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His energy reserves were pretty low, but he had to try. He was actually finding it easier to open the rifts between the two dimensions but keeping them open was where the effort remained. He concentrated on a clear section of the floor next to them, and it opened to show them red grasses. Keeping the first tear open, he opened a second just below the first, which opened just inches above the Hudson River. The strain of holding both open at the same time was terrible. “This is the Hudson just offshore from where I live,” he said through clenched teeth.
Before he could say anything else, Lorelei leaned forward and dropped through the opening to fall into the river. Water splashed back onto the floor where she’d been only a moment before. Henry blinked in surprise at the dark waters, but she was gone. He let the tears close and stood to help move the gurney. He looked down at Camila, confused about Lorelei’s departure.
“She’s a Naiad. The river will take care of her. She’s safe,” the woman told him as her lips trembled from her pain. He lifted her hand to press it against his chest. He closed his eyes and willed the Wild Magic from the source inside him to feed her. He heard her suck in a breath and sigh. When he opened his eyes, she was resting, but she didn’t look as weary. Eleanor watched him with wide eyes, but he just ignored that until he saw the four cloaked women also watching him with interest. He turned from them to help get the gurney moving.
They wheeled the mobile bed around the fairy trapped in her cactus trap.
“We’ll send someone to extract you soon,” Henry mumbled as they passed.
Roy was listening to his earpiece and frowned. He looked to the others. “We have two groups of guests on the main floor. An attack squad from Hidden Races Council tried to storm the building, but my team put them down with gas. While they were putting restraints on them, a squad of Silver People in army uniforms entered lightning fast and took control. My guys locked in the security office have the building locked down. No elevator or stairwells access, so we’re safe here.”
“That also means we’re stuck here. We can’t wait down here! Camila and Minkah need help, now,” Henry insisted.
“If we go up, the secrets out-” Roy began.
“Oh, I think the secret’s out already, without our assistance. Besides, if we don’t stop Mab, she’s going to extinguish all life,” Henry insisted.
“What?” Jake gasped.
Henry looked to the four Silver People. “Mab’s the mad, homicidal ex-queen of the Fae. She’s vowed to murder her people for betraying her, then she’ll kill us and everyone else. She’s also one of the most powerful witches on the planet.”
“She was the one screaming at you back in the forest?” Jake asked, and Henry nodded. “She’s that dangerous, and you pissed her off?”
“She was going to kill everyone with the green light. I locked her out of the healing spell by adding my firewall code,” Henry explained with a slight grin, which quickly faded as he looked to Roy. “She has plenty of other ways to kill, though. We have to go up.”
The big redhead sighed and finally nodded to him grimly, then looked to Sam. “Can you explain to them we need to heal our friends before they do whatever they’re here to do?” he asked.
“Yes, we can try.”
Sigrid pointed towards the gym entrance to indicate she was going to wash up.
Roy and Mary guided the gurney into the first elevator, and Sam got in last to be the first off.
When they left, Henry called another elevator and stepped inside with Meixiu, who clung to his arm, Eleanor, and Raymond, still carrying Minkah. The four cloaked females pushed on, then the three remaining Silver People.
The doors closed, but it didn’t move. Henry eased closer to the door as he was the only one who could activate it. He pressed the lobby button, and the elevator moved.
When the doors opened, they faced the largest silver being they’d seen yet. He wore a tattered dress uniform.
“Can you give us a little space, GI Joe?” Jake asked belligerently.
The big silver man stepped back, but he held Jake’s eye until the others began leaving the elevator. “Which one of you is Henry Gable?” he asked a little stiffly, glancing between Raymond and Henry.
Another Silver Soldier approached and pointed to Henry. “It’s him according to the image we received.”
“You need to come with me,” the large soldier said, moving closer.
“I need to help my friends first, then I’m all yours,” Henry said, pointing to the nearby gurney and to Minkah.
“No, you’re coming with me now!” he barked. His agitation seemed elevated unnaturally.
The soldier who’d identified Henry watched her fellow soldier with concern and spoke gently. “We don’t need to go anywhere, Gunny. We just need to hold the fort until the others arrive.”
