Page 23 of Wicked Enemy
Screams still echoed from where Shinji was torching random buildings, but they were now joined by the white boots’ orders for civilians to get out of the way and stay inside. I flicked my gaze between Justice Street and the building while my pulse thrummed in my ears.
Right now, Ben would be sneaking into one of the captains’ offices and stealing the keys to the cells below. Then he would run down and free my people, and take them out through the side entrance where Kevin should be waiting with his wagons.
I drummed my fingers against the warm stone roof as I impatiently checked the street and then the clock tower.
Flames roared up between the buildings to the east where Shinji was drawing the white boots even farther from their headquarters.
At exactly twelve minutes past two, a caravan of covered wagons rattled down the street. And one minute later, the first wagon stopped. Kevin jumped down from it and then proceeded to study the wheel as if inspecting it for damage. Just like I had told him to.
A small wave of relief blew through me. The distraction worked, and the getaway was on track. Now, we just needed the extraction to proceed as planned too.
My heart pattered against my ribs as I stared at the front doors. They were massive, and made of wood, so it was impossible to see inside. And since the bright sunlight was reflected in the windows, I couldn’t see anything through those either.
Come on. Come on.
The door was shoved open.
I jerked up as a man’s face at last became visible. Ben.
He whipped his head from side to side before spotting the caravan. Then he waved his hand and started forward. Chris and Tyler appeared behind his shoulder.
Intense relief washed over me.
It worked. It fucking worked.
They were still handcuffed since we couldn’t waste time on unlocking each pair of manacles while still inside the building, so I called up my magic and got ready to melt their restraints from up here the second I had a clear view.
Ben was one step out of the door, and Chris and Tyler were just about to cross the threshold, when calls of alarm split the air.
Panic crackled across their faces as they whipped around right before a mass of arms wearing white leather wrapped around them from behind and began yanking them back into the building.
“The prisoners are escaping!” someone screamed. “Sound the alarm!”
Giant bells clanged from inside the building.
Fucking hell.
Leaping up from the roof, I summoned a massive sheet of metal and hurled it straight at the windows below.
It crashed into them, making glass explode through the air and screams echo between the white stone walls. Ben snapped his gaze up to me. Then he flicked a glance behind him where the white boots had already dragged Chris and Tyler out of sight. Sounds of struggle and a terribly uneven battle came from the still open doors while I sent another sheet of metal into the windows in order to create a distraction.
Ben just stood there on the street. Frozen. Snapping his gaze between the street and the door. As if he couldn’t decide whether he should be going back inside to help the others or run as far away as he could.
“Don’t just stand there!” I yelled. “Run!”
Ben wasn’t a fighter. There was nothing he could do to help my people now. But if he managed to get away, maybe we could still somehow salvage this.
He whipped his head in my direction. But before he could so much as take a single step, a blast of wind smacked straight into his chest, sending him flying backwards across the street and crashing into the wall on the other side.
White boots poured out of the doors while Ben slumped down on the ground.
From inside the building, I could only see the occasional arm and leg, but the noise of battle still echoed from in there.
Calling up another wall of metal, I hurled it at the white boots as they sprinted towards my now unconscious spy.
Booms reverberated through the air as it slammed into overlapping shields of wind and water.
“Arden is here!” a woman called from below. “Get up therenow!”