Silver Shadow (Maven x Mare)

Chapter 31: MARE

We find a warehouse not far from the end, a truck outside for transporting goods. It is dark, lighted only by a dim post on the street, perfect place to consider robbing for supplies.

Cal and I enter, still not daring to remove our hoods. His bracelet clicks, and a fire burns to light.

A startled man turns to face us, his gasp indicating he was caught. Kilorn.

"You scared me!" He frantically recovers.

Cal chuckled. "If we were others, you'd be really caught. Your stealth is pathetic. Aren't you supposed to be used to this kind of activity?" Cal's voice is mocking, and Kilorn stares at him hard. I can't help but agree with the prince on this one, though.

"We're to get going.. there's just too many things here for taking. We've got food and clothes. I think this is a merchant's storage. The others are already by the back, I just came back to take more," Kilorn gestures to the crates around and proceeds to take a sack he has filled nearby.

"Okay. We'll take more now that we're here," I said, opening the crates.

"Mare!" Cal shouts, pulling me down to the ground while bullets soar past me. I grunt, pissed at Cal giving us out. Whoever is attacking us now know we are not just common thiefs.

"You just had to shout my name," I hiss.

Cal summons fire, careful for it not to touch the hay around the crates. "Doesn't matter! That's Ptolemus."

My eyes widen, and I breathe strength for a fight. We are crouched near the back door. "Go, Kilorn! Tell the others to hurry and run! We'll hold this off."

Kilorn does not hesitate. He knows he is just a liability in this. I cover for his sprint, summoning lighting from the electricity around. Cal is doing his best, but his fire cannot dodge bullets by the magnetrons, just keeping them away while also trapping us.

We need to get out, too.

I hurl lighting at their armors, and some fall. Ptolemus is quick to escape me this time, not falling for this trick again.

He sends a part of the post to Cal, and he goes down. I scurry to help him, but the heat is suffocating me.

Ptolemus strikes metal things to me, and I use the crates as my shield. I send strong bolts to his direction, but a sharp rod cuts down on my arm. My power is only good for offense, but how can I if I cannot defend from his charges?

He laughs. "Well.. out of ideas? You're still inferior compared to us."

My arm is bleeding, and so are my legs. Cal is buried in the flames. Ptolemus walks towards me, his heavy boot on my other hand palm down, preventing me from electrocuting him.

"She's not for you to take," says a voice from the flames' shadow.

Ptolemus grimaces, no doubt wanting the glory of killing me for himself. He instead cuts another long slash on my other arm to weaken me.

Maven resurfaces, unharmed by the fire, his clothes fluttering with the heat. "Stupid of you to leave Cal, he's not down yet. Finish him," he says to Ptolemus.

I try to stand, but I was losing too much blood. I don't know who's the Maven I am facing.

"Didn't I tell you that I will find you?" he says to me, covering us with flames again to hide us. I breathe better.

"Just kill me. Or take me. Just finish this," I say. He has us, although I hear Cal fighting in a distance, I know we are no match with me unable to help. "Just like you did with them," it comes out like a poison on my tongue, the deaths that Maven was leaving.

He smiles coldly. "I had to. This wouldn't be any fun at all. I told you we have ways of getting to them first."

"You promised, Maven. You're a monster!" Tears stream down my face. He played me, I believed him.

He takes my shoulders forcefully, pinning my arms, my blood in his hands. "And I am a man of my word, Mare, trust me. There is something in this."

"I don't know you, you tricked me. You're my enemy," I hissed, angry at my weak physical state. He is insane, he is insane, he is insane. I am going to die at his hands.

"I'm not telling you anything. But I'll come find you, again, before you do something stupid and let them get to you first, again," he whispers harshly.

I am even more confused at this, but I couldn't think straight as I feel myself go, last hearing Maven shouting orders to Ptolemus.

*****************************

A/N: Hey hey hey everyone! Continuing the story! Hoping to end this btw, so it might not be in line with the series. It is going to have a few references to the events in Glass Sword, but with the rate I am going I don't think this is going to lie with how the book ends, making the way to King's Cage..