Queen of the Magnetland (The Elemental Phases Book 5) (24 page)

Chason
shook his head.  And people called
him
crazy.  “You should have stayed
dead.”

“I
have a mission to complete before I die, boy.”  Vandal let out a long breath,
regaining control.  “I do not have time for this foolishness.  This is your
final chance to choose the right side and support me.  You know better than
anyone the necessity of fighting against the Council’s tyranny.  You also formed
an army to oppose them.”

“I
formed an army to oppose
Parald
.”

“That
Air Phase was not a worthy opponent.”  Vandal waved his hand dismissively. 
“His crimes were meaningless compared to the Council’s oppression.  Dropping
the barriers got rid of him quickly, just as I knew it would.  He was nothing.”

“So
you did drop the barriers.”  Chason has suspected as much.

“Of
course I did.  We have the same goal, Magnet King.  The world
must
be
cleansed and the woman is the only one who can begin the process.  I thought
you, of all Phases, would
see
this.  How can you not believe the truth?”

“Believe
this
truth.”  Chason snarled.  “I don’t care if a choir of angels shows
up with a holy repo order written in fucking neon,
no one
is taking
her from me.
”

“You
would be slain for a woman who is no longer even yours?”

“Dying
to protect her is a better way to go than I ever expected.”

Vandal’s
jaw ticked, realizing that Chason was determined be difficult.  “Your choice
is… disappointing.”

If
Sullivan Pryce didn’t still have Chason’s sword in the Mayport Beach evidence
locker, this would probably be going better.

Damn
human.

Chason
needed some kind of weapon, though, because he could already tell that this
battle wouldn’t be a civilized duel.

Shit.

No
matter what he’d just told Vandal, Chason sucked at cheating.  He had been
trained as a gentleman.  It always took him too long to think of how he should
use his powers in a fight, because it went against his instincts to even try. 
The Magnet House soldiers were bred to fight --and die, if need be-- with
honor.

But,
all old rules of chivalrous warfare meant jack shit when breaking them meant
the difference between the woman you loved surviving or watching her be hacked
to pieces by a murderer.

Vandal
didn’t seem eager to play by the rules, either.  Chason expected the man to
gather up his energy and try to scorch him with a laser blast of Light or
something.

The
last thing he expected was for Vandal to pull a gun.

Chason
frowned in confusion.  Guns wouldn’t kill an Elemental.  They were a human
weapon.  And it was especially useless to fire bullets at a Magnet Phase, since
they could stop them in midair.  They were made of
metal
, for Christ’s
sake.  What was Vandal doing?

“You
are unworthy to die as a warrior.”  The Light Phase leveled the handgun at
him.  It was black and looked… strange.  Different than the usual human
instruments of death.

Chason
automatically
tried to rip the gun from Vandal’s hand, but his energy didn’t work on whatever
the weapon was made of.

Vandal
shook his head sadly.  “I thought
we were alike, Chason of
the Magnet House.  But, now I see you are unworthy.”
 
He fired.

The
bullet would have hit the dead center of his chest, but Chason’s powers were
already striking out.

He
glanced up at the ceiling and
dropped Vandal’s sword right on top
of him.  The massive silver blade tumbled down,
end over razor
sharp end,
slicing through the Light Phase’s arm just as he
pulled the trigger. 
The gun jerked to the side.  Chason was
still hit high on the right shoulder, but he wasn’t dead.

Yet.

“
Fuck!
”

He’d
been shot.  Shot!  It hurt like someone had taken a blowtorch to his flesh.

Plastic.

Vandal
had a gun that fired plastic bullets.  That’s why Chason’s powers didn’t work
on it.  And not just
any
plastic.  Phases’ energy and bodies weren’t
compatible with any synthetic materials, but this one felt like poison.  The
hunk of foreign matter lodged in Chason’s shoulder and it was all he could do
not to scream in pain.

Oh
God
.

His
whole body convulsed in agony and he staggered backwards, falling to the
floor.  He couldn’t even stand, let alone defend himself.

Chason
lifted his shocked gaze to Vandal.  Where had he gotten a gun like that?  It
certainly wasn’t local.  The Elementals would have heard about it by now.  This
beyond any technology that existed.

“What
are you?”  He got out.

“I’m
chosen.”  Vandal said serenely.  He shook off the cut on his arm and took aim
at Chason’s forehead.

“Stop!”
 
The
woman jumped back into the room, looking wild, and Vandal actually hesitated. 
She dashed over to stand directly between them.  Her eyes quickly scanned Chason’s
bleeding form and then glanced over at Vandal.  “You used a
gun
against
my Match?”  She shook her head in disgust.  “I expected better from a Light
Phase.”

Vandal’s
face darkened at her words.  “It was Gaia’s will.”  He lowered his weapon,
apparently having no intention of shooting her.  “Submit to your fate.  Come
with me and I’ll spare his life, Magnet Queen.  I give you my word as a member
of your House.”

Chason
cursed as the woman actually seemed to consider that option.  “Mara, no!”

She
glanced back at him at the sound of her name, black eyes meeting his…

…And
in that second, Chason knew what was real.

He
looked at her and just… knew.

From
out of nowhere, he recalled his Phazing Day.  Job had pulled Chason aside after
the ceremony and they’d walked to edge of the grounds.  The Earth King had
stood there silently for a long moment, his hands behind his back military “at
rest” style.

“Chason,”
he’d eventually said, “a Match is a gift.  Always remember, you don’t have to
be anything but yourself with Mara.  You were born knowing each other.”

Chason
had no idea what he’d meant by that until this moment.

