Chapter 13: A Dark Horse

George barreled through the doors the way he came, down the hall, and to the main entrance.

The Genie said, “George, the bracer! She’ll need it to get through the barrier!”

“Piper, while you’re back there, open my bag! I nabbed one of their cuffs for you!”

“Kay!” she replied, fishing through his bag while bouncing on his shoulder. “Keep steady and watch your hands, perv!”

While he hadn’t meant to get handsy, he braced her on his shoulder by grabbing the most available piece of her body, which happened to be her panty-clad behind. He quickly adjusted by wrapping his arm around her thighs instead. “Sorry, Your Highness!”

“Oh, go soak your head!”

The main doors gave way, and George was finally outside. The sun was setting, and the clouds made blue, purple, and orange bands across the sky. From over his shoulder, Piper said, “I didn’t ask, but I assume you have some way of getting us out of here?”

“I ... may have forgotten to plan that far ahead.”

“Are you for serious right now?” She groaned. “Maybe there are keys in one of those trucks!”

“Good...” but George stopped. Several vehicles sped down the dirt road toward them, two trucks and a van. They swerved to a stop at the top of the parking lot, blocking the road, and close to a dozen men, all dressed like Manticore goons in their black slacks and neon purple security t-shirts, hopped out and began setting up. Only, this time, they had weapons. Rifles and sidearms. On top of that, the trucks had ATVs ready to deploy. In the distance, George could hear dirt bikes revving their engines.

“What is it? I can’t see!” said Piper, struggling to angle herself for a better look.

They trained their weapons on the fleeing teenagers, and their intentions were clear. Lethal force was on the table. Without answering, George cut to the right and bolted into the forest.

Piper finally saw what George saw and said, “Oh ... that’s not good.”

George made a beeline directly for the edge of the shroud. Once outside, he could use the Genie’s powers more freely. “Is your bracer on?”

“Yeah! Thankfully, they resize themselves!”

He then focused on navigating the maze of twisting trunks and gnarled branches on his way to the shroud. The trees slowed him down, but he was still faster than any of them, and when bullets began whizzing by, he was grateful for the cover. Finally, he made it to the barrier and set Piper down.

“What is it? Why are we stopping?” she asked.

“Go on through. I’ll be with you in a second. I have to prepare the source first.” George dug the orb out of his bag and held it up. “I’ll be quick. I promise,” he said to both of them.

To his surprise, Piper didn’t argue. She nodded, stepped carefully through the shroud to avoid hurting her bare feet on the forest floor, and then waited for him on the other side.

“Here goes, Genie,” he whispered.

“Don’t keep me waiting,” she said. She was trying to be playful, but George could sense her anxiety.

But there was no time to be sentimental. Her misty essence was sucked into the source with pitiless efficiency, and her warmth disappeared. He had convinced himself that he was ready this time. No force in the universe was going to keep him from her. He strode forward, and just as he was about to cross the threshold, a gunshot broke through the stillness of the dead forest. A bullet smashed through his shoulder, forcing him to fling the orb through the shroud until it landed at Piper’s feet.

“George!” Piper screamed.

He collapsed from the force. Blood poured from the wound as George struggled desperately to stand. If he could get through the shroud, the Genie would save him. He was almost through when another bullet struck him in the back, through his lung, and he went down again. He could barely breathe and thought his arm might fall off, but he kept trying to crawl the last few feet to safety. The curse hardly needed to do anything at that point, but it seemed to know this might be its only chance. George cried out from the pain surging through his body until it turned into a gurgle.

Piper didn’t hesitate. She picked up the orb and jumped back through the shroud. She opened her spellbook and traced the symbols she needed. But, just as the spell was about to go off, the tablet ran out of power and shut down.

Piper shook it and pleaded, “No, no, no! Not now! Please! I can’t lose him again!”

The orb responded. It turned from solid stone into a tiny pink star and hovered before her. Energy arced toward the tablet, flickering it back to life. In mere moments, it loaded its OS and was ready to blast. Piper could feel the energy emanating from the orb, supercharging the device beyond its limits.

“Wow,” she whispered.

