Break The Ice (13 page)

“Tell me when.”

Deep breath. Now or never. I release the valve and open the water reserves. The loose rubber next to my feet tightens, water rushing through. A few seconds pass until water sprays out under the truck.

“Now!” Pushing off, I race after Kaitlyn. She’s faster than I am, but I keep close. We climb the stairs three at a time, reaching the door and sliding inside.

Nobody followed us. The commotion did exactly what I wanted. Every official standing in the lot gathered around the truck, looking for the sudden cause of water spilling all over the place. None of them look over at me.

“Safe?” Kaitlyn says behind me.

“For now.”

“That was much easier than Soul Cavern.”

“Things usually are when you’re not lagging back every ten seconds.”

We both laugh, the sound bouncing around the empty lobby. When it dies down and we’re both staring at each other, I clear my throat. “We should see if there are any signs that we belong in here.”

“It doesn’t look like there’s much left to see,” she says.

And she’s right. The large lobby is empty of people and most things. There’s no more fire, but a thin veil of smoke remains. Ash coats the floor and lines the walls.

“Over here,” Kaitlyn says from a room across the hall. She’s squatting outside the door and staring at something in the ash. As I get closer, she grabs one end and lifts. A gold necklace swings from between her fingers.

“That’s not going to help us find anyone,” I say.

“No, but the foot prints next to it might,” she says, pointing at the only set of tracks left by a normal size shoe. “None of the firemen went down this way. Follow me.”

The footsteps lead us through a hallway, into a large gymnasium, and Kaitlyn takes the initiative to head for a locker room. I pause outside the entrance, staring up at the picture on the wall.

“What are you waiting for?” Kaitlyn says.

“That’s the women’s locker room,” I say.

“So? I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” She steps back through the door and grabs my arm, dragging me in. “Let me give you the tour. Over here are the showers where men’s fantasies play out. And here by the lockers we like to get undressed slowly, usually accompanied by some sort of smooth music. I prefer jazz.”

“I knew it,” I say.

She laughs. “It’s the same as the men’s locker room, filled with insecure people trying to get dressed as fast as possible without anyone noticing.”

“What about over there?” I point at the only window in the room.

“Oh, this is the best room in the place. This is where a typical, overly-masculine woman stands and watches all of the girls change. Here, let me show you.”

Kaitlyn skips over to the door and opens it. She’s laughing as the door opens, but her face drops after one step inside.

I run over.

Inside, a man leans against the filing cabinet. His clothes are stained dark blue, a few shades darker than the tint of his skin. His face is round, ears curved back, and he has hair longer than any other Dinmani I’ve seen yet.

When Kaitlyn approaches his side, both eyes flutter open.

“Are you okay?” she says.

His head falls to the side, but Kaitlyn catches it.

I kneel by her side, the man dying in front of my eyes. “Should we call for help?”

“Who can we call? None of the paramedics outside would know how to help him.”

An idea creeps into my mind, but I’m not sure if it will work. “Watch out,” I say.

She looks at me funny. “Why?”

“I’m going to try something. Switch spots with me.”

Kaitlyn steps to the side, and I squeeze past her. I place a hand on the Dinmani’s arm and remember the words that Tinwel said. It can banish the Sunjin, but it heals any Dinmani. He never told me if I was strong enough to use it like this.

It worked once against a Sunjin. Why not now?

I close my eyes, trying to remember the word order, when somebody speaks from behind me.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

A large woman stands in the doorway. She’s wearing a blue and red shirt with an eagle spread across her chest and matching gym shorts. They ride a little higher than they should. The burning red in her eyes matches the outfit.

“Step away from him and you won’t get hurt,” she says.

“Why would I do that?” I say.

“My boss wants him, and I’m not in the mood for killing anybody today.”

“That’s a first. I thought that was in your nature?”

Her eyes darken, burning a hole through me.

Kaitlyn moves in front of me, blocking my view of the Sunjin. She looks over her shoulder at me. “You help him. I’ll keep her busy.”

“She’s twice your size,” I say, my voice urging Kaitlyn to stop.

“I know a trick or two,” she says.

No time to protest any more. All I can do is act fast. I grab the Dinmani’s arm again and recite the words as I remember them. “Sik mo ple ni shil,” I shout, but nothing happens.

