Page 165 of Visions & Shadows

I groan as a gale-force wind whips through the park, making the hell around us worse. I hear people screaming not too far away, and worried for my chosen ones, I glance wildly around me.

Massive gaping holes appear as chunks of earth fall away beneath people’s feet. I watch in horror as they plunge to their deaths.

This time, it isn’t just a vision. It’s the real thing, and it makes horror bleed into the darkness growing inside me.

“Alchera!” I hear Raighne shout above the wind.

A tree whips past us, one of its branches missing my face by mere inches as he yanks me out of the way.

“We have to move.” Raighne holds my arm tightly as he pulls me toward our group, that’s clearly rattled by the hell being unleashed on us.

Jason picks up Sarah, and she buries her face against his neck as sobs wrack her weak body.

“I’ve got you. We’ll get through this,” Jason tells her, his worried eyes meeting mine.

Doug is watching the disaster unfolding around us with dread tightening his features.

Get your shit together, Alchera. Your chosen ones need you.

Matt holds Sky tightly while Dylan glances around us, his military voice booming over the sound of the wind, “Let’s move, people. If I say stop, you stop. If I say run, you run. We leave no one behind.”

“I can just shimmer us to a safer place,” Ares says.

“This is where my vision of Riccardo brought us to,” I snap at him as I follow Dylan, who’s making his way to the side of the town that looks less affected by the disaster. “I’m not leaving without him.”

With Dylan guiding us and Brenna, Finian, and Griffith protecting us from behind, we make our way through the rubble and scores of frightened people.

Shit, where is Riccardo?

The ground rips open behind us, and Griffith shouts, “Run!”

We all rush away from the immediate danger while I try to figure outwhere we should go.

God, how do we survive this?

I keep glancing around for any sign of Riccardo, desperation filling every panicked heartbeat in my chest.

A car crashes ahead of us as we near a collapsed building, and the ground shudders again, slabs of the road cracking open in front of us.

We all cower close together, and Sky lets out a terrified scream, which has Matt engulfing her with his body to offer her some kind of protection.

I feel a hand on my shoulder, then Brenna says, “We can’t stay here, Alchera.”

A hopeless feeling settles in my gut as I look at everyone.

Dammit!

Glancing at Ares, I say, “Can you take the group to a saver place, then come back to Raighne and me?”

“We’re not splitting up!” Griffith growls. “It’s too dangerous.”

I let out a sigh, but then the shaking suddenly stops, and everyone manages to climb to their feet.

“Let’s push forward,” Dylan says before looking at me. “Any idea which direction we should head in?”

No.

Thinking back to my vision, I bring up Riccardo. I give Ares a cautious look before I step closer to him.

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