by Amy Braun
Piper screamed as the hilts of a sword and a knife crushed her chest. She pushed against Declan, but her hands slipped across his watery skin. He snapped his head down and aimed for her mouth. I shoved my hand through the muck, coating it in ice. A sharp spike of it jumped from the ground next to Piper, sliding clean through Declan’s face.
The Stormkind lurched off my best friend. Piper coughed and clutched her bruised chest, heaving and gasping as she crawled away. I jumped to my feet and rushed around the ice, standing in front of her and lifting my hands.
Declan stood up, his clear Stormkind face unmarked by the icicle. His body shifted, sparks zipping and skittering across his flesh. Thunder cracked through clouds, a sound like the breaking bones of a god. Lightning jumped down from the clouds and struck the ground in front of me. I covered my face with my arms, gripping the tether and tearing power from it to protect myself. I used the same clouds to force hail down onto Declan, hoping it would hinder him–
Mud shot up from the ground and wrapped around me. I yelped as the mucky ropes tightened around my body and dragged me toward Declan. Lightning flashed around him, keeping any hope of rescue at bay. My arms were pinned to my sides, the tips of my boots dragging through the soaked earth. I twisted and writhed, desperate to free just one of my arms, that was all I needed–
Declan reached for my head. Sparks spat from his fingertips. I wrenched my body as I entered his embrace.
One of my arms slipped free. I reached for Hadrian’s sword. Static touched the edges of my hair, short shocks bouncing over my face.
I gripped the hilt of the sword and leaned forward, using my shoulder to drive the tempest-blade deeper into Declan’s chest.
There was no real resistance. The blade trembled against the torrent that was Declan’s Stormkind skin, but pushed straight through and out his back nonetheless. It sliced through his light-skeleton, making him stiffen and drop his arms. The shocks near my face stopped. The muddy hands slithered away from me. I staggered on my feet and looked down as he fell onto his back. His body evaporated against the dirt, pushing it away in a splattered Rorschach. All that remained of the Declan I knew were tattered clothes and a grimy outline.
I stared, dazed at what I had done. Still wondering if it was the right choice. Knowing I deserved the hollow feeling in my chest.
A feral roar cut through the air. I pivoted and looked at Mortis. He must have seen what happened, because he stared at me like he wanted to tear my head from my shoulders.
His hand snapped outward, a huge blast of wind shooting past me like a rocket. I staggered and struggled to keep my balance, my body turning against its will. Metal screeched together, and I looked up…
To see the remaining cages had been torn open. The Stormkind Zephys hadn’t managed to transport away were now freed.
Zephys stumbled away, running from the Stormkind that were snapping their heads left and right, their eerie white eyes taking us in, as though deciding who they would devour first.
Zephys shot out his hands, duals blasts of lightning striking the ground and circling around the freed Stormkind in a deadly ring. Keeping one hand raised to hold the ring in place, he backed toward us. I knew we had a little more time now, but I also doubted it would be enough.
Desperate to find out if Vitae had the advantage against Mortis, I turned around.
Vitae rushed him when she thought he was vulnerable, both of her tempest-blades aimed at his neck. For a second, I thought she had him. I truly believed Vitae was going to take Mortis down.
Then he pivoted, and rammed his tempest-blade straight through her stomach.
Vitae jerked to a halt on the blade, her own swords falling from her hands.
I think Hadrian screamed, but I couldn’t know for sure, because I was screaming too.
Mortis snarled and poised his second blade at her throat. I swung my hand, commanding the wind to slam into Mortis. He flew back, the sword ripping free of Vitae’s stomach.
Her hands covered the wound. She dropped to her knees, then onto her side. She didn’t move again.
I was already running for her, not sure what I would do but knowing I had to help her. There was a sharp shout of pain from behind me, but I didn’t stop to see what caused it, or who was injured. I gathered strength from the tether and pictured the hail connecting together until they were icicles. Jagged daggers descended on Mortis. He growled and lashed his hand through the air, a gust of wind knocking them all aside. He swept his arm in a wide arch, then slammed his upturned hand toward me.
