"You cost me my job," she said, sighting down it. "I'm going to kill you dead."
"No, Doctor, you're not." It was Eloy, the demand in his voice jerking her attention to him in annoyance. "There's room in my truck for three."
Dr. Cordova's eyes flicked to Mark, then the guy in the corner, his hands out of sight. "I'm not going to jail," she said, her aim shifting from me to the jogger.
I edged closer, pulling in enough energy off the line to make Trent wince. "Oh, I can guarantee that, Cordova," I said.
White faced, Mark edged back behind the counter. I gave a quick shake of my head when he pantomimed having a phone to his ear. Maybe we were all stronger than we thought.
I jumped when Eloy's chair thunked forward, back on four legs. "You can shoot her in the leg, though."
Dr. Cordova smiled, the gun coming up again. "Rhombus!" I shouted, and Trent swore, hunching as I stood tall, my hand outstretched toward Dr. Cordova and the bullet headed for us. It twanged off my circle and a light in the corner shattered.
Dr. Cordova's gun boomed again, her face ugly as she shot at the jogger. The-man-who-didn't-belong had vaulted over the counter at the first shot, and she screamed as her gun went off a third time, leaving a splintered hole the size of a squash in the wall of the counter. I could see Mark through it, his face white as he skittered out of sight.
"Get the operative!" Eloy was shouting, shoving Cordova at the front counter where the-man-who-didn't-belong had gone.
"Get your circle up!" I shouted at Trent, then dove through mine, feeling his energies licking my heels as I rolled to a stop, my hand deep in my bag as I looked for my magnetic chalk. I'd circle them like every other demon.
"Crap!" I exclaimed as I saw Eloy aiming at me. I fell onto a table, knocking it down to hide behind. A sharp ping of sound and the chimes hanging on the door behind me rang with a weird, choking peal, hit by the ricochet.
I pulled the line into me, my hands aching and my wrist throbbing with the pain Trent's charm had dulled. Energy roiled beneath my skin, gold and black mixing in darkness and light. I heard Trent struggling, and I looked over the table. He was behind the counter. A burst of energy hit the ceiling like a cloudburst, and someone grunted. Eloy was taking aim at me again, and I threw my ball of energy at him, flashing a circle up with hardly a second to spare.
Eloy dove for cover as the black-and-gold ball hissed toward him. It hit the wall, spreading out in an ugly, almost electrical storm before subsiding. I kicked the overturned table out of the way, teeth clenched as my broken ankle twinged through Trent's charm. Not yet. Give me a little more time. Eloy looked up from the floor, and I started to scribe a circle, my eyes never leaving his.
"Chubi whore," he snarled, and I flashed a bubble in place. Expression ugly, he raised his gun at the ceiling. It went off in a series of three pops. Dust sifted down on my bubble, and I looked up.
"Look out!" Trent shouted, and I cowered as the light fixture fell on me, bouncing off my bubble and sliding to the floor. Seeing me unhurt, Eloy bared his teeth and shot at me again.
I'd had about enough.
I stood, pulling in the line like it was a ribbon from a spool, gathering it in my soul until my hair started to float. My palms burned as I forced it into my hands and shoved it at Eloy like a beach ball. His lips parted as the head-size ball of energy broke through my circle and added my barrier's energy to its own. I was vulnerable, and he took aim. "Dilatare!" I shouted, then dropped, covering my head.
The ball of energy exploded in midair, rocking the light fixtures and making the tempered-glass windows shake. I looked past my arms and saw Eloy sprawled on the floor. Heart pounding, I scrabbled to reach him, eager to do some personal damage.
"Stop!" Dr. Cordova shouted. "Stop right there, demon!"
I dove for Eloy as he moved to sit up. Sliding, I kicked the gun from him, then continued my foot's arch to smack his head. Grunting, he slid back, before I connected, hatred in his eyes. I grinned savagely, and he smiled back.
