“Duck!” I yell, bringing Algar down to a squat with me.
The light sails across, slicing through the nearest boulder at the end of the bridge. That squat alone sends one of my feet plummeting through a soggy plank.
I shriek, trying to yank my foot back up, but my legging gets caught on one of the splinters.
“Come on, sleeping princess,” Algar says in the most serious tone I’ve heard from him. He grabs me by the elbow and pulls, trying to assist.
Maliek closes in on us, lifting his hand again with his palm glowing a bright blue. Before he can shoot another beam, he hollers in pain. Behind him, Rynthea pierces through his arm with her scythesword. She grunts as she rips the scythesword out, causing Maliek to yell at the top of his lungs.
“You minotaurbitch!” Livid, Maliek whirls around and throws up both hands, sending her soaring off the bridge in a blast of light.
“No!” I scream. “Rynthea!”
She lands on a narrow, flat-topped stone jutting out from the wall of the gorge, close to the rapids. Her scythesword plunges into the rushing water, and my heart aches. One wrong move, one wrong turn, and she’ll fall right in with her weapon. She’s unconscious, completely still, but once she wakes up…
“Where were we?” Maliek taunts, running a hand over his shoulder and healing himself with a whisper of shadows.
Gods damn. How powerful is his magic?
Zephra pops up behind him, blowing a large stream of fire at his face. He yells and throws up his arms to block the flames with his gauntlets.
This is the distraction I need to finally free my leg. Hauling myself up, I wrap an arm around Algar again and guide us to the other side. But Zephra, as amazing as she is, is no match for Maliek.
Over my shoulder, I see him cross his wrists and grunt, shoving them forward and blowing Zephra away with a powerful surge of magic. She sails past us in a flurry of pink, landing on the other side of the bridge with a pained squeak. She tumbles a few times but recovers quickly.
“Stay there, Zephra!” Algar’s voice is hoarse. “Don’t you move, girl!”
Panicked, I cling to Algar and walk faster. There has to be at least twenty more slats before we reach the other side, not to mention some are missing.
“Don’t look back,” Algar pants. He uses the back of his free arm to swipe blood from his upper lip.
“You just keep breathing,” I order, nearly breathless myself. We skip over a shattered piece of wood. Then the bridge sways and wobbles twice as much, causing us to clash into each other.
I don’t want to, but I look back to see what’s caused the commotion. I’d have been more relieved to see Thane walking onto the bridge if it weren’t about to collapse. The more weight on board, the worse off we are. Wereallyneed to reach the other side.
Maliek freezes in place when Thane throws a hand up with his fingers spread wide. With a swift yank, Maliek is reeled backward. He slides off the bridge but catches the edge with one hand, using the other to shoot a fiery ball of blue at Thane. Thane deflects it with a glowing gold shield.
“Hurry, Zaira!” Thane calls. He steps on Maliek’s fingers, raising his sword higher in the air. Maliek kicks his legs forward and backward in a swinging motion, rocking the bridge from side to side. Thane stumbles, tilting left and then right.
Then a loudcracksounds a short distance away. Ahead, the post at the end of the bridge is now tilting forward.
Shit. Not good.
“There’s too much weight!” Algar winces as our backs slam into the thick rope. Maliek keeps swinging until he effortlessly flies up. His landing makes the wood beneath our feet rattle. The post tilts farther, now starting to split down the middle.
I hustle ahead with Algar while Thane faces off with his relentless nemesis. We’re so close. I’ve never wanted to touch land so badly before. Only five more steps will do it.
I press my hand to Algar’s back and force him to go in front of me. The post splinters more as he dives forward and makes it to land safely.
I’m ready to take my leap, but it’s just my luck that the post gives out at this very moment, and with a quicksnapand a jerk, it drags toward the rapids.
The bridge splinters apart.
I scream.
Algar calls my name as he tries to catch me.
But he’s too late.
