Star Gods, стр. 55

“I think it’s our best choice right now,” I respond. “I know it seems unconventional, but it’s the best I got.”

Sage stands with her hands fastened on the window ledge, her eyes transfixed outside. “Falling stars…they’re beautiful. I’ve never seen so many falling at once.”

I exchange a look with Maliki and rush to stand beside her. “Not falling stars, Sage. Star Gods. They’re coming to Earth.”

“Why does that sound like a bad thing?” Sage panics.

“It is.” I watch as the nearest star forms into a body.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Dad says, coming to stand beside me. “They know Assassins are here, they know I’m here, and they may be here to assist.”

“Ah, they’re not Star Gods.” Maliki points out the window. “Assassins.”

“What?” I look again. The figures are dark from head to toe, the unquestionable attire only an Assassin wears. “Shit.”

Ashe brings wards into both hands. “We are badly outnumbered.”

Tyce copies Ashe. “We are so screwed.”

“Get away from the windows!” Abby shouts. She tries to throw a shield up, but it’s already too late. Glass, wood, cement explode inward cutting our skin and showering over us.

I have no choice but to cover everyone in my barrier and haul us out. I land us in the pitch-black cafeteria. A sound in the otherwise silence catches my attention until lights slowly flicker on to reveal we are not alone; we are, in fact, completely surrounded by Assassins. They were one-step ahead of us. How didn’t I know they were in here?

“Welcome,” Levi announces, clapping his hands then spreading his arms wide, his voice carrying over the silent crowd. “We were beginning to get impatient.”

I trail my eyes back and forth. Is it control Levi has over them, or the desperate want to survive that make them his puppets? No one moves, no one utters a sound. They stand like statues stoically still with their Assassin staff in one hand.

“You are breaking every rule, Levi,” Dad says. “The Luminaries will come down on you harder than you expect.”

Levi laughs, “You say that as if I care.”

“You should care,” I say. “What happens next will decide your fate.”

“Take them,” Levi orders.

Before I can make a move, Assassins have Dad and my brothers with knives at their throats.

The emergency doors leading to the outside open and the Assassins who just fell to Earth, begin flooding into the cafeteria. Ashe swears. Dad tries to rev up his ability, and Tyce fights when the knife nicks his neck.

I shake my head at Tyce for him to stop, and then spread my reading ability over the crowd. Sage’s surprise fills me when she reads the same as me, and I catch Maliki as he grins.

Levia apportates in and stands next to her brother. For fraternal twins they certainly are identical, except for their different genders.

Levi bangs the butt of his staff onto the floor. All movement stops.

“Can you make them bark like a dog too?” I ask.

“I think he’ll be surprised at who won’t,” Ally responds. She has guts, I’ll give her that.

“Funny.” Levi takes two steps toward me, his eyes flashing in anger. “From the one I’m going to slice into tiny little pieces.”

“You can certainly try,” Sage responds.

“You talk big for one who can’t come anywhere near me because with one touch, I can render you completely helpless,” I say. “It really pisses you off, doesn’t it, Levi, for a half-breed to have what you want most?”

His lip curls in response and his nostrils flare. “Your family’s lives are in my hands.”

The newly arrived, with hoods obscuring their faces, leave rank and move on either side of the crowd, their strides long and purposeful hardly making a sound.

“Hold!” Levi shouts.

They stop.

“It’s pretty sad you have to take others hostage to control me,” I say, pooling the wind in my hand. “Maybe if you’d fight me like a man…”

“You’re a half-breed, a disgrace,” Levi spits, his staff appearing in his hand. “You’re a boy and I don’t make deals with the likes of you.” He swings the staff, cutting my cheek.

The first strike was a diversion; he won’t get away with another. I let the blood trail down my face. “Can’t say I didn’t try and bargain.” I send the wind forcing Assassins back, and knocking off the ones who have my Dad and brothers.

Maliki grins and sends a line of lightning to where they lay, zapping them. Their bodies jerk like fish lying on dry land.

“We’re linked!” Sage shouts, and pulls everyone we need forward. I close off the large circle I created.

“Levi, what is he doing?”

“Shup-up, Levia.”

“But…”

“I said, shut-up!”

“Is that any way to speak to your sister?” I pull on my barrier through Sage to strengthen it, mix in my brother’s wards, and add Ally’s shield. Lastly, I electrify it with a small amount of Maliki’s electrokenisis and contain us inside as I face the Satan twins.

The newly arrived begin moving again.

“Dammit, hold!” Levi shouts.

I feel the slight jolt of worry come from Levia when they continue to move, surrounding the crowd.

“I don’t think they’re listening,” I say, pooling a barrier into my hand.

Levi’s face reddens and his eyes fill with hate. He lifts a hand and I reach out with my mind and grasp onto his abilities he has left; his expression quickly turning to rage.

“Are we going to talk about this like men, or do I take the rest of what’s yours and make it mine?”

His chest heaves, and when he can’t use his abilities, he growls low and deep in his chest.

“Sounds like he belongs in a cage,” Ally remarks.

I strengthen my hold on him and he bares his teeth. “You might want to stop doing that, it makes you look crazy.”

His face turns an angry red.

“Suit yourself. You only have to listen anyway. You see, Sage and I figured things out. The only way you could even possibly render my barrier useless with your blade, was to have something forged that would