"I said stop!" Dr. Cordova shouted again. "Or I kill the kid. Right here. Right now."
Shit.
I stopped.
My sour expression turned to fear as Dr. Cordova dragged Mark out from behind the counter, her arm around his neck and that honking huge pistol pressed into his temple. Shit, shit, shit! I'd really messed this up. Trent limped out from behind the counter from the opposite side and joined me. His hair was wild, and his eyes were dark with anger. Tense and jerky, he helped me to my feet, and I palmed my chalk to him in the process. "Where's the jogger?" I said breathily as I watched Dr. Cordova yank Mark closer to Eloy and the back door.
Touching his lip and finding it swollen, Trent shook his head. "He pulled out. I think we're on our own."
At least he isn't dead behind the counter. "Aren't we always?" I said bitterly, scraping my resolve together. So we had to bring them in ourselves now. Damn it, they had Mark. The kid looked terrified. The memory of Winona surfaced, and my heart clenched. Not Mark. Not him.
"You want to take his place?" Eloy looked far too confident.
"Rachel, no."
I shook Trent's hand off me. "Finish that circle. Get them into it. Invoke it. That's the plan," I breathed, my heart pounding. I had to buy Trent some time. This was the only way.
Hands up, I stepped in front of Trent. "You've been a bad boy, Eloy," I said. "Murdering what scares you. That's not how grown-ups solve problems. And, Cordova? I'd like to have five minutes alone with you. Maybe show you up close and personal what that bastard did to Winona. You know Winona, right? Cloven feet, horns, red pelt? Can't miss her."
Mark was frozen in her grip, too scared to move. His eyes were on mine, terrified. "Charms on the table," she said, the strain obvious in her voice, and I took another step forward.
"Here's the sitch," I said, locking my knees so they wouldn't see them shake. I wasn't afraid, I was mad. "The guy in the corner just stepped out to get his buddies. He's got lots of friends with really cool toys, and if you don't let Mark go this instant, I'm going to get mad enough to do something I'm going to regret. I'm a demon, Cordova. Don't push me."
Cordova jammed her weapon into Mark a little harder. "Charms on the table. Now!"
Eloy was touching the back of his head where he'd hit the floor. His gun was again pointed at Trent. Mark's eyes were clenched closed, and his lips were moving. In a charm? I wondered, my heart pounding hard. Probably a prayer.
A part of me said the hell with it. Take a chance. But the fear of becoming careless with other people's lives was stronger. I had to be more careful now, not less, and I angled an arm down to let my bag hit the floor. Trent's charms spilled everywhere, and my phone slipped out.
"Rachel, wait."
It was Trent, and Dr. Cordova jammed the mouth of her weapon harder into Mark's head, making him gasp. Eloy's aim shifted to me, and I strengthened my hold on the line, ready to make a circle.
"Not now, Trent," I said. "It's me they want."
"No, it isn't."
Mark opened an eye slightly, and I risked a quick look at Trent, standing beside me in his loose-fitting, head-to-toe black, smelling of wine and broken wood as he lifted his chin and dared me to protest. He looked ticked, but not at me. "What are you doing?"
He shook his head, looking far too calm and in control. "This is not utilizing our skills to their fullest extent," he said softly, his hand on my shoulder, and then he sent his gaze past me to them. "I know how to stabilize the Rosewood enzymes," he said loudly, and I stiffened. "I'm the one you want. Not her."
"Trent!" I exclaimed, a thread of panic coming from out of nowhere to tighten around my heart, and he pushed me behind him, surreptitiously handing my magnetic chalk back. "What are you doing?"
"Something you won't," he said, and then his eyes touched on mine. "You're a good person. Don't change because I'm a bastard." Anger and frustration filled him, and then . . . as he turned so they couldn't see . . . I saw a thread of excitement running behind his thoughts, a desire to find justice, a need to prove to himself that he was not just his father, but that his mother lived in him, too. He had an idea - one he really liked and I probably wouldn't.
