Mine to Fear (Mine #3)(51)
Chadwick checks out front, then says, “It's clear.”
Jack leads the way, herding the group of twenty-five people out of the building and through the expanse of nothing but dirt and weeds toward the forest. I help a woman in the middle who, despite the rest, can barely walk. Chadwick brings up the back, and the others are scattered throughout.
My heart is breaking as I try to help the woman while watching the others around me. What type of madman is the Grand Chancellor? Why would anyone help him do this?
We're about halfway to the forest when Jack calls out, “Run!”
He turns toward the right where a warlock is coming out of the forest opposite of where we're going. I pick up the woman I was helping and sprint to the forest. As soon as we're safely in the trees, I set her down. “Ask the first person who comes through here to give you a hand.”
And I'm off, trying not to worry about her. There isn't time.
Cynthia, Lukas, and Chadwick are spelling the warlock who's now attacking them, while Jack is hurrying the people to the forest.
I rush toward the back of the group where two people have fallen behind. A burst of dark blue mixed with purple zips through the guarding spells and passes a few feet in front of me.
That was too close. I make it to the two stragglers. Both are thin, but with two of them I can't do any carrying. I put an arm under each of them, wincing at how scrawny they feel beneath my arms.
We take off running, the two are able to go faster now that I'm helping, but it’s still not fast enough. A second spell slams into the woman on my left. She collapses to the ground, gasping. The other person I was helping yells for me to take care of the woman and does their best trotting toward the forest.
Drat my being too focused on the end goal. I dive toward the woman, doing my best to protect her from any more incoming spells. She coughs several times. No more spells come our way, but the others have a flurry flying around them. It looks as though a second warlock has joined our attacker.
“I'm fine,” the woman gasps out.
She doesn't sound well at all, but I scoop her up in my arms and hustle toward the protection the forest offers. Jack is coming for the other person I was helping. We're the last four to make it to the forest.
Cynthia casts a spell so bright it's blinding. I can't see at all where I'm going, but I keep on running. As my vision comes back, I'm almost to the forest. I say a silent thanks that I didn't trip on the way over. As soon as I think that, I go flying toward the ground.
Time seems to slow. All I can think is curse my luck. I roll my body and the women I'm carrying so I'll land on my back with her on top. My back hits a sharp rock, and time speeds back up.
“Ow.” Nothing wants to move. None of my body seems to understand the danger we're in, only pain. Sharp, jagged pain. The woman stands and tries to help me up. Her feeble attempts aren't nearly enough to get me off the ground, but they are enough to get my body to remember the urgency we're under.
“I'm fine. Get to the forest.” She hesitates only a moment before following my direction.
Those we saved are all in the forest. Jack comes back, grabs my hand, and yanks me off the ground. “Don't you dare fall again.”
As we run, I huff back, “I don't plan on it.”
He puts a hand on my back, helping me toward the trees. As soon as we make it, I turn toward the fight. Only, there is no more fight. The warlocks are both on the ground and the others are running toward us. But not all are well. Chadwick is cradling his left arm like it's been injured.
“Keep them going,” Cynthia yells.
Jack races into action. It takes me a moment longer. My instinct says to check on Chadwick, to see how injured he is. But he's a grown man. He can take care of himself for the moment while I help others who need my help more than he does. I turn and follow Jack, helping him to get the people moving.
Behind us, Cynthia calls out. I turn toward her. She's running toward us, two forms on the ground behind her.
“Go!” she yells.
The lumps on the ground don't get up to follow. Jack slows to cover our tracks, and Cynthia helps him. I stay where I am, helping the people move on. It's going to be a very long journey back to the cave, especially if we're avoiding capture.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
It takes several days to return to the cave, but we eventually make it in the end. Whether it's due to not being chased or Cynthia and Jack's excellent track-covering skills, we aren't followed. Chadwick's arm is tender, but not as badly injured as I first suspected and easily fixed. All in all, it was a fairly successful, if not what I was expecting, break out.
The hardest trick is not thinking on what I saw. My dreams are nothing but nightmares now. Me locked up to that horrid machine. Or worse yet, those I care about locked up to the machine and being unable to help them.
The nightmares continue to haunt me as Bethany, Cynthia, Tawny, and Serena help me get the newest members settled. Good places to rest and plenty of food and drink. More than we can afford to give them, really, but with their weakened state, I don't know how we can't give it to them.
As I hand one man a bowl of stew, tears fill his eyes. “Thank you for saving us.”
“It was the least we could do,” I reply, my own eyes tearing in response. “You shouldn't have been put in that situation anyway.”