Without warning, the blackness returned. It felt like being pushed up against a wall, everything froze, and my head throbbed with intense pressure, as though it were being squeezed in a vice.
“No! No! No!”
“Protect her!”
I heard the screaming, but couldn’t open my eyes. Beyond my closed lids, I sensed a flash of light but my other senses were closed off. In the haze, I couldn’t figure out who had screamed. I fought against the blackness, but it continued to hold me. I wanted to let go and give in, but I made one last attempt.
The blackness receded almost as suddenly as it had appeared. My eyes flew open, but what I saw had me on my knees in seconds. James lay on the ground in front of me, unmoving.
“What happened?” I cried.
“He just jumped in front of you, like he knew an attack was coming,” Monty explained, studying James’s limp hand.
I looked down at James’s motionless body and began to tremble. Calvin and Liam each grabbed one of my arms and started to pull me to my feet.
“I don’t get it! What happened?” I couldn’t control my terror.
“Blake tried to kill you, Charlotte. He had your abilities closed off and was making his move. James saw it first and jumped in front of you.” Liam’s shaky voice mirrored his shell-shocked expression.
“We have to get you inside.” Calvin began towing me toward the stairs. Too weak to fight, I went with him. Liam and Monty picked up James. He was breathing faintly, but his eyes were closed, and I knew something was seriously wrong.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kevin
I smelled the fight before I saw it. The scent of blood was unmistakable, and it both chilled and excited me. Maybe having a taste for battle came naturally. Energo had become a part of me, and I wondered if I could choose to leave it behind. As much as I loved basketball, it was nothing compared to the way I felt holding a Guardian sword.
“We’re getting close,” I said. My sword was sheathed as we rode on horseback toward the fern grotto. Even though I didn’t have much experience with horses, riding was a lot faster than walking.
“You better know where you are going, Winthrop.” Alexander and Bry rode on either side of me. Alexander might have been working with us, but he wouldn’t let up.
“Look at that!” Ollis yelled, riding up alongside us.
I followed his gaze, surprised by the bright red sky. Large storm clouds loomed, and I assumed they were Charlotte’s doing. “We need to split up.” The idea came to me unexpectedly, and I hoped it was a good one.
“The boy is right.” Alexander agreed with me. Wonders never ceased. "Kevin, you take center, Ollis to the right. We will take the far path, and Bry you take left. Samantha, go with Bry and make sure he gets the Aves airborne.”
“Sounds reasonable,” Bry replied calmly. “Are we all on board?”
“Absolutely,” Samantha said.
“Yes, see you on the other side.” I wasn’t sure where my burst of confidence came from, but I knew I could do my part.
Alexander spoke to the leaders from the other nations and gave everyone their orders. Naomi and the rest of the Zatamanians rode with us. We took off, the distance between us and the grotto shortening rapidly. The wind howled, and I zoned out, only aware of my place on the horse.
We stopped short when we came to a steep hill. I didn’t know Energo well, but I was sure I would have remembered a hill that size.
Naomi rode up behind me. “Your sister never ceases to amaze me.”
I pointed at the steep incline. “My sister did that?” The caves had risen several meters from the rest of the ground. It looked like a mesa.
“Who else could have?” Naomi asked sarcastically.
I didn’t have to turn around to know that Naomi was rolling her eyes. Even though I couldn’t see the top of the hill, I had a bad feeling about how the Resistance was doing. Hundreds of Bravado men were clawing their way up the side of the mesa.
“There is another way up,” Henry said. “Follow me.”
Henry took the lead, and I signaled for the line behind us to follow. As we reached the peak of the hill, we were met with a sea of black. Thousands of Bravado soldiers filled the field, with all of their attention centered on Ollis and his men. I gave the signal, and we moved in—just as Bry and Alexander rounded the hill, taking the Bravado by surprise.
At the same moment, a bright light nearly blinded me. Even though the light was bright, it felt dark. I blinked a few times, grateful I wasn’t injured. I couldn’t figure out where the light came from, but I knew Blake had sent it. No one else could create something that felt so horrible. My gut clenched as I realized that any attack by Blake was more than likely aimed at Charlotte.
I searched for a sign of Blake in the mass of bodies, but I could hardly see. Blinded once again, I squinted and realized the glare from the sun reflecting off the Zales was causing the problem. I barely had time to unsheathe my sword before another group of our men filled in behind me and I was pushed through the mass of bodies toward the center of the field.
“What the hell are those?” I yelled to Naomi. What appeared to be walking corpses straight out of a horror movie littered the field, many wielding maces, axes, and knives. Flesh hung off their bodies, and their eyes were empty holes.
“They look like dead people,” Naomi replied. I knew Blake had some serious power, but I had no idea he could raise the dead.
A zombie came at me, and I slashed it with my sword. The flesh fell away easily. It was like slashing butter with my guardian sword, yet no matter how many times I cut him, he wouldn’t fall. I thrust my sword into his chest, aware that more zombies surrounded me. The zombie impaled on my sword appeared unfazed, and with his eyes glowing red, he pushed the sword further into his chest pulling it from me. Weaponless, I kicked the corpse to the ground, but found myself quickly surrounded. I punched another corpse in the head, and it felt like punching rotten wood. As ineffective as the punch was, I tried again, only to have my arms grabbed and pinned behind me. Flooded with panic, I watched with horror as the zombie prepared to attack me with my own sword. Just as I expected the blade to make contact, the zombie crumbled to the ground.
“You have to cut off the head!” Ollis screamed while moving around me.
My arms were freed and two more zombie heads rolled on the ground. I followed his lead, and he was right. Without the head, the body fell. As soon as I had taken care of one, three more surrounded me. I got rid of them handily, but it was crazy, like something out of a video game. Maybe I should have spent more time playing Resident Evil.