Tragic Magic [boyxboy]

Chapter Fourteen

Tristan didn't even struggle against the invisible hold as his eyes faded back to their natural colour. His hands were clenched behind his back palms-together, meaning he had no direction over his powers and couldn't utilise them.

                The rest of us froze, crouching defensively and staring at Tristan and Aldrich; the latter smirked sardonically, knowing he had the upper hand now. How had this happened? Had Tristan let his guard down? Never.

                'If this is how it has to be, then so be it,' Aldrich rasped. 'If you'd handed her over when you had the chance it wouldn't have come to this. If I have to kill you off one by one until she's the only one left, more the pleasure for me.' His gaze landed on me, and even though I was gazing back at him with horrified intensity, I could see the others as if in slow motion out of the corners of my eyes; they all turned to me as well and started to throw themselves in my direction.

                Their voices imploded in my mind as they all projected at me at once; he'll be reborn; don't let Aldrich get into your head; control yourself; STOP!

                It was the last thing I remembered.

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I came to to the sound of sirens. There were car alarms screaming up and down the street again, but there was the unmistakable addition of ambulance and police sirens ripping through my consciousness and bringing me back to the present.

                Slowly, I took in what was going on. I was crouched on the ground in a ball, my arms wrapped around my knees and my head buried between my chest and my thighs. Lifting my head slowly, I became aware that there were people around me; blinking and trying to shake the rushing in my ears I realised Kaley and Maya were crouched on either side of me, arms around me and murmuring, not that that I could hear them just yet.

                Looking further around, I was shocked to see that the street was completely destroyed. For the small chaos Aldrich had caused with his arrival, whatever had happened in the interim of my black-out and black-in, it made Aldrich look like David rather than Goliath.  Houses had collapsed and there was rubble everywhere, but this was nothing to the huge crater in the middle of the street, where Aldrich and Tristan had been standing.

                'What happened?' I blurted; my mouth felt like it was full of cotton wool. I looked wildly between Maya and Kaley, my expression pleading. 'What happened?!' They glanced at each other warily.

                'It's all going to be fine, Cody,' Kaley said softly, rubbing my back. 'You're disoriented, but-'

                'Tell me what happened! Where's Tristan?! Is he okay? Where is he?!'

                Neither of them said anything but both glances flickered towards the crater briefly before returning to me. I didn't hesitate, swinging my head back to face the crater and study it more carefully this time; a group of five people in medics' uniforms were lifting a stretcher out of the crater; strapped to it was a lump covered in a white blanket, and sticking out the top was the unmistakable honey-blonde mop of hair that belonged to Tristan Darlington.

                'No,' I muttered, shocked, when I first saw him, then, 'NO!' I jumped to my feet and started towards the crater, but Maya caught me around the waist and pulled me back, holding tight no matter how violently I struggled.

                'You have to let them take him,' she muttered directly into my ear. I don't know what sort of soothing balm she coated her words in but I stopped struggling and flopped against her, watching in silence as they loaded the stretcher into the ambulance and it took off, carefully avoiding the rubble at first before disappearing around the corner.