by Alicia Rades
“That’s my sister, you asshole!” Ryland voice came, and he raced into my line of vision. He aimed his gun at the guy, but when he pulled the trigger, nothing happened. He tossed the empty gun aside and snatched up Fiona’s knife from the ground.
Watch out! I wanted to say.
The wolf turned on Ryland and lunged. It knocked him to the ground, but not before Ryland sank the knife into its chest. The wolf let out a howl, then snapped its jaw at Ryland’s face.
The spell was starting to wear off. I pushed myself upward, but my legs still weren’t working.
“Ryland!” I shrieked.
But it was too late. Blood spurted out of Ryland’s throat as flesh went flying everywhere. The wolf didn’t hold back. He ripped Ryland apart before I could even blink.
“No!” I shouted.
The world seemed to slow as I realized what had just happened. It all happened too fast.
Fiona looked a little disoriented, but she quickly focused when she caught sight of her brother’s body lying in pieces on the ground. I’d never seen her look so angry in her life. She got to her feet, then aimed herself at the wolf, letting out a battle cry as she launched herself on top of him.
The wolf rolled over and snapped its jaws at Fiona, but she only held on to him tighter. Her arm wrapped around his neck, and her legs secured around his middle. She squeezed his neck tighter and tighter, giving everything she had into the rage. The wolf bucked and bit at her, trying to get her off of him, but she wouldn’t give up so easily. A huge gash ran along her arm where the wolf’s teeth had caught her, but it was like she didn’t even feel it—didn’t see the blood dripping down her arm and into the grass.
The wolf went limp, and still she held on. She wasn’t taking any chances.
The feeling returned to my legs, and I pushed myself to my feet. I stumbled a little as the spell wore off, then found my footing and raced across the grass toward them.
But before I could get to them, hands swooped down out of the air and lifted me. I screamed as I flew higher and higher above the park. Venn looked upward at the sound of my voice, and sheer fear washed over his face.
“Rae!” he screamed.
“Venn!” I shouted back. He got smaller and smaller the higher I rose, until he looked like a mere ant beneath me. I caught sight of a white stream of magic knocking him to his side, then the park disappeared from view.
“What are you doing to me?” I demanded. I didn’t try to struggle, because I knew if he let go, I’d surely fall to my death. But I sure as hell deserved an answer.
“Relax,” Matias’s voice sounded in my ear. “This will all be over soon.”
26
Matias flew us over the countryside and into Nocton. He dropped me ten feet above a tall apartment building. My ankles twisted under me when I landed on the rooftop, and I rolled across the concrete to slow my fall. He landed softly behind me.
I whirled toward him. “What is this!?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” he asked, spreading his arms out wide. His brown hair was in disarray, and the buttons on his suit coat were ripped from the fight. He had a wild look in his eyes that made me uneasy. “I wanted to get you alone.”
“Why don’t you just kill me already?” I snapped. Seriously, what was the guy waiting for? Isn’t that what he wanted?
Matias threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, Rachel. I don’t want to kill you. You know what I want—what I’ve always wanted.”
“You want me to join you. Why?”
He couldn't be that desperate. People had flooded in from all over the country to join him. What could I offer that the rest of them couldn't?
“Your power is unstoppable, Rachel, if only you knew how to use it.”
“What makes you think I would ever take your side?” I demanded.
“Because it’s your only option,” he said like it was obvious.
“Why would you trust me?” I asked. “You could give me my magic back just to have me turn on you.”
“I’d have no reason not to trust you once you saw the beauty of my plan,” he said simply.
Pompous ass.
“I know what your plan is, and it goes against everything I believe in,” I spat.
He raised an eyebrow. “Really, Rachel? You’re against building a better world?”
“No,” I stated firmly. “Just against your means. It won’t work, Matias. Why can’t you see that?”
“It will!” he roared, before quickly softening his voice. “It’d be a shame to kill you. It really would.”
Why? I didn’t get it. What was so much harder about killing me than all the other people he killed?
“You’re one of the most powerful souls in all of history,” Matias said. “You just need a little guidance. I could train you, Rachel. Together, we could unlock the magic that would allow us to live forever.”
There it was. He’d trade a little training for immortality—because he knew he’d never figure that one out on his own. He wasn’t powerful enough for it.
“And everyone else?” I asked. “Where do you stand on your followers?”
“Same place I always have,” he said. “They will do as they are told or suffer the consequences.”
“Then we have no deal,” I snarled.
Matias and I struck at the same time. My bracelet blasted him backward as he shot blood-red magic at me. I dove behind an air-conditioning unit. The metal screeched and crumpled beneath the weight of his magic.
I quickly grabbed my last vial of magic. I tossed it over the air conditioning unit, then ducked down again. An explosion sounded, but it was at least twenty yards away from where I'd aimed. Matias must've deflected it.
My heart slammed against my rib cage. How was I possibly going to defeat him without magic to defend me? The only thing I could do was hope he wore out before I did. That, or surprise him.
I held my breath and listened to the sound of his light footsteps across the rooftop.
“Come on, Rachel,” he taunted. “Let's not drag this out. We both know how this is going to end.”