Everything
inside of him stilled.  All he felt was the pounding of his heart as it resumed
beating after two years of silence.
  He wasn’t delusional or
drunk or being tricked by an imposter.

He
knew
this woman with a certainty that could only come from the deepest
and holiest of fundamental truths.  The same way he’d known who she was the
first time he’d seen her spinning in that rainstorm with her arms outstretched and
her eyes closed in delight.

She
was his Match.

Mara
is real
.

And
she was about to die all over again.

No.

Wearing
only her bathrobe and a determined expression, Mara glared up at the most notorious
Phase alive.  Vandal towered over her small form, capable of ripping her apart
with his bare hands.

No
.

Chason
moved.  He staggered to his feet, blood pouring down the front of his chest. 
Adrenalin flooded through him, blocking out the pain of his injury
.

No.

He
refused to lose her for a second time.

Mara
advanced on Vandal, like she didn’t notice he was three times her size.  “You
were Banished.”  She snapped.  “You’re no member of my House.”  She drew back
her hand and something metallic glinted in her palm.  “Either one of them.” 
She threw the metal objects at Vandal, driving them right through his body with
her Magnet Powers.

Eleven
little Monopoly pieces slammed into his body like shrapnel.  The thimble and
wheelbarrow and Scottie dog and Gaia only knew what else Swiss cheesed through
Vandal, coming right out the other aside.  She’d blasted them straight his
chest.

Chason’s
mouth dropped open as he realized his Match had just attacked the greatest
warrior in Elemental history with a handful of children’s toys.

Why
had Chason ever thought he needed to teach this woman how to defend herself?  He
should be emulating
her
.  Clearly,
she
had no trouble figuring
out how to use her powers in battle.  Mara always had been creative.

Vandal
let out a bellow of rage, his giant body tumbling backwards as the metal
projectiles sliced apart his vital organs.  It wouldn’t kill him, but it did
slow him down.  He looked at his bleeding midsection, shocked.

But,
not as shocked as Mara.

She
blinked, astonished her plan had actually worked.  In her entire life, she’d
never hurt anyone before.

“I
couldn’t find any weapons to use in that mess downstairs.”  She said vaguely. 
“But, Prinny and I were just playing that game a few days ago.  It was still in
the living room.”

Chason
stumbled over to grab her.  “
Jump!
”  He seized her arm and shoved her
behind him.  “
Now!
”

He
used his own powers to drag Vandal’s fallen sword into his palm.  It felt like
hefting a tanker truck.  Not sure he had the strength to use the weapon, Chason
used his Magnet powers to rip
the hardware off the doors.  He
bombarded Vandal with knobs and hinges and every other metal object in the room.

A
nail cut into the Light Phases eye and he bellowed in pain. 
“You
think you can defy Gaia?”  He hissed, clutching the socket with his free hand. 
“This is
destiny!
”  His shark like gaze clashed with Chason’s for a
timeless moment, hatred glowing.  “You have failed your final test, Chason, of
the Magnet House.  So be it.”  Wounded and furious, he jumped out of the room.

Chason
closed his eyes in overwhelming relief, his heart pounding in his chest.

Mara
was alive.

Somehow
she was still alive.

Mara
swallowed, looking dazed.  She slowly shook her head.  “
It
was
The Pina Colada Song
.”  She said in a distant tone.  “The duet
Isaacs and I sang.  I have no idea why I just remembered that.”

Despite
everything, Chason’s mouth curved.  “I always hated that song.”  Then his legs
gave out and he sagged to the floor.

“Chason!” 
Mara dove for him.  “Chason, oh my God!”

There
was so much he wanted to say to her, but he was growing too weak too fast.  The
plastic bullet was eating through his system like acid.  “You have to go.  He
could be back.”  Chason’s jaw clenched as pain wracked his system.

“I
won’t leave you here like this!  Are you crazy?”  Mara quickly dropped down
beside him and pulled him onto her lap.  “How badly are you hurt?”  Soft hands
began examining his wound.

Chason
focused on her face and knew –even shot and dying-- there was nowhere else he’d
rather be.  “Mara.”  He breathed reverently.

She
was really
real
.

“We
need to get you to a doctor.”  She pressed down on his gunshot wound, trying to
stop the bleeding.  “Chason!  Look at me and try to concentrate!”

He
was too far gone to understand what she was talking about.  He lifted his hand
to touch the side of her face, his thumb caressing the familiar curve of her
cheek.  There was only one thing he could think to tell her.  What he’d
wanted
to tell her every day since the Fall.  What had haunted him for two years. 
“I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye.”

“Just
don’t say good-bye to me, now!”  She shouted.

“I
was afraid and then it was too late.”  His hand fell from her face, too heavy
to hold up any longer.  “You shouldn’t have died alone.”

“I
didn’t
, Chason.  I didn’t die, at all.  You can’t die, either! 
Please.
 
Stay with me!”

“Forever
and then some.”  He whispered and everything went black.

***

“
Chason!
” 

Oh
God, what was she going to do?  Mara supported his weight on her lap, trying to
keep the blood in his body with her fingers.  How was she going to get him to a
doctor?  She couldn’t leave him and go find one.  What if Vandal came back? 
What if he died while she was gone?  She had no intention of moving from
Chason’s side, until she was sure he was safe.  But, was she strong enough to
jump him to a doctor by herself?

She
didn’t know.

Mara
had spent her whole life ignoring and suppressing her energy, not learning how
to use it.  She’d never taken someone else with her when she jumped.  Damn it,
she knew fifteen ways to serve tea, why hadn’t she learned anything about her
own powers?!