Frozen before him, he swung back his arm, knocking me to the ground. My arm burned where his mace hit, but no blood seeped through my clothes. I cried out in pain.
He went to swing again, and seeing the mace come ever closer, a voice I barely recognized as my own surrounded me, whisking by to form a protective force field around me. For every swing, the force of it seemed to bounce back on him until he teetered and tottered on his feet.
And collapsed with a loud boom.
An audible gasp moved across the crowd, and their heavy, anger-fueled gazes rested on me. “That’s one way to introduce yourself.” The one from the bus nodded her head, thinning out her lips. Unlike before, there was no kindness in her face now, just indifference.
Instead of joining a faction, I’d at least made it so I didn’t have as big of a target on my back.
I heard Officer Oberon sigh. I wasn’t sure if he’d lost that bet or not.
“Enough. Looks like we have to take you to Medical, inmate.” He moved to my side, helped me up. And with a snap of his fingers, my prized sword floated back to its place in the stone.
“That was Xi who you took down. The champion here. Not sure if that was good of you or not. Very interesting about the force field. Did you know you could do that?”
I remained quiet, clenching my teeth as the pain from my arm seemed to radiate through me.
He carried me along to Medical, gates opening and closing before and behind us with an incessant buzzing. The more we walked, the more I thought I must be losing blood after all.
“I’m…a little bit woozy,” I slurred.
“Yeah, Xi’s weapon must have had some of her troll toxin on it. Never trust a troll.”
Chapter Seven
Back in Medical, the lights burned from overhead, and I awoke on an otherwise comfortable doctor’s bed. White curtains hung along one window, blocking some of the natural light, as the unnaturally bright lights above sought to replace the sun’s beauty. I leaned forward, unsure of how long I’d been out.
Dressed in a hospital gown, a little discombobulated, I looked to my left and right. The room was no larger than the average living room, with space for five beds.
Glancing to my left, I spotted Rust, battered and bruised next to me. How could that be?
I swung my feet out of bed and rushed to his side. “Rust, love, are you okay? What are you doing here?”
One eye was swollen shut, and the other one barely opened. He stared at me in fear, groaning. I tried to touch him, but he flinched instead.
“Don’t say anything, Kristen. You don’t know me. We don’t know each other.”
“Why? I’d never deny you. What are you doing here? How did you get here?”
“They’re doing experiments on people, things, everything, and convinced there’s a pocket of supernaturals they need to bring down for the elves to fully ascend.” He stopped and squinted. “How are you so fit?”
I moved my arm, touching where the mace should have done serious damage and found nothing but my normal, whole arm completely intact—no broken bones, bruising, or anything else.
“The fairies create the mana; they’re drained of their magic, which is then bottled and used for the elves.”
This wasn’t news. It was what Fyre had told me what seemed like only yesterday.
“Something tells me that you know more,” I countered.
“The mana is only a carrot to find the supernatural population in their midst. They want to open up a portal between realms.”
“What type of portal?” Portals to another realm? Well, that would be new information helpful for the cause, should I find a way to communicate to the rebel forces.
“One that will usher pure, unadulterated evil.”
I took his hand. “We’ve already survived the apocalypse. What more could they do to us?”
“Never ask that question.” He raised his hand to cup my cheek. “I love you, and I must protect all that we might one day have.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, sensing his pain.
“We’re just experiencing round one, love, and if we’re going to survive, we have to do it together.”
“Psst.” I heard from the other side. “Kristen?” I recognized that female voice and saw Sif resting on the bed. Her usual vibrant self seemed weaker, dazed and confused, and tortured. Even while just wearing the prison’s orange jumpsuit, what I could see wasn’t good. Her body bore bruises like she, too, had been battling.
“You’re alive.” I sighed in relief.
Just then, the wall imploded, spewing concrete shards around the room, and a giant, as large as King Kong, reached in and snatched Sif away.
“Sif!” I screamed.
But it was too late. Sif was gone.
The End
Continue in this supernatural world! Dive into the HELL CHRONICLES with Kristen, Ola, Chi and Sif, when the gods come to town bringing a lot of hell with them. Start the Hell Chronicles with HELLBENT! Learn more about the Hell Chronicles on Tina’s Website!
About the Author
Tina Glasneck is a USA Today bestselling author and is passionate about magic and myth. Very much influenced by Norse myth and legends, she’s looking forward to catching up with Loki and Lady Hel. She might even have tea with Freyja.
Tina also loves connecting with her readers. Connect with her on facebook in her reader’s group, where she
