Page 17 of Adepts and Alchemists

Another tear fell, trembling on the edge of my smile. “Yeah. She really is.”

Chapter Eight

RJ

I was in the bathroom when the screaming started.

By the time I hurried out, the fighting was already well under way.

I froze at the end of the candy aisle of the gas station, staring bug-eyed at the thing that had stepped into the store. It looked a little like a Komodo dragon, but I’d never seen one of thosethissize before. It had to be at least fifteen feet long, most of its body blocking the exit. I knew, logically, that we weren’t screwed... yet. There was an emergency exit around here somewhere. I’d helped construct enough of these stores to understand how the safety standards were set up. But it was difficult to remember that I wasn’t a three-course meal when the dragon creature fixed one large amber eye on me.

The clerk had to be the one screaming. I could hear a few gibbered, “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, what is that thing?” in between shrieks. I couldn’t exactly blame her. It was a good thing I’d been in the bathroom first because this thing was piss-your-pants scary. Its breath rolled like a putrid cloud down the aisle, blowing my hair back from my face. It smelled like bad meat. Rot. I wondered how many people it had eaten before it came here. I was pretty sure I didn’t want to know.

“Someone get her out of here,” Wanda said, raising her voice to be heard over the ruckus. She stepped into sight a second later, coming to stand by my side. Then in an undertone, she said, “Find Poppy and Finn. Get them to the truck. If we’re not out in five minutes, it’s because we’re dead. You take off, no matter what you hear. Do you understand me?”

I wanted to argue with her. Wanted to say that I could help. But the truth was, I had no idea how to help. I didn’t have magic. I didn’t even own a gun. That meant, I was only cannonfodder in this fight. The truth was they’d waste valuable time and resources trying to keep me safe. I had a job to do, and it was just as important.

I nodded, then turned on one heel and began sprinting down the aisle. I could vaguely recall Poppy saying she was using the bathroom. With any luck, Finn was camped out by the ladies’ room, waiting for his mom, and I could get them to the emergency exit. I tried not to think about what we’d do if something was waiting for us outside. I could burn that bridge when I came to it.

There was an enormous crack from Wanda’s direction, and crimson light pulsed through the gas station. I could feel it like a clap of thunder overhead, so close that the air itself seemed to split. I ducked on instinct, cursing under my breath. Normally, I watched my mouth when Finn was around, but this situation called for at least one f-bomb. Just yesterday, I’d been watching a re-run ofMountain Monstersafter work. In a little under twenty-four hours, I’d discovered the monsters were a hell of a lot more real than I’d have ever believed. Well, I guess I’d discovered that for the second time around since, apparently, my mind had been wiped earlier. That was still something I wanted to get to the bottom of—but we needed to survive this first.

All I did know was that there was some kind of danger afoot. And it was something that had sent an enormous monster into a rural gas station. That said something. Whoever this Murrain and Co. were, they were willing to kill mundanes, as they called them. Wanda’s concern was genuine. It could kill all of us. She was willingly putting herself in danger so I could get her best friend to safety.

The ladies’ room was located across from the men’s, built on the opposite side of the store. I nearly slipped on a puddle of coffee on my way over. The violent entrance of that uglything had shaken one of the pots loose, and it had shattered into pieces on the floor. Dark liquid spread across the linoleum in a slick, treacherous pool mixed with jagged ceramic shards. Behind me, I heard the creature’s claws scraping against the tile as it wheeled around, its massive tail sweeping a display of chip bags to the ground. The air crackled with energy—I could feel it building, that same unnatural charge that had preceded its first attack. I glanced back just in time to see its throat glowing with an eerie phosphorescent light.

My foot hit the edge of the coffee puddle just as the creature released its blast in my direction. I threw myself sideways, but my boot had no traction on the wet floor. Instead of a controlled dive, I went down hard, my momentum carrying me forward. I had to skid across the floor on my hip to avoid battering the rest of me. It was a painful but effective way to avoid the blast of power the thing had aimed at my head. I let out another curse when I hit the wall, coming to a stop near a startled Finn.

“RJ! Are you okay? What was that sound?” Clearly, Finn hadn’t seen the thing. Yet.

Finn crouched, offering me a hand up. I took it, struggling to my feet. One side of my pants was soaked, and my skin felt scraped raw where the fabric rode up. I swallowed back more curses and nodded.

“I’m fine. Where’s your mom?”

No sooner than I’d said the word, another blast of power shook the building’s foundations. The ground shivered, contemplating mutiny. Another hit like that might register on the Richter scale. Someone would pay attention to that. How much did this Murrain guy hate Indigo to pull this completely disproportionate move?

Poppy staggered out of the bathroom, wide-eyed. “What was that?”

“A dragon, I think. Or something related to one. I mean—it’s a big, scaly, and magical lizard, that’s all I know.”

Poppy paled, and she reached for Finn on autopilot, drawing him to her side and a little behind her even though the kid towered over her. He made a face and tried to pull away. I knew the impulse. He didn’t want to be hiding behind his mom. He wanted to protect her, no matter what. I couldn’t let him do that, though. I offered Finn a hand, putting my body between his and the creature that was now shoving its way in through the front door. The only reason it hadn’t eaten any of the witches yet was its bulk made moving awkward.

“Come on,” I urged. “There’s an emergency exit somewhere back here. If we run, we can make it to the truck.”

“We can’t leave them behind!” Poppy protested.

“Wanda told me to get you out,” I insisted. “And I’m not about to piss her off.”

“RJ,” Poppy started, but I shook my head and interrupted her.

“Think about it, Poppy. If Wanda fails, will I be able to save you or Finn? No, our best chance is to outrun it.”

Poppy darted a glance sideways at her son, pain spasming across her face. She had two impossible choices. Get Finn to safety, and sacrifice Wanda. Or stay and risk her son. We both knew what Wanda would want her to do. It took a second of hesitation, but she put a hand on Finn’s shoulder.

“We need to let Wanda handle it.”

Right. She’d made the right decision. The only decision. Finn looked like he might argue. I didn’t give him time to form the protest, though. As soon as an aisle nearby toppled, showering one side of the room in broken potato chips, I knew it was my cue to seize Finn by the knees and toss him over my shoulder. He was gangly and a lot longer than I remembered him being the last time we’d played video games together. The kid wasseriously growing inches every night. it seemed like. But I was still lots stronger. So I did what I had to do. Even if he was going to be pissy about it later. Better pissy and alive than the opposite. Yes, Finn was probably a fast runner with those long legs, but I’d been running marathons most of my adult life. I knew I’d be faster.

Poppy shot me a grateful look over her shoulder before taking off in front of me. I followed her, ready to throw myself on top of anything that lunged at us. I’d have to send Finn sprawling to do it, but he’d prefer a twisted ankle or bruised bone over missing his hamstrings or something bad happening to his mom.