Chapter 49 THE TRAP SPRINGS
CHAPTER 049: THE TRAP SPRINGS
"I told you to come alone," Marvin says, his knife still pressed against Mom's throat.
"And I told you to go to hell," Luna snarls.
Her silver eyes are blazing. The wolf is right under her skin.
Kieran moves first, starting to circle left. Alaric mirrors him on the right. Cassian and Zev spread out, surrounding Marvin from all sides.
"Creative positioning," Marvin says. "But ultimately pointless."
He does something with his free hand, a gesture so quick I almost miss it.
The chamber doors slam shut. Every exit at once.
"What did you do?" Alaric demands.
"Anti-magic field," Marvin says pleasantly. "Expanded to cover the entire chamber now. You're all in my domain. Can't use magic. Can't escape. Can only die."
Cassian tries to summon his flames anyway. A small flicker appears in his palm before sputtering out.
"See?" Marvin smiles. "Powerless."
"We don't need magic to kill you," Kieran growls.
He shifts mid-lunge. His wolf form is massive but the transformation looks wrong, like it's fighting the anti-magic field.
Marvin sidesteps easily and kicks Kieran in the ribs so hard enough to send him sprawling.
"Without your full abilities you're just animals. And I've been hunting animals for years."
Luna shifts too. Her silver wolf is smaller than Kieran's but faster. She goes for Marvin's legs, trying to knock him off balance.
He jumps, impossibly high even without magic. Dark energy crackles around him.
"I prepared for this," he says, landing behind Luna. "Did you think I'd build a trap without testing it first?"
Alaric moves with vampire speed but it's slower than usual. Marvin blocks his attack with a blade that appears from nowhere.
"Where did that come from?" Zev demands.
"Dark magic weapons don't count as active magic. They're objects. The field doesn't block them." Marvin produces three more knives, letting them hover in the air around him. "Convenient isn't it?"
The knives shoot forward.
Everyone scatters. One catches Alaric's shoulder. Another knife grazes Luna's side.
Morgana tries to summon her shadows. They appear but they're weak, flickering like dying flames.
"It's not enough," she gasps. "The field is too strong."
I pull at my chains desperately. The anti-magic restraints are still burning my wrists but I don't care.
"Run," I scream at them. "Get out of here."
"Not without you," Cassian shouts back.
Marvin laughs. "How touching. The mate bonds are so predictable."
He produces more weapons. A whip made of dark magic that wraps around Kieran's leg and yanks him to the ground. A spear that nearly impales Zev before he rolls aside.
They're fighting but they're losing. Without their full powers they can't match Marvin's preparation.
Reyna, still in wolf form, tries to flank him. Marvin catches her mid-jump and slams her into the wall.
Reyna hits the ground and didn't get up.
"Reyna," Rafe screams, running to his twin sister.
Marvin kicks her aside casually. "One down."
Kieran roars and attacks again. This time he gets closer, his jaws closing around Marvin's arm.
Marvin doesn't even flinch. He drives one of his dark blades into Kieran's shoulder and twist it.
Kieran yelps and releases him.
"You're strong, wolf," Marvin says. "But strength without strategy is just flailing."
Alaric attacks from behind. Marvin spins and catches him by the throat, lifting him off the ground with one hand.
"Vampire. So fast. So deadly." Marvin's grip tightens. "So fragile when you can't turn to mist."
Alaric claws at Marvin's hand, drawing blood, but Marvin doesn't let go.
Cassian charges in, flames flickering weakly around his fists. He lands a solid hit to Marvin's jaw.
Marvin drops Alaric and backhands Cassian hard enough to send him sprawling.
Luna is the only one still standing. She circles Marvin in wolf form, looking for an opening.
He faces her with a smile. "The other twin. I wondered when you'd join properly."
She attacks. Fast and vicious, aiming for his throat.
Marvin catches her mid-air and throws her across the chamber. She hits the wall beside me hard enough to crack stone.
"Luna," I gasp.
She shifts back to human, blood running from a cut on her forehead. "I'm okay."
She's not okay. None of them are.
Marvin walks toward the center of the chamber. The boys are on the ground, bleeding and struggling to stand. Mom is still frozen with the knife at her throat. Luna is badly hurt.
And I'm chained to a wall, and completely useless.
"This is disappointing," Marvin says. "I expected more of a challenge."
Luna and I lock eyes.
Through the twin bond I feel her determination. Her rage. Her plan.
Without words we communicate.
