Page 56 of Wicked Enemy
But I had nothing. No plan. No one on the inside. No way to sneak them out of there. So I had done the only thing I could. I had tried to get them out with sheer brute force.
The element of surprise had almost been enough to actually make my plan succeed. The white boots had been so stunned that I would dare to attack their headquarters directly, that I had gotten almost all the way to the stairwell down into the Underground before the full force descended on me.
Fighting my way back out of the building had been costly. I’d had to use much more magic, much more power, than I could afford, which had left me completely drained.
Part of me had wondered if Eve had told me about the trial so that they could set up another ambush, but the delayed response time when I attacked proved that she had in fact only said it to help me.
But now, she and half of her entire building were chasing me through the rain-slick streets with the intent to capture me once and for all.
Adrenaline pumped through my body as I sprinted down yet another street. Even though it was the middle of the day, the dark clouds and sheets of rain bathed the city in gloomy darkness. I skidded around the corner while flicking my gaze over the buildings around me.
I needed to get off the street and make them lose sight of me.
Yanking open a door, I darted into the hallway and up the stairs. There was no hatch to access the roof from inside the corridor, so I melted the lock on the nearest door and ripped it open.
A woman leaped out of an armchair and shrieked as I ran through her living room. She scrambled backwards and threw herself down behind a large brown couch. But I wasn’t aiming for her.
Shoving the window open, I climbed out of it and onto the roof. Then I brushed my hands together and summoned a metal plank as I raced towards the edge.
On the street below, shouts rose from the constables.
Wind magic whooshed behind me as they tried to knock me off the roof. But I leaped onto my plank and sprinted to the next building.
“After him!” they screamed from below.
But they now had to run around the buildings while I could just cut through the city in a straight line, and with every step, they fell farther and farther behind.
Rain pelted me from above, making the metal slick and almost sending me tumbling down to the stone street below when my boot slipped. Grabbing the metal plank with both hands, I managed to remain on it. Once I had steadied myself, I shot upright and took off again.
At last, I reached the river. I knew that the white boots were still on my heels, but I had bought myself enough of a head start that we should be able to make it far enough across the water before they got here.
Hurtling down another staircase, I made my way back to the ground and then sprinted across the shore to where Ferry was waiting.
“Go, go, go!” I snapped as I ran.
My boots sent sprays of sand and stone flying up behind me as I closed the distance to the boat that was already floating in the water.
Ferry brushed her palms together, summoning her water magic, while I leaped into her boat. Waves crashed against the sides as it took off with impressive speed.
Wind and rain ripped through the air, slamming into my face and soaking my clothes. I dragged a hand over my eyes and then through my hair while I turned to look back towards the north side. Between the sheets of rain, I could just barely make out a mass of white-clad people pouring onto the shore.
Lightning streaked across the water. I yanked up a shield to block it, but it fizzled out before it could reach us.
I heaved a deep sigh of relief. We were out of reach even from their lightning strikes, which meant that they couldn’t manipulate the water close to the boat either.
“One of these days, you’re going to get me caught,” Ferry said while she continued steering her boat towards the south shore.
“I’ll increase your compensation next time,” I said, cutting her a sideways look. “For the added risks.”
Her mouth shifted into a small but very satisfied smile as she nodded.
Once we reached the shore, I leaped out of the boat and immediately took off towards the buildings up ahead. The white boots would no doubt be racing to cross the Bridge of Life right now, so I had to move deeper into the south side, where they wouldn’t dare to tread, before they could catch up to me.
But I had only made it two streets in before I had to stop and catch my breath. I had been using so much energy, so much magic, continuously these past two weeks without having any time to properly rest in between. I constantly felt as though I was scraping the bottom of the barrel just to get through the next fight and then the next and the next. I was being attacked too often, by too many and too powerful people, while I was always at some kind of disadvantage.
The street swam before my eyes, and not just because of the heavy rain running down my face and blurring my vision. If I didn’t catch a break soon, I was going to collapse from exhaustion.
Dragging in a deep breath, I straightened again and convinced myself that this was the last time. The last time I would ever be this vulnerable.