Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy) - By Paula Flumerfelt Page 0,153

out of the fight, but still able to help. Erik, Enak and I will go around and take the other door.” His eyes flicked between Jo, Lione, and Solomon. “You boys can handle this door, right?”

“Yeah.” Solomon said, eyes examining the little sketch.

“Okay. Give us three minutes to get to the other side, then boost Kiev over.”

“How?” It was Lione this time.

Solomon rolled his eyes, “You can move the air around her, right? So just lift her up. Once you get her on top, I’m sure she can take it from there.”

“Damn straight.” Kiev said, punching her hand.

Using the toe of his boot, Mathieu wiped the little drawing away and motioned for his father and Enak to follow him. Silently, the trio moved passed the last house and sprinted across the unprotected gap to stand flush against the stone wall. After a count of five to ensure that no one had been alerted to them, he nodded to his left and started around the building. They did their best to hug the wall, but occasionally had to step out around the water barrels. No matter, though, because they made it around and took up their position with a few seconds to spare.

Using the spare time, he reached out to Nikola and Tesla with his mind, Hey, you two. In position?

Yep! Nikola’s sweet voice responded, followed by an affirmative grunt from Tesla.

I really hate this Banin guy. He thinks he’s in charge, but Ayame keeps telling him to shut it. Tesla snickered, where are you in terms of attacking?

At that moment, a siren’s piercing screech broke the still silence of the morning. That’s us. Got to go.

Affirmative! Both voice said.

A well of energy that wasn’t Mathieu’s formed invisibly before the trio. It sucked the air in like a vacuum, making Mathieu hold his breath in the moment before the door burst into the courtyard, tearing chunks of the wall out with it. “Go!” Enak yelled over the siren, “I’ve got this doorway!” Mathieu was compelled to believe him, considering he had just blown the door off of the hinges.

Without hesitation, Mathieu drew his sword and ran through the opening and under the walkway of the second floor. The courtyard had two concrete paths laid diagonally across it in an ‘X’, the rest of it lush, green grass. Men of varying sizes were pouring into the open area, guns in their hands, pajamas covering them. The first splatter of red to paint the green sea was at Kiev’s hand, her circular blades plunging deep into the exposed throat of a soldier from her vantage point.

Mathieu did a quick survey of the area. His eyes fell on a man fumbling with the safety on his gun, body shaking with fear. A feral grin spread across his face as he focused his energy, bouncing it between the blades of his sword and bore down on the man. It took less time than he’d have thought possible for the man to fall to the ground, dead, body twitching with his residual energy. He didn’t have time to consider the dead, however, ducking his head as the butt of a gun came his way.

Blood splattered across the side of his face as a head rolled into view. Turning slightly, he saw Jo on the dead man’s back, a blood-soaked knife in his hand. “Hiya! So I figure they aren’t shooting because of the close quarters, yeah?” The teenager let go of the body as its knees gave out and dropped to the floor before Jo spun on his heel, using the momentum to drive the entire length of his blade into the chest of the soldier bearing down on him. “I was talking, you big meanie.” Jo wrenched his knife back from the corpse. “This is fun!” He giggled and danced off to slay another path through the crowd as Vincent tagged onto Jo’s side, running with him.

“What a little freak,” Erik voiced as the alarm finally stopped, ensnaring two in his energy, their bodies ballooning out as he pumped them full of his power; neither got back up after they hit the ground.

He and Erik were fighting a few feet apart, back to back in a sense. The space between them was a no-man’s land as it was within the reach of both Mathieu’s blade, and Erik’s energy. As a man that looked more bear than human barreled at them with his gun lifted like a bat, Mathieu got a decent view under his arm