Page 47

“I can’t.” She croaked; the strain apparent a crossed her face. “If I stop, the bars morph back.”

Shit. I had been too preoccupied to notice that fact, and it appeared Oak had been too. Oak’s voice gentled, “You’ve saved all you can.”

“NO!”

She pushed more ice, as her hair began to float around her, the tips of her raven strands turning blonde, as static radiated off her body. There was nothing Oak or I could do, nothing we could say, nothing that would stop her from trying to get every last person out of those bars or die trying.

I grabbed a man, one that I had noticed wasn’t trying to crowd through but waiting for the rest to go, “Can you help them through?” He didn’t answer, only pushed past me, taking the spot by the portal and guiding a lady as she stepped through. I rushed over to liberty, “What do we do? What can we do?”

“Get. Them. Out.” She gritted through her teeth, and though I know I am a selfish person, I would be damned if I let my woman down.

I pushed past the people flowing through the bars with Oak and Michelle on my heels. Children, there were so many children here, separated from their parents and left behind. Children that were not strong enough to fight the crowds, to push through, to be the first through the portal. We each grabbed a child and carried them to the opening, nearly throwing the kid outside of the bars before going back for another.

The portal flickered, and those remaining screamed before rushing the exit, trying to all fit through, trying to all escape while they had a chance. Those remaining in the cell thinned until only a few kids were left and we wasted no time. We grabbed them, two at a time, sometimes three, until there was one child left in the cell. Oak grabbed the girl, a little child whose eyes and hair reminded me so much of the women I loved standing feet away.

“She’s the last one.” I yelled out, as the portal flickered again.

The stone around Oak’s neck growing weaker by the second, but we did it. We freed the people from the cell; we got them to a safer place. We did what we thought was damn near impossible and hopefully, just hopefully, we would make it back.

The ice in Liberty’s hand faded to nothing as her body wavered, and I was there, ready to catch her if she fell. But our girl held strong, her will stronger than any challenge thrown her way. “We- We need to go.”

The last of the kids, minus the girl in Oak’s hands, went through as the portal flickered again and I knew without a doubt that next time, there would be no flicker. It would be done. We had pushed our limits, defied our time, exerted our energy, but you can only defy fate for so long.

“You need to go through.” I demanded.

“Oak.” She huffed, “And the girl first.”

“No.”

“Do it, Oak.” She growled, “You are wasting time.”

He cursed, knowing she wouldn’t agree to anything else, so he picked her up with one arm, half pulling and carrying her to the portal where he sat her down in front. “I want you directly after me.”

“Okay.” Her voice weak and her strength was strong as she ripped Oak’s necklace from his neck and pushed him, making him tumble into the portal against his will, before he was ready. “Go!”

She was ordering the man, the one who had taken over my position, but he didn’t seem phased by the order, “I will follow right behind, ma’am. I promise you.”

Her body began to weaken, and I wrapped my arm around her. “We have no time for arguing Liberty, we must go now.”

I looked into his eyes as I spoke, and I knew with absolute certainty that he had no intention of following. He was done; he was tired, and if he died right here, the rocks crushing him to death, he wouldn’t have a moment's remorse. But I said nothing. Spoke nothing to cause her to argue.

“Okay.” She said weakly, and I bent down, picking her up and flinging her over my shoulders.

I stepped one foot into the portal. The energy swarmed around my skin, causing a hum to travel up my leg that wasn’t completely unpleasant. I pulled my body forward and just as I was about to pull her through with me, the stone in her hand flicked before the glow snuffed out. I flung forward, just as the portal began to close and as her hand reached the man, grabbing onto his shirt and pulling him forward with us, moments before the cave finally collapsed.