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Oh God, is it this bad in Fort Worth?
I refuse to look back. There's no point. I need to focus on finding a way up the cliff. Only by stopping the apocalypse can I save any innocent Echo beings that still live here.
The ground shudders.
Probably fireballs punching into the earth.
I try to climb the cliff, but I can't even get a hand-hold. The wards prevent it.
A large hand scoops me up, lifting me to the height of the cliff top.
I glance over my shoulder and realize I'm cradled in Jarek's enormous palm. He can give me a lift to the top of the mountain, but I still the wards to deal with before I can get anywhere near the castle.
But I can feel Gabriel in there, reaching out to me.
Jarek fists his other hand, pulls it back, and slams his fist into the wards. They crackle and shimmer but remain in place.
"Do that again," I say. "And I'll focus on tapping into my connection with Gabriel."
The second I attempt to reach him, I sense the warmth and love and passion he feels for me coming down through our connection, feeding into my passion for him. I suck in a breath, stunned by the ferocity of our shared emotions and desires.
Jarek rams his fist into the wards.
They shatter with a sound like breaking glass and a rush of released magics. But I have no time to waste. I leap off Jarek's palm, shout "thank you" to him, and race toward the castle gates.
A figure appears there just as I reach the gates. Aldith wears an expression I've never seen from her before—resolute determination. "If you have a weapon to spare, I would like to fight with you."
"I'd be grateful for the help. Would you prefer a gun or a machete?"
"Whichever is easiest to use. I have no training in weaponry."
"Neither do I, but my friends gave me a crash course." I dig inside my bag and bring out the machine gun. "Try this. You pull the trigger and it shoots a volley of bullets. I have extra ammunition too."
I get out the extra clips and show her how to switch them out, something I learned less than half an hour ago from my friends. Was I in the military before the apocalypse? Doesn't matter. Today, I have become a warrior—and so has Aldith.
When I check my watch, I see that we have seventeen minutes to break into the castle and enact the plan my friends and I devised. My heart rate spikes, and I feel a strange mix of excitement and fear. What we're about to do… It's beyond epic. If we survive, this will be the most incredible feat in the history of the world.
The castle gates are closed. When Aldith and I try to open them, we can't do it. The wooden barrier is too thick and strong.
A large metal-and-flesh hand reaches around us to tap the gates. They fly open.
"Thank you, Jarek," I shout to the golem.
Aldith and I storm the castle.
But we find only an empty courtyard and an empty entryway. The Echo creatures who guard Gabriel haven't sent any of theirbrethren to protect the rest of the building. They must assume that no one can breach the castle. We slow down as we approach the doorway to the throne room, which has become the machine room, and we hear a strange humming that does not sound mechanical.
I recognize the sound. It's the creatures who are guarding Gabriel.
Aldith and I stop in the corridor, sidling up to the wall beside the doorway. My watch tells me we have ten minutes left.
I whisper to Aldith, "Get your gun ready. We're going in there, and those creatures won't be happy about it. If you need to run, do it."
"No, I will not leave you."
"Please, Aldith. If the creatures try to swarm you, just run. Teleport away if you can. Getting yourself killed won't help anybody."
"All right."
