Mystics 3-Book Collection (62 page)

“Life’s not fair, kid,” sneered the man.
“Get used to it.”

“Right.” Zoey backed away. It would be a
challenge to anticipate the movements of two whips.

The man raised his arms, and shot his whips
forward. With a thunderous crack, the whips flashed towards Zoey
like green and red lightning bolts.

“Crap.”

She ducked and spun, and the green whip
lashed beside her. She jerked away and stumbled—and the red one got
her. White-hot pain exploded around her waist and she flew into the
air, hovered for a second, and then came crashing down into a snow
bank. The red whip was worse. Its electricity burned through her
clothes and attacked her skin like acid. She hacked at the whip
with the end of her boomerang. But it was too thick, and she
couldn’t break it loose.

Crack!

A flash of green caught her eye, and the
second whip wound around her like a twister. It pinned her arms to
her sides. She dropped her boomerang, and toppled over.

“You’re mine now, kid.”

The man raised his arms, and Zoey flew up in
the air like a kite on the end of a string. The whips squeezed, and
she felt her last breath escape. She couldn’t even cry out for help
as she gasped for air. She could hear his laughter until she hit
the snow again.

And then two Alphas fighting an agent
crashed into them.

It was the distraction she needed.

The whips’ hold slackened just enough for
her to grab her boomerang and hurl it at the man with the whips.
The golden boomerang spun like a golden Frisbee and whacked him in
the neck with such force that it sliced his neck like a sword. His
hands went to his throat, his eyes rolled into the back of his
head, and he toppled over like a dead tree.

Zoey wiggled free from the hot whips, but
felt a presence behind her. She whirled around.

Deathray smiled at her. “You’re a killer, I
see. I was wrong about you. Maybe you should be a part of our team
after all.”

“I’ll never be part of your team.” Zoey
threw her boomerang and it spun straight towards Deathray’s head.
But she caught it easily and threw the boomerang into the snow.

She grinned at Zoey again.

“Lasher was an idiot and lacked the key
elements of self-control. He was cocky, and that was his weakness.
But I’m not so easily defeated.”

Deathray slammed into Zoey like a bull, and
Zoey slipped in the snow and rolled over, just as Deathray’s boot
landed an inch from her face. She scrambled to her feet and
backhanded the woman right across the jaw.

Blood flew from Deathray’s mouth, and she
spat onto the snow.

“Not bad, not bad for a beginner,” said
Deathray, protecting her red globe like a newborn child.

“Not bad for a freak show,” growled
Zoey.

Deathray moved so fast that Zoey didn’t have
time to react. She kicked Zoey in the face, and she fell to her
knees.

“It’s time to teach you a lesson, little
girl,” said Deathray. A beam of red light shot towards Zoey.

Zoey dodged the beam, rolled on the ground,
and came up fighting. She hit Deathray’s cheek with her fist, but
was caught with a boot in the ribs. She staggered back and managed
to avoid another shot of red light. She swung a punch but missed,
and Deathray’s boot crunched against her ribcage again. Zoey
screamed in pain and went sprawling on the ground.

“I see they’ve trained you well,” Deathray
smiled. “I’m enjoying this fight, but it won’t last long. I’m going
to enjoy seeing your death-face before you die.” Her globe glowed
red in her hand.

Zoey sprang to her feet and closed her eyes
as Deathray fired her globe. She could feel the beam of red light
on her eyelids, feel it trying to get in—but she held on. She heard
the crunch of snow nearing her and fired her boomerang in the
direction of the noise.

She heard a scream, and the heat left her
face. She opened her eyes.

Deathray lay on the snow with her globe in
the snow next to her.

Zoey leaped on top of her, but Deathray
rolled over, kicked Zoey in the stomach and punched her in the
face. As Zoey staggered back, Deathray’s boot came at her again,
but Zoey blocked it with her forearm and hit Deathray with a
sidekick.

Deathray staggered back and laughed. She
clapped her hands excitedly.

Zoey’s breath tore at her ribs. “This isn’t
a game,” she spat angrily.

“It is to me, little girl. It’s a game that
I intend to win.” She raised her red globe again.

Zoey ducked to protect herself, but she
wasn’t fast enough.

