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Think. Think. Think.
When things went wrong, Mom always said the best thing to do was to go back to the basics. I took a calming breath through my nose and dug my fingers into the earth. I let the rich soil fuel my magic and bit down on the vine in my mouth. The second it shriveled away, I muttered a simple unlocking spell. The vines’ hold weakened, and I shot to my feet.
No one could make a solid hit, but I had the sinking feeling that my mentor was just letting us tire ourselves out, until she could make the perfect strike.
Time for a change of tactics.
Another vine jutted from the grassy ground, and I moved my foot just a little too slowly. The vine snaked its way up my leg, and Josephine grinned like a madwoman. Meanwhile, I whispered a spell under my breath and launched it at her.
As my stillness spell found its mark, her wild eyes went vacant. She bit her lip in frustration, but my spell left her body paralyzed.
And blind.
It was a little twist to the spell that I’d developed in my efforts to terrorize Walker. With a few tweaks, the shadows I once made dance now shrouded her vision entirely. I nearly smiled. Mom would’ve greatly appreciated the irony of it all. The Elders fought off Josephine’s minions who dared to intervene.
“Never drop your shields,” I recited her own teachings, “not even when you think you’ve won.”
“You little—”
“Ah,” I interjected. “Language.”
I wrenched the vine off my leg and prowled closer to her. My footsteps crunched over the grass, and Josephine shivered.
“Freya,” she crooned. A tear trickled down her cheek. “You wouldn’t really hurt me. Would you, dearest?”
I flinched at her endearment, but my steps did not falter. I pulled my last resort—magic-binding titanium cuffs—from the hidden pocket on my suit. They were bone-achingly cold in my hands, and their silver color gleamed under the blood moon’s light.
“Freya,” Josephine warned. “Don’t push me too far!”
Vines continued to chase me, but their movements were sloppy, and I easily avoided their grasp. Without her eyes to see me or her hands to direct them, her attacks were almost pathetic.
“Or what?” I challenged.
I stepped around her and twisted her wrists behind her back. Under my will, her arms were easy to move. I slipped the cuffs over her wrists and whispered a containment spell. As they activated, the runes etched into them glowed. Josephine whimpered.
A howl pierced the air, and the vampires shuddered in fear.
“It’s over, dearest,” I whispered.
While Josephine trembled under my hands, the wolves tore into vampires left and right. I searched the crowd for Walker, but I couldn’t find him in the chaos.
It’s over, I thought. Why aren’t they retreating?
Dread pooled in my stomach. The vampires were most certainly not running. If anything, more seemed to portal into the fray. Seconds ago, their numbers were half of the wolves. Now, they were nearly equally matched. Unless they were killed by the Sol sword, some of the vampires could have bounced back from death, but they didn’t bounce back that fast.
“You foolish, arrogant girl,” Josephine purred.
She didn’t tremble under my grip.
She laughed.
Magic radiated off her in waves, and the runes on the cuffs glowed brighter. The hum of her power hurt my ears so badly, the vibration of it alone was nearly overwhelming. Cursing myself for choosing mercy for a merciless crime, I jumped away from her and reached for the web in my pocket.
“Help!” Cadence called.
Several feet away, she crouched on the ground next to her father, whose face was ghostly pale. Walker stood over them like a forlorn sentry. His eyes searched the crowd for aid, but no one noticed the human family that had been reunited, only to be broken again. No one saw the tears gleaming in his eyes. I yelled Gloria's name, jutted my chin in their direction, and prayed it would be enough.
Snap!
