Despite freeing one brother and working to save another, Aerolus stood ankle deep in the Nocumat that continued to grow and slide around its prey. Though its many hands returned to clutch at the Storm brothers, the clone seemed content to stand by Marcus, as if watching the spectacle.
Marcus swore. “Damn it, Tessa. Use what I gave you.” His voice grew alarmingly weak, and the clone turned to him and cocked its head. “Please. Use the magic, and I’ll be happy knowing we’ll have saved those I love most in the world.”
What he really meant was “I’ll die happy” not “I’ll be happy.” The arrogant, overbearing jerk I loved was planning to die to save me.
I had precious little time to act. “You want to be a hero.” I sneered, taking comfort in anger. How like a prince to make all my decisions for me. “Fine, be a hero. But you’re not dying until I’m good and ready to let you.”
Finally accepting the great power he’d given me, I consciously used my own abilities to sap more from those in the room, including Sin Garu. After years of holding back, I released my repressed fury. What Sin Garu had done to me the past few hours, what he’d done to Marcus’ people, to his lands and his father, stirred a mighty need for vengeance that wouldn’t be stopped.
I channeled the Storm brothers’ pain and Sin Garu’s sick pleasure into a mass of chaotic energy. Oddly, the taste of purity, what I instinctively knew to be Tanselm’s essence, filled me up, and the world turned hazy.
Dimly aware of Aerolus and Cadmus battling to save Marcus, I turned to Sin Garu. He stood over an unmoving Jonas, who had lost much of his fiery glow.
The sorcerer grinned at me, thinking he’d triumphed.
I laughed harder when he frowned. “You’ve taught me so much in so little time. Now it’s up to me to return the favor.”
The next moments blurred as I let everything out.
Crackling, booming thunder and static filled the air in and around me, as if I stood in the heart of a massive storm. Water and wind crashed over Sin Garu in a monsoon, while whips of ivy and thick roots latched onto his legs, holding him still.
The sorcerer shrieked and cursed, his words whipped away by the winds pulling at his hair and clothes. Psychic energy pulsed against the narrow walls of Davis’ apartment until the drywall buckled. Wood splintered and sparks flew as electrical wiring snapped and sparked, sizzling with the threat of shock under the cascading waters that splashed over everything.
I rode the wave of power as the walls exploded outward, a storm holding all of us centered in its midst.
Sin Garu snarled. I couldn’t make out what he said, but it must have been a spell strong enough to break me from so much borrowed power. Everything stilled, and then the water dropped, and the winds vanished.
The sorcerer suddenly stood tall and completely dry, his expression one of mild displeasure. “I’m sorry we couldn’t see eye to eye on this. We would have made an unbeatable team.”
He stepped over Jonas, who groaned. But Sin Garu ignored him.
Jonas blinked up at me and weakly motioned to the sorcerer.
Sin Garu pulled a large, red saber out of thin air and pointed it at me.
Behind him, Jonas kept motioning until I nodded, finally understanding what he wanted.
“Get back, Tessa,” Cadmus yelled, but he was too far away to interfere in time.
Near enough to strike, Sin Garu raised the sword with intent to kill.
Using the last bit of energy I had left, I shoved Sin Garu back and sagged to the ground.
“That won’t stop me, you stupid human.” Sin Garu smiled.
Just as Jonas grabbed his leg. “I think you and I have taken enough of their time, don’t you, sorcerer?”
“Get off me!” Sin Garu screamed as his leg smoked.
The black flames surrounding Jonas flared to life and engulfed the sorcerer’s entire leg, traveling up his body.
“Release me or die very, very slowly.” He tried to break free of Jonas but couldn’t. “I’ll bend the light around you. I’ll immolate you in the fires of the Next. I’ll—” Sin Garu shrieked as black flame danced over his body, covering him whole.
“I’m glad I got to know you, Tessa,” Jonas said, shaky, as he gasped and closed his eyes. He added, “Thanks for weakening him enough that I could do this last thing. Take care of the River Prince.”
Jonas shimmered, becoming transparent as his flames sputtered then turned to a smudge of darkness that grew in the air around him and the sorcerer, now burning in silence.
Then he Sin Garu disappeared, leaving no trace behind.