“Sergeant, there is something unnatural going on, and the General said this guy’s central to it. He’s not getting away this time.”
“Unnatural? Says the big Silver Soldier,” Henry said in frustration.
Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say to the agitated soldier as Henry suddenly found himself slammed face-first against a marble tile wall with his arm bent up behind his back.
“Gunny!” the sergeant cried.
Meixiu leapt at Henry’s attacker, who slapped her from the air midleap. She fell to the floor in a crumpled ball.
Henry stared at her in shock, and his mind said enough. The silver man pinning him to the wall was strong, but he could be strong too. He dropped his glamor.
He heard the big man make a noise of surprise as Henry’s now much thicker arm ripped from his grip. His big hand gripped the soldier’s face and gave him a mighty shove, making him stumble back. Before the man could regain his balance, Henry opened a tear behind him and snapped it shut after Gunny passed its threshold. Henry engaged his glamor once more and quickly knelt down next to Meixiu to check on her.
Sigrid came up with the next elevator and saw everyone frozen in place and staring at Henry. She glanced over at Roy, but he was just pinching the bridge of his nose wearily. She saw Meixiu sitting up tenderly. Henry looked to Sigrid with an anxious expression.
“I think she may have a concussion,” he asserted.This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.
“How did that happen?” Sigrid asked.
“Where’s Gunny?” the soldier cautiously asked Henry.
“The asshole? He’s cooling his heels on Eden,” Henry said with a scowl.
The sergeant looked at Sigrid in question, who shrugged. “It’s like an alternate dimension Earth, where the Glass People are now living.”
“Sigrid!” Roy snapped.
“What! You heard Henry, we need their help against Mab, or none of us are going to survive,” the tall blonde insisted. That sent a ripple of unease through the soldiers within earshot.
Eleanor knelt in front of Meixiu and examined her. She looked to Henry. “Yes, I think you’re right. She may have a concussion. She’ll be okay, though. We really need to address the axe wound.”
“Axe wound?” the soldier asked weakly.
Sam approached. “Sergeant, I can fill you in faster,” he said, holding out his hand. She eagerly gripped it. Seconds later, she let go and stared at the gathered people, her mouth working, but no sound came. Finally, she got control. “What do you need?” she asked Henry.
He relaxed and smiled. “We need to be outside, on the back patio, which is sheltered but open to the sky.”
“Yablonski! Green! Dane! Inspect this patio and secure it from the street,” the Sergeant called out. Three soldiers rushed past, each giving Henry a wide berth.
“I’m Mick,” the Sergeant said to Henry, who nodded to her as he helped Meixiu to her feet. “Can we get Gunny back?”
“He seemed like he was freaking out. Maybe he’s not coping with all the changes. Are you sure you want him back immediately?” Henry said, offering his wrist to Meixiu.
She looked around nervously, so Henry gently pulled her back to his chest and hid her from the others. He felt a brief prick, then a cool numbing of his wrist.
When he turned back to the Sergeant, the soldier was staring at Meixiu with her mouth open again. The youthful-looking Vampire blushed in embarrassment.
“She needed a feeding to help with her recovery,” Henry explained gently. Meixiu moved to stand with Sigrid.
“We-we need the marine back now, please. The General will be expecting to see him when he gets here,” the Sergeant insisted. “It’ll be bad if he isn’t.”
Henry sighed. “It’s draining to keep a tear open. I’ve opened too many already tonight. I’ll try, but if he isn’t close to where I dropped him, I’m not keeping it open as I need my strength for the operations.”
She nodded, and Henry gestured for her to stand back. He concentrated and opened the tear again. The big Silver Marine leapt through the opening the moment it was large enough to take him. Something black was right behind him, and Henry cut its head off when he released the tear. Everyone shouted in surprise and jumped back, but the head of the black ribbon beast wasn’t moving.
“What the FUCK!” the marine bellowed.
“Settle down, Gunny. Why don’t you go wait on the curb for the General to arrive,” the Sergeant suggested.
The marine stared back at Henry, who just scowled at him. He looked down at the severed head, and a tremor went through him. He turned and walked away stiffly.