Evan

  Evan and Tozi opened the door to the hospital. Long brightly lit hallways fitted with waist high blue bumpers led left and right. A nurse wearing green scrubs and a mask marched past them and down the hall to the left. Luckily, she either didn’t notice them or care to stop to question them. She stopped at a desk several paces away and started reviewing paperwork. Directly across from them, a small closet door had been left open. The cramped closet was chocked full of mops, buckets, cleaning solution and a large sink. To the right, a series of evenly spaced doors stood open.

  Evan closed the exterior door behind Zarg with as gentle a click and whispered, “Where can we hide?”

  Tozi tugged him down the hallway away from the nurse. Good. It was probably best not to test their luck, especially with a massive greyhound in tow. Evan held his breath as they passed by each room hoping one was vacant, but all were occupied. The last one had a nurse and a doctor talking to a patient. Tozi held her finger to her mouth as they passed. At the end of the hall, a door with a small window led to a set of stairs.

  “Crap.” Tozi turned back. “We don’t want to go upstairs. The jaguars are there. Closet.”

  After creeping back quietly and quickly and without anyone taking notice, they stumbled into the janitor closet trying to fit without knocking anything over and causing a commotion. Evan hopped up on the sink with Zarg scrunched underneath it. Tozi straddled a metal bucket behind the door while leaning to the side to avoid a clump of mops and brooms precariously stacked in the corner. Evan pushed the door mostly shut to where he could barely see out.

  The exterior door swung open all the way around and slammed into the wall as if some had run through it. The click clack of the nurse’s footsteps came over. Muffled voices argued quietly just outside the door of the closet. Through the crack in the door Evan couldn’t see who was arguing, but it had to be Sovs talking to the nurse.

  The voices started to grow loud. It was an argument. Then came the distinctive sound of a body hitting the ground. No. They killed that poor nurse. Evan felt sick. Why had they done that?

  The closet door started to edge open.

  Shit.

  Evan grabbed a heavy brush off the shelf next to him. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but better than nothing. But they weren’t catching him without a fight. His body tensed. The door creaked open.

  The nurse poked her head in and slipped her mask down. Nina said, “What’s up, Evan?” She glanced at Tozi. “Making friends?”

  “Oh my god. You’re alive!” The anxiety in Evan rushed out. His eyes watered. All the fear from the darkness of the tunnels, the unknown fate of everyone he cared about, the Sov threat, and this unknown world rushed through him a torrent of raw emotion. But now, now things would be okay. Now, things were better. He grabbed Nina’s head and hugged her tight. Tears started to fall. He hadn’t been forgotten. He wasn’t alone. It was someone he knew. Someone from his real life, not whatever this world was. Someone who would help. The relief washed over him; his voice words started to fall out hysterically, “I’m, I’m so glad you’re okay. I…it’s been…” He stopped himself as he realized he was starting to whimper.

  Nina squeezed him back. “Hey. It’s okay. You’re alright. And by the looks of it you’re doing more than alright.”

  Evan finally released her from his grip and wiped his eyes now embarrassed he was crying in front of his two crushes.

  Nina leaned down to give Zarg a scratch as his tail thumped against the wall in pure joy. “Who’s been doing a good job protecting my Evan? Huh? Look at you. You’re such a good boy.”

  Zarg beamed pure elation. He was a good boy.

  Nina patted Evan gently. “Come on. You think I’d leave you behind? Who’s going to take all those bullets for me? You’re my magic shield remember?”

  Evan started to catch his breath. He continued to wipe his eyes now completely embarrassed, but still ecstatic.

  Tozi held a brush menacingly towards Nina. Her voice came out smothered in disapproval. “Evan’s your magic shield? And you are?”

  Evan pushed the brush down. “No. No. It’s okay, this is Nina. Remember? One of my friends?”

  Tozi put the brush back on the shelf, although she didn’t seem convinced. “I’m Tozi, since he didn’t bother introducing me.”

  “Pleasure,” Nina said ducking back out. “Now if you could all get out, I need stash these in there before anyone comes by.”

  As quick as they had scrambled out of the closet, Nina, using a little telekinetic juice, jammed the bodies in like two limp Tetris pieces that barely fit in place. She put a finger into the keyhole and melted it. “That’ll hold’em for a while.”

  Nina motioned everyone back into the stairwell Tozi and Evan had just avoided. “Now we need to spring Kae. She’s upstairs—”

  “Room 207,” Tozi said, cutting her off. “But she’s guarded by a jaguar. We’ll never get her out.”

