FLOOD

Fever

It wasn't an idle threat, and I almost thought I'd have to follow through with it, because at first Gunny refused to move. Then finally she allowed me to loop my arm more firmly around her waist, and Eli took her other arm.

Together, staggering through the woods in the middle of flashes of orange flame and the wavering spotlight, we were far too noticeable for my liking. We may as well have targets on our backs. The three of us were spread so wide, moving so slowly. But walking faster wasn't an option, Gunny stumbled every few steps as it was.

Guilt bit at my stomach. I never should have let Charlotte cast that spell on her. If Gunny felt pain she wouldn't be pushing herself like this.

"Back to the boat." I said, and I had to raise my voice between the sound of bullets because my ears were ringing so loudly. Shouts and screams punctuated any spare second of quiet, though there weren't many. "But first...Eli, your hiding place."

I had to check it. Even if it meant going a few minutes out of our way, even if Gunny did look ready to drop. Fiske was here somewhere, and if I were him I would have gone back to Eli's old hideout and hidden there. Of course, when he'd heard the gunfire he could have come out and be god-knows-where now, but I wouldn't be satisfied until I'd at least checked.

Eli nodded, jerking his head to the left. We steered Gunny that way between us, stumbling onwards, going so slowly my palms fairly itched with impatience, and my mouth was sour with fear. If one of us got shot, this was over. Neither me, nor Eli could drag anyone else with us. Not two people to one.

We stumbled through the trees for what seemed like hours, weaving our way through the chaos, stumbling past bloody soldiers, some of them lying prone, strewn through the forest like broken dolls, limbs shattered and askew. There were so many of them, it turned my stomach to see our army being laid out like that.

And there weren't as many soldiers in the black uniform of the compound, not that I could see. Did that mean they were winning? Or maybe it just meant they were cowards, holed up in their drab gray building shooting at us out of windows and doors, not coming out to fight us because they knew they'd lose. There were more of us than them, and we had magic.

"There." Eli's voice jerked me out of my thoughts. He was pointing to a slight furrow in the ground, a pile of wet leaves that had accumulated at the base of a big oak tree directly in front of us.

Even in the dark I recognized his hideout, and my heart skipped a beat.

Let him be there. Let him be there.

It was a chant in my head the entire time we approached. Our footsteps sounded loud, crunching over sticks and half dried leaves. And then another volley of automatic fire blocked out everything else and made us duck, hunching over in our panic, scurrying forward to the hole in the ground.

Eli went first, sliding in with ease of long familiarity, disappearing into the darkness, I pushed Gunny in gently afterword, helping to lower her down with one hand, glancing back over my shoulder with my heart in my throat the entire time. Finally I slid down into the darkness, feeling sticks and stones dig into my back, shirt riding up as I slid down the dirt tunnel. I hit the dirt floor and landed hard on my tailbone, sending pain shooting up my spine.

In spite of the jarring landing, it was instantly cooler down here, and the noise of the war on the surface became muffled. It was a relief to be underground and hidden away. If I had the option, I'd stay here to wait things out.

It was pitch black inside, and I stretched out one hand. "Eli?"

Light flared suddenly, casting shaky orange and black patterns across the dirt walls. Gunny was sitting up, her back against the wall, blinking around in surprise. Her face was white, but her eyes were wide open. She had a tiny flame flickering in the center of her palm, which was lighting up most of the tunnel.