The Sunjin laughs in the doorway, but only until Kaitlyn jumps forward, delivering a stiff right hook to her jaw. Kaitlyn leans back and delivers a kick to the Sunjin’s chest so hard, she falls back into the door.

Even though she moved quickly, Kaitlyn doesn’t pull away fast enough and the Sunjin launches forward. She grabs Kaitlyn by the ankle. Her hands generate some heat, the air around them shimmering. Kaitlyn screams and jerks her foot free, falling back. She stumbles a few steps until I raise a hand and stop her from tumbling over.

“Any day now,” she says to me.

Right, focus. I place my second hand on the unconscious Dinmani’s head. His hair pokes through my fingers like hay. “Sik mo ple–”

Kaitlyn crashes into my side. Her cheek is bright red from where the Sunjin hit. Blood spills from her lip and a bruise already darkens under her eye. “Running out of time,” she says before pushing off of me and charging.

Last chance. “Sik. Mo.” Pressure builds underneath my hand. “Ple. Ni.” A light shines against the Dinmani’s arm. It melts into his flesh and illuminates the veins underneath. His muscles twitch, ready to burst. I hit the last word with force. “Shil!” The blast throws me into the desk. I try to get up, but my limbs don’t respond.

The Sunjin strikes Kaitlyn one more time, sending her into the wall. “You idiot,” she says, looking down at me. “What have you–”

An ice spike the size of my arm pierces the Sunjin’s neck. Blood sprays out in a mist, covering my pants below the knee. The attack strikes with so much force, it pins her to the door.

Kaitlyn hurries around the desk and leans next to me. “You alright?” she says.

I look at the blood and the bruises covering her face. I want to reach up and touch her, to apologize for letting her get so beat up, but my arms won’t work.

She knows I’m staring at the bruises and laughs. “What, these? You should see the other guy.”

“How did you do that?” It’s the Dinmani. He flexes his fingers and scrutinizes the stains on his clothes. When I don’t answer, he stares down at me. His eyes are harsh and large, much like the rest of his body. He stands in a defensive stance, towering over everything in the room.

A chill shakes through me when he doesn’t look away. “Tinjo,” I say, surprised I can speak. “He gave me some of his Dinmow.”

“Tinjo,” he says, muttering the name with contempt.

“You should be grateful,” Kaitlyn says. “He saved your life.”

The Dinmani stands tall and towers over Kaitlyn, but she doesn’t back down. Hands on her hips, she glares up at the mountainous blue giant.

I want to laugh at how ridiculous it looks, but my entire body hurts. Even the shallow breaths I can manage ache.

“You cannot give part of your Dinmow away. It is all or nothing. For you to possess such a power required a tremendous sacrifice. I must find him.” He steps past us and walks out the door.

“What about Sam?” Kaitlyn says, grabbing the Dinmani’s arm. “He saved your life, and you’re going to leave him like this?”

“He will be fine after a few days’ rest.”

“We don’t have a few days.”

The Dinmani sighs. He points one hand at me and fires a beam of light. It connects with my chest for a second, sending a wave of pain throughout my body. Once every muscle finishes contracting and the pain disperses, I can wiggle my toes again.

“This is the only favor you will find from me,” he says.

On the other side of the door, a portal opens. Unlike Tinjo’s, this one is not shrouded by a fog. I can see straight through to the other side. Fields of ice spread out underneath a dim sky. They cover the entire side of a mountain that reaches high into the sky. Three moons hang in the horizon.

“What’s your name?” I say.

With one leg through, he stops. He doesn’t bother turning around. “Names are weak. They expose you, give you an identity that can be attacked.” He brings his other leg into the portal. Before it seals completely, he says, “If you must, call me Striker.”

I limp down the hallway, back to the entrance of the rec center. Kaitlyn supports my right side. Even though Striker gave my limbs some use, they’re stiff and hard to move. Together, the two of us walk through the empty building until we reach the main lobby.

“What next?” Kaitlyn says.

Rather than answer her, I walk off on my own, down a hall we haven’t explored yet. Before I’m through the doorway, she’s back by my side. I hobble along, up a flight of stairs, and into a room untouched by the fire. There’s no ash, no smoke residue. Only a few desks, a couple chairs and couches arranged like a waiting room, and windows.

I drag a chair over to the windows and fall back into it. The city spreads out in front of me.

