The Ruens of Fairstone (Aeon of Light Book 2) (27 page)

One of the other constables, a skinny man who doesn’t look like a constable but is, and is near the stage, he turns away while the muscular man stares at the orange orb bearing down on him.

“Move!” Pard says.

The constable snaps out of his trance a split second before the light hits him square in his barrel chest. Strings of blinding orange electricity arc around the man’s large body like a web, and his body twists with a horrible convulsion. His mouth foams and his hair stands straight up and smokes. The man drops dead, falling onto a pew.

Eeva swings her whip in a wide arc and thrusts forward again, sending an orange ball of light toward the skinny constable making for the side exit.

The glowing ball zings through the open cathedral and strikes the man in the center of his back, propelling him forward face-first into a marble column. He bounces off hard and collapses to the side with a crash as the orange web encases his body. He flops and rolls on the ground, smoke rising off his clothes and his skin blackens and melts.

“Go, go, go!” Pard says to Miles.

Five more constables enter the cathedral and draw pistols.

Alexa’s eyes narrow as she assesses the situation.
 

The men raise their weapons toward Eeva.

Alexa spins toward Pard and a bolt of orange lightning shoots out of her hands and races across the cathedral.

Pard lurches forward and groans then his body locks in place, Alexa’s orange light lassoed around his neck.

Selby, still held by Pard, also freezes in place, bound by the light.

Miles turns around and sees Pard and Selby frozen in place. He curses and leaps forward and grabs Pard to free him but a jolt of electricity arcs off Pard’s body and zaps him. Miles flies backward with a groan, and he lands flat on his back.
 

“She has a hold of me with the light,” Pard says. “But it’s orange, mine is blue.”

“I’m scared,” Selby says inside of Pard’s head.

“I’m sorry, Selby.”

“Am I going to die?”

“No, no don’t think like that. We’ll be all right.”

“How cute, young love birds,” Alexa says.

“What do you want with us?”

“Not both of you, just you, but after your friend’s theatrics and your headmaster’s incompetence and cowardice, we’re left with no other choice—you should’ve signed your release and come with us peacefully.
Scorch—Hcrocs!
”

Pard lets go of Selby’s wrist, and she tumbles to the ground. Both of Pard’s arms rise without his control. He is a spectator of his own body. His hands in front of him, they thrust above his head. “Scorch—Hcrocs!” A bright-yellow orb of light pulses out of Pard’s hands, hovers in the air for a second, then breaks apart into a plume of red sparks that rain to the ground and disappear.
 

The connection with Alexa breaks.

Pard collapses to his knees, gasping to catch his breath.

Some of the constables spread out throughout the cathedral and take cover behind pews as they fire a hail of bullets. Other men huddle over and help the professors with the remaining boys to get them out of harms way.

Miles crawls toward Pard while keeping his head low. Bullets zip overhead. “Pard, are you all right?”

In a daze, Pard slowly shakes his head. “Selby!” He whirls around and paws the ground for her. Pard touches Selby’s leg, and her foot twitches.
 

“Pard?”

“Selby, are you hurt?”

“I—I think I’m all right.”

Pard hugs Selby in tight to protect her. “We need to get out of the castle. Can you move?”

“I think so.”

Still on all fours, Pard helps Selby turn away from the center of the cathedral and away from the action. “Keep your head low.”

“Are those gunshots?”

“Yes, keep your head down.” Pard turns forward and nods at Miles. “Lead the way, get us the hell out of here.”

“The light you cast,” Miles says, “the scorch thing, do you know what it does?”

“No idea, and I don’t want to find out—go!”

Miles scrambles on all fours toward the end aisle alongside the cathedral wall.

“What are you doing to my school?” Professor Videl says, standing in the middle of the action, waving his arms as if trying to settle a bunch of rowdy boys. “This is madness!”

“Professor? No.” Pard raises his vision above the back of the pews.

Eeva sneers and swings her whip back and thrusts it forward.

Crack
—

Pard springs off the ground and extends his hand. “No!”

The professor turns toward Pard, their eyes lock, and the professor says goodbye without moving his lips.
 

The orange orb encases his frail body.

Pard turns away unable to watch.

Selby yanks Pard back to the ground as another one of Eeva’s orange orbs shoots over his head.

