He’d not been here long enough to understand the horror ate people. As he ran, he barreled toward the darkest part of the monster. It reared up and opened its maw. It was about to swallow him, just like it had swallowed the Clark.
Across the street, Celia shoved to her knees. She saw the horror reaching for Darin at the same time as I did. The wind tornado rushed past her. There was no time to think, only react.
She shot to her feet, ducked under her brother’s arms, and flew across the street. She thrust Darin out of the way just as the horror slammed down.
Darin was so big he barely moved. But it was enough. He caught Celia and spun her around.
“What are you doing?” he shouted.
She shook free of him and pointed to the writhing horror. “I just saved your life, Smith! Watch yourself!”
Then she turned and sprinted back to her brothers.
Darin stared after her, his mouth forming words but no sounds coming out. He shook off his surprise and swung toward us.
“Finn!” he shouted.
Then Finn reached forward and grabbed me. He tucked me against him and dove into one of the crevices Primus had blown in the street. He hit the ground, bending his knees to absorb the impact.
The crevice was dark, and it smelled musty and stagnant. It was narrow and deep, like the slash of a knife through flesh.
“Mari,” Finn said urgently, holding me close, “you’re free.” He gripped my arms, and I ached to pull the blade from his chest. “Do you understand? You’re free. You have to have hope. Faith. But most of all?—”
The cruel Finn dropped from above and slammed into him.
They fought viciously. They fought like two men who knew the only way this fight would end was with one of them dead.
I made a small noise at a burst of pain in my blood. It hurt to think of Finn gone. It hurt to think of losing him again.
Finn glanced toward me at the sound.
Then he smiled.
I held out my hand to stop him.
I knew what that smile meant.
I’d seen it often enough.
It meant he was about to do something I wouldn’t like.
He dropped his hands. “I figured it out,” he said.
I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Your brother. He told me?—”
He dropped his defensive stance. He didn’t make a move. Instead, he held out his hands in surrender.
The cruel Finn laughed. He lunged forward, grabbed the blade, and yanked it from Finn’s chest.
Then he rammed it through Finn’s solange-soaked eye.
The good Finn disappeared.
100
The cruel Finn shuddered. He shook as if he were standing on top of an earthquake. He clenched his fists as a bright light shot through him. Pierced him and filled him. The light rocketed like a beam out of the crevice and speared toward the sky.
