“Have fun trying.”
Before it could move again, the giant ball of water flew toward him, slamming into its face too fast for it to fling up its hands. It reeled backward. When its hands lowered, I sawan actual face chiseled into the sand, like it had been sculpted there. Wet clumps formed high cheekbones and a strong jaw. A pointed nose formed between the two glowing eyes. It was the most human I had ever seen it. If it were human, it would have been a handsome man, were it not for the rage twisting its face.
Before I could react, it darted forward. A hand gripped my throat and thrust me to the ground. I gaped, stars bursting in my vision as the wraith loomed over me. Sand trickled into my mouth, blocking my airways.
My hand flopped, searching for the water from the spring, wanting to hurl more of it at him. Except I couldn’t reach. It held me tight, looming over me as my breathing grew more and more labored, sand clogging my throat.
A high-pitched yowl echoed around the cavern, and the wraith vanished from overhead. Groaning, pushing myself up, my head spun as I looked, and, with a horrified jolt, I saw Grace spinning to face it. She had knocked him off me.
Behind her, I saw a large shape lunging in their direction. But I was quicker. Hacking and sputtering, I reached for the water and thrust it toward them, creating a wall of shimmering water between the wraith and Grace. Grace stumbled back, plodding over to me and giving me a reassuring lick as I continued spitting out sand. My hand quavered as my head began to throb. A moment later, despite my trying to hold it, the water slumped back down to the ground, removing the barrier.
The wraith hissed at me as I pushed myself to my feet, putting myself between it and Grace once more.
“You’ll regret this, witch,” its gravelly voice warned. Instead of attacking, it turned, preparing to race out and come back another day.
It came to a screeching halt when it caught sight of Elias, blocking the entrance, the wraith now weakened enough for the alpha to do some serious damage.
At the same time, I could feel that I was weakening. My head had started to pound like a drum, and everything swirled as I tried to catch my breath. I felt liquid dripping down from my nose. When I swiped a finger beneath it, I jolted in alarm when I saw it was blood.
I heaved a labored breath. I had never used this much magic at once before. The edges of my vision flickered and dimmed as everything swirled.
I heard the wraith give a throaty chuckle as it watched me stagger.
“You’re weak, witch,” it jeered. “You aren’t used to your power, are you?”
I didn’t answer, stumbling again as I reeled.
It gave another laugh. “It was a noble effort. But it’s time for you to die.”
As it lunged toward me, apparently forgetting the figure behind it. I raised my arms once again, concentrating, using every ounce of my concentration and exertion. A column of water swelled behind me, heading toward the wraith. It wrapped around it, creating a swirling vortex of water, trapping it. Panicked shrieks reverberated from inside, barely audible over the sound of rushing water. I watched as it tried to break free, only for the vortex to track it, keeping it locked in the swirling water.
I closed my fist and watched with savage satisfaction as the vortex began to constrict and close in, tightening around him.
My head pounded, and the room began to spin around me. I stumbled as my eyes went in and out of focus. Gritting my teeth, I dug my teeth into my lower lip, trying to bring myself back to the present. I couldn’t let myself slip, not yet. This was more magic than I had ever done before. I couldn’t keep it up for much longer.
I forced myself to straighten, to hold on. I couldn’t give up. Not yet.
Between two moments, my concentration wavered, my throbbing headache getting in the way. The vortex collapsed, flopping to the stones below and freeing the wraith before I could strike the killing blow.
With a snarl that was both terrified and furious, it spun, preparing to make its escape, to fight another day, only to come face-to-face with a growling Elias, showing nothing but hatred and rage in his eyes as he bared his fangs.
Elias lunged forward, claws swiping out. They dug into the wraith’s side, creating deep gouges like imprints in sand. The wraith hissed, making another move forward, only for Elias to strike first again, this time, digging his teeth into the wraith’s shoulder.
From my position, I slammed another jet of water into the swirling sand, eliciting another shriek of agony.
It spun on its heels, making toward the door. The wraith shoved Elias aside, forcing him into the side of the cavern. Elias let out a startled yelp as he slammed against the stone. I gasped, taking a step forward, only to see him stir, and relief washed through me. Elias was okay.
The room started spinning. I tried to focus one last blast at the wraith, a final parting shot. The water fell short, collapsingto the ground yards away from the creature as it ran into the tunnel and disappeared.
My hands slumped to the side as I sucked in a breath, swaying slightly on my feet. I groaned.
Grace growled, charging toward the exit, as if she planned on chasing the wraith out into the desert.
“Grace, no, wait—” I reached out, then stumbled, blinking as black swelled and swirled in my vision. I swayed on my feet. Exhaustion began to surge, washing over me, drowning me. I let out a moan.
“Emma!” I heard Elias shout.
Then everything went black.
