“Isn’t this a surprise,” Darren snarled as the weapons collided with our globe, “the two of you, together again.”
“Go.” I tried to push Ian back, but he was too busy fiddling with a scabbard at his waist. “Ian,” I tried again, my panic rising, “leave him to me.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” The sword was in his hand.
“But—”
A blast shook our shield, and for a moment, all I could see was a whirlwind of red. It was only a matter of minutes before Darren breached our defense. The throbbing ache was building in my head with every second. The sheer effort to hold a casting of this magnitude was depleting my stamina too fast.
I could barely blink from the pain, much less think.
“He’s trying to kill us, Ryiah.” Ian’s breaths were ragged. He wasn’t faring any better. “Even you.” He took a step back so that his shoulders were parallel to my own with the weapon drawn. “All bets are off.”
Darren’s voice thundered behind our shield. “You two must have enjoyed playing me for the fool all these years.”
Thud. Crasssh. Our shield was splintering, and my grip was slipping down threads of control like a web.
There was another ear-splitting screech, and then the magical bond Ian and I shared snapped.
I ducked and dove, skinning my knees and palms—the bandage included—along the ice and rock. Ian collapsed; he hadn’t been so quick and had received the blunt force of Darren’s attack.
“Ian!”
I heard rather than saw my friend fall as a blur rushed us by.
Another jarring echo and whatever Darren cast next hit something solid, blocking it from the obvious path.
I blinked and the shadows registered, the ache subsiding in my head just long enough to focus.
Ella.
She and Alex had never left, and she had thrown herself in our path while my brother clutched a blade.
Alex was kneeling at Ian’s side, green magic flickering along his fingers as he saw to his wounds.
I struggled to rise, but my arms, especially the one with the bad hand, refused to hold still long enough to push. The pain was making me see stars.
Outside of my vision, there was another clash, and then a loud clap as steel hit something across the way.
“You don’t have to do this.” I could hear Ella shouting. “For Ryiah’s sake, Darren—”
Bright light flared across the cavern, and I pushed harder, biting down to keep from screaming as I rose to my knees.
“—But if you do—” Ella gasped as something slammed against her defense, again and again. “—then I have no c-choice.”
I was pushing to my feet as the sound of splintering glass crowded my ears.
I recovered my vision just as my best friend ducked low, narrowly avoiding a dagger to the ribs. She had a set of arrows hovering above her hands. They soared through the air the same moment fire appeared in the Black Mage’s palms.
No.
Hysteria exploded in my chest, and I couldn’t think. I just moved.
Twin streaks of magic shot out of each of my hands.
And the two hit the wall. Ella slumped to her knees at my left. There was the crunch of bone to my right. My vision locked on a staggering king with a thin trail of blood trickling down the corner of his mouth.
“Your fight isn’t with them.” My fists were shaking as I screamed. Fury made it hard to focus on anything other than Ella. Ella. I couldn’t watch my best friend go down fighting a battle I was too afraid to fight. “It’s with me!”
For a moment, Darren didn’t move; he just stared.
And then he threw back his head and laughed. “Finally.”
“Ryiah, no—”
I twisted my neck and shared one last look with my brother and friends. Ian was struggling against my brother’s hold. Alex refused to budge, his gaze locked on mine. I could see the resolution in his jaw and the agony in his eyes. He would honor his promise, even if it cost me my life.
Ella just watched me, hot resignation staining her cheeks. She knew why I had stopped their duel. She knew what I wanted.
She knew I could never forgive them if it was someone else.
She looked away.
My words were barely a whisper. “I’m sorry.”
I couldn’t let them die at the hands of the boy I loved. My fate was sealed the moment I betrayed a king.
Ian fought my brother’s grip. “Ryiah, don’t you dare—”
I shut my eyes and sent a bolt of power at the ceiling. I didn’t wait for the torrent to land as my feet hit the air.
I just ran.
I ran and ran as fast as my legs could fly. I could hear Ian’s bellow as I increased my pace. My lungs burned like fire as I crossed the threshold just in time.
“Ryiah!”
The mage’s words were cut off by the thunder of ice and snow. An avalanche of rock followed as the cave’s ceiling came crumbling down.
Shards of ice cut away at my clothes as I continued to run. A misting of white cloaked the air, and I was choking on dust. The walls quaked as I ran.
And then it was over.