My whole body quivered. He was right. He was clearly holding the winning hand. But I'd beaten the odds before. I wasn't about to surrender.
He was only feet from me now. I leapt out from behind the safety of the air conditioner and grabbed him. I dragged him to the ground as my fingers tangled in the chain around his neck. It gave way, and the locket flew several yards away from us.
I shot another blast out of the bracelet. Matias reacted at the same time. He threw his palms out, and the blast reversed toward me. I went flying backward and flipped through the air. I almost landed on my feet, but my body kept moving over the lip around the edge of the roof. My feet slipped out from under me, and suddenly, I was falling.
Desperately, my hands reached out to grab anything. To my relief, I caught the edge of the roof with the tips of my fingers. I stole a glance beneath myself to see that my feet were dangling at least ten stories off the ground. My pulse quickened.
I quickly tried to pull myself up, which wasn't difficult with the extra strength the cufflink in my pocket gave me. But I barely made any headway before Matias's shiny shoe was pressing down on my fingers.
“Ah!” I screamed as the heavy pressure radiated across my right knuckles.
Matias pressed down on my fingers. He had that same wild look in his eyes I'd spotted earlier.
“I was going to kill you with magic,” he taunted with a laugh, “but I think I like this idea better. Ironic that your wings won't save you now.”
He leaned forward, and his suit coat opened. My eyes caught a bulge on the inside pocket.
“Please, Matias,” I begged.
He smirked. “Ready to join me? Too late.”
He pressed down harder on my hand and leaned even closer. “Rachel Collins hung from a wall. Rachel Collins had a great—”
As my last-ditch effort to survive, I reached up and tangled my fingers in Matias's inner pocket the mo
ment he shoved me off the side of the building. The glorious sound of tearing fabric met my ears, and The Wise Owl tumbled out of his pocket and toward the ground with me.
It felt like I was falling in slow motion. My limbs reached out, as if I might catch something in the air that would stop my fall. I saw Matias's face go stark white as the Artifact fell out of his grasp. I knew the moment he lost his hold on it because I suddenly felt energized, like I could take on anything.
Shifter magic shot through me, and I spread my wings a moment before I was about to hit the ground. The jewelry I'd been carrying with me clinked to the pavement, but my enchanted clothing shifted with me.
A thrill swept through my body as I flapped my wings as fast as I could. I hadn't flown in what felt like ages, not since Valkas ripped my flight feathers out. I was glad to see they'd grown back, even when my magic was missing.
Behind me, magic slammed into a nearby building as it tried to knock me out of the air. It just barely missed my tail feathers as I dodged around it. I glanced down to the Owl in the alleyway below me to see it rising into the air.
I landed and shifted as fast as I could, then pointed my palms toward the Owl. It stopped around the third floor and wavered in the air as Matias and I fought against each other's magic.
I let out a cry of glee. I'd never done telekinesis before. I felt powerful. Really powerful.
I tugged harder with my magic, and the Owl went flying out of both of our magical holds. It smashed through a window in the building beside us and out of sight. Matias glanced over the edge of the building, his face paling.
I jumped and guided my body upward with my newfound power. Wind whipped my hair around, and lightning crackled out of my hands. I landed softly on the roof beside Matias.
He stepped back from the edge and smirked. “Two can play at that game, Rachel.”
He held his palms upward. Lightning jumped out of them and connected with nearby buildings.
“Quod dico facies,” I muttered under my breath.
Matias stilled at my puppeteer spell, but the lightning continued to crackle out of his palms. In my hands, I gathered water from the air and formed it into sharp knife-like icicles, then aimed them at Matias’s chest.
“Any last words?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Yeah. You think that’s going to work on me?”
Rage entered Matias’s features, and his face began to turn red, as if he were trying to move a brick wall.
I didn't waste another second. I shot my ice knives at his chest.
They never made it. Somehow, he broke through my hold on him. His palms shot out in front of him, and the icicles melted in mid-air.
Anger swept through me. I'd show him no mercy. This ended now.
I thought back to all the incantations I'd read in Genevieve’s books and shot anything and everything I could think of at him.
Stunning spell.
Transfiguration curse.
Freezing spell.
Pain curse.
He deflected every one of my cursed with magic of his own, then started throwing magic back at me. I dodged out of the way and put up a shield. I could feel it weakening with each curse he threw at me.
Using my telekinesis, I tried to lift him up into the air, but his magic pushed against mine. His feet remained on the ground.
“Give it up,” I warned him. “You said yourself I'm powerful.”
Matias chuckled. “So am I. Looks like we're going to have to do this the old-fashioned way.”
Matias came at me so fast he was a blur. His hands tangled in my shirt as he tried to take me down. I grabbed hold of his wrists and shot straight upward, using my telekinesis to fly through the dark sky.
Matias’s face was only inches from mine. When he laughed, I could smell his breath. It smelled like rot. That crazy look in his eyes was even more apparent now. Matias shifted our course as we went higher and higher. I fought against him, and we jerked in the other direction.
“Just die already,” he snarled.
