Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy) - By Paula Flumerfelt Page 0,48
a dead horse! Something weird is going on and I don’t like it!”
A pop sounded and Mathieu sighed. “Wonderful.” They were in the middle of nowhere and the carriage had just gotten a flat. “Stay here.” He instructed. Opening the door and going around to the back of the car, he saw that the driver side rear tire had pop, a nail sticking halfway out. Grumbling, he opened the trunk and pulled out a spare, complaining about the inconvenience of it all. Putting his hair, which now reached just above his hips, into a quick bun, he got out the jack and started to lift the carriage. He stopped only for a second to push up the sleeves of his sweater.
Avian appeared to his left, kneeling beside him. “Let me help…”
Bumping her with a small smile, he winked. “Don’t worry, hun. I got this one. You should’ve stayed in the carriage.”
“Oh jeez, it isn’t like anything is going to happen. Let me help. I feel bad for nagging at you over things that you can’t change. Let’s do it together.” Her hand landed on top of his and she looked at him with a genuine smile.
“Fine.” Mathieu surrendered, knowing it was pointless to fight with Avian, especially after this many years. He had never won an argument in over six years of working with her. Combined, it only took them a small fraction of time to get the tire changed.
Standing with her hands on her hips and carrying an air of victory about her, Avian kicked their handy work. “Damn fine work, my loyal comrade!” She leaned against him.
As she spoke, a shiver slunk up his spine that he had come to associate with being watch. “Avian,” his voice was low, only loud enough for her to hear, “get back in the car. Now.” He grabbed her upper arm and all but dragged her to the nearest door while keeping low; Avian didn’t protest about being manhandled. The door, however, wouldn’t open. “Damn it!” A bullet whizzed past him and he put his hand on the top of his best friend’s head, forcing her down into a crouch.
Growling, his eyes began to lighten until the irises were pure white, ringed in gold. Concentrating, he created a cocoon of solid energy that wrapped around Avian, protecting her. “Don’t move.” He said, reaching through to touch her face reassuringly. Straightening, he turned to face the thick trees that ran all the way though the mountains; a twig snapped to his left but he kept his stance relaxed.
Another shot rang out and Mathieu managed to strike out with his energy and deflect it. He ‘tsk’ed and tapped his foot, sending a small shockwave of energy through the forestry. A man fell from the tree not five feet from him. Narrowing his eyes, he formed a stiletto made of his own swirling energy. Grasping it, he sprung from his spot in front of Avian and struck at the man, stabbing down into his chest. Blood dripped from the man’s mouth, but the place where the blow was placed appeared undamaged. Energy damaged from the inside. As he stood there over the now dead man, his energy vibrated back to him. There were more enemies, but the trees prevented him from getting a clear idea of how many.
Not a moment after he had moved away from her, bullet began to spray Avian’s protective shell. Her hands flew to cover her ears and she hunched down, scared. Her body was trembling finely, but to Mathieu’s relief, the barrier held. He used the attack to trace where the other men were.
The stiletto in his hand lengthened, becoming a blazing sword. He ran into the cover of the trees, spotting two of the men shooting at Avian kneeling in the underbrush. A feral growl clawed up his throat from deep within him as he savagely torn through the first one with his energy. He grasped the back of the second soldier’s head, unprotected by a helmet, and channeled his energy straight into the man’s head; the body he held twitched for a moment before going still. Again, the wounds didn’t physically manifest, however, both men were on the ground, dead.
He couldn’t tell how many shooters were left, and the count began to matter less as three men descended from the trees on wires and surrounded him, far enough back to be out of range of his weapon, but close enough to do serious damage.