“Averly, hold him.” Artemis’ voice sounded far off, fuzzy in a way, but I shook myself, pushing my power harder than ever before. Everyone was so focused on the monster in front of me that hopefully they didn’t see the blood trickling down my nose, the pinch of pain on my face.
The Greywolf brothers and sisters gathered around Artemis, Novus and I, and held hands.
“Now!” Brayden cried.
Blue magic like I’d never seen before shot from the collective Greywolves and slammed into Novus.
It was as if I’d been cracked in the back of the head by a baseball bat.
I fell to my knees, dragging Novus with me, pushing back against his power with all my might.
“Averly!” Brayden cried.
A fine mist leaked off of Novus’ skin. His mouth opened, releasing with it the most haunting scream I’d ever heard.
His magic. They were doing it.
“Keep going!” I found the strength to muster a reply.
If all of the Greywolves were here, it meant that after we took care of Novus, we were free.
I wanted to be free.
Another crack of pain hit me, this time against my skull as more mist floated out of Novus and made its way towards Artemis.
I risked a glance at the Elder Fae. He knelt on the ground, fingers clawed into the dirt as the mist suddenly sucked into his back.
With a cry of pain, Artemis’ back arched. The grass around him drained from a rich and vibrant green to yellow, dry, no longer alive.
I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold on but I had to find a way. Novus bucked against my magic like a bull in a cage and blackness danced at the edges of my vision. Calling to every single cell in my body to hold on, I pushed back, delighted when the tips of his antlers started to wither.
Oh…those were part of his magic. Part of what he was losing. Most likely someone he had ingested in his many years.
The mist had gone from white to a dark black. It sailed through the air like a dense cloud seeking refuge inside of Artemis.
The Elder Fae whimpered and I knew he was pushing himself to the limits as much as I was.
Hang on, old man. We have a lot more memories to make.
“Finish him!” Brayden cried, and it felt like my entire skeleton snapped in half.
I fell backward, screaming in pain and dropping my hold over Novus at the same time that the leader of the Wild Hunt collapsed, leaving a misty form of a man completely cloaked in black shadow.
A shadow monster.
It was the remainder of his magic, magic from hundreds, maybe thousands of people.
“Averly!” Brayden rushed to my side, breaking the circle, but the others quickly held hands, filling the gap.
I must have blacked out for a second, because one moment I was looking up at the sky as the black shadow man walked towards Artemis, and the next Artemis was collapsed next to me, blood dripping from his mouth and nose. The ground beneath us was torched, void of all life and… it was cold.
So cold.
Leah’s muffled sobs sobered me and realized it was done. Novus was dead. The circle of Greywolves were now a huddle surrounding us with concerned expressions. The five ghost wolves tethered to me all whined a few feet away with their heads down and tails tucked. I peered into Artemis’ dying eyes, regretting that I never called him by his true title.
“Dad,” I wheezed, reaching for him. He looked over at me and gave me a half smile. Our fingers touched and then the conversation around me reached my ears with a loud boom.
“SAVE THEM!” Brayden commanded.
