I looked past her to see the shapes of five fae holding laser guns racing in our direction. The fog had thinned out, and I could see that these fae were dressed in dark brown military uniforms and capes instead of the navy-blue military coats that Yosef and his people wore. They all were different heights and sizes, but they wore their hair long and braided.
There were many people in the lot trying to escape. And they were getting shot down. It was horrifying. The Nodoors were killing men, women, and even children indiscriminately. Others, they seemed to freeze, turning them into statutes. I had no clue why or even how they were making their selections between killing and freezing. And I didn’t care at the moment.
I rolled down the window and pushed out my magic, sending a freezing bolt to a Nodoor about to shoot down a woman, hunching low to the ground with two children. He froze, covered completely in ice in almost the blink of an eye. I then sent another bolt, shattering his frozen form.
The car finally started, and Samson immediately backed out of the space, speeding to the main street. We were almost to the road when the car spun on its wheels, remaining in place before it lifted in the air and flew across the street. I held on to the handle, screaming in terror as we flipped over and over until finally, we landed upside down.
My mind went dark upon impact.
* * *
Pain racked my head. I felt sick to my stomach. I forced my eyes open, but my sight was fuzzy. Everything seemed to come in doubles. I shut my eyes tightly before opening them again. I smelled smoke, probably the car. Blood dripped down my face, and I tasted the iron tang of blood in my mouth. I touched my lip, feeling a cut. I moved my hand to my forehead, feeling another bloody cut near my scalp. My left shoulder felt weird. It was probably bruised, broken, or out of socket. I’d whisper a healing spell on it later. My first priority was to assess my situation.
I looked to my right, and Zelda’s eyes were closed, her body hanging limply from her seatbelt. She looked just as banged up as I was sure I appeared. With great effort, I lifted my hand, felt her neck, and sighed in quick relief as I caught her pulse.
I looked ahead of me to Samson, but he wasn’t there. The driver’s side door was ajar. I could hear fighting, and suddenly, the dead body of a Nodoor soldier fell beside the car on my side. He looked upon me with dulled death eyes. I frowned and unstrapped myself, itching to get out of the car and help Samson kick ass. First, I reached over to unbuckle Zelda, who was still unconscious. I tried to open my door, but it was jammed. I then kicked the window with all my might several times before finally shattering it. I grabbed one of the scarfs Zelda bought and cleared away the glass, snagging the fabric. Hopefully, she wouldn’t mind since I was trying to save our lives.
I quickly peeked out, looking both ways. Samson was busy slicing into a soldier with his sword off to my right. To my left, there was fighting in the distance. We were actually a block away from where we started. I started to feel sick all over again, thinking about how many times we flipped. Crawling the rest of the way out of the car, I winced in pain from my left side. I pushed the dead fae body further away from me, intending to drag Zelda out. First, I needed to heal myself.
I whispered an easy spell I’d used often enough in combat. It didn’t fully heal, but it got the major wounds. My shoulder popped back into place, and I let out a hiss, tears glistening in my eyes.
I looked back over to Samson, who was now fighting off two Nodoors. That wasn’t a fair fight, but he had also killed several of them already, so maybe it was. Seems I’d fallen into the court of some pretty tough fae. Still, I wasn’t going to sit back and cower like a damsel. I leaned back in the car and dragged Zelda out. Then I got to my feet and grabbed her under the armpits, moving her behind some tables at a café across the street.
A Nodoor soldier ran from my left, aiming his weapon at me, and I dropped Zelda to the ground with more force than I meant to. Immediately, I crossed my arms, and a frozen shield expanded in front of us. The laser bounced off my protective covering. The soldier growled in frustration and raced toward me. He pounded at the ice wall with the butt of his gun.
I couldn’t keep my shield up for long. The ice was thick, but it would break. I looked over to Samson, who was starting to wear down. I could see him clutching his side as he fought off several attackers with one hand. He was tough but not invincible. Where was our backup? If I left Zelda, I would have to take this soldier out because he’d instantly kill her. Guess I’d have to be quick.
