“The Ruined are attacking!” The yell came from outside, and Jovita’s head whipped around.
Em lunged, her sword grazing Jovita’s cheek. Jovita gasped, stumbling back as she pressed a hand to her cheek. Blood seeped through Jovita’s fingers, and Em lowered her sword. She wouldn’t kill a member of Cas’s family.
Em grabbed Olivia’s hand, but her sister stayed put, pointing at Jovita.
“No, I want to see her spine come out of her—”
“Olivia, no,” Em said sharply, tugging her sister away. They broke into a sprint, leaping over the rubble. As soon as they ran outside, Aren was in front of them.
“Aren!” Olivia rushed forward, throwing her arms around his neck.
Aren’s face broke into a grin as he embraced her briefly. Two Lera guards were headed their way, and Em took off first, pulling Olivia with her. Her sister wasn’t wearing any shoes, but she ran fast, keeping pace with Aren and Em.
The Lera guards weren’t chasing them. Em frowned, turning to look at the fortress in confusion. Why weren’t they chasing them?
“Let’s get out of here,” Aren said. “The Ruined are going to take the fort down at any minute.”
“The guards aren’t chasing us,” Em said quietly. She swallowed uneasily.
“Once the fort is down, we can kill so many,” Olivia said, ignoring Em’s comment. She grinned at Aren. “I can’t wait to show you what I’ve learned. Our powers are so much stronger than we realize. We can—”
Pop pop pop. Olivia stopped at the sounds, turning her head to the sky. Em followed her gaze. Tiny little particles of something floated through the air, barely visible in the light from the torches.
“Don’t breathe!” Olivia screamed. She clapped her hands over her mouth and nose, and Aren and Em immediately followed suit.
Olivia jumped like she’d been stung by something, and Em watched as the little particles hit her skin. The Ruined marks swirling around her arms grew darker, spots of blood appearing as the skin began to rip apart.
Em watched as the blue pieces hit her skin. Nothing. She lowered her hands from her mouth and took in a breath.
She knew that smell. Weakling.
Em dove for Olivia first, then Aren. She shoved them both to the ground and wrapped her arms around them as best she could. Olivia had more flesh exposed than Aren, and she pulled her sister’s arms in closer, covering them with her own.
She stayed crouched over them until the particles had all mostly drifted to the ground, then pulled them up. “Run,” she said. “Run until you can breathe.”
Olivia stumbled as she stood, keeping the back of her arm against her mouth. Aren did the same, steadying her with his free hand. They took off together, Em following close behind.
Screams tore through the night, and Olivia came to an abrupt stop. They’d just cleared the Weakling, and she and Aren sucked in deep gulps of air.
“They’re killing the Ruined.” Olivia clenched her fingers into fists and ran back in the direction of the fortress. Em almost yelled for her to stop, but the air had mostly cleared.
Aren and Em sprinted behind her.
“The Ruined were set up at different points around the fortress!” Aren called. “In a U shape. Over there!”
Olivia glanced back to see where he was pointing, then veered to her left. They ran into the trees, then immediately stopped.
The Weakling was stronger here, clinging to the leaves and still floating through the air. Olivia and Aren took several steps back, letting Em walk into the thick of the trees.
Nic lay on the ground, blood seeping out of the Ruined marks on his neck. His lips had turned blue, and he was wheezing loudly, his red-rimmed eyes fixed on the sky.
Em bent down, grabbing Nic by the shoulders. Maybe if she pulled him away from here, he stood a chance. Maybe Olivia could heal him.
Nic gasped. Then his chest stilled, his head rolling to one side. Em swallowed, dropping his shoulders. She looked at Aren and Olivia, standing several paces away. Olivia was breathing heavily, fury dripping from every pore.
Yells sounded from the fortress, and Em stepped out of the trees to see the warriors charging at the Lera soldiers. It was a bad move, considering they’d probably just lost most of the Ruined they’d put into place.
Olivia stormed toward the fort, her arms outstretched. “You think you can hurt me?” she screamed. “Try again, cowards. TRY AGAIN!”
Four Lera soldiers were in the air suddenly, their bones shifting and contorting in ways that made Em’s stomach rise into her throat. They hit the ground, dead.