Matias yanked his right hand from my hold and slammed his fist into the side of my face. Pain shot across my cheek, but I responded with a punch of my own. My knuckles slammed into his nose, and his head snapped backward. I'd lost the cufflink when I shifted—since it wasn’t enchanted like my clothes were—so it didn't do as much damage as I wanted.
“Never,” I snapped.
A ball of red magic formed in his palm. I was acutely aware of his hand heading toward my chest. I let go of him and kicked off his abdomen to distance myself from him.
Magic rained down on me from all angles as a primal scream ripped out of Matias's lungs above me. I dodged around it, then reoriented myself so I could see him. Magic shot out of my hands.
Fireball.
Boils curse.
Shrinking spell.
Matias moved around each attack. I turned my gaze forward again and quickly corrected my flight as I almost slammed into the side of a tall building.
We were blocks away from where we'd started, right at the center of Nocton. Tall hotel buildings and conference centers rose around us. People on the street below looked like ants beneath the street lamps.
I heard the flap of his suit coat in the wind and dropped several feet to avoid him. But he quickly followed and grabbed hold of the back of my shirt.
I screamed as Matias dragged me higher and higher. We landed on the rooftop of the hospital next to a helipad.
Matias flung my body around with all his strength. My head cracked into the brick safety wall at the edge of the roof. My vision blurred, and when I reached up to cradle the area of impact, my hand came away covered in blood.
Matias stalked toward me, but my eyes couldn't focus on him. Double vision assaulted me.
Matias clicked his tongue. “You were a worthy opponent, Rachel. I really am sorry.”
He reached out for me, and I quickly shifted to avoid his hold. But he found my feathers anyway and slammed my body back to the ground.
I gasped for breath as his hands clamped down over my small neck. It felt like he was crushing bone. I shifted back to human form to give myself a fighting chance, but he only squeezed my throat harder. His eyes went wide in crazed satisfaction.
I grabbed his wrists and tried to burn them, but he only smirked, like he enjoyed the pain. I tried to blast him back with my magic, but all it did was send a strong wind through his hair. I was too drained.
Tears rose to my eyes.
Please, I begged no one in particular. I'm not ready to die.
At the thought, figures began to form around me out of nowhere. At first, they looked like shadows. Then they faded to white. Five see-through beings stared down at me. Matias didn't seem to notice the spirits.
Mom? Dad?
They nodded like they could hear my thoughts speaking to them. Tears began to fall down my face as I looked between each of the faces.
Genevieve, Ryland, and Amalia were there, too. My gut sank at the sight of them. Amalia hadn't made it, either?
How are you here? I asked in my head.
“The potion you drank,” Amalia said. “It made you a medium—just for tonight.”
I began to cry harder. Why are you here? I'll be with you soon.
Mom shook her head. I couldn't believe I was seeing her face again. “Not yet, Rachel.”
She leaned down and placed a transparent hand to my head. It felt like a cool breeze across my skin.
I hesitated. If I waited it out just a few more seconds, I could be with them again. We didn't have to move on to a new life. They'd waited in the afterlife this long for me. We could just stay there forever.
“Rachel,” Dad whispered. “You can't give up. You have more work to do here.”
“Please, Rae,” Ryland begged. “Everyone else needs you.”
“Fight him, Rachel,” Genevieve encouraged. “You're stronger than him. You have more than he does.”
More than he does? I thought to myself. Clearly, our powers
were matched. I might've had more strength inside of me, but I hadn't exercised it. I’d need more time. Time I didn't have.
As my eyes flickered between each of my family's faces, I realized what Genevieve meant. I had a family. Matias didn't.
And that was what made me stronger than him.
Gathering all my strength inside of me, I found just enough for one last spell. I pointed my hand up toward the sky and closed my eyes.
This better work.
Red magic shot straight upward and into the clouds. It was so bright that it felt like the sun against my closed eyes.
Matias let out a frustrated scream and squeezed me harder. My airways were completely blocked off, and I could feel my consciousness slipping.
This is it.
I heard the sound of feet landing around me, then the low growl of a wolf—a familiar wolf.
Relief flooded through me. They'd seen my signal!
A primal growl ripped out across the night, then suddenly, Matias's hands vanished from my neck. I sucked in a deep breath, though my throat burned.
Yips, growls, and roars sounded across the rooftop. Shadows flashed by me. A fox, a raccoon, a lion...
The sound of an explosion burst across the roof the same time a bright green light lit up the night sky. The shadow of a wolf flew across my vision before I even had a chance to sit up.
My eyes followed Venn to see him roll across the rooftop and land beside the rest of the people who had come to my rescue. Jenna, Ronark, and Fiona had also been blasted back by Matias's magic. They got to their feet in their shifted form.
Everyone was here: Jenna, Venn, Fiona, Sondra, Clarita, Ronark, and Zoey. They all glared at Matias in rage.
I whipped my head around toward Matias and saw that he was on the ground. Three large gashes from Venn's claws marred his face, but he wore an expression of satisfaction.
I shot to my feet, cradling my neck with my hand. I faced Matias with my head held high.
Multiple pairs of footsteps approached, along with the sound of paws padding against the rooftop. I suddenly felt stronger—like just having my family here had restored my energy.