The air was punched from my lungs as I flew back through the air. Hitting the ground was going to hurt–
Arms wrapped around me, catching me just before I struck the ground. Hadrian grunted when he landed in the mud, then gently rolled me onto my side. His eyes darted over my face, looking for injuries.
“Stay here,” he said before leaping to his feet. He spun and charged at Mortis, drawing out both his tempest-blades, which I was grateful to see he’d recovered.
I glanced over my shoulder. Fenro was lying motionless on the ground, though I couldn’t see any blood around him. I hoped Hadrian had gotten the dagger–
My thoughts slammed together again, and I whipped around as metal collided with metal. Mortis and Hadrian struck high and low at each other, each blow meant to kill. I sat up and raced toward Vitae.
Zephys barreled past me, dropping to his knees by his leader. He rested his hand on her shoulder and stiffened. Piper caught up to us, gasping and putting her hand over her mouth.
Zephys turned to look at us, his expression grim. “I need protection while I help her,” he said. “A barrier, anything that will help focus my concentration.”
Piper looked at me. I nodded to her. I was the stronger one here. I could wield my abilities better than her. I could help defeat Mortis.
“You can do this,” I promised her. I put my hand on her shoulder and squeezed, then turned and ran from my friend. All I could hope was that between Hadrian and me, we could buy enough time to stop Mortis and the Stormkind.
I watched the rainwater bend on my left as I ran. I whipped my head to where the Stormkind loomed and shoved out my hand. The rain pelting me hardened into chunks of ice. I pushed again, the chunks of newly formed ice rocketing back at the Stormkind. I looked back, seeing two of the Stormkind rushing toward Piper, who’d created a rippling shield of rainwater. I could see her outline as she snapped her hands, throwing down lightning to the dust and tornado-Stormkind hurling dirt and small twisters at her defense. Beyond her, Zephys was holding his tempest-blade up to a Stormkind using pulverizing winds to keep him on his knees.
The three remaining Stormkind– thunder, ice, and hurricane– circled my back. I turned to face them, lashing at the ground and sending three rows of icy spikes toward them. The Stormkind wove around the spikes easily. I cursed, knowing the only way they would submit was to a tempest-blade.
I needed to get Hadrian to fight with me.
I dragged my hands down, pulling a curtain of heavy hail from the clouds. It pounded into the icy ground like a boulder thrown from a cliff. I forced the torrent to descend faster and harder, until it formed a thick wall between the Stormkind and us.
Piper, seeing what I was doing, sent a horizontal wave of water toward my wall of hail. I gathered a freezing wind in my hands, so cold it numbed my fingertips, and pushed it at the wave. The frigid air smacked into the wave, freezing it in place, and blocking the Stormkind.
For now.
I nodded to Piper as I stepped back, feeling my head throb and the tether tighten painfully. I spun around, finally reaching Hadrian and Mortis.
Hadrian had lost one of his swords again. His movements were slower, the attacks from Mortis coming far too close. I hoped he was feinting, but I couldn’t be sure. Hadrian was a fierce, passionate fighter, and Mortis was too clever to fall for any tricks when he could simply crush his enemies.
Hadrian swung his pale tempest-blade at Mortis’s throat.
The Mistral leader blocked it with his sword and plowed his free fist into Hadrian’s cheek. Blood sprayed from Hadrian’s mouth, but he didn’t stop fighting. He kicked Mortis’s knee to make him buckle, then spun his sword to drive it down into Mortis’s neck.
Mortis knocked Hadrian’s sword back, striking his wrist. He must have also struck a nerve because Hadrian dropped his last tempest-blade. Mortis lunged with his sword. Hadrian let it glide past him, locking Mortis’s sword-arm to his side. He smashed his elbow into Mortis’s face, then snapped his knee into the other Guardian’s chin. He dragged Mortis’s blade out of his grip as he collapsed, standing over the older man with heaving shoulders.
Mortis lay on his back, and began to laugh.
“You fight like your father,” he remarked cruelly.
Hadrian’s fist clenched around the sword. “Do not speak of him. You have not earned that honor.”
“Honor. Yes. That is what matters to you. I nearly forgot. Such a shame that honor will not save you.”
Mortis moved too fast. I hadn’t noticed his far hand dragging toward his belt until it was too late.
