We Leave Together, стр. 69
“Jona, what’s happening? What are you doing here?”
“Look, it’s complicated. Just give me a minute to get dressed.”
Rachel placed a hand on Calipari’s cheek. She started to tug at his bonds.
“Don’t,” said Jona, “Please…” He pulled her hand away from Calipari’s bonds.
“Jona,” said Rachel, “We have to get Djoss.”
“We can’t,” said Jona, “Look, we just can’t. I’m going to have to hide you somewhere. The roof, maybe. When it’s all over, I can take you back with me. Just trust me.”
“I don’t trust you, all right? I can’t. Not now.” said Rachel, “Please just tell me what’s happening.”
Jona told her that the men came for him. He told her that all these soldiers running murder through the woods were there so Jona could defeat them, free the hostages, and return to the city a hero.
“That’s not very heroic,” said Rachel.
Jona pulled his uniform on over his muddy skin. “It’s… This is the way it is, okay. You make it sound like I have a choice. I don’t. I’m just a pawn. I’m done, though. I’m done with all this. I want to get you out of here. We’ll go, you and me. They’ll try to kill me for it, but I’m done. Please, will you go with me?”
“Why would they kill you?”
“They’ll kill you if I don’t hide you.”
“What about Djoss?”
“I don’t know. I’ll try. Look, I just want you to be safe, and to leave with me.”
“But Djoss…”
“Please, just come with me. Please, I love you.”
“I won’t leave Djoss to die. You would ask me to do that… Thank you for saving me. I’ll never forget you.”
“Please, Rachel…”
“I’m going to save Djoss,” said Rachel, “so whatever happens, stay out of my way.” Rachel closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. “I’m so scared, Jona.”
“Please…” said Jona, “Let me come with you.”
“What?” said Rachel.
“I’ll leave everything. I’ll just leave everything. We’ll go out there, and get him and escape together. Please, Rachel, I have to be with you. I love you, and I have to be with you.”
“Jona… Oh, Jona…” She centered herself in breathing. Emotion drained away from her face until she was a mask of breathing. Senta fire caught the bonds that bound Calipari. He saw them and held them up to be burned.
“Rachel, please…” Jona had to sit down. He looked at Calipari’s bonds burning. He looked at Calipari’s killing smile. “Rachel…”
She was already halfway up the ladder. “This is a future that can never be. I cherish the time we had together. I do. I don’t understand how you could cause so much pain. Good-bye.”
Rachel climbed up to the roof of the guard tower. Behind her, Calipari’s bonds burned. The signal fire at the top of the tower caught Senta fires and ignited in the night.
The raiders below, most of them sleeping, did not understand what had just happened. They were asleep, complacent in the plan that was working, and then their dreams filled with the smell of smoke.
Two bandits charged in from the fringe, screaming about the lit signal fire. Eyes looked up. Bandits woke up.
Rachel wrapped winds around her body to soften her jump from the roof. She filled the ropes of the prisoners with fire. People tore at their burning bonds.
Rachel filled the air with fire and ice to catch and stumble the men who would kill in the night. Swords were wrapped in ice. Arrows were blown away. Fire burned at clothes and grasses. Prisoners tore from their bonds with new life and fought back.
The prisoners outnumbered the guards three to one.
Rachel threw tongues of flame in every direction, and cast ice in thick chunks upon weapons and arrows that fell with the weight. She screamed Djoss’ name. She ran through the fields of death and flame.
Jona heard the sounds of battle. He grabbed his sword. He shouted at Calipari to help him. He threw a sword at Calipari’s lap. He ran his sword down the ropes and sliced them loose.
Calipari roared. He swung his sword at Jona, striking the air only.
Jona threw the door open, his sword in the air. “Help me, Nic! You have to save these people!”
Jona ran after Rachel. He turned his blade to the men that jumped at him. He didn’t know if they were prisoner or bandit. He knew they were attacking him. He knew they were in between him and the center of the fire.
Rachel had her arms around her brother. He limped against her, shaking his tight legs loose. He had been bound tight for days, and his muscles weren’t working right, yet.
And Jona ran after them. He charged bandit archers with his blade, and they ran in fear of the man that had turned on them too soon. He cut them down, screaming her name. Their arrows would not fall on Rachel’s back. The raiders scattered that were left, but Calipari was coming. He was out the door, and staring down Jona, who had betrayed him. He was not fast enough, and it was dark out, and the hills were long.
Rachel was gone as soon as Djoss was on his feet.
“Rachel!” shouted Jona. He leaned into the treeline, where the grassy hillside above the valley faded into wooded bluffs.
She turned once, in the dark, and saw him leaping into the woods. She lifted her hand and a wall of fire rose up from the underbrush.
“Please, Rachel!”
She shouted, “I don’t know what you are. I don’t know anything about you!”
“Trust me, please!”
She cast wind that pushed his feet out from under him. He fell and banged his jaw on the ground. He bit into his cheek, and felt blood sizzling out into his mouth. He spit and kept after her.
“Please, Rachel, I can’t just let you go like this!”
The ice came next, and it swallowed his feet and hands in a weight that pulled him down. He struggled to walk with the ice cracking off his