When the red beam first hit her it was like
she’d stuck her finger in an electrical socket and her body jerked
with the shock. But then an absolute horror spread through her.
Images of torture, madness, and horror took over her mind, until
she thought she might go mad. She saw people she cared about die
horrible deaths.

Zoey screamed like she’d never screamed
before and saw death staring right at her. Zoey toppled over into
the snow. She rolled over and tried to get up, but she collapsed.
She could hear laughter, and hot tears rolled down her icy cheeks.
Was this what dying was like? She could hear screams in the
distance, but then she realized that they were her own.

She was cold, so cold. She thought she heard
the sound of hooves. Her madness was tricking her. Suddenly, relief
washed over her like a hot bath, and the pain and the visions ended
abruptly. She felt life return to her body. She opened her
eyes.

A flaming horse stood in the snow in front
of her.

“
G
et back, you
miserable beast,” roared Deathray, “I’ll show you pain you’ve never
experienced, you filthy monster. Die!”

She shot her hand forward, and a red beam
sped towards the horse.

“No!” screamed Zoey.

The red light struck the animal in the face.
The horse staggered back, swinging its mane from side to side. Zoey
thought the horse would die, but it planted its feet and turned its
head. Its eyes blazed red, and they fixed on Deathray. With a wild
neigh, the horse’s orange flames turned white-hot, and it charged
the woman with terrifying power.

Deathray screamed as the flaming horse
ploughed into her. Zoey heard a horrible snap, and the woman flew
in the air and tumbled into the snow. Zoey pushed herself to her
feet and moved towards the woman. Deathray’s head was twisted
around backwards so that her face looked out over her back, and her
chest was in the snow.

The horse whinnied loudly. Zoey turned
around. She could see the death beam of the red globe glowing
beneath the snow. The horse flared its nostrils and smashed the
globe into a powdered mess with its front hooves.

Zoey moved towards the horse. It stood still
and waited for her. She raised her hand and gently stroked the
animal’s neck.

“Thank you, my friend. You saved my
life.”

Gradually, the horse’s white-hot flames
subsided to orange. The horse rested its great head on Zoey’s
shoulder, and she wrapped her hands around the beast’s neck and
buried her face in its fiery mane. She was surprised that its
flames tickled her like warm fur.

“I was wondering if I’d ever see you again.
I guess you heard me cry out, didn’t you?”

The horse whinnied.

“Good boy. I wish I knew your name—”

Battle cries interrupted her. In the
distance Zoey could see that the Alphas were gaining ground from
the agents. Most of the bodies in the snow were agents. Her family
was in trouble, and she had to help them. Zoey picked up her
boomerang, and when she turned around, the horse lowered itself to
its knees. Zoey understood.

“I have to warn you, I’ve only ridden on a
pony, once - at the village fair. And I fell.”

She hesitated. There was no saddle, no
bridle, and no reins.

“This is going to be interesting.”

She wrapped her hands around the long orange
mane, swung her right leg over the horse’s back, and hauled herself
up.

The horse straightened up and walked around.
Zoey was surprised at how easily she stayed on. It was almost as
though the horse was doing the balancing for her, and keeping her
safe on its back.

“Well, I don’t know what else to say
but—
giddy up
!”

Together, Zoey and the horse galloped
towards the battle. With her left hand wrapped in the horse’s mane,
she held her boomerang in her right hand like a sword.

She spotted Tristan. Four Alphas were
attacking him with gleaming black swords. Tristan had backed away
and was countering and blocking, but Zoey could see that he was
tiring. An Alpha slashed his sword towards Tristan’s neck, faster
than her eye could follow, but he batted it away with his
blade.

“Hurry! Tristan needs our help!” cried Zoey.
Somehow she knew that the horse knew exactly who she meant.

Snow lifted on either side of them like
great waves of white, and Zoey thought for sure they were
flying
. They reached Tristan in seconds. The Alphas backed
away when they saw the great horse, but then they closed in and
jabbed and slashed at them.

The horse didn’t appreciate their attack. It
twisted around and struck the two Alphas in the chest with its hind
legs. They rocketed backwards and collapsed into the snow like
broken dolls.