  Nina said, “That’s the easy part. But I don’t know if Kae is ready to be on the run. I was able to sneak a peek at her chart and it looks like the internal bleeding has stopped, but the bone is still broken. So, no running for her. I was able to get ahold of HQ, and I have an extraction point. But getting there won’t be easy with this lock down and increased jaguar patrols. Plus…I think they’re working with the Sovs. But if I—”

  “You can all come back to my place,” Tozi said with some desperation in her voice. “It’ll be fine. You know…for a little while.”

  Evan’s hands became clammy. Him and Zarg hiding there was risky enough, but Nina and Kae too? If the empire caught them all there, what would they do to them? “It seems risky.”

  Tozi furrowed her eyebrows and her face became red. “What? So that’s it? She shows up and it’s time to go?”

  Evan’s insides knotted up. Was she…jealous of Nina? But they…she… “No. It’s wait...I don’t want to get you and your mom in trouble.”

  Tozi looked away in defiance but didn’t respond.

  Nina glanced back and forth between Tozi and Evan, confused. “It would be good if we had somewhere to lay low for a while until everyone’s attention here died down. Are you sure?”

  Tozi folded her arms. “Yes. It’s fine,” she said snapping her words off like an angry alligator.

  This girl! She was so…wonderful and yet such a pain. He couldn’t let anything bad happen to them, yet he needed her help. She was determined, so what choice did he really have? Evan took a deep breath. “Okay. Guess we are going there.”

  Nina nodded. “Right. So, we are already on the clock. If the Sovs and jaguars are working together, they already know something is happening. I’m going to get Kae. Once I do, how do we get back to your place?”

  Tozi pointed off to her left. “The path through the garden. First turn, we make a left.”

  Evan’s felt his chest drop a little. “Don’t forget there’s a jaguar there and that is a long walk for Kae.”

  Tozi shook him off. “There’s a cable route we can take. We didn’t take it on the way in because…well, I wanted to show you the garden to show you how pretty it was down here.”

  Nina cocked her head at Evan. “You didn’t tell her?”

  No. Why would he? He didn’t need to. Evan bit his lip. “Not exactly.”

  Tozi put her hands on her hips. “Didn’t tell me what?”

  Evan sighed. “I can’t do magic. But more than that I absorb magic, like all magic around me. That’s why I can’t open the dirt doors or take a wire or a million other things.”

  Tozi stared a little dumbfounded for a few seconds. “You’re the reason the boiler is dying, aren’t you? We just got that heating element a few weeks ago, and it should have lasted months. Have you been screwing it up?”

  This was not how he was expecting this revelation to go. But it was better than her biting his head off. “I might have…maybe? Is it that—”

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  Tozi pointed a finger at his chest. “And that kiss? It completely sucked all the fizz out of me. I just thought you were like this amazing kisser, or I was losing my mind.”

  Nina gave Evan a knowing smirk and the faintest of a head nod.

  Evan’s face warmed with embarrassment, but he couldn’t stop a smile from forming. She thought he was an amazing kisser! Why was this so awkward though?

  Nina let out a huff of amusement. “So, the plan is we go through the garden since Romeo here,” Nina nodded to Evan, “can’t take the wire.”

  Did she really just call him Romeo? Why is this mortifying conversation even happening? Would it never end? Evan shook his head. “Come on.”

  With no more fuss, they crept up the stairs and Nina peered through a small window in the stairwell door. “Fuck.”

  She leaned back and Evan was able to see a Sov talking to Jaguar who had what looked like radio in his hand.

  Nina started to pace. She looked around quietly as if she were doing the calculations in her head. She shook her head. “We don’t have a choice. This is going to be our only opportunity. They’ll either move Kae or have this place crawling with guards. They know someone is here. The Sovs are going to be after the Root, and they are going to use Kae as leverage. This is the best and maybe only chance.” Kae paused to take a deep breath. “Everyone ready?”

  Evan’s stomach started to flutter, his breathing shallow. No. He was not ready, but he didn’t have a choice. He nodded.

  Tozi checked the window one more time. “How are you going to get around both of them?”

  Nina put her mask on over her face. “Like I said, that’s the easy part.” She walked out into the hallway with a determined pace.

  Evan leaned in close to Tozi and whispered. “She won’t be going around them. She’s a mage.”

  Tozi turned to Evan with wide eyes. “Really?”

  Evan motioned back to the window and on cue Nina sent two shots of fiery orange ESH dropping the Sov and jaguar with a clean strike.

  Evan nodded. “Really.”

  Nina waved for them to follow. Tozi and Evan rushed to the door. Inside pale-yellow walls surrounded a hospital bed positioned against the back wall with Kae fast asleep in it. A blue cast on Kae’s upper arm was attached to her body with beige straps. A panel on a cart next to her bed showed her vital signs. Next to it, a plastic bag of clear liquid hung with a tube leading into Kae’s arm.

