Gifted Ones

Chapter 24 Haven

The light around us is electric blue, just bordering on royal. It shoots out around us in seemingly random directions, hitting the walls, the piles of stone, and the shattered floor, sending chunks of rock flying as if there was dynamite embedded just under the surface. Each strike is accompanied by a bang like the sound of fireworks going off, just magnified a hundred times. Everything is a blur of light and sound as the strikes pick up in speed and strength, every explosion bigger than the last. It's horrifying, awe-inspiring, and beautiful.

I watch it all from my place on the floor, an arm half thrown over my face to protect myself, but I can still see the rest of the cavern. We are just inside the entrance of what was previously the weapons cave, just out of reach of the lightning strikes, but not far enough to avoid the debris Chase is throwing around the room. Huge chunks of rock hit on either side of us, raining down like absurdly large pieces of hail. But none of them hit my father and I, for some reason. After a minute I realize that my dad has thrown up some sort of shield to protect us. I had almost forgotten that he was a Mage.

I feel a shift and the weight on top of me is suddenly gone. A hand grips my shoulder and I'm hauled to my feet, stumbling into the cave and away from the strikes. The sound from the explosions is so deafening I can't hear anything else, but I see the other clan members grabbing my arms and pulling me in, their mouths moving frantically without sound. As soon as I join the others I spin around to find my dad. He leans against the back wall with his hands on his knees, chest heaving. I can see a long scratch down his back, splitting the fabric of his jacket and staining the edges with blood. It must've happened right before he set up a shield of energy. He's hurt. Chase hurt him. A surge of anger rips through me, but it disappears as soon as I look as him, the source of the lightning.

Chase lies almost on top of Matthew, hands clutching at the boy's jacket until they turn white. A sphere of light surrounds them, growing larger and larger as the strikes increase in frequency. Chase doesn't move from the floor, but his shaking gets worse and worse until he's almost convulsing with each strike. He looks completely out of control of his power. I don't think I've been scared of him since he first showed me the levitating books, but I'm terrified of him now, this outlet of limitless power in front of me.

Kara and her mother are hunched over on the floor, leaning against each other for support. Garret just looks shocked, his expression one of horror as he looks at the two boys who might as well have been his sons. Annalise stares at them like a mouse might stare at a cat, with a mixture of fear and recognition. Her hands tremble uncontrollably, even as she presses them against her thighs in the attempt to still them. Tears shine in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She's whispering something, but I can't tell what it is. She's seeing herself in Chase, and Jonathan in Matthew. Everyone's been shaken badly.

The strikes pick up drastically all of the sudden, increasing to the point where you can hardly tell one from the next as they echo out into the chamber. The sphere has nearly doubled in size, taking up almost a quarter of the room. The light is so bright I can barely see Chase at its center, just a small dark spot amidst the blue energy. And as the sound rises to a climax, he disappears completely. For just one second the lightning stops, and everything is silent except a high pitched ringing in my ears. Then the sphere explodes in one giant wave of energy and a burst of light bright enough to blind a person. I squint my eyes shut as it breaks straight through the barrier, sending me flying back against the wall. Pain shoots up my back and shoulders before I fall to the ground, just catching myself with my hands. And then, just like that, the light fades away and everything is still once more.

My body feels abused and tortured, particularly my neck. It takes me a second to get up, leaning first on my elbows, then my knees. I'm gasping for breath, shaking all over. I feel battered.