He pushed himself forward and kicked out Hadrian’s legs. My Guardian slipped and landed on his back, the sword jarred from his grip when his elbow smacked into the cold, grimy ground. Mortis scrambled to his feet and jumped on top of Hadrian, arching his arm back and driving it down toward his throat.
I screamed and pushed out my hands. I didn’t think about using the tether or the hurt I would cause myself. I grabbed the air around me, and pushed it at Mortis with all my strength. The wild gust of wind collided with Mortis at the same moment his blade descended. Fear wrapped a noose around my heart. I didn’t know if I’d been fast enough.
I hadn’t been, but instead of punching straight into him, the tip of the dagger sliced through Hadrian’s armor, catching the edge of his collarbone and cutting a bloody path down his chest to the top of his ribs. I didn’t know the wound was deep until Hadrian cried out in pain. The sound ripped at my heart, freezing me into the mud.
Mortis rolled to his feet, dagger in hand and eyes locked on me. His hatred was a visible, terrifying thing. But I wasn’t afraid. He’d given me these powers, and assumed I would be under his control. That I wouldn’t dream of fighting back.
He was wrong.
“Give up, Mortis,” I called. “Your plan isn’t going to work.” And I don’t have time to argue with you. The Stormkind are going to get through my wall of hail soon.
Hadrian lurched to his feet, wincing and clutching his bleeding chest. It took all of my control not to run over to him and try to help.
Mortis glanced past me, the dagger tight in his grip. Then he looked at me again. “Yes. It seems my original plan has failed.”
Hadrian gathered his sword from the ground and stood beside me. It was agonizing not to look over my shoulder and see how close the Stormkind had gotten.
Mortis straightened his back and held my eyes with an eerie sense of calm. “It seems I will be forced to take a more drastic course of action.”
With no hesitation, he flipped the dagger in his grip, pointed it at his chest, and stabbed himself through the heart. It all happened to fast for me to stop. Mortis dropped to his knees and bellowed in agony.
Hadrian took a step to run for him when the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I spun around and saw the Stormkind staggering through the wall of hail and ice. The thunder-Stormkind held its hands open to the sky, calling down shafts of lightning that smashed against the drenched soil. A streak of lightning snaked over the earth and aimed toward us. Hadrian and I stepped back from one another. The bolt leaped from the ground and flared to life between us. I could feel the searing heat and the piercing shocks that stung my skin. I screamed and stumbled away, not sure if I’d been struck by the bolt or not. I couldn’t see Hadrian, not even when the light died.
I swayed drunkenly, blinking against the sudden darkness. A gleam of skeletal light and a cyclone of snow rushed toward me. The tornado-Stormkind, with its swirling grey skin, sent a twister directly at me. Hadrian skidded in front of me, swinging his hand up. The ground beneath us froze over just before a tower of ice jutted upward and captured the tornado. It didn’t stop the Stormkind, but Hadrian was shifting his attention.
He twisted at the waist, punching his fist forward. A ball of ice shot from his fist, slamming into the ice-Stormkind charging our right. The Stormkind held up its clear, icy hand. It punched the sphere of ice, shattering it in one strike. It swiveled its wrist, capturing the shards of ice as they fell. Then it launched them back at us.
This time I stepped forward, sweeping my arm and sending a powerful wind to brush the shards away. As I turned, a bolt of lightning shot past me like a burning arrow. A piece of it grazed my arm, pain bursting in a white-hot explosion over my bicep. I screamed and backed into Hadrian. His hand found mine and he squeezed tightly. I felt him shift, and looked up to see the rain freezing around him. I glanced back and watched him sweep the tempest-blade around him like a lasso. The pieces of hail followed him.
In one wide, twisting move, Hadrian whipped the shards of hail at the Stormkind. As each piece shot through the air, they connected to other shards of hail until spears as long as my arms formed. The spears struck the ground in front of the Stormkind and exploded into clusters of deadly spikes that pierced the beings through their arms and legs. I didn’t know if that would be enough to stop them, but I took a second to breathe.
Hadrian looked at me. His free hand cupped my face, his eyes riveting me to the ground.
“What happened?”
