Page 65 of Broken

Chapter 27

The fucking sky, Cole thought. Did the wards cover the sky?

“Incoming! Airborne!” he shouted.

Alpha Squad raised the combat shields overhead just as the creature let loose a barrage of gunfire. Bullets ricocheted off the shields. “Keep moving!” Sanchez yelled. “Take cover in the Rec Center!”

Apparently, the wards did cover the sky. They lit up as the creature skimmed off them before wheeling around and heading back for another pass. So it couldn’t land—but it could still do damage.

As it flew back overhead, the Retriever used its magic missile gun, bullets of fire lodging in the shields and melting the metal wherever they touched.

A couple more passes like this, and the shields would be Swiss cheese.

The squad returned fire. There were some hits, but the creature didn’t seem affected—it just roared in anger.

They kept moving as fast as they could, but they weren’t going to make cover in time—and the Rec Center probably couldn’t withstand the magic missiles anyway.

And then another creature swooped into sight. Fuck. How many did they have?

That one was intercepted by a group of armed defense drones, shooting large-caliber bullets. The creature dodged, and they began herding it towards the perimeter. Some of the drones broke off and headed their way.

Before they got there, Ireland’s bracelet lit up like a beacon. What the fuck was she doing? But she looked as surprised as he was.

The night rider swooped down, skimming the wards once more, firing the magic missiles again—right at the shields over him and Ireland.

Shit. It was a beacon. Some kind of fail-safe built into the bracelet, to give away her exact position.

The shields shredded. A few of the missiles got through, wounding Alpha Squad soldiers.

The night rider set off a barrage of missiles at the drones, and then turned and flung something down at Cole and Ireland.

Another one of those gods-cursed lassoes that went right through wards. Including theirs.

Cole threw himself at Ireland, knocking her out of the way of the lasso. The lash hit him with a glancing blow. He felt like a mule had kicked him.

The flying creature had pivoted in mid-air, hovering. Waiting. And then Cole saw the dark end of the lasso snaking through the grass, headed for Ireland.

He drew his magic knife and threw it, pinning the rope to the ground. Magic flared and part of the lasso dissolved, with an almost human scream.

Ireland was yelling something in his head, trying to pull the magic through him, but Riker was yelling too, and Cole couldn’t make sense of anything. The waves of emotion and memory were washing over him again. He couldn’t get his balance. Couldn’t focus.

There were shouts and a spotlight in the sky, and a combat helicopter roared overhead. Switch, with Boomer on the turret gun. They swept past the flying creature, spraying it with bullets.

The Retriever in the saddle slumped over. With a furious scream, the creature dropped, skimmed against the wards, and used the momentum to propel itself away.

Switch was already headed for the second flyer. He chased it high into the sky, and Boomer shot it with a grenade launcher. The creature was ripped apart, but its flailing tail smashed into the helicopter on the way down. One of the rotors tore off, and the helo tilted and began to fall.

“Cole!” Ireland screamed. He jolted back to himself, and they grabbed hands. All he could think of was Switch and Boomer—his friend and his brother—exploding in a fiery crash. It couldn’t happen. No.

A picture flashed into his mind: Thanatos freezing a leaping tiger in mid-air with his magic.

He shoved the picture into Ireland’s mind. This! She jumped on the image, manipulating the magic. He let her take the lead again, blocking his bracelet’s programming to direct all magic through the Protector.

Take it! He pushed everything he had back through the bond, like he’d push love and support and healing magic to Boomer if he were hurt or in trouble.

The beam of magic hit the helicopter and slowed its fall. Cole dug frantically for every scrap of power. More, more—but it wasn’t enough. He could feel the magic slipping from their grasp. The helo could still crash.

Cole could feel Riker pounding on his mind, hammering on the barriers he’d erected. There was a shimmer, and Riker appeared in front of him, translucent as a ghost, shouting in his face. Stop being such a stubborn bastard!