Of course. It's all about energy and igniting the gasses in the air, Lissa replied.
Lexi, I'll need you to keep the men near Judith's occupied while I get into position to pick them off, Levi said, ignoring Maxim.
No problem, Levi. Lexi slipped her palms about an inch beneath the soil, listening intently. I've got them. Stay above the little dip Judith has near her arbor. Tell me when you're clear. Blythe, Rikki needs Judith to boost her while Airiana is directing the wind. Can you give me a little extra power?
Blythe never spoke of her gifts. She was a Drake, not an element, but she had power, and they suspected it had to do with unifying all of their gifts, not in the same way as Judith did, but in a much more subtle way. She soothed them all and yet could empower them as well. She seemed to be a melting pot of several gifts.
I'll do my best, Lexi, Blythe promised.
Lexi pulled her hands from the soil, doubled them into two tight fists and angled her punch toward Judith's home, mapping out the path of the tremor in her mind. She hit the ground hard, a one-two punch that sent a small ripple through the earth. As it moved toward the group of five men, the ripple spread and picked up speed. It shook the earth beneath the mercenaries, knocking them off their feet.
One fell to the right of the group, almost under Levi's nose. The man rolled, clutching his automatic weapon as if that would save him. Before he could come back up on his feet, Levi was on him, hooking him around the neck and snapping it fast, leaving him where he lay and scooting away. One of five, he reported.
Airiana concentrated on the helicopter. Maxim had said to bring the wind in hard from the left, to slam it into the stealthy helicopter. She took a deep breath and called the wind to her. She felt the rapid buildup of power--of energy--suddenly aware of the roiling gasses in the air around the helicopter. Sparks crackled around the rotor blade and body of the craft.
The wind slapped at the helicopter, swatting it like a bug, nearly knocking it from the sky. At the same time, the helicopter rocked wildly from side to side, the buildup of electricity in the air tangible. The sparks surrounding the craft and the ropes burst into flames. The wind fanned the flames so that the helicopter appeared to be a ball of orange-red in the sky. The ropes caught fire.
Maxim rolled from the low side of the roof, directly over the spot where the first of the team had landed after fast-roping down as the rope above him burst into flames. Maxim waited until the man began to rise cautiously and dropped directly on him, wrapping his legs tightly around the man's neck, driving him back to the ground as he snapped his neck. Immediately he rolled into the brush and scooted forward toward the next target he had marked.
Above his head the helicopter spun like a top, throwing one of the men to the ground while the other three slid down their ropes fast to give the pilot time to try to find a place to land the burning craft.
Hit him again with the wind, Airiana, drive him out to sea, Maxim commanded as he came up behind his next mark, his knife in hand. He drove the blade deep, one hand over the merc's mouth to keep him silent until the life drained out of him. Two down. They won't get into the house, Airiana, I promise you that. Lissa, can you make your way around toward me?
Lissa was much smaller than he was, so slight she barely made a shadow on the ground. She was dressed in dark clothing and had tightly braided her hair. Maxim had watched her closely during their numerous training periods and she had skills when it came to combat. She was absolutely calm in any situation he or one of his brothers had thrown at her.
I'm making my way toward you now, coming in from the south. Are you in position to take the man crouched in the flower bed? Lissa asked.
I'm in front of him. There's no way to get on him without being seen. I can't risk the gunfire yet, it would alert the other teams, Maxim said.
He won't be able to see you in a couple of seconds, Lissa assured.
A stream of bright orange-red flames crackled and danced in the air, a fiery whip extending from the helicopter to the ground. The whip lashed at the spot where the third mercenary had crouched low, cradling his weapon, frantically looking around with his night goggles to see what, if anything was coming at him.
The whip suddenly went white-hot, a dazzling display lighting up the ground as if it were a lightning bolt, blinding the team members wearing night vision.
