“LET HIM GO!” The scream tears from my throat before I even register the decision to speak. There’s no thought, no plan, just pure instinct as I hurl every ounce of magic I can summon straight at Solem. The blast hits him square in the back with a solid, sickening crack. The sound alone makes my stomach churn. Solem staggers, releasing Lukas, who crumples to the ground with a ragged gasp, coughing like his lungs are trying to claw their way out of his chest. A wide hole has burned through the back of Solem’s pristine shirt, the edges charred and still smoking. I can’t tell if he’s actually hurt. He whirls to face me with a snarl that twists his once civil expression into something feral. Rage rolls off him in waves and I shiver. Shit. I can’t even run. I try to summon more magic, but there’s barely anything left. Last time, I’d had months to build it up. This time? One good hit is all I’ve got, maybe two if I’m lucky. Solem lunges. I lash out again, a desperate, unfocused strike aimed at his face. The blast connects, but it’s weaker, just a flash of power. He reels back, roaring as it sears across his eyes. Maybe I didn’t do any serious damage, but at least I bought us a second. While he stumbles, hands clawing at his face, Lukas drags himself across the floor toward me. Roxy darts after him, growling low and deadly, placing herself protectively between us and Solem. Her hackles are raised, body taut with tension. Even she knows this isn’t over. Solem is slow to recover. I start to hope, maybe I did hurt him. Maybe I bought us more than just a second. And then he lowers his hands… My breath catches in my throat. His eyes are black. Not just the iris, not just the pupils. The entire sclera is pitch, liquid void. And he’s staring right at me with a look of pure hatred on his face. Then he begins to change. His body stretches, limbs lengthening, shoulders broadening with a sickening series of pops and cracks. His skin loses its warm undertones, draining of all color until it becomes the color of ash, just a shade lighter than his iron grey hair. His nails shift, elongating into curved claws that glint under the dim lights. Two massive sets of horns sprout from his skull, curling with menace and ancient power. The man is gone. What stands before me isn’t just Solem without a mask, it’s what Solem really is. All the charm, the smooth words, the polished veneer, gone. What’s left is raw, monstrous power. This is the real Solem. And we are so completely screwed.
“You…” Solem’s voice is low. Furious.
“I don’t know who you are, girl.” He growls, each word thick with venom.
“But you’ve ruined everything.” He says coldly. Solem takes a slow, deliberate step toward us.
“I’m not just going to kill you. I’m going to make sure you suffer. I’ll hunt down and destroy everyone and everything you care about. Starting…” He bares his teeth.
“With the mind reader.” He prowls closer like a predator. No, Solem wanted to use Lukas, he isn’t supposed to want to kill him. How did this go so wrong? Lukas tenses beside me. I grab his wrist, tight and desperate. My nails digging into his skin.
*Lukas, run. Just go. Get to Rowen. Please.* I send the thoughts as hard as I can, flinging them toward him like a lifeline. He doesn’t speak. Doesn’t argue. But he doesn’t run either. Instead, he shifts his wrist, turns his hand, and removes my death grip from his arm. Then he laces his fingers with mine. His grip tightens, solid and steady. A silent no. The kind that makes my chest ache with something dangerously close to heartbreak. Damn him. Why can’t he just be selfish for once? Behind Solem, the chain connecting him to Wren scrapes loudly against the floor. The sound is sharp, metal on stone, and then it snaps tight. The chain goes taut. Wren is yanked forward with a startled cry, stumbling. He hits the floor hard, hands scrambling for balance. Solem doesn’t even look at him. He just keeps walking, all his focus fixed on us. On me. He stops inches away. Then without breaking eye contact, he reaches down, grabs Lukas by the collar, and lifts him clean off the ground like he weighs nothing. I try to hold on. I really, really try. My fingers dig into Lukas’s arm, but he slips from my grasp as Solem hauls him into the air.
“NO!” I scream. I can’t stand. My ankle’s a mess. My body’s shaking. But I launch myself anyway, throwing all my weight against Solem’s leg. I wrap my arms around his ankle and pull, yank, try to throw off his balance, anything. He barely moves. I’m useless. The only thing that’s left even a mark on him is magic. And I don’t know how much of mine is left. If any. My magic’s always been wild, impulsive and blunt. A blast I throw across space. But Lukas doesn’t work like that. His magic travels through touch. Controlled, focussed, and not nearly as costly as my own. What if I can do that too? No wasted energy, no distance. Just direct contact. I press my palm against Solem’s ankle, against skin that’s gone stone cold and impossibly hard. I dig my fingers in and close my eyes. Come on. Come on. Just one more spark. One more hit. Please. I don’t know if it’ll work. I don’t know if it’s even possible. But I don’t care. Because I’m not letting Lukas go without a fight.
I hold my breath, eyes squeezed shut, as I search inside myself for anything. A spark. A flicker. The smallest hint of magic. There’s nothing. I’m already burned out. My body is running on adrenaline and sheer panic. I shouldn’t even be awake, let alone trying to fight a demon. But I don’t stop. I reach deeper, past the exhaustion, past the pain, and start casting anyway. Not the way I usually do. No blasts. No wild arcs of magic thrown across a room. I try to mimic him. Lukas. The way his magic works when he reads my mind, gentle, subtle, quiet. The barely there brush I’ve only recently learned to notice because he uses it on me so often. I grab that feeling and push everything I can through it, through my hand, through Solem. At first… There’s nothing. Then his skin starts to burn beneath my palm. I gasp, eyes flying open, and shove harder. My vision blurs, the world spinning dangerously, but I don’t stop. I can’t. From this angle, on my knees, clutching his ankle, Solem seems impossibly tall. Like a mountain towering above me. But he’s swaying. Just slightly. I keep going. My stomach twists. My head pounds. I feel wrong, unanchored. My arms tremble violently, and my injured ankle is completely numb now. I can’t tell if that’s good or very bad. But I don’t stop. Because if I stop, Lukas dies. And I won’t let that happen. Solem lets out a low, pained groan, and suddenly, he drops Lukas who crumples to the floor beside me, coughing. Still, I keep going. Eyes shut, head spinning, hands locked in place. My magic is fire and static and too much and not enough all at once. Then, warm fingers brush my cheek.
“Clare.” Lukas’s voice is quiet. Gentle. So unbelievably calm.
“You can stop now.” He says. But I don’t. I can’t. I can’t risk stopping too soon. Can’t risk leaving Lukas vulnerable. Can’t let myself believe we’re safe until I know. His hand stays on my cheek, steady.
“Rowen’s here, we’re safe. Just let go.” He says more firmly. Rowen… She’s here. She can fight him. She can finish this. We’re safe. I try to breathe, but my chest won’t cooperate. The edges of my vision have gone dark. Lukas’s voice is echoing now, faint and far away. But I heard him. We’re going to be okay. My fingers loosen. I let go. And everything goes black.