Firebrand by P. K. Eden Page B

house and they took off running toward it.
    Apprehension filled Amber. They were after her father.
    With renewed strength she fought against the tree’s embrace. “Let me go,” she said from behind clenched teeth. “I have to get to my father.” A sound much like that of a wail mixed with the wind blowing the storm closer as she ripped leaves from the branches she could reach.
    A crack of thunder followed another white bolt of light and as the sky finally let loose the rain, Amber’s resolve became stronger. She grabbed a small limb near her waist and bent it. As it snapped, the tree seemed to pitch backward and let her go.
    She ran to the house, ignoring the fingers of rain caressing her skin and the breath of wind that tangled her hair. She grabbed the doorknob and ripped the door from the hinges before tossing it aside like a dried autumn leaf just as another bolt of lightning split the night.
    “Dad! She called out running from room to room. He didn’t answer but what frightened her more was the sense that there was no essence of him anywhere she searched.
    As she approached the rear room a figure with its back to her slowly rose in silhouette outlined from light coming from a lamp on a floor full of overturned furniture. As if by instinct, her hand shot out just as the figure attained its full height. Without knowing how or why, Amber felt a power within her propel the figure across the room where it smashed against the wall. As though pinned there, it fought to free itself against the unseen force holding it fast.
    “Who are you? Where is my father?” Amber shouted. The intruder struggled, its face obscured by the maw of the hood it wore. “Where is he?” she repeated, shouting above the clap of thunder. She pushed her hand forward curling her fingers into a claw as she did and she heard the intruder gasp. As she closed her fingers completely, the distinctive sounds of choking filled the room. “Tell me what you’ve done with him,” she shouted clenching her hand tighter, a rush of satisfaction flooding her when she saw the person she’d pinned to the wall jerk once and then go limp.
    From behind her, a hand clamped onto her wrist. Solid downward pressure forced her to lower her hand. When she did, the intruder she had been holding against the wall slipped to the floor.
    With a shriek intended to gather new strength, Amber wrenched free from the new attacker and turned, assuming a defensive posture. She could feel adrenaline pumping through her body, searing her like a river of flames as it passed through her heart. She raised her hand, an eddy of light appeared between her and the figure. “Stay away from me,” she warned from between clenched teeth, as the light formed a barrier around her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the first intruder struggle to standing and reached toward him again. His body jerked violently with a strangled intake of breath. His hands flew to his throat, trying to remove whatever it was cutting off his air.
    The second hooded figure reached toward her. When its hand touched the light shield in front of Amber, the buffer vanished in a spray of shimmering dust. “Amber stop!” a voice commanded, grabbing her wrist with both hands. “You’re killing him.”
    Amber’s brows creased in sudden recognition. “Serina?” She threw down the coarse brown hood with her free hand. Turning quickly around, she looked at the crumpled form lying still and silent on the floor. “My God! David?” She hurried to him and fell to her knees.
    He lay on his side, his arm covering his face. Carefully she moved one arm away and saw a red streak stretching from his hairline to his cheek. Searching, she found a small gash near his temple and blood on the table near him.
    “David,” she whispered. “What have I done?” She ran her hands over his face, wiping the blood from his skin with her fingertips. “David, talk to me.” As she moved her hands over him, she became part of his