Maxim was on the third mercenary immediately, moving with blurring speed, using his body weight to control the weapon while his blade sank into the man's heart and his hand covered his mouth. The man died staring at him. For a moment, he recognized Maxim. Maxim had seen him a few times over the years, always for hire to anyone who would pay him, uncaring what the job was.
Maxim lowered the body silently to the ground and slid into the shadows. That's three. Lissa, you've got one to the right of you. Don't move, I don't want him to fire his weapon. Just ease down to the ground, keeping every movement slow and I'll work my way over to you. We'll trap him between us.
Maxim tried not to worry about the woman, but he'd called her out of the safety bunker, knowing she would be the best one to get onto the roof to watch over the children. If necessary, he knew Lissa would kill to protect the others. Killing up close was far different than from a distance. It would bother her, but she'd be able to live with herself.
The children had to be protected on the off chance that whoever was running the operation had a couple of others waiting until everyone else was occupied. They could sneak in and supposedly grab Airiana or the children. That's what he would have done--sacrificed the pawns to get the queen. Lissa was his best bet against that possibility.
I need a little help controlling these waterspouts, Rikki said. I've got too many of them. Thomas, stay back until I know I've still got all of them under control.
Airiana threw the wind at the helicopter, doing her best to hurl the craft out over the ocean. She didn't want a forest fire or the thing crashing on someone's home. The moment she saw that the helicopter, now engulfed in flames, was over the ocean, she turned back to help Rikki.
The spouts were everywhere, a virtual army of water surrounding the five mercenaries coming at them from the back side of the property. The men knelt, watching the water dance around them. One held his hand out experimentally and touched it to his mouth. They looked relieved that it was only water.
I'm moving into position. Can you cut off the one flanking them? He's dropped back about six feet from the others? Can you be that precise? Thomas asked.
Rikki gave the telepathic equivalent of eye rolling. Seriously? She could do anything with water. She had already planned to start twisting the tops of the waterspouts together to form a tunnel around the men.
You're such a show-off, Blythe teased.
Rikki closed her eyes, feeling the water heavy in the air now. Judith fed her power slowly, but it wasn't really necessary. Every drop of water for miles responded to her, she could feel it, the drops all interconnected. She had to be careful that she didn't call in the seawater as well. She manipulated the twisting spouts, so that several left the ground, cushioned by the air Airiana sent under them.
I'm in position. Drop them, Thomas commanded.
Rikki did so easily, the spinning spouts landing solidly between the four men and the one who had dropped back. The four men were completely surrounded by walls of water so thick it was impossible to see through them. Thomas struck hard and fast, coming in from the mercenary's left where the strongest pull on the water was.
He struck with his fist, a punch of enormous strength against the artery in the neck, paralyzing the man momentarily. He eased him to the ground as his knife bit deep, twice. He laid him almost gently on the ground and moved back into the shadows.
One down from the backup team, Thomas reported. Rikki, push the water inward on the left side.
Rikki did and the wall of water, all the spouts merging completely, revealed one, soaking-wet mercenary. The man spun around, trying to get the water off his goggles to see. It
was already far too late. Thomas rose up like a monster from a horror film, his knife slashing deep, hitting arteries on the way, even as he yanked the weapon from the man's nerveless fingers. The blade buried deep in the mercenary's throat. He lowered him to the ground.
That's two, he reported as he rolled through the wall of water to the other side of the three men left.
He caught a glimpse of the remaining three. They had become aware of their missing companions and had gone back to back. He continued his roll until he was in the heavier brush. The moment they examined the bodies, they would know they weren't alone.
Can you push them toward the irrigation pond? Thomas asked. Subtly though, but keep them moving. I don't want them to have the chance to spray the area with bullets.
Judith, pull back the power altogether, Rikki said. I'll handle this, you help Levi.
Rikki maneuvered the wall of water closer to the three men huddling in the center. They inched away from it. The water had built into a powerful fall that was endless, soaking the ground and creating a muddy mess that sucked at their boots. One ducked his head and tried to go through it upright. The force of the water drove him to the ground. His buddies grabbed his boots and pulled him free before the water could bury him in the mud.
