Reclamation (The Ravening #3)(54)
Author: Erica Stevens

Blood exploded from her mouth, her cheek caved from the force of the impact. The tree tore across my palms, slicing them open as the branch was ripped from my grasp. My arms were still shaking from the force of the blow when she landed with a big splash in the water. Like a school of hungry piranha, the damaged roots surged forward to feed as they had so many times over thousands of years. A blood curdling scream ripped from Isis as the water within the pool began to churn and her blood turned it an even deeper shade of red.

Jessica yanked the syringe from Raijin’s neck and I tossed her some more of the poison to fill it with. She waved the syringe in front of Forseti when he took a step toward her. A sneer curved his lip but he looked toward the other Ancients spreading out around The Fountain instead of continuing toward her. An unnatural hush fell across the room as Isis finally became still.

I pulled another bomb out, but I didn’t bother to cut the wick as I lit it and threw it across the room. "Run!" I bellowed.

"No!" Agrona, silent until now, screamed as the bomb spun across the room toward what remained of the tree. Her small, spindly legs moved remarkably fast as her desperate need for survival outweighed her apprehension of us. She tried to intervene with the bomb, but it was already beyond her reach.

Jessica was the first one to hit the stairs and dash up them as fast as she could with the rest of us right behind her. Osiris was lurching for the bomb when it went off. A spray of blood shot across the room as his hand exploded like a smashed pumpkin and the remaining half of the tree was rocked backward. A loud cracking filled the air as the tree began to twist to the side.

The force of the blow had knocked me over but I regained my balance and pulled myself back to my feet using the rail of the stairs. Malsumis let out a strangled cry and lifted a massive broken limb onto his shoulder. Holding it like a spear, he heaved it forward as if it weighed no more than a twig. It moved through the air with the deadly speed and accuracy of a heat seeking missile toward Steve.

"Look out!" I shouted as I lurched forward to grab Steve.

My hand curled into the bottom of his shirt and I jerked him back as he tried to twist out of the way of the limb. It was too late though, the branch pierced through his midsection and out the other side. His hands clawed at the protruding object in his gut, his mouth dropped as blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. The force of the branch had knocked him half over the railing and there was no stopping the momentum as his shirt tore within my hand and he toppled over the rail. The sharp sound of bones breaking reverberated through the room as his body bounced off of the stairs below before plummeting out of view.

I didn’t bother to look back as I propelled myself up the stairs faster. Jessica had just made it to the balcony when the loud cracking of the tree became a splintering crescendo that reverberated through the room. The air whistled through the leaves as the tree completely gave up on maintaining its hold on life.

The tree slid down the side of the stairs and crashed onto the floor with enough force to rock the ship. I grabbed hold of the rail before I could be knocked over the side of it. What was left of The Ancients scrambled to get out of the way of the tree as it bounced off of the floor. Osiris’s head tilted back, he held his mangled arm up before him as he pinned me with his gaze. Even beaten and bloody there was nothing but murderous intent within those empty, shark-like eyes.

Grabbing hold of the banister, I kicked my feet onto it and braced myself as I prepared to jump off of it. The top part of the tree crashed onto the ground again as I launched myself off the railing and leapt for the balcony. My hands grasped hold of the floor of the balcony; my feet swung over open air as I tried to maintain my hold on the slippery floor. Discomfort slid through my arms as I moved myself down the balcony toward one of the rails bolted into the floor.

I was almost to the railing when hands grabbed hold of my arms. I swung my legs onto the floor of the balcony and pushed myself up while Jessica and Craig helped pull me the rest of the way over. "Go!" I shouted as I fell upon the floor and struggled to catch my breath.

I glanced back at the room, but most of it was blocked by the top half of the toppled tree. I didn’t think there was any way they would be able to escape the room but to be on the safe side I pulled another bomb free and lit it. Pushing myself to my hands and feet I threw myself through the hole in the crystal as the ship heaved once more from the force of the bomb exploding.

A loud groaning filled the air as the ship began to shift toward the side. The ship had become a giant slip and slide as I fought to keep my balance on the smooth, moving surface. The Tintagelians that had been outside the door began to scream as most lost the battle against the tilt of the ship and crashed into the broken crystal door.

"This way!" Jessica cried.

Bracing my feet on the floor, I placed my hands against the wall and used the tips of my shoes to pull myself forward. Too confused by what was going on, the Tintagelians around us didn’t try to stop our escape as we pulled ourselves toward the stairwell we had entered through. Betty let out a small cry as she lost her hold and started to slide by me. Somehow managing to hold on with one hand, I snagged her before she could get lost amongst the crush pressed against the back wall.

I pushed Betty behind me and waited for her to brace herself again before continuing on. Finally making it to the end, I pulled myself around the corner and fell against the wall. The screams and blaring sirens followed us as we made it to the stairwell. I stared doubtfully at the single stair before us. Unlike before though, the wall was pulled back to reveal the rail and open space beyond the stairwell. It must have been some sort of emergency precaution that occurred when the alarms were set off.

"Go Jessica," I urged.

"Go where?" she demanded.

"Walk the rail."

She turned the color of snow, but as she looked back toward where we had come from, it was obvious there were no other choices. Jessica stepped onto the rail as the first of the Tintagelians behind us turned the corner. Betty and Craig stayed close on Jessica’s heels as she moved out over open space. I was just stepping onto the rail when the first Tintagelian reached the stairway behind me.

A part of me was tempted to punch him in the face but as of now they still didn’t recognize us as the reason why the ship was tilting to the side like a boat taking on water. Giving them concrete proof by hitting him would only add to our list of troubles. Turning away from the man, I put my arms out beside me to keep my balance as I began to walk across the rail.

A low groaning echoed throughout seconds before the ship began to list even further to the side. My feet slipped, but I somehow managed to keep my balance on the six inch around rail. Thoughts of Bethany drove me onward with a growing urgency to escape this doomed vessel. I yearned for so much more time with her than what we’d had. I wanted more touches and kisses, more love, and I wanted our child.