James jumped to his feet.
“No,” Calico said. He pointed at James with his free hand. James completely froze, as if petrified. The air itself seemed to hold him still, compressing him. He struggled, his muscles straining, and found that he could still move, but only with incredible effort, like moving through a pool of tar. Calico watched his slow movements with raised eyebrows.
It was enough of a distraction. Katie kicked hard from her spot on the wall. Her foot connected with the side of Calico’s head.
“Aggh!” Calico shouted, falling to one knee.
The invisible bonds holding James disappeared, and he turned without a thought, lunging for the stairs. He took them two at a time, not daring to look behind him. He just had to get out. Maybe Calico would chase him, giving Rocky and Katie a chance to escape. He crashed through the door at the top of the stairs—
And collided with Tonitrus. The Super yelped in surprise and they both tumbled to the ground. Without thinking, James slammed his elbow into Tonitrus’s face. He felt something snap and blood spurted out of the Super’s nose.
James rolled to his feet and kept running, ignoring the angry shout behind him. He barreled down the hall and rounded the corner just in time, as the wall next to him exploded with a thunderous crash.
He ran, his feet pounding on the floor, his heart beating in his throat. He didn’t know where to go. The main entrance was too far away, and it would take ages to turn the wheel to unlock it. There was only one other spot where he’d caught a glimpse of the outside world: the conference room, with the large window overlooking the mountains. Perfect.
Around one corner, then another. He heard more shouts behind him, but they were muffled, far back. Finally, he reached the hallway with the conference room... and pulled up short.
Auri stood at the opposite end of the hall. The Super froze and their eyes met. James silently pleaded, hoping she’d take mercy on him. She’d always been kind, even if she was on Calico’s side. Auri’s gaze drifted over his shoulder as more yells came from down the hall, closer now. Then she dropped her head and kept walking, disappearing around the corner.
James sighed with relief and jogged into the empty conference room. He crossed to the window. It was a bit of a drop, but the snow was layered thick on the mountain below. He’d just have to hope it was soft enough. He grabbed one of the chairs from the table and threw it hard at the window.
It bounced off harmlessly.
“Shit!” James grabbed a second chair and threw it. This time, a small crack appeared in the window. A third chair and a network of cracks broke out, like a spiderweb. Almost there...
“Stob.”
James froze as he reached for the fourth chair. Tonitrus stood in the doorway, his hands raised, two small flames in each. Blood poured down his chin, his nose completely disfigured. Even though Auri would heal him in seconds, James felt harsh pleasure at seeing the man bleed.
“Sorry,” James said, lifting his empty palms up. “Did you say stop? I can’t understand you with all that—”
“You libble...” Tonitrus brought his hands together, and the two flames combined into a larger flame in the middle. It grew in size quickly, priming itself.
James kicked the chair in front of him hard. It slid across the room and hit Tonitrus just enough to throw him off-balance.
James turned and ran toward the window. Tonitrus cursed, and James felt the heat of a massive flame behind him. He surged forward at full speed, his head and shoulder lowered, his arms braced. At the last moment, he jumped. Before crashing through the glass, he had just enough time to think, This is going to hurt.
The weakened window shattered around him as he flew forward. Shards of glass mingled with a mass of orange flame as a huge wave of heat exploded around him, propelling him farther. He flew through the air, his back singed. The land sloped down below him, and with a grunt, he landed hard in the snow, white powder flying up around him. His momentum thrust him forward, and he tumbled down the hill, grunting with each hit, the world spinning sickeningly around him while trees blurred past.
The slope increased and he was sliding. He managed to stop spinning and scrambled uselessly in the snow, trying to stop the slide.
The ground disappeared into a cliff, and he was falling. He plunged down, down, with nothing but empty air around him. The ground met him with an unyielding embrace. His legs buckled with a sickening snap, and he pitched forward into the snow. Finally, he came to a rest face-down.
His whole body ached, but his leg screamed with pain. Stifling a yell, he pushed himself out of the snow and turned over, his leg following uselessly. He felt it with gentle fingers, but as soon as they brushed his shin, a shot of fire ran through him. His stomach turned. It was clearly broken.
But he had to keep moving. Calico and Tonitrus could be right behind him. He had to get away. For Derek. For Rocky and Katie.
James pushed himself to his feet, gritting his teeth, trying to suppress a scream. His leg felt like it had been dipped in molten lava. But it didn’t matter. One step, then another. He stumbled through the snow, somehow managing to stay upright, half blinded by pain. He just had to get away.
Away.
It was his only thought as he pushed forward. Each step was excruciating, worse than the last. His body begged him to stop. But he had to keep going.
Away.
The snow shifted below him and he slid forward, suddenly off-balance. He swung his arms, then fell hard on his