I glanced at my seared arm. The burn was blistering red and pulsed in sharp stings, but it would heal. Hadrian frowned when he looked at the wound, his concerned blue eyes rising to mine. He was about to speak when something captured his attention behind me. Hadrian’s eyes widened just before a violent swirl of wind snapped around me and ripped me from his grasp.
I screamed as I flew through the air. Clumps of dirt and dust snared my wrists and ankles, then yanked me back onto the earth. I screamed again when I struck it, pain exploding up my back and through my head. One more smash like that, and I would break at least one of my bones. If I were lucky.
Groaning against the pain swelling in my head, I cracked my eyes open and stared at the swaying image of Mortis looming over me. Unlike Declan, he had kept most of his human form. Only his eyes were different. Gone were the creepy black irises, replaced by unfiltered, shocking white.
Mortis smirked. “This appears to have been a success,” he remarked. His voice still retained its familiar depth, but there was a strange echo to it now. A haunting, hollow noise that sent shivers through the pain in my body.
“Mortis!” screamed Hadrian. I lolled my head to look at him, watched him run as fast as he could, forgetting about the Stormkind sliding off the icy spikes that had punctured their bodies. Saw that while he’d called Mortis’s name, his eyes were only for me.
The Mistral-turned Stormkind, or whatever he was now, shifted the angle of his head. He turned his hand upward, his fingers becoming vicious claws. Thin whips of lightning shuddered down from the black clouds, and struck the cold ground around Hadrian. Caging him in a circle of blinding light.
I rolled onto my side, aching from the pain cutting through my back, my heart breaking with every desperate pulse.
Following the turn of Mortis’s wrist, the lightning split off again, flipping up and coiling around Hadrian’s limbs. They tightened and pushed him onto the ground. His screams of pain ripped the rest of my heart to pieces.
Knowing I had to save him, that I had to save all of us, I crawled across the ground to Mortis’s feet and pulled cool strength from the tether. My hands frosted over, a dagger of ice filling my palm. I gripped it tightly and stabbed it into Mortis’s ankle. He barked in pain and lost his hold on the lightning. I stabbed again, aiming higher on his leg. The ice-dagger punched through the skin at the bottom of his knee–
; Mortis’s heavy boot slammed into my shoulder. Searing pain burst across my chest and upper arm. I had no idea if it was because he’d kicked my burned arm, or because my shoulder was now dislocated, but it felt like my entire left arm was now useless.
Good thing I was right-handed.
Mortis roared and reached for my neck. I shoved my right hand up and threw a gust of wind at him like a punch. It struck his chest and knocked him away from me.
I rolled onto my side, my eyes finding Hadrian across from me. The lightning had disappeared from his body, but I could see the agony etched into his face. Behind him, I saw the Stormkind rush for him.
The choice was in front of me. Help Hadrian and let Mortis destroy us while we fought together, or put every ounce of strength into stopping Mortis alone.
To use these so-called gifts, and find out exactly what I was capable of. No matter what the cost would be.
Faces flashed like lightning through my mind. Mom and Dad’s loving smiles. James’s big, excited eyes. Piper’s laugh. Zephys’s smirk and Vitae’s sad eyes.
Hadrian’s slow smile and polite nod. The glimmer in his sapphire eyes when he looked at me.
It wasn’t much of a choice at all.
Hadrian, get up. Keep the Stormkind away from me.
He moved slowly– too slowly– pushing onto his hands and knees. I cringed at the sight of his charred wrists and bruised face.
What are you doing, Ava?
My heart twisted. He would never agree to my plan if he knew the whole truth about it.
Buying time so we don’t have to take on so many enemies. I hesitated, then added, Let me protect you for once.
That should have been his first sign something was wrong. Maybe deep down, he knew there was. But he couldn’t do anything about it, because the Stormkind were closing in and surrounding him. Hadrian gathered his strength, fought his pain, and came up swinging.
It was time for me to do the same thing.
I slapped my hands against the sleety, slimy ground and grabbed the energy in the air in front of me. I pushed down, letting power ripple underneath me. The ground bucked under my feet, throwing up a wave of mud high enough to knock anyone off balance. Rolling to my feet, I watched Mortis push himself from the muck. His white eyes burned like the deepest fires of Hell, bright promises of a slow, torturous death.