  Relief and happiness rushed through Even at the sight of Kae. She was alive, beat up and sound asleep, but here and on the mend. It was one thing to know it, but entirely different to see it with his own eyes. It was probably the happiest he had ever been seeing her, but still, this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. “Kae.” Evan nudged her with a sense of desperation. “Kae! Hurry up, you’re late for school. Time to get up! Moms pissed, even Dad’s mad. You better get up.”

  Kae mumbled under her breath tossing her head sideways with scowl. “No…tell Mom I’m…” She opened her eyes and stared at Evan in a daze, then looked around. Her eyes snapped back to Evan. “You little shit, for a second I thought you were an alien or something.”

  Evan laughed. “Nope, not an alien.” He held a hand out, “Ready to get out of here?”

  Kae leaned forward slowly. “Ugh, so ready.”

  The two limp bodies from the corridor floated in with Nina behind them. “Good to see you, girl.” The bodies dropped unceremoniously onto the floor. “Find your clothes, get dressed. We gotta run.”

  Evan, Nina, and Zarg went back to the stairwell to ensure their way out was clear while Tozi helped Kae get dressed. They waited on the bottom floor and continued to watch the hallway. A nurse and doctor passed by the janitor closet but didn’t notice the fused door handle.

  Nina kept giving Evan a side eye and smirks.

  Evan couldn’t take it. “What?”

  Nina snickered. “I leave you lost and alone in the tunnels of the Cuāuhtli Empire only to find you a few days later with a girlfriend and a hideout. I was watching you two in the park. Damn Casanova, you work fast.” She bumped her shoulder into Evan. “Guess I lost my chance huh?”

  A shy grin forced its way on his face. “She’s a little crazy, but her heart is in the right place.”

  “Shit, I’m over thirty and never even found that. I think you got this figured out more than most.”

  Two jaguars came in through the exterior door but turned in the opposite direction. Whew. But they would soon sound the alarm when they made it up to Kae’s room. They were running out of time, and fast.

  The upstairs door opened. Evan and Nina jerked back in a panic, but thankfully it was Tozi. “We’re coming.”

  With slow measured steps Kae finally made it to the bottom. She wore the same dirty t-shirt and jeans from the day they had arrived. In her good arm she carried her IV bag. “I figured I needed these drugs.”

  Nina grimaced. No doubt, she was panicking. “Are you…okay?”

  Evan started rubbing his sweaty palms together as panic started to creep in. They weren’t going to evade anyone with Kae limping through town with a large greyhound following her around like a giant ‘look at me’ billboard. There wasn’t really a choice so before Kae could respond Evan jumped in. “You have to take the wire. It’s the only way.”

  Nina pointed an accusatory finger at Evan. “No! I am not splitting us up again. My orders are to get you and Kae out no matter what, even at the cost of leaving the Root behind. So no, not this time.”

  Evan shook his head. “I know my way back, well, at least to the gardens. I can…make my way there and hide. Then when the coast is clear, ya’ll come back and find me.”

  “No, there has to be another way.” Nina took a few unsure steps back and forth.

  Evan said, “There’s no time. You said it yourself. Where is the wire?”

  Tozi’s eyes were wide with concern. “It’s across the park. Not too far. But…I don’t like this. What are they going to do if they catch you?”

  “They’re not going to catch me. The jaguars don’t even know what I look like.”

  “No.” Nina said. “But the Sovs do. But…” She eyed Evan up and down. “They won’t be looking for a nurse.”

  Genius. They could swap outfits. He could fit her scrubs, probably. “But you have to take Zarg. The Sovs definitely know him.”

  Anger welled up in Evan. Zarg pushed his long head into Evan’s side and stared up with defiance. He wasn’t leaving Evan’s side. Not now. Especially not with all the Sovs lurking about.

  Evan dropped to his knees and hugged his loyal friend. “You have to. It’s the only way. Kae needs your protection now. Not me. I can hide.”

  Zarg let out a guttural grunt of dissatisfaction.

  Tozi stepped back. “What’s wrong?”

  “Zargy boy, listen to me.” Evan rubbed his cheek across the top of Zarg’s head. “Protect Kae. Protect Nina. Protect Tozi. I’ll see you before you know it.”

  Zarg’s big black watery eyes widened in protest, but also in resignation. He knew what had to be done. He was a good boy. The best ever.

  Nina, now suddenly only wearing her bra and panties, handed Evan her clothes.

  Evan was so caught off by the sight he stood dumbfounded without taking the clothes.

