Page 50 of Rhuyin

“Let’s go then,” he said.

I paused for a moment, looking at him.

“What?” he asked. “If someone is bleeding, we need to get to them as soon as possible.”

“That’s it? No questions? Just ‘let’s go’?” I demanded. “What if I’m wrong?”

“You know your job, Rhu. Your senses are a thousand times more sensitive than mine. Why wouldn’t I trust them?”

I shook my head at him in disbelief. Other than Dagan I had never experienced that kind of instant acceptance or trust.

“Let’s just say that not everyone has trusted me like you do,” I said.

“Well, they’re idiots, then. I have no reasonnotto trust you.”

I started to the left and Luke followed me, using his powers to help ease the way as much as he could. I watched in amazement as I saw him smoothing the jagged metal, making openings where there had been none, and shoring up the unstable building.

A tiny movement below us caught my attention.

“There!” I said, pointing down and to the side.

It was hard to see it at first, but I aimed the flashlight down a gaping hole and saw movement: a small, pale white hand sticking out of the rubble. I felt a moment of disorientation as I noticed the nails on the hand were painted a soft pink. A girl, and fairly young if the size of her hand was any indication. What was a young girl doing in the administration wing?

I moved forward, levering myself down through the hole to the girl’s side.

“Hello? Can you hear me?” I asked, trusting Luke to point me in the right direction if he heard anything.

Chapter 15

Luke

“Help!” I heard a small voice cry out. “I’m stuck!”

“We’re going to get you out of there! Just stay calm!”

I swung down next to Rhuyin and examined the tangle of debris. The girl was pinned beneath an iron girder. While it had trapped her, it had also protected her from blocks of concrete that had fallen when the walls caved in.

Rhu grabbed the girder and began to lift, the building making ominous creaking noises and the sound of rubble rattled down on us.

“Wait!” I said, stopping him with my hand on his arm. “Let me create a shield around her, then we can just slide her out.”

He nodded.

“What’s your name?” Rhu asked the dark-haired girl after clearing away some of the rubble that had shrouded her face.

“Naya,” she replied shakily. “Naya Lokimedes.”

Rhu looked at me questioningly, so I repeated her name so he could read my lips.

“Lokimedes? I know that name from somewhere. Nice to meet you, Naya,” Rhu said. “I’m Rhuyin, this is my friend Luke. We’re going to get you out of here.”

Rhu leaned forward and put his mouth close to my ear.

“We need to hurry,” he whispered. “She’s lost a lot of blood.”

I closed my eyes and sent my senses out into the earth. I couldn’t afford to get distracted again so I forced myself to focus on this particular location. I could feel the void where Naya lay. We were close to the epicenter of the damage. She had been extremely lucky to have survived whatever had caused the explosion.

I summoned the metal around us, causing it to flow around her.