I refused to let Jack drown. I focussed my Power on the force field. Raising my hands, I sent a continuous blast of fire at the barrier. My mother and father followed suit. Together, we sent an inferno towards the glowing shield. It began to warp at the point where our attack met, as though it was melting.
Robert and Maria summoned all of the rock, stone and debris around the dungeon and sent it rocketing towards the enemy.
It must have been the straw that broke the horses back, because the force field shattered before our eyes. The Mage who produced it fell to his knees, panting. Our combined Power was too much for him. He keeled over, unconscious.
‘Get up,’ Martinez hissed. ‘Useless!’
All eyes were upon Jack, who was slowly suffocating. I would not stand by and watch. Using all of the effort I could muster, an eruption blasted from my hands and headed straight at Martinez who welcomed the attack with open arms, absorbing my Power like a vacuum.
I gasped. I had forgotten what he could do.
‘Avalon, no,’ Penny squeaked, deflating to her usual size.
Martinez sighed. ‘I thought I was being fair, offering you the Humans and your freedom. I am a businessman, you know. Clearly you do not see a good deal when it is dangled in front of your nose.’
I glanced up at Jack. Time was running out. His eyes were becoming unfocussed.
It was at this point that R?ven swooped down towards Martinez’s face, intent upon taking out his eyes. Seeing the attack, Martinez released the Power that he had absorbed from my attack.
It was as though a bomb had gone off.
The resulting blast threw everyone across the room. R?ven hit the ground in her Mage form, unconscious, her flesh badly burned. Those of us who weren’t Fire-Mage’s erupted in painful boils. Penny wailed in agony, her eyes reduced to slits from the boils. Hawthorne rolled around in agony; his fur burnt away, his skin red and shiny.
Maria, Elise and Tom were also unconscious, their skin badly charred. Tom had been mimicking the wrong Power at the wrong time. My mother, father and I were unharmed. Winded, but okay.
Panicked, I got to my feet. We were running out of time and half of H.E.L.E.N.A was unable to fight after one attack by Martinez.
‘You have lost,’ Martinez drawled. ‘I did not wish for a fight, but you asked for it. I am impressed that your Vulmessian managed to take down Sven.’ He pointed to the headless corpse in the middle of the floor. ‘I think it’s only fair that I take one of yours too.’
I looked around the room, desperate for an idea, anything to help me free Jack. I had to be careful. I couldn’t let Martinez absorb my Power again, for he would surely finish off my friends.
But it was at this moment that I noticed something strange happening. I stared at R?ven and saw that her burns were disappearing. Martinez seemed to notice this too.
‘What’s going on?’ He said. ‘How is she doing that?’
‘She’s healing,’ I said, astounded.
I looked over at Maria and Elise. Their charred skin was healing and they were stirring. Penny was feeling her face; boils no longer obscured her eyes.
I spun around and looked at Jack. He was still trapped in the sphere of water, but he was staring determinedly at me with one hand outstretched. It was then I noticed that my ribs no longer ached.
‘Jack!’ I gasped. ‘He’s healing without touching them!’
Martinez seemed furious. ‘Well he won’t be able to heal them when he is dead.’
This was true. Jack had been encased in the water for several minutes now. His healing abilities might help him remain under water for longer than usual, but he wouldn’t last forever. His face was going purple.
Maria, Elise and Tom were now getting to their feet, their skin as good as new. R?ven sat up, blinking quickly. H.E.L.E.N.A was whole again.
Chapter Twenty-One
Song
We were ready. We were a team.
My mother, father and I focussed all of our firepower on the soundwave Mage, who did not stand a chance against the three of us. He was reduced to a screaming, flaming blur until the Water-Mage put him out. He lay on the floor, smouldering, unmoving.
Maria and Robert manipulated the stone ground so it broke open at Martinez’s feet, sending him tumbling over into his cronies.
The multiplier-Mage sent copies of himself across the dungeon, obscuring Martinez from view. He would be easy to take care of; he was nothing more than an illusion. R?ven spun on the spot, transforming and taking flight at once. She swooped and dodged oncoming attacks before sinking her beak and claws into the face of the multiplier, who howled in agony, clutching the socket where his eye had once been. Hawthorne assisted by grabbing his leg and dragging him away.
Now it was only Martinez and the Water-Mage left. We advanced on them, our faces set.
‘Let Jack go,’ I said. ‘Now.’
‘What if I refuse?’ Martinez asked, trying to keep his cool.
‘I will kill you,’ I said.
Martinez scoffed, but his eyes darted around the room, afraid.
Elise sped through the dungeon at the speed of light and was behind the Water-Mage in an instant, her arm around his throat.