Zoey used the distraction to hurl her
boomerang at the two remaining Alphas. It hit them on their
foreheads and knocked them to the ground. They stayed down.

She caught her returning boomerang and
looked down at Tristan.

“Impressive,” said Tristan, a little out of
breath. Blood stained his body from his many cuts, but they didn’t
seem to bother him. He examined the horse with admiration.

“Firesteeds are considered wild and
untamable. I’m surprised he let you ride him. He’s a rare and
beautiful animal.”

Zoey patted the horse’s neck and felt an
immediate connection with her fiery friend.

“Well, he’s my friend. And I’m his. He saved
my life. I wish I knew what to call him—”

“He has a name,” said Tristan.

Zoey stared at him. “I won’t bother asking
how you know, but what is it?”

“Firefax,” said Tristan. The horse raised
its great head and neighed, almost as though it was nodding.

Zoey grinned. “Firefax - so that’s your
name, eh? It’s beautiful, and it really suits you, too.” She patted
the horse’s neck gently.

“Zoey, listen,” said Tristan worriedly. “I
can’t find Simon anywhere. I don’t want to think the worst—”

“Then don’t,” said Zoey.

“We’ll find him, he’s gotta be here
somewhere. Maybe he needs our help. Come on, Firefax!”

Zoey and the Firesteed galloped into the
nearest battle, and Tristan ran behind them.

The horse knocked down approaching Alphas
like bowling pins, and Zoey whacked them with her boomerang. She
saw Agent Barnes punch an Alpha woman with white eyes and yellow
claws. He then gave Agent Lee a high-five, pushed him sideways, and
hit another Alpha with his gun.

She spotted Director Hicks waving a large
sword like a skilled swordsmen. He moved swiftly and with grace—no
small feat, considering his large girth. He thrust and lashed out
at his enemies strongly. Zoey was impressed.

For a moment, she felt that they might
actually
win the fight.

But then her hopes were destroyed as she saw
that the red uniforms were really overwhelming the tired agents and
their mystic counterparts. One by one, they started to
collapse.

She searched the battle and spotted Mrs.
Dupont. She hadn’t moved since the start of the battle, and her
expression was triumphant. Zoey realized in horror that they were
losing.

Suddenly, people shouted and pointed to the
sky.

Zoey followed their gaze…

Three large spaceships hovered over the
Hive.

For a second, Zoey thought these were more
of Mrs. Dupont’s supporters coming to finish them off. But then she
realized that she had seen these craft before—she had even ridden
in one of them.

Their yellow cab lights flashed with the
words:
Don’t mess with the Aleeans!
The circular,
smoky-green craft soared down close to the ground and started
firing precise green lasers at the Alphas. Once the agents and
directors had recovered from their shock, they backed away and gave
the cabs room to do their jobs.

Mrs. Dupont shouted orders, and then a
helicopter was in the air. But two of the spacecraft raced towards
it and shot it down. Then they fired upon the rest of the
stationary helicopters until most of them were smoking and
broken.

A craft came whipping towards Zoey and
Tristan. It hovered above them, and then the passenger’s window
rolled down.

“Dudes, I knew this would work!” beamed
Simon.

Zoey scowled. “If I weren’t so happy to see
you, Simon, I could
kill
you.”

Then she smiled. “So that’s where you
disappeared to. Awesome idea, just saying.”

Simon looked smug. “I know. I’m as awesome
as they get. Why are you sitting on a horse?”

A grayish humanoid creature with yellow eyes
leaned forward from the driver’s seat. “You guys need a ride?”

“Ah, no, thanks. But thank you, Kirk,” said
Zoey. “Thank you for helping us.”

“
We only do battle when we
have no choice,” said Kirk.

Zoey and Tristan shared a look but said
nothing.

Kirk reached down and handed them two black
t-shirts. “Gotta have a T-shirt. Simon’s wearing his.”

Simon grinned and pointed to his black UFO
T-shirt. “Thought it’d help with the whole flying saucer
theme—”

The ground shook. One of the spacecraft
crashed into the snow behind them in an explosion of snow, smoke,
and fire. The Alphas cheered and then attacked the pilot. Zoey
recognized his gray skin and potbelly. She could see his green
T-shirt as he ducked and managed to run away.