Page 21 of The Fallen

?“The shield will gradually unveil itself. Eat this; it will help with the headaches.”

?“What is it?” Marie asked.

?“It's an herb from the Garden of Eden.”

?Marie and Brenton looked up in amazement.

?“Don't ask, no time,” she said, “It has healing properties. Now, once the medicine has completely entered your body, you might have a fever for a couple of hours, but it will pass.”

?Marie put the leaf in her mouth and chewed. It had a citrus taste at first, but when she swallowed, it left a bitter aftertaste.

?“So, what now?” Brenton said, speaking for the first time since entering the room.

?“Now, you must go. Marie will fill you in on the rest. I don't want to remodel this house again – it's too much work.”

?Neither Marie nor Brenton knew what she was talking about, but they did know it was their cue to leave. They thanked her and headed out.

?“Tell Renea, if she needs anything, don't hesitate to call,” Helena called out before she went to her room. Marie nodded and followed Brenton out.

?As soon as she closed the door, she turned and bumped into Brenton. He was in a daze, eyes glazed over, looking into the distance. She knew what that meant, so she waited. He was frantic when he came back from the trance.

?“Get down!” he yelled, pushing Marie to the floor the moment before a blade impaled itself in the door.

Chapter Thirteen

Brenton

Things happened so quickly, Brenton had only seconds to react to the impending threat. When he walked out of Helena's house, he was hit with the strongest presence of danger. He didn't trace where it was coming from until the last minute.

?He had to think fast because it wasn't just him he had to worry about. He thought about what Marie's mom had done the other night. He wished he could draw the threat out, but he wouldn't be able to do so and also protect Marie – she was too vulnerable right now. They were trapped in the enclosed fortress.

?Marie was next to him, her eyes wide and panicked, and he knew he had to protect her at all cost.

?They lie flat as hundreds of mini throwing stars rained down on them. He looked around for an exit, but didn't find one.

?He saw a glint of light coming from the window of Helena's house. He mentally reached out to her and asked for help. For a minute he thought he didn't get through, but right then, something flew out of the window and it was on fire.

?“This is the only time I will interfere. Use it wisely,” Helena spoke in his thoughts.

?Once the burning object was close enough to the ground, Brenton reached out and the flame redirected, came toward him and his hand caught fire.

?He put both of his hands together and the fire formed a ball. It grew until it was the size of a basketball. He then spread his hands apart and the ball stretched. Once his arms were extended on either side of his body, he threw his hands up toward the sky and the fire created a wall. Careful not to burn the house or all the plants around him, he inched closer to Marie.

?“Marie, I need you to get up and focus,” he yelled, straining to maintain the wall.

?He heard her moan and he turned to look right before she collapsed completely on the porch, her face flushed.

?Blades started to come from a different direction and his shield only covered the front of them. He had to come up with a new plan, one that involved him carrying her if she didn't snap out of it.

?He thought about trying to divide his strength between himself and Marie. It only needed to work long enough for her to get to the truck. He was stronger with her there, even if she wasn't completely unblocked.

?He had to at least drive his enemies back far enough to help her. She was safe enough lying down on the porch.

?He reached out and sensed there were two assailants. It was the same presence he felt the other night. One was closer to the house, but the other was way out of range. He tried to connect with their thoughts to figure out what their game plan was, but they were too strong and somehow kept him out.

?He drew the fire in then ducked as he felt daggers coming straight for him. Ten blades went over his head before he turned and shot balls of fire in that direction. He was relentless with the attack, not letting up for a second, trying to keep them busy. The fire had his adrenaline on high.

?It would have been easier if they could shadow travel back to her house, but he knew Marie was too weak to focus on anything. Plus it was too far away. He hadn't tried to travel that far, he was told it wasn't possible. He had to think of something else.

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