Since they didn’t know if any of that RN40 was stored in the cavern, fire was a no-no.
Rethna wasn’t human. As the law stood, Lily could deal with him as if he were one of the creatures that had been blown in by the power winds during the Turning. She could step out there and shoot every elf in the place.
Except, of course, that she couldn’t. Even if she’d been willing to go down that road, she’d be shooting left-handed. Good luck with that.
Did elves know what a gun was? Human perps would see her drawn weapon as a threat. Elves might not. Even if they knew intellectually what a gun did, they hadn’t been watching crime shows and the news all their lives. They wouldn’t react to her weapon viscerally. Made it hard to bluff.
Cullen began wiggling back, staying flat on the ground. Lily waited. Her mouth was dry. Funny. She didn’t feel afraid, but her body thought she was.
Endless seconds later, Cullen reached the shadows where they waited and stood. He whispered, “Looks like we’re going with Plan B.”
Lily looked at Arjenie. It was too dark to see much but a pale blob where her face was. Very softly she whispered, “You okay to do this?”
Arjenie might have nodded. The pale blob moved anyway. “I’m pretty sure I won’t set the ward off.”
Lily leaned close to whisper, “Pretty sure?”
“It’s a really strong ward and I’m a little tired.”
Lily looked at Cullen, but couldn’t see his expression. What choice did they have, though? They had to act before Rethna finished his big ritual. Cullen said that sort of major working could not be put on pause while the elves dealt with intruders. Not quickly, anyway—they’d have to either finish it or ground the energy, which took time.
And it was a lot of energy. They were working directly with the node. “Got your rock?” she whispered at Arjenie.
Another movement of the pale blob.
“Okay. Good luck.”
Cullen wished Arjenie luck his own way, by planting a sudden kiss on her mouth. He whispered something in her ear that Lily couldn’t hear. Then Arjenie was walking toward the tunnel opening. The closer she got, the better Lily could see her. It was hard to believe no one would notice her. She clutched a good-size rock in one hand.
She’d armed the woman with a rock, for God’s sake. But Arjenie had never shot a gun, so—
Arjenie stepped out into the cavern—in a dazzling flash of light.
Shit. No sneaking for anyone—go for surprise. “Go,” Lily said, slapping Cullen on the back. He shot off at a run. Lily was right behind him, her SIG out and ready.
The ward flashed again as Cullen crossed it. It was hellish bright, but she thought he’d veered right. Lily ran straight through it, each footfall sending a bolt of pain from arm to brain. And stopped without taking cover.
She couldn’t shoot straight. She couldn’t fight one-on-one. But she made a damn fine target for spells.
The plan had already disintegrated. Arjenie jogged toward the blue-haired guard, looking scared and determined. Lily didn’t dare try to shoot him—too much chance of hitting Arjenie. She swung her gaze to the other guard just in time to see him doubled over and Cullen’s locked-together fists landing on his neck. He collapsed. She looked at the node-end of the cavern.
Magic prickled over her skin, hot and tight like a sunburn.
Five elves—one in front of the gate, back to the room, arms held out as if embracing the air. His long black hair streamed back as if a wind were blowing. The other four were arrayed on either side of him, two and two. The nearest two knelt, thumping the ground rhythmically. The two closer to the gate stood stock-still, their eyes closed, lips moving.
Friar was in the gate. He hung there, spread-eagled a good foot off the ground, as if he’d been stuck to the air with superglue. Wavy ripples of distortion flowed over him. Lily couldn’t see his face clearly, but it looked like he’d frozen in midscream.
Light lanced from the up-thrust hands of the black-haired elf directing the show. Blue light this time. He made a perfect target, standing there motionless with his back to her. She couldn’t accept that invitation. Kill him now and there was no telling what would happen with all the power he was handling.
A thud-rattle sound came from the barred cell twenty feet or more to her left.
The two sitting elves stood smoothly, in unison. One pointed off to Lily’s side. One pointed at her.
She pointed back with her gun. “Freeze!” she yelled, even as a creepy-crawly sort of magic swept over her and she sited … squeezed …
Off to her right, Cullen screamed. Her hand jerked the tiniest bit as she snapped off the shot. The blast of sound was ungodly loud. Her target didn’t fall. She darted a glance to her right. Cullen was on the ground, body and face contorted in pain.
The other elf was still pointing at him. Shoot that bastard, then. Lily moved her arm smoothly. Thirty feet wasn’t all that far. She could do this. She squeezed.
Hot damn. She hit him. He looked as surprised as she felt as his hand dropped and red bloomed just below his collarbone.
“Behind you!!” Rule yelled.
Lily spun. Blue-hair was almost on top of her, with four feet of shiny sword swinging through the air right at her neck.
She ducked and damned if she didn’t hear that blade swoosh through the air way too close to the top of her head. She backed up fast, bringing up her gun up, but Blue-hair was almost as quick as a lupus, sliding toward her in a loose, slinky way, his sword moving in a blur as—
Arjenie tackled him from behind.
He went down face-first, still clutching the sword. Arjenie went down, too, clutching his legs. He must have noticed her finally, because he kicked her off, his foot catching her in the shoulder. Lily darted in and stamped on his sword-hand. Something crunched. She kicked the sword away. He rolled. She aimed. “Freeze, asshole!”
Faceup now, he pointed at her, muttering something through lips white with pain. That prickly-sunburn magic rolled over her again. She ignored it and kicked him in the ribs. “Back on your belly.”
His eyes went wide. He stared at her in disbelief.
Shoot him. But she didn’t. Couldn’t put a bullet in his brain with him staring at her. She swung the muzzle to point at his shoulder, squeezed. That would keep the bastard from pointing at people, anyway.
She caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye and spun.
The elf she’d missed had raced across the cavern while she dallied with Blue-hair. He bent smoothly as he ran, grabbed the sword from the ground, and spun as he brought it around.
“Gesundheit!” Cullen yelled.
The elf sneezed. And sneezed, and sneezed, and sneezed. Lily took aim, but in spite of the paroxysm of sneezes, he kept moving—not all that smoothly anymore, but he wouldn’t hold still. And he kept hold of the sword. He couldn’t see well because his eyes were red and streaming, but he moved too fast for her to risk a shot, and then he was between her and the cage where they’d locked up Rule and the others. And then she couldn’t shoot, dammit.
Behind her, Cullen cursed. She couldn’t look over her shoulder to see what was wrong, not with elf-boy twirling that sword at her. Sunburn magic prickled over her again and she knew one of the other elves was trying for her. Dammit, weren’t any of them staying up front to help Rethna with his magic?
She backed up, wanting to get where she could see the other end of the room, but sword-boy came after her, using his blade to steer her. She caught a glimpse of Arjenie a few feet away rising to her knees, clutching her shoulder, tears streaming. Sword-boy kept himself between her and the cage so she couldn’t shoot. He’d figured out guns way too fast.