  Kae laughed. “Any day now, perv!”

  Evan snapped out of it and took the clothes. His eyes dropped to the floor fully embarrassed now. He undressed and dressed while only sneaking one more glance at Nina’s gorgeously toned body and milky skin. Wow.

  “Done yet?” Tozi tilted her head with knowing eyes. She had caught him checking Nina out. Damn it.

  “Uh yeah.” Evan said quickly, looking down at himself and trying not to die of embarrassment.

  Tozi shook her head. “Tie your drawstring.”

  “Right” Evan tied it and wondered if he would ever not feel this uncomfortable again or if this was just a permanent part of his existence now.

  Nina handed Evan her mask. “We go straight to the wire. Tozi, lead the way and take Zarg through. I take Kae through. Evan, you wait thirty seconds after we leave so if someone sees you, you’re just a nurse going on break.” Nina tossed Evan a coin. “Go buy a drink and make it look casual if anyone is around. And then get to that garden and wait there. You don’t leave there, no matter what. If I have to take out the whole damn Sovereign Sect, I will come and get you. Understood?”

  “Understood.”

  Tozi wrapped her arms around Evan and kissed him. It was as if he could feel her ESH stream into him. Goose bumps formed all over him and his chest burned with excitement. That was so nice. She pulled back. “See you soon, primo.”

  Nina opened the door and as they left, Kae looked back at Evan with an evil smile. “So, you’re dating my brother, huh? I have so much to tell you.”

  What was she going to say? It didn’t matter. It’s not like she had anything embarrassing on him. No, she totally did. Damn

  Evan tried to calm his thoughts as he waited and waited for what felt like an impossibly long thirty seconds until a wall of tension overtook him. It was Zarg’s nerves. Wait, his anger. No. It was bloodlust.

  Evan rushed down the hallway and out the door.

  The once peaceful park was a warzone.

  A kaleidoscope of ESH screamed through the air. Nina glowed bright tangerine. Black and white sparks ricocheted off her shield. Showers of dirt and burning grass dotted the park. Three sword wielding jaguars charged Kae and Tozi. Two broken bodies oozed blood from missing limbs. A streak of angry greyhound cut through the park. Two Sovs ran for life and limb. It was too late. The first Sov shrieked. Zarg cut through his arm like a speedboat through water, barely slowing as the arm split from the body. Blood sprayed the ground red, and Zarg turned. The second Sov raised an arm, spitting black ESH. The ground in front of Zarg plumed in a cloud of dust. A second later all that was left was a headless Sov and an enraged Zarg.

  Kae raised her good arm. Bolts of magenta peppered the oncoming jaguars. But their swords deflected each shot. One smashed into the ground inches from Tozi, knocking her off her feet. Nina moved into a flanking position to the right. She released a fiery orange deluge of firepower. One jaguar turned and deflected the attack. The other two fell. Nina took the brunt of her own attack, but her shield held. The jaguar looked from Kae to Nina, unsure where to focus. Zarg came from behind. The jaguar head ripped away from the body exposing a man underneath. He stayed down, face first, unmoving. Surprisingly, all limbs and his head were still attached.

  Tozi got to her feet and along with Kae they stumbled across the road from the park. Nina chased after them calling for Zarg to follow. Zarg continued to stand over his downed jaguar, scanning the park for remaining Sovs. Hoping he could find one, but all had been dealt with.

  “Come on. Come on. Go Zarg. What are you waiting for?” Evan whispered to himself. This was their chance to get away. Go boy. Go with Nina. Hurry!

  Zarg looked to Evan one last time before rushing to Nina. A flash blinded Evan for a second, and they were gone. And again, he was alone. Really alone, not even Zarg was with him now. But it was okay. They had a plan, and he wasn’t alone in a dark tunnel, and he had light. Beautiful ambient light all around him. He could see everywhere. Sure, the Sovs were looking for him, but he was going to be okay. They had a plan. A real plan. Still, better to skip the shop altogether to avoid the carnage of the park and head straight for the garden.

  He turned and went along the side of the hospital while keeping a watchful eye on the park. He quickly rushed through the streets of Arcilla the same way he had come. By the time he could see the edge of town, jaguars came running down the street towards the warzone. He pulled his mask off to not look too conspicuous and continued as if nothing were wrong.

  Evan approached the edge of town and spotted the bridge he had crossed into the city. It led over the moat, surrounding the city and to the forest, and finally to the garden he was to hide in. The buzz birds zipped between trees and shrubs as people were walking by. He was so close. But with one block to go, he spotted a Sov leaning against a tree just off his path casually examining everyone as they crossed out of town. There was no doubt. He was looking for Evan.