The Curse (Belador #3)(88)

Ignoring her, Kardos assessed the Lieutenant, shaking his head. “Nothing that will touch this bunch. Mine are better outdoors, but we can try the Halloween one I did last year.”

Could they not hear her? “Do not be stupid.”

Kell gave her a withering look and muttered, “Says the person who followed two witches into a troll trap after I tried to send you away.”

Kell was only angry because he worried for her, so she teased him, “Good thing for you I have not time to turn you into bug.”

Kardos piped up, “You mean a frog, princess?”

His brother said, “Shut up, Kardos.”

“More like toad, in your brother’s case,” she muttered, then said to both of them, “I can not stop Svart if you interfere. Be quiet or you get me killed.”

Kellman shook his head. “Don’t.”

“Listen to me. I must give my cousin time to find us. Trust me. I can do this and no one gets hurt.” Except maybe her.

In spite of the skeptical look in his eyes, Kell said, “You’re sure?”

“Yes. Be ready and do what I say.”

Lanna took a deep breath and whispered the chant for her cloaking. What she was about to do would lead Grendal to her. Mattered not. She had to help the others. But how long until he found her once she drew hard on the earth’s power?

She whispered a second chant and forced energy into the chain holding her and Kell. When the links snapped, she grabbed his arm and watched him vanish.

Kardos sputtered, eyes rounded with shock.

The Lieutenant stopped mid-stride, staring at where she had sat seconds ago. He roared with fury, then looked up and down, turning in a circle.

“Do not let go of me,” she hissed, dragging Kell with one hand, using her other to grab the chain holding Kardos and the man who had been unconscious in the truck. Pushing her power into the chain, she watched it fall apart.

The man whose phone she’d used jumped up and ordered, “Get out of here while you can. Beladors are coming.”

Was he Belador? Had to be. He meant for her and Kell to leave because they were invisible. But she would not leave Kardos, and neither would Kell.

Svarts charged across the room.

The Lieutenant swung around to attack the Belador man yelling at her. This crazy man lifted hands and shoved at the air, which stopped the Svart. Kinetic power.

His kinetics slowed the Svarts, but he was losing ground.

Lanna ran down the line of captives, breaking chain after chain. Prisoners jumped up and ran in all directions.

The Svarts beat back Belador man’s kinetics, forcing him into corner.

She started toward him. Her cloaking failed.

“Grab her now!” the Lieutenant yelled, pointing at Lanna.

Kell and Kardos rushed over to each side of Lanna, ready to fight with her.

She felt light-headed from tapping her powers, but she needed them again to put strong force behind the spell she had in mind. Raising her arms, she began chanting Russian words.

The boys picked up the singsong words as she repeated them and joined the chant.

Lightning crackled, shooting across the room, popping against every surface.

Svarts froze, looking around until their leader shoved past the group, not worried about the bad weather inside.

His face twisted with rage.

Anything more violent that Lanna could call up might kill everyone inside. She looked into the Svart’s eyes and prepared to die. She said to Kell, “I have new plan. You and Kardos dive away when I say.”

That might give the boys a chance to survive.

“No.” Kell squeezed her fingers, then released her as the Svarts created a wall enclosing them, moving cautiously toward her after that lightning display.

Power exploded into the room.

The Svarts wheeled around as one unit and chaos erupted.

Lanna sagged with relief. “I told you cousin would come.”

“Evalle’s here, too,” Kellman said absently. “And she’ll want us to stay out of their way.”

Sounded good to Lanna, who had lowered her arms when the Lieutenant had turned his back to face the incoming threat.

He swung around and moved fast as a lightning strike, grabbing Lanna by the throat.





THIRTY




Beladors and VIPER agents scattered across the basement, attacking in teams of two, but not linking. Too high a risk that a Svart might rip off a head and kill all the linked Beladors with one strike. Evalle held the Nyght weapon, ready to blast a troll the minute a team had one beaten back. The weapon used a laser-delivered technology that entered the body and raced through the blood system, exploding internal organs. But it moved from one living thing to the next if two or more beings were connected, killing everyone that touched the target.

A Belador shouted telepathically and she wheeled to find a Svart pushed back by four Beladors shoving a kinetic wall at it. She squeezed the trigger and the Svart turned rigid and shook as if he’d been hit by high-voltage current.

She searched the room quickly for Kellman and Kardos but couldn’t see past the battling trolls and agents to find them or a young girl fitting Lanna’s description. Fourteen captives had raced out, screaming that the trolls were feeding.

Evalle couldn’t be too late for the boys or Lanna.

Quinn had been told to search any troll mind he could, but from the strain on his face he wasn’t having much luck.