\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prologue<\/p>\n
<\/a>\u201cAftershocks\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a><\/a><\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cNow what do we do?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>The question spun through Justin Greystone\u2019s head, chased by several others that snapped and clamored for his attention. Chief among them was wondering who had unleashed the massive magical surge that had blown the roof off of Gene-Tech\u2019s secure building? It had felt familiar, but then again, with the number of powerful Mages he\u2019d been associating with lately, he really couldn\u2019t go by \u201cfamiliar.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>Thunder rolled overhead, echoing the grumblings of the residual earthquakes as the building shifted again and a veritable snowfall of concrete chips cascaded around them. Justin stumbled, nearly knocking Rick Jackson off his feet.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cWe can\u2019t stay here, Justin,\u201d Rick said, his face pale beneath the grime. \u201cWhat do we do?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cWe have to find the office,\u201d he said, swinging around and peering through the destruction. The emergency lights threw a hellish orange glare over the carnage, and Justin tried not to focus on the stretchers with their still passengers on the other side of the spell chamber.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cWhat office?\u201d Rick asked.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cAlex Masterson\u2019s office. We need to get the files from the experiment.\u201d Justin stumbled again as the floor moved.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cWe need to get out of here,\u201d Rick repeated. \u201cThis place is about to collapse<\/span> in on itself. Not to mention the fact that the cops will be here any minute.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cI can stabilize it if we need, at least for a few moments,\u201d Justin said, hoping he wasn\u2019t lying. \u201cBut we have to find those files. We need to find out what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a><\/a>Despite Rick\u2019s worries, Justin knew it would be at least twenty minutes before the police responded to the explosion \u2013 Gene-Tech was set far back from any roads, the better not to be bothered by anyone official. The building crashing down on them, on the other hand, was a distinct possibility, and they\u2019d left both Nikki and Alenya unconscious in the spell chamber.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/a>Nikki.<\/em> His thoughts turned dark again as they moved through the creaking twilight. What am I going to do with her now? <\/em><\/p>\n <\/a><\/a><\/a>Her pale, serious face, dark blue eyes shadowed with magic and old pain, swam before him briefly and his heart ached. She was so young, so unready\u2026Justin cut those thoughts off ruthlessly. We were all too young,<\/em> he reminded himself. We dealt with it. So will she. We\u2019ll just have to help her, if she\u2019ll let us.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cJus, over here.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>Rick had ranged in front of him, the AK-47 he\u2019d taken off a dead guard earlier in the night held low and confident. Now he stood in front of a locked door.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d Justin said, running a hand over the door. Rick nodded, and Justin backed up. \u201cThen let\u2019s do this.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>The AK-47 chattered as Rick blew away the lock and then kicked the remains of the door into the office. They stepped through the doorway, and Justin wondered briefly why there were no magical protections.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cBecause he was that damn secure?\u201d Rick said.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cNot Alex Masterson,\u201d Justin replied, looking slowly around the opulent office. A mahogany desk dominated the room, in front of a whiteboard covered with notes. Two file cabinets sat across from it, and a large table was pushed up against the wall opposite the door. Justin took a step towards the cabinets, then paused and walked over to the desk instead.<\/p>\n <\/a>The rich mahogany wood glowed under the light coating of dust from the ceiling, and as soon as his fingers touched it, Justin knew he\u2019d hit gold. Protection spells flared to life, vibrating with barely-contained Power, and he swore. This was going to take far too long\u2026<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cAre you certain they\u2019re in there?\u201d Rick said, reading the scowl on his face accurately.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cThey have to be. Where else would he hide them?\u201d Justin reached into his pocket and pulled out a small Swiss Army knife. He mumbled a few words under his breath and then popped open the larger blade. \u201cDo you have any gum?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>Justin glanced up at the shocked expression on Rick\u2019s face and chuckled. \u201cI\u2019m serious. Do you have any chewing gum?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cSo I can short-circuit these spells for a while and open the desk.