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.""I'll take my chances on that, honey." He grinned."That little toy is cute enough, but you haven'tconvinced me that you're any big threat."He'd relaxed just the tiniest bit.Probably figures that if I'm talking instead of attacking it'sbecause I'm not in any great shape.Which I'm not— but I'm probably not as badly off as he thinks.Besides, all I have to do is buy timefor André to get those kids out—The pounding ended in a crash.Jason jumped, and his head swung around.It was enough of anopening.She crossed the space between them in a limping sprint, ending it with a kick with her good footaimed to take out one knee, and a slash at his face.It would have worked, except that he was faster thanshe'd thought; he ducked the slash, and the kick went into the couch frame instead.She bounced back, staggering a little, blinded for a moment with pain and unbalanced with onehand immobilized.When she could see again, Jason's eyes were pits of rage, and she could Feel himbattering away at her shields, seeking a weak spot to exploit."Bitch!" he snarled."I'm gonna—"She drew on the stored Power in the blade and gave him no time to elaborate on what he wasgoing to do to her.Because she heard the sound of many faint footsteps from the dark—and over on the side, Davewas on the bottom of the struggle.She feinted with the knife, then lashed out with an elbow strike and caught Jason in the breastbonewith it, gritting her teeth against the screaming of hand and ankle.He grunted and staggered backward.She came on, tiring, and in pain, but this was the only advantage she was likely to get and—Crack.In the confined space of the room, the explosion sounded like the impact of a lightning bolt.Shejumped back as a bullet struck the floor between herself and Jason, and pivoted on her bad ankle to facethe new threat.Jeffries.With a gun, and a sadistic smile on his face.She froze.The fight in the corner had stopped; now the guy she didn't know separated himselfcarefully from Dave, and backed away.Dave didn't move from where he was sprawled on the floor, in thelee of an overturned armchair."I believe it is game and match, hmm?" Jeffries said smoothly."David, David, I had hoped youhad come to your senses—well, apparently not.I do suggest that you, and you, young lady, place thewitchblade on the floor and surrender.Not that you and your friends won't meet ultimately the same end,but your choice is between painful and excruciatingly painful." He raised his voice." And you can takethose children back where you found them, young man—"Her mind, which had gone into stasis, unstuck.It took a moment to register.First came shock.Then immobility.Then fear.Overwhelming fear.The kind that used to paralyze her.And didn't.Not anymore.Light.Her shield aura flared, high in the UV and illuminating the room like a floodlight, brighter than aphoto flash, and much more potent in that moment than the weak winter sunlight.Jeffries screamed.There was a clatter as his gun fell to the floor.The man was moaning in pain, and by squintingthrough her own glare, she could see that he was clawing at his face.He collapsed slowly on his knees,babbling and weeping now, as if the light were cutting right into his brain.She fed the light with all her strength and the last of the stored Power in the athame, knowing thebrightness to be her only defense.Maybe it is eating into his brain.I hope so.I hope it burns your neuronsto a crisp, you sonuvabitch!But she was weakening; running out of energy fast, and maintaining the light was taking a lotmore out of her than she had guessed it would.She heard a scuffle of feet behind her, and kickedbackward without looking.The impact of her foot in someone's solar plexus told her that her instinctswere still working, although the move cost her in red agony from her abused foot.The flare of painthrough the black hole of hunger told her she'd gotten Jason.I can't keep this up much longer—"André, the kids—" She gulped; it was even getting hard to breathe."Get them out of here."Running feet; half a dozen shadow shapes flitting across her own glare, one of them leading ataller one by the hand—Right, he can't take this either, he probably can't see a thing.But the kids are getting him out.Thank the gods.She sheathed the athame behind her neck and backed up, feeling her way across the floor, kickingaside lamps and unidentifiable debris.She moved step by slow and uncertain step, until she reached thearea where she thought Lenny and Keith were, and felt around with her bad foot until she hit somethingsoft.It groaned.She knelt, carefully, and reached out with her right hand, and shook the leg she encountered.Itwas too well muscled to be Keith."Lenny.Lenny.Come on, wake up—"Her light was fading discernibly, and with it, her strength."Uhn—" Finally a moan that was a response."Di?""Get up, get Keith, and get out.I can't hold these jokers much longer.""But—"" Move! " she snarled, nerves ready to snap, and not inclined to take any back talk.She could make them out now, and that was a bad sign.Lenny pulled himself slowly to his feet,then reached down and helped Keith up.The artist was not in good shape; he leaned heavily on Lenny,and didn't seem more than half conscious.She kept herself interposed between them and the others—But the light was fading faster, and they were not going to make it to the door before it was gone.Then, like the voice of an angel, Dave spoke out of the shadows cast by his overturned chair."Di, baby, I've got the gun.I can't see now, but I wasn't looking at you when you flamed on.Getyour two buddies out of here, and I'll take care of my good friends."The last two words were spoken in a snarl of hate.She hesitated.Lenny and Keith did not.They were almost at the door—"Davey—" she began."Davey, I—""Don't worry about me, just go!" She took one step toward him, and saw him shrink away."Davey—""Go." Then, very softly, "It's okay, babe.It's okay.I know exactly what I'm doing.Listen—behappy, Di.Just—be happy."One of the others nearest Dave started to move; now she could see perfectly well, her light was noworse than sunlight.She pointed."Dave!"He whirled [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.""I'll take my chances on that, honey." He grinned."That little toy is cute enough, but you haven'tconvinced me that you're any big threat."He'd relaxed just the tiniest bit.Probably figures that if I'm talking instead of attacking it'sbecause I'm not in any great shape.Which I'm not— but I'm probably not as badly off as he thinks.Besides, all I have to do is buy timefor André to get those kids out—The pounding ended in a crash.Jason jumped, and his head swung around.It was enough of anopening.She crossed the space between them in a limping sprint, ending it with a kick with her good footaimed to take out one knee, and a slash at his face.It would have worked, except that he was faster thanshe'd thought; he ducked the slash, and the kick went into the couch frame instead.She bounced back, staggering a little, blinded for a moment with pain and unbalanced with onehand immobilized.When she could see again, Jason's eyes were pits of rage, and she could Feel himbattering away at her shields, seeking a weak spot to exploit."Bitch!" he snarled."I'm gonna—"She drew on the stored Power in the blade and gave him no time to elaborate on what he wasgoing to do to her.Because she heard the sound of many faint footsteps from the dark—and over on the side, Davewas on the bottom of the struggle.She feinted with the knife, then lashed out with an elbow strike and caught Jason in the breastbonewith it, gritting her teeth against the screaming of hand and ankle.He grunted and staggered backward.She came on, tiring, and in pain, but this was the only advantage she was likely to get and—Crack.In the confined space of the room, the explosion sounded like the impact of a lightning bolt.Shejumped back as a bullet struck the floor between herself and Jason, and pivoted on her bad ankle to facethe new threat.Jeffries.With a gun, and a sadistic smile on his face.She froze.The fight in the corner had stopped; now the guy she didn't know separated himselfcarefully from Dave, and backed away.Dave didn't move from where he was sprawled on the floor, in thelee of an overturned armchair."I believe it is game and match, hmm?" Jeffries said smoothly."David, David, I had hoped youhad come to your senses—well, apparently not.I do suggest that you, and you, young lady, place thewitchblade on the floor and surrender.Not that you and your friends won't meet ultimately the same end,but your choice is between painful and excruciatingly painful." He raised his voice." And you can takethose children back where you found them, young man—"Her mind, which had gone into stasis, unstuck.It took a moment to register.First came shock.Then immobility.Then fear.Overwhelming fear.The kind that used to paralyze her.And didn't.Not anymore.Light.Her shield aura flared, high in the UV and illuminating the room like a floodlight, brighter than aphoto flash, and much more potent in that moment than the weak winter sunlight.Jeffries screamed.There was a clatter as his gun fell to the floor.The man was moaning in pain, and by squintingthrough her own glare, she could see that he was clawing at his face.He collapsed slowly on his knees,babbling and weeping now, as if the light were cutting right into his brain.She fed the light with all her strength and the last of the stored Power in the athame, knowing thebrightness to be her only defense.Maybe it is eating into his brain.I hope so.I hope it burns your neuronsto a crisp, you sonuvabitch!But she was weakening; running out of energy fast, and maintaining the light was taking a lotmore out of her than she had guessed it would.She heard a scuffle of feet behind her, and kickedbackward without looking.The impact of her foot in someone's solar plexus told her that her instinctswere still working, although the move cost her in red agony from her abused foot.The flare of painthrough the black hole of hunger told her she'd gotten Jason.I can't keep this up much longer—"André, the kids—" She gulped; it was even getting hard to breathe."Get them out of here."Running feet; half a dozen shadow shapes flitting across her own glare, one of them leading ataller one by the hand—Right, he can't take this either, he probably can't see a thing.But the kids are getting him out.Thank the gods.She sheathed the athame behind her neck and backed up, feeling her way across the floor, kickingaside lamps and unidentifiable debris.She moved step by slow and uncertain step, until she reached thearea where she thought Lenny and Keith were, and felt around with her bad foot until she hit somethingsoft.It groaned.She knelt, carefully, and reached out with her right hand, and shook the leg she encountered.Itwas too well muscled to be Keith."Lenny.Lenny.Come on, wake up—"Her light was fading discernibly, and with it, her strength."Uhn—" Finally a moan that was a response."Di?""Get up, get Keith, and get out.I can't hold these jokers much longer.""But—"" Move! " she snarled, nerves ready to snap, and not inclined to take any back talk.She could make them out now, and that was a bad sign.Lenny pulled himself slowly to his feet,then reached down and helped Keith up.The artist was not in good shape; he leaned heavily on Lenny,and didn't seem more than half conscious.She kept herself interposed between them and the others—But the light was fading faster, and they were not going to make it to the door before it was gone.Then, like the voice of an angel, Dave spoke out of the shadows cast by his overturned chair."Di, baby, I've got the gun.I can't see now, but I wasn't looking at you when you flamed on.Getyour two buddies out of here, and I'll take care of my good friends."The last two words were spoken in a snarl of hate.She hesitated.Lenny and Keith did not.They were almost at the door—"Davey—" she began."Davey, I—""Don't worry about me, just go!" She took one step toward him, and saw him shrink away."Davey—""Go." Then, very softly, "It's okay, babe.It's okay.I know exactly what I'm doing.Listen—behappy, Di.Just—be happy."One of the others nearest Dave started to move; now she could see perfectly well, her light was noworse than sunlight.She pointed."Dave!"He whirled [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]