The light glowed stronger, making the evil shadows begin to fade. But weakness stole over me. As I fed my energy to the magic, it became harder to stand. Harder to breathe.
At my side, Lachlan shifted into his lion form, no doubt using the last of his magic. He roared, and charged the cloaked figure. The women were on either side of the room already, battling Bree and Rowan.
I kept up my strange new magic, beating back the shadowy figures who still threatened to overwhelm us.
Just before Lachlan collided with the cloaked man, he hurled the package containing the spell at the blonde woman. She was about to catch it when Muffin leapt into the air and batted it away. He must have charged into the building.
The package with the crystal flew to the side of the room.
Lachlan collided with the cloaked figure, taking him down to the ground. In a burst of strength, the cloaked figure shoved the lion off of him. Lachlan flew through the air and slammed to the ground on the other side of the room.
Holy crap!
Whoever wore the cloak was really freaking strong. In front of him, the demons finally managed to pull the trapdoor open.
My muscles were trembling with strain as I fought back the shadowy forms with my magic. I was nearly tapped out, ready to fall on my face, but I kept going.
There was no other choice.
The cloaked man rose to his feet and surveyed the room. Rowan was on the left, plunging her blade into the stomach of the dark-haired woman. Bree, who had finished off the demons, was now taking out the blonde. Lachlan rose to his feet and charged him again. The dark shadows—his creepy army—were almost gone.
Frustration vibrated from the cloaked figure.
He was losing.
And he knew it.
He flung out his hands and hurled jets of green fire into the room, then he jumped into the trapdoor below.
Primordial fire!
My throat closed with fear.
This kind of fire could devour this building in seconds.
“Run!” Bree screamed.
She abandoned her fight with the woman at the back of the room and sprinted toward me. As the green flames devoured the walls, Lachlan hurtled our way, and Muffin ran so fast he was a blur.
The demons who’d opened the trapdoor didn’t bother to jump in; they just turned and ran for the door.
As Bree passed by the trapdoor, she glanced inside, then screamed, “Full of fire!”
The fire had already devoured the part of the room where the crystal containing the spell had landed.
Screw that.
I turned and ran, sprinting alongside my friends. The space was nearly full of green flame, the heat so great that I could smell burning hair. I raced through the door with my sisters, spilling out into the cool night.
We kept running, following Muffin into the garden. Lachlan ran behind us, alongside the demons. They veered off to the left, but we ignored them, wanting to put more space between us and the building.
We didn’t stop until we were fifty yards away. Panting, I turned. The building was a giant green torch. Even the stone was on fire.
“The spell is destroyed,” Rowan said. “And the blonde woman didn’t make it out.”
Muffin meowed. You’re welcome.
“Good job, bud.” I looked at Lachlan, who stood next to me in his lion form. He was enormous, his black fur glinting in the light. Nerves skated across my skin as my gaze traveled from his fangs to claws, though I knew he’d never hurt me.
I squinted at one of the long claws on his front right foot. The deadly claw pierced a tiny scrap of brown cloth. Just like what the cloaked figure had worn. I gasped, then bent and pulled it off the claw. I shoved it in my pocket.
Lachlan shifted back to human. “Where did he go? That trapdoor had to lead somewhere.”
“He filled it with flame to cover his tracks,” Bree said. “It looked like the pits of hell when I passed.”
“I think it must go to the portal in the woods,” I said. “I bet that was his escape hatch to get there.”
“Let’s try to catch him.”
“I’ll fly.” Bree’s wings unfurled, silver and bright. She shot into the air, flying up over the forest.
Lachlan met my gaze. “Want to come?”
He was fastest in his lion form, which meant….
“Yes.”
Magic swirled around him as he shifted. Then the enormous beast stood in front of me, regal and terrifying. I stashed my sword in the ether and climbed onto his back, clinging to his warm fur. My wounded arm hung limp at my side, making it difficult, so I clutched him with my knees.
“I’ll alert our friends,” Rowan said.
Muffin stood by her side, whiskers singed. Princess Snowflake III and Bojangles had appeared as well. As usual, Princess Snowflake III was coated liberally in blood, while Bojangles just looked like Bojangles. Cross-eyed and goofy.
“Be safe,” I said to Rowan, right before Lachlan started sprinting through the garden.
In the courtyard, he raced past my friends, who were finishing off the last of the demons. They looked battered and worn, but no one was on the ground, at least.
I crouched low over Lachlan’s back, clinging tight to his fur as the wind tore at my hair.
Come on. Come on.
We had to beat the figure to the portal.
Lachlan sprinted through the small gate.
“Across the vineyard, to the forest!” I screamed.
Lachlan hadn’t arrived using that portal—only I had. Bree had a bird’s-eye view from the sky, but Lachlan needed directions. He cut through the rows of dormant vines, then sprinted into the forest. Branches tore at my clothes and hair as we ran. I yelled directions, trying to remember which way I’d come initially.
Then we saw it—the stone ruins where the portal gleamed with golden light. It glowed in the distance.
“You see that?” Bree’s voice sounded through my comms charm. “It just lit up. I’m going in.”
Lachlan picked up the pace, his giant strides eating up the ground. As we neared, I spotted someone standing within the glowing light. The cloaked figure.
Bree hurtled from the sky, her silver wings carrying her down.
The light around the figure shined brighter. We were almost there!
Then he disappeared. The light went black.
Lachlan sprinted into the stone ruins, but they lay dormant and quiet. The tumbled columns gleamed in the moonlight, but there was no more magic here.
He was gone.
16
The next day, I stood outside Arach’s office, waiting to be called in. My wounded arm was in a sling, still aching. Whatever that woman had hit me with had done some real damage. Hedy, who acted as the healer as well as inventor, had patched me up some, but it’d take a couple days to fully heal.
Both women had died in the fire, so I’d come out on the better end in that scenario, at least.
I tapped my foot, studying the stone wall in front of me. Worry ate at my mind, making me jittery.
Finally, the door creaked open. Jude gestured me inside. Arach stood at the head of the table, her silvery form glimmering in the light.
As usual, her power rolled over me, crashing and pulling like waves. She gestured to a chair. “You can take a seat.”
I did, fidgeting with my good hand.
“You did well,” Arach said. “Jude has told me what happened in Tuscany, and it sounds like you saved the day.”
Warmth flowed through me, followed by a tug of concern. “We didn’t save the spell, though. And whoever was behind the theft got away.”
“The spell was destroyed,” Jude said. “So that’s the same difference. As long as it can’t be used by the wrong people, we count it as a success. As for the mastermind, we’ll catch him. But you came out on top, Ana. Lachlan has deposited the reward money in your account.”
The wind rushed out of my lungs. “Really?”
“Really. Without you, we may not have stopped the ancientus spell from being used for evil. And Connor could have died.”