The Bleed: Book 2: RAPTURE by David Moody (best selling autobiographies .txt) 📕

thing was trying to twist around and attack, its legs slapping wildly at the ground, kicking up great divots of dirt. Kalandar pulled a fist straight back and drove it into the things back, breaking through the shell, the entirety of its body, and out the other side, pinning it to the ground like an etymologist. When he pulled his arm out, long ribbons of glistening material clung to it. “The weapon. Give it to me.” He had his hand out. Maddie did. He closed his hand around it, crushing the plastic and metal into an inoperable ball. “You have cheated with one kill, and this one you cannot claim.” He kicked the beast by his feet. “That should be the conclusion of our contract.” He was talking as if the world around them was not a chaotic killing field with people running around or attempting to defend themselves, more times than not dying extremely violent deaths. “It does not bode well for me. If the four of you cannot kill these lowly beasts.”

“Lowly?” Sam asked Maddie.

“Shh.”

“But I did kill one, so did Maddie. Thistle held them in place.”

“You do not understand, little one. This thing and anything like it,” he let the twisted mass in his hand fall to the ground for effect, “are useless. Less than useless, because they give the wielder a false sense of confidence and security. Physical weapons can do no damage. This exercise is to teach you that, to learn to use what is inside of you, to trust in it. If you cannot do that, I cannot and will not throw my lot in with you. As I’ve said, there are much worse things than death, and that is what will happen to all of us if I choose my side poorly. And just so we are clear, by all of us, I mean me. The risk is all mine to take. I can stay the course, ride the wave (I heard that once, off the coast of Tunisia, I think). But without my help, your end is inevitable. I do not say that lightly or callously or even in a boastful manner, but rather as fact. You can prove your worth or not; I will not intercede again.”

“What’s going on?” Sam asked as Kalandar walked away.

“We just won a free game.”

“What?” she asked as Maddie pulled her back to Thistle.

“How are you doing?” Maddie asked her.

“Better. I’ve got some strength coming back.”

A strangled “ung” came from behind as Sandra had sat and was using the invisible wall to prop herself up.

“Going to be difficult to look down people with that nose.” Maddie grabbed Sandra’s arm and helped her stand. “I mean, with that giant bump you have now.” Maddie rubbed her own nose to show the woman, just in the off-chance Sandra wasn’t sure what she was talking about.

“I didn’t think it possible for you to become any crasser.”

“We’ve barely scratched the surface.”

“How bad can this Bleed be?” Sandra was gingerly wiping blood from her busted lip.

“Are you referring to your injury or our mortal enemy?” Thistle asked. “Well, I suppose both are pretty bad.”

“A piece of advice, girly. Don’t follow her lead. Last thing the world needs is another sarcastic grease monkey,” Sandra sneered.

Kalandar was more than a few hundred yards away but was still easily discernible as he strode confidently. He was redirecting monsters toward the group, again.

“Here we go,” Maddie said as three beasts began their deadly gallop. Kalandar paused, seemed to make up his mind about something and sent a fourth.

“I’m not going to be able to hold them all.” Thistle had a quaver in her voice.

“Get us in this shell!” Sandra yelled as she beat her fists against the wall.

“Is that even possible?” Sam asked.

“You tell me,” Maddie said.

Sam placed her hands against it and send a jolt of power out. She immediately recoiled as her arms reverberated from the extreme feedback. “My arms are numb! I can’t feel anything!” They flopped wildly as she shook her upper half.

“I don’t know what to do.” Thistle was on the edge of panic.

“Come on, monkey, what do you have?” Sandra wore a sneer, Maddie thought it was safe to say the woman was not going to die with grace.

“Maddie?” Thistle asked.

Maddie was staring at her hands. “I don’t feel anything. I didn’t feel anything, except a shock, when he touched me. Whatever Kalandar thought he saw in me, he was wrong.”

“Does he seem like the type of demon that is wrong often?” Thistle asked.

“There’s nothing there!” Maddie was panicked as she looked from her hands to the leaping bogalites.

“Not there, here!” Sandra thumped the side of Maddie’s head hard.

“Okay, sensei, do that again and these grease monkey hands will show you exactly what they have in them.” Maddie couldn’t be sure if Sandra’s tap to the side of her head had dislodged something, or, more likely, the anger she had incurred did the trick, but there was something there, somehow tangible and intangible at the same time. It was a situation Maddie could make no sense of.

“You found it?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know what it is.”

“The damn shell Madeline!” Sandra shrieked.

Maddie had no idea if what she wanted to do would work or not, but inaction, in this case, would yield the same results as action without effect, namely, death. There was a crackle of energy as she touched the force field. She spread her hands as if she was opening curtains in a long-disused room.

“What happened?” Sam asked.

Sandra placed her hand where the wall should have been. Without a word of thanks, she stepped through to the other side.

“Is it completely gone?” Sam reached out where she was and came into contact with it.

“In!” Maddie grabbed Sam’s shoulder and pushed her. Thistle was next. Maddie followed, an idea of what she was going to do came to her as she did.

Kalandar was watching with great interest; he didn’t think what the woman had accomplished should be possible. It