Page 21 of Ravenous Prophecy
And, yes, that made sense. I looked up, and then down, catching sight of the rope that Zuleika had used to tie thepoles of her home to sandbags. Stumbling over, I desperately pulled at the rope, yanking at it until I managed to get it loose. I tossed one of the ropes to Griffin just as Wallace pounced on me, sending us both tumbling through the wall of the tent, falling onto the dusty ground on the other side.
Wallace lumbered toward me, but I wasn’t about to play the screaming ingenue as though we were in a silent film. So I stood, raising my fists. Wallace lifted his chin again, and I was ready for the sound.
As soon as he moved, I darted in and hit him hard in the solar plexus. Or at least I tried to. The impact left my fist aching, and I yelped in pain, but it appeared to work because Wallace stopped his call, leaning forward and groaning in pain.
I grabbed an extension cord that went into the next tent, yanking on it until it pulled free with a crash, and then moved toward him. The extent of my knowledge of tying people up was limited to some illicit viewing of Shibari photos as a child from a book in one of the more disused portions of the library.
Still, needs must, and I’d have to make do. I grabbed hold of Wallace’s arm and wrapped the cord around it before pulling the other one back and managing a knot that was as tight as I could make it. By the time I looked around, trying to find something to tie himto, he was shaking off the blow and trying to slide his arms out of the bonds.
He spun, the long line of the extension cord trailing behind him, and lunged toward me, only to be pulled up short, falling backward.
Griffin stood on the extension cord, and, once Wallacewas down, he quickly trussed him up in a manner not unsimilar to the photos in the library.
“Just so we’re on the same page, the Hive is real. They’re coming, and they’ve infected our welcome wagon?” Griffin said. “Did I miss anything?”
I felt the humming ache in my brain again, and I knew before the first oracle rounded the corner. “They’re coming.”
“I already said that.” Griffin frowned.
“No, they’recoming,” I pointed toward the camp.
A half dozen people came around the corner, their motions jerky and twisted, as though a creature not used to human limbs was using them as puppets. Their eyes were so red that they looked like bloody holes in their heads.
Griffin grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the entrance to the camp, but it was too late. The oracles were coming out, each of them moving in that strange, twitching way. He swerved us into one of the tents, and we leapt over bedrolls and a pile of paperback novels, coming out the back to see four oracles already waiting for us.
But he was fast, jerked us left. I let him lead, my mind running too fast. The Hive were a separate species from ours. That was historical record.
They were a separate species, and we had some evidence of what they looked like. Some remnants of carapaces and armor, some weapons that ancient magic users had tried to beat them back with, and been killed for their efforts. There was an ancient sword, its blade pockmarked as though the Hive blood that had soaked it was made of acid.
The Hive were creatures from nightmares, but they weren’t… they weren’t justpeople.
Only, for the first time in my career, I let myself wonder. What had I always taken for historical fact that might only be supposition? That might even beguesses?
Griffin pulled up short, and I ran solidly into his back. Exhaling at the impact, I looked around him. The brick wall was still there, a football field away, but there were people standing in front of it whodefinitelyweren’t oracles. Not unless tactical gear and guns practically laden down with magic spell work had become standard Oracle wear, along with flowy dresses and Birkenstocks.
They also had odd magic helmets on, ones that covered their faces. And the color… there was something odd and familiar about it. Maybe it was something I’d seen on TV?
“Who arethey?” I asked, which was a question that I didn’t expect him to answer.
“Trouble,” Griffin answered. “They’re in between us and the exit.”
He jerked my hand suddenly, pulling me out of the way of a swarm of oracles, who then fell in a pile before climbing over each other to try and get to us. The buzzing in my head crescendoed, and I could barely see anything, the noise seemed to cover my vision, clouding everything except the tight fit of Griffin’s hand in mine, the way his protection felt.
And, sure, yes, obviously his protection and skills were why I’d hired him, but I couldn’t help wondering if that’s still allIwas to him. A paycheck.
Griffin pulled me along, and we ducked through the doorway of a massive tent. As we ran closer, the blur sharpenedto reveal rows of cots, framed by bookshelves and dressers. He pulled some of them down, blocking the way through. A line of oracles slammed into it, the humming intensifying.
“Juststop,” I screamed. “Stop.”
My words echoed my desperation to be able tothink.
“I’m sorry, is running for our lives getting in the way of your thinking time?” Griffin demanded, and I could barely hear him because of the buzz.
With a scream, I pulled my hands over my ears, but that was worse. I heard crashes and chaos as the oracles around us made their way over the barriers. Griffin held them off, and then I just said, “Stop.”
As though my words were actual magic, the chaos faltered. I opened my eyes and pulled my hands down from my ears. The oracles in the room with us had paused, their eyes going from red to pink to normal human colors, and then they were the ones screaming.
Griffin let the one he’d been grappling with drop and looked at me. “What did you do?”
