Pain blooms in my shoulder and I grunt as I glance down at the spear sticking out of my right shoulder. Golden blood leaks from the wound.
Kira glances between me and the downed automaton, clearly wondering what she should do.
“Keep working on that guy. I’m fine,” I say through gritted teeth. “Greyson. Did it go clean through?”
I flick my whip, careful not to move that arm too much or the black spots in my vision will take me under.
Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out.
“No, it’s lodged in the bone.” Greyson frowns.
“You have to pull it out. Raven, cover us for a second so Greyson can pull this spear out of my shoulder and I can behead the fucking scrap metal who threw it.”
“I’m on it.” She and Greyson stand back-to-back and Raven trades her ax for a bow and arrows, rapidly shooting at anything that comes too close.
“Brace yourself,” Greyson whispers. “I’m sorry.”
“Just do it, Greyson. I’ve been shot with an arrow, remember? My pain tolerance is pretty high now.”
I lean back against a tree and grip the trunk on opposite sides of my hips, my sword and whip returned to the ether until this is done.
“On three?” Greyson asks.
“No, just do it.” My teeth clack together as I grind my jaw, bracing myself for the agony.
White-hot pain burns through my body and a bloodcurdling scream explodes from my chest as the weapon is yanked free from my shoulder. The forest swims around me as blackness tunnels my vision.
“Beth, wake the fuck up.” Raven slaps me across the face.
I glare up at her from my spot slumped against the tree and roll my shoulder. “I blacked out, but I’m good now. Never slap me like that again, though, bitch.”
“No time. We’re flagging and Kira is still trying to rewire the first one. There are too many of them.” Raven offers me a hand up.
“I need to change tactics. Everyone take cover away from the golden assholes,” I shout.
Magic builds in my gut and the sky darkens as clouds roll across the sky.
“Oh shit,” Draven says. “Kira, baby, we need to get behind Beth. You can figure that out after she barbecues the rest of them.”
“What?” Kira mumbles, not hearing anything with her hyperfocus on the task at hand.
“Pick her up and fucking move her, Draven,” I roar. “I can’t hold it much longer.”
Draven drags a screaming Kira away from the golden mass and I focus my gaze back on the sky, directing the lightning that crackles in the ozone. My hair lifts off my shoulders as the lightning crackles in my palms.
“Holy shit. Is she floating?” Raven whispers behind me.
“That’s never happened before,” Greyson says.
I raise my hands and the lightning in the sky responds immediately to the command, raining down only on the golden automatons that are advancing toward me with weapons drawn.As the first arc hits the automaton, brilliant white light blasts through the clearing.
Pain blooms on the back of my head as I fly back into a tree, my body crumpling to the ground and magic all but depleted.
“Beth?” Raven rushes forward. “You okay?”
I shake my head to clear the fog. “Yeah, just got stabbed with a spear and a mild concussion in the last five minutes but all good.”
I move to stand but Raven puts a hand on my shoulder. “Maybe you should rest a bit. You got them all. We don’t need to fight now.”