On my mark, she thinks of me, telling me to break the chains.
I don't know how but I trust her.
"Marvin," I call out.
He turns to me, his eyebrow raised.
"You want me? Take me. Let them go."
"Thalira no," Kieran shouts, trying to stand.
"Let them live and I'll give you everything. My power. My life. All of it."
Marvin tilts his head. "Tempting. But no. I want you to suffer first. Watch them die. Then your sister. Then finally you."
"Then you're a coward."
The room goes silent.
Marvin's smile fades. "What did you say?"
"Coward. Hiding behind magic and chains because you know you can't beat me fair."
"I've already beaten you." He gestures to my chains, my injuries.
"Then prove it. One on one. No magic. No weapons. Just you and me."
Mom tries to speak but Marvin presses the knife harder against her throat.
"You can barely stand," he says to me.
"Scared?" I taunt.
"Fine," he says. "But when I break you don't say I didn't warn you."
He makes another gesture. The chains on my hands fall away.
I collapse forward with my hands and knees. Every part of me screams in protest. I have broken ribs, burns, cuts, exhaustion.
But I force myself to stand.
"Thalira don't," Luna whispers.
I meet her eyes. Trust me, I think of her.
She nods slightly.
Marvin rolls his shoulders like this is a warmup exercise. "Any last words?"
"Yeah. Stop talking."
I attack.
My first punch is sloppy, exactly what he expects. He blocks it easily.
My second punch is a feint. While he's blocking I drive my knee into his stomach.
He grunts, surprised.
I follow up with an elbow to his jaw. It connects and his head snaps back.
For a second I think I might actually land a decent hit.
Then he catches my wrist mid-swing and twists.
He uses my own momentum to flip me to my back. The impact drives all the air from my lungs.
"Disappointing," he says, standing over me.
I sweep his legs. He goes down hard, hitting the stone beside me.
We both scramble to our feet at the same time.
He's faster. His fist catches my broken ribs and I scream.
I drop to one knee, gasping for breath.
"Stay down," he orders.
I spit blood at his feet. "Make me."
He kicks me in the stomach. I roll across the floor, crawling up against the wall.
"Thalira," Kieran roars.
"Don't," I gasp. "Stay back."
Marvin walks toward me slowly. "You fought well for someone so broken. I'll give you that."
I use the wall to pull myself upright. My vision is blurring. Pretty sure I have a concussion now.
"One more round?" I ask.
"If you insist."
He comes at me.
I don't try to block this time. Instead I let him hit me, using the opportunity to grab his arm.
I pull him off balance and we both go down.
We're grappling on the floor now. He's stronger but I'm more desperate.
I get my teeth into his shoulder and bite down hard.
He yells and tries to throw me off.
I don't let go.
His blood fills my mouth. It tastes like copper and rot.
Finally he manages to pry me off. He shoves me away and stands, holding his bleeding shoulder.
"You bit me," he says, sounding almost impressed.
"You stabbed me. We're even."
"Not even close."
He produces another dark blade.
But before he can use it, the chamber shakes.
Not an earthquake. Something else.
The walls crack. Dark energy pours from the fissures.
"What did you do?" Marvin demands.
I smile through the blood. "I didn't do anything. But I think the weapon being destroyed might have destabilized the mines."
Stone falls from the ceiling.
"The whole structure is collapsing," Zev shouts.
Marvin looks around frantically. His perfect trap is falling apart.
Mom takes the distraction to elbow him hard in the ribs. He releases her and she runs to Luna.
"We need to leave now," Alaric says, struggling to his feet.
But the doors are still sealed.
"How do we get out?" Cassian demands.
Marvin is backing toward a section of wall that's different from the others. A hidden exit.
"You don't," he says.
He touches the wall and it opens.
He starts to slip through.
Luna shifts and launches herself at him. She catches his leg with her jaws.
He kicks her off but it gives me enough time to move.
I tackle him from behind, both of us falling through the hidden door.
We tumble into another tunnel. This one is older, rougher, and it's collapsing fast.
Marvin throws me off and runs deeper into the mine.
"Thalira," Luna screams from the chamber.
I look back. She's in the doorway, in human form, and reaching for me but the
tunnel is already collapsing between us.
"Go," I shout. "Get everyone out."
"I'm not leaving you."
"You have to. Please Luna. Save them."
The ceiling falls and stone falls between us, cutting off her view off my her face.
I'm alone in the tunnel with Marvin somewhere ahead.