Keeper(75)

My cry seemed to echo across the valley, and suddenly the heavens opened up and torrents of rain began to fall.





CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN


As the wave of energy left my body, I sagged and struggled to stay upright. I barely felt the raindrops on my skin. All at once, the overwhelming energy had completely evaporated, leaving me drained and depleted.

“Easy now,” Ty said, helping me to the ground.

“Ty,” I croaked, my throat both raw and dry, “where’s Maggie?”

“I’ll get her. Wait here.”

I leaned against the wall of the tiny building, breathing deeply. Had I done it?

Several minutes passed. I was too exhausted to move, but the sounds of bustling activity filled the air. Footsteps approached the building, and then Maggie’s face appeared.

“Styles?” she asked, her voice quavering.

“Maggie!” I winced a little as the movement caused a stabbing pain in my temple. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She knelt down and squeezed my hand. “All thanks to you. Ty was able to get everyone down. You saved us, Lainey.”

My brain was fuzzy on the details. I looked at Ty. “It worked?”

“It worked,” Ty said, his voice strained. His face was a hard mask, though he offered me a tiny smile. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay . . . I think.” I was exhausted, and every inch of me ached, but I was otherwise unscathed. I whipped my head toward the corn maze. A gentle rain was still falling, and the air was thick with smoke, but the orange haze was gone. “The fire?”

“Extinguished. Every last bit of it,” Maggie exhaled, breaking into a smile. “You really did it, Lainey.”

I looked to Ty for additional confirmation, and he nodded, though his face was still grim. A wave of relief rushed over me. “Are they okay? The people that were in the maze? Everyone else on the Ferris wheel?”

Maggie nodded. “I think so. I heard someone say there were injuries, but everyone was lucky.” She leaned over and squeezed my hand. “You saved them, Styles. It was so amazing. You conjured this huge storm, and in minutes, the flames were all out. They’re calling it a miracle.”

I sucked in a deep breath; the relief I felt was so tangible it was almost as if I could wrap my arms around it. I’d saved them, saved Maggie. Warmth spread through my body, and I smiled. “Well, it wasn’t just a miracle. It was magic.”

“Do you think you can stand?” Ty held out his hand. His eyes darted back and forth, and his shoulders were tense and rigid.

“The Scavengers. Are they still here?” I asked, allowing him to pull me to my feet. The movement unsettled my equilibrium and I swayed, but Maggie moved quickly to my side. “I got you, Styles.”

“Yes, I think so. We need to get out of here.” Ty peered around the building shielding us from view.

“Did they see me?”

Ty shook his head. “No, I made sure of that. But . . .” He stopped, listening to something too low for my ears to hear.

“The Scavengers are here?” Maggie squeaked, struggling to support my sagging weight.

Ty moved to my other side and wrapped a strong arm around me. I leaned against him, trying to relieve Maggie. “Yes. The fire was magical,” I explained.

“I can’t be sure,” Ty continued. “But there are three men that keep looking in our direction. One of them is wearing a black hat. I think the smoke is confusing them, but they keep sniffing the air.”

My heart nearly stopped. “They’re tracking me.”

Ty nodded. “I think so.”

“What are we gonna do?” Maggie squealed. “If we try to run they’ll see us.”

Lainey.

I jumped at the sound of my name, but I wasn’t afraid—I’d know that voice anywhere. Josephine. I turned, and there she was, standing a few feet away, her fierce gazed locked on my face.

“Is it them?” I whispered. “Did they find me?”

Josephine nodded gravely.

Lainey. Her voice inside my head was growing louder. Lainey! My name whispered over and over until it was as if Josephine was shouting in my mind.

I sucked in a breath and gripped the front of Ty’s shirt. “Ty, we have to go now!” I grabbed Maggie’s hand, yanking her close. “Josephine’s here to warn me. It’s definitely Scavengers.”

Ty’s face was serious, his features hard and focused. “Right.” He turned to Maggie. “We’ll have to try to outrun them.” He tightened his grip around my waist. “You ready?”

Maggie nodded, wrapping her own arm around me, my weight supported between them.

“Okay then . . . now!”

We began to run.

The gravel parking lot was fairly empty. I glanced around, desperate for a cop or anyone who might be able to help us, but now that the fire was out, the authorities were herding people back toward the main entrance, taking down statements and checking for injuries. Most people were moving back toward the carnival grounds, while we were moving away.

Flashing red and blue lights illuminated the sky. Ty stuck close to the tree line, trying to stay hidden in the shadows of the parked cars. My head was throbbing, and though he and Maggie were trying to be gentle with me, the jostling from the running wasn’t helping.