Page 71 of Resolve
Aiden’s blunted sword swings at Charles, who lifts his arm to block it. He slides some feet back, but he doesn’t lose control over his telekinesis.
“Aiden!” Kellan shouts.
A large block of concrete suddenly hovers over Charles, then falls.
I’m no longer being pulled forward, and Jackson quickly shoots me back to the group while Charles is preoccupied with dodging the stone.
“Now, Raegan,” Aiden commands, and I realize thick walls of metal are surrounding us. Only the space above me remains open.
I unleash my gift.
Sharp cracks and a deep rumble roll through the arena. The sound drowns out shouts of my name before I’m roughly yanked down, and the world darkens.
We’re pressed together in the cramped space as booms like thunder and the pounding of stone against metal echo around us. My heart jumps into my throat at the incursion of sound that’s so loud I can feel it echoing in my bones.
I fight against the panic that threatens to take over as we all hold on to each other.
It feels like a lifetime.
It’s maybe minutes.
And then it ends.
Chapter twenty-four
Aiden
Itdoesn’ttakelongbefore I realize the metal I’d gathered won’t be enough to hold back the onslaught of rock and concrete. The unrelenting, hammering force jolts through the smooth alloy and vibrates down my arms as I brace it, working to strengthen it where it’s weakest. The small amount of metal I’d accumulated and the rebar beneath the arena had been enough to create the shell, but it’s beginning to dent.
I need more.
Pushing deeper into my gift, I give it everything I have. Thicker. Stronger. Fix the dents. Find more. There has to be more.
As if in response to my silent demand, something flickers in my senses. Metal. I don’t know how I know that’s what I’m sensing, but I use a thin strand of steel to seek it out. Touch it. Fortify the shield surrounding us.
I sense more metal.
There.
I do the same as before. Link metal to it and draw it in.
It’s when my senses overwhelm with alerts of metal above us thatI realize a building must have been on top of us and joined the destruction.
By the time it all ends, I don’t think anything would be able to penetrate the barrier of metal between us and the rubble. Every muscle burns and aches. My chest heaves, taking in too much oxygen when we’re limited. Sweat trickles down my face—from the exertion and being trapped in a metal box with the others.
Individual pebbles and rocks sprinkle over the metal in sharptinksas everything above us settles. The sound reminds me to stay conscious. We aren’t done yet.
“Give me an opening,” Raegan rasps like she’s on her own last bit of strength.
We’re all dead if she and I don’t finish this before we pass out. I’m sure my barrier will hold, but we’ll die from lack of oxygen.
Dane’s gift is a soft glow where his hand still presses to Kellan, allowing us to see where the opening will be. It feels like I’m already empty. I scrape the bottom of my gift for this last task, scrounging whatever remnants I can find, and expose a small hole in the metal above us. It’s just large enough for her hand but too small for the larger concrete to fall through.
Raegan reaches for the rubble and activates her gift. Red cracks appear in the stone before they disappear. She’s finding our exit. Her body trembles as she works, and I fear what might happen if we’re all in this state and Charles surprises us at the surface.
The stone and debris above are a chorus of thunderous cracks, and then it’s gone. I widen the opening and find a five-foot diameter tunnel directly above us to the surface. Raegan slumps into Jackson’s waiting arms. “There,” she gasps, eyes closed.
A soft wind tickles my sweat-soaked skin, and I relish the fresh airJackson must have drawn in. Metal groans overhead, and I stiffen, flexing my hand even though I don’t think I could curve a spoon, much less fight.
