notice.
Helena moved forward. “Faine and I will take point. Gage, you’re on Molly.” They began to move, the rest of her crew taking on their own places to guard the rest of the group.
The hall outside was always loud, Helena figured. Daily work in Congress would be full of contentious issues as well as mundane stuff. Staffers moved through the crowds, some on phones, some heatedly talking amongst themselves. There were protesters for every cause imaginable on their way to hearing rooms.
Normally she’d have found it fascinating. Now she just found it distracting and worrisome. A lot of people to keep an eye on. A lot of energy to try to wade through to get past the normal frustration and anger at issues not related to them in any way.
She put out a low heat energy field around herself and Faine. He cut his gaze to her quickly and then was back on the job once he’d ascertained there wasn’t a problem. She’d experimented with something similar a few days before and it seemed to keep humans back. She didn’t need to hurt anyone; she just wanted to keep a space bubble around their group. Molly moved slow because she was still on crutches and Helena didn’t want her jostled.
When they got to the main doors leading outside it was a whole new level of challenge. Several hundred people had gathered on the steps. Some holding signs with the usual and lame “God hates werewolves/witches/Others” along with the gamut of abomination, warnings of danger and violence, that sort of thing.
A counter-protest was just steps away, meeting at the edges. In some places there seemed to be earnest discussion and debate, but in others there was jostling, angry, raised voices and the chance for far worse than words and shoving.
So much potential for things to go bad in so many ways. She spoke to Faine, knowing that even with the din all around he’d hear her.
“Faine, I’m going to need you to pick Molly up so we can move quickly. Gage, you’re on them. I’m going to clear a path.”
Several of the Weres who’d accompanied Cade Warden showed up, ready to follow her lead. She explained what she needed and even Molly simply sighed and let Faine pick her up. Gage started to argue, but Helena lifted a brow.
“I’m not arguing with your orders. I wanted to tell you something bad is coming. I can feel it.”
She knew his gift was a sort of intuitive foresight of intention. If he felt something, it was out there and it was her job to deal with it.
She nodded. “Keep tight. Keep alert.”
Helena adjusted her spell, speaking under her breath to make the field around them a little larger and a little hotter. She added an aversion spell to overlay it. Nothing that would create an emotional aversion, but enough of a hint to back up and let them pass.
Since the Magister it had seemed a lot easier to bend her magick to her will. One positive from all that negative, she supposed.
She scanned the crowd as they went, her hands free should she need to repel anyone or use her weapons.
Which was good because the moment the crowd recognized them, the angry voices raised and the crowd turned to face them. Helena cut toward the side, making a hole for the group. Her spell held and she only needed to push people back twice, more due to crowd surge than anything else.
Helena was glad she’d called ahead for the cars to be brought for them. Having to wait at the curb for their ride would have only exposed them to danger for longer.
They idled nearby. Safe harbor. She hustled the group in that direction, scanning the crowd for weapons, people’s faces for signs of violence, the air all around for any signs of impending negative action.
Later, she figured she was so busy doing that, she’d missed the sick feeling emanating from the vehicle in front of her until a split second before the air sucked from all around them and then blew outward in a hot wave.
Time slowed as Helena moved to respond, trusting Faine to deal with Molly as
Helena moved forward. “Faine and I will take point. Gage, you’re on Molly.” They began to move, the rest of her crew taking on their own places to guard the rest of the group.
The hall outside was always loud, Helena figured. Daily work in Congress would be full of contentious issues as well as mundane stuff. Staffers moved through the crowds, some on phones, some heatedly talking amongst themselves. There were protesters for every cause imaginable on their way to hearing rooms.
Normally she’d have found it fascinating. Now she just found it distracting and worrisome. A lot of people to keep an eye on. A lot of energy to try to wade through to get past the normal frustration and anger at issues not related to them in any way.
She put out a low heat energy field around herself and Faine. He cut his gaze to her quickly and then was back on the job once he’d ascertained there wasn’t a problem. She’d experimented with something similar a few days before and it seemed to keep humans back. She didn’t need to hurt anyone; she just wanted to keep a space bubble around their group. Molly moved slow because she was still on crutches and Helena didn’t want her jostled.
When they got to the main doors leading outside it was a whole new level of challenge. Several hundred people had gathered on the steps. Some holding signs with the usual and lame “God hates werewolves/witches/Others” along with the gamut of abomination, warnings of danger and violence, that sort of thing.
A counter-protest was just steps away, meeting at the edges. In some places there seemed to be earnest discussion and debate, but in others there was jostling, angry, raised voices and the chance for far worse than words and shoving.
So much potential for things to go bad in so many ways. She spoke to Faine, knowing that even with the din all around he’d hear her.
“Faine, I’m going to need you to pick Molly up so we can move quickly. Gage, you’re on them. I’m going to clear a path.”
Several of the Weres who’d accompanied Cade Warden showed up, ready to follow her lead. She explained what she needed and even Molly simply sighed and let Faine pick her up. Gage started to argue, but Helena lifted a brow.
“I’m not arguing with your orders. I wanted to tell you something bad is coming. I can feel it.”
She knew his gift was a sort of intuitive foresight of intention. If he felt something, it was out there and it was her job to deal with it.
She nodded. “Keep tight. Keep alert.”
Helena adjusted her spell, speaking under her breath to make the field around them a little larger and a little hotter. She added an aversion spell to overlay it. Nothing that would create an emotional aversion, but enough of a hint to back up and let them pass.
Since the Magister it had seemed a lot easier to bend her magick to her will. One positive from all that negative, she supposed.
She scanned the crowd as they went, her hands free should she need to repel anyone or use her weapons.
Which was good because the moment the crowd recognized them, the angry voices raised and the crowd turned to face them. Helena cut toward the side, making a hole for the group. Her spell held and she only needed to push people back twice, more due to crowd surge than anything else.
Helena was glad she’d called ahead for the cars to be brought for them. Having to wait at the curb for their ride would have only exposed them to danger for longer.
They idled nearby. Safe harbor. She hustled the group in that direction, scanning the crowd for weapons, people’s faces for signs of violence, the air all around for any signs of impending negative action.
Later, she figured she was so busy doing that, she’d missed the sick feeling emanating from the vehicle in front of her until a split second before the air sucked from all around them and then blew outward in a hot wave.
Time slowed as Helena moved to respond, trusting Faine to deal with Molly as
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