“Be there in one minute. I’ve got four shifters for backup. More on the way.”
We needed to buy time, but behind Rasla, the ramshackle tower began to pulse with dark magic. The walls seemed to expand and contract. The pressure in the air changed, making me lightheaded. The wind shrieked louder, and a sense of foreboding crashed over me.
The windows in the building shattered with a bang, exploding outward. I ducked and covered my head, hissing as glass rained down, cutting into my flesh.
When it stopped, I looked up. Midnight smoke seeped out of the gaping windows, reeking of decay and death. It twisted through the grass, moving as quickly and sinuously as snakes.
The coils of dark smoke wrapped around my ankles, then Eve’s. It went for Mac and Seraphia last.
Behind Rasla, Quinn and four shifters appeared, entering the courtyard from the other side. The black smoke raced toward them, wrapping around Quinn’s ankles as well.
I gasped as the oily slickness shot through me. The sensation quickly faded, but Eve and Quinn doubled over, retching. Mac and Seraphia stumbled but didn’t appear to be as hard hit as the others.
What the hell was going on?
“It has already started!” Rasla crowed. “My magic grows, and my curse knows how to find outcasts like you. The worst manner of villains. You’ll be gone soon, along with your precious Sha
dow Guild, once and for all.”
No.
This was my home. I could feel it. My gift could feel it. The very air I breathed in this abandoned part of town screamed that I needed to protect this place from him.
A shard of window glass gleamed at my feet. I reached for it, letting my magic flow through me.
How can I stop him? How can I protect you?
The answers came quickly, as if my gift knew there was no time to spare.
I was the one he’d written about in his journal. The one who would arrive and bring back the Shadow Guild.
Somehow, we were linked.
I had the power to stop him. It was why my eyes glowed neon green, why the curse didn’t debilitate me like it had Mac and Seraphia.
The knowledge—the power—pulsed inside me, drawing me to him. I had to touch him, to use my magic to destroy him. Then I could save the tower.
I dropped the shard of glass, the answers whirling inside my mind.
Grey stepped forward, drawing a sword from the ether. Rasla raised his hands above his head, and the smoke that hovered over the ground rose, forming creatures of swirling black glass held together by smoke. They were shaped like humans, but every part of their bodies was a weapon.
A dozen figures formed a protective circle around Rasla. He laughed, the sound eerie against the crack of thunder.
“Obsidia demons,” Mac said. “Deadly bastards.”
“I need to get to him.” I reached into the bag Eve had given me, drawing out a potion bomb. “I can stop him.”
Grey started forward, so fast he was a blur. He clashed with one of the Obsidia, his blade slicing through an arm. The limb dropped off, but the creature swiped out with his other, delivering four deep gashes to Grey’s chest.
Across the square, the shifters roared. Instead of transforming into their animal forms, they drew swords from the ether and charged.
It was wise. Shifters fought with teeth and claws, but the Obsidia could tear them apart if they made contact.
Eve launched herself into the air, her wings carrying her high as she raised her hands and shot a blast of lightning at one of the Obsidia. The creature exploded in a burst of glittery, pulverized glass.
At my side, Mac raised her blade and staggered forward. Seraphia did the same, pulling a wicked looking dagger from the ether. She reached into the bag that Eve had given her and withdrew a potion bomb. She passed it to Mac before taking one for herself.
“Stay back here,” I said. “You’re too weak.”