Master of the Storm

Chapter Thirty One: The Four Left Standing

A/N: this is the second last chapter. This is the chapter where all the big stuff happens, and everything comes to a close, and the next chapter is the one where they go the all the funerals /hj

The figure grew closer, and I saw it was a girl, no, a woman, with dark shining skin, and her hair tied up in intricate braids that almost looked like vines.

The trees around us were bending unnaturally, as if they had come alive. It took me a moment to realize that she was doing it. What I noticed as she grew closer was that she was probably in her thirties, which confused me, because from what I knew, it was only people from around fourteen to seventeen that had powers, and we were the first generation.

So she couldn't be one of us.

"Don't come any closer!" I yelled, preparing for a fight.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she assured me, her voice smooth and husky. "I came to aid Beatrix. Are you she?"

"No, I'm Damira," I said.

She smiled. "Oh, yes. Beatrix told me about you. She speaks very highly of you."

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"My name is Dove," she told me. "And I've been doing this a lot longer then you have."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked. "Doing what?"

"You think you're the first ones to have these powers," she stated calmly.

"There was someone before us?" I whispered. "There's more of us? How many?"

"We were forty three, at first. Some of us died years ago. Some of us stayed here to support each other. Some moved on with their lives. There are twelve that still live in the city. I've called in more, I don't know who's coming. But you're about to get some backup."

"Tell me more," I begged, my thirst for knowledge almost too much to bear after what she'd already told me.

Dove started to speak, when I heard the sounds of shouting behind me. I turned around, and saw around half a dozen armed guards break through the bush and advance towards us.

Quick as a whip, Dove sent the trees that stood around them down towards them, and as I watched, they were flung far to the right, and I heard them land somewhere in the distance.

"I'm not the best at fights," she admitted. "I just make things grow, mostly. But don't worry, my friends are coming. But now, you need to go help your friends."

"They're probably all dead," I said.

"Not all of them," she said. "They could never wipe out all of us, though they tried."

I hesitated, looking in the direction I had come from. I had to go back there?

"Go," she said. "I'll stay here and wait for my friends."

So I started to walk, quickly breaking into a run soon enough, but trying to stay quiet so I wouldn't be heard. But I could barely hear my feet hitting ground over the pounding in my ears.

As I turned a corner, I stopped abruptly as I saw two crumpled bodies on the ground. It took me a moment to realize who they were, and when I did, time slowed down and I stumbled to the ground in front of them.

Pluto's cheek lay against the ground, eyes wide open and unseeing, and Olivia beside. There were holes in their backs and a spray of blood on the ground, and their hands were still clasped tightly together.

It was obvious what had happened, and I could see it in my mind's eye. They'd been running away, Pluto had been dragging Olivia into the trees, and they'd been shot in the back by the guards chasing them, and had fallen to the ground, never letting go of each other's hands.