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>Rick gave him another dubious look but dug into his pants. \u201cSorry, MacGyver, I\u2019m all out.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cDamn.\u201d Justin looked around the room. \u201cHell. It\u2019s a small magic.\u201d He whispered under his breath and a small stick of chewing gum appeared in his hand. He unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth, chewing enough to soften it and then spat the sticky lump onto the dusty desktop. A few more whispered words, and he drew the blade through the middle of the gum, cutting it in half. Sparks raced over the surface of the desk for a second, and then died. \u201cJust a little sympathetic magic. I hope this works.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cYou hope?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cYep.\u201d Justin closed the blade, pocketed the knife and reached for the top drawer tentatively. No sparks flared, and he breathed a sigh of relief. \u201cCome on. I don\u2019t know how long I can keep this hole open.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>They grabbed every piece of paper they could find in the desk, then checked the filing cabinets, which proved to be empty. Justin risked a little more magic, even as the floor swayed beneath them, and shoved all the papers into a small pocket of space that he saved for emergencies. Then they booked it back to the spell chamber, hoping they could get out in time.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cWhat is causing this?\u201d Rick shouted as an ominous rumbling began somewhere beneath their feet.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cMagic\u2026whatever Nikki did was so strong that it literally weakened the walls,\u201d Justin shouted back. That, and Shanna…no, don\u2019t think about that now. <\/em>\u201cWe have to get out of here!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>As they burst into the spell chamber, the ceiling behind them crashed to the ground. \u201cI\u2019d say our grace period is up,\u201d Rick said, scooping up a prone body from the floor. \u201cI.. shit!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cWhat?\u201d Justin looked up to see Rick shift the body to one side.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cNikki\u2019s bleeding, badly.\u201d Rick shook his head. \u201cWe need to leave, now.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cAgreed.\u201d Justin pulled Alenya\u2019s limp body into his arms. \u201cGet over here.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cYou\u2019re going to do more magic?\u201d Rick shuddered but stepped closer.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cYou got a better idea?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>Unfortunately, while the spirit was willing, Justin had been running on fumes for a while. He managed to get all four of them out of the crater that the secure building was forming, but only to the lip, and then he stumbled, rain hitting him like accusations. Outside of the dubious safety of the building, the storm howled, and they were all immediately soaked.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cSit,\u201d Rick commanded, dropping Nikki next to him. \u201cI\u2019ll get us out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cHow?\u201d Justin asked, shifting Alenya\u2019s dead weight across his lap.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cPlan B.\u201d Rick jerked his chin towards the parking garage. \u201cLuckily for you, I know how to hotwire a car.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>Justin stared at him, and then laughed. \u201cYou\u2019re brilliant.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cI try.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a><\/a>It only took Rick a few minutes to return with a suitable vehicle \u2013 an older Jeep that rumbled a tenor counterpoint to the thunder above and below it as they loaded their two unconscious burdens into the back. Justin spent those minutes marveling at the sheer destruction that one single Horseman could wreak. No, not just a single Horseman,<\/em> he corrected himself silently. There had been another, and he knew that signature very well\u2026<\/p>\n <\/a><\/a>What are you up to now, sister mine? Why now? <\/em><\/p>\n <\/a>He hadn\u2019t formulated an answer by the time Rick pulled into Vashti\u2019s driveway. The Earth Lord\u2019s farmhouse was hunkered down against the storm, and the woman who had trained him met them at the door. \u201cBring them,\u201d she said, turning and leading them through the corridors to the massive kitchen that crouched at the center of the building. The warmth from the fireplace crept slowly into Justin\u2019s bones as he laid Alenya gently onto the large table, and then he turned to Vashti.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cWhy did she start the Cleansing?\u201d he asked, rain streaming down his face like forgotten tears and ignoring Rick\u2019s gasp of horror. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cShe\u2019s your sister,\u201d Vashti replied, raising one dark eyebrow at him. \u201cWhy ask me?