The Arcana Chronicles 3: Dead of Winter

Gabriel?

He’d snatched the tent away on a flyby!

Beams collapsed, furniture tumbling. Taking advantage of the twins’ confusion, Selena yanked her sword free and lunged for Violet. With blistering speed, she slashed off the girl’s arm. Before the limb could hit the floor, Selena snared the sensor.

She slid Violet’s thumb off, covering the button with her own. “Got it, you bitch.”

Violet smiled even as her blood gushed. “This was unexpected, Archer. Beware the Empress.” She fell, her body in a straight line.

Like a card.

Selena lunged to finish Violet; Vincent bellowed, twisting toward Selena with that gun.

A shot rang out. She dodged.

He . . . missed.

The Archer was pissed. “I’m gonna shove this sword so far up your ass, Vince.” Dripping blade raised, she stormed toward the boy, who took aim once more.

“Eyes to the skies, lads!”

“Incoming, Evie!” Selena yelled, whirling around mid-charge to stiff-arm me.

Sharp pressure on my shoulder; I hurtled through the air, landing in front of Jack.

“Cover J.D.!”

Popping up, I sliced my claws through the line above him. When he collapsed, I threw myself over him.

Never letting go of that sensor, Selena overturned the table in front of us—just as a javelin sank into Vincent’s torso.

Thunk.

Vincent stared down, bellowing, “I return to the FIRST!”

Bomb blast. Lightning streaked above. The shockwave hit the table, shoving it at us like a car crusher.

“Ahh!” Selena locked her legs against it, resisting the impact. The wood splintered, the tabletop splitting around her boots!

How strong is she? She gritted her teeth, protecting us with all her might.

When the scorching heat finally subsided, I rose up from Jack to claw that collar off his neck, exhaling with relief as I tossed it away. I peeked up over the ruins of the table to survey the destruction, scoping out any other threats.

Little remained of Vincent. Violet was a charred pile. Behind us, all the stalls had fallen, revealing the full extent of the Lovers’ crazy. Lightning had wiped out the Bagmen and those five victims as well. Freed from pain at last.

Back to Jack. “Can you hear me?” I slashed off the manacles at his blood-encrusted wrists and ankles. “Please say something!” He groaned in pain, but didn’t wake.

Selena rose with difficulty. “Check his pulse.”

I pressed two fingers against his neck. “I think it’s even.” Which blunted my immediate panic. “Selena, are you okay?”

Blood ran from a gash on her temple. “I’m all right. You got that collar off him?”

I jerked my chin toward it on the floor.

She glared at the sensor in her fist. When she dropped it, that spike shot into the center of the discarded collar.

I shuddered at how close Jack had come to dying.

“He’ll be okay, Evie.” She swiped her hand over her temple, shrugging at the blood that came away. “There’s a doctor across the river. A podiatrist, but what can you do?”

Jack’s skin wept around that brand. “What is this mark?”

“The Lovers’ symbol. Their icon is the same.”

“Those freaks marked him as their own.” A prisoner of their love. “And his shoulders are out of their sockets. What else did they do?”

“They’d only been getting started on him.” She gazed down at him, total adoration in her expression. “Whatever they did, he’ll come back from it. He’s a survivor.”

“Is there a blanket? Anything to cover him?” Wait . . . “Where’s his rosary? We have to find it for him.” It’d been his mother’s.

“On it, Empress.” Selena only called me that when I’d earned a tiny bit of her respect. She ransacked the Lovers’ belongings, scoring a blanket. She wadded it up and lobbed it at me.

I spread it over Jack, drawing his head into my lap. My eyes watered as I smoothed the backs of my fingers over the left side of his face. The right was swollen out of proportion. Bruises mottled his skin.

How much more could he take? I didn’t want him to have to be a survivor. He’d already been forced into that role well before the apocalypse.

He needed to separate himself from all Arcana. From me. My tear struck his cheek.

With a whoosh, Gabriel landed beside us, to the amazement of gathering soldiers. Joules strolled over behind him.

The Tower had made the kill, Gabriel there with the assist. As an Arcana, Joules would soon bear the Lovers’ icon, a small mark appearing on his hand.

A trophy. And maybe a way to keep score?

“Oi, birds, how about that blast?” Joules gave us a mock bow. “And that was just a one on a scale of a hundred. When the Tower has to come in to save the day, collateral damage happens.”

“You could’ve fried us,” Selena told him.

“Serves you two right for nearly killin’ Tess. We’ve never seen her so close to bitin’ it.”

Ah, God, Tess! “Is she okay?” Now that I wasn’t burning with red witch power—and confidence—I flinched to recall my actions.

Gabriel bared his fangs at me. “She will be. In time.”

“She’s officially no longer the Arcana laughingstock,” Selena said. “Because of her, we prevented J.D. from getting his eyeballs scooped out with a hot spoon.”

Gabriel’s snarl faded.

“No shite?” Joules surveyed the ruins of contraptions, whistling under his breath. “In the next few days, Tess’ll plump up right smart. She’ll be glad she helped. Lass likes to help.”

I asked Gabriel, “Will you please fly Jack to the doc?” I didn’t want to part from him, but he needed medical attention.

With a nod, Gabriel easily lifted Jack’s big body in a fireman’s carry. Note: superhuman strength for Gabriel. With a grimace of pain, the angel swooped his damaged wings.

I watched him and Jack until they disappeared into the night sky.

Selena rifled through an overturned trunk. “Why’d you come, Tower? You went from hell no to feck it.”

“I started a tab for the Empress. She owes me now. Plus Gabe said he’d do whatever it took to save you, even if it meant using his wing till he crippled it.” Joules faced me. “What happened, anyway?”

I told him the highlights, ending with: “Thank you for the save. For whatever reason you did it. You’re a hero.” I studied his reddening cheeks. “And I think you like it.”