“Behind me, Reyla,” I snarled, my voice cracking with the fear she'd be hurt.
She remained beside me, shooting me a lifted eyebrow look that told me to behave. Her stubbornness had once made me burn with frustration, but now I understood. It wasn’t pride. She refused to let me trade my life for hers.
The wind slackened. My hands trembled. I ground my teeth together and tried to think past the ache in my chest, the terror snapping hard at my spine.
Reyla spread her fingers wide, magic already humming beneath her skin. I felt it stir. Nullification, then, plus something older, darker, twining underneath. The labyrinth had learned how to read us, but Reyla had learned more about herself while there. Would it be enough?
The shadows around her shifted, restless to do her bidding.
She reached deeper. Past where normal magic ended and into the space that slumbered beneath. Her hands shook, but this was the pressure building inside her, the weight of what she was trying to do. We couldn't defeat Prager until we could take down that shield. If Reyla could nullify the spell…
Farris shifted uneasily, his sharp gaze flicking between her and Prager, a growl rumbling in his chest.
Reyla glared at Prager and moved first. Magic surged up frominside her, a knot of purpose turned to a blazing fury. When she sent it out, it roared across the open area like a tide breaking. Shadows surged along with it, answering her call, rushing toward Prager. Reaching her, they coiled as if sniffing for weaknesses, hunting something hidden, only to fuse and strike.
For the first time, Prager’s shield didn’t deflect the spell. It cracked in small, hairline fractures around her like lightning frozen in glass.
The force of Reyla’s strike pushed Prager back a step, her heels digging into the grass.
Her smirk faltered. Her hand twitched toward something, probably casting again, maybe trying to reinforce the spell above her.
Reyla muttered something and blinked fast, staring around. I wasn't sure what was wrong, but I didn't have time to find out. I drew in bits of loose objects from the area around us and infused them with ice, forming a spear I sent hurtling toward Prager. Dorion's fire was right with me, twisting and turning through mine to make the combination even more powerful.
Reyla's eyes flared wide, and she gave a jerky nod.
“It's yours,” I swore she whispered. “Everything I have is yours if you'll help me.”
What?
Her body twitched, and she launched another shadowy mass at the fracture. It seeped in past the barrier like a stain across wet fabric.
The shield fell, collapsing onto the grass, leaving the wizard exposed.
Prager reeled backward, her spine arching, a guttural cry ripping up her throat. She struggled to reform the protective dome, but it flickered and twitched, unable to obey her command.
“Kill her now,” Reyla snapped. “While she’s vulnerable. Do it!”She didn’t look at me. She was watching Prager like her life and mine depended on it.
I yanked at the world around us, building a weapon that would finally end this. Dorion circled wide and formed another fireball between his palms.
Prager roared, her anger directed at Reyla. Her hands twisted, and she barreled magic toward my wife.
I flung myself toward Wildfire, churning the mass I’d formed into a shield to protect the woman I loved.
I didn’t reach her in time.
Prager’s blast hit. As Reyla cried out in pain, I lunged to grab her, to pull her down, to shield her body with my own.
It was happening again. That moment you see the world tilt and can’t reach fast enough to keep something horrible from happening. Time didn’t slow, it shattered.
Reyla twisted and dove toward the ground.
Prager's magic struck her again, hitting her in the back as she fell. The impact lit up the whole field. I felt Reyla’s cry before I heard it.
My knees buckled as I scrambled to reach her. Flit. I should’ve flitted to her. Why had I forgotten that this magic could make a difference?
The force of Prager’s power knocked Reyla across the ground. Her body seized, and her spine arched. As I reached her, magic rippled up her torso and burst out of her chest in a blinding arc.
Everything slowed. My ears rang with the echo of her scream.
