The fae was siphoning the air straight from my lungs.
My heart rate sped up, burning the little oxygen left in my system. I bucked, but the movement was weak. All my senses dulled. My hand flailed, a last-ditch effort to draw someone’s attention.
Suddenly, hot liquid splattered onto my back, and air, precious air, flooded my lungs once again. I gasped as the fae’s weight fell off of me.
“Holy shit, Odie!” Eva yanked me up off the ground.
I swayed, disoriented.
“What did he do to you?” my friend asked as she held me up.
I cringed, noting the blood dripping off her face. Then, I stiffened. Dripping. Likewater.
I gasped. “Eva! Those people in the water.” I spun to find they were still trapped, passed out. A trio was trying to save the girl, while Andre and Diana were working to free the guy. “We have to help them!”
We dashed over to help Diana and Andre. Sweat poured off them as they used spells and battle magic against the sphere.
“Any luck?” Eva yelled.
My eyes darted to the guy in the water globe. His skin was blue and his eyes closed as he floated lifelessly in the sphere.
“None!” Andre grunted. “We’ve tried dozens of spells, but we’re either not powerful enough, or they aren’t effective against elemental magic.”
“Or both!” Diana yelled as she hurled a ball of glaring purple light at the water sphere. I watched it fly right out the other side.
“Your magic can go through there, though?” I asked, making sure that hadn’t been a one-time thing.
Diana nodded. “Our magic can, but when we touch it, the damn thing is solid. Otherwise, I’d yank him out.”
I had an idea.
“Andre, I’m going to make a warphole into the bubble. If I can’t get out on my own, pull me back through. You might even have to keep it open if something happens to me in there.”
Andre’s eyes grew round. “Yeah, okay—I got you, Dane.”
I felt a little bad. He was still so new to warping. Even so, he was the most qualified witch around, and we were running out of time.
I didn’t need to go far, and I could see my destination, so setting up the warphole was easy. Just a visualization, a calling and redirecting of energy, and the hole appeared before me. Inside the bubble of water, a black dot lined with fuchsia opened. As it expanded, the water cage expanded too. I watched as it doubled in size, then tripled. So the warphole wouldn’t pop the globe, but the bubble wouldn’t expel my warphole either.
There was a chance this would work.
I seized the opportunity and stepped into the warphole. The familiar sensation of heat then cold enveloped me, but it was only momentary before water splashed in my face. My eyes snapped shut on instinct, but I forced them back open.
The drowning student was three or four feet away, but when I extended my hand past the safety of the warphole, I discovered that the current in the ball of water was crazy strong. Thankfully, I was a California girl and a good swimmer.
I took a huge breath and plunged. It should have only taken a few strong strokes to reach him, but because of the current, it took more. When my hands wrapped around his arm, he was ice cold.
My sense of urgency amplified.
Pulling him back to the warphole was ten times more difficult than reaching him had been. He was heavy, and my lungs started to burn. We were a foot away from reaching the safety of my magic, when something inside the globe shifted.
The current became a whirlpool, and I gripped the guy I’d saved tighter only seconds before we began spinning around. Stupidly, I let out a scream, releasing all my air. Outside the globe, I heard Eva yell my name, but I couldn’t respond. Stars already dotted my vision. Flailing, I tried to expand the warphole toward me, but panic filled me, and manipulating warpholes required a clear mind.
This was it. I was about to meet my end. Ishtar would be so pissed that she never got to best me.
And Alex . . . I didn’t even get to say goodbye.
Darkness descended—my grip on the guy loosened, but I used all my remaining energy to hold tight. I didn’t want to die alone.
