Smoke Rising: Book III

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

Mateo passes us a tablet, one that shows a map of the world. More than a dozen lines cross the map, all originating from North America, and all heading to the capitals of each country.

Russia, China, Australia, India, Africa, Europe. The Chancellor is bombing us all.

"How much time do we have?" The words scramble from my mouth.

"Six minutes."

A hand on my shoulder fills me with dread. Horror. Grief.

I shake my father off and push towards the door. "We need to evacuate now!"

People are running in every direction. Casters frantically hurrying for cover. Mateo yells my name, but I don't listen. I head straight for the field. I need to protect the Energy Casters—the Casters I created. I can't let them die because they followed me here. I can't let them die because of me. I won't.

"Everyone head towards the country side! Use your new magic to go faster if you can. Don't stop until you find cover underground!"

The words come out, but no one seems to hear them. "Emery," Mateo appears beside me. "The ones who wanted to leave are already gone."

"Where is Penelope Shoemaker?" I ask Mateo, and the crowd.

"She's gone. The children were evacuated first. The buses we have won't be back... we can only hope they make it far enough away to avoid the worst of the fallout."

"What about all these people? We need to get them out of here. Get the horses, or maybe the dungeons—"

"It's not deep enough. And the bunker under the estate meant for emergencies was bombed ten minutes ago. We think it was a spy. We have no other options."

I look all around me, the world spinning. The faces belonging to the people who came here for me blurring into one. Everyone is going to die?

"There has to be something we can do—"

"There is," Mateo puts a hand on my shoulder. "There is something we can do for you."

My face twists. "What?"

He smiles sadly, pulls my chin into his palm and pressed his lips against mine. "I know you probably already know this, but I'm falling in love with you Emery White."

"Mateo, we don't have time for this," I push past him, but that's when I see the hundreds of Energy and Element Casters closing in on us.

"Mateo's right," Zara steps from the crowd, grabbing her brothers hand. Her brother grabs Theo's hand, and Theo grabs an Energy Casters hand, and the energy Caster grabs an elemental Casters hand, and it goes on and on until hands are on shoulders, arms hanging on arms, fingers interlocked with each other—humans, Casters, Energy Casters, slaves; they all form a circle around me, a web of human shields.

I'm shaking my head and turning towards Nicholi when I realize exactly what they are about to do.

"No, dad, you have to do something to save them."

A tear forms in his eye and spills over. "They launched some type of nuclear bomb Emery. There is nothing our magic can do to stop something like that."

I grab him and shake him. "We can blow it up in the sky—"

"We will try, Emery. But the fallout will still be too close."

"I... I can't let you do this—I can't let any of you do this."

I look at all the faces, the ones I've seen, the complete strangers, the ones I love. Zara, Dala, the men and women I trained with once upon a time. I can't let them all die."

"I won't let any of you do this!" I run for a gap in the circle, but Nicholi steps in my way, linking the last hole, and a forcefield so strong surrounds me, I'm knocked backwards from the energy.

No no no no no—

"Please, Don't do this!" I'm begging all of them, any of them, anyone willing to break the chain. "I can protect all of you—"

"No you can't, Emery," Theo says, and I find his eyes. "You have to let us do this. You are too important to die here. You have the power to make a difference. The strength to keep going."

"No, I don't."

Above us, metal and smoke cut open the sky.

I look at Mateo, reaching for him, my fingertips brushing his cheek. "I think I'm falling for you too." The words are spoken through the tears, and I lean into kiss him, but he shakes his head, stopping me.

"Don't ever stop fighting, Princess," he whispers so quietly, only I can hear.

"Emery," Nicholi says, and I turn to face him. "You are the best thing that's ever happened in my life."

A white light blinds me, as if the very sun has fallen from the sky. The planet growls. Then, everything goes dark.