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Someone shushed him.
“In a moment we will begin,” Aleksandr continued. “Your cell leaders have their instructions. You know what to do. I wish only to acknowledge the part you will play in this great endeavor, and to say that you have my undying gratitude and admiration. Do not flag, and do not doubt. Everything we do today is for the good of all.”
He waved one arm high above his head and stepped down.
“I’m your cell leader,” Hector told Jaide and Stefano. “It’s very simple, really. All we have to do is draw the energy out of the storm and into the lodestone. Take my hands. It’s starting.”
Around them, Wardens lined up behind their cell leaders, linking hands in chains and beginning to concentrate. Jaide could feel a tension growing in the air, like someone was stretching the world out and pressing it flat under a hot iron. Her father’s hand was very dry, and it gripped hers tightly. Her Gifts shivered inside her with something like excitement. Neither she nor they had ever been in the presence of so much power.
A surge traveled along one chain of Wardens three away from where Jaide was standing. She didn’t see all of it, just the aftermath, in which the cell leader flashed white and turned into an X-ray image of himself. She could clearly see his bones and teeth, and he twitched all over as though electrocuted. Then, with a piercing crack, lightning struck the tent’s central pole. Energy flowed into the lodestone, the cell leader returned to normal, and the build-up resumed.
“Just like that,” said Hector. “Follow my lead.”
Jaide concentrated. She could feel her father’s Gift linking with hers through their hands. An echo of Stefano’s came to her, too. Hector’s was stronger and more disciplined than both of theirs combined. It was like a rope, already staunch and safe, made stronger by the two new strands they provided. A lasso, she thought, reaching out to tame the lightning.
Three more bolts hit the pole in quick succession. Jaide barely heard them. She was concentrating on her Gift and marveling at what it could do. The storm looked huge and monolithic from below, but up close it was a wild mess of eddies and sudden surges. How were they supposed to tame that? Jaide had no idea, but Hector knew. Through him she saw techniques and tricks she might never have devised on her own. Threads of electricity were drawn in and woven together. Potential began to build.
Her hair stood on end. The soles of her feet left the ground. She felt as though she was breathing in, and in, and in, until she was full of the energy of life itself. Just as she began to wonder if it was too much, it suddenly rushed out of her, into her father, who turned into a horrifying X-ray version of himself, jerked all over — and lightning struck the pole, brought down to earth by the three of them alone.
She dropped back to earth, feeling a mixture of elation and exhaustion.
“Again,” said Hector.
And so they did it again.
Jaide soon lost track of time. Each bolt seemed to take an hour, but she knew it couldn’t be that long. The air inside the tent was immensely hot, but at the same time bone-dry, like the inside of an oven. Wardens offering water in pitchers came by periodically, provoking the occasional wild spark. Twice, older Wardens were carried off to recover, their strength depleted. Jaide became so used to people becoming skeletons that she didn’t even blink when it happened. Her ears were numb from the relentless booming of thunder.
In the center of the tent, the lodestone started to glow a dull cherry red.
It couldn’t be much longer now.
“I want to go,” she whispered to Hector. “I want to be with Grandma when it happens.”
He didn’t have any words. When he opened his mouth, only sparks came out, so he simply let go of her hand. Jaide stepped back, feeling every rigid muscle in her legs complain. Stefano opened his eyes, panting with exhaustion, and nodded.
Jaide slipped out of the circle of straining lightning wielders and headed for the exit. Her legs and knees felt like they were held together with pipe cleaners. It was all she could do to walk in a straight line, which explained how she completely failed to see Aleksandr coming.
“Leaving so soon, young Shield?”
“Uh, yes … but not because I want to.” It took as much effort to lie as it did to stand without falling. “My Gifts … too close to Dad, it turns out. I did what I could. Do you mind …?”
“Not at all. Come back in an hour or so to witness the big push. We’ll be ready by then.” His gaze slid off her, back to the glowing lodestone. He brushed his beard and breathed, “Historic …”
Jaide bolted for the exit, not caring if she wobbled, just as long as she got away before anyone else decided to talk to her. The spaces around the central chamber were thankfully empty, and although it took her three tries to find the exit, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the light outside again.
Only there wasn’t much light. What little there was had been filtered through the heavy sheets of rain that were now lashing Portland. Occasional flashes from the lightning streaming into the tent pole only confused things. Jaide stood on the threshold for a moment, considering her options. She could try calling someone to get a lift, but Grandma X would be busy and Susan had her own tasks to perform. Jaide wasn’t sure she wanted her mother looking over her shoulder as they tried to rescue Jack, Tara, and Kyle. It wasn’t as if she could do anything, and if things went wrong …
Scrunching up her face and tucking her elbows in close to her side, Jaide decided to make a run for it.
Within three paces, she was soaked to the skin. Water streamed down her face, getting into her eyes no matter how furiously she blinked. It was so dark the streetlights had come on, even though it was still morning. The tiny pools of illumination they cast looked relatively warm but were no less cold than everywhere else. Jaide groaned unhappily as she ran up Dock Road. By the time she reached the Parkhill Street intersection, her teeth were chattering.
Before she turned, she glanced behind her and saw a wondrous sight. Bolt after bolt of lightning was striking the top of the tent. The thunder was almost continuous now, and the tent was lit up from within by a bright orange glow. The alternating lightning-blue and orange flashing was almost hypnotic, and she stared at it an instant too long. The toes of her right foot caught the curb and her left foot landed in a slippery puddle. Both legs went in different directions and she came down hard on her backside, crying out in pain and surprise.
Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she told herself to get up and keep going. There were worse things than being covered in mud.
An open hand came down at her from the torrential rain, offering her help. She was startled, but took it with gratitude. The woman — that was all Jaide could make out through the rain at first — leaned back and pulled her upright. Jaide longed for the raincoat the woman was wearing. It was long and dark, with a hood.
“That was quite a fall! Are you all right?”
Jaide brushed wet hair from her eyes, and nodded. The woman looked familiar but Jaide couldn’t immediately place her.
“Thanks. I’m all right.”
“Are you sure? You should come inside and let me check you over.”
“I’m okay, honest.”
“It’s no trouble. I’m a doctor.”
Jaide went so cold she was surprised the water soaking her clothes didn’t turn instantly to ice. That was where she knew the woman from. She was Dr. Witworth, the Evil minion Jaide had seen entering Portland earlier.
“I have to go,” Jaide said.
A strong hand gripped her elbow before she could take a step.
“Don’t be foolish, Jaide Shield. The safest place in this storm is with me.”
“Yeah, right. I know who you are, and I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Dr. Witworth’s eyes narrowed and her fingers dug deeply into Jaide’s flesh. She had abandoned all pretense now. Her eyes were fully human, but she didn’t need to be possessed to be Evil.
“No one can stand up to The Evil’s full p
ower on her own. You are arrogant to think you can, or perhaps you’re simply stupid. It’ll give me great pleasure to see you destroyed like everyone else when the storm strikes.”
“You can’t fool me,” Jaide said, stung by the accusation that she was stupid. “The storm has nothing to do with The Evil. It’s —”
She stopped, kicking herself.
“It’s what?” asked Dr. Witworth, pulling Jaide close.
“It’s … nothing,” Jaide said. Maybe she was stupid for almost blurting out everything about Project Thunderclap. “It’s just freaky weather, that’s all.”
“There is no all when this many Wardens gather.” Dr. Witworth’s expression was nasty. “You may have the old fool back, but now I have you. You’ll either tell us everything or we’ll use you as leverage. The Great Steward wouldn’t abandon one of his own, would he? Your lot is so predictably sentimental. That’s why you’re going to lose.”
