The Pyramid Chronicles: Tyche Point (#1)

Chapter Forty-Nine: Doom Town, Part Three

Eric staggered back from the fire, his hand tightening around the fragment he'd taken from Willow's hands. He only had a moment to feel any semblance of relief before the rain started.

"Adam!" he yelled at the flames. "We have to go, before—"

An invisible force pulled together the falling raindrops, merging them into a sphere that continued to expand as it moved toward the circle of fire. The water swept across the flames, extinguishing them.

Once the fire was gone, the water splashed to the ground. Ash stood on the other side of where the circle had once burned. Between him and Eric stood a soaked Willow, Adam, and the Director.

Willow shot Ash an annoyed look. "You couldn't have been a little more careful?" she asked, rubbing her arm across her face in a futile attempt to wipe away the water.

"Sorry, I'll just take my time next time I save your life." Ash rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to Eric. Eric glanced at the fragment in his hand. The thing may as well have been a giant bullseye.

Running seemed to be his only option.

He shoved the fragment into his pocket and sprinted away from Ash, who started to run at the same moment. Eric's legs started burning after a short few seconds, and his lungs were ready to give out. He slowed and glanced over his shoulder. Ash was going to catch up. Easily.

And now Ash had the rain on his side.

Fallen water rose from the ground to form a wall in Eric's path. He whirled around. "Why do you work for Scorpion?" he demanded, more to stall for time than to actually persuade Ash to reconsider. "Do you really not care that you're hurting people?"

Ash stopped. "Everything we do is for the greater good."

"Oh, come on." As if that wasn't the most overdone villain line in history. Eric rolled his eyes. "Really? What's your end goal? World peace?"

One of the chopper doors opened. Claudia leaned out. "Ash!" she screamed. "It's time to go!"

Eric peered around Ash. Adam was on the ground now, looking dazed, while Willow and the Director had already made it to the Scorpion choppers and were climbing in.

"We don't have the fragment—" Willow protested.

"We're out of time." The Director looked toward the wave of helicopters approaching from the west.

"Give it up," Eric said to Ash. "We won this one." He lifted his hands and started two small flames as a warning. Maybe he couldn't beat Ash, but he could delay him. And Ash was out of time.

They all were.

Ash's gaze moved to something behind Eric. Eric risked a glance back over his shoulder. Veronica, Summer, Sam, and Raveena were all climbing over the edge of the crater. Raveena had pulled her mask up and her hood over her head, which seemed like an overreaction to the rain, even for Eric.

"We have to get out of here!" Veronica shouted.

Eric backed away from Ash. To his relief, Ash let the wall of water drop. And behind him, Adam was getting back up.

"This isn't over," Ash warned. "You have nowhere to go."

Eric's chest tightened at the reminder. "We're not giving up that easily."

"Hey!" Adam stalked toward the two of them, hands blazing. "Get away from my brother!"

"Ash!" Claudia screamed again.

A burst of wind drowned everything else out. The rain picked up.

"Well, then," Ash said as he began backing up. "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again soon." He gave Eric one last cold look before turning and running to the choppers.