Page 5 of Chaos Carnival

Ivan shook him off with a sneer, straightening his jacket, but the blade was sinking into the tiles like it was melting into quicksand.

“Take another step and she dies.” The blue energy circling his hands wasn't just electricity anymore; it was something older, darker, reaching through from somewhere else.

Maverick froze, his eyes darting between the dark shapes and my face. He edged cautiously forward, gathering his strength like armor. “You can't take her.”

A slow, malicious smile spread over Ivan's face, but his skin rippled like water, the wraithshade pushing through. “I already have.”

Reality itself seemed to rear back like a wave. The walls bent inward, the ceiling stretched up into infinity, and Maverick hurled backward through the window.

That's when Lux and Stone burst into the room. They froze at the threshold, the scene bending around them, the door frame warping like melting wax.

Ivan stood in the center of the chaos, one arm locked on Addie's throat. His form flickered, solid and liquid,blue electricity crawling across his skin like living veins. The wraithshade's influence rippled through him, making his features shift and flow like water.

Lux's gaze snapped from me to Addie, his eyes widening as he saw Ivan's wrongness.

“Let her go,” Stone growled, but the air shimmered and splintered where Ivan's power touched.

Addie's eyes met mine, wide with terror. She tried to speak, but Ivan's grip tightened, making her gasp.

“I think not.” Ivan's voice echoed strangely, as if coming from everywhere at once. Flickering electricity surrounded them. “Come find us, little Tess. Come see what I've built.”

He didn't so much leap through the window as he unraveled, his form dissolving into ribbons of darkness and lightning that slithered away into the night, taking Addie with them.

The shadows swelled like a tidal wave.

I dove for Addie, fingers grazing hers for just a moment before the night swallowed them.

“NO!” I lunged forward, but my legs gave out, sending me crashing to my knees. “ADDIE!”

Through the smashed window, Maverick pulled himself up, his face contorted with rage as he gathered his force against the corruption. Ivan's laugh echoed impossibly, as if coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.

Chapter 3: Desperate Race

Tess

“Wehavetogoafter them!” My voice was raw, desperate, scraping my throat like busted glass. “He can't have her!”

The memories of Ivan's cruelty flooded back, bile rising from my stomach. I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't cooperate, trembling beneath me like rubber bands stretched too thin. The room spun wildly as panic clawed at my chest, squeezing the air from my lungs. Dark spots danced in my vision, and the lingering chill of Ivan's wraithshade power hung like a toxic mist.

Stone's hand shot out, crackling with energy as he grabbed Maverick's arm, stopping him from running out the door. “Hold on. We need a plan.”

“Every second we wait is another second he has her!” I choked out, struggling to breathe through the burning in my throat. I forced myself up, gripping the wall. “This is my fault!”

“I'm gonna fucking kill him, that's my plan,” Maverick snarled.

“Sure.” Lux's cool voice cut through the chaos. “We'll track him, but first...” He glanced at me with concern.

“No!” I pushed away from the support, swaying but determined. “We're not stopping, we're not planning, we're going after themnow!”

“We need to get you someplace safe, monstre.” Maverick stepped toward me, hands outstretched.

The room spun, but I locked my knees, refusing to fall again. “I'm not going anywhere while that monster has Addie!”

“Mav, we can't phase home. It's too risky.” Stone's voice was gruff as he surveyed the remains of my kitchen.

“He's right.” Lux crossed his arms. “If Ivan is watching, any attempt could reveal its location.”

A muffled voice cut through the tension. “I do say, being stuffed in here is rather undignified. Though I suppose it beats being left behind to gather dust.”

---