The enemy was closing in, their weapons trained on her. Piper clenched her jaw and growled, “You messed with the wrong witch.” Then, she summoned all the willpower she could muster, her intentions wild and unfocused but driven by a raw emotional desire. The trees around her suddenly burst with life. In an instant, new leaves and branches surged forth and formed a wall of dense vegetation almost a meter thick and dozens of meters wide. It continued growing throughout the forest, trapping several Manticore goons in a maze of bramble-studded roots.

The forest within the shroud had become a lush alien jungle.

The orb turned back into stone and then fell, but Piper managed to grab it before it hit the ground and stashed it in the front pocket of George’s hoodie. The tablet suddenly died, and a small plume of smoke puffed out from inside the case. It had been pushed beyond its limits, but she didn’t have time to care.

Instead, she turned her attention to George. There was blood everywhere, and panic washed over her. “Oh, Christ. C’mon, you clod! We gotta hurry!”

George was on the brink of consciousness. He was practically dead weight and delirious between the curse and his wounds. “Don’t ... leave her inside,” he pleaded.

Piper stopped. “What? What did you say?”

He tried to speak, but his lungs were filling with blood. Instead, he reached forward with his good arm and tried to crawl, but it was useless.

Piper took his arm and began dragging him to his feet. Angry and desperate, she yelled, “You aren’t done yet! Get up! I said, get ... up!”

With her help, George finally reached the barrier, but that was as far as she could get him before he collapsed again. His weight dragged her down, and they ended up in a heap next to a tree just outside the shroud. They could hear the dragons struggling with the forest in the distance.

With George’s remaining will, he summoned the Genie. Piper had almost forgotten about the source, and she watched in awe as the mist billowed from Piper’s pocket to surround them. It was clear to her that this was no simple vapor. She could feel a powerful presence within it, struggling to keep itself hidden from her magical sight.

George reached out with the last of his strength, and Piper watched as the mist intermingled with his fingers. It swirled down his arm to his chest, and his wounds began to close. In mere moments, his body was whole. Even his clothes were mended and clean. The mist seemed capable of magical feats even the most powerful practitioners of the Art would struggle to perform. She had her suspicions about what it might be. But whatever, or whoever it was, shared a powerful connection with George.

The Genie’s voice flowed through his thoughts. “Can’t get rid of me that easily.”

George coughed and then smiled. When he opened his eyes, he saw Piper leaning over him. “My hero,” he breathed.

Piper swallowed and looked like she was struggling to hide her emotions. But she held it together. “Can you get up?” she asked, her voice shaking.

George was already feeling better but checked his chest and shoulder anyway. Unsurprisingly, everything was great. If anything, he felt stronger than he did before. He started to sit up when Piper touched his chest and pushed him back down.

“Hey, take it easy, big guy,” she said.

George gave in to her gentle push and lay back down, then stifled a laugh.

“What?” she asked.

“You just asked if I could get up and then pushed me back down. Which is it?”

“I ... I don’t know! Shut up!” she said, giggling nervously from embarrassment.

George took her hand and sat up again. “Sorry for bleeding on you,” he said.

She looked down at the wet stains darkening the blue garment and shrugged. “Hey, it’s your hoodie. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had your fluids on me.” She thought for a second and grimaced, then added, “Don’t ... think about that too much.”

“I’m not touching that one,” Genie quipped.

Relieved, George chuckled. He was alive and pain-free, thanks to his two best friends. While Piper was familiar, he still felt like he was just getting to know her. But he liked her a lot. She was driven, caring, brilliant, and funny. Though they were different, Piper and Genie shared a common trait. Everything about them was magical.

He gently squeezed her hand and said, “Thanks for saving my bacon.”

Her cheeks reddened, which only highlighted her freckles. “Well, sure ... It’s no ... you’re welcome.”

But their brief respite was interrupted by men yelling over engines. Piper’s spell had bought them time, but only some.

They helped each other up. George said, “Think you can send another one of those beacons? Call for backup again?”

She held up her spellbook, which still left a trail of acrid smoke behind it. “Not without this guy. And I think he’s had enough.”

“Could we lose ‘em in the forest, maybe?”

“Doubtful. We can’t outrun them, and I’m not making out with you until they give up.”