“What? No. They?” I grabbed his hand and spit out the maca. When Fabra had flown back, her gun had slid to the side. The black and red tranquilizer rifle rested under a jagged piece of broken concrete. I clambered over to it and crouched down. I’dnever fired a gun, but I’d played video games. If magic wasn’t going to work, an energy-wrapped dart was the only thing I could think of.
Ranth bent over the salt triangle.
I leveled the gun and pulled the trigger. The recoil threw me off-balance. I stumbled back over a hunk of concrete.
Ranth opened the book, and flames engulfed him. He screamed in pain, then said something likeBroken Careening Ficus. The dart had stopped midair and glowed with an unearthly purple light. Ranth traced symbols in the air, and the bullet shot in a green streak at the Dereller. In an eye-searing flash, the Dereller exploded, covering everything in a fine mist of sticky purple stuff. The portal disappeared with a sucking wet pop, and Ranth dropped to the ground.
I wiped the goop from my eyes as I ran to Ranth. The flames around him were waist high. He wasn’t moving. I pushed through the magical fire and nudged the book off him, and then using the gun as a stick, I closed the book cover.
The flames disappeared, and I draped myself over Ranth, looking for life.
He was unresponsive.
I leaned over him, pulling what little energy I had left into a ball. My shield dropped, but the whispers were gone. I brushed my lips over his, breathing a fingernail-sized ball of energy into him, imagining it warming through him, sliding down his throat and into his belly. I caressed his shoulders and slid over his upper arms. “Come on, Chestnut,” I whispered.
His eyes fluttered open.
Joy filled me like a belly of July blackberries. “We have to go. Now,” I said, hauling him up.
Still groggy, Ranth leaned heavily on me as I called Ori. “We’re coming to you. Leave all the stuff in a pile. Have Juke putthe projection up, then get everyone in Freddie’s car and ready to go. Fabra’s back.”
The reply sent chills rocketing to my core. “Hey, girlie, you forget about me? What stuff are you talkin’ about?”
I froze. The voice on the phone was Fabra, not Ori.
Fabra had Ori.
Ranth slid off me as I crouched to pick up the gun. “I thought you’d gotten the message that you weren’t welcome here.” I gritted my teeth, running through scenarios.
Ranth staggered across the broken concrete to the book. I dashed after him, and together we stumbled to the door.
“Do we have a plan?” I grabbed Ranth’s arm to stop him from opening it.
“We’re going to stand inside the salt, and I’m going to the Garden. Then Fabra will have no reason to harm you or your friends.”
“Except she doesn’t like me.”
“That’s not her mission.”
“She tried to shoot me.”
“With tranquilizers. This is your only chance, and you need to take it.”
“But the Derellers. They won’t stop looking for you,” I replied, my throat tight.
“They will. Once I’m gone, they will stop. I know who sent them. I didn’t know before, but it makes sense now. The Sisters are trying to get to me through you. If I’m not here, everyone will be fine again.”
“Everyone but me.” I took his hand.
“You knew I couldn’t stay.” His eyes were glassy.
“I know, but…”
Fabra interrupted us. I’d forgotten to hang up the phone. “I’m still waiting for my playmate. Ollie, Ollie, Oxen Free?Marco? What’s going to work here? Or do I have to come and drag you out by the hair?”
I exchanged glances with Ranth and ended the call. This was it. He was right. It was the only way. Swinging the outer door open, I cautiously led with the gun, keeping my back to the door like they do on TV.
In the center of the parking lot, Fabra was holding on to Ori. Ori’s hands were banded by silver. The other guards had Rose and Juke. Freddie was on the ground, bleeding from a gash to his forehead, eyes closed. Hands trembling, I aimed the gun at Fabra as I walked toward her.
