Page 95 of Echoes of War

Harley and Suckerpunch awaited my instruction. With the snap of my fingers, they herded her to the other side of the clearing. I turned away, going to investigate the opposite of Prescott.

The air around us came alive. Tortured wails of lost souls echoed throughout the field, the bone-chilling screech of Pansies sounding seconds before they appeared. Soldiers at my six and twelve fired off a mix of weapons and fire magic. Havoc took over the previously calm field. Tinkerers scrambled, reaching for their guns, trying to remember their training. Metal clanked as it hit the ground, the workers abandoning their tasks and fleeing for safety.

“Fine,” Elie grumbled, making me jump at the realization she was right behind me. Harley and Suckerpunch panted at her heels, looking up at her with a smile. “I’m not a child. This is what you’re training me?—”

A choked scream caught in her throat, the terror behind it rendering me frozen in place.

Slowly, I turned toward her, trying to locate the source of her horror. “What …”

My gaze settled on the tall figure stepping from the tree line. Prescott’s gaze dropped to his chest, and I allowed my eyes to follow. His fingers clenched the fabric of his light gray T-shirt directly over his heart. His face paled, contorted in a mix of anguish and confusion as he fell to his knees. Blood welled at the corner of his mouth, staining his lips and chin.

A pulsing cadence pounded in my ears, a sense of disorientation took over. I’d merely glanced away for a minute, yet no obvious threat presented itself to me. The world around me had slowed to a blur, yet everything moved so fast—the people running past me, bullets flying in front of my face. I swallowed, slapping my hands against my temple, an unearthly cry spilling from me that I barely recognized as I willed myself to focus. Prescott’s situation was dire, and I needed to stay calm.

Violent, ragged coughs came from Prescott, each one showcasing with a wince of pain. Blood splattered out his mouth onto the ground beneath him painting the green of the grass a dark red. The voices, footsteps, screams around me became echoes in the air. I had to focus on what was important right now, keeping Prescott alive and making sure Elie was safe.

“Prescott!” It was my voice, but it didn’t feel like it was coming from me.

I sprinted over, Elie already at his side. Harley and Suckerpunch circled us, tearing into Pansies that managed to close in. A hand flailed past me. Out of the corner of my eye, Suckerpunch tore into the throat of a soldier with a green and tan uniform on. I clenched my teeth in recognition of the pouncing lion symbol on it. Covert Province would pay for this.

Harley brushed against the back of my thigh, a whimper escaping her. I wasn’t sure what kind of weapon was in the now detached arm of the Covert soldier hanging from her mouth, butit had brutalized Prescott’s chest. At first glance, I thought it was a gun, but the barrel of it was wider. Metal flecks appeared around the wound on Prescott, one of his ribs breaching the skin, his clothes burned around the gape in his torso.

“Get Elie out of here,” Prescott groaned, hand on his pistol, ready to protect our back.

I knew it was adrenaline. In any other circumstance outside of the sheer desire to protect his people, he should be dead. But if he could keep that adrenaline going, if we could make it back to The Compound to one of the healers … Reina’s mentor Henry was a surgeon in The Before, he could help.

“No,” I defied him. “I won’t leave you.”

The world around us was lost to chaos. Any Tinkerers who survived the initial assault had bolted, making their way to safety, the soldiers assigned to them covering their ass. The acrid stench of battle filled my nostrils as I tried to figure out what to do. How to help. I felt useless, all my training, the time I spent with Amaia preparing for this exact scenario, forgotten. Running into action when someone you cared about was on the verge of dying left a distinct wound on psyche.

All of my battle experience previously had been concentrated on one thing—making sure Amaia was okay. I was supposed to have her back in the first war, but she had slipped my sight while the battle around me continued to rage on, stealing my focus. I hadn’t been there when she almost died, when Jax sought out Reina to heal her, bring her back from death. But I had been there in the aftermath. Had torn myself up in the weeks that followed, swearing I would never let this happen again. Yet here I was, failing.

Protecting The Compound was so different from this. Sure, I cared about everyone here. At the end of the day, they were still just strangers who made this place my home. I didn’t pray for their safety every night. Not how I did Amaia’s or Prescott’s and nowElie’s. Not the way I begged both God and the universe to keep Tomoe and Reina safe and protect their peace when the man they both loved betrayed them both.

Protecting out of duty was so much easier than protecting out of love. Fulfilling my responsibilities was natural, a thoughtless task, but here, now … I didn’t know where to begin to prevent this end.

“On the count of three, Eleanor, help me lift him. Use your legs, put most of his support on me.”

“Got it,” she said, preparing herself.

I braced myself, my head constantly swiveling to check our surroundings. “One. Two. Lift.”

Elie yelped, matching the grunt I released under Prescott’s weight. A quavering moan betrayed the poised demeanor Prescott was intent on showing till the end.

“We only need to make it to the gate,” I said, my voice remaining calm. “One foot after the other, Prescott, let’s go.”

“Riley—” he sputtered, his emerald eyes gone hollow. The light from them, gone.

“Shut up.” I commanded, “Move your feet, that’s an order from your lieutenant.”

Prescott stumbled along, biting down on his lip, resisting the urge to yell out from the pain.

Harley and Suckerpunch covered us, attacking when they could. Closing my eyes, I felt for the earth around me, determined to find something useful to aid us in a safe trek back. The buzzing of a hive nearby snagged my attention, and I summoned the whole damn thing. A swarm of bees sent the few Covert soldiers that had pushed through our defense running.

Taking a deep inhale, I kept my focus, listening for the footsteps that evaded the bees. Vines emerged from the ground, my earth magic reaching for the ankles of those on our heels. I smiledat the banshee-like screams that left their dying bodies as fire ants ravaged their flesh.

Elie’s uncontrolled wind bent to her desire. Where my magic was occupied and unable to help, hers stepped in.This is what she trained for, this is why it will always be worth it. Her air knocked bodies back, mostly Pansies as she didn’t yet have the defensive abilities to push back against those also summoning elemental magic.

We fought our way through what had become a battlefield. One-quarter of a mile after the other, North Gate was finally coming into view. Prescott’s steps became a struggle. Using my free hand, I shook his head, begging him to fight off that darkness that threatened to engulf him. His steps became unsteady, air wheezing from his lungs, and he stumbled, falling to his knees and clutching his chest. Blood stained his gray shirt now a red dark as the night.

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