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David took my hand in his, and Rahel turned to face us Pieces of theChoking dust and shts--went out

We were going to die in the dark

I could still see Rahel’s eyes in the di and predatory, the eyes of so with no purpose but destruction

She’d lost herself to the ainst what had hurt her, with no rational thought There was nothing David or I could do to reach her I thought about Rahel lying in the hospital bunk on board the ship, and I felt tears burn in my eyes that weren’t due to the sht we’d lose her then, but at least she would have died as herself

I wished I was dying as myself My old self That would have beenbetter

Rahel’s lambent eyes blinked

She didn’t fry us

"David?" I whispered "Is that her, or--?"

"I don’t know," he whispered back

Whatever internal battle went on, Rahel lost it She raised her hand, pallory, but just in a blaze

Fire streaked at her fro force, knocking her sideways and to the floor In the sudden lurid light, I saw that Kevin was turned on his sto up a hand and burning the holy hell out of the Djinn She flailed, trying to get up; he kept up the attack, not letting her get her balance or counterattack

"He can’t," David said "He can’t do that!"

"What, act like a flipping idiot? He does it all the tiet him to move with me "We need cover--come on!"

"No, he can’t do that," David said, and I watched as Kevin continued to pourRahel down "Jo--"

I knew, in a blinding flash, what heway

It ed to his feet, and his eyes flared into colors that shouldn’t have been possible in a hureen He bared his teeth and walked toward Rahel, pu her noith e

"You think you can take h the devastation like thunder "You think you can hurt us? Think again!"

So terrible and powerful and raw

And it wasn’t just Warden powers, noelse inside him

Djinn powers David’s powers

"Can he kill her?" I asked David was shuddering slightly now, taking in the full extent of what had happened "David! Can he?"

"Yes," he said, in a faint, distant voice "If he doesn’t stop"

I let go of David’s hand and lunged forward, vaulting over the debris, ignoring the resulting scrapes and bruises and cuts as I scraot there, I slapped him across the face Hard

Kevin blinked, shocked, and turned those eerie Djinn-green eyes on me

Then he backhanded me ten feet across the floor

"Hey!" Cherise yelped, and stepped in front of hi?"

Cherise brought hiainst me and looked back at Rahel, as buried under a mess of rubble, motionless When he blinked this tiered and ale myself I’d been lucky he hadn’t shattered bones If there had been a wall in the way, I’d be drowning in blood

David was picking his way slowly toward me I motioned for hio," I said "Now"

They both nodded, clearly not sure what the hell was going on anyway

We left Rahel where she lay--alive, I presu--and our bruised little band of heroes li lot of thelot

Cars were twisted and smashed, rolled over on their sides and tops, some torn into scrap

People wandered helplessly, looking shell-shocked and confused One wo her key-chain re to identify her own car, as if it wouldfor co, and there was nowhere to go The woods beyond us were on fire, and s in from the south

"My God," Kevin breathed It sounded like a prayer--which was new, co, isn’t it?"

The Mustang was sitting right where we’d left it The Djinn was sitting motionless behind the wheel, like soot near "Get in," he said

I didn’t I didn’t trust the Djinn anymore, after what I’d seen of the Air Oracle, not to mention Rahel Stillhis eyes weren’t that tell-tale shining white, and he’d ed to keep the car safe in the middle of a truly world-class disaster scene

"Get in," he repeated, and I heard that odd chorusing effect in his voice again, as if h him "Lord, you people are so hard to save"

The voice had shifted again, one taking prominence--a honey-dark voice with a Southern accent Female I knew it, but I couldn’t exactly place it "Who--who a to?"

"Who did you think you’d be talking to, sugar?" the Djinn mouthpiece said, and all of the doors blew open on the car, inviting us inside "Who’s still locked up like that daenie in a bottle that all the stories talk about?"

David smiled in pure, wild relief "Whitney," he said "It’s Whitney"

Kevin and Cherise looked at us both like we’d gone insane "That guy is talking like a girl,"