HEART OF ICE

CHAPTER 24

The glass under my hand was warm in the late afternoon sun. It masked the cold air that suddenly wrapped around me as I pushed the laundromat door open and stepped out of the entrance. The change was quick and striking. It left a strange and haunting feeling lingering inside me. I didn't understand it just then. But it wouldn't be long before I would realize that my chase of Chase and his new Legion brethren was leading me further into a stark and dangerous new world.

Beyond the entrance of the laundromat, the view was not completely unlike one we would have seen in Old Town. I knew immediately, though, we weren't back home. Behind me, the others realized it too.

"Holy snap," exclaimed Gerald. "We're in the city!"

The noise of the metropolis rang faintly in the air. The steady hum of rushing traffic echoed between the buildings. The smell of the lake lingered on the wind. I pivoted slightly, glancing up the block of cracked, low-rise buildings to see the epic, high-rise skyline of the city's center. At its core , the wounded and skeletal-looking monolith that was Legion Tower. Suddenly, I realized how all too familiar the view actually was.

"We're near the Academy, aren't we," I asked outloud. I broke my hypnotized gaze on the ominous skyscraper in the distance. My eyes immediately fell on Orion.

He had walked past me a few steps. I had led the group into the middle of the street. The asphalt was cracked and scarred by shallow potholes. I watched the dwarf sniff the air. He squinted his eyes into the sunlight stretching down between the tall, brown buildings that barely reached a dozen stories into the sky in front of us. "Yes," Orion finally said.

"That's interesting," said Moe.

"Very, I said.

"Chris! There they are," Alejandra suddenly said, pointing up the street. A fleet of the black, armored vans were turning out of an alley I hadn't noticed was there.

"No wonder I couldn't see their names. They were already hidden."

"We have to stop them or they'll get away," said Moe, his slingshot already in his hand.

"They can't," I said urgently.

"This will get rough," Orion warned.

"Legion grows by another soul or we make a stand here."

"In the middle of the street," Baron asked. "Might not be the smartest spot."

"Oh, good. They've spotted us," said Moe just as the lead van revved its engine, accelerating toward us.

"Alejandra, the tires. Take 'em out," I yelled.

"Got it," she said, stepping forward, pulling up her sleeve, and taking aim in one swift motion. I won't lie, I kind of cringed. I'm sure Moe and the dwarves did, too. Alejandra's aim had not typically been...good.

She fired. The hissing disc twinkled like a brilliant star as it raced over the asphalt. The van veered slightly at the last moment. The black rubber of its heavy tires lit up with the bright glow of the small shot that sailed centimeters past them. It missed both wheels on the driver's side of the lead vehicle that was still charging toward us and gaining speed. Right behind it, almost on its bumper, was the second of the four vans. Its driver hadn't followed his peer slightly off course.

The glowing disc struck rubber, instantly and violently shredding the thick skin of the second van's left-front wheel. The black, armored vehicle jumped and swerved, glancing off the lead van's back bumper as the driver tried to keep in control. The lead van swerved even farther to our left, bouncing against the curb before punching the back corner of a parked car as the driver wrestled the steering wheel to correct his course.