Silver King

Chapter 18 - Mare

I scream as Cal falls on the floor, knocked out by the electromagnetic wave that destroyed the hallway. I taste a metallic tang, but I lick it away. I fall to my knees, and I try to shake Cal. Please wake up. Please, please, please, wake up. You can't leave me now.

He groans slightly, or maybe I only imagine it because he doesn't stir a muscle. I throw my head on his chest, but my heart is pounding too hard in my head for me to hear anything. I jerk up, and take his wrist in my hands.

I feel a pulse. I could cry of joy right now. Instead I drag him into his room, lay him on his bed, to make sure he's safe. Then I set off.

I can still feel the electromagnetic wave through my ears, in my brain, pulsating blindly. But it doesn't affect me at all.

I push open door after door, every time seeing people in the same state as Cal. My heart tightens in my chest.

I set my goal to be to find the origin of the pulsing wave, because it's driving me crazy. Trouble is, I never know where I am or where to go, because the hallways have crumbled or have been permanently disfigured.

Why am I not affected? This isn't what I can do, this isn't just electricity or lightning or something an electricon can control. It doesn't do anything to me, but I can't grasp it to control it, to make it stop. It's liquefying my brain.

I run through the hallways, I run and I run. This is a maze. Fortunately, I know that maze well, thanks to Cal. Cal, who is now laying unconscious in his bed, like everyone else in this castle. Everyone except me.

I finally make my way outside, to the garden designed for all the special events. I vaguely remember Maven and Iris' wedding taking place here. If someone is letting that wave out, they must be here. That, or they're much more powerful than I think they are. Which is just as scary as coming face to face with them just about now.

They're not more powerful than I thought. I see someone, to the far end of the square, stretched out, hands pulsating to the same rhythm I hear pounding in my head and my chest. I sprint up to them, sending a bolt of purple lightning to their back. The person topples over, and the wave calms down before vanishing. I strike once again, approaching the figure slowly.

" Who are you? " I ask firmly, my hands still outstretched in front of me defensively.

" H- How did - How did you resist th - this? "

" You're not exactly in a good position to bargain, if you know what I mean. " I reply, little sparks appearing at my hands.

The person - I've now seen it's a she - sighs and closes her eyes, regaining her breath. I don't want her to. I send a small spark to her chest. She swears.

" Will you - stop! "

She's got nerve, that's for sure.

" You're the one knocking people off where she isn't supposed to even be. You answer my questions. "

" Who the bloody hell are you? "

I scoff. She clearly doesn't understand.

" I said, I'm the one asking questions here. Who are you? "

She sighs. I think she's finally understood.

" All right. All right. I'm Abigail Clencher. Now who are you? "

" I'm not bleeding done. What are you? " I push on.

" Newblood. My dad was a Silver, a Magnetron. My mom was a newblood too, she had lightning powers. "

" Was? "

" Died, both of them. The Samos blokes killed 'em last year. "

" I'm sorry. "

" Nah. I'm over it. "

It startles me. Over it?

" Well, then what are you doing here? " I ask, regaining my composure.

" Knocking people out to wreck the elections. "

Blatant honesty makes me uncomfortable. I'm in my element when people lie, I'm good at seeing through them. I don't understand why anybody would ever be honest for something like this.

" Why? "

" Got paid. "

" Who paid you? "

" Wow, wow, woman, now you're trying to make me break professional secret. "

She smirks, and I know I'm starting to lose patience.

" Look, I'm not letting you wreck the elections. So you either tell me now, or later under much worse circumstances. It's your choice. "

" I don't think you'll hurt me. "

" Did you forget when you were pleading for me to stop? "

" I- Well. It's a risk I'll have to take. 'Cos I'm not telling you anything. "

" You just told me who you were, what you were, and what you were doing here, " I say as I count on my fingers, " It wouldn't change that much - to you - to say who hired you, as well. "

" Like I said, it's a risk I'm willing to take. I don't think you'll hurt me anything close to what they'd do if they found out I'd talked. "

" Well then. Alright. Violence wins, then? "

" Looks like it. "

She lunges for me, but I'm much faster. I pin her to the ground and I hear a crack. It's a choice she made when she decided not to say anything. I send a jolt of electricity down her arms, and as she convulses I grab her wrists and twist them closer together in her back as soon as she rolls over. I jerk her on her feet, she's still shaking from my lightning. I push her in the back to make her understand she needs to walk. She does reluctantly, her pace steady but slow.

People must be starting to wake up by now. I wonder if they'll know what happened to them, why they collapsed. I wonder if Cal will wonder why he is on his bed and not in the hallway. I wonder if they'll be ok.

Author's Note: After a long time of barely posting, I'm happy to say I am now finding more time to write, and I'm already almost finished writing part 19, so it should be up there soon, probably on Monday. I hope you like this one, and everything that's to come. I am aiming for about 25 chapters, so I'm almost done, which I'm really excited about! I hope you all have a nice weekend! Love you guys!