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The shockwave blew me off my feet. I hit the ground like a rag doll, bruising my body. The only reason I wasn’t tossed head over heels was that I clung to Truck—even though I was face down and it felt like my arms were getting pulled out of their sockets.
Raw power dug through my skin, burrowing straight to my bones as the air turned beastly hot.
The pressure built, and the top of the barrier exploded—the elven shield evaporated while the dragon seal shattered—shooting the excess power straight up into the morning sky.
The elven spell was gone, but the sides of the dragon seal held for a few seconds longer, and the overwhelming scent of sulfur layered the air so thickly I gagged.
My hands started to slide down Truck’s pole. I scrabbled for a hold, trying to catch my gloves on the jewels embedded in the weapon, but my fingers were too sweaty to keep my grip.
Terrified, I turned into a cat and dug my claws in, hugging the weapon with my entire body.
The rest of the dragon seal gave, creating a vacuum until the pressure equalized, and the sheer strength of the wind created in the clash of magic nearly stripped me off Truck and plastered my whiskers to my face.
I swapped back to my human form and managed to brace myself with my knees.
The heat of the air made me feel like my lungs were baking with each breath I took, and my magical senses were so overwhelmed it was hard to see straight.
It was still too bright to look at Truck and the charged weapon—but I could feel the resistance of the spear. Truck hadn’t sliced through it. It was still active.
The rooftop was starting to buckle underneath me—I could feel the shift in my balance.
If we don’t wipe the spear out soon, it’s going to kill everyone, and turn the Cloisters into rubble.
“Come on, Truck!” I screamed. “This is what you’re supposed to destroy! You’re not a blood weapon, you’re a protector! Isn’t that why you chose me, a shadow who doesn’t use her powers like she’s supposed to?”
I was crying. My arms numb from the pain of struggling to hold on against the power that tried to push me back.
Truck.
The thought echoed in my brain, and I knew what I had to do.
Ker had said heirlooms were partnerships. I couldn’t just jab Truck at the spear, I needed to help.
Bracing myself against Truck, I pulled myself to my feet.
When I tried to reach out—intending to grab the spear—moving was like swimming in molasses. The air was thick and resistant.
When my fingers grazed the spear, the flood of magic hit me like a lightning bolt.
I could only see white, and every nerve in my body felt like it was on fire.
“Better together, right Truck?” I shouted, but I couldn’t even hear my own voice over the roaring blast of the magical battle.
I grimly planted a foot on the shaft of the spear, straining to push against it, then pulled Truck back and redirected it so it would smash into the actual spearhead.
Using both arms, I swung.
The blast of ensuing magic consumed the world.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Noctus
“What happened?What happened?” Aristide shouted, his hands on Ker’s shoulders as he shook her. “I can’t hear her heartbeat—did she make it?”
“I-I can’t tell.” Ker held a hand up, trying to see through the brilliant magic that still blanketed the section of roof we’d last seen Chloe on. “It’s too bright.”
“Noctus.” Aristide zeroed in on me. “She’s wearing the collar, right? Can you feel her through the bond?”
