Urik rolled, bracing his forearm against the ground beneath her to keep his weight off her then leapt to his feet, taking her with him. She let him lead, sensing he alone knew what the hell was going on with the light show ahead of them and the blue-green fog rolling behind them.

They ran and danced through laser fire until she was breathless. Urik pushed on, slowing only when her stumbling became too frequent. She dropped to her knees at one point, and he hauled her up then snatched her around the waist and spun twice, smashing through a wall into a building.

She landed hard and groaned, dizzy and disoriented.

“We need to go up,” he said, pulling her to her feet. “You hurt?”

“I … don’t know,” she managed, clutching him. “What the hell is going on?”

“Whatever you brought down here, it wasn’t energy cells,” he snapped. “A box full of toxins or something. There’s enough here to wipe out half the city. Between that and the Ishta, we’ll be lucky to survive the day.”

Mandy didn’t have a chance to digest his statement before he was off and running, pulling her with him. She panted. They ran up a ramp that went up and up and up … Her thighs and lungs soon burned while her calves screamed. She tried to pull away, but Urik’s grip didn’t leave her.

Up and up they went, until her body started to give out from exertion. Urik stopped suddenly, and Mandy stumbled. Urik caught her.

“Thank … god,” she gasped. “Stopping.”