I headed down the stairs, gripping the metal railing with one hand and brushing away the bits of wood and plaster still dangling from the ceiling with the other. The air was even hotter here, and sweat broke out across my body, stinging my eyes and dripping down my spine. Even my palm felt slick against the hot metal railing.
I paused again on the bottom step and studied the darkness ahead. Plaster had fallen in several places, and the faint glow of fire was now visible through the upper-level flooring, but this section of the basement was certainly far more intact than the hall above. How long that would last was another matter entirely.
I pushed on. Up ahead, lit by the faint glow cast by the wild magic, was a large pile of plaster and wood. But that wasn’t what was stopping them getting out—rather, it was the ceiling. It had partially collapsed, crushing one side of the doorframe. Even if we moved the pile of debris, there was no way we were going to get that door open—not without getting the ceiling’s weight off it.
I swallowed heavily and then called out, “Aiden? You there?”
“Lizzie?” came the immediate and somewhat incredulous reply. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“What the fuck do you think I’m doing? Rescuing your ass.”
“You shouldn’t be here—”
“On that, we agree. But here I am anyway. Step back—I’m going to open the door.”
“The SES boys are bringing in props to support the wall—”
“Aiden, half the building is gone and the rest is on the verge of collapse. We can’t afford to wait for them.”
As if to emphasize this point, another explosion ripped through the air and shook the walls. Large cracks appeared even as the broken ceiling dropped another couple of inches.
Aiden swore. “I had no idea it was that bad. Do what you have to.”
“Get well back, just in case this doesn’t go to plan.”
It will, came Katie’s comment.
I wished I shared her certainty. I took a deep breath and then reached out for the wild magic. A storm of power that was both familiar and yet alien flooded through me, seeming to stretch me, making me more even as it made me less. It had been damned scary the last time I’d done it, but this—this was something else. This suggested I could be something else.
But now was not the time to worry about it.
I flung one hand out, directing part of its power at the wall, forming a column of sheer energy that pulsed between the floor and the broken ceiling beam, forcing its weight up and off the door. With my other hand, I made a sweeping motion. The rubble that blocked the door rose in the air, flung itself past me, and then settled on either side of the shaking walls behind, leaving a path wide enough to walk through. I redirected that energy back to the column, reinforcing it.
Pain began to pulse in the back of my head. I might be using wild magic to hold up the wall, but it was costing me personally.
“Aiden,” I growled, “force the door open and get everyone out.”
There were several thumps that echoed through the wall and tore through me via the wild magic, then the door burst open and Aiden appeared. He took one look at me, then turned and growled, “Everyone out—fast!”
Men and women streamed through the door—and there were far more than I’d expected. I pressed my back against the wall to give them room to pass; they stank of fear and smoke and blood; some were burned, some were cut and bleeding, but most looked unharmed. The main stairs into the basement might have collapsed, but that same collapse might also have protected them from subsequent explosions.
With what sounded like a gunshot, the plaster above me cracked and fell. I thrust a hand up, knocking the huge chunk away with wild magic. Pain lanced through my head, and moisture dropped over my eyelashes and slipped down my cheeks. I couldn’t hold for much longer…
“Hurry” was all I said.
Six more people came out, then Aiden was beside me. “Fuck, Lizzie, you’re bleeding—”
I was? “It doesn’t matter—go. Get everyone out of here—”
“Not without you—”
“I’m currently the only thing stopping this section of hall collapsing, so get your ass out of here. I’ll be right behind you.”
He made a low sound deep in his throat, then swung around, wrapped an arm around a limping young man, and disappeared into the smoke and dust haze that now filled the hall.
I waited, one arm still outstretched, feeding the wild magic into the column, keeping it strong. My limbs shook, and the ache in my head was now fierce enough that my vision was blurring.
Why?
I wasn’t really doing anything here that I hadn’t done before…
Magic is never without cost came the comment. It wasn’t Katie—it was too masculine in tone. Gabe, speaking through her. You may be one with the wild magic, and will therefore avoid the price most pay for its use, but you are still flesh and blood rather than energy. Using it in such a manner will always come at a personal cost.
Like eyes bleeding?
Yes. They will heal, but every time you use the wild magic in this manner, the worse the bleeding will become and the longer it will take you to recover.
Not something I wanted to hear… but right now, it didn’t really matter.
Aiden and the others had climbed the stairs and were now in the hall leading to the parking area. It was time for me to release the wall and get the hell out of here.
You will have to run came Katie’s comment. Fast.
I took a deep breath, then clenched my fingers
