“No shit,” I snap. I walk over to the teenager, who looks just as wrecked, and extend a hand. For whatever reason, I can actually touch him when he takes it. I help him up and turn back to Talon.
“Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you three started locking the souls of twisted people inside forgotten Skystones. I didn’t even know that was possible. Turns out they can get trapped, and if they’re malicious enough, escape. Turn into a wraith. Hunt the living.”
I stare at him.
He doesn’t have a comeback.
“We need to go,” I say. “Now.”
He hesitates for just a second, then bolts to the cabinets, grabbing supplies at a ridiculous speed, cursing under his breath.
Meanwhile, my brain is racing through our options.
Getting in a car and driving to wherever Cassian’s mother lives feels like a terrible idea. It would take too long. Someone would have to drive. We’d be exposed. Being on the move is risky, just like last time. And last time ended in a crash, with Cassian nearly dying.
We need to teleport, if that’s even still possible.
Maybe I can manage that weird supercharged shumpo again, the one I pulled off during the wraith fight. But I don’t feel like I did then. There’s a gaping wound in my abdomen, and I don’t even know how I’m still on my feet.
But saving Cassian’s mother…
I have to do it.
One look at Cassian’s eyes is all it takes.
“Alright,” I say, clearing my throat. “I think we should—”
Before I can explain, the teenager cuts in.
“You can’t use that much power,” he says. “Don’t even think about it.”
My mouth falls open.
“What… how did you…?”
“It doesn’t matter right now,” he says quickly. “I’m telling you, you can’t do it. Do you understand?”
His eyebrows are drawn together. He looks weak, even paler than before. His eyes lock with mine, and before he speaks again, I already know what he’s going to say.
“If you use that much power just to teleport, there won’t be anything left in you to fight her.”
And somehow, I know he’s right. Deep down, in the marrow of me, I can feel it.
I freeze. Mid-step, mid-thought, mid-plan.
What other options do we even have?
“Fight her?” Nathaniel cuts in. There’s a scowl on his face, too. “Skye’s barely holding on. She’s not in any shape to fight again. I say we retreat and figure this out later.”
“Later?” I repeat. “This is Cassian’s mother’s life we’re talking about.”
“And I’d say it’s your life too,” he snaps. “And probably more lives, if this goes wrong.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I had her. I almost finished her. I…”
I try to say more. I try to make them understand how close I was. That if I did it once, I can do it again. And now is the time, while the wraith is still weakened.
But I can’t.
