Chapter 40

Sand scraping our legs,Liam and I battle the rising waters of the incoming tide as we race back toward the party. We're met with a nightmarish scene as pavilions teeter on the verge of collapse, fold, then vanish into the surf as the ocean claims them. Screaming, people struggle to escape the power of the angry waves, slip under, and vanish.

Then, without warning, the water stills and an eerie calm prevails. The ocean lifts into a mighty wall, hemming the beach between the cliffs and a barrier of blue-green water. We watch helplessly as people stampede the narrow cliff path but are blocked by teams of blank-faced men with assault rifles, more of whom continue to rappel down the rock face like spiders. Panicked, the people try to scatter but are corralled into a single group by the invaders.

I reach for the power I'd accessed in the underground cavern and when I obliterated Randy's boat, but the island's energy has drained toward the ocean. The wall of water parts like a curtain, revealing a seam of dry seabed. A white-suited man limps along the ocean floor. Brody Lambert, his single eye glowing a fierce bright green, steps onto the beach.

"Greetings, esteemed Council members. Magistrate." Brody bows, his voice amplified unnaturally. "It was so thoughtful of you to throw a party in honor of my da's return."

He makes a sweeping gesture, as if he's the emcee for a stage show. The massive sea wall collapses, the ocean waves flattening as thick ribbons of vapor coalesce above the water.

Randy strides out of the fog, stepping nimbly across the surf as if it's as solid as pavement. Impeccable in his white suit and Panama hat, he stops where seafoam meets sand, nods to Brody, salutes the Council members, and bends in an exaggerated bow.

The seven Council members advance to the water's edge, long robes dragging across the wet sand.

"Randy Lambert." The Magistrate's voice reverberates through the cliffs. "You have violated many decrees."

Randy tips his hat and smiles, his dimples on full display. "I've done no wrong, Magistrate."

"We have received evidence that suggests you have been working in nefarious ways, breaking age-old laws which have ensured our survival since the destruction of our homeland. Do you submit to a trial before the Elders to determine your guilt?"

"Sure thing, since I'm innocent as a lamb," Randy says.

"Call off these men," she demands.

"As you wish, Magistrate," Randy says mildly. The gun-toting intruders convulse as their weapons heat and melt in their hands. Horrified, I wonder who these men are—if they're unwitting souls from around the archipelago Randy has taken control of. Is that his plan for me?

The crowd edges back and again tries to mob the narrow path that ascends the cliff.

Randy smiles and tilts his head, then glances at Brody and shrugs.

"Liam," I say, my voice barely more than a breath. I want to tell him to run and find Evan. To just get out of here. In a minute it will be too late. Something bad is about to happen.

"You have been warned," says the Magistrate. "Surrender!"

Blue-white tentacles of light shoot from three of the Council members' palms, ensnaring Randy in lassos of light. Bound, he breaks into a fit of laughter. "That's right. Go ahead and throw the book at me. You wouldn't know how to lead a group of schoolkids to the lunchroom."

A team of Council sentinels circle Randy as Magistrate Voland straightens, her amplified voice so loud the crowd clamps their hands to their ears.

"For your alleged crimes against the People of the Hand, Randall Fran?ois Lambert," the Magistrate booms, "you are to be remanded to the custody of the Council. You will be transported to headquarters to await trial. As dictated by law, you will be represented by a barrister. Seize his accomplices, as well."

White light wraps around Brody and the disarmed gunmen.

I hold my breath, fearful of what's to come.

"Ha!" Randy spits on the sand. "A barrister? Really? Spare me this charade."

Beneath my bare feet, grains of sand chafe and rub against each other, friction building. The pain behind my eyes increases, my jaw clenched so tight I fear my teeth will crack. My vision narrows, as if I'm being melted from the inside out.

"Rosalie?" Liam says, staring at me, eyes wide.

I can't answer. Frozen, I can only watch the horror unfold as Randy drains my power.

"Your talent for spinning scary yarns is impressive." His voice deepens to a growl, veins of light spreading under his skin. "But you're weaklings! A bunch of misguided fools to leave so much power lying around like discarded children's toys. For too long you've been content with the status quo. You all know I've done nothing illegal. I'm merely righting old wrongs.

"People of the Hand!" he shouts. "Do you accept this? Do you want to see the glory of our inheritance smothered by these fools? Believe them and we are doomed. Follow me and I will restore our former glory!"

The crowd murmurs and jostles. Liam tugs at me, but I'm stuck in place as if by magnetic force.

"Do you yield, Council?" Randy shouts. "Or do you choose to perish?"

Three Council members stand, impassive, their white lassos of light tightening. Brody begins to gag, his face purpling. Randy's face colors, eyes bulging.

Then, like a dragon expelling a giant breath, Randy lets out a gust of laughter. Jets of light shoot through his restraints, the force of it surging back on the Council members. For a moment, lit up like flares, their forms jerk and dance. Seconds later, three of them crumple to the sand, smoking piles of charred fabric all that's left.