Lexi, Rikki said, can you help me saturate the ground with water? I'm calling it up from underneath, but if we can stop them from moving, as long as Thomas is careful, we can contain them there.
Sure. Lexi plunged her hands in the earth, feeling for the ebb and flow of the earth's song. The melody connected with the blood in her veins, and sang through her body until her heart beat with the same rhythm.
Lexi felt for the disturbance in the earth toward the back of the farm. Water was pounding down, saturating the ground. She shook her hands gently, mixing the dirt with her fingers about an inch or so beneath the soil. At once the earth responded to her call.
The ground beneath the three mercenaries shifted subtly, turning to soup, trapping their legs in the mucky goo. The water shifted directions, hitting them in the face, effectively blinding them.
Be careful of the ground, Thomas. It's highly unstable, you could sink with them, Lexi warned, or get stuck.
Thomas slid on his belly, dispersing his weight across what essentially had become quicksand. He moved slowly and deliberately, not drawing attention to himself. The mercenaries had other things to worry about. Each of them had realized they were sinking and had laid their bodies as flat as possible on the surface, dispersing weight as Thomas had.
They probably wouldn't have sunk any farther than their waists, but the combination of spinning water towers and sinkholes had shaken them all. He didn't want them back on their game. He killed the man nearest him with a quick thrust of his knife through the back of the neck. As he started to move away, the closest man suddenly turned his head.
He's got me, he's targeting me, Thomas said, rolling, trying to use the dead body for cover.
Roll toward the irrigation pond now. Roll now! Lexi slammed both fists hard into the ground, her heart pounding in her throat. She saw Judith turn toward her, her face going white.
A deadly jolt ran straight from Lexi's fists, picking up speed and strength as it raced underground toward the sinkhole. A crack opened just a few yards from the pond and continued like a lethal snake, widening as it ran toward the two men.
One had lifted his rifle, finger on the trigger, spraying the ground through the veil of water Rikki tried to keep up to protect Thomas as he rolled away from the unstable ground. The crack opened the earth below them. Both men dropped down, water pouring in on them. The crack undulated and then receded, drawing back, the ground beneath closing as if it had never opened.
Thomas! Thomas answer me! Judith cried.
Thomas rolled over and stared up at the sky, his heart pounding. He'd seen the women in action before, but each time they came together, the power seemed unbelievable. I'm fine, mi angel caido.
Lexi sank back on her heels and pressed her hand to her mouth. I'm going to be sick. I'm sorry, Judith. I didn't know what else to do.
You saved my life, little one, Thomas said. Thank you. You did the right thing. That's all five. Give me a minute and I'm heading your way, Levi.
I forgot Levi, Lexi wailed. Levi, are you all right?
I'm trailing after my four. They're trying to rendezvous with the two Maxim has left. Give me a minute. Maxim? Did you get that? Three more headed your way. They're all trying to converge on your home, Levi reported.
I see them, Maxim confirmed. Lexi, quick thinking. Thanks for keeping Thomas alive, we all owe you one. I tried to muffle the sound of gunfire coming from the back side of the property, but everyone here is on alert now.
Same with this group. I'm taking the one on the right. He's coming straight at me, Levi said. The others have passed. Lissa, can you do another flash for me. Bright and hot.
Maxim felt his heart stutter. Lissa was trapped, lying perfectly still with one of the mercenaries only a few feet from her. She was small and fit nicely beneath the shrub, but if he had looked down at his feet, he would have seen her. If she moved . . .
No problem, Levi. Count down to three. It's coming.
Maxim wanted to tell her to stop. He could only hope the man practically standing on her hand would be just as blind as the one Levi had targeted. The whip of orange and red flames danced through the sky, lashing toward the ground close to the garden, gathering energy as it snapped down toward earth. Suddenly it went white-hot, so bright the entire ground was illuminated.
Maxim cursed under his breath as the mercenary close to Lissa tore off his goggles and threw them, his hands going to his eyes.
