Lies Ripped Open Read Online Free PDF Page B

some deep steadying breaths, making sure to stay quiet as I moved back from my hiding place until I was against the fourth set of shelves, the last in the store before the door to the staff rooms beyond. I just wanted to put a little more distance between him and the front of the shop before I did anything.
    “Have you found anything?” the void shouted from the front of the shop.
    I peered through the slats once more, although I couldn’t see either of my attackers.
    “Does it fucking look like it?” the elemental replied, sounding very close. “He’s vanished. Where’s our fearless griffin friend?”
    “Down the other end, he’s searching some massive clothes shop.”
    If it was a ploy to get me to reveal myself, it was a poor one. I wasn’t about to risk fighting all three of them again, especially not in the stationery shop’s close quarters.
    “I’m going back to the hostages. I don’t want anyone to think they can run off,” the void told his friend, before turning and walking off. A few seconds later I heard him shouting at several of the hostages, followed by their cries.
    “Fucking asshole,” the elemental snapped and then breathed out.
    I reached out with my air magic, using invisible tendrils of air to pinpoint the elemental’s exact position; he was one step away from the third set of shelves. I considered using my magic in a subtle way, to drag the air out of his lungs or some such, but he’d likely recognize what was happening and start flailing about, making a big ruckus. Instead, it was going to be fast and nasty.
    Once I knew exactly where he was, I slowly wrapped the tendrils around his body. It’s harder than it sounds, making sure to wrap them around him, but not doing it so tightly that the air feels strange to him.
    He took one more step, and the sound of his boot landing on the tiled floor was all I needed. I snapped the tendrils closed, throwing one of them down his open mouth to stop him from screaming as I tightened the air around him. I dragged him over toward me, his eyes wide and full of panic, any thoughts of using his own abilities lost in that moment of terror. I removed the gun from his hand and placed it on the shelf beside me as I squeezed the air tighter and tighter, until I heard bones break. He tried to scream once more, but I was stuffing more and more air down his throat into his lungs, until in one moment they reached their maximum capacity, I felt them burst like over-full balloons inside his chest.
    After a few seconds, I released the air and he sagged forward, unconscious. I caught him and lowered him quietly to the ground. He probably wasn’t dead, although he’d clearly stopped breathing. Elementals are tough to kill without removing their head or using silver, although I doubted removing the brain’s oxygen supply did them a lot of favors. Hopefully he’d be able to heal any brain damage he might suffer so he could answer any police questions. I wanted to know who had sent them and why. The more of them I left alive to answer questions, the better.
    But even so, I didn’t want to make it easy for him, so I created a thin blade of air, and used it to cut into his spine, just above his pelvis, severing the bone and cartilage. Being unable to breath or walk would test even the most powerful elemental’s ability to heal.
    I searched the body, but found no ID or anything that might tell me exactly who he was. Instead, I found several magazines of silver bullets and a four-inch knife, both of which I took, along with the gun, a Sig 1911 Fastback. Not exactly my choice of weapon, but it would do in a pinch.
    Something felt wrong. The elemental was far too easy to take out, even if I’d jumped him. Anyone actively going after me was either going to have a lot of power, or be completely crazy. Neither of those described the elemental. Of the three attackers, only the griffin was a serious concern. I searched through my mind to see if there was anything that