Ah, crap. Kizira came out of her trance right then. She raised her arm to attack.
Using the power of two Belador Alterants, Tristan threw a series of lightning bolts, shoving her back.
He wrenched Evalle’s arm, dragging her clear of the pit.
Kizira shouted a mouthful of undecipherable words and raised her arms, pointing at the ceiling.
Throw another lightning bolt,Evalle told Tristan.
Can’t. I zapped everything you and I had left in that last attack.He looked over to where the two Alterants were ripping arms from their creature and yelled, “Get out of here.”
A rumbling sound started across the ceiling and grew.
The ground shook beneath Evalle, throwing her backwards.
She struggled to her feet. Tristan hooked an arm around her waist and started dragging her to the opening.
Rocks began falling, crashing down in front of their exit.
One hit Evalle on her shoulder. She yelped.
A baseball-sized chunk bounced off Tristan’s temple, drawing blood. He flagged against her. The other two Alterants howled, pelted by more and more stones.
If she didn’t get out of here, the last two gifts the Tribunal had awarded her would be of no use. But what would stop that bitch from raining rocks down on them and contain her long enough for them to get away?
Evalle could not use any of the three gifts to kill unless she had no other choice, and she still had to justify wielding the power.
Would the Tribunal consider saving the three Alterants as an acceptable reason to kill Kizira?
“Turn me around,” Evalle ordered Tristan and added, “Now!” before he could argue.
When he did, she covered her head with her arms, ready to call upon the Tribunal powers.
THIRTY
Evalle flagged against Tristan as he shifted her to face a wild-eyed Kizira. The witch’s hair lifted with all the static energy firing from her.
Killing her was tempting, but Evalle did have an alternative, so lethal force couldn’t be used. She spoke in a voice hoarse from the dust and fires. “By the Tribunal power gifted me, I command the rocks from the ceiling to unite as one above my head and form a wall that will not touch me.”
Rocks hung in midair, then immediately changed direction. All sizes and shapes started banging together as if magnetically drawn to each other.
Kizira paused and stared at Evalle, mouth gaping.
Evalle grinned. “Didn’t expect me to have that kind of power up my sleeve, did you . . .bitch?”
She figured even Brina would call Kizira that right now.
Kizira railed and threw fireballs at the wall forming below her in midair, but the gaps were closing down to openings smaller than Evalle’s fist. Harmless sparks pinged through the holes.
She laughed at the last vision of Kizira until she noticed Tristan and the two Alterants staring at her.
Tristan asked, “Where did you getthatpower?”
Evalle shrugged. “I would say I have friends in high places that loaned me a trick, but they aren’t friends, and I can’t do it again. I’m not sure how long that will hold her or if she’s any better at teleporting around this place than you are, so we need to roll.”
Tristan started toward the exit, which was now blocked by rocks that had made it to the ground. He lifted his hands to use his kinetics, and two small stones tumbled from the top.
Evalle had nothing to give him until her power regenerated. What could have drained her this way? Linking with Tristan? “How many Alterants does it take to get out of a hell party?”