Levi came at his target from behind, taking him fast, using his strength to break the man's neck, drop him and roll out of sight. That's two. Don't mistake me for one of them, Maxim. I'm trailing after them.
Maxim pushed his knife back into the sheath and pulled out his pistol. He was too far away from Lissa to use a silent kill. The mercenary close to her was bound to look down for his goggles.
The moment the flash of light was gone, the mercenary spun around, to look behind him. Lissa rolled out of the brush toward the man, evidently just as aware as Maxim that there was no way she could remain undetected. Her legs shot smoothly and precisely between the soldier's legs and she rolled, bringing him down. Fire raced up and over the ground, long ropes of it, wrapping around the rifle so that the mercenary had no other choice but to drop it.
Lissa's blade flashed for a moment in the moonlight and then it was gone, buried in the enemy's chest. She rolled away, coming to her hands and knees. She looked as if she might be getting sick.
Lis? Get the hell out of there, Maxim commanded, hoping his voice alone would snap her out of it.
The man's partner, a few feet ahead, swung his head around and spotted Lissa. Maxim shot him through the head twice before he toppled to the ground. The sound of the two bullets fired one after the other galvanized Lissa into action. She sprinted across the garden to the shadows of the house.
Maxim covered her as the other three men Levi was tailing burst into the garden. He beckoned to Lissa to keep running. She used him as a ladder, leaping into the air, one foot finding his hand, then his shoulder before she gained the roof.
All five down, he reported.
Not only had they built three bunkers, two of which still needed work, but they had added blinds on the rooftop as well. They hadn't had a lot of time to prepare, but they'd made the most of it.
Maxim swung onto the roof beside Lissa. Do you have a gun?
She nodded, scooting toward one of the blinds to cover the back of the house. She looked very pale, but determined.
Airiana, they're close to you. No one make a sound. Not a movement. Stay low. We're in a gun battle now. Weave the air around the bunker, make it dense and tight just in case a bullet travels that way.
If I do that, we can't help you, Airiana protested.
Maxim s
potted Thomas converging from the south. Levi came in from the west, still behind the three remaining mercenaries.
Max! Two more. Two more. They're behind the house, right behind, at the window already, Lissa hissed.
Of course. The sound of gunfire had been the signal to bring in the last of Evan's team. These two men were the elite, the ones who were not considered expendable. Evan believed they could get the job done.
Go, Levi said. Thomas and I have got this.
Maxim caught another glimpse of Levi coming up behind one of the mercenaries, locking an arm around his throat and using the man's weapon to shoot the second one as he turned. Thomas knelt and took aim on the third man, firing as the mercenary turned back, firing his rifle in an effort to kill Levi.
Levi sank his blade into the man he held as a shield. All five gone.
The moment Levi gave the report, Airiana burst from the bunker and raced for the house. There would be no stopping her. Maxim couldn't blame her either--he was feeling a bit desperate himself. Benito had a gun and he would fire it if somehow the two mercenaries managed to get through the door to the secure room in the basement, which would be nearly impossible. Still, their children were in danger.
Maxim leapt from the roof almost in front of Airiana. She skidded to a halt. He threw her a hard look, one that should have intimidated her, but he realized Airiana didn't intimidate all that easily.
Thomas is entering through the back window, right behind them, Lissa reported.
Levi is taking the front, Judith added.
We're going in through the new entrance, Maxim stated, still glaring at his errant woman.
She held out her hand for a gun. He gave her the pistol and drew his Glock, waving her to stay behind him. He went in silently, easing the door open to feel the air patterns.
They're upstairs, in the main bedroom. They're moving in standard, two-man formation, clearing every room, he told his brothers.
Please don't get blood in my bedroom, Airiana said.
You're such a girl, Thomas teased.
Maxim, can you close the door on them? In, say, that small recreation room just between the kids' rooms? Levi asked.
What are you thinking? Maxim asked.
Let them make their way there. You and Airiana close off the room and suck the air out.