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cBecause you and your fellow Councilors are involved in this up to your eyebrows,\u201d Justin said, trying not to sound accusatory and knowing he was failing miserably. \u201cAnd quite frankly, I\u2019m tired of being jerked around. What is Shanna doing that is so important no one can know about it, and how does Nikki fit into it?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cWhy don\u2019t you ask her?\u201d Vashti told him, going to the large stove and removing the whistling kettle from it. \u201cIt\u2019s not as if she tells us everything either. And before you explode at me, young man, let me remind you that the StarChild does what she wants, whether or not her Council approves. And she did not blow up the Gene-Tech facility, as far as I could tell. That was the lovely young woman on the table behind you. So why don\u2019t you tell me what happened tonight where you were, and worry about things you cannot control when we have time?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>Justin bit down hard on the retort that hovered behind his lips, trying not to lose his temper, and Rick jumped in. \u201cNikki\u2019s hurt,\u201d he said, from the head of the table where he\u2019d laid her. \u201cBadly. I think he hit her heart.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>Vashti turned quickly. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you say so?\u201d she demanded, hurrying to his side, her hands busy on Nikki\u2019s still body as soon as she reached the table. \u201cGet Morgan, Justin.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>Justin turned and ran, the habits of years deeply ingrained. He finally found the other Earth Lord in his study and blurted out, \u201cVashti needs you – hurry!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>When they got back to the kitchen, Justin hung back, shocked at the amount of blood coming from between Vashti\u2019s fingers. \u201cHoly shit, what did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cHeart and lungs,\u201d Vashti said curtly, and jerked her head at her brother. \u201cI need your help.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>Both Rick and Justin moved away, not wanting to be underfoot. \u201cIs that why she did it?\u201d Rick whispered, his eyes glued to the body on the table. \u201cIs that why she killed them all?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Justin whispered back. \u201cI really don\u2019t know.\u201d But he did. That\u2019s why Shanna had to start the Cleansing,<\/em> he realized, ice crawling through him again. She had to call that Spirit up, or Nikki would have died.<\/em><\/p>\n Instead of a dead Horseman, we\u2019ve got…<\/em> He blocked the images from his mind.<\/p>\n <\/a>Nikki\u2019s body jerked, and Rick moved forward instinctively, but Justin grabbed him, glad for the distraction. \u201cLet them save her,\u201d he said, holding his friend back. \u201cThey can do it. I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>Time slowed to a crawl; the howl of the wind outside an eerie, keening counterpoint to the deep, liquid sounds of breath moving through the ruins of Nikki\u2019s chest. Morgan and Vashti cast in well-oiled unison, Power rising and falling through the flickering firelight, sweat-stained faces gleaming as they fought to repair the damage caused by Alex\u2019s knife. Eventually they both stepped away and washed their hands, then Morgan picked Nikki up and took her out another door. Rick watched him go, questions rising, but Justin caught his attention and shook his head.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cShe needs rest now,\u201d Vashti said, dropping heavily into a chair near the fire, her normally chocolate face ashy with exhaustion. \u201cI don\u2019t know how she survived, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cShe killed them all,\u201d Justin told her, and her face paled even more.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cAll of them?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>Justin nodded. \u201cWhich explains the Summoning. Shanna couldn\u2019t let her die.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cBalance forgive us all,\u201d Vashti said. \u201cWhat else happened?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>Justin leaned back in his chair, suddenly realizing how tired he was. \u201cWe lost Andreas,\u201d he admitted. \u201cHe escaped with Alex and the other Blood Mage.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cAnd one of the breeders,\u201d Rick added from where he was leaning against the fireplace. \u201cI saw him roll one of the gurneys through that Gate just before things went to hell.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cSo we\u2019ve got two Blood Mages, a rogue Shadow Lord and an innocent girl with a babe in her belly that\u2019s been exposed to bastardized versions of the Summoning Spells on the loose, and you have no idea where. Is that what you\u2019re telling me?\u201d Vashti looked from one exhausted young man to the other. \u201cDo you have any good news?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cNo one saw us,\u201d Justin said. \u201cWell, they did, but they\u2019re all dead. Isn\u2019t that good?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>\u201cIt\u2019ll have to be.\u201d Vashti sighed and looked up at the ceiling. \u201cI just wonder how long it will take us to pick up the pieces this time.\u201d<\/p>\n