Kaitlyn pulls a chair up beside mine and sits down. “It’s beautiful,” she says.

“You think? I don’t like this many buildings.”

“Then you would have enjoyed Lake Shore. The parts away from downtown, at least.”

I want to keep my thoughts private, but at this point, I don’t see the point. We’ve been through too many life-and-death situations to keep petty fears inside. “I have no idea what to do next. If we don’t figure out what Tinjo had in store for us, there’s no way to finish off the Sunjin. And then mom…” I stop talking to cut short a sob building in my chest.

She pushes her chair closer to mine until the sides are touching. “There has to be a reason he sent us all the way out here. You’ll figure it out.” She stops looking out the window and turns to me. Her face comes closer than ever before.

“I’m worried you put your faith in the wrong person,” I say.

“I’m not,” she says, shaking her head.

Right when my body leans towards Kaitlyn, her phone vibrates against the wooden arm. The vibration shakes all the way over through my chair.

Her eyes grow wider. “Do you think…?” She grabs the phone from her pocket. “I don’t recognize the number.”

“Answer it anyway,” I say.

“Hello?” she says. “Hey. Why aren’t you using your phone? It’s where? Wait, wait.” She pulls the phone away from her face and hits a button. “Go ahead.”

“Alright, so, where to start?” It’s Ted. He sounds excited. “We found him.”

“Who?” I say.

“Who do you think?”

“Dan?”

“We followed it,” he says, ignoring my guess. “Well, at least where we thought the truck went. Half a mile down the road, we found it sitting in the parking lot of a little diner. Guess who sat inside?”

“What are you saying?”

“
Mister perfect
was–” Ted’s voice cuts out and he screams. Mel yells at him in the background. “Sorry, sorry,” he keeps saying.

“Focus,” Kaitlyn says.

“Alright, geez. Dan and the two guys who abducted him were eating eggs and bacon at a corner booth.”

“And he wasn’t hurt?” I say.

“Hurt? I doubt it. He smiled the whole time they ate.”

My mind spins. Why would Dan pretend to get kidnapped? He helped us against the Sunjin. I thought he believed what we were doing. “It makes no sense,” I say to myself.

“What’s that? Can’t hear you mumble.”

I shake my head to try and clear it. “Do you know who the men are?”

“Not yet, but we’re going to find out soon.”

“What do you mean?” Kaitlyn says.

“Give me that.” It’s Mel. Rustling fills the speakers for a few seconds until her voice comes in clear. “We’re in a cab right now, following them.”

“That’s not a good idea,” I say.

“Look, the last sign said we’re ten miles out from Salt Lake City. Stay put, we’ll find you. The driver wants his phone back now. Need to go. Be careful.”

“Wait,” I say, but it’s too late. Their line goes dead and nothing but silence answers me.

I look at Kaitlyn. She’s staring down at her phone, worry spreading across every inch of her face. I don’t know what to say to try and comfort her. I don’t want to lie and say that it’ll be okay because I don’t know what okay means. At this point, everybody has their own version of the word.

So instead of talking we sit there, silent, for as long as she needs. I don’t have any way to keep track of the time besides the sun outside. It moves an entire window pane before Kaitlyn finally says anything.

“Why would he trick us like that?” she says.

“I’ve been asking myself the same thing.”

“We weren’t pressuring him to come with us.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple.”

She nods and stares out the window again.

I can’t figure out if she’s upset that Ted and Mel are in danger, or if Dan is the source.

“We should spend the night here,” she says, leaning back in the chair. It looks uncomfortable.

“Good idea,” I say even though sleep is the furthest thing from my mind.

Neither one of us says anything. We stare out the window together, leaning into our chairs, heads resting almost against each other. Life in the city outside continues until, slowly at first, it disappears all at once.

I don’t remember falling asleep, but when I open my eyes, stars fill the sky. What felt like a long blink turned into hours of rest. My body needed it. The sharp pains have died down, leaving behind a few dull aches. I stretch my neck and can finally turn it halfway.

While Kaitlyn snores in the chair next to me, I stare out at the buildings under us. I’m not high enough up to see far into the entire city, but there’s still a busy atmosphere on the street below. People shuffle past each other, on their way to or from a bar, shopping, a late meal. None of them know how much danger they’re in. That it could all end any minute.