Someday, you're going to be glad I have that particular skill.
God save us. He was going to do something bad. Seeing my understanding, he leaned back, breaking eye contact as if it hurt. "Trent . . ." I whispered, and he handed me the battery pack and earbud.
"Improvise."
And then he turned away.
"Take me," he said boldly, his hands at his sides, his fingers spread wide, making his missing digits obvious. "I can cut your research down to days."
For three seconds, Eloy considered it. Dr. Cordova tightened her grip on her pistol, clearly reluctant to let Mark go. "He's not a witch," the woman said, and Mark's eyes met mine, looking for direction. I had none to give.
A slow smile began to spread across Eloy's face, and my heart pounded. He had his gun again, and he motioned for me to move. "Back up, Rachel," he demanded, his voice dripping scorn, and Dr. Cordova shifted her feet, which made Mark stumble.
"He's not a witch!" she said louder, and Eloy gave her a look that told her she was being stupid. "If we take him, the entire country is going to be on us!"
"Exactly right." Satisfaction in his every motion, Eloy gestured for Trent to put his hands on his head and come closer. "It will be on every news station in every U.S. city. Everyone will know that HAPA has struck back. They will know that we are no longer going to sit and hide, but that the animals that have enslaved and murdered us will again be hunted and slaughtered." He shouted at me, righteous anger slamming into me like a wall, "You will back up!"
Mouth dry, I retreated, slipping when my foot hit the charms spilling out of my bag. Was that why Trent had taken my place? Did he know my magic was faster? Was he going to distract them so I could do something? Improvise? Damn it, I wish I knew what he was doing!
Dr. Cordova shifted from foot to foot. A gap of air showed between Mark's head and the gun in her hand. I found my balance, spooling line energy until my skin hurt. There was nothing from the earbud dangling down my front.
"Get rid of that useless witch," Eloy barked, and Dr. Cordova shoved Mark at me.
I reached out and caught him, keeping us upright as our feet scrabbled for purchase amid the spilled charms. He was a tad overweight, and we almost went down, even as he turned to face them, sweating and stinking of redwood.
I crouched to grab a charm, pulling to a stop when Eloy made a negative sound.
Hand reaching, I froze as I saw Dr. Cordova's gun aimed at Trent's middle. A shot there wouldn't kill him right away, but it would kill him.
Trent just stood there, his lips pulled back from his teeth slightly, that same wild look I'd seen on him once before as Cordova's arm wrapped around his neck, her gun pointed into his side. "I would have preferred Eloy, but this is acceptable," he said, and then I stiffened when I felt a circle go up. It wasn't me. It wasn't Mark. It was Trent.
"No!" I shouted, reaching out helplessly as the gold shimmer wove a net around all three of them. Behind the haze, Trent became boneless, his dead weight making Dr. Cordova tighten her grip on him. The gun went off, and Eloy cried out, the shot ricocheting off the inside of Trent's circle and slamming into Eloy's shoulder.
Swearing, the man fell back against the inside of Trent's circle, one hand on his shoulder, the other pointing his gun at Dr. Cordova.
"Ta na nevo doe tena!" Trent shouted, Dr. Cordova's arms holding him to her.
Dr. Cordova screamed as Trent's magic hit her. I backed up, horrified as I recognized the curse, the same one that had mutilated Winona. Where did he get the blood? I wondered when Cordova let go and fell, pawing at herself as her body contorted, her shoes falling off as hooves formed. Her head hit the floor, her brow heavy and misshapen. Small horns scraped the tile as she screamed, her voice cut off in a strangled gurgle of terror as she looked at her hands, now thick and short fingered. Terrified, her voice came in high-pitched squeals as a curly red pelt wormed its way out of her skin.
Blood seeping from around his fingers, Eloy pressed against the wall of Trent's circle. Gun forgotten, he stared in horror as Dr. Cordova turned into the mirror image of Winona. The woman's thin tail lashed wildly, and he recoiled when it touched him. It worked on humans. The curse worked on humans . . .
