Awakening - The Last Science #1

Interlude III - Family - V

  Cinza dove to the grass and rolled underneath an aluminum baseball bat swung at her head. As she came back up, she kicked viciously at the man's leg. With a bit of magic to make her boot swing faster and harder, she knocked him to the ground. He went down in a heap, and she brought her foot back around and kicked him again in the head. She had no qualms about attacking someone while they were down—not in a situation like this.

  This was a lynch mob coming for her head, and she was damned if she wasn't going to use every possible tactic to defend herself.

  Still, they'd all agreed they would hold back on lethal force. If they killed, they would only set themselves up for further persecution. Cinza was far less optimistic that they'd ever really integrate into society than Rachel was, but she didn't want to ruin any potential hope. So she held back, as a favor to Rachel and to the entire growing magical community. Even after the bear trap and the axe-wielding Robert Harrison, she still tried to give Rachel's dream a chance.

  As the fighting got more heated, Cinza feared they may soon no longer have a choice.

  They'd managed to break out of the encirclement. Morton Pollock had broadened his shoulders threefold and barreled through the weakest part of the crowd. The rest had rushed the sudden gap, before the circle collapsed on them.

  Aaron was picking out members of the crowd with more dangerous weapons. He stayed behind Morton's furious brawl and reached out with invisible hands. One by one, knives and axes were ripped from angry fists and hurled into the dark forest far away.

  Yusuf threw a punch that flattened one of the loggers with an angry roar. In unison with his fist, a tree branch hurled out from above them, splintering away from the trunk with an earsplitting crack. It bowled through a part of the mob, knocking them down like dominoes.

  Joe had joined in the fight too, to Cinza's surprise. He was shouting and brawling with Logan and his cronies, who evidently hadn't expected him to be awakened. As Logan threw a punch that would have knocked down any normal college guy, Joe shrugged it off like he'd struck a boulder.

  A second later, Joe slugged him in the chest with a rising fist. Logan sailed ten feet through the air and into the dirt.

  Cinza recognized Joe's talent and ordered him to the front along with Morton, the other Self affinity in the group. They took hits that should have broken bones and dealt back fierce blows in return, but the crowd simply refused to give in. They were frenzied, murderous and afraid. The town had slipped into real chaos and saw no recourse but to fight.

  Ruby was ready to respond in kind. Her hands were ablaze like twin suns, and she was hurling flame left and right with abandon. People dove away from the blasts, hurling themselves to the dirt. She kept the fire dancing in her palms, as it was always easier to add to a fire than create it from scratch, but portions lanced forth like a dragon breathing out death. People were reluctant to approach, but neither were they willing to back down.

  We can't keep this up forever, Cinza despaired. Robert Harrison had returned to the front, and he was furious. He dodged Morton's punch and put a fist through his face, breaking his nose and sending him crashing to the dirt. Blood spattered the grass. Cinza summoned up a flame and prepared to face him again.

  A jet of water shot through the air and slammed into Robert, knocking him aside. Makoto had returned. He nodded at Cinza before redirecting his water to another target. Cinza felt a brief glimmer of hope. She sent a burst of fire at the nearest angry townsperson, forcing them to retreat. They might still be outnumbered ten to one, but they had a chance. They could try to force them away—and with Brittany safely evacuated, they could make a break for it.