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“You’re a sick fuck,” Maddox said and exploded forward. He clearly didn’t have the same subtlety I had. His anger must have boiled over. A frozen fist flew through the air and landed hard against Kyler’s jaw.
Crack.
Kyler stumbled back but remained on his feet. He was ready for the next hit, dodging Maddox’s fist, then the next and the next. Maddox pushed Kyler back against the smooth stone wall, and instead of trying to land a punch, he shot a stream of ice.
It slammed against the window with a crunching smack as Kyler ducked just in time. Glass and ice covered the floor.
He dipped and wound around Maddox. It all happened so fast. Kyler moved like a viper. Once behind him, a long crimson-red dagger appeared in Kyler’s hands, the blade aimed perfectly to sever Maddox’s spine.
I had to think fast.
Blue threads of mana appeared around me, all shades. I yanked a light blue one with a dark blue and shot it toward Kyler, wrapping it around his eyes. Just like Claire had taught me to do.
His world went black, his dagger missing the target by mere inches, slicing across Maddox’s bicep instead.
Better than his back.
Maddox spun around and landed a kick to Kyler’s gut. This sent him reeling backward. He tumbled and rolled, hitting the ruby with a hard smack to his shoulder. He gasped but got up to his feet without hesitation.
“Enough of these games.”
He whipped a hand out, and two thick strands of blood red mana snapped around our necks. It happened lightning fast, much too quick for either of us to react. Maddox sliced at the thread with a blade of ice, but it simply passed right through it.
“You both should have joined the Ring. We would have saved you from this fate. Just like we did for your friend, Maddox.”
The threads grew tighter and tighter. My lungs started to burn. So did my throat. And the pressure in my skull began to build. I struggled, tried to punch at the air, tried to pull up threads of my own to fight back with. Maddox shot out icicles sharp enough to stab through a heart, but they were all effortlessly blocked by whips of red mana. Kyler’s strength was unmatched.
We were going to die. We had fucked up.
In that moment, as the curtains started to draw shut on my vision, as I was gasping and spitting into the air, I reached out to my side with a steady hand.
Maddox’s hand found mine. I couldn’t turn my head to look at him, but feeling him was enough.
Fear, panic, soul-eating dread. It all gave way to an odd and serene peace settling in my oxygen-starved heart.
I managed to get a single word out past the searing pain in my throat. “Shift.”
“No. You’ll. Die,” he coughed out in response.
It was the only thing that would save him, but he was right. This space. Too small. I’d be crushed.
The serenity spread. Blossomed. So did the pain. Hot, burning, my brain was on fire. So much pain. So much regret.
I wanted more time with him. I didn’t want this to be the end. Not for us.
My hand squeezed Madds’.
Maddox was here. We were together.
We would be okay.
And then… black.
Chapter 32
Cracks in the Glass
Maddox
I had failed.
I couldn’t save Caleb, nor could I destroy the paintings. Shifting would save me, but it would undoubtedly kill both Kyler and Caleb. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t have his death be at my hands, even if it meant saving myself. It wasn’t even an option.
I continued to shoot icicles, my arms growing weaker and my abilities starting to wane. He blocked every single thing I threw at him, the thick red strands of mana coiled tight around our throats. He looked content as he snuffed any life left out of us.
I squeezed Caleb’s hand in mine. It went limp. My heart jerked, but I couldn’t turn my head to look at him. I couldn’t tell him how much I loved him. I couldn’t tell him how sorry I was for this.
All I could do was stare.
And even that was becoming difficult, my vision beginning to cloud.
This was it. This was goodbye.
Suddenly, Kyler’s smirk twisted. He twitched forward, his eyes shooting open. He dropped his head, looking down at his chest. The mana around our throats disappeared. I fell to the floor, Caleb collapsing next to me, passed out. I rubbed at my throat and gasped for air, looking to see Kyler just as he dropped forward, hitting the floor face-first with a loud crack.
A hilt stuck out from between his shoulders, buried deep.
And behind him was…
“Amelia,” I said through the flames scorching my throat. I crawled to Caleb’s side, holding his head in my lap as his eyes started to flutter open.
“Here, let me heal you both.”