Freed from their bindings, Randy and Brody stride over to the wreckage, kicking at the debris. The crowd retreats towards the cliffs as more of Randy"s goons drop down the wall and swarm the beach.

"Join me, and all this power can be ours!" Randy bellows.

A group of Council sentinels charges him. Instead of blasting them with white fire, he raises a palm, and a spectral energy, like shimmering heat haze, begins to flow from the sentinels into his hand. It's as if he"s vacuuming their life force, their vitality. The sentinels crumple to the sand, turned into dried, lifeless husks. The remaining sentinels fall back, shepherding the surviving Council members out of sight.

Heat surges in my palms. "I"ve got to stop this," I murmur.

Liam seizes my gown, yanking me back. "Are you out of your mind?" he shouts. "He'll fry you!"

The crowd around Randy thickens while others scream, trying to escape. But Randy's men block their path. There"s no trace of the fleeing Council members. They"ve left us behind.

I'm the only thing standing between the islanders and Randy"s fury.

As I struggle to get free of Liam's grip, I spot two men dragging a limp woman across the beach. They drop her at Randy's feet, a bloody tangle of arms and legs in a tattered violet gown.

Lila.

Liam releases me. Before I can stop him, he's racing across the beach, slamming face-first into a lattice of white heat that flares on contact and throws him backward. Dazed and bleeding, he stumbles to his feet, ready to hurl himself at it again.

I run toward him and try to pull him back, but he fights me like a wild thing, throwing himself against the barrier again and again. Each time, he's repelled.

I press a palm to the invisible force field. It crackles in a blaze of light, flinging me back as well. Cursing, I pound my fists in the sand.

"Coward!" I shout at Randy. "Are you afraid of me?"

"He has her." His voice ragged, Liam continues to thrust himself against the barrier until he's a mass of bruises and cuts.

"Liam, stop it!" I say, tugging at him. "We need to try something else."

Finally spent, he sinks to the sand. The party torches have guttered, the sickly green-gray sky casting a dim glow across the smoking wreckage of bodies and debris. Beyond the barrier, Randy stands in his impeccable white suit, surveying the destruction like an architect admiring his work. Breathless, I scan the beach, but don't see Aurora. Instead, beyond Randy's barrier, I catch sight of Wade escaping along with the panicked hordes. Violent, angry thoughts awaken in me.

Him.He knew this was going to happen. I'm about to storm over to Wade when Randy spots me. Smiling like he's delighted to see an old friend, he heads toward us. The closer he gets, the tighter his barrier contracts, like shrink-wrapped energy.

It's his protection.

From me.

I'm about to charge at him when he smiles and holds up a plain tin box. He tips it toward me as if he's demonstrating a new product line, opening it slowly so that I can see its contents. As soon as I lay eyes on the pearlescent gray cloth inside, I understand what it is.

A seal skin.

Liam cries out at the sight. "That's Lila's!" He resumes slamming himself against the barrier with renewed force but is repelled by shocks so savage they make his hair smoke. Finally, he collapses to his knees on the sand.

I scream in frustration, fire building in my palms. Bile forces its way up into my throat.

I'm about to explode, to send forth a shrieking heat attack of my own, when Liam tackles me. "Don't do it," he snarls in my ear. "It's what he wants you to do."

Randy's smile evaporates, the blue-green eyes blazing with cold fire. The night sky pulses acid green in response.

"Checkmate, children," he taunts, tipping his hat. "Splendid party. Thanks for the invite. Now everyone knows who"s running the show. As for you," he addresses me, "you need to decide whose side you're on, darling. Mine, or…" he gestures towards the piles of ash that were once the Council members, "them. Think of your da. Will the surviving cowards protect him? Keep him from slipping further into dementia? Or maybe worse?"

A chill snakes up my spine. Every choice looming in front of me feels like a noose tightening.

"As I've always said, family comes first. Choose wisely." Randy tips his hat again, spins around, and strides back to Brody and his goons, who are huddled around Lila's lifeless body. The barrier expands, shielding them from the remnants of the crowd who have decided to oppose him. The islanders who remain have gathered the charred torches, reignited them, and are now advancing on the intruders.

Oblivious to the mob, Randy hands the box to one of his men. He hoists Lila"s limp body over his shoulder and strolls into the sea as if he's ambling through a sun-drenched meadow.

Multiple helicopters circle overhead and land on the beach. The protective barrier swells to enclose the assault team as they pile into the crafts, along with those who'd stepped up to join Randy. The choppers lift, skimming the ocean surface before vanishing at the horizon. The remaining onlookers watch in stunned silence, surrounded by the bloody bodies and charred remains of the Council members and sentinels scattered across the sand.

The ocean calms. Survivors rush to assist the wounded.

