Vael’s lightning flared again—too fast for Maddie to react.
He sent a shock of lightning directly into her.
“No—” I choked out, reaching, too slow, too broken.
With a snarl, Vael spun and hurled her like dead weight. Her body arced through the air and slammed into a pillar, stone cracking on impact. She crumpled to the ground, unmoving.
“MADDIE!”
Pain tore through me—worse than the lightning. I tried to crawl toward her, but my limbs weren’t listening.
Steel met lightning—chaos forged in flesh. Sparks flew as Thorne’s blades slammed into Vael’s storm-wreathed arms. Their movements were a blur—Vael fast, crackling with power, Thorne deadly and silent, every step calculated, every strike meant to kill.
Behind the fight, Phoenix emerged from the rubble—his eyes finding me instantly.
“Elle,” he breathed. He sprinted to me, dropping to his knees. His hands hovered just above my ribs, trembling slightly as he summoned his fire—not to burn, but to heal.
Warmth bloomed through me. I gasped as bones shifted. Firelight flickered under my skin, sealing torn muscle, knitting bruises.
He was giving me everything he had. “Phoenix… don’t… you’ll hurt yourself…”
“Hush up, ok? Stay with me,” he whispered. “You’re alright. I’ve got you. I’ve got you—”
More and more power was poured into me.
“Phoenix, stop! It’s too much! Stop!”
He was visibly shaking, but there was a determination on his face that I couldn’t fight.
Finn walked behind him like a shadow.
“Finn…”
He sent me a watery smile. “I’m ok, Elle. I promise,” he said. He reached behind his back.
“Finn, what are you…”
“Everything will be ok,” Finn said. “I’ll make sure of it,”
Phoenix didn’t see him. He didn’t see the blade high above his back.
I did.
“Phoenix—” I tried to scream, but it came out broken.
Too late.
Finn struck.
A jagged piece of debris—sharpened like a blade—drove into Phoenix’s back with a sickening crunch.
Phoenix arched, breath stolen, the flames in his hands flickering out, faltering …fading.
He slumped forward, choking on a cry. His blood spilled across my chest, warm and awful. He collapsed against me—and for one terrible second, I thought he’d died.
“No— NO!” I shouted, my voice raw with horror as I caught him.
Finn stood over us, shaking—teeth bared, eyes wild, red-rimmed and desperate. Haunted.
