Brush of Shade (34 page)

“You’re not so
tough now, are you?” the man taunted, his laughter cutting through the air.

Shadow no longer
moved. My fingers tightened around the rough bark, scraping off the splinter
that had been jabbing into the side of my thumb. I waited—fighting back the
urge to charge the man’s exposed back—for the next fierce gust to strike the
house.

The rattling of
the old, wooden shutters against the house covered the sound of my boots
crunching in the snow. Through the open gate I saw Shadow’s face twisted in
pain and the man’s exposed back. I raised the log above my head and hesitated
for a fraction of a second too long.

“Having a
conscience is a detriment in war. You’re too soft,” said the man torturing
Shadow. A blurred body spun around, and the man growled. I drew a frightened
breath and almost dropped the log.

“Now isn’t this
convenient. You’ve saved me the trouble of breaking the door in,” my personal
zombie from the corn maze announced, speaking through his grotesque mask. “What
a pity. I was so looking forward to terrorizing you and your inferior aunt.” He
looked me over, not even bothering to put a hand up to protect himself. In a
derisive tone in continued, “All this fuss over you. What a letdown. Lower the
log before I have to voice you. This time when I give you an order, there won’t
be anyone around to silence my voice in your head. This time—”

I swung the log,
clipping the side of his head with a sickening thud.

His body
shuddered. “Not hard enough, Princess,” he said, slurring his words. His eyes
glazed over and he toppled into the snow.

 “Drama
queen has got quite the arm. Who knew?” Shadow said, triggering a rasping cough
that sounded like he was coughing up a lung.

 “That’s
it. We’re moving everyone in the community to Hawaii. You’ll love it there. No
one will notice that you tend to be warm to the touch,” I said as the snow
around his body turned to slush.

“Damn it,
Olivia. Get back in the house.”

“Quit napping on
the job,” I shot back.

“I can still
move faster than you,” he retorted, waving off my offer of help. He sucked in a
painful sounding breath and reached for his right shoulder.

“Let me see
that,” I ordered.

“Not if you’re
going to hurl at the sight of blood.”

“Please, I got
mangled in a car wreck, what’ve you got, a scratch?
Big baby.
I hope you weren’t to overly fond of this jacket,” I replied, trying to get him
moving in the direction of the door, but he was stubbornly aiming for the forest.

“Some talentless
coward slashed me with a knife. Now I ask you, where is the fairness of that?
Let go. Get in the house.”

He faded. Not
much, but enough to make me worried. Maybe even him, because he changed his
mind about the forest and took two steps towards the gate. Without warning, I
was on my back, sliding down the hill through a minefield of branches that
scratched my cheek and tangled in my hair, tugging out strands. When I finally
stopped, I moaned and rolled onto my side with one hand clenching my middle.

Boots skidded to
a stop next to me. “Are you hurt?” Shad asked worriedly.

Translucent
hands pulled me to my feet. Most of Shadow’s face resembled a smudge on a lens,
except for his eyes. I’d seen the same churning in his brother’s. Without him
saying a word, I knew the house and medical treatment was the furthest thing
from his mind.

“What hit me?” I
asked.

“An errant pulse blast.
If I find out otherwise, someone’s
going to pay,” he said hotly. “That’s going to bruise. It’s dangerous out here.
We need to move.”

Multiple
explosions rocked the forest. Tops of nearby trees bent, some snapping off.
“They’re coming this way. Get to the house,” he ordered. An arm slid about my
waist, holding me secure to his side as wind lashed us, forcing us to angle
sideways up the slope away from the gate.

A loud crack
split the air, sounding as though it was right on top of us. Shadow spun us
around. The top half of a stately pine tree in the corner of the yard rocked
wildly back and forth before suddenly snapping off. It streaked across the yard
on a roar of wind, as though thrown by a giant in a game of lawn darts.

“Hold on to me,”
Shadow shouted, stretching out his arms that instantly disappeared.

The tree
shuddered and spun, its branches scraping up snow and shooting it out in plumes
like a snow blower clearing a path. The grinding sound bore down upon us. From
what little I could see through the roiling cloud of snow and ice, it looked
like we were about to get a very close shave. I hunched my shoulder and gave Shadow
a hard shove, sending us tumbling. I lost my grip and we rolled apart.