“Professor…” Pard’s insides sink.

Selby pushes Pard’s butt to get him to budge. “Move!”

Pard grimaces as something inside of him dies. He scurries along the floor to catch up to Miles close to the end of the pew aisle.

“Eeva,” Alexa says, waving her hand, “time to go!” Alexa points at the skylight and circles her finger.

Eeva returns an understanding nod, snatches her pack, climbs up on the stage, kicks over Yitch’s throne, then darts to the back of the cathedral, disappearing through a crimson curtain and into a hallway.

Alexa turns to Penter. “Get the boy and hurry if you want to keep your skin!”

Pard, still crawling on the stone floor, his hands burn as heat radiates off the rock.

“It’s getting really hot in here,” Miles says, a bead of sweat tumbling down his hairline.

The two thousand-year-old blocks of stone hiss and crack and blacken.
 

“Ouch,” Selby says, patting the stone floor with her palms as she continues to shuffle forward.

Pard peeks over the pew behind him and a ray of light, to bright to directly look at, beams through the skylight and strikes the stage and the floor. The stone glows orange-and-yellow and the wood stage ignites into flames. Pard flinches. “
Guys
—
umm
—move faster!” Pard stands and yanks Selby to her feet.
 

Miles lunges forward and out of the aisle.
 

Penter dips to the side as a bullet zings past his head.

“To the oak doors!” Miles says, turning face to face with Penter. He jerks to a stop. “Shit.”

“Yeah, shit,” Penter says, as the flames engulf the stage and reflect off his black pupils. “You sure caused a real right mess today, Lord Marlow.”

Pard skids to a stop with Selby right behind him. He stares at Penter and anger swells deep inside, envisioning he’s responsible for killing the professor. Pard’s hands shake, and he makes an awkward fist, and without thinking, he lunges past Miles and swings his arms like a wild man.

Miles, emboldened by Pard’s attack, clinches his teeth and lets out a barbarous growl as he lunges forward and does the same. Both charge Penter at the same time.

Penter, cool and collected, gives a smirk and a snort.
 

Pard strikes Penter in his shoulder.
 

Miles barrels into Penter’s chest, sending Penter staggering backward.

Penter laughs as he tumbles to the side and into a pew aisle.

About to go at Penter again, Pard jerks back as Miles yanks him away.
 

Miles nods at the stage and then to the flames crawling up the ancient-painted stone walls. The walls and floor crack louder and blacken more with each passing second. Black smoke billows throughout the cathedral, and the flames jump from one pew to the next, igniting the wood in a fiery blaze.

Miles awkwardly stomps up and down, the scorching stone melting the soles of his shoes.

Pard stumbles forward and glances back at the stage as Yitch shoves a constable into the bonfire.

The man screams in horror as his body burns.

With hate in his eyes, Yitch eyes Pard, then he scowls as he slips out the back hallway, escaping.

Selby pushes Pard forward redirecting his focus. “Keep moving, Pard, we need to get out of the castle.”
 

Miles bulls through the giant oak doors and into the chaos of boys running in a panic through the hallways and foyer. He turns around, and Pard crashes into his chest and bounces off.

Selby screeches to a halt still holding onto Pard’s hand. “How do we get out of here, where are we going?”

“To the cave!” Pard says.
 

Miles gestures toward a door leading to the courtyard and out of Fairstone. “You two, go ahead, I need to get to my room and pack a few things. I’ll be just a few minutes behind you.”

Pard points at the burning walls and ceiling. “The castle is going to be an oven in a few minutes, and everyone stuck inside will cook.”

Miles eyes Pard’s pack. “You came prepared for the worst, I didn’t. Just go, you and Selby get out of here and get safe. I’ll be right behind you.” Miles winks at Pard. “I have my own way out, remember?”

Pard sighs and hugs Miles. “Be careful and good luck.”

“No time for sentiments now,” Miles says.
 

Pard lets go and moves away.

Miles gives Pard a nod as he walks away backward. “But good luck to you too—be careful.”

Pard grazes Selby’s hand, and she forces a smile to Miles.

Miles winks at her and spins away. “Go! I’ll meet you at the cave.”

Pard and Selby burst outside into the courtyard and don’t slow. They breathe heavy, their eyes fix on the small pebble and snow-covered path peeking through the edge of the evergreen forest.
 

