The Gifted

Chapter Eight: Defenseless

My presence seemed to make the fire flare to life even more, forcing me to stumble back on the stairs. Running back up to the hallway, I forced open door after door, calling for Flint, Enoch, or Devon. Gods above, I'd even be grateful for Kane.

So far all the rooms I checked were empty. Were they already out? They should have known something was going on by now. The smoke was becoming worse and the temperature was rising due to the fire downstairs.

A girl screamed from behind one of the doors. I ran to it and tried shoving it open. There was some resistance but it suddenly gave way, allowing me inside the room. Lying on the floor, tied up, and crying, was the girl that had served our food. I went to untie the cloth from around her mouth. She was mumbling, frantically trying to tell me something. However, my fingers stumbled over the knot and I was too slow and her warning too late. "Behind you!"

A pair of strong arms encased my own and I struggled as they hauled me up off the floor. "Barlow, get in here!", the man called. Another man came in the room, a blade stained red in one of his hands. "Did you get everyone?" Everyone? My heart quickened.

"Please, these people were easy targets. Weak from the smoke. Their bodies will burn and no one will be the wiser." He wiped the blade off on his shirt, sheathed it, and stuck it back in his right boot. I noticed now that these men wore masks, probably to limit smoke inhalation. Whoever they were, they were skilled and obviously coordinated this entire thing. Was thievery their goal?

"Good. Here, tie this one up and meet us outside. She's the last one. I'll grab the other one. Don't be long, this place won't last much longer." I was shoved into the arms of the other man, while the one that originally had me stalked over to the girl. Picking her up, he stalked out of the room, the girl's screams growing fainter as he carried her down the hall.  At least now I know there's a way out.

The smoke was heavy enough now to make my eyes water, causing my captor to mistakenly think I was crying out of fear. "Shh, it'll be alright." Grabbing both of my wrists into one hand, his other hand gently caressed the cuts on my face. "Shame. Looks like someone got to you before us. We'll have to wait till you heal up to get full price but, I don't mind. I'll be sure to keep you company till then." His hand stopped its gentle caress and raked down the length of my body, not missing a single curve. My anger flared. So that's what these men were.

Letting one of my hands slip, he made to grab some rope leftover from the other girl's bonds. I quickly wiped the tears off my face, the moisture accumulating on my hand. It wasn't much but it's all I had. I lunged toward the man, placing my hand on his left shoulder, the only thing I could reach in this position. A small, thin, blade of ice penetrated the man's shoulder.  Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.

I felt my head hit the floor before I felt the sting from the man backhanding me. Between the hit and the smoke, I was dazed, and didn't have time to recover before he was on top of me. He straddled my waist, grabbing onto both of my wrists and pinning them to the floor. The floor boards creaked around us, and I felt my back heat up from the flames hidden just beneath them. This building wouldn't last much longer and neither would I if I breathed in much more smoke. I tried kicking the man off and fought against him pinning my wrists but, he was too heavy. Panic coursed through my body. He had me completely pinned.

"An Elemental, huh?" The man laughed, "this is our lucky day. Now, let's get you nice and calm for the trip ahead." Pinning my arms with his knees, he reached behind him and pulled out a small vial. Uncorking the substance he moved it forward, as if to place the contents under my nose. I twisted my head to the side, trying to get out of his reach but only prolonging the inevitable.