Free Ascension by Sophia Sharp Page A

the other side of the door.  Logan and Alexander.  She limped toward the door, moved the mechanism in place, and pushed it open.  Then she fell to the floor.
    Logan was the first to her.  He knelt down beside her.  “What happened?  Are you alright?”  He framed her face with his strong hands.  “Laura, what’s going on?  Why did you lock us out?”
    “The shadow,” Laura said, in a voice weaker than she expected.  “It lured me inside.  It… tried to kill me.”  She held out the gem she still had in her hand.  “It used a torrial to take on the shape of a man.  I managed to rip it from away, and it disappeared.”
    “You’re safe now,” Logan said.  He cradled her head in between his arms.  “You shouldn’t have done that, but you’re safe now.”
    “Her foot,” Alexander said solemnly.  Logan looked down, and gasped.
    “What is that?” he demanded.  “What happened?”
    “A small cut,” Laura said, trying to dismiss it as nothing.  She didn’t know why she felt so sapped of strength.   Or why the cut was so painful.  “The shadow nicked me with its blade.”
    “You should not be bleeding like that,” Logan said seriously.  “Let me see.”
    Laura tried to kick him away as he took her foot in his hands, but he did not waver.  He pulled her shoe off.  Gently, delicately, he rolled her sock down to expose the wound.  Both he and Alexander inhaled sharply at what they saw.
    “Laura, this isn’t an ordinary cut,” Logan said gravely. 
    “The wound is festering,” Alexander put in right behind him.
    “So?” Laura demanded.  She didn’t like feeling weak, especially in front of Logan.  Feeling or appearing weak.  “It’s a small cut.  It’ll heal.”
    “Is it very painful?” Logan asked.
    “No,” Laura lied.
    Alexander considered her.  “If that’s the truth… well, we can’t do anything about it now.  We’ll need to wrap it tightly to contain the blood flow.  Laura, this was not done by an ordinary blade.”
    “Of course I know that!” she snapped.
    Alexander tsked.  “The point is, that it may be dangerous for you.  You have to watch for any symptoms, and let us know immediately what you feel.”
    Logan nodded in agreement.  “We’ll do the best we can.  Can you walk?”
    “Of course I can—” Laura had to bite off the end of the sentence as Logan applied pressure to the cut.  Pain such as she’d never felt before pulsed through her entire body.  She willed herself not to show it.  “—walk,” she finished sourly.
    Logan nodded, not really listening, and tore a piece of fabric from the sleeve of his shirt.  He used it to bandage Laura’s foot.  Laura winced and looked away, determined not to let them see her pain.
    “There,” Logan said finally.  “That’s the best I can do right now.  Do you need a hand up?”
    “No!” she said irritably.  Logan frowned at her response, and Laura forced herself to be gentle.  Why was she so irritable now?  “I mean, no, I’m fine,” she said in a softer tone.  “Thank you for taking care of my foot.”
    “It’s nothing,” Logan said.  Then, in a half-whisper, added, “I should have been the one to go in first.”
    Laura stood up, and Logan rose beside her.  For the first time, he looked beyond her to see the repository in all its glory.  “Wow,” he breathed, “this is it, huh?”
    “Yes,” Laura said.  Her foot was crying out in pain, but she forced herself to ignore it.  “You did it, Logan.  You found it for us.”
    Alexander stepped between them and came up to the first row of items.  He bent down, brushing his fingers gently over the artifacts.  “These torrial have the power to destroy the world,” he said to himself.  “What is it that we’re meddling with?  We are nothing but children, clueless to the real power and blind to the danger of any of them.  But yet, we need them.  It is the only way to attack the elders.”  He rose and turned