United (Magics AU - Part 1)

Chapter 47 - Chase

As Artemis and Rachel helped Caynen sit up out of his awkward position on the floor, Chase stood firmly by the closed doors with his hands pressed up against them. Though his Light barricade was indeed keeping the Shadowbeasts from getting to them, Chase knew that it wouldn't last - his magic wasn't nearly as powerful as his father's or Caynen's. As much as Chase wanted to scream at his new companions to find a way out, he figured that Caynen would hardly be able to stand even with assistance. They were stuck, which meant that Chase had to put his all into the shield to protect everyone inside. 

Chase gritted his teeth as a Shadowbeast slammed itself against the doors, sending aching pain racing up Chase's arms and shoulders. He didn't have to look behind him to know that Abby was watching him nervously and concernedly, probably biting her lip like she normally did when she was anxious. 

"Caspian," Amy's voice suddenly snapped, and Chase risked a glance over his shoulder. The tracker was knelt beside Caynen like she had been peering at his back, but she was looking over at Caspian, who was handing the king a glass of water, with an anxious and frustrated scowl. "You wouldn't happen to have a possible escape route, just in case, I don't know, you're ever trapped in the kitchen with ugly beasts just outside trying to kill you?" 

"Or just a fire," Falte suggested from his spot by Kai, who had raised himself to an alert crouch. 

"Yeah, that too," Amy agreed with a short tilt of her head. "Well, do you?" she asked hastily and snappily to Caspian.

The chef leapt to his feet and nodded, but suddenly the enthusiastic demeanor was gone again. Caspian glanced shortly over at Caynen, who had one hand over his eyes, and then up to the doors that Chase was guarding. 

"There's just a couple problems," Caspian said eventually, wringing his fingers in front of him. "We would have to move quickly, and I'm not entirely sure he can do that." He gestured shortly to the Light on the floor. "And we can't just leave him behind to hold the doors while we flee for our lives." He pointed vaguely to Chase, who huffed and turned his attention toward the door again. 

"Just tell me where to go," Chase said over his shoulder without looking back, "and I'll be right behind you after I buy you some time." 

"We're not just going to do that," the librarian's voice said sternly, and Chase looked back to find Falte frowning firmly at him. "The beasts could get to you before you had the chance to get out of here." 

Abby, who was standing a few paces behind Chase and to the right a bit, nodded vigorously, her eyes wide and scared. 

"First of all," Chase argued, "I would be fine. Second, I can teleport there. Just tell me where to go," he repeated to Caspian, harsher this time. 

"You would not 'be fine'," Caynen suddenly said roughly, lifting his head away from his hand and glaring at Chase. "There is no 'fine' with them." He gestured shortly to the closed door, behind which several Shadowbeasts were scraping their claws into Chase's shield. 

"I would teleport before they could get to me," Chase shot back flatly, setting his jaw and trying not to grimace as a Shadowbeasts slammed again into the shield. He forced more power into the shield as the Shadowbeasts' claws threatening to rip open the threads of Light Magic. 

"Then we must leave now," Caynen said shortly, putting both hands at his sides in a move to rise. "You're going to exhaust yourself before you can teleport away if you keep that-" 

If Caynen continued speaking, the rest of it was drowned out by a sudden clogging in Chase's ears, which was followed by pain like blazing fire torching his whole body. A scream of agony that sounded like his own voice thundered in his ears, and the world around him turned into a black haze that he couldn't blink away. The pain in his body was like acid burning out his insides, so horrendously tormenting that Chase couldn't tell if he fell backward or remained standing. The only thing he felt was the fire.