The bombs were glowing golden and no longer falling. They were chasing after the jets. Each one struck its target with deadly precision. The show was pretty impressive. The four airborne jets burst into flames far enough away that the debris wouldn’t plummet from the heavens onto anyone here. Antonio was probably grinning right about now and hoping more jets would arrive for additional target practice.
Standing farther ahead, Ezra caught my best friends’ and my attention. He and his mom had also taken advantage of the dumbstruck Coms. Piles of bodies were left littered in their combined wake. He jerked his head, a silent demand for Pearl, Jack, and I to hurry up.
The three of us raced forward.
The tiny air Elemental in my arms hung on tight as I leaped over a particularly large area scattered with dead Commoners and Mysticals. The ground was chewed to hell under their corpses where a bomb must have detonated.
Fighting resumed around us. The Commoners began fighting even more fiercely as they grasped exactly what they were to those in charge, their actions now directed toward fleeing instead of sieging. But my fellow Mysticals were having none of it; they had been attacked on our grounds. By Coms.
To them — to me — that meant a fight to the death.
With the added benefit of knowing this assault was only the first round, two more still to invade, I didn’t want any Coms escaping to regroup and advance again when the next wave of attackers charged. So on we fought while pushing toward the pond, which was the exact opposite direction that the Coms were propelling to. They wanted the mainland access road, and we wanted the Sound.
“Pearl, behind you!” I shouted, shooting Coms who were rushing at a group of students in their white ceremonial gowns. Students who hadn’t had their Awakening today because of the onslaught. They were weak and easy marks without their powers yet.
Pearl twisted on her heels and thrust out a glowing hand. The three Coms aiming their guns at her died as their weapons turned and fired on their owners. She dipped her head in thanks in my direction, actually grinning, before she went back to tossing Coms with her power. That gleeful smile, and her thanks, were not going to be common occurrences once I used the lipstick on her to complete Antonio’s spell.
Pushing past the last of the Coms, all of them falling because of the large group of Mysticals surrounding us, I turned and shouted, “Everyone, be quiet and listen up!” I knew how to run. This was what I had been trained to do my entire life. Our escape was my show to command.
The hundreds of Mys around us went silent, affording our large assembly the advantage to hear the other battles raging on King Hall’s property, which, as I now saw, was rubble like the administration building was.
Taking a fortifying breath, I continued shouting to every Mys within earshot, “We’re going to make a shelter from the pond. We’ll be taking an extremely long journey under it. If you aren’t ready to leave just yet, get ready now. Do what you must.” I knew some of them wouldn’t be. There were loved ones they would want to hunt down. “But know that once we have the dome in place, no amount of pleading or crying will stop us. You will not be allowed entrance. We won’t risk it.”
A decent portion of the group surrounding us broke off. They sprinted — or blurred — to find their family or friends. Hopefully, they would make it back in time.
Clearing my throat, I began walking backward. Eyeing the crowd, I yelled, “We will need complete concentration for this, so here is what you need to do now.” Ezra placed a steadying hand on my back when I accidently stepped on a body. We continued to make our way to the pond, which was about a hundred yards away. “Organize yourself in lines behind us. Our elite guards first.” I could see many of them near, including my own — Felix and Aros. “Then the elderly, children, and their parents. Anyone else who is mated will go directly behind them if your mate is not here with you today.” In the event the attack at the school wasn’t the only one, they may faint if their mate died.
“I want Shifters following that group, assisting anyone who is currently injured.” I paused, still marching backward, staring hard at the Mysticals around us. “You will pick up any Mystical who falls and carry them, regardless of their faction.” I saw immediate nods. They understood this was not a day for prejudice. “After them will be the rest of you to help those who will begin to lag because this journey will be extensive and unpleasant.” Another pause as we neared the pond. “And again, no one bothers us during this. There are more attacks coming, and we need to hurry. If you interrupt us, we could all be killed.”
We stopped moving. We had arrived at our destination.
Our elite guards moved in front of us as Mysticals started following my orders. With my friends behind me, Vivian moved to take the air Elemental still clinging to me, knowing I couldn’t do this with the child in my arms. Once the little one let go, I told our guard quietly, “If anyone tries to interfere with what we’re doing at any time, knock them out. Leave them on the ground. Someone will pick them up.”