Page 89 of Death Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Faith raised her weapon and fired, staggering an undead that lunged too close. “Fine. We do the crater.”

Greyson’s mouth tightened. “We can keep the portal open, but it will drain me. I can hold it for bursts.”

Cal nodded once. “Then we work in waves.”

Eve’s hellfire ignited a small cluster near the center, targeted and controlled. The undead dropped and stayed down, spirit force snapping and dissipating in the heat.

“Move them,” Eve snapped, voice heavy with urgency. “Before they build again.”

Nishi called to her hunters, quick commands, and the line shifted. Hunters began herding undead toward the portal, pushing and redirecting instead of killing when possible.

Cal looked at me. “Can you hold them?”

I swallowed, the bond tugging at my ribs like a reminder of my limits. “Yes.”

He studied my face as if he could see the drain behind my eyes. “Do not push too far.”

“I do not have the luxury of being delicate,” I said.

Cal’s expression tightened. “You do, because if you fall, the egg suffers.”

I forced a breath, then stepped forward.

Necromancy was the wrong tool for this kind of undead. Healing was my lifeline to the egg. But I did not need death magic to stop movement.

I had force.

I lifted both hands and pushed energy outward, forming a pressure wall between the hunters and the undead swarm.

The nearest corpses hit it and jerked. They clawed at the invisible barrier, jaws snapping. Their eyes flickered with spirit-driven agitation.

I tightened my grip on the pressure field and narrowed it, compressing their movement, holding them in place long enough for Cal to move.

Cal launched forward, wings beating once, then again. He did not grab gently. He grabbed like a creature designed to carry heavy loads over cliffs.

He seized an undead by the back of its gown and lifted it off the ground in one clean motion.

The corpse flailed, hands clawing at his stone forearm. It snapped its jaw near his wrist.

Cal did not react. He simply carried it.

He flew low, straight toward the portal, then tossed the corpse through with a practiced flick. The undead hit the crater floor on the other side and rolled, still moving, but trapped.

Cal came back immediately.

Another undead slammed against my barrier, and I felt the pressure tremor. The spirit inside it strained, furious at being contained.

My vision dimmed for a beat.

The bond with the egg tugged hard, and warmth leaked from my chest toward the safe across town, as if the baby demanded payment for every second I spent focusing elsewhere.

I gritted my teeth and pushed more energy into the barrier.

Faith moved beside me, weapon up, body angled protectively without admitting that was what she was doing. “You good?”

“Ask me again in five minutes,” I said.

Faith’s mouth twitched. “That is not reassuring.”