At the entrance into the forest, Selby comes to a stop, and Pard does the same.
 

“We need to keep putting distance between us and the castle,” Pard says.

Selby glances back and forth between Pard and the forest. “I don’t know if I can go with you.”

“Why not? We’re in danger here, we need to keep moving.”

“You’re in danger, Pard, they’re after you, not me. So that thing the woman did with the light in the cathedral, was that the same light you used to kill Nero?”

“I don’t know,” Pard says, “it felt like something different. Like she was using me, but in control.”

“And what was that woman doing talking inside of my head?”

“I think technically all of you were inside of
my head
, but that’s just a guess. Somehow she connected to me with a light; maybe she’s a seeros too. But she had complete control of me then cast a spell that set Fairstone on fire.”

“How can she control you? That’s impossible.”

Pard looks down at the ground as he tries to remember what it felt like. “I don’t know, it was as if she had control of my body and used my energy to cast her will, that’s the best way I can explain it.”

“What did it feel like? Did it hurt?”

“It felt like nothing at first, except I was a puppet on a string. Then after I cast the light all my energy rushed out of my body, and I couldn’t breathe and my legs weakened.” Pard stares back at Fairstone. Black smoke billows into the sky forming dark menacing clouds. Flames ebb and flow extending high above the roof and turrets. Fires burst out the windows and the glass shatters, fire reining down melting the snow. Most of the boys stand well away from the castle, huddling in large groups watching on in shock and awe as the thousand-year-old school burns.

Pard sighs. “What have I done? And Professor Videl.” He lowers his forehead into his hands to hide his face in shame. “I destroyed everything.”

Selby moves in closer to Pard and removes his hands. “It wasn’t your fault. Look at me.” She stares into Pard’s sad eyes. “I have to get home to my mother. She probably heard about father by now and will be devastated.”

Pard forces a halfhearted smile. “I understand.” He glances toward the road paralleling the forest. “You should go, it’s not safe especially if you’re with me.”

Selby leans in closer.

Pard’s fear flees him for the moment, and he loses himself, focusing only on Selby’s lips. Pard leans in, and then, as if time stops, their lips touch. His insides warm, it’s the most strange and wonderful sensation he’s ever felt.

Boom—

Crash
—

One of Fairstone’s turrets crumbles and cascades to the ground into a smoldering dusty pile of flaming rubble.

Pard and Selby both snap out of their connection, and she inches away, with Pard not moving, still left wanting more.

“I better be off,” Selby says.

“Right, I know.”

Selby gently caresses Pard’s fingers. “Where will you go?”

“Far away from here.”

“If you ever come back to Greysin, you better come find me, Pard Wenerly.”

Pard smiles. “I never want to leave you.”

Selby beams and glances away, embarrassed and overjoyed at the same time. She turns back toward him, and her glowing smile turns into a concerned frown. “You be safe, Pard. Take good care of Miles, we both know he needs it.”

Pard purses his lips and nods. “I will, Selby. You should probably go now.”

Selby slowly backs away, her arms outstretch with Pard’s until only their fingertips touch. They slip apart.

“I’ll miss you, Pard Wenerly. I’ll always think of you.”

Pard sighs. “Me too, Selby Barrow, me too.”

Selby flicks her head toward the path. “Get moving before they come for you.”

Pard walks backward onto the snow-covered pebble path and into the pines. His eyes lock on Selby until the thick evergreens obscure her body, and then, as quickly as Pard’s love was found and fulfilled, it fades into the darkness of the canopy.

NO JOKING MATTER

Pard huddles in the Rue cave with his back against the hard, jagged rock, reliving the madness of the last two hours, from the joy of watching Miles Marlow’s epic defeat of Yitch, then him set free for the death of Nero, to the ensuing chaos he could never imagine in his wildest nightmarish dreams. Then Professor Videl and the others killed by Eeva, to his school and home destroyed in a fiery blaze, to the wonder of the most glorious sweetest sensation ever, Selby Barrow’s succulent lips, and just as fast, not having them pressed against his, and her gone, gone maybe forever, and now here he is, alone in the dark, damp, cold cave with nowhere to run with Eeva and Alexa and Penter and Star on the hunt for him.