Will
had been taught hand-to-hand maneuvers that would lead to a disarming. So when the
girl came at him, with only her fists, he wasn’t exactly sure what to do but go
on the defensive. She lashed out with a right hook and he ducked back, feeling
the heat peeling off her body. She punched straight for him and he spun to the
side; he swung his elbow out as he did so, catching the side of her shoulder.
She took it without so much as a grunt. Will felt the burn a second later.
“Fuck,” Will said, after trying not
to. This burn hurt worse than the one on his neck.
The girl came at him again, this
time with two consecutive swings that barely missed his face. Will had seen coming
into the alley that he was in danger of being backed up against the wall, and
each throw she tossed pushed him further and further back.
He parried her third punch with the
back of his hand and then swung his feet down low. He didn’t intend to connect,
and she jumped to the side. It gave Neil an opening; exactly what he’d been
hoping for. He leapt past her and scooped up the briefcase.
Rust had been waiting, and having
seen Will make a run for it, stepped forward, creating some sort of staff made
of fire in his hand. Will slowed momentarily. When Rust swung out at him with
the firebrand, Will held up the briefcase.
They both knew that whatever was
inside was too valuable to damage, but Will had been hoping that Rust was more
afraid of causing it harm than he was. It was a bet that Will won. Rust held
back from a full swing. Will pushed the advantage and swung at his face. The pyreweaver
clumsily sidestepped, and Will rushed past.
He was in public again, but he still
didn’t feel safe. The briefcase slowed him down, and he could hear the pyreweavers’
footsteps behind him. The firebrand was gone, and Will was sure the girl
wouldn’t pull many more heat tricks, but if they caught up with him he’d still
be in trouble. Two of them at once could do a lot of damage without doing any
obvious pyreweaving. Punches hurt, no matter who threw them.
Will didn’t exactly want to lead
them to Adam’s house, either. They had gotten serious faster than he’d
anticipated, and now his objective was to lose them somewhere. He wanted to get
Downtown, but Sanction Bridge was now closer than Gebirr. He sprinted for it,
hoping someone would notice his flight and call the police or at least try to
help.
The pedestrian walkways on Sanction
Bridge were narrow, and Will had to slow himself. As evening approached, so
would rush hour. Traffic could get dangerous. A quick glance showed him that
his pursuers didn’t care much about the traffic, though, and he sped himself
up. He didn’t want to get caught. At this point he decided that getting hit by
a car might be favorable to failing his mission.
Another thought occurred to him. The
girl might go after his family if he got hit. The end of the bridge loomed
ahead, but he slowed just enough to make sure he had more control over whether
it was his pursuers or a car that would get him.
He was headed through the suburbs
before he knew it. His house was nearby, he knew, but he’d have to keep running
if he wanted to make it. He shot a sidelong glance there, hoping that Dani or
his parents would see him running and they’d come out to save him. His breath
was almost gone, he was almost ready to give up.
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