"On the floor. Now," Trent said to Eloy. "Or I'll turn you into what you really are, too."
His voice was cool and dispassionate, hard and unforgiving. I stared at him, seeing not a businessman out of place playing at something he was not, but the same man who'd perched atop a horse in the sunset, the world at his fingertips and justice waiting to be meted out - calmly, surely, and satisfyingly. Eloy dropped his gun, terrified.
I jumped when Mark accidentally bumped my shoulder. He was watching, wide eyed. "Wow," he breathed as Trent's circle dropped and Dr. Cordova mewled weakly, her little hooves scrabbling at the tile. "I almost didn't come in tonight."
Eloy lowered himself to the floor, his eyes never leaving Dr. Cordova. The woman was crying, dark streaks running down her black face. Her breath rasped in and out, and she cried out pitifully. Eloy jumped when Trent kicked his gun to me, then Cordova's to a corner.
Cold steel slid across the tiles, and I stopped Eloy's gun with my foot, not bothering to pick it up. "I thought you said I wouldn't like your charms," I said, and Trent grinned, reminding me, for some reason, of seeing him perched in a tree, crouched and dangerous. He hadn't killed anyone, and a part of me was undeniably glad.
An unexpected burst of radio noise came from out of nowhere, and I twisted, finding the earbud on the floor. Something was happening.
In a surge of motion, Dr. Cordova scrambled to her feet, her hooves skittering on the smooth tile. Goat-slit eyes wide in panic, she tried to run only to reach for a table and miss, her jaw cracking on the flat of it. She slid to the floor and started to crawl, crying.
"Get her!" I cried, and Eloy lifted his head. In a fast crab walk, he lunged for Cordova's gun, six feet away under a table.
"Look out!" Mark shouted, and I turned to the front windows - just in time to see six men boil in the front door. The-men-who-don't-belong screamed at us to freeze as they surrounded all of us. Though dressed unalike and in street clothes, it was obvious they were professionals. It wasn't the wicked-looking guns pointed at us, or the boots designed for running. It wasn't the short haircuts, or that every single one of them looked like he could do a six-minute mile. It was their faces, as uncaring as if they'd have no problem shooting us even if it was a mistake.
"Gun! Gun!" I shouted, pointing at Eloy, but it didn't matter. They already had him down, and as I watched, someone snapped his wrist when he refused to let go of his pistol. Eloy screamed, and I felt myself pale.
Remembering what the captain had said, I put my hands in the air. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I shouted as a very large black man walked in, his cap saying "captain" more than his confident walk. "I got nothing on me but chalk. Splat gun is in the purse. Where in the hell have you been?"
Trent started to kneel with his hands behind his neck, and one of the men grabbed him, shoving him into a booth. "Hey," I started, affronted, and then shouted, "Hey!" again when the captain grabbed my biceps and roughly propelled me onto the same bench as Trent. "I thought we were working together!" I exclaimed, but my sudden pull on the ley line sputtered to nothing and my knees gave way.
Smiling as if having expected it, the captain hauled me back to my feet, a silver amulet in the shape of an eagle suddenly glowing brightly. Dazed, I wondered if that was where my attempted blast of ever-after had gone. "Did you just . . ." I started, reaching for it, and he shoved me farther into the booth.
I hit Trent's shoulder, and the elf grinned at me as he scooted over to make room, his hands carefully atop the table where everyone could see them. "You enjoying this?" I said, in a bad temper, and he smiled even wider, the scent of woods and wine spilling from him.
"It's better than studying portfolios with Quen," he said as Mark landed on the bench across from us, looking scared but relieved. My shoulder bag was next, sliding to a stop at the end of the table. The charms, I noticed, were being swept up with a huge, very quiet vacuum cleaner that was taking everything not nailed down: chunks of plaster, broken glass from the pictures, Dr. Cordova's shoe . . .