I envy them. Their ignorance truly is bliss. I don’t have the luxury to ignore everything. Too many people rely on me, and I don’t know how to process that completely, so I focus on one at a time.

Ted wants an adventure, to be needed. I can appreciate that. I’ve been there myself. So far, by following me, he’s seen more than he ever expected.

Mel only wanted out of the hospital. Or at least that’s the only reason I can come up with. She had nothing to gain and a lot to lose by coming along, but she did anyway. Maybe to help me, like she had been since the night I met her. Brave…or foolish.

Kaitlyn. I glance at her, sleeping. I can’t help but feel responsible for her being here. If I had told Tinjo that I didn’t need her help, she’d be at home, sleeping in her bed.

Unless the Sunjin destroyed her house with her in it.

I get a chill. Maybe we’re safer together. For now. She took a severe beating from that Sunjin, but she made it through intact. That’s more than I can say about any of the Sunjin we’ve come face to face with so far. We’re quite the team together.

Maybe we really can do it.

My eyes flicker a little, trying to close. I have no intention to sleep in this chair. It hurts to stand at first. My knees lock trying to get up, both popping in two separate places. I saw a couch somewhere here earlier.

In the middle of the room, three more uncomfortable chairs surround a green couch.

“You asleep?” I say. Kaitlyn doesn’t respond, so I bend over her and slide an arm underneath her bent legs. With my other arm behind her back, I lift as slow as I can without dropping her. Every muscle I use screams at me, telling me to drop this unwanted weight, but I fight against it.

She takes a deep breath, and I pause. If she wakes up now, she might be freaked out. But she sighs and buries her face into my shoulder.

Afraid my quickening heartbeat will wake her, I hurry over to the couch and set her down. There are no pillows, but the arm has enough cushioning in it to rest her head. I lie down on the floor and thoughts of one more person fill my emptying mind.

Mom.

She might rely on me most of all. If I don’t finish Tinjo’s mission, whatever he’s planning, she’ll never wake up. I can’t let that happen. I didn’t know it until now, but I’m prepared to do anything to make sure she comes out of this alive. I don’t care if this thing takes me to the top of a mountain. I’ll climb every foot until the Sunjin are destroyed.

There’s no more fighting my eyes. They close and I don’t have enough willpower left in my body to open them. But that’s okay. The sooner I fall asleep, the sooner I wake up and get this over with.

“Why is it so cold?”

Did I say that? The voice sounded like me at least, even though I never moved my mouth. I try to open my eyes but nothing happens.

In the blackness before me, a blue dot appears like a drop of ink onto an empty canvas. The dot grows, slow at first, then almost like it’s flying forward. It stops in front of me, dull at first, before light bursts through, more and more until it becomes blinding, but I can’t look away.

An image forms inside the large circle. It’s a hospital room. Mom’s hospital room, except she’s not in it anymore. Or still. I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around the timeline of what’s happened in the past few days.

Even though she’s not in the room, it’s not empty. Tinjo stands by the corner, staring at a chart and writing something down. He finishes whatever line he’s on before looking up at me.

“You made it.” He frowns and adds, “But something happened.”

“Whoever you had waiting for us, they’re all gone.” Again, my voice, but I don’t speak the words.

“Gone?”

“There was a fire in the building I’m in. I think it’s where you wanted me to go.”

He nods. “You were too late. The Sunjin moved faster than I anticipated. It will not be long before they do something more than torch a building or destroy a small town.”

“You know about Lake Shore?”

“Your next destination is north,” he says. He steps closer to me. “You cannot be late this time. Do you understand?”

“I didn’t want to be late the first time. You didn’t warn me that a Sunjin might melt the train.”

Tinjo doesn’t react to my complaint. “Take the car outside your building. Keys will be on the front tire. Drive north until you run out of gas. You will have to walk the remaining distance.”

“And I’ll know when I arrive, miraculously?”

“There is only one way to find out.”

His body shimmers. Or are my eyes closing? Everything grows fuzzier until any trace of light disappears.

My eyes snap open. I’m shivering, despite the room being rather warm. Sunlight shines in from the windows across from me. I sit up, rigid from the cold digging through to my bones.

I accidentally bump into the couch, and Kaitlyn turns her head. “Is it morning?” she says.

“Yeah, it’s time to get up. See if you can reach Ted. I know where to go next.”