Gale Force Page 0,87

Apocalypse, or at least, as much as could fit in the parking lot of a condemned motel.

A tornado skimmed past the opening, sucking and howling, sparking lightning against every metallic surface. Cars rolled and disintegrated under the assault, then caught fire as Weather Wardens clashed with Fire. I couldn't tell the good guys from the bad guys, at least until the rest of the wall came down with a heavy slam, and Lewis walked in over the rubble, leading a small but heavily kick-ass army, and joined me and Kevin.

"Surrender," he said flatly to the group of Sentinels at the end of the hall. "Do it now and we'll let you live to see a trial. Otherwise, you get buried today."

He meant exactly what he said. Lewis was giving no quarter today, if they pushed him into a showdown. There was no trace of hesitation in him at all.

Bad Bob must have known it. He winked, jolly as a leprechaun, and blew me a kiss. Then he went to Ortega and wrenched the black spear out of him with his bare hands.

As it came out, it grew, adding inches more to its length. With every death it was fed, it grew more malevolently, horribly powerful.

Ortega was a dessicated corpse. A husk.

Bad Bob reached down and yanked up a small female form that lay huddled at his feet, tied with glittering black ropes. Cherise's big blue eyes were wide under the confusion of blond hair, but the fury in her was all Rahel.

"You don't want to risk this one, do you?" Bad Bob asked, and yanked hard on her hair. "Come on, Lewis. I know you better than that. You're one of the good guys!"

Lewis's expression didn't alter by a flicker. "She's human. Humans get hurt when Wardens clash; you know that. It's on your head, not mine."

"My son, you've really learned how to operate in the subzero, haven't you? Well, very fine, but we both know that despite this very pretty shell, what's inside is no more human than that." He jerked his head toward Ortega's body. "Probably a whole lot less human, actually. She's a wild one, isn't she?"

Rahel was playing Cherise for all she was worth, and it broke my heart to see my friend so scared, shaking, and crying. "Please," she choked, "I don't know who you think I am, but I'm not - "

"You're a Djinn," Bad Bob cut in. "Show me. Show me now, or I use this." He still had the spear in his other hand, and he raised it, prepared to thrust it into her guts.

Lewis let out a low, almost inaudible moan.

Rahel flowed out of her disguise, dark and commanding and imperious, but still restrained by the black ropes. Her eyes snapped violent yellow sparks as she struggled to get free. She subsided, panting, dreadlocks wild around her hawk-sharp face.

"That's better," Bad Bob said. "Do tell David that we'll be in touch, Jo. If he wants to stop me from continuing to kill his people, he should consider giving himself up to us. Very soon."

The Sentinels crowded around him. Bad Bob grabbed Rahel, and each of them touched the black surface . . . and vanished. All of them together, Rahel included.

He'd taken her.

Kevin collapsed against one of the left-standing structural walls, gagging for breath. He looked terrible. I must have looked a hell of a lot worse, because Lewis took one look at me, gestured, and suddenly there were two Earth Wardens at my side, pouring warm, sticky power into me like syrup.

I felt a rush of presence around me as I started to fall, and David's arms caught me and held me close. "Oh God," he whispered against my hair. "Are you crazy? What were you trying to do?"

"Save you," I whispered back. "Always." I wanted to tell him that everything was all right here, too, in this warm, soft place I'd reached where nothing hurt. But I couldn't stay in that place, even though it was so tempting to just give up and let shock take over.

Instead, I forced my legs to stiffen, and I pulled away from him. David let me go. He saw what was in my face, and he let me go.

I walked toward Ortega. When Lewis tried to stop me, I shook him off. When he tried again, I hit him with a lightning bolt. I was insane, but not quite that insane; I pulled the charge at the last moment, feeding just enough through