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“And Maelle and Roger? Have you seen them?”
No.
Meaning it was possible Belle was with them. Maybe they were all safe in the accommodation quarters, wherever they were. It was a hope I clung to even as instinct said it was unlikely.
I cautiously stepped into the hallway. Between the smoke and the lack of lights, it was almost impossible to see, even with my enhanced eyesight. I wish I’d thought to bring a flashlight or even my damn phone, but clear and rational thinking hadn’t exactly been a priority… The thought had barely crossed my mind when the threads of wild magic came to life, giving the turbulent, smoke-filled air an eerie bluish-white glow. I picked my way through the rubble that was strewn everywhere, heading for barely visible stairs.
“The beam that blocks the basement’s exit—can you move it?”
I can’t interact directly with physical items.
“Why? You have before.”
Smaller items, yes, but I can only affect larger items—including both humans and the supernatural—through or with you. That may change, but for now, I remain restricted.
Her frustration sang through her mental tone, but that was absolutely understandable. If not for those restrictions, she could have rescued Aiden herself.
I paused at a distant whoomph. The walls around me shuddered, and dust rained down, thick and choking. My gaze jerked upward; the ceiling had cracked, and spiderlike veins were now crawling along its length. Another explosion, however minor, might just bring the lot down on top of me. I swallowed heavily and forced my feet on.
Up ahead, gleaming dully in the wild magic’s ghostly light, was the railing that lined one side of the stairs that led into the basement. The smoke and dust became a wall thick enough to carve, and the air burned. My eyes stung, my skin was on fire, and my throat felt raw. Breathing through the mask of my sweater wasn’t really doing much to keep the muck and the smoke out of every breath. And with every step, I drew closer to the destruction zone… and the possibility of death.
I briefly closed my eyes, fighting the panic, fighting to keep moving. I had to keep moving. I had no other choice. Not if I wanted to save Aiden and uncover where the hell Belle was.
Though I knew. Deep down inside, I knew.
I gripped the railing, then hesitated, eyeing the debris that covered the steps. The walls shuddered as another explosion ripped through the front of the building and a thick chunk of plaster came down, hitting the third step and then shattering into a myriad of pieces. I was running out of time…
I headed down the stairs, gripping the metal railing with one hand and brushing away the bits of wood and plaster still dangling from the ceiling with the other. The air was even hotter here, and sweat broke out across my body, stinging my eyes and dripping down my spine. Even my palm felt slick against the hot metal railing.
I paused again on the bottom step and studied the darkness ahead. Plaster had fallen in several places, and the faint glow of fire was now visible through the upper-level flooring, but this section of the basement was certainly far more intact than the hall above. How long that would last was another matter entirely.
I pushed on. Up ahead, lit by the faint glow cast by the wild magic, was a large pile of plaster and wood. But that wasn’t what was stopping them getting out—rather, it was the ceiling. It had partially collapsed, crushing one side of the doorframe. Even if we moved the pile of debris, there was no way we were going to get that door open—not without getting the ceiling’s weight off it.
I swallowed heavily and then called out, “Aiden? You there?”
“Lizzie?” came the immediate and somewhat incredulous reply. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“What the fuck do you think I’m doing? Rescuing your ass.”
“You shouldn’t be here—”
“On that, we agree. But here I am anyway. Step back—I’m going to open the door.”
“The SES boys are bringing in props to support the wall—”
“Aiden, half the building is gone and the rest is on the verge of collapse. We can’t afford to wait for them.”
As if to emphasize this point, another explosion ripped through the air and shook the walls. Large cracks appeared even as the broken ceiling dropped another couple of inches.
Aiden swore. “I had no idea it was that bad. Do what you have to.”
“Get well back, just in case this doesn’t go to plan.”
It will, came Katie’s comment.
I wished I shared her certainty. I took a deep breath and then reached out for the wild magic. A storm of power that was both familiar and yet alien flooded through me, seeming to stretch me, making me more even as it made me less. It had been damned scary the last time I’d done it, but this—this was something else. This suggested I could be something else.
But now was not the time to worry about it.
