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When I reach the deadzone, the wards drop away, and I know I’m close. The flicker of light is now a bright glow, and I can see the outline of the holding cell just under the surface of the water, made of the same grey stone that Malia described.
I swim towards it, and when I’m close enough, I take a deep breath and dive under the surface of the water.
My lungs burn as I kick against the current to reach the small stone cell, and when I make it, I press my bleeding palms against the rock.
Please let this work. Please don’t let me be too late.
The magic of the cell yields to my bloodline and I crash into the cell, landing heavily on the stone floor.
Shivering from the cold and gasping for air, I quickly climb to my feet and scan the cell. Malia is sitting against the wall, her hands bound behind her back, her ankles tied with rope. Relief floods through me at the sight of her, but it’s short-lived.
Tanimola is standing in front of her, a wicked grin on his face.
“Well, well, well,” he says, his voice dripping with malice. “Look who decided to drop by for an early visit.”
I don’t waste any time. I charge towards him, drawing my sword from its sheath. Tanimola smirks and holds up his hand, and a burst of magic sends me flying back, crashing into an invisible wall of water. Choking, I struggle to get back up, lungs burning, as I drag myself towards Malia.
Tanimola steps towards me, his eyes glinting with amusement. “You really thought you could take me on, Omo? You’re nothing compared to my power.”
I grit my teeth and summon all the strength and magic that I can, drawing on the energy of the water all around me. I sense a wave rising up, and send it crashing towards Tanimola with all the force of the ocean behind it.
But he’s too quick, sidestepping the wave and sending a bolt of lightning towards me.
I manage to dodge it, but just barely. My clothes are soaked through, clinging to me as I stand up with sword at the ready. Tanimola laughs, a high-pitched, mocking sound that makes my blood boil.
“You really think you can defeat me? You don’t have the guts, Omo.”
I ignore his taunts and charge towards him again. This time, I’m ready for his magic. I sidestep his lightning bolt and slash at him with my sword. He blocks it, but he’s not quick enough to avoid my next strike. My sword slices through his arm, and he screams in pain.
“You’ll pay for that,” he snarls, his eyes blazing with fury.
Strike after strike of lightning shoots towards me, but the damage to his arm, and the blood loss, send his concentration off enough that the hits he scores are only shallow. Still, I know he has the advantage, and I need to finish this quickly. I slash at him again, adding magic to the point of my sword. He’s anticipating my follow-up hit so doesn’t move fast enough, and I leave a trail of burning magic down his side. As I dart away, he sends yet another bolt of lightning which catches me across the back and drags the breath from my lungs. We both collapse to the cave floor. This needs to end. Now. I know he senses that too.
He sends another burst of magic towards me, but I’m prepared. I counter with a burst of my own magic, and the two forces collide in a blinding explosion of light and sound. When the smoke clears, Tanimola is lying at my feet, unmoving.
I rush towards Malia, freeing her from her bonds. She clings to me, sobbing with relief.
“Thank you,” she whispers. “Thank you for saving me.”
I hold her tightly, knowing that we’re not out of danger yet. But for now, we’re safe.
“Is he dead?” she asks.
I pierce his abdomen with my sword and he doesn’t react. Blood floods out of the wound, staining the stone floor.
“He will be soon,” I tell her.
Malia throws her arms around me and I stagger backwards, only just managing to stop us from toppling over. The urge to keep her in my arms is strong, but I know we need to get out of here. Bhodi needs us.
I nearly wept with relief when the professor stumbled through a solid stone wall. He came for me. Alone.
There wasn’t time to wonder about the others because my captor immediately hit the offensive, attacking the professor with a force I couldn’t see, only feel. And somehow he fought back.
Magic is real. Everything they said is real.
As I watched the professor battle my captor, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The air around them crackled with energy as they traded blows, their magic ricocheting off one another and filling the room with a deafening noise. My captor was powerful, but the professor was cunning, and he was holding his own. I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of admiration for him. His strength and bravery in the face of such danger was unlike anything I had ever witnessed before.
By the time we make it back to the beach and climb up the cliff I’m trembling with exhaustion and shivering from the cold. The professor helps me into the passenger seat of his car, even though he’s injured, then covers me in a blanket he retrieved from the back. Getting in himself, he turns the heating up to full blast and places his bruised hand on my thigh, rubbing soothing motions back and forth. It does nothing to warm me up, but everything to calm me down as he drives us away from the beach.