I dropped the ward with one hand and shot out my ice in the form of picks at the soldier, instantly piercing him in the forehead. I picked up his gun and shot at another soldier coming my way. Damn, how many of them were here, and why were they all coming for us?
I moved a few more tables and chairs in front of Zelda and ran toward Samson, who was now on his knees in front of two soldiers. I shot at one, bringing him down, but before I could get the next one, he had already killed Samson, who collapsed to the side, unmoving, eyes open.
I screamed in rage, running at the Nodoor and shooting him full of laser beams. I wanted to cry and fight. Samson was a friend. He’d given his life to protect us. Flashbacks of my time in the military ran through my mind. Of the friends I’d lost. I shook, turning away from his body to return to Zelda. This wasn’t my fault, but guilt still bit at me. I should have been more helpful. I should have done something differently.
A pressure hit the center of my back, hardening and spreading over my body. I tried to turn, but it was as if I was in a vice grip. Soon, every part of me stood paralyzed, much like the victims I’d seen earlier. The only thing now mobile were my eyes. I looked to my right as a Nodoor soldier, a woman, moved in front of me.
She was tall, like the others, with pale skin and wavy forest green hair pulled back in a braid. Her eyes, a fiery orange, crinkled in a smile. She plucked me on the nose, but I couldn’t feel it. “Well, aren’t you an aggravating little thing? An actual ice faerie is very rare. We can do something with you.”
Another soldier walked to her side, looking me up and down. “We can sell her to the brothels. She’s pretty enough.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “She’s got ice magic. It’d be a waste to sell her for that. She’d be good for fighting. It wasn’t just that dead Prinath over there that killed all these men. We always knew they were warriors, but even their citizens can fight. We’ll make good use of her.”
I struggled to move my lips apart to curse. Move my fingers to fire at them. Nothing worked. The only thing I could feel was the female soldier hitting me in the side of the head with the butt of her gun before my eyes fluttered closed.
CHAPTER19
LILA
Iwasn’t sure how long I’d been in the cargo truck with the other captives when I came to, but it still felt like a long ride before the truck stopped. I was squeezed in between two faeries I could barely make out in the darkened space. Although I couldn’t see anyone, I heard cries and curses all around me. They were scared and angry, just like me. We were also confused. Why had they taken us instead of killing us like the others?
Naturally, my mind went to all the places it had when I first arrived in this realm. I’d be sold into some type of slavery. They were interested in my magic. They could use me to fight. Maybe even fight against Xander and the others. Just because we weren’t human didn’t mean we’d get treated better. We were the enemy, of course. Then there was my little problem of being glamoured. It would wear off without another magical dose, and when they found out I was human, it would be game over. Maybe I would be killed then. A queasiness unsettled my stomach, and I clutched at my shirt, fighting the urge to vomit. I couldn’t fall into despair. I would find a way out of this hell and get home.
I was no longer frozen, but I was shackled by the wrists. I tried to emit my ice magic, but nothing happened. Crap, had these fae put some type of magic-muting cover on us? This would make things challenging. The fighter in me wanted to rally the troops, assuming we were all strong. It was possible they were picking people they wanted to make do other things than labor. Still, it felt foolish to call out into the darkness. I had no idea if our captors were in the space with us and would overhear my plan of attack. So, I would be in it alone. With no magic. Shackled. The odds were not in my favor.
The door to the truck rose up, and very large, very angry-looking fae stormed in and began yanking us out. Since we were chained by the wrists, it was very easy to fall when prodded and pushed by the guards. In the light, I could see a captured faerie fall to the ground. She had long blue braids.
No, that couldn’t be. “Melina?” I called.
She looked up at me, and I tried to offer her my hand, restrained by the cuffs. It was definitely her. Her shocked red eyes went from relief to terror. I was sure she felt the same as me. Relief at seeing a familiar face and terror that we were both in this horrible situation.
