Reaching Retribution(89)

I try to keep my elation to myself. Logan is going to be fine. I’m not losing another family member today. Logan’s body convulses once and then he starts breathing again. I lean back. I’ll give them time once he becomes conscious again.

Logan is going to be fine. Oh, thank God. I don’t know how I would able to tell Ryanne that. I wouldn’t have to tell her. She’d know. A few seconds later, he gasps and opens his eyes. Like Ryanne did, he starts coughing and rolls to his side as he attempts to sit up. I stand up and walk to the edge of the fire barrier. I don’t know if it’ll burn me to touch, but I don’t really want to find out.

Logan opens his eyes and looks up at Lily. Without saying anything he pulls her down to him. I turn around giving them some privacy.

“Colton,” Logan says as he pushes himself up. I turn around at the sound of his voice. “Thank you.” I don’t need to say anything, so I just nod. He understands. Logan has done so much for all of us recently; we wouldn’t be here without him. I reach out and help him stand up. He’s not in any condition to fight, there’s no way to avoid it. Lily stands at his side, slightly awkward, waiting for his reaction again. When he’s standing, he reaches out and pulls her to him, hugging her. “Thank you,” he whispers into her hair.

“Bragden, drop the fire,” I yell.

The fire around us disappears. Lily has her arms wrapped around Logan’s waist, helping him stand upright.

I turn toward James and Travis. “Can you help her get him off the field?”

“I can fight,” Logan announces. Lily and I turn and glare at him.

“You cannot fight, Logan,” Lily says.

“At least take a little time to heal yourself. If you feel well enough to fight afterwards then you can.”

“Colton, I need to fight.”

“And I need you to keep yourself alive, Logan. Don’t do anything stupid.”

Jedrek appears out of the thick of the chaos and stops in front of us. “I need a few of you to come with me,” he says.

“What?” I ask.

“There are some humans locked up in the compound that Dravin was running tests on.” He pulls a key from his pocket and hands Logan a key. “If you go inside and take a left at the end of the first hall there is an unmarked door. Use the key on that door. It’ll lead you to the basement where you’ll find five or six humans. Release them.”

“There are humans here…alive?” Incendia asks.

“Yes, and I don’t think I’ll be around for much longer, so someone has to rescue them while I try and save those who have gotten hurt with their weapons.”

Logan and Lily grab the key and start heading for the compound. Travis agrees to go with them. Bragden, Incendia, and James will continue to fight. Bragden throws up another wall of fire to allow for Logan, Lily, and Travis to get into the compound without anyone attempting to stop them.

I turn and see Ryanne flying through the air. She slams into a tree and falls to the ground limp. Zahtri is lying on the ground across from her with blood dripping down his nose.

My invisibility immediately takes over as I watch her struggle to get up.

I’ve noticed that the fight has almost come to a complete stop as everyone watches Ryanne and Zahtri fight each other.

Last time I saw Dravin, he was standing near Zahtri and now he’s gone. I search for Liam, but don’t see him. We are the ones who are supposed to stop Dravin. Claire told us that much. I look around the yard, searching for the manipulative Gadramick that has hurt my soulmate one too many times.

“Looking for me?”





Chapter Twenty-Eight


Everything hurts. It feels as if…I was just thrown into a tree. My body protests with each movement, but once the initial haze from hitting my head against the rough bark fades, I’m able to push myself up. I feel a lot better when I notice that Zahtri is slow to get up as well. I can feel my magic moving through the air around me as I try to formulate a plan. How can I get the upper hand here? There has to be something I can do that he won’t be expecting.

I glance toward the crowd behind me. They’ve all stopped fighting.

No pressure there.

I stand up and throw a shield around me while I try to regain my strength. This is not going like I wanted it to. Right now, it’s pretty even. Neither one of us are able to gain any leverage on the other. Zahtri pushes himself off the ground and faces me again. I can feel his magic trying to penetrate my shield, but it remains strong. I take another moment to regain my strength. As Zahtri moves toward me, I start calling more magic. I can envision what I want to happen, but if Zahtri attempts to use his magic the second I drop my shield, I won’t be able to execute it like I want to.