Imprisoned Gods - G. Bailey Page 0,90

I’ve ever done.

Leaving the bridge, I run down the steps, tripping on a few and managing to keep myself running until I get to the ledge at the bottom. I run across it, seeing gold light flashing from inside the room, knowing something is wrong. I skid to a stop as I get into the circular room with the tunnel on the other side. Seth and Killian are standing side by side, slamming gold waves of power into a man in a cloak who is stood still. The power isn’t touching him, and he doesn’t even seem to be noticing it. The cloaked man turns to me, like he can sense I’m here.

“Karma. Just who I came to get,” the man says, his voice and accent unfamiliar to me.

“Who are you?” I ask, gaining the attention of the twins now as they spot me.

“Leave! Now, Karma!” Seth desperately demands, sounding like he actually cares for me. Killian looks at me for a second, his eyes pleading with me to leave.

“No,” the cloaked man states, and with the wave of his hand, green energy swooshes out of his hand, destroying the twins’ magic like nothing. I scream, running towards the twins as the wave of green energy heads towards them, but I’m too late as I know the power is going to hit them first. It’s going to kill them, I feel it. In the blink of an eye, Jade recklessly runs past me and jumps in front of the twins, taking the full force of the green energy blow. All three of them fly in the air, smacking against the ground as they slide to a stop. I run over to Jade who is face down on the dirt when I get to her. I turn her over, a cry catching in my throat when I see all the blood on her chest and the burns.

“M-my friend. T-tell her it was the higher g-god. P-promise me,” Jade asks, gasping for each word. My hands feel the hot blood pouring onto them as I try to cover her chest up with her coat. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing, but I can’t let her die.

“I promise. You rest now, it’s going to be okay,” I tell her, sounding more calm and less panicked than I feel. I know deep down I won’t be able to save her, but I am going to try. I’m going to desperately try.

“The ch-charm boosts y-your own powers. I rememb…er.” Her last words echo in my ears as her dead eyes just stare at nothing, and her hand falls ever so slowly out of mine. Jade is gone, and nothing but pain controls everything now. It floods me, the grief and shock feeling like they will break me. I glance up as the twins’ bodies shake from the buzzing green energy flickering around them…and I know they must be dead too. He killed them all. A scream unlike anything I’ve ever done leaves my lips as I rise up. The world seems to start going green, but I just barely notice through the pain and anger. My hands lift on their own, and it’s then that I see green lightning flickering and swirling around my arms. I don’t question the power, I don’t think of anything but revenge.

“Oh, aren’t you powerful? So beautifully powerful. It’s a shame we have to leave now.”

“No,” I respond, not really hearing what he says as I step forward, the ground crackling from the lightning that surrounds my body with each step. I feel powerful, broken and lost…but more determined than ever. I’ve run from everything my entire life…but I will not run from this. He killed my friends. He killed my gods. My justice twins are lost, and he will pay. I pull my hands back before rapidly pushing them forward. Lightning flies out of my hands, straight towards the cloaked man. He only laughs, catching the lightning like a toy, and with a cold laugh, he throws my power right back at me. I cry out as it slams into my chest, and I feel the world falling away. Just as my eyes close, I hear Storm shouting my name…but it’s too late, and I can’t fight the darkness any more. Not even for him.

Epilogue

Storm

“Where is Karma?” Seth groggily demands, storming into her room where I’m sitting on the end of her bed, a bottle of whiskey in my hand as I replay those last moments over