The second the
snow stopped trying to bury me, I was on my knees looking around. The tree had
gouged a trail through the yard and had flattened most of the patio’s railing
before coming to a stop propped at an angle against the side of the house. A
length of gutter over my bedroom had broken off and was banging against the
bricks.

“Shadow!”
I shouted, searching the yard. A hacking cough
came from a mound in the snow about ten feet away. I scrambled to the site and
dropped onto the snow on my hands and knees, prepared to dig him out. He
grunted. A leg materialized beneath me. In increments the rest of his body
became visible.

 “I was
wrong. It’s not Shade you’re going to get killed. I had it under control. It
was going to miss us.” He grumbled.

“Who could tell
with all that snow flying into the air? You’re welcome. Let’s go before they
find their target.” He shrugged off my assistance even though it was clear from
his pinched lips that he was in pain. Be that way, I thought. Next time he
could stay buried in the snow until the spring thaw. When he started coughing
again, I wrapped my arm around his waist, pretending not to notice when he
leaned into me as we climbed the hill.

He stuffed an
empty wrapper into his pocket and asked between chews, “You wouldn’t happen to
have any food in your jacket pockets? Candy? Granola bars? I’m running low.”

“You’re
vibing
again. What’s wrong? Why do you need an energy
boost?”

“Listen to me
carefully. I’ll attack them to draw them away while you get inside.”

“Attack?”
Shadow turned my head. Five individuals wearing
ghoul masks solidified near the top of the slope, blocking our way to the back
door.

“Our quarrel
isn’t with you, Shadow. Be smart here,” the ghoul in the middle warned.

“So spearing me
with the tree was just your way of saying hello?” Shadow retorted. “You know my
reputation. I’m game for anything. Let’s see who’ll be the last man standing.”

“You won’t try anything,
not unless you want to see what a focused pulse blast can do to the human body
from a point blank range?”

“Don’t you get
it?” Shadow replied, tucking me behind him out of the line of fire. “The only
reason we’re out here is to flush you lot out of the forest. You fell right
into our trap.”

“That’s quite
the line coming from a guy who can barely straighten. Somebody’s got to pay.
Sorry it’s got to be you.”

“Leave him
alone. He didn’t do anything,” I demanded, pushing past Shadow.

“He’s a
Grisland
.
Duty first and all that
rubbish.”

Shadow crossed
his arms in front of his chest and took several steps to the side, putting more
distance between us. “I’ll play, but Olivia goes inside first.”

I rounded on
Shadow, my hands braced on my hips. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“It’s just dodge
ball,” the ghoul replied as they spread out to form a circle around Shadow. “If
you use your hands, she gets one penalty pulse. If you leave the circle for any
reason, she takes your place. Survive five minutes and we’ll let you both go.”

“But he’s
wounded. You’ve got to give him something so he has a fighting chance,” I
begged. My eyes were on Shadow’s fading face, silently pleading with him to
make a run for it.

“Move from that
spot, girl, and we’ll all have a go at him at the same time.”

Arms raised,
each man took a turn at vibe punching the air. Their turns kept coming faster
until I couldn’t keep track of where the punches were coming from. Shadow
darted and dodged miraculously staying ahead of the blows. I was beginning to
think he stood a chance until the punches started coming two and three at time.
Snow melted from the heat they generated, turning the area into a slushy mess,
making it difficult for Shadow to stay on his feet. Blows started connecting.

He
staggered,
his body no longer
vibing
.
Blood dribbled down his chin from his split lip. He looked at his watch and
said, “Time.”

Relief welled up
inside of me. Suddenly, he cried out and fell onto one knee, clasping his right
shoulder and coughing so hard that he looked like he was going to topple over.

“Bullies!”
I screamed when the circle closed about him.

“Olivia, go in
the house,” Shadow ordered, speaking slowly. “You don’t need to see this.”

“Don’t tell me
you’re a quitter? I thought you were legendary? Prove it.” I challenged.

He lifted his
head. To my shock, he wore a cocky smile on his face.

