Reaching Retribution(101)

Hearing swords clanging together around me, I open my eyes. I did it! I’m back at the compound. My glee doesn’t last for long. The burning of wood and the heat from fire infiltrates my senses. Without thinking about it, I rush out from the cover of the trees, covering my mouth and nose to avoid inhaling too much smoke.

Instantly, I start coughing and stumble as I enter the clearing. Bragden turns around and looks down at me surprised. “Ryanne?” he says as I fall to the ground unable to breathe because of the smoke. Bending down, he picks me up. Incendia throws a barrier of fire around us, but this time, it isn’t hot or aggravating. I step away from Bragden and catch my breath.

“Where have you been?” he asks me.

“Umm…I have no idea actually. I was fighting against Zahtri and I remember him hitting me with some form of magic and I flew into a tree and lost consciousness. I woke up lying on the ground in the middle of the forest. Have I been gone for a while?”

“I’m not sure when you disappeared exactly, but I know that you’ve been gone for a little over ten minutes.”

Ten minutes? “What happened to Zahtri?”

“I don’t know. He disappeared shortly after you did.”

“Drop the fire. I’m fine now,” I tell Incendia, “The fire just caught me a little off guard.”

“Are you sure?”

“Is everyone okay?” I ask before she drops it. “Colton? Liam? Emma?”

“They’re all still alive…” Bragden tells me.

“But this isn’t over yet,” I finish for him. Nodding at Incendia one more time, I wait for her to release the fire barrier. Giving me a sad look, the fire disappears and once again I’m thrust into the middle of the chaos. Looking around, I see Colton with Tom, Vincent, Colin, and Chris. They’re okay. A large arm wraps around my waist and pulls me back. I slam into Bragden’s chest as a small dagger flies past the spot I was just standing.

With wide eyes, I thank him, but don’t step away. That’s the…second? time someone had to save me because I didn’t see a dagger flying toward me. Arching my head back, I look up at him and see him staring down at me with wide eyes.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks.

“No, but I’m ready for all of this to be over,” I whisper. Bragden’s arm falls from around my waist, but I still don’t move away. My eyes move around the clearing looking for Zahtri. I see David and Emma fighting. Natalie, Liam, and James are all working together. Logan and Lily are fighting side by side in the back. Larkin blinks in front of a Gadramick and elbows him in the solar plexus and then leaves again. Natasha is still asphyxiating random mages as she tries to make her to way to…Natalie? I follow her line of sight, and she is definitely trying to make it over to her twin.

I briefly see Travis crouch down near his parent’s bodies before he disappears. He’s lost his younger sister and both of his parents in such a short period of time. I can’t imagine what is going through his mind.

Without saying anything to Bragden, I start walking away from him. Throwing a shield up around me, I casually move through the chaos. I push magic into my shield, so if anyone attempts to touch me, they’ll end up getting shocked.

There’s something I need to do, and I’m not going to let anyone deter me from accomplishing it. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Colton stop fighting and look in my direction, but I don’t stop.

Someone else needs my attention.

Walking onto the platform, I look around at the fighting around me. Many mages are staring, waiting to find out what I’m about to do. Taking a few steps back, I walk off of the platform and step into my previous spot.

Throwing my head back, I yell “Zahtri!”

I know he’ll hear me, and I know he’ll come.

So, I wait.





Colton


I duck to avoid getting punched and while I’m down, Tom reaches out and sweeps his fist across the man’s jaw knocking him to the ground. I stand up and open my mouth to thank him when I see people moving away from a girl. A girl with brown curly hair. Where has she been?

Tom sees her at the same time as I do and stops fighting. What is she doing?

Ryanne glances in my direction, but doesn’t stop moving. I know she sees me, but she doesn’t stop. My eyes follow her as she moves through the crowd. No one attempts to touch her. I can see the determination in her posture and facial expression. She’s definitely angry.

Without pausing, she jumps onto the platform and faces the crowd. Her eyes move across the clearing not focusing on any one thing. She doesn’t stop to look at anyone in particular. She’s looking for something…or someone.