My body is still trembling from the shock of the attack, my mind foggy. My hands are burning, but I don't dare unleash that volatile energy. For the umpteenth time, I curse my mother for her secrecy, my father for his mental decline, and my aunt for transforming into a tree. Dodging the subject hardly prepared me for facing a lunatic hell-bent on world destruction.

As I help Liam up, I'm startled to see Aurora and Wade among the volunteers on the beach. They're heading straight for us.

I side-eye Wade, puzzled that Aurora hasn't yet socked him in the jaw. "What're you doing here?"

"I want to help any way I can."

I want to tell Wade to get lost in a cave. But I'm not sure what to think. Whom to trust. My gaze cuts to Liam and Aurora.

As if reading my thoughts, Aurora says, "I'm going to let the little toad live. For now. We have bigger problems than him."

"Exactly," I say. "Meanwhile, Evan's out there wandering around, lost. Someone should find him. I need to get back to check on my dad."

"We have to go to Lila!" Liam roars, struggling to get to his feet. "He has her skin."

"You're in no shape to follow anyone, Liam," I say, easing him down to the sand.

Aurora, her face grim, studies her brother. "Steady, bro," she says, more calmly than I would if I were in her place. "Let us handle this."

Liam is a mess, his face red and blistered, but nothing, I realize, is going to stop him from trying, as he again gets shakily to his feet.

"Leave him. The water will restore him," she says to me in a whisper. "Your da is safe in our home until we can get back to him. The wards will hold. And if they fail, we're all doomed anyway."

"I'm staying with you," Wade says. "And fighting with you."

Aurora flashes Wade a withering look, and he takes a step back, cowed. But his words sound sincere enough. After what his father did, Wade has little motivation to help him. He could be a useful ally. But he could also be a plant—no pun intended. A traitor.

Either way, I'm certain I can defend myself against Wade if he turns on me. My fists tighten with resolve, the adrenaline of rage pumping through my veins. If Randy wants a battle, he's getting one.

"I need to go to Lila," Liam mutters. "You look for Evan."

"It's a trap," I say. Aurora nods in agreement, but we both know there's no stopping him.

Liam stares back for a long beat, lips set firm. I gesture to Wade, who helps him limp to the water's edge.

Just as Liam is about to dive in, a sense of foreboding washes over me. "Wait! No!" Aurora and I both call out, rushing toward him, but we're too late.

A lattice of white light sparks across the water. Liam hits the sand hard, convulsing as glowing veins crawl beneath his skin. Explosions rupture the beach, toppling nearby dunes. With each blast, Liam convulses more violently, blood trickling from his eyes and mouth.

The three of us manage to haul him further away from the water into the dunes and find temporary refuge from the onslaught of blasts. Explosions carve out craters and deep trenches on the beach, annihilating it. With each detonation, Liam shudders. His eyelids twitch, his lips move without sound.

Coming back from the dead has clearly upped Randy's skill-set.

The destruction creeps steadily closer, threatening to swallow us all. He's forcing my hand, pushing me to make an impossible choice.

We keep moving to safer ground, dragging Liam, as the earth crumbles around us. "We have to get you out of here!" I shout.

Liam grips my hand and a surge of heat and power washes over me. Seconds later, a jolt of electricity zaps him, tossing me backward and leaving him writhing in mute torment, veins of light crawling beneath his skin, each fresh tremor causing his back to bow.

With the ocean turned deadly, the Garden is the only place I know where we might be able to find safe haven and restore him to health. But every attempt Aurora or I make to touch him is thwarted by the electric current coursing through him.

"Leave me!" he finally rasps. "Get to the Garden. I'll take care of myself."

"I'm not leaving you, idiot!" Aurora shouts over the din.

Liam claws at the sand, forcing out the words. "Rosalie's the only person who can stop Randy. You have to protect her."

"But—" I protest as the dunes start to collapse around us.

"We have to go!" Wade yells.

I hesitate, terrified to abandon Liam in this state, but he shakes his head. "Wade's right. Go!"

Clouds descend, a dark billowing cloak. Raw power floods my senses, heating my fingertips. My hair stands on end as if I'm tethered to its source.

The ground ruptures. Sinkholes open and devour large swaths of the beach. The four of us are stranded on a small abutment. The only thing connecting us to the bulk of the island is a thin land bridge.

Liam's mottled skin crackles with light, his back arched in silent agony—an eerie mirror of Randy in his final moments on the boat. Then pale shoots sprout from under his fingernails and spread outward to form a fibrous root system that binds the shattered earth together, like a living web. His whole body quakes from the effort. He can't possibly keep this up for long.

There are only a few moments left to decide—leap to safety and watch Liam be consumed by the fracturing earth, or stay and go down with him.

As if signaling our last chance to escape, the ground quivers and sways. Wade drags me across the trembling land bridge as I protest with every step. Aurora follows, sobbing, as the bridge gives way with a groan of dirt and dust followed by a shuddering crash, burying Liam beneath a tower of rubble.