Free Metal Deep 4: Soul on Fire by G. X. Knight Page B

me while I tried my best to ignore Yel’s newest temptation.
     
    “You don’t want to play with us?” Kata pouted.
     
    “Maybe he just wants to get a better view.” Sway said pulling Kata closer.
     
    There was a different kind of spark that lit the fuse inside of me as I watched the effigies of my friends being perverted into a weapon against me. Anger and indignation filled my gut. My head lowered, my eyes narrowed, and with a snap of my own fingers, I took control and  made Kata and Sway disappear.
     
    I stared down a now-scowling Yel, who still remained calm, but I could see the toll of his illusions begin to cause beads of sweat to form along his furrowed brow.
     
    “Nothing is going to stop me,” I said plainly. “Now surrender, and tell me how to stop the ship.”
     
    “I think we’ve talked enough.” He balled up his own Veil Ripping fists, “How about we fight?” Yel lunged at me with wicked speed.
     
    I tried to block his attack, but I was still working with the human parts. I buckled under his first hit, and laid there as I took a second, third, and fourth to the face. I never knew how Drake and Cade felt after I had finished with them, until now. They still deserved what they got. Maybe I did too. I reached a point where I couldn’t even scream from the strikes. My cries turned to grunts, and then grunts turned to nothing as he pounded on my face with the fury and force of an unleashed savage.
     
    After I could stand no more, I tried to beg him to stop, but my exhales only bubbled with the blood that poured from my lungs. I rolled to my stomach. My face slid into the blood that pooled around me. The warmth of it on my skin was somewhat comforting. I allowed myself the serenity of defeat before all feeling went away as I began to let myself be pulled apart by Yel’s Veil Ripping. The only thing that made it okay was a new distant sound. Like an angel’s voice floating on melodious winds, Maeve’s Celtic voice kept telling me that everything was going to be fine.
     

 
     
     
     

     
     
     
    THE ANCHOR HOLDS
     
     
     
    The stabbing cold Sway felt grew more intense. It was followed by the wet trickles that seeped from her wound. She refused to open her eyes, even after she heard Kata’s valley girl voice, “So are you going to lie there all day? I could really use some help getting her up off you.”
     
    Realizing she wasn’t dead or dreaming, Sway’s eyes popped open. Inches from her face was a frozen statue of Corona, stuck mid-strike and still holding the knife she stole from Sway. The tip of the blade was only a Sprite’s breath away from skewering her through the heart. Sway’s gaze, searching from her mask of unbelief, fell to Kata and Largo, who stood above her. Both were visibly proud, and relieved, about their more-than-convenient timing.
     
    “What the hell?” Sway screamed realizing the cold she felt was from an ice weapon Kata used to freeze Corona, and the wet feeling having been from it melting against the warmth of her Fire Elf skin.
     
    Kata and Largo helped dislodge frozen, and de-flamed, Corona. Kata pull Sway to her feet as Largo answered, “Genetic Dragoness ice grenades made by our resident Iceling. When we were finally able to get the tracking devices to work, we realized where she was. We Skipped over as soon as we could. Neither you nor Scion answered your phones, so we were prepared for the worst.” Largo looked around quickly, “Speaking of our green-haired-guy… Where is he?”
     
    Sway deluged the information about what was happening on the ship as fast and succinctly as she could. Largo looked worried. “There’s no way these two incidents aren’t related. We need to take her into questioning. You two go and get back to the ship, and I’ll see about getting her locked down before she thaws. I will join you when I’m finished.”
     
    “I’m staying with you,” Kata said to Largo.
     
    Sway didn’t like that, “Are you still mad at