Page 141 of Ramshackle
Thorne cackles wildly. His thumbless hands are holding one of Reid’s daggers between them where it’s driven through Gordonto the hilt. “Your entire body becomes solid for a second after your weak spot is struck, isn’t that right?”
Blood dribbles from the corner of Gordon’s lips, his eyes wide with shock. A couple of the knives are buried in his thigh and both of his feet. The rest litter the floor beneath and around him, points down.
“This is a gift from the president.” Thorne slowly twists the blade. The scientist screams in pain, dropping to his knees and crashing into more knives. “Who’s going to be the undead wretch now?”
That was…unexpected.
A gust of wind throws Thorne away from Gordon. Jackson stands between the two, his attention on his former mentor.
“What are you doing?” Reid demands of him.
“His death belongs to Raegan,” Jackson answers coolly.
“—there,” Gordon mumbles, then chokes on blood.
I step to his side, grabbing his hair in a fist and holding my sword to his throat. “Don’t you dare die,” I warn him in a low croon. “I have too much planned for you to let you go that easily.”
“President…your Guild…” he mutters between coughs.
I tighten my grip on his hair, pulling it back so he’s facing me when he talks. “What was that?” Wind whips through the freezer from Jack and Thorne’s fight, and I’m forced to stab my sword into the floor to help keep myself steady.
“He’s there…been there…with your Guild…”
My heart rate doubles, stealing my breath away.
I must have misheard him.
“Who is with our Guild? You don’t even know where we are,” I press, trying to mask the urgency in my tone. I swing around to Reid. “Get the cuffs on him so we can get him to Cassandra. She can heal him enough that he doesn’t die before we get answers.” And he can suffer for all he did to Raegan.
Reid doesn’t move. His eyes are wide with fear, his body rigid.
“Reid!” I snap.
He startles, looking at me and back to Gordon. He storms over to us and grabs Gordon by the shirt. “Did you say the president is there?”
Gordon coughs more blood from the rough shake. His head lulls forward.
Fuck!
“Reid, the cuffs!”
Reid steps away from Gordon, fear hanging like a dark cloud over his face when he looks at me and shakes his head. “I have to go back. Tinsley—”
He cries out and falls forward, hitting the ground. A long, bloody cut scores across his back, and Thorne laughs maniacally. “Can’t have you ruining the president’s fun, can we?”
The wind master flies at Gordon, wrapping his arms around him and lifting him into the air. Jackson makes like he’s slapping his hand down, and both Thorne and Gordon slam to the ground.
Thorne grabs at the scientist again. He snarls his frustration when he can’t get a good grip with his thumbless hands before Jackson’s attacking again. He rolls out of the way, then flies back to his feet and sends his own counterattacks at Jack. Thorne’s clearly trying to get to the portal, but Jackson blocks him each time, landing more attacks on the zombie so the wind master is forced to focus on defense.
Grabbing Reid’s blade still pierced through Gordon, I extend the blade and shove it into the concrete to keep him from being moved, then rip my jacket off to press into the bleeding wound on Reid’s back that’s starting to pool on the floor.
I yank out my phone and call Cibrina.
It rings.
And rings.
And rings.
