Runebinder (The Runebinder Chronicles #1)(51)

“There’s no way,” Tenn said. “He’ll follow us. He’ll always follow us. I have to give myself up.”

“This is all very touching,” came Matthias’s voice. Light flared in the heart of the blizzard, a strobe that floated up into the air. Matthias was silhouetted inside it, the storm raging around him. “But if that is the best you can do, I’m afraid you are wasting your time.”

Snow turned to flame.

Dreya and Devon gasped as the magic was wrenched from their control. The world was red, and hot, and screaming, burning like the devil’s beating heart.

“I have to end this,” Tenn said.

“No,” Jarrett said. He glanced to the twins. “I do.”

He leaned in close and kissed Tenn fiercely on the lips.

Then he pushed Tenn away and, in a gust of power, rose into the air. Devon grabbed Tenn’s arms as he screamed, but Jarrett wasn’t listening. He shot forward, his Sphere blazing bright, wreathing him in power that burned like a comet. Straight toward Matthias.

“No!” Tenn screamed. He struggled against Devon, reached deep into Earth and made the whole world shudder. Water howled inside of him. He saw the two figures meet in the haze of fire, Jarrett glowing brighter than the sun, Matthias burning with equal fervor. They met in the space of a heartbeat, and when they collided, the world flashed white.

Then the twins surrounded him, wrapped their arms tight as they sandwiched themselves against him, and the world was replaced by screaming wind. Screaming wind and pain.

They flew.

Tenn struggled, or at least he tried, but the twins bound tight to him and something stronger held him in place, a barrier of Air that kept him still. Earth kicked in, some reflex he didn’t know he had, knitting his flesh back together. He didn’t want it to. He wanted the wind to tear him apart. He wanted to hurt.

He could do nothing but struggle.

The scream of wind was over in a heartbeat, and then they were on the ground, and the twins were pulling him forward. Running. Running. His limbs were numb and his brain was dead and it was the three of them, running in the snow, in the night, as the twins gasped and pulled him along and he stumbled drunkenly between them. He didn’t want to run. He had to go back. He had to go back.

They wouldn’t let him.

Jarrett.

Jarrett...

Moments later they were in a car. A huge SUV. They threw Tenn in the backseat and Devon jumped in the front and they were moving. Driving through the silent night. It was only then that the magic gagging Tenn vanished. Only then that he could force himself to sitting in the cold, hellish backseat.

Just him in the backseat.

“Take me back!” he screamed. Earth was still open, and when he yelled he lashed with power. The ground rumbled, making the car sway and veer. Still Devon raced forward.

Dreya turned and slapped him. Hard.

“Quiet!” she yelled. Air flared and wrapped around his throat, stilling the words in his lungs. Her chest was heaving and tears raced down her eyes.

“He is gone, Tenn,” she said. She didn’t break eye contact. A single tear fell down her face. “As he knew would happen. As he planned.”

Tenn struggled against the invisible bonds around him. Another flare of power, and another tremor vibrated through the car. This one weaker. Things weren’t clicking. Things weren’t clicking.

She didn’t raise her hand again. She barely raised her voice.

“He knew you were being chased,” she said steadily. “We had planned for this.” She gestured to the SUV. “We had this escape route ready. In case.” She swallowed. But she still didn’t look away. “In case Jarrett needed to get you out of there. He knew this would happen. And he knew he would die to keep you safe.”

Why me? Tenn wanted to ask. He couldn’t speak, even though she’d released his gag. His words were snarled in tears.

“Keep quiet. Do not use magic.” Her words were so quiet. Distant. Like she was repeating something Jarrett had told her. “We must keep you alive, no matter the cost. Do not let Jarrett’s death be in vain.”

The hum of the truck was quiet. Too quiet. Things weren’t clicking.

Then, suddenly, things were clicking.

Jarrett had died to save him.

Jarrett had died to save him.

Tenn’s world inked to black and fell away.

Jarrett was dead.

Jarrett was dead.

Jarrett is dead.





PART

2

    THE DEVIL’S MINIONS

    “We have turned our backs on the gods

and the gods

as one

have turned their backs on us.”

    —Rhiannon’s Diary.

1 P.R.





CHAPTER SIXTEEN

DO NOT LET his death be in vain.

Those words kept Tenn silent as they sped through the night. Devon veered back and forth through the snow, through the storm, but Tenn was past caring if they crashed or made it through. Air glowed in the twins’ throats, both to guide them and to gust the snow away. It was enough magic to be followed. It was enough to be seen by Matthias.

Tenn didn’t care about that. Let Matthias follow them; he had nothing left.

Jarrett had died to save him.

Jarrett had known he would die to keep Tenn safe.