Viv was in a hurry. She wasn't making sure her victims were dead before she left them.
Will you give me your strength to stop her? To stop the humans?
Matarrah was silent, and my heart slowed its beating. I let myself sink into that loss of air, knowing she was the only one who could save me.
You knew me as Samara. I broke free from the oubliette and hid in plain sight for many years. She has destroyed my world, corrupted my people. You knew me for who I was when you named me queen. Take my power. Take it and use it to save yourself and our world.
Samara. My heart shattered. No, not her.
There was no time for grief as the power of Air ripped through my body, lighting up my nerve endings. More than Air, the power of the storm rumbled through my blood, showing me how very deadly it could be.
The air that had swept away from me came rushing back as I breathed it in with no effort. The darkness that had held me faded and I forced myself out of the fog that hovered near death. I was on the ground, face down in the snow, the hot breath from my mouth melting the ice below me. I pushed to my hands and knees and spun around to see Raven fully engaged with Viv. The power on them both exploded like fireworks in the sky. Flashes of red, blue, green were predominant, but then the power of Air slid through them and they were above my head. Neither had noticed I was not dead.
I looked for Peta.
She was on her side, her chest heaving.
I ran to her. "Don't you dare die on me."
"Lark, you want to warn me next time?" She tipped her head and I pushed a flood of energy into her through our bond, healing the wounds. It looked like one lung had burst from the air Viv had forced in her. My jaw ticked.
"I didn't want her to pick up on what I was doing. I needed you and Raven to react truthfully for it to work." I stood and faced the two elementals just as Raven was blasted from the sky. He went end over end, his black cloak trailing him as he fell to the ground.
From the sky, Ash dropped toward Viv's head, his talons outstretched.
The moment slowed.
He slammed into her face, screeching and pecking, tearing at her face.
I ran, as I called all five elements to me. I would weave them into a unified thread of power and drive it into her heart. A single ending blow. Except they did not want to come to me like that. They fought one another, bucking away so I could not grasp them easily unless it was one at a time.
I was too slow.
She reached up as Ash clawed at her, and grabbed either side of his body. Pink lines of Spirit flowed over her, the intent on them-and in her-clear. She was going to pull him apart, taking away his eagle form, giving back his human shape.
Without a witch, there was no chance he'd survive. She was going to kill him.
"NO!" I screamed the word, my thoughts scattering as he arched away from her, wings spread and trembling, the crack of bones and the tearing of muscles heavy in my ears. His body shifted from bird to human as he hit the ground hard.
Her laughter chased me as I slid to my knees beside him. I grabbed his face, pushed my power into him. He could not die. I would not let this be the end of the one man who'd always loved me for who I was. Not for what I could do.
"Ash."
His golden eyes blinked up at me and he smiled. "I love you, Lark. I always knew you would free me somehow."
His heart was slowing, and Vivica was behind me. I could feel her power ramping up. I had to let him go and face her.
Ash's life was gone. I knew it, felt it as if my heart had been filleted.
And it left me dead inside.
I spun on my knees and stared at Vivica. So many ways to kill her, so many ways to end her life.
A whisper in my mind. Olivisha, holder of the flame.
She will run now; she is a coward at heart. The flames always scared her, Lark, use them.
Viv smiled at me as her whole body lit up with a pink light and I saw her intention echoing Ollie's words. She was making a run for it.
Not if I could stop her.
I sent a blast of fire straight at her, super heating it so it sucked all the air from around us in a whoosh that tugged me forward. Viv's eyes went so wide I could see the whites around the irises.
I ran for her, pushing the flames ahead of me, tightening them around her, forcing her to deal with the flames. If she was truly afraid, then I could use that against her, use her fear to make her falter.
Burn her. Ollie's voice urged me onward and I put more into the flame, feeding it with Spirit, Ollie's power and my hatred. That combination overwhelmed Viv like nothing else could have.
Vivica screamed and I could feel the flames lick along her skin, charring her, before she got a hold of them, and doused them with her own connection, though I felt her struggle to do even that much.