Page 101 of Lies That Bleed
Someone crashed into me from behind, squeezing me tightly. Her blonde hair half covered my face and I saw her cane drop to the ground as I spun and held her so hard I thought I might break her.
“I thought you were…” A tear slipped down my cheek and I felt relief. Kohen was wrong. He must have seen the moment up until now—with tears in my eyes and dead bodies all around me—and assumed someone I cared about died.
I pulled Tetra back and looked her over.
“You okay?” I asked, wiping all evidence of weakness from my face. She looked good—no blood or signs of damage.
She nodded, scanning me. “The sky lit up like the fire sky in The Wilds! Was that you?”
“Yes.” I took her hand in mine. “Where is everyone else?”
Word got out that the attack was over and people began to leave their hiding spaces, crawling out of bushes and from behind buildings.
Anika limped over to us with a torniquet cinched tight on her upper thigh. Her lion creature nuzzled herbad leg. Dev, Jace, Alek, Meera… they were okay. I sagged in relief.
“Wait, where’s Kohen?” I asked.
“I’m here,” he called from behind me, and I couldn’t explain the amount of relief I felt.
I spun to him, and there was alarm etched all over his face.
“Where’s Nikhil?” he asked Anika.
“Dead.” Her voice was hollow as she stood there and stared at Kohen with an empty expression. “He saved me.”
“No…” Kohen’s voice cracked and my heart broke in that moment. Nikhil… the funny ladies’ man had grown on me. This was what Kohen must have seen that day in the woods when he said his friends were hurt and he didn’t know who survived.
“False retreat! False retreat!” Instructor Ashendell screamed, and we looked up into the sky to see the red and green dragon rider barreling towards us.
I sucked in a breath. There was no time to think of a strategy or do anything as they descended from the sky and flew right at us.
Tetra suddenly hopped on one foot and threw herself in front of all of us.
“No!” I screamed as fire and arrows bore down from the dragon riders on our little group of survivors.
I flinched, waiting to be struck with the rain of steel when Tetra threw her arms wide and a pearlescent shield burst from her hands, covering us all like adome. The fire splashed across the dome, bringing heat but nothing else. The arrows snapped and hit the ground, useless.
The red and green dragon riders circled for a second attack, but Liana and Onyx took to the skies, chasing the riders off.
I turned to my best friend with wide eyes. “Holy crap, Tetra, you can do that?”
I knew shield making was her gift, but in practice she’d never gotten it bigger than the size of a tire.
Her hands shook a little, her face ashen with shock. “I guess so.”
Anika and everyone rushed forward then to hug and thank her.
‘Onyx and I are chasing them off. They are heading west to the Cove.’
I flicked my gaze to Kohen and he nodded to show that he knew as well, but something seemed off about him. His expression was pinched, as if he were expecting something.
‘Keep me posted,’I told her, and frowned at Kohen.
The double doors to the main training center building burst open and Admiral Caruso rushed out, face whiter than a sheet.
Her eyes scanned the carnage outside and rested on me. I froze, chills racing up my arms.
It wasn’t until that moment that I wondered…Where is my father?
