Page 14 of Rage of the Fallen

“Everyone,” Lisa yelled, her voice cracking with urgency. “Touch the hourglass. Now!”

Adrenaline surged through me as I snatched my backpack and slammed my hand on the hourglass. The ice-cold glass sent a shiver up my arm. Justice and Damon flanked me, forming a human shield against Rage’s advancing threat.

Brody backed up and pulled Zara and Lisa away from their spellcasting stance, guiding them urgently toward the hourglass. The moment their fingers made contact, the air crackled with energy. Sparkles of light danced across my vision, swirling faster and faster until they became a dizzying vortex.

“You’re not going anywhere without me,” Rage roared in fury and desperation. He lunged forward, fingers outstretched like claws, grasping for any part of us he could reach.

My stomach lurched as the world dissolved into mist. Rage’s snarling face faded, his fingers passing through me like smoke. The last thing I saw was his expression of red-hot rage, a silent howl of frustration as I slipped beyond his reach.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Colors spun around me, a kaleidoscopic whirlwind faster than an out-of-control merry-go-round. Reds bled into blues, purples swirled into greens, all blurring together in a dizzying maelstrom. My stomach lurched, and I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting the urge to be sick.

As suddenly as it began, the technicolor tornado vanished, and pinpricks of light blinked into existence. Stars? No, not stars. They were too close, too erratic. They danced and flickered like fireflies caught in a cosmic wind, swirling around me in patterns I couldn’t begin to comprehend.

Time seemed to stretch and contract, seconds feeling like hours, then compressing into milliseconds. I lost all sense of up or down, my body weightless in this strange in-between place.

Then, without warning, it stopped.

Reality slammed back into focus with brutal force. I crashed into something unyielding. Rock, maybe, or packed earth. Pain exploded through my body, radiating from my hip and ribs where I’d impacted. The shock drove the air from my lungs in a silent gasp.

For a terrifying moment, I couldn’t breathe. My diaphragm spasmed, refusing to cooperate. Spots danced in my vision,real this time, born of oxygen deprivation rather than magical transport. As panic began to set in, my lungs remembered their job. I sucked in a ragged breath, the cool air burning as it rushed in.

Gradually, the pain ebbed to a dull throb, and I became aware of my surroundings. The smell of damp earth and vegetation. The sound of running water nearby. The feel of a light breeze against my skin.

Where—and when—had we landed?

Darkness engulfed me like a thick velvet curtain drawn across the world. The only light came from the moon, its silver glow barely penetrating the gloom.

“Sawyer?” Worry tinged Justice’s voice as he scooped me into his arms. His cool fingers brushed the hair from my flushed face. “Are you hurt?”

I blinked, trying to focus on him. The concern in his eyes made my chest tighten with emotions I couldn’t untangle. Gratitude for his unwavering support. Shame for being so weak when everyone needed me to be strong. And something deeper, more intense, that I wasn’t ready to name.

I leaned into his touch, allowing myself this brief moment of comfort. The steady beat of his heart against my side was reassuring, a reminder I wasn’t alone in this fight.

“No,” I managed to gasp, shaking my head. “Just…got the wind knocked out of me.” Fear swelled inside me. “Damon and the others?”

“I’m not sure,” Justice tensed as he set me down and turned, trying to pierce the darkness.

“Sawyer? Justice?” My brother’s voice cut through the night, and relief swelled inside me, so intense it was almost painful.

“We’re over here,” Justice called back. “Near the running water.”

After a pause, Damon shouted, “‘Over here’ doesn’t work, bloodsucker. I can’t even see my hand in front of my face.”

The frustration in Damon’s tone masked an undercurrent of fear. We were all out of our element here, lost in time and space, separated in a strange, dark place.

“Okay, everyone, stay where you are,” I called, trying to inject calm into my voice. “Let’s use sound to find each other. Justice and I will keep talking. Everyone else, call out so we can locate you.”

Voices sounded in the darkness, but still, I couldn’t pinpoint anyone.

“Call out again, Damon.” Justice’s cool hand gripped mine reassuringly. The darkness pressed in, making every sound seem muffled and distant.

“Keep coming, vampire.” Damon’s voice rang out in irritation and relief. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once in the pitch-black night.

I strained my eyes, willing them to adjust to the darkness. Slowly, shapes emerged from the gloom. A tall, muscular silhouette gradually took form against the slightly lighter backdrop of the night sky. My heart leaped as I recognized the familiar outline, the broad shoulders, the stance I’d know anywhere.

A smile spread across my face, warmth blooming in my chest despite the chill of the night. “Damon,” I whispered, squeezing Justice’s hand. “I see him.”

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