“Round two, human.
Don’t move,” one of the ghouls
threatened.

The men didn’t
even give Shadow a chance to get all the way to his feet. I searched the ground
for something I could use as a weapon. The only objects within reach were small
twigs and branches that would be useless against the forces these men wielded.
I swung around, scanning the windows of the house, hoping to discover my aunt
in one of them. Shadow slipped. I clenched my hands to my mouth.

A hot caress of
air skimmed my cheeks. “I am here.”

I expected
hurricane force winds or a snowstorm of epic proportions, but the air was
still. Nothing changed and I thought maybe I’d imagined it. Then I noticed one
less man in the circle. Behind another the air shimmered and suddenly he
disappeared.

“What’s going
on?” one of the men demanded. “Answer,” he threatened Shadow by turning towards
me with his hand ready to pulse.

A sudden burst
of wind shoved the man backwards several feet. “That’s a down payment for
taking such excellent care of my brother,” Shade’s voice rumbled across the
yard. “I promise the balance of my payment will be excruciating if you don’t
let them go.”

“Be a hero,
Shade. The area is teaming with our supporters. Allow us to bind your gifts. If
you come with us for judgment, you’ve got our word that your brother can get
his wounds treated at the clinic and the heir can go back east,” one of the
masked individuals announced.

“I met some of
your supporters. Apparently your training regime leaves something to be desired
or maybe it’s just inferior stock,” Shade answered.

When the
spokesman for the group leveled his gaze upon me, the hairs on the back of my
neck stood on end. I experienced an irrational surge of hatred that momentarily
blanketed my mind. I clasped my fist to my chest, trying to will it away. The
man faded to a blurred outline with fisted hands extending towards me.

“No!” Shadow
shouted as he pinned one man to the ground and beat back another with pulses.

Snow and slush
curled off the ground, forming a shield inches from my face. Twice the wall
made a loud slurping sound and shuddered, spraying chunks of slush at my hair,
cheeks, and chest. A man screamed. The wall dissolved into a pool of water that
drained down the hill, forming a slick streak down the center of my yard.

I was alone on
the hill. Near the gazebo blurred shapes streaked for cover in the woods as
snow, ice, and wood became weapons.

I ran for the
house passed a misshapen post. The discoloration along the base struck me as
odd, but I was too concerned with raising the alarm to give it another thought.
Arms latched onto my waist, tackling me from behind, slamming me onto ground
covered in pine boughs that cushioned my body from the patio bricks. Fingers
and arms materialized next to mine and the man grunted in my ear. He tried to
vibe, but failed. I grabbed a branch with a jagged end and jabbed it down hard
between his thumb and index finger. He yelped and rolled off me.

Violent winds
swept across the back yard, bombarding the house with branches and bushes
ripped from our landscaping. Shingles flew off the roof and another section of
gutter broke free, clattering against the side of the house as it tumbled to
the patio. Corner bricks crumbled and fell off the planter supporting the
tree’s weight. I ran for the door, dodging flowerpots, birdfeeders, and wind
chimes that had become airborne missiles. For every step I took, gusts pushed me
backwards twice that much. I dropped onto my hands and knees and crawled with
my head tucked low. Pine boughs tangled about my feet and legs. I kicked hard,
trying to break free.

“Warden,” a man
called.

I scrambled for
the door. Stinging hands clamped hold of my left leg and dragged me back. I
clawed at the ground for a weapon, ending up with a fist full of pine needles.
I was flipped onto my back and pinned to the patio with a knee pressed against
my stomach and a hand around my neck. I kicked my legs, trying to unbalance my
personal zombie that looked even more hideous with its fake ears ripped off its
mask and real blood coating one side of his face.

“You may have
stopped the fire, but it looks like you and I are going to have some fun after
all,” he said maliciously.

He held a
blurred hand above my heart. I pushed it away. The fingers around my neck
tightened, and the hand returned to my chest. I shoved it away. Fingers
squeezed. I scratched and pulled at the hand around my neck, gasping for air.
His knee jabbed into my stomach. I bucked in pain, driving his knee deeper.
Everything faded except the pain.