I look at my own palms, and the tar is gone. I turn over my hands, assessing my skin. It is smooth and clear and clean. The black veins that penetrated me so deeply are no longer there.
I was imagining it all. I am still free, but only if I keep moving. I must keep moving.
I look at Liv, and her lifeless eyes still carry their accusations, so I shovel snow onto her face, burying her beneath the rubble. I do not want to look at her anymore. She decided her fate the moment she aided the witches in my demise. I must remember that. We are not at fault for her mistakes.
On shaky legs, I stand. My stomach churns at what I see. All around me, witches are falling. The vampires are taking no prisoners, and I know I should not mourn the deceased—they all had it coming—but it pains me to know this is what it has come to. My release only comes with their death.
An ear-splitting shriek penetrates the night air, and the sound rips through my heart. I scan the yard in search of the victim, my gaze settling on one of my few allies. My blood runs cold, the icy air no longer burning my weakened skin.
Hikari is on her knees, and she is clutching her side. Trying to stand, she moves her hand, betraying a long slash across her torso. She is surrounded by three witches. They encircle her, their arms at their sides as they summon the elements.
I freeze. I am not surprised the witches would target her. Our enemies are vengeful by nature, but I refuse to let Hikari fall simply because she was trying to save me.
I know she only has moments to make a move, or she will succumb to their power. I must think quickly. How can I aid her? I remember the moment I used magic to heal myself. I was pinned against the floor, brutalized by my grandmother, and something within me just…snapped. The power swelled, and I released it, using it to heal my broken bones.
Instinctively, I reach for my side. The pain is still gone. My wounds are still closed. If I can summon enough magic to simply distract the witches, maybe the others can dash to her side. Or maybe enough time will pass for Hikari to save herself.
I squeeze my hands at my sides, pumping my fists, tightening my core. Deep down, I feel my magic springing to life. Unlike the usual waterfall ferocity, it is slow-moving, and I fear too much time will pass before I am able to channel enough strength to help Hikari.
The witches are raising their arms now, chanting so quickly, I can barely hear the spell they are casting. She has only seconds. It is now or never.
My chest is heaving, my lungs pumping oxygen to the rest of my body in rapid bursts of gassy energy. My limbs burn as the fire in my gut rises into my chest. I am reaching my boiling point, and I know I must release this magic soon or I might actually combust.
At the exact moment that I am certain I can no longer contain my magic, I throw my arms out before me and scream, releasing every bit of agony I had pent up. A solid flow of anger and pain and fear bursts from my palms as fiery streams of liquid magic. The lava substance shoots across the yard, aiming unevenly at the witches surrounding Hikari.
I miss.
Having spent far too many days not practicing magic, I misjudge the distance, and I almost set Hikari on fire. Thankfully, my emotional duress caught the attention of everyone in the yard, giving Hikari enough time to leap away. She twists through the air, landing lightly on her feet several yards away.
Seeing how Hikari is no longer in the cross hairs of three powerful witches, I lower my arms and slump forward, nearly tripping over my feet as I try to catch my breath. I am weak, desperate for nutrition and rest but believing I am likely hours away from relief. If it even comes at all.
As my stammering heart slows to a comfortable level, I glance up and assess our situation. The vampires are winning, and things are not looking good for Mamá’s coven or for the unfamiliar allies she has assembled to murder us. The vampires might not have the numbers the witches have, but they are far greater predators. It is only a matter of time before they eliminate them all.
Just when I consider Mamá might recognize this herself and ask her coven to retreat, she does the unthinkable.
I feel the exact moment her fingers wrap around the back of my neck. I can barely breathe. Her fingers squeeze so hard I almost pass out, but as soon as I become light-headed, she loosens her grip just enough to keep me conscious.
The point of her blade teases the throbbing vein in my neck, and I wince as the metal digs deep enough to cut me. The thick substance dripping down my neck tickles my skin as it descends until it seeps into the fabric of my jacket, halting its retreat.
“Stop!” my mother screams, her voice ragged and raspy. She is so close to my ear, it is painful when she speaks. “Retreat or I will kill her!”
I do not move, terrified that even a tiny flinch will make her dig her blade even deeper into my flesh. My arms dangle at my sides as I stand straight enough to make my back ache. I am shaking. I try to calm my nerves so I do not tremble so violently that I cut myself.
My heart sinks as I work up the courage to look from one vampire to the next. They look from my mother, who stands directly behind me, to where her weapon is cutting my neck. A look of confusion crosses their faces as they consider what is being asked of them.
But no one moves, because like me, even the vampires are unsure of what to do. The witches still as well, awaiting orders.
I scan my enemies’ faces, finally settling on Abuela. She smiles at me, and I notice, unlike the rest of her coven, she is completely unharmed. My grandmother is standing by the glass doors that lead to the kitchen, close to where she was when she brought Will and me outside to meet our fate. Instead of joining this fight, she watched as she ordered others to their demise.
I narrow my eyes at her, but this only pleases her more. Her eyes sparkle with joy, and a hint of bile works its way into my throat, forcing me to look away.
Malik planned this night perfectly. I would be captured, and I would locate Will. The next evening, Hikari would be sent to scout the area, intentionally getting caught. The witches would gloat, assuming the frail-looking Hikari was not a threat, and they would force me to watch as they kill her. At that moment, the vampires would make their presence known, revealing their intentions all along.
Even if I was left in the dark for much of his plan, Malik described this night so accurately it was as if he already lived it himself. He anticipated every move—except for this one. Who would have believed my mother would be so deranged, so afflicted by the darkness within her, that she would threaten to slice my neck with her own hand?
They could not have foreseen this moment, and now, they are not sure how to proceed. Do they retreat, or do they fight, risking my life? They look to me for instruction, but even I do not know what to do. Either way, I feel doomed.
“Mamá,” I whisper, a single tear sliding down my cheek.
Again, I ask myself, how has it come to this? How are we here right now? How is Mamá capable of murdering me? As much as I hate her for what she has done, Tatiana is still my mother. I could not intentionally harm her so fiercely she dies. I would never forgive myself if it were my blade that resulted in her death.
My mother responds by squeezing my throat tighter. It is a warning. She will do what she must to protect the remaining members of her coven, even if that means murdering her child. She feels cornered, and maybe killing me is her only way out.
Thanks to Liv’s sacrifice, we understand that our link is severed at death, but not at life. Will and Liv both were succumbing to the darkness inside of them, courtesy of that link. Now, that darkness remains within Liv, and Will is free. But when they were